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!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Recipe Recap #39

Good morning friends!  Happy Tuesday to you!

I am pleased to be back with Recipe Recap #39, sharing with you the recipes that I posted the week of October 27 - November 2, 2012.  Here are the recipes!

Eastern Chicken

Eastern Chicken | Addicted to Recipes


French Canadian Split Pea Soup - Slow Cooker

French Canadian Split Pea Soup | Addicted to Recipes

Hope you will come back next week to check out another recap! Have a great day!

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #77 & Features

Hello friends!  Happy weekend to you!  How has your weekend been?  Ours has been good.  Friday was a professional development day for our local school district, so our oldest didn't have school.  I took the day off and he and I hung out together - he had a hockey camp to go to in the morning, and then we went for lunch, and then spent some time over at his Great-Grandpa's house.  Was a nice day!  There was more hockey on Saturday, and an adult Halloween/Birthday party in the evening.  We've also got pumpkin carving on our agenda before the weekend is through!  Lots of fun all around :-)

Before we get to this week's party, I wanted to share with you the features from Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #76.  Here they are!

Mexican Carnitas Cobb Salad from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Mexican Carnitas Cobb Salad ~ Sumptuous Spoonfuls #salad #recipe

German Poppy Seed Streusel Cake from Hungry Little Girl

german poppy seed streusel cake recipe

Cookie Butter Donuts from A Peek Into My Paradise



Congratulations everyone!

Now, it's time to party!  Please head on over to the party page for Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #77 and share with everyone your recipes!  

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Butter Chicken - Slow Cooker

Yes, it's that time again...Slow Cooker Thursday.  You know that we love our slow cooker at our house, and that Thursday after school is hockey practice day for our oldest, and coming home to dinner ready in the slow cooker makes life that much easier.

Lately I have been craving butter chicken, and we almost went out for some the other night.  But instead, I found this recipe and upon further "investigation", found that we already had most of the ingredients at home, so I decided to make it instead!

Here is the recipe:

Butter Chicken (Source: La Vie Overseas)
Butter Chicken - Slow Cooker | Addicted to Recipes


2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breats, cut into pieces
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons tandoori masala
6 oz tomato paste
8 oz tomato sauce
14 oz coconut milk
1 cup plain yogurt, plus extra for garnish
Cilantro
Corn starch (if needed)

In a large skillet and over medium heat, melt the butter with the vegetable oil.  Add in the onion, garlic and chicken.  Cook until the onions are soft, around 10 minutes.

Add in the curry powder, cayenne pepper, garam masala, tandoori masala, and tomato paste.  Mix well and until smooth, 1-2 minutes.

Pour the contents of the skillet into your slow cooker.  Add in the tomato sauce, coconut milk and yogurt.  Cook on low for up to 6 hours.

Approximately 30 minutes before serving, taste the sauce and check for preferred thickness.  I found my sauce was a little more runny than what we would prefer, so I added some corn starch to the sauce to thicken it.

Serve with rice and naan bread.

VERDICT:
So stinkin good!  I had tasted the sauce a few hours before serving and figured the kids would end up thinking it was too spicy for them, so I did end up preparing a quick meal just for them.  But they loved the naan bread :-)  Hubs and I devoured our Butter Chicken...I can't wait for the leftovers!

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Super Good (and Healthy!) Granola

I love adding granola to my yogurt.  I just love that extra crunch, and I do hope some added health benefits too!  Unfortunately, most store bought granola contains almonds, or the warning that there may be almonds.  And my hubby is allergic to almonds...so I often just go without granola.  And then I realized, hey, I'm a recipe blogger, I should be able to make a granola recipe that I like that is almond free...and here we go:

Cranberry Walnut Granola (Paleo) | Addicted to Recipes2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup pumpkin seeds (raw or salted, whichever you prefer)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt (skip the salt if you use salted pumpkin seeds)

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
3 tablespoons honey

1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped

Preheat oven to 300F.  Prepare baking sheet - cover with parchment paper.

In a bowl, mix together the walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut and salt.

In a small bowl mix together the melted coconut oil and the honey.  Add this mixture to the nut and seed mixture.  Stir well.  Spread evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Remove from oven, sprinkle on the cranberries and dates.  Allow to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container.

