A Delightful Dish

White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

2012-12-23T17:52:00.000-08:00

We're in the home stretch now.

Tomorrow is Christmas eve. Usually that means a flurry of preparations and gift wrapping for me, but this year is different. The cookies are baked. The presents are wrapped. I've already done a mini pre-Christmas of sorts with my family in Vancouver and today we flew to Calgary to spend the holiday with the boys family. It's a different sort of Christmas for sure...

No stockings hung by the chimney. No rambunctios little brothers bouncing off the walls. No Christmas morning video cameras. No turkey and cornbread stuffing and cranberry sauce. It's a first for me and I'm trying to be open to new things. Trying to see that the spirit of the holidays lies in all sorts of traditions. Becoming a part of a new family, or trying to anyway, can be a challenging thing. I know a lot of people must be going through that around the holidays. Compromises must be made on all sides, and I know for myself, I could probably stand to give a little more. So I'm working on smiling. On being gracious. And on appreciating these people I am so lucky to have in my life and loving them for who they are.

And of course, there are still cookies. It can't be all that bad.

So these cupcakes... they are scrumptious little things. And I had really really REALLY wanted this post to be up days ago but, well... Something got in the way. A casserole dish to be exact. I'm not even sure how to explain this other than that... my clumsiness really knows no bounds. It is so ridiculous. But simply put, I've spent the last few days with one heck of a headache and a mild concussion. I'm a little bit grumpy and a lot ashamed. That is all.

I made these little treats for a coworker who is just the tiniest bit OBSESSED with the Starbucks white chocolate peppermint mocha, and who also happens to have a December Birthday. They were quite minty, so I've dialled back the peppermint extract in the recipe below - but if you really love mint feel free to up it to 1 1/2 teaspoons, or even to replace the vanilla with more mint. The light coffee cake counteracts the sweetness of the frosting perfectly, they were a big hit around the office.

Latte Cupcakes

Adapted from Annie's Eats.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon instant coffee or espresso powder ( I used 2 packets Starbucks via)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line a cupcake pan with paper liners. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and instant coffee. Set aside.

2. Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat them together on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well combined. Use a liquid measuring cup to combine the coffee, milk, and vanilla.

3. Keep the mixer on low speed as you gradually add the remaining ingredients to the butter mixture. Alternate the dry ingredients with the liquid mixture, mixing well after each addition, until batter is well combined and no lumps remain.

4. Spoon evenly into muffin wells - an ice cream scoop is great for this! Bake the cupcakes 15-20 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

White Chocolate Peppermint Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 ounces good quality white chocolate, coarsly chopped
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
pinch salt
3 cups icing sugar, sifted

Directions

1. Set a small bowl over a pot of simmering (not boiling) water, add the chopped chocolate and stir gently until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. You can also melt chocolate in the microwave.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, whip butter until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the melted chocolate to the butter and beat to combine.

3. Add the extracts and salt, mixing well. Carefully add in the sifted sugar, in 1 cup increments, mixing on low speed after each addition. Once all of the sugar has been added, increase the speed to medium high and beat until well combined. Transfer icing to a piping bag and top each cupcake with a generous swirl of frosting, and decorations of your choice. I used white chocolate peppermint M&M's.

Merry Christmas friends! Peace and love to you and all of your families.

XOXO

Creamy Cauliflower & Parmesan Soup

2012-11-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for the holidays? I'm not so sure I'm on board yet... but since the world (aka the mall) has been thrusting it on me in full force since November 1st, I figure I might as well getwiththeprogram. I dug the twinkle lights out of the storage locker on the weekend and will hang them soon. A wreathe will go on the door, and stockings might be hung. As we are spending Christmas away, I am forgoing the tree this year. I just can't justify all the work when we wont be around to enjoy it, ya know?

Some say this makes me a Grinch. But I do love the holidays. I just also think that minimizing the stress/work this time of year is the best gift I can give myself. What about you? Has the decorating begun yet? What about the present shopping?

One holiday tradition I can totally get behind is the COOKIE situation. My mission this year is to spend as much time as I desire in my kitchen... apron on, spatula in hand, Mariah Carey blasting in the background. Now THAT sounds like a good time. Hopefully this will become a reality.

Between all the decorating, shopping, and baking, it can sometimes be overlooked that we all still need to eat dinner. And I'm pretty sure that once you've had coffee for breakfast, cookies for lunch and wine and peanut butter cups as a midday snack, the next natural step is to combine your vegetables with sour cream and cheese and call it dinner. Soup to the rescue. I whipped up this cozy, comforting single girl dinner last week and it was SO GOOD. It's velvety smooth and heavenly creamy. And come on, its CAULIFLOWER. I'm pretty sure that cancels out all the calories from the cream and cheese, right?

Definitely.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan

Serves 4. Or one with leftovers ;)

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp butter
1 onion, diced small
2 stalks celery
4 cloves garlic, crushed
pinch of chili flakes, optional
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into florets
4 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, drizzle with olive oil and add a spoonful of butter. When butter has melted throw in the onion and celery and saute until soft and opaque, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and chili and saute 1 or 2 minutes.

2. Add the cauliflower to the pot along with the stock. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer until cauliflower is softened, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Once the cauliflower is cooked, remove from heat and add the whole milk. Next, use an immersion blender to puree the soup until completely smooth. Be sure to cover the bowl with a towel to guard against any splashing, especially if the soup is still warm. If you don't have an immersion blender, you will need to transfer the soup to a traditional blender and puree in two separate batches.

4. Return soup to the pot if you transferred it to a blender. Turn heat back to medium-low. Stir in the sour cream, Parmesan, and salt & pepper to taste. Once the soup has returned to a simmer it is ready to go.

Drizzle with garlic infused oil and more cheese, if desired. Some fresh parsley would be lovely too. Serve with a side salad, some warm crusty bread, and perhaps a glass of wine for one.

Drinking out of a juice cup makes drinking alone totally acceptable. True story.

Salted Caramel Pecan Brownies

2012-11-21T22:55:00.000-08:00

Oh, howdy friends.

Yep, I'm back after a long and unexplained absence. I won't go into detail but, long story ~~short~~ long... there has been a lot of change going on and I needed some time to... adjust. Those of you who know me in real life already know that a certain boy has taken a great job opportunity in Seattle, WA. Hooray for jobs! But also... boo! Seeing as I don't live in Seattle, and my going with him was not an option, that left me here all alone.

Yes, I'm a big girl. And yep, I can look after myself. But darn, this long distance thing is tough. And we're only four hours apart, I can't imagine if it were any further! But if were being real? My crazy girl brain needed some space to get used to the idea. And that meant that this little blog slipped off the priority list. That makes me sad. You know what doesn't make me sad? How many people KEPT ON READING IT! I checked in the other day and saw that tons of you are still dropping by to take a look at things I've made and ... wow. Just wow. This gives me so much motivation to keep on blogging, so thank you!

Anyways... I've found at least one major upside to having a second residence in the US of A. And that is Trader Joes, of course! Oh dear, do I ever love that place. Why oh why dont we have any in Canada? If you have never been, let this be a warning: Your first experience may be an overwhelming one. You will dart around the store like a crazy person. You will throw anything and everything into your cart. You may get whiplash looking from isle to isle. Afterwards, you will gorge yourself on cookies and chocolate-covered-everything and you will feel sick.

Just me? Oh.

One thing I picked up on the last trip were these crazy little Fleur De Sel Caramels. I am a goner for anything sweet and salty, and I knew from the moment I bought them that these were destined to be combined with chocolate and baked into something delicious. Brownies to the rescue! I mixed toasted pecans into brownie batter, dotted the top with the little caramels, baked them up and sprinkled with sea salt. BAM! Ooey gooey salty sweet brownies. Dig in!

Salted Caramel and Pecan Brownies

Adapted from S'mores Brownies from the Joy the Baker Cookbook.

These are moist cakey brownies, studded with pecans and melted caramel centres. If you can't get your hands on the TJ's caramels, any soft candy should do really. Or you could try marbling the top with a liquid caramel sauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter

6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee powder

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup toasted pecan halves, chopped

12 Trader Joes Fleur De Sel Caramels, or similar candy

1 tablespoon fleur de sel or course sea salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9X13 pan. I did not line my pan with parchment, but I think I would do this next time, to prevent sticking. Set a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering, not boiling, water. Add the chocolate and butter to the bowl, stirring until the mixture is fully melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and coffee powder. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Gradually add the chocolate mixture to the eggs, taking care not to let them cook. Next, add the dry ingredients 1 cup at a time and mix until well combined. Fold in the chopped pecans.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Unwrap each caramel candy (the most labour intensive step in the recipe, without a doubt), and roll between the palms of your hands to form a ball. Place the 12 caramel balls on top of the brownie batter.

5. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer or cake tester comes out almost clean. In a small dish, combine 1 tablespoon fleur de sel with 1 tablespoon sugar. Use fingers to sprinkle as much as desired across the top of the finished brownies.

These are best enjoyed warm from the oven, or zapped in the microwave just long enough to melt the caramel. They would also be RIDICULOUS with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Oh man, why didn't I think of that when I still had some?!

I know that today is a big day for all the American readers out there. And although our Thanksgiving came and went last month, I will be attending an American's-in-Canada-Friends-Giving this weekend. I will be whipping up the pumpkin cream pie from last year, because the boyfriend loves it so, plus a savoury dish I'll hopefully share on here soon. Happy Thanksgiving!

And here is a rainbow. Because today, I'm thankful for rainbows.

End of Summer Plum Cobbler

2012-09-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

Oh, hello there.

Is that not just the cutest little plum you've ever seen?

We picked up these little guys on labour day weekend, at a farm stand in B.C.'s beautiful Okanagan... along with some peaches, apples, cherries, corn, and tomatoes! Weeee!

I can say I have thoroughly enjoyed our provinces produce offerings this year. All month there have been peaches in my oatmeal, simple tomato sandwiches at lunch, and sweet creamy corn chowder for dinner. We're loving it. Well OK, I'm loving it. The boyfriend not so much since he hates both oatmeal and soup... and prefers his sandwiches with bacon.

Oh well, more for me!

I don't normally like plums, with their bitter skin and tart juices. But end-of-august-plums seem to be a different breed. So sweet and juicy Ican'tevenhandleit. And topped with fluffy little biscuits that also happen to be gluten free? Shutup. It's the perfect dessert to bridge summer and fall...

Serve with creamy vanilla bean gelato. It will melt and mingle with the plum juices to form a heavenly sauce.

Eat outdoors, in order to soak up the last bit of September sunshine.

Bring a sweater.

Mourn summer.

Go make soup.

Summer Plum Cobbler with Gluten Free Biscuit Topping

Adapted from How to Cook Gluten-Free by Elizabeth Barbone. I just received this book off amazon and can't wait to try out more recipes! It is a fantastic "basics" guide for anyone starting a gluten free diet.

Plum Filling Ingredients

6 Cups ripe plums, pitted and (large ones) sliced
3/4 Cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Biscuit Topping Ingredients

1 Cup tapioca starch
2/3 Cup white rice flour
1/3 Cup cornstarch
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 Cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Butter a baking dish - the recipe calls for 9X13, while I opted to use a 9X9 square dish. Pit and slice the plums, I used an assortment of red, purple and yellow plums of various sizes.

2. Toss plums with sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Stir to combine and pour into prepared dish.

3. For the topping, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the butter and use your fingers to work it into the dry ingredients until little pebbles form. Add the cream and stir until the dough holds together, adding additional cream if needed. The dough will be fairly sticky.

4. Roll the dough into golf ball sized pieces and place on top of the fruit mixture, leaving a bit of space between them. Bake until biscuits are puffed up and lightly browned, about 30-40 minutes.

Let cool, serve warm or cold. Makes 6-8 servings.

In other news, my 1 year "Blogiversary" passed last week. I threw no party. Held no contests. Baked no cake (although I wish I had). But it was noted fondly that 1 year ago I decided to start sharing my random thoughts and recipes with strangers on the internet. It has been fun, and I hope to do it for years to come. Just as I hope to learn and grow and get better at it.

Time for a little blog re-design in honour of her Birthday? I think so!

Happy weekend foodie friends!

XO

Chocolate Coconut Brownie Ice Cream Bars

2012-08-16T02:00:00.000-07:00

Craving something cold and sweet to help you wind down the last of these sticky summer days?

'Cus I know I sure am.

Or maybe you're looking for something a little different, a little decadent, to impress your friends at your next gathering?

This might just work.

Bonus, if you've got friends or family with allergies, who normally can't take part in the dessert table... you know, the ones who sit pouting in the corner when the birthday cake is cut? (Not guilty).

This is a super easy way to put a smile on their face. With a few tweaks here and there, it can easily be gluten free, dairy free, or even vegan.

I wouldn't call this a recipe so much as... an idea. It's stupidly easy, you can customize it to no end, and the results are nothing short of AMAAAAZING.

In my humble opinion.

I totally cheated on this recipe, I made the brownies from a mix and used store bought ice cream. I don't think this compromised its deliciousness in anyway, but if you are more ambitious than I, you can go right ahead and make all the components from scratch and then combine them as I did. In fact, please do! But make sure to invite me over :)

If you go the lazy route like I did, just use your favourite brownie mix and ice cream flavour. I used this mix from Pamela's Product's and the Cappuccino flavour of Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss ice cream, which tastes like my most recent Starbucks obsession, coconut lattes! All of my ingredients were free of gluten and dairy. To make it vegan, you can probably just use an egg replacer instead of the eggs in the brownie mix. Or go ahead and use all the eggs and butter and real cream you want, it's your dessert!

Chocolate Coconut Brownie Ice Cream Bars (Gluten and Dairy Free Optional)

Ingredients:

1 Batch of brownies, from scratch or a mix - baked and cooled
1 Pint or 2 cups ice cream, softened slightly
1 Cup coconut chocolate ganache, recipe below
1 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

1. Bake brownies according to package directions at least a few hours in advance, I recommend doing this a day ahead, and allow them to cool fully. I baked mine in a 7X11 Pyrex, but an 8X8 will work too.

2. Use a spatula to gently spread the softened ice cream in an even layer over the brownies, cover and place in the freezer until firm, about 2 hours.

3. While the ice cream is in the freezer, whip up the ganache and leave to cool. At the same time, toast the coconut in a pan over low heat, until just golden brown, and set aside.

4. When the ice cream layer is frozen solid, pour the coconut ganache over the ice cream as evenly as possible, use a spatula to guide it to the edges and into the corners. As you can see, my ganache was still a bit warm and melted some of the ice cream, so my layers aren't perfect. Don't worry if yours are a little wonky too, it still tasted great.

Sprinkle with as much or as little of the toasted coconut as you'd like, then cover and freeze the whole thing until the ganache is set, at least 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and thaw until it is soft enough to cut. Divide into squares, serve and enjoy!

Chocolate Coconut Ganache (Dairy Free)

Ingredients:

16 Ounces dark, dairy free chocolate
1 (15 Ounce) can full fat coconut milk

1. Chop the chocolate into rough chunks and place in a heat proof bowl, set aside.

2. Heat the coconut milk over medium low heat until it begins to steam and bubble at the edges, remove from heat just before boiling. Pour the coconut milk over the chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes before stirring. Beat with a whisk to combine, until the chocolate mixture is smooth and glossy. Refrigerate to cool.

You know what I'm thinking? Chocolate Peppermint Chip Brownie Ice Cream Bars. Yes please.

Honey Lime Grilled Salmon with Fresh Fruit Salsa

2012-08-01T02:00:00.000-07:00

This recipe is inspired by (slash-stolen-from) one of my favourite bloggers - Jessica at How Sweet It Is. Jess if you read this - imitation is the sincerest form of f-OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE READING MY BLOG I LOVE YOU!!!

Ahem.

Sorry. I'd better stop before this gets embarrassing. See, when it comes to food blogs and me, "following" is really just another way of saying "stalking". I can get a bit... obsessed. Just a bit. I can't even begin to imagine what I would do if I MET my blogging idols - pass out?

Oh right, that happened. Hi JOY!

But seriously? How could you not love someone who comes up with things like Bourbon Marshmallow Smores with Bacon? For real. Also, I feel like we have a lot of things in common - mainly a nostalgia for/love of any and all things 90's. Plus an obsession with the show Girls and an aversion to doing dishes. And then theres that whole food thing... yeah I kinda like it too.

Most importantly, I have to thank Jess for bringing something as amazing as fruit salsa into my life. WHY did I never think of this before??? It's ridiculous. After procrastinating forever I finally made up a batch in my food processor last week - it took all of about 20 seconds - and holy cow this stuff is delicious. And addicting. And delicious.

Tip: If you are like me and get squeamish with salmon skin, this is a great way to grill a lovely, moist skin-on filet, and leave the skin behind on the grill. Works with pretty much any fish! Listen up. Start the fish skin side UP on the grill, flip it over half way through cooking time so that the skin side is DOWN. When the fish is cooked all the way through, take the edge of a metal spatula and gently wiggle it between the flesh of the fish and the skin. If the fish is fully cooked, it should slide easily onto the spatula, leaving the icky skin behind on your grill. Ta daa! Now just make sure you get a grownup to clean the grill for you.

