3 Mixed Up Deli Bento Box Lunches using scallion ranch cream cheese spread; Deli Cold Cut Tacos, DIY Macaroni Salad, and Deli Stuffed Mini Peppers.
Kid Friendly
Mr. Narwhal Ice Cream Float Inspired by the Movie Elf
A frosty, blue ice cream float resembling Mr. Narwhal in the classic Christmas movie, Elf. This recipe is from The Unofficial Elf Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.
Buddy The Elf Spaghetti Recipe
After extensive research, I now know what Buddy The Elf really puts on his breakfast spaghetti in one of the memorable food scenes in the movie,”ELF.” This recipe is from The Unofficial “Elf” Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.
Funeral Potatoes
A healthier recipe for the comforting cheese and hash brown potatoes casserole that’s covered in baked sour cream and cheddar potato chips, with a cowboy inspired spin from Yellowstone’s “train station.”
Tri-Colored Smashed Potatoes
These tri-colored smashed potatoes utilize heirloom varieties of produce, which help restore diversity to local agriculture. This recipe is an outtake, cut for space from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers
Tortilla Snowflakes
Sweet and sparkly tortilla snowflakes – an edible version of the popular Mexican folk art, papel picado which will brighten any winter holiday table.
BLT Lettuce Wraps
Tomatoes are at their best, and something about the heat and humidity of the Arizona monsoon season makes me almost totally inert and immobile. This is about all I can muster dinner-wise, so I’m lucky that it’s fairly healthy… It turns out that mayo and bacon are better for us than expected, and my versions is also low-carb.
Parmesan & Pepperoni Crustless Pizza
If you bake a layer of Parmesan cheese in the oven it will crackle and pop after a while, turning into a crispy, cheese cracker that’s much tastier than any pizza crust I’ve encountered. I topped this baked cheese crisp (which is a popular dish called Frico in Italy) with pizza spices and toppings before sliding it into the oven. The results: crustless pizza!
Sunny Parmesan Pepperoni Crisps
Bake a little sunshine into your life with these bright and happy two-ingredient pizza flavored cheese crisps.
Nachos Supreme Stuffed Bell Peppers
Sweet bell peppers stuffed with creamy nacho cheese, avocado, pickled jalapeños, black beans and crunchy tortilla chips.
Chocolate Banana Bites
We all know that rainbow sprinkles make the world-go-round and this super-easy recipe is fun, festive and good for you too. You can melt the chocolate in the microwave which makes it the perfect treat for a hot summer’s day.
Boxed Brownie Dessert Pan Pizzas
These individual brownie pan pizzas are baked and served in Lodge 3.5-inch cast iron skillets. The options for different toppings are endless. Have fun experimenting with different combinations or set up a topping bar and let everyone pick their own.
Frozen Watermelon Wedges
Learn how to make frozen Watermelon Wedges: the all natural ice pops.
White Chocolate Oreo Bark
Three ingredient white chocolate bark with Oreos that can be made in 30 minutes or less for a quick dessert or snack.
Mini Brownie Stack Cakes
A beautiful looking stacked dessert that’s easy to make using boxed brownie mix, berries and whipped cream.
Frozen Yogurt Bark With Berries and Granola
Kid friendly frozen yogurt bark with granola and frozen berries. I first developed and photographed this recipe for the Refinery29 article, Frozen Fruit Hacks Every 20-Something Should Know.
Beautiful Brownie Bites
These rich, mini bits of extra-gooey brownies are decorated to look like fancy boxed chocolates. The topping are a great way to try out new flavor combinations and play with the contrast of the colors against the dark background of the bites.
Rainbow Sprinkles Cream Cheese
Rainbow sprinkles for breakfast? Yes! A crunchy and slightly sweet sprinkles cream cheese recipe for everyone who needs more rainbow sprinkles in their lives.
Lasagna Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Get the secret to how to make a perfectly melty grilled cheese sandwich with my recipe for a n oven-baked Parmesan crusted grilled cheese sandwich that tastes like lasagna.
Keto Arizona Cheese Crisp
The cheese crisp is the perfect comfort food. A cross between a Mexican pizza an an open-faced quesadilla, Southern Arizona restaurants started selling the dish more than 50 years ago and it’s become a staple of our local Sonoran style cuisine.
