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!

Monday, September 30, 2013

Meal Plan Monday

It's that time, time for Meal Plan Monday!  Here is our plan for this coming week:

Sunday - Slow Cooker Meatballs, Rice and Salad

Monday - Butternut Squash Soup and Sandwiches

Tuesday - Chicken Stir Fry

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Friday - Butter Chicken

Saturday - Homemade Pizza

I hope you find some inspiration in the list above!


Sunday, September 29, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #73 and Features!


Good morning friends!  Welcome back to my blog.  It's almost time for this week's Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party!  

First though, we need to check out the featured recipes from last week's party:

English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas from The Thriftiness Miss


One Whopper of a Cookie Recipe from A Peek Into My Paradise


Easy Fried Rice from Cooking with K


Now, head on over to this week's party - Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #73 is now live!  Come check out some recipes, and share yours!  Thank you so much!

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Sticky 5 Spice Ribs

Everyone knows that I just love the Whitewater Cooks cookbook series.  I have had great success with many of the recipes from those books.  Everyone also knows that I have rib lovers in my house.  We have had some great success with some rib recipes - (check out my Maple Glazed Ribs as well as the Sweet & Spicy Ribs, but of course, I needed to try a new recipe too!  Enter Whitewater Cooks, and a recipe that called for Chinese 5 Spice, a flavour that I really enjoy.

Sticky 5 Spice Ribs
Sticky 5 Spice Ribs | Addicted to Recipes


4 lbs baby back ribs
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup hoisin sauce

In a bowl, mix together the rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, oyster sauce, Chinese 5 Spice, minced garlic and hoisin sauce.

Take the racks of ribs and put into a Ziploc bag.  You may need to cut the ribs down in size to fit into the bag.  Pour the sauce over the ribs, seal the bag, and refrigerate.  I did this first thing in the morning, and let the ribs marinate in the sauce until dinner that day.

When it is time to prepare your meal, preheat the oven to 400F.  Place the ribs on a foil-lined baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes at 400F.  After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 300F and continue baking for 40 minutes.  Be sure to turn and baste the ribs occasionally.

VERDICT:
My husband thought these were "OK" - he's not a big hoisin guy.  Me however, I really enjoyed the flavour.  I even didn't mind the sticky (coming from a girl who hates eating with her fingers LOL!)

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Recipe Recap #34

Hello everyone, Happy Tuesday to you!  How has your day been?  Mine was GREAT!  Had a good day at work, had a lovely lunch out with friends, the kids had great days at school and daycare, and we had a wonderful evening together, playing and on Facetime with Gramma and Grampa.

It's time for this week's Recipe Recap.  I am featuring the recipes from September 22 - 28, 2012.  I hope you enjoy!

Summertime Pasta with Tomato and Basil

Summertime Pasta with Tomato and Basil | Addicted to Recipes


I also hosted a "Lunch Box Link Party" so that other bloggers could share their lunch box recipes and ideas!

See you next week!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Meal Plan Monday

Hello friends, Happy Monday!  I hope your week is getting off to a good start. How are your meal plans coming for this week?


Here is the meal plan that I have prepared for my family for this week:

Sunday - Beef Stew

Monday - Leftovers (Beef Stew, Homemade Hamburger Helper, Broccoli and Cheddar Soup)

Tuesday - Zesty Broccoli and Shrimp

Wednesday - Spaghetti

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Freezer Clean Out

Saturday - Grilled Chicken (with Lemon Pepper Seasoning) and Grilled Vegetables

I hope you enjoy!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #72 & Features!

Good morning everyone, and a Happy Sunday to you!  How has your weekend been?  Ours has been great!  Hockey started yesterday for our 6 year old (season 2) and he is so very excited.  Which is good, because he isn't a big fan of swimming lessons (also on Saturday mornings) - but since we live in a city surrounded by lakes, our kids must take swimming lessons.  Later today we are back to the hockey rink for another practice...and the rest of our day will be spent hanging out together.  Love Sundays!