Now get grillin!

Honey Lime Grilled Salmon with Fresh Fruit Salsa

Inspired by Honey Lime Tilapia by How Sweet It is.

Ingredients
2 Salmon filets
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons honey
Juice of 2 small limes
Zest of 1 lime
1 Garlic clove, crushed
1/2 Teaspoon salt
Additional honey and lime juice for drizzling

1. Place the salmon in a dish or container. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade, whisk well and pour over top of the fish. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. To grill the salmon, preheat your grill to medium high, brush the grates clean and lightly oil them (I use olive oil in a mister) then place the salmon skin-side-up on the grill, and close the lid. After about 4-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets, the fish should begin to turn opaque. Use tongs to gently flip your fish over so that it is now skin-side-down. Give it another 3-5 minutes on the grill, until the salmon is completely opaque. Much longer and you risk drying out the fish. As I said above, you can keep the skin on, or you can remove it by gently sliding a spatula between the fish and the skin, leaving the skin behind on the grill.

3. Combine about a tablespoon each of honey and lime juice in a small bowl and drizzle over the freshly grilled salmon.

Blueberry Lime Salsa

By How Sweet It Is.
This recipe is pretty much a replica of Jessica's Salsa. The only difference is that I left out the avocado, since I'm a weirdo and couldn't handle combining all these textures.

Ingredients
1 Cup fresh blueberries
5-7 Strawberries
1/4 Red onion, roughly chopped
Juice and zest of two limes
1/3 Cup cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse, about 5-6 times or until you reach a desired consistancy. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Top the salmon with a generous amount of fruit salsa. Serve on a bed of black rice. Because its purdy.

Insta-Summer

2012-07-24T11:06:00.001-07:00

Loving right now: Fun Manicures. Bright pink blush. Pomegranate Mojitos. Coconut ice cream. Florence + The Machine. Tacos tacos tacos. Reading Wild. Pomegranate mojito popsicles (it happened). The Everygirl. Easy homemade iced coffee a la Pioneer Woman. Big summer salads, currently craving this one and this one. The wonderful awkwardness that is Girls on HBO. And apparently... Lime Margaritas. Although I may need to take a little break from those.

Not loving? This rain!

Maple Chili Grilled Shrimp

2012-07-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

Help me?

I'm so tired. This blog post is from my Monday to-do list. I'm two days behind in life, people. I had a crazypants weekend. At least for me... seeing as my weekends usually involve baking cookies and dates with my PVR. But not this week, no siree! I had a real girls night on the town like I haven't had in a long time and it was a blast. I had so so so much fun. But holy man I am so so so so tired. I am currently working on building my immune system up again, after treating it like a crash test dummy.

Iwillnotgetsick.Iwillnotgetsick.Iwillnotgetsick.

My efforts involve a lot of Cold FX, echinacea, elderberry, vitamin C, garlic, ginger, green tea, and standing on my head if required. I repeat. I will NOT get sick. If all goes as planned... I'll be feeling like myself again right in time for crazypants weekend #2. Sigh, I love summer...

Oh, right! Shrimp! These were really, really good.

I, umm... don't really know what else to tell you about them. We've made them three times in two weeks. And I really haven't been cooking that much at all. That's saying something coming from me, as I rarely like to repeat meals. They are just simply the most flavourful little shrimp I have ever had. Make them!

Maple Chili Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients

1.5 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (mine are 21/25 count), defrosted if frozen
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup salt
Cold water

1/2 Teaspoon each:
Smoked paprika
Cayenne pepper
Chili powder
Crushed chili flakes
Oregano
Salt

2 Tbsp maple syrup
Drizzle olive oil (about 1 tbsp)

1. Brine the shrimp: Dissolve the salt and sugar in a large bowl of cold water. Add the shrimp. There should be enough water to cover the shrimp by about an inch. Stir, cover, and leave the bowl in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. The longest I have left it is slightly over an hour, but I imagine you could leave them for a few hours without any trouble. Longer than that and they might be overly salty though.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the spices, maple syrup, and oil, whisk to combine.

3. Drain the shrimp and pat them dry with a paper towel. Add the shrimp to the marinade, stir to coat and let them sit for a while (10-30 mins). The longer you wait, the more flavorful your shrimp will be!
**Disclaimer: I made these again the other night and left them to marinate for somewhere around... Oh I dunno, 5-6 hours?! I do not reccomend this unless you want through-the-roof-fiery-mouth-numbing-spice!!! Although I do know a few people who I think would enjoy them this way.**

4. Grill the shrimp for 4 to 5 mins over high direct heat (less if your shrimp are smaller). Use tongs to gently flip them over after about 2 minutes. You can baste with any remaining liquid every so often, so as not to waste any of that flavour!

Serve on a bed of cheesy polenta or garlic mashed potatoes, throw them on top of a big farmers market salad, or serve them on their own as an appetizer!

Other ideas:

* Use a grill pan if the grates on your grill are farther apart, ours are pretty tiny so there isn't much risk of the shrimp falling through, and we like the crispy grill marks you get from grilling them directly. Skewers would work too.

*These would be awesome done in a cast iron pan too, just throw them in a hot pan along with the marinade and let it reduce down to a sticky sauce. Mmm!

*One word... TACOS. Pinch those tails off of the shrimp , put em in a corn tortilla and top with avocado, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. SO. DOING.THIS.

Naptime. See ya next week !

Sunny Days

2012-07-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

Summer has finally FINALLY blessed us with her presence.

There haven't been many "recipes" going on round here. Reason being that its, well.... HOT. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining, I love it. LOVE. This is by far my favorite time of year. And it's especially sweet this year since we had to wait until July for a taste of it. But when summer takes over, proper meal and recipe planning is sometimes beyond me. I'm too busy baking in the sun.

Seriously. I'm lobster red. Where's the aloe?

Dinners lately have consisted of takeout, beach picnics, stuff thrown on the grill, and omelettes at 10 pm. I do have a few summer treats I've been working on though, they just need some tweaking before I can share them with you. I know you'll all be waiting on the edge of your seats!

In the meantime... here are some pictures of food.

[pasta carbonara with spring vegetables. chocolate fudge gelato. porchetta at meat and bread]

[bad photos. amazing meal. chambar restaurant]

[late night cookie baking excursions. oatmeal cherry dark chocolate chip]

[oh canada]

[more summer eats. when does that diet start?]

Life is good.

P.S. I'm really freaking sunburned.

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie with Pretzel Crust

2012-06-28T02:00:00.000-07:00

For 3 years of doing the dishes.
For 3 Years of sweeping up sprinkles and spices and wiping cake batter off of the walls.
For 3 years of making me laugh when I want to cry... for telling me everything is going to be alright.
For tolerating 3 years of bad reality TV and 90's pop music.
For 3 years of letting me be right, even when he knows I'm wrong.

For 3 years of tech support.
For 3 years of cuddles.
For 3 years of living in a girl mess of magazines and cookbooks and scented candles... for constantly having to step over shoes, purses, scarves and nail polish, only to be yelled at when he leaves his hat on the kitchen table. For all that and so much more, this guy deserved dessert.

And not just any dessert... a dessert with peanut butter AND Reese's peanut butter cups. His favorite things.

I made this treat for my guy on our 3 year anniversary. An attempt to make up for me being a high-strung-high-maintenence-whiney-stress-basket the other 364 days of the year, and because I love him. And seriously? Because I'm beginning to think it's the desserts that keep him hanging around ;)

The original recipe I followed did not involve yogurt, but I had issues when it came to "melting" the peanut butter with the icing sugar... It simply wouldn't happen. The peanut butter stayed firm when heated, and as I added the sugar it only seized up more. I blame it on my all natural peanut butter... Or my all natural incompetence.

Either way, I had to toss the first batch and start over. I needed to bring the nut butter to a consistency where it could be easily folded in with the whipped cream. My solution came in the form of a tub of Greek yogurt already in my fridge. Thank god for Greek yogurt! Its thick, creamy, tangy, and low in fat (because thats totally what I was going for here.not). The final result was just a dish full of sweet-salty-nutty-chocolatey-amazingness. The boy loved it and so did I.

Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Pie with Pretzel Crust

Adapted from Bakers Royale.

