I was asked to do a guest feature on the Eat Smart Blog and I am so excited to be able to share the link with you! You can check out the article and my receipe for raw cacao truffles here:
http://eatsmartblog.com/2011/12/12/raw-cacao-truffles/
It seems all of my hard work this past year is starting to pay off and it is nice to be recognized by another fellow blogger! Thanks Karen Welby and The Eat Smart Blog for allowing me to be part of the good food movement!
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Martha Moment
I am liking the title of my post the other day on the brownie pops I made - Martha Moment - so I think will start using that as the title of some of my food/recipe/craft entries - what do you think??
Anyway, I had another Martha Moment the other day, when Laura asked me to make some of the brownie pops that I made for the D&B for Allyson's party. I was happy to help out since they were so easy the first time around. However, this time I modified them and made them a little smaller since I was going to need to make about 40 of them. I also made them into more of a round shape, which was easy since I used a baking mold. Once they had finished baking and cooling, I dipped them in melted white chocolate and then sprinkled them with a special blend of "Princess Sprinkles". OK, so it wasn't really that special - just white, pink and purple sprinkles mixed together - pretty simple. Once that was done, I put them on a pink platter lined with wax paper and let them dry.
They were a hit and I am sure I will be making them again soon!
Anyway, I had another Martha Moment the other day, when Laura asked me to make some of the brownie pops that I made for the D&B for Allyson's party. I was happy to help out since they were so easy the first time around. However, this time I modified them and made them a little smaller since I was going to need to make about 40 of them. I also made them into more of a round shape, which was easy since I used a baking mold. Once they had finished baking and cooling, I dipped them in melted white chocolate and then sprinkled them with a special blend of "Princess Sprinkles". OK, so it wasn't really that special - just white, pink and purple sprinkles mixed together - pretty simple. Once that was done, I put them on a pink platter lined with wax paper and let them dry.
They were a hit and I am sure I will be making them again soon!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Martha Moment
On Friday, I went to a D&B at my friend, Carrie's house. We all bring something fun and yummy to eat or drink. Most of the time we just hang out and relax sans kids, which is a great break for all of us. I decided to make something sweet - brownies in the shape of Popsicles! I randomly found them here http://loveandtwentytoes.blogspot.com/2011/03/brownie-popsicles.html They were pretty easy to make and they were a hit. Laura even asked me to make a modified version for Allyson's birthday later this week!
Making Croissants
After spending Thursday with Cynthia and GiGi, Arabella woke up from her nap asking for croissants. She didn't have any at Cynthia's house, we did not have any at our house and she really wanted one. She asked for them on Friday, Saturday and on Sunday morning...which resulted in a trip to Tim Hortons since it was the only place open that early in the morning. She she had been asking so sweetly, I checked to see if one of my cookbooks had a recipe...how hard could they really be to make?? I found a recipe in my Larousse Gastronomique cookbook and sure enough it seemed simple, only about 5 ingredients and it looked as if most of the recipe time would be spent waiting for the dough to rise. So on Monday, Arabella and I decided to finally make them.
After a lot of waiting for the dough to rise, and a lot of rolling, dotting with butter, rolling out again, they finally begin to take shape.
The final product, not too good looking or tasting...
My friends may call me Martha Stewart, but apparently the only thing that Martha can't make are croissants. They just didn't come out right, too doughy, at least we tried. Needless to say, croissants are the one thing that I will leave to the patisserie!
After a lot of waiting for the dough to rise, and a lot of rolling, dotting with butter, rolling out again, they finally begin to take shape.
The final product, not too good looking or tasting...
My friends may call me Martha Stewart, but apparently the only thing that Martha can't make are croissants. They just didn't come out right, too doughy, at least we tried. Needless to say, croissants are the one thing that I will leave to the patisserie!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Brussel Sprouts - 2 Ways
I love Brussels Sprouts, so when I saw fresh ones at Costco last week, I had to buy them. However, Jay is not a fan of them and I wasn't sure if Arabella would like them or not. Since there were so many, I was able to make them 2 ways and both were a hit! For the first option, I sliced the sprouts in half, drizzled them with olive oil and fresh ground pepper and sea salt. I baked them in the oven on 350 for about 25minutes and they came out nice and crispy.
