Recipes

Getting Ready for FALL

September 1, 2020

Happy September, from The Cake Team! In our book, there is no shame in the fall game starting today *even though we started a couple weeks ago.* Enjoy a post rounding up some of Carleigh’s fall favorites! If you’re new around here, Carleigh is my amazing Media Manager/Assistant/Sanity. (But really.) Give her a follow on IG (here) and give some love! You can also read all of her posts on the blog with the filter “From Carleigh” to the right. xoxo, Han

Every week that goes by, it gets a little harder to believe we are still in quarantine. I truly didn’t think we’d still be here going into September, and it’s an almost daily battle to choose joy as we head into the sixth month of navigating this pandemic. That being said, we have to keep fighting and finding ways to enjoy life! I find joy in all things fall. I mean, seriously… does it get better than a crisp morning, a pumpkin candle burning, a hot cup of something in hand, and a sweatshirt (especially if it’s from The Cake Shop). I think not! So I am choosing joy and getting ready for fall in my house, my wardrobe, and my soul 🙂 I’m sharing and linking all of my favorite things to get cozy and ready for that cool fall weather, even if it is still 95 degrees outside right now… Texas probs, y’all.

xoxo, Carleigh

Fall Home Decor

The new fall line from Hearth & Hand with Magnolia is at Target, and it’s amazing as always! I love adding some warmer pieces to my home to help transition into fall, like throw pillows, wreaths, candles, etc.

Pumpkin Bread

I’m getting ready to bust out my favorite pumpkin bread recipe! A slice of pumpkin bread and a cup of hot cider (or coffee for all you normal people who love it hehe) with a candle burning, a cozy sweatshirt, and a good book = the perfect fall morning. You can check out my pumpkin bread recipe that I shared last fall on the blog here!

Cozy Fall Wardrobe

Even before the temperatures drop, I bust out all my sweaters, sweatshirts, joggers, etc. so I can feel cozy! Especially with being home so much more right now, I’m living in my comfies pretty much 24/7. Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite new cozy pieces for fall!

Fall at Bath and Body Works

Fall is here and I am R E A D Y. I stocked up on new soaps, candles, and all the things with the new fall scents and it brings me joy every time I smell them. Some of my favorite new scents are:

Cozy Cashmere
Honeycrisp Apple
Vanilla Sage
Linen & Lavender
Welcome Home
And anything pumpkin scented!

The Answer for Back to School Meals

August 18, 2020

Whether you are back in an office for the first time in months, have kids homeschooling at the dining room table, kids back in a physical classroom, or… have a toddler and a newborn in the house… hehe, well, meals for the family just feel like a lot of extra hard work. You with me? I have been singing the praises of HelloFresh for over a year now, and more than ever I am so grateful for meals delivered straight to my door. A newborn, a pandemic, and my husband in the beginning phases of starting a new venture (EEEEEEP!)… I need all the help I can get around here. And because my momma can’t live with us for the next 6+ months, HelloFresh is helping me with meals in between Lollie visits. 😉

This month, you can click here to get $80 off your order on me (including free shipping on the first box!) from HelloFresh! We’ve had so many amazing meals with them, but anything Mexican-inspired or the Gourmet Meals are top choices for us.

As for this blush pink slip dress, it’s from R.e.c. Room and they’re a new favorite! First off, they are owned by two girl bosses which is obviously a major perk! Think Lululemon materials for dresses and every day attire. I love that this dress can be worn by itself or with a tee shirt tied on top. Or, with a denim jacket or flannel… the options are endless with every season. Plus… it’s so lightweight and comfortable for around the house! You can grab one for yourself here, available in multiple colors!

My Secret to Gluten Free Baking

July 14, 2020

Hey, babes! Honest check-in: How are you doing?

I am… barely hanging on in a lot of ways. I had a breakdown this week. I cried in my bed for an hour and needed my husband to convince me to get out. JUST BEING HONEST. I am so uncomfortable, deeply disappointed I was having contractions for two weeks and still don’t have a baby *and now hardly having any since getting on an antibiotic*, and sad about how divided the world is. SO MANY EMOTIONS. But, all in all, we are good. In the words of Paul, he said, “Honestly, I am shocked you’re only just now crying.” HA! It’s been a stressful few weeks around here.

However, I know there is SO MUCH to be excited about, thankful for, and just generally aware of how lucky we are. To choose joy, I made cookies with Knox yesterday. He LOVES being in the kitchen, and it’s fun as he gets older to see the way he is able to actually help. I had him on mixing duty yesterday. And, aside from sneaking licks of the spatula every time I turned away, he did a really great job! I love including him in as much as possible to help him stay active AND find things he’s good at. I have shared TWO cookie recipes in my IG stories recently that were out of this world. I wanted to re-share here and also answer a few questions!

If you don’t know, I am gluten-free (not by choice). I found out about 5 years ago after years and years of seeing doctors who basically said nothing was wrong with me that I am allergic to yeast and gluten. Like a for real allergy… not just a sensitivity. And I had lived with it my entire life. I had white spots all over my body from yeast overgrowth and my brain was swollen! So many things in my life made sense all of a sudden, and all from a simple food allergy that had gone undiagnosed for over 20 years. Anyways, I love cooking and baking, but obviously things had to change drastically when I found out. It’s been a long journey of figuring out the best brands or how to bake for myself. But, I have a secret that’s been a game changer for all things baking…

Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 All Purpose Flour

Both times I have posted my cookies in the last couple of weeks I have received multiples messages about how the heck I got them thick AND gluten free. THIS IS THE ANSWER. For years, I have struggled to make cookies that are any good. They were either tasteless or crumbly… Plus, gluten free baking can be expensive when you’re trying to do all the fancy recipes with almond flour and potato starch and… all the things. This All Purpose GF flour just basically combines all that for you and you can replace it into any recipe you do/love to make it gluten free. And the best part is that NOBODY will know it’s gluten free. Bob’s Red Mill also has the baking powder and other various ingredients I need, but this flour is what changed my baking game forever. I have also been out of baking soda, so I have discovered you can replace it with baking powder in a 3-1 tsp. ratio. So for example, the Big Fat Cookie recipe below called for 1 tsp soda and 1 tsp powder. So I ended up doing 4 tsp baking powder and they were perfect. I did the same for the regular chocolate chip cookies!

