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Win a Zanzibar Pepper Mill from Peugeot!

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Today’s giveaway is for the Zanzibar Pepper Mill made by Peugeot. This sleek pepper mill was created to offer a flight of peppercorns at the table.

Zanzibar Pepper Mill

This is perfect for the foodie or the gadget lover! The pepper mill comes with three interchangeable compartments with premium peppercorns.

Named after the Spice Islands off the Tanzanian coast, the Peugeot Mill is made in France and offers six pre-defined settings.

Want to win one for your table?  Enter below!

Contest closes on December 17th at 11:59PM MST. The winner will have 24 hours to respond. The winner will have to be able to meet for the prize, in the Calgary area. Good luck!

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win a $50 gift card to Starbelly

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A gift card for a dinner at a great restaurant makes the perfect gift. Here’s a chance for you to win a gift card to Starbelly, either for you or someone on your list.

win

Located in Seton, Starbelly is a gourmet-casual restaurant located in Calgary’s new south urban district.

Starbelly recently welcomed Paul McGreevy to the team as Executive Chef, alongside the launch of it’s new menu. After working at Michelin-starred restaurants, bakeries and cafes throughout Europe, Paul McGreevy returned home to Calgary. Chef McGreevy’s passion for seasonal and sustainable dishes will shine through in Starbelly’s new menu.

Earlier this year, the restaurant lost it’s Executive Chef, Jonathan Sobol in a car accident. Chef Sobol played a huge role in shaping Starbelly and his vision for the restaurant will continue.

See below for the various ways to enter. Contest closes on December 16th at 11:59MST. The winner will have 24 hours to respond. Good luck!

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Edo a Little, Help a Lot…and win!

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Edo is once again making the holiday season Simply Better with their ‘Edo a Little, Help a Lot’ campaign.  Like last year, Edo will be supporting Canada food banks by donating 25 cents for every spring roll sold during the holiday season. Edo raised over $74,000 for food banks across the county last year – that’s a lot of spring rolls!

Edo Simply Better

This year, Edo Japan will be hosting ‘Double Up Day’ on December 10, doubling their donations for each spring roll sold. We love Edo and any excuse to eat there, I’ll take it!

Want to win a $25 gift card to Edo Japan? Keep it for yourself or use it as a stocking stuffer – it makes the perfect gift!

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2016 Holiday Gift Guide

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Hard to believe it’s already December and Christmas is only 20 days away. If you’re still looking for the perfect gift, here are some ideas. You can also get a hint at some of the giveaways happening throughout the week.

Please note, some of these items are sponsored, some are not, but all are my personal opinions and recommendations. This post contains affiliate links.

Holiday Gift Guide

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Candy Cane Kissed Chocolate Chip Cookies and a Cookie Collaboration

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I love the holidays! The lights, the gatherings, Santa…and the baking! It’s the season for butter tarts, chocolates and cookies. Lots of cookies.

These candy cane kissed chocolate chip cookies take a tried and true recipe doctored up a bit for the season . Holiday chips, in red, white and green with a slight minty taste, are added to the batter with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Candy Cane Kisses adorn the tops of the cookies once they come out of the oven. A classic with a holiday spin.

Candy Cane Kissed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’m happy to be participating in a very special Canadian Cookie Collaboration between the Canadian Food Creatives and the Canadian Christmas Cookie Exchange. #CDNFoodCreatives

Cookie Collaboration

Visit these Canadian Bloggers to save all of these sweet holiday cookie recipes:

Candy Cane Kissed Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup holiday baking chips
  • 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 24-30 Candy Cane Hershey's Kisses

Instructions

  1. Combine the sugars and butter and beat until well combined.
  2. Add the egg and vanilla.
  3. Add the flour, corn starch, baking soda and salt until combined.
  4. Add the two types of chips and mix slowly until incorporated.
  5. Using a small cookie scoop, place dough on a lined cookie sheet.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes until the cookies are done.
  7. Wait for 5 minutes and then add one kiss on each cookie.
  8. Let cool.
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https://foodmamma.com/2016/12/candy-cane-kissed-chocolate-chip-cookies/

funfetti cupcakes

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Today is my mom’s better and what better way to celebrate than with Funfetti Cupcakes. The plain cake with splotches of rainbow throughout the cake is the perfect cake for both the young and the young at heart. It’s also super easy to make!

Funfetti Cupcakes

Just take your favourite plain cake recipe. My go-to is the sour cream cake, which I make quite often. Then add some rainbow sprinkles which is the key to making this colourful cake. You have to make sure that you use the long sprinkles and not the round nonpareils which won’t melt and give you the same effect.

