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Desserts

Chocolate Gingerbread Brownies

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I seemed to be a on a gingerbread kick this past Fall. Since finding a flavour combination we all love in these Five Spice Ginger Cookies, I have had so many food ideas in my head that I want to start testing. But as it goes we are at the end of the year, well, we were yesterday when I started this post, and with the craziness of getting our seafood feast ready for last evening, it didn’t get posted.

Today is a new day, and a new year full of hope and happiness. The recipe is up and I wish all of you a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Monday night some friends and I gathered later in the evening to celebrate a birthday with a few glasses of wine. Most of the ladies there as far as I know are transplants, meaning we all come from other Provinces in Canada and have no immediate family here in Calgary. I am grateful for these friends to share life’s ups and downs with when needed. A couple hours out with the girls to just chat, enjoy some bits n bites, some wine and good company always soothes the soul.

And true to form I can’t just show up at a gathering, as simple as it is, without some form of food (and wine) in hand. Last night was the perfect night to test out a few recipes on said friends, who admit they are willing guinea pigs who love to try my food. Rave reviews on these brownies and here is the recipe.

Made a couple days prior and dusted with icing sugar upon serving, these brownies are a moist, flavourful and sinfully delicious bite. I could have iced these brownies, but I felt they had enough flavour to stand alone and nobody noticed the lack of icing.

Omit the cocoa powder and you have an equally delicious Gingerbread Brownie, minus the chocolate.

 

Frozen Candy Cane Dessert

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Frozen Candy Cane Cheesecakes
Frozen Candy Cane Cheesecakes

Always on the hunt for a light, easy, and tasty dessert, this is one of those recipes I discovered a long time ago and it quickly became a favourite. Over the years it’s evolved, and gets made differently, but the basics remain the same.  One of my favourite renditions of this treat is a Valentine’s Day version. Instead of using candy canes, I crush up cinnamon hearts. I like to experiment with this treat during holidays and change up the candy based on the event. This has been part of the fun.

This dessert is a great make ahead & take treat. Quick and easy to put together and you can make them up to one week in advance. These desserts stay in the freezer until you are ready to serve. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and crushed candy canes. It’s a light dessert that looks spectacular on a plate, and a perfect finish to a heavy meal.

This is my kind of easy during a busy holiday meal.

 

Grandma Stimson’s Carrot Pudding

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As it goes I have had an insane month with working full time, part time and trying to keep on top of my full time hobby with all kinds of deadlines, commitments and contracts to sign. Somewhere in there add in cookie swaps, nights out and oh…I am a mom and wife too!

Enter December’s round of the Canadian Food Project. A little late, but still posted in December! The Canadian Food Project Experience was started on June 7, 2013 by Valerie Lugonja of A Canadian Foodie. It’s a compilation of Canadian Food Bloggers who are committed to sharing their time, unique regional Canadian food experiences, and recipes. We hope to bring clarity to our Canadian Culinary identity by sharing food that is important to us as Canadians.

This month’s recipe comes from my Mother-in-Law Lynda. It’s really the Baker Family Tradition carried on from the Stimson family and of course adopted by us. Which makes this recipe over 60 years old (I think). The first time I tried Grandma Stimson’s Carrot Pudding, I was hooked. This was over 10 years ago when I met my future in-laws for the first time. It was so good and there was just enough for all of us to have one serving. One serving was clearly not enough, but it definitely resonated and found it’s place in my memory. As we devoured the pudding that night many family stories were shared and some of the special ingredients in the pudding revealed. I learned carrots and potatoes were a huge part of making this pudding so fabulous. I had no idea.

Last year my in-laws made the long trek from Manitoba to spend Christmas with us. It’s always such a wonderous time when we spend it with our Manitoba family. Fortunately for me, Lynda and I made this dessert together as part of our Christmas Feast. It was a very special moment in time for me to be able to make this traditional dessert with my mother in law. A dessert that is so near and dear to my husband’s heart. It’s a moment I will cherish always.

