Food Flips ~ Finding the Fun in Food !

New Blog, New Directions, New Lifestyle

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:45:00 +0000

Hello my poor neglected foodflips friends. You may have noticed that you have been abandoned. I would like to offer my sincerest apologies. Life has thrown our family a curve ball; my daughter has been diagnosed with Celiac disease. If you have followed this blog at all, you know that I'm a bit of a baking nut...so big lifestyle change here. I'm still a baking nut, just a gluten-free one.
We have decided to start a new blog, it seemed like the best way to avoid confusion.
Thanks for following foodflips, I may return to it at some time in the future. I'll leave it here so you can still access all your favorites.
Check out our new site Celiacasaurus

Berry Twisted Peach Bellinis

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:33:00 +0000

Berry Twisted Bellini

These Bellinis are so peachy good that before you know it you will be slurping at the bottom of the glass, but beware they pack a punch! Perfect for the deck this summer!

Berry Twisted Peach Bellinis (Makes 6 generous servings)
6 peaches
6 oz peach schnapps
1 bottle prosecco or champagne, 750ml
1/4 cup fresh cherries
1/4 cup fresh blackberries
1 1/2 tbsp sugar

Plunge peaches into boiling water for approx 15-30 seconds. Remove to an ice bath. The skins will easily slide off.

Cut peaches into chunks, remove pits. Puree until smooth. Pour into ice cube trays, approx 24 cubes. Place in freezer until just frozen. If they freeze too solid, remove from freezer a little before you need them to allow them to soften up a bit.

Combine blackberries, cherries and sugar in blender and blend until smooth. This makes a coulis. Strain if desired. Refrigerate until needed.

For each drink ( I made 2 at a time) combine 1oz peach schnapps with 4 peach cubes in blender and mix until smooth. Pour into glass. Add 1/2 cup prosecco and gently stir until well combined. Add 1 tbsp coulis and lightly stir. ~~Slurp~~ Sip away!

Simple Summer Strudel

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:13:00 +0000

Simple Summer Strudel

Fresh peaches, cherries and blackberries are a delicious combination in this simple and quick strudel. This recipe couldn't be any easier, it took maybe 15 minutes to prepare. In true lazy summer form, I used prepared puff pastry. I do love to do everything from scratch, but sometimes quick and easy is the way to go. I always keep a package of frozen puff pastry handy for last minute treats. My kids' only complaint of this yummy strudel was that they didn't get enough! I will definately be making this again. Who knew these flavours would work so well together?!

Simple Summer Strudel
1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 peach
3/4 cup pitted cherries, quartered
3/4 cup blackberries, halved
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten

Chop peach, into pieces that are roughly the same size as the cherries and blackberries. Place peaches, cherries, and blackberries in a bowl, add sugar and stir until coated.

Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface into a large rectangle. Spoon fruit mixture evenly down one side. Brush edges of pastry with beaten egg.

Fold pastry lengthwise across fruit. Seal edges. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Score the top in several places.

Bake @ 400°F for 30-40 min until golden brown and nicely puffed up. Allow to cool, slice and serve with fresh fruit.

Week #10: Peaches, Cherries and Blackberries

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 01:42:00 +0000

Summer is officially upon us, the kids are done school and the sun is shining. Calgarians tend to make the most of summer, as the memory of winter is far too recent and the threat of cooler weather is always present. My family is no exception and we are already fully enjoying all that summer brings.

We just returned from an amazing camping trip to "Writing on Stone Provincial Park". If you have never been I would highly recommend it. The Hoodoos are breathtakingly beautiful and a lot of fun to explore. The river is shallow and slow with a beautiful sandy beach. The history and the petroglyphs are fascinating. I can't imagine a more perfect camping destination.

