This delightful confection is both sweet and salty. While most people are familiar with salted caramel, salted honey is even more appealing and makes this treat recipe a little healthier than ones which include a lot of refined sugar. Kids can easily get in on the fun of helping to make the bark – they can crush the crackers, stir the honey syrup (with supervision) and sprinkle the toppings on as well. Part snack, part candy, this bark makes an ideal teacher or hostess gift.
Washing dishes isn't too many people's idea of a good time, but there are tools to make the job a little easier. I'm here to tell you how your kids can channel their inner Picasso or Pollock to create the easiest, most useful gifts ever for their teachers, caregivers, grandparents, bus drivers...pretty much everyone they know has to wash dishes, right?
Do you ever have those days where you can’t even think about what to make for dinner, let alone find the time or energy to make it? I've been there. In fact, I have days where I would gladly just whip up a big bowl of popcorn for myself, but I think I’d feel a little guilty were I to feed that to my family. It was one of ‘those days’ that led to the creation of this recipe.
Mashed potatoes are often the foundation of meals at family gatherings, but when you’re cooking them for a crowd, it can be a time consuming process. The good news is that with a few delicious additions, you can make a big batch of creamy mashed potatoes days, or even weeks, ahead of time and reheat them right before serving time.
One of the best gifts I ever received was a basket filled with homemade preserves and pretty cloth napkins. I really appreciated the delicious goodies and loved that my really busy friend took the time to make something with her own two hands. This year, I plan to treat my friends and family to loads of homemade goodies, and I'll be making extra to serve at various holiday gatherings.
While I originally created this recipe to deal with a whole lot of leftover chicken, you can just as easily bake or poach a chicken breast or two whenever you get a craving for this healthy, hearty salad. I love its contrasting colours and textures and the hint of curry just makes the flavour a bit more interesting, without being overly spicy. It's a great 'clean out the fridge' meal too, because you can dice up all sorts of fruits and vegetables and add them in, if you like.
I was one of the people in full panic mode when cauliflower prices skyrocketed last winter. I love this humble vegetable and serve it often. While my husband is also a big fan, our kids are definitely not. I’ve tried lots of different recipes over the years and this is the first one that had them reaching for seconds….and thirds.
The only thing I don't love about Hallowe'en is the sight of smashed pumpkins rotting in the street. While I don't carve masterpiece jack-o'-lanterns like some of my neighbours, I still hate to see something edible going to waste. I came up with this dip as a way to carry the delicious flavours of pumpkin pie into November while at the same time recycling my Hallowe'en pumpkin.
Have you heard of magic cake? It’s a sweet sensation that’s been generating quite the buzz, for a couple of great reasons. It’s light and lovely (my favourite kind of dessert, so it can be enjoyed even after a big meal) and super easy to prepare. The magic part: as it bakes, the batter separates into three distinct layers. There’s a fluffy cake layer on top (almost like angel food cake), then a custard layer in the middle and a denser layer on the bottom. It’s like three delicious desserts in one!
If my family had their way, we’d have something cheesy for dinner every single night. I can pile extra vegetables into a dish, even add in some un-favourite ones, and as long as there’s a good amount of cheese, they’ll eat it up without complaint.
Chutneys are delicious with roasted meat or stews of any kind, as a side dish or even a stuffing - they add a nutritious pop of flavour and colour to any plate. Kids are often lured by chutney as a way to eat foods they don’t otherwise enjoy – when my daughter was young, she’d devour any meat so long as it was covered in either cranberry sauce or chutney.
I always shed a tear when my pies get polished off the night they’re first served because leftover pie is truly one of the most glorious things to enjoy at breakfast. These biscuits are inspired by my personal favourite, apple pie, which I always make with lots of cinnamon and enjoy eating hot out of the oven with a slice or three of old Cheddar on top.
My family loves all sorts of pickled fruits and vegetables and now that they’ve got a taste for homemade they really don’t like storebought relishes, which tend to be overly sweet and also contain way more sodium than is necessary or healthy.
I was challenged by a non-beef eating friend to come up with a better burger recipe for her and her family, and here’s the result. She says it’s perfect because it’s nutritious and flavourful; by the time her kids smothered theirs in ketchup, mustard and relish, they’d not bothered to notice the green flecks of goodness in their burgers. You can make the burgers gluten-free by swapping out the panko for quick-cooking rolled oats. Top these beauties with whatever cheese your family prefers – feta was a winner in our house.
Like its cousin, the cute Caprese, this salad is an absolute stunner during tomato season. Despite having just a few ingredients, it delivers a huge flavour. It’s great on its own, or as a topping for slices of baguette. I like to use brie that’s been aging for a few weeks in my refrigerator for a slightly tangier taste.
I don’t think my family has ever been more skeptical than the day I told them I was going to make pulled pork using a pressure cooker. They’re used to watching me sweat it out for hours over a barbeque or smoker to prepare this Southern delicacy. While this new version probably wouldn’t beat out traditional pulled pork at a competition, it is a pretty awesome substitute for the stuff that otherwise involves a 6 hour cooking and shredding ritual.
This is a dish that elevates the humble zucchini to impressive new heights. People (like my husband) who don’t love cooked zucchini seem to adore this dish, perhaps because it has such a bright, fresh flavour. It makes a great lunch on its own, or a tasty side dish for grilled meat or fish. I’ve even eaten it stuffed in a pita and that was a meal to remember.
I come from a family of very keen gardeners, so you'd think my yard would be amongst the nicest ones on the block. This is actually not the case...yet. I’m in the process of revamping my gardens to make them more beautiful and environmentally-friendly. One of my first steps was to get my green thumbs on wildflower seeds as a quick fix for some of the bare patches.
