Valentine's Day Lunch

Who doesn't love a surprise in their lunch box?

Yes, Charlie's lunch today is entirely heart shaped. I included sandwiches, cheese, strawberries, kiwi and eggs, along with a valentine and some heart-shaped stickers. Did you know you can shape hard boiled eggs? I followed the tutorial here. I still need some practice but they turned out pretty cute for a first try.

Happy Valentines day!

Kale chips... really?

I just had to try baking a batch of kale chips since some claim they taste like potato chips. Well, I don't know if it was the cook (likely) or the fact that they are kale but they were not a hit here.  I felt I was eating papery dried herbs.  My assistant had lots of fun though.


Kale washed and ripped into pieces



Smells good!



The chips are in there!



Done

At least they looked good. I'm tempted to try again with a different kind of kale and using olive oil instead of cooking spray.  Any recipes to recommend? 

Mmm... cake!

I was the lucky recipient of this birthday cake... mmm.

Talk about a sugar rush!  I forced my hubby to make it for me. Chocolate cake, chocolate icing, Kitkat bars around the sides and Smarties on top. 

It was easy to make and I knew the kids would love it.  I saw a similar one online over the summer so the idea wasn't my own. I can't seem to find the link, I'll add it if I do.

Yum! Thanks Marc!

Fresh Strawberries

Is there anything better than fresh local strawberries? I didn't think so.

Here's my attempt to hold onto that freshness for a little longer. I made a triple batch of strawberry freezer jam and one batch of cooked strawberry rhubarb jam. Yum.

The strawberry freezer jam came out a bright red and looks and tastes amazing. I find it still has that fresh taste since the strawberries aren't cooked. mmmm....

Here's the strawberry rhubarb jam cooking away.

And done!

I followed the recipes in the package of Pectin Crystals. Easy, quick, and oh so good!

Thanks for reading!

Cake Balls and Oreo Balls

I can't take any credit for these recipes, but I will link to them so you can make your own. How about I tempt you with a few pictures?

I made dessert for a dinner party I attended last weekend. I made chocolate cake balls and Oreo balls. Mmmm... They must have been good since the girls asked for the recipes.

For the cake balls recipe, click here.  I used Devil's Food Cake, chocolate icing and chocolate melts for the coating. I decorated with a drizzle of white chocolate. As suggested in the reviews, I waited until my cake was cool to mix in frosting and refrigerated the mixture before making the balls.

The ones everyone pounced on were the Oreo balls, recipe found here.  I dipped these in white chocolate melts, with a drizzle of dark chocolate.

They were easy to make but are a little time consuming since they required several steps, including time to firm up in the refrigerator.  I learnt the balls should be cold, not frozen, as your chocolate coating could crack.  Also, you need chocolate melting wafers for dipping. I tried to make my last two cake balls with chocolate chips since I ran out of wafers but they didn't harden properly. I had to eat those, darn :)

Thanks for reading!

Jezebelle Sauce with Cream Cheese

We went to a friend's this past weekend for a dinner party. We were in charge of bringing an appetizer. I decided to make Jezebelle sauce, a recipe that comes from my mother in law.  It's a sweet sauce with a kick, served over cream cheese and eaten with crackers. Yum! 

One friend thought it was really weird I was taking pictures of the food.

Jezebelle Sauce

1 jar pineapple jam
1 jar apple jelly
1/2 small jar of mild horseradish
1 tbs dry mustard
dash of pepper

Pour all ingredients into a bowl. Mix well. That's it.

I put the mixture back into my jam jars for easy storage. There will be a little left over for immediate snacking :) 

I used one jar at the dinner party and I'm saving the second one for an appetizer at my baby girl's birthday party. She'll be two soon. Unbelievable.

Thanks for reading!

Chocolate Nests

Mmm... chocolate.

I can't really call this a recipe, they are just chocolate covered chow mein noodles.  So good. So easy.  Here's what you need to make them:

Seriously. Two ingredients.  That's it.

I used 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips for about 2 1/2 cups chow mein noodles.  I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave, stirred in the noodles, then dropped them in nest-like mounds on parchment paper.

I made 16 small nests then placed them in the refrigerator to firm up for a few minutes.  Both kids insisted on helping, justifying the mess of chow mein noodles on the floor and the chocolate fingerprints everywhere.  I hope one day I won't need to sweep my floors five times a day.

Do you know how hard it is for a one year old not to lick the spoon?

Thanks for reading!

Cilantro Lime Burgers

mmm I love cilantro!

For my husband's birthday supper, he requested cilantro burgers.  I couldn't find a recipe with the ingredients I wanted so I made my own.  I think they were a hit with all.  Well, at least until my son saw the green bits in his burger.  Luckily I can still trick a four year old.  I convinced him there would be no green bits in his burger as long as he ate it with his eyes closed.  :)

Cilantro Lime Burgers

Recipe made 14 patties

3 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 egg
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup cilantro, chopped
juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well.  Shape patties.  I made a thumbprint in the middle of each patty to help keep them flat. Best on the barbecue.

I served them with guacamole and cheddar cheese. I followed this recipe for the guacamole and it was really good.  It complemented the hamburger perfectly.  Sorry for the lack of pictures of the finished burger.  We ate them all!

Thanks for reading!

Third time's a charm

Finally, a batch of yummy home-made granola bars!

I followed the recipe here :

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Granola-Bars/Detail.aspx

I just can't follow as recipe as is.  For my add-ins, I used coconut, pumpkin seeds (to make them nut-free), mini M&M's, dried papaya, raisins and a bit of ground flax seeds. I just made sure I had 3 1/2 cups of mix. 


Too bad it took me three tries to get it right!  I ruined two batches last week. The first batch I made with sunflower seeds that has gone rancid.  I should have tasted my ingredients before using them. Nuts and seeds tend to go rancid quickly as they contain natural oils. The second batch I tried to make healthier by using unsweetened condensed milk. Fail.

I'm also trying to improve my photography skills :)

So much better than store-bought granola bars.  I hope they freeze well.  The best tip I read for working with sweetened condensed milk (Eaglebran) is to place the can in hot water for a few minutes before using.  It makes it much easier to work with.

Thanks for reading!