A Pretty Life in the Suburbs

Blueberry Quinoa Pancakes

2012-03-05T08:59:00.001-07:00

If you read my blog, you already know that we love pancakes!

Every Saturday morning is pancake time!

Our favourites are oatmeal pancakes, zucchini bread pancakes and ricotta pancakes! Delish!
But we have found a new favourite that will make its debut on our Saturday mornings as well!
(Thanks Lori!)

These are hearty, healthy and so delicious!

They have just the right amount of quinoa in them, so the flavour isn't overpowering at all!

I personally like them plain without the blueberries, but I was out-voted so the blueberries went in!

(I can't stand the popping of cooked blueberries in my mouth. Yuck.)

These are great!

Blueberry Quinoa Pancakes
Recipe from Martha Rose Shulman at the NYTimes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp canola oil
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 to 1 1/2 cups blueberries

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and oil.
Add the egg/milk mixture to the flour mix. Stir until just combined.
Fold in quinoa.
Add blueberries.
Cook on a medium-high heat griddle, about 2-3 minutes each side, or until you see the bubbles popping.

Tip!

Leftover quinoa is perfect for this recipe. If you are making quinoa for dinner the night before, just make a little extra, and it will be ready for you to use in the morning!

These are definitely worth trying out!

Serve with syrup and fresh fruit! Perfection!

Have a great day!

Yummy Linking:
Jam Hands

I love me some lemons...

2012-03-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

I love the sunshine of lemons this time of year!

Pretty little shiny faces.

They make me smile...

Happy Sunshiny Sunday!

Pretty Linking:
Life Rearranged

My Simple Spring Mantel

2012-03-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well here we are in March...

It's not quite spring, but I don't want to believe that it's still winter.

So what's a girl to do?

Redecorate. Oh yes.

Even though we have a foot of snow on the ground (it is melting), the sun is shining, and there is a glimmer of hope that spring is just around the corner.

So why not bring it inside!

I figured it was time for a mantel redo...

You might remember these jars from my Winter Gardening Post...

Pretty Linking:
Miss Mustard Seed, Tatertots & Jello, Craft-O-Maniac, Under the Table and Dreaming

Calendar Round-Up for March

2012-03-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy it's March!

March means that spring is just around the corner....woot woot!

Here is my desktop calendar round-up for this month!

Just click on the images to be redirected to the downloads!

(gosh I use a lot of exclamation points...I think it's because if I don't it makes me sound dull....)

As always, please take care and be aware when downloading. I can't be responsible for any problems that may arise! Thanks!

What I Love Today

2012-02-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

Every year at this time I am drawn to flowers!

Especially hyacinths.

I love their scent that you catch every time you walk past them.

And their much needed pop of colour during these winter months!

Lovely Linking
Deb Duty, simple as that

Cookbook Comforts

2012-02-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm really discovering that my passion is food.

Baking, cooking...I love it all!

(and I especially love blogging about it...)

I want to expand my skills and be more adventurous with the recipes I choose!

It's definitely a big goal of mine!

But, I have my comfort recipes and recipe books.

You know the ones...we've all got our go-to books when you are looking for something to create!

The books that we know will always give us a recipe that will turn out!

These are mine!

My most favourite cookbook of all time is the joy of Cooking!

This book was a wedding gift from a very special lady in our lives...our best friend's mom, Mary.

I can't tell you how many times this book has been opened! So many times.

There are pancake batter splatters, flour between the pages, and it's falling apart at the seams...literally...(hmmm maybe a crafty diy coming up?)

I love this book. It has cooking answers to everything. Even how to cook a snake if you wanted. Ick.

But heh, you never know...

The Best of Bridge Series is an amazing set of recipe books!

Again, I have perused and read these books countless times,

and have made more recipes from them than I can count.

And one of the nicest things about these books, is that the authors are ladies from Canada! Woot!

And literally, almost every woman in my family owns these books!

They are treasures, and stand the test of time!

I can't leave out my own recipe stash!

I put together this recipe folder for all of my recipes :
It holds all my recipe cards, and the magazine cut outs & newspaper clippings
that I have collected over the years!

I love this folder. It's so comforting and holds so many recipes that I love,

not to mention all the memories tucked inside!

So that's it!
These are my most favourite cookbooks and recipe sources!
Now what are yours?
Leave a comment!! I'd love to know!

Strawberry Cream Tart

2012-02-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last week I saw a dessert on Pinterest that I knew I had to make...

...it was screaming to me from the computer screen!

So I clicked over to the original source, and saw

the most amazing looking Strawberry Cream Pie from LemonBasil.

Yum.

Perfect for a mid-winter pick-me-up!

I decided to make mine a tart because we love tarts!

But I do intend to try this as a pie as well. Maybe for a summer BBQ!

