Cheesy Chicken two ways

Lately, I've been into comfort foods from my childhood. When I think of comfort foods, I think of the great times I spent in the kitchen with my parents. Cooking together. Talking and listening to one another. In short- the foods that inspire feelings of family love.

In the winter, my mom would make cheesy chicken roll ups. I love them! They are creamy and flavorful, but super easy to put together.

Over the years, I've played with the recipe to find different flavor combinations. I'm going to share my mom's original recipe as well as the one I use more frequently. They are both excellent!

Before I get to the food though- I'd like to introduce you to Flat Stanley.   He's the fun little fella checking out a few of my cookbooks.

Flat Stanley's Kitchen Adventure

I have a teacher friend, Mr. Hart, who is doing a unit on Flat Stanley. When he told me about this project, I knew I had to be a part of it. So, I was excited ecstatic when he asked me to participate. The crafty 12 year old in me just loves this sort of thing!

For more information on Flat Stanley, check out the official website.

The great thing about this project is that every teacher, parent, or group leader can tailor it to their own needs and wants. There are  a variety of templates, including digital characters available on the website.

After I finish with my project photos for Mr. Hart, I will likely continue to photograph additional Stanley adventures. It is a fun new way to look at the places you travel every day- through the eyes of a child.

Ok, on to the food! :)

Here's to you and your culinary adventures friends. Cheers!

Mom's Cheesy (Mushroom) Chicken Roll Ups
Serves 4

16 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 oz canned mushrooms, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1 TBS fresh chives or 1 tsp dried chives
1 TBS fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley
1 TBS pimento
1 TBS dry bread crumbs
1/8 tsp paprika
1 tsp sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut chicken into 4 even pieces. Place each piece between plastic wrap or in a plastic baggie. Pound to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Mix mushrooms, cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream, chives, parsley, and pimentos together in a small bowl.

Spread filling evenly over the 4 pieces of chicken. Roll up chicken and place seam side down on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Brush each chicken roll up with remaining sour cream. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and paprika.

Bake 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving.



* Gluten free options:
1. Omit the bread crumbs all together.
2. Make your own gf bread crumbs by pulsing a slice of gf bread in a food processor.
3. If you are lucky enough to have store bought gf bread crumbs, use them :)


Becca's Cheesy(Bacon) Chicken Roll Ups
Serves 4

16 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 strips of turkey bacon, pan fried and roughly chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dry Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 TBS pimento
1 TBS dry bread crumbs*
1/8 tsp paprika
1 tsp sour cream


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Cut chicken into 4 even pieces. Place each piece between plastic wrap or in a plastic baggie. Pound to about 1/4 inch thickness.


Mix bacon, cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream, garlic salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, cracked pepper, and pimentos together in a small bowl.


Spread filling evenly over the 4 pieces of chicken. Roll up chicken and place seam side down on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.


Brush each chicken roll up with remaining sour cream. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and paprika.


Bake 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving.



* Gluten free options:
1. Omit the bread crumbs all together. 2. Make your own gf bread crumbs by pulsing a slice of gf bread in a food processor.
3. If you are lucky enough to have store bought gf bread crumbs, use them :)

Linguine Carbonara with Veggies

When I am flying solo for suppers, I like one pot pasta meals.

Tonight, I got home from work and I was hungry. I wanted something filling and good for me. But I needed it done in a hurry (those baked sour cream & cheddar ruffles were calling my name...)

I decided on a classic. My mom used to make linguine carbonara when I was growing up. It's creamy, salty, and simple. Pasta, ham, cheese. Yea, there is nothing bad about this dish.

Veggies, pasta, and creamy Parmesan sauce.

In the last few years I have opted to load it up with veggies for a filling, healthy meal. I listed the combination of veggies I love the most. But whatever you have on hand will work. The low heat and hot pasta gently cook the egg without scrambling it. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!