The second way that I made the sprouts are courtesy of the Pink of Perfection blog and Bon Appetit. I sauteed the Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Pistachios....to die for! Arabella liked them, partly because of the pistachios and Jay thought they were pretty good, although I think her preferred them baked. I loved this recipe and this is all I had for dinner!
Here is how to make them:
3 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
12 large Brussels sprouts (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed, leaves separated from cores (about 8 cups), cores discarded - (I actually sliced the spouts and it worked out fine)
3/4 cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and stir 20 seconds. Add Brussels sprout leaves and pistachios, and sauté until leaves begin to soften but are still bright green, about 3 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Brussels-Sprouts-with-Lemon-and-Pistachios-241353#ixzz1DuG7dpN7
The second way that I made the sprouts are courtesy of the Pink of Perfection blog and Bon Appetit. I sauteed the Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Pistachios....to die for! Arabella liked them, partly because of the pistachios and Jay thought they were pretty good, although I think her preferred them baked. I loved this recipe and this is all I had for dinner!
Here is how to make them:
3 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
12 large Brussels sprouts (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed, leaves separated from cores (about 8 cups), cores discarded - (I actually sliced the spouts and it worked out fine)
3/4 cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and stir 20 seconds. Add Brussels sprout leaves and pistachios, and sauté until leaves begin to soften but are still bright green, about 3 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Brussels-Sprouts-with-Lemon-and-Pistachios-241353#ixzz1DuG7dpN7
Monday, September 27, 2010
Let's Get Cooking!
Now that Fall has arrived and the cooler weather is upon us, I am ready to spend more time in the kitchen cooking. This weekend we had our friends Francis, Helene and their son Liam over for dinner and I decided to try out a few new recipes*. We decided on a low key dinner of homemade pizza, Caesar salad, wine and pumpkin & chocolate cheesecake bars. For the pizzas, I made 4 different types - an olive pizza just for Arabella since that is what she requested, a margarita pizza, a "all-dressed" (that is what the call a pizza with everything on it here) and then the new recipe was potato pizza with caramelized onions and rosemary. While making the dough, cooking the sauce from scratch and chopping fresh herbs, I was also caramelizing onions (my first time, and they came out great). The house was beginning to smell like a true Italian kitchen. And the potato pizza was a hit, it even passed the test of 11 month old Liam! All of the flavors complimented each other nicely and it was a nice change from your typical pizza.
Potato Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Rosemary
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1/8 tsp sugar
225 g new potatoes (about 5 small)
1 recipe pizza dough
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1/3 cup coarsely grated parmesan
HEAT medium non-stick frying pan over medium. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onions and cook 1 min. Reduce heat to low. Stir in sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until onions caramelize, 25 to 30 min. If they stick to pan, add a bit of water.
PREHEAT oven to 425F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or pizza pan with olive oil.
BOIL a small pot of salted water. Thinly slice potatoes, then add to boiling water. Cook 5 min. Drain and pat dry. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and potatoes. Cook until golden, about 2 min per side. Keep warm.
ROLL dough out into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, pressing to fill the whole sheet. Brush with olive oil. Spread with caramelized onions, leaving a narrow border. Top with rosemary, potatoes, feta and parmesan.
BAKE until edges are golden and crispy, about 25 to 28 min.
Next up were the pumpkin & chocolate cheesecake bars and they were so good! Not too sweet and the perfect combination of flavors. Although, Jay and Francis would have liked more chocolate on the top, but then again, they both love anything with chocolate! I was surprised at how easy the bars were to make and will definitely be making these again. I have already had a request from Lori that I make them when she visits for Halloween!
There are a bunch more that I want to try and later today, Arabella and I will be making pumpkin biscotti, yum! I will let you know how they turn out.
Pumpkin & Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp finely chopped candied ginger
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
3/4 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp each nutmeg and salt
250 g pkg regular cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp whipping cream (35%)
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
PREHEAT oven to 350F. Line an 8-in. square baking pan with parchment paper, letting paper overhang the pan’s edges. In a medium bowl, stir crumbs with candied ginger and butter until evenly moist. Press over bottom of an prepared pan. Bake in centre of oven until edges are golden, about 10 min.
WHISK egg in the same bowl (no need to wash). Whisk in pumpkin purée, sugar and seasonings. Cut cheese into cubes. Using an electric mixer, beat cheese into pumpkin mixture, scraping down sides of bowl if needed, until well mixed.