Crust- Ingredients
4 Cups Pretzels (I used Glutino gluten free pretzel sticks)
1/2 Cup butter, melted
1/2 Cup white sugar

1. Lightly butter a springform cake pan or tart dish (I used a 9 Inch cake pan), preheat an oven to 350F. Combine sugar and pretzels in a food processor, pulse to combine. With the processor running, stream in melted butter through the opening. The mixture will be the texture of wet sand.

2. Press the pretzel mixture into the prepared pan with your fingers, use the palm of your hand to firmly press down the bottom crust until it is flat. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and set. Let cool.

Filling- Ingredients
2 Cups whipping cream
1 1/4 Cup icing sugar
1 Cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 Cup plain Greek yogurt
1 Cup Reese's minis, roughly chopped
Reese's cups for topping, halved

1. Whip the whipped cream until peaks form, add 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar and beat briefly just to combine. Set in the fridge to stay cool.

2. With an electric mixer, cream together the peanut butter and yogurt, add the powdered sugar and mix until all lumps are gone. Fold together with the whipped cream, then fold in the mini Reese's cups (or chocolate chunks, or whatever add-ins you want!).

3. Pour into the prepared pie crust and top with Reese's halves. Freeze for at least 3 hours before serving.

This can be made a few days in advance, just be sure to take it out of the freezer at least a 1/2 hour before serving to allow for easier cutting. Will keep in the freezer... indefinitely? I mean, it's ice cream. Come on.

P.S. Make this for your Canada day celebrations and everyone will love you. I promise. Have an amazing long weekend friends! Hopefully the weather will stay nice and I will see you all at the beach :)

Dark Chocolate Buckwheat Brownies with White Chocolate Chips and Cherries

2012-06-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies! Happy Friday :) Are you ready for the weekend? I know I sure am! But first, I have a great brownie recipe for you here.

My good friend Megan came to visit from Seattle not too long ago. Megan was my roommate back when we were both in school - her for culinary, me for design. Kinda crazy which one of us ended up with a food blog, isn't it?! Needless to say, we are both huge food lovers and whenever we get together it's jam packed with culinary adventures.

In two days we managed to scarf down a whole lotta deliciousness. This included (the BEST EVER) sushi at a little local place called Toshi. I could eat here everyday, its that good. The miso black cod is ridiculous (and I hear the eggplant is pretty good too... if you're into that kinda thing). Then there was this Gelato: Flavours settled on after sampling nearly every one of the 218(!!) on site were grapefruit-champagne and guava-papaya. Holy yuuuum. There was also... poutine, a crepe breakfast, chocolate truffles, spiked raspberry lemonades, many cups of tea, and of course, the brownies!

I think Meg put it best when she said "If we lived any closer, we'd both be a lot fatter".

A whooooole lot.

Back to the matter at hand, these brownies. They are dark, sweet, gooey and fudgey. And also gluten free!

The gluten free-ness here is hardly noticeable, as there is so little flour in the recipe to begin with. But you can easily swap it out for regular flour if thats what you have. Make sure to use a reeeeally good dark chocolate for this recipe though. The sweet white chocolate and tart cherries are amazing with the ultra-chocolatey-not-too-sweet-brownie batter. LOVE.

Dark Chocolate Buckwheat Brownies with White Chocolate Chips and Cherries

If gluten is your friend, simply swap the gluten free flour for all purpose flour and omit the xanthan gum

Ingredients

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 Cup butter

2 Large eggs

1 Cup dark brown sugar

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 Cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob's red mill)

1/4 Cup buckwheat flour

1/4 Teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/4 Teaspoon baking soda

1/2 Cup white chocolate chips

1/2 Cup dried sour cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter an 8X8 Inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper, so that the edges hang over 2 sides of the pan.

2. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler (or the microwave!), set aside to cool.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda.

4. Add the sugar to the chocolate mixture and beat well. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition, followed by the vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture until just combined, try not to over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips and cherries.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the sides begin to firm up. The centre will still be quite soft, and may seem underdone. But be careful not to over bake them.

Let cool before slicing into squares… if you have the will power. Clearly, we did not.

Love ya Meg! Can't wait for the next time we get to visit. We still need to get our glitter on!!

Spicy Edamame Hummus

2012-06-12T02:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I made a snack...

Who doesn’t love snacktime? I mean really, it’s just another excuse to eat, and who doesn't love that? Keep in mind this is coming from someone who’s life revolves around finding more opportunities to cram delicious-calorie-filled-treats into her face.

Snack time makes me think of recess. I really miss recess... Ritz crackers and spreadable orange cheese. Animal crackers. Oreos. Pop Tarts. Capri sun. Those were the days.

Really though? I was never the kid with the capri-sun. I was sooooooo envious of the kid with the capri-sun! Instead, I got stuck with the hippie kids juice box – a recycled glass bottle, with the label torn off but that layer of sticky goo left behind, and filled up with apple juice. Not even the clear kind! The gross muddy brown kind. I don’t think I ever took this incriminating item out of my lunch bag around my classmates, that’s how embarassed I was. My friends were the ones with mini bags of doritos or dunkaroos (omg remember DUNKAROOS???), while I always felt so uncool with my juice and granola bar.

The most ironic part? I think Mom was on to something. Fast forward to 2012 and reusable glass bottles are all the rage. I don’t hang out at school playgrounds much these days (cus how creepy would that be?), but I’ll bet all the cool kids are sporting eco-friendly glass bottles and toting snacks of homemade sugarfree-chia-hempseed-applesauce-cookies.

Hmm...I just made that up, but it sounds like it could be kind of good. Maybe?

My snacktime nowadays isn't limited to a 30 minute period mid-morning. It extends thoughout the day and involves lots of fruits and veggies, nuts, trail mix, cheese and crackers, and chips with hummus. A lot of hummus. Garlic and roasted red pepper are old favourites, but this one is stellar too.

It has edamame, sesame oil and a spicy wasabi kick. You can totally leave out the wasabi if you're not a fan, the boy for one detests wasabi, so I left a portion plain for him. But I loved the flavour and spice it brought to the party. With a pile of pita or corn chips this is so totally addicting, and a great change if you are bored of regular old hummus.

Edamame Hummus

If you prefer to leave out the wasabi, try adding a touch of chili paste or Sriracha. I think a bit of spice really takes this to the next level.

Also, both the chickpeas and edamame beans have a kind of "skin" on them. Although the hummus has a smoother texture if they are removed, the process is time consuming and not absolutely necessary. This time I did a kind of once over on them, removing any skins that were easy to slip off. This didn't take too long and worked for me.

Ingredients

1 Can chickpeas

1 16oz bag (1 pound) frozen shelled edamame, defrosted

2 Cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 Cup tahini

Juice of 2 lemons (about 2/3 cup)

1/4 Cup olive oil

1/4 Cup toasted sesame oil
4-6 Tablespoons water
1 Teaspoon salt

1-2 Teaspoon(s) wasabi paste, to taste

Toasted sesame seeds, optional

1. Remove the edamame from shells (pods) if needed, the ones I bought were already shelled so I skipped this step. Peel skins from the edamame. Drain and rinse chickpeas and remove the skins from them as well.

2. Combine the chickpeas, edamame beans, garlic, tahini, and lemon juice in a food processor. Blend until combined and then, with the processor on low, slowly add the 2 oils. Drizzle in water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dip reaches a smooth consistancy, for me this was about 4 Tablespoons.

3. Add the salt and wasabi paste and blend to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Top with a generous drizzle of sesame oil and some toasted sesame seeds. Serve with pita or corn chips for dipping.

I think offices need to bring back recess in a big way. Also? Naptime. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m heading the the supermarket to see if they still make dunkaroos.

Strawberry Mango Coconut Crisp (Gluten Free)

2012-05-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

The delightful dish household was hit with one killer cold/flu virus last week. I was completely incapacitated for the better part of the week. And when the plague was finished with me, it moved on to the boy! The nerve of it.

The worst part? I was hardly interested in any food at all for daaaaaaaays. This was new to me. No matter what goes wrong there is one thing you can be sure of, and it is that I am planning my next meal. Scheming my next snack. So you KNOW there is a problem if I am not hungry. I am only aware of one other occurrence of this, after having my wisdom teeth removed last year, and even that didn't last long (oh hello, pudding cups!).

I eventually realized my lack of interest was due to out-of-order taste buds. Poor little guys had lost their flavour-detecting-powers. And what point is there in eating when everything tastes like sand? None, I tell you. None. I started overloading everything with salt or sugar just to get my fix, the flavour junky that I am. A life without taste buds sure would be a sad life to live...

