happenings.

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I knew this would happen.

After taking the longest break from blogging since I first began GML almost two years ago, the thought of trying to sum up my time “off” has been quite the daunting one. So for the sake of keeping things short and sweet, here’s a mostly-photo recap of the past week(+) of this life I’ve met. Let’s see…

Dinner at Beauty & Essex happened. Hands down one of my best meals in NYC (up there with Stanton Social).

A visit and high-heeled night on the town with my bestie-cousin-poo Liz happened.

Ten hours of acting like 8-year-olds at Six Flags Great Adventure during Fright Fest happened.

Essentially living off of autumn-y baked goods happened…like pumpkin bread and miniature apple pies (a la Chelsey).

Well, I guess that wasn’t so tough… :)

Things are finally winding down with this career transition, and I’m SO excited to share the details with you and get back to regular blogging! But for now, I’m off to the last official day at my job. YEAH. xoxo G

“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.”

out of the box.

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Whether it’s making Cake Batter Blondies, Coconut Marble Brownies, or Pumpkin Cake Batter Cupcakes, it’s no secret that I’m a fan of using boxed baking mixes. Sure, I love baking from scratch, but sometimes that’s not always an option.

…like that time I volunteered to bake for the 80-100 people attending the launch of Liberty Sisterhood, I knew it was time to put my “skills” to good use.

So here’s a little tutorial of sorts of how I like to take it up a notch when using boxed baking mixes. There are some simple ways to make the goods just a little more special…and delicious.

First and foremost, no semi-homemade baking extravaganza can be complete without my favorite-ever Cake Batter Blondies. You can find the original post and recipe by clicking here.

Not gonna’ lie…it makes me pretty happy that I “invented” my best friend’s favorite dessert 😀

Next on the agenda was sprucing up regular old brownie mix. To take them to the next level, I used 2 eggs rather than the suggested 3, which lends to a chewy/dense brownie rather than a cake-y one (you can also achieve this by using chocolate cake mix). I also added about a cup of peanut butter chips because…well, no explanation necessary.

For a seasonal treat, I made a cake (seen above on the left) by combining 1 box of yellow cake mix*, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 15 ounces of canned pumpkin (*even better is to use spice cake mix, but the grocery store was out of stock). Bake according to the box and after letting the cake cool, cut it into 20-24 slices, top with cream cheese icing, and the result is what I guess I’ll call Pumpkin Cake Batter Bars. Yeah, that works.

And, last but not least, there were cookies.

Lots and lots of cookies.

To go even more simple than using a boxed mix, grab refrigerated sugar cookie dough and add some pizzazz with decorative sprinkles.

As for boxed cookie mixes, though, I must give a special shout-out to these Betty Crocker gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

All you you have to add to the mix is 1 stick of butter, 1 egg, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract for an out-of-this-world (easy) treat. I can more than attest that the dough isn’t so bad either…ahem…

So sure, baking from scratch may be more fun and oftentimes more delicious, but if you’re in a time crunch or baking for the masses – I wouldn’t hesitate to try some of these tips!

Now pardon me…I have some leftover pumpkin to make use of :)

What do you make when you’re baking/cooking for a lot of people?

put the cake in pancake.

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Last night I made one of my favorite “desserts” – one that I haven’t had in far too many months.

A single, fluffy, jumbo banana pancake.

I used to make/eat single-serving banana pancakes like it was my job, but I never posted the recipe because I thought it was just too simple (although, I did post the recipe for a Baked Banana Pancake Bowl, which is also pretty bomb). But since last night’s ‘cake was particularly epic…and gluten-free…I figured it was about time to share the easy treat with you.

ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons Gluten-Free Pantry all-purpose flour*
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 small ripe banana
  • 2 tablespoons milk (I used whole)
  • optional: cinnamon, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc.

*I can’t say for sure if the ratios would be the same for another type of flour, but my guess is to use somewhere between 2-4 tablespoons.

directions: Grease a stovetop pan with cooking spray and turn heat to medium-low. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder and then mash together with the banana. Slowly add milk while whisking the batter (you want it to stay somewhat thick – not too runny). Place all of the batter on the center of the pan, and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until the pancake is…well, done.

I don’t know what it was about this particular pancake (possibly the gluten-free flour?), but it had the consistency of an ooey-gooey piece of banana cake. Or something. Add some almond butter as “frosting,” and you are good to go, my friend.

What’s your favorite too-good-to-be-so-simple recipe?

wonderful wedded weekend.

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Congratulations, Chrissy!!!

(…and Mark!) I had to start things off with that, clearly :)
But let’s go back and recap the entire wonderful wedded weekend, shall we?

