Red Potato Salad Directions:

I state about 1 cup of mayo because honestly I don’t measure it precisely.

1. In a large pot add potatoes and eggs and cover with tap water and add a dash of salt.  Cook over medium-high heat until potatoes are tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly.
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until cooked and evenly browned (you want crisp, but not burnt bacon). Drain, crumble, and set aside.
3. Peel and chop the cooled eggs.
4. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, bacon, onion, celery and pickle. Add mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Chill for an hour before serving.

I already have a wonderful Bacon Potato Salad posted, and you might be asking yourself how many potato salad recipes does one person need? I’ve asked myself the same question, and I have yet to come up with an answer.

I have tried numerous recipes for potato salad and there are a few things I have realized. First, red potatoes work the best in my opinion; they hold up well and have great flavor and texture, not to mention you can leave the skins on. Also, potato salad doesn’t need a “secret” ingredient. Just the basic stuff works the best. And lastly, potato salad tastes better after a good chill in the refrigerator, overnight is best to really blend the flavors.

Red Potato Salad is a post from: In Flora's Kitchen

Baked Beans Directions:

We used a combination of kidney, pinto, great northern and garbanzo beans; but use whatever canned beans your family prefers.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook bacon in a large, deep skillet (cast iron works great here) over medium high heat until cooked through and evenly browned. Drain, reserving about 2 tablespoons of drippings. Place the cooked bacon on a paper towel lined plate and allow to cool; cut or crumble bacon.  Cook the onion and garlic in the reserved drippings over medium-low heat until onion is tender, about 5 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.
3. In a 9×13 pan (or a similar sized dish) combine the bacon, onions,  and beans. In a small bowl (I use a measuring cup) combine the ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and black pepper.  Pour the ketchup mixture over the beans and stir until mixed thoroughly.
4.  Bake uncovered in preheated oven for about 1 hour or until bubbly and slightly browned.

I have a favorite baked bean style recipe that I have been cooking for years. However, it requires bbq sauce and canned pork & beans, which I don’t typically keep on hand.

Yesterday, my daughter was in the kitchen with me and wanted to help me cook dinner, so we quickly found a recipe we could modify and make work with the ingredients we had in the cupboard. I gave my 5 year old the job of making the sauce and helping pour and stir it over the beans before baking.

Today’s Baked Bean recipe is definitely sweet, so you might want to cut back on either the molasses or the brown sugar if you don’t like your baked beans on the sweet side. With bacon and a homemade sauce, these beans full of flavor and a great side dish to enjoy all summer long. And it’s easy enough the kids can help make it.

Baked Beans is a post from: In Flora's Kitchen

If replacing the buttermilk with soy milk, make sure to use unsweetened; I find it works much better for baking.

1. Grease (or line with paper liners) a muffin tin. Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.
2. In a large bowl, combine rice flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Fold in rhubarb. Fill muffin cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
3.  Bake in preheated oven for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

You know it is spring when the rhubarb is ready. I realize not everyone loves rhubarb, however, if you chop it small and bake a slightly sweet cake or muffin, it is hard to resist. I previously posted a family-favorite, Rhubarb Coffee Cake, but I decided it was time to make some rhubarb muffins as well.

I adapted a traditional rhubarb muffins recipe, and not only made it gluten-free, but dairy-free as well! I typically don’t use vinegar added to milk to make “buttermilk” as I feel it tastes different than buttermilk; however, when using soy milk I didn’t have much choice. It worked really well though, so it’s an easy dairy-free option.

I made a quick cinnamon-sugar topping to throw on the muffins before baking, just to add a little sweetness and crunch to the top. I had some raw sugar, which is much coarser than granulated sugar, so I used that; but any sugar would work fine.

These muffins are moist and flavorful. I think they are the perfect combination of a  little bit sweet and a little bit tart.

Rhubarb Muffins is a post from: In Flora's Kitchen

Each crock can hold one stick of butter, has an airtight seal that keeps the butter fresh at room temperature, and is dishwasher-safe, making it not only adorable, but practical. They have multiple styles and colors, so there are crocks to match anyone’s kitchen decor. And I have to admit, they are way cuter than any butter dish I have ever used.

Right now Butter Bell is having a great spring sale!

This sponsorship is brought to you by The Butter Bell Crock who we have partnered with for this promotion.

Butter Bell Crock is a post from: In Flora's Kitchen

1. In a large bowl, mix together the rice, cornstarch, potato starch, cinnamon, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. In small bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, vanilla, and milk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and sit until combined.
3. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugars for the topping.
4. Preheat a waffle iron, greasing the iron if necessary. Pour the necessary amount of batter into preheated iron and sprinkle liberally with the cinnamon-sugar. Cook until golden and crisp. Carefully remove waffle from iron and continue with remaining batter. (You might want to make the last waffle plain, to try to absorb any leftover cinnamon-sugar stuck in the waffle iron).

I think it’s difficult for most people to resist a cinnamon roll or cinnamon toast. The warm bread and the sweet cinnamon-sugar crunch; there is no doubt, cinnamon and sugar are a winning combination.

I love waffles. They don’t really need a lot of crazy embellishments, because a good waffle, is well, good enough. However, I read about waffles with a cinnamon-sugar topping baked right in, so I had to make my own version.

They are super yummy, they’re the perfect comfort food for breakfast. It’s got the flavor of a freshly baked cinnamon roll or warm cinnamon toast, but all wrapped into a waffle.

Because it is sweet, we opted to only add a dab of butter. However, I think some chopped nuts or maybe a thin icing drizzled over top would look spectacular for a special occasion breakfast or brunch.

I made these in my Belgian waffle iron, but a regular iron should work just fine. Also, I should warn you, when all is said and done, you are left with a rather gooey, sticky waffle iron. After I unplugged my waffle iron, I place a few damp paper towels on top of the grates and closed the waffle iron. The steam helped soften the stuck on cinnamon-sugar residue and after a few rounds of wet paper towels, my waffle iron was almost clean.

These waffles are really good, but if you have your own favorite waffle recipe or mix, you could just add the cinnamon-sugar topping to get the same effect.

Cinnamon Toast Waffles is a post from: In Flora's Kitchen