Bon Appetit

Quinoa Salad

This is one of my new favorites! While in Canada, amongst all the junk food my mom whipped up this salad one day. Probably the first healthy thing I had eaten in days. I was instantly hooked and needed the recipe! I finally made it last night for dinner and I am looking forward to the leftovers for lunch! This is such a delicious salad and it doesn't hurt that it is full of healthy ingredients. 

Ingredients:

- 2 cups water and 1 cup quinoa (pinch of salt) and cook in rice cooker. When done, let it completely cool. In a large bowl:

- 2 avocados cut up

- 1 can black beans rinsed 

- 1 cup pumpkin seed

- 1 can black sliced olives or chop whole ones (pitted)

- cilantro chopped about 1/2 cup

- 5 green onions sliced on the angle

- 3-4 large celery sticks cut lengthwise then chopped



- 2-3 cloves of garlic (you may do more or less, depends on you)


For the dressing you will need:

- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

- 1/4 cup lime juice

- 1 tablespoon honey

- 2 tablespoons coarse mustard

- salt and black pepper  

Directions:

Place all ingredients together and gently mix. Whisk dressing well or shake in a shaker. Taste and adjust as needed. Pour over ingredients and gently toss, refridgerate and gently toss once more before eating. Makes a fair amount. Now enjoy!!!

 

xoxo

Bon Appetit

Happy New Year!

 Popcorn twist caramel corn

Once again we approach the end of another year. It seems to go by faster and faster! I am looking toward the future with new hope, excitement and trust. Hope that the year to come will bring answered prayers. Excitement for what is to come and what lies ahead! Trust that we will continue to have good health, a roof over our head, food on our table and many, many more blessings we have already at our finger tips. 


Today I thought I would share with you a quick and tasty treat to share with your family and friends! This takes minutes to prep and prepare! It's also the perfect snack for your New Years party! 

You will need one bag of these popcorn twists, not your traditional popcorn! That means no husks! Yay! 

You will also need:

1/2 lb butter (do not substitute margarine)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

In a Large (2 qt) sauce pan, cook together butter, brown sugar and corn syrup for 2 minutes after butter has melted and it starts to gently boil. Add baking soda to mixture. This will cause mixture to foam - that is why you need a large saucepan. Allow to foam to cook down slightly.

Pour caramel mixture over popcorn twists and stir until mixed.

Place in oven for 35-45 minutes, (35 for chewy corn, 45 for crunchy), stirring at least every 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and pour on wax paper. Allow to cool slightly and break apart.

These are truly delicious and super addictive! They are so buttery, salty, sweet and crunchy: perfect combo if you ask me! 

Hope you have a great New Years day! Enjoy! 

Bon Appetit

Puff Wheat Square

These are a special little treat I decided I would share with you! I think they are more of a Canadian thing because I have never had them anywhere besides my hometown. This is one of my favorite treats when I come to visit my family in Canada. They are always there waiting just for me to eat, but I'm not too sure if that is a good thing or not. Since I don't have the ability to say no or know when I should stop eating them. They are just so delicious! I urge you to try these out and let me know what you think! 

Ingredients

1/3 cup margarine

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

4 tbsp cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

8 cups puff wheat cereal

Method

Stir all the ingredients in a large pot on stove top. Heat should be at medium-high until it comes to a boil. Dissolve the sugar completely and allow to simmer for 1 extra minute. Remove from heat and add the puff wheat. Stir to coat. Press into a 9 x 13 greased pan. Let cool, then cut into squares and enjoy!!! 

This is a delicious chocolatey treat, I know you will love these just as much as I do.

xoxo

Icebox Cookies

I have been wanting to bake something in a bad way for the last few days. I mean, it is the season for that kind of thing! I decided to try a recipe in an old 1940 American Woman's Cook Book I bought at an antique store. I was curious as to whether it was going to be tasty or not...I would use my husband as the guinea pig.  I think this is a recipe that passed the test. These cookies are super easy to make and would taste even more delicious with some icing! The perfect cookie to leave for Santa by the tree! 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
3/4 other shortening (I just used more butter)
2 cups of medium brown sugar (I actually had none in my pantry so I used regular white sugar...and they still taste great)
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon 
2 tsp baking powder
5 cups flour

Directions:

Cream the shortenings together and sugar. Add the well-beaten eggs and beat well. Sift all the dry ingredients together and add to the first mixture. Pack dough into a roll, wrap in wax paper and put in the coolest part of the refrigerator for several hours.


Wait....wait....still waiting.........


Preheat oven to 375 F.


Slice as thin as possible with a very sharp knife, place on a greased baking sheet and bake for ten minutes in a moderate oven (mine is so not modern....more like extreme). A part of the mixture may be baked and the remainder kept in refrigerator or freezer for later use. 


For a little extra goodness, feel free to add icing to your cookies...it makes it even more complete! You can find a basic buttercream icing recipe here! 

