Gluten-Free Vanilla Flax French Toast

This recipe provided by Carrington Farms

Breakfast is one of our favorite meals!  It's a meal that the whole family enjoys, and there's always a wide variety.  French Toast seems to appear on the table quite often so I try to make it as healthy as possible.  I love this recipe because it's gluten-free and it incorporates flax seeds as well.  Try this recipe and you'll see that your family will enjoy it too!

Easy Homemade Pizzelles

Easy homemade vanilla pizzelles to make at home!

My gram makes delicious food!  There is nothing better then going to her house and enjoying Ham Pot Pie, moist Raisin Cookies, or fresh Pizzelles.  Everything is from scratch and it's always divine.  She makes Anise and Vanilla Pizzelles, but my favorite are the vanilla.  Years ago I bought a Pizzelle maker from an elderly lady, and she said it was used for many years and she hopes I continue to do so too.  Well I certainly do!  Pizzelle batter comes together quickly and you can make a batch in no time at all.  Hopefully they'll become a family favorite for you too! 

Bakeology Crunchy Cookie Bites #giveaway

Everyone loves a good crunchy cookie, but what if I told you these delicious cookies are Vegan, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, and contain no artificial ingredients!  I know what you're thinking...are they really that good?  Yes they are!  Bakeology is a mother, daughter team who created this company to bring you an out-of-this-world cookie experience harnessed by simple ingredients and lots of love!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Sweet blueberries whipped into a crumbly coffee cake that's topped off with a delicious glaze!

This cake is perfect for breakfast or dessert!  It's simple to make and you can find the ingredients in your pantry so you can whip this up anytime you'd like.  The sweetness of the blueberries goes perfectly with the tangy sour cream cake.  Drizzle on a vanilla glaze and it's the perfect match!

No-Bake Mini Greek Yogurt Cheesecakes

Rich cream cheese and greek yogurt mixed together 

for the perfect creamy no-bake cheesecake!

It was our 21st anniversary the other day and I wanted to make my husband something special, but didn't want to turn the oven on.  He loves cheesecake so I came up with this simple recipe that doesn't require any baking!  All you have to do is mix a few ingredients together, place it in the freezer to set up and then enjoy.  I made mine with crushed oreo's and vanilla greek yogurt, but you can choose whatever flavors you like.  How about a shortbread crust with strawberry cheesecake yogurt; oreo crust with cherry yogurt, graham cracker crust with boston cream pie yogurt...the possibilities are endless and I can't wait to try them all!  If you try something different please come back and let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear your creation!

Apple Chips with Caramel Dip Recipe

Bake apple slices until nice and crispy 

then dip them in a delicious and decadent caramel sauce. 

Dessert doesn't always have to be a cake or ice cream, it can be a delicious apple chip! The kids love apples, but sometimes they start to eat one, get distracted and when they get back to it, it's brown.  I'm not one to waste food so I decided to slice it up, toss it in vanilla, cinnamon and sugar then bake until crispy.  I thought they reminded me of chips so I made a caramel dip to go with them.  It was a different type of dessert that we'll be having quite often.  

Brown Rice & Fruit Medley

Brown rice, apples & raisins cooked in apple juice to make a simple and delicious dessert.  

This post is sponsored by Minute® Rice, however I created the recipe and I can't wait to share it with you!

The warm weather is finally here and that means we're all looking for quick, easy and delicious recipes that won't keep us in the kitchen long.  What I love about this recipe is that you can toss it all in one pot, cook for a few minutes and then you're ready to have this as a breakfast, dessert or just a side dish.  I love making this with Minute® Rice brown rice because it adds a little bit of nutty flavor and is a great nutritional option.  Plus the rice cooks up in only ten minutes so it comes together quite quickly.  You can serve it warm with a drizzle of cream or cold like a salad...either way it's delicious!

Warm & Flaky Glazed Vanilla Scones like Starbucks

Warm & flaky Vanilla Scones drizzled in a delicious Vanilla Glaze, just like Starbucks!

I love coffee, and nothing goes better with it then a warm Glazed Vanilla Scone.  I went to Starbucks the other day and had a Vanilla Scone which was quite delicious!  So of course I wanted to see if I could make them at home and I'm very happy to say that these were a huge success.  I made a batch and within a matter of minutes they were gone with the kids asking for more.  They're not complicated to make and you'll have everything you need right in your pantry.  The glaze makes enough for a drizzle on each scone, but you may want to make a double batch...which is what I did on my second batch because the kids were dipping their fingers into it so much.  These are a delicious accompaniment to coffee or tea and the perfect addition to breakfast, brunch or dessert!

Chocolate Italian Love Cake

This delicious Chocolate Italian Love Cake is perfect for your loved one!

I love a good cake, and I also love when they look pretty too!  I've been wanting to make this Chocolate Italian Love Cake for quite awhile so I figured Valentine's Day would be the perfect time.  This cake is really simple to make, but the presentation looks like it took a lot of time and effort.  When you start out, you put the cake batter on the bottom of the pan with the cheese layer on top; while it's baking the layers magically switch!  Then you top it off with a rich mousse like frosting and it's pure heaven...simple, delicious and pretty!

Old-Fashioned Rice Custard

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Rice.

