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!

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #57

Addicted to Recipes
Happy Easter Friends!  I hope that you are having a WONDERFUL day with your family!  We are enjoying
a beautiful long weekend - the weather has been amazing - the kids were running through the sprinklers yesterday, first time this year.  

Later today we will be hosting my side of our family for dinner, looking forward to the fun!

It's time for this week's edition of the Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party.  I sure hope you will come by and share your recipes!

Thank you so much for stopping by - enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Zesty Broccoli and Shrimp

Recently my Mother-in-Law sent me an email with this recipe, and the instruction...make this!  Being a good daughter-in-law, I take a look and decide, yup, this one sounds like something we would dig.  Here is the recipe:

Zesty Broccoli and Shrimp
Zesty Broccoli and Shrimp | Addicted to Recipes

2 pounds broccoli, washed and cut into bite sized pieces (good thing for that kitchen scale!)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
teaspoon cumin 
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, divided
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 1/4 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 425F.

Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, toss the broccoli with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the cumin, 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt,  1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and the chili powder.

In a separate bowl, combine the shrimp, the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon zest, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.  Set aside.

Spread the broccoli mixture on the baking sheet, in a single layer.  Place in oven, and roast for 10 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet, add the shrimp, and toss with the broccoli.  Roast 5 minutes, toss, and roast for another 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender and golden and the shrimp are just opaque.

Serve with lemon wedges.

VERDICT:
This dish was INHALED by every member of our family.  All 4 of us.  There was a bit of a kick to it, so you may want to tone it down or spice it up depending on your preference, but we loved it, and will most certainly be making it again!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday #55 - Features

Hello everyone! I sure hope you are well today!  I've been having fun catching up on all the recipes from the Scrumptious Sunday parties over spring break.  Did you do anything exciting for spring break? (or do you have any big plans?)  We went on a road trip with the kids - we made our way east to see my in-laws, with an overnight in the Rockies.  It was awesome - we had such a fun trip, and now that the toddler is getting older, I am looking forward to more family trips!

If you missed my recipe posts from the week of Scrumptious Sunday #55, here they are:



Salmon Cakes
Baked Not Fried Sweet Potato Fries


And here are the features from Scrumptious Sunday #55!  Congrats everyone - if you are featured, I invite you to please grab a button for your website!

If you are featured this week, please grab a BUTTON from my button page!

I was featured, I was Featured by Addicted to Recipes


Glad these are almond-free!
Nature Valley Oats'n'Honey Bars from Half Baked Harvest


Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey Bars

Just in time for Easter...
Slow-Cooker Ham from The Wilderness Wife


Slow Cooker Ham Recipe, Crock Pot Ham Recipe

This pie sounds very intriguing!
Apple Meringue Pie from With A Blast


Apple Meringue Pie

And Sheryl blows me away yet again...I think I must try these...
State Fair Chocolate Strawberry Waffle Pops from Lady Behind the Curtain


Lady Behind The Curtain - State Fair Chocolate Strawberry Waffle Pops

Congratulations everyone!   

Don't forget, Scrumptious Sunday will be back starting this Saturday night at 8 pm! Can't wait to see all the goodness you bring next week!



Scrumptious Sunday #54 - Features

Hello everyone! Happy Wednesday :-)  I'm catching up on features....today I am happy to share with you the features from Scrumptious Sunday #54!

Just in case you missed my recipe posts from the week of Scrumptious Sunday #54, here they are:



Savoury Fish
Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Bread


And now, the features!

If you are featured this week, please grab a BUTTON from my button page!

I was featured, I was Featured by Addicted to Recipes



Spring has sprung, which means our long, hot summers are getting closer!  Planning ahead for delicious summertime beverages :-)
Meyer Lemon Margaritas from Yesterfood

Meyer Lemon Margaritas

I love Mexican-inspired food, this looks fun!
Chicken Fajita Pie from My Biscuits are Burning


Chicken Fajita Pie

This recipe would be right up my boys' alley...
Pizza Stuffed Meatloaf from Learning the Ropes...One Recipe At A Time


Pizza Stuffed Meatloaf

Can you say holy moly this looks so good?!!
Tunnel of Fudge Cake from See Aimee Cook


Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Congrats everyone!  THANKS so much for sharing your recipes with me!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Recipe Recap #9

Hello everyone! Happy Tuesday to you!  Here we are, back with another week of Recipe Recap! This week looking at March 24-30, 2011!

