Join Me in My Addiction!

Thank you for visiting my blog...and for allowing me to share with you my addiction. I love to collect recipes. I love to read cookbooks. I have been collecting recipes for as long as I can remember, and on any given day there are one or two (or more!) cookbooks residing on my nightstand!

This blog is chronicling my adventure as I fulfill my resolution of trying (at least) one new recipe each week. I hope that you enjoy!

I invite you to join me in my journey, simply by clicking the "Join this Site" link below. And please feel free to comment on any of the recipes, and pin away. Thanks, I look forward to sharing with you!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Strawberry Basil Coconut Sorbet

Strawberries.  I love strawberries, I love strawberry season, and I love finding new strawberry recipes to try out.

Basil, that's huge in our house too.  Our oldest eats it straight off the plant, he loves it that much.

Ice cream...well, enough said!

I decided the other day that I wanted to try my hand at making some homemade ice cream, thinking back to the ice cream that my Grandpa used to make on the farm.  Well, I don't have an ice cream maker, but I figured that I had some of the key ingredients....and I would be most happy with a homemade sorbet.  I found this recipe, and ran with it!

1 can coconut milk
Strawberry Basil Coconut Sorbet | Addicted to Recipes

1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 quart of strawberries, washed and hulled
Fresh basil - to taste (I used about 1/3 cup)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the coconut milk and the sugar.  Stir frequently.  Once the sugar has dissolved, add in the honey and vanilla.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In your handy dandy food processor, puree the strawberries and basil.  After pureeing, strain the strawberries and add to the saucepan with the milk mixture.  Mix well.

Now, as mentioned, I don't have an ice cream maker, or a sorbet maker.  So I improvised.  I poured the mixture into a freezer-safe container, covered it, and froze it overnight.  The next day, I brought it out to that slightly, threw it back in the food processor to process it up for a moment, and then served. 

VERDICT:
Yum!  What a refreshing treat!  The flavourful strawberries, the basil, and the coconut all easily distinguished.  This was tasty good, and easy to make, even without the ice cream making machine (though I probably wouldn't mind having one...hint hint honey!)


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Chocolate Mocha Pecan Tarts with Dark Chocolate Pie Dough

175 Best Mini Pie Recipes | Addicted to RecipesMini Pies....Hand Pies...have you had them?  I think they are brilliant! Individual sized pie servings, oh yum!  

They say that mini pies are the new cupcakes!  

Robert Rose recently released 175 Best Mini Pie Recipes, and I was sent a copy to review.  What a neat book, so full of inspiration.  And not just sweet pies, but savoury pies too.  I've been eyeing the Strawberry Basil Hand Pies (I'm a bit of a strawberry basil junkie lately...see this post, and this post) and the Pork Empanadas with Salsa Verde sound delicious too!  It was hard to pick one recipe to try and share with you, but alas, I did it, and I picked the Chocolate Mocha Pecan Tarts with Dark Chocolate Pie Dough.  

Here are the recipes:

Chocolate Mocha Pecan Tarts with Dark Chocolate Pie Dough

Just small amounts of cocoa and espresso powder transform already rich pecan pie into a darker, more deeply flavored and certainly more decadent treat. At any dessert table, these tarts are sure to disappear quickly.


Dark Chocolate Pie Dough
Makes about 1 3⁄4 lbs (875 g) dough

Enough for 16 to 24 pies, depending on size
Chocolate Mocha Pecan Tarts with Dark Chocolate Pie Dough | Addicted to Recipes

What You'll Need:
• Food processor

3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tbsp granulated sugar
1⁄2 tsp salt
8 oz cold unsalted butter, cubed
1⁄2 cup cold buttermilk (see Tips, below)
1 large egg yolk

In food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt to combine.

Scatter butter overtop and pulse several times, until pieces are the size of peas.

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg yolk.

