Everyday Functionality

You'd never know there's vegetables in this chocolatey goodness! Ever summer we seem to have an abundance of zucchini. I love seeing the flowers bloom, the bees pollinating and the zucchini grow and grow and grow until I have more than I know what to do with! We grill it, roast it, sautee it and shred it. This year my youngest kept reminding me about the delicious chocolate zucchini bread I made one time....

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread You’d never know there’s vegetables in this chocolatey goodness! Ever summer we seem to have an abundance of zucchini. I love seeing the flowers bloom, the bees pollinating and the zucc…

Bananas are a frequently requested fruit in this house.....for a day or two! Which always leaves me with a bunch of overripe bananas to use up. I still didn't have a banana muffin recipe I loved, so decided to play with some ingredients and see what happened. The result was a sweet, moist and super delicious muffin that the kids gobbled up!...

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Bananas are a frequently requested fruit in this house…..for a day or two! Which always leaves me with a bunch of overripe bananas to use up. I still didn’t have a banana muffin recipe …

Sometimes I love creating a dip from scratch and other times I take the easy way out and use store bought! This quick recipe is all about simplicity. Artichoke and Asiago dip topped with cheese and warmed in a sourdough bread bowl. A twist on the classic spinach dip in pumpernickel. By carving out the sourdough loaf you make the bread cubes to dip and can finish every last bit of the dip by ripping the bread bowl into pieces once done and eating it too!...

Easy Artichoke Bread Bowl Dip Sometimes I love creating a dip from scratch and other times I take the easy way out and use store bought! This quick recipe is all about simplicity. Artichoke and Asiago dip topped with cheese and…

When the weather gets colder, it's all about the comfort food. Pot pie is one of our favourites because it is quick and easy to make and tastes so simple and delicious! I make this after we have had a roasted chicken or turkey. I'll cut up the leftover meat into cubes and freeze in a tightly sealed freezer bag. I love when I can make a bigger meal and turn it into two (or more!) easy meals after....

Easy Pot Pie When the weather gets colder, it’s all about the comfort food. Pot pie is one of our favourites because it is quick and easy to make and tastes so simple and delicious! I make this after we h…

I want to bake everything pumpkin and apple in the fall, not surprising, right? I have made many different versions of muffins, loaves, cakes, etc. over the years but I wanted to try a different recipe for an apple loaf. I have a rich, dense pumpkin loaf I love. This time I wanted an apple loaf that that fluffy, light and full of fall spices....

Apple Spice Cake I want to bake everything pumpkin and apple in the fall, not surprising, right? I have made many different versions of muffins, loaves, cakes, etc. over the years but I wanted to try a different re…

I love making granola! It is so versatile, easy and delicious! I often use whatever seeds and nuts I have on hand to keep it simple or use up items that have been sitting for a bit. Add a little cinnamon, nutmeg and you have a quick snack or addition to yogurt for a more filling breakfast. This recipe can be altered for how many or little you like of different nuts and seeds, but keep the honey the same or it will lead to too dry or too sticky granola....

Homemade Granola I love making granola! It is so versatile, easy and delicious! I often use whatever seeds and nuts I have on hand to keep it simple or use up items that have been sitting for a bit. Add a little ci…

I love happy accidents!

I was making Rice Krispie squares a few years ago when, surprise, surprise, I got distracted. The marshmallows started to brown a bit and I thought, crap, they will taste weird. They definitely tasted different, but the browning added a slight caramel flavour, even more than the usual vanilla did. They were so good, I now purposefully let the marshmallows brown a little everytime I make them. Sometimes it's on purpose and sometimes, it's a happy accident in a busy life!

I stick to the classic recipe, with a few more marshmallows added.

1tbsp of butter, melt in a large pot on just below med.
Add 44-46 regular sized marshmallows
Let melt, stirring frequently enough so they don't completely burn!
Remove from heat.
Add 6 cups of Rice Krispie cereal. Stir until completely covered.

I use a silicone spatula and scrape the mixture out of the pot into a 9x11 nonstick pan. Use the spatula to press firmly down. Add sprinkles or mini chocolate chips if you like. Cover, let cool, slice and eat!

This time of year there is so much local, fresh produce I can't help but want to buy it all. It's the first thing I see when I go into the grocery store, or farmer's market and I want all the juicy peaches, plums, cherries, pears and more! This always leads to having way more on hand than we can consume before the fruits start to ripen too much and go bad....

Peach Blueberry Muffins This time of year there is so much local, fresh produce I can’t help but want to buy it all. It’s the first thing I see when I go into the grocery store, or farmer’s market and I …

Every parent reaches that point; do I keep the craft, hide it, throw it away? How do you deal with the never ending crafts, poems, colouring pages, paintings? When your kids are younger you want to keep it all! You feel so guilty not holding onto something your beautiful child created. As the years go by, the stash of crafts gets bigger and bigger before you have no idea what you will do with everything....

School Years Storage Every parent reaches that point; do I keep the craft, hide it, throw it away? How do you deal with the never ending crafts, poems, colouring pages, paintings? When your kids are younger you want to…

These brownies are perfection! Crispy outer edge, soft, fudgy center perfect on their own or as the base of the most awesome sundae. Such a simple recipe to make and they bake perfectly every time. This recipe involves a lot of butter, eggs and sugar but it is so worth it! This recipe makes a 9x9 pan or ~48 mini muffin cup size brownies....

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies These brownies are perfection! Crispy outer edge, soft, fudgy center perfect on their own or as the base of the most awesome sundae. Such a simple recipe to make and they bake perfectly every time.…

My husband tried this style of salad at a friend's house and loved it, so requested I try my hand at it. He had a general idea of the ingredients, so I guessed portions and found a balance we like. It is super easy to make, tastes best after it has sat at least overnight to absorb the flavours and because it's not dairy based, you can easily serve it in warm weather without worrying about it spoiling as fast....

Vinaigrette Potato Salad My husband tried this style of salad at a friend’s house and loved it, so requested I try my hand at it. He had a general idea of the ingredients, so I guessed portions and found a balance we…

I usually start my posts off with a picture of the finished meal. This time, I featured a picture of the Chef! This week we started having our daughters each pick, prep and cook dinner once per week. They are 11 and almost 13 now and becoming quite adept in the kitchen. We wanted to increase their cooking knowledge and give them a better appreciation for all the work that goes into getting dinner on the table each night....

English Muffin Pizzas I usually start my posts off with a picture of the finished meal. This time, I featured a picture of the Chef! This week we started having our daughters each pick, prep and cook dinner once per wee…