Cake Batter Cheesecake!

Reasons I think you'll love this cheesecake: 1- You are a human being with a mouth and 2- You are not a monster.
First thing's first, you neeeed a springform pan for this recipe. I would love to be like "Hey, it'll probably be fine in a round cake pan!" but, no, the world is not a perfectly beautiful place... Unless you make this cheesecake then your troubles will melt like lemon drops. You can find a springform pan pretty much anywhere they sell cooking stuff. I'm pretty positive they even have them at Safeway! If you don't know what a springform pan is it's your lucky day because we live in a modern world and there is a Wikipedia page for EVERYTHING, even different types of baking pans! Here it is!
Once you have that one little gadget you are pretty much set to start baking this silky, dense, celebratory, beauty of a confection.

One Pan Prep: Orzo with Pancetta and Peas

One pan prep is probably one of the best things to hear for a short-cut type of cook. It's right up there with "don't worry, the potatoes are already peeled" and "I think we'll just order pizza instead." It's the kind of thing that only produces a good meal every so often, but when it does magic happens. The kind of thing that dreams are made of.

This dish has a simple charm and is filled with kinda sweet and crunchy, salty bites that make you hope the bowl is bottomless. It starts with like, 3 or 4 ingredients and only one pan and will probably make your week a little/a lot better. Trust.

Fizzy Raspberry Lemonade Cocktail

First of all, I would like to say that I am so happy to finally be posting again! I was out of town for 2 weeks then really busy when I got back to real life. So, here I am, posting a cocktail recipe in the middle of the day on a Tuesday- just as it should be.

Stuffed Red Velvet Poppers

This is the kind of day I'm having. The kind of day that isn't a bad day but a day that could be made better by the perfect li'l snack. With just the right amount of cream cheese frosting in the middle, these Stuffed Red Velvet Poppers make for a nice treat for a red velvet cake lover like myself.

Each popper is about the size of a 50 cent piece and a great excuse to indulge in a rich red velvet experience without digging into an entire cake... Which I obviously have never done... 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cannoli

So... I'll leave that right there for you to look at...

To say that this is a simple recipe would be a lie. Well, sort of a lie, the recipe is easy but the execution takes patience and probably a full afternoon but these are so incredibly worth the time and energy you put into them. These are so good, the dough makes an amazing crunchy on the outside while chewy on the inside cookie and the whipped cream filling perfectly offsets the sweetness of the cookie in a "cookies and milk" sort of partnership!

Frozen Bailey's Irish Cream Hot Chocolate with Chocolate Whipped Cream

Chocolate chips are "optional"

That right there is a thing of beauty!

So, even though I will be working on St. Patrick's Day I still feel the need to post a yummy St. Patty's related recipe. Also, since there are so many delicious dinner recipes for the day of already out there I chose to come up with a beverage and, of course, there is Bailey's Irish Cream in it!

I have been thinking about trying my hand at frozen hot chocolate for a while and thought that this is the perfect reason to make some and throw in a splash of Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur. Along with that, because I am struggling with a serious addiction to chocolate, I made some chocolate whipped cream to top it off!

Chocolate Pancakes- Good Morning!

Good morning, beautiful!

I love chocolate for breakfast... There, I said it! So if I can pass the chocolate off for breakfast food I will. Here we have a perfect combination of chocolate and breakfast foods: Chocolate Pancakes.

These sweet flapjacks are the perfect cure for an early morning chocolate craving. This is a tried and true recipe from the Meeker family that never fails. It makes thin, light, fluffy, and flavorful pancakes. If you prefer thicker pancakes just slowly add more Bisquick/pancake flour until the batter is your desired consistency. So without further ado, in order not to delay you from getting your sweet tooth fix here is how to make these chocolate pancakes.

Fondue for Two: Surf and Turf

If there's one thing I love, it's dipping foods into other foods. Chips into dip, strawberries into chocolate, seasoned meats into savory broth, you get the idea... To start from what inspired this post I should say that I ADORE the Melting Pot. If you don't know what the Melting Pot is, I suggest you find the location nearest you and dive in (literally and figuratively). It is an amazing fondue restaurant with over 100 locations in the U.S. and it offers a dining experience completely different from anywhere else I have eaten. The quality of food is top notch and the staff has always been perfectly lovely, however, it is not a dinner-on-a-budget type of place and averages about $50-$75 per person, not including drinks. Yikes! As a fondue lover I needed to find an alternative to get my fix, and so this post was born!

First of all I will apologize for such an agonizingly long post- there are a lot of components to fondue- who knew?!

Pan Seared Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Garlic Olive Oil

So I know it has been a little while since I have posted anything but it has been a very busy week or so! Last week my sister, step-mom, and I hosted a birthday party for my dad so I spent a good amount of time baking up brownies and finalizing details for that event and I neglected to post anything. So here I am, making up for lost time with something delicious!