While this is a fairly new family tradition for me, my husband fondly remembers as a young boy, helping his mom peel and grate the carrots for the pudding. She would place a small baking dish covered in foil in a large pot with water (a double boiler). The vanilla sauce was made in an electric frypan. Following turkey dinner, everyone eagerly awaited Grandma Stimson’s Carrot Pudding. This is his memory, a long standing family tradition and one I fully intend to keep alive in our family.

Notes on steaming pudding: Set a large saucepan (one that will accommodate the baking dish) with a tight fitting lid, on stove. If you have a steamer basket that will fit the baking dish use it otherwise a heat proof trivet set on the bottom of the saucepan will work. Important to note the bottom of your baking dish can not touch the bottom of the saucepan.

 

Krispy Pumpkins

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As it goes I’ve come up with what I thought was a fabulous idea for rice krispies this Halloween…and Wham it’s been done. As mentioned in previous posts I gave up googling my ideas until after the recipe is created, tested and posted. Then it becomes a comparison….how did they create their food compared to how I made mine. But I’m still taking the credit for coming up with this idea myself even if it has been done before. If it’s an idea I’ve gotten from somewhere, credit is always given where credit is deserved, as it should be. Food Bloggers Law.

We are having a Halloween Boogie Bash for the little kids and I wanted some fun food bites for them to munch on. Thought some food colouring in the rice krispie squares would turn them into great little pumpkins. Made a small batch so if you are wanting a lot double the recipe. In the end, success and the kids loved them.

Note: no two pumpkins are created equal so have fun with your shapes and don’t try to make them all perfect.

 

Grilled Peach, Strawberry & Watermelon Salsa

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The Canadian Food Project Experience was started on June 7, 2013 by Valerie Lugonja of A Canadian Foodie. It’s a compilation of Canadian Food Bloggers who are committed to sharing their time, unique Canadian food experiences, and recipes. I came into this 12 month challenge a couple months late and this will be my first submission. Our theme for August is to write about A Canadian Food Hero. This is a difficult topic as there are so many Food Hero’s deserving recognition. So how do you pick one? From the Ranchers and Farmers who work endlessly to get their goods to market, local shops and artisans who are committed not only to their craft, but to getting their items to you, to the local foodie advocates who promote the local restaurants and chefs by creating public awareness through various channels. Choosing one was hard. So I decided to choose two.

Late last week I had the opportunity to sit down with Dana VanVeller and Lindsay Anderson of Feast, an Edible Road Trip, while they stopped in Calgary. This opportunity to chat with these two remarkable ladies was provided by the Food Bloggers of Canada, who hosted this small and intimate Tweet-up at Café Gravity Espresso & Wine Bar. It was here I learned about the journey that brought Dana and Lindsay to create Feast: an Edible Road Trip, and later discover where they would be going next.

Foodie Friends Dana and Lindsay started their coast to coast food adventure in June with hopes of increasing Canadian Food Culture awareness through various stories, recipes, photographs, and videos. These ladies are driving, camping and eating their way across Canada finding and featuring local people, communities and organizations that strive to make each Province’s food systems more vibrant, sustainable and accessible. Their journey so far has brought them through British Columbia, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alberta with many Provinces to go. Sitting beside these two, enjoying a glass of wine while listening to their stories, makes you feel like you’ve known them forever and could easily stow away in their car to join them, if they’d let you.

Dana and Lindsay are my Canadian Heroes. They are the storytellers, bloggers, writers, educators and food activists who are sharing their stories from the road and making our mouths water with their photos and experiences. Checking their blog has become a daily ritual for me, eager to see what’s new in their world, what epic culinary adventure they’ve had that day and drooling just a little more with each photo.

I was inspired to create several recipes from their experiences thus far, but with the kids on summer holidays, July was mostly a travel month for us, and so time was not on my side. So this former BC girl decided to create a simple recipe derived from the fruits of the Okanagan, a place Dana and Lindsay visited and a place I’ve frequented many times over the years. My home is Alberta, but my heart remains in British Columbia.

