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Curried Up Spinach Dip

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Curried Up Spinach Dip is a creamy, luscious dip you can throw together quickly. We’ve made it even more flavourful by adding curry paste and toasted nuts!

curried up spinach dip

Curried Up Spinach Dip

This dish is a classic many of us grew up with. It’s relatively easy to make and pull together for last minute gatherings and it’s loaded with flavour!

Why Curry

If you love the flavours of curry, you will love this dip. It adds a nice change up to a classic flavour. Plus the nuts on top are the nutty crunch you never knew you were missing!

curried up spinach dip

Potlucks from the Past

Much throughout this blog I have shared many a past potluck memory. They have shaped my love of food and inspired my cooking in so many ways.

One memory is the spinach dip never having enough bread. So it was a thing then to rip apart the bread bowl to savour every last bite. Now I always cut up an extra baguette to ensure we have enough bread to go around.

curried up spinach dip

The Inspiration

More often than not I like to add where I got the inspiration for my recipes.

For our annual mom’s who need wine cookie exchange and wine night I was craving spinach dip. This is a treat I only get when hanging with friends as no one in my family will eat it. I’d been adding curry paste into other things like egg or chicken salad sandwiches, mayonnaise to make a spread for burgers, even deviled eggs.

I tried it in this dip and was hooked. As was everyone who has sampled it.

curried up spinach dip

Dip Preparation

  • Keep a couple packages of the soup mix in your pantry and cans of water chestnuts
  • Same goes for the frozen spinach. You can defrost this fairly quickly.
  • Swapping out the sour cream for Greek yogurt makes me feel like it’s somewhat healthy!
  • Start with only 1 tsp of the curry paste. You can always add more.
  • My curry paste jar says to cook the paste so I gently heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds before mixing in.

curried up spinach dip

Other appetizers you will love:

If you made this recipe tag Wanda Baker on Instagram and hashtag it #bakersbeans or #wandabaker

 

Roasted Sweet Potato with Dill

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Like several other posts, I started this one well over a month ago. But December was….I have to say, a write off. Both husband and I were sick (chest infections to some degree hit everyone in our house over the course of 5 weeks) and we had a hard time shaking the sick. His progressed to laryngitis, mine to a 3 week and still fighting off head cold. We did our best to channel the Christmas spirit for the sake of the kids, but it was tough. So out with the old, in with the new…we were happy to welcome a new year and get back to our chipper healthier selves.

Long before the start of 2015, I was hearing people talking about detoxing and the New Year. I am one of those who like to get a clean fresh start following a holiday season that is typically full of lots of goodies and over indulging, giving my body some maintenance (yes just like a car). It’s a habit I’ve come quite accustomed to and while it’s not for everyone, 10 years later it’s still working for me.

I do the Wild Rose Detox and it’s 12 days long. It’s not an easy plan to stay with, especially if you have never done it before. Detoxes are different and it’s important you do not attempt one without consent from your doctor. If you are considering the Wild Rose Detox here are a few things to remember.

1. Advance shopping, meal planning and some simple prep.

2. Change up your eating weeks in advance to help you cope with the amount of things you have to eliminate from your diet. IE drink more water and green tea.

3. Add more fruit, veggies or even roasted chick peas into your diet for snacks but make sure you know which fruits you can eat on this detox and which ones you can not. This will help when the actual detox starts. There is much you can do with vegetables to help fill you up during the detox, just remember to keep fresh herbs and a good selection of spices on hand as flavour is key to success.

I love roasted vegetables and certainly eat my share of them. Upon slicing into the sweet potato, I learned it was yellow – what a surprise! Sweet potatoes are a powerhouse vegetable. They contain vitamins B6, C, D, iron, magnesium, potassium plus more, so really an excellent vegetable to include in your diet. This recipe makes enough for a couple of smaller meals or is lovely as a side dish to a main meal, Sunday supper or holiday dinner. When I am on the detox, I like to serve it over top a simply seasoned & cooked pork chop, slices of pork tenderloin, salmon, white fish or chicken breast. If you like dill, toss on some additional chopped fresh dill or parsley and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

 

Festive Mars Bars Squares

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I am apparently a Mars Bars Squares Virgin. Who knew these delicious treats existed. I learned about them last summer on our way out of town on a camping trip. It always seems to take us soooo long to pack up no matter how many lists, and how efficient I am at getting things ready in advance. We can’t win. So by the time we get out of town we are exhausted by over excited kids and packing up…hence ready for a drink. But we are driving and have to wait for a beverage. So on this particular outing, we opted for coffee instead.

I checked out the GPS and there was surprisingly one on the way to our camping destination. So we stopped at at little place called Latte Da for our cuppa joe and were thrilled to find sweet treats available to. The folks in this little cafe were very friendly and when we walked in, they just so happen to be bringing out this huge platter of, well Mars Bars Squares. Intrigued, we bought a couple and devoured them before we left the cafe. Spectacular. A delicious tasting bite. I asked how they were made and Laurie, the  owner, graciously shared her recipe with me.

I went on to make these a couple times over the summer and then while thinking about my Christmas Holiday Baking Round up, the thought came to me to make them again…but with a little candy cane twist.

 

Festive Mars Bars Squares
Festive Mars Bars Squares

 

Cocoa Nib Shortbread by Kimberley’s Kitchen

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Kimberley over at Kimberley’s Kitchen and I share a common bond….we are both Northern BC girls. I grew up in Northern BC and even though I left in 1989, I still pay homage to the town I grew up in. Kimberley lives in a town near where I grew up and it is there she creates hand-crafted artisan confections and fine foods using organic, fair trade and local ingredients/foods to create delicious treats and baked goods. Cooler yet is she sells them in her online store and packages them in sustainable bags and boxes. I’ve actually had my eyes on her marshmallows for quite some time!

We’ve gotten to know each other over social media, and I’m so thrilled to have Kimberley as my Guest Blogger for December. She is another one of those friends I feel like I’ve known a long time. Maybe it’s that NBC bond we share. In any case I was supposed to have this post up a little earlier this month, but sick on top of sick, my husband being sick, my MIL sick following surgery, plus a new puppy to keep us up at night…well let’s just say we are doing our best to capture the Christmas spirit this year.

I hope Kimberley doesn’t mind me sharing her fantastic news, but she is going to be moving her baking operation into a commercial kitchen in the New Year with construction beginning in January!! Such an exciting time for her and her family. I know it’s going to be a great year for her and wish her much success! Make sure you get to know Kimberley from Kimberley’s Kitchen…I think she’s going to be quite famous one day :).

