Dessert Pizza:

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

I knew from the moment I first saw this recipe that it would be amazing!! And I was RIGHT!

Luckily, we tried it with blueberry pie filling, and since there is some people in our family who hate blueberries, there was that much more for the rest of us who love them!

I sure you hope give it try!!

1 Pizza Crust, baked until just golden brown (click here for my super easy recipe)
1 (21 oz.) can Pie filling of your choice
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tblsp. cinnamon

Glaze:
1/2 cup powder sugar
1 tbls. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Spread pie filling on pre-made pizza crust. In small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Mix (with your hands is the best way) until it's all combined and crumbly. Sprinkle over pie filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown and a little crispy. Remove from the oven. Let cool just long enough to make your glaze. Combine the powder sugar, milk and vanilla. Whisk together until no lumps appear. If it's too thick to drizzle, add a little more milk just a few drops at a time, until you get the consistency that you want. Drizzle over the pizza. Slice and Serve!!!

Note:
-It's best if you only bake your pizza crust until it is just golden brown. That way, it doesn't get super crispy while your baking the topping!
-We tried it with blueberry pie filling, but apple, peach, cherry, etc...they would all be great! And you can always do like we did...make it something that no one but you likes, and then you can have it all to yourself (it's their fault for being so picky, anyways, right?)!!!!!
-While this is a "dessert" (at least that's what the title says), I actually had some of the leftovers for breakfast.................I'll let you make that call!!!

Cornflake Crumbs:

My niece, Ava, has spent this past week with us, and being 4-years-old,

she has also had the privilege of picking the menu for dinner each night!

So tonight's dinner includes every kids favorite - Chicken Nuggets!!

As I was making them, I thought I would share this tip with you!

It's a little pricey maybe, but they are SO nice to have on hand!

 It makes mixing up a batch of breading

for those chicken nuggets, incredibly fast and easy!

It's Cornflake Crumbs!!

Now, of course you can buy cornflakes and then make them into crumbs yourself, but it's really nice sometimes to just have all the work done for you! We don't use them all of the time, but like I said...it's nice!! We buy ours at Walmart in the baking isle with all the other breading mixes. I'm sure you could probably find it at other stores, I have just never looked anywhere else, so I can't say which other stores!

So, I hope you check out this totally awesome invention and enjoy them as much as I do!!

Menu:

-Cheddar Potato Soup
-Sweet Potato Muffins

UPDATE!

I just wanted to let everyone know, that I have updated the recipe for Peanut Butter Cake (click here).

If you have made it, and it didn't turn out, I am SO sorry!! I forgot to add an ingredient in the recipe and thankfully someone pointed that out to me (Thank you again, Mrs. Trish!)!!

So if you have made it and it turned out terrible, I hope you give it another try with the updated version!

And if you haven't tried it yet, I hope you check it out!

Sorry for any inconvenience!

~Karissa~

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies:

It's a dreary, rainy day here and it seemed like the perfect day to bake a batch of cookies. I'm so glad I picked these! I hadn't made them in a while, so I didn't remember how easy and yummy they were! I don't understand how a cookie could be so good with no flour, but who cares because they're delicious and that's all that matters to me!

I hope you give them a try!

1 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Course salt, optional

In a medium bowl, mix together peanut butter, egg, sugar and vanilla with a fork or spatula. Drop onto a greased cookie sheet using a 1-inch cookie baller. Using the tangs of a fork, make a criss-cross pattern in the top of each cookie by pressing the tangs of a fork into the cookie both directions. Sprinkle with a very tiny bit of course salt if you like. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container. Makes approximately 24 cookies.

Note:
-These are the ultimate dipping cookies! Perfect with in a class of milk!!
-You can mix in peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, mini reese cups, make a thumb print before baking and fill with jelly after they come out of the oven....the sky's the limit!
-Click here to watch a cooking video about these cookies.

Butterscotch Cornflake Cookies:

This is one of my grandma's recipes that is a very quick and easy treat you can take anywhere and bring home an empty dish! They are so yummy and that really says a lot coming from me, because I don't even like butterscotch! I hope you give them a try!

