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!

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.

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)

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!

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 ;)

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!

My Food List Challenge Update!

It's hard to believe today is August 31st?! Where has the summer gone? If you'll remember 2 months ago on June 1st, I made a Pledge to increase the number of foods I've tried by a minimum of 10! Well yesterday, I reached my goal! Below is a recap of the delicious journey I've taken in food this summer.

Tom Yum - June 4, 2012

Po' Boys - Check!

Last night for supper, I cooked up one of the final items on my Food List Challenge, Shrimp Po' Boys. After hearing about them over and over on the Food Network through various shows like Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, as well as Eat St. and other random restaurant shows, I have been dying to try one. Once I came across Emeril Lagasse's recipe for an authentic and classic po' boy I was ready to eat!

Pavlova - Check!

Yesterday was a big day for me, I crossed not only one, but two items off of my Food List Challenge. One of those items was Pavlova. To be honest I've always wanted to try it! I mean what's not to love? Meringue, whip and fresh fruit?! Not only is it very yummy, and not only does it look quite fancy and gorgeous, but it's actually quite simple to make. My recipe came from allrecipes.com.

Recipes from Home

When I left for University and moved to the city, my mom gave me one of the best gift's a mother could give - a personalized cookbook of recipes from home! This 3 subject exercise book, divided into sections of meals, desserts and miscellaneous, included all of my favourite recipes from home, each of them handwritten with love by my mom. Even though I couldn't bring her with me to cook them all, at least I could have a taste of home any time I started to feel homesick.

Below is a selection of photos I snapped of my beloved book which I still use on a regular basis 8 years later! I've even added some of my own recipes over the years and consider it one of my prized possessions in the kitchen. As you will see, you can tell which recipes are popular by the stains on the pages ;)

♥ :)