Drizzle half the buttermilk mixture over flour mixture and pulse 4 to 5 times to combine. Add more of the mixture 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, pulsing after each addition, just until dough begins to hold together in moist clumps (you might not need all the mixture).

Transfer to a large piece of plastic wrap or a large bowl and shape into a ball. Flatten into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (see Make Ahead, below).

Tips: For best results, always sift cocoa powder before adding it to recipes, to avoid scattered clumps of bitter cocoa flavor in your crust or pie filling.

If you don’t have buttermilk, substitute 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) cold milk mixed with 1 tsp (5 mL) white or cider vinegar. Set aside at room temperature for 5 minutes before using in recipe.

This dough can be a bit more crumbly than some of the others, so you may need to work it a bit more to make it pliable and easy to shape.

And now, for the "good stuff" - the filling!

Chocolate Mocha Pecan Tarts

What You'll Need:
• 3 1⁄2-inch (8.75 cm) round cutter
• Two 12-cup muffin tins, greased
1 Recipe Dark Chocolate Pie Dough (see above)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
tablespoons heavy or whipping (35%) cream
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
3⁄4 cup light corn syrup
3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
tablespoon vanilla extract
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄4 cupschopped pecans

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a thickness of 1⁄8 inch (3 mm). Using cutter, cut into rounds and fit into muffin cups. Reroll scraps as necessary.

Place tins in freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Filling: In a large bowl, whisk together butter, cocoa, cream and espresso powders until smooth. Add corn syrup, sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt, mixing until well combined. Stir in pecans.

Spoon filling into chilled shells until three-quarters full. Bake in center of preheated oven until filling is set, 22 to 27 minutes.

Cool pies completely in tins on wire racks for 15 minutes, then carefully remove from tins. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

VERDICT:
Holy chocolatey mocha goodness!  These were a hit with the family, and my co-workers.  I took a tray into work, and all but a half of tart were left by the end of the work day.  Must have been a hit!  We tried ours with some fresh whip cream - a nice touch!  Will definitely make these again!



Excerpted from 175 Best Mini Pie Recipes by Julie Anne Hession © 2013 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca May not be reprinted without publisher permission.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Follow on Bloglovin' - Link Party!



Yes friends, the days of GFC are nearly over, and we need new ways to follow our favourite blogs.  

One of my preferred ways is Bloglovin...I invite you to stay connected and see all the recipes and my giveaways via Bloglovin!


Are you on Bloglovin?  If so, I would love to follow you back!  

Link up here!  Follow all these great blogs!


Recipe Recap #22

Hello friends! Welcome to this week's edition of Recipe Recap, when I am strolling back through the archives and remembering the great recipes that I shared one year ago this week!  Here are two tasty treats for you from June 23 - 29, 1012...

So glad it is strawberry season, it's time to make more of...

Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberry Lemonade | Addicted to Recipes


Fudgy Nutella Brownies with Cream Cheese Icing

Fudgy Nutella Brownies with Cream Cheese Icing | Addicted to Recipes



See you again next week for more great recipes!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Herb Roasted Lamb Chops

A few weeks ago when we were grocery shopping, we saw that lamb was on sale.  I love lamb.  My husband, not so much.  But, the sale was good and my hubby suggested we pick some up.  Lucky me!  They went into the freezer until we could fit them into the meal plan.  The other day, my hubby pulled them out - his way of suggesting it was time to make them. 

The last time we made lamb we had a bit of an incident with our BBQ, which probably didn't help my hubby's aversion...so I opted to find a non-BBQ recipe for this meal.  I found this recipe over at Epicurious.  Here it is:

Herb Roasted Lamb Chops
Herb Roasted Lamb Chops | Addicted to Recipes


4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 lamb chops


Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl.  Coat each side of the lamb chops and cover to marinate for at least 30 minutes (I put mine into a Ziploc bag, and left to marinate for a few hours). 


When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400F.  Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet (you can use an ovenproof skillet or a regular skillet and transfer the meat to an ovenproof dish for the next step).  Add lamb, cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side.  