We recently purchased a tent-trailer and I have admittedly gone a little crazy planning the summer with trips. Every weekend is booked. Between the weekends away, and the weeks home unpacking, washing, and re-packing, I fear the recipe challenge may suffer a wee bit. I promise not to abandon it, but it may take a little longer to create, cook, and blog. So please excuse my lazy summer attitude, but it is my duty as a Calgarian to indulge.

I should be able to come up with some summery creations with this weeks ingredients.

Husband: Peaches
Daughter: Blackberries
Son: Cherries

Lime Strawberrycream Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 18:53:00 +0000

Lime Strawberrycream Cookies

These cookies are delicate and delicious. The cookie is made up of Strawberry buttercream sandwiched between two lime cookies. They are adapted from the Lemon Berrycream Cookies I had previously made. That recipe was one of my kids' favorites, and I anticipate I will try them over and over with different flavour combinations. When I asked my daughter what she thought of the idea of making one of our "classics" with different flavours she said "awesome!"- I think that's her new favourite word. She really is my biggest supporter. She loves helping with the ingredients and ideas. Both kids loved how these turned out and my daughter thinks they will make a great year end gift for her teachers. Smart kid :)

Lime Cookie

1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp light cream
1 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed

2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp lime zest
pinch of salt

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Add cream and mix well. Add lime juice and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, lime zest and salt. Mix well.
Slowly add to creamed butter mixture. Mixing well. Dough is mixed enough when it comes together and forms a ball.
Remove cookie dough from mixer. No need to flour the surface as the dough is the texture of a play dough and should not stick

Divide into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log approx 3cm in diameter. Wrap each log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour

Remove one log of dough from the refrigerator and use a sharp knife to slice into 24, 1 cm thick cookies. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Leaving a little space between each cookie (they don't spread much).

Strawberry Buttercream

1/3 cup butter, unsalted, softened

1 1/3 cup icing sugar

1 tbsp whipping cream

1 1/2 tbsp Strawberry Coulis

Cream butter and icing sugar. Add coulis. Beat until light and fluffy.

Pipe Strawberry Buttercream on 1/2 (48) of the cookies, top with remaining cookies. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow butter cream to set. Store cookies in refrigerator. Makes 48 sandwich cookies.

Lime Muffins with Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 17:42:00 +0000

Lime Muffins with Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze

These muffins have a lovely light lime flavour, and topped with the strawberry cream cheese glaze they are a real treat. These would be a beautiful served with brunch, or for a special breakfast with fresh fruit.

Lime Muffins

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
juice of 1 large lime

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
zest of 1 large lime

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray. Makes 12 muffins.
Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add egg, mix well. Add sour cream, milk and lime juice and mix well. Set aside.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and zest. Stir and add to moist ingredients. Stir together until just mixed.
Spoon evenly into prepared muffin tins. Bake @ 375° for approx 18 min. Remove from tins, cool completely and lightly frost with Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze
1/4 block of light cream cheese
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 tbsp whipping cream
1 tbsp strawberry coulis

Cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth and free of lumps. Add icing sugar and continue to mix. Add whipping cream and coulis. Mix until well blended and smooth.
Lightly frost cooled muffins.

Strawberry Coulis

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 17:40:00 +0000

Strawberry Coulis

Strawberry Coulis burts with flavour, and is so easy and quick to make. Use it in your favorite recipes or as a dessert topping. I use this coulis in Lime Muffins with Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze and in Lime Strawberrycream Cookies
Strawberry Coulis
(makes approx 1/2 cup)

1 cup frozen strawberries, thawed
3 tbsp sugar

Combine ingredients in blender and puree until smooth

Strawberry Lime Ice Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:07:00 +0000

Strawberry Lime Ice Cream

I love the sweet-tart flavour of strawberry and lime together, they combine perfectly in this creamy, yet fresh and zippy ice cream. I kept this recipe really simple to let the pure flavours come through. This ice cream is really easy and quick to prepare, my three year old son did everything, with the exception of turning on the blender. I have to wait until he is on the couch, well hidden under a blanket, to turn the blender on in this house. If your kids like to help in the kitchen this recipe is great, there is really no way to mess it up (not that they ever mess anything up :)

Strawberry Lime Ice Cream
3 cups strawberries, fresh
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp lime zest
1 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Combine Strawberries, sugar, lime zest and lime juice in a blender and puree. Add whipping cream and blend. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and follow manufacturers directions. Ice cream makers generally freeze ice cream to a soft serve consistency. For firmer ice cream transfer to a freezer safe sealable container and freeze for an additional 2 hours.

