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celebrations
Food Mamma is 5!
It’s my birthday! It’s the perfect day to start celebrations for 5 years of Food Mamma. Q was in diapers when this blog was started. Now he is talking about starting a blog of his own. Time sure does fly!
Food Mamma has been a great outlet to share my love of food and family. Thanks for all your support and your feedback – it is always welcomed and appreciated!
To help celebrate, I have teamed up with some awesome sponsors for some great giveaways! For the next two weeks, be sure to check back often for your chance to win some delicious prizes! To be sure you don’t miss out on any chances to win, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
A huge THANK YOU to Cococo, Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut, Earls Kitchen + Bar, Edo Japan, President’s Choice and Smashburger for your generous prizes!
Let’s start off with a giveaway. Leave a comment on my Facebook page letting me know how you celebrate birthdays. All comments posted until March 21st will be entered into a draw. Good luck!
valentine marshmallow pops
Here’s another fun and easy Valentine’s idea. It’s another treat on a stick, which seems to be popular with kids of all ages. This is so simple to do and a perfect way to get the little ones involved.
Using chocolate wafers for dipping, melt them in the microwave at 30 second intervals until nice and smooth. Meanwhile, poke a large marshmallow with a cookie stick. Dip each marshmallow into the chocolate and then dip in a plateful of sprinkles.
valentine oreo pops
Here’s a fun little treat for Valentine’s Day – Oreo Pops! Food on a stick is always fun and these cookies are no exception. These are perfect for a class party or a Valentine’s favour.
These pops are super easy to make. Take a cookie stick or a straw and put it in the middle of the cookies. If you’re using a straw, you will have to flatten the end of it. Melt chocolate wafers for dipping. I melt them in the microwave at 30 second intervals until it’s nice smooth. Finish with sprinkles.
slow cooker cinnamon almonds
The slow cooker is a wonderful thing. It makes the best tasting chili, tender ribs and the juiciest chicken. When I saw this recipe for cinnamon almonds made in the slow cooker, I was curious. Could it really be used to make sugar and cinnamon coated almonds and actually turn out well? Yes!
Unlike most recipes made in the slow cooker where you can just walk away until it’s done, this recipe requires a little extra attention, but not much. Cooked on high, these almonds are stirred every 20 minutes, to ensure that the nuts don’t get burnt.
These were delicious! They were super easy and super tasty. Put them in a little jar, and they make the perfect homemade gift for the holidays!
Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds
From Crockpot 365
cooking spray
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg white
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups whole raw almonds
Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Spray the stoneware well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set this bowl aside
In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white and vanilla extract. Pour the almonds into this bowl and stir well to coat. Add your cinnamon mixture to the top of the nuts and toss with spoons to fully coat.
Put the almonds into the slow cooker and cover. Cook on high for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. After 2 hours, take the nuts out of the slow cooker and spread them on foil or parchment paper.
cookies for the holidays!
It’s December! That means it’s time to get baking for all those cookie exchanges, holiday parties and homemade gifts for family and friends. Here’s a round up of some cookies perfect for the occasion!
Cherry Jam Palmiers
One of the easiest cookies to make, these palmiers are fast with only a handful of ingredients.
Peppercorn Shorbread
An odd combination, but these buttery peppery cookies are delicious!
Hazelnut Nutella Cookies
Soft and chunky, these are the perfect cookies to leave for the big man!
Lavender Shortbread
A little bit of lavender goes a long way in these buttery morsels.
Mint Chocolate Cookies
Mint and chocolate are a match made in heaven. These cookies are soft and rich and pair perfectly with a glass of cold milk.
Chocolate and Almond Whipped Shortbread
These are one of my favourites and always a fun one for the kids to decorate. They are whipped for ten minutes and are buttery and delicious!
Heart Sugar Cookies
Made with love, the glaze on these babies is so delicious!
Chocolate Dipped Walnut Shortbread
The humble shortbread is elevated by the addition of walnuts and dipped in chocolate.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Everyone is happy for a classic at a cookie exchange. These chocolate chip cookies are decadent and delicious.
german chocolate cake
It was my mom’s birthday on Tuesday. We had a fun day getting manicures and pedicures done. We didn’t manage to go for dinner until the next day because of all of Q’s extra curricular stuff but there was time for cake!
For mom’s cake, I wanted to try something new. Although I had never tasted German chocolate cake, it always seemed like something I would love. Nuts and coconut and chocolate – who wouldn’t?.
I had received a package of The Decadent chocolate cake mix from President’s Choice so I cheated with a mix. It was a delicious cheat and the cake turned out moist and delicious.
As for the filling/frosting, it was cooked on the stove and then cooled before using on the cake. It was sooo good! I was a struggle to not eat it by the spoonful as I frosted the cake. I won’t tell you if I won that battle or not. This is definitely one to make again and again.
Coconut Pecan Frosting/Filling for German Chocolate Cake
From KraftRecipes.com
4 egg yolks
1 can evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
7 oz flaked coconut
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Beat egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan with whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Add coconut and nuts; mix well. Cool to desired spreading consistency.
my little foodie and his ultimate grilled cheese
I can’t believe my little guy is six today! It’s been amazing to watch
him grow. There have been so many times that I have wanted to press
pause, making time go a little slower. But here he is in grade one, a
little man.
He has grown to be kind, loving and the best big brother ever. He has
also grown into quite the foodie. For his birthday dinner today, it’s
no surprise that he wants to go to his favourite restaurant Kinjo for
sushi.
At a sleepover recently at his cousin’s house, they were discussing
dinner and his request was duck. His cousins looked at him in disbelief,
happy to be eating the pasta they were served.
He loves coming up with creations like his bedtime snack a couple weeks
ago – French bread with Boursin, studded with pistachios.
He does love a good grilled cheese. When I asked him what the ultimate
grilled cheese sandwich would be, this is what he came up with.
French bread enveloping Boursin, Brie and Mozzarella. It was a good
combination and our one trial sandwich was not enough to fill our
bellies.
The Brie and mozzarella made the sandwich ooey gooey and the Boursin added an extra level of flavour.
Happy Birthday Q! Love you to the moon and back, a million times!
wordless wednesday: celebration cupcakes
wordless wednesday: happy birthday hubby!
