Breakfast Scramble
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Paleo/Keto/Whole30 It can be overwhelming when trying to figure out what to eat for breakfast that won’t have you reaching for a muffin two hours later. This breakfast scramble is packed with protein, veggies, and healthy fats to keep your brain and body moving to keep you satisfied until it’s time for lunch. […]
Jumbo Piggies with Honey Mustard
Pigs ‘n a Blanket are one of my all time favorite appetizers. I mean, who doesn’t naturally gravitate toward these cute little weenies wrapped in dough?? My bestie and I had to be watched as teenagers whenever these were served at any parties. At first, we would work together hoarding them onto our plates. Next thing you know, I’m stealing some off her plate because I finished mine and then she’d stab me with her fork. That is true friendship. […]
Fruit Crumble
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Plant-Based Sometimes it’s hard to find healthy breakfast options that don’t taste like you’re grazing fresh grass, especially if you like something a little on the sweeter side. This is one of my favorite ways to start the day, especially since it’s packed with all kinds of nutrients like fiber, protein, and healthy fats that hold me over for a few hours. Between my 6 year old son, my parents, and me, a batch of this gets polished off within a matter of days. […]
Best Ever Waffles with Strawberry Maple Syrup
Gluten-Free Option If you raise an eyebrow at the title of this entry, you’re not the first…because I did too when I was searching for good waffle recipes to experiment with. […]
Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits
I don’t know about you, but I am obsessed with cheddar biscuits. Whenever our family went to Red Lobster for dinner back in the good ole days when I didn’t have to pay for my own food, I wolfed these biscuits down like I hadn’t eaten in three weeks. Let’s be honest though, that’s not a surprise considering I was a food-obsessed teenager with the metabolism of a tri-athlete. Those days are gone, and I’m limited to the amount of biscuits I can eat. […]
Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
I’ve heard of Dulce de Leche a million times, but never actually used it in a recipe until now. When I was looking at different ideas for cheesecakes, this one popped up. My husband asked, “What is Dulce de Leche?” His question made me realize that I didn’t know exactly what it was, so off to Doctor Google I went. […]
Smothered Mashed Potatoes
Gluten-Free If you’re looking for a little twist on a classic side dish that’s perfect for social gatherings, you have come to the right place. I can’t think of many people who don’t like mashed potatoes (do they actually exist??), so when you load them up with extra goodness, it comes as no surprise how delicious they turn out. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is a fantastic time to try it out on unsuspecting friends and family. […]
No-Bake Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie
Have you seen the insanity going on with the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pies for Thanksgiving?? So, it turns out that only a certain number of these over-sized peanut butter cup pies were made. They sold out almost immediately, and now people are re-selling them for HUNDREDS of dollars. Well, how about we save you some money by making one at home for yourself? […]
Thanksgiving Showstopper Cheesecake
Gluten-Free Everyone seems to have their own designated responsibilities when it comes to Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law, Tracy, is a fantastic hostess and loves to cook. She usually makes the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and whatever side dishes that she grew up with in New Jersey. I believe cranberries are one of those, “It’s not Thanksgiving without this dish” kind of ordeals. My husband swears up and down that it’s not Thanksgiving without Sweet Potato Casserole. After one year of not having that at my family’s gathering, he was disappointed. So, I promised to make that for him when we didn’t go to his family’s house for Thanksgiving. Spoiled hubby. […]
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Gluten-Free I was first introduced to Chocolate Pecan Pies about five years ago while working in the restaurant industry as a pastry chef. The restaurant where I worked sold these pies in bulk since they were a huge hit, so to save time they bought the pre-made pie crusts to be filled up with this delightful pie. After playing with the recipe, it just didn’t seem like there were enough pecans. It’s supposed to be a pie packed with nuts, right? My thoughts exactly, so I ended up doubling the amount of pecans used in that recipe. […]
Apple Cider Donut Muffins
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free For my daughter’s science project this year, we picked a muffin topic. How do different types of flour affect the consistency and density of muffins? When she and my husband were reading over different topics to choose from, I about jumped out of my skin with excitement. “Let’s do THAT one!!” I cried. My daughter giggled, hubby said, “How about we let her pick?” Thankfully, her love of food runs deep and she chose this topic. Score. […]
Pumpkin Oreo Brownies
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free A few years ago, I made a match of Pumpkin Blondies, and it gave me just another reason to look forward to Fall Baking. When I started experimenting with this recipe again, the original batch had chocolate chips. The second batch had cinnamon chips. Although they were both incredible, it hit me like a ton of bricks that OREOS could so easily be added to these babies…and who doesn’t love Oreos?! […]
Banana Nut Bread with Honey Butter
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free My kids go through bananas like you wouldn’t believe, so I grabbed some extra while at the store on the last trip. The good thing about having extra bananas laying around is how my brain starts to work when I notice them browning. Ohhh, what can I bake with those ugly brown bananas to create something blissful? Ladies and gentlemen, exhibit A. […]
