Creamy Mac Cheese

A couple of months ago I posted a gluten free version of this recipe and it was a huge hit. I thought I’d finally post the regular version for all of you who don’t eat gluten free!This recipe is amazing. My Mom has been making it my entire life and it is one of my favorite things she makes. It is rich, creamy and full of cheesy goodness. While I can never quite get this recipe as good as my Mom’s, I assure you it is the same.The quantities called for in this recipe is half what my Mom normally makes. I find that if I make a large pot Alex and I can’t eat it all. If you have a large family or are trying to serve a crowd you’ll want to double the recipe. If you’re just wanting enough for one just halve this recipe. With the measurements listed here it is actually pretty easy.You can really use whatever combination of shredded cheese you want. My preference is to combine parmesan and white cheddar or sharp cheddar cheeses. The only thing you really chant change is the velveeta. The recipe won’t be as creamy if you leave it out.This is one recipe to impress your friends and family with. Once you make it people will be asking you for the recipe time and again. Not only will your kids love this, adults will love it too. Happy Eating![amd-yrecipe-recipe:99]

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

This cake…this is one of my absolute favorite cakes!!! It is amazing, incredible and something every baker must try. The rich chocolaty cake has a wonderfully gooey center that when served warm is reminiscent of a chocolate lava cake.I found this cake a couple of years ago and I’ve made it so many times since then. I actually had to search all my recipes on here to make sure I hadn’t posted it yet. But I saw I hadn’t, which I’m not really sure how I could have forgotten this recipe, and decided that you guys needed to have this one in your arsenal.Every time I make this cake it receives the highest of praise. It is ooey gooey and very rich. One small slice is more than enough for most people, but it will definitely leave you craving more. The cake itself is very easy to whip together. The longest part is letting it cool. I highly suggest making this cake for your next gathering. You will really impress your guests![amd-yrecipe-recipe:98]Source: Adapted from Annies-Eats

Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls

 This is a fantastically easy recipe when you need something amazing for breakfast. You can both prep it the morning you need it, and prep it the night before. The cinnamon rolls are full of wonderful cinnamon sugar and carmelized goodness.  These left the pan so quickly I could only get a photo of one on a plate! They are sure to impress your family each and every time you make them.The base for this recipe is prepared dough. I have made this recipe with Rhodes brand prepared dough, but my personal preference is to prep bread in my breadmaker when I decide to make this. You can make this with whatever prepared dough you want. Simply make certain that the dough is completely defrosted and has risen slightly. You don’t want it to rise all the way since you’ll let it finish rising before you bake it.In my opinion the frosting is the best part of these. While I think there is plenty of frosting with the amounts called for, if you REALLY love frosting you can feel free to double the recipe. The consistency is very smooth and will not hold any shape, but it really doesn’t matter since it will just melt over the warm rolls.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:97]

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day! I hope you have a wonderful time with your friends and family. Here are a few recipes to impress your guests.Gluten Free Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Zucchini CakeFlourless Chocolate CookiesGrilled PizzaStrawberry Rhubarb PieQuick and Easy Bruschetta

Chocolate Cardamom Cupcakes with Cinnamon Orange Buttercream

When Isannah visited for the second week this summer we decided to do some baking for her to take back to Olivia. I wanted to make something really special and different to take to her since she typically likes trying new things.I got the idea for these cupcakes from watching Cupcake Wars. The contestants were constantly talking about cardamom cupcakes and I decided to see why it is so popular among professional bakers. I wasn’t really certain what other flavors went along with cardamom so I pulled out my trusty food bible and decided to make a chocolate cardamom cake with cinnamon orange buttercream. This combination turned out to be an excellent idea.These cupcakes are not only light and fluffy, they are extremely flavorful. The cardamom shines through and the nutmeg and orange zest really make it pop. I’ve never worked with cardamom before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised by the finished product. It is a fantastic cupcake that is perfect as the weather turns cooler.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:96]

Gluten Free Pita Bread

I’ve wanted to try homemade pita bread for a while now. I saw a post on one of the blogs I read reminding me just how versatile pita truly is. I knew right then I needed to find a recipe and make it so I could enjoy some new lunch ideas. Pita is a super versatile lunch food. It is a great option when you are tired of gluten free bread substitutes and you need something quick and easy.This recipe is super quick and can be made in a matter of minutes. It is very easy to prep them the day before you need them. These will keep on the counter in a ziplock baggie for about two days. This recipe makes three full pitas (six halves). Since I am the only one eating these in my house this is the perfect amount for me. If you need more than this simply double or triple the recipe. Since there is no yeast in this recipe the pitas won’t burst like normal ones. You will need to help coax the pockets open with a sharp knife.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:95]Source: Adapted from: Gluten Free on a Shoestring – Nicole Hunn

