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Posts Tagged ‘food’

New Year’s Trifle: If I Can Make It, You Can.

Friday, December 30th, 2011

I love food, more specifically dessert. It’s a good thing I’m not very good in the kitchen or else I’d be a life-sized Weeble. As it’s New Year’s Eve Eve, we’re getting ready for our New Year’s Eve family party so I decided to try my hand at making Kraft Canada’s Dulce de Leche Trifle. They sent me some of their Easy Oreo Truffles which I loved so much the kids and I tried making our own as part of our homemade gifts for the teachers this holiday season. The folks at Kraft Canada sent along some of the ingredients for the trifle to encourage me to give the recipe a try. And it worked since I did try making it today.

The hardest part was making the Dulce de Leche. I think I may have overcooked mine but that didn’t stop me from putting the whole thing together. That’s one of my New Year’s resolutions, to not get so easily discouraged and follow-through on a task. The kids helped by grating chocolate on the top. Fingers crossed that it turns out for our party tomorrow (it’s sitting in the refrigerator) but we had fun making it. Kraft might be turning me into a life-sized Weeble after all!

triffle_new_years

Tags: christmas, food, food and kids, happy new year, just me
Posted in family, food, fun stuff, just me, raising kids | No Comments »

President’s Choice Black Label for the Holidays

Saturday, November 26th, 2011

Loblaws is not my main grocery store partly because it has such a limited selection (beyond it’s own brand) and partly because the store closest to me is so very disappointing. But all that changes when it comes to the holidays. When the decorations go up and the holiday music comes on, I’m in the mode for festive food. We drink eggnog and bake cookies. We have snacks of varied crackers and exotic cheeses. The holidays to me are as much about the music and lights and family time as they are about food. I love receiving the Insider’s Report to see what delicious new items are coming out to indulge my holiday feast tooth.

As of October this year, President’s Choice released a new line of fine food products with holiday entertaining and gift giving in mind, the black label line. According to their press release: The black label line offers an epicurean adventure for people who are passionate about food and seek the ultimate culinary inspiration and experiences, without paying specialty store prices. The line reportedly covers more than 200 items, covering baking and confectionary, marinades and pastas, spices and more.

I’m not a big foodie but I love food. With three kids I tend to make stir fry a lot and the President’s Choice black label 100% Pure Almond Oil (carefully crafted artisan oil made from slow-roasted almonds) is a new favourite for vegetables. We also had a chance to try the President’s Choice black label Quebec Wild Blueberry Jam (a spread made from wild blueberries picked then frozen at the peak of season in Quebec). I must admit the fresh blueberry taste took me by surprise.

There are even some lovely treats for including in family gift baskets, like the President’s Choice black label Marcona Almonds, the President’s Choice black label Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies and the President’s Choice black label Cheese & Black Pepper All Butter Biscuits. These last biscuits may not make it into any gift baskets this year. They remind me of one of my favourite snacks, cheese pennies. The problem is eating them sparingly. Oh and lets not forget the President’s Choice black label Pomegranate Lemon Sparkling Beverage; another holiday staple in our house this year. All this food talk is making me a little hungry.

With December arriving next Thursday, I think I’ll be making my way to Loblaws to puruse what other delectable black label treats might be available (did someone say Bacon Marmalade?).

You can learn more about the President’s Choice black label brand by visiting their site www.pc.ca/blacklabel

Tags: Christmas shopping, food
Posted in Christmas gifts, christmas food, food, getting ready for Christmas | No Comments »

Holiday Cheer: Food & Wine pairings 2009

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

A nice glass of wine can really add to a meal but sometimes what’s nice with one meal isn’t as delightful with another. I’ve attended a wine and meal pairing dinner and it really can make a difference having the right wine with your roast or fish or chocolates. It’s just a matter of trying to figure out the pairings at home.

