This pancake recipe is inspired by a scene in the Great American Family movie “One Perfect Match.” Lucy and Finn visit the winery that Finn’s family owns, and while doing so, his mother whips up a batch of her famous pancakes. She claims that her secret ingredients are honey and vanilla, so that sparked the beginning of this recipe! In addition to these ingredients, this is the time of year for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year. The combination of apples dipped in honey represents a sweet new year, and so I added apples!

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 cups flour

-2 teaspoons baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon salt

– 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

– 1 small package of freeze dried cinnamon apples

-2 Tablespoons honey

-1 1/2 cups milk

-2 eggs

-1 teaspoon vailla

-2 Tablespoons avocado oil

Directions:

First mix all dry ingredients up until the apples (save those for the end).

Next, add all wet ingredients. Whisk well until the lumps are smooth. Break up the freeze dried apples and gently stir those in. 

On a hot skillet, scoop batter to the desired size of pancake you want. Once done, top with more honey and enjoy!

These ribs are good for any night of the week with the warm fall flavors of apples, shallots and pumpkin ale! This recipe was inspired by the Hallmark Channel movie “Fourth Down and Love”. Football player “Mike” (Ryan Paevey) broke his ribs during a football game and while healing, found love with Erin (Pascale Hutton)! So of course, I had to make ribs, but with an Autumn twist!

Ingredients:

– 1 slab of ribs

– 2 apples

– 2 shallots

– 2 bottles pumpkin ale

-thyme

-salt and pepper

– garlic powder

-carrots

– 1/2 large onion

– pinch of sugar

Directions:

The day before cooking, marinate the ribs in one bottle of pumpkin ale overnight in a covered container.

The next day, peel and chop shallots and apples. Saute in butter until softened. Add entire bottle of pumpkin ale and set on low heat, stirring occasionally. This will eventually create a compote as the beer will totally dissipate. Add a pinch of sugar to cut some of the acidity of the beer. 

On a lined baking sheet, place ribs in the center and surround with chopped carrots and onion. Sprinkle with thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Top with more of the beer marinade. Cook at 375 degrees for 30-40 min. Top with apple chutney. Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by the Great American Family movie “10 Steps to Love”, which took place around an apple orchard.  There was an apple ice cream featured in the movie as well which I thought would be the most perfect transition from Summer to Fall as we are having warm days with cooler nights.

Ingredients for ice cream base: 

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-1/4 cup white sugar

-pinch of salt

-2 cups heavy cream

-1 cup milk

-1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for apples

• 8 apples peeled and cubed
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Make sure to freeze the bowl to the ice cream maker overnight first (It has liquid inside it).  

In a large mixing bowl, mix milk , salt, brown sugar and white sugar with a whisk or whisk attachment until all the sugar has been dissolved. Next, add in the heavy cream and vanilla. Refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel and dice all your apples. In a large saucepan, melt some unsalted butter. Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  Stir and cover with a lid on low/medium heat until soft and slightly golden. Stir occasionally so they don’t  burn, as caramelization will occur.

Spread evenly on a lined baking sheet and cool apples completely in fridge or freezer. 

Next,  remove the ice cream base the has been resting in the refrigerator and poor into frozen ice cream maker bowl. Let it mix for 20 minutes, scraping the sides occasionally. Once it has become creamy, you can add the apples that have been cooling. 

Place in freezer for another 2 hours in a covered container before serving. Tastes great with caramel!!

This recipe is inspired by two wedding themed movies on “Great American Family”. “Wedding Cake Dreams” and “Dream Wedding”. In “Wedding Cake Dreams”, the main character Carrie, made a vanilla cake with strawberries for her sister’s wedding cake, which inspired the initial recipe. I tweaked it with some yummy surprises to make it your DREAM CAKE!

Ingredients:

For cake:

-White cake mix

-1 box cheesecake pudding mix

-3 eggs

-1 cup water

-1/2 cup oil

-1 teaspoon almond extract

-1 package freeze dried strawberries

For Frosting:

-1/2 cup unsalted butter

-1 1/2 teaspoons strawberry extract

– 3/4 cup sour cream

– pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two- 9″ round cake pans with non stick spray and cover in a dusting of flour. 

Mix ALL ingredients for cake and evenly pour into both cake pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.  Let cool completely.

For frosting, beat butter until smooth. Add sour cream, strawberry extract and salt. Beat until smooth.

Once your cakes are cooled, place one on a platter and spread some of the frosting on top. Cover in a layer of freeze dried strawberries. Cover with second layer of cake and spread the rest of the frosting on top letting it drip down the sides naturally. Take remaining freeze dried strawberries, put them in a ziplock baggie and pound them with a mallet to create fine crumbs. Sprinkle those generously on top. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Christmas in July S’mores pie. As seen on “Great American Community”! This recipe is in honor of Camp Christmas in July, a fundraising campaign with ‘Christmas is not Cancelled’ created by Jen Lilley from your favorite Christmas movies! This campaign raises money for children in foster care. To learn more, go to Christmasisnotcancelled.com .

Recipe for “Christmas in July S’mores pie”

-1 premade graham cracker pie crust in tin

-1 8.5 ounce jar marshmallow fluff

-1 8 oz. brick cream cheese

-1 packet peppermint hot cocoa mix

-1-2 sleeves graham crackers

-1 Hershey chocolate bar

-1 small package Andes mint chocolates

-5 large marshmallows

-1 one can “Redi whip” whipping cream

Directions:

Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Then mix cream cheese, marshmallow fluff, and peppermint hot cocoa in a bowl until totally combined.

Spread half of that mixture into the graham cracker pie crust.

Create a layer of graham crackers on top of fluff mixture, making sure to cover as many gaps as possible.

