“Mom Guilt” on Simple Mom

By in Life 2 Comments

I”m guest posting on Simple Mom today. Although it”s completely non-food related, it is a topic near and dear to my heart. I”d love to see you there and hear your thoughts.

“In talking to moms, like myself, I’ve realized that we all struggle with feelings of guilt from time to time. Although it’s a positive sign that we’re trying to do our best, we need to learn to let it go so that we can be our best.

A guilty conscience can bring you down mentally, physically and spiritually, and can affect every person in your family. It’s important to distinguish whether the guilt is founded in truth.

Here’s how to wrestle with the issues behind the guilt we face as moms…“

Read more on Simple Mom.

Caramel Cappuccino Walnut Bars

By in Christmas, Cookies & Bars, Sweets 11 Comments Tags: , , ,

Well folks my kitchen is almost *almost* done. My hubby has been working hard to get everything done and has done an amazing job. It”s been less then two weeks and everything is nearly complete. There are only a couple of finishing touches that I want complete before I share the photos with you, so you”ll have to hold on to your shorts for a little while longer. Thankfully the kitchen is in working order and I was able to whip up some of these Caramel Cappuccino Walnut Bars in my brand new oven. Yay!

I haven”t had an oatmeal bar this good in a really long time. They”re intoxicating. I”m not a coffee drinker but I have always loved flavoured cappuccino”s, caramel being one of my favourites. The fact that these are fudgey like a brownie and taste of a Caramel Cappuccino (without the searing heat) definitely makes these a decadent snack. I think it would be amazing with a scoop of ice cream or even as an ice cream sandwich. And, it would pack perfectly for a Fathers Day picnic or barbecue.

What are some of your favourite oat bar recipes?

Caramel Cappuccino Walnut Bars

adapted from Better Home & Gardens

  • 3 cups rolled oats

  • 2 1/3 cups flour

  • 1.5 cups chopped walnuts, divided

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup butter, softened

  • 2 cups brown sugar, packed

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

  • 3/4 cup caramel topping

  1. Mix together oats, flour, 1 cup walnuts, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

  2. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, instant coffee and vanilla until well blended.

  3. Stir in oat mixture until all is evenly moistened (it will be quite sticky).

  4. Remove 2 cup of the batter and set aside. Scrape the remaining batter into a greased 15×10 inch pan. Smooth and spread with a rubber spatula until level.

  5. Pour caramel topping over all and dollop remaining 2 cups of batter over top, flattening a bit as you go. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup walnuts.

  6. Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes until edges are set and when a toothpick inserted in the centre produces fudgey crumbs.

Makes: 32 bars

Print Recipe

Barbecue Bean Salad

By in GF Sides, Gluten Free, Sides 10 Comments Tags: , ,

Our family is in the midst of kitchen renovations. We started tearing out the kitchen cupboards last weekend and are currently in the process of laying the flooring so we can get all the cupboards and appliances in over this coming weekend.

Right now, I”m doing food prep on the dining room table, dishes in the bathroom sink and haven”t done any laundry in almost a week (laundry hookups are in the kitchen). I”m more then ecstatic to get my new kitchen but I really don”t mind living in limbo. It makes it feel much more like home because we LOVE renovating!

This Barbecue Bean Salad is so easy to make and perfect to go along with whatever you have on the grill for supper. It can be made ahead but I highly advise tossing the tortilla chips in at the last minute or they”ll get soggy.

Thankfully my fridge and stove are so small that we can drag them in and out of the kitchen as needed, so I cooked up the dressing and then started the oven to slow-cook some beef dip to serve up beside. Such a perfect dinner at the (near) end of a hard working day.

P.S. To satisfy your curiosity (because I know I would be) I”ll be posting before and after pictures once the kitchen is complete.

Barbecue Bean Salad

adapted from Taste of Home

Barbecue Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil

  • 2 tablespoons ketchup

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

  • 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard

  • 1/2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

  • 1 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper

  • 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

  1. Heat all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Lower heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes to meld flavours. Allow to cool slightly before using.

Salad

  • 2 cans beans, rinsed and drained

  • 1 small can corn (about 1/2 cup), drained

  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped

  • 1/2 onion, chopped

  • 1 cup crushed tortilla chips

  1. Stir together all ingredients except chips. Add dressing and toss to coat. Stir in chips just before serving.

Makes: 7 servings

* I used one can of kidney beans and one can chickpeas.

Print Recipe

Rhubarb Crunch Coffee Cake

By in Breakfast, Cakes, Easter, Snacks, Sweets 20 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Rhubarb Crunch Coffe Cake

One of the {food} things I miss most about not being in Canada is watching the Food Network. I have a couple of favourite Canadian chefs and I often go back to the website to check out their new recipes. When I saw that Food Network had a Cooking Club Challenge every month and that they were cooking a recipe of Anna Olson’s {one of my all time favourite chef’s} I felt inspired to join the ranks.