Here are the recipes:

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Homemade Noodles
Oh I remember this well.  My first try making soup from scratch, including noodles.  And it was love :-)


Chicken Vegetable Soup with Homemade Noodles | Addicted to Recipes


Caramelized Brussel Sprouts
This dish is a HUGE favourite for our family.  My 5 year old ASKS me to but brussel sprouts.  I am serious!  


Caramelized Brussel Sprouts | Addicted to Recipes


Come again next Tuesday for another serving of Recipe Recap!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Parmesan Baked Potatoes

Spring has sprung, and I am on a roll.  Inspired again to be testing some new recipes.  We eat a lot of potatoes in our house, and it's always a challenge to find a new way to dress them up.  I happened across this recipe and thought, I must give that one a try!  Plus, I knew that I already had fresh parmesan at home.  No additional ingredients needed, bonus!  Here is the recipe:

Parmesan Baked Potatoes
Parmesan Baked Potatoes | Addicted to Recipes

3 potatoes, washed and cut in half
1/4 cup butter, melted
Fresh parmesan cheese
Garlic powder
Montreal steak spice (or other seasonings, depending on your preference)

Preheat oven to 400F.

Melt butter and pour into a 9x9 pan.  Ensure butter is evenly spread across the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the butter - be generous!  Sprinkle the garlic and any other seasonings over the cheese - use as much as you would prefer.

Lay the potatoes "face down" on top of the butter, cheese and garlic.

Bake for 45 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Serves 3-4

VERDICT
These were MELT IN YOUR mouth good.  Seriously, the potatoes melted in our mouths.  Must have been that lovely layer of butter :-)  And the crispy parmesan cheese topping was perfect.  A nice little balance!  This was an easy, no fuss recipe that we will be sure to make again!

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #56

Addicted to Recipes
Hello everyone!  

I sure hope you are having a fantastic weekend!  For us, our two week spring break is just wrapping up. I think that our oldest had a lot of fun on his first-ever spring break.  We went on a road trip, headed east to see the sights and visit family.  And he also spent a week at a day camp, doing things like building paper airplanes to swimming to scavenger hunts.  He had a tonne of fun, and he was pretty tired by Friday evening.  Early to bed for the kiddos!

It's time for this week's edition of the Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party.  I sure hope you will come by and share your recipes!

Have a great rest-of-your weekend!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Blueberry Muffins

Everyone knows that we are a muffin loving family :-) Always willing to try a new muffin recipe, and we usually bake muffins once a week.  Recently, my Mother-in-Law gave me a new cookbook to add to my collection, so I've been reading and scoping out new recipes to try.  Inside are some new muffin recipes, so of course we are giving them a try.  This time around it is Blueberry Muffins!  Here is the recipe:

Blueberry Muffins (Source: My Father's Daughter)

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
Blueberry Muffins | Addicted to Recipes
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375F.  Prepare muffin tins (I prefer muffin liners).

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the butter, eggs and milk.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stir just to combine.  Add in the blueberries.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tin.  Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the extra teaspoon of sugar.  Bake for 23-27 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

VERDICT:
These were a hit with my boys.  Our oldest gave some enthusiastic thumbs up to these muffins.  They reminded me of the Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake, and got me to thinking that next time I make these, I might add some lemon zest to them.  A tasty treat!


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

EatSmart Digital Kitchen Scale

EatSmart Digital Scale - Addicted to Recipes
Recently, I was given the opportunity to test an EatSmart Digital Scale.  I've never had a digital scale in my kitchen before, and was intrigued about testing one.  When it first arrived, I wasn't really sure what I was going to use it for, but then I just started to use it, trying it for this and that.  And I fell in love.  With a scale.  Seriously.  

When following a recipe and it calls for "2 lbs of xyz"... I never really knew how much "2 lbs of xyz" really was.  I live in a kg world.  So I just winged it.  Most of the time, winging it turned out alright, but sometimes, not so much.   But now that I have this scale, when my recipe calls for 2 lbs of ground beef and I have a package from the store labelled in kg or I pull a package out of the freezer that was divided up from our Costco run and I have no idea the weight...I now have an easy easy easy way to get my answer.  Makes me very happy!