Linguine Carbonara with Veggies
Serves 2

3 oz linguine (I use gf spaghetti)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 TBS fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried
2 oz fully cooked, thin sliced ham. Sliced into strips

Add ins to taste-
cooked, chopped spinach
raw fresh mushrooms, sliced
diced fresh tomato
caramelized garlic and diced onion

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain well. Immediately return to hot pan. Add the egg, parsley and cheese. Toss to evenly coat. Keep over low heat, add desired veggies and ham. Warm everything through.

Serve hot.

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

Early in my high school days, my mom made scalloped potatoes.

From scratch.

I had no idea such a thing existed up until that point. All I knew were boxed scalloped potatoes, which tasted exactly the same as the boxed au gratin potatoes to me. And, honestly, I wasn't a huge fan.

So, when she came to the table with something similar to this:

Thick cut potatoes and diced ham soaking up  luscious creamy sauce

I was a bit surprised. There weren't any paper thin, slightly under-cooked potatoes (the re-hydrating process never really brings those dehydrated potatoes back to their former glory) swimming in an unnaturally colored orange sauce.

Instead, there were thick slices of tender russet potatoes from our garden. Little bits of onion, garlic, and mushroom. Large chunks of diced, meaty ham. And a topping it all off, just the right amount of freshly shredded cheddar cheese.

It was so flavorful. And the leftovers were even better. It was a recipe I had to add to my favorites cookbook when I moved away from home.

It remains of my favorite winter comfort foods to this day. Thank you, Mom!

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!

Mom's Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
Serves 6

8-10 oz smoked ham, diced large
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thick
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, diced fine
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup*
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Boil potatoes, onion, and garlic for 12-15 minutes. Drain.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl combine soup, sour cream, garlic salt, garlic powder, Italian herbs, cayenne, and pepper. Stir in half the cheese.

In a prepared casserole dish, layer potatoes, ham, and sour cream/soup mix. **Top with remaining cheese.

Microwave 5 minutes. Cover and bake 20 minutes until bubbly. Let stand 5-10 minutes to thicken before serving.

*If you are gf, be sure your cream of mushroom soup is gluten free. 

** My mom layers 1/2 the potatoes, 1/2 the ham, 1/2 the sauce, then repeat. I choose to do a single layer for quicker prep. In the dish in the photo I simply folded everything together and poured it in. Whichever way you choose is fine, just do what works for you. :)

Happy Birthday to Jon

Today is a special day. It's my sweetheart's 33rd birthday! 

Everyone needs birthday cake, even when their spouse is gluten intolerant. So, thank you to Betty Crocker for making this delicious gluten free vanilla cake possible!

I was delighted to find the cake moist and smooth. It was a little more dense- reminiscent of a homemade pound cake, but that made me love it even more. I sliced the cake horizontally to make a layer cake with a chocolate fudge frosting in the middle.

The Betty Crocker Gluten Free dessert mixes are a little expensive. I paid $4.98 for a cake mix that makes a 9x9 cake. BUT, it was so worth it. We had real birthday cake that even I could enjoy. Everyone loved it, including our gluten loving guests. 

So, if you are looking for a genuine "birthday cake experience," spend the money, buy a gluten free cake mix. It's the little things that make a spectacular day even more special.

Happy Birthday, Jon!

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!

Homemade Graham Crackers

When I was growing up my dad would grill on a charcoal grill. It was always an event. Getting the coals just right takes time and patience. We would cook meat and fish for several meals over those glorious embers. The taste of a good grilled steak in the middle of winter is divine!

As much as I loved the meals from the grill, my favorite part was always dessert. After supper while Mom was cleaning up the kitchen and packing meals for the freezer, Dad, Adam, and I would go outside along the edge of our woods and find sticks.

These weren't just any sticks. These were smores sticks.They had to be thin, and green. Flexible, yet sturdy enough to keep the marshmallow out of the fire.

We'd sit on the bench on the patio and toast marshmallows over the glowing embers. Once my 'mallow was perfectly toasted, I'd peel off the golden layer, and repeat. And every once in while, we'd grab some chocolate and graham crackers to make the actual smores.

