cooking ala mel

healthy recipes and the occasional craft

facebook instagram pinterest RSS Feed email bloglovin' goodreads

Cinnamon Pecan Buckwheat Pancakes (Gluten Free)

The first time I had buckwheat pancakes was at a maple syrup festival out in the middle of nowhere PA (or at least, the ride sure felt like it at the time – I was probably 8).  My neighbor and I went with the naturalist from our local park.  During the long car ride there, she asked us trivia questions and would give us a penny or nickel for each correct question.  Compared to that trivia game, the syrup festival seemed pretty uneventful, but I will always remember sitting at the long picnic tables and eating the funny colored pancakes (buckwheat) smothered in local maple syrup.

Nowadays, I would appreciate a syrup festival a whole lot more, and being so close to the Canada border here in Buffalo means that I really should take advantage of that by finding one closeby.  In the meantime, I can make my own buckwheat pancakes to remind me of that day, and smother it with some local maple syrup bought from the grocery store. [Read more…]

Kale and Potato Soup

I’m finally back in school, and my goodness.  I had an interesting week trying to wake up early again for 8 AM classes.  I would make it through the day, all pumped to go home and make dinner…and then I would just crash on the couch immediately.  Luckily, I made this soup one of the days that I didn’t have early class (and I was awake after 5 o’clock), so we had leftovers for those days that I so needed naps.

Kale and Potato Soup | cooking ala mel
This soup is creamy, comforting, and actually healthy!  With the frigid temperatures again, soup is high on my list of food priorities to warm me up.  Lots of garlic and onion give this potato soup great depth instead of some boring potato soup, and the kale adds a veggie boost.  Greek yogurt for creaminess adds a bit of protein.

Chocolate Kahlua Cake

This weekend, my friends and I threw a surprise party for our friend, Jaclyn.  I, of course, was in charge of cake, one of my very favorite things to make.  Because Jaclyn gifted me a bottle of homemade kahlua for Christmas, I just had to make a kahlua flavored cake.  Nobody is ever disappointed with chocolate, so you know.  Chocolate kahlua.  No brainer!

Chocolate Kahlua Cake | cooking ala mel
This cake is rather large, with a whopping four layers.  This is great because it can easily serve a crowd – the thinnest slice is still going to be a decent serving of cake.  It can also easily get way too large and then you’ll have trouble finishing your slice.  The key to this cake is thin slices since they’re so tall.  You can also easily divide the recipe in half and just make a two-layer cake!  No matter what, your guests will thank you.