Cinnamon Roll Pancakes-gluten free style

    I am, as you know, addicted to Pinterest. This recipe has circulated Pinterest and facebook. Today I am snowed in.....so I decided it would be a great day to try these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and turn them gluten free.
    They are very easy to make and maybe take an extra 10-15 minutes more than regular pancakes. They are very yummy. However, they are super sweet so you will want to serve some fruit on the side to balance the super sweet.
    Oh......and unlike the recipe circulating the Internet, I used a pancake mix. If you want to make yours from scratch then by all means do that and you will get a gold star for the extra effort. Otherwise...just use your favorite pancake mix and mix it according to the directions on the box. Drizzle the cinnamon filling on and finish it off with the drizzle when done and enjoy!!

Cinnamon Filling
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
11/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the above ingredients and drizzle (in a circular swirl) over the pancake batter on the griddle. (approximately 3/4 T per pancake, depending on pancake size)

Cream Cheese Glaze
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the above ingredients and drizzle over warm cinnamon roll pancakes.

I hope you enjoy these!!

-Jessica

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

    
     In complete honesty, this is all about the icing. The cake it just something to put this peanut butter icing on....because it's just not socially acceptable to sit and eat icing by the spoonful. At least not out in public! :) There is nothing that goes better with peanut butter than chocolate...so I made chocolate cake.....from a box.....that I amped up a little.  Chocolate Cake 1 Betty Crocker Devil's food Gluten Free Cake Mix1 C. Buttermilk2 Eggs 1/2 C. Margarine, melted1/2 C. Applesauce1/2 C. Milk Chocolate Chips Combine the above ingredients and bake according to the instructions on the box (350 deg. for 30-40min). Frost a cooled cake with the peanut butter frosting.

 

Amazing Peanut Butter Frosting
 
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. peanut butter
3 tbsp milk
2 c. confectioner’s sugar

Cream together the first three ingredients and then gradually add sugar and milk until you reach desired consistency, The milk can be left out for a stiffer icing, or if the milk makes the icing too thin, additional sugar can be added. Spread on cooled cake.

I hope you enjoy this cake. I can see this frosting recipe going on some brownies, cuppeycakes, and maybe even cookies in the future. YUMMERS!

-Jessica

xoxo Valentine Chex Mix xoxo

  
Valentines Day is almost here! I'm sure I will make my world famous Chocolate Covered Strawberries (because they have already been requested, who knew you could put in requests for Valentines gifts?), but I thought I would try something new this year as well. I ran across this cute idea on Pinterest and had to give it a try for myself.
     It is pretty darn yummy so I'm not completely sure there will be any left for gift giving. Oops! Don't tell my friends and family you saw this post, just incase there isn't any left for them. Ummmk??


Valentine Chex Mix

6 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 bag of white chocolate baking chips (12 oz)
4 T powder pudding mix from a box of Strawberry Creme Jell-O Pudding** (make sure you use pudding)
1 T Shortening
Valentine M &M's, sprinkles, food coloring

Dump the chex cereal into a large bowl. In a microwave safe container, dump the white chips and shortening in and microwave for 1 min. Stir and then microwave in 30 second intervals stirring each time until all the chips are melted. Just be careful not to scorch your chocolate.

Stir the 4 T strawberry pudding powder into the white chocolate. Add food coloring if you wish.

Dump the chocolate mixture over the cereal and toss to coat. Spread out on waxed paper. Sprinkle M & M's and sprinkles over the cereal mixture. Allow to cool and dry, then store in an air tight container.

Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 Tbsp butter
1/4c onion, chopped
1 32 oz Box chicken broth
1 pound broccoli florets
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 C Milk
2 T. Corn Starch (thickener)
8oz. Velveeta cheese

In 3 qt sauce pan, saute onion in butter over low heat until softened but
not brown, about 3 minutes.
Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add broccoli, pepper, garlic powder and
reduce heat to low and cook covered til soft, about 15 minutes.
Add milk and Velveeta and heat through; do not boil. Slowly sprinkle in corn starch (or mix with a small amount of water and pour in to lessen your chance of getting lumps and bumps in your soup)
and stir until thick. Serve hot!