Before we get to this week's party, here are the features from Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #71:

51 Halloween Treats Made Simple from SugarKissed.net


A Month of Frozen Meals from Atkinson Drive

A Month of Frozen Meals | Atkinson Drive

Cheesy Pull Apart Sourdough Bread from Five Little Chefs

Cheesy Pull Apart Sourdough Bread from fivelittlechefs.com #kidscooking #bread

Congratulations everyone!

Now, time to head over to this week's party and share your recipes!


Thursday, September 19, 2013

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Muffins, muffins, muffins.  I love muffins.  You know that by the number of muffin recipes I've posted here at Addicted to Recipes :-)

We are gearing up for back to school, which means I will be back to making muffins each week.  I'm already in planning mode, and was reading through some cookbooks and found a recipe for Raspberry Lemon Muffins in my Taste of Home The Complete Guide to Country Cooking, which I modified a bit...here is the recipe:

Blueberry Lemon Muffins
Blueberry Lemon Muffins | Addicted to Recipes


2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
2 cups blueberries, washed and dried

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare muffin cups with paper liners.

Mix together the eggs, half-and-half, oil and lemon zest. 

In a second bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Gently stir in the blueberries.  Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden.  Remove from oven and cool.

VERDICT:
These were lovely.  A nice, light lemon flavour, which is to my liking.  I am not usually a big fan of lemon flavour, but maybe it is from all those fake lemon flavourings.  There's something about that fresh lemon!  My kids loved these, they inhaled them!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Peach Blueberry Crisp

Blueberry Peach Crisp | Addicted to Recipes
Peaches, peaches, peaches.  I just love peaches.  The peach harvest is my favourite time of the year. I love baking with peaches, especially quick and easy desserts that can bake while we eat dinner and have them fresh from the oven when we are done our meal.  Enter my recipe for Peach Blueberry Crisp:

Base:
3 cups washed and dried fresh blueberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch

2 fresh peaches, peeled

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup quick oats
1/3 cup butter, softened

Cinnamon
Blueberry Peach Crisp | Addicted to Recipes

Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease a 9x9 baking pan.

In a bowl, mix the base ingredients - blueberries, brown sugar and corn starch.  Evenly pour into the baking dish.

Peel and slice the two peaches, evenly cover the blueberry layer with the sliced peaches.

In another bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar and oats.  Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.  Cover the peaches with the crumb mixture, sprinkle with cinnamon.

Put into the oven, bake for 30 minutes.

VERDICT:
Oh so delicious!  Not only did it make our house smell wonderful, it tasted great too.  My boys inhaled it...always a good sign!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Recipe Recap #33

Hello friends, Happy Tuesday!

This week I am looking back at the recipes I shared September 15 - 21 here on Addicted to Recipes.  I hope you enjoy!

Peach Shortcake Muffins (just whipped up a batch of these on Sunday!)

Peach Shortcake Muffins | Addicted to Recipes


Summertime Pasta with Tomato and Basil

Summertime Pasta with Tomato and Basil | Addicted to Recipes


See you next week!





Monday, September 16, 2013

Meal Plan Monday

Welcome back to Meal Plan Monday!  I hope that the ideas posted last week helped you in your meal planning!  Here is my plan for my family this week:


Meal Plan Monday | Addicted to Recipes


Sunday: Lasagne (making tomato sauce using tomatoes from our garden!), Salad and Garlic Bread
(This week's muffins are Peach Shortcake Muffins)

Monday - Leftovers

Tuesday - Chicken Vegetable Noodle Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Wednesday Tacos

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday Homemade Hamburger Helper

Saturday - Leftovers

Don't forget, I do have a few other fun things happening on Addicted to Recipes, a GIVEAWAY for my Canadian friends, my weekly Scrumptious Sunday recipe link party, and this month's Keep Calm and Cook On - Apple edition! Please pop over and check these out!

See you next Monday with a new meal plan!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday #71 & Features!

