Hello Spring Archives

Fruity Smore’s Bars — No Bake, Gluten & Dairy Free

After I made the Smore's Ice Cream, I had some leftover chocolate ganache and almond flour graham cracker crumbles. I vowed to try and make a new recipe with them instead of eating them. That's how these fruity smore's bars came to be. It's a layer of graham cracker crumble, chocolate ganache, raspberry jam, and finally toasted italian meringue on top. YUM. I forgot to mention to, it's no bake! The only thing that has to be "cooked" is making a sugar syrup in a pan on the stove for the meringue. This is a quick throw together dessert. The…

Post published:September 21, 2020
Post comments:10 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Lemon Blueberry Torte — Gluten Free

I used to do this thing where I would try and bake what the bakers are making on the Great British Baking Show, so this recipe popped out of the signature challenge of an episode. The requirements were to make a torte cake which has no wheat flour and more than one layer. I decided on a lemon blueberry torte cake with whipped vanilla cream cheese frosting and an almond flour sponge. I made two almond meal torte cakes flavored with lemon zest and vanilla. In between the two cakes is a layer of lemon curd and blueberries. There's more lemon…

Post published:August 27, 2020
Post comments:12 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Sparkling Ginger Lemonade

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine years ago when I got it in the mail. It had a section filled to the brim with lemon recipes (which I love!) and I decided to give this sparkling ginger lemonade a go. Turns out this recipe is a keeper. I love the little bite at the end from the ginger. You can taste the honey too which is different from the traditional sweetness of a lemonade made with a simple sugar syrup. The lovely little fizz from the sparkling water is an added bonus. I always use this…

Post published:August 24, 2020
Post comments:8 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Chocolate Raspberry Orange Tart

Time for me to try more Great British Baking Show challenges! This time I challenged myself to bake a fruit tart worthy of a bakery display case. That means presentation is everything with this one. For my fruit tart, I decided on a chocolate orange raspberry tart. Chocolate and raspberries in my opinion is one of the best food combinations ever, and my husband suggested the orange, so I added that in too. My chocolate raspberry orange tart ended up having layers of chocolate mousse, orange creme patissiere and raspberry jam topped off with fresh raspberries, and orange zest. My…

Post published:August 17, 2020
Post comments:7 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Smore’s Ice Cream — Dairy Free

I'm on an ice cream kick this summer if you couldn't already tell. It's certainly hot enough out to be eating it all day long too. I had an idea for a smore's ice cream mulling around in my head for a bit now. Then I saw that National Smore's Day was coming up, so I took it as a sign. What's better than marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker bits all swirled into a custard vanilla ice cream? Nothing, that's what. My smore's ice cream is of course dairy free, but for this one I decided to make it gluten…

Post published:August 10, 2020
Post comments:8 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Rustic Blueberry Galette For Two

This rustic blueberry galette is a simple yet delicious dessert, perfect for the summer with it's vibrant fruity taste. I've had the idea for a while and never actually made a galette before so it was fun to try something new. I made a mini one too, so this is a great little summer dessert for two. I add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest to really bring out the blueberry flavor and it works beautifully. What's a Galette? A galette is basically a pie without the pie dish. You use a shortcrust pastry like you would for…

Post published:August 3, 2020
Post comments:12 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Mom’s Strawberry Almond Milk Ice Cream

It's definitely strawberry week in my house! Strawberry jam, strawberry coconut milk ice cream were posted last week and now I moved on to strawberry almond milk ice cream. My mom doesn't eat coconut milk, so I made an almond milk version for her. This recipe isn't as creamy as the coconut milk version, but it is just as delicious! Almond milk has a lot less fat than coconut milk, so this ice cream could be said to be a little healthier as well. But I wouldn't say too much healthier because they both obviously have some sugar in them,…

Post published:July 26, 2020
Post comments:8 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Strawberry Ice Cream — Dairy Free (Coconut Milk)

I finally got around to making some homemade ice cream for the summer and this new strawberry ice cream I came up with does not disappoint! It is creamy and absolutely delicious. The flavor is not like your typical strawberry ice cream. I definitely believe the custard base I use is what brings this ice cream to the next level. My husband's eyes popped right out of his head after he tasted it. This homemade ice cream is more than worth the effort. I made this ice cream with a custard base that has to be cooked because it has…

Post published:July 23, 2020
Post comments:10 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Homemade Strawberry Jam, No Pectin Needed

My husband and I went berry picking last weekend to get the last of the strawberries before they went out of season. They were so red and ripe, I couldn't wait to get home and make some fresh jam with them. This was only my second time making jam and the result was quite successful! I made two batches with differing amounts of sugar and they came out a tad different, both equally good though. If you go on the internet and search jam recipes, the variation in the amounts of sugar that is put into different recipes amazes me.…

Post published:July 20, 2020
Post comments:6 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa

Almond Butter Cookies — Gluten & Dairy Free

These almond butter cookies are the product of my recent liking to almond butter! I am a huge peanut butter fan, so I never thought to try alternate nut butters, but I am super happy I did because almond butter is healthier than peanut butter and it's pretty darn yummy! So I decided on developing a almond butter cookie recipe that was allergy free. These super yummy almond butter cookies are chewy and delicious with added chocolate chips and pecans. I love baking, it's one of my favorite things, but I have never tried to make my own recipes. I…

Post published:July 13, 2020
Post comments:12 Comments
Post category:Recipes
Post author:Melissa