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peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

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These. Are. Amazing. When you can’t decide what kind of cookie to have, this is the perfect one. It incorporates peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate. It’s crispy and chewy all at the same time.  Absolute perfection.

Q and I had a free afternoon and we spent some time in the kitchen making these cookies. Really, any excuse to help mamma with a recipe that includes chocolate, Q will take it. We measure and mix and talk about the day. I’m not sure which reward is greater, time in the kitchen with my little guy or sharing cookies with him after they are out of the oven.

I was happy to have these cookies on hand when we had a fire on our block. The fire started in the morning and unfortunately the house a few doors down was destroyed. The firefighters were amazing and stayed around for most of the day, ensuring that all the hot spots were extinguished.  These cookies provided them with a sweet treat after battling the flames and smoke.

The recipe is from Skinny Not Skinny and is amazing! I have written the recipe as halved, more for myself, so that I don’t end up with more than 30 cookies at one time. It’s too dangerous! I have also reduced the amount of chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted From Skinny Not Skinny

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oatmeal (quick or old fashioned oats)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream the margarine, peanut butter, and sugars in a mixer. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix. Combine the flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt and add to the cream mixture.  Add chips to the dough and mix by hand.

Scoop the dough into 1″ balls and slightly flatten.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes and then enjoy with a tall glass of milk.

turkey chili

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When given a choice, Q would rather have a home cooked meal over eating out. He doesn’t like the usual things you can find on a kids menu. Chicken strips and mac and cheese, forget about it. A bowl full of chili though, and he’s a happy camper.

I tweaked my original chili recipe, omitting chili powder all together and adding more of everything else to ensure a flavourful bowl of goodness. With everything thrown into the slow cooker the night before, we have a hearty lunch ready in the morning with hardly any effort.

You know its a great recipe when my picky little guy asks for seconds. Q likes his topped with cheese, lots of it. It’s also great with some sour cream and green onions or over a baked potato.

Turkey Chili

2 pounds ground turkey, browned and drained
2, 19 oz cans of mixed beans, drained
1, 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 TB olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and mix thoroughly.
Cook on low for 8 hours. Top with cheese, onions or sour cream.

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and mix thoroughly.
Cook on low for 8 hours. – See more at: http://www.foodmamma.com/2010/09/comforting-slow-cooker-chili.html#sthash.Xk50XJIz.dpuf

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and mix thoroughly.
Cook on low for 8 hours. – See more at: http://www.foodmamma.com/2010/09/comforting-slow-cooker-chili.html#sthash.Xk50XJIz.dpuf
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and mix thoroughly.
Cook on low for 8 hours. – See more at: http://www.foodmamma.com/2010/09/comforting-slow-cooker-chili.html#sthash.Xk50XJIz.dpuf
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and mix thoroughly.
Cook on low for 8 hours. – See more at: http://www.foodmamma.com/2010/09/comforting-slow-cooker-chili.html#sthash.Xk50XJIz.dpuf
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and mix thoroughly.
Cook on low for 8 hours. – See more at: http://www.foodmamma.com/2010/09/comforting-slow-cooker-chili.html#sthash.Xk50XJIz.dpuf
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and mix thoroughly.
Cook on low for 8 hours. – See more at: http://www.foodmamma.com/2010/09/comforting-slow-cooker-chili.html#sthash.Xk50XJIz.dpuf

cauliflower curry

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I’ve been trying to keep the fridge stocked with cut veggies, so that there are always healthy snacks on hand. The carrots and broccoli and the snap peas and red peppers, are all happily enjoyed, being dipped in hummus or yogurt. The cauliflower always seems to get left behind. I was tempted to make the cauliflower bread sticks but knew Indian flavours would make hubby pretty happy.

I played with the flavours and the end result was a success! The fragrant veggies are perfect eaten on their own or with a bowl of basmati rice.

Cauliflower Curry

Oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 head cauliflower
2 – 3 tomatoes, cubed
1 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup water

Heat some oil in a pan and add in the mustard and cumin seeds. When they start popping, add in the cauliflower, tomatoes and spices. Stir so that the cauliflower is well coated. Add the water and cover with a lid.  Cook until the cauliflower is tender and the water has evaporated.

beef ribs with blueberry bbq sauce

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Fall is here! You can feel the chill in the air and see the leaves changing colour.  It really is a beautiful time of year.

