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Whenever I want a lunch that is quick, fresh and healthy I head over to the Food Fair at a mall close to where I work. Once there, I go straight to the Vietnamese kiosk to order a prawn salad roll or two or g?i cu?n. The rolls are filling and the peanut dipping sauce is fantastic.I also, occasionally, make them at home. I'd by lying if I said these were easy to make. The rice
Freezer jam is so easy and so delicious. Since you either don't cook the fruit or, as in the case of rhubarb, cook it only slightly, the fruit really is the star of the show. I also LOVE that it uses less sugar than cooked jam. My first freezer jam recipe is my most viewed page on this blog so I think other people have been enjoying freezer jam too!Since I've been seeing rhubarb at our local fruit
I received a wonderful package this month from first time participant Hailey! It was filled with great snacks, treats and meal possibilities. It included hot chocolate - with all the miserable weather here in Vancouver hot chocolate is always good to have on hand. The bag of matcha pocky sticks were devoured right away as was the cookies (claimed by my kids!). My son was also super happy to see th
Ever since I bought a Nutriblender, the entire family is on a smoothie kick. The kids want them every morning. We usually keep it to just fruit and milk but when it's more of a meal on the run vs a snack we've been adding muesli and yogourt to "beef" them up. Our muesli brand of choice is Dorset Cereals. In this smoothie we used "simply nutty" but this morning we opened their "super cranberry, che
Add a little frozen strawberry Greek yogourt and this muesli crisp is fit for a Queen!Do you like muesli? I have to admit that the muesli I have tried is usually too bland, dry, raw and dusty for my tastes. But I'm always looking for healthy new foods for my young kids. My 7 year old son loves oats so I thought I'd let him try muesli to see if he likes it.
mmmm mini donuts!Just a few a of many choices.On Victoria Day weekend, we went out to Steveston. It's a quaint little historical fishing village in Richmond, BC where you can buy fresh fish right off the fishing boats, eat some amazing fish 'n chips, and find great knick knacks at some great little stores. I normally don't review restaurants but found a little shop I just had to share!Steveston, B
I love making my kids' birthday cakes. Princess, castle, edible butterflies, jungle animals, cars have all been past birthday cakes.This year my "baby" turned 7! Seems like just yesterday he was a toddler trying to keep up with his big sister.Today, he is truly his own person with a huge personality. He's very sweet with a sensitive side that he sometimes tries to hide and has a streak of devilish
Yet another great month with Foodie Penpals!This month Lisa from Beyond the Fringes sent me a lovely package filled with amazing and thoughtful treats. A variety of teas, lovely chocolate (didn't even last long enough to take a picture of it...again!), organic garlic from Ontario, morel mushrooms, and a spicy kung pao sauce all made for a lovely foodie pen pal package. To add even more t
These are great muffins. Not overly sweet and the whole wheat pastry flour gives them a wonderful texture not to mention extra fibre. My kids love them. Often I will make 36 mini muffins instead of the traditional size because the they are perfect when you just need a bite to take the edge off of hunger pains when dinner is still an hour away. They also travel well for snacks on the go. Mini ones
Buffalo-style Hot WingsWe, like so many Canadians and Americans, are caught up in the smoked meat craze. And really how could we not? There are BBQ restaurants, food trucks, TV shows and smoked meat competitions all within a sauce dripping arm's length of us all. And the meat can't be beat! The taste of a piece of bark on a pork butt or brisket is heaven on earth.So when I bought my hu
Curried Coconut Milk Prawns - an easy week night mealThis recipe is great on its own or served over either rice or Israeli couscous. You could also add a tablespoon of your favorite curry paste instead of the curry powder. It also works with chicken or pork.Serves 4ish.Ingredients2 cans (13½ ounces/400 ml) of coconut milk2 tablespoons (30 ml) or so of medium curry powder1 ½ t
My kids love these muffins! I thought the cardamom might be a little overwhelming but it isn't. The cardamom flavour is definitely stronger in the batter than in the baked muffin but it still adds a nice little "something-something" to this snack. The honey shines through in this recipe and can be tasted in every bite. You can also use maple syrup instead of honey. Of course, if you want to use le
