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Air-Fryer Jicama Fries and Dipping Sauce Ideas

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Air-Fryer Jicama Fries and Dipping Sauce

Air-Fryer Jicama Fries and Dipping Sauce

When Air-Fryers (Amazon link) first became a “thing,” I honestly didn’t pay any mind to them. I have a tendency to buy too many kitchen appliances, gadgets, pans, and gizmos… so I try to show a little restraint from time to time, especially when it’s something I don’t think I’d use that much. Suffice to say I was very wrong about this assumption!

When my youngest daughter, Stephany, and her husband got an air-fryer, she raved about how amazing it was… how the food was healthier, the air-fryer was fun and exciting to use, and that (the one that really caught my attention) food was always a knock out.

When it comes to really listening to others about cooking and food, Stephany is one I always listen to with both ears. Not only is she an avid cook, she’s a darn good one. She also knows a great deal about health.

I had to give an air-fryer a try and, suffice to say, I am COMPLETELY thrilled that I did. I use mine (literally) every single day. IBS recently forced me to give up quite a few different foods – potatoes being one of them. Not one to sit and pout, I simply looked for alternatives as sides… ever realized how many side dishes involve potatoes??!! I gave Jicama Fries a chance and am now so in love with them, we have them at least once a week.

The following recipe is for Air-Fryer jicama fries but they can certainly be made in the oven with delicious results.

Air-Fryer Jicama Fries

1 large Jicama, peeled and sliced (or, do as I do and buy them pre-packaged as fries in the produce section!)
3 TBS Avocado Oil (Olive Oil can be used instead with similar wonderful results)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika

Place the Jicama sticks in a pan of water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and place in a bowl with either avocado oil or olive oil and the seasonings. You can feel free to get as jiggy as you want to with seasonings… I honestly don’t believe I’ve ever used the same combination of ingredients twice. More about that in a minute!

Place the Jicama Sticks in the basket of your air-fryer and cook at 400 degrees for 6 minutes. Shake the basket or use a spatula to turn every guy over to “tan” on the other side. Cook for 6 more minutes.

Sauce Ideas for Jicama Fries

  • I usually use the same “Fry Sauce” recipe I used for fries and tater tots (1 cup mayo 3/4 cup ketchup, 1 TBS hamburger pickle juice + a few pickled diced finely, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of paprika.)
  • Honey Mustard is also outstanding with Jicama Fries.
  • I often serve mine with marinara sauce and, when I do, I add a little Italian seasoning to the fries along with the other seasonings. Delicious!

Health Benefits of Jicama:

  • Packed with nutrients and high in antioxidants.
  • Jicama is an anti-inflammatory food and can reduce IBS flare-ups, ulcers, leaky gut syndrome and various autoimmune digestive disorders.
  • Believed to boost heart health.
  • Promotes digestion
  • Good for gut bacteria.
  • Low FODMAP.
  • May reduce the risk of cancer.

The benefits would, obviously, be even greater if you’re using air-fryer (Amazon link) jicama sticks in place of fried potatoes. Any time we can replace an unhealthy option with a healthy option, it’s a huge win!

~ Joi (“Joy”)


Air-Fryer Jicama Fries and Dipping Sauce

Jicama Fries with Fry Sauce

Chef Michael Symon’s 5 in 5: 5 Fresh Ingredients + 5 Minutes = 120 Fantastic Dinners (Raving Review)

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Michael Symon's 5 in 5 Cookbook

Michael Symon’s 5 in 5 Cookbook

Since having to give up gluten and wheat, I have had to go back and edit a few of my cookbook reviews. I’m focusing more on gluten-free/wheat-free foods and don’t want to risk recipes or photos that could be confusing to anyone who has to eat gluten-free. The Cookbook review I’m editing and republishing today is one I absolutely love, Michael Symon’s 5 in 5 (Amazon link). Not long ago, when I told someone I collected cookbooks, she asked what my top 6 cookbook recommendations would be. The first thing out of my mouth (well, actually fingers, we were talking through Twitter DMs), was “Anything by Michael Symon…. but I’d start with his wonderful 5 in 5.”

