Throwback Thursday

This weekend mark's our 8th wedding anniversary!  Time goes by so quickly, it feels like just yesterday that we were in Vegas getting married (yes...a Vegas wedding...and it was SO FUN!) Yet, when I sit down and look at the pictures and think about all the good times (and some challenges) - we've really had a wonderful 8 years of marriage.  I'm lucky to be married to such a great guy!

So, in the spirit of love and anniversaries, this week's Throwback Thursday recipe is one of my hubby's favourites...

 

NANAIMO BAR ICE CREAM CAKE

 

 

 

 What is your partner's favourite dessert?

Salsa Turkey Meatloaf

Me and meat loaf.  I've said it before and I will say it again, never been a big fan.  But my boys love meatloaf.  So, in Addicted to Recipes fashion, I keep trying new recipes, in hopes of finding one that will turn me on to meatloaf.  Here we are with a new recipe, Salsa Turkey Meatloaf.  It's another recipe from the binder - no idea where the recipe came from.

Salsa Turkey Meatloaf

2 eggs
3/4 cup salsa
3/4 cup panko
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a bowl, beat the eggs.  Add in 1/4 cup salsa, the bread crumbs, onion, green pepper, chili powder, salt, thyme and pepper.  Mix in the turkey.

Pat evenly into 8 x 4 inch pan.  Cover with the reserved salsa (1/2 cup).  Baked for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until meat thermometer registers 185F.

Remove from oven, sprinkle the cheese on top, bake again until the cheese is melted.  Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes, drain off fat, and serve.

VERDICT:
I made this for my boys for dinner on a night when I had plans with girlfriends.  I came home to a very happy husband...and zero meatloaf left in the fridge.  When my sons got up in the morning, both told me how much they liked their dinner.  Score!

Apple Sauce

One of my favourite desserts when I was a kid was homemade apple sauce.  I just loved the smell of it cooking (I am a huge cinnamon fan).  Warm apple sauce with vanilla ice cream, oh my, so good!  Apple sauce is such an easy recipe to make, and perfect when you have apples that are starting to "go".  Here is how I make my apple sauce:

4 apples
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
Dash cloves
1/4 teaspoon all spice
1 - 2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup water

Wash, peel, core and slice the apples.  Put into a pot, turn pot on to medium.  Add in the water, brown sugar, lemon juice, honey, cloves, all spice, and cinnamon.  Once boiling, reduce to medium-low and let the apples cook down until they reach your preferred consistency for apple sauce.  Eat as a snack, or serve warm as a dessert - over ice cream or with cream.  Yum!

Throwback Thursday

Hello friends!  This week for Throwback Thursday I am looking back at a special treat that I made for Valentine's Day a few years ago.  This was a rich, delicious meal that my hubby and I both enjoyed. 

LOBSTER FETTUCINE!

Are you making anything special for your Valentine?

Brie with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Recently I received a copy of The Complete Best of Bridge Cookbooks, Volume 3, published by Robert Rose.  Once again, I am in love with a cookbook!

There are so many great, classic Best of Bridge recipes in that cookbook - a collection that if you don't have, you should! My mother-in-law had taken a read through the book and commented over and over on the different recipes - so many of them are ones she has used or still uses.  

We were having a late dinner the other night, so I made sure there was a little appetizer to hold the family over until dinner was ready.  I went with a classic, Brie with Sun-Dried Tomatoes.  Here is the recipe:

Brie with Sun-Dried Tomatoes 
Found on page 62 of The Complete Best of Bridge Cookbooks, Volume 3 (snack, appetizer, holidays, entertaining)

4 oz (125 g) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, 
finely chopped

3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz (175 g) Brie cheese

2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix tomatoes and garlic and pile generously on cheese. Sprinkle with parsley. (it’s not necessary to 
remove rind from cheese.) 

Heat in oven at 350F (180C) for a few minutes until cheese is soft. Serve with bagel chips or crackers.

VERDICT:
Oh so good!  What a great blend of simple ingredients.  Such nice flavour, this snack devoured by everyone in the family!


Excerpted from The Complete Best of Bridge Cookbooks, Volume 3 by The Best of Bridge 
Ladies © 2013 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission.

Banana Coconut Muffins

I was in the mood for some new muffins...I had some ripe bananas to use but didn't feel like making banana bread.  Enter good ole Pinterest, a search for "banana" and in front of my eyes all sorts of inspiration!  I picked this recipe from ZagLeft because it had a short list of ingredients, and had coconut :-)  Here is the recipe:

Banana Coconut Muffins

3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare muffin tin (I lined with paper liners).

In a large bowl mash the bananas, add in the melted butter, egg and vanilla, mix well. 

In a separate bowl. combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, combine just to mix.  Fold in the coconut.  Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.  Bake 22-25 minutes.  Remove from oven, cool and serve.  Enjoy!

VERDICT:
I wasn't overly thrilled with these, however, the kids loved them. Inhaled them, actually.  For me, there was something missing...maybe some walnuts.  Yes, I'll have to give them another try with walnuts, because really, I have never met a muffin that I didn't like!