Our family loves rice; any way I make it, they eat it!  I used to cook rice the long way, then I switched to the bags and now I found Minute® Rice.  I recently just tried this rice and with the holidays approaching, I couldn't have found it at a better time.  It allows me to put together a meal or a dessert without a hassle.  We tried the white and brown.  They are great-tasting, fluffy and cook up in a matter of minutes!  The white rice can be used in virtually anything and the brown rice has a nice nutty flavor with all the nutritional value as regular long cooking brown rice; both are gluten free.  There is also a Multi-Grain Medley that I'm looking forward to trying soon.  It's a blend of long grain brown rice, Thai red rice, wild rice and quinoa and it conveniently cooks up in 10 minutes!  The other night we had some white rice leftover from dinner so I decided to make a quick Rice Custard.  It turned out creamy and delicious!

Vanilla (Canola/Olive/Grapeseed) Oil Bundt Cake

 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pompeian.

Did you know August is National Olive Oil Month? We did and we've teamed up with Pompeian, the number one selling extra virgin olive oil in the U.S., to swap the butter in some of our favorite recipes for olive oil!  You can also participate by taking the pledge to switch from butter to olive oil during the month of August. One thousand fans who sign up will be randomly selected to receive a gift from Pompeian; a free movie redemption code and a coupon for a free bottle of olive oil!  Every week five additional fans who have pledged will win a fun prize pack on Pompeian’s timeline.  Isn't that a great way to celebrate! 

Quick & Easy Pill Bottle Cookies

 

Today my brother is getting married and I couldn't be happier for him!  I was asked to make some cookies for the reception and I wanted to make sure I made one of his favorites.  He loves those little pill bottle cookies that are tender, flaky and have that delicious creamy filling inside.  It was towards the end of the day and when I looked at the recipe I saw that it said to let the dough rest for at least an hour.  Being the impatient person that I am, I decided to see if I could make them a lot quicker.  I did!  This is the basic recipe, however I didn't let the dough rest.  I just spooned little dollops onto the cookie sheet, sprinkled on some sugar and baked.  They came out perfect!  I know the cream inside is just a butter cream, however my love of cream cheese won over and I added a little bit to it which made them even better!

What's in your lunchbox?

Well it's back to school and that means a lot of lunches that I'll be packing!  My littlest one packs his lunch every day and I'm always looking for healthy new products to try.  His favorite cookies are fig newtons; I know, it's crazy for a seven year old, but he loves them!  Trying to find "healthy" ones is a task so most of the time I make them myself...until now! 

Snickerdoodle Poke Cake

 

The kids love snickerdoodle cookies and I love coffee cakes.  So I thought why not put the two of them together, poke it with holes and pour a delicious vanilla glaze on top.  All that glaze seeps into the holes and makes it moist and delicious. It has just the right amount of sweetness and spice to satisfy your sweet tooth.  It's a simple cake to make and you most likely have all the ingredients on hand.  We all loved this cake which goes perfectly with a cup of tea!

No-Yeast Vanilla Cinnamon Sticky Rolls (in about an hour!)

 

Our family loves cinnamon rolls and sticky buns, but sometimes I don't have the time to wait for the dough to rise.  That's where this recipe comes to the rescue!  I combined my cinnamon roll recipe and sticky bun recipe together to make these delicious rolls.  They require no yeast so you don't have to wait forever...in about an hour, you can have delicious, gooey, sticky cinnamon rolls.  To put them over the top make sure you lather them up with lots of cream cheese frosting! 

Coconut & Chocolate Delight Bites!

 

  

  

Having four kids, school, sports and other activities our lives are pretty busy all the time.  However, at the end of the year it seems to get even more hectic.  I don't know what it is, but I'm happy when it's over.  Even though it's crazy I still like to whip up a dessert for us to have once a week.  I had some coconut and chocolate chips that have been sitting around and thought I'd come up with something quick and easy to use them up.  These little bites turned out delicious and you can make a batch in no time at all! 

Upside Down Apple Pie

 

My husband loves apple pie...I'd rather pass!  Every time I make it he insists I try a bite and taste how good it is.  For some reason I just don't like it.  Then the other day I was browsing recipes and came across Upside Down Apple Pie.  I was excited that I had all the ingredients on hand so I whipped one up.  I must say, it's quite delicious!  I did change it a little, but the concept is the same.  It's very simple to put together and it looks beautiful too....enjoy!

Featuring You!

Spotlight of the Week!

Welcome to featuring you!  Our Spotlight of the Week goes to The Redhead Riter who shared this Healthy & Moist Baked Apple Blueberry Oatmeal.  I love oatmeal so I'm so excited to try this recipe.  I also love to see how creative you all are, thank you for taking the time to share!

The Best Egg Custard Pie

 

When I was growing up my parents made Egg Custard Pie for the holidays and I wish they had made it more often!  I fell in love with it and it has become my favorite pie.  Now that I'm grown and have my own family I do make it quite often.  I've made a few changes to the recipe and I even had them tell me that it tastes better than the original one! The pie filling is similar to crème brulée, so if you like that, then you'll like this pie.

Featuring You!

 

Spotlight of the Week!

Chocolate Crack Cake

from Alana's Ramblings

Welcome to Featuring You!  Starting off the new year we are featuring this scrumptious looking Chocolate Crack Cake from Alana's Ramblings.  If you need a chocolate fix...this is the cake for you!  There were so many wonderful links shared and it looks like a lot of you are interested in projects this week.  I hope you enjoy the features!