Hello everyone, Happy Sunday!  This post is going up late this week, however, the party has already begun, and I sure hope you will come and check it out!  Pop over here to share YOUR recipes!

Before I share with you the top 3 recipes from last week (as picked by you!), just a reminder to my Canadian friends that I do have a GIVEAWAY going on!

Here are the top 3 recipes shared last week:

Jiffy Chili Pie from Cooking With K.net


Chocolate Toffee Blondies from Dixie Chik Cooks

IMGP6409

Twisted Apple Braid from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Twisted Apple Braid ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #apple #recipe

Thanks everyone!  Looking forward to see what you share this week!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Help Get Your Dishes Clean with FINISH Additives! #FINISHTHEDISHES


Y'all know that I have two hungry sons and a hungry husband.  I cook and
bake a LOT.  And with all that cooking and baking and eating, we go through PILES OF DISHES in our house daily.  Our dishwasher gets run every.single.day.  My biggest pet peeves about all those dishes are having to pre-wash dishes and dishes that come out of the dishwasher still DIRTY.  Ugh!  And those still-dirty "washed" dishes mean that the remnants are now caked on, and means that we end up soaking and scrubbing said "washed" dishes.  Not cool.


Enter Finish Additives.  Our family was given the opportunity to try out Finish Jet-Dry and Finish Dishwasher Cleaner.

First I tried out the Finish Dishwasher Cleaner.  I've never used a dishwasher cleaner before (I've always scrubbed my dishwasher by hand), so this was all new to me.  Super SIMPLE to use...and what an amazing difference it made.  I was very impressed! The inside of our dishwasher was cleaner - the build up was gone - and I didn't have to do ANY scrubbing.  And as a result, our dishes came out cleaner too. Yay!

#FINISHTHEDISHES | Addicted to Recipes



Next up was the Finish Jet-Dry.  Again, I could see and feel the difference on my dishes.  Clean, shiny, spot and food remnant free, SO HAPPY!

These are both on the keeper list.  Anything that helps us from having to re-wash the "washed" dishes wins in my books!

#FINISHTHEDISHES | Addicted to Recipes


About FINISH JET-DRY Rinse Agent:
With detergents alone, food and chemical residues can redeposit on dishware during the rinse cycle, causing spots and residues to remaining. When you use FINISH® JET-DRY® Rinse Agent you rinse away leftover food and detergent residues for sparkling dishes, glasses and cutlery. Plus, as it wicks away the residue, it also helps the dishes become drier than when you use detergent alone. Simple to use – all you need to do is fill your rinse agent dispenser with FINSH® JET-DRY® Rinse Agent and it will be automatically released in the rinse cycle every time your dishwasher runs.

About FINISH Dishwasher Cleaner
You would never wash your dishes in a dirty sink, so why use a dirty dishwasher? Even if your dishwasher looks clean, hidden dirt can build up. FINISH® Dishwasher Cleaner intensively cleans hard to see places in your dishwasher where grease & lime scale build up. Simply put, a cleaner dishwasher means amazingly clean dishes. Again, simple to use – just remove the sticker from the top of the bottle without removing the cap. Make sure your dishwasher is empty. Place the bottle upside down in a dish rack or in a secure position and run the dishwasher. For best results, use once a month.

As well, feel free to check out the Finish Dishwashing Expert website for more videos and instructions: http://dishwashingexpert.com/


Disclosure: I am part of the Finish Canada Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada and I received special perks as part of my afiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Recipe Recap #32

Hello friends! Welcome back to Recipe Recap!  Today I am featuring the recipes posted September 8 - 14, 2012.  As always, you can find the recipe by clicking the title!

Rhubarb Buttermilk Tea Cake

Rhubarb Buttermilk Tea Bread | Addicted to Recipes

Baked Chicken Fingers

Baked Chicken Fingers | Addicted to Recipes

See you next week!

Monday, September 9, 2013

Meal Plan Monday

Meal Plan Monday | Addicted to Recipes
Hello friends!

