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chocolate cheesecake

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We had a small family get together at my sister-in-law’s new place last weekend.  When we got the invite from her and her hubby, I offered to make dessert, and cheesecake automatically popped into my mind.  It had been a long time since I had eaten cheesecake, let alone made it.  Q decided we should make chocolate and I willingly obliged.

It was a great afternoon with spending time with family and eating good food. Both the kids and the adults kept themselves busy carving pumpkins. The seeds were scooped and roasted making them a perfect snack to go along with all the carving.

I found this recipe on the Hershey’s website.  I didn’t have enough chocolate cookie crumbs so mixed them with graham crumbs and it worked out just fine. The cheesecake was a hit.  This can be made into one big cheesecake or mini ones made in cupcake tins.

Chocolate Cheesecake
Adapted from Hershey’s

1.5 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
6 TB melted butter

1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 packages softened cream cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup cocoa
1 can condensed milk
1 TB vanilla

Add the melted butter into the crumbs and blend well.  Press mixture into bottom of 9″ springform pan.

Melt the butter and mix with cocoa until smooth. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese.  Add cocoa mixture and mix well.  Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Pour batter into pan prepared with the crumb crust.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until set.  Let cool and garnish with whipped cream and chocolate.

rocky mountain wine and food festival

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The Calgary Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival is back today and tomorrow for it’s 15th year.  I know most go for the wine but I am looking forward to the food!  From tuna to brisket, Indian to Mexican, there is something for everyone.  Details are below.  Hope to see you there!!

What: The Calgary Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is back for two days of indulgence, offering a little something for everyone. The Grand Tasting Hall will be bustling with more food and beverage exhibitors than ever before, leaving taste buds seduced and craving more. The Festival offers the opportunity to sample an extensive variety of world-class wine, scotch, premium spirits, import and micro-brewed beer along with gourmet culinary creations from local restaurants, hotels and food purveyors.

Liquor Depot will once again feature an on-site liquor store, where attendees can purchase their favourite finds from the night. Liquor Connect will also be available to demonstrate how LiquorConnect.com can help find sensational sips after the Festival. Additionally, Sunshine Village  will be sponsoring the Grand Prize All-Inclusive Weekend Getaway including two nights’ accommodation at Sunshine Mountain Lodge, VIP parking, $100 gift certificate for food and beverages, a couple’s spa treatment and next day lift tickets.

Who: Wine, spirit and beer enthusiasts, food lovers with healthy appetites will unite to indulge in a tasty selection of mouth-watering delights. It’s a weekend of excitement and flavourful fun for those who are passionate about wine and food.

Why: To celebrate the art of food and beverage creations brought to light by talented local restaurants, hotels and food purveyors, as well as wine, spirit and beer providers. The weekend presents Calgarians with an exclusive night of indulgence, sampling and savouring with friends, family and co-workers alike.                        

When: Friday, October 12, 4-10 p.m; Saturday, October 13, 3-10 p.m.

Where: Stampede Park BMO Centre, Halls D & E  

Tickets are available online at www.rockymountainwine.com

thanksgiving and an apple tart

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Happy Thanksgiving!  Hope everyone had a great weekend enjoying some quality time with their loved ones.  We had a great weekend but boy was it busy!  We celebrated with a feast on Sunday at my in-laws house, after a really crazy day.  That plate full of turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy was a great reward at the end all our running around.

The day started with Q’s first day of hockey, meaning a 6 am wake up time!  It was great though watching his progress on the ice after only an hour.  Hard to believe he’s into hockey already and that I’m a hockey mom!

The afternoon was spent celebrating a dear 2 year old’s birthday.  His mamma pulled out all the stops in making his day special with a Seuss-themed party.

Although our day was crazy, I still wanted to take something for Thanksgiving dinner that evening.  Only having about a half an hour in the morning, I searched for something quick. I found this great recipe for an Apple Tart by The Pioneer Woman.

It took only minutes to prepare and was cooked in under twenty minutes!  I did make a few changes, decreasing the sugar and adding some cinnamon, and it was a great success!  I will definitely making this again.

 

Apple Tart
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1 sheet puff pastry
1 apple
juice from half a lemon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt

Slice apples thinly and place in a bowl. Add lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and salt to the apples and stir until combined.

Cut one sheet of puff pastry into two rectangles.  Arrange apple slices in a row in the middle of the rectangle, overlapping the slices.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve warm.

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sweet naan bread

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I can’t believe it’s already October!  There is a chill in the air but it’s hard to believe that summer is gone, especially when I see these little guys every day.  I’m sure we won’t be seeing them for much longer.

The best way to warm the house, I find, is by baking.  This is one of my breads to make.  It’s super simple and is quite impressive to look at.  My favourite is eating it warm with a pat of butter.  Q likes it best when it’s converted to rusk – sliced and baked again until it’s nice and crisp and then dipped in milk or tea.

