Alfredo Sauce

8 oz light cream cheese, softened
6 TBSP butter
1 1/4 C milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
16 oz pasta

Boil water in a large pot.  When it comes to a boil add 1/4 tsp salt and pasta.  Stirring occasionally, cook as directed. When pasta is done, return to pan, drizzle with olive oil and stir.  Then add 1/2 C parmesan cheese and stir.  Then add sauce when it is done.
To make the sauce...
Melt cream cheese and butter in a medium sized pot, stirring with a whisk.  When they are melted and combined, slowly whisk in milk. Then add seasonings.  Keep stirring until heated through.  Pour over pasta and let sit for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to let the pasta absorb the sauce.

If you want to add chicken, I cube one large chicken breast and cook it in a pan with lemon/pepper seasonings and a little olive oil.  When it is lightly browned, add 1-2 cloves of garlic and stir until fragrant(5 seconds).  Then add the chicken to the sauce before pouring over pasta.

November is almost half over!

Time continues to fly.  Taylor is doing well in preschool and we have had no issues with him being able to eat his foods safely.  I am very grateful for that.  I continue to find recipes that work for our food allergies and shelf stable foods that allow Taylor to eat similar foods to other kids. "Back to Nature" has several crackers and cookies that meet all Taylor's requirements.  He loves their Crispy Cheddar crackers.  Trader Joe's has Golden Rounds Crackers that are soy free.  These were a great find by my mother!  Trader Joe's doesn't have very many products that are soy free, but there are a few and we have been glad that they opened one here in Salt Lake City.

I hope that some of my recipes will help another Mother who struggles like me to find the right kind of food to feed her family.

This is a link that talks about soy allergies.  I found it very helpful.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/soy-allergy/DS00970/DSECTION=symptoms

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

3/4 lb extra lean ground beef
1/2 C minced onon
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
2 (6oz) cans tomato paste
1/2 C water
2 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black peper

Cook the ground beef with the onions in a large pot.  I like to add salt/pepper/onion powder when cooking the meat too.  When the meat is almost done and the garlic cloves.
Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and seasonings.  Cover and bring to a simmer.  Turn down heat and keep a simmer for 30 minutes-1 hour, depending on how much time you have, stirring occasionally.  The longer you cook, the thicker it will get.

Delicious Soy & Egg Free Chocolate Cake adapted from Hershey's "'perfectly chocolate' chocolate cake"

2 C sugar
1 3/4 C all purpose flour
3/4 C Hershey's cocoa
1 tsp baking powder(always check to see if it is soy free)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP flaxseed + 4 TBSP water
1 C milk
1/2 C canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 pan with butter and then flour it. Mix flaxseed and water in a small bowl and allow it to sit for a couple minutes.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Add flaxseed/water combination, milk, oil, and vanilla.
Mix with a hand mixer for 2 minutes. Then stir in boiling water(batter will be thin).
Pour into 9x13 pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool.

Hershey's "'Perfectly Chocolate' chocolate frosting

1/2 C. butter (1 stick)
2/3 C Hershey's cocoa
3 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter, then stir in cocoa.  Alternately add powdered sugar and milk and beat with a wire whisk.  Add vanilla and mix.  Spread over cooled cake.

This cake can be made in two 9" round pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, in a bundt cake(make sure you grease it very well with butter then flour) for 50-55 minutes, and cupcakes for 22-25 minutes(make sure to only fill muffin tins 1/2-2/3(no more).

This is my husbands favorite cake.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup(replacing the canned stuff)

There are many recipes that call for a can of condensed cream of chicken soup.  This works perfectly as a substitute. I double this when I make funeral potato casserole.

2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
1 C Swanson's chicken broth, lower sodium version
2 oz light cream cheese, softened
salt & pepper to taste

Melt the butter, then stir in the flour to make your roux.  Then slowly whisk in the broth.  When that is warmed through, stir in the cream cheese.  Season as desired and let come to a boil for 1-2 minutes to thicken.

**I also add onion powder, or Italian seasonings, etc depending on what dish I am making.