I’m still holding on to summer though, and thinking about how we took advantage of all the summer fruits in our meals. We tried to use them in as many things as possible.  Blueberries were used in one of my favourite recipes this summer – blueberry bbq sauce!

I think it was all the yummy BBQ I smelled but it was at the Stampede that I thought I wanted to incorporate blueberries into a bbq sauce. Hubby indulged me and we went right away to stock up on blueberries so that I could play in the kitchen. We also stocked up on ribs, thinking it may be a good vehicle for the sauce.

A little mix of sweet and savoury, this bbq sauce turned out better than I had imagined. It tasted really great in an ooey gooey grilled cheese sandwich. It went amazingly with the big beefy ribs that were cooked in the slow cooker until they were tender and then finished off on the grill. 

I froze some blueberries just so that I could enjoy this sauce later in the year.

Bluberry BBQ Sauce

1/2 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint blueberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 TB coriander
1 TB cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika

Heat olive oil in a pan
over medium heat. Cook the onions and garlic until softened.Add blueberries, sugar, vinegar, ketchup and spices and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced. Let cool slightly and and then puree in a blender.

Slow Cooker Beef Ribs

Cut a rack of beef ribs into pieces. Smother each rib with the bbq sauce and place in a slow cooker. Add enough water to cover the ribs and let them cook on low for eight hours until the meat is almost falling off the bones. Glaze each rib with more bbq sauce and cook on the grill until they are nicely charred and the sauce is caramelized.

win tickets to the calgary home and design show!

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It’s that time of year again! Time for the Calgary Home and Design Show. This is a fun event for the whole family! Whether looking for ideas on how to decorate your new home or looking for ways to redesign and update your current one, the show is filled with loads of ideas. There are lots of talented designers and TV personalities with fun and original ideas.

There are also lots of cooking events, my favourite part! These include cooking challenges, Food Truck throwdowns and demos from our cities beloved foodies. When hunger hits, the Food Trucks will be there to fill our bellies.

Even Q likes to go to the show, especially on family day.  This year, family day includes special performances from Peter the Puffin, kid-friendly cooking lessons from Crave Cupcakes, and a scavenger hunt. There’s also face painting and tattos, and so much fun for kids of all ages.

The show starts this Thursday and ends on Sunday. Times are:
Thursday, September 19: 4PM to 9PM; Friday, September 20: 12PM to 9PM; Saturday, September 21: 12PM to 9PM; Sunday, September 22: 10AM to 9PM.

Want to win tickets to the show?  With so many ways to enter, it’s easy! Just write a comment, send me a tweet or leave a comment of Facebook. Deadline to enter is Wednesday at 6pm.

back to school with tickety toc

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Q starting kindergarten seemed to be a milestone that was so far away and here we are. After meeting his teacher last week, he had his first real day today and he loved it. He even thanked us for putting him in school! Let’s hope this enthusiasm lasts over the years.

Time is just flying by so I know that our upcoming family trip that we have booked will come in no time. We are counting down the days until we take our first Disney cruise! Hubby and I have cruised before but we are looking forward to this fun adventure with Q. If you hear me mentioning all things Disney over the next little while, now you know why.  There seem to be many tips and tricks and I spend countless hours researching them. There’s no doubt that I’m the one who’s most excited.

While tv time was once dedicated to Treehouse, we are now spending time watching the Disney channel and Q has found some new favourites – Special Agent Osso, Bananas in Pyjamas and Tickety Toc.

Tickety Toc follows the fast-paced adventures of many characters as they race against time to keep the clock ticking and chime in time. Tickety Toc explores concepts of teamwork, social responsibility and problem solving in a fun and engaging way.

For the first time in Canada, colorful new licensed long-sleeve tops and cozy sleepwear feature a range of unique designs and showcase the popular characters from the series. The full line of Tickety Toc apparel and sleepwear is now
exclusively available at Walmart stores nationwide, with select styles
available online at Walmart.ca. The high quality shirt was comfortable and Q had fun wearing it. Perfect for back to school.

Want to win a top for your little one? Enter here by leaving a comment about back to school.  A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, September 13th at noon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure – A Tickety Toc shirt was sent to me for review. The opinions on this blog are my own.