I am also loving the conversions.  Geeky me just likes to press the buttons and see all the different measurements.  Yes, I do that...measure out what I need in the measurement I need, and then push the button ("I wonder what it is in grams...I wonder what it is in pounds...").  Even my husband is in on the fun, just today he said, "I was using your scale when I made breakfast today!".  

I can see how folks who follow specific diets would find the EatSmart scale useful.  It is such a handy way to keep track of your food.  It's not too big - doesn't take up a lot of counter space, and would easily slip into a drawer (if you are like me and not a fan of having lots of stuff out on the counter).

This scale is SO easy to use.  There are only 2 buttons, hard to mess up!  And the digital display is clear and easy to read.  

If you are in the market for a kitchen scale, I would encourage you to check out the EatSmart Digital Scale.  If you are an online shopper (like my hubby!), you can find it on Amazon.  I am super happy with this kitchen scale...I don't know why I never had one before!

You can learn more about EatSmart products by visiting any of their social media sites - Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, G+ and Instagram.


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

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Recipe Recap #8

Welcome back! It's time for Recipe Recap #8, where I take a look back at the recipes I shared for this week last year (March 17-23).

Here are the recipes!

Salmon Cakes
These were good...but I had forgotten about them.  I should make them again...I love this recap idea!

Salmon Cakes | Addicted to Recipes


Baked Not Fried Sweet Potato Fries
These were made often, especially through the summer!  Summer is just around the corner...I see more of these on the horizon :-)

Baked Not Fried Fries | Addicted to Recipes


Come on back for a trip down recipe lane next Tuesday!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Rosemary and Pepper Crusted Roast

Sunday dinners have always been big for me.  I grew up with my parents preparing a beautiful dinner every Sunday, and I have carried on that tradition now that I've got my own family.  I love Sunday dinners for a number of reasons - the obvious family portion, the fact that we have extra time to prepare a lovely meal, and leftovers.  Cooking a big dinner on Sunday means no cooking on Monday, and sometimes even on Tuesday...bonus!

Rosemary & Pepper Crusted Roast - Addicted to RecipesWith my husband being an Alberta transplant, he's big into beef.  I've always been a fan of roast (especially if it comes with Yorkshire Pudding!).  This week I found a recipe for Rosemary and Pepper Crusted roast over at Fine Cooking, and I thought I would give it a try.  I've never really cooked much with rosemary, so this is a bit of an adventure for us :-)  We were also both excited to prepare the roast using our BBQ.

Here is the recipe:

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
3 pound boneless beef roast, fat trimmed

In a small bowl, combine the oil, rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic.  Mash together.  Rub the combination all over the roast, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Preheat your BBQ to 450F with the lid down.

Unwrap the roast and place on the grill.  Cover and cook until it is browned and easily comes away from the grill.  This will take 5-10 minutes.  Be careful as this is a critical time for flare-ups.

If you have a 3 burner grill, turn the back burner off and set the front burner on high.  If you have a 2 burner grill (like us), turn the back burner off and set the front burner on high.

Turn the beef and place it in the cooler area of the grill - the grill temperature should be at 350F.

Cover and cook.  Check the roast regularly, and use your thermometer.  When the roast (at it`s thickest point) is 130F (medium rare) - approximately 30 minutes, remove the roast from the grill, transfer to a cutting board, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.  

Slice and serve.

VERDICT:
This was so so so good.  We all just loved it.  It had wonderful flavour and was quite easy to prepare.  We will certainly be making this again!










Sunday, March 17, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #55

Addicted to Recipes
Hello everyone!  Happy St. Patrick`s Day!  Hope you wearing GREEN today  or you might get pinched!

We are mid-way through spring break.  For those of you on break, how is yours going?  Are you and the kids having fun? Or are you counting down the days until the kids go back to school?

We're having a great time...I've been lucky enough to get a few extra days off work to spend with the family.  Hard to believe that spring is upon us...which also means the countdown to someone's 6th birthday has begun!  He hasn't picked a theme yet...I can only imagine what it will be this year :-)

It's time for this week's edition of the Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party.  I sure hope you will come by and share your recipes!

Have a great rest-of-your weekend!