Frozen Reese's Pie with Oreo Crust

This pie might be TOO GOOD! It might not have been the best idea to make a frozen pie during Winter time but I don't think there is ever a bad time for any type of pie! The recipe for this pie and crust is so simple and it's no bake which is great! The total prep time, including the crust, is only about 10 minutes, not including the freezing process. This type of frozen pie is so versatile and isn't limited to Reese's candy, you can use any kind of candy bar that you like (I think I'll try Butterfinger next time) and add different flavors to the filling if you want to. It can pretty much go along with whatever mood you happen to be in.

Gluten Free Chicken Strips

I have been so busy trying out new recipes all week that I have had very little time to blog! I am going to post a few new things to try out today! First up are these super delicious gluten-free fried chicken strips. These are really simple to whip up and take no time at all to cook. I'll post all of the ingredients first then go into the step by step.

Homemade Hummus Recipe

I love hummus and I can't believe I've never made it before. After today I don't think I'll ever buy store bought hummus again! This recipe is super easy and VERY forgiving plus it is naturally gluten free! Basically everything in this is to your personal taste and there are so many options for flavors that it is impossible to mess it up. It only took me about 5 minutes to prep and 5 minutes throw all of the ingredients in a blender and bam! It was done! That easy, I swear... the longest part of the process for me was finding the tahini in my local Safeway.

Apple Pie Moonshine Recipe

Okay, so this last holiday season I made gift baskets with a bunch of homemade goodies in them but the star of the show was the apple pie moonshine (of course)! If you've never had apple pie moonshine before it is exactly like drinking apple pie and even the pickiest cocktail drinker will love it, but it will sneak up on you pretty quick if you don't watch out. What most people don't realize about this delicious drink is that it is super easy to make and I have had A LOT of people ask me for the recipe so I decided to post it here! I also decorated the mason jars that I used to package the hooch and I will include the information for that project as well.

Delicious Vanilla Cupcakes- Gluten Free

This is an awesome recipe for gluten free vanilla cupcakes that I tried last night and I am so excited about it!

I have tried a bunch of different gluten free baked goods and when there is a good one (not crumbly and dry) it is a revelation! This made a yummy, dense, moist, not-too-sweet, vanilla cupcake! I used my all purpose baking mix for this and it worked like a charm, which I am happy about.

A lot of the time home-made gluten free baking can result in an extremely dry and crumbly mess which loses quality by the minute as it cools but this is really tasty and would be a perfect go-to cupcake for someone looking to go g-free.

Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes:
Yield: 12 cupcakes, one 8" square layer; or one 9" round layer.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup- Soft Butter (room temperature, not melted)
• 1 Cup- Sugar
• 3 Large Eggs
• 1/2 Cup- Milk (I used reduced fat but any percent will do)
• 3 tsp- Gluten Free Vanilla
• 1 3/4 Cup- Gluten Free Baking Mix (see my recipe for it HERE)
• 1/2 tsp- Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp- Baking Powder
• 1 tsp- Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake papers. You can optionally grease the cupcake papers but I skipped this step and had no problems. (You can also use this recipe for a cake: lightly grease an 8" square or 9" round pan)
2. To make the batter: Beat the soft butter and sugar until thoroughly combined and somewhat lightened in color. I whipped mine for a while to ensure a lighter batter.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until just incorporated.
4. Combine the milk and vanilla.
5. Combine all dry ingredients. I sifted mine together
6. Stir one-third of the baking mix into the mixture; stir in half the milk, another third of the baking mix, the remaining milk, then the remaining mix. Scrape the bowl occasionally throughout this process.
7. For cupcakes, scoop the batter by level ¼-cupfuls into the prepared muffin tins. (For a cake spread the batter into the prepared pan) 
8. Bake 20 to 22 minutes for cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the middle springs back when pressed lightly. (Bake 30 to 35 minutes for a layer cake)
9. Remove from the oven. Serve warm; or cool completely, then spread with the frosting of your choice.

I frosted my vanilla cupcakes with a lemon buttercream frosting that I made and you can find the recipe for that HERE. 
These cupcakes are really dense and moist (even on the second day) and this recipe is a good staple to have in any gluten-free kitchen!


Enjoy!

Fresh Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Lemon is bright and fresh and delicious!

This is a recipe for a delicious, fresh, and simple lemon butter-cream frosting!
Butter-cream is my favorite kind of frosting to make because it is simple and you can make virtually any flavor you can think of. This recipe is quick and simple and only has 5 ingredients! Anyone can make this and be proud of creating something so delicious from scratch!




Lemon is a great flavor to use for frosting because it pairs well with many other flavors and adds freshness to any recipe. I used it to frost some vanilla cupcakes and it really made them pop! Here is how to make it:

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup- Butter Softened (room temperature, not melted)
• 3 3/4 Cup- Confectioner's Sugar
• 1 Lemon (you will use the juice and the zest)
• 1 tsp- Vanilla Extract (use gluten free vanilla extract for g-free recipes)
• 1/8 tsp- Salt

Directions:

1. Combine butter, sugar, and salt and beat until well combined
2. Add lemon juice, zest, and vanilla and continue to beat until light and creamy

Here is the result! YUM!

I hope you enjoy trying this recipe out!