A Few Thoughts Before Publishing my Edited Review:

  • Every cookbook can easily be altered in order to make the recipes gluten-free. You simply have to be diligent about making certain your replacements are in fact gluten-free. If you have Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disease, an intolerance, or an allergy, I HIGHLY recommend always looking for the gluten-free label on the product, itself. Don’t trust the label on the grocery store shelf – look at the product. When it comes to substituting pasta, for example in the wonderful Orecchiette with Sausage and Kale recipe in this very cookbook, more times than not I simply replace the ingredient with potatoes. I’ve used gluten-free pasta many times as well, but always love the extra goodness and flavor potatoes bring to a recipe. Bread is also very easy to “clean up,” whether it’s by using gluten-free bread, a wrap, or (my “go t0”), simply putting shredded lettuce in a bowl, adding the sandwich components, and calling it a “bowl.” The Fried Bologna and Egg recipe in this cookbook is delicious this way… you cut out extra calories AND the crunchy iceberg or Romaine lettuce adds so much to the flavors.
  • The original review was posted back in 2013 (before I had to leave gluten and wheat behind), yet this remains one of the cookbooks in my collection I turn to the most often. Most of the recipes, in fact, are memorized by now! Want to know another one I use just as often? Michael Symon’s Fix it With Food (Amazon link). There’s simply something about his extraordinary recipes I love – they’re PACKED with flavor, healthy, and never too highbrow. At this point, if he writes a cookbook, I’m one of the first to order it.

(Review Continued Below…)

Michael Symon's 5 in 5 Cookbook

Every now and then (quite often, actually), my husband does something super cool.  His recent act of coolness involved ordering me a new cookbook from Amazon. Not just any cookbook, mind you. This was the newest cookbook by one of our favorite Food Network Chefs, Michael Symon.

Like any good Food Network groupie, I knew Michael Symon’s 5 in 5 (Amazon link) was about to hit stores and like any good Food Network groupie, my plans were in place to grab a copy asap. I was beaten to the punch, but the only things that matter are that 5 in 5 is in my eager hands and that it’s even better than I’d expected.

From the Back Cover:

With his boisterous laugh and Midwestern charm, Michael Symon has become one of the most beloved cooking personalities on television. For ABC’s The Chew, he developed a brilliant, simple formula to help home cooks pull together fresh, from-scratch meals on weeknights: a maximum of five fresh ingredients that cook in five minutes. This cookbook ties into the segment, featuring dazzlingly quick, satisfying dinners that the whole family will love.

Michael first teaches readers how to set up their pantries with essentials that make whipping up dinner easy. Then he shares 120 recipes for pastas, skillet dinners, egg dishes, grilled mains, kebabs, foil packets, and sandwiches illustrated in 75 photographs. This is streamlined cooking for busy families and firmly solves the “what’s for dinner?” conundrum for home cooks everywhere. With a 5 in 5 recipe, there’s always time for a home-cooked meal.

The only exception I take with the description is this: I’ve made two of these dinners, so far, and Fantastic doesn’t even begin to cover it. These. Recipes. Will. Blow. Your. Mind.

Michael Symon's 5 in 5 Cookbook

Below are a few of the other recipes from 5 in 5:

(reminder: if you have to eat gluten-free, simply make safe substitutions you’re absolutely sure of)

  • Cavatelli with Cauliflower and Red Pepper Flakes
  • Orecchiette with Sausage and Kale
  • Lazy Meatball Kebabs with Yogurt
  • Fried Bologna & Egg
  • Spicy 50/50 Burger
  • Chicken Marsala
  • Garlic Chicken with Asparagus
  • Pork Schnitzel
  • Swiss Steak
  • Bricked Grilled Chicken with White Bean Salad
  • Grilled Skirt Steak with Chickpea Salad
  • Caramelized Banana Sundae
  • Salted Caramel Sundae
  • Ultimate BLT
  • Philly Cheesesteak with Provolone
  • Salmon with Rosemary and Garlic
  • Turkey and Avocado Melt
  • Poached Eggs Parmesan
  • Sloppy Mikes
  • Eggs in Hell
  • Plus Many more!

In the front of the book, you’ll find timesaving tips, Chef Symon’s favorite flavor combinations, and great pantry advice.  The book’s filled with gorgeous photos, including photos of Michael Symon and his beautiful wife. As one of the most genuinely likable celebrity chefs (or any celebrity or any chef for that matter!), one of the best things Michael Symon’s books have going for them is his personality – it comes through alongside his skills as a chef and the result is a cookbook you’ll always keep in plain sight.

If you love great food and love looking like a superhero to your family, you’ll want to order your own copy of Michael Symon’s 5 in 5: 5 Fresh Ingredients + 5 Minutes = 120 Fantastic Dinners today. This cookbook would also make an IDEAL gift for anyone, whether it’s Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, Graduation, or “Here’s this because you’ll love it…” basically any occasion.