Friday, March 15, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday #53 - Features

Yes...I am catching up on my features!  I`m happy to be sharing with you the features from Scrumptious Sunday #53...and let`s just say I must have been craving sweets! LOL

Just in case you missed my posts from the week of Scrumptious Sunday #53, here they are:



- Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake
- Bang Bang Cauliflower
- Taco Seasoning


Garden Minestrone (aka Bug Soup!)



If you are featured this week, please grab a BUTTON from my button page
I was featured, I was Featured by Addicted to Recipes


Like I said...craving sweets!  Here we go:

Banana Oatmeal Cookies from The Cake Baby


Oreo Donuts from Butter and Jam


Grasshopper Cheesecake Bars from That Skinny Chick Can Bake



51 St. Patty`s Day Sweets from Sugarkissed.net



Congratulations everyone!   

Don't forget, Scrumptious Sunday will be back starting this Saturday night at 8 pm! Can't wait to see all the goodness you bring next week!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Butternut Squash Soup

Yes, we are still on the soup kick around here :-)  My hubby loves butternut squash soup, and well, I've never really been a squash fan...at least not growing up.  Then I discovered this Spaghetti Squash Casserole that got me more open to eating squash.  So I figured, what the heck, let's find a squash soup recipe and see how it turns out.  Well...the verdict is below.

I found this recipe in My Father's Daughter - I've been enjoying a lot of the recipes in this book.  It's been a nice addition to my collection of cookbooks.

Butternut Squash Soup (Source: My Father's Daughter)

1 tablespoon olive oil
Butternut Squash Soup | Addicted to Recipes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 yellow onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (or garam masala)
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
4 cups vegetable stock - warmed gently in a pot

Over medium heat and in a large pot, heat the olive oil and the butter until the butter is melted.

Add in the onions and garlic.  Saute for approximately 10 minutes, or until the onions start to soften.  Add the salt, pepper and curry powder, cook for another few minutes.  Add the squash and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add in the vegetable stock.  If the stock does not cover the vegetables in the pot, it is OK to add some boiling water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until the butternut squash is very soft.

Remove from heat and allow to sit and cool for at least 15 minutes.  I let mine cool for about 25 minutes (I was watching a show on TV...doesn't happen often so I took advantage of the moment!).  I also transferred my soup to a big serving bowl to cool and for processing.

Bring out your food processor and puree your soup in batches.  Do NOT overfill your food processor, and do NOT use hot foods in it...that will cause a big mess and potentially some injury! (I have not learned that lesson, but have heard the lesson and am passing it along!).

Put the processed soup back into your soup pot.  Repeat the process until all of the soup has been processed.  At this point you could re-heat and serve, or you can do like me.  I made my soup the night before and we ate it for dinner the next day - for a few reasons - first because it does take a while to prepare and if your family is like mine after school/work - they want to eat by 5:30 and I wouldn't have the soup ready in time - and two - I feel that the flavour gets a lot of extra time to set in if you refrigerate overnight and heat to serve the next day.  

VERDICT
I know, you've been waiting for this :-)  Well, let's just say that I haven't heard my husband get so excited about soup before.  Like ever.  The noises that he was making were entertaining.  I think he ate half of the pot for dinner.  And he was asking how soon I would make more.  He liked it that much.  I was a little worried when I was prepping the soup - it smelled a lot like pumpkin and I don't particularly like pumpkins unless they are the jack-o-lantern variety, and also I was a little concerned about the curry flavour - I wasn't sure if it would be too overpowering.  But it wasn't. It was good.  Thumbs up from everyone (except the toddler, but he had a fever and not much was making him happy at dinner).  This soup is one that I will make again.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday #52 - Features

Hello everyone! I know, this is supposed to be a Feature Friday...but it's not Friday.  I'm a little behind...again  But...better late than never!   I am excited to share with you the features from Scrumptious Sunday #52!  Before we get there...did you happen to catch my posts from the week of Scrumptious Sunday #52?  Here they are:




AND...I revamped my RECIPE INDEX!!


Now, onto the FEATURES!  If you are featured this week, please grab a BUTTON from my button page


I was featured, I was Featured by Addicted to Recipes

These look tasty!
Lemon Ricotta Fritters from White Lights on Wednesday


Lemon Ricotta Fritters

You know me and soup...
Potato Soup from Dancing Carrots


Vegetarian potato soup with swiss cheese

Great tips here!
How to Roast Garlic (and what to do with it!) from Yesterfood


How to Roast Garlic

This looks beautiful to me :-)
Coconut Curry Risotto from Mackin` Cheese


Coconut Curry Risotto

And to top it off, some dessert!
Avalanche Bars from The Mandatory Mooch


Avalanche Bars

Congratulations everyone!   