Week #9 : Lime, Strawberry, Whipping Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:49:00 +0000

After what seems like weeks of rain, the sun is shining brightly today. My son and I managed a 2 1/2 hour Wal Mart grocery trip without a single tear or tantrum (from either of us!). It is a good day!!!!

This weeks ingredients are once again leading me down the path to desserts and sweets. I know it will be too hot to bake much once summer really hits us, so I suppose it's good that I'm doing so much baking now. We get such brief summers here that I truly enjoy every minute of sunshine, but I do miss baking. Baking somehow nourishes my soul. It is something that makes me feel connected to my roots. My mother bakes, my grandmother bakes, my great grandmother baked, all of them wonderfully. Baking is something that is woven into the fabric of our family. We are nurturers, and for me baking is connected to that.

I am not feeling overly creative today, but hopefully inspiration will hit and I will be able to create a couple of tasty recipes for this weeks ingredients.

Daughter: lime
Son: whipping cream
Husband: strawberry

Cinnamon Swirl Pear Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:42:00 +0000

Cinnamon Swirl Pear Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a moist and delicious cake, with tender pieces of pear and swirls of cinnamon and brown sugar throughout. The top of the cake is crunchy and sweet, even under the layer of luscious cream cheese frosting. This would be the perfect cake for a coffee date with a friend.

I made this cake last night, and it was just coming out of the oven as the kids were getting ready for bed, the aroma of pear and cinnamon filling the house. You can imagine their disappointment at not being able to eat it immediately. They were good sports though and agreed that cake for breakfast would be fabulous, so I was able to hold them off. I, of course, had to test it out last night, and I must say I was a little disappointed that it was falling apart as I was cutting it. I had let it cool for 1 1/2 hours! Surely that was long enough. I decided to put it in sealed container, leave it to sit overnight and see what a little time would do.....I was not ready to call this cake a failure, because the flavour was so good. When we woke up this morning my daughter said "I bet the cake is cool enough by now Mom", so with fingers crossed I removed the cake from the container and sliced a piece...Success!!!! The cake held together perfectly, it was easy to slice and serve. My kids devoured it. The frosting benefited from the extra time as well.

Make this cake the night before you want to serve it, you will be glad you gave it some extra time. I personally love recipes that I can make ahead of time for morning play dates or brunch. Anything that gives me extra time in the morning is a winner with me.

This cake is so yummy, It will definitely become a favorite in our house.

Cinnamon Swirl Pear Cake

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 cup fresh pear, chopped

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream 2/3 butter and 2/3 cup of brown sugar until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each. Add vanilla, mix well.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix well. Pour milk in while mixing. Mix until well blended.

Fold in chopped pear.Set aside.

Combine 1/4 cup melted butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.

Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray. Spoon 1/3 of the cake batter into loaf pan. Dot with brown sugar mixture. Spoon on more batter, dot with more brown sugar mixture. Repeat.

Top with remaining brown sugar mixture, this gives the cake a crunchy sweet top.

Bake @350° for approx 1 hr, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove to cooling rack. Allow to cool for 10 min. Run sharp knife around edge of the cake. Leave to cool for 1-2 more hours. Remove from pan.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cup icing sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp whipping cream

Cream together cream cheese and butter until well combined and free of lumps. Add icing sugar, vanilla and whipping cream. Mix well.

Frost cooled cake.

Place frosted cake in a sealed container overnight. Slice and enjoy!