The original recipe is for a Sour Cream Apple Coffee Cake but I adapted it to be a bit more seasonal by replacing the apples with chopped fresh rhubarb and adding a bit more brown sugar to balance it out. The crunch of walnuts along with the light crumb, crusty caramelized outer shell and slight tartness from the rhubarb make this perfect for a spring brunch or afternoon snack.

Rhubarb Crunch Coffee Cake

adapted from Sugar

Cake
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  1. Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time.
  2. Add vanilla and sour cream. Stir to combine.
  3. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir into wet ingredients just until incorporated.
Crunch Topping
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup walnut pieces
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  1. Combine ingredients until evenly moistened.
Rhubarb
  • 2 cups diced rhubarb
  • 2 tablespoon brown sugar
  1. Stir together rhubarb and brown sugar.
Assembly
  1. Spoon half of the cake batter into a greased 8 inch square cake pan. Smooth top.
  2. Sprinkle half of the crunch topping over batter in pan. Top with remaining batter and smooth out.
  3. Combine remaining crunch topping and rhubarb. Sprinkle over all.
  4. Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350ºF until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

Makes: 9-12 servings

* I made mine in two 6 inch round cake pans but they overflowed quite a bit so I would suggest sticking with the 8 inch square.

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Sun-dried Tomato, Feta and Basil Bruschetta

By in Appetizers, Sides, Valentine's 17 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Sun-dried Tomato Bruschetta

Last week I put the call out on Facebook for some trusted company-worthy eats. There were many delicious suggestions but this one from Natasha (a fellow Canadian ex-pat living in Switzerland) really stuck out to me because a) there was a link to the recipe and b) it contained sun-dried tomatoes, which I love and James hates.

Being the bad wife that I am, I like to make at least one dish that James doesn’t like when company comes over because I know that I’ll have someone to help me finish it. After all, I’m cooking for them not him, right? (Although it sounds more like I’m cooking for me.)

James, being the good husband that he is, usually tries a piece anyways, and I couldn’t believe when he reached for seconds, thirds and fourths of this dish.

I wouldn’t have needed to make anything else, because this was really all we wanted to eat. Even Max was unhappy with his bowl of usually pre-occupying spaghetti and kept reaching for the plate full of bruschetta.

Who could blame him? A crusty slice of baguette topped with a pungent and robust Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade. Such simple ingredients melding together to make one mouthwatering bite.

This would be a great appetizer or side dish to serve alongside a summer barbecue. You could even keep the house cool by popping it on the grill once the meat is done and resting. I have some leftover tapenade in my freezer and I have a feeling it’s going to make it’s way onto some homemade pizza very soon.

I know we’ll be having this often, to the disdain of all those within a five mile radius of our breath. Goodbye friends, it’s been nice knowing you.

Sun-dried Tomato, Feta and Basil Bruschetta

inspired by Natasha Kay

  • 1-9 inch baguette
  • olive oil, to drizzle
  • sun-dried tomato tapenade (1/3 of recipe below)
  1. Slice the baguette into 1 inch pieces at a diagonal. Brush or drizzle lightly with olive oil. Top with tapenade.
  2. Bake at 350ºF for 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4

Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade

adapted from allrecipes

  • 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 6 ounces feta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons dried basil (or 6 tablespoons fresh)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  1. Remove the tomatoes from oil (reserving 1/3 cup oil) and chop finely.
  2. Stir together tomatoes, 1/3 cup reserved oil, red pepper, and garlic. Crumble feta over top and add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.
  3. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Can be made a couple of days in advance. Stir before using.

Makes enough for 3- 9 inch baguettes

Print Recipe

Make sure to check out Natasha’s blog Domestica. She did a disturbing yet intriguing “McMold” experiment with a McDonalds Cheeseburger and Fries. You may be surprised by the results.. or not.

Cottage Cheese & Yogurt Parfait on Simple Bites

By in Breakfast, Simple Bites 3 Comments

I”m over at Simple Bites today talking about breakfast on the go.

“Sometimes no matter how hard we try our mornings get rushed and we don’t have time to sit down for breakfast. If you have a teenager you probably have difficulty getting them out of bed in the morning which usually means breakfast is scarfed down at the last minute, or skipped completely.

Your kids can still enjoy a healthy breakfast while riding on the bus or once they get to their destination. If you have something to hand them on their way out the door, you can be at ease knowing they’ll have a healthy start to their day.“

For a list of on the go breakfast ideas and the recipe for these Cottage Cheese & Yogurt Parfait”s head over to Simple Bites.
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