Shortbread cookies are a mainstay in my kitchen and a popular cookie to make with my daughters. We love to experiment with new flavors and we recently tried making some with raw cocoa nibs. Have you cooked or baked with cocoa nibs before? They have a wonderfully nutty, chocolate flavour but are not at all sweet. So if you like bittersweet chocolate or coffee, try adding cocoa nibs into your recipes for something a little different. The bittersweet cocoa nib perfectly compliments the sweetness of the shortbread in this recipe and is a fun, new cookie for the holidays. Variations include using orange extract instead of vanilla, or finishing the cookies with some sweet chocolate drizzle. Enjoy! – Kimberley

 

Cocoa Nib Shortbread by Kimberley's Kitchen
Cocoa Nibs for Shortbread. Photo by Kimberley’s Kitchen

 

Sweet Holiday Blog Hop with Calgary Bloggers

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I’ve been asked to participate in a Blog Hop – what fun! Does it age me to say it sounds kind of like a sock hop, you know back in high school we used to have sock hops at lunch time. Boogie Woogie. In any case I love the term Blog Hop and jumped on board this festive recipe train.

In case you are wondering what a Blog Hop is, here’s the low down. It’s simply put a list of blogs or posts related to a similar topic. Like Holiday Sweets. Easy Peasy right?

Myself, along with several other local Calgary Bloggers & Writers are participating in a fun and festive Sweet Holiday Blog Hop, initiated and hosted by Fareen at Food Mamma. What a great way to share some tasty holiday recipes with all your friends and followers, and pick up a few ideas along the way. I’ve been inundated with baking the past two weeks, with a bake sale and two cookie swaps…leaving me officially cookie-d out. But now I am picking up steam again and ready to do some more baking and recipe testing. Plus the kids need to do some Christmas Baking to.

For this Blog Hop, I am sharing my recipe for Orange Gingerbread Cookies. They are both chewy and delicious. Please check out the list of participating bloggers below to discover other cool blogs around town!

Updates happened in 2018 and we noticed some of our links listed here were no longer working so they have been removed!

Food Mamma, Candy Cane Bark
Bakersbeans (that’s me) Orange Gingerbread Cookies
Merry About Town, No Bake Peanut Butter Crunchies
Scrumptiously Fit Food, Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Dish N The Kitchen, Salted Pistachio Sables
Because I Like Chocolate, Vegan Nanaimo Bars
Heather’s EATS, Butter Tarts
Miss Foodie, Hazelnut Shortbread

Gingerbread Dip

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In preparing for our annual Ladies Wine Night & Cookie Exchange I was well, unprepared. There I said it. Sick, bake sales and other life stuff slowed me down.

Our cookie exchange night is something I started 4 years ago. It’s a fun night for us moms/ladies to have a fun evening without kids. We typically all bring a bottle of wine, some bites to share and in this case a dozen cookies per attendee. Since I hadn’t given the night much thought, I started thinking about a cheese ball a friend use to make back in the 90’s. Simply made with cream cheese, butter and cheese. Tasty but not so healthy. As I was thinking about the cheese ball I was eating one of my Orange Gingerbread Cookies. See where I am going with this? Somehow an AHA moment happened. And the 2 ideas collided.

I used the spice list from my gingerbread cookie and started measuring and adding to taste, carefully writing down quantities. Didn’t want it to sweet. Didn’t want it to molasses-e. In the end it turned out delicious despite my suspicions it might not. I always like more feedback when I create a recipe, so I needed me some taste testers. The only ones available were Luisa, our German student and the ladies who were coming over that night. They are always pretty keen to taste my food. Thankfully. In the end, everyone who likes gingerbread liked it. One discovery that came after the fact…if you let it sit a day or two in the fridge, the flavour somehow improves.

This dip in all fairness is a little rich. Not something you could eat tons of but definitely an enjoyable addition to a table filled with goodies. I tried it with veggies and no go. Apples didn’t really cut it for me either. Plain crackers/crisps or macaroons/shortbread did work and tasted really good. This recipe is a keeper.

 

Eggnog Sugar Cookies with Candy Cane Sprinkles

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What a crazy past couple of weeks. I remember Halloween..then my son’s birthday and wham here we are just weeks away from Christmas. From frantic bake sale baking, long distance cookie swap baking to mom’s wine night & cookie exchange baking….I feel like I barely came out alive. Maybe I just take on too much every holiday season and need to rethink my strategy next year. To add to all the craziness was the onset of the sick in November. From colds, pneumonia, bronchitis, tonsillitis to ear infections..4 in our party of 5 got hit pretty hard and I was one of them. Seems the older you get the harder you fall and while I don’t usually get sick, I fell pretty hard this time. Which meant no wine for weeks. On the bright side we are all done with being sick and I refuse to let it back in the house any time soon. Bring on Christmas.

One of the cookie swaps I am involved with again this year is the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2014. It’s a world wide affair but you have to be a Food Blogger to participate. For a small submission fee (goes to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer), you get matched up with other Food Bloggers in your Country. You always hope you end up with delicious cookies but that is the chance you take when you participate in something like this. It annoys me to no end to hear people complain that their cookies were not that good. Then honestly don’t participate it’s that simple since it’s for charity and it’s fun. The only thing I wish more bloggers would do is get acquainted with the more popular social media channels!! This year I sent my cookie swap cookies to BC and Saskatchewan. A little closer for me and I was happy about that (less travel time).

I had wanted to do a shortbread cookie this year. And after testing out one recipe I totally changed my game plan as I had also been wanting to create an eggnog cookie. For like years. So with just days to spare I came up with I guess a cross between a blossom cookie and a sugar cookie. I say sugar as the ingredients closely resemble a sugar cookie recipe. Took me two tries to get the ingredients right, but I did and it’s pretty darn good. I ran out of chocolate kisses so improvised with chocolate balls. I like this idea so much, my next batch of blossom style cookies will have balls and not kisses.

The cookies I received from Bloggers are: World Peace Cookies from The Blenderist, Coffee Sugar Cookies from Oven Mitt Adventures, and just received is my prettiest package yet, Sour Cherry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies by Wanna Come With. A fun way to get to know other bloggers!

This recipe makes close to 30 cookies so I had lots leftover. So much so I made these Eggnog Sugar Cookies with Candy Cane Sprinkles for another cookie swap!

