Monday, January 31, 2011
The many faces of Grizzly
I've had Grizzly for more than 10 years. She was a very quiet cat until she lost her brother. I had to put him down a couple of years ago because he had cancer. Since she lost KitKat as a sidekick, she follows me around, meows all the time, wakes me up in the middle of night, sleeps on me and is just a wonderful furry friend ;) She is lucky she is so cute!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Burlington Buildings
Last weekend, Ben invited me for a long weekend in Burlington, Vermont. Love this little town! and I love the shopping that I can do there!! :) We had a nice weekend filled with relaxing, nice meals and some shopping!
Here's the City Hall
a funky old building
Beautiful old church
Here's the City Hall
a funky old building
Beautiful old church
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Me, myself and I
Ben took this photo of me last weekend - I think he did great - I kind of like this photo even though I'm not at my best! :)
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
One-Bowl Oatmeal Muffins
Finally, I didn't suffer too much this morning when I waited for the bus. The weather is back to "normal"... cold, but not freezing!
If I had a choice on cold weather days, it would be to stay home, watch a movie, and bake something!! These muffins are perfect for a cold day!
They are kind of healthy (depending what you add in) - and they are delicious!
I made mine with some frozen blueberries.
taken from how-to-make-the-best-muffins/
One-Bowl Oatmeal Muffins: Flavor Combinations
■1 cup Raspberries, fresh or frozen; ½ cup Dark Chocolate, chunked or chips
■¾ cup Diced Apple (Granny Smith or Russet) and ½ cup toasted Walnuts, roughly chopped
■¾ cup Dried Cranberries; ½ cup toasted Pecans, roughly chopped
■¾ cup White Chocolate, chopped or chips ; 1 cup Blueberries, fresh or frozen
■½ cup toasted unsweetened Coconut ; ¾ cup Peanut-Butter Chips
■1 cup diced Rhubarb, fresh or frozen ; ½ teaspoon Green Cardamom, freshly ground
■¾ cup Dates, pitted and chopped; ½ cup Pistachios
■¾ cup Golden Raisins; ¾ cup grated Carrot
One-Bowl Oatmeal Muffins: Basic Recipe
Be sure to read the recipe all the way through before getting started. You will note that the oats soak in the milk 1 hour prior to assembling the rest of the ingredients, so take that into consideration before starting out.
Makes 12 medium muffins
1 cup milk*
1 teaspoon white vinegar (added lemon joice)
1 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 large egg, at room temperature
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground
add-ins of your choosing (see above suggestions)
Combine milk, vinegar and oats in a large bowl and let stand one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a twelve-cup muffin tin and line with cupcake papers.
Crack the egg into the oat and milk mixture; add brown sugar and mix to combine. Stir in melted butter.
Sift remaining ingredients into the bowl: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, & spices. Gently fold into batter, taking care not to over mix.
Sprinkle add-in and flavorings of your choice and combine muffin batter gently.
Use a large ice cream scoop or 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop batter into muffin tins. Bake until light brown and tops spring back when gently touched, about 10-12 minutes. Note: Muffins will take slightly longer to bake if you are adding fresh fruit such as blueberries or rhubarb.
Remove from oven and cool in tins. To remove, run a sharp knife around the edges and pop muffins out. Enjoy!
*You may also substitute 1 cup buttermilk, and then omit the vinegar from the recipe.
If I had a choice on cold weather days, it would be to stay home, watch a movie, and bake something!! These muffins are perfect for a cold day!
They are kind of healthy (depending what you add in) - and they are delicious!
I made mine with some frozen blueberries.
taken from how-to-make-the-best-muffins/
One-Bowl Oatmeal Muffins: Flavor Combinations
■1 cup Raspberries, fresh or frozen; ½ cup Dark Chocolate, chunked or chips
■¾ cup Diced Apple (Granny Smith or Russet) and ½ cup toasted Walnuts, roughly chopped
■¾ cup Dried Cranberries; ½ cup toasted Pecans, roughly chopped
■¾ cup White Chocolate, chopped or chips ; 1 cup Blueberries, fresh or frozen
■½ cup toasted unsweetened Coconut ; ¾ cup Peanut-Butter Chips
■1 cup diced Rhubarb, fresh or frozen ; ½ teaspoon Green Cardamom, freshly ground
■¾ cup Dates, pitted and chopped; ½ cup Pistachios
■¾ cup Golden Raisins; ¾ cup grated Carrot
One-Bowl Oatmeal Muffins: Basic Recipe
Be sure to read the recipe all the way through before getting started. You will note that the oats soak in the milk 1 hour prior to assembling the rest of the ingredients, so take that into consideration before starting out.
