Christmas Breakfast EggNog Bread Pudding

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Looking for a new and super tasty make-ahead Christmas morning brunch dish?  Here's one.  You're welcome.

Ha, I have a love/hate relationship with the passive-aggressive 'you're welcome!' when someone doesn't say thank you.  I don't often say it, but I definitely think it.  Oh, I just waited a few extra seconds to hold the door open for you and you just waltzed right though as though I was the doorman and didn't say thank you?  You're welcome!  Oh, I just let your car enter my lane in front of my car and you didn't give me a wave to let me know that you're super appreciative?  You're welcome!  'You're welcome' is how I knew it was time for me to leave the restaurant industry back in my 20's after close to a decade of being an amazing server (if I do say so myself!  Yes, self, you can say that, and thank you for the compliment.  You're welcome self!).  The night it happened I was flying around the restaurant with a zillion tables to look after and a zillion things on my to-do list, when a man sitting at a table that I was not the server for asked me to bring him ketchup.  And even though I was ignoring the kajillion things that I should have been bringing to my own tables (thus ensuring a nice tip) on this extremely busy Saturday night, I looked after getting the ketchup, and when I dropped it off, ha, when I dropped it off, the man at the table didn't even acknowledge that I was bringing something to him!  He didn't even look up from his conversation and give me a nod or a smile.  So, i did it, I said, "You're welcome!!!" in my most chipper friendly voice, and turned on my heels and left the table.  Soooo passive-aggresive, I know, I'm guilty, but sooooo satisfying at the time!  A couple of weeks later I gave my resignation and left the restaurant industry for good.  And I do miss it sometimes...those were super fun days!  But I don't miss the extreme rudeness from a few of the restaurant patrons (ketchup man was nothing in comparison to some people).  I strongly believe that it should be a mandatory requirement for every single person in this country to have to work in a restaurant at some point in their life.  I think that it would make everyone a nicer person.

Well, that was a tangent that had nothing to do with Egg Nog Breakfast Bread Pudding or Christmas spirit!  Talk about pent-up rage...sheesh!  Moving on...

Egg Nog Breakfast Bread Pudding.  Make-ahead Christmas morning breakfast dish idea.  You're welcome.

The Hubby and I served this on Christmas morning in 2015 along with a green chile frittata (recipe to come), fruit salad, cheesy hash brown casserole (recipe to come), and mimosas.

Yum - isn't Christmas delicious!!!

For a printer-friendly version of any recipe, simply click 'Print' below the title of any blog post. Voila - a clean recipe without my ramblings or any pictures!

One Year Ago:  Parsnip and Carrot Puree
Two Years Ago:  Mom's Fall Off The Bone Oven Baked BBQ Pork Ribs
Three Years Ago:  Amy's Lentil Soup Copycat Recipe
Four Years Ago:  Baked Chicken with Creamed Spinach and Squashed Potatoes
Five Years Ago:  Chicken Cacciatore

EggNog Breakfast Bread Pudding

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) loaf French bread
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups egg nog
• 2 cups whole or 2% milk
• 5 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• salt
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• icing (confectioners) sugar, and maple syrup, for serving

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.  Slice the French bread, and generously spread the butter on each slice, then cut the buttered slices into 1-inch cubes.  Put the bread cubes into a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a large saucepan, heat the egg nog and milk together until hot but not boiling.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt, and whisk until light and frothy.  Whisk in one cup of the warm egg nog / milk mixture into the egg /sugar mixture, then gradually add the remaining egg nog / milk mixture, one cup at a time.  Stir in the bourbon.

Pour the liquid mixture over the bread cubes, gently pushing down the bread to make sure all of the bread gets saturated.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 - 50 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is lightly golden.  Allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes, and serve hot or at room temperature.  Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with maple syrup on the side.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source:  The Kitchn - Egg Nog Breakfast Bread Pudding

Plum Cake

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Hi friends!

I keep doing that thing where I don't post for months and then get a random burst of energy and blogginess, and then don't post again for months.  The food I have been cooking lately has lacked any inspiration, and thus I haven't had much of anything to post besides the 50 or so draft blog posts in my drafts folder but who's counting.  But then, this plum cake happened.  In my mouth.  In all it's plummy deliciousness.  And so here we are again!  Also, my friend Katie told me this week that her friend from work recommended my blog to her, which is the first time that's happened that I know of, and that is just so cool to know that people who I don't know are out there reading this blog of mine...hello unknown readers (of which I now know there are at least one)!!!  Welcome!



