Cheesy Corn Dog Casserole (Low Carb and Grain Free)

I can't even remember the last time I ate a corn dog!  But the craving hit last week and I immediately got online and tweaked a recipe to make it my own version of a Low Carb Cheesy Corn Dog Casserole.  Frying wasn't an option for me so I resorted to baking it.  I like easy!  

The almond flour resembles corn bread batter and I was very pleased with the texture and results.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1 cup almond flour
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
Freshly Ground Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp Whole Whipping Cream
 2-4 hot dogs cut up in pieces
(all hot dogs are not equal so make sure to choose a lower carb count)
Shredded Cheese of your choice
Bacon Grease or Coconut Oil

Cut up hot dogs and grate cheese. Set aside. 

In glass Pyrex pan melt bacon grease in preheated oven.

Prepare Corn Dog batter.  Mix together almond flour, baking powder, baking powder and salt and pepper.  Make sure there are no lumps.
 

Whisk eggs into almond flour mixture until incorporated.  Add Whole Whipping Cream until just blended.  

Bake until golden brown and until knife comes out clean.
Top with grated cheese and return to oven to melt.   Slice and serve.

I made one of these for a recent trip,  cut it in serving pieces and wrapped each one in aluminum foil.  It traveled well and was an easy low carb/grain free meal.

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Have a Lovely Day!!!

The Country Cook

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

DIY Facial Toner

I've never been one to purchase high end facial products.  Paying upward of 40 dollars for a toner is just plain silly in my book.  I've been looking at natural options and, as an added bonus, the price is definitely right.  

This one uses witch hazel and essential oils.  Witch Hazel is an astringent (cleaner) that comes from the leaves and bark of the witch hazel shrub.  It shrinks pores and tightens skin.  Best of all, it's natural.

I did some googling and picked out a very famous toner that is sold in major chains around the United States.  The famous toner is deemed as 100 % natural but it has some good and bad ingredients.  

The good ingredients are Rosa Damascena Flower Water,  Citric Acid (found in fruit and adjusts the skin acidity), Citronellol (an oil found in roses and geranium),  and Geraniol (a natural occuring alcohol found in rose, palmerosa and citronella oils).  

Sounds good to me!  

And now for some questionable ingredients in this 'so called' 100% pure toner.

Butylene Glycol~  BG is a chemical based petroleum solvent causes reactions to very sensitive skin and could dry out skin.  Tetrasodium Edta is an acid that is widely used to dissolve limescale.   Sounds prett potent.  Methylparaben is a food and cosmetic preservative that prevents bacteria growth.

The benefits of Witch Hazel far outweigh anything store bought.  

It reduced puffiness,  soothes pimples,  loosens blackheads, and reduces wrinkles.  

So, how did I make the toner?  I took my handy dandy icing tip that doubles as a funnel and filled up my small atomizer with the witch hazel and added a few drops of essential oil.   Various essential oils have differerent benefits for different kinds of skin.  You can find more info here. 

After washing and drying my face I spritz it on.  That's it.  Easy peasy!

Witch hazel can be found at most drugstores next to the ispropyl alcohol.  It costs about 8ish dollars for a 16 ounce bottle and will last for a very long time!

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Have a Lovely Day!!!

The Country Cook

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Homemade Lotion Bars

This post has moved to my new blog home on the net!  

Please click over to find the recipe for Homemade Lotion Bars!

The Oily Amulet Diffuser Necklace Giveaway!

I'd like to say I never win anything but then it would not be true.   

When I signed up for a necklace diffuser I actually DID say to myself (grumble!) that I probably would not win.   So imagine my surprise when I was contacted and told that my name was picked out of quite a few entries!  To say I was excited is an understatement!  

It's a silvertone diffuser necklace that is very similar to a locket and opens up.  Inside is a black piece of rayon felt that you add a few drops of essential oil to.  The essential oils waft through the filigree and smell wonderful.  If you're new to aromatherapy you already know all of this wonderful info so please be patient with me as I share my lovely gift!

   

The diffuser is linked to the chain by some very pretty pink jade.

It came all wrapped up in vintagey newsprint wrapping.

Head on over to The Oily Amulet and check out their lovely store!  

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Have a Lovely Day!!!