One of those awful days, the only food I would even consider touching was the soba-noodle-nebiyaki from our favourite Japanese (which we sadly no longer live around the corner from). The craving popped into my head and stayed there stubbornly... the hot, spicy, salty (sinus clearing!) broth swimming with noodles, chicken and egg. I had to have it. So my sweetheart of a boyfriend, already feeling not-so-hot himself, but probably sick of hearing me whine, ran right out and got it for me.

(Isn't he the best?)

That soup. I swear. It is the reason I am still living.

By Saturday we had both mostly recovered, save for some headaches and coughing fits. My taste buds were on the mend and I was craving normalcy. And normalcy for me means gettin' in the kitchen! We also happened to have a huge amount of strawberries deteriorating in the fridge... so I set out to create something yummy with them and this crisp/ crumble is what resulted.

This was like a flavour explosion after a week of bland tasting foods. Once again, I was surprised at how good a gluten free dessert could be. It really doesn't taste it! With the sweet fruit and nutty coconut pieces it is a little bit tropical. But still a familiar-comforting dessert in the way crisps and crumbles are. I would make this again in a heartbeat and share with all my non-GF friends :)

Even if you are not gluten free, you must find a way to get this flavour combo in your mouth. Seriously yummy!

Strawberry Mango Coconut Crisp (Gluten Free)

Switch the butter in the topping for margarine or coconut oil to make this recipe diary free.

Ingredients - Fruit Mixture

2 Cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 Mango, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon agave syrup or honey
Sprinkle of cinnamon
2 Teaspoons corn starch

Ingredients - Topping

1 Cup gluten free baking or pancake mix ( I used Pamela's)
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
1/3 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup large flake coconut, unsweetened

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease the bottom and sides of a pie plate or gratin dish. Cut up the fruit and mix with the agave/ honey, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Set aside.

2. Whisk together the baking mix, sugar, and spices. Add butter and work in with your hands until the dough forms pea-sized pieces, mix in coconut flakes.

3. Press about 1/3 of the flour mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Use the palm of your hand to press it flat, this will be a thin layer. Spread the fruit in an even layer over top, and top with the remaining crumble mixture. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the top is browned.

Toppings are endless: a drizzle of full-fat coconut milk , a dollop of whipped cream, or a scoop of a vanilla bean gelato. I think I'll help myself to that last option right about now.

Recipe adapted from this one.

Gluten Free Blueberry Coconut Muffins with Coconut Streusel Topping

2012-05-17T15:31:00.001-07:00

The first time I cut wheat from my diet, I lost ten pounds in two months. I was eating salads and nuts and lean protein and very little gluten substitutes. My intention had mainly been to be healthy, not to lose weight, but it sure was a great bonus. I felt lighter and better all over. And then I started to discover things... like gluten free cupcakes! And cookies! And Nanaimo bars!

Uh ooooh.

Turns out a lot of chocolate bars are gluten free, same goes for ice cream. And chips. And popcorn. Then of course I started to try out things like wheat free breads, pastas, and cereals. I found there are some fantastic substitutes out there. I realized that living gluten free might not have to mean living without all of these delicious foods.

But it does mean I'll have to get my butt to the gym. Especially if I keep eating these muffins!

As I mentioned yesterday, I am brand new to the world of gluten free baking. And a bit intimidated by it at that. So, I chose to eliminate some of the guess work involved and use a pre-made gluten free flour blend here. I'm not up for having to buy and measure out 8 different flours quite yet. I'm just dipping my toes in here.

To be perfectly honest, I was completely surprised by how easy and good these muffins turned out to be. I had myself convinced that gluten free baking was hard, something I couldn't possibly master. And that the results would suck. I have tried some wheat free baked goods that simply don't measure up to their gluten-y counter parts. They can be overly dense, dry, grainy and just plain YUCK.

But these little cuties puffed up beautifully in the oven and are moist and tender and bursting with sweet blueberries. And that topping. It's ridiculous. This is such a great beginner recipe. I brought the muffins to a picnic and even my wheat-eating friends loved them!

Gluten Free Blueberry Coconut Streusel Muffins

This recipe can very easily be made dairy free too, just swap the butter in the batter for oil, and the butter in the topping for dairy free margarine or coconut oil.

Makes 16 Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups all purpose gluten free flour mix (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 Cup shredded unsweetened coconut

2 Teaspoons baking powder

1 Teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon

2/3 Cup light brown sugar

1/3 Cup melted butter

2 Large eggs

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract (gluten free)

1 1/4 Cups coconut milk

1 1/2 Cups fresh blueberries

Streusel Topping

1/3 Cup butter, melted

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1/3 Cup all purpose gluten free flour

2/3 Cup coconut (I used half shredded and half coconut ribbons)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, coconut, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In separate bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and beat well. With mixer on low, alternate between adding the flour mixture and coconut milk until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

3. Mix all ingredients for topping together in a small bowl. Use an ice cream scoop to fill liners about 2/3 full with muffin batter. Press 1-2 Tablespoons of topping on to each muffin. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating once halfway through, until topping is browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan to cool.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.

I am submitting this post to Food Allergy Awareness Day hosted by Tastespotting and the FIA. Please note that this recipe has not been reviewed by FAI or medical experts. Avoidance is the only accepted course of treatment for food allergy. Always verify ingredients or food products by checking with the manufacturer and/or your physician to ensure that any foods are safe for your unique allergy issues.

On Eating Gluten Free...

2012-05-16T22:34:00.000-07:00

It is National Food Allergy Awareness Week in the states, and although we are in Canada, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share a bit of my experience with food allergies on the blog. I don’t want to get TOO personal. Ultimately, this blog is just about pretty pictures of yummy food. But I can’t ignore the fact that this food goes into my body. And I need to treat my body well.

I have had stomach and digestion issues since I was a teenager, but up until recently I was more about band-aids and quick fixes than looking for solutions. Don’t ask me why… I can be slow to catch on sometimes! Anyway, over the past couple of years – through elimination diets, many doctors’ visits, plus a lot of trial and error, denial and frustration – I have come to the likelihood that the culprit is, sadly, wheat.

Gluten.Wheat. Flour. The main ingredient in all those delightfully light and fluffy pastries I love soooo much.

Lord, no.

Does being healthy really have to mean living without cakes and brownies and profiteroles? I have searched high and low for a solution that doesn’t point to wheat, but it just isn’t happening. Since the first time I ruled out wheat, I have fallen off the wagon more than once. And once it was for like… half a year. The consequences of that were not fun. Denial doesn’t make this any easier. Many of you know the feeling. That sinking, hopeless sensation that comes with discovering a food allergy…

You mean I can’t eat that for HOW LONG?!

Oh, just the rest of your life. No big deal.

Yeeeaaah... right. No big deal at all.

It begins to look like you will never enjoy food again... But then there is the over-the-top joy that comes with finding something amazingly delicious that is also gluten free. It is pretty much the best feeling ever. And let me tell you, those brownies pictured above? They were a god send.

They were made with a mix from Trader Joe's (sorry, can't find a link), and were the first thing I baked after going gluten free. They were nothing fancy. But they saved me. To be perfectly honest, I have been a bit scared to start baking gluten free.

OK, not scared… terrified.

See, you give me flour, butter, eggs, and sugar and I KNOW I can throw it all together into something freaking delicious. But take away any one of those variables, and I am lost. Baking is something I consider myself GOOD at. I am so scared that being gluten free will take that away from me. But I have far too big a sweet tooth to give it up that easily. So I will come back fighting, with an arsenal of gluten free flours, and give it another try.

I want to be clear that I am not Celiac (as far as I know) and this is not a gluten free blog. I still bake for friends and family using wheat flour. And although its a slippery slope, I do sample a bite here and there myself. However, I will be giving lots of gluten free recipes a try, so stay tuned for those. When a recipe is gluten free, it will be clearly stated.

Be back soon, with mmmmuffins!

Snapshots of Spring and a Quinoa Salad

2012-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's Spring. It's Friday. The sun is out. I couldn't be happier.

The last few weekends have been filled with brunching, shopping and lounging in the sunshine.

Plus some spring cleaning... but I won't share pictures of that.

(Brunch at Cafe Medina in Vancouver)

(Waffle with white chocolate pistachio rosewater dipping sauce. Oh. Em. Gee. was this ever good)

This weekend to come should hold more of the same... plus a quick trip to the states AND our first BBQ Picnic of the season. Yay!

I hope I'm not boring you with the salads... I have been making a quinoa salad of some sort almost weekly this spring, and I am still loving them! Quinoa is just so good. and easy. and versatile.