Another great month with Foodie Penpals!This month Emilie from Find Your HealthSpot sent me a lovely package filled with great treats. Teas, amazing chocolate (didn't even last long enough to take a picture of it), a raw vegan snack with cocoa and cranberries, and a delicious energy bar. Thanks Emilie. Check out her blog here.One of the items she sent was a strawberry tea bloom from David's Tea. T
Ruth from Makey-Cakey was our March 2013 Daring Bakers’ challenge host. She encouraged us all to get experimental in the kitchen and sneak some hidden veggies into our baking, with surprising and delicious results!I've seen purple yams used in many Phillipino desserts here in Vancouver but I had never tried one myself. A vegetable as a dessert? Hmmm not sure about that ;) But when the Da
Greek salad is one of my favourite meals especially during spring and summer. I love the crispiness of the veggies and the colours! I don't like many bottled dressings though so I often make my own oil/vinegar dressing. In this recipe though I use only reduced balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. By reducing the vinegar it becomes syrupy and much sweeter. I find that I don't need the olive
I make these mini cheesecakes when I want to serve a variety of desserts. I last made these at Christmas along with mini lemon tarts, and mini spice cupcakes with eggnog icing. By making mini desserts after a large meal like Christmas or Thanksgiving your guests are more likely to try a small treat ... or three :) If you can't find dulche de leche condensed milk you can use regular..or
Our weeknights are busy...swim lessons, soccer practices, hockey games, homework...by the time we finish work, pick the kids up from school, and get them to their activities we don't really have a lot of time to make dinner! I bet it's the same in many of your homes too. Often, I try to make things on the weekend so we are ahead of the curve. Things like meat sauces, pesto, and roast pork can be m
What an amazing Foodie Pen Pal package!!!Foodie PenPals. Have you heard of it? It's a great program run by Lindsay over at the Lean Green Bean. She started it in September 2011 with 30 participants and it has grown to over 1300! Now that's success! In a nutshell each participant receives a foodie pen pal to send a little foodie related package that shouldn't cost more than $15 (not including
Sarah from All Our Fingers in the Pie was our February 2013 Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to use our creativity in making Crisp Flatbreads and Crackers!I chose this recipe because a friend saw it in the paper and asked that I make it! I added the sriracha pea crust - I love sriracha! It's a purée of fresh red jalapeños, garlic powder, sugar, salt and vinegar th
A big bowl of creamy and buttery mashed potatoes are one of my favorite comfort foods. Depending on my mood I can whip up a pot of garlicky mashed potatoes with skins on, or a casserole dish of super cheesy twice baked yukons or even just salted and slightly smashed fingerlings. The recipe below produces a creamy and smooth mashed potato that almost feels healthy if you use reduced fat cream chees
These are decadent cookies. I used white Callebaut chocolate and chopped it into big chunks but any white chips will do. The disappeared in less than a day so they defintiely got the family seal of approval!Ingredients2 c flour1/2 c cocoa3/4 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt1-1/2 c white chocolate chips, or chopped white chocolate1 c toffee bits (like Skor (tm) bits)1 cup butter, room temperature3/4 c w
We STILL have Halloween candy sitting in our pantry! The kids usually forget about it about two weeks after Halloween and if it's hidden so do I. Every once in awhile we dig in to satisfy a sweet tooth but the kids had such a big haul this year that there's still a lot left. I didn't want to throw it out but didn't want it to go bad either so I decided to bake with it! Th
Warning: Once you make homemade corn tortillas, store bought will never again be an acceptable substitute!We've only been making fresh corn tortillas for a year or so. You see, I love kitchen gadgets - avocado slicer, honey spoons, banana slicer, lemon squeezer, 1000 cookie cutters, crinkle carrot cutter, citrus skin peeler thingy and even a slap chop! So when I saw a tortilla pres
Foodie PenPals. Have you heard of it? It's a great program run by Lindsay over at the Lean Green Bean. She started it in September 2011 with 30 participants and it has grown to over 1300! Now that's success! In a nutshell each participant receives a foodie pen pal to send a little foodie related package that shouldn't cost more than $15 (not including shipping). It can be home made goods, loc
Francijn of Koken in de Brouwerij was our January 2013 Daring Bakers’ Hostess and she challenged us to make the traditional Dutch pastry, Gevulde Speculaas from scratch! That includes making our own spice mix, almond paste and dough! Delicious!According to Francijn, gevulde speculaas (stuffed speculaas) is a traditional Dutch pastry. Despite all the steps, it is not hard to mak