Taking the plunge into the world of Essential Oils

Hello Aromatherapy!!!

I've taken the plunge into the world of Essential Oils and I'm quite excited!  

It was my birthday at the beginning of this month and so I decided that I wanted a diffuser and an oil kit to make my home smell wonderful and to diffuse at night when I went to bed.  

I did quite a bit of research online.  One thing I learned, rather quickly, was that there's a bunch of tension, arguing and fighting between Essential Oil Companies.  I'm talking about Essential Oil WARS!  To be honest,  that's a real big turnoff to me.  It's great that you promote your own oil companies benefit but once you smear others it starts to get downright dirty.  Another big factor in my choice was I didn't like the Multi Level Marketing Companies with a middle man.  The prices are marked up ridiculously.

Yes,  I know what you are saying.  What about the quality of oils?  

The truth is there is no governing board that determines which essentials are better then the other.  One famous company will say that their oils are tested but... who does the testing?  Why of course,  the company itself.  The fact of the matter is that all essential oils are of the same grade.  Essential oils have been on the market long before Multi Level Marketing EO companies have been around and the quality hasn't been comprommised.  You can read more about that here.   I find that many MLM's use guilt inducing jargon to lean potential customers to buy from their company.

On to the fun stuff!

I checked out reviews on Amazon and decided on this one since the ratings were good and the price was decent.  (It has since gone up since I purchased)   It came well packed and looks nice.  The shipping was also free since my purchase was over a certain amount.

 

The diffuser is fairly small and is about 5 inches across at the base.  It's also fairly lightweight and resistant to tipping over because of the shape which is a really great feature.   It's also pretty lightweight.

 

I started diffusing 'Cheer Up Buttercup' from NOW which is one of my favorite blends.  It's happiness in a bottle and still one of my faves!  In a small area the diffuser definitely scents the entirety of the room.  It really is lovely!

 The big question of them all...Where did I purchase from?  Eden's Garden.  You can also check out their facebook page here.    With orders over 49.99 you can have free shipping so I purchased this kit with 7 synergy blends and 7 oils.  To bump my order up over 50.00 and get free shipping I also ordered a bottle of Vanilla to the mix.  

Some of the synergy blends aren't my favorite.  If I could do it over again I would probably go with pure oils (no blends) so I can have more flexibility in making blend that I prefer so that's just my two cents.

I feel the need to address shipping time.  On their facebook page there are quite a few complaints about shipping times and USPS tracking not being updated.  I ordered on March 2nd and received my order exactly 7 days later on the 9th.  I'd definitely account for delays just in case so you have enough time to receive your order.  I am very well pleased with the oils and will definitely order from them again.  

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Have a Lovely Day!!!

The Country Cook

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Flax Seed Wrap Grilled Cheese

It's been nearly a year since I've been grain free and low carb (I've also lost 40 pounds simply by changing my diet~  super exciting!)  

It's also been about a year since I've had a wonderful grilled cheese sandwich. 

So this week I had the brain child to make one with the flax seed recipe that I have shared previously.  

Real butter.  Colby Cheese.  And a flax seed wrap.  Pretty good stuff if I do say so myself!


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Have a Lovely Day!!!

The Country Cook

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Flax Seed Crackers

If you're grain free and want a chippy kind of a snack these are great with guacamole or with some cheese slices on top.

So... without furthur adieu~     

1 cup ground flax seed  

2 eggs 

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Italian Seasoning (or whatever you like) 

Sea Salt from grinder 

Parmesan Cheese (dry)

Mix flax seed and eggs together.  Sprinkle in some Italian Seasoning and salt.  Let sit for about five minutes.

Place parchment paper in bottom of cookie sheet.  Spread dough on top of parchment paper.  Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and roll as thin as possible.  They won't look perfect and that's okay.  I cut mine with a knife so they would be easier to break apart after baking.

Pull off top parchment and give another good sprinkling with salt, parmesan cheese and Italian Seasoning.  Press spices/seasonings down into dough with your hand or parchment paper.

Bake at 350* for 10 minutes.  Flip and bake other side for an additional ten minutes.  Cook for additional time if you desire more crispiness. 

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Have a Lovely Day!!! 

The Country Cook

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating