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holiday gift guide

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It was fun putting together a holiday gift guide this year. These are some of our favourites and sure to be a hit with the foodies in your life.

Robert Rose Cookbooks

Can anyone really have too many cookbooks? Robert Rose has so many great titles out there for the variety of people on your list. From the Best of Bridge to Spiralizer Recipes, there is definitely something for everyone. These books are also filled with so much inspiration for holiday entertaining. Check out their titles: http://www.robertrose.ca/books

Urban Bonfire

Around here, outdoor grilling is a year round activity. We don’t let the snow stop us from firing up the bbq to enjoy a juicy steak and some beef short ribs. Urban Bonfire has you covered for all your grilling needs. From grill accessories to  spices, they have your grillmaster covered.

We loved their spices! We tried their Tico, which was amazing on salmon and and we tried the Montreal Steak Spice which was so delicious. Check them out online at http://www.urbanbonfire.com/.

Yonanas 

Let’s face it, the holidays are a time of over indulgence. Yonanas helps you enjoy a sweet snack without the guilt. The machine makes ice cream out of frozen bananas! No sugar, no cream, just plain bananas and you have yourself a sweet treat. The resulting ice cream is creamy and sweet and the kids loved it! Hubby loved that the soft serve was lactose free. Find out more here: http://yonanas.com/

Cococo Chocolatiers

The holidays require chocolate and only the best will do. Cococo Chocolatiers, owners of Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut® is a real treat for anyone on your gift list. With a wide variety of award-winning chocolate available, anyone would be happy to receive a box. My favourite are the salted caramels. So delicious! The company is opening a new storefront in the international terminal of the Calgary airport allowing people from everywhere to taste their deliciousness. You can order online at http://www.bernardcallebaut.com/.

Edo Japan

Life is busy and sometimes between all the kids’ activities, we need to grab a quick meal. Edo is a favourite for all of us. It’s tasty, healthy and quick and the kids love it! I think anyone would be thrilled to get a gift card from Edo Japan: http://www.edojapan.com

Want to win a gift card for yourself? Enter below. Let us know what’s on your wish list this year! Contest closes on Sunday, December 13th, 2015 at 11:59pm.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

chicken chili

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The days are getting cold and all we want to eat around here is something warm and comforting. This chicken chili hits the spot! I’m always looking for ways to use up leftover chicken, whether it be bbq’d or rotisserie and this is the perfect way to do it.

This chili tastes great if you let it simmer on the stove for a while, let all the ingredients come together. The house will smell incredible and be filled with warmth. Perfect for these cold days.

Chicken Chili

2 pounds cooked chicken, shredded
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cans (540mL) mixed beans
1 can (796 mL) crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp paprika
1 TB olive oil
1/2 cup water
salt
pepper
chili powder, as desired

In a large pot, add oil and cook the onions and carrots until softened. Add the chicken, beans, tomatoes and spices along with the water and let simmer for 30 – 45 minutes. Top with cheese and cilantro.

1 can mixed beans, drained
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 – 4 tablespoons chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup water – See more at: https://foodmamma.com/2010/09/comforting-slow-cooker-chili.html#sthash.Bl7junxS.dpuf

carrot cake

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Today is my mom’s birthday. She is a special person, always doing what she can for all of us. She doesn’t ask for anything. The least I could do was make her a cake.
This moist cake is warm from the cinnamon and packed with nuts
because that’s what she loves. And since there’s carrots, we can
convince ourselves that it’s okay to eat because we are eating our
veggies.

Carrot Cake

2 cups carrots, grated
1 cup oil
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup almonds, chopped

In a blender, mix together the carrots, oil and eggs. Transfer to a bowl and add the dry ingredients. Carefully fold in the nuts. Put batter into a 9″ cake pan and bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.  Top with cream cheese icing and nuts.

choco banana nut muffins

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My first instinct when I see a bunch of ripe bananas is to make banana bread. I decided to change it up a little today and make some muffins. It’s always nice to have something baked for school lunches or for an afternoon treat.

These muffins feature bananas and are complemented with chocolate chips, coconut and pecans. It made the perfect after school snack!

Choco Banana Nut Muffins

1/2 butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup pecans

Cream the butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Add the flour and baking soda and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients until well mixed. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes.

green papaya and carrot salad

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It seems like everyone lately has been spiralizing their veggies. Who could blame them? Any way to make veggies a little more exciting, especially to the kiddos, is always welcomed around here.

I received the Microplane Spiral Cutter recently and was excited to play with my food.  It was like a big sharpener but for your veggies. Zucchini made nice long noodles to substitute for pasta. Long strands of carrots were more fun to eat than a big carrot stick.

This is my submission for their blogger recipe contest. This green papaya and carrot salad makes the perfect side to accompany pretty much anything. We paired it with some bbq’d beef and it was fresh and flavourful.

Green Papaya and Carrot Salad

1/2 green papaya, spiralized
3 large carrots, spiralized
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup green beans
1 1/2 TB fish sauce
1 clove garlic, grated
1 lime, juiced
2 TB palm sugar
1/4 cup peanuts

In a large bowl, combine the spiralized papaya, carrots, tomatoes and green beans. In a separate bowl, combine the fish sauce, garlic, lime juice and sugar. Pour over the vegetables and combine until incorporated. Top with peanuts and enjoy!

pumpkin cinnamon rolls

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I don’t cook often with pumpkin but for some reason, I got it in my head that I had to make some pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls are one of Q’s favourites so he was totally on board and couldn’t wait to help.

I loved working with this dough – so smooth. It was easy to roll out and then cover in butter, sugar and spices. The house smelled amazing as they baked and we couldn’t wait to smother them in cream cheese icing before digging in. Q loved these, saying that these may be better than the original.

 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

2/3 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 TB ground cinnamon
1 TB all spice
1/2 cup butter, softened

Microwave the milk for 45 to 60 seconds. Then, dissolve yeast in warm milk in a large bowl. Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, pumpkin and flour. Mix well. Allow the dough to come together with the dough hook of the mixer.

Put the ball of dough into a bowl that is sprayed with cooking spray.  Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for roughly 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.

In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, all spice and cinnamon. Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a rectangle.  Spread the softened butter on the dough and then sprinkle with the sugar and spice mix.

Roll up the dough starting with the longer side and cut into rolls. Place the cinnamon rolls in a lightly greased rectangular pan. Let the rolls rise another 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degree.  Once your cinnamon rolls have risen, bake them in the preheated oven until golden brown, approximately 18 to 20 minutes.

Eat warm as is or with some delicious cream cheese frosting.

1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened

Microwave the milk for 45 to 60 seconds. Then, dissolve yeast in warm
milk in a large bowl. Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour. Mix
well. Allow the dough to come together with the dough hook of the mixer.

Put the ball of dough into a bowl that is sprayed with cooking spray.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place
for roughly 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a 16 x 21″ rectangle.  Spread
the softened butter on the dough and then sprinkle with brown sugar and
cinnamon.

Roll up the dough starting with the longer side and cut into 12 cinnamon
rolls (or more smaller rolls, if you prefer). To even out the
rectangle, I cut off all the edges and the scraps made an additional 12
mini rolls.

Place the cinnamon rolls in a lightly greased rectangular pan. Let the rolls rise another 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degree.  Once your cinnamon rolls have risen, bake
them in the preheated oven until golden brown, approximately 18 to 20
minutes.

Eat warm as is or with some delicious cream cheese frosting. – See more at: https://foodmamma.com/2012/05/after-discovering-last-month-qs-love-of.html#sthash.4jLTxXmR.dpuf

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q the foodie

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We celebrated Q’s birthday on Friday. Hard to believe that my little guy is already 7 years old. Seems like just yesterday that he was born! He’s turned into quite the little man. He is warm and loving and the best big brother, taking great care of Z. He has developed quite the palate and is a huge fan of sushi. To celebrate, we went to his favourite place, Kinjo!

Since the summer, Q has been wanting to create his own food blog. Q the Foodie was launched on Friday and I hope that you will check it out. Q is hoping to document his food adventures.