VERDICT:
I took this granola to work, to my team it was an experiment, and they all seemed to like it :-)  My hubby and both like it, as does our toddler.  Our oldest hasn't tried it yet, he seems a little nervous about it.  But hubby and I are happy, and I will make this again (after all, it is almond free - yay!).

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Recipe Recap #38

Hello again...you lucky friends you!  I'm back with Recipe Recap #38 (and part two for today!)  October was a busy month last year, and I created one of my "signature" recipes for a party this time last year.  Check it out below, along with the other recipes from the week of October 20 - 26, 2012.

Nutella Cheesecake Bites (I get asked to make these for pot lucks often!)




Rice Krispies Halloween Treats (fun for the family!)



Beef Barley Soup - SLOW COOKER (just finished another pot of this...this one is very popular with my boys!)




And just in case you missed the earlier recap...pop on over!

See you next week!

Recipe Recap #37

Hello friends, welcome back to Recipe Recap.  With the Thanksgiving holiday last week, and with us being away, I got behind on my posts and missed sharing my recap from last week.  So today, you get TWO recaps!  Here is the first...and be sure to pop back later for part 2!

Here are the recipes that I shared the week of October 13 - 19, 2012:

Grilled Vegetable Basket (a staple in our house!)


Grilled Vegetable Basket | Addicted to Recipes


Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes (Slow Cooker)




Now be sure to come back this afternoon to check out Recipe Recap #38!

Monday, October 21, 2013

Finish BOGO Ultimate Kitchen Makeover #FinishYourKitchen

Finish BOGO Kitchen Makeover

Anyone who knows me, knows that I spend a LOT of time in my kitchen.  After all, I am a recipe blogger, and I test every recipe before I share it with my readers.  Sundays especially are "heavy" kitchen days for me as I try to prepare meals, snacks, etc in advance of the upcoming school and work week. My family spends a lot of time in the kitchen too - whether it is eating meals together or doing homework or playing games at the table, I would say the kitchen is the most used room in our house

Lucky for me, I have a kitchen that I am happy with.  It is a decent size with good counter space - always a plus for us (messy) cooks!  The eating area has a huge 8-seater table and the area has 4 large windows and a (windowed) door to outside to the back patio and back yard - which means that I have a bright kitchen and I can see my kids as I work in the kitchen and as they play in the yard.  It was a big selling feature for us when we bought our home, and we have been happy with it.

Of course there are things that I would like to change about my kitchen - I would like a more open concept style into our living/play room, as sometimes I feel closed off from everyone if I am in the kitchen and they are all in the living/play room.  That might be a reno for us once kids toys are gone (otherwise those toys would be all over the kitchen).  We like to entertain, but I don't feel like our current kitchen is a true "entertainer's kitchen".  And I would really like a new stove.  I would love one with a double oven and convection.  I had a convection oven in our last house that I miss.  I feel that our cabinets are a little outdated, but they are in such good shape that I could never justify tearing them out "just because".  I'd also love a built in cleaner...to clean up after all my cooking and baking messes!  LOL

Fortunately for us, I do have help in the cleaning department - we have Finish Quantum in our house.  We switched to the Finish line of products a while back now, and have never looked back.  We have always been happy with the quality of clean that we get from Finish Quantum. 

Right now, Finish and Bosch have partnered and will be turning the dream kitchens of 10 families into reality with their 10 Ultimate Kitchen makeovers valued at $10,000 as part of their Buy One Get One Free with mail-in-rebate promotion!  Head on over to their Facebook page for more details!

Finish BOGO Kitchen Makeover

Tell me, what would your dream kitchen look like?


Disclosure - I am participating in the Ultimate Kitchen Makeover Blogger Campaign on behalf of Finish.  I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Meal Plan Monday

Hello everyone!  My apologies for the hiatus last week for Meal Plan Monday.  

We were away for Thanksgiving, and I didn't develop a meal plan before we left, and once we got back I had "stuff to do" (groceries, laundry, etc etc etc) and just didn't get to posting the meal plan on time.  And then before I knew it, the week was over and I was planning this week's menu!

So...here we go, our meal plan for this week:

Sunday - Slow Cooker Butter Chicken (recipe coming soon!)