I know, I know.....I haven't posted in FOREVER. Well it turns out that you are only allowed so many pictures on your blog. I had reached my limit, so I had to go back and remove some pics before I could post anything. UGH!! So I guess I will cut my pictures per post to one or none.....sadness!! So here is a little soup recipe to warm you up in this chilly weather!! Enjoy.

-Jessica

Ten Years have flown by

    
     Ten years ago yesterday I sat in a doctor's office and was told I had Celiac. So New Years Eve the world always helps me celebrate my gluten free anniversary. Pretty cool eh?
     It really doesn't seem like it has been that long. I guess that is because we are forever learning and reading labels. We will never really be "pro" at this! ha Companies are constantly changing things on us. Though I don't feel as lost today as I did that very first day.
     I do feel like things have really changed in those ten years. When I was first diagnosed gluten free was not as mainstream as it is today. There were very few restaurants that had gluten free menu items. I had to mail order or order online my cake mixes and pastas. To see "gluten free" on a label was few and far between. Now we are able to walk into many restaurants with gluten free menus. Regular grocery stores are carrying gluten free items. Big companies are finally "getting it" and labeling their brands as gluten free when they are. I'm thankful for these changes!
     In June of 2004 I started the USASillyYaks yahoo support group. I did this because there were no people near me who were gluten free. I went online to find support and get ideas. That group has grown and has people from all over the world.
     October 20,2011 I decided to give blogging a try. I wanted a permanent place to share my recipes, information, and product reviews. I have really enjoying blogging. It is fun to see what recipes people LOVE and what recipes people could have done without! ha I haven't had as much time lately to post to my blog and I have really been missing it.
     In November of 2011 I was featured in an article in the magazine All You about autoimmune disorders. That was pretty exciting for me. I was excited to get to share my story to a larger group of people. I know that I made an impact because I had people contacting me via facebook and email who felt lost and alone before they read the article. I'm glad I did that article.
     December 2011 I decided to take USASillyYaks to Facebook. I feel like I have been able to share more and help others through expanding to Facebook. We have a great group of followers there.
     I have had some great opportunities to help others in the last 10 years. I hope to continue helping others and staying healthy. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years brings. Thank you for being a part of my journey.

-Jessica
    

Cheezy Chicken Tortilla Soup

   

      A co-worker recently brought in this amazing smelling soup for her lunch. I requested the recipe because it smelled SO good. I was excited to give the recipe a try. You know me though...I just can't make a recipe "as is". I have to make it my own. ha So I added more cheese, and spices, and tomato, and black beans......well you get the idea. I changed it! It is super yummy! I hope you like it too.

Cheezy Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 32 oz. Box of Chicken Stock.
1 14 oz. Can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 10 oz. Can Rotel (mild)
1 8oz. Can Rotel Tomato Sauce (mild)
3/4 tsp. Coumin
1/8 tsp. Black Pepper
2 T. Minced Onion
1/4 tsp. Chili Powder
1 package (2-3) Chicken Breasts cooked and diced
1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed.
8 oz. Velveeta
1/2 C. Shredded Cheese

Combine all of the ingredients (except velveeta, beans, and shredded cheese) and simmer for 1-2 hours. Add Velveeta, beans, and shredded cheese stir until melted completely and simmer for another 30-40 min.  Serve over tortilla chips.

This soup is SO good and would also be great for putting in the crock pot! I can't wait to take my leftovers for lunch tomorrow!! YUMMERS!

-Jessica

Lemon Bars....Oh My Goodness!!

 
    This recipe is one that my Mom always made when I was growing up. These are a favorite of mine. Well really anything lemon that she makes is a favorite of mine! ha This recipe was easily converted to gluten free when I was diagnosed. I just switched out the flour in the crust to gf, and switched the flour in the filling to cornstarch to thicken the filling. YUMMMMM!! I had to share one of my favorites with you today! Enjoy!


Lemon Bars - Gluten Free Style

Crust:
1 C. Softened Margarine
1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
2 C. Gluten Free Flour
1/2 tsp. Xantham Gum

Filling:
4 Eggs, beaten
6 T. Lemon Juice
3 T. Corn Starch
2 C. Sugar

Combine the ingredients for the crust. Press into a 9x13 in. pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 deg. for 15-20 minutes.

Combine the ingredients for the filling mixture and pour over the warm crust. Return to the oven and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm.

I hope that you like them as much as I do! -Jessica