 

Calgary Food Bloggers Bake Sale 2014

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This year I took over organizing and running the 4th Annual Calgary Food Bloggers Bake Sale. This is an annual bake sale that pairs together a talented group of food bloggers, writers and chefs to bake and donate goods to be sold for charity. Our charity this year was Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids. Since 1990 BB4CK (Brown Bagging For Calgary’s Kids) have been making sure Calgary kids have lunches. Through the work of community groups and volunteers, they provide about 2,000 lunches each day to kids in Calgary’s Schools. Lunches are prepared in their main kitchen, and in various other locations by community groups including retirees, parent groups and local businesses. BB4CK works with school staff members to identify needs and to plan how best to make sure hungry students get the nutrition required to think clearly and learn. Their goal is to make sure no child goes hungry.

I’ve participated in the food bloggers bake sale in previous years, and always enjoyed meeting other bloggers & writers, as well as followers and friends from the social media world. The food community here in Calgary is mostly a friendly and supportive one. This year I wanted to see if any chefs would be interested in participating to help raise funds. Just as I was beginning to put the word out I got hit with bronchitis, and my son came down with tonsillitis and ear infections. Not one to be slowed down by the sick I continued to attend a few media events and go about my business before I had an actual diagnosis. But this “stronger than the sick” mentally didn’t work out so well and I ended up down and out for about 4-5 days putting me way behind schedule and almost at bake sale day, without any baking of my own. To top it all off my laptop died 3 days before the bake sale rendering me computer-less for 2 entire days!! But I’m a mom, and we mom’s know how to scramble like crazy to make everything, and then some happen, right?!

Our Bake Sale theme this year was Cookies, Squares & Tarts. The Calgary Farmer’s Market hosted our bake sale on Saturday, November 29th. In total we had 21 food bloggers, writers and chefs jump on board and donate baked goodies for the sale plus one chef who was unable to donate but made a cash donation instead. It takes a village to make an event like this happen and I am incredibly grateful to the village that was able to participate this year.

In alphabetical order, our village….

 

Anna from Anna’s Appetite made Peppermint Bark Brownies

Bernice at Dish ‘N’ The Kitchen, dazzled us with Chai Spiced Shortbread, Marshmallow topped Brownies and Gingersnaps

Bonnie from Scrumptiously Fit Food, got the attention of all chocolate lovers with her Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Carrie, also known as, Wheat Free Mom, went above and beyond to ensure there was a delicious variety of Gluten Free options. She made Chocolate Crackle, Oatmeal Peanut Butter Marshmallow Sandwich Cookies, Gingersnaps, Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Moose Cookies, Chocolate Marshmallows, Citrus Shortbread and Biscotti!

Cassandra is a volunteer with Gluten Free Calgary and jumped at the chance to make some of her special gluten free goodies for the sale. She donated Shortbread Cookies and Toffee Cereal Cookies.

Find Chrissy & Darrin at “For The Love Of ” Blog, these two brought Coconut Tarts and Sugar Cookies to the bake sale

Corey from @ma_pies likes his baked goodies to be hot off the press fresh and he delivered to us 48 Apple, Saskatoon Berry and Blueberry tarts

Dan from Dans Good Side surprised us with Chai Caramel Apple Holiday Squares

Fareen, our favourite Food Mamma with the selfie stick, made my husband and many others happy with her Chocolate Puffed Wheat Squares

Heather’s EATS own Heather, teased us for weeks with photos of her home made Mint & Cinnamon Marshmallows before delivering them to the bake sale

Blogger Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs, brought us very pretty Thumbprint Cookies

John over at The Chef Apprentice Diaries delivered some tasty Asian Spiced Ginger Apple Tarts & Galettes with Maple Glaze

Julie at Dinner With Julie donated Flat Chewy Molasses Ginger Cookies and Chocolate Cookies With White Chocolate Chunks & Cranberries

Mallory from Because I Like Chocolate shared her Vegan Nanaimo Bars and Vegan Ginger Cookies

Latin Chef Marina, The Spice Chica brought in some delicious Alfajores

Patricia also known to many as Miss Foodie, gave us a little Sugar & Spice Ginger Cookies

Sara in the City over at Pink Lemonade and Pearls made our mouths water with Christmas Cranberry Orange Bliss Bars

Next up is me! I made up a batch of Orange Gingerbread Cookies

From the Selkirk Grille at Heritage Park, Chef Jan Hansen donated Butter Tarts. They were the first baked items to sell out.

Hotel Arts Chef Duncan Ly and Pastry Chef Karine Moulin donated three goodies, Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Raspberry Filling, Rice Krispy Treat Lollipops, and Dark Chocolate Brownies which were VF & GF. I can attest each of these items were equally delicious.

Chef Guru Singh of Canvas Bistro & Wine, made a cash donation to Brown Bagging For Calgary’s Kids this year.

Banana Avocado Ginger Smoothie

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I am not an early riser. When the alarm goes off, I tend to jump out of bed as though the house is on fire, unless of course, it’s the weekend. On the weekend there is another kind of alarm that wakes us up beyond the kids…the cats. Cue meowing from all angles. Seriously. Ever had a cat sit on your headboard over top your head, looking down at you and meowing because they want to be fed? While you try to sleep. And when that doesn’t work they move to the side of the bed. And so on. There has to be a comic about this out there somewhere.

Smoothies are something I started making many years ago. When I was single, it was protein breakfast smoothies. Got married and I had to share my smoothies, then kids came along and the smoothies were made for them, (what a great healthy option where you can sneak the good stuff in). We’ve come full circle as I’m back to making them for myself. And for the family. Smoothies never get old in our house, and with endless options, we drink them any time of the day. Or night.

 

Ninja Blender System with Auto-iQ
Ninja Blender System with Auto-iQ

 

I’ve been testing out the Ninja Auto-iQ Blender System for over a month now. This system comes with 3 sizes of glass cups, a food processor bowl with dough and chopping blades, blender pitcher and the motor base. It’s got pre-programed settings making it simple to blend up your fruit or vegetables. Even ice! Although I tend to use mostly frozen fruit in my smoothies and not ice, I was impressed at how quickly the ice was blended into the smoothie. This has always been an issue with previous blenders, the ice just wouldn’t completely break up. I’m sensing this will become the perfect margarita making tool when the weather warms up!

When I make a big batch of smoothies for the family I use the Ninja pitcher, when it’s just me, one of the Ninja cups. With the cups you need to follow the suggested order for filling the cup and ensure your pro extractor blades are securely tightened. It’s super easy. Speaking of the cups, the glass cups are BPA free and dishwasher safe. I also love the “to go” lids, making it easy for me to run out the door with my smoothie in hand.

I am really enjoying the Ninja system. It’s easy to use and easy to clean. But I still have a long way to go with testing. Next on my agenda to test is dips, dough and pureed soups. I’m even going to try grating some cheese since our family goes through cheese like crazy. There are so many things you can make with the Nutri Ninja System, I personally think it’s the perfect gift. And Christmas is coming….just sayin.