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Pumpkin Spice is everywhere now that we are entering into the fall season. While I’m not a huge coffee drinker I do enjoy the flavors of fall and can readily jump on the pumpkin spice train when it comes to baked goods.  Hopefully this is just one of many fall spice flavored recipes I’ll post this year!I created this recipe last fall and everyone who tried them, loved them! When I decided to make cookies to send to my sister I decided it was high time I made these again. While I don’t normally add nuts to cookies, since I really can’t stand nuts, this recipe absolutely needs nuts to complete the flavor. Since pecans pair so well with fall spices and chocolate I prefer to use them to any other nut when making these.You can use either homemade or store bought pumpkin pie spice. It is very easy to make at home and there are countless recipes on the internet you can replicate.  If I have time I like to make my own, but I typically keep some at the back of my cupboard for when I don’t have time to make my own.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:94]

Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cupcakes

 These cupcakes are decadent. They are full of wonderful chocolaty, almond goodness that pretty much melts in your mouth. While the flavors may seem kind of plain these cupcakes are perfect for any occasion. The inspiration for these cupcakes was a Hershey’s chocolate bar with almonds. That is pretty much my favorite chocolate bar ever and I really wanted to pay homage with this cupcake.By using ground almonds in the batter you really get a little something extra in these cupcakes. Depending on how finely you grind the almonds you may find one or two small pieces in each bite. This really spices up the cake in my opinion. However, if you grind the almonds finely enough you will not notice any difference in the texture, there will simply be a light almond flavor in the background.I chose not to decorate these cupcakes in any way since I really think their simplicity speaks for themselves. If you’d like some form of decoration you could always add a design made out of candy melts. A heart or star would look especially cute on top. If you were able to find certified gluten free chocolate covered almonds those would also pair nicely as garnish.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:93]

Paleo Zucchini, Banana, Flax Muffins

 I thought it was about time for another Paleo, grain free recipe here on the blog. These muffins are perfect for a light breakfast or snack since they are chock full of wonderful ingredients. These muffins are light and fluffy and completely grain free. They are also free of refined sugar since it is sweetened with honey. I highly suggest using local organic honey for this recipe since you will get the very best taste.I’ve used fresh zucchini (pretty much straight out of the garden) for this recipe. It really gives it a better flavor if you do this. However, if you only have frozen zucchini on hand make sure to use the water in the container too. This will keep the muffins from getting too dry in the end.This recipe includes almond milk rather than coconut or soy milk. I find that if I use coconut milk in addition to coconut flour and/or coconut oil the flavor is just mostly coconut and I’m not actually a huge fan of that. You can of course substitute whatever type of milk you prefer although just make sure it is unsweetened so as not to add additional refined sugar. If you do use almond milk it is best to make your own since commercial varieties can include non-paleo ingredients. [amd-yrecipe-recipe:92]

Gluten Free Zucchini Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cake

My second guest post is up on Poverty Luxe today! I’ve created a gluten free recipe for Ginger Mango Cupcakes with Ginger Mascarpone Frosting. You should definitely check it out! If you’ve journeyed over to my blog from Poverty Luxe, welcome! This week I have five different gluten free recipes for you to check out. I look forward to sharing them with you.This recipe is amazing. Growing up my Mother would make this recipe every year when the zucchini were fresh out of her garden. I decided this was the year to turn this recipe gluten free so I could have it again! The cake is light and fluffy. It has incredible chocolate flavor and will satisfy your sweet tooth.Using fresh zucchini will get the best results for this cake. I used a medium zucchini fresh out of a friend’s mother’s garden to make this. However, I’ve used frozen (and then thawed) zucchini. Simply make sure you use the water/juice that is in the container if you defrost it.Instead of a frosting on this cake we have always sprinkled it with powdered sugar. This gives is a wonderfully light taste without the heaviness of a frosting. If you want to add a frosting anything with a vanilla base would complement the cake nicely. I have to honestly say though, don’t add a frosting. The cake is pretty much perfect without it.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:91]

Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies

 Ever since I mademy traditional version of these a couple of months ago I knew I had to figure out a gluten free version. I love these cookies! They are soft, delicious and full of chocolaty goodness.  It is definitely hard to just have one of these.This recipe will make approximately two dozen cookies. I find this is the perfect amount since you can have a few, share a few and freeze a few for later. If you need to feed a crowd, it is very easy to double or even triple the recipe. I’ve used a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the cookies before baking. If you have a cookie scoop feel free to use it, but if not a spoon works just as well.These cookies would work wonderfully for homemade gluten free ice cream sandwiches once they have completely cooled. Simply put a scoop of ice cream between two of the cookies to make a sandwich. If you prep them ahead of time make sure to put them back in the freezer to set up.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:90]

Gluten Free 3 Ingredient Nutella Brownies

I saw this recipe floating around Facebook a couple of weeks ago and decided I had to make it gluten free. Nutella is already a gluten free food so it was very easy to simply substitute gluten free flour for the regular flour called for. I didn’t have any issues with the brownies holding together, but if you’re concerned about it you can always add in a half teaspoon of xanthan gum.These brownies are super easy to make and were a huge hit at game night. They definitely disappeared quickly. With only three ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboards, this recipe is a must try.  If you don’t need to eat gluten free you can simply substitute regular flour for the gluten free flour called for.I used an 8x8 pan to bake these. However if you want to make a larger batch you can easily double the recipe and use a 13x9 pan to bake it. If you wanted thicker brownies you could double the recipe and use a 9x9 or 8x8 pan. You will need to lengthen the bake time by 5 to 10 minutes though. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:89]Source: Adapted from Kirbie Cravings

Mayan Chocolate Cupcakes

Recently I’ve watched through the Cupcake Wars series on Netflix. When several of the contestants mentioned this type of cupcake I was very curious. I had never heard of Mayan cupcakes so I decided I had to look them up and see what made them different. I found out that in order to make them “Mayan” I needed to add cinnamon, cayenne and nutmeg to a chocolate cupcake. I then decided to take my normal cupcake recipe and add those ingredients. It took a couple of tries before I found the perfect quantity of each to add.I was called an evil genius by the recipients of these cupcakes. The spiciness of the cayenne pepper pairs excellently with the sweet chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg. While you can completely taste the cayenne it is not overpowering.The frosting on these cupcakes is also “Mayan”. I added cinnamon, cayenne and nutmeg in order to complement the cupcakes. You can easily leave those out though, I just thought they really added a little more spice to the overall taste. These cupcakes would really pair well with any sort of chocolate frosting if you don’t feel like the extra spice. I also feel like a cinnamon –vanilla frosting would also really showcase the flavors of the cupcake without adding additional spiciness.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:84]

Quick & Easy Bruschetta

We first had this at a family gathering, Alex’s Aunt made it for us once and I was hooked! It is so quick, easy and yummy. I found all my ingredients at Aldi (grocery store) so it is also really economical to make. You will definitely surprise and excite your guests with this party appetizer.I’ve used premade ingredients for this recipe. You can do the same, or if you have fresh produce from the garden you could make your own. The key is to keep the tomato sauce chunky and full of spices. The sauce really provides much of the flavor for the dish so you do not want to skimp.The Parmesan cheese really provides a salty compliment to the slight sweetness of the tomatoes. You want to make certain you do not skimp on the cheese. It is also key that the cheese has completely melted and has begun to brown before you remove it from the oven. These are best served warm.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:83]

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes were inspired by our wedding cake. They are a wonderfully light chocolate cupcake topped with a chocolate ganache frosting. The resulting cupcakes are a chocolate explosion. You can top them with whatever you like. I chose nonpareils in autumn colors. I debated trying to make small white chocolate hearts to again pay homage to the wedding theme but unfortunately I ran out of time when making these.A few days ago I did a tutorial on using Ganache as Frosting. It is a very easy way to get a rich chocolate frosting that looks and tastes amazing. If you feel like incorporating additional flavors into these cupcakes it would be quite easy to use a jam or compote filling in the cupcakes. I chose not to since I just wanted to really showcase the chocolate flavor.I received many compliments on these. I took them to a coworker who shared them with her family. They really loved the rich chocolate frosting combined with the fluffy chocolate cake. My only complaint was that I accidentally left them in a hot car for an hour and the frosting completely melted into puddles. They still tasted amazing, they just didn’t look too cute. So if you are going to make these, make sure you keep them out of extreme heat to maintain their adorable factor.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:82]