Pear Caramel Cheesecake

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 05:12:00 +0000

Pear Caramel Cheesecake

Cheesecake is my all time favorite dessert. This cheesecake is infused with a delicate pear flavour, topped with fresh fragrant pears and drizzled with rich caramel. It is worth every calorie, and seriously who's counting anyways?
I think there exists a common misconception that baking a cheesecake is a daunting task. It really is quite simple. My husband baked me a delicious cheesecake for my birthday last year, and he does not bake. So go on, give it a try, just make sure you have lots of people to share with!

Pear Caramel Cheesecake

Crust:
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup graham wafer crumbs
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325°. Line the bottom of a spring form pan with parchment. Combine all ingredients and press into the bottom of the spring form pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Filling:
2 bricks of cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 can (14oz/398ml) unsweetened pears
3 eggs, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine cream cheese and sugar and beat well, ensuring there are no lumps. Add eggs one at a time, mixing slowly until each egg is completely incorporated. Drain canned pears. Puree pears until smooth. Add to cream cheese mixture and mix until well blended. Pour filling over prepared crust. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven. Remove the cheesecake from oven and slide a thin sharp knife around the edge of the pan. Return the cheesecake to the oven. Leave the door ajar and allowing the cake to cool slowly. Remove cheesecake after approx 1 hr. Cover cheesecake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. I prefer overnight. To serve remove rim of spring form pan. Remove cheesecake from the base if possible. Sometimes you can tell it's just not going to happen. Don't sweat it, leave the base on.

Garnish:
1-2 pears, fresh, ripe and slightly firm. Thinly sliced.

Caramel Sauce:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until butter is completely melted. Raise temperature to medium-low heat, stirring constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. This is important, you don't want a grainy texture to your caramel. Raise heat to medium, continuing to stir until mixture reaches a boil. Stir at a boil for 2-3 min. Remove from heat. If taking your cheesecake somewhere use a thermos to keep your caramel deliciously hot.

Garnish with fresh, thinly sliced pears. Drizzle with caramel sauce. Serves 12.

Week #8: Pears, Cream Cheese, Brown Sugar

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:05:00 +0000

You know I'm thinking cheesecake right now...how could I not be?! The ingredients my family choose will compliment each other perfectly. I can't wait to start creating some yummy recipes!

Husband: Cream Cheese
Daughter: Pears
Son: Brown Sugar

Garlic Ginger Dipping Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 16:40:00 +0000

Garlic Ginger Dipping Sauce

This sauce has just the right balance of flavours and it absolutely delcious with Chicken Won Ton Appies. My daughter and I tried countless combinations before we came up with this one. It is tangy and salty and sweet all at the same time- YUM!

Garlic Ginger Dipping Sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 small clove of garlic, finely grated
1 tsp ginger finely grated

Combine all ingredients, serve with Chicken Won Ton Appies, spring rolls, dumplings, or any Asian inspired finger food. This doesn't look like a lot of sauce, but it is thin and a little goes a long way. This recipe was more than enough for the entire recipe of Chicken Won Ton Appies.

Chicken Wonton Appies

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 16:34:00 +0000

Chicken Won Ton Appies

These yummy little parcels pack a lot of flavor and are delicious with the Garlic Ginger Dipping Sauce. The kids and I had fun making these little treasures and the whole family enjoyed eating them. Wrapping the won tons is a perfect activity to keep little fingers busy. These would make a great appetizer for your next party, or girls night.

Chicken Won Ton Appies

3/4 lb extra lean ground chicken
3 tbsp goldfish crackers, crushed
1 egg
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
1 clove garlic, freshly grated
1 tbsp sauce
2 tbsp onion, minced
1/4 cup zucchini, finely grated
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 cup cilantro, packed, finely chopped

50 won ton wrappers
50 chives (more probably, I'm sure for every chive I tied successfully there was a chive snapped in half)
non- stick cooking spray

Combine filling ingredients and mix well. Spoon 1 tsp of filling in the centre of each won ton wrapper. Dip finger in water and run a circle of water around filling. Gather up edges of won ton wrapper and pinch together at the top of the filling. Wrap with a chive and tie.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spray won ton parcels with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 10-15 min @ 350°. Serve with Garlic Ginger Dipping Sauce.

