Iced Caramel Macchiato

I'm baaaaaaack! 

So, I've been away a while, doing this: (warning: proud mama in the house)

But now I'm getting a bit of sleep again, and a routine has been carved out and I'm bursting with inspiration! I sat down last night and wrote out 25 recipe ideas I want to try.

Given my current state of perpetual zombieness this bevvie went right to the top of the list.

I love a good iced coffee in the morning. It's instant gratification for my caffeine needs (some mornings even my Tassimo takes too long!), and I much prefer a cold coffee to hot in the sweltering heat of summer. I used to be a straight up Mocha girl at coffee shops but lately I'm all about the Caramel. I was curious to see how the caramel flavour translated to an iced coffee and I'm thrilled to report my experiment was scrumtastic! (I couldn't decide between the two adjectives.)

I will definitely be brewing this up for the rest of the summer!

Print this recipe

Iced Caramel Macchiato

10 cups strong-brewed coffee, hot
1/2 cup caramel sauce (I used Torani)
1 tsp vanilla
Ice
Cream

Instructions

1. Brew 10 cups of your favourite coffee.
2. As soon as the coffee is done brewing pour in the caramel and vanilla.
3. Stir to melt the caramel into the coffee.
4. Allow to cool to room temperature and then place in refrigerator.
5. Serve over ice with milk or cream. Garish with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel for an authentic coffee house experience.

Print this recipe

 

Meyer Lemon Squares

I live in the country, far from the nearest major city. Our grocery store is well stocked but they don't often carry the "fancy" stuff. You won't find micro-greens, truffles or crown roasts there, at least not on a regular basis. Every now and then though I'll pop in for milk and see something out of the ordinary. Something I have always wanted to cook with or try. A couple weeks ago that item was Meyer Lemons. A whole display of them greeted me as I walked in the door. Without even thinking I grabbed a bag and almost danced through the store to the chip aisle (the reason I was there, of course). I had NO idea what I wanted to make, but never having even tried a Meyer Lemon before I wasn't about to let the opportunity pass me by!

They sat in my fridge for a few days as I scoured the internet and quizzed my twitter pals on what they would make. I almost made lemonade just to enjoy the flavour unadulterated, but then decided they deserved a more complex fate. I went to my stash of grandma's cookbooks and found a recipe for lemon squares that sounded perfect. A light shortbread crust with a layer of silky lemon curd using both the juice and grated rind, what better way to showcase the sweet-tart taste of a Meyer Lemon?

Print this recipe

Meyer Lemon Squares

1/4 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup white sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp flour

3 Tbsp Meyer Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp grated Meyer Lemon rind

Instructions: 

1. Mix the first four ingredients together until crumbly. Press into the bottom of a greased 8" x 8" cake pan and bake for 350˚F for 20 minutes.

2. Grate the lemon rind and then squeeze and strain the lemon juice.

3. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the baked base. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 more minutes. Do not brown!

4. Cool and sprinkle icing sugar over the top and cut into squares.

I just discovered that Meyer Lemons have a season, which is quickly coming to a close. Grab yourself a bag of these yummy beauties and give this a try. If you're like me and can't get your hands on Meyer Lemons (usually!) you can certainly use regular lemons, I would just add a little squeeze of Mandarin Orange juice in addition to the lemon juice to try to mimic the slightly sweeter Meyer Lemon flavour.

Print this recipe

I didn’t eat ribs until I met my husband. The thought of gnawing meat off a bone with nothing but my bare hands and teeth kind of creeped me out. It was too messy and quite frankly, a little too “caveman” for me. Then one night we went to my sister-in-law’s for dinner and she made ribs. I’m not one to not eat what’s put in front of me at a dinner party, it’s rude (unless of course I’m allergic or have a severe aversion). So I rolled up my sleeves and resigned myself to the fact I would make a huge mess and probably look ridiculous. But my sister-in-law’s ribs were so tender the meat slid right off the bone and they totally changed my perception of ribs. I got her secrets for super tender ribs and started making them at home. Now they’re my husband’s favourite dinner and we serve them often when we have dinner guests as they’re so easy and incredibly tasty.

I use a mixture of bottled barbeque sauces to save time, if you make your own sauce more power to ya! This is not the traditional way to make ribs, and I’m sure a lot of barbeque aficionados would scoff at my methods, but give it a try and I swear you’ll fall in love with these ribs! (If you want to do these on the grill you could do them in a foil pan and then transfer directly to the grill when it comes time to coat in the BBQ sauce)

Braised BBQ Ribs

Dry Rub

2 tbsp seasoned salt

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp dehydrated onion

1 tsp smoked chipotle powder

Ribs

2 racks baby back pork ribs

dry rub mixture

1 1/2 cups Bull’s Eye Barbeque Sauce

1 1/2 cups Diana Chicken and Rib Sauce

Instructions

1. Mix together the spices for the dry rub and set aside.
2. Place the ribs in a large pot and cover with water (I cut them into servings of 4-5 ribs to fit the pot). Bring to a boil and boil for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the ribs from the pot and place in a shallow pan reserving the water.
4. Sprinkle some of the dry rub onto each section of ribs making sure to coat them well.
5. Add some of the cooking liquid to the pan, enough to cover the bottom.
6. Cover the pan with tin foil and place in a preheated 350˚F oven.
7. Bake for 2 1/2 hours checking once or twice to add more cooking liquid as necessary (you don’t want to boil them again, but you don’t want to pan to go dry).
8. Mix together the two barbeque sauces. Remove the tin foil and pour about 2/3 of the sauce over all the ribs to coat. (if the pan goes dry at this point it's fine, don't add more water)
9. Return to the oven uncovered, after 20 minutes baste the ribs with the remaining sauce.
10. Cook for another 10 minutes and remove from the oven and serve.

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

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