I have a lot of great memories about Easter. When Cherie and I were small, we would wake up on Easter morning and there would be a trail of candy coated beer nuts leading us to sugary treasures. Who can forget mountains of foil covered chocolate eggs or mounds of jelly beans. The big prize was always a large chocolate bunny, and sometimes, we would get a solid bunny with rice crisps! Those were definitely a favourite find.
Peanut Butter – Chocolate Duos
Last week I received my regular issue of What’s Cooking magazine from Kraft. I love this little mail-out. The recipes are usually quick and easy, and it is always fun to look at glossy food pictures to find inspiration.
This issue was no exception. I found a few recipes that I wanted to try, especially this cookie recipe. When I opened up the magazine to this recipe, I knew that I would be baking this weekend. I consider myself lucky that my colleagues enjoy Monday mornings when I bring my baking in to share 🙂
Peas and Bacon
This past weekend Jamie and I were back in Hamilton, visiting friends and family. A pre-Easter trip so that we don’t have to travel on the long weekend. I especially enjoyed spending time with my nephew, Sam. We made chocolate covered marshmallows, candy pancakes and went to a Maple Syrup Festival. There is a reason I am an aunt 🙂
When Jamie and I got back into town earlier this week, I had a moment of panic when I wasn’t sure what I was going to share in today’s post. I didn’t have anything planned out. Thankfully I had just received the most recent copy of the Food Network’s magazine in the mail. I sat myself down on the couch and started flipping through the recipes. I figured I could find something that would inspire today’s post.
Chicken with Sautéed Leeks and Sweet Potatoes
This is a tried and true recipe that I have been making for over four years! It is from the Autumn 2008 issue of the LCBO magazine. Actually, we first made this in the fall of 2008 when the magazine was released. What I love about this dish is that it is a one pot meal. Since everything is cooked in the same dish, it makes cleaning up after dinner a breeze.
I like to make this for dinner guests. Once it goes into the oven, it gives you time to visit and enjoy a glass of your favourite wine before the timer goes off 😉
Broccoli-Cauliflower Chowder
With St. Patrick’s Day celebrations only a few days away (or starting today and lasting into the wee hours of Sunday night 😉 – I thought I would present you with a green soup to mark the occasion.
A lot of St. Patrick Day festivities involve heavy or fried food served with an abundance of Guinness or green beer. This recipe will offer you a healthy green alternative that you can easily work into your regular recipe rotation.
Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Well, I finally am sharing with you my ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe. This is my tried and true recipe that I have been using for years. It is the perfect combination of chocolate, pecans and, of course, rolled oats. Cookie perfection! 🙂
Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins
I have been pretty good with my food consumption lately. I have been trying to stick to a mostly Paleo diet, however, the urge to bake struck me like a ton of bricks. I could no longer ignore the desire inside of me to whip up a batch of muffins. There were two ways that this could have ended up, I could have looked for a healthy muffin, loaded with fruit and whole grains, but instead, I opted to make a decadent treat full of peanut butter and chocolaty goodness.
I went to the internet and typed in chocolate peanut butter muffin. The first one that appeared was the one that I decided to make. I was definitely on a mission. I wanted to bake, I wanted it to be chocolate and peanut butter and I wanted it now! 🙂
Jalapeño Breakfast Sausage
Last week I shared with you a Sweet Potato Stuffing recipe that included ground sausage. That recipe inspired me. Could I make my own sausage? I don’t have a sausage making attachment for my KitchenAid Stand Mixer, but I know that sausage can sometimes be served as a patty. So, off to my cookbook collection I went.
Of course, I first went to my Paleo cookbooks. I thought that a sausage patty could be considered Paleo – I mean, a sausage patty is just meat. I was fortunate that within a couple of minutes, I found the basis for the recipe that I am sharing with you today.
Spicy Avocado Chicken Salad
This week while grocery shopping, I saw a new salad dressing; an avocado dressing with lime and jalapeño. As I reached to grab the bottle and put it in my cart I thought, wait, I can likely make this at home. So instead, I went to the produce section and grabbed a fresh avocado and jalapeño pepper.
I wanted to make a salad that would compliment this flavour combination, so I went to my spice cupboard and pulled out a selection of spices. I thought that a spiced chicken breast served on top of mixed greens and topped with an avocado dressing would be delicious.
Sweet Potato Stuffing
When Jamie first shared this recipe with me, I was curious how it could be classed as Paleo when it is called stuffing. Isn’t most traditional stuffing made with bread, bread and more bread? However, once I read over the ingredients and tasted the finished product, I realized that you don’t need to have bread to make a perfect ‘stuffing’. Some sweet potatoes, sausage, apples and spices are all you need!
Ruby Reduction 