This one features in-season asparagus, the first of the plump, juicy grape tomatoes (they aren't quite there yet, but not long now!), and creamy dreamy goat cheese. Douse with balsamic vinaigrette and enjoy for lunches or as a side with grilled chicken or fish throughout the week.

Me? I can't wait to grab this salad and a bottle of chilled white wine and head to the park for the afternoon.

Heaven.

Spring Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Chickpeas and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

Salad

1 Cup Quinoa
1 Bunch Asparagus, blanched and cooled
1 Pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 Cup marinated artichoke hearts, coursely chopped
1 Can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 Bunch (3-4 stems) green onions, thinly sliced
6 Oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing

1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 Garlic clove, crushed or minced
Pinch each salt & pepper
3/4 Cup olive oil

1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. I personally like to use just a little less water than directions usually say, it makes for a slightly drier end result. Once quiona is cooked (about 15 minutes), fluff with a fork and refrigerate to cool while you chop the vegetables and prepare the rest of the salad.

2. To make dressing, combine first 5 ingredients (excluding oil) and whisk together. Slowly add oil while whisking quickly, the dressing should thicken slightly.

3. Once quinoa is cooled, combine with the vegetables in a bowl, crumble in goat cheese, drizzle with dressing, and toss to combine.

Delicious served on a bed of baby arugula or spinach.

Pizza Night

2012-05-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

I made pizza last week. I swear to you, as I am sitting here typing up this post I can actually SMELL pizza. It is possible my neighbors are having pizza, but it's more likely that I'm finally losing my mind. Either way, I really want pizza, like... NOW!

This pizza crust is a great healthy alternative to regular wheat crust. Since its made without yeast, meaning it doesn't need time to rise, it's quick and easier to throw together too. I would normally never dream of making a from-scratch pizza crust on a weeknight after work, but I did that here and dinner was ready before I knew it. Give this a try if you're trying to cut back on white flour like me, or if you just enjoy the chewy wholesome bite of whole grains.

The pizza you see here is topped with a simple white sauce, plus loads of sautéed mushrooms and spinach. To be honest though, I think I missed the tomato sauce. I might have even enjoyed the boys version more (not photographed), which had tomato sauce, spicy capicolo, and roasted peppers. For next time I'm thinking spicy chicken sausage, fennel and olives... or maybe a seafood pizza, the options are endless.

I love pizza night.

100% Spelt Pizza Crust

Another benefit of this recipe is that the absence of yeast makes a less elastic dough, which is VERY easy to roll out. No more tossing and tugging!

Makes 2 X 12 Inch Round Pizza Crusts

Ingredients

2 Cups whole grain spelt flour, plus more for kneading

2 Teaspoons baking powder

3/4 Teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 Teaspoon sugar

1 Cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

1/4 Cup whole milk

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 Egg

1. Combine the spelt flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl - or the bowl of a stand mixture - and whisk until combined. Push the mixture up the sides of the bowl to make a well. In a separate bowl, beat together the ricotta, milk, oil and the egg until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the centre of the well. Mix gently, gradually incorporating the flour into the wet ingredients, until a moist dough forms.

2. Fit your mixer with the dough hook attachment and set the bowl on the stand, kneading on medium for between 30 seconds to 1 minute, or just until the dough comes together in a smooth, but still tacky, ball. Alternately, lightly flour your hands and briefly knead the dough by hand for 7 to 10 turns, to get the same result.

Note: During this step I added 1-2 tablespoons additional flour to my dough, as I found it was too moist and was sticking to the sides of the bowl.

3. Cover your dough and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, this step is meant to let the bran in the whole spelt flour soften up. Meanwhile, you can prepare all of your other pizza ingredients and preheat the oven.

4. Unwrap the dough and divide into two parts. Begin to roll one half of the dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper with a rolling pin. Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin as you go, turning and rolling in each direction until the dough is a large uniform circle. Lift the parchment and use it to slide the pizza onto a pizza pan or peel, it should slide off easily. Repeat with second pizza crust.

Cover pizzas with sauce, cheese, and your favourite toppings. Bake at 500 F. until toppings are cooked and the crust is crisp and golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

Easy Little Dark Chocolate Mousse Cups

2012-05-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

Some days call for indulgence. Maybe you’ve stuck to your diet for a whole entire month and deserve a treat. Perhaps you passed economics with flying colours, went through with a tough-to-make-decision, or have a special anniversary to celebrate. Or maybe its just a rainy Thursday.

Whatever your reason, these light, creamy little cups of heaven will fit the bill. They are simple enough to make, but to me, feel oh so special.

My mom used to make chocolate mousse from time to time when I was growing up. Most likely it was the Jell-O brand kind from a box, but I don’t remember having any problem with that. What I do remember is creeping to the fridge and taking a big chocolatey spoonful before it was “ready”, and praying I wouldn’t get caught.

As an adult – if that’s what I’m calling myself these days – Chocolate mousse holds a certain nostalgia, while still feeling like a very elegant and grown up dessert.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

8 Ounces best-quality dark chocolate, chopped

¼ Cup unsalted butter

3 Eggs, seperated

1 ½ Cups Heavy cream (I used 33%)

3 Tablespoons icing sugar

1. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Combine chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl and set on top of the pot to form a double boiler. Stir often, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs yolks, cream, and sugar. Slowly add the egg-cream mixture to the melted chocolate, stirring constantly.

3. In another bowl, whip the egg whites until they hold very stiff peaks. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

4. Pour into individual serving bowls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Top with whipped cream and berries for serving.

Recipe adapted from Chocolate.

I'm Back!

2012-04-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

Hello there! How are you? I missed you! I had to take an unplanned vacation from my beloved little bloggy world for a while, but life has re-arranged itself quite nicely and I'm confident I will be seeing you all much more from now on :) Now that things have settled down and I'm back in full cooking-baking action, I'd like to share my latest foodie adventures with you.

Although they are really not that adventuresome. Maybe adventures is too strong a word. Let's call them... goings on.

Moving on.... I went to San Francisco. And it was GORGEOUS! The sun came out to say hello. It was a glorious little break from Vancouver rain.

We dined on many a patio. I wore tank tops. And sunglasses. It was lovely.

Brunch at MarketBar at the Ferry Building. I think this was a glorious shrimp and avocado omelette. And pancakes and bacon for the boy as per usual.

The Entertainment.

The Ferry Building.

Me looking like a kid in a candy store at Miette.

Caffeinated at Blue Bottle Coffee Co. Loved the New Orleans style iced coffee!

Back off Mr. Seagull. Get your own cake.

Touristy stuff at The Pier.

Of course, it fogged over right when we reached the viewpoint for Alcatraz and the bridge, so these are the best photos we've got. Bummer.

I was shocked by the line-ups for the Street Car. I think we waited over an hour. Pure insanity. Also, no one told me it doesn't rain here. It mists. I was damp all over but never felt a single rain drop fall. Totally bizarre.

We had a wonderfully romantic little dinner a Cafe Zuni: Oysters on the half shell. A mountain of crispy little fries. A lovely bottle of wine. The most scrumptious, flavorful, amazing chicken you will ever taste. And a tart little lemon meringue dessert to end it all perfectly.

The infamous Café Zuni chicken was no doubt the culinary highpoint of this trip. It took some sweet talking to swing this reservation, but boy am I glad I did. The chicken takes an hour from when you order it, as they make each one to order. And then you are served this mountain of the most flavourful, tender chicken and crispiest skin, on a bed of bread salad with sweet little currents and tender greens. We were seriously moaning with each bite. Boy, our neighboring tables must have felt awkward.

You can find a copy cat recipe for this chicken Here or Here. I am SO going to have to give this a shot at home.

Here it is in all its glory:

And here we are. Sorry for the fuzzy photo, it was taken by our very kind waiter.

Afterwards, we saw some cool local artist perform at some cool local venue. I felt cool.

I'm really not.

Brunch at Bar Tartine was a must. Behold: Henry's french toast with caramelized apples and whipped mascarpone-something-or-other, and my less photogenic eggs Benedict. Absolutely loved the caraway hollandaise, lighter than normal, and the sprouted bread it was served on. Yum!

We hit up the bakery aswell, but it was too packed for photos. Either that or I was too distracted by pastries. So instead I'll show you a picture of my blood orange mimosa... boy do I love my bubbly!

Bi-Rite Ice Cream!

A delectable Trio: Salted Caramel, Vanilla with Peanut Brittle and Fudge Swirl, Brown Sugar with Caramel Ginger Swirl. I could do with more of this right about now.

Oh, and I met Joy the Baker! I ventured accross the city on my own one night to make it to her book signing. I was a huge dork, but she is an absolute sweetheart!