Transfer the meat to your ovenproof dish and roast in the oven to desired doneness, about 8-10 minutes for medium-rare.  

Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving. 


VERDICT

My hubby, not a lamb guy, loved these.  First response was…”mmmm”.  And second response was, how many more can I have?  He devoured his two chops and cleaned up each of the kids servings as well.  The kids both liked their lamb (though the oldest didn’t like the idea that it was lamb).  I of course, enjoyed as I always do!  Will make this one again!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

All But Gluten - Rekindle your LOVE of Baked Goods


Recently, Weston Bakeries launched the All But Gluten line of baked goods.  Our family was given the opportunity to sample some of the new products, which we were very excited to do.

While we do not follow a gluten-free diet, we do have a good family friend who has Celiac Disease, and we have friends who also have gluten sensitivities.  Did you know that 1 in 100 Canadians have Celiac disease, and up to 6% of the population have gluten sensitivity?  Over the last few years, we have learned and heard a lot about Celiac disease (which is an autoimmune disease, not an allergy) and gluten sensitivity.  For many, going "gluten free" (or GF) is a huge lifestyle change.  And I know that many have struggled, because the "gluten free" alternatives to their favourite gluten-filled foods tasted just awful.  

Another thing that we have learned a lot about in the last few years, are the precautions that people with Celiac disease must follow to ensure their food is safe, and free from gluten and cross-contamination.  Our Celiac friend has to keep many of her foods separate from the rest of her family, including her own butter and more.  Any chance of cross-contamination could prove very painful for her.

The first All But Gluten product that we tried was their Mini Brownies.  I was a little nervous, having heard how terrible the alternatives are supposed to taste.  Well, let me tell you, these Mini Brownies were amazing.  My entire family LOVED them.  Couldn't even tell that they were gluten-free.  And, like all the other All But Gluten products, they are also dairy free and kosher.    We turned ours into a nice little dessert:


All But Gluten Mini Brownies | Addicted to Recipes

All you'll need to re-create this treat:

All But Gluten Mini Brownies
Frozen Vanilla Yogurt
Strawberries - ours were fresh picked from the garden! Yum!

You could easily substitute homemade whipped cream for the frozen yogurt if you don't have a GF frozen yogurt option.   It was super good!  The All But Gluten website has some recipes listed that may inspire you as well!

Next up, we are wanting to try the All But Gluten Cinnamon Raisin Loaf.  We make Cinnamon Raisin French Toast as a treat on weekends, and changing up our usual bread to a GF option is one that we are eager to try!  You can check out all of the All But Gluten products on their website.  I'd also encourage you to follow All But Gluten on Facebook, All But Gluten on Twitter , and All But Gluten on Pinterest .

Canadian friends, you can purchase All But Gluten at many major retailers - Superstore, Fortinos, Loblaws, Longos, Walmart, and coming very soon (not yet available in my hometown, but possibly in other centres) at Overwaitea, Save on Foods, Metro, Cooper's Foods and Price Smart Foods.

Disclaimer: This sponsorship is brought to you by the The Gluten Free Agency whom we have partnered with for this promotion.

Is Your Avocado Ripe?

I don't know about you, but I always have a hard time determining what stage of ripeness avocados are - whether it be the ones I have at home or at the store. Often I end up disappointed, either cutting into one that is still rock hard, or one that is waaaaay to ripe.  And then I found this chart, and it has been a HUGE help.  I didn't create this chart, so to whoever made it, I thank you!

Is your avocado ripe?

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #67

Good morning friends! Hope today is a lovely day for you!

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #67 is now up and running - I hope you will come by and share some recipes!

Have a fantastic Sunday!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

S'Mores Rice Krispie Squares

When I say camping, what do you think of?  I bet S’mores was high on that list!  A camping tradition for sure… 


And when I say children, fun desserts, and easy to make…might Rice Krispies Squares come to mind?  My boys all love them, and growing up, I always loved when my Mom made them too. 