Scrumptious Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 03:05:00 +0000

Scrumptious Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls

There's nothing that says "I love you" like a meatball. Okay, admittedly that's not going to make it on the inside of a hallmark card anytime soon, but if like me, you are married to a man, you know what I'm talking about. The aroma of these meatballs will have your man grinning from ear to ear, asking when dinner will be ready. Even my little man loved these meatballs!
Ground chicken makes perfect meatballs in my opinion. They are juicy, moist and tender and never greasy. You will want to make rice to soak up all the delicious sauce. I too, loved these meatballs, but I could have just as easily had a dinner of rice and sauce, the sauce is that good.
This dish is lick the plate delicious!

Sweet and Sour Sauce

3/4 of a medium onion, finely chopped (save the other 1/4 for the balls)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 can 14oz/398ml. pineapple tidbits (juice and fruit)
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

In a very large skillet or pot heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, saute until translucent. Add all remaining ingredients, except the pineapple pieces. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce to low cover and simmer for 30 min. While simmering prepare your meatballs.

Chicken Balls

3/4 lb extra lean ground chicken

3 tbsp crushed goldfish crackers (I'm pretty sure I said: "prepare to meet your maker fishies..mwahahaha!" as I crushed the goldfish)
1 egg
1/4 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all ingredients well. If you want to go old school, roll into balls. Me, I prefer to avoid getting my hands in the raw meat, and I'm lazy. I always, always use my mini muffin tins for meatballs. They are the perfect size, they come out roughly ball shaped and it saves me a lot of time. I only ever use chicken for meatballs so I don't have to worry about grease, in fact the tins help keep the balls nice and moist. So trust me on this and use your tins. Just give the muffin tins a quick spray with non-stick cooking spray and spoon the meat mixture evenly in each tin. Makes 24 balls.

Just spoon in, so easy!

Bake for 10-12 min. When cooking chicken always check to make sure the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

cooked balls: see, not messy!

The chicken meatballs will just slide right out of the muffin tins when they are cooked. The tins do not get very messy or greasy, in fact I just throw mine in the dishwasher, no problem.

Once your chicken balls are cooked put them in the pan with the sauce, add in pineapple tidbits, mix gently and allow them to simmer together for 20-30 min more.

Serve over rice, with fresh green beans on the side or a nice green salad. These would also be delicious for an appetizer in a chafing dish with toothpicks, or in a crock pot for a potluck.

This recipe will definitely make it into our dinner rotation.

Week #7: Ground Chicken, Soy Sauce, Goldfish Crackers

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Yep, you read that right...

Husband: ground chicken
Daughter: soy sauce
Son: goldfish crackers

I asked for my husband's item first this week, then my daughter's, and when I got to my lovely three year old son his response was "black".... black???? hmmm, okay how about something else buddy? "brown"...okay so this is how this is going to go...Have I mentioned that my darling boy has been challenging my every move over the last couple of days? So when he piped up with "fishy crackers" I said okay. My husband and daughter both looked at me like I was insane for agreeing, but I say you've got to pick your battles, at least it's a food!

So, let's be positive about this shall we? This we be a fantastic creative challenge, there should be some absolutely unique recipes, and it offers a welcomed reprieve from the sweets. (Okay, I will admit that sounds a lot more confident than I am feeling right now)

Wish me luck!

Lemon Berrycream Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Mon, 23 May 2011 03:58:00 +0000

Lemon Berrycream Cookies

These are lightly sweet, buttery lemon cookies filled with a beautiful and rich butter cream, which is bursting with the tart and tangy flavours of raspberries and blackberries. These cookies look so pretty and feminine. They would be the perfect cookie for a baby shower, or a little princess tea party!

