Summer is all about the berry. The markets are bursting with colourful, sweet, and sour berries. Where we live summertime means strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, and more. It is fairly predictable to add berries to desserts, but we also like to bring our berries into the dinner course.
Easter is one of those holidays that we have come to associate with chocolate - wonderful chocolate. I remember feverishly hunting for chocolates when I was a little girl. I simply had to find more chocolate eggs than my little brother. Every year the girls and I put together a little something special for their cousins. This year I had the crazy idea of mixing all the decadent flavours of Easter together in one sweet spring treat. I am almost certain that the Easter Bunny would totally approve of this sweet Easter Bunny chocolate bark.
Do you remember the first recipes you made when you moved into your first apartment? Was there a particular dish that you ate over and over again? I can clearly remember making vegetable stir fry most weeknights. A simple and healthy dinner that was made even better because I had made it by myself, in my apartment with the dishes I had bought and the groceries I had picked out. Yes, vegetable stir fry is one of those staple recipes that become the foundation of our culinary lives.
Pizza is kind of a big deal in our house. I'm pretty sure it is totally my influence - pizza has always held a warm place in my heart. However, my kids are not keen on eating leftover slices of pizza. I would love to pop a slice of leftover pizza in their lunch boxes, but it would remain uneaten. That's when I started making individual mini-pizzas and pizza pinwheels. Fill these pizza pinwheels with your favourite pizza toppings, bake them up on the weekend and be prepared to fill the kids' lunch boxes.
Few vegetables are as emblematic of spring as asparagus. Have you ever seen asparagus growing in a garden? My daughters and I discovered stalks of asparagus growing in a strawberry patch last year. It was amazing to see the spiky vegetable poking out of the soil. Asparagus is a great vegetable to get kids excited about gardening.
Your best friend had a baby and you want to bring something along when you visit the baby for the very first time. Leave the stuffed toy at the store and take along this hearty and heart warming sweet potato and chicken soup. This simple and delicious soup moves easily from the freezer to the slow cooker, making it perfect for a busy (and tired) mama. Do all the prep work ahead of time for your friend - what more could a new mom need?
When I unwrapped the ice cream maker that my sister gave my daughter for her first birthday I was a little shocked. What was a one year old going to do with an ice cream maker? Well, it turns out that the ice cream maker was one of the best gifts my kids have ever received. It's the gift that keeps on giving - giving deliciously freshly made ice cream. If you are heading to a baby shower or a little one's birthday party, might I suggest gifting an ice cream maker. Please, who doesn't love ice cream?
I can't imagine Thanksgiving without apple pie and I can't imagine Easter without a delicious carrot cake. Carrot cake is the perfect dessert for people who don't like overly sweet desserts. The cream cheese frosting is rich and smooth, but not too sugary. This carrot cake is a great recipe to make with the kids. The recipe calls for a whole lot of shredded carrots, so put the kids to work grating the carrots on a box grater. My girls had fun making all the decorations for our carrot cake out of fondant - of course there had to be a bunny on top.
I distinctly remember looking down at the menu and wanting to order a dish that I simply did not know how to pronounce. How the heck do you pronounce "gnocchi"? Yep, I tried "g-nock-ee" - that's not right. Through embarrassing trial and error I learned the proper pronunciation is "nyo-ch-ee". Once the pronunciation was sorted, the question became what is gnocchi?
So, the kids don't want to eat their vegetables? Maybe it's time to make eating a whole lot more fun. What kid wouldn't love to eat off of a super silly Sharpie funny face plate? Transform a regular old plate into a silly face plate. The kids can even create their own plate.
Popcorn is often touted as a healthy snack, but let me assure you party popcorn is more "party" than "healthy". Party popcorn is regular popcorn's rebellious cousin. Take salty, freshly popped popcorn and add smooth white chocolate, sugary sprinkles and milk chocolate treats and you have the perfect treat for Valentine's Day. It's like one big bowl of sweet, sweet love.
Put that can of alphabet soup down! I know that making soup sounds daunting. Why would anyone make soup, when it is so easy to open a can? The answer is simple: if you make it yourself then you control what goes into the soup. Plus, this homemade soup is incredibly delicious - like drop your spoon on the floor delicious. This hearty vegetable alphabet soup will have your kids not only spelling words, but they will be eating vegetables too. Educational and nutritious.
Everyone love a good surprise - especially when the surprise involves chocolate. While I usually include my daughters in the baking process, these hidden chocolate kisses cookies were top secret. I simply handed them one of these pretty little cookies and waited to see their reactions.
I remember being completely intimidated by the thought of making lasagna. All those layers of pasta and sauce seemed like some sort of edible game of Jenga. A recipe for disaster. However, I am not one to be defeated by any food challenge. With a little creativity, I found the perfect way to take out the stacking in lasagna.
"We're in town for the day and we thought we'd drop in later. Is that okay?" The dreaded "drop in." Your week has been totally hectic already and now your friend... and her kids... are going to drop in. Cleaning up the house is going to be hard enough, but what are you going feed these people? All you have in the fridge is a lonely carton of sour cream.
But all you need is sour cream to start making these simple and delicious dishes that are perfect for guests who drop in.
There is nothing quite as awesome as coming home to a crock pot full of warm chili at the end of a long day at the office. The trusty crock pot has become an essential part of our daily lives. However, we have actually been ignoring another function of our slow cookers. Did you know that a crock pot is the perfect place to make hot chocolate and spiced apple cider? It's true.
Eggnog gets a bad rap at our house. Everyone turns their noses up at the idea of drinking an egg based drink. I'm the only one who really enjoys eggnog. Every holiday season I pick up a carton and I end up drinking it all - which is not great, because eggnog is pretty high in fat. Eggnog is meant to be shared. With a dusting of nutmeg, there are few flavours that capture the holiday spirit like eggnog. This year. I have set my sights at showing my family how delicious eggnog can really be.
The holiday season is upon us, and it is time to do some holiday baking. I always associate the holidays with baking. When I was a little girl, I remember baking cookies with my mom. We had a Frosty the Snowman cookie cutter; that was my absolute favourite. As a mom, I wanted to create the same kind of memories with my daughters.