I love reviewing cookbooks - it gives me a chance to cook and experience recipes that I would not otherwise find. Such is the case with Savory Pies by Greg Henry. It is a gem of a book. No sweet pies will be found in this book though. All of the beautifully presented recipes are filled with vegetables, meats, poultry, seafood recipes that have some sort of crust. Traditional crusts, of course, are
Layers of deliciousness!I love this casserole dish. It works with well with chicken or pork and you can use whatever veggies and cheeses you have on hand. I love using little dollops of cream cheese in the layers as it adds a great creamy texture. Of course depending on your spice tolerance level you can add or remove the jalapeños. If possible, I think this recipe tastes best if you can
This chowder is thick! It is filling and a true comfort food. My mom often made us corn chowder when we were kids. We loved it! My version uses roasted or grilled corn to bring out corn's sweetness and add another depth of flavour but at its core it is similar and still a favorite on a cold winter's night.Ingredients4 ears corn, husked1 can niblets1 can creamed corn1 cup white wine
I love green beans.... as long as they are cooked properly. Overcooked they turn to dull, tasteless and limp mush but cooked until just tender crisp green beans are bright, delicious and an easy way to increase your veggie intake.This recipe is so simple and so full of flavour! Ginger and garlic are perfect flavour partners and you need just a splash of oil - if you have a non-stick pan you can pr
This salad is so simple but so good! You can add beautiful and impressive to its description too! I dress it with a store bought creamy balsamic vinegar dressing (by Okanagan Falls) but I'm sure other dressings will work too.I love the way the pomegranate seeds burst with their juice inside your mouth, the creaminess of the tangy blue cheese on your tongue and the crunchiness of the
Candy Cane Hershey Kisses are an easy way to make a cake more festive!Just wanted to show you an easy way to make a festive cake. Using candy cane Hershey Kisses (tm), a few sprinkles and a candy snowman, I made this three layer, 6 inch cake for the cake walk at the school Christmas Market last week. (The picture isn't very good because I only had my phone to snap a pic!)
Everything was delicious!My second month of Foodie pen pals and I still love it :) this month my pen pal is Julia. Julia is a Film Production student from Toronto, studying in Montreal. I LOVE Montreal! I used to take the train with my Dad and sister to Montreal from Halifax once a year or so when I was a kid but sadly haven't been there since my university days :( I'd love to go back s
The Daring Baking Challenge this month was Christmas Cookies. Holiday season is the time for sharing and Peta of Peta Eats is sharing a dozen cookies, some classics and some of her own, from all over the world with us.Sadly, the only recipe I had time to try was Lebkuchen. It is a holiday baked treat from Germany that has a long history. This recipe is adapted from The Pink Whisk. A
I love quick and easy recipes. I love them even more when they are a bit healthier than everyday varieties of the same thing. This muffin recipe is made with whole wheat pastry flour and flax seed to boost the fiber content and has less oil than other similar recipes. Despite this healthier version there is still lots of flavour! I use my own home made raspberry-lime jam but any variety will
This is my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. In fact I've posted it before on the blog. The difference this time (other than putting smarties on the top) was turning the dough into a chocolate base rather than leaving it plain. By taking out a little flour and adding cocoa you, my dear baker, will get a sinful double batch of chocolate with every bite! And who could say no more chocola
I'm no cornbread expert but I love this recipe! It's a little spicy and the cheese adds great flavour. It's even better the next day. We ate it with home made baked beans but the next day it was also great along side a spinach salad. If there were any left over my plan was to make them into croutons....maybe next time.You know it's good when they can't wait for the photo shoot to end!Ingredi
Peanut butter cups are one of my favorite chocolate treats. The salty sweetness of the peanut butter cream enrobed in chocolate is taste bud heaven. As much as I live the manufactured version I've always wanted to try making them at home. When I read Michael Smith's version in his cookbook, Chef Michael Smith's Kitchen - 100 of my Favorite Easy Recipes, I decided to go for it!I made them with
Foodie PenPals. Have you heard of it? It's a great program run by Lindsay over at the Lean Green Bean. She started it in September 2011 with 30 participants and it has grown to over 1300! Now that's success! In a nutshell each participant receives a foodie pen pal to send a little foodie related package that shouldn't cost more than $15 (not including shipping). It can be home made goods, local &n