Salmon Patties with Green Onions and Red Bell Pepper

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Salmon Patties with Red Bell Pepper

Salmon Patties with Red Bell Pepper and Green Onion

Few foods in this world make me as giddy as salmon patties (or salmon burgers, if you prefer). Seriously, if I know I’ll be making them for dinner, it casts a glow over my entire day. They’re delicious, sit easily on your stomach, and go with a wide variety of sides.

While I often change up the ingredients, the basic principle and technique is the same. Because I have to eat gluten-free, I use gluten-free dried breadcrumbs or panko. If you don’t have to eat gluten-free, use the breadcrumbs of your choice. Kroger has their own wonderful brand of gluten-free breadcrumbs – they even have a gluten-free Italian blend that’s outstanding for meatballs!

Some of my favorite options to add to my salmon patties:

  • green onion
  • red bell pepper
  • diced celery
  • shallot
  • sweet onion
  • green bell pepper
  • chopped sage
  • garlic

Choosing a combination of any of the above is outrageously good, but my personal favorite combinations are (1) diced celery and shallots and (2) red bell pepper and green onion.

The recipe below calls for red bell pepper and green onion, but (obviously) use whatever you prefer or whatever you have on hand.


As Simple as it Gets Japanese Broth Soup (The Possibilities are Endless)

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Japanese Broth Soup with Maifun Rice Sticks

Japanese Broth Soup with Maifun Rice Sticks

When I had to start eating gluten-free years ago (Celiac made the decision, not me), one of the things I missed most was Japanese food. Sushi, salad, and soup at one of my favorite restaurants became something I “used to enjoy.” Over the years I’ve looked for different options but it’s been pretty much one disappointment after another (gluten-free Japanese food is a wide-open field if any company wanted to pave the way!).

I always, always, always scour the Asian section at my favorite supermarkets for new products. Recently the magic words (“gluten-free”) caught my eye when I spied a box of Simply Asia Japanese Inspired Ramen Chicken Broth.

Into the cart it went! I envisioned rice noodles or rice sticks and green onions in what was going to be a quickly thrown-together lunch, so I grabbed a package of Dynasty Maifun Rice Sticks (Amazon link). I use these QUICK and easy noodles in so many cold salads and hot soups!

I came home and heated the broth, placed the rice sticks in warm water for about 10 minutes, then added them and some chopped green onion to the broth to simmer. I wish I had grabbed some Shitake mushrooms at the store, too, because very thinly-sliced mushrooms would have been amazing.

This broth is PHENOMENAL and the possibilities are honestly endless.

Check your favorite grocery section for the Simply Asia Japanese Broth (Amazon link) or click through and grab some on Amazon. The flavor will blow your mind.

Simply Asia Ramen Broth and Maifun Rice Sticks

The Makings of a Ridiculously Quick & Easy Japanese Soup (Gluten-Free!)


Wilton Halloween Sprinkles and a SIMPLE Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

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Sweet Jacoby with Cookie

Jacoby (3) With One of His Creations!

Two of my grandbabies and I made Peanut Butter Cookies recently and decided we simply HAD to use our Wilton Halloween Sprinkles on top… it is the Halloween season after all! Like all Wilton sprinkles, they’re perfectly delicious and have ZERO hint of an artificial flavor (some non-Wilton brands do taste a little artificial).

Cookies with Babies

Peanut Butter Cookies and LOTS of Sprinkles

Our Gluten-Free 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

  • 1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Egg

SIMPLE Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix your ingredients – sugar, peanut butter, and egg – in a bowl. You don’t even need a mixer!
  • Spoon cookie dough into heaps onto an ungreased cookie sheet (use parchment paper for easier cleanup).
  • Cust fork in sugar and use the tines to make criss-cross pattern on each cookie before baking.
  • Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Do not overbake! They’re best soft.

Sweet Maddox with Cookie Crumb Lips!

Maddox (4) with Sprinkle Lips!

Now, obviously, you can use these sprinkles judiciously and make VERY eye-catching cookies, candies, pies, cupcakes, and cakes… but if you’re lucky enough to have little kitchen elves, you can make a joyful, chaotic, and beautiful creation!

Cookies with Babies

Let the Sprinkles Rain AND Reign!

You can find a great number of Wilton sprinkles and sanding sugars (Amazon link) on Amazon. The one my little kitchen elves and I used, here, is available on their website and in stores.

Cookies with Babies

Easy Italian Meatball Soup with Gnocchi: SO Much Flavor!