Stay tuned for more posts as I test out other features of this very cool system!

Sponsored Post: I was given the opportunity to test and review the Ninja Auto-iQ Blender System. All opinions and views in this post are entirely my own.

 

 

Cranberry Smoothie
Cranberry Smoothie in the Ninja Cup

 

 

 

 

 

Shareba’s Chocolate Almond Butter Crescent Rolls

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In October I was fortunate enough to attend the Food Bloggers of Canada 2014 Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Having lived in Vancouver for several years before migrating East, I was very excited to be returning for a visit, but also looking forward to meeting so many of my Food Blogger friends from across Canada.

Having arrived a day early to just hang out and find some good eats, Friday arrived and I anxiously started to make my way to the hotel as conference registration was officially open. At the registration desk, there were 3 lovely ladies waving everyone in and handing us these ginormous swag bags. Shareba, from In Search of Yummy-ness, was one of them, and I was so excited to finally put a face to all the social media chatter we’d been doing for quite some time.

With a very busy conference ahead of us and Shareba one of the volunteers, we didn’t get to visit to much, but I know the chatter will continue and perhaps at the next conference we will get to visit a little more. Even before we met in person, Shareba had agreed to be a guest poster on my blog and I’m thrilled to introduce her to you and share her recipe for Chocolate Almond Butter Crescent Rolls! Welcome Shareba!

 

Thanks for asking me to share a recipe here at Bakersbeans!

As a Media Studies graduate who has worked on two cooking shows, food blogging seemed like a no-brainer to me.

My blog has changed a lot since I started it back in 2010. I think I only posted 8 times that year! Honestly, I really didn’t start to understand how to “blog” until the end of 2012, and even then my photos weren’t great.

I’ve been putting a lot of time and effort into my blog lately, and I think it’s starting to show. Hopefully, it’s easier for people to navigate my website now and get an idea of what I write about.

My content has been changing over the years, but in general I blog about my experiences with food. That includes things like meals at restaurants, recaps of food events, and highlighting products that I like.

Of course, I write about cooking in my kitchen too. I enjoy sharing recipes that are fairly easy to make at home – basically the food that I like to eat. There’s a mix of healthy dishes and indulgent treats.

Food has been such a big part of my life, and I’m thrilled to be a full time food blogger now. It’s been a struggle to get to this point, but right now I’m happy and I think that’s what matters the most.

Speaking of food… here’s a recipe for something I’d like to eat right now. It’s almost 1AM and all I want is comfort food!

 

For more information, or to contact Shareba, go here:
Twitter: @InSearchOfYummy
Facebook: In Search Of Yummy-ness
Instagram: @InSearchOfYummyness
Pinterest: @InSearchOfYummy
Blog: InSearchOfYummyness.com

Chicken Salad with Crackling

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This chicken salad with crackling (crispy chicken skin) is a spinoff or variation of coronation chicken, a dish created and served at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation on June 2, 1953. She became monarch of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Union of South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon. To this day we still sing God Save The Queen.

As I was researching this recipe I came across a recipe by Jamie Oliver. This recipe in fact. Remade in his style with flair and whimsy. I’ve always loved Jamie’s rustic approach to food. He is one chef I would most definitely like to meet in this lifetime.

After looking at his recipe, I made a few modifications to the salad to suit my family. You could easily add in some curry paste to the greek yogurt for an extra hit of curry love. A good curry paste just makes things taste better. I was thrilled the by the response I received from the family, it was a hit. I was even told this is the best supper ever. Cool Mom over here. *Waving

The first time I prepared this dish for my family I served all the bits in separate bowls, allowing everyone to scoop up what they wanted and assemble their own chicken salad. I also served it with noodles. The second time I tossed the whole lot on a platter and served it with rice. Scoop it up and if you don’t like something, pick it out, is my new motto.

In the end this dish takes just over an hour to make. And I let the chicken marinade for about 30 minutes before it goes into the oven.

 

 

BBQ Shrimp from the Creole Cajun Chef

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I’ve been following the Creole Cajun Chef Tommy for quite some time on social media. His photos and recipes caught my eye immediately and kept it intrigued. My husband and I went to New Orleans for our honeymoon pre Katrina and had the time of our life. New Orleans and the people will always hold a soft spot in our hearts. The food, well, it speaks for itself.

I’m sure you can’t hear me drooling while I write this post. I love shrimp. I was raised near the coast of Northern British Columbia (NBC) and we regularly went crabbing off the docks near Prince Rupert and enjoyed many a freshly caught prawns, meal. Head on, tails on, All in.

I was very honoured when Chef Tommy agreed to do a Guest Post on my blog. I love how easy his recipe for BBQ shrimp is, yet sounds like it packs an incredible amount of flavour! Pleased to welcome, Chef Tommy!

Tommy Centola, the Creole Cajun Chef, is a New Orleans native who has been cooking since he was eight. Having learned the basics from his mentor, his mom, Tommy is a self taught chef, cooking New Orleans multicultural cuisine. He has worked in numerous restaurants, developing dishes and menus with his unique vision. His Crabcake recipe has been featured in the Thomas Kinkade cookbook and Louisiana Cookin’ magazine. His cookbook, You Can’t Keep New Orleans Out Of The Cook, has been enshrined in the Culinary Hall of Fame. With over 300 recipes, Tommy’s blog, www.creolecajunchef.com, is continually growing with two new recipes added each week. He and his wife Peggy currently live in Searcy, Arkansas. He works for Sysco foods, helping his customers have successful businesses.

From Tommy: This is one of my wife’s favorite dishes. Every time we come back from New Orleans, we always have three pounds of large heads-on shrimp to cook for dinner the night we get home. BBQ Shrimp is not shrimp that are cooked on a pit and covered with sauce. They are cooked in a highly seasoned, not spicy, combination of olive oil and butter. Make sure you have plenty of French bread to dip into the sauce. You can use headless shrimp, but you will not get the flavors that are released from the head.

 

Brownie Cake

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Recently I received some samples (cooking sauces and marinade) from Pulo Philippine Cuisine. I started browsing their pamphlets to see how they have used the products themselves. While everything looked tasty, I wasn’t getting inspired and couldn’t get past the basics. So they sat a for a few days. And then like Snow in Calgary in September, it hit me….forget savory…go for sweet.