I don't know about you, but I find the start of the new school year is almost like New Year's Day - a chance to start fresh and try new things!

You may have noticed that I took a bit of a blogging break over the summer - Scrumptious Sunday went on vacation (but it's back now!) - and I spent some time thinking about what I'd like to add to my blog that I think you would find helpful.

Anyone who knows me know that I'm a wee bit organized...I find being organized makes life so much simpler, and much less stressful!  One of the biggest organizational changes that I've implemented in the last few years is MEAL PLANNING.  Trust me, if you don't make a meal plan, you should, and you will love me for telling you to do so.  My husband tells me how much he appreciates meal planning - he is usually home from work first, which means he starts / cooks many work night meals - and all he needs to do is look and the calendar and see what the plan is for the day.  Everything he needs for the meal is available in our kitchen - makes everything so easy.

How do I do it?  I make a weekly plan.  Every Sunday morning I do a fridge purge, a pantry check, and I check the grocery flyers.  From there I plan our meals for the week, based on what we have on hand (either fresh, frozen or in the pantry), what is on sale or in season, what I have coupons for, and even what the weather is like (for example - I don't make stew in July, but certainly do in November!).  I also like to make a "big dinner" on Sundays so that we have leftovers for Mondays (Mondays tend to be busy with extra-curricular activities).

Hopefully this new weekly feature will help you with your meal planning and grocery shopping - and where possible I will also include links to recipes!


Meal Plan Monday | Addicted to Recipes

Here is this week's meal plan:

SundayRosemary Pepper Crusted Roast, Yorkshire Pudding, Roasted Carrots, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Peach Crisp (Dessert)

Monday - Leftovers

Tuesday  Savoury Fish

Wednesday - Spaghetti with Homemade Meat, Tomato & Veggie Sauce, Salad

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Homemade Pizza

Saturday - BBQ Chicken, Smashed Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Salad

Enjoy!

Lunches Our Kids Love

I am not much of the ranting type here on Addicted to Recipes, but today, I have to rant a little.  Recently I have been seeing kids lunch ideas being shared that contain primarily packaged foods.  Great concept - create a "pick and choose your lunch" system for the kids - encourage them to decide what they want in their daily lunch (based on the food that Mom and Dad have pre-selected) - let them take ownership of their lunch, and silver lining - a better chance that they will eat their lunches too (less waste!), BUT does a kid's lunch need to contain SO MUCH pre-packaged food? And what about reusable containers?  Bento lunches are hot these days...can't we do something that's maybe a little (or a lot) healthier in more ways than one?

Now don't get me wrong, my kids eat packaged food from time to time.  It happens, and I'm OK with that.  But not everyday.  I'm not perfect when it comes to eating habits, but I do my best to provide as many healthy choices for my family as I can. 

On that note, here is how the lunches are being created in our house this week:

Lunches Our Kids Love | Addicted to Recipes

The reusable plastic containers are in portion sizes (1 cup, 1/2 cup).  I take time on Sundays to wash and prep the fruit and vegetables, hard boil eggs, slice cheese, and bake a fresh batch of muffins.  When these run out during the week, I replenish with new choices.  Yes, it takes a little bit of time compared to grabbing a "packaged something or other" out of the cupboard, but my kids are worth it.

This week's choices were:
- Snap Peas / Carrots / Red and Yellow Peppers / Avocados
- Blueberries / Grapes / Plums / Nectarines / Bananas
- Yogurt
- Cheese / Hard Boiled Eggs
- Homemade Morning Glory Muffins
- Choice of Sandwich or Wrap
- Water (mandatory!)

I am sure that there will be many out there that disagree with my selections for my kids' lunches, but I am hoping that some of you will be inspired and will see that having healthier choices that your kids will like IS POSSIBLE..that it doesn't take much time to do (and depending on the age of your kids, they could also help prep - great bonding time and learning time)...and is affordable too!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

New From Kellogg's Canada! (and Giveaway!)