SO, whether baking gluten free or gluten filled… Here are the cookie recipes you NEED TO TRY ASAP.

Big Fat Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies: With a name like that… how can you refuse? These are SO yummy. I did a batch a little doughy, right on the 13 minutes, and then a little crispy… and they ALL are so good. So no matter how you prefer your cookies, these hold up. I definitely lean toward doughy/just done enough.

Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies: I am not a baker by any means. My sister… she’s a professional pastry chef. I didn’t get that gift hehe. BUT, these cookies sure did make me feel like one for a hot second. They taste just like my FAVORITE cookie from Sprinkles Cupcakes! NOT KIDDING. To make them large, I used our ice cream scoop and then flattened them before popping into the oven.

Enjoy baking, friends! If you try these out, let me know. I wanna see!

xoxo

Baby-Ready with HelloFresh

July 1, 2020

Well, we are truly counting down the hours, seconds, moments until Baby R. As we get closer to my due date (in the DEAD of Texas summer), getting out to the grocery store is an endeavor- especially with masks required/heat advisories/and being so pregnant I can barely walk… So with all these factors combined, having my family dinners delivered to my front door is just the best thing that could ever happen to me right now hehe.

I know I talk about HelloFresh a lot y’all, but I promise you it’s because I love them so much. I think it’s important to remind y’all we actually were HelloFresh customers FIRST before ever partnering with them as I have had the opportunity to do over the last year. Working with brands my family actually uses is a top priority to me as an influencer, and integrity is a core value to my family. We will never post certain types of photos for likes, work with brands we don’t trust, or talk about a product we don’t actually love and believe in just for a paycheck. That’s not my job. My job is to create marketing content for brands I love! I think it’s important to share that from time to time to help anybody new around here truly get to know why I do what I do. I love sharing things that I love or make my life easier for the sake of helping you out. Try this brand, not that one. Save some money and avoid testing out products – I did it for you! Buy this quality brand vs. that one – it’s worth the splurge. Or, buy this product instead of that over-priced one! … Whatever the scenario, I love being a resource for you to make educated purchases for your family.

With that said, I AM TEAM HelloFresh! It’s truly so convenient and helpful, and I love trying out recipes I would have never used otherwise. This month, you can click here to get $80 off your order on me (including free shipping on the first box!) from HelloFresh!

Some restrictions apply- purchase is required!

Ninja Foodie Review + Zucchini Chips

June 9, 2020

You guys. This is not an exaggeration… I am about to tell you about the best gadget to date we’ve ever bought for our kitchen. We use it literally at least twice, if not three times a day. From eggs, to fully frozen chicken, to pasta dishes… it’s changed our cooking life. Especially because now Paul feels adequate enough to cook dinner hehe. SIGN ME UP!

Okay… the best gadget ever is… Our Ninja Foodie. If you recall, I have raved about our Ninja Coffee maker for about a year. And, we also have the Ninja blender. BUT THIS AIR FRYER AND PRESSURE COOKER IS THE BEST THING EVER. Cue the fireworks, the heart eyes… all the things. I got it for Mother’s Day, and I am still giddy about it. The air fryer setting is what we use the most. I love the crisp it puts on everything. But, I have used the pressure cooker setting for an all-in-one chicken and rice stir fry style dish, and it was very yummy! I didn’t realize the whole pressure cooker thing is actually dangerous, though…. so I just went for it and it’s by God’s grace I didn’t explode the kitchen. I had the lid on wrong… lol. Geez, read the directions and you’ll be better off than me. Easy.

There is also a baking setting you can throw literally anything into to bake (cookies, pizza, frozen baked goods… anything!). The BEST part about this whole gadget, next to the tasty food itself, is the clean up. Our dishes and pots/pans for every meal have decreased significantly. It’s so easy to clean the pot insert, and you literally are done. All done in this one pot.

Gadgets:

Outfit:

Zucchini Chips:

Our favorite restaurant recently gave us their recipe for the Zucchini Chips we order every time we dine there. (Read a full list of my favorite restaurants and what we order, here!) I was mind blown they would do that… and since they were so sweet to, I wanted to share with y’all! These are seriously so good. We do them in the air fryer (they do it in the oil at the restaurant). But, geeeez they’re so yummy either way! Nothing beats them by the chef, though. This just give us our fix in between date nights. 😉

2 Cups Sliced Zucchini

As Needed, Rice and Tapioca Flour Mix (We just used Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose)

As Needed, Buttermilk Wash (Club soda for dairy free!)

1/4 cup Peppadew Peppers, cut

3 Shishido Peppers

1 1/2 oz. Sweet Chili Vinaigrette, stirred well (we found a super yummy one at the local grocery store in the foreign foods aisle!)

Lime zested

Cilantro, picked

To Build:

Place zucchini in flour mix, evenly coating by hand. Shake off excess.
Place in buttermilk (or club soda)
Replace zucchini in flour mix and shake off once more
Place zucchini and peppers in fryer at 350 for 15 minutes (or until crispy enough for your liking!) They should be firm – how many you put in at a time will determine the cook time as well.
Toss with Sweet Chili Vinaigrette, lime zest, and cilantro
SERVE AND EAT!