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Italian Meatball Soup with Gnocchi

Easy Italian Meatball Soup with Gnocchi

I don’t think I spend nearly enough time thanking God and everyone else for all of the wonderful gluten-free products available these days. In fact I know I don’t. I just keep buying and loving them! One of the ones I’m most thankful for is DeLallo Gluten-Free Gnocchi (Amazon link). This is not an exaggeration, I literally buy two boxes each Friday at Kroger. I always use at least one during the week and simply put the other in the pantry for when its big moment arrives. I use this gnocchi in soup, salads, pasta meals, and even simply sautéed with garlic butter.

It goes perfectly in ANY soup – simply either cook it separately and add it at the end, or add it directly to the hot soup toward the end and enjoy its magic.

As with any recipe or meal plan, if you have to eat gluten-free, always check each item’s ingredients. Personally, because my health depends on it, I look for the “gluten-free” symbol AND read the ingredients. Also, a word of warning, not all broths are gluten-free – always check. I know, for example gluten-free beef broth can be tricky to find, which is why I love Swanson – they label their broths so clearly. Always appreciated.

As always, if you’re able to eat regular gnocchi and meatballs, go for it, they’ll work just as well as their gluten-free counterparts… and they’ll be less expensive!


Delicious and Simple Recipe for Pimento Cheese

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Pimento Cheese Recipe

Pimento Cheese

Two of my favorite things in the world of food are cheese and mayonnaise (preferably Duke’s), so it’s only natural that I love Pimento Cheese like a sailor loves the sea. When I had to give up gluten/wheat (health reasons), I lost the world of pimento cheese sandwiches because, no matter what anyone may try to tell you, gluten-free bread simply is not the same. If you toast it, it is more than serviceable, but straight out of the bag… no thank you, I’d rather dance alone.

Fortunately, I’ve found that pimento cheese is just as delicious on chips, romaine lettuce, or gluten-free crackers.

If you’re able to eat bread, then by all means do so!

The following is my “go to” for pimento cheese – it’s simple and delicious, as well as very spreadable and dippable.

Delicious Idea: This particular approach to pimento cheese is pretty savory – if you want to add a bit of sweetness, add a little softened cream cheese along with the other ingredients…. OR, if some people in your family prefer savory and others prefer sweetness, do what I like to do: Make the savory version of the pimento cheese. When someone who prefers a little sweetness wants a sandwich, spread some cream cheese on the inside of one of the slices of bread (kind of like mayo with a sweet tooth). This is an especially delicious trick when you toast the bread.


Gorgeous Soup Bowl and Sandwich Plate Combo (Great Gift Idea for Cooks)

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Mentally and emotionally I have turned the corner…. I’ve left summer behind and have launched myself right into Autumn’s crisp leaves and gentle breeze!

The house is already decked out with creepers, happy ghosts, pumpkins, and bears dressed up for Halloween. We’re all ready for fall.. now all it has to do is show up!

I’m also making the summer to fall transition in the kitchen as soup and chili begin to replace salads and grilled burgers. In fact, today marked the first day that a pot of chili returns to the home. I served it with pimento cheese sandwiches and it was fantastic.

As I thought about the number of times (during fall and winter) that we take our soup or chili and hot dogs/sandwiches into the den to watch football (Go UK Wildcats! and Go Broncos!) or October baseball (Go Cardinals!), it occurred to me that I needed to find handy coup and plate trays. Truth be told, I wasn’t even 100 percent sure such a thing existed, I just knew what would be extraordinarily cool.

I went directly to Amazon to see if the coolness existed and badabing!… of course Amazon had just what I was looking for.

They always do.

The Artena Bowl and Sandwich Plate Combo (Amazon link) is EXACTLY what I need. I love that it’s available in different colors (I honestly had no idea I’d find any this gorgeous).

  • Available in teal blue, lake blue, mint green, and soft pink.
  • Ideal size – perfect for fitting a sandwich or chili dog on in addition to the generous mug of soup or chili.
  • I also love the options these would provide for breakfast food – grits or oatmeal with French toast or biscuits yum!
  • When you click through and take a closer look at the colors, be sure to check out the video that’s available – you’ll get a better idea of just how gorgeous, well-made, and roomy these are.


Feeling ALL Kinds of Salty: Why You Need Cornish Sea Salt Company Salts in Your Life

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Freshly Cut Avocado with Cornish Lemon & Thyme Sea Salt 

My name is Joi (“Joy”) and I am an Amazon addict. Not complaining. Not bragging. Certainly NOT looking for intervention… just merely and merrily stating a fact. There are many reasons for this happy addiction (I love buying things for my large family, I’m an avid reader, I collect old movies on dvd…) but the main thing I use Amazon for these days – as in right up there with books – is for salts, seasonings, and other food items I can’t get in stores.