So the other day, I was wanting some Rice Krispies Squares, and I was also craving S’mores.  So I figured, there must be a way to combine them.  A little Pinterest search and bang, I found a recipe that met my wish list…and more…it also had Nutella!  Score!  

Here is the recipe I used:


Nutella S’Mores Rice Krispies Squares
 
Nutella S'mores Rice Krispies Squares | Addicted to Recipes
½ cup salted butter
40 regular sized marshmallows
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
5 cups Rice Krispies
3.5 oz chocolate chips
¼ cup Nutella 


Butter the base and sides of a 13x9 baking dish (I used glass). 


In a large saucepan, melt the butter.  Add in the marshmallows and melt – stirring often.   When the marshmallows are all melted, remove from heat and add in the graham cracker crumbs and rice krispies.  Mix until well combined.  Scoop the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and spread to fill the dish.  Even out as best as you can. 


Put the chocolate chips and Nutella into a small bowl.  Melt in the microwave – heat in short intervals (approximately 15 seconds) – stir after each interval.  Once melted and combined, thinly and evenly spread the chocolate mixture over the top of the base.  Cool and all chocolate to set before slicing into bars. 


VERDICT
This was a great alternative to the usual Rice Krispie treat.   3/4 of our family loved this!  (the toddler wasn’t too impressed, but hey, he isn’t even 2 yet!).

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Pina Colada Popsicles

It's popsicle season! It's popsicle season!  Our kids love popsicles, and I love crafting new popsicles for them (and for us too!).  Summer has hit, and so has popsicle season!  I came across this recipe for Pina Colada popsicles, that I just had to try.  And fortunately, all of the ingredients were already in my kitchen.  Here is the recipe:

Pina Colada Popsicles | Addicted to Recipes
Pina Colada Popsicles

1 ripe banana
1 can crushed pineapple, including the juice
1 can coconut milk or coconut water

Put all the ingredients into your food processor.  Process until no longer chunky.

Pour into your popsicle moulds.

Freeze overnight.  Serve, and enjoy!

Makes approximately 12 popsicles.

VERDICT

Holy tropical goodness!  Even our non-pineapple liking toddler devoured his popsicle.  Well, as fast as a nearly 2 year old can eat a popsicle that is!  These are a huge hit amongst all of us, and are so so so easy to make!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Recipe Recap #21

Good morning friends! I hope you are well today!  Thanks for stopping by to check out this week's Recipe Recap.  This week last year was all about Dads - I shared my Dad's favourite recipe, and my Father-in-Law's favourite recipe.  Here there are again!  

My Dad's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies | Addicted to Recipes

Lazy Daisy Cake with Coconut Topping

Lazy Daisy Cake with Coconut Topping | Addicted to Recipes

I hope you enjoy!

Monday, June 17, 2013

Root Beer BBQ Baked Beans

At one of my recent Scrumptious Sunday parties, Kris at Sugar Cookies to Peterbilts shared with me the recipe for Root Beer BBQ Baked Beans.  I KNEW that my husband would love these, and I just had to make them.   

Here is the recipe that I used: 


Root Beer BBQ Baked Beans (Source: Mary Swanson's Big Hearted Cookbook) 


Root Beer BBQ Baked Beans | Addicted to Recipes
6 slices of baked, cooked crisp, patted dry, and crumbled
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 x 398 mL cans of baked beans (as per Kris’ suggestion, I used Bush’s)
1 cup of root beer
2 tablespoons molasses
½ teaspoon dry mustard
1 clove crushed garlic
Couple dashes red chili pepper flakes
1 celery stick, whole


In a large saucepan, cook the bacon (until crisp) and onions (until transparent).  Remove the bacon, dry and crumble.  Add back into the saucepan. 


Add in all the remaining ingredients.