Then the answer appeared in my email yesterday. Jaren(a Sommelier who’s a friend of a friend of a friend) sent out her 2009 Food and Wine pairing list for the holiday season and now I’m here to share it with you (with her permission of course):

Food	Wine/Grape	Producer/Year	Region	Price
Light fish and meat dishes. Salmon, trout, smoked meats, salads, lightly seasonedstir-fries	Riesling (white)	Pierre Sparr “Extreme” 2008	Alsace	$14.95
	Riesling (white)	Wolf Blass “Yellow Label” 2008	Australia	$14.95
	Dry Riesling (white)	Vineland Estates 2007	Ontario, Niagara	$13.95
Seafood and shellfish	Sauvignon Blanc (white)	Stoneleigh 2008	New Zealand	$14.95
	Sauvignon Blanc (white)	Villa Maria 2009	New Zealand	$14.95
	Sauvignon Blanc (white)	Jackson Triggs 2008	Ontario, Niagara	$13.95
Rich lobster, shell fish dishes, white fish (halibut & turbot) and chicken dishes	Chardonnay (non-oaked) (white)	Henry of Pelham 2007	Ontario, Niagara	$12.95
	Chardonnay (white)	Prospect Winery “The Census Count” 2006	Okanagan, B.C.	$14.95
	Pinot Grigio (white)	Beringer “California Collecton”, 2008	California	$9.95
Turkey, duck and pork dishes	Chardonnay (white)	Wyndham Estates, “Bin 222”, 2007	Australia	$12.95
	Chardonnay (white)	Nugan Estate “Cookoothama” 2007	Australia	$13.95
	Pinot Gris (white)	Leon Beyer 2007	Alsace, France	$16.15
Light pastas with a seafood or light tomato sauce or creamy sauce or with pesto.gnocchi, risotto, salad	Chardonnay/ Reisling/ Gewürztraminer (white)	Malivoire, “White” 2008	Ontario, Niagara	$14.95
	Pinot Grigio/ Verduzzo (white)	Masi “Masianco” 2008	Italy	$14.95
	Chardonnay (white)	Robert Mondavi “Private Selection” 2007	California	$17.95
Cold and cured meats simply grilled chicken, pork and veal. Robustly seasoned and BBQ’d fish dishes	Pinot Noir (red)	Inniskillin “Varietal Series” 2007	Ontario, Niagara	$14.95
	Sangiovese (red)	Tommasi Valpolicella 2008	Italy	$14.00
	Gamay (red)	Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Villages 2008	France	$12.25
Most types of meat, beef and especially plainly cooked lamb and homey dishes like Shepherd’s pie and sausages	Cabernet Flanc (red)	Chateau des Charmes 2007	Ontario, Niagara	$13.95
	Melbec (red)	Concha Y Toro, “Casillero Del Diablo” 2008	Chile	$12.95
	Merlot (red)	McWilliams, “Hanwood” 2007	France	$14.95
Char-grilled steaks, casseroles, spicy meats, vegetarian dishes such as goulash	Cabernet Sauvignon (red)	De Loach “California Series” 2006	California	$14.95
	Syrah (red)	Cline 2007	California	$14.95
	Shiraz (red)	Rosemount “Diamond Label” 2007	Australia	$15.95
	Cabernet Sauvignon(red)	KWV “Cathedral Cellar” 2006	South Africa	$16.95

The wines Jaren pairs in this chart can be found in the LCBO’s General list versus the Vintages section. This means they are available in most LCBOstores. All the wines paired in this chart have been highly rated by Billy Munnelly, author of Billy’s Best Bottles. Wines for 2010, and Wine Educator David Lawrason. And if that wasn’t good enough, all the wines are listed below $16.00 Cdn.

I should also point out that in her email Jaren mentioned that all these wines are on the shelves now but that does not mean they will be there the rest of the year. So enjoy some new wines or interesting pairings this holiday season.

Cheers. And thank you Jaren for making my holiday season a little more festive.

Tags: christmas, food, fun stuff, holiday drinks
Posted in food, fun stuff | No Comments »

The Pillsbury Doughboy needs you

Friday, November 27th, 2009

You may have heard about the Pillsbury Canadian Baking Challenge going on. You may even have entered a tasty dish yourself; I did. Well submitting a recipe is only part of the process. In order for the judges to narrow down the hundreds of tasty recipes, you need to vote for your favourite recipe. And heck, if that one happens to be mine, well so be it.