The Tinaga Island Coconut Adobo Cooking Sauce is so far one of my favourites (ok only got through 2 of 6 so far). It’s both tasty and the great thing about coconut is you can take it to savory or sweet. Plus it had vinegar in it and my mom used to make a chocolate cake recipe with vinegar. I knew I was onto something, so I decided to make Brownies. With the Pulo Coconut Adobo Cooking Sauce you say? Why the heck not. Nobody puts Baby in a Corner….(little Dirty Dancing reference there). Besides isn’t this how all the great recipes are born…trial & error?!

Brownie Cake
Brownie Cake

This recipe started off as a Brownie recipe. As I was making it I went looking for my 9 x 11 baking dish to pour the brownies into. Discovered it was in use and so I substituted the 9×9 instead. And without further ado, this recipe went from Brownies, to Brownie Cake. A substitution gone right.

One minion advised she could taste a hint of coconut in the brownie. Husband mentioned a tiny hint of heat. The flavours were there and I have to say these Brownie Cakes tasted equally delicious with freshly whipped cream and vanilla ice cream.

Tinaga Island is part of the Bicol region of the Phillipines, an area renowned for hot chili and coconut milk dishes. And it’s now on my list of places I want to visit.

 

Badlands Pickle Burger

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Like it or not, Fall is around the corner. It’s the perfect time for pickling or canning extra vegetables from the garden. In fact I am wanting to make another batch of these tasty Quick Pickle Cucumbers since there are so many of the smaller cucumbers in the stores and markets. Everyone in our family loves these little bites.

Our Bakers Burger Blast Burger Recipes have been far and few between this year. I’ve created a couple of burgers but haven’t tested them to the point of perfection (in my books). When I came up with this burger recipe I tried a few different kinds of cheese, with the sausage, without the sausage until eventually these flavours really worked well together. Biggest challenge was trying NOT to eat all the pickles before the burgers were done!!

Here in Alberta we have what’s known as the “Wild West” Badlands. They are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been eroded by wind and water leaving behind beautiful statues and scenery. We love to visit the Badlands and this is how the name came to be.

The perfect burger for the pickle lover!

 

Family Friendly Activities in Kelowna

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Loads to do when you visit the Okanagan so we’ve compiled some of our favourite Family Friendly Activities in Kelowna!

Exploring a new province or state can be a great adventure for the whole family! We have traveled up and down the four western provinces extensively as there is always so much to do, see and learn.

 

Staycations or visiting places within your own country can be just as much fun as traveling outside of the country. I grew up in British Columbia and spent time visiting the Okanagan before moving to Alberta. Going back is never dull and there is always something to do!

With a little imagination you will have an excellent adventure and we aim to give you some ideas when visiting Kelowna to get you started!

The Okanagan

The Okanagan is a region in British Columbia known for it’s lakes, water sports, orchards, abundance of summer fruit and many wineries.

From mountains to lakes to miles of trails and farm to table eateries, the Okanagan is as rich in scenery as it is in it’s culture.

Learn about the Ogopogo

The legend of the Ogopogo begins with the First Nations people speaking of “N’ha-a-itk”, a fierce lake monster that resided at Squally Point, 20 kilometres south of the city of Kelowna. In 1924, a little song was composed about the lake monster and it was given the name, “Ogopogo”.

Fast forward and there have been sightings of this lake monster reported. Ogopogo is described as green with a snakelike body about 25 meters long. Some say its head looks like a horse, while others say that it’s reptilian or goat-like. Many even claim to have photographed Ogopogo. The pictures have always been inconclusive. Learn more about the Ogopogo here: Ogopogo: Canada’s Loch Ness Monster or Does Ogopogo Exist.

Here’s a few of the adventures we love to go on when we visit Kelowna, with part II coming soon!

Bike Myra Canyon and the Kettle Valley Railway Trail

The Kettle Valley Railway Trail is an abandoned railway bed located in Myra Canyon, originally built by hand at the turn of the last century. In 2004 12 wooden trestles and 2 steel trestles had to be rebuilt following a large fire known as the Okanagan park wildfire. Remnants of this fire are still visible in the canyon as you wind your way through the majestic trails in awe of the beauty before you.

Kettle Valley Railway
Just don’t look down while you ride over the trestles

The Trans Canada Trail from Kelowna to Penticton follows the old Kettle Valley Railway and the trail itself is 45 km one way. The trail winds through the mountains featuring breath taking views  and boasts 2 tunnels, 2 steel bridges and 16 wood trestles for the first 8 km of the ride.

Kettle Valley Railway
Kids on a Trestle

We brought our own bikes on this trip and traveled at least 6km before turning back due to tired little legs. For those not traveling with bikes you can hike as far as you are able to, rent a bike or get a guided tour to learn more about the area. For more information, visit the Myra Canyon Restoration Society website.

Okanagan Lavender and Herb Farm

One of our favourite places to get lost at for an afternoon is the Lavender and Herb Farm. The farm itself will have different blooms at different times throughout the summer. We visited in August and while there was still an abundance of lavender and herbs, it was limited.

Lavender and Herb Farm
Lavender and Herb Farm
For a small fee you are free to wander the grounds of the farm with a provided map, participate in an individual farm scavenger hunt with the kids and visit the wishing tree with a ribbon.
Lavender Ice Cream
Lavender Ice Cream

You may come across grapes, roses, lemon balm, savory, basil, spearmint, sage, oregano, rosemary and thyme as well as several varieties of lavender on your travels. A small play area for little kids may yield you some clues if you are participating in the scavenger hunt.

Okanagan Lavender Farm
Okanagan Lavender Farm
A stop into their petite cafe for a lavender ice cream and lavender ice tea is the perfect treat and end to the farm visit especially on a hot Okanagan day. Afterwards (or before) we wander into the boutique sipping lavender tea, taking in all the lavender infused bath and body products as well as the culinary items available. I stocked up this time on lavender sugar and buds for baking while the kids each picked out some lavender herb tea to bring back to Calgary.



Carmelis Goat Cheese Farm

Carmelis Goat Cheese Farm is a skip and hop down the road from several quality estate wineries a short drive out of downtown Kelowna. A family owned boutique dairy farm, they produce premium goat cheese and gelato available for purchase on site. Book a tour for a larger group in advance or take a drive out and carefully weave your way down the path to the barns to view the goats and boutique cheese shop. A varied selection of goat cheese ranging as soft ripened, hard aged and simply fresh. A delicious assortment of gelato is available and well worth the drive.

goat-cheese-farm-goats
Who’s your daddy
Visiting the Goat Cheese Farm
Visiting the Goat Cheese Farm
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An array of goat cheese awaits

 

Kangaroo Creek Farm

As many times as we’ve been to the Okanagan we’ve never visited the Kangaroo Creek Farm. Excitement was mounting the morning we got going to explore the farm and meet up close for the first time, a real kangaroo.

