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chocolate chip, coconut, pecan banana bread

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I have a new helper in the kitchen. The little guy is always eager to see what’s cooking and to help out in any way possible. Z is 21 months and lately, when he thinks I’ll be doing something in the stand mixer, he pulls the chair to the counter, ready with measuring cups so that he can pour things in.

This morning we made banana bread, using up ripe bananas that we wanted to put to good use. We loaded up the batter with pecans, chocolate chips and coconut. The resulting bread was moist and full of character. We cut into it while it was still hot, it was too hard to resist!

Chocolate Chip, Coconut, Pecan Banana Bread

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup flaked coconut

Cream margarine and sugar together.  Once combined, add eggs and vanilla.  Next, mix in the dry ingredients – flour and baking soda.  Add the mashed bananas, sour cream along with the chocolate chips, pecans and coconut.

Add the batter to a loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

candied pecans

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At our house, we are nuts for nuts. Like all kinds of nuts. One of my favourites though is pecans. I was looking for a way to perk up my salad and thought candied pecans would be perfect.

The coating is light and crispy and I loved the addition of the cinnamon and salt. They provided the perfect crunch that I needed for my salad but they were also great for snacking on. These are so good and very addictive. You have been warned.

Candied Pecans

1 cup pecan halves
1 egg white
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Beat the egg white until frothy. Add the pecans, cinnamon and salt and mix until coated. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes.

oven baked crispy chicken wings

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I’m a sucker for chicken wings. The crispier and saucier, the better. They are the perfect appetizer (no cutlery!), take very little prep time and a great vehicle for some tasty sauce.

For anyone who tries these crispy wings, they won’t even
know that they are baked! They are super easy to prepare, just throw a few things together and throw them in the oven. Place wings in a bowl, add some corn starch, salt and pepper until the wings are coated. Place on a greased cookie sheet and then spray with some cooking spray. Cook at 375 degrees until cooked. For about ten wings, I added a couple tablespoons of corn starch. The wings baked for approximately 45 minutes.

Once the wings are done, sprinkle some salt and eat as is or toss them in your favourite sauce. Gochujang are Q’s favourite so I tossed the wings in some bibimbap sauce – so so good!

berry banana smoothie

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With all the smoothies we have been experimenting with, one thing has been clear – Q’s not a fan of the green ones. They may taste great, but the colour to him is just off putting. Z on the other hand will drink anything, he’s more about the taste than the visual appeal.

This berry banana smoothie is a hit with everyone. The blackberries and strawberries along with the banana make a great combination. The banana along with some yogurt and milk make this drink super creamy and so delicious.

Berry Banana Smoothie

1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 banana
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup milk
Ice

Blend until smooth.

cardamom shortbread

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Check out my guest post over at Spicy Eggplant for Cardamom Shortbread. I was excited to come up with something sweet and filled with spice. I love the addition of cardamom to these buttery cookies. The ground
spice is very aromatic and provides a distinct flavour, with the
pistachios providing the perfect match and garnish to the shortbread. Check out Ginni’s site for the recipe!

banana, strawberry and clementine smoothie

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Our smoothie kick continues! Q loves the combination of strawberries and bananas so that’s the flavours we went with today. I added a clementine for some citrus zing and added milk and yogurt to make this creamy concoction.

For some more smoothie inspiration, check out this board on Pinterest.

Banana, Strawberry and Clementine Smoothie

1 banana
1/2 cup strawberries
1 clementine
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup ice

Blend and enjoy!

resolutions, ninjas and green smoothies

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January is here and we are back to school and back to routine. I try and stay away from resolutions, they always seem short-lived. There is something that needed implementing around here though, and the new year seems like the best place to start. Although we eat fruits and vegetables, I really needed us to have more. Keeping plates of cut fruits and veggies out has helped. No one can resist snacking if it’s right there, ready and waiting. Salads are an easy way to add veggies but they can become boring. Smoothies seem like the best way to add a whole whack of nutrients, changing it up everyday so that there is variety.

To help with this goal, the folks at Ninja sent me their Nutri Ninja Auto-IQ Compact System. If I could choose one word to describe this machine, it would be power. I loved watching it break down spinach and grind ice into a smooth refreshing drink. With this Ninja, you have a nutrient and vitamin extractor as well as a high performance blender – it pulverizes any vegetable or seed. On top of all that, it comes with a Blend and Prep bowl, making this powerful blender into a full food processor. Hubby’s quite happy about this fact, hoping to get rid of a few of my appliances.

I loved this recipe for a refreshing green smoothie. With apples, lemon and ginger, along with a big helping of spinach, this drink was pretty delicious. I never thought I’d say that about a spinach smoothie! Watch for more smoothie recipes over the next couple of weeks and check out this board on Pinterest for inspiration.

Disclaimer – I was sent a Nutri Ninja Auto-IQ Compact System to try out and keep. All opinions are my own.

Sweet Spinach Detox
From Ninja

1 green apple, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
1/4 lemon, peeled, seeds removed
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup ice

Place all ingredients into the 24-ounce Tritan Nutri Ninja in the order listed.
Select Auto-IQ™ BLEND.

copycat p.f. chang’s mongolian beef

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I love love love P. F. Chang’s. If there’s a city that I visit that has the restaurant, you can be sure that I will visit it at least once (maybe twice) while I’m there. I love the Asian dishes that they have and there really is something for everyone.

When I found this copycat recipe of P. F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef, I could not wait to try it! I am so thankful that Tiffany had it on her blog. It was easy to make and the sauce was soooo good. It was pretty close to the real thing. As mentioned on her blog, the recipe makes way more sauce than you need but it’s perfect for anything really. I still have some left over which I might use with some chicken.

Until I can get to P. F. Chang’s, this dish is delicious and satisfying!

Copycat P. F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
From Creme de la Crumb

1 pound stir fry beef strips

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1 TB corn starch
1 TB soya sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 TB oil

4 tsp oil
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 TB minced garlic
1 cup soya sauce
1 cup water
1 2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 TB corn starch
3 TB water

green onions
sesame seeds

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Pour into a zip-lock back with beef strips, seal and chill 1 hour or overnight.

Drain marinade from zip-lock and set beef aside.

In a medium sauce pan combine sauce ingredients. Stir and heat over medium high heat until brown sugar has dissolved. While sauce is cooking, whisk together corn starch and water in a small bowl until corn starch is dissolved. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and stir in corn starch-water mixture. Allow sauce to thicken slightly, then remove from heat.

In a large pan or skillet, cook beef strips over medium high heat until cooked through (5-8 mins) turning strips over throughout to ensure even cooking, reduce heat to medium. add ½-1 cup of sauce. Stir and cook 1-2 minutes longer. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

happy new year!

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Happy New Year!! Wishing you all a year filled with peace, happiness and love. May your days be spent with genuine people, creating lasting memories and may your adventures be delicious ones.


These glasses filled with sparkling apple juice and gummy bears by my friend S were a fun touch for New Year’s Eve celebrations.