The Hubby and I were asked to bring a dessert to our friends April and Brad's house the night they had to cook us dinner as their punishment for a three-peat loss in our Big Brother pool.  Embarrassing performance, April and Brad!  Well, my mom had recently visited her friend Denise at her apple (and plum!) orchard in Okanagan Falls, BC, and had come home with bushels of apples (and plums!), and split them with my brother and me.

Some of her bounty

I knew that the dessert I made would use one of those two fruits.  I chose to make an apple dessert, hoping that The Hubby would have forgotten his contempt towards any warm-apple-based-food, but NOPE, not forgotten.  Back to the drawing board (and plums!) I went, and I immediately became excited when I stumbled across this amazing plum cake recipe.



This recipe is adapted from an oldie but a goodie from the New York Times, where it was first published in 1982 and has made many repeat appearances after that.  The Times version has cinnamon, which I have omitted, and instead I have added both vanilla and almond extract.  I like my version a lot (don't mean to toot my own horn, but TOOT TOOT!), and so did the people who ate it with me (and had seconds I might add!).

The cake is so pretty and interesting to look at.  I love that plum halves are simply placed onto the batter, and that the cake just sort of moulds itself around them.



The juices from the plums tunnel their way jam-like through as everything is baking, and you are left with a moist, delicious cake.  Make sure that you use a springform pan to bake this cake, so that the cake can be removed from the pan easily and without changing the appearance before serving.  And then definitely top it with vanilla ice cream.

As summer is changing into fall, this is a great way to still cling onto the last tastes of summer fruit.  Plums are still in season until the end of October, so this plum cake would be a nice way to change up    your (Canadian) Thanksgiving dessert from the typical pumpkin pie (shock! horrification! dismay!).

Speaking of which, The Hubby and I wish you all a very happy Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend to all of my fellow Canadians (and my favourite expatriates...you know who you are)!  To celebrate, we have a ham dinner going on tonight at my parents' house, and a turkey dinner to follow tomorrow night at The Hubby's aunt and uncles's house.  So much deliciousness coming our way...I'm ready!

I hope that you enjoy this delicious plum cake as much as we did!

For a printer-friendly version of any recipe, simply click 'Print' below the title of any blog post. Voila - a clean recipe without my ramblings or any pictures!

One Year Ago:  Slower Cooker Phillippine Pork Stew
Two Years Ago:  Flourless Spicy Dark Chocolate Cake
Three Years Ago:  Thanksgiving 2012!

Plum Cake

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup + 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 eggs
• 12 plums, pitted, and sliced in half

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt, stirring well.  In a separate medium bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and 1 cup sugar together.  While still mixing, add the vanilla and almond extracts, the eggs, then the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Spoon batter into an un-greased 8, 9, or 10-inch spring-form pan.  Arrange the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter.  Sprinkle lightly with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.  Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake (not a plum!) comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool on a rack in the pan.  Remove outer ring of spring-form pan.  Slice cake and serve with vanilla ice cream of whipped cream, if desired.

Recipe Adapted From:  New York Times

The Hubby's Smoked Salmon

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The Hubby's first blog recipe, and of course it's one for the BBQ.  My apologies to my Canadian readers who don't live on the west coast, but out here it's barbeque season all year long baby!

Hubs has made this to-die-for smoked salmon for New Years Eve every year for the past two years (so, twice), since his parents bought him the smokebox accessory for our Weber BBQ.  He stresses and fusses and toils over it as though it were his baby.

"It's getting too smoked!"
"I think this will be my best smoked salmon attempt yet!"
"This is going to be a total fail!"
"It's not getting enough smoke!"
"I think the smoke level is good now!"*

*he has just informed me that he has never actually said this last one.

The BBQ smoking away!

In the end it's always perfect.

This year he made a double-batch because I accidentally bought double the amount of salmon that I was supposed to.  That works just fine for me because now we will have super flavourful smoked salmon in our freezer for a quick appy.  Speaking of quick appy, this one takes over a day to prepare in its entirety, so make sure to plan ahead.  You will need some hardwood chips to smoke the salmon.  The Hubby's preference is hickory.

We choose to serve it with bagel chips, cream cheese, and capers.  This is a crowd pleaser and he always gets rave reviews!



For a printer-friendly version of any recipe, simply click 'Print' below the title of any blog post. Voila - a clean recipe without my ramblings or any pictures!