Chocolate Caramel Apple Pops
A cute, kid friendly recipe for slices of apples dipped in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles candy or nuts. This recipe was originally developed fro Refinery29.
Buttercream Frosting
Everyone needs a good buttercream frosting recipe. Here’s yours! From my cookbook, Sprinkles!: Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts.
Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches With Sprinkles
This may be one of the easiest recipes ever. It was originally written for and published on Refinery29 where you can find seven more of my Oreo recipes. I literally wrote the book on sprinkles, so if you’re interested in learning more ways to cover everything in sprinkles, pick up a copy of Sprinkles!: Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts.
Sweet Pepper Poppers
MIni Sweet Mini Pepper Poppers stuffed with jalapeno cream cheese and topped with panko bread crumbs. Recipe development and food photography for the Food Network.
Chicken Pot Pie in a Mug
For centuries, people believed that it was impossible to make a chicken pot pie in the microwave. I have proven them wrong.
Funfetti Layer Cake
Sprinkles melt away during baking leaving behind little confetti-like poufs of color in this deconstructed cake that shows off the sprinkles hidden inside.
Sprinkles Black & White Cookies
Look to the cookie! Black and white cookies inspired by the famous Seinfeld quote with sprinkles added so we remember to sparkle too.
Vegan Cocktail Pups recipe With A SECRET INGREDIENT!
These vegan, slow-cooker barbecue flavored cocktail pups are made with baby carrots instead of little smokies.
Chocolate Chia Pudding with Frozen Berries
This dessert has it all, Omega 3 packed chia seeds, antioxidant rich frozen berries and dark chocolate, and a 5-minute prep time.
Mini German Pancakes
These healthier German pancakes are topped with fat-free Greek yogurt and fresh fruit, reducing the sugar content. I added a little spreadable fruit and garnished them with confectioners’ sugar so they still taste sweet.
Mini Fudge Puppies
Covered in chocolate, whipped cream, and all your favorite toppings, Fudge Puppies are a carnival and state fair food classic. Here’s how to make them at home.
Sprinkles Fairy Bread Sandwiches
Make any day a celebration! Just barely sweet, these sparkly sandwiches make a fun breakfast surprise, after-school snack, or party food.
Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem “Fairy Bread” from A Child’s Garden of Verses, fairy bread is a popular treat at children’s parties in Australia, New Zealand, and other little pockets of the world.
This recipe is from my book Sprinkles!: Recipes and Ideas for Rainbowlicious Desserts. The photograph is previously unpublished
Rainbow Sprinkles Compound Butter
Learn how to fold crunchy rainbow sprinkles into lightly sweetened butter, and turn any breakfast into a celebration.
Postmodern Art Popsicles
What is the nature of art? Can it exist in popsicle form? Is it still art after the popsicle has been eaten? How does the process of melting affect the piece? These are some of the questions that I pondered while creating, and then ingesting this popsicle. made it from diamond shaped sprinkles in primary colors and Sno-Caps candies.
Haunted Halloween Gingerbread Houses
Haunted Halloween gingerbread houses including a Dia de los Muertos house inspired by the sugar skulls that typically signify the holiday.
Mini Candy Apples
These easy candied apples are a healthy, sweet treat that are fun for kids to make. I used Lady Apples, which are stunning, tiny, sweet apples that resemble crab apples. Also called Christmas Apples, they are generally available in stores starting in mid-October. The candy melts are small discs that come in a variety of colors and are available at Michael’s and other craft stores as well as some supermarkets. I chose pink because I thought it looked nice with the red apples, but it’s fun to play around and find the colors you like best.
Healthy Vanilla-Cinnamon French Toast Recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 pieces light whole grain bread
1 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup non-fat milk
1 T. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. 100% pure maple syrup
light butter
Instructions:
Spray a large skillet with canola cooking spray & heat to medium/low.
Whisk together the egg, milk, cinnamon and vanilla until frothy.
Soak the bread in the mixture for 10 seconds on each side.
Add the soaked bread to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown
Remove the skillet from the heat and cover. Let sit for 2 minutes. This makes the french toast fluffier.
Serve with light butter and a tablespoon of pure maple syrup, or dust with confectioners sugar.
Enjoy!
