Spring is in the air! Many parts of Canada are still buried under a lot of snow, but it is April and Easter is behind us, so I can’t help thinking of days spent outside and the deliciousness of BBQ’d burgers.
As you know, Jamie and I live in an apartment so we don’t have the luxury of firing up a BBQ whenever the mood strikes us, but that has never stopped us from using our indoor cast iron grill to cook up a burger or two. The only downside of this is the amount of smoke that is created by using the indoor grill.
This weekend I wanted to try a vegetarian burger, so see if we could get the same burger satisfaction using black beans and quinoa. My sister, Cherie, shared this recipe with me. She swears by it, so I thought that we could give it a try.
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Tags: black beans, blog, blogging, curry powder, family, food, hamburger, homemade, party, quinoa, recipe, spicy, vegetarian burger, weekend
#GrillOn
Earlier this year I was approached by Turkey Farmers of Canada and Mushrooms Canada to create two grilling recipes to be published this summer in e-cookbooks available through Facebook. The recipes would be original and combine mushrooms and turkey. I was honoured! WOW, I never would have imagined that my small blog would have been recognized in a national capacity. Once I got over the initial shock, I started to doubt myself. Could I really create two original recipes using turkey and mushrooms? I don’t even have a BBQ! Would my creations measure up to what they are looking for? Because they were going to compensate me, I wanted to deliver a quality product, and I was worried that I would disappoint. But, Jamie told me to go for it! Jump in with both feet and accept the offer. So, I slept on it and decided to go for it 🙂
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Tags: #GrillOn, BBQ, grill, mushrooms, sausage, spicy, turkey
Even though the first day of spring was over a month ago, I feel like we are still waiting for Mother Nature to wrap her head around the idea that winter is over. We have been enduring crazy temperature swings. Warm one day (no jacket, wearing short sleeves warm) and the next day we wake up to an ice storm.
In trying to keep warm weather thoughts in mind, I decided to whip up a batch of devilish eggs. Nothing says warm summer days like the tastiness of a devilled egg. Who doesn’t love devilled eggs? Little bites of egg salad in a handy edible container of egg. Egg stuffed with more egg = Awesome!
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Tags: blog, eggs, family, homemade, pot luck, spicy
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.
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Tags: blog, cooking, family, food, homemade, Paleo, pork, recipe, spicy, weekend
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.
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Tags: avocado, bacon, blog, chicken, family, food, homemade, lime, Paleo, recipe, spicy, week-night
With Valentines Day happening this week, I thought I would share with you a spicy brownie recipe. Nothing says Happy Valentines Day like chocolate, especially when it is complimented with a hint of heat.
The pairing of chocolate and spice isn’t new. In fact, one of my favourite desserts that I have experienced here in Ottawa is Chili Chocolate Ice Cream from the Smoque Shack in the Byward Market. It is so confusing for your taste buds to have to cooling sensation of chocolate ice cream, but then the heat from the cayenne pepper hits you and your instinct is to eat more of that cooling ice cream, but that is where the heat is. It is such a delicious and vicious cycle 🙂
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Tags: bake sale, baking, blog, chocolate, food, homemade, party, recipe, spicy, Valentine's Day
I am kind of on a salad kick right now. With summer here it just feels right to be making bright and lively salads. This one is one of my favourites, and the concept of this salad was given to me by my mom, when I was younger (a lot younger).
I have been making broccoli salad for years. As I mentioned, my mom first introduced me to this delicious salad, but over time I have made modifications to the original recipe that she shared with me. (No real surprise with this statement!)
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Tags: bacon, blog, broccoli, family, food, homemade, pot luck, recipe, spicy, vegetable, weekend
Now that the weather is nice, it is time to start to think about BBQ’s, picnics and the many types of food that go along with these outdoor events. Fresh vegetables are always a favourite of mine, but sometimes just eating raw vegetables gets a little boring. I find myself scouring the picnic table looking for something to dip my cucumber slice into. Then I see it – Hummus!
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Tags: blog, blogging, food, homemade, party, pot luck, recipe, spicy, week-night
I was standing at a supermarket check-out when a Canadian Living magazine featuring Slow Cooker recipes caught my eye. As I picked up the magazine and started flipping through it, a Butter Chicken Recipe peaked my interest. Then the dilemma set in; do I need to purchase another cooking magazine, or do I try to find a similar recipe on-line? My pocketbook won the internal debate, and when I arrived home, I started searching for a Slow Cooker Butter Chicken recipe on the internet.
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Tags: almonds, blog, blogging, chicken, cooking, curry, family, food, ginger, homemade, onions, party, photography, photos, pot luck, spicy, Super Bowl, tailgate, week-night, weekend, writing
Ruby Reduction 