Lovely Lemony Cookie

1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp light cream
1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of salt

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Add cream and mix well. Add lemon juice and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, lemon zest and salt. Mix well.

Slowly add to creamed butter mixture. Mixing well. Dough is mixed enough when it comes together and forms a ball.
Remove cookie dough from mixer. No need to flour the surface as the dough is the texture of a play dough and should not stick.

Divide into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log approx 3cm in diameter. Wrap each log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.

Bake @ 375° for approx 8 min, or until the bottom edge is just starting to turn a pale golden colour. Remove from oven cool for 1 min, then move cookies to a cooling rack.
Repeat with each log of dough until all cookies are baked. Makes 8 dozen (96) cookies. Allow cookies to cool completely.

Berrylicious Buttercream

1/3 cup butter, unsalted, softened
1 1/3 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp Raspberry Blackberry Coulis

Cream butter and icing sugar. Add coulis. Beat until light and fluffy.

Pipe Berrylicious Buttercream on 1/2 (48) of the cookies, top with remaining cookies. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow butter cream to set. Store cookies in refrigerator. Makes 48 sandwich cookies.

These cookies would be heavenly with a scoop of Lemonberry Gelato and a few fresh berries.

Lemonberry White Chocolate Scones

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Sat, 21 May 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Lemonberry White Chocolate Scone

I hadn't really planned on making this recipe for this weeks challenge, but I had friends coming over this morning, and I can't have friends over and not bake. So, no this is not the second recipe for the coulis- that is is still to come.
I love scones, probably even more than muffins. Again, the possibilities are endless. The key to a nice scone is to not overwork the dough. These scones have a light lemony flavor with lovely little berry pieces throughout. You would think I'm nuts for white chocolate by this blog of mine, I'm really not. I prefer milk or even dark chocolate when I indulge. I do find, however, that white chocolate has a nice light flavor that compliments fruit well and does not over power it. These scones would make a nice addition to a brunch with some fresh fruit, and coffee of course.

Lemonberry White Chocolate Scones

3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 egg

2 3/4 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 cup frozen blackberries, coarsely chopped (chop when frozen, they won't turn to mush)

1/2 cup frozen raspberries, coarsely chopped (chop when frozen, they won't turn to mush)

1/2 white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°. Add lemon juice to milk, let sit for a few minutes. Beat in the egg until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Mix well. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add berries and white chocolate. Mix.

Add milk mixture and mix lightly with a fork until a soft dough begins to form. Do not over mix.

Turn out onto floured surface. Knead 5-6 times until dough hold together, again, don't over do it.

Cut into 8 equal chunks and gently form scones.

Place onto large lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake 15 min, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove from pan onto a cooling rack.

Scones are best eaten the day they are made, but can be wrapped individually and enjoyed the next day as well.

Lemonberry Gelato

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Fri, 20 May 2011 03:15:00 +0000

Lemonberry Gelato

Gelato is the Italian version of ice cream. I've created this gelato using a rich custard base to add a more complex flavour and velvety smooth texture. Adding the lemon zest right at the beginning of this recipe allows it's essence to really infuse into the custard making a deeply rich lemon flavour. The taste is absolutely homemade, you wouldn't be able to pick this up at the grocery store, or dare I say, not even the ice cream parlour.

Lemonberry Gelato

1 cup milk

1 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup sugar (divided)

4 egg yolks

1 lemon, just the zest

4 tbsp blackberry raspberry coulis

fresh berries to garnish

In a heavy saucepan combine milk, cream, 1/2 cup sugar and lemon zest. Heat slowly, allowing the sugar to dissolve. Bring to a near boil (scald). Making sure not to allow the mixture to reach a boil. As soon as the smallest little bubbles appear immediately remove from the heat. Allow to cool 6-7 min.

