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2 ingredient cookies and GLAD

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It’s been a fun couple of weeks baking for the season. From shortbread
to palmiers to Christmas crack, we have been busy in the kitchen.

GLAD sent me some of their seasonal items which are perfect for holiday
baking! The practical containers and bags made festive with snowmen and
mittens are great for wrapping up goodies, either for yourself or as gifts.

With only two days until Christmas, these 2 ingredient cookies paired with GLAD holiday-themed products are a sanity saver! These limited edition designs are perfect for carrying these chocolate
chip peanut butter cup cookies. These cookies are super easy and perfect for last minute baking!

This post has been sponsored by GLAD. All opinions are my own

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1 tube chocolate chip cookie dough
1 bag mini Reese peanut butter cups

Put little chunks of dough into a mini cupcake tin and bake as per
instructions. When the cookies are done, make a small indentation in the
middle. After cooling for five minutes, add a peanut butter cup in the
middle.

setting the mood for the holidays

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It’s always fun to have a party that stands out from the crowd. For me, it’s not about being over the top, just the small touches that engage guests and leave a lasting impression. Nouwee sent me a couple products which I fell in love with and so did our friends.

Nouwee is a Canadian company based in Quebec. Their mission is to create unique and magical moments to share with your friends and family. 

One of the products that we loved were the Luminous Balloons. As seen on The Dragon’s Den, these balloons have little LED lights which stay illuminated for 20 hours. We turned out the lights and let the kids play with the balloons, with the lights from the Christmas tree as a backdrop. The colours are vibrant and the balloons created a really fun atmosphere.

We also loved the Santa Lantern! The kids wrote a note to Santa and attached it to the mini hot air balloon. We all headed outside and watched the lantern fill with hot air and then float away into the distance. It was definitely a memorable night!

There is still time to get these for your Christmas or New Year’s party. Check out where you can get them at www.nouwee.com.

Nouwee sent me these great products for review. Opinions are my own.

top ten holiday comfort foods

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It’s my favourite time of year! Christmas is not a religious holiday for us but we love to celebrate it! I love putting up the tree and sitting in the dark watching the lights reflect off the ornaments. I love driving around and seeing how people have decorated their houses. Most of all, I love spending time with family and friends. These gatherings ALWAYS include delicious, comforting food.

I recently partnered with Del Monte (the makers of premium canned vegetables and so much more) to share some fun stats on what people love to eat during the holidays. They just published their Del Monte Comfort Food Index, which ranked the Top 10 Holiday Comfort Foods.

Potatoes (mashed or scalloped):  84% (percent who feel “comfort” by eating the food)

Pie:  82%

Baked goods (cookies & muffins):  81%

Macaroni & cheese:  75%

Cake:  71%

Casserole:  69%

Stews and hearty soups:  68%

Meatballs (with or without pasta:  65%

Sweet potatoes (mashed or cut):  61%

Cornbread:  60%

It is definitely not surprising that potatoes, pies and baked goods are on the top of the list. All of our faves!

Going through the Del Monte America’s Recipe site, I was inspired by the recipes that are available. A few stand out, which I’m hoping to make in the next couple of weeks.  I recently tried my hand at scalloped potatoes and loved them. I’m looking forward to trying out the skinny version on the Del Monte site. I also want to try out the Green Bean Casserole. I love the idea of putting fried onions on top!

Check out the site and comment below on which Del Monte holiday comfort recipes you’d like to try!

Although this post has been sponsored by Del Monte, all opinions are my own.

scalloped potatoes

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One of hubby’s favourite sides is scalloped potatoes. For some reason, I always thought it would be more time consuming than mashed potatoes so it was never a priority for me to make. This year, I thought I’d give it a whirl with this recipe from Canadian Living.  I didn’t realize how easy this was! I used lactose free milk which was cooked with garlic and thyme and poured onto thinly sliced potatoes. It didn’t take long to prepare and the resulting potatoes were creamy and perfect for our Sunday Supper.

Scalloped Potatoes
Adapted from Canadian Living

1.5 pounds potatoes, sliced
1/4 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp thyme, chopped
salt
pepper
2 1/2 cups milk

In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; cook garlic, stirring, for 1 minute. Add flour, thyme, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Gradually whisk in milk; cook, whisking constantly, until boiling and thickened, about 8 minutes.