Meal Plan Monday

It's our Family Day long weekend this weekend, and what fun weekend we've been having.  The kids had a sleepover with their cousins at my parents' house, which gave hubs and I a date night!  We went out for dinner and to a hockey game, and while our team lost, it was still a nice evening.  Today is a day off from work and school, and we have created a "Family Day" tradition of having a little bowling party, followed by a pizza party!  So looking forward to that later with my extended family (our in-laws all live out of province, and their family day is next weekend).

However, I still put together a meal plan for the week...and here it is!

Sunday - Beef in Beer Pot Roast

Monday - Family Day Pizza Party (out for dinner)

Tuesday - Leftovers with salad

Wednesday - Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad

Thursday - Broccoli Cheddar Soup (crock pot) and quick bread

Friday - Valentine's Day...dinner to be decided!

Saturday - Butter Chicken

Enjoy your week - and to all my friends also enjoying Family Day - have a GREAT day!

Beef Stroganoff

Always looking for a new recipe to try, that's me! I know, Beef Stroganoff is a classic dinner, and too many is also comfort food.  Believe it or not, I've never made it before.  I figured "no time like the present!"

Here is the recipe I used, modelled after this recipe over at The Hungry Apple.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs steak
1 lb mushrooms, washed and cut into pieces
2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Flour
Fresh ground pepper
Egg noodles
1/4 cup cold water

Slice the steak into thin strips.  Lightly sprinkle with flour and grind fresh pepper over the steak (to taste).  Set aside.

In a large pan, heat the olive oil.  Sauté the onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes.  Add the steak, continue to sauté for approximately 5 minutes, or until most of the pink is gone.  Add the mushrooms and broth, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

While the beef mixture is simmering, cook your egg noodles, according to the package directions.

After the beef has simmered for 15 minutes, make a roux with 1/4 cup cold water and 1/3 cup flour.  Add the roux to the broth and whisk well.  Add the sour cream and whisk again.  Serve over cooked egg noodles.

VERDICT:
This was really tasty.  The kids thought there were too many mushrooms, so next time I would make this with less mushrooms than what is called for in the recipe.  Otherwise, this was a nice, comforting dinner!  Will make it again!

Keep Calm and Cook On - February

Hello everyone!  How is February going for you?  Hard to believe that January is done.  Seriously, it went FAST!  So here we are, back at the first Friday of the month, which means the first day for the monthly Keep Calm and Cook On recipe link party.  Before we get to the party, did you check out the features from last month's party?

This month's theme is...yes, you guessed it...

VALENTINE'S DAY

I would love for you to share with everyone your favourite Valentine's themed recipes!

Keep Calm and Cook On - January Features

Hello friends!
 

Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful "favourite" recipes at the Keep Calm and Cook On recipe party in January!  Be sure to come back for the February party, which goes live tomorrow!


Here are the featured recipes from the January party!

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks from Noshing with the Nolands

 

 



 Raspberry Cheesecake Bars from Baker Becky

 
Amazing Monkey Bread from Madame Deals

Easy Black Forest Cake from Turnips 2 Tangerines

My Homemade Recipe for Starbucks Skinny Dolce Latte from Skinny Kitchen

 

Thank you again everyone for sharing your recipes at the party!

Throwback Thursday

Oh my! How did it get to be Thursday already?!  The week seems to have flown by.  I feel like I blink and it's Monday.  Blink again and it's nearly Friday.  We have a long weekend coming up, which is exciting.  Family Day is on Monday, and we are looking forward to our Family Day tradition of BOWLING!  Should be fun, especially with a group aged 2 through their mid-60's.

Here's this week's Throwback Thursday recipe...SLOW COOKER BUTTER CHICKEN.  One of my favourites...just might have to make some this weekend!

Meal Plan Monday

Hello everyone, how was your weekend?  Anyone suffering from Super Bowl over-indulgences?  

Our weekend was great - our oldest was in a hockey tournament and he had an absolute blast.  The youngest and I didn't go to the tournament, we stayed home and hung out and we too had a blast!  Sunday of course was the big game, but lucky me, my hubby went to a buddy's to watch, so we were football free all day (insert happy dance! LOL).  This week we are looking forward to Family Day long weekend...yeah!  In the meantime, I still had to think ahead about dinners.  Here is a our meal plan for this week:

Sunday - Stew (as requested by the 6 year old)

Monday - Turkey Sausage, Perogies and Roasted Broccoli

Tuesday - Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Butternut Squash Soup

Friday - Pork Chops, Salad, Roasted Vegetables

Saturday - Appy Night!

Toasted Chili Chickpeas

I was looking for a new snack for around home, and possibly something that I could take to work.  I've had this can of chickpeas staring at me in the cupboard for a while, so I thought I'd better come up with something to do with them.  I was in the mood for a crispy snack, and came across a recipe for Crispy Chickpeas in my current Food Network Magazine.  Here is the recipe that I used:

1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Himalayan salt, ground fine
1-2 teaspoons chili powder

Open the chickpeas, drain and rinse.  Lay the chickpeas out on a paper towel to dry.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Put the dried chickpeas in a bowl.  Toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and chili powder.  Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet, baked in the centre of the oven for 45-55 minutes.  Remove from oven, allow to cool thoroughly.  Enjoy!

VERDICT:
I loved these.  Obviously I couldn't wait for them to cool completely before I taste tested, but the ones that did make it to fully cool, were worth the wait.  The chickpeas get crunchier as they get cooler.  Addicted.  Our toddler loved them too!  I will make them again!