Monster Cookies

Alex doesn’t often ask for a specific dessert, so when he does I try to jump right on it. These are a prime example of that. He had been working overtime and decided that he really wanted to take cookies to work to share. With everything going on the last few months (the play and traveling to Illinois) I hadn’t really made any treats for Alex’s work recently so I decided it was the perfect time to make something for them.Alex and I discussed what he wanted in the cookies rather than just look up a monster cookie recipe. So these are a little different than you might have had in the past. The combination of chocolate chips really gives a great variation of flavors. I also used chopped dry-roasted peanuts to really amp up the peanut butter taste.You can either make these normal sized cookies, or you could do giant ones. It is up to you. Since I was baking for an office I chose to make normal sized cookies. I got 4 dozen out of this recipe. If you do giant cookies you would get closer to 2 dozen. Make sure you adjust the baking time for larger cookies if you choose to go that route.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:81]

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

 I’ve wanted to make chocolate ganache frosting for several years now. Our wedding cake was topped with chocolate ganache instead of frosting and I’ve always wanted to figure out how to properly use it to top cakes. I’ve used ganache for drizzle or glaze, but never as a frosting by itself. This is a rich, chocolaty frosting that holds up well against warm weather. It is a wonderful frosting to pair with any cupcake base. My preference is chocolate cake, but there are a couple other cakes this frosting pairs well with. I have a couple of cake ideas that will be posted later this week for you.The trick to using this as frosting is to completely cool the ganache before you use it to frost a cake or cupcakes. I found that cooling it overnight in the fridge worked best. This make certain the ganache was completely set so that you will then have no problems for frosting.Once you’ve transferred the cooled ganache to the bowl of a stand mixer you want to beat the ganache on high until it begins to resemble frosting. It will become very light and fluffy, pretty much the perfect consistency for frosting. When the frosting is ready it will be considerably lighter than when you started. It will also have just about doubled in size. Once this has happened simply transfer the frosting to a piping bag and frost cupcakes as usual. The frosting will set once it is on the cake so you don’t need to worry too much about storing it in the fridge. If you need it to set quickly you can fridge it for a half hour.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:80]

Almond, Raspberry and Rose Cupcakes

I know what you’re thinking; you’re thinking “Rose, seriously? How am I supposed to bake with that? That’s a perfume flavor, not for baking!” I had the same thoughts before I started too! I’ve been wanting to try baking with Rose flavor for a while though so I decided it was high time.When baking with Rose you want to make sure you don’t use a lot. Less is more in this situation. If you add too much it will be like eating perfume. If you add too little though, you won’t be able to taste it. You must achieve a fine balance when using rose water as a flavoring agent. I recommend tasting the frosting after each addition of rose water to make certain you know where the flavor is at.The rose pairs excellently with the almond, raspberry and cream cheese flavors in the cake. You really get quite the flavor combination with this. The raspberry almond cake is light and springy. The ground almonds give the cake a slight bit of texture that provides a nice contrast to the smooth cream cheese frosting. I highly suggest picking up some rose water from your local grocery and trying these out. They may seem a little odd but they are surprisingly good![amd-yrecipe-recipe:79]

Oven Baked French Fries

Oven baked French fries can be an excellent alternative to fried. They have the same great taste without all the extra oil. Baked fries are also very easy to make, they simply need about an hour in the oven for the best crispness. You can season these fries with just about anything you like. I prefer to simply use sea salt but Alex normally likes to use something a little spicier. You can add some seasonings before you bake it, but you don’t have to. I prefer to bake the fries then season them at the end so Alex and I can season each of ours how we prefer.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:78]

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

We had some new friends come over for dinner and I decided to make these. I’d been thinking about the recipe for quite a while and I decided it was high time I made them.  The chocolate cake base is light, fluffy and doesn’t fall apart when you remove it from the wrapper. It is the absolute perfect complement to the cookies and cream frosting I created for the top.I really wanted these cupcakes to taste like cookies and cream so I used crushed sandwich cookies in the frosting. When I made it I beat them in, however this “muddied” the frosting so here in this recipe I suggest folding them in. You are going to get a much nicer coloring if you do this.When I made these I put a chocolate sandwich cookie in the bottom. I really didn’t like this though, so I removed this step from the final recipe. I didn’t appreciate how the cookie when baked in, changed the texture of the cake around it. I thought it really didn’t add any measurable enjoyment to the frosting. In fact the texture change just distracted me from the delicious cake around it.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:77]

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Source: Cake adapted from: Kiss my Bundt – Chrysta Wilson

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