Alright folks, it’s time to start thinking Christmas baking. Most of my baking I’ve got down pat from the past few years of trial and error, but it just wouldn’t be the holidays without trying to find a few new things. Also, what would be better to pass out to family on Christmas Eve then…
Cooking
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
Alright, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. This is one bloody fantastic cheesecake. Like, really, really great, though it’s definitely a holiday thing. I don’t see myself waking up on a July morning craving a slice of pumpkin cheesecake (ok honestly, now that I’ve said that, I kinda can see it happening). With our Canadian Thanksgiving…
Chicken Vesuvio
Here’s another quick, easy, one pot meal. Those really are the best, aren’t they And here’s a warning: if you’ve cooked pretty much anything else that I’ve made on this site, you’ve probably noticed that it’s full of flavor. I love flavor. I love sweet, I love spicy, I love tangy and tart. I love…
No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Balls
These really need a better name. Suggestions welcome. I had a horrific craving for something chocolaty. Snacky. Whatever. I had a craving for something sweet after dinner and I was only willing to devote ten minutes to making them. Needless to say, I didn’t have high hopes for whatever concoction I was going to come…
Marble Cupcakes with Strawberry Meringue Buttercream Icing
I made 18 cupcakes this past Friday. They were gone by Sunday afternoon. Most of this was accomplished by me. Sunday afternoon I also realized that if I want to keep up this cupcake habit I’ve developed, I better take up running too. Tomorrow. Right now I’m still too logged down from the cupcakes. The…
Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli
I decided that I had to make this at home because I never get to order it out any more. When I was working, my boss used to take us out to Milestones for work lunches once in a while, and I would always order the butternut squash ravioli. The problem with not working is…
Roma Tomato Pasta Sauce
Here’s a really quick and easy pasta sauce to make. Ok, so it might not be THAT quick, but it is pretty easy. I’m a little light on photos. Aunt Jen, Uncle Alex and Baki came over for a visit and I was already a horrible host by spending the whole afternoon, save a quick…
Apple Walnut Empanadas
It seems like almost every time I turn on the food network, someone is making some version of empanadas. I finally couldn’t take it any more and decided to get in on the action. I mean, how can you go wrong with something that you can eat with one hand and no fork? I’ve seen…
Super Quick Carbonara
So, here’s one of those left-over meals that I alluded to earlier. I used a bunch of the ingredients from my Pasta à la Vodka to whip up lunch the next day for Oliver and I (the fresh pasta and pancetta). This is so, SO good! Oh yeah, it only takes about 5 minutes to make…
Creamy Pasta à la Vodka
Now, I’ll admit right off the bat that I think this recipe still needs a bit of tweaking. Bo and I thought it was just too acidic tasting and could use a bit more body. I’m thinking that really cooking some tomato paste with the onions might help a little bit, but I haven’t tried…
Pub Style Buffalo Chicken Bites
So, hockey season has started and in this house, we bleed blue and white. It’s a birth right, or requirement, to be a Toronto Maple Leaf’s fan, and Bo and I had our own little hockey tradition going. Until the kids that is. Every hockey game we used to go out to a local wing…
Chili Mac and Cheese
So, this is another recipe created by those people who I worship over at America’s Test Kitchen (from their skillet suppers magazine). It cooked up so nice and quick, had the perfect amount of spice, wasn’t over powering at all for Bo who isn’t a big chili fan, and best of all, Oliver liked it…
Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
I’ll admit it, the simple task of throwing together some vegetables and roasting them has always seemed daunting to me. I’ve never fully believe that it could be THAT easy. That I could just throw whatever kind of vegetable I wanted onto a baking sheet, pop it in the oven, and call it a day….
Sour Cream Scones
I was in a bit of a bind for breakfast this morning. I’d been out of bread all week, a combination of forgetfulness last week when shopping and laziness this week in not wanting to load up the kids and run out, in the rain, only to buy bread. I did finally tonight, but I…
Sugar and Spice Candied Nuts
These are a favorite of mine, especially around the holidays. I made them this past weekend for our Canadian Thanksgiving, and I’ll be making them again in a couple of months for Christmas. You can use pretty much any kind of nut, but if I were you I’d stick to the traditional ones: pecans and…
Beaver Tails aka Elephant Ears aka Fried Dough
So, I’m Canadian, eh, don’t ya know. As such, I love Beaver Tails, but only the fried, surgery, doughy kind. These are a staple at fairs and amusement parks around here, but with two kids it gets harder and harder to get out to those things as often as I’d like to in the nice…