Monday - Hubs and I are going out for dinner (Greek!...soccer year-end dinner for coaches), the kids are having pork chops and baked beans with their babysitter

Tuesday - Three "P" Night - Pork (chops), Perogies, and Peas!

Wednesday - Spaghetti

Thursday - Cauliflower Curry Soup & Sandwiches

Friday - Beef Stew

Have a great week!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #76 & Features!

Hello everyone!

Apologies for the late start this week for the recipe link party here at Addicted to Recipes...but I am pleased to say that this week's party is about to start...once I share with you this week's features!

Here we go...

Candy Coated Popcorn Pumpkins from Celebrating Holidays

Pumpkin Shaped Popcorn Balls

Pumpkin Pie Muffins (Paleo) from Prudent Living

A Paleo Pumpkin Thanksgiving

Easy Potato Soup from Florida Fitness


Paleo Berry Crumble Bars from Watch Out, Martha!


Congratulations everyone!

Now, it's time to head on over to this week's party!  Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #76 is now live! 

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Pepper Rubbed Roast

You know that we are fans of the Rosemary and Pepper Crusted Roast recipe that I found earlier this year.  It's our new go-to recipe for roast.  But the other day I wasn't feeling like making the trip down the hill to seek out some fresh rosemary, so I decided it was time to try something a little different.  I came across a recipe for Herb Rubbed Roast, and modified it...here is the recipe:
Pepper Rub for Roast | Addicted to Recipes

1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix all the seasonings together, including the olive oil.  Rub the seasoning paste all over the roast.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place roast onto a prepared baking sheet (lined with foil).  Roast for 1 hour, or until the roast is cooked to your liking (use that handy meat thermometer!).  Remove from oven and let the roast sit for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

VERDICT:
You need to like pepper to like this roast.  We like pepper, so we enjoyed it.  The crust had a bit of a bite, which was tasty, and added a little kick to the gravy for the mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding.  We had to give the kids the inside of the slices of meat (too peppery for them) - but us adults were happy :-)

Pepper Rubbed Roast | Addicted to Recipes

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Peach Crisp

Y'all know that I just love peaches.  And I love to whip up a crisp (apple...) - unless it is peach season.  I like to prep the dessert before I start dinner, so it is baking and has cooled just enough to serve right after dinner.  Recently I shared the recipe for Peach Blueberry Crisp.  Today I am sharing a recipe for Peach Crisp:
Peach Crisp | Addicted to Recipes

4 cups freestone peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup oats

Preheat oven to 350F.

Arrange peaches evenly on the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 glass baking dish.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt - use a pastry blender or two knives - until evenly crumbly.  Add in the oats, mix well.  Spoon the mixture evenly over the peaches.  Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon, pop into the oven, and bake for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.  Best served warm.

VERDICT:
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  Fresh baked peach crisp right out of the oven, with a little homemade vanilla ice cream...oh so darn good!  A simple recipe, a staple for us!


Peach Crisp | Addicted to Recipes

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #75 & Features!

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope that you are enjoying a beautiful long weekend surrounded by family and friends.  We are...and it's been great!


Before we get into this week's party, here are the features from Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #74:



Witches Broomstick Cookies from Sugar Cookies to Peterbilts


Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta from Melding Magic



Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread from Mommy on Demand

IMG_2984

Snickers Pretzel Bites from Summer Scraps

Snickers Pretzel Bites #shop #gamedaybites

Congratulations everyone!

And now, I hope you will head on over to Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #75 and share your recipes this week! 

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Club House Gluten-Free 'Stuffin Muffin' and Gluten-Free Gravy - Happy #Thanksgiving

Introducing the new Gluten-Free line from Club House!


Club House Gluten-Free | Addicted to Recipes


We are leading to Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada.  One most families' menu will be turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and so much more!  For may people with gluten intolerances or celiac disease, the holidays can be a challenging time to eat, given the gluten-based foods that often are part of holiday meals.  Thankfully, Club House has introduced a new gluten-free line of products which will make holiday meals that much more enjoyable for people with gluten issues!

