Everyone Loves Cheerios!

 

I have a gaggle of children so to say we go through a lot of Cheerios in this house is an understatement! The kids love to snack on them dry, and I love a big bowl full in the morning with milk and sliced banana. When I had my cholesterol checked recently (something I do regularly as heart disease and high cholesterol run in my family) my number was really low, and it's quite possible that I can thank my love of Cheerios for that! (I certainly can't thank my love of bacon...)

Cheerios are made with Oat Fibre, and Oat Fibre has been shown to help reduce cholesterol. A bowl of Cheerios a day is an easy and yummy step you can take to ensure your future heart health!

Cheerios recently launched their very own website cheerios.ca where you can find lots of information on cholesterol (like how to decode test results, questions to ask your doctor and what kinds of foods lower your cholesterol) as well as recipes and coupons for Cheerios! Who doesn't love coupons?!

To celebrate the launch of the website I am giving away a Heart Month Cheerios Gift Pack which includes a box of Honey Nut, Original and the New Family-Size Box of Chocolate Cheerios as well as an adorable set of Heart Shaped nesting bowls!

How to win:

Share a heart health tip in the comments (something you do to help keep your cholesterol and heart in check), head over to Cheerios.ca and 'Like' one of the cholesterol articles (and leave a comment telling me you did so and which article it was), or perhaps share a Cheerios heart healthy recipe!

Rules:

Contests period is February 21 through March 13, 2012
Open to Canadian residents only, you can enter across multiple blogs but only win once.
The Cheerios Giveaway kit is valued at approximately $50 and includes: a set of four heart shaped blows, Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, and the brand new family sized Chocolate Cheerios.  

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.





Please see my disclosure page for information on my Life Made Delicious/General Mills Canada Partnership.

Bagel Skins

There's a bar/restaurant (it actually calls itself a Saloon, which I love!) near my house that I never get to go to. On the rare occasion the husband and I do go out we don't go there because they don't serve chicken wings and my husband won't go anywhere they don't serve chicken wings. Weirdo.

Anyways, my absolute favorite item on the menu there is their bagel skins. Like a potato skin, sans potato! They serve them with Caesar Salad and they are just the most perfect, yummy lunch food/snack I can think of. Since I never get to go there (I may be a wee bit bitter about this) I have been making them at home for some time now. Great for a light lunch or even a Superbowl Snack, these cheesy, garlicky, doughy bites will have you looking at bagels in a whole new light.... move over cream cheese!

Print this recipe

Bagel Skins

1 everything bagel, cut in half and hollowed out slightly

1 tbsp garlic butter, melted

2 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

1 scallion, diced

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I like to use 1/4 c marble cheddar and 1/4 c mozzarella)

salsa (optional)

sour cream (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut the bagel in 1/2 like you would to toast it. Using a sharp knife remove some of the dough to form a shell (you can dry the dough and make bagel croutons!)

2. Brush the inside of the bagel halves with the melted garlic butter and place under the broiler until lightly browned.

3. Remove from the over and stuff each half with the bacon, scallions and cheese.

4. Return to the broiler and heat until the cheese has melted.

5. Serve with salsa and sour cream

Print this recipe

Homemade Beaver Tails

I grew up in and around Ottawa, Ontario Canada. It is a beautiful city and I have many MANY fond memories of living there. One of the biggest is going to Winterlude. If you're unfamiliar with Winterlude go ahead and click here and check it out... I'll wait... 

For a quick break down, Winterlude is a winter festival in Ottawa that takes place the first three weeks in February with attractions all over the city, the biggest being skating on the Rideau Canal. You bundle up, strap on your skates, and take a trip down the largest skating rink in the world while looking at snow sculptures and sipping on hot chocolate. 

When you're tired from skating you head over to a Beavertails shack and get yourself a piping hot, fresh from the fryer, coated in cinnamon and sugar doughy treat. To me, nothing says winter more than sitting in a snow bank eating a Beavertail with my mitts on so my fingers don't freeze off!

Since we moved almost 8 years ago I haven't made it back for Winterlude. I know some year soon I will because I want my kids to experience it. In the mean time, I remembered that my grandma had a recipe for homemade Beaver Tails! I dug around in the stack of cookbooks I have from her and found it today and got to work. My kids had their first Beaver Tail while watching the snow softly falling. Our kitchen might not have the caché of the world's largest skating rink, but at least they're getting a taste for one of my most beloved childhood memories (BTW, they LOVED them!).

