Laura Gill

I had to do a double take when I came across this recipe. I make green smoothies nearly every single day, and I like my coffee, too. Never had it occurred to me to combine them. It seems too good to be true, like it's going to end up a disgusting mess of wasted greens and caffeine, but it's not...

See Also:
- Paleo Recipes for Brownies and Banana Bread
- Three Ways to Wrap Asparagus

Instead, it's like a morning (or afternoon) dream come true. You can have your greens and your coffee, too!

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Laura Gill

If you haven't yet heard of the Paleo lifestyle, you're in for a treat. The Paleo philosophy is really simple: eat only whole, unprocessed foods and cut out all grains, legumes, and refined sugars. I know that cutting out grains and legumes may sound like the opposite of what many nutritionists advocate, but we're not here to argue about that. What I'm here to tell you is that when applied to desserts, the Paleo principles are the best!

See Also:
-Bisbee Road Trip: Quaint Farmer's Market, Vegan Nachos -- and Frog Balls
-Three Ways to Wrap Asparagus
-Flourless Sunflower Seed Butter Cookies

Paleo dessert recipes are always gluten-free and very often diabetic-friendly. They're the perfect solution when you're cooking for strangers -- like a work potluck. It's also worth noting that many folks have experienced amazing health benefits after eliminating the above-mentioned forbidden foods. If you want to know more, take a look at this infographic.

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Laura Gill

If you've never been to Bisbee, it's time to plan a little road trip. Located 82 miles southeast of Tucson, this tiny old town of about 5,500 has quite a lot to offer. Its picturesque qualities alone are worth the four-hour drive from Phoenix.

See Also:
Three Ways to Wrap Asparagus
Make Your Own Dairy-Free Horchata

It should be noted that Bisbee has quite the nightlife scene. On any given evening, you can expect to find yourself some interesting entertainment, whether that be in one of the art galleries or hundred-year-old (possibly haunted) saloons. Bisbee has its own brewery, the Old Bisbee Brewing Company, and also claims to have the world's smallest bar. That said, this post focuses more on what to do during the day, before the freaks come out.

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Laura Gill

This week, it was suggested that I look for different ways to wrap asparagus. "Great!" I thought, as I love asparagus. Browsing recipes, though, I realized that in addition to loving asparagus, I'm quite the particular eater. I don't eat pork and I can't do gluten, which means I can't eat anything with flour.

See Also:
Use Salt to Clean and Restore Your Cast Iron Skillet
Golden Eggs: Scrambled Inside the Shell

My food exclusions have never been a problem before, but apparently some of the best wrapped-asparagus recipes include pork and flour.

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Laura Gill

Last week, we scrambled eggs inside eggshells, but this week we take it up a notch. Yolks and whites, scrambled or not, are simply not as exciting as chocolate cake. Imagine hunting for these instead? I can't really think of anything better -- other than solid gold, that is.

See Also:
-Golden Eggs: Scrambled Inside the Shell
-DIY Cucumber and Avocado Spring Rolls

It turns out that eggshells are the perfect receptacle for cake. Just large enough for a couple of bites, it keeps the cake super-moist for several days. You can even decorate the shells afterward with Sharpies for an extra special treat.

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Laura Gill

Tis the season for eggs -- boiling them, decorating them, and baking them into breads. After being on Pinterest for so long I feel like nothing can surprise me, but then I come across something like this and I'm once again feeling like a six year old.

See Also:
-DIY Lemon Vinegar Cleaner: Another Way To Use Up That Citrus
-Use Salt to Clean and Restore Your Cast Iron Skillet

These eggs are a nice stray from the normal hard boiled egg, especially for those who are soon to celebrate the practice of hiding them for little ones to find. Perhaps make one or two of these for an extra special treat for the person that finds them? Or simply make them because because you find the yolk in conventional boiled eggs totally disgusting.

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Laura Gill

I'm very happy to report that once you've scrubbed the heck out of your cast iron skillet, seasoning is pretty much a breeze. I didn't know this, of course, until a kind commenter left directions on "Seasoning Your Cast Iron Pan" on the above-mentioned post. Thank you!

See Also:
Use Salt to Clean and Restore Your Cast Iron Skillet
Cook Your Hash Browns in a Waffle Iron?

Re-seasoning your skillet after a thorough cleaning is absolutely critical. The "seasoning" is the coating, or layer that makes the skillet non-stick. The cast iron skillet is essentially useless when it's not properly seasoned. Luckily, you don't need any fancy equipment or cleaners. All you need is your skillet, an oven, and some oil or grease.

Now, there's a lot of debate about what kind of oil to use. And people seem pretty stuck on their choices. From what I gathered, the most traditional folks use bacon fat or lard. I didn't have any of this stuff on hand, though. Other people use canola oil or vegetable oil and there is debate within these, too. One site I read said never use vegetable oil, but there are plenty of people, including the author in the tutorial above who claim to use it with no trouble. Because I cook most often with coconut oil, I opted for that and hoped for the best.

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Laura Gill

I've been a very bad cast iron skillet owner. Without getting into too many details, I'm putting it out there that this classic piece of kitchen equipment has been left in the oven while cookies were baking, washed in soapy water, and just left to rot and rust for who knows how long. I wanted to tell you that I found it at a yard sale, but I'm a terrible liar.

I'm ready to reconnect, though. I promise to be responsible and never again let it go. I promise to keep it properly seasoned and fry lots of eggs in it. I promise!

See Also:
-DIY Lemon Vinegar Cleaner: Another Way To Use Up That Citrus
-DIY Cucumber and Avocado Spring Rolls
-DIY Bread and Butter Jalapeno Pickles

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Laura Gill

I've been writing about food related Pinterest finds for one year and have yet to report on cookies. It's about time. And these are wonderful, particularly in this picky day and age.

These cookies don't contain flour, or nuts and barely any diary - making them the absolute perfect treat for when you don't know who you're cooking for: a potluck, for example. People with nut and wheat allergies are too often overlooked and will greatly appreciate it when someone shows up with something that they can eat and tastes really good.

See Also:
-DIY Lemon Vinegar Cleaner: Another Way to Use Up That Citrus
-DIY Cucumber and Avocado Spring Rolls
-Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: Don't Knock It Till You've Tried It

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Laura Gill

An abundance of lemons is one of my favorite things about living in Phoenix. I go through at least one whole lemon a day and I'm always a little distraught about tossing the peel away - even if it's going into the compost pile. Recently I read about a chef that does his best to produce zero waste from the vegetables he uses - similar to the "Nose to Tail Movement," which is a commitment many chefs are making to make use of the whole animal in their restaurants. I love the idea and I especially love the idea of applying this to vegetables - or in this case, fruits.

See Also:
-DIY Lemon and Pink Grapefruit Marmalade
-Salad in a Jar: Detox for the New Year
-Five Tips for Making DIY Fortune Cookies

While this doesn't keep the peels from ever going into the compost heap, it does provide a second, extended use - and that's a great start!

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