Roasted Chipotle & Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Paleo/Vegan/Whole30 Last month, I started an online school program at the Academy of Culinary Nutrition. Originally, we were told to prepare to spend 15-20 hours per week on school during this 14-week program. Well, those hours have almost doubled for me, since I typically dive head first into something I’m obsessed over without checking to see how deep the water is. […]
Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Paleo More often than I like to admit, I get a real hankering for chocolate. It’s one of those things where I end up standing in front of the pantry, digging through the baking ingredient shelf, then cursing at myself to get out of there because I don’t have any healthy options to choose from. Then, I’ll go back to the pantry after fussing at myself to leave, and settle for a non-dairy chocolate bar. Although it can satisfy that craving, I can’t help but to dream of fudge brownies that melt in your mouth with each bite. […]
Blueberry Scones
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Low-Carb/Keto/Paleo I didn’t realize how completely in love with scones I was until I started actually making them. The first time I made scones were the traditional kind, made with gluten and white sugar. Although they were fabulous, the process of making them was more time consuming than these little puffs of heaven that you just drop on the pan like biscuits. These are super easy to mix up and plop on baking sheets, ready in about 15 minutes without all the side effects of not feeling all that great after eating one. […]
No-Churn Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
Gluten-Free Here in South Carolina, when the Fall hits it still feels blazin’ hot outside like it’s still summer. So, what perfect way to celebrate official Pumpkin Season with a cold, sweet treat that is the wonderful combination of a Fall flavor but helps you cool off? Yes, I agree with you. […]
Chocolate Peanut Butter Explosion Cake
While trying to come up with a name for this cake, the word explosion came to mind. Why? Well, because it looks like a peanut butter fanatic set off a peanut butter bomb that exploded all over this cake. That’s exactly what I was going for. […]
Cauliflower Sausage Gravy with Almond Flour Biscuits
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Low-Carb/Keto/Paleo Welcome to the first of many recipes I’ll be showing you how to incorporate pureed cauliflower into your dishes. While working at Carolina Keto Cakes, Nicole Yates introduced me to an incredible Sausage Gravy with Almond Flour Biscuits that was completely keto. The gravy she made was made with heavy cream and almond milk, but I saw an opportunity to use cauliflower in its place to add some veggies to this incredible dish. […]
Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs
Now that College Football Season is officially here, it’s time to start making some good, hardy, filling appetizers to munch on for those pre-game parties. The ultimate test was when I made these for a family gathering at my parents’ house. I had been wanting to make these to try them out, so the perfect opportunity presented itself with my favorite recipe guinea pigs. They don’t hold back, and are happy to let me know if a recipe needs to be tweaked. […]
Oreo Brownie Delight
This dessert is on my list of top five go-to sweet treats to take to a social gathering. It’s easy, it’s simple, and it’s so incredibly delicious that non-dessert lovers will go back for seconds. A good friend of mine who isn’t a big fan of desserts decided to give this dessert a taste when our family went to their house for dinner one evening. […]
Roasted Mixed Nuts
Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free/Low-Carb/Keto/Paleo I am a HUGE fan of mixed nuts. In fact, any time there is a family gathering at my parents’ or brothers’ houses, you will find mixed nuts among the large buffet of food that is available for over-consumption. I’ve been eating the traditional store-bought mixed nuts for many years…until I made them for myself and have not gone back. […]
Cajun Alfredo
Gluten-Free Growing up, I was a gigantic baby when it came to anything spicy. A pinch of black pepper would have my tongue screaming for mercy. My husband is the exact opposite, and has teased me for many years. In most cases for him, it’s not spicy enough. Well, until we went to a local Thai restaurant and he opted to get level 4 spice. He had been warned, but learned his limits after that super fun experience. […]
Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
Gluten-Free I’ve been thinking about making this cake for months, but for some reason time slipped away since the summer started. Maybe it’s because these kids are home all the time, distracting me… I dreamed of these fluffy yellow layers of cake with strawberry filling and an icing that is a combination of cream cheese icing and freshly whipped cream. Well, having a birthday in July gave me the perfect opportunity to make it. But let’s be honest here, do I really need an excuse to make a cake? Of course not. All I have to do is yell, “FREE CAKE!” and people come running to help eat it. […]
Chocolate Cream Pie
Gluten-Free When I told my mother-in-law that I was making a Chocolate Cream Pie, she started laughing and said, “That makes me think of the movie ‘The Help’ and the Chocolate Pie!” I grimaced as I thought about that particular scene, then started laughing as well, picturing Two-Slice Hilly eating her chocolate pie with it stuck all up in her teeth. I replied, “When I think of Chocolate Cream Pie, it makes me think of Goldie Hawn in the movie ‘Overboard’ as she hands the boys a Chocolate Cream Pie that she made, then attacks them with a water hose!” Either way, it’s funny how we associate things with movies, especially when it comes to food. […]