Print this recipe

Beaver Tails

2.5 cups warm water (80-90˚F)

3 cups all-purpose white flour

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp dry active yeast

vegetable oil

butter, melted

cinnamon

sugar

Instructions:

1. Mix the flours together and set aside.

2. To the warm water add the sugar and yeast. Stir and cover, let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Add water/yeast mixture to the flour mixture and mix until it forms like bread dough (add more flour/water as necessary).

4. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead for about 5 minutes.

5. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with a tea towel and let rise for 3 hours.

6. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead again for a few minutes and then shape into a log.

7. Cut the log into 1" slices and roll out with a rolling pin to between 1/4" and 1/2" thick.

8. Heat about an inch of oil in a deep frying pan to 375˚F.

9. Gently place a piece of rolled out dough into the oil. Fry until lightly golden brown flipping to cook both sides. This only take a minute or so.

10. Remove from the oil and place onto paper towels to drain.

11. Melt butter and brush over one side of the beaver tail. Place dough butter side down into a mixture of cinnamon and sugar to coat and enjoy!

For some other great toppings why not try Nutella and whipped cream, maple syrup or even garlic butter and shredded cheese!

Print this recipe

Caesar Salad with Scallop Croutons

 Most of my recipes are homey, stick to your ribs, "the kids will love it" recipes. But every now and then I like to fancy it up. Ya know, get out the good china (that's not chipped from "helpful" kids loading and unloading the dishwasher) and silverware and eat in the company of other adults.

I had this salad at a restaurant over 10 years ago and it has stuck in my mind ever since. I've been wanting to try to make it for years but it never crossed my mind when I was actually planning dinner parties. A couple weeks ago it popped back into my brain and right then I emailed my friend Laurie and asked her if she wanted to come over for lunch the following week, I wanted to use her as a guinea pig. To my amazement she said yes! I think she said yes because she knows I'm not a seafood fan and couldn't believe I wanted to make something with scallops, and just had to see me eating them with her own two eyes to believe it. I'm a complex gal.

So Laurie came over and helped me prepare this yummy, hearty salad for lunch. The bay scallops are breaded in panko and fried (how can that NOT be good?) and placed atop a caesar salad made with homemade dressing and act as the crunchy croutons... with a soft, slightly sweet centre.

This recipe would make 8 appetizer size salads or 4 meal size salads, and would be an elegant addition to your next dinner party.

 Caesar Salad with Scallop Croutons

dressing

1 egg

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 c. oil, vegetable or canola olive oil really changes the taste

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

scallop "croutons"

1 lb bay scallops  (the wee ones)

1/4 c flour

2 eggs

2 c panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

salt & pepper
oil

salad

1 head romaine hearts

1 small container mixed baby greens

6 strips bacon, fried crisp and chopped

parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions:

1. In a food processor or blender, pulse egg and lemon juice until combined.

2. Lightly mince your garlic and add to the egg and lemon.

3. With blade spinning, slowly stream in the oil and allow to continue blending for 1-2 minutes.

4. While the mixture is blending add the vinegar and cheese and salt and pepper.

5. Transfer to a bowl or pitcher and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (1-2 hours is better) so the dressing has a chance to set and thicken and the flavours to develop.

6. In the meantime, fry the bacon until crisp and allow to drain on paper towels. Chop  into 1/2" pieces.

7. Set up a breading station by putting flour (seasoned with salt and pepper), eggs and panko in separate shallow dishes.
8. Rinse the scallops and dry on paper towels.
9. Dredge the scallops through the flour, then eggs then roll in the panko to coat thoroughly.
10. Heat oil to 365˚F. Carefully drop the scallops into the hot oil making sure not to over crowd. Cook until scallops are golden brown.
11. Drain excess oil off by removing scallops and placing on paper towels.
12. Rinse and dry the lettuce and tear into bite size pieces. Toss with bacon, dressing, parmesan and the scallops and serve.

Mango Chicken Curry

   

When I first started dating my husband he was really excited for me to meet his friend Mike. Mike was a great guy, really friendly and smart and we hit it off right away. One night Mike asked us over for dinner. My husband was all for it and told me Mike was going to make us his famous Mango Chicken Curry. At first I was all "Seriously? Not frozen pizza or a bottle of marinara poured over pasta?", the usual single 20-something guy's cooking staples. And then I was all "Really? YOU like curry? The guy who eats almost nothing adventurous?". I had to say yes because I had to see these two phenomena for myself.