Recently we received samples of the new products that Kellogg's has introduced:


Kellogg's Launch - September 2013 | Addicted to Recipes


Special K Popcorn Chips
These new popcorn chips are lightly seasoned and will satisfy any movie-theatre popcorn cravings you may have.  With only 80 calories for 20 chips, the chips will help you stay on track.  The chips come in two flavours, Butter and Sweet & Salty.

All-Bran Blueberry Brown Sugar Flavour Cereal Bars
These 30g / 130 calorie bars contain blueberry-infused cranberries and brown sugar.  They are a high source of fibre, contain natural wheat bran fibre, are trans fat free and low in saturated fat!

Vector Protein Chewy Bars
The new Vector Protein Chewy Bars are a tasty combination of nuts and chocolate.  They are available in two flavours - Peanut and Mixed Nut - and have 11g of protein and 5g if fibre per bar!

VERDICT:
The Vector bars have already made their way into my secret snack stash at work.  I like these bars better than most that I have tried - and they make a perfect 3 pm snack for me.  The popcorn chips disappeared into the "man cave"...I may never get to taste them!  I'm looking forward to the cereal bars - but am saving them for one of those sure-to-happen hectic mornings when Mama doesn't get a bite to eat before getting the kids out the door to school and daycare on time.

Guess what?!  You have a chance to WIN free product coupons (FPC's) for full-sized boxes of EACH of the new products!  Enter via the Rafflecopter below!





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Scrumptious Sunday is BACK!

Hello friends!  After a summer break from Scrumptious Sunday here at Addicted to Recipes, it's time to launch the party again!  

The party rules are simple:

1) I would love for you to follow Addicted to Recipes on Facebook or Bloglovin' or Twitter - whichever you prefer!

2) I would also love for you to please add my button or page link to your blog, post or party page. You can find it under "Buttons" - thank you!

3) Please visit a few other recipe submissions and leave some comment love!

Scrumptious Sunday #70 is now LIVE - head on over HERE to share your recipes!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Recipe Recap #31

Welcome to this week's Recipe Recap!  Today I am looking back at the recipes I shared the week of September 1 - 7, 2012.  As always, if you click the recipe title, it will take you to the original post.  I hope you enjoy!

Feta Stuffed Chicken

Feta Stuffed Chicken | Addicted to Recipes


Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Squares

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Squares | Addicted to Recipes


Monday, September 2, 2013

Baked Zucchini Fries

It's zucchini season...I don't know about you, but I am seeing zucchini all around these days.  I needed to find a new recipe for Addicted to Recipes, so I took to Pinterest, and found this recipe from Budget Bytes.

1 medium sized zucchini 
Baked Zucchini Fries | Addicted to Recipes

1/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup panko
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 425.

Take your zucchini, wash and dry it.  Slice off ends, cut the zucchini in half, and slice into generous, but not too thick "fries" (about 1/2" thick). 

Take three bowls, one for flour, one for eggs, and one for a mix of the panko, parmesan cheese, salt and Italian seasoning.

Line up your bowls (flour, egg, panko).  Take your zucchini and piece by piece dip into each bowl (coat with flour, dip with egg, coat with panko).  Place on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper).  Continue through all of the slices of zucchini.

Bake the zucchini for 15 minutes, or until they start to brown.

VERDICT:
These certainly were tasty, and a nice change to regular fries.  However, I would add a little more kick to the seasoning.  Maybe some of that Cajun spice :-)

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Keep Calm and Cook On - Apples

Welcome to the September edition of Keep Calm and Cook On!  This month we are all back hitting the books (or our kids are!) and it's apple season...seems fitting to me that the theme for this month's Keep Calm and Cook On be APPLES!


Keep Calm and Cook On | Addicted to Recipes


Not a lot of rules for this party....just be sure your recipe contains the key ingredient, and please visit other entries!  I will feature 3 recipes at the end of the month.

Thanks for playing along!