2 cups butterscotch chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 & 1/2 cup cornflakes cereal (check the label to make sure they are gluten-free)

2 cups mini marshmallows

Place the cornflakes in a large bowl; set aside.

In a microwave safe dish, heat the chips for 30 seconds; stir. Continue to microwave the chips for 15 second intervals, stirring after each, until chips are melted. Stir in the peanut butter.

Pour mixture over the cornflakes and mix until well coated. Add the marshmallows and stir, but stir very briefly, as you don't want the marshmallows to melt.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto wax paper. Let stand until completely set. Store in airtight container between layers of wax paper.

Note:

-Although my family prefers the butterscotch chips, these can certainly be made with chocolate chips. 

-If you have ever tasted or heard of the "chow mein noodle cookies" this recipe is the gluten-free equivelent (and in case you didn't know, yes, chow mein noodles are not gluten-free).  

Crustless Pumpkin Pie:

Now, I know that it's not "officially" fall yet, but it's my favorite time of year and I'm all for starting a few days (or weeks) early! And what better way to usher in fall, than with a Pumpkin Pie? 

This recipe couldn't be easier and it's so yummy! Give it a try! 



1 (30 oz.) can Libby's Pumpkin Pie Mix
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
Chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
Cool Whip, optional (optional amount, that is!!)

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk and eggs until well combined. Fill 8-oz. custard cups 3/4 full with pumpkin mix (you can also put it all into one serving dish, if you prefer). If you want, sprinkle the top of the pumpkin mix with chopped nuts. Place cups on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 50-60 minutes longer, or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely. Serve with Cool Whip!

Note:
-Cover and rrefrigerate leftovers
-Adding the nuts is great to give that crunch that you might miss from the crust. Plus it's healthier!

Crock-Pot Rotisserie Style Chicken Breasts:

My mom's Birthday was yesterday and she loves most things chicken. We all love rotisserie chicken, so when I saw this recipe, I had to try it! It turned out really well and we liked it better than this recipe I had posted before. I hope you give it a try!



4-5 pounds chicken breasts, thawed
Rotisserie chicken seasoning
           OR
3 tsp. salt
1 teaspoon smoked or non-smoked paprika
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional
1/2 tsp. black pepper, optional

Spray the inside of your slow-cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Cut a piece of foil that is 3 times the length of your crock-pot. Crumple the foil to fit inside the bottom of the crock-pot.
If you are making your own seasoning, combine all the dry ingredients together and mix until well combined.
Rub the seasoning all over each chicken breast. Place the chicken in the crock-pot over top the foil.
DO NOT ADD ANY AMOUNT OF WATER!!!!
Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8 hours. Serve!

 

This is the seasoning that we use. It's gluten-free and we found it at Sam's Club,

but I'm sure you can find it at other stores as well.

If you have a Sam's Club membership, but can't find it in the store,

you can click here to purchase it direct from Sams.

You can also check out this link (click here) for another variety of the McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning. I've not tried this kind, but it is gluten-free and I'm sure it would be good!

Cinnamon Bun Pizza:

If you haven't been gluten-free for your whole life, then you might remember going to Pizza Hut and eating their cinnamon sticks (that was my favorite part of pizza hut!). Wow, did I miss those!!! That is until I made these. They are super easy and SUPER yummy!! We've had them two weeks in a row!

I hope you give them a try, because I know you'll love them!



1 batch Pizza Crust (click here for my super easy recipe)
1 tblsp. melted butter
2 tblsp. sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup powder sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 & 1/2 tsp. milk

Prepare and bake pizza according to the instructions. Immediately when it comes out of the oven, spread the butter across the entire crust (a pastry brush works the best for this) and then cut the crust into strips. Return to the oven for about 3 minutes to let the butter melt into the crust. Meanwhile, whisk together the powder sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth; set aside. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over the crust. Drizzle the icing over the whole thing.  Serve!!!

Glazed Carrots:

This is such an easy recipe and is so yummy! I hope you'll give it a try!

1 & 1/2 lb. carrots (baby carrots or big carrots cut however you want)

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tblsp. butter

1/2 tsp. grated orange peel

Steam carrots until fork pokes through easily, or cook carrots in 1-inch of boiling water until fork pokes through easily. Meanwhile, combine sugar, butter and orange peel and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and microwave 30 seconds more or until sugar is dissolved. Drain carrots and pour glaze immediately over carrots. Stir until evenly coated. Serve!