Spread remaining fluff mixture on top. Then in a Ziploc bag, crush about five graham crackers into crumbs. Then sprinkle them all over the top of the pie.

Melt Hershey bar in microwave until completely melted. Set aside.

Using your whipping cream can, create dollops all around the border of the pie.

Cut your large marshmallows in half and place about an inch apart around the border of the pie.

Then, with a spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate bar all over the top. Chop up your Andes mint chocolates and sprinkle around the border as well. Add some Christmas sprinkles if you like! Enjoy! 

Make sure to refrigerate immediately until serving. Or you may freeze and just set it out for 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

The Hallmark Channel movie “Love in Zion National Park- A National Park Romance” was a fun adventure through Zion National Park where the main focus was to find a lost relic of the Anasazi Tribe. During this quest, we are introduced to a delicious Native American dish, “Three Sisters Soup”. It caught my eye as a healthy and hearty soup with the three main ingredients being corn, squash and beans. I also made some corn bread to accompany it, and it was a great complement!

Ingredients:

-1 carton low sodium chicken broth

-2 small zucchini squash

-2 small zucchini

-1/2 pound small red potatoes

-2 small cans fire roasted tomatoes (juice included)

-1 bag frozen corn

-2 cups frozen black eyed peas

-1 bag frozen chopped onion

-2 cloves of garlic

-1 teaspoon cumin

-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute onions in olive oil or butter.

Peel and dice zucchini squash and zucchini. Dice potatoes, mince garlic. 

Add garlic to the pan to brown a bit right before adding chicken broth. Add chicken broth, and ALL other ingredients to the pot. Simmer for one hour or until all veggies are soft enough to poke through with a fork. Make some corn bread on the side to dip!

Inspired by “Dream Moms” on Hallmark Channel

One of the main characters, played by Tamera Mowry-Housley, had a sweet argument with her husband about her famous peach cobbler and I was instantly inspired to make some! I have been making a cherry cobbler for years that is always a huge hit, so I reimagined that recipe into something new. And did I mention it is insanely easy to make?

Ingredients:

-2 cans of sliced peaches in fruit juice 

-2 cup chopped pecans

-1 box butter pecan cake mix (do not make the cake)

-1 stick unsalted butter

Directions:

Pour both cans of peaches (juice included) into a 9 by 13 baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle one cup of pecans on top.

Next, pour entire contents of cake mix on top of that and spread evenly so there aren’t any peaches showing. 

Sprinkle the second cup of pecans on top of that. Next, cut the entire stick of butter into tabs and cover the entire top. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Let it sit for 10 minutes, it will be hot! Top with ice cream and enjoy!

Inspired by “A Taste of Portugal” on Hallmark Channel

This movie was a culinary tour of Portugal! During a tour of a local market, the pasteis de nata was a highlight that I just had to make! It’s reminds me of a little creme’ brûlée wrapped in a buttery pastry.

Ingredients:

-frozen puff pastry

-Custard filling

-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

-1 1/4 cups milk 

-1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

 -2/3 cup water

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

-6 large egg yolks whisked

-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

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Directions: 

In a small bowl, separate your egg yolks and egg whites. Only use the yolks. Whisk them up.

In a large bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the milk with the flour (save the remaining 1 cup of milk for later). Set aside.

In a small sauce pot, heat up milk and pour into flour mixture.

In another small sauce pot, heat sugar and water until it comes to a boil. Slowly pour into flour mixture and stir for 2 minutes. Add vanilla and cinnamon.

Slowly stir in egg yolks and whisk briskly. Strain through a sieve and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In the meantime. Make sure your pastry dough is brought to room temperature so that it’s pliable. Open up the sheets of dough and cut into large squares. 

Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray and create a cup out of each square of dough. You may need to stretch it into the shape of the muffin tin. 

Pour about 3/4 cup of chilled filling into each cup. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until dough is golden and filling is no longer liquid. Let them cool for 25 minutes before removing from tin. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

This recipe for bell pepper pizza was inspired by the Great American Family Christmas movie, “Jingle Bell Princess” starring Merritt Patterson and Trevor Donovan. Merritt plays Princess Amelia and confesses to Trevor’s character that she has never had cold pizza before, but I’m not sure she has had any pizza before! So I created this bell pepper (play on words with “jingle bell” pizza with so many facets of flavors that no princess would ever refuse!

Ingredients:

-Ready made pizza dough

-“Di Fratelli” canned tomato sauce

-Roasted red bell pepper cut into strips

-grilled onions

-sun dried tomatoes

-ricotta

-arugula

-olive oil

Directions:

On a pizza stone, spread out pizza dough into a 12 in round. Spread sauce, sprinkle (pre-grilled) bell peppers, (pre-grilled) onions, sun dried tomatoes and ricotta. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until crust is golden and ricotta is melted into the dough. Remove from oven and top with fresh arugula and drizzle with olive oil.  Enjoy!

This savory pie is inspired by the movie “South Beach Love” on Hallmark Channel starring William Levy and Taylor Cole. The dish was created when both characters combined their Cuban and Irish heritage to create this unique dish. Shepard’s pie meets ropa vieja!

Ingredients:

One to two pounds large flank steak

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

Onions

red and green bell peppers

1 tablespoon cumin

1 can tomato sauce

1 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar

6 oz tomato paste

manzanilla olives

Crust: Two pack frozen pie crust

Directions:

In a large sauce pan, sear flank steak on all sides in a bit of olive oil. Add onions and garlic. Saute for another minute. Add all other ingredients into the pot. Cover and simmer for two hours.

For Crust:

Bake one crust at 375 for 10 minutes

Scoop cooked ropa into cooked crust and cover with uncooked crust.

Crimp sides and poke vent holes with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes or until top is golden.