Cupcakes & Coffee Breaks

Jalapeno popper + anything sounds delicious to me, so when I saw a recipe for jalapeno popper stuffed chicken, I had to give it a try. While my first run was not a great success (due to a failed gluten free chicken coating), several weeks later an improvised second attempt at the recipe proved to be every bit as delicious as it sounds. Coincidentally, the panko bread crumbs that I used for the coating were gluten free, but just be sure to double check the label of yours if you are avoiding gluten. This recipe, as written, serves two. You will need: 4 chicken breast fillets, thawed or  use two thicker chicken breasts, which will be cut and stuffed 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar, or cheese of your choice 1 jalapeno pepper, minced 1 egg 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs The chicken breasts that we had were rather thin, so instead of butterflying and stuffing them, I simply stacked two on top of each other with the filling in the middle. This is completel...

This chicken bacon ranch pasta recipe is a very filling dinner dish that is great served hot, or cold leftover the next day. Note: this recipe is not gluten free as written, so be sure to substitute the flour and pasta for a gluten free variety if you are avoiding gluten! You will need: 13 ounces of pasta 12 ounces of chicken Bacon (approximately 10 strips) 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup ranch dressing 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons flour Parmesan cheese (optional) 2 tablespoons butter Cook your chicken thoroughly, and cut into bite sized pieces (or you can use precooked chicken if you wish). Cut up your bacon into smaller pieces and cook with the butter until crispy. Cook the noodles as instructed on the package. Add the chicken, flour, ranch, milk, and cheddar cheese to the pan with the bacon, and cook over medium-high heat until all ingredients are blended and the cheese has melted. Pour the sauce over the noodles and mix everything together. Serve topped with parmesan cheese if des...

These buffalo chicken tacos are extremely easy to make! Prep time is 10-15 minutes. You will need: 6 crunchy taco shells 12 ounces shredded chicken 1/4 cup hot sauce 1/4 cup ranch dressing (can use bleu cheese if desired) Shredded cheddar or other cheese of your choice Cole slaw (you can find this with the pre-packaged salad in your grocery store) Mix the chicken together with the hot sauce and ranch dressing in a small bowl. Arrange your taco shells on a baking sheet, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Fill the taco shells with shredded chicken, and top with cheddar cheese. The stand up taco shells will be much easier for this, because at least one of the regular taco shells will  fall over. However, if you have the regular taco shells, just be sure to stuff the cheese back in if they tip over. Bake the shells for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Add the cole slaw to the tacos, and enjoy! The cole slaw adds a nice crunch to the taco, and offsets the spiciness of...

This recipe was so easy. I am always looking for ways to use chicken breasts in recipes, and this was a great way to use some leftover hummus! You will need: 4 chicken breasts (frozen is fine) Approx. 4 tbsp hummus Paprika Lime or lemon juice Grated parmesan Parsley For this recipe, I used a spicy hummus. If you have a regular hummus on hand, try mixing in some cayenne pepper to taste. While it definitely had a kick, this recipe is not too  spicy, but it has a great flavor! To start, arrange the chicken breasts in a baking dish or pan. While I used a baking pan (as you will see in pictures), I recommend using a smaller dish, where the chicken pieces will be closer together. This is because the hummus may melt while in the oven, and a smaller dish will help prevent it from sliding off of the chicken. Cover your chicken breasts with the hummus. Be very careful not to dip the spoon used to press the hummus on the raw chicken back into the tub of hummus. If your spoon touches the raw c...

Tortillas were definitely off the table (literally and figuratively) when I decided to try a gluten free diet. Crunchy tacos seemed to be the only option, especially when my first and only attempt at soft tacos using corn tortillas was definitely not up to standard. When I made my most recent grocery list, I casually browsed for another substitute item, prepared to risk another "sort of palatable" dinner. I found tortillas made of brown rice, which had mostly positive reviews. The only negative feedback was that they, like many other gluten free tortilla options, tended to get "crispy" or crumbly if the temperature was too cool. My reasoning for purchasing them was that I could use the brown rice tortillas for quesadillas, since the tortillas could remain flat (and not folded, which poses a problem with crumbly tortillas) and , since quesadillas are cooked on the stove, who cares if the quesadilla is a little "crispy" ?! You can use whichever tortillas you...