Once I gave up gluten, I feared I wouldn't ever get a good smore again. I have attempted a few graham cracker recipes, but they just weren't right. They were too grainy, not sweet enough, too thick, and the list goes on.

I got brave a few weeks ago, threw caution to the wind, and made my own recipe. And you know what kids? (Ya, I'm grinning ear to ear right now) They turned out great. I made them again today to make sure it wasn't a fluke. 

Brown Rice "Graham" Crackers

Jon said it was no fluke :) They make phenomenal smores. I love that I can cut them into squares and not worry about them breaking into rectangles as I eat them.

I added some xanthan gum to these on a whim when I first came up with the recipe. It seemed to help the texture out quite a bit. And I also used store bought brown rice flour as it is less grainy than home-milled. 

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!


Brown Rice "Graham" Crackers
Makes 20-24 crackers

3/4 cup brown rice flour 

1/4 cup cornstarch 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp xanthan gum 

3 TBS dark brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 TBS butter, diced, cold 

3-4 TBS milk 

2 TBS honey

*Optional*
Cinnamon Sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together the flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Stir in brown sugar. 

Using a pastry blender or two knives- cut the butter into the flour mixture. You want an even distribution of the butter. Make sure there are no large pieces of butter, but DO NOT CREAM.(Think pastry dough with much smaller butter pieces)

Add the honey and 3 TBS of milk. Using a fork, blend until a coarse dough forms. Add the remaining 1 TBS of milk if needed to get the dough to just pull together. 

Lay a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper on the counter. Lightly dust with rice flour. Pat dough into a rectangle. Lightly dust dough with additional flour. Place another sheet of foil or paper over the top. 

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out between the two sheets. You want this to be very thin. About 1/8 inch thick.

Remove the top sheet of foil or paper. Transfer the dough, with the bottom foil or paper, to a baking sheet. Score the dough into desired size and shapes. "Dock" the dough by picking each cracker with a fork. (Docking allows steam to escape so you don't end up with soggy crackers). If desired, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar.

Bake the crackers for 15-17 minutes until golden brown. 

Remove from oven and slide the entire sheet of crackers with the foil onto a cooling rack. Once completely cool, break crackers apart.

Crock Pot Beef Roast

I was skimming through my recipes today and I realized I haven't ever posted a recipe for beef roast!

It's a super easy meal. (I mean super easy!)

I love it because it's this simple- dump it and forget it. A few basic ingredients and a crock pot are all it takes. (These are ingredients I keep in my pantry and freezer on a regular basis) Total cost for this meal for 4-6 people? Under $7.You can't beat that my friends. I get my roasts on sale for buy one get one free at Winn Dixie. This helps to keep the cost down as well.

If you don't have a crock pot, I am begging. Go. Get spend the $15-$20 and get a crock pot. You will save time, effort, and money. And, your spouse will think you are a magician when you turn a plain chunk of beef into a filling, flavorful meal.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!

Crock Pot Beef Roast
Serves 4-6

3 lb beef roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can beef stock *
1 envelope onion soup mix
4 large carrots, chunked
2 large potatoes, peeled and chunked

In a large crock pot, whisk together the soup, beef stock, and onion soup mix. Place the roast in the center of the pot. Add the veggies. Cover and cook 8-9 hours on LOW or 5-6 hours on HIGH.

*I just use one soup can of water and 1/2-1 TBS beef bouillon base.

** Note to anyone who is gf- cream soups and beef stock often have wheat in them. Be sure to check your products.**

Creamy Chicken & Spinach Bake

Today we got some much needed rain at our house. It was one of the most beautiful sounds I've heard in a long time.

When I got home from work it was pouring rain and the house needed to be warmed up a bit with some good home cooking. Jon didn't have any ideas so I was left to my creative mind.

When we lived in MN one of my favorite go to meals was chicken and rice bake. It's one of those meals I can pull together quickly at the end of a long day. It's inexpensive and very adaptable.