In a separate bowl whip egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar until smooth.

Return saucepan to burner. Over low heat slowly add egg yolk mixture stirring constantly. Gently and slowly raise heat to medium, stirring the whole time until mixture begins to thicken. Don't rush this step, or you will cook your egg yolks too fast and they will curdle. Cook on level 1 for 2-3min, then move to level 2 for 2-3 min, and so on and so on, until you reach level 6 or medium heat, stirring constantly. This part is all about the feel and look of the mixture. When it is done it will look like liquid silk. It will be shiny and smooth, not terribly thick just slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Allow mixture to cool, stirring from time to time to avoid a skin. It will thicken further as is cools. When the mixture is just warm add the coulis and mix well. You may strain through cheese cloth or an unused j-cloth at this point to remove the bits of lemon zest if you choose, although it is not necessary. When mixture has cooled substantially, place in sealed container in the fridge until it is completely cold.

Remove from fridge and pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturers directions. Mine is an inexpensive, electric Cuisinart model that is extremely simple to use. I simply pour the mixture in and turn it on. An ice cream maker will generally make ice cream to a "soft serve" consistency. For gelato extra freezing is required. Pour mixture into a large freezer safe container with a tightly fitting lid and place in the freezer for an additional 2 hrs or so. Gelato will keep nicely in a sealed container in the freezer for at least one week at optimum freshness. This makes a great make ahead dessert. Makes a generous 2 cups.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, don't fret, you can still make delicious gelato. Pour mixture into a large freezer safe container and freeze, stirring every 15 min or so, until you reach the "soft serve" consistency. Cover and freeze and additional 2 hours or until set.

This gelato is smooth and tasty; it would be divine with a delicate cookie.

Blackberry Raspberry Coulis

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Thu, 19 May 2011 21:07:00 +0000

Blackberry Raspberry Coulis

I love coulis! It packs such a punch of flavor and is so quick and simple to make. This coulis is "lick the spoon" delicious. Fabulous over french toast, crepes, pancakes, ice cream, panna cotta or anything else you can dream up.
This recipe isn't a stand alone for the challenge (there is no lemon- I know), but it will be used in two recipes that I am working on (I'm crossing my fingers that they both turn out to be blogworthy). So if you want to make both new recipes this would be a great start. Hint: the recipes to come are very different and would be delicious served together, but are absolute treats all on their own.

Blackberry Raspberry Coulis
(makes approx 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup frozen blackberries, thawed
1/2 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
3 tbsp sugar

I always heap my measurement when using frozen berries. I find that by the time they defrost they reduce to the right amount.
Combine Blackberries, raspberries and sugar in a blender. Puree until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve; line with cheesecloth or an unused j-cloth if you want to remove all of the seeds . Refrigerate until ready to use.

Store unused coulis in a sealed container in the fridge. Enjoy in your favorite recipes or as a delicious topping!

Food Flips Finds: Unleashing My Inner Critic

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Mon, 16 May 2011 22:48:00 +0000

I just added a new page to the blog: Food Flips Finds. I don't know about all of you, but "disposable income" doesn't exist in my house. There is nothing worse than spending your hard earned money only to be disappointed, especially when there are some real treasures out there! I will check out products, foods, kitchen gadgets etc. and give my honest opinion, brutal or glowing it will all be there!
Check it out!

Week #6: Lemon, Blackberries, and Raspberries

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:25:00 +0000

The sun is shining, my son is playing in the backyard, the squirrels are running up and down the fence and the robins are hopping the lawn. Life is beautiful! I love the freshness of a new week, I guess I always have. In our big, busy lives the mark of the new week is enough for me to take a breath, reflect on the past week and look forward to the week to come. One of the things I am looking forward to this week is creating some tangy and tart new recipes. The family choose well this week:

Daughter: Lemon
Son: Blackberries
Husband: Raspberries

mmmmmm....don't you think?