Funfetti Cupcakes Interior

I topped these cupcakes with my favourite buttercream and it was a hit.

Happy Birthday Mom! We love you!

Funfetti Cupcakes
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Combine the butter and sugar and beat for a couple of minutes.
  2. Add the vanilla and eggs until incorporated.
  3. Add the sour cream.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture.
  5. Add the rainbow sprinkles until incorporated.
  6. Put batter into prepared muffin cups.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
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https://foodmamma.com/2016/11/funfetti-cupcakes/

roasted chicken and veggies

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With life being so busy, sometimes it’s just easy to pick up a roasted chicken from the store. It’s cheap and tasty and goes a long way. When I have the time though, it’s always nice to make it at home, changing up the seasonings depending on what everyone feels like that day. This recipe is a simple one, with minimal prep time.

Roasted chicken and veggies

I like to roast the chicken on a bed of vegetables. I love the flavour the juices from the chicken adds to the veggies. They become soft and caramelized and something that no one in this household can resist. Even the ones who aren’t too fond of veggies will happily gobble these up. I also toss in cloves of garlic with the vegetables because, well, roasted garlic! What you use can vary but I always try to include carrots, onions and potatoes. This time I added butternut squash and brussel sprouts as well, which roasted and caramelized so nicely.

This one pan meal is definitely something to have in your back pocket. For a filling mid-week meal or a cozy Sunday supper, its always a crowd pleaser.

roasted chicken and veggies
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Ingredients

  • 1 small chicken
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 lemon, quartered
  • 1 garlic head, halved
  • your choice of vegetables, as much as you want
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 4 sprigs rosemary
  • 1 head of garlic, cloves separated

Instructions

  1. Place all the vegetables at the bottom of a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss. Add the garlic and rosemary.
  2. Fill the cavity of the chicken with garlic and lemon and tie the legs. Brush the chicken with olive oil. Combine the salt, paprika and garlic powder and sprinkle all over the chicken. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.
  3. Roast the chicken in a 375 degree oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the internal temperature reaches 85 degrees Celsius.
  4. Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes before serving.
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https://foodmamma.com/2016/11/roasted-chicken-veggies/

 

ford sustainability

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Last month, I was invited to Ford’s Sustainability Feast at The Calary Zoo. It was an enlightening evening learning about how Ford is making waves with its sustainable practices.

I loved that this place took place after hours at The Calgary Zoo. It was a great location given the Zoo’s efforts in being a sustainable facility.  The dishes that were served featured some of the herbs and vegetables grown in the zoo’s Garden of Eatin’.

We started off in the Enmax Conservatory with appies and drinks followed by the sustainability efforts by Ford. I was surprised to learn about all the food materials that were being tested and incorporated into Ford vehicles. From soybeans to coconut to agave and even tomatoes, Ford is using partnerships with Heinz and Jose Cuervo to incorporate food items and make their vehicles more sustainable.

ford_sustainable_products

We then moved into the Botanical Gardens. The setting was stunning! It is here that we were treated to a four course meal  incorporating items that are used in Ford vehicles.

Our first course was dandelion greens, apple wedges, roasted beets, mulled red wine and sugar cane gastrique with pumpkin seed brittle.  This was served in a homegrown bamboo shoot plate and highlighted dandelion. Dandelion is currently being tested as a natural rubber source.

ford_salad

Our second course was a miso glazed sous vide ling cod, grapefruit segments, coconut yam puree, wilted frisee with a soy custard and soy foam. The soy was the highlight of this dish, as it is used to make the foam in the seats of the vehicles. This has been implemented in every single Ford vehicle in North America.

ford_cod

We had a palate cleanser half way through our dinner, coconut midori sorbet. Coconut is used in trunk liners.

ford_palate

Our third course was a wheat grass smoked veal striploin with potato dauphinoise, vanilla bean sugar cane glaze, microgreens and seasonal vegetables. Sugar cane is currently being tested for durability.

ford_veal

Our final course was a s’mores graham shortbread cookie crumble with a dark chocolate ganache, torched vanilla marshmallows, cellulose ingredient and vanilla gelato. Cellulose is being used to replace glass-filled plastic which weighs less, is produced 30% faster and reduces carbon emissions.

ford_dessert

It was a great evening in a spectacular setting with delicious food. It was so interesting to learn about all the advances that Ford is making and how they are doing their part.