Arrange the potatoes in a baking dish. Pour sauce over top, allowing the sauce to completely cover the potatoes.

Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Uncover and bake until lightly browned and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. 

eat a little, give a lot and win with Edo Japan

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We love Edo Japan around here, so much so that they were included in this year’s Holiday Gift Guide. Not only do they have great food (we love their Sukiyaki Beef and Salmon Rolls), they are committed to ‘Simply Better Giving’
and support of local Canadian food banks. Last year, Edo raised
over $75,000 for food banks across the country and with 850,000
Canadians using food banks each month, it’s never been more important to
give back! Edo is hoping to top their donation from 2014 – the Edo Elves will be making multiple appearances to
spread holiday cheer and remind Edo fans that Edo will be donating 25
cents to local food banks for every spring roll sold from now until
early January 2016. Eat a spring roll, help the food bank – sounds like a win win to me.

Want to win a $50 gift card to Edo Japan. Let me know how you are giving back to the community. Are you donating to the food bank, volunteering your time, buying a spring roll? I’d love to know!

See how to enter below.  Entries must be received by January 1st at midnight. The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email before another winner is selected. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

mint chocolate whipped shortbread

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My favourite flavours of the holidays are chocolate and peppermint. Whether it be in the form of a hot drink or a dessert, I’m not picky. One staple during the holidays is whipped shortbread. It’s quick to make and always a hit with family and friends. It was about time the two favourites were combined! I chopped up some mint chocolates and added it to the shortbread batter. The result was a buttery chocolatey minty bite that just melts in your mouth. Perfect for cookie exchanges!

Mint Chocolate Whipped Shortbread

1 cup butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup of mint chocolate or peppermint chocolate chips

Cream the butter and icing sugar together.  Add the flour and beat for 10 minutes.  Stir in the chocolate and make into small balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes around 40 cookies

maple roasted carrots

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We bought some maple syrup on the weekend and I’m resisting the urge to pour it on everything. I figure roasting carrots with it would be okay though, seeing as how its veggies. That’s good justification, right? This was a hit with the kids and we will need to make it again very soon!

The syrup caramelizes the carrots making them sweet and delicious while the salt makes them a bit savoury. This makes the perfect vegetable side dish for turkey dinner. 

Maple Roasted Carrots

1 bunch carrots
1 TB olive oil
1 TB maple syrup
few sprigs of thyme
salt

Place the carrots on a baking sheet. Drizzle the oil and maple syrup on the carrots and let them roll around. Sprinkle with salt and add a few sprigs of thyme. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

lavender lemon curd

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It’s the time for giving and there’s nothing better than giving something that you have taken the time to make. Around here, we do a lot of baking. From cookies to tarts to Christmas crack, there is something for everyone.

If you’re looking for something a little different, this Lavender Lemon Curd is the perfect thing! Lavender and lemon make a great combination and they work well together in this luscious curd.

Either on it’s own or paired with some shortbread, the floral citrus curd will definitely stand out. We love to eat it with fresh baked scones. This homemade gift is sure to please any citrus lover on your list!

Lavender Lemon Curd

3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp lavender
1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and lavender and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.

Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

slow cooker beef ribs

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The slow cooker is always welcomed around here, especially on the weekend. It’s nice to dump things in in the morning, enjoy our day as a family and still sit down to a great home cooked meal. A couple weeks ago, we enjoyed these beef ribs with fig bbq sauce. These saucy ribs are tender and fall off the bone. Easy and tasty – perfect for a busy Sunday.

 
 Slow Cooker Beef Ribs
1 pound beef short ribs
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 TB fig spread
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp paprika
salt
pepper
1 cup water

Pat the ribs dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat some oil in a pan and sear the meat on all sides. Place in slow cooker. In the same pan, add a little more oil and add garlic and onions until softened. Add the ketchup, vinegar, fig spread and spices and cook for a few minutes. Add the water and pour the sauce over the ribs. Cook in the slow cooker on low for six to eight hours.
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 TB fig spread
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 poblano pepper, roasted
salt
pepper
oil
sriracha, as hot as you like it

Heat some oil in a pan and add the onions and garlic. Add the ketchup,
vinegar, fig spread and spices and cook for a few minutes. Add the
mixture to a blender along with the pepper and sriracha. – See more at:

http://www.foodmamma.com/2015/09/yyc-pizza-week-blogger-challenge.html#sthash.BgiEKbV9.dpuf