Doughboy and bag to go

If having your say isn’t enough to entice you to vote, well how about a little giveaway.

I’ve been given one (1) gift set to giveaway consisting of one (1) branded tote bag and one (1) Pillsbury Doughboy doll and I want to give it to you. All you need to do to qualify is visit the Pillsbury Canadian Baking Challenge and vote for one recipe. It doesn’t have to be mine, but I won’t stop you if you want to vote for it. After you’ve voted come back to this blog entry and leave a comment telling me the name of the item you voted for. Let me know before December 18, 2009 because I’ll be randomly picking a name on December 19.

Let the voting commence!

(Sorry, contest is only open to Canadian residents)

Update: Random.org picked comment 2. Congratulations! An email has been sent.

Tags: baking challenge, baking contest, food, fun food, giveaway
Posted in food, fun stuff | 2 Comments »

Even I entered the Baking Challenge

Monday, November 16th, 2009

You may remember my post not too long ago about a Canadian Baking Challenge being hosted by Pillsbury. I love to bake though I’m not one at creating recipes, but with the chance to win Molly Maid cleaning (and other cool prizes) how could I pass it up.

Plus, could you imagine the chance to have Erica Ehm, who happens to be one of the judges, eating one of my creations. Hmm, well maybe that wouldn’t be so good. Oh well, what’s done is done.

So with my limited creative skills (at least in the baking department) I submitted my Crescent Moon Pizzas that my kids love and who’s a better judge of your cooking than your own kids [insert snicker here]. When you get a chance, hope over to the Baking Challenge website and give it vote. And if the recipe doesn’t appeal to you (there are quite a few good ones) well, give it a vote anyway. No, I’m kidding, sort of.

Crescent Moon Pizzas

Tags: baking challenge, food, fun food, just me
Posted in food, fun stuff, just me | 2 Comments »

Bake yourself into a new kitchen

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

I’ll admit it, I’m not a really good cook. I’m just not very good in the kitchen at all. But I do enjoy baking. By enjoy I mean follow someone else’s recipe. I’ve never been very good at winging it. I love the idea of creating something new like those bakers you see on cooking shows: and now a dash of this and a smidgen of that. But today I think I may have found my incentive.

The Challenge

Pillsbury is running a Baking Challenge for all Canadian bakers (or wanna be bakers in my case) from October 1 until November 15. Using one of the Pillsbury products on the list, create your own masterpiece. It can be an appealing appetizer, a mouthwatering main dish or even a delicious dessert. You can submit as many recipe entries that you want for each category.

The Incentive

db5 From November 15 until December 31 all the recipes will be open to the public to rate their favourites (so make sure to include a scrumptious photo when you submit your recipe). After December 15, nine of the top rated recipes from each of the three categories will be selected for the judges to decide, including Erica Ehm from the Yummy Mummy Club.

And the prizes are pretty spectacular, from a Whirlpool Kitchen Suite to Molly Maid cleaning services to kitchen appliances and even Pillsbury products. So what are you waiting for. Pick-up your Pillsbury products today and start baking your way into a new kitchen. And if you’re on twitter, follow or participate in the contest buzz using the hashtag #pillsburybc

I wasn’t compensated in anyway for posting about this contest, though I wish I was. I could use some cinnamon buns this morning.

Tags: baking contest, food, fun stuff
Posted in food, fun stuff, just me | No Comments »

Bud Light Lime vs Corona, an unscientific test

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

Summer's not over yet

Well there’s no second guessing if Fall has arrived. The last few days have felt a chill in the air and October is next week. Summer seems like a memory now. But I’m not quite ready to give it up. So why not try extending your summer with a summer beer.

In the past Corona has been my summer beer. Maybe it’s the ad campaigns, people sitting on the beach enjoy one with lime. And you have to have lime. But this summer Budweiser introduced a new beer, to compete with Corona. I’m talking about the new Bud Light Lime.