Bring the mixture to a boil (over medium-high heat).  Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes.  The beans will thicken during this time.  Remove the celery.  Serve and enjoy! 


VERDICT
As I suspected, these were a huge hit, especially with my hubby.  Our oldest loved them too.  Very tasty, and a great accompaniment for a BBQ.  Yum!  Thank you Kris!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #66

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!


I hope you have had a wonderful weekend.  Ours has been emotional, we lost my Grandfather on Friday. He was a good man, and he lived a good, long, wonderful life and was loved and respected by many. 

Today my hubby and our oldest son are in a soccer tournament (son is playing, hubby is coaching), tonight I am making his favourite ribs for supper and a new bean recipe (watch for the post tomorrow!).

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link party is LIVE.  I invite you to come and share your recipes.

Wishing all of you a wonderful Sunday...give your loved ones an extra hug today!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Family Classic - Tuna Casserole

Growing up I am sure you had classic family meals.  For some it is meatloaf, for others it could be spaghetti. In our house, Sunday lunches mean we make a casserole.  Why?  Simple...because I like to start our week with leftovers.  Leftovers make my lunch making SO MUCH easier (hey, a Momma needs a break every now and then for all the lunches we prepare every day and night!).  We have a few go-to favourites when it comes to our Sunday lunch casserole, and the one I am sharing today is one of our favourites.  We change up the vegetables based on what we happen to have in the fridge (which is usually a good variety since I typically do our grocery shopping on Sunday morning).  Here is the base recipe that we use:

Family Classic - Tuna Casserole
Addicted to Recipes | Sunday Tuna Casserole
1 can tuna, drained
8 ounces macaroni (or other pasta)
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
1/4 cup panko

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cook pasta according to package directions until tender.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter.  Add in the onions and green pepper (and any other vegetables you wish to add at this point, except the peas) - saute over low heat for about 5 minutes.  Add in the flour, salt and pepper.  Stir until smooth and bubbly.  Reduce heat to low and add in the milk and the cream of mushroom soup.  Stir until smooth and thick.  Add in the cooked pasta, tuna, peas and half of the cheese.  Mix well.  Pour the mixture into a buttered 8x8 or 9x9 casserole dish , top with the remaining cheese and panko.  Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.

VERDICT:
This is a classic in our family.  Our kids love it, and it makes great leftovers for lunches!  

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Recipe Recap #20

Hello again!  Two recaps in two days!  So lucky we are :-)

I hope you enjoyed yesterday's recap...if you missed it, check it out here.

There has been a LOT going on on the blog this week, if you haven't had a chance to check things out, you should!

I got to meet some wonderful cattle ranchers...we tried a fantastic Bocconcini and Tomato Salad, I had a freebie for my Canadian friends, and I got to tell you about a new cereal and more freebies!

Here is the recap from the recipes that I shared June 9-15, 2012.

Strawberry Infused Vodka


Strawberry Infused Vodka | Addicted to Recipes


Strawberry Banana Loaf


Strawberry Banana Loaf | Addicted to Recipes

Sweet & Spicy Double Cooked Ribs - an ALL TIME favourite at our house!


Sweet & Spicy Double Cooked Ribs | Addicted to Recipes


See you next Tuesday for the next Recipe Recap!  Thanks for coming by today!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Recipe Recap #19

I got a little behind with my Recipe Recaps!  Life has been busy...you may recall that I coordinate a charity golf tournament for my work...that was at the end of May and has kept me very busy, even afterwards because we had, for the first time ever, a hole-in-one winner on one of our prize holes!  It was so exciting to have someone win $10,000!  Lots of paperwork to work through afterwards, with trips to the lawyer and ensuring everything is signed properly and sent off so that the winner can get paid!  And we also decided to raffle off a car at work, also a first for us, and a great time coordinating that fundraiser!  Throw in my hubby's birthday, the kids and their activities and it all means great times...but has meant that I've been away from you a little more than I would like to be!