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to try the new Club House Gluten-Free Brown Gravy, and of course, in Addicted to Recipes fashion, I needed to try a new recipe.  I found this recipe on the McCormick website, and it sounded like a must-try to me!  Here is the recipe:




 
Club House Gluten-Free Stuffin Muffins and Gluten-Free Gravy 
Source: McCormick Products

Ingredients:
1 lb smoked bacon, chopped
2 onions, peeled
2 stalks celery, peeled
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 loaf day-old All But Gluten Focaccia loaf - rosemary or onion flavoured
1 cup low sodium chicken stock
Salt & pepper to taste
4 tablespoons butter
1 package Club House Gluten-Free Brown Gravy Mix

Preheat oven to 400F.  Prepare muffin tin with by greasing with butter.

Fry the bacon in a large sauté pan until just brown and crispy.

Remove with a slotted spoon and pour off excess grease from the pan.

Coarsely chop the onions and celery and sauté in the pan with the butter until soft and translucent.

Add the poultry seasoning and stir for a minute or two.

Return the bacon to the pan along with the cubed bread.

Moisten with the turkey or chicken broth and stir well to combine.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Allow to cool slightly while the bread absorbs the broth.

Scoop portions of the stuffing into 3-inch balls and place into each muffin cup.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, watch closely!

Drizzle your “stuffin muffin” with your gourmet gravy recipe.

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

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Dawn's Tomato Sauce

Dawn's Tomato Sauce | Addicted to Recipes
Ahh tomato season.  The time of year when the little Addicted to Recipes garden is producing tomatoes like crazy.  Today was a cooler day with some storms blowing through, which meant a perfect day for a big pot of spaghetti.  And since we have that abundance of tomatoes, I figured I should make some tomato sauce for our spaghetti.  Here is what I did:

Dawn's Tomato Sauce

4 cups cherry tomatoes (4 varieties) - peeled (see instructions below about peeling tomatoes)
Salt & pepper (to taste)
15 basil leaves, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Dash red pepper flakes
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/3 orange pepper, diced
1/3 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 green onion, diced
Handful fresh mushrooms, diced

1 lb ground beef, browned

Spaghetti and Dawn's Meat Sauce | Addicted to Recipes
Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Put the tomatoes in the boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and place the tomatoes in ice cold water.  This will allow you to easily peel the skin from the tomatoes (and yes I did that with 4 cups of cherry tomatoes, it really didn't take much time to pull the skins off).  Once the tomatoes are peeled, place them in a large saucepan, salt and pepper the tomatoes, and turn the pan on medium.

Meanwhile, brown your ground beef.  I left mine unseasoned as I added it to the tomato sauce a little later on.

While the tomatoes are cooking, add the basil, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the pan.  Mix well.  Add in the vegetables.  Taste and add any salt and pepper as needed.  Reduce heat and simmer for 40 - 50 minutes.  When the beef has browned, add it to the tomato sauce.

Prepare your favourite pasta (we went for traditional spaghetti), and serve.

VERDICT:
My hubby's first words were that the sauce tasted just so fresh.  He could tell there were no glass jars or cans involved.  It was so good, and nice to know exactly each ingredient that went into the sauce.  Our kids devoured their meals too.  Yay!




Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Recipe Recap #36

Happy Tuesday to you!  Here we are, back for this week's stroll down recipe memory lane with Recipe Recap.  I'm recapping the recipes from October 6- 12, 2012.  Link to the recipe is in the recipe title:




Be sure to check back next Tuesday for more great recipes!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Meal Plan Monday

It`s time for Meal Plan Monday!  I hope that you will find some inspiration
Meal Plan Monday > Addicted to Recipes
from this week`s menu!


Monday - Leftovers

Tuesday - Fish and Chips (Mom`s going out tonight!)

Wednesday - Slow Cooker Shredded Balsamic Vinegar Roast - as Beef Dip

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday & Saturday - we have dinner plans each night! (lucky us!)

Enjoy!



Sunday, October 6, 2013

Keep Calm and Cook On - October



It's that time, time for this month's edition of Keep Calm and Cook On!  I don't know what it is like at your house, but in my kitchen, it is time to dust off my slow cooker for the fall and winter...and time to share our favourite slow-cooker recipes!


In our house, hockey season has begun, and like last year, I anticipate a weekly feature of "Slow Cooker Thursday" - coming soon!  In the meantime, I need to collect some new recipes to try, which makes for the perfect party theme for this month's Keep Calm and Cook On challenge!