So come on in, and have a slice...it's just tooooooo delish not to share!

The recipe is split into 3 parts:

Crust, Cream Filling and Strawberries & Sauce...so make each in that order:

Crust

(adapted from homemadesimple.com)

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

pinch salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunks

1 egg, beaten

Combine flour, sugar and salt.
Then, in a food processor, blend flour mix with butter.
Add egg, and mix until it looks like sand.
Press down into a 25 cm flan/tart pan. Make sure that the sides of the flan are somewhat higher than the centre of the crust. The centre is going to hold your cream filling, so it needs somewhere to sit...
Refrigerate for at least 25 minutes. Or you can put it into the freezer for 15 minutes.
Then bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is slightly browned.
Cool.
Remove from tart pan. Set aside.

Cream Filling

Recipe from Lemonbasil

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp corn starch

3 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

In a sauce pan mix together sugar, corn starch, flour and salt.
On medium-high heat, slowly stir in the cream. Stir constantly and bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Stir until thick.
Stir a little of the hot mixture with the egg, then return to the saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat, cool then chill.
Once chilled, add sour cream and mix well. I used a hand blender to make a creamy consistency.
Set aside.

Strawberries & Sauce

Recipe from Lemonbasil

3 cups of strawberries

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp corn starch

Cut 2 1/2 cups of strawberries into quarters. Set aside.
Take the other 1/2 cup of strawberries and puree. I used a hand blender.
Put the strawberry puree and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
In a separate bowl, combine sugar and corn starch. Then add the mix to the strawberry puree.
Stir constantly until sauce thickens. Set aside to cool.
Once the sauce has cooled, pour it over the cut strawberries, and mix well.

Putting it all together

Pour the cream mixture into your tart shell.
Add strawberries.
Serve immediately, or chill before serving.

Have a delicious day!

Yummy Linking:

Craft-O-Maniac, Under the Table and Dreaming, Home Stories A to Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, Blue Cricket Design, Whipperberry, Tatertots & Jello, Skip to My Lou

Kids Choice Chore System!

2012-02-21T10:33:00.002-07:00

My house is a lot of work. You all know what that's like I'm sure.

Between the kids, the cat and the hubby, my house rapidly turns into a pit.

I clean something, and 5 minutes later it's a mess again.

I go from room to room to room to room and back to the first room to discover it's in disarray. Again.

It's hard to keep up. And I'm always the only one who seems to see the mess.

Yet it's always there, and very rarely is it my mess.

It's time for a change.

My older 2 kids are old enough to contribute the the running of our household!

And certainly more than capable. I believe in age-appropriate chores.

And I'm not just talking about things like clean your room and brush your teeth.

Because they are now almost 10 and 8, I'm a believer that tasks like those are must-do's and not ones that need rewarding. In real life, there are chores that just have to get done. Brush your teeth. Wash your hands. Clean your room. Feed the cat. All required tasks.

But there are so many other tasks that need done around the house, and it's time the kids pitch in.

I scoured for different system ideas that the kids and the hubby & I could maintain.
I've tried the old chart and sticker system, but it always fell to the wayside.

This time I was determined to find something that would work for us.

So I put together a kids choice financial reward system.

The intent for this system, is for the kids to be able to earn some money, by choosing how they do it.

My hubby & I don't buy a lot of extra toys and stuff for the kids outside of holidays and birthdays,

but they are always wanting lego, and pet shops and barbies every time we go out.

So now the kids have the opportunity to make and save their own money.

Enter in Martha Stewart.

I am a big fan of Martha Stewart.

And organizing.

So when I discovered that Martha Stewart has a new line of stationary products at Staples,

I couldn't get there fast enough!

Someone finally created a line of pretty and functional stationary products!

I'm in love!

With Martha on my side, I knew I could find exactly what I needed to put together my kids chore system!
On a side note...this project cost less than $10.

I bought 2 packages of the Martha Stewart Home Office Large Metal Rim Tags.
I bought a magnet roll with a sticker backing, so that I could just attach the size of magnet that I wanted to the back of the tag.
I wrote each chore on a tag, and assigned a dollar amount.

You give them chore options. They pick the chores they want to complete. You could use this system for the EXTRA chores, not the day to day stuff they should do anyway.
Make the system visible and accessible! Ours is on the front of the fridge at their eye level.
The kids can pick and choose the chores they want to do. (And they can't each do the same chore, so they have to negotiate with each other if there is conflict. Or it's first come, first serve.)
Once they have completed their chore (after approval from Mom or Dad), they hang their completed chore tag on their assigned hook.
Friday is payday. On this day we add up what they have accomplished during the past week, and give them their money!

Tip!

There are some chores that don't need done everyday or even weekly, so I just put those tags off to the side, and put them back on the fridge when I need them done.