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Sat, 14 May 2011 16:04:00 +0000

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls are flaky, fluffy, moist and so delicious!!!! The apple is worked into the dough, and adds a depth of flavour that you wouldn't normally find in a pastry, and just a subtle hint of apple flavour. These are quick and easy to make, but taste like you've slaved in the kitchen.
My daughter absolutely loves cinnamon rolls and asks for them almost every morning (no, she doesn't get them). She is also my toughest critic, her compliments always mean so much to me because she is so honest. She was half way through her second cinnamon roll this morning when she said "Ohhh I'm full, but I don't ever want to stop eating this!" She made me swear I would leave her cinnamon roll for her and not let anyone else eat it, so that she could finish it later. She has also requested that this be the recipe I use from now on, as did my husband. Success!!!!

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Pastry

2 cups flour

3 tbsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

1 large granny smith apple, peeled and coarsely grated
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Cut in butter until mixture resembles small crumbs. Add grated apple, vanilla and milk. Mix with a fork just until dough starts to form. The key to nice pastry is not to over mix, or over knead the dough.
Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead about 10 times, until dough holds together nicely.
Add more flour to the surface. Roll out into a rectangle about 15"x11". Prepare filling.

Filling

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients until well combined

Spread filling evenly on rolled out dough.

Roll up dough from long side. Cut into 12 equal pieces. Place in lightly grease muffin tins. Bake @400° for 15-17 min. Turn out onto cookie sheet immediately. Allow to cool slightly and serve.

This recipe is quick enough to make in the morning before guests arrive for coffee. Dust a little flour on your nose and they'll think you've been baking for hours :)

Week #5: Oops!

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:27:00 +0000

Alright, if you are one of my loyal followers, first of all thank you, and second of all you may have noticed I deleted my most recent recipe, something I have never done before and hope to never do again. I posted the muffin recipe before all of my family members had tried it. My son and I liked the muffins, however my daughter and husband did not. My husband's vote weighs pretty heavily, as I can't remember the last time he hasn't liked something I've made. I debated last night what to do: delete it, add a note to the post to say "hey you might not like this", or just leave it with the understanding that everyone has different tastes. After much thought, I decided that in order to be true to my original intention the recipe just had to go. I don't want to share "good" recipes; I want to share "great" recipes. I want readers to know that the recipes I have created and shared are worth their time and effort in the kitchen. I vow, only the best will do.

Chewy Blueberry Double Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Christie) — Tue, 10 May 2011 20:32:00 +0000

Chewy Blueberry Double Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bars

This week I needed to bake some cookies for my daughter's school bake sale, which worked out perfectly for me. Creating two new recipes a week is fun, and I like it, but the treats are starting to pile up. I still have half a pie on the counter from last week, and my pants are tight!
This was the first time I have tried dried blueberries, and I must say I love them in these cookies. They are chewy, and really pack a lot of flavor. My kids (the ultimate judges) both loved these, and I'm sure the cookie bars that are left in the house won't last long. I like to make cookie bars more than cookies for one reason only: I'm lazy! I can make six dozen cookie bars all at once, and to make that many cookies would take over an hour just to bake.

Chewy Blueberry Double Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bars

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dried sweetened blueberries
100g good quality white chocolate (coarsely chopped)
100g good quality milk chocolate (coarsely chopped)

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and both types of sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well. Add vanilla mix well.
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well and gradually add to creamed mixture. Mix well.
Combine oats, blueberries and both kinds of chocolate. Stir into the cookie dough.

Spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Distribute the cookie dough evenly on the cookie sheet and pat down. Bake 20-25 min, until lightly golden. Cut into 72 bars. If you prefer to make cookies, as opposed to bars, drop on sheets by teaspoons and flatten slightly. Makes 6 dozen cookies.

Make these cookie bars, I promise you will love them, so much so that you really do need to share.