Kangaroo Farm
Kangaroo Farm

This hobby farm is jumping with more than just kangaroos. There are emu, peacocks, fancy chickens, goats, parrots, a baby albino wallaby, wallaroos, wallabies, baby kangaroos and potbellied pigs. In addition you can see a capybara, the world’s largest rodent. Fees are small and help keep the farm operational.

Kangaroo Creek Farm
Kangaroo Creek Farm

They allow you to wander the grounds and touch the kangaroos however kids are to be kept under parent surveillance at all times as rules are enforced for the safety of the animals. We completely supported the rules to ensure kids are taught to respect animals at a young age and are kept safe.

kangaroo-creek-farm-aiden
Aiden holding a baby albino wallaby
Hailey with a sugar glider on her hat

Staff are very knowledgeable about kangaroos and wallabies and are on hand to answer any questions you have regarding various species, habitat, breeding, diet, housing and general physiology. Getting back to nature with animals is a lovely way to spend a couple of hours. And then go find a fabulous place for lunch!

Get your Frybread on at the Kekuli Cafe

We heard the story about Sharon Bond-Hogg and her First Nations Bannock Cafe long before we came to Kelowna. One of two Kekuli Cafes in British Columbia, they offer fresh food, home made items made using in house made bannock, wifi, and music inspired by their family and a super inviting atmosphere. The foodie in me couldn’t wait to try this place out. Oh by the way it’s also featured on You Gotta Eat Here Canada!!

Kekuli Cafe Gourmet Bannock
These gourmet bannock treats are the bomb
kekuli-cafe-hailey-bannock
This look tells a story. A story about bannock.

Kekuli Cafe offers breakfast, lunch, desserts, gourmet bannock treats, coffee, teas and alcoholic beverages if you choose to partake. The gourmet bannock are liken to beaver tails and topped with deliciousness such as saskatoon berry, skor bar, apples and cinnamon, lemon and more. Of course we had to a have a couple to share as a pre-lunch appy.

kekuli-cafe-bannock-taco
Bannock Taco. I am going to try making my own version of this tasty meal
kekuli-cafe-bannock-burge
Bannock Burger. Clever

Lunch for the big guy is typical – a burger, only this time a bannock burger. For me I had a bannock taco. The kids were happy with their gourmet bannock appys and sharing some of our lunch. They tried the saskatoon berry ice tea. My mom made saskatoon berry wine, jam, pies and more when I was a wee child. This berry holds a special memory for me.

A unique experience, one you must do when in Kelowna.

Kekuli Cafe
Kekuli Cafe Bannock

Okanagan Wine & Orchard Museum

While the kids might not be as interested in the wine museum, which admittedly is mostly a wine store with wine artifacts at different points of interest inside, they will get a lot out of the formally named BC Orchard Museum. This side of the old historic Laurel Packinghouse has hands on exhibits for the kids and live bee hives! Here they can learn first hand about the history of growing and handling the tree fruits for which the Okanagan is known for.

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Hands on stations kept these two entertained
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So much history in this museum
Here we go…..

While here you can view exhibitions featuring packing, processing, home preserving, picking, orchards and more. This museum tells the story of the Okanagan Valley’s transformation from wide open cattle range to beautifully manicured, symmetrical orchards. The interactive stations for the kids are both entertaining and informative and enjoyed our time there with the kids. Plus they kept offering the kids free cherries!

Any of the Beaches

One can not visit the Okanagan in all it’s glory without visiting one of the beaches. There are several to choose from and water sports at every turn.

Beach time
Farmer tan guy

We highly recommend spending some time at a beach in Kelowna.

Beach time
Beach time

We head West every 1-2 years and always make the most of our time in the Okanagan.

More Family Adventures

If you are looking for more ideas on what to do in Western Canada, here’s a few ideas:

10 Day Trips from Calgary

A Night in Banff

Touring Some of Alberta’s Cool Little Towns

Thai Beef in Toast Cups with Mango Salsa

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An easy bite to make when you are having a get together! Thai flavours in the beef, combined with a sweet and spicy mango salsa are served in toast cups making these Thai Beef in Toast cups with Mango Salsa the perfect accompaniment for your next gathering!

 

 

In my daily activities I come across many contests and challenges out there for food bloggers. What you learn along the way is you have to be picky and choosy with what you take on as recipe testing, buying ingredients, making notes, testing again until you get it right, photographing and the like all takes a tremendous amount of time. Which is why I admittedly do not enter as many as I used to. Although I still love a challenge which is where this Thai Beef in Toast Cups with Mango Salsa recipe comes in.

Weeks ago I caught wind of a contest featuring ground beef and mushrooms encouraging us Food Bloggers to Blend & Extend these two special ingredients to show you can get more vegetables (in this case mushrooms) into your meals without the family knowing. We are fortunate in that our kids love almost all vegetables fresh with mushrooms being one of them. My daughter actually eats them whole and peels them like a banana (there’s one in every crowd)!

Thai Beef in Toast Cups with Mango Salsa
Thai Beef in Toast Cups with Mango Salsa

When I started recipe testing for this challenge I made three separate beef and mushroom dishes over the course of a couple of days. Each recipe had it’s own unique flavour profile and was inspired by recipes I already make. The caveat, they needed to be bite size.

To each recipe I added just over a cup of minced fresh white button mushrooms. I was pleasantly surprised you couldn’t even tell there were mushrooms mixed in with the beef. The kids, not any wiser, enjoyed each recipe for different reasons. As such new recipes have been born and at least one will be entered into the contest.

 

Thai Beef in Toast Cups with Mango Salsa
Thai Beef in Toast Cups with Mango Salsa

 

The inspiration for this recipe comes from two I currently make which are both very popular on the blog. Cesar Salad in Toast Cups and a Pork Thai Salad with Jalapeno & Mint. I took the flavour profile from the Pork Thai Salad and infused it into the beef, mixing in mushrooms, and topping it with a delicious mango salsa. I make varieties of the Salad Toast Cups so using the toast cup itself as the vessel to hold the beef and mushroom mixture worked perfectly. I knew I wanted to top it with something fresh so a minced mango salsa was prepared to top the beef. The flavour combination worked well. Out of six taste testers (young and old) I’d say only 1 gave it a thumbs down.

Here is how I made Thai Beef in Toast Cups with Mango Salsa.