Brush the cat.
Clean baseboards on the main floor.
Vacuum the basement.
Sweep after dinner.
Change your bed sheets.
Dust stair railings.
Vacuum the stairs.
Clean your bathroom tap, sink and mirror.
Empty dishwasher.
Parent's choice, for those other tasks that come up from time to time.
The possibilities are endless!!

I just put all the tags onto a pretty piece of scrapbook paper on the fridge.
The paper keeps all the tags contained. And it's looks nice too!

Honestly, the kids are so excited about this system! I can't even tell you how much!

My hubby & I exchanged several surprised looks over the weekend.

We couldn't believe how much was getting done around here. Our house feels and looks cleaner.

And the best part....

My daughter said "Mom, look how much I got done! I feel so good about myself!"

AWESOME!

So I'm happy. The kids are happy and feel good. The house is clean.

Win-win-win!

Pretty Linking:
Funky Junk, Positively Splendid, Craft-O-Maniac, Under the Table and Dreaming, Tip Junkie, Oopsey Daisy, Whipperberry, I Heart Organizing

Life isn't about having it be perfect

2012-02-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

These are my little perfections.

So January and February thus far has been tough for me.
I don't like to use my blog as a place for my drama, but my blog has become a part of me.
It's my outlet for all my stuff. Good and bad. Mostly good.
Occasionally a bump in the road. And I had a little bump in the road.

I had a surgery in January that kicked my pants (don't worry, it's all fine).
It has been a hard recovery, but I am recovering.
Through some complications and tough times I am recovering. Both physically and mentally.
I apologize for the vagueness of it all, but it's all I can give...just a tiny bit.

If just a bit, then why say anything at all?
Because the most important thing about all of this experience is what I have taken from it.
Through all this I have learned some amazing things about myself, my family, my friends, my life.

I am stronger than I thought.
I am still strong even if I have to ask for help.
Family is everything. Everything.
My husband is my rock.
My kids are amazing (I already knew that!) and they are capable of so many things.
My sister is such a source of love and strength for me.
My best friends are my family too.
Friendships are priceless.
Everyone needs a circle of strength.
Life is not about having things be perfect.

My life is not perfect. But it doesn't have to be. Who's is? It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

There will be bumps in the road.
There will be times where creativity will be scarce.
There will be times of low motivation.
There will be times where I can't post on my beloved blog every day. I have to learn that this is ok.
There are times where laundry is in piles all over the house.
There are times where dishes don't get cleaned for 2 days, when carpets don't get vacuumed for 2 weeks.
There are times where I have to be ok with friends & family being in my messy home.
There are times where I will only have a can of soup and crackers & cheese to serve guests for lunch.
There are unfinished projects.
There are days where getting 1 thing accomplished is amazing.
Sometimes you realize that people can only give what they can give. Accept them for who they are.
Sometimes things don't go as smoothly as you had hoped.

And all that? It's all ok. Because it's real. It's real life.

But there is always love here.
There is always laughter. Everyday there is laughter.
We all have each others backs.
We all support each other.
We all look out for each other.
We all lift each other up.

That's what's perfect. That's what's beautiful.

The rest of it? The mess (both literal and figurative), it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

Sharing with The Nester

Three Cheese Frittata

2012-02-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

Ever have those nights when you just don't know what to make for dinner?

Of course, we all have!

Sometimes for us, that means breakfast for dinner, or as we like to call it, a backwards dinner!

On these kinds of nights, which tend to be the days when the hubby isn't going to be home for dinner,

we either have pancakes, or eggs of some kind.

A lot of times, I make frittata!

It's quick and easy to make, and it's healthy.

But what I love most about frittatas, is how versatile they are!

If you've got eggs, cheese and milk, you've got dinner!

Better yet, if you want to get creative with this recipe, it's so easy!

Here are 2 recipes for Frittata.

One has 3 kinds of cheese, but if you don't have 3 kinds of cheese,

the other recipe is more basic, but delicious!

Three Cheese Frittata
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 -2 tbsp parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Option: 1 cup additional ingredients (see below: Optional Ingredients)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together all the ingredients.
Pour into an 8x8" dish, and bake uncovered for about 45 minutes. Or until the centre of the frittata isn't jiggly like jello...it should be set.

Basic Frittata

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup cheese, grated
salt & pepper to taste
Option: 1 cup additional ingredients (see below: Optional Ingredients)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together all the ingredients.
Pour into an 8x8" dish, and bake uncovered for about 45 minutes. Or until the centre of the frittata isn't jiggly like jello...it should be set.

Optional ingredients:
You can add any ingredients to your frittata that you like (like an omelet).
As a general rule, I add a combined amount of 1 cup of additional ingredients. (example: 1 cup combined of ham, tomatoes and onions. NOT 1 cup of each. Basically 1/3 cup of each.)
Things I like to add:

ham
broccoli
tomatoes
onions
asparagus
cooked & crumbled bacon

Tips!