Hope you enjoy!

xoxo

Bon Appetit

Homemade goodness

There is nothing better than a cup of delicious hot chocolate! It's perfect for cozying up under a warm blanket while watching a Christmas movie classic. Well, that's what we did last night and it's hard to beat. I like the simple things, what more can I say. I am out of hot chocolate a lot, since I find myself drinking at least one cup a day to stay warm....and I love chocolate! Here is an easy recipe you can make in bulk and store away for later use. It can be easier than buying those expensive canisters at the store over and over again! Trust me! 

Hot Cocoa

Total Time:

5 min

Prep

5 min

Yield:

5 1/2 cups dry mix

Level:

Easy

What you will need:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
• 2 1/2 cups powdered milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• Hot water
• 
  
• What to do:

Fill your mug half full with the mixture and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry. This also works great with warm milk. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small pot, heat 4 to 6 cups of water.

Hope you enjoy this recipe to cozy up and enjoy!

xoxo

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

The last couple days have been pretty chilly and rainy. This morning is the first day of sunshine I have seen in a while. I love the cool temperatures and rain though, it's a perfect day to make a hot cup of tea and tasty soup!  I have had a lot of requests for this recipe the last few days, so I decided to post it on my blog for you all to enjoy. This is now my husbands favorite soup, which was a big indicator that this recipe was successful! The instructions are straight forward and the ingredients are easy to find! 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• Pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
• 3 (15 oz) cans 100 percent pumpkin or 6 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin
• 5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
• 2 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

* if cooking gluten-free, simply cook with gluten-free broth

METHOD

1 Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more.

2 Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

3 Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan. (this is optional, if you like a smoother soup follow this step)

4 With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix. Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. Add cream. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down. You might want to add a teaspoon of salt.

I made some small changes to the recipe to add a bit more punch to the soup. First, I replaced the milk and cream with a can of coconut milk. Secondly, my husband and I like our soup a bit more on the spicy side so I added a secret ingredient I use in a lot of my cooking: Sambal Oelek. My mom uses this all the time in her tasty Indonesian recipes as well! This will be sure to heat your dish up without compromising the flavors of your recipe. Be sure to add a little at a time and taste often. It can get quite spicy in no time! Lastly, I skipped stepped three, since my husband and I don't mind having some texture in our soup! You can serve this with fresh baked rolls or with some delicious garlic naan bread like we did! 

Hope you enjoy this recipe, let me know how it goes if you decide to try it out!! 

xoxo

I don't know about you, but I have been counting down the days until Christmas! I've decided that starting November 26th, I will share with you some of our families traditions, favorite recipes and fun projects you can do for the holidays! So stay tuned, you don't want to miss this! 


If there is anything in particular you would like to see, let me know! I would be happy to try it out! 

xoxo

Cozy Baking

Our November Wall Art

Fresh loaf ready to eat

I am so THANKFUL for this weather we've been having lately. It's been chilly and rainy which is the perfect combo for fall. Well, for me anyway! Yesterday we turned on our heat for the first time in over a year, I instantly felt cozy and comforted. What can I say, I'm a sucker for cooler temperatures and over the crazy summer heat. 

This morning there was a chill in the air again. Our house was a bit crisp, so I decided to do some baking. This instantly heats up the kitchen (mainly because our stove is ancient) and eventually spreads throughout the house. I decided to whip up something delicious, but came to the realization I was out of a lot of baking ingredients. Not cool. I opened my pantry and found my emergency Betty Crocker's carrot cake mix and was so happy to see it! It may not be fresh, but it can be doctored in such a way you would never know. I like to add bananas to this recipe because it gives the cake a super moist, homemade texture and taste. It's this easy:


Buy a box of Betty Crocker's Carrot Cake mix
Follow instructions on the box
Add 3 bananas (two mashed and 1 diced) 
Split between two loaf pans and bake according to directions

So moist, perfect if you pair it
with a fresh cup of coffee 

ENJOY!!!!

This loaf is done in no time and tastes fantastic! So, if your looking to get cozy and warm things up, baking is always a great solution. Can't beat the smell of fresh baked goodies as it spreads throughout your home. It puts your heart at ease and you begin to feel perfectly content.

xoxo

Friendship Soup

I recently discovered this FANTASTIC idea, thanks to such wonderful and creative friends of ours! This is an easy project you can do yourself and perfect for this month's thankfulness theme. Friendship soup is such an inexpensive, creative and thoughtful gift to give a good friend or family member! I know I appreciated it when I recieved it, it's such a fabulous idea! 

Here is what you will need:


- a mason jar
- 1/2 cup of dry split peas
- 1/3 cup of beef bouillon granules
- 1/4 cup pearl barley
- 1/2 cup dry lentils
- 1/4 cup dried minced onions
- 2 tsp italian sea salt
-  1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice


Put the ingredients into the mason jar in order (carefully so you can see the nice layers). You can make the jar nice and pretty too, but that's up to you! You should also type the below section out on nice card stock and include it with the jar. It's important your gift comes with instructions! 


Additional ingredients needed:


- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 quarts water
- 1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes, undrained


Here's what you do:


- Invite some friends over for dinner
- Brown the ground beef (add whatever spices you would like or can handle!)
- Put everything in a large pot and bring to boil
- Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour
- Enjoy with some fresh bread and good conversation!

Hope you give this a try during the holiday! I may have to make a few to give out! 

xoxo