Makes 12 medium muffins
1 cup milk*
1 teaspoon white vinegar (added lemon joice)
1 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 large egg, at room temperature
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground
add-ins of your choosing (see above suggestions)
Combine milk, vinegar and oats in a large bowl and let stand one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a twelve-cup muffin tin and line with cupcake papers.
Crack the egg into the oat and milk mixture; add brown sugar and mix to combine. Stir in melted butter.
Sift remaining ingredients into the bowl: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, & spices. Gently fold into batter, taking care not to over mix.
Sprinkle add-in and flavorings of your choice and combine muffin batter gently.
Use a large ice cream scoop or 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop batter into muffin tins. Bake until light brown and tops spring back when gently touched, about 10-12 minutes. Note: Muffins will take slightly longer to bake if you are adding fresh fruit such as blueberries or rhubarb.
Remove from oven and cool in tins. To remove, run a sharp knife around the edges and pop muffins out. Enjoy!
*You may also substitute 1 cup buttermilk, and then omit the vinegar from the recipe.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Snow + Apple Trees + Blue Sky = Love!
What can I say - I love the mix of snow, apple trees and blue sky!! :)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Before the Cold...
I am not a big fan of Winter... even less when it's -29C when you leave in the morning (my walk to the bus at 5:40 a.m. to go to the gym was painful)... I would rather have snow!
So here's some shots taken before the cold - these were taken last weekend when it was "warm" and it had just snowed a few centimetres!
Love this park behind my house - the apple trees are beautiful every season!
So here's some shots taken before the cold - these were taken last weekend when it was "warm" and it had just snowed a few centimetres!
Love this park behind my house - the apple trees are beautiful every season!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
Brrrr - boy is it cold today!! -34C with the wind (-29F) - too cold to go for a walk - too cold to do much of anything ... except bake, of course!
When it's cold like that, there is nothing better than to start the oven and heat up the kitchen with some delicious muffins!!
I had some bananas that were quite ripe - so decided to make a recipe I made once or twice before - something with chocolate, of course!
Don't you love my little stand ($5.99 at Winners)?!! Bought it to put some spices but decided today to use it to showcase my muffins!
Hope you all had a great weekend - I had a wonderful one that included lots of shopping!!
Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
adapted from Food.com
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar (used 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas (used 3 bananas)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (used Canola oil)
1 egg
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (used 1 cup regular)
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.
In a small bowl, combine bananas, oil and egg.
Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups three fourths full.
Bake at 350 deg F for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done.
When it's cold like that, there is nothing better than to start the oven and heat up the kitchen with some delicious muffins!!
I had some bananas that were quite ripe - so decided to make a recipe I made once or twice before - something with chocolate, of course!
Don't you love my little stand ($5.99 at Winners)?!! Bought it to put some spices but decided today to use it to showcase my muffins!
Hope you all had a great weekend - I had a wonderful one that included lots of shopping!!
Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
adapted from Food.com
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar (used 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas (used 3 bananas)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (used Canola oil)
1 egg
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (used 1 cup regular)
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.
In a small bowl, combine bananas, oil and egg.
Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups three fourths full.
Bake at 350 deg F for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Mini Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins
I love love love cinnamon!! I never find cinnamon chips in Montreal, but whenever I go down to Vermont, I buy a few bags to make some baked goodies!!
This recipe didn't have any cinnamon chips, but instead of adding some cinnamon - I just added about a cup of cinnamon chips!!
Mini Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins
From 1500 Best Bars, Cookies, Muffins, Cakes & More
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon (didn't use as I used cinnamon chips)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk (used skim)
1/3 cup butter or margarine,melted
Added about 1 cup of cinnamon chips
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, allspice and nutmeg.
Make a well in the center.
In another bowl, combine egg, milk and margarine, beating until well blended.
Add to dry ingredients, stirring only until moistened and blended.
Do not overmix.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling cups to the top.
Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until muffins are done.
NOTE: For an extra delicious muffin, melt 1/4 cup (50 mL) margarine and brush over tops of warm muffins.
Mix together 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon and 2 tbsp (25 mL) sugar and sprinkle over tops.
This recipe didn't have any cinnamon chips, but instead of adding some cinnamon - I just added about a cup of cinnamon chips!!
Mini Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins
From 1500 Best Bars, Cookies, Muffins, Cakes & More
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon (didn't use as I used cinnamon chips)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk (used skim)
1/3 cup butter or margarine,melted
Added about 1 cup of cinnamon chips
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, allspice and nutmeg.