 

Grilled Peach Galette

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Galette on my mind for quite some time. I can honestly say I’ve never made a Galette. But I’ve wanted to! And I finally found inspiration and a subtle push thanks to Chatelaine’s July Cooking Club Challenge. Simply put, make our Galette, change it up if you wish, photograph it, post it. And have fun, darn it.

I discovered this challenge before I left for holidays three weeks ago and immediately I knew I wanted to grill some peaches for my Galette. But I couldn’t put the idea to the plate due to lack of time. So it would have to wait until we returned home from Battle Mosquito in Manitoba.

Home, unpacked, settled and inspired. With fresh peaches and mint in hand, my brother and fiance coming for dinner, I got to work and behold, a new Galette was born.

Now I got distracted chatting with our company and almost forgot to pull it out of the oven. But the overall taste was given rave reviews by our guests, and the photo caught some good feedback on Facebook, so I decided to go ahead and post the recipe/photo.

Guess what? Galettes can also be made savory. This will be my next personal challenge for myself, to create a Galette with meat.

 

Bakers Brown Butter Blondies

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This is one of the easiest recipes to make and one our family has enjoyed for many years.

In a nutshell it’s a big cookie bar with whatever add-ins you want, baked in a dish.  It’s your basic cookie dough recipe and can easily be made into cookies.

Simply perfect for pot lucks, picnics, gatherings….you can spruce it up or keep it simple.  I like to whip up a quick batch to bring camping since it’s that easy.  I love how chewy it is on the inside and crunchy around the outer edges.

This batch makes just over one dozen squares depending on how big you cut them.  One batch is never enough for our family.  When you make them nut free they are perfect for school snacks.

Add-ins could be anything from nuts to cut up chocolate bar, toffee bits, smarties or m&ms, marshmallows or broken pretzels.  For this recipe my add-ins are peanut butter chips and chocolate chips.

 

Chewy Chipsters (Cookies)

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Several cookie monsters in our house and so these Chewy Chipsters (Cookies) hardly last a couple of days.

We’ve made so many cookies that incorporate the basic ingredients (sugar, butter, flour, baking soda/powder) that it’s easy to start with the basics and spin variations from there.

My daughter wanted to make cookies (I wanted some baking for school lunches) so we started with a basic recipe and added chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Unfortunately I forgot she is not allowed to bring peanut butter and/or variations and as such the cookies didn’t get to go to school that week but ended up as an afternoon and evening snack.

Here are our Chewy Chipster Cookies (as named by my daughter).

 

Chocolate Cupcakes

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My daughter’s birthday falls on the August long weekend.  Every year friends are away on summer holidays during this weekend and typically so are we.  On the suggestion from a friend we decided to start having her “friends” only birthday party in June.  And so it began last year and is once again upon us.

Last week she asked me if she could bring cupcakes to school (since other kids did) to share with the class in honour of her birthday celebration.  So we discussed particulars and came up with a plan.  As life has been insanely busy and I was feeling slightly overwhelmed…I seriously considered some of the speciality cupcake shops around town and even called them for pricing.  But at almost $18 per dozen mini cupcakes, I decided I would find the time to make mini cupcakes for my lil girl to take to school.

Growing up I remember my mom making this chocolate cake recipe…always in an 8×8 or 9×9 square baking pan, always with the same vanilla icing.  Every time I make this recipe I am brought back to a special memory involving this chocolate cake.  Funny how food does that.  I made this cake for my son’s first birthday, it was his smash cake.  This time we turned the recipe into cupcakes.  It’s easy and very yummy.  We used a Vanilla Frosting this time to ice the cupcakes. When I make them at Easter I use a buttercream frosting. Sinfully delicious.

Fruit Pizza

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You know how certain foods remind you of certain times in your life? This pizza is one of them. It brings me back to my days living in Vancouver, Billie Holiday, Blue Rodeo, and dinners consisting of wine & popcorn. Those were also the days where I used to swoon over the Vancouver Province every Wednesday or Thursday as it was recipe day in the paper, and I was always eager to see what recipes would be shared.