For the grated cheese you can use cheddar cheese, swiss cheese or mozzarella.
Frittata is great just served with toast, but it's AMAZING served in an english muffin, for a breakfast sandwich!

Have a delicious day!

Yummy Linking:
Positively Splendid, I Heart Naptime, Craft-O-Maniac, Tip Junkie, This Chick Cooks, 33 Shades of Green

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Icing

2012-02-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

A while ago, it occurred to me that I had never made a chocolate cake.

How is that even possible?!

I've made Rootbeer Chocolate Cupcakes, Chocolate-Beet Cupcakes, Chocolate Cupcakes, Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies and Triple Chocolate Brownies, but never a good old-fashioned chocolate cake!

So I set on a mission to find the perfect chocolate cake recipe!

And what a better time than for Valentines Day!

Let me tell you, there are SO many recipes out there it is mind boggling! Where to start?!

In my search I kept seeing a common theme with the recipes...many of them had coffee in the ingredients. I had always bypassed those recipes because I do not like coffee flavoured anything, except for a cup of coffee. I really, really do not like coffee in my desserts.

But I was curious why coffee was even in chocolate cake recipes...so I googled it.

Apparently, coffee does not add coffee flavour, but instead it boosts the flavour of the cocoa.

And it does. This cake has no coffee flavour at all. Just a really good, rich chocolate flavour.

This cake was so rich, so moist, so chocolatey and so easy to make.

Honestly, it really was no harder to make than opening a box of cake mix. Truly.

It's a staple recipe...a go to!

Chocolate Cake
Recipe from Sweetapolita
Recipe makes 2 - 9" cakes, or 3 - 8" cakes (I made 3)

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong coffee (it can be hot, warm or cool)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Prep your baking pans. You can either grease and flour your pans, or use parchment paper. See tips!
Into a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla to dry ingredients, and mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
Pour your batter evenly into your prepped cake pans. Gently tap the pans on the countertop to remove air bubbles.
Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate your pans. Bake for about 15 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
When done, let your pans cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, then remove cakes from the pans.

Cake Tips!

When prepping your pans, you can grease them and dust them with flour...or instead of flour use cocoa powder so that way you won't see the powder from the white flour on your cake.
Another option for prepping the pans is to use parchment or wax paper to line the bottom of the pans...this is my preferred method (as in the picture below). My cakes always come out easily with this method.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing
Recipe from Food Network Magazine

1 1/2 cups butter (not margarine)
3 3/4 cups icing sugar
9 tbsp cocoa powder
6 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat all ingredients until the icing is nice and fluffy. You will have to scrape the bowl often.

Icing Tip!

This recipe can be halved or even cut into 1/3. The recipe as it is will generously ice a 3 layer, 8" cake, inside and out.

So if you are looking for a good old-fashioned chocolate cake with chocolate icing,

this is it. Search no further. Trust me!

Yummylicious Linking:
Craftberry Bush, Whipperberry, Five Days, Five Ways, Thirty Handmade Days, Nifty Thrifty Things, My Romantic Home, Skip to My Lou

Brown Sugar Baked Granola & Trail Mix

2012-02-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's time again for the Secret Recipe Club!

This month I was assigned Averie's blog, love veggies and yoga!

Her blog is full of tasty recipes!

This month I was looking for something good for the kids to snack on.

If you have young ones around, I'm sure you are asked a million times a day for a snack.

And truth be told, I hate snack time, because it seems to be snack time all the time around here!

So when I saw her recipe for homemade trail mix and granola,

I thought this would be a great self-serve treat for after school!

This is a simple, flexible, tasty and inexpensive snack that you can make at home!

Perfect for after school, hikes, cross country ski trips or skating adventures at the lake!

Pack into little individual packages, and you have nutritious and yummy snack for your whole family!

Brown Sugar Baked Granola
4 cups rolled oats (don't use quick oats)
1/2 cup butter (not margarine)
1/4 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium to large pot, melt butter, then mix in sugar and water.
Add vanilla and cinnamon. Combine.
Add oats. Mix well.
Spread onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. The granola won't stick to the parchment paper, so it's a must to use!
Bake for 15-25 minutes. Watch that it doesn't burn. See tips.

Tips!

If you like granola more chewy, then bake it for about 15 minutes. If you like it more crunchy and with more toasted oat-y flavour, bake it longer. One thing to note, the granola will harden as it cools, so don't fret if it's falling apart. After about 15 minutes or so of cooling, it will harden into chunks.
I think next time I would substitute in some honey for a nice honey flavour punch!
You can also substitute peanut butter for the butter if you want to make Peanut Butter Granola.
For extra nutrition you can add chia seeds, hemp seeds, raisins, shredded coconut...use your imagination!

