I was able to make it to Costco this past weekend. I haven’t been since before Christmas (October to be completely truthful), and my full cart and bill proved my poor Costco attendance. I don’t buy everything at Costco, but the one thing I love to stock up on while I am there are almonds and pecans.
Category Archives: In a Pinch
Vegetarian Three Bean Chili
This is my variation on the recipe that my mom always made (and still makes today). There is nothing better on a cold winter’s day to have a piping hot bowl of chili. So, you may be asking, why are you sharing this recipe now, in April. Well, as you know, we live in Ottawa, and they are calling for snow this week, so I thought that sharing my recipe for chili made perfect sense! 🙂
Beef and Pepper Stir-Fry
This is likely my favourite recipe out of the New Dieters Cookbook. My sister was actually the first person who made it. I remember it was so good I asked for seconds (and likely thirds). Then the next time I was over for a visit, I asked her to make it again. Yep, it is that good!
Lemon Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts have to be one of our favourite vegetables. I really don’t know why I didn’t enjoy these when I was a kid, but they have become a regular staple on our grocery list. I quite often find myself cooking up way more than we need so I can eat the roasted sprouts cold the next day as a delicious snack 🙂
Triple Lemon Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Icing
This past weekend we hosted an Easter Brunch for all of our Ottawa friends. But, not only was our brunch to celebrate Easter, it was also to celebrate our friend Laurel’s birthday.
I wasn’t quite sure what type of birthday dessert to prepare for her, so I enlisted Jeff’s help in determining the perfect dessert to serve. I gave many options, cake, *pie even an ice cream cake, but Jeff came back with cake and told me that her favourite flavours were lemon and vanilla. How incredible is that! A lemon and vanilla birthday cake, I knew that could be arranged!
Oven Roasted Kale Chips
I confirmed what I had always believed about myself this past month. I am a stress eater. I threw caution into the wind and settled into a December filled with chips, doughnuts and other fried foods. Let’s not forget the countless desserts and copious amounts of bread that I ate either.
But with 2012 behind me and 2013 and an unacceptable scale reading facing me in the mornings, I am getting back on track with more reasonable food choices. So, I thought that the first thing I would share with you is my new potato chip substitute, Kale Chips.
Connie Squares
I had mentioned before that Jamie and I are moving and my cookbook collection has been carefully packed away, so besides the internet, the recipes I have at my disposal are from two cookbooks. So here is another one from The Designing Women Plain & Simple Cookbook that Laura recently gave me.
As I was flipping through this book, I was surprised to see a recipe called “Connie Squares“. Well, of course I am going to share this with you, it is almost like destiny 🙂
Cauliflower Rice
I think that cauliflower is an amazing vegetable. You know how every time you turn around the media is boasting the benefits of a new super fruit (Açaí Berries, Blueberries, Pomegranates, Pineapple, etc), but rarely do you hear the call of a new super vegetable.
Now, I don’t know if this is because all vegetables have been discovered or that we already know that vegetables are awesome, but I want to throw it out there that cauliflower is our super vegetable of choice.
Breakfast T.A.B.L.E.
I was wandering around the grocery store when a fabulous idea struck me! A BLT Breakfast sandwich!! Now I know what you are thinking, “Connie, you did not invent the BLT Breakfast sandwich.” I know, I know, they are available at every coffee and doughnut shop in every city, but I saw inspiration when I glanced at a beautiful head of Boston leaf lettuce and from that small glance, a new breakfast was born (at least in our home).