From picnics to potlucks, or lunch time office parties, this pizza is the perfect guest. I’ve even brought it along to a baby shower. You can change up the fruit based on the time of the year, and what’s in season. Brighten up a gloomy day with a fruit pizza.

Raspberry Creme Brulee

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Raspberry Creme Brulee is a rich and creamy, easy to make anytime treat. While it may sound like a fancy dessert you only have when you eat out, we are here to show you this dessert can be made at home without too much fuss to the delight of your friends and family.

Raspberry Creme Brulee
Raspberry Creme Brulee

A creme brulee is a combination of whipping cream and egg yolks. It’s a versatile dessert in that you can change it up to suit the seasons, a special holiday or even a celebration. Chocolate can be added, liqueur, even fresh fruit.

Raspberry Creme Brulee before bruleeing
Raspberry Creme Brulee before bruleeing

We’ve added fresh raspberries to our velvety, rich custard infusing it with fresh picked raspberries for a light and delicious Spring or Summer dessert. Make the custard the day before you plan to serve it and store keep it in the fridge until ready to brulee and serve.

Raspberry Creme Brulee
Raspberry Creme Brulee

There are two ways to brulee the top. Invest in a creme brulee torch or bake in the oven as per instructions. We’ve found the torch the better option of the two giving the top the crunchy, delicious topping everyone associates with creme brulee.

Pro Tips:

  • Whipping cream can boil over so watch it carefully
  • Strain your custard before pouring into your ramekins
  • Once in ramekins remove the bubbles from the surface otherwise your sugar will not brulee properly
  • Use paper towel to remove bubbles on custard
  • You can make and chill the custard in the ramekins a day ahead

If you are looking to try some different creme brulee recipes, check these out:

  1. Blueberry Lavender Creme Brulee
  2. Pumpkin Creme Brulee
  3. Chocolate Rum Creme Brulee

Cast Iron Pan Apple Pie

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Growing up we had apple trees, but yet my mom did not make apple pies. She deferred to crisps and other things so admittedly I do not make a lot of pies either now that I’m married. My husband loves pies so it’s something I’m working on more and more.

Recently I came across a recipe to make an apple pie in a cast iron pan. Brilliant. Both husband and I brought into our relationship cast iron pans from our parents. We’ve since purchased a few more for our collection. This pie enticed me even more with the caramelized goodness underneath the actual pie at the bottom of the pan. It was a combination meant to be.

Due to my son’s obsession with scrambled eggs every morning I ran out of eggs, and was not able to make the egg white wash for the top. Fortunately this did not affect anything other than browning on top of pie.

Also the original recipe called for 4 lbs mixed apples. I used approximately 10 cups mixed apples (green, Macintosh, and a wrinkled gala thrown in for good luck). You could use a little more if you have them, but either way this amount worked out perfectly.

Another confession – I used a store bought double pie crust to ensure success was mine. Sometimes simple steps help when life is busy.

 

Simple Pancakes

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Pancakes really are that easy to make.  The next time you want some, instead of using a bisquick (or other) pancake mix…try this recipe. It’s so quick/easy you will wonder why you didn’t make them from scratch before.

This is my go to pancake recipe.  I typically double the batch and once they are on the skillet sprinkle on my add-ins (allowing everyone to get involved and make their own or have options).  Leftover pancakes get separated by parchment paper and frozen in ziplock bags. To reheat let them sit out for a few minutes and then drop them into the toaster.

Peppermint Popcorn Crunch

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I’ve had my eye on this recipe for a while (like years).  I specifically bought white chocolate wafers before Christmas so I could make this recipe.  However hosting my first ever Christmas Cookie Exchange and making the usual suspects (Christmas Baking) overloaded us with Christmas goodies and as such…it didn’t happen.