Summer extended its stay in Vancouver this year - warm, sunny days made us forget that fall would have to return to our beautiful city. Of course, fall in Vancouver means quite a few grey, cool, rainy days. Fall has indeed returned over the last week. Although we will continue to complain about the rain as all Vancouverites do, we'll also remember the sunny and dry days of September. S
For thanksgiving we made a Turducken! With such a rich bird(s) plus the regular sides of potatoes, roasted veggies, creamy carrots, buns and salad, I wanted to offer a variety of desserts that included something lighter tasting. We had pumpkin pie, homemade peanut butter cups (ok richest dessert EVER...recipe coming soon) and this simple lemon tart garnished with raspberries.The recipe is adapted
So a few weeks ago, my husband and I were thinking about what to serve for Thanksgiving. Usually we do turkey but every now and then we like to try something a little different... like the year we made beef a la mode (thanks Julia!). This year we were batting around the idea of smoking a pork shoulder or ribs but still hadn't made a final decision. The morning after this conversation I received an
These brownies were a hit with my kids...and really how could they not be?? Brownies, icing, cookies, and green candy all in one dessert equals kid nirvana! The only special equipment you'll need is the skeleton candy mould. The one I used is made by Wilton and I bought it at Michael's craft store. The skeletons are easy to make - you just melt the candy, pour it in the mould and let se
This boo-tiful Halloween pizza will be a hit with the kids!The other day I shared my favorite pizza dough recipe. So today I thought I 'd share a pizza we made using the dough! Isn't it cute? I bought pre-sliced cheddar for the jack o'lanterns and thinly sliced a block of mozzarella for the ghosts. I used cookie cutters to make the actual shapes.To make the eyes and mouth I cut up a couple of
Clockwise from the top:White pizza dough with oregano and thyme, plain white pizza dough and whole wheat dough.For years, we've been making the same pizza dough - the recipe came with my bread maker. It's definitely better than store bought versions and is easy to prepare as you just throw everything into the pot and press a button. But a few months ago, I tried Mark Bittman's food processor
I like meat and dairy. Life without beef tenderloin, baby back ribs, ice cream or butter is just unimaginable... for me. But that doesn't mean I can't see the benefit of moderation and mixing my family's menu up with healthy vegetarian and vegan dishes. So when I was given the opportunity to review and try a few of the recipes from Anupy Singla's new book, Vegan Indian Cooking, I without hesitatio
Are you still harvesting tomatoes from your garden? I sure am! And anyone who has homegrown tomatoes knows how much tastier they are than grocery store tomatoes! This recipe allows the full flavour of your tomatoes to shine. When combined with fresh mozzarella cheese, basil and a little drizzle of sweet balsamic vinegar summer doesn't feel over just yet!Note: You can add the olive oil if desired b
This banana bread came about one day when I had a bunch of overripe, fruit fly calling bananas on my kitchen counter but no room temperature butter. I know I could have zapped the cold butter in the microwave but I always seem to melt it too much and make a mess. And being the impatient baker I am, I did not want to wait to let it warm up naturally. Instead, I used a light tasting extra virgin oli
This is my second and final Christmas cookie recipe for September! I promise!This is my Mom's ginger snap recipe but I have sandwiched two of them between a light and flavourful lemon butter cream. Lemon and ginger are AMAZING together. I especially like this combination in a Christmas cookie because it is a great contrast to the season's heavy meals and flavours. Tip: These ar
It's only September and Labour Day Weekend hasn't even ended so I'm bound to really annoy a few people with a Christmas Cookie post! If you are one of those people I'm sorry and warning you I'm posting another Christmas cookie recipe today so it might be better if you wait till mid-week to come back again :)Anyway, Christmas is my favorite holiday and I like to plan ahead - everything fr
A "boozy treat" from POPTAILS."Poptails" by Erin Nichols is all about putting frozen cocktails on sticks!Living in Vancouver means long, hot summers...well ok maybe two weeks of hot weather...over the course of two months... but we Vancouverites relish those hot, dry days and try to make the most of them (well ok we complain about the heat and wonder if it will ever cool off... I think think this