I will definitely make this again, but I would change the following:

I would substitute in some honey for a nice honey flavour punch! (I would probably do 1/3 brown sugar and 2/3 honey.)
I would also add flaked coconut (maybe 1/2 cup) and maybe a 1/4 - 1/2 cup of peanut butter! Yum!

Homemade Trail Mix

1 cup nuts of your choice (toasted or untoasted)

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup cherry flavoured chips

1/3 cup large flaked coconut

1 cup raisins

homemade brown sugar baked granola

Break up the granola into chunks.
Combine all ingredients.
Store in a closed container in a cool dry place.

Tips!

The best thing about making homemade trail mix is that you can add what ever you like to it. The possibilities are endless! Here are some options!

Dried fruit of all kinds: apricots, cherries, blueberries, apples, craisins
Smarties
Sunflower seeds
All kinds of nuts: peanuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts, either toasted or untoasted. Toasted nuts pack more flavour!
If you want to make a nut-free version, add candy roasted chickpeas instead of nuts!

3D Valentine Paper Heart Garland

2012-02-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

It has been too long since I posted last!

Got a little Valentines Day craft for you today!

Our house has been a bit neglected over the last month or so,

with so many things that have been going on in our lives.

So last weekend the kids and I decided it was time to get our festivities on!

We took an afternoon together, and pulled out my scrapbook paper stash

to make some simple and festive Valentines Day decorations.

We made a

I had in my mind that I wanted to make some of these 3D paper hearts

that I had seen and pinned onto my board on Pinterest.

When I went to make them there wasn't a tutorial at the time, so I just took a guess on how they were made. But just recently (today) I saw that a tutorial was put up and I see that I actually made mine different - I used 3 hearts instead of 4. So either method would work...4 would be pretty cool though...

Ok but seriously, could my hands look any drier?!

Good golly...I only have about 20 bottles of hand creme around here, you'd think I could use some?!

Then to finish it off, in the centre of the top of the heart, (like above)

I glued in a 7 inch piece of string, so that I could hang them.

To put together the garland, I tied the string in the hearts onto another piece of string that was long enough to span my mantel. I just tied them on by making little bows. (see below)

So pretty easy, right?! It's also a great project to do with your kids!

Simple and festive.

Lovely Linking:
Craft-O-Maniac, Under the Table and Dreaming, The Girl Creative, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Tip Junkie, Blue Cricket Design

The NYTimes Chocolate Chip Cookie

2012-02-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on Facebook or twitter, you know I've kind of been going on ad nauseum about these Chocolate Chip Cookies that I saw at TidyMom.

She made the infamous (maybe even famous) chocolate chip cookies

from Jacques Torres at the New York Times, and her description of them was mouth watering!

We love cookies, especially chocolate chip cookies, so I knew I had to make them!

So make them I did.

They were a hit!
My daughter said, "Mom, these are the best! And they don't have oats in them either!"
Hahaha...I tend to put oats in everything...it makes me feel like I'm making a healthy cookie!

There are a couple of things to note before you get started, as this recipe takes a bit of pre-planning.

1. You need bread flour and cake flour.
2. If you want to follow the recipe exactly, you will also need coarse salt. See tips.

3. You have to chill the dough at least 24 hours before baking them. I know, I know this takes some major willpower!

The New York Time Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies)
2 cups, minus 2 tbsp cake flour
1 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 baking powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp table salt (I made this alteration, because I found the original recipe way too salty. See tips)
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup, plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips (the original recipe calls for 1 1/4lb chocolate disks)

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream together the sugars and butter.
Then add the eggs one at a time (mixing the batter well between each egg) to the sugar mix.
Add the vanilla. Mix.
Then add the dry mix to the sugar/egg mix. Mixing slowly, or you will have flour flying everywhere! Mix just to combine.
Add the chocolate chips, and stir by hand.
Now you have to do the hardest part...chill the dough for at least 24 hours! Just press on some plastic wrap against the dough, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
When you are ready to bake them, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. This will help to prevent burnt bottoms and the cookies come off so easily. I love parchment paper!
Scoop the cookie dough into golf ball sized chunks on to the cookie sheet. I used an ice cream scoop.
Bake for 16-20 minutes. The longer you bake them, the harder they are. We like them chewy and soft, so start checking them at around 16 minutes.
When they are done, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack, letting them cool for about 10 minutes.

Tips!

Coarse Salt vs. Table Salt. Coarse salt, which is also referred to as Kosher salt, has larger granules than table salt. So the general rule is use 1/2 the amount if you are using table salt.