With four days until Valentine’s Day, white chocolate wafers & leftover candy canes to use up, I decided today was the day to try out this recipe.  And what a great Valentine’s Day treat it turned out to be (with a peppermint twist).

In fact next year I may crush cinnamon hearts instead of candy canes and make it as a class treat for Valentine’s Day!

Cinnamon Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

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Nothing screams family time like spending an afternoon making cookies and memories in the kitchen with the kids or loved ones. Technology is limited in our house. Social interactions of all kinds are what’s encouraged. Sometimes impromptu cooking making sessions are just what the doctor ordered if someone is feeling blue or under the weather. Baking really does bring people together.

Keep simple ingredients in the pantry and you will be able to whip up a basic batch of cookies any time. Add-in’s to a basic recipe allow the baker to put their own spin on the cookies. Like adding m&m’s, nuts or leftover cut up holiday chocolate.

The first time we made these cookies the kids asked if they could dump in some cinnamon. Always up for a little experimenting I said why not. This idea worked and we changed up the recipe to include cinnamon. Having fun cooking in the kitchen, talking about life, laughing and creating lasting memories is what baking is all about.

Note: since originally posting this recipe, Bakers Chocolate Squares has changed their individual chocolate bar sizing. Where as 1 Bakers chocolate bar used to = 1 ounce, now it’s 4 bars = 1 ounce.

We hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we do.

cinnamon chocolate thumbprint cookies

 

 

Popcorn Balls on a Stick

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I was recently snacking on some caramel popcorn (well it was my daughters) and became inspired to find a quick and easy similar style recipe to make for the Annual Family Halloween Party we attend every year.   I came across a popcorn on a stick recipe that has marshmallows in it. Fantastic.

So I set out to make this recipe for the party. Tip: you can buy the lollipop sticks at Michael’s.

Adapted from Canadian Family


Popcorn Balls on a Stick

6 cups popped popcorn
2-3 cups marshmallows (I used a combo of big/small ones)
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup Halloween sprinkles
softened butter

20-24 Lollipop sticks

Put popped popcorn in a bowl. Remove un-popped kernels and set bowl aside.

Put butter into a glass bowl and put in microwave. Heat 40-50 seconds or until butter is melted. Add your marshmallows and cook for another 40-60 seconds or until marshmallows are melted. Mix well and pour over popcorn stirring to combine. With buttered hands start forming your balls (approximately golf ball size).

NOTE: the original recipe called for chocolate chips to be stirred in. I tried this and the hot marshmallow mixture melted the chocolate chips and I ended up with a brown gooey mess. I also added in a couple teaspoons of the Halloween sprinkles which worked out well.

Next roll your popcorn balls in the sprinkles and place on cookie sheet. Note: you can also roll them in coconut. Once all your popcorn balls have been sprinklified, push your lollipop sticks into them. And BOO-YA they are ready to eat!

If not serving right away you can individually wrap them in baggies or plastic wrap until ready to eat. Or if giving out to the kids, keep them wrapped.

Not the greatest photo but it shows the finished product!

Basic Pie Dough Recipe

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I admittedly have tried my hand at making pie crusts while in my 20’s…I’m er 30 now ;)…..and I had no luck. I was single back then…now I’m married and a Baker. Seems I should perhaps try my luck at pie crusts again! This recipe was submitted by Nicole and it has a twist – 7up! I have never heard of a pie crust recipe with 7up in it and I am very intrigued. I will be trying this recipe out in the near future and look forward to pie crust success! It seems so simple and we like simple. Thank you Nicole!

Submitted by Nicole

Basic Pie Dough Recipe
5 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 lb Tenderflake lard
1 can cold 7-up (not diet)

Here we go….
Mix flour and salt, cut in lard, stir in 7-up, divide into 5 equal portions. Wrap each of the 5 portions in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes. Then roll out into 5 pie crusts. At this point follow the instructions of the pie you are making (ie: prebake or not). Have fun!

Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake

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Along with cooler weather and beautiful landscapes, for me Fall also means baking, comfort food and, well, all things pumpkin.