I went right from work to Mike's apartment and got there before my husband-to-be, so Mike let me watch him make his curry dish. I was really impressed with the fact that he didn't have to read a recipe, and even more impressed that it was so freakin' good (I have to admit, wasn't a big curry fan up until this point)! My future husband ate 2 plates of dinner and I knew I had to add Mike's famous curry dish to our repertoire. What I really like about this dish is that there is a nice balance of spice and sweet and all the ingredients can be easily found at any grocery store.

So Mike Lamont, thank you for teaching me how to make this. I'm sure along the way somewhere I changed some ingredient quantities because I never wrote down the original recipe, and have been making it from memory for almost 10 years, but Jason still eats 2 plates of it so I must be close!

Print this recipe

Mango Chicken Curry

1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled & chopped in 1/2" pieces

1 green pepper, chopped in 1/2" pieces

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

3 cups chicken stock or water

3 tbsp Sweet Mango Chutney

2 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

Salt & Pepper

1. Brown chicken thighs in olive oil until about 50% cooked through.

2. Remove chicken from pan and add onion & green pepper. Cook for about 5 mins over medium heat.

3. Add rice and stir. Cook for about a minute and add chicken stock.

4. Add chutney, curry, cumin and coriander and stir.

5. Return chicken to pan and cover.

6. Cook over medium-low heat until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through (about 20 mins)  stirring occasionally and adding more stock/water a little at a time as needed.

Serve hot.

Print this recipe  

Stuffed Hazelnut Cookies & Luscious Chocolate Truffles - Recipe Review

I received a copy of the Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook from the good people at General Mills Canada a little while ago and I was asked if I would do a recipe review. I sat down with a cup of hot chocolate the night I got the book and read it cover to cover. Not only does it have 1500 recipes ranging from appetizers, to breakfast, to soups and desserts, but there are tons of handy information sheets. Things like how to cut up a whole chicken and how to can your own fruits and vegetables as well as measurement conversions and what to substitute for brown sugar if you're all out and in a pinch. The cookbook is broken down into 23 sections and includes a tab entitled "Do It Yourself" and another for meals that take "20 Minutes or Less". I'm a visual learner and I eat with my eyes so I really love that there are pictures for every recipe.

 Since I'm a baker at heart I quickly decided to make something from the Cookies, Bars and Candies section of this huge cookbook and began to drool over all the recipes. The holidays are quickly approaching so I picked two recipes that work great with my other favourite holiday treats. Everyone loves truffles and these super easy, dark chocolate balls of yumminess taste like the expensive specialty shop kind but cost only a fraction of what you'd pay in a store. And the Hazelnut Stuffed Cookies *cough*nutella*cough* are rich and chewy and perfect with a cup of hot cocoa or a minty mocha.

If you're looking for the perfect gift to give the at-home chef this year, or you want a new cookbook for yourself, I highly recommend the Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook. Trust me, your tummy with thank me for it!

 Stuffed Hazelnut Cookies

Filling

1/2 cup hazelnut spread with cocoa

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts (filberts)

Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup hazelnut spread with cocoa

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Glaze

1 cup dark chocolate chips

2 tsp shortening

6 tsp finely chopped hazelnuts (filberts), if desired

Instructions:

1. Heat over to 375˚F. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup hazelnut spread, powdered sugar and chopped hazelnuts . Shape into 24 (1-inch) balls.

2. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, hazelnut spread, butter and egg with an electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with a spoon, until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. Divide dough into 24 (1-inch) balls. Flatten each ball into 21/2 inch round circles. Shape cookie dough rounds around 1 hazelnut ball, covering completely. Repeat with remaining dough and hazelnut balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place filled dough rounds about 3 inches apart.

4. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until edges are set. Cool for 5minutes on the cookie sheet and  then transfer to cooling racks.

5. In a small microwaveable bowl, beat chocolate chips and shortening in microwave on High for 30 seconds; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies; sprinkle each with 1/4 tsp finely chopped hazelnuts. Let cookies stand until glaze sets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luscious Chocolate Truffles

1 bag (12oz) semisweet dark or milk chocolate chips (2 cups) *I used dark

2 tbsp butter, softened

1/4 cup whipping cream

2 tbsp liqueur (almond, cherry, coffee, hazelnut, Irish Cream, orange, raspberry or any other flavour) *I used Kahlua

1 tbsp shortening

finely chopped nuts, white chocolate, sprinkles or anything else you'd like to decorate them with

Instructions:

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in butter. Stir in whipping cream and liqueur. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, just until thick enough to hold a shape.

2. Line cookie sheet with foil. On the cookie sheet, drop mixture by teaspoonfuls; shape into balls. (If mixture is too sticky refrigerate until firm enough to shape.) Freeze 30 minutes.