I was in the United States, driving back from our trip to Florida this past summer when I first heard about Bud Light Lime. I’m not a fan of most mainstream beer. You know, Molson, Labatts, Budweiser, Coors, etc. Ordering one of these is like going into a bar and just asking for a beer. I never understand how anyone could do that, just ask for a beer, any beer, but that’s another post. So of course I had no interest in Bud Light Lime because it was a Budweiser beer.

Then back in Canada my husband picked up a small case. I tried one. I liked it. I really liked it. But what about my Corona. Well how about a little unscientific taste test. My husband and I compared Corona (with lime of course) to a Bud Light Lime. Hands down the Bud Light Lime won. I know the Corona has the real lime in it, but the Bud Light Lime had a sharper lime flavour. My husband agreed.

So now it looks like Bud Light Lime will be my new summer beer. Do you think if I drink enough of it summer will come back?

What’s your summer beer?

Tags: beer test, food, fun stuff, just me
Posted in food, fun stuff, just me | 1 Comment »

Meatballs inspired by the movies

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

Not too long ago I sent a tweet out looking for a good meatball recipe. And within fifteen minutes I had five responses, from recipes to tips to links. One of the many reasons why I love twitter.

You see, I had watched the movie Hancock (with Will Smith and Charlize Theron). The movie was okay, not quite what I expected, but it did inspire me to make meatballs and spaghetti. Homemade meatballs. Great big, ‘only one can fit on your plate’ meatballs. See, in the movie Mary (Charlize Theron) has spaghetti and meatball night every Wednesday at her house. Her son loved it and looked forward to this night each week. I loved the idea of making homemade meatballs, but I’m not a great cook so I turned to others for help. That’s when Rebecca from A little bit of Momsense tweeted a link to her recipe on her blog. It looked easy enough (I made a few modifications like using medium ground and some cheese). And it was easy. Surprisingly easy. The best part was my kids loved them too. Finally watching TV has paid off in something good for me and my family.

mmmmmmm...meatballs

Have you ever been inspired to try something after watching a TV show or movie?

Tags: food, movies
Posted in food, fun stuff, just me | No Comments »

A Fruit Fly Trap

Friday, August 21st, 2009

There seems to be a fruit fly epidemic in my house. I was relieved to see from a few random tweets on twitter that I wasn’t the only one suffering from these pesky bugs.

Then a solution presented itself while going through my blog reader. Caroline from Parent Club posted an email from one of her readers on a quick and easy trap for catching (and let’s not forget kill) the fruit flies. Now it calls for some red wine but I don’t drink red. But I did have a little cranberry juice. So I poured some in a small bowl, covered it in Saran Wrap and poked a few holes in top.

Then I waited. And waited. The first day nothing happened. Some flies landed on top of the Saran Wrap but nothing was in the cup. But the second day was a different story.

Don't mix confuse this with the cranberry juice you're drinking

I still have the bowl on my counter and the number of fruit flies floating has doubled. I guess I should refresh the bowl.

What is your trick for getting rid of fruit flies?

Tags: food, fun stuff, random thoughts
Posted in blogging, fun stuff, just me | No Comments »

Wordless Wednesday: Making Breakfast

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Starting the day right

This week my oldest daughter attends a week of camp at our local Nature Centre. She’s so excited she’s the first one up and has taken it upon herself to make breakfast for everyone else.

Tags: food, getting kids to help, raising kids, those darn kids, wordless wednesday
Posted in those darn kids, wordless wednesday | 1 Comment »

food » and another thought

and another thought

Posts Tagged ‘food’

New Year’s Trifle: If I Can Make It, You Can.

President’s Choice Black Label for the Holidays

Holiday Cheer: Food & Wine pairings 2009

The Pillsbury Doughboy needs you

Even I entered the Baking Challenge

Bake yourself into a new kitchen

Bud Light Lime vs Corona, an unscientific test

Meatballs inspired by the movies

A Fruit Fly Trap

Wordless Wednesday: Making Breakfast

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