Union Square Sunshine...

It was such a fun trip, now I'm itching to get out of town again!

I'll see you all very soon. Until then I've got one word for you: Chocolate.

XO,

What I Really Eat

2012-03-05T16:17:00.002-08:00

As much as I'd like to, I don't eat cupcakes for every meal.

A girl can't survive off pie, cake pops and lattes for long. My sugar rush always seems to come to a crashing halt sooner than I expect, which can make these long, busy winter days pretty hard to get through.

Most weekdays I'm lucky if I have time to throw dinner together at all. Too many times I’ve ended up starving at 7PM, searching my cupboards for something (Anything?!) that can be made into a healthy meal in 5 minutes or less.

This is never very successful.

I have been known to down an entire bag of tortilla chips with salsa, a spoonful of peanut butter and a handful of chocolate chips. Then call it "dinner". So nutritious!

For this reason, my favourite favourite favourite thing to do is to take a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon and prep a big pot of soup and a hearty grain or noodle salad to last us the week. If I have the time I like to throw together some muffins or bars for a healthy snack, too.

Being prepared makes me SO HAPPY. Seriously. It might be unnatural the amount of joy I get from having a fully stocked fridge. It chases my worries away. The world could crumble to bits and at least we would have delicious food.

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Yams and Chickpeas

I enjoyed this salad a number of ways... Most common was on the go, straight out of a tupperware container in my backpack. But it was also delicious warmed slightly, with a poached egg or two nestled on top (let the yolky part run into the salad, so good), or with warm roasted beets and extra feta. Mmm. Easy, healthy, and seriously yummy.

Ingredients

Dressing:

2 Tablespoons white wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon honey

2 cloves garlic, pressed or very finely chopped

½ Teaspoon each salt and pepper

½ Cup olive oil

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, slowly add olive oil while mixing vigorously to form an emulsion. Or combine all ingredients and use an immersion blender to mix well.

Salad:

½ Cup quinoa

About 2 cups yams, peeled and cubed (for me this was 3 small yams, 2 larger ones would do)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

½ Teaspoon each, sea salt and pepper

2 Cans chickpeas (14oz), drained and rinsed

1 Carrot, peeled and grated

1 ½ Cups spinach leaves, cleaned well and coarsely chopped

½ Cup parsley, chopped

½ Cup feta cheese, crumbled

½ Cup sunflower seeds, toasted

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Toss yams in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a large baking sheet and roast until tender, about 20 minutes, turning once. Allow to cool.

3. Combine chickpeas, vegetables, sunflower seeds and feta with the quinoa and yams in a large bowl. Toss with dressing.

Enjoy at room temperature or warmed slightly. Follow with a handful of chocolate chips for good measure ;)

Recipe adapted from the Whitewater Cooks Cookbook.

I'm off to beautiful San Francisco later this week. I've never been and will have lots of time to explore. If you have a favourite restaurant or foodie place (or just a place) to visit please share in the comments!! I'll be sure to share the highlights of my trip on the blog. Hoping that it stays sunny for us :) So excited! Have a lovely week friends!

XO,

Maia

Think Pink

2012-02-10T22:37:00.000-08:00

I am a not ashamed to say that I am a girly girl.

I loved Barbies. And the Spice Girls.

I love pink lip gloss. And pink nail polish. And sparkly pink stilettos.

Pink roses. Pink Balloons. Cupcakes with swirly pink frosting topped with pink sprinkles. Giant tufts of soft pink cotton candy. LOVE. IT. ALL.

Now, I don’t indulge the Barbie doll in me on a daily basis. My apartment is not explosion of pink satin and sequins. And I don’t dress like Elle Woods. I do have some taste, after all.

But in February? When everywhere you look its red-pink-hearts-hugging teddy bears-chocolate kisses –I love you-pink-pink-PINK-XOXO!!!!

Well, why not embrace it? That’s all I’m saying.

My boyfriend and I have never made a huge deal out of Valentines day. I mean, we love each other everyday, right? Besides, after Christmas and my birthday in January, our wallets have generally had enough of gift giving. We do try to spend the evening together though, going out for a nice meal, or cooking one at home together.

These SWEET treats would not be a bad way to end the night with your sweetheart.

Emphasis on the sweet.

As you can see, they are PINK and coated in sprinkles and so very very cute.

This was my first attempt at making cake pops and I would really like to tell you all that this was like, SO totally easy! I could make cake pops in my sleep! Hah! But sadly, it just isn’t so.

Sure, making a cake is simple enough.

Whip up some frosting? No problem.

Mush em together? Done!

Roll it into balls? Tricky, but I thiiiink I can manage that.

Now, take those balls and plunge a lollipop stick into them.Then hold them by the stick and dip them into a bowl of melted candy. And whatever you do, DON’T LET THE CAKE FALL OFF THE STICK OR THE CANDY WILL BE RUINED!!!

Did you manage that without having an aneurism? Almost? Ok, good. Now, you don’t want a bunch of lumpy candy coating on those balls, do you? So take the stick and TAP AND TURN TAP AND TURN TAP AND TURN. Not too hard, not too fast. Gently, I said gently!

Whew! Got it? If so, then you’re doing better that I did the first time around.

I swear, so many explatives were coming from my kitchen, Henry actually forbid my from ever making cake pops again. FORBID ME.

But then he tasted them.

Pretty sure I’ll be making cake pops again.

Red Velvet Cake

Whenever possible, to save on time and clean up, I like to make my cake recipes into 1 bowl cake recipes. This one comes close - I place a small handheld sieve (you can use a sifter if you have one) over the bowl of wet ingredients, and sift directly into the bowl. But the wet ingredients still need to be combined seperately and incorporated slowly.

Ingredients

1 ½ Cups sugar

1 Cup vegetable or sunflower oil

2 Eggs, room temperature

1 ½ Cups AP flour

3 Tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder

1 Teaspoon baking powder

1 Teaspoon baking soda

½ Teaspoon salt

1 Cup buttermilk

1 ½ Tablespoons red food colouring (or an equal amount of water with 1 Teaspoon gel food colouring mixed in)

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoons white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease and flour a 9X13" pan (or 2 - 9" round pans).

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a large bowl with a hand mixer), combine butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add eggs 1 at a time, followed by the vanilla.

3. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, vinegar, and red food colouring. Remove mixer bowl from stand (if you are using one) and sift dry ingredients directly into the bowl. Return the bowl to its stand and gradually pour in the wet ingredients, while mixing on low speed. Continue to mix until batter is smooth (it will be liquidy).

4. Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pan halfway through to bake evenly. Cool in pan for a few minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

You will only need about half of this frosting (around 2 cups). There is of course the option of cutting the recipe in half, or you can do like I did and stick the rest in your freezer for a frosting emergency :)

Ingredients

1 (500 gram) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 Cup butter, room temperature
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 Cups icing sugar, sifted

1. Cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla.
2. With mixer on low, add the icing sugar 1 cup at a time. Beat until smooth.

Making the Cake Pops

You will need:

* Lollipop Sticks (mine were 6 inch)
* 2 - 12 oz. bags of Candy Melts (I used Wilton)

1. Once the cake has cooled completely, crumble it into a large bowl. Mix in the frosting in until evenly distributed. I began doing this with a spatula, but resorted to using my hands in the end. I got a bit messy, but it was quite fun!

2. Line a large cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Roll spoonfuls of cake between the palms of your hands to form balls, mine were a little smaller than golf ball sized. Stick a lollipop stick into each ball, about two thirds of the way through. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes to set.

3. Melt the candy melts in the microwave according to package directions (be sure to use a microwave safe bowl). Stir well to get a smooth consistency.

4. Once the cake balls have set well, begin to coat them in the candy. The trick seems to be to hold them by the sticks and dip them straight in and out of candy, without swirling or turning them at all. Then to hold the stick against the edge of the bowl and (as I said) gently tap and turn to get rid of any excess candy. You might find this video from Bakerella helpful.

5. Place the finished cake pops on a stirofoam stand or a box with holes cut in it to dry. Then serve and enjoy :)

Have a very happy, love filled, sparkly pink Valentine's day everyone!

XO,

Maia

It's My Birthday and I'll Bake If I Want To

2012-02-06T22:25:00.000-08:00

I am a liar.

It is not my Birthday.

However, it was my Birthday... about 2 weeks ago now. Oops! Time flies! BUT I kinda maybe really wanted to use this title. So I am gonna just go ahead and do as I please. It is my Birthday after all.

I mean, it's really not. But it was. And was it ever a great Birthday! One of my best.