Don't forget, Scrumptious Sunday will be back starting this Saturday night at 8 pm! Can't wait to see all the goodness you bring next week!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Recipe Recap #7

Welcome back to Recipe Recap!  This week I am looking back at the week of March 10-16, 2011.  That week was an exciting week for me - my very first recipe featured on another blog!  I remember my excitement so well :-)

Here are the week's recipes:

Savoury Fish
This is a go-to staple dinner in our house.  We love the flavours, and it is quick and easy to make.

Savoury Fish | Addicted to Recipes


Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Bread
Sounds like a mouthful to say, but it sure was delicious to eat!

Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Bread | Addicted to Recipes


Recipe Recap will return next Tuesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, March 11, 2013

All-American Breakfast Nests

Breakfast has always been my favourite meal of the day.  Before kids, I LOVED going out for breakfast.  For us, it was part of a leisurely weekend, sleep in, go for breakfast, head to the market or wherever the day took us.  Now that we have kids...going out for that lovely, leisurely breakfast is  faded memory.  That's OK though, we have those wonderful memories and are busy making new ones with our brood!

Because I like breakfast, and I get tired of the waffles/pancakes/French toast routine (love them all, but this girl needs a break!) - I was thinking about the Baked Egg Cups that I've made previously, but this time I wanted to substitute bacon for the ham and add in some hash browns too.  There isn't a recipe that I followed, I just winged it.  Here is what I did:

All-Canadian Breakfast Nests | Addicted to Recipes
Ingredients:

Hash browns (diced or shredded, I used diced)
Bacon (I used turkey bacon)
Eggs
Cheddar cheese, grated
Salt
Pepper
Red Chili Flakes

Preheat oven to 400F.

Take a muffin tin (regular-sized), spray with cooking spray.  Line the of the bottom of the muffin tins with hash browns (somewhere between 1/3-1/2 cup).  Don't overfill.  If you are using shredded hash browns, press them into the bottom and sides of the cup.  I used the diced, and just lined the bottom of the muffin cups.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.

Reduce oven to 375F.

Put some grated cheddar cheese on top of the hot hash browns.  Line each of the muffin cups with bacon (essentially placing the bacon around the inside edge of the muffin cup), crack an egg and pour it on top of the hash browns/inside the bacon.  Add salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste.  Put in the oven and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until the eggs are done to your preference.  Remove from oven and carefully remove from muffin tins.  Enjoy!

VERDICT:
We quite enjoyed these.  It was nice to have the classic breakfast all in one cup - the hash browns, the bacon and the egg.  And easy to put together - thinking a good brunch idea for when we have company!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #54

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday to you!  It's time for this week's party!  I am a little late getting things posted this week - we've been at the hockey rink all weekend - it was playoff weekend for our oldest's league.  We are now all done hockey now until next season...but soccer starts soon!

Speaking of starting...the kids are now on spring break (for the next 2 weeks).  We are looking forward to spending some extra family time together - should be great!

Without further delay, I invite you to head on over and share your recipes at the Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #54!  I look forward to seeing everyone's submissions!

Have a great rest of your weekend!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Garden Minestrone

Here we go with another soup creation.  Who knew that soup was this easy to make from scratch?  Don't get me wrong, I still love the ease of having canned soup on hand for those days when we are stretched for time (and for inclusion in some of our recipes!) - but given the opportunity to make some fresh soup is always great!

You may recall the vegetable stock that I made recently.  The recipe made plenty of stock, and my plan was to make a few different soups with the vegetable base just to see what new flavours and favourites we come up with.  This time around I wanted to try those bug noodles that I found, and I wanted to make this version of vegetable soup a to look a little more like the canned version that we usually buy.  Here is what I did:


Garden Minestrone (Bug Soup) | Addicted to Recipes
4 cups vegetable stock
1 can diced tomatoes, including juice (I used a salt-reduced version)
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup green beans, sliced and ends removed
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup corn kernels
Pepper to taste
3/4 cup "bug" pasta

In a large pot, slowly reheat the vegetable stock.  Add in all of the vegetables on the ingredient list and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.  Bring the soup to a slow boil, add in the "bug" pasta.  Slow boil for about 4-6 minutes, or until the pasta is done to your liking.  Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!