 

Grilled Rustic Bacon Wrapped Chicken

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My 3rd and final entry into the Great Cream Challenge 2014 was this really tasty Grilled Rustic Bacon Wrapped Chicken. For those that don’t know, this cross Canada recipe challenge pairs 3 Canadian Food Bloggers against each other in a special monthly cooking challenge. At the beginning of the year you pick three challenges (one per month) to participate in using real cream, and then start recipe testing until you find a winner.

One of the themes I picked was Grilling, perhaps cause the rest looked easy?! (honestly no idea why I choose grilling lol) When it came time to create and submit the recipe, I panicked for a few minutes thinking about how to use real cream on the grill. But once I settled down, I was able to brain storm and realize there are many options when it comes to grilling with cream.

And so enters a stuffed chicken breast (with cream cheese, cream and other goodies), wrapped in bacon, slapped on the grill and finished with a sage cream sauce. It was very good and of course you can use anything you like to stuff the chicken breast. I used what I could find in my fridge/pantry.

Grilled Rustic Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Grilled Rustic Bacon Wrapped Chicken

I enjoyed being part of the challenge, and got to know several of the food bloggers better through this friendly competition. Here is how I made the Grilled Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken.

 

 

Whiskey-Marinated Flank Steak

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Whiskey Marinated Flank Steak incorporates a combination of flavours carefully balanced to enhance the complexity of the steak. Served with a simple side of veggies or salad, it’s an excellent way to enjoy a good steak.

Whiskey-Marinated Flank Steak

Whiskey Marinated Flank Steak

I love creating content and telling stories and this recipe sets me up for a good one. The blend of sweet, salty, spicy, and smoky flavours offers a rich palette for character development, setting and plot.

We love whiskey in this family. My husband is all about the Canadian rye whiskey, and well I used to be a scotch on the rocks girl, but have since come to the whiskey dark side. Following a visit with my brother in law, and several specimens in the cabinet, it was time to do some experimenting!

grilled flank steak with whiskey

Serving Suggestions and Pairings

This Whiskey-Marinated Flank Steak is incredibly versatile and pairs well with a variety of sides. For a classic combination, serve with roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus or green beans. To add a touch of spice, try it with a cilantro lime rice and black beans. For a lighter option, serve with a fresh summer salad and crusty bread.

Pairing Ideas:

  • Beverages: A bold red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot complements the rich flavours of the steak. For a lighter option, try a crisp Pinot Noir or a refreshing craft beer with citrus notes.
  • Side Dishes: Creamy mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, or sweet potato fries are excellent choices. A fresh green salad or grilled vegetables can balance the richness of the steak.

grilled whiskey flank steak

Complex Flavour Profiles

  • Whiskey Selection: Different types of whiskey (bourbon, rye, scotch) can impact the flavour profile of the steak.
  • Sweet and Savory Balance: The role of sweeteners like brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup can compliment the whiskey.
  • Acidic Counterpoint: Vinegar, citrus juices, or soy sauce can cut through the richness.
  • Herbaceous Notes: The impact of fresh or dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, or oregano.
  • Spicy Kick: Incorporating chili peppers or hot sauces for added heat.

While you can add in dried herbs or some spice (my favourite go to is sambal oelek), I was happy with the flavours I used in this recipe and keep it as is.

What is Flank Steak?

Flank steak is a long, flat cut of beef that comes from the cow’s lower abdominal muscles. Known for its bold flavour and relatively lean profile, it’s a popular choice for grilling and stir-fries.

Key Characteristics of Flank Steak:

  • Flavourful: Offers a rich, beefy taste.
  • Lean: Lower in fat content compared to other cuts.
  • Tough: Requires careful cooking to prevent toughness.
  • Versatile: Can be used in various dishes.

flank steak

More steak recipes to try:

If you made this recipe tag Wanda Baker on Instagram and hashtag it #bakersbeans or #wandabaker

A whiskey-marinated flank steak is a classic choice for grilling enthusiasts. A hint of smokey undertones compliment the beef creating an exotic flavour profile.

 

 

Bannock on a Stick | Brewers Campground at Gull Lake

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Our first camping adventure of the year found us trying a new campground, and it’s a mouthful. Brewer’s Campground & Aspen Beach Provincial Park at Gull Lake, right smack dab in the middle of Alberta. Whew, right. It’s not a long drive for us and but a lovely one through the country side.

The campground itself features several loops, but they do not identify the loops by alphabet like many campgrounds do. Rather just drive to your assigned (number) campsite after checking in, and you’re set. Our campsite was treed and private. But close to the highway and we heard the trucks going by quite frequently. We would return to this campground but next time we will try to get a site away from the highway. Also important to note there are no parks activities for families or kids here (also no amphitheater).

The boardwalk over the marsh at Gull Lake
The boardwalk over the marsh at Gull Lake

Aspen beach itself is sandy and the water surprisingly warm for this time of the year. Sometimes these lakes just don’t get enough sun to warm up in time for the beginning of July. The beach is long and shallow making it the perfect beach for minions of all ages.

geocaching at Brewers Campground at Gull Lake
On the trail to find us a Geocache at Gull Lake

The lake has fish. Which includes Walleye and Pike but according to Rob (husband) you have to go into a draw to fish Walleye in Alberta, know which lake your going to, and all kinds of other important stuff before you drop your line. We were not prepared so fishing didn’t happen on this camping adventure.

Aspen Beach at Gull Lake, camping fun
Always a little wet after the rain, but never deters. Aspen Beach at Gull Lake

But there was plenty of other things to do. Like a marsh to inspect, bike trails to ride down, pathways to explore and some geocaching to dive into. Not to mention some delightful camp food to be eaten and of course the beach!

The marsh was alive with all kinds of life. A large beaver dam was viewable as were pelicans. Red-winged Blackbirds were everywhere and we saw some baby ducklings! Off in the distance we were able to spot a Great Blue Heron. Other life in this marsh includes frogs, minnows and even muskrat.

Just beyond the marsh, is a picturesque bushed area. Our gps lead us here to find a cache. Besides the mosquitoes, it was serene and a lovely walk through the woods. We found our cache rather quickly and were on our way.

Cooking Bannock over the camp fire
Cooking Bannock over the campfire

The first time I made bannock was in Home Economics class around Grade 9 or so. It was simple, tasty and it’s stayed with me for the past 30 years. Traditional Bannock is made slightly different, sometimes with milk, or baking powder, flattened and cooked in a pan with some oil. This dough recipe is the same one we use to make our Pie Iron Pizzas giving you two snacks in one if you choose.

To ensure your Bannock holds on the stick, make sure you find and carve yourself a good solid, thick roasting stick. The dough will not hold onto a metal roasting stick very well, if even at all. You will need some patience, so if your minions can’t sit still for long (like mine), make sure you are there to step in and take over. Takes about 10 minutes or more to roast the bannock ensuring the inside is cooked.