Lasagna:

This lasagna recipe is so easy and delicious! I know you'll love it! We usually make it on a Saturday and then let it bake while we're at church Sunday morning. It's so nice to come home to a meal that is virtually ready! Some people think that lasagna is just too hard and time consuming to make, but it's really not and you can't beat the taste of homemade lasagna. I tried to capture each step that I do, so you can see how easy it really is! Let me know how it turns out for you!

1 (lb.) ground beef
2 jars Spaghetti Sauce
1 (15 oz.) carton Ricotta Cheese
2 eggs
1 box lasagna noodles, uncooked (check out this post here on what noodles I use)
Mozzarella Cheese (the amount varies...depends on how much cheese you like!)

In a large skillet, brown meat over high heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and divide mixture evenly between 3 bowls, reserving about 1/2 cup for later use.
In a small bowl, mix together ricotta cheese and eggs until well combined. Divide evenly between 3 bowls.
In a greased, 9x13-inch baking dish, spread the 1/2 cup of reserved sauce over the entire bottom of the pan.

Layer 3-4 noodles over the sauce.

Take one bowl of the ricotta cheese mixture, and spread over the noodles.

Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

Top with 1 bowl of the meat/sauce mixture.

Repeat layers two more times so that you have 3 layers:

Noodles, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, meat/sauce.

After the third layer, sprinkle with about 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

(mainly for presentation, so if you want more, add more!).

To bake immediately: Pour 1/2 cup water around the edges of the pan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes, or until noodles are tender (stick a fork through them to test).

To bake the next day: Cover and refrigerate. Cover with foil right before placing in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until noodles are tenders.

Freezer Meal: Cover assembled, uncooked lasagna with wax paper. Cover with a lid. Place in the freezer for whenever you want it! Thaw, by letting it stand on the counter before baking.

Note:

-You can also set your oven to come on and go off at certain times, so you could always do that with this dish as well, but we recently got a new oven and I can not for the life of me figure out how to make that setting work yet! So we put our lasagna in the oven around 8:30 on a Sunday morning at 190 degrees. We don't normally get home from church until close to 1 o'clock, and it's always about perfect by then. If it's not quite done, bump up your heat a little bit while you're preparing a vegetable or setting the table and it should be done soon. There's only about two times in my whole life that I can remember eating lasagna during the week...it's always been a Sunday thing!!!

Soft Pretzel Bites:

Yes! You read the title right!!! It's soft, gluten-free pretzels all around!!!

We have tried a few different recipes, and this one is by far the best! And what's really great about it, is they aren't as hard to make as you might think. Yes, they take some time, but if you've been on a gluten-free diet for any amount of time, and enjoyed a soft pretzel or two in your lifetime, "time" is not a huge issue! We'll find it!!!! Even if you aren't a gluten-free eater, though, feel free to give this recipe a try anyways. Just use regular flour and leave out the xanthan gum. It was a wheat-based recipe to begin with, anyways!!!

Now, onto the recipe (and be sure to let me know what you think)!!!!!!

1 cup + 2 tblsp. warm water (see note)
1 & 1/2 tsp. yeast
3 cups flour
2 tsp. xanthan gum
3 tblsp. brown sugar
2 quarts of water
1/2 cup baking soda
Melted butter
Kosher (course) salt

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water. Place the yeast mixture, flour, xanthan gum and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix on high for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed (if you have dough hooks for your mixer, that would work perfect here). Place dough in a large bowl. Cover with a clean, dry dish towel and let rise for 1 hour.
In a large saucepan, bring the 2 quarts of water and the baking soda to a boil.
Using a 1-inch cookie baller, scoop the dough out into balls. Drop the balls, just a few at a time, into the boiling water and cook for 10 seconds. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with salt and serve immediately!

Note:
-If the water to dissolve the yeast is too hot or too cold, the yeast will die and your dough will not rise. Think about a baby's bath water...that should be perfect.
-These are great plain, or we also like to dip them in: Ranch dressing, mustard, cheese sauce or cream cheese.