I invite you to share your favourite slow-cooker recipes!  


Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #74 and Features!

Hello everyone, happy Sunday to you!  Welcome to Addicted to Recipes, and to this week's Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party!

Before we get the party started, I would like to share with you the features from last week's party!

My Top 10 Favorite Fall Recipes from Skinny Kitchen


Red Velvet Cookies from Just Winging It


Pumpkin Toffee Poke Cake from The Mandatory Mooch


I hope you enjoy these recipes!  

Now, please head over to this week's party to check out all the recipes, and to share yours too!

Thank you!  Have a fantastic day!





Saturday, October 5, 2013

Keep Calm and Cook On - September Features

Keep Calm and Cook On | Addicted to Recipes

I don't know about you, but I'm in a bit of shock that it's already October.  Where did September go?  It feels like I blink and a month has passed.  Does that happen to you?  



Thank you to everyone who participated in Keep Calm and Cook On - September edition.  Our theme was apples, and you shared nearly 40 wonderful apple recipes!  



Here are the features from Keep Calm and Cook On - September - Apples!




Apple Dumplings Cobbler from Cooking with K



Caramel Apple Chewies from Jazzy Gourmet



The Best Apple Pie on the Planet! from Designed Decor 



Fresh Apple Cake from Call Me PMC



Now, be sure to check back tomorrow to see what the theme is for October!




Thursday, October 3, 2013

Mashed New Potatoes with Basil and Mustard

We have a spud lover in our house.  Our toddler loves his potatoes, especially mashed and smashed. Good ole me though, I need to try new recipes and share them with you, the readers at Addicted to Recipes

Fork Mashed New Potatoes with Basil and Mustard | Addicted to RecipesI was digging through my recipe collection, and came across a recipe that I have had in the binder for many many years.  I  don't know where it came from or who to credit, but I had to give it a try.  The kicker was the basil, as our eldest is a basil lover (he eats it straight off the plant).  So I thought this would be a great recipe to try.  Here it is:

Mashed New Potatoes with Basil and Mustard

1 lbs small new potatoes
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and boil the potatoes (do not peel) in a big pot of salted water.  Boil for 20 minutes.  Set aside until the potatoes are ready.

After 20 minutes, drain the potatoes, put into a shallow bowl.  Mash (roughly).  Add in the dressing, mix well, and serve.

VERDICT
This was delicious.  And I learned (given that dinner is rarely uneventful and often we get a few hot bites of food and then we get to eat cold dinner!)...that this dish is delicious both hot AND cold.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Cinabun Cake (Cinnamon Bun Cake)

My Mom makes the best cinnamon buns.  I don't make cinnamon buns...I've been craving Mom's cinnamon buns, but they've been away.  So I had to improvise.  Enter Cinnamon Bun Cake, or as our two year old calls it, Cinabun Cake. 

(Source: Cookin Up North)

Base:
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Glaze:
2 cups icing sugar
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9 x 13 baking pan (buttered).

Mix all of the base ingredients together, with the exception of the butter.  Add the melted butter last, and then pour into your prepared pan,

Mix all of the topping ingredients together in a separate bowl.  Mix well.  Drop by teaspoonful over the base, as evenly as you can over the entire base.  Take a butter knife and swirl the topping into the base.  Pop into the oven and bake for 28-30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze and set aside.

Remove from oven and glaze the cake while still warm.


VERDICT
Well, as I posted on my Facebook page just after I pulled this cake out of the oven at 9:05 pm..."Oh dear...the Cinnamon Bun Cake that I just pulled out of the oven might not make it to morning...if it tastes half as good as it looks, it might be gone by midnight!"  Needless to say, I ate two pieces before bed that night.  And two more the next day.  It's that good.  Warm or room temperature.  So stinking good.  Quite the sweet treat, and a perfect pairing with a cup of coffee or a big ole glass of milk.  And all of the ingredients are staples in most kitchens. Wow...this could be dangerous!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Recipe Recap #35

Hello everyone, happy Tuesday to you! 

This week's Recipe Recap looks back at the week of September 25 - October 5, 2012.  Here are the recipes (links to the original recipes are via the title):

My most popular recipe EVER on the blog...

Perfect quick meal for the family!  My boys LOVE these Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes







Hope you enjoy!