Best way to serve it is warm, with some butter and jam. Really quite tasty. Another fun way to explore cooking outdoors with the kids.

 

Grilled Corn, Radish & Arugula Salad

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An easy salad that came together quickly the other night. All I knew is I wanted grilled corn. Whole for the family, one cut up for a salad. So we rubbed the corn with oil, salt and pepper and tossed them on the grill for about 10-15 minutes, turning regularly. Adding a little char to your corn really enhances the flavour. Boiling or steaming the corn works to.

Radishes in our garden were reading for picking and some arugula completed the salad. I kept the dressing simple and it worked so well.

Fresh, and simple flavours of summer make it easy to put together this salad any night of the week. It’s incredibly delicious with this Sweet & Spicy Grilled Salmon.

 

 

Sweet & Spicy Grilled Salmon

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We returned from several days of camping, and like most campers we didn’t eat as healthy as we would have preferred to. But it’s camping and we always try to keep a balance. Good with the bad. With that theory we we had marinated grilled pork chops one night and grilled Greek grilled chicken in pitas with a Greek salad another night. It’s that balance thing. The remaining nights, well, junky type food or other not so good for you eats.

After these trips I always crave healthy food. And this time upon returning home I was craving salmon. We ran out of aluminum foil and didn’t have any cedar planks so we needed to improvise. The cast iron pan came out and we were off to the races. Usually when we grill salmon it’s either on a cedar plank or on a piece of foil.

I didn’t use much chile powder in this recipe as I wanted the minions to eat it. You could taste the chile powder but there was just a hint of it. Definitely add more if you want more chile flavour, although it might deter from the taste of the salmon.

We whipped this up rather quickly and were eating in 30 minutes. Served it with this delightful grilled corn & arugula salad, with the addition of radishes from our garden.

Loved this meal and I think you might to.

 

Honey Ginger Chicken

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Chicken recipes are always enjoyed in our house. The kids loved this honey ginger chicken I made the other night, enhanced with garlic, oyster sauce and fish sauce. A sweet and savory combination that required no marinating. Brushing the sauce on during cooking did the trick. And since we busy parents don’t always have time to marinate meat before we cook it, it’s the perfect quick meal to make after a busy day.

 

 

 

Orange Waffles

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Recently these orange waffles have become one of our favourites for breakie. We go through stages. We’re crazy like that. We’ve been on a waffle kick for a couple months now. The waffle maker has been taking up permanent residence on the counter. Might need to move and dust under it soon.

A while back I attempted for the first time ever, chicken & waffles. Surprised everyone, as it was a huge hit. I’ve had requests to make it again. Now that I can cook on the BBQ and not smoke up the house with the chicken, I’m excited to cook up another batch of chicken and waffles. Mmmmm.

The orange flavour in these waffles is light but memorable. We almost always have to have them with maple syrup, whipping cream and a little orange zest for good measure. Important to note this recipe only makes 6 individual waffles and if you end up loving them as much as we do, you will need to double the recipe. Just sayin.

 

Adventures with S’mores & Camping at Ol’ MacDonalds Resort

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If you can believe it, I never had s’mores growing up. I know right…sheltered. But I did get my share of roasted, sticky, gooey, delicious marshmallows.

The word S’more appears to be derived from the phrase “some more”. According to Wikipedia, the first recorded version of the recipe can be found in the publication Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts of 1927. The exact origin is unclear but the year 1925 pops up.

S'mores while camping
Oreo Cookie S’mores

There are many ways to eat s’mores. And we have definitely experimented a lot over the years. These days it’s just the norm that we don’t go camping without a bucket (yes I said bucket) full of s’mores supplies. My kids are definitely learning there are more to s’mores than crackers, chocolate and marshmallows.

S'mores Supplies
S’mores Supplies

Ol’ MacDonalds Resort near Stettler is a private campground on Buffalo Lake that we’ve been visiting every year for over 6 years. Sometimes we even go twice during camping season, that’s how much we love it. One of our annual treks here is a family outing where there is a huge group that assembles at the end of the summer. For those who do not like to camp in tents or trailers, there are cabins.

Smores while camping
One of my personal favourites – S’mores made with Brie Cheese & Chocolate

Over the years the campground has grown. There are now a minimum of four playgrounds for the kids to enjoy. I say minimum because you never know if they’ve added another one until you return. When the minions tire of the playground you can head over to the Merry Go Round. Best to note it is not a carnival style Merry Go Round, but rather an older, fairly safe version that will set you back a mere .25 cents a ride. You can even try to toss your shoe in a special bucket while you are on the ride to see if can win a free ride. This runs at pre set times during the day.

Merry Go Round at Ol' MacDonalds
We Merry Go Round

After you’ve rode the Merry Go Round head over to the Train Ride. But first stop for a special coffee…YES I said special coffee. I’m sorry, I know..roughing it right? But this is the only campground I know of that has a coffee shop (squeee) and it’s definitely a nice treat. Important to note the train ride also runs at pre scheduled times. This costs I think $1-2 per ride and moms & dads can walk along side to keep on eye on their little train engineers as it weaves through the campground.

Kayaking on Buffalo Lake
We Kayak

Tractor Wagon Rides and the Go Karts should be on your list. The Tractor Wagon Rides are an annual ritual for us. These evening rides have a sign up sheet and it’s best to book your time early. The go karts are truly fun for kids of all ages. Although the wee ones will have to go with an adult rider and some of those hills, let me tell you, some of those hills might take the wind from your sails. It’s great when the kids get old enough to drive their own go karts. These run all day. A petting zoo, arcade and indoor mini golf really do keep the kids entertained.

Go Karts at Ol' MacDonalds Resort
We Go Kart

Buffalo Lake offers a sandy beach where you can walk out into the water for a long time. There is a boat launch and ice cream shack. Cousins of ours have a sailboat and it comes out every year. Around the corner you can drop a line and try fishing. Fantastic tunes, and a sand castle building contest on Saturdays make this beach a great place to spend a couple hours. Or more.

Floatables at Ol' MacDonalds Resort
We bring Floatables

And if that isn’t enough, you can stop into Gramma’s Kitchen for a bite or supply item you might have forgotten. On Saturday’s they have a small market and we’ve even heard some live music in the evenings.

This is a campground you need to book in advance. The beach sites are typically booked up a year in advance. But there are several great campsites all throughout the campground. If you have never been, definitely put it on your bucket list.

 

Geocaching at Buffalo Lake
We lead part of our group Geocaching