Seriously, using Amazon for food-related goodies is one of the absolutely most enjoyable rabbit holes you’ll ever find.

It’s all in keeping with something I’ve always preached, to be a good cook…

  • You need a passion for it.
  • You need to practice regularly – and, not only with food(s) you’ve never made before, but with those you regularly make. You can always find new tricks, tweaks, and tools to make regular meals more enjoyable and maybe EVEN tastier.
  • Get creative! Never be as boring, predictable, or stale and for crying out loud, never be average.
  • Your food will only be as good as the tools you surround yourself with. Make sure your knives, pans, pots, blenders, mixers, etc are all in tip top shape.
  • Use the best ingredients you can afford. Some items are simply WORTH paying more for – garlic powder and vanilla come to mind.
  • Life (and a kitchen) without seasoning and spice is BORING!

The outrageously delicious and crazy fun salts I want to tell you about today tick off quite a few of the aforementioned requirements. They’re also very affordable and, if I can get super girly for a hot minute, they look amazing sitting on the counter.

Well, they do.

Using different salts, peppers, seasonings, oils, vinegars, and sauces is a huge passion (obsession) of mine. I just counted and we currently have 12 salts in our kitchen. TWELVE! If I were to use full disclosure, there are about to be thirteen (more about the one on the way in a minute).

I recently came across a company who really knows their salt and they have a fan for life. I first spied the Cornish Sea Salt Company on Amazon about a month ago when I was (as I can often be found doing) shopping for fun salt blends.

(Salty Conversation Continued Below…)

Cornish Sea Salt And Pepper Pinch Salt

Cornish Sea Salt Company Salt & Peppery Blend

The first one of their blends I saw and ordered is pictured above, the Salt & Peppery blend (Amazon link). The Cornish sea salt is accompanied by four wonderful peppers and the result is a beautiful and delicious thing. I’ve used (and loved) this blend on burgers, eggs, bacon, chicken, baked potatoes, fried potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, pinto beans… basically anyplace I’d add regular salt and pepper together, this allows me to add them at once in a knock-out blend that brings even more flavor to the moment. Used as a finishing touch, it adds a great deal to the food’s presentation – in addition to tasting fantastic.

When I saw that they had another blend, Fresh & Zesty: Lemon, Thyme & Cornish Sea Salt (Amazon link), I ordered a tub immediately.

The tubs may look small, but these salt blends last a really long time. The flavor is so concentrated, it hardly takes any at all to make a big impact.

I knew the minute I smelled the Lemon, Thyme & Cornish Sea Salt blend that I had another winner on my hands. I’ve used this one on pasta, garlic toast, hummus, salmon (it’s amazing in salmon patties!), shrimp, and other fish. One of my favorite ways to enjoy it is also one of the simplest, on freshly cut avocado. The flavors it brings to the avocado party are unbelievable.

Remember when I said I currently had 12 different salts in my kitchen and they were about to be joined by salt number 13? Well, we can blame the Cornish Sea Salt Company for this one, too! They have another blend that sounds as wonderful as these two… Cornish Roasted Garlic Sea Salt (Amazon link) and it is sitting in my Amazon cart as we speak. 

I honestly cannot wait to get creative with this one. I mean, are you kidding me? Garlic!? The possibilities are endless.

I hope you’ll give these salts a try – they’re outstanding! ~ Joi (“Joy”)

Cornish Sea Salt Fresh and Zesty on Avocado

Fresh & Zesty: Lemon, Thyme & Cornish Sea Salt (Amazon link)


Kentucky Pimento Cheese: Budget-Friendly, Easy, and Delicious!

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Pimento Cheese Makings

Pimento Cheese, Fixing to Happen

Okay, so why do I call this Kentucky Pimento Cheese?? Well…

  1. It’s Pimento Cheese
  2. I live in Kentucky

Mystery solved! Actually, I thought the words Pimento Cheese looked kind of lonely and wanted to give them a friend.

This is my go-to recipe for pimento cheese because it’s easy, simple, and (most importantly) delicious. It’s creamy and a little sweet (thanks for all you do for me, cream cheese). You can add a little jalapeno and/or cayenne pepper (just a little, don’t get crazy with it) to it if you’d like to balance the sweetness, but as a true southerner, sweetness floats my boat, so I take him as he is.

A few quick notes…

  • Make this your own by adding more cheese if you like, as much salt and pepper as you prefer, and adjusting the mayo to fit your personal tastes.
  • It’s always a great idea (with any food, actually) to shred your own cheese rather than buying it shredded. It simply tastes a lot better. A LOT better.

Kentucky Pimento Cheese on Bread