3. In 1-quart saucepan, heat shortening and remaining 1 cup chocllate chips over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth; remove from heat. Using a fork, dip truffles, one at a time, into the chocolate. Return to foil covered cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle some of the truffles with nuts or sprinkles. Refrigerate about 10 minutes or until coating is set.

Amanda's Tip: Before dipping the truffles into chocolate, melt peanut butter chips with a bit of butter and dip some of the truffles in. Let set in the refrigerator and then dip into the chocolate and freeze for 10 minutes for Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles!

Disclosure: I received a free cookbook as part of this post. But my endorsements can't be bought. If I like something, I like it; If I don't, I'd tell you! Please see my Disclosure page to read more about my relationship with General Mills Canada.

Enjoy!

Amanda

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bark

There's something about the holidays and chocolate bark. They just seem to go together... like chocolate and ... peanut butter! I like bark because you can break off a small little nibble, or a big'ol hunk depending on how sweet your tooth is in the moment (who am I kidding, I eat it all in one sitting, oh the shame!).

The most common bark is chocolate almond (delicious), and peppermint bark is very popular at Christmas, but I have a chocolate/peanut butter obsession that can not be ignored. Peanut butter chips, fudge chips, salted peanuts and mini peanut butter cups... think about it... for about 3 seconds, and then go to your kitchen and make it. You can thank me later ;)

Print this recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bark

1 bag PC Fudge baking chips (regular semi-sweet chocolate chips will work too)
1 bag peanut butter chips
2 tsp shortening
1/2 cup salted peanuts
1/2 cup mini peanut butter cups

Instructions

1. Melt the penut butter chips and the fudge chips seperately, each with 1 tsp of shortening, either in a double boiler or in the microwave.
2. Mix the peanuts in with the peanut butter chips.
3. On a cookie sheet that's been lined with tinfoil, poor and swirl the melted peanut butter chips/peanuts and the fudge chips.
4. Drop the mini peanut butter cups over the mixture and place the cookie sheet in the fridge to set.
5. When the bark is solid break apart.

Makes a great gift for friends, family and neighbours!

Print this recipe

enjoy!
Amanda

Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook Winner!

And the winner is...

Comment # 29 Denise!

Congratulations Denise! Your cookbook will be shipped out in 4-6 weeks, plenty of time to try out the yummy recipes for the holidays :)

Thanks to all who entered!

Amanda

Food is not my friend right now...

Well, it's been pretty quiet around here lately. I'm tired, and the sight/thought of/taste/smell of food these days makes me sick to my stomach. Yes folks, I'm pregnant... again! Baby #4 is on the way and due to make his/her appearance in the spring (due date to be determined next Friday). We're excited and terrified and still in a bit of shock.

I'm hoping to get some posts up in the near future as my darling husband has bought me a laptop so now I can blog from a horizontal position on the couch... hence this post! I have an exciting series of posts I'm working on about a fun party I had rfecently with some other moms/friends.

Hope you're all still reading and I haven't lost everyone!

Amanda

Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook Giveaway!

 

Do you like cookbooks? Personally I LOVE them. Yeah it's nice to find recipes online super-fast, but you can't beat sitting down with a cookbook and leafing through the pages marking off which recipes you want to try and drooling at all the pictures. Betty Crocker has revamped and reprinted it's "Big Red Cookbook" (it’s chock-a-block full of 1500 recipes for the way we cook today) and I'm giving away 1 copy to one of my lucky readers! The Betty Crocker Cookbook is valued at approximately $35.99 and will be available through Amazon, Indigo and Chapters, BettyCrocker.com and Wiley Publishing.

How can I win this awesome cookbook you ask? Here's how:

Mandatory Entry:

Follow this link (https://lifemadedelicious.ca/bccookbook) to view a sneak peek of the book along with 400 new recipes! Share your favourite new recipe from Life Made Delicious and Betty Crocker in the comments.

Additional entry, for those who’d like one:

Tweet the following, then come leave a comment linking to your tweet:
Enter to win a copy of Betty Crocker’s Big Red Cookbook here! http://tinyurl.com/4357hmd #BettyCrocker2011

Rules:

1. Contests ends October 27th 2011.
2. Open to Canadian residents only

3. Readers can enter across multiple blogs but only win once.
4. A winner will be drawn randomly using random.org
5. Please leave some way for me to contact you in case you win, email address, blog address, twitter name, etc... 

Once I've selected a winner the cookbook will be shipped in 4-6 weeks.

Please visit my disclosure page to read about my special relationship with General Mills/lifemadedelicious.ca