Tonight I decided the recipe needed some veggies. On a whim I put some frozen, chopped spinach in the mix. We agreed that the addition was just the right thing for the recipe.


It was a cozy way to end a cool, rainy day.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!


Creamy Chicken & Spinach Bake
Serves 4

10 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast- diced
1/2 large onion, diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup raw minute rice
1 cup water
1/3 cup sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
5 oz chopped, frozen spinach
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3-1/2 cup crushed corn tortilla chips
Jane's Crazy Mixed up Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large skillet, brown the chicken,garlic, and onion in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Once browned, remove from skillet. Add the sour cream, water, and mushroom soup. Stir to combine. Return chicken mixture to the soup. Stir in spinach, rice, Italian seasoning, Jane's Crazy Salt and pepper. (Taste for seasoning)

Pour into a prepared casserole dish or 8x8 baking dish.

Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes until bubbly. Sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips. Return to oven for 3-5 minutes.

Remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Cheesy Veggie Pasta (GF)

I don't really know where to begin, so I'm going to start in the middle. (Just because I can!)

Fall is my season. It always has been. I love the smells, the sounds, the crisp air. And the jack-o-lanterns. I carve anywhere between 4-6 pumpkins each fall. This year I decided to carve(in addition to my real pumpkins) foam pumpkins using a hot knife. I did a small and large.  The great thing about these is I can use them again next year :)

Little Monsters!

Wise old owl

As fall sets in, Jon and I spend a large chunk of our free time together at the beach. The cooler temperatures remind me of Minnesota summers. I can't think of a better way to pass the time- with my sweetheart, beach combing while the cool breezes wrap their arms around us.

Ocean fishing

Some Black Eyed Susans in the middle of a sand dune.

Crashing waves

Beautiful clouds

Sea Oats

Peace & Serenity. This is my happy place.

The later part of summer (yes, September is summer here) was spent testing various gluten free recipes. The majority of them were no cook or grill recipes.

And, I spent some time getting comfortable going to eat at places where I didn't know what was going to be served. This isn't a big deal when you have no dietary restrictions. But let me tell you from personal experience- when you are gluten free(or any other allergy/restriction for that matter), it can be a very scary task to go out and eat. Or attend a luncheon. You don't know what's lurking in things like sauces, dressings, and coatings. It's been a challenge, but I am learning how to handle myself and ask for what I need. And at this point in my gf journey, I couldn't ask for anything more. :)

So, lets get to a recipe shall we? I'm sharing a recipe for cheesy veggie pasta. Yes, pasta. Yes, gluten free. And Jon can't tell the difference in the pasta. We both love this dish. I most often pair it with a simple grilled chicken breast.

That's about it for now. I am beyond thrilled to be back in the kitchen, doing my thing and sharing the good times with all of you.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!


Cheesy Veggie Pasta
Serves 2-3

3 oz gluten free pasta shapes
1/2 cup sliced zucchini
1/2 cup sliced yellow squash
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 small tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 oz Gouda or Swiss cheese
1/2-3/4 TBS corn starch
2/3 cup milk
*Optional*
1 cup fresh spinach

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile saute mushrooms, garlic, squash, and zucchini together in a skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pain when veggies are tender.

Mix milk and corn starch together. Pour into the skillet, gently scrapping any browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a low simmer to thicken.Remove from heat. Add cheese, stir to melt.

Add drained pasta. Toss to coat. Add sauteed veggies. Add tomatoes and spinach. Toss to coat and slightly wilt the spinach.

Serve immediately.

Who turned off the the light?!

So, very briefly-

I have been out of the kitchen for some time now. It's fall in southern Georgia and that means I have to play outside. I've had festivals to attend, beaches to comb, and work to enjoy.

My apologies for turning off the light in our kitchen with little warning! But, now that the weather is getting slightly cooler (and yes, 50's at night is cooler!) I am slowly making my way back into the kitchen.

I look forward to catching up with you and cooking together again soon.

Pull up a chair and light the burners, because I'm back in the kitchen!

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!