Summer ends quickly around here, September rolls in and it’s back to school followed by preparations by Canadians everywhere getting ready for Canadian Thanksgiving in October. Pumpkin recipes, photos and pumpkin spice everything start to flood social media giving me the warm fuzzies.

Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake
Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake

We created this recipe based on our love for any kind of bundt cake plus having some leftover canned pumpkin and pecans needing to be used up. Serve it with a sprinkle of icing sugar, dollop or whipped cream, or even mascarpone.

Tips: Try roasted walnuts or hazelnuts in place of pecans. Make sure you have a bundt pan for this cake.

Peanut Butter Cookies on a stick

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Peanut Butter cookies on a stick made better with the addition of smarties or M&M’s.   Peanut Butter Cookies are a product of my child hood and so many PB cookies have been consumed over the years.   Most of us have a favourite recipe that works for us.  Here is one of our PB recipes we have used to make these delightful cookies on a stick.

Goes to show anything can be eaten on a stick, yum. 

Marshmallow Roll

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This is a recipe that’s been passed along and enjoyed at Christmas for decades and as such I have no idea where the recipe originates.

My mom would whip up these tasty marshmallow treats every Christmas.  It was so hard for us kids to wait for them to set up in the freezer before sampling the goods.  We didn’t always love coconut and if you have non coconut fans in your family you can roll the log in crushed nuts or graham wafer crumbs instead.   You could also substitute coloured mini marshmallows for the plain white ones and add in chopped dried fruit (glazed red & green cherries would make it more festive).  The options are endless.

I have kept the custom going in my family the way my mom used to make it and it has become a part of our holiday baking tradition.

 

Pumpkin Pie

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I’ve tried making pie crusts before and admittedly pie dough is one of very few things I am challenged with. Therefore I don’t try to make pies very often. I have discovered however, thanks to a friend, a pie dough recipe that works. I’ve also googled this pie dough recipe and it is out there, everywhere. This basic pie dough recipe is made with 7 up and it really works. Four ingredients is all you need.

Here is the pumpkin pie recipe I use every year (passed down). Double all ingredients to make 2 delicious pies.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

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Experienced these Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes years ago via a friend of a friends small gathering. They were so cool I wanted to make them for my then “little” girls birthday. She’s not so little anymore. Cupcake batter into cones, baked, and topped with your favourite icing. The batter cooks all the way down to the bottom of the cone. The satin type icing I choose is one of my favourite icings as it’s not too sweet. It does however take about 15 minutes of mixing to make this icing and get it where it needs to be so plan ahead!

Unique and different this recipe has been updated and is one of the best food hacks out there. All the kids at my son’s birthday thought these were legit ice cream cones…until they took a bite. I’ve made these quite a few times but it’s been a while so my design and piping skills were weak, but the kids didn’t notice or care. The most important thing to remember when making them is to follow the directions ensuring you do not over fill the cones. You can also use boxed cupcake batter – why not?!

I decided to make these on a whim this year as I just don’t have my shit together lately when it comes to party planning. In previous years I would have my kids birthdays planned out in detail two months in advance. Now a days life is so busy I usually have the location or concept planned in advance but no details. That’s where the desire to bring these ice cream cone cupcakes back came from. My desire to show I put some thought and effort into this party. Being a detailed Virgo sucks sometimes!

My son wanted blue and green icing to match two of the Lego Ninjago characters (his current obsession) but I kept it simple and just did blue. But added blue and green sprinkles. Some leftover Halloween kit kats seemed like the perfect topper.

Surprise them with these Ice Cream Cone Birthday Cupcakes, I think they are perfect for kids of all ages!

 

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

 

I picked up the Walmart brand ice cream cones but I would recommend buying the better brand ones as these ones looked cheap (you can tell by the photos and how discoloured they are – boo) and more than half were broken or “chipped” around the edges when I took them out as you can also see. I was really not impressed with these Walmart Brand cones and will always buy brand name in the future.