This is not your typical naan.  This is more like a bread rather than the usual flatbread. You get the nice flower shape by dividing the dough into seven balls and placing it in a 10″ springform pan, letting the balls grow into each other before baking.

Sweet Naan Bread

Step One:
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp yeast
pinch salt
pinch sugar
1/2 cup warm water

Mix the above ingredients together and let it sit for ten minutes.

Step Two:
3 oz warm butter
3 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
pinch of yellow food coloring
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp fennel seeds
Up to 1 cup warm milk

Mix the first six ingredients in step two together and add the mixture from step one.  Bind the dough together with milk until it comes together.  Divide the dough into seven balls and arrange on a sprinform pan, being sure to leave enough room for it to grow.  Let it rise in a warm place for four hours.  Use an egg wash on top of the risen dough and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

baked yogurt

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It’s hard having my sister so far away with her husband in Afghanistan.  It is reassuring though that she is a short plane ride away from Dubai where my cousin lives and it’s nice for her to have family close by.  A few weeks ago, my sister visited my cousin for a getaway and a little piece of home.  It was there that she tried baked yogurt at a brunch buffet in Dubai.

My sister found a recipe by The Purple Foodie and sent it along and I just had to try it.  It was on the sweet side, so a small serving will go a long way.  The yogurt was creamy and had the texture of panna cotta.  It paired really well with the berries and was a delicious easy dessert.

Baked Yogurt
Adapted from The Purple Foodie 

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup condensed milk
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp vanilla

Stir everything together and pour into ramekins.  Bake at 250 degrees until set, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Serve chilled.  Top with berries and serve.

garlic mashed cauliflower

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It is so easy to get lost on Pinterest and be inspired by all the recipes on there. Always looking for ways to incorporate more vegetables into our diets and making substitutions for the foods we should be avoiding, I was happy to see so many recipes for mashed cauliflower.

I was surprised by how much it resembled mashed potatoes without all those unnecessary carbs. Smooth and creamy, it went great with our barbecued kebabs and we didn’t even miss the potatoes!

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

1 medium cauliflower, cut into pieces
1 TB olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup reserved cauliflower liquid (or milk or buttermilk)

Boil the cauliflower in boiling water until cooked, about ten minutes.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid and drain the cauliflower.  Put in a food processor with garlic and olive oil.  With the processor running, add liquid until you get your desired consistency.  Top with green onions or chives.

la boulangerie

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When I think back to my trips to Europe, especially France, my most favourite part are the bakeries with their fresh breads and croissants and crepes.  I’m so happy to have discovered a little piece of Europe right here in Calgary at La Boulangerie.  I had passed by a few times but I finally made it there last weekend…and again this weekend.  I think it’s my new favourite place!

Both times that we went to the bakery, it was busy! It didn’t take long though to have our orders and bellies filled.  Our order was being filled and delivered by the owner himself, Navot, who was trained at the Cordon Bleu in France.  La Boulangerie aka La Creperie has another location at the Kingsland Farmer’s Market.

La Boulangerie is a small place and is filled with the most amazing baked goods and crepes.  The smells are amazing!  Last weekend, we tried the smoked salmon crepe which was light and filling.  We also had to have the nutella and banana crepe which can fulfill anyone’s need for chocolate. I’m sure they used half a bottle of nutella in there – yum!  Q had the chocolate croissant which he devoured.

This weekend, we met hubby’s boss and family for breakfast back at the bakery.  We had the smoked salmon crepe again because it was just too delicious not to.  This time, we also tried the brie with roasted peppers which was really amazing too.  The cheese made the crepe really filling and the red peppers added a nice sweetness.

We also tried a couple of croissants between all of us, the almond and the pistachio. I think these may have even been better than the chocolate!  These were very rich but very tasty.

I am looking forward to taking my dad who loves bakeries as much as I do.  Any excuse to go back!

*Collages made with the Diptic app.

 La Boulangerie on Urbanspoon

calgary home and design show

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We are gearing up for a busy weekend with lots of activities planned.  We are kicking it off by going to the Home and Design show which is taking place from Thursday, September 20th to Sunday, September 23rd.

We will be heading down with Q to enjoy Family Day on Friday with a special guest, his favourite, Bob the Builder! There are child friendly features at the Cooking Stage and the Main Stage and loads of activities to keep the young ones happy.

I’m definitely looking forward to all the cooking aspects from demos to competitions to food trucks.  It is going to be an amazing event!

I have a set of tickets to give away to readers in Calgary and surrounding areas. Just leave a comment saying that you want to go.  Get additional entries through facebook likes and follows on twitter.   Contest closes on Wednesday at 6pm. Hope to see you there!

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