If you’ve seen a lot of recipes lately that call for almond flour or almond meal, you may be wondering what it is.  I know I was.  When I looked into low-carb diet recipes, I came across a lot of these types of recipes.  As it turns out, almond flour is typically used as a replacement for wheat flour or cornmeal, both high in carbohydrates.

Almond flour can be used as a coating for fish or chicken instead of flour or cornmeal.  However, almond flour is not a substitute for regular flour when used in bread that forms a real dough because you can’t knead it.  It is suitable, however for quick-breads like muffins and other “mix and pour” type  breads.

You can find almond flour or almond meal in health food stores or many larger grocery stores.  You can also make your own at home pretty simply.  To make almond flour, buy the blanched almonds without the skin and, starting with small amounts in your blender or food processor, pulse until the texture becomes like cornmeal.  If you use whole almonds or blanched almonds with the skins on, you’ll make almond meal.  Either way, the finished flour or meal will resemble cornmeal more than it will resembles regular wheat flour, and they can really be used interchangeably.  If you blend the almonds too long, you’ll end up with almond butter, which is good, too, so just set it aside and try again.

What to make with almond flour or meal?  I guess my favorite is coating fish and chicken.  The results are very different from your typical flour coating.  It has a nutty, of course, taste that you won’t have from wheat flour or cornmeal.  Be careful when you cook your fish or chicken though as the almond flour will tend to burn a bit faster.  I choose a lower oven setting when I’m oven frying with almond flour coatings.

Other than coating fish or chicken, or turning into a muffin recipe, what would you do with almond flour?  It seems pretty versatile, so I would love to hear your opinions about how to use this fun food!

On a road trip our family took recently, I discovered the convenience of making wraps for the travels.  We used to make regular sandwiches all the time, but you know how sandwiches get to look after an hour or two in a cooler.  Not very appetizing.

I bought a supply of small and large corn tortillas so that we could experiment with a variety of wraps and roll-ups.  We found both to be quite a bit easier to eat on the road, as well as holding up better than sandwiches.  The experiment was a success, but now, of course, I have a couple packages of corn tortillas in the refrigerator, waiting for some inspiration to hit.

We do like making enchiladas and will certainly use some of the corn tortillas up that way.  My recipe is pretty basic.  I just mix up a batch of red sauce using tomato paste, tomato juice, ground beef, and lots of spices like garlic, onion, cumin, chili powder, and hot sauce.  Then I stuff the corn tortillas, roll them up in a baking pan, pour the rest of the sauce over, top them with shredded cheddar cheese, and bake them.  Pretty basic.

I’ve also run across a few recipes that use corn tortillas in layers forming casseroles, sort of like lasagna noodles, only using Mexican spices and ingredients.  Has anyone ever made a really good casserole with tortillas?  Any other ideas for wraps, or enchiladas, or any more unusual dish would certainly be appreciated.  I’d love to see what kind of ideas you come up with!

I often get a little over exuberant when I find a sale, and I’ve done it again.  This great bread was on sale and I had good intentions of using it up in sandwiches and french toast, which I did for awhile.  But, I am still left with several loaves of bread that are now going stale.  I’m not a real fan of freezing bread, so I need some great bread dishes and casseroles. 

Here is one yummy dessert that I make with stale bread, that I will share with you.  It’s a tasty, simple Bread Pudding.  Here’s what you need:

2 cups of stale bread cut into cubes
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk (more or less depending on the bread)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins

Mix everything in a big bowl and pour into 8 inch square baking dish. 
Put dish into a larger baking dish and put in oven and pour about an inch of hot water into larger dish. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 – 45 minutes, until knife inserted comes out dry. 

It would be nice to have a few main dish meals to make with stale bread.  I also have a vague memory of one that my Mom made like a cheese casserole, but can’t remember it well enough to duplicate.  Anyone have some recipes to share so I can use up my stale bread before I have to feed it to the birds?

I hear Bisquick is super-handy and can be used to make everything from pizza dough to pancakes and many baked goods in between.

I’ve only used Bisquick for one thing — and that is making those “dough-boys” in Girl Scout Camp. Remember those? You mix the water with Bisquick and then wrap the dough around a large whittled stick. Cook the end of your stick (including your dough-boy) over a campfire until it’s golden-brown (although they normally look more like a blacked dough-boy than a golden-brown one). Slide it off and add butter and jam. YUM!

I’m sure there are plenty more recipes for using Bisquick than my old campfire ones. So, please share your Bisquick recipes, ideas, and experiences here. Thanks much!

Ritz crackers are wonderful in soup. They are awesome with a little cream cheese on them. And, they are convenient for travel with kids.

What other uses, recipes or ideas do you have for Ritz crackers?