Maple Butternut Squash

Since I am working on the newsletter this week, I am trying out some ideas for Thanksgiving side dishes. I have a certain boy who really loves butternut squash. The others, not so much. In order to make more than one trial dish, I am testing some different flavors in smaller batches. He loved this one! I will now work on converting it to a recipe for an entire holiday side dish. That will be in the November newsletter for sure.

Butternut squash is not terribly low in carbs, about 22 carbs per cup, so this dish would be a holiday treat for most of us. Still, if it is this or a serving of sweet potatoes, go for the squash. The flavors are similar, but the glycemic load is not. My online source says sweet potatoes will have about 41 carbs per cup. Good trade, I think.

I did take a taste of this, and it was yummy. A few drops of maple flavoring, some sweetener and lots of real butter. That is what you have to look forward to. No marshmallows on top, but sweet none the less.

Tonight, the boy had it with meatloaf and some oven roasted green beans. I love oven roasted veggies. They aren't as pretty, but the flavor is wonderful. So good that it is cool enough to use the oven again.

Chicken Pizza on a Nutty Crust

Do you miss biting into a thin crispy pizza? My college kids got pizza today, but that crust is against the low carb rules for us! It didn't take too long to put together this nut crust, which is thin and crunchy. All home made and yummy.

I used one of my ground chicken patties for the meat topping, spiced up with a bit of Italian seasoning--heavy on basil and garlic. It is also topped with thinly sliced tomatoes. No sauce to make it too soft. Another sprinkle of herbs and a generous helping of shredded cheese. This one happens to be sharp cheddar. So much flavor!


Nutty Pizza Crust
2 c. nut flour (almond, hazelnut or a blend of any mixed nuts)
2 eggs
2 t. coconut oil or olive oil
1 t. salt

Melt the oil, let cool slightly.  Beat the eggs, add in the coconut oil and salt. (You don’t want it to be boiling hot or it will curdle the eggs; if you don’t melt it, it’s hard to mix in evenly.)  Then stir in the nut flour; mix thoroughly.
Form it into a ball, and then pat it out on a greased pan or cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes until browned.  Then add the toppings – sauce, vegetables, and cheese.  Bake another 10 – 15 minutes until it looks ready.

I will be working on some autumn recipes this week. Hopefully, I will have enough success to share. You certainly don't want the recipe for one of the recipes I worked on last week. They don't always turn out as winners!

Grilled Eggplant Slices with Beef

I am having a super busy few weeks here. My friend and fellow diner, Tinkerbelle, told me about a meal she created using leftover beef and one of her favorites--grilled ggplant. I thought it sounded wonderful, so I asked her if she would snap a photo and let me feature her as a guest blogger. Fortunately, for all of us, she agreed. It takes a little pressure off of me to feature more of your ideas, and gives you creative cooks a chance to share your creations too. I would love more guest bloggers!

Lots of you liked the idea of the eggplant pizza rounds. This is similar, but takes advantage of the wonderful flavors of roast beef, Italian seasonings and Havarti cheese. Oh my!

Tinkerbelle's Eggplant Beef

Grilled Eggplant slices
3-4 oz shredded beef (I used leftover Tip roast)
4 oz tomato slices
1.5 oz Havarti
Simply Organic Italian Seasoning

Layer and pop under the broiler till cheese bubbles. I had it with 1/4 cup Daisy Sour Cream for a dipper.

Simple ingredients, but a wonderful flavor combo. I am certainly going to try it with the next roast I cook. It would make a super addition to a roast beef Triple Play meal, don't you think?

Dollar Tree Flavorings

I frequent my local Dollar Tree Stores all the time. You just never know what you will find! Being into crafts and foods, I keep my eyes open.

This week, I noticed some bottles of coffee/tea flavorings that were new. I looked at the bottles--Vanilla, Hazelnut and Caramel. Those are three of my DaVinci favorites. The bottles did not say sugarfree. But for some reason, I flipped over to see the ingredients list. No calories, no carbs, no fats, no nothin'. Sweetened with Sucralose. Hmm. Why didn't the bottle say so in the first place?

For a buck, I had not much to lose. Amazingly, these are good. Maybe not quite as strongly flavored as the premium syrups, but way cheaper! The plastic bottle holds 12.7 fluid ounces. It recommends using between half an ounce to an ounce per serving. Hoping to find more about the brand, Cafe al Fresco, I did an internet search. Nothing came up, so I am assuming that these were perhaps once a part of gift packages? Who knows?

They passed my taste test. I am enjoying a cup of joe right now flavored with the Hazelnut. The would be good in my cream cheese puddings too. I am going to stock up on some more later this week. Who knows how long they will last?

Getting Burgers Wright

A good burger is a thing of beauty. Our dinner was Miss Universe caliber tonight! When Christian began his SCD diet, I had to find an additive free liquid smoke to make barbecue sauce from scratch for him. Yes that sauce is also divine, but it has honey in it, so it is a no-no for Dad and me as low carbers. Now back to the burgers...

What I didn't know is that this liquid smoke product, Wright's, would be head and shoulders above all competition! It is natural, and very concentrated. Even at that, it is not the most expensive brand on the shelf. I have been adding this to my ground chicken patties with awesome results. It is fabulous in meatballs too. And tonight's burgers--the ultimate in flavor. I won't ever make them anyway again. Well, maybe not never...an exception maybe some stuffed with cheese...and jalapeños...and grilled onion. I am still having hamburger fantasies here. I think it is about time for a Burger Buffet night around here.