So for this recipe it would be ~1 1/2 tsp coarse salt = 3/4 tsp table salt
BUT I found even this was too much salt. I would use 1/4 to 1/2 table salt

I didn't use the chocolate disks, I used 2 cups of regular (semi-sweet) chocolate chips.
If you don't have cake flour, you can make the following substitution:

1 cup of cake flour = 3/4 cup sifted all purpose flour plus 2 tbsp cornstarch (Joy of Cooking)

There are no good substitutions for bread flour, sorry! Have to buy bread flour.
You can leave this dough in the fridge for up to 72 hours, which is great because you can bake a new batch of cookies everyday! They are AMAZING right out of the oven. The BEST.

So really, I do challenge you to make these!

They are a keeper recipe and live up to all of their hype!

The BEST.

Yum yum.

Yummy Linking:
Under the Table and Dreaming, This Chick Cooks

Love-ly Valentines Day Candle Holders

2012-02-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

The countdown to Valentines Day is on!

While we don't go overboard for this day, it is important to us to recognize it! But we keep it simple.

I like to put out a few Valentines inspired decorations, because in the dead of winter,

bright pretty colours are necessary!

And really, who can pass up a little love?

So I promised you an easy, inexpensive, but love-ly Valentines Day project!

And best of all, this one uses mason jars...

...yes, yes...I know...I have a mason jar disorder,

it's just that they can be used for SO many things that I have to love them!

So first this...

I can't resist these Ryan Gosling pictures that are everywhere,

so I just had to make this...bahahahaha!

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. I made something.

I was inspired by this clear Valentines tape that I found at the grocery store of all places!

I thought strips of this tape would look so pretty on glass.

What I used:
mason jars
pretty clear patterned tape
red & pink plastic hearts for glass filler (I found these at Target last year)
tea lights

I wrapped a strip of the tape around the lip of the mason jar.
Added the hearts, then the candle, and voila! You have a litte romance!

Tip!

As glass filler you could use cinnamon hearts, conversation heart candies or salt.
If you can't find tape, wrap your jars with red & white bakers twine or pretty ribbon.

Easy peasy and SO pretty!

All lit up!

Love is in the air!

Lovely Linking:
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Thrifty Decor Chick, Tip Junkie

Cutting Edge Stencil Winner!

2012-02-04T09:02:00.002-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my

Cutting Edge Stencils Giveaway!

There was an amazing response!!

The winner is:

Elizabeth!

Congratulations Elizabeth!

I will send you an e-mail with the details!

Jicama Lime Snack Sticks

2012-02-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

Remember my post yesterday, where I promised you a Jicama recipe?

Well here it is.

It's not complicated. It's fresh and yummy!

My friend Tere introduced me to this little treat...I want to call it a vegetable, but it's actually part of the legume family...yet I can't seem to refer to it as that because it's just not like any bean I've ever eaten.

On it's own, jicama is crunchy, fresh and kind of sweet, which makes it perfect for a hot summer day!

Or a cold winter day where you have the blinds drawn, the furnace cranked,

and you are all pretending you are in Mexico. One of those days...

image source

This is what Jicama looks like.

This recipe is very simple, and it uses one of the Mexican spices that we love already, Tajin.

Tajin is a delicious mix of salt, chile peppers and dehydrated lime.

It's wonderful on chicken, in salsas, potatoes...so many things!

We buy ours in a local Mexican market, but of course, you can pick some up on your next trip to Mexico!

Jicama Lime Snack Sticks

2 cups peeled and sliced jicama (cut it like small-medium carrot sticks)

juice from 3-4 key limes (key limes are best, as they pack more flavour than regular limes, but you can use regular limes too)

Tajin sprinkled on to taste (I used about 1 tsp, but we like the saltiness)

Combine all ingredients, and let rest for about 15 minutes. This will allow the flavours to really set in, but you can eat it right away too!

This would be perfect with a drink...

Margarita anyone? Yes please. On a beach. In the sun. Yum.

So are you going to try it? You won't be sorry you did!

Yummylicious Linking:
Tatertots & Jello, Nifty Thrifty Things, This Chick Cooks

What I Love Today...

2012-02-02T10:00:00.001-07:00

I'm loving all kinds of things right now, and it's all a bit all over the place...

...but variety is the spice of life right!

Here's What I Love Today!

I am in love with this food magazine, Fine Cooking.

The photography is amazing, it's user friendly, and the recipes are real life recipes!

Fabulous!

image source

Jicama

Have you ever tried it? I had never until my friend Tere introduced me to this treat.

Jicama is also commonly referred to as Mexican Yam or Mexican Turnip,

but it's actually a part of the legume family.

It is delish! Stay tuned for a recipe coming soon! Like probably tomorrow... ;)

This week I came across this

Chocolate Chip Recipe post from TidyMom,

and now I am obsessed with trying these out!