Here are the recipes from June 2 - 8, 2012.  I hope you enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pretzel Fudge

Peanut Butter Pretzel Fudge | Addicted to Recipes


Green Monster Smoothie

Green Monster Smoothie | Addicted to Recipes


Be sure to come back TOMORROW for the next Recipe Recap!

Thanks for hanging out with me :-)

Are YOU Getting Enough Fibre? Try New Fibre 1 Almond & Cluster Delight! #Fibre1ACD

As a Mom, I worry.  About a lot of things...
  • Did I pack enough food in the kids lunches?  
  • Are they even going to eat their lunches? 
  • Is that sniffle turning into a cold? 
  • Did I put enough sunscreen on the kids?  
  • Are the meals I am preparing balanced and are we eating our rainbow and our food guide recommendations? 
The list goes on and on.  I spend a lot of time worrying about everyone else, that I often forget about myself.  I have been diligently trying to change that - to take better care of myself, because if I don't do it, no one else will...and if I am not around, who will worry about my kids?! :-)  So, I have been making changes.  Getting away from my desk during the day (joined the lunch hour bocce league at my day job), making sure that I pack a good variety of food in my own lunch, and making sure that I consume more than coffee for breakfast.  

Enter Fibre 1 Almond & Cluster Delight...a delicious new cereal from General Mills.  I was sent a box to try, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it is.  Usually I find 'fibre' cereals boring and bland, but the addition of the almonds and the clusters add just enough extra texture and a bit of sweetness to make the cereal satisfying.  And the cereal is full of fibre, which we all know we should all be getting more of (40% of your daily recommended intake in one bowl!).  Double bonus for me...my hubby is allergic to almonds, so I get the cereal all to myself!  Tee hee! (Actually, it is too bad that he can`t eat the cereal, minus the almonds, I think he would enjoy the cereal too!).

Guess what?  Our friends at General Mills are giving YOU the opportunity to try the new Fibre 1 Almond & Cluster Delight Cereal too!  You will want to keep a close eye on Facebook's Life Made Delicious page...until June 25, there are FPC's there so that YOU too can try this cereal for FREE! (while supplies last)  

Now that is DELICIOUS!


Disclosure - I am participating in the Fibre 1 Almond & Cluster Delight Cereal blogger campaign by Mom Central Canada on behalf of General Mills.  I received compensation as a thank you for participating and sharing my honest opinion.  The opinions on this blog are my own.



Monday, June 10, 2013

Bocconcini Salad with Tre Stelle

I am a huge cheese fan.  I could eat cheese every day.  And often, I do.  I enjoy all kinds of cheese - cheddar cheese, goat cheese, havarti...you get the idea!  I love trying new cheeses, and recently we were given the opportunity to try Tre Stelle cheeses.  As always, excited to try new things, and to find a new recipe, I did a little searching and found a salad recipe that I thought
Bocconcini Salad - Addicted to Recipes
might work with our dinner.  Here is the recipe:

Bocconcini Salad (Source: Food Network)

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 200 g container Tre Stelle bocconcini (I used the mini-mini)
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

In a bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, basil and garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper (to taste).  Serve, and enjoy!

VERDICT:

This was the perfect compliment to our BBQ – such a nice, light treat with the fresh bocconcini, the fresh tomatoes, the fresh basil..oh my!  Our 6 year old "downed" his salad before he touched anything else on his plate - a true compliment!  I look forward to making this one again!

Be sure to check out all the great Tre Stelle products and...RECIPES over at the Tre Stelle website, and on Facebook too! (great contests currently running on Facebook!)

Disclosure - I received product in exchange for my honest opinion.  The views expressed in this post are solely my own.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Downy Unstopables!

Hello to my Canadian friends!

I have been given the opportunity to share with you...a FREE full-sized sample of the new Downy Unstopables scent...SPRING!

In the comment section below, please leave your email address and let me know what province you live in...I will contact the first 8 of you who sign up to send along the information for you to get your free sample!