Make a well in the center.
In another bowl, combine egg, milk and margarine, beating until well blended.
Add to dry ingredients, stirring only until moistened and blended.
Do not overmix.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling cups to the top.
Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until muffins are done.
NOTE: For an extra delicious muffin, melt 1/4 cup (50 mL) margarine and brush over tops of warm muffins.
Mix together 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon and 2 tbsp (25 mL) sugar and sprinkle over tops.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Lucky Girl
As you know, I bake almost every Sunday and I bring sweets at the office every Monday. I was surprised before Christmas by the group that I work with with a gift certificate to a wonderful kitchen gadget store!! I was very touched by the gesture of my friends! :)
I finally had a chance to go this weekend - and I got all these goodies (I notice now that a knife is missing from this shot!)!!
I also got a Syrian cookbook
and a pizza cookbook
I am so lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends!! :)
I finally had a chance to go this weekend - and I got all these goodies (I notice now that a knife is missing from this shot!)!!
I also got a Syrian cookbook
and a pizza cookbook
I am so lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends!! :)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Walk in the Fog
A couple of weekends ago, we went for a short walk near Lac St-Louis - this was our view: Fog!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Pizza Night
I love my bread machine. Especially to make pizza dough. Saturday, tried a new recipe (that a nice pea, Val, shared) - and, so far, this is our favorite pizza!! Look at that crust!! Mmmmm!
It was kinda healthy too, as we used turkey pepperoni, some veggies and light cheese!
It was kinda healthy too, as we used turkey pepperoni, some veggies and light cheese!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Pasta Making Day
Last week I bought myself a pasta machine. I have wanted one for a while and finally decided to get it. Yesterday, made some pasta dough in our bread machine and today was the day of the lasagna making!
Even Ben helped out - when I started loosing sensation in my right arm with all that cranking!!
Ignore the mess in my kitchen and the messy hair too!!
Finally got it right after a try. We made it too thin and it fell apart when we boiled it. The second time was just perfect!
We just had the lasagna tonight and it was DELICIOUS!! What a difference fresh pasta makes (but I won't be making this every weekend - it is quite time consuming!!)
Even Ben helped out - when I started loosing sensation in my right arm with all that cranking!!
Ignore the mess in my kitchen and the messy hair too!!
Finally got it right after a try. We made it too thin and it fell apart when we boiled it. The second time was just perfect!
We just had the lasagna tonight and it was DELICIOUS!! What a difference fresh pasta makes (but I won't be making this every weekend - it is quite time consuming!!)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Red Doors
I love these red doors!! Found these on the Trinity Memorial Church in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG).
Friday, January 14, 2011
Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos
Finally Friday! It's been a long week!
Not happy with these photos... but the scotcheroos were delicious!
Found on thegirlwhoateeverything.
Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos
1 cup sugar (used a little less)
1 cup light corn syrup (used half corn syrup and half maple)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (used regular)
1/2 cup Nutella
6 cups crisp chocolate-flavored rice cereal (didn't have chocolate so used regular)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch-flavored chips
sea salt (optional) (forgot to use!)
1. Butter or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
2. In a large saucepan (at least 6 quarts) over medium heat, bring the sugar and corn syrup to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and Nutella, then mix the rice cereal in until completely coated. Press the mixture into the greased pan, making sure the top is smooth.
3. Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips together in a clean, dry bowl set over a double boiler or microwave, stirring gently until smooth and well-blended. Spread over the rice cereal mixture and cool until set. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired.
Source: Cassie Craves; original recipe by David Lebovitz
Not happy with these photos... but the scotcheroos were delicious!
Found on thegirlwhoateeverything.
Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos
1 cup sugar (used a little less)
1 cup light corn syrup (used half corn syrup and half maple)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (used regular)
1/2 cup Nutella
6 cups crisp chocolate-flavored rice cereal (didn't have chocolate so used regular)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch-flavored chips
sea salt (optional) (forgot to use!)
1. Butter or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
2. In a large saucepan (at least 6 quarts) over medium heat, bring the sugar and corn syrup to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and Nutella, then mix the rice cereal in until completely coated. Press the mixture into the greased pan, making sure the top is smooth.
3. Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips together in a clean, dry bowl set over a double boiler or microwave, stirring gently until smooth and well-blended. Spread over the rice cereal mixture and cool until set. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired.
Source: Cassie Craves; original recipe by David Lebovitz
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