I've got all the ingredients and I'm set to make them this weekend! Yeeeeeuuumm!

Right now Costco has this Heys luggage set on for $64.99 Cdn that I just couldn't pass up!

It's a carry-on and beauty case, and it's so pretty!

I bought the fuschia coloured set for my travels!

And I'm thinking the beauty case would make a perfect camera bag because of it's hard shell.

Love love love this!

Sassy traveling!

Right now I am reading

The Virgin Cure by the Canadian author Ami McKay.

I absolutely loved her first book, The Birth House, and so far am really enjoying her latest novel.

She has an amazing voice and writing style.

Oil of Olay Regenerist micro-sculpting cream.

This facial cream is the best. The best.

I have the driest skin on my face, and for years it's been starving for moisture.

Actually not only is it dry, it's very sensitive to products, so I never really put anything on my face.

But now that I'm not in my 20's anymore, I'm seeing changes in my skin and I'm realizing that I really should be moisturizing.

My two best buddies both use Oil of Olay, and have always spoken highly about it, so I thought it was high time I listened to them and give it a try.

(Not only do they both love it, but they have the most beautiful skin!)

So I got some and have been using it for a couple of months now.

Let me just say that my skin has never looked more soft and dewey. Ever.

Even my redness has gone down.

I swear by this stuff and will use it until I'm 102.

And lastly, this is my favourite pin of the week!

Look at the awesomeness of this fruit and veggie party table from Amy Atlas!

Genius. Truly genius! If this doesn't make kids want to eat their veggies, I don't know what will!

Lovely Linking:

Tatertots & Jello

Calendar Round-Up for February

2012-02-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure if I was going to keep doing this calendar round-up this year,

but the ones I have seen for February are too gorgeous not to share!

I'm loving all of these!

Just click on the calendar to get the downloads!

From Sarah Hearts

From Studio of Mae

From Rotten Cupcakes

From Christiane Engel

From Wild Olive

Have a Love-ly February!

As always, please take care and be aware when downloading. I can't be responsible for any problems that may arise! Thanks!

Shellac Attack!

2012-01-31T08:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this post may seem way out there, but when I discover something so great I just have to share!

(Right away I thought of you Mom - I think you would love these!)

First a little back story...

I have always loved having my nails done.

Having them shiny, and lovely makes me feel pretty, and just a little more put together!

So for as long as I can remember, off and on over the years I have had gel nails.

While I love how gel nails look, they are quite a bit of work, they are expensive,

and they can be very harsh on your real nails.

So I guess I have had a love/hate relationship with them!

But in the name of beauty, I was just recently contemplating having them done again.

But then I discovered Shellac Nails!

My girlfriend Paula introduced me to this genius idea!

Now what is Shellac you ask?

Shellac is basically a cross between a nail polish and nail gel.

It forms a very hard and shiny coat over your nails.

The tips are painted on, and the nail is covered in the shellac, leaving you with a shiny, and very strong french manicure. This nail treatment is supposed to last up to 14 days with no scratching, smudging or breaking. And best of all, they are easily removed with a salon polish remover, and my nails won't be ruined after! LOVE!

So this weekend I finally went out and got my nails did! I LOVE them.

They were half the cost of gel nails, took half the time to do,

and didn't require any drilling or sanding down of my nails.

Oh, and I should mention that I love shellac even more than gel nails because
I can actually pick stuff up with them...
no panicking when something like coins or a bank card falls on the floor...
...if you've ever had gel nails you know what I mean, LOL!

They are shiny and very strong! Amazing!

I'm hooked!

Aren't they sooooo pretty?! This discovery was just too good not to share!

Have a beautiful day!

Winter Gardening

2012-01-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Well we are officially in the doldrums of a dreary, grey winter.

And I find myself hopelessly dreaming of summer days in my garden...

...but with at least 4 more months until these days are a reality,

I had to find a way not to wish away the time.

So what to do?

Bring the garden in.

That's right. Lighten up the days with life.

Get my hands in the dirt and plant something...there's just nothing more therapeutic than that!

Right now the greenhouses and big box hardware stores don't offer a wide selection of plants,

but the ones that are there are perfect for indoor gardening.

Plants like ferns don't require a lot of light (or care), so they are great for this time of year!

Following the general rule for outdoor planting, I bought 3 ferns to plant indoors.

Grouping plants in odd numbers, with at least 3 plants, makes the greatest visual impact.

And because I adore mason jars, I planted them in some that I had around the house.

I like the contrast of the dark soil with the bright green leaves. Pretty.

If you plant in containers like this, just be careful with watering.

The jars don't provide any drainage, so overwatering will drown them.

I put mine on the counter of my eating bar, so you can see them from all angles of our living space.

Such a pretty pop of green.

And a great reminder that gardening season will return...it will...it always does!

Happy gardening!

