Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

Easy Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

As a Floridian, there are two things that make me realize it’s Christmas time: Bath and Body Works evergreen candles, and Christmas cookies. Just about every year, our neighbor makes a big batch of Christmas cookies and brings us a plate. I’m not talking just one type, I’m talking at least six different types of cookies. She rocks. And while my family has always decorated a real Christmas tree, it’s so tucked away in my house that I actually need a candle to make my room smell like pine. No shame. Christmas movies are on tv, Christmas music is on loop, Christmas tree is lit, Christmas lights are hung, wreaths dawn our front doors, the scent of Christmas cookies envelope our kitchen… and yet, it’s 86 degrees outside. Hey, I’m sure plenty of you that live up north are rolling ... View Post

Almond Butter and Jelly Hand Pies

Almond Butter and Jelly Hand Pies

These Almond Butter and Jelly Hand Pies are a fun way to put a spin on a traditional PB&J! Have you ever had a food epiphany that changed your life? Yeah, same here. When coming up with new recipes, I often think about how I can combine two classic recipes, or change one classic recipe into something else, or use traditional flavors in a different way. These Almond Butter and Jelly Hand Pies are a perfect example of that. They’re a combination of peanut butter and jelly and pie, but I’ve switched out the peanut butter for almond butter. Oh, and they’re sort of like empanadas, which are always good. It’s like a lunch and a snack and a dessert all in one. Have I arrived in heaven? Being that it’s November, you’re probably expecting a normal, round, larger pie. Hey, ... View Post

Balsamic Prosciutto Green Beans

Balsamic Prosciutto Green Beans

These Balsamic Prosciutto Green Beans are the perfect side dish with crunchy green beans, smooth, salty prosciutto, a bite of balsamic vinegar, and sweet shallots and leeks. Growing up, I watched my mom completely shut. it. down. when it came to Thanksgiving. She's a wonderful cook already, but the woman is a super hero when it comes to our Thanksgiving feast. I never cooked in high school, so while I tried to help her as best as I could, she was still doing most of the cooking. Then, in college, I started to help a bit more. I would make my own recipe and add it to the Thanksgiving lineup. Now that I'm older and I've really honed my cooking skills, I'm at a point where I'm ready to provide more to the feast. One of the things I will be making this year are these Balsamic ... View Post

Cranberry Apple Scones

Cranberry Apple Scones

These Cranberry Apple Scones are a wonderful Fall weekend breakfast to enjoy with a bold cup of coffee. Cozy up and indulge yourself! I made these scones on a Saturday morning with College GameDay on in the background whose sound was blending with the sound of Christian slurping his iced coffee while sitting in the recliner reading up on politics on Twitter, an almagamation of Fall flavors enveloping the kitchen. All was right in the world. What is Fall without apples? I've admitted before: I don't like cooked apples. But, alas, a revelation. I think I'm starting to like them. I hate apple pie the other day, so there's that. I made these scones, so there's that, too. Friends, it's happening! Should I alert the press? For these particular scones, I used dried ... View Post

Simple Bread Pudding

Simple Bread Pudding

This Simple Bread Pudding recipe has been used at my family's Thanksgiving celebration for as long as I can remember. Trust me, you'll want to serve this one! Holy crap, people. I am so excited today because I am giving you an inside look into the food I've been eating my whole life. I say that because, this is a recipe my mom has been using for as long as I can remember. If you aren't new around here, then you know that this is actually the second recipe I've shared from my moms collection (see: Mom's Cuban Flan). She's a great chef, I tell ya. This bread pudding has been served at every Thanksgiving that I can remember in my life. And every year, we have zero leftovers. It's THAT good! This bread pudding is ridiculously easy to make, but I will say it does contain a ... View Post

Crockpot Lentil Soup

Crockpot Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage

There's nothing like some Crockpot Lentil Soup in the Fall where you can just set it and forget it. Enjoy this soup on a cold night topped with fresh Parmesan cheese. When I say this was gone in sixty seconds, I mean it. This soup was so easy and so delicious, my family ate it so quickly, and we had zero leftovers. That almost never happens. This soup brings me back to me living in Pensacola for my senior internship. I was a five hour drive away from my boyfriend who was still in Gainesville, and an eight hour drive away from my family in Tampa. It was the furthest from loved ones I'd ever been, so I got pretty homesick at one point. I remember one night, my solution was soup. Lentil soup. My internship was for the Winter/Spring semester, January through April. For most ... View Post