This freebie is only open to Canadian friends. If you have already claimed your free sample from another friend/blogger, please let someone else claim this one.  Thanks!

Enjoy!


Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #65

Hello friends, I sure hope this Sunday morning finds you happy and healthy!  How has your weekend been?  Mine has been great - the weather has been awesome, I got to play with my kids, play in the garden, have a date with my hubby...life is good!  Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting some local ranchers, and this morning we are off to support some friends who's daughter has Juvenile Arthritis at the local Walk to Fight Arthritis.

Without further delay, Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #65 is now LIVE! I would love for you to come and share your recipes!

Thanks so much, and have a great rest of your weekend!

Saturday, June 8, 2013

#LoveCDNBeef - Meet the Ranchers!

Today I had the pleasure of meeting a really neat family - Doug and Erika Fossen from the Fossen Ranch in Rock Creek, BC.  They are ranchers, they raise cattle (Hereford and Black Angus) as well as grow oats, peas, barley, triticale, and alfalfa.  The cattle they raise is the beef we purchase from our local Save On Foods.  They live just over an hour from me.  Until today, I didn't know that the beef I purchase at my grocery store comes from local ranchers.  All 5 of this generation of Fossen's (Dad, Mom and three daughters) were visiting our grocery store so that we, their customers, could meet the people who raise the cattle that become our food.

In my visit with them, I learned a LOT.  Doug told me that he and Erika purchased the ranch from his parents, who still live on the property.  He shared with me the Canadian Beef Merchandising Guide, which is something I've been NEEDING for a long time.  I'm always feeling lost when I'm at the grocery store, standing in front of the meat display.  "Which cut is better?  Which one should I get?  Ack!"  Now I have a great one-page resource showing all the cuts of meat, explaining the grading, and more.  I know, all this can be found online, but part of me is still pretty traditional, and I like that tangible chart in hand (without having to zoom in on the image on my phone).  I'll be posting it in my kitchen for quick reference!



Erika loaded me up with...you guessed it...RECIPES!  If only she knew how much I love recipes.  And while we've been on a kick with our latest favourite flavour for roast  - Rosemary and Pepper Crusted Roast - you know me, I'm always looking for new recipes to try!  Guess what I'll be doing after the kids go to bed...reading over those recipes and making meal plans!

Doug also shared with me a photo book of their ranch and family.  What a stunning area that they live in.  I think the Fossens were a little surprised to hear that I am familiar with Rock Creek - but my family has deep roots in the area.  I don't get there as much anymore as most of my family in the area have moved away or passed on, so I always forget how pretty the mountains and valleys can be there.  I also loved seeing and hearing that their three daughters help on the ranch - what a great way to carry on their family legacy!

I also discovered that Erika blogs too...if you are interested in learning more about life on a cattle ranch...check her out here!  Thank you Fossens, it was great to meet you!  Keep up the great work!

Monday, June 3, 2013

Strawberry Basil Muffins

It's that time of year, when the strawberries are appearing at great prices in the supermarket, and the herbs are growing!  We have an abundance of basil these days, and while our oldest likes to eat it straight (aka freshly picked), I prefer to incorporate basil into my cooking.  I've never put basil into any baking, but felt the need to do so this week.  I knew that strawberries and basil are friends, so I thought I'd like to try the two together in a muffin.  A little internet searching and I came across this recipe, which I modified and updated slightly.  Here is my version:
Strawberry Basil Muffins | Addicted to Recipes

Strawberry Basil Muffins

1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla


1 1/4 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Beat eggs, add in the melted butter, yogurt and vanilla.

Combine the dry ingredients, add to the wet ingredients.  Stir just to combine.  

Mix in the strawberries and basil, again, stir just to combine.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins (I use paper liners).

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or the muffins start to brown and a toothpick comes out clean.


VERDICT:
Another hit with my boys!  Next time, I might just add in a little more basil just to see how the flavour changes.