Lovely Linking:
Between Naps on the Porch, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, At The Picket Fence, My Romantic Home, Rose Vignettes, Five Days Five Ways, Funky Junk

Me, Myself & I

2012-01-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

So this post is very different than what I usually do.

It's all about me. Yikes. Feels very weird. And quite self absorbed.

But there is a reason friends.

I'm participating in a photo challenge at Life with my 3 Boybarians.

This week the p52 challenge was Self Portraits.

Yep. Shots of yerself.

If you are anything like me, there are probably a lot of photos of your kids,

pets, husbands, grandkids and other stuff, but not a lot, if any, of yourself.

I don't really have any current photos of myself that I like.

But I took some time and tried my hand at some self portraits.

So here they are. Unedited, laugh lines, sun spots, rosy cheeks and all.

I'm embarrassed to post them. But I will in the name of a good challenge!

Valentines Yarn Wreath

2012-01-25T13:27:00.002-07:00

With Valentines Day just around the corner, I figured it was time for me to get some decorations up!

You know me, I can't let a holiday pass by without putting some sort of something out!

Last year with inspiration from a wreath I saw at the blog Buggy & Bean, I made a yarn ball garland.

And while I did like the garland I put together, I just didn't love it.

So when I pulled it out of storage this year, I tried to think of some new way to use it.

I knew I didn't want it on my mantel this year, as I am discovering my tastes have changed...

So of course, my next thought is why not make a wreath for the front door!

So that's what I did.

I took a styrofoam wreath base and wrapped it with red yarn.

Then just glued on all the yarn balls, pom poms and sparkly hearts.

Done.

It took me all of one hour, and cost me nothing! The best kind of project!

I love the colours...they are cheery and happy!

Perfect for our dreary and cold winter!

Here is what it looks like in the sun!

All sparkly and fun!

I love how you can see the pretty pop of colours from the road!

Well I have one project done, and now I'm on to the next thing...
but I'm just not sure what that is at the moment.

I'm thinking I should put my mantel together, but I'm not sure what theme I want this year...

Do you decorate for Valentines Day? Are you working on anything?

Love-ly Linking:
My Romantic Home, The Shabby Nest, Whipperberry, Remodelaholic, Funky Junk, Nifty Thrifty Things, I Heart Naptime, Positively Splendid, Under the Table and Dreaming, Tip Junkie

Positively Pinteresting!

2012-01-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Are you on Pinterest?

I'm over at The Kit today talking about what all the fuss is!

I adore Pinterest!

It's such an amazing way to keep track of all the beautiful and inspiring things you find on the internet! You can find my boards on Pinterest here.

Need an invite? e-mail me

Have a Pinteresting day!

Fish en papillote

2012-01-23T09:14:00.001-07:00

en papillote: in parchment

a method of cooking in which the food is put into a folded pouch or parcel and baked wikipedia

This is such a great way to to cook fish.

Using parchment paper is simple, basically mess free, and the fish is steamed to perfection!

No messy frying pans, less fishy smell, and

unlike tin foil or frying pans, the fish doesn't seem to stick to parchment paper.

And if nothing else, it looks pretty. Yes, even fish can be pretty. ;)

Fish en papillote

Fish fillets or steaks, we love cod (use basically 1 piece of fish per person)
lemons
salt & pepper
1-2 tbsp butter
cilantro or parsley for garnish
lemons for garnish

parchment paper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Lay your fish out flat onto the parchment paper. Make sure your parchment paper is big enough to wrap the fish up like a present.
Generously season with salt & pepper.
Slice your lemon and lay the slices on the fish.
Add butter.
Wrap up the fish.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish. When the fish is opaque all throughout, it is done.

Tips!

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can tailor it to your tastes, but the cooking method remains the same. We find that we love the simple and fresh taste of fish, simple seasoning & lemon juice. The flavour of the fish comes through because it's not overpowered by too much spice, yet the lemon & butter flavours come out just perfectly. But the flavour possibilites are endless...you could try:

Tomatoes, onions & basil
Dill, lemon & butter
White wine
Lemon, garlic & thyme

Just as you can tailor your spices, you can use what ever kind of fish that you like. This method works for all of them: salmon, cod, halibut, tuna, red snapper...
For a special touch, you could wrap up individual pieces of fish for each person you are serving, making their own little package. Too fun for entertaining! The possibilities for flavour and presentation are endless!

Serve with rice and fresh salsas! We love fish with my Fresh Tomato & Mango Salsa. Delish!

Bring out your inner Martha, and en papillote you go!
Have a marvelous day!

Yummylicious Linking:
Home Stories AtoZ, Sugar Bee Crafts, Chef in Training, 33 Shades of Green, Under the Table and Dreaming, Five Days Five Ways, Jennifer Cooks