VERDICT:
This version of the vegetable soup looks a lot like the canned one.  It was delicious.  So fresh, so colourful.  It was a true hit with my family!



Wednesday, March 6, 2013

FunBites for the Kids!

FunBites | Addicted to Recipes
Have you seen FunBites before?  



They are pretty neat...quite simply, they are bite-sized food cutters that you can use to help make food more fun for your kids!  I was given the opportunity to test both the "Cube It" (green) and "Luv It" (pink) versions of FunBites.

FunBites | Addicted to Recipes


I really like the Cube It for my toddler's lunches.  If I am making him a sandwich, I am going to be cutting it into small bite-sized pieces, and the Cube It makes that step just that much easier.  One swoosh and a little rock back and forth, pop them out and the pieces are all done - cut into bite-sized squares, perfect for my toddler. 





FunBites | Addicted to Recipes
The Luv It is great fun, especially for my 5 year old.  I love to surprise him with little notes or gifts in his lunch bag, and when he opens his fruit container to see hearts, it just makes his day. I've done these hearts on all sorts of food (not just fruit) - and every time they get the same warm reception!  While it might be a little extra work, I think that making a "Love Fruit Salad" with all sorts of heart-shaped fruit might be in order very soon.



If you haven't checked FunBites out before, in addition to their website, you can find them on Facebook, on Twitter, and on YouTube!

Certainly fun and worth checking out!

Here are some other neat facts about FunBites.  They are made in the USA - always nice to support a product made in North America.  And they are BPA free - something that I think most parents wonder about these days when it comes to plastic, food and our children.  

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

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Recipe Recap #6

Hello friends! Welcome to this week's Recipe Recap.  This week we are flashing back to March 3-9, 2011. The recipes from that week are all still popular in our home - new favourites thanks to my blogging adventure!

Here they are:

Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake
Oh...so...good...must...make...soon!

Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake | Addicted to Recipes


Bang Bang Cauliflower
A bit of work to prep, but a tasty dish!

Bang Bang Cauliflower | Addicted to Recipes


Taco Seasoning
A new staple in our cupboard! I use this recipe OFTEN!

Taco Seasoning | Addicted to Recipes


Come back next Tuesday for the another Recipe Recap!

Monday, March 4, 2013

Sunshine Cookies

Our oldest was asking for cookies the other day, and when I looked in the cupboard to see what we had, I saw that we had none.  Well, we had some, but they had been hiding in the back of the cupboard for a very long time.  So that got me to thinking, geez, when I was a kid, we always had cookies in the cupboards (Dad's Cookies, to be exact).  And then I started wondering, am I depriving my kid of treats?  We are not big treat givers to our kids.  Even juice is a treat - though the oldest does get it more often now than he ever did when he was younger.  So I decided that this weekend I would bake some cookies.  Starting flipping through the big ole binder, and came across these ones for Sunshine Cookies.  I have no reference where the recipe came from, other than there was a note on it saying "Grandad's favourites" (not my Grandad...I call my Grandads "Grandpa").  So I figured, if someone's Grandpa loved them, then we should give them a try!   Here is the recipe:

Sunshine Cookies

A crunchy, healthy cookie!
1 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups crushed corn flakes

1 cup coconut
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup flax seed
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F.

Using your mixer, beat the butter, sugars and eggs.  Add in the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

Mix in the remaining ingredients, mix well (at this point I was hand mixing).

Drop by tablespoon onto cookie sheets.  Bake for 12 - 15 minutes (it was 12 minutes in my oven).  Remove from oven, allow to cool a few minutes, transfer to wire rack.

VERDICT:
These are a totally different cookie for my house.  Lots of seeds.  My hubby's comment when I was reading the ingredient list to him was "that sounds like what I put in the bird feeder".  Lots of seeds.  I know, I said that already!  They are a totally different texture that what I am used to - crunchy but not in an overbake / fried kind of way.  Crunchy and soft, if that makes any sense at all?  And addicting.  I really like them.  So do the kids.  The hubby was scowling because I put chocolate chips in them (he now claims to hate chocolate chips).  Little does he know that I made some without chocolate chips and hid them in his lunch kit for tomorrow :-)