It wasn't hard to beat, considering last year I spent the day at home with a recurring case of bronchitis. Pretty much anything would have been better than that. But it really was a great weekend. Old friends, new friends, a decadent brunch, a fabulous dinner here (so good I forgot to take pictures!), and oodles of presents! This girl was spoiled. Thank you to all my wonderful friends for making my day so special. You know who you are ;) Love love love you all.

Okay enough with the warm fuzzies. Let's get to the cake! I know that's why you're all here.

I actually whipped up this cake the day after my Birthday, when my girlfriends and I gathered at my house for a lil' slumber party. It was just like in the good old days: Movies, junk food, prancing around my bedroom in hair curlers and nightgowns, singing into hair brushes about boys we met on summer nights a la Sandy & crew in Grease...

Okay, maybe that last part didn't really happen.

Ahem... moving on. I was a teensy bit distracted when I made this cake, which resulted in a few... hiccups. FULL DISCLOSURE: This cake was SALTY. And not intentionally so.

While making my much beloved Swiss Meringue Buttercream, I mistakenly grabbed salted butter from the fridge instead of unsalted. And I failed to notice until it was all almost mixed in. Now I wouldn't say this ruined the frosting, but it certainly made it more... interesting. After the first couple bites the salt was unnoticeable, and you just wanted more More MORE cake! Sodium will do that I guess. Anyway, it wasn't inedible (far from!), but I wouldn't recommend you try it on purpose. It can't be good for you.

The other problem I found was that the layers didn't rise quite as much as I would have liked. I am not sure if this was a cocoa/ leavener issue (hmm apparently leavener is not a word. good to know), or perhaps my oven temperature? Either way, they were a bit flat. For this reason, I didn't level them off as I normally would have, not wanting to lose any precious cake. Regardless, I really do like this cake recipe. It is nice and rich and moist, and is so easy to throw together. It would be nice if it were thick enough to split into four decent sized layers though. I will probably give it a shot again with some modifications, I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, you can check out the original recipes. If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know how it works for you. Or if you have a dark chocolate cake recipe you love, send it my way!

One Bowl Dark Chocolate Cake from Sweetapolita

Swiss Meringue Buttercream from Martha Stewart

Chocolate Glaze From Martha Stewart

Enjoy the rest of your week. I'll be back with some Valentine's treats very soon!

XO,

Maia

A Cure for the January Blues: Tomato Basil Risotto with Bite Sized Sausage Meatballs

2012-01-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

There is snow on the ground. Not slush. Not sleet or hail. Real Snow. And you know what, I actually don’t mind. Sure, it makes commuting a bit of a pain. But it’s only a couple of inches so far, and it’s a nice change from the usual months-long-rain-storm we get here in Vancouver. And it is kind of cozy to sit by the "fire" and look out the window at the snow covered hills. It makes me slightly nostalgic for my small-town childhood. But only slightly. The snow here should melt within the week, where as then it would last for at least four months.

* I say "fire" because I will not try to fool you (or myself) into believing that my apartment sized electric fireplace is any excuse for a real fire. Oh, what I would do to be able to warm my hands over a real live flame flickering away in my own living room.

Also, tonight I will be trying out skiing for the first time in, oh I don’t know, ten or twelve years? I am excited and nervous at the same time, wish me luck!

This dish will serve to fill my belly and hopefully sustain me for the multitude of falls I’ll be taking. It is surprisingly simple and quick to whip up, and is seriously delicious.

Tomato Basil Risotto with Bite Sized Sausage Meatballs

I used whole foods Lemon Herb Turkey Sausages, because of the lemon herb flavour, and also the leanness of turkey. I find whole foods chicken and turkey sausages really nice and moist compared to the average. But any sausage will really work here. For the tomato sauce, I used leftovers of some homemade marinara. Your favourite jarred tomato sauce will work great, and even plain old canned tomatoes will do, but they may need some extra seasoning. I am also loving the way a touch of lemon zest can brighten up a tomato based sauce, you really must give it a try!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp oil

1-2 Tbsp butter

1 Small onion, diced small

2 Cloves garlic

Salt and pepper

1 Cup arborio rice

1 Cup tomato sauce

3 Cups vegetable or chicken stock – brought to a simmer and kept warm in a small pot

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Small bunch fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

A handful of fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (about ½ - ¾ cup)

Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving

4-5 Large uncooked sausages

1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a heavy pot or dutch oven over med-high heat. When oil is hot, add 1 Tbsp of butter and let it foam. Add the onions and garlic and reduce heat to medium. Sautee, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. Careful not to let them brown.

2. Add the Arborio rice to the pot and continue to stir often, until the rice begins to toast lightly.

3. Add the tomato sauce, lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and stir until the rice has absorbed most of the sauce.

4. Keep the heat at medium-low. Add the warm stock about ½ cup at a time – stirring often and letting the liquid absorb fully before each addition. If the rice begins to stick, don’t be afraid to add more butter, about a teaspoon at a time. It will make your dish wonderfully creamy.

5. While the rice is cooking, start to form your sausages into little balls. Make sure you remove all of the sausage casing first, then divide each one into about 6-1 inch balls (Mine may be a little smaller, as I wanted truly bite sized). Shape the balls by rolling them between the palms of your hands.

6. After the last addition of stock add in the cherry tomatoes, about half of the basil, and a handful of Parmesan. Taste the seasoning and adjust if needed. Stir over low heat a little longer, the rice should be thick and creamy, and all of the liquid should be absorbed.

7. Heat more olive oil in a pan over med-high heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook, turning when needed, until browned on all sides. Squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the meatballs to de-glaze the pan; you can also use red or white wine for this. Once the juice has cooked off, remove the meatballs to a dish and repeat with the remaining ones.

Top each dish of risotto with meatballs, more basil and Parmesan, and dig in!

Serves 2 huge portions (with leftovers), or 4 normal people.

All Wrapped Up

2011-12-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

Here’s a little peek at what my nearest and dearest will be receiving this Christmas.

Two types of Cookies done up in cute little bundles.

I used little paper bags, folded over and tied with twine, and adorned with these adorable gift tags I downloaded from Eat Drink Chic (thanks Pinterest!). I also decorated the bags with a bit of coordinating Washi Tape. LOVE this stuff. Must get more.

For Friends.

For Co-workers.

For Me!

We are having a little get together at our house tonight and I am very excited to celebrate the Holidays with good friends. And for even more so for the Christmas fun in the days to come. Merry Christmas Eve-Eve everyone! I hope you have a very happy holiday full of love and presents and delicious food!

See ya in the New Year!

XO,

Maia

Can I offer you a Cookie?

2011-12-23T08:49:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of december my holiday baking list looked something like this:

Caramels

Toffee

2 Kinds of Fudge

2 Kinds of Truffles

3 Kinds of cookies

2 Kinds of bars

3 Cakes

When I realized that I had gone ABSOLUTELY INSANE, the list got paired down to:

Toffee

1 Kind of Fudge

3 Kinds of Cookies

1 Kind of bars

2 Cakes

And finally:

2 Kinds of Cookies

1 Kind of bars

2 Cakes

This plan yielded less than the jaw-dropping results I was going for. But it allowed for me to sleep some nights, which is nice. The cakes are non-negotiable, as they are for parties we are invited to. The bars – this blueberry bar recipe but with cranberry and orange instead – for a company function. Delish! And the cookies to gift to family and friends over the holidays.

Deciding on which cookie recipe to make is usually the hard part, but this year it was decided for me. In my oppinion, peanut butter cookies are probably the least Christmas-y of the cookie family. In fact these guys, with their orange and yellow spots, are perfect Halloween cookies to me. But… all my boyfriend wanted for Christmas was Peanut Butter Cookies. And I kinda like him. And see, all I want for Christmas is a puppy.

Sooo… Peanut Butter Cookies it will be. And here's to hoping there is a furry friend under the tree for me on Christmas morning!

Peanut Butter Reese’s Pieces Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 Cups all purpose flour

3/4 Teaspoon baking soda

1/2 Teaspoon baking powder

1/4 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened

1 Cup peanut butter, at room temperature

3/4 Cup granulated sugar

1/2 Cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 Large egg

1 Tablespoon milk

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 Cup Reese’s Pieces candies

1/2 Cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. Combine the butter and the peanut butter and beat together until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix until combined, followed by the milk and the vanilla extract.

3. Add the flour mixture ½ cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Stir in the Reese’s Pieces candies and the chocolate chips.

4. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, placing cookies about 2 inches apart. Use the back of a spoon to gently press down on the centre of each cookie, but do not overly flatten the cookies.

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Recipe Adapted from Smitten Kitchen