Pour over warm crust. Bake in centre of oven until filling is set when pan is jiggled, about 25 min. Cool completely on a rack.
HEAT cream in a small saucepan over medium-high until hot, 2 min, or microwave uncovered on high for 1 min. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Spread over cooled filling. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 1 hour. Use parchment paper to lift square out of pan, then slice into 20 bars. Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 1 month.
*Both recipes are from the October 2010 issue of Chatelaine.
Potato Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Rosemary
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1/8 tsp sugar
225 g new potatoes (about 5 small)
1 recipe pizza dough
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1/3 cup coarsely grated parmesan
HEAT medium non-stick frying pan over medium. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onions and cook 1 min. Reduce heat to low. Stir in sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until onions caramelize, 25 to 30 min. If they stick to pan, add a bit of water.
PREHEAT oven to 425F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or pizza pan with olive oil.
BOIL a small pot of salted water. Thinly slice potatoes, then add to boiling water. Cook 5 min. Drain and pat dry. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and potatoes. Cook until golden, about 2 min per side. Keep warm.
ROLL dough out into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, pressing to fill the whole sheet. Brush with olive oil. Spread with caramelized onions, leaving a narrow border. Top with rosemary, potatoes, feta and parmesan.
BAKE until edges are golden and crispy, about 25 to 28 min.
Next up were the pumpkin & chocolate cheesecake bars and they were so good! Not too sweet and the perfect combination of flavors. Although, Jay and Francis would have liked more chocolate on the top, but then again, they both love anything with chocolate! I was surprised at how easy the bars were to make and will definitely be making these again. I have already had a request from Lori that I make them when she visits for Halloween!
There are a bunch more that I want to try and later today, Arabella and I will be making pumpkin biscotti, yum! I will let you know how they turn out.
Pumpkin & Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp finely chopped candied ginger
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
3/4 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp each nutmeg and salt
250 g pkg regular cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp whipping cream (35%)
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
PREHEAT oven to 350F. Line an 8-in. square baking pan with parchment paper, letting paper overhang the pan’s edges. In a medium bowl, stir crumbs with candied ginger and butter until evenly moist. Press over bottom of an prepared pan. Bake in centre of oven until edges are golden, about 10 min.
WHISK egg in the same bowl (no need to wash). Whisk in pumpkin purée, sugar and seasonings. Cut cheese into cubes. Using an electric mixer, beat cheese into pumpkin mixture, scraping down sides of bowl if needed, until well mixed.
Pour over warm crust. Bake in centre of oven until filling is set when pan is jiggled, about 25 min. Cool completely on a rack.
HEAT cream in a small saucepan over medium-high until hot, 2 min, or microwave uncovered on high for 1 min. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Spread over cooled filling. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 1 hour. Use parchment paper to lift square out of pan, then slice into 20 bars. Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 1 month.
*Both recipes are from the October 2010 issue of Chatelaine.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Strawberry Mango Cobbler
Last night I made a Strawberry Mango Cobbler using some of the strawberries that we picked yesterday morning. I actually modified a recipe that was for a strawberry peach cobbler and it came out wonderful!
Since a few of you have asked for the recipe, here it is. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Butter, for pan
Filling
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 large lemon)
1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
1 pound medium strawberries halved
2 large, ripe mangos
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Topping:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup old fashioned style oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Directions
Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.
For the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and arrowroot until smooth. Add the strawberries, peaches and brown sugar. Gently toss until the fruit is coated. Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared pan.
For the topping: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, oats, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt. Pulse until mixed. Add the butter. Pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Sprinkle the mixture over the filling and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the top is light golden. Cool the crumble for 5 minutes.
Since a few of you have asked for the recipe, here it is. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Butter, for pan
Filling
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 large lemon)
1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
1 pound medium strawberries halved
2 large, ripe mangos
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Topping:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup old fashioned style oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Directions
Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.
For the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and arrowroot until smooth. Add the strawberries, peaches and brown sugar. Gently toss until the fruit is coated. Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared pan.
For the topping: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, oats, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt. Pulse until mixed. Add the butter. Pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Sprinkle the mixture over the filling and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the top is light golden. Cool the crumble for 5 minutes.
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