Cupcakes & Coffee Breaks

I'm a HUGE (yuge!) fan of sheet pan recipes, so when I saw the sheet pan pancakes recipe floating around on Instagram, I knew I needed to test it out. The concept is simple: instead of cooking your pancakes one by one on the stovetop, you let your oven do the work for you. All you need is a sheet pan! You can find a similar recipe just by searching Pinterest or Instagram, but here is the version that I used based on my own dietary needs, and what I had on hand. Side note: it's a great way to use up fresh fruit that is getting juuuust a little too soft in spots. Just chop off the unwanted bits, and chop the rest to throw into the batter. Peachy Cinnamon Sheet Pan Pancakes Ingredients: 1 cup gluten free Bisquick 2 tbsp cooking oil of choice, plus a little for greasing the pan 1 egg 1 cup milk dash of cinnamon dash of nutmeg 1/4 tsp almond extract 1/2 peach, chopped 1/2 cup chopped strawberries You'll note that the first 4 ingr...

I regularly post food pictures on instagram , and figured that I may as well try blogging a little bit, too. I'll probably style this a little better in the future, but right now that sounds like work, and I'm doing this for fun, so... we'll see. So, let's start out with a little bit about what food means to me. Food is something that brings people together. It's a solid way to reconnect with and share your culture-- my knowledge of the Polish language is limited, but let me fry some peirogi or cook some golabki! It's the standout detail of almost any event, and cooking a meal at the end of the day makes me feel like I'm finally "home" after a long day at work. That doesn't mean that I have not come home dreading the thought of cooking a somewhat elaborate recipe. Being a working parent means several things when it comes to dinnertime: You're tired, because work, and your other job is just starting once you return home, Your kids ...

Buffalo Chicken Chili If you love the flavor of buffalo chicken, you'll have to try this easy buffalo chicken chili! I started with a recipe I found on Pinterest, but the version below is the one I that made. You will need: 1 pound of ground chicken 1 tbsp olive oil 1 half of a diced onion 1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/2 cup chopped celery 15 oz diced tomatoes 15 oz canned white beans (drained) 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp oregano 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 to 3/4 cups of hot sauce cheese for topping (bleu cheese, feta, cheddar)(optional) sour cream (optional) To make this chili, cook the ground chicken. Add the oil to a pot, along with the onion, carrots, and celery, cooking them for about 10 minutes. Add the chicken, garlic, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, tomatoes, and beans. Stir in the chicken broth and hot sauce, and let simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, until hot. Top with your choice of cheese or toppings, and enjoy! This a great twist on ch...

Sometimes, the strangest food combinations actually go together, and combine to make something amazing, like chips on sandwiches, or cupcakes with bacon. Enter one of the most deliciously strange food combinations of all, chocolate and cheese, and you have the black bottom cupcake. There are plenty of black bottom cupcake recipes to be found on the internet, but I decided to take a traditional recipe, and attempt to make it gluten free. It has been three months since I gave up gluten, and with Easter occurring in two days, it was important to me to have a recipe that would be safe to eat, without tasting "off" to the friends and family I would be sharing it with. You will need: For the cream cheese topping: 8 ounces of cream cheese 1 egg 1/3 cup of sugar Pinch of salt 1/2 to 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips For the cake bottom: 1 & 1/2 cups of gluten free all purpose baking flour (I use Bob's Red Mill ) 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum 1/3 cup olive oil 1 tsp baking soda 1 c...

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...

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...