Burgers the Wright Way

2 pounds of lean ground beef
2-3 teaspoons of Wright's Liquid smoke
2 teaspoons of Bragg's Liquid aminos
1 Tablespoon of dried minced onion
course ground black pepper to taste

Blend everything together by hand. Form patties and cook over charcoal.

Don't dare put mustard or barbecue sauce on these burgers. The liquid smoke adds a flavor that even the charcoal misses. The company even says you can add the flavoring to the lava rocks on a gas grill. Wow. Sounds great, but I haven't tried that, but anything that helps that flavor. Sorry Hank Hill, I love my charcoal.

As a marinade, this can't be beat. It turns a dump chicken or pork chop meal into a real treat--even when you bake in the oven. For "George" meals, just mix some Wright's with some melted butter and baste the meat and vegetables too. I am going to the store to get a spray bottle to keep some of this diluted and handy to season green beans, and other veggies too. I use my Bragg's Aminos this way, and it is very handy.

Notice that I have a plateful of burgers in this photo. Those are the leftovers. In true Diner fashion, I always make extra. This package of burger meat will feed us several times. I might as well put them into the Multiply Meals section of my cookbook.


I can only find this at one grocery store locally--Reasor's. It is available through Amazon, though. I might just have to ask for a case for Christmas! I tried the Hickory flavor, but I hope to find the Mesquite too. They say this is your favorite restaurant's secret. So glad the secret is out!

Could This Be Apple Cider?

Nope. I can't find a way to make apple cider low carb. Juices and sugars just go hand in hand. But, with my son drinking a big jug of fresh pressed apple cider--so good this time of year--I felt deprived. Instead of sulking, I got into some kitchen engineering. Hurray. I am back in the kitchen after a week of do it your self floor overhauls at my house. That is the reason I have been absent from my computer for a while too! Now that that is almost complete, I will be back to the blog. But I digress--back to the apple beverage.

I found a carton of apple drink mix made by Walmart's Great Value brand. Yes, it does have sweeteners that I generally stay away from...but if aspartame doesn't do terrible things to you, then this occasional splurge won't do any harm. Still no carbs or calories at least. So, I made a pitcher of the apple drink. Good, but certainly not the harbinger of fall. To get that tart zing, I added a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to my glass. Good for you, you know! Then I added a few drops of pumpkin pie spice flavoring from Capella. OH, YES! This may not be fresh pressed, but I am certainly no longer feeling deprived.

If you want to order the drops, visit the Capella site. I use several flavors to liven up my coffee and to use in desserts. One of my favs is Boston Cream Pie. They have free shipping right now, so check it out.


Knowing most of you don't have this, I tried a glass with a pinch of ground pumpkin pie spices. The flavor was not as strong, but still worth a try.

Yes, it is my favorite season of the year--Fall at the Marshall house!

A tribute to Folgers

I understand it is National Coffee Day. Well, I can't let that pass without the mention of my favorite coffee on the planet. Okay. Let's understand that I am really cheap. I don't do Starbucks. I don't grind my own. I am in no way a coffee snob.

That being said, I do love me some Joe. I used to over indulge in all those rich wonderful flavored creamers. Not so good when you are limiting carbs. I have blogged before about the flavored coffees from Folgers, but that was chocolate, and this is better. At least for me. This makes me a happy woman any time of day. It is so good I can even do it without cream. That is saying something.

Yesterday, I was so happy to get to go out for coffee with my BFF from way back--yes, we saw the 70s together. She lives half a country away, so our coffee chats are few and far between. Well, we were checking out a coffee shop I am hoping to hold some chuch meetings in soon. Great place. I am broke this week, and trying to drop some more pounds too, so I just ordered the house coffee. You would think that would be the ultimate. You know, it is pretty pricey in those places. I can honestly say that I like my home brew better. My husband loves that I am so easily pacified. Not a coffee diva, which is good because he won't touch the stuff. Two of three sons like it though.

That thought brings me to another hint. My youngest, who is being treated through diet for his stomach issues, can no longer drink regular high acid coffee. Sad? He is. Being supermom, I set out to find a solution. My wonderful friend and Diner, Loretta, told me about a system to make a cold brew which has lower acid. I investigated that idea from her. Unfortunately, after a month with car repairs and overdue accounts from hubby's clients, we have been strapped lately. I couldn't afford one of those specialty systems for making low acid coffee. Then I found a tip online that said you can make the same low acid brew using a coffee press. I found one on Amazon for around $17. I ordered that, and so far, so good. It is small, but makes enough concentrate for him to have about 6 cups of coffee. The trick is to use the press to soak the grounds over night in cold filtered water. Then in the morning, plunge it down and you get a concentrate to dilute in a cup. I just add about half water and half coffee, heat it up and let him sweeten it. It is really tasty, too. Here's the coffee press I purchased.


I have been sooooo busy lately. I just completed the newsletter, so I will get that out on time. I have been really stressed with too many obligations, but I can't figure out anything to drop. We still eat low carb, and are doing great. My Sunday prep day was devoted to doing some unusual fermented condiments. I will feature one of those recipes--sauerkraut, in the October newsletter, so be sure to be watching out for it. I have also been processing a lot of chicken, but I have already told you how to do that on this blog. I will get more regular at blogging again soon, so don't give up on me. I have lots of college kids coming home for the weekend, too. Hopefully I can share some pics from that. We will have Beefkey and Chili. For now, I need to go get dinner ready. We are having meatloaf tonight. I need some rest, so later I will finish the pot of coffee I started this morning, but never found time for a second cup. Hope you can rest with a cup of coffee to celebrate the day too.