Way back on Thursday evening I headed back to PA to spend some time with my parents before going away for the remainder of the weekend. It was great to get out of the city for a bit to take in the onset of fall. Momma G had the house covered in harvest-y decorations…

…and I took charge of making a batch of Apple Crisp.

I followed this recipe, but changed the ratios and used 1.5 cups rolled oats and 1/4 cup (gluten-free) oat flour instead of white. It turned out delicious! A great option for you gluten-freestas, for sure.

On Friday I got an early start to get all my ducks in a row before heading to the 1pm ceremony rehearsal. Afterward all of the bridesmaids headed to the salon for some mani/pedi action, followed by getting all freshened up at the hotel for the rehearsal dinner.

The dinner was at a nearby Italian restaurant, Villa Barolo. It was a great spot for a rehearsal dinner - our party had the entire back of the restaurant to ourselves, and the food was great. I went with their salmon dish, which came with potatoes and green beans.

After the dinner we all headed back to the hotel where Chrissy gave us our bridesmaid gifts. And I’m not just talking about the goodie bag we got for checking into our hotel rooms…

She put together these fun gift baskets for each one of us!

In the basket was our jewelry for the wedding, flip flops (to change into so we could dance away at the reception, of course), and handmade picture frames a la Etsy to later include a photo of the bride and I :)

Isn’t that a great idea?! I may not have a boyfriend…or even a date to these weddings…but I sure have been coming away from these bridesmaid experiences with some great ideas for my own one day!

After a last minute (best-ever) decision to get a hotel room all to myself on Friday night, I woke up refreshed and excited for the big day. I mean, who wouldn’t enjoy sitting around in a suite with snacks and getting pampered all day?

By the time our 4:15 departure to the Aldi Mansion rolled around, we were all dressed up and ready to go.
…with time to spare for a photo shoot, clearly.

And then, the rest was history…

…plus lots and lots and lots of dancing. It was an epic celebration, to say the least!

But for now, it’s time to start the week for me. I’ll leave you with the winner of the Artistry Skincare Set Giveaway:

Congratulations, Michelle!! Please email me at gracie(at)girlmeetslife(dot)com with your full mailing address.

What’s the most fun/unique things you’ve seen at a wedding?

pumpkin cake batter cupcakes with cinnamon sugar icing.

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When I have a favorite something-or-another, I become that annoying person who has to let the entire world know that it’s MY favorite.

Yup, that’d be me.

So, when I conjured up the idea to make a treat that included so many of my favorite things - boxed cake mix, the ooey-gooey texture of cake batter, pumpkin (aka the taste of my favorite season fall), in cupcake form - well, let’s just say I got just a wee bit over-excited.

After tasting the results, though, I can say that my excitement was very much warranted.

yields 12 cupcakes

cupcake ingredients:

icing ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

directions: preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix and pumpkin. Place batter into a lined & greased cupcake pan, and bake for 18-20 minutes.

While the blondies are in the oven, get started on the icing. Combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon a medium-sized bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk.

When the cupcakes are done, set them on cooling rack for 10-15 minutes, then drizzle on the icing. I don’t think I have to tell you what to do next.

To put it simply, these. are. phenom.

(I would suggest storing the cupcakes in the fridge - or even freezing them - once they’re cooled, just because that works best with the gooey-factor.)

As I’ve mentioned before, you can call this a recipe, a concotion, and you can even call me lazy for using cake mix. I won’t mind…I’ll be too busy stuffing my face.

When do you think it’s acceptable to start becoming obsessed eating pumpkin-y foods?
(I usually try to hold off until the fall, but…)

chicken & broccoli mock’n cheese.

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A few months ago a shared a little concoction for mock mac’n cheese, which – if I’m being honest – was really just a way to use up yogurt that was about to go bad and the nutritional yeast I impulsively bought.

I bet you’re just dying to try this recipe now, aren’t you?

I’ve got to say, though, that the combination really did make for a delicious switch-up from regular mac’n cheese. So the other night I kicked it up a notch by adding chicken and broccoli, and the result made for a filling and easy dinner.

ingredients:

  • 3oz chicken, cooked
  • 1/2 cup broccoli, cooked
  • 1 serving pasta, cooked (I used quinoa pasta)
  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 2%)
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • salt and pepper to taste

directions: After cooking the pasta, place in back in the pot along with the chicken and broccoli and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Add the “cheese” sauce to the pot and stir until well combined. That’s it!

Where do you draw the line with mock meals? (for example, I just can’t bring myself to use portobello mushroom caps as “pizza crust”…)