Friday, September 28, 2012

Pumpkin Curry Chicken

I'm sure I'm not the only one who plays 'clean the fridge' while cooking. You know the game, you have a bunch of veggies left in your fridge you'd like to get rid of, so they magically appear in whatever you're cooking! Sometimes it works marvelously, other times, not so much... last night I played, and last night, my friends, I won! I introduce to you a delicious, creamy, pumpkin-ee concoction with tender chicken and veg!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Thai One On - Exotic Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup with Shrimp





I can honestly say this is one of my absolute favourite soups! The first time I made it, I was a little intimidated by the various flavours I was adding, and had concerns it would be a bit much for me, but once I actually tasted it, I wanted to keep going back to the pot for more! Soooo good! trust me on this one, you'll love it! Oh and you can thank the Looneyspoons for the recipe!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Melancauli Baby - Curried Cauliflower Soup


Curried Cauliflower Soup with Swiss Cheese and Wild Rice

Despite the summer-like weather we've been experiencing lately, my mind is still in Fall mode. This means Halloween party preppin', Fall clothes buying, and Fall food eating. Today I bring to you, courtesy of the Looneyspoons Collection, a delicious cauliflower and leek soup just perfect for cooler weather.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Cake Mix with a Twist!

Boxed cake mixes can save a lot of time in the kitchen, especially if you're doing an elaborate design with your fondant or icing. The only problem is, you're very limited in the flavour department. Sure, they've covered the basics, but what if you wanted to impress your guests with flavour?! Luckily, there are many ways to infuse boxed cake mix, below is just the start of what will be a long list of cake mix alternatives. I will only post once they've been tested and perfected!
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Chocolate Orange 

  • Devil's Food Cake Mix
  • 1 tbsp Orange Zest

Instructions:
1) Prepare cake mix using 2 eggs and only the water, leave out the oil. This creates a lighter and fluffier cake mix.

2) Once everything is combined, add orange zest and beat on high for 2 minutes, this allows the zest to really work through the cake.

3) Pour into greased pans and bake as directed on the box. (approx 25 mins for 2, 8 inch round pans)



Friday, September 14, 2012

Halloween Bucket Cake


This year, instead of making the same old Halloween cake, mix it up with this fun idea. Using inspiration from an Easter Basket from several years back, I decided to make a candy bucket. It's actually pretty simple to construct and can be made with fondant or icing, whichever you prefer.

Note: Sorry for the lack of photos, my camera sketched out on me and wouldn't let me load photos to my computer. With that said, I snapped some shots with my phone, so at least you can see the final product!


Thursday, September 13, 2012

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Fall is great for many reasons - TV shows come back in full swing, the air regains a refreshing and crisp edge, Halloween is on everyone's radar, and let's not forget, pumpkin spice lattes return to Starbucks! What's not to love? Well, I'm going to go with the cost of supporting a pumpkin spice addict! At $5 a pop, that's $35 a week (give or take a few bucks depending on your level of restraint and the size of your coffee!). I've already had 8 and we're only 13 days into the promotion!

Luckily for me (and my bank account), 4 of those were homemade. Incredibly, my amazing husband has tackled and perfected a delicious homemade version of the recipe. It may not come in a nicely branded cup, and no, you can't check your email while a barista whips it up, but you're going to pay about the same amount of money for 2 weeks worth of lattes vs. 1 day's worth. I'm not saying never go to Starbucks again, I'm just giving you another option in case you're trying to cut back on spending... that, or they just happen to be closed the next time the craving strikes ;)

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Meatballs in Sauce with Spaghetti

Spaghetti and meatballs is up there with some of my favourite foods; it's so good and always a crowd pleaser - I mean who doesn't love spaghetti?! Earlier, I posted a recipe for some delicious spaghetti meat sauce I like to whip up when I don't have the time for meatballs, but when I do have time to make them, they have to be my mom's specialty. This sauce is not your traditional tomato and garlic, rather it has more of a sweet and sour tang to it that goes great with pasta!