One Year Ago:  Turkey Meatballs in Coconut Curry Sauce
Two Years Ago:  Curried Chicken and Rice Soup
Three Years Ago:  Caesar Salad

The Hubby's Smoked Salmon

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large salmon fillets or sides, pin bones removed

Directions
To prepare the rub, mix together the salt, brown sugar, white sugar, and pepper in a medium bowl.  Spread a piece of extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the salmon along the counter, then top with an equally-long layer of plastic wrap.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the plastic.  Lay one side of the fish skin down onto the rub, then sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the flesh of the salmon.  Place your second piece of salmon flesh-down onto the first piece of salmon.  Use the remaining rub to cover the skin on top of the second piece.  Fold the plastic over the salmon to cover it completely, then close the edges of the foil together and seal tightly around the salmon.

Place the wrapped fish onto a rimmed baking sheet, and top with another baking sheet.  The rimmed edges are important because lots of juice (salmon juice??) leaks out during the marination process, and you need something that will collect the run-off.  Weigh down with something heavy, such as a phone book, heavy cookbook, or a brick.  Refrigerate for 12 hours.  Flip over the salmon, then refrigerate again for another 12 hours.

Unwrap the salmon and rinse well with cold water to wash off the rub.  Pat the salmon dry with paper towels, then place in a cool place (not the fridge) until the salmon is dry, about 1 - 3 hours.

Now you are ready to start smokin'!!!  Set your BBQ's smokebox attachment or a smoker to between 150 - 160 degrees F, and start smoking your fish over hardwood chips such as hickory.  Keep smoking away until the thickest part of the fish registers at 150 degrees F.  After that, you can serve right away (or chill and serve), or keep it for later in the fridge for up to 3 days.   We choose to serve with cream cheese, capers, and bagel chips.



Recipe Source:  Alton Brown's Good Eats - Where There's Smoke There's Fish!

Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns

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Happy New Year!!

Just had to do a quick blog post today about these cinnamon buns that we ate for New Years Day brunch this morning.  This is a recipe that we make in my family as a tradition for almost every holiday or special occasion brunch since I was a kid.  The whole family loves it.  It's ridiculously easy to make, and you prep it the night before so you just have to quickly pop it into the oven in the morning and, voila!, delicious home-made cinnamon rolls on your table in 25 minutes.  Everyone will think you are a genius who has been up baking cinnamon buns for hours!  The recipe comes from the Best of Bridge cookbook series, and the page for this recipe in my cookbook at home is worn out from overuse.

We served this as one of the dishes for our friends this morning after a very fun New Years Eve games night* at our place with us and three other couples.  The cinnamon buns were served alongside a hash brown casserole, an egg frittata, and fresh fruit.  Oh, and Baileys/coffee and champagne mimosas too, because if you are with some of your best friends then why not be drunk twice in 2015 before noon on January 1?

*no games were actually played.

Ainslie, Kendra, Sara, and me!

I wanted to get the recipe up on the blog today because I was asked for it a couple of times.  We didn't turn off the lights last night until past 4am, and I was in bed nodding off before I realized that I hadn't made the make-ahead night-before cinnamon buns!  Out of bed and off to the kitchen I went (with Hubby sawing logs already).  Good thing they are super easy to make and take no longer than five minutes to assemble, if you don't spill half of the melted butter on the floor (I did), which does in fact delay the process.  I was still back in bed in a matter of about five minutes, and the effort was worth it this morning!

Speaking of beds, I just want to show off our new bed and bedding because this is my blog and I can do that!

The bed is from Costco (my favourite store in the world), the bedding is from West Elm, and the new mattress is so high that we almost touch the ceiling!  The Hubby says he is excited for hot summer nights since he will be so close to the ceiling fan!  I always thought I just was a person who has a sore back all the time, but ever since getting a new mattress my back pain has disappeared....hooray!  It's the most comfy bed in the world.  New year, new bed...woo hoo!  But, I digress...

Definitely make these gooey, sticky, delicious cinnamon buns for your next brunch and then the one after that too...you won't regret it!!!  One quick word to the wise...the recipe calls for a bundt pan, not an angel-food cake pan.  You cannot use an angel food cake pan for this recipe.  I have tried to do so, my mom has tried to do so, my best friend has tried to do so, and each time the recipe fails miserably.  You can pick up a cheap bundt pan at the thrift store if you don't have one already.  I'm not sure how this would work in a loaf pan, but if you try it with success (or with a failure), please let me know!

For a printer-friendly version of any recipe, simply click 'Print' below the title of any blog post. Voila - a clean recipe without my ramblings or any pictures!

One Year Ago:  Chocolate Mocha Roll
Two Years Ago:  Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata
Three Years Ago:  Egg Nog Supreme (another Best of Bridge winner!)

Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients

• 20 frozen dinner rolls
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vanilla dry instant pudding
• 1 - 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions
Grease a 10-inch bundt pan, add half of the frozen dinner rolls, then sprinkle with half of each of the brown sugar, pudding powder, cinnamon, and raisins.  Repeat with the other half of the rolls, sugar, pudding, cinnamon, and raisins.  Pour the melted butter overtop.  Cover the bundt pan with a damp cloth (make sure not to omit this step as it is important), and leave out on the counter overnight at room temperature.  In the morning, preheat your oven to 350F and bake for 25 minutes on the middle rack.  Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes, then flip it out onto a serving plate.  Enjoy!

Recipe Source:  Best of Bridge Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns

Kendra's Pickled Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Cream Cheese Appetizer

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What could be easier, but look so gourmet?

 

You may have thought that with her Italian Sausage Jalapeno Poppers she was a one-trick pony, but this is another great appetizer from my friend Kendra.

The recipe is simple too, with just three ingredients and no chopping, mixing, heating, baking, or cooking, making it the perfect last minute appetizer when you need to throw together something in a hurry.  Or, even when you have time to fuss, because basically for me, anything with cheese in it is always good.  I've used the Sunshine Farms brand of store-bought pickled asparagus for this recipe, which can be found near the pickles and olives in your supermarket.  I can't wait to try making this appy again once I have canned some homemade pickled asparagus this spring, hopefully without risk of botulism this time.  

Cantaloupe Gin Cocktails

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I know what my mom wants for Mother's Day...

 

I seriously almost can't even concentrate on the cocktail at hand because of the stunning view in the background.  Just a 40-minute ferry ride away from downtown Vancouver is paradise at my friend Cleary's vacation home in Sechelt, BC, where she, my friend Ashley, and I spent last weekend sipping on these Cantaloupe Gin cocktails.  There were dolphins out swimming around (I couldn't see them - I can never easily find cool stuff in nature when people point things out to me - but my friends told me they were there), the temperature was nice and toasty (and it's only Maaaaaaaay!), and we were enjoying some girl time and these Gin Cantaloupe Cocktails in front of a beautiful view of British Columbia (mountains, ocean, trees - oh my!).

Triple Coconut Banana Muffins (Gluten-Free)

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Triple Coconut = Triple Yum (as in Yum, Yum, Yum).

 

I was a little hesitant to make these muffins.  It's not that the title of them didn't sound delicious - Triple Coconut Banana Muffins.  I would be fine with just Singular Coconut or even Double Coconut anything, let alone triple.  So no, it wasn't the title of the muffins that threw me off.  

It's just that I have so far never in my life cooked with 'only found in the natural food aisle' ingredients.  I never struck myself as a person who would do this, either.  I have always happily skirted that aisle in the grocery store, and pretty much have avoided completely organic or natural grocery stores altogether.  I have always been a big fan of my regular whole wheat flour in baking, have never shopped organic for produce, and will only occasionally substitute soy milk for skim milk in my Starbucks Grande Half-Sweet No Foam Fat-Free Hazelnut or Vanilla or Chai or Early Gray Tea Latte.  

Arugula, Tomato, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad w/ Basil Dressing

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I like when a recipe lists all of the ingredients in just the title.  Baby Arugula, Grape Tomatoes, and Fresh Mozzarella, all topped with Basil Dressing.  You may have figured out that this is just a Caprese Salad in disguise.  What can I say?  I love this flavour combination!

Forget about food for a minute, because I want to talk about me.  I want sympathy please, because I have been at home with shingles all week.  That's right, shingles.  Shingles!  Not the roof kind.  When the doctor told me I had shingles, I didn't even know what it was.  It seems like such an archaic illness.

And let me be the first to say that shingles is flipping painful.  I feel like I have been bludgeoned in the head (repeatedly), like I have a burning pain all across my skin, like I have bugs crawling through my hair, like I am getting an electric shock every 20 - 30 seconds, and like any time my skin comes into contact with anything (at all) that my skin has been lit on fire.  I've also been working at home for four days, and I'm going a little out of my mind with cabin fever.  I know there are many, many, worse conditions out there than shingles, and so this week I've been trying to perk myself up by singing lyrics to songs like, "All the Shingle Ladies, All The Shingle Ladies."  The Hubby says that I'm going to have to start going to Shingles Bars if I keep this up.

The 1-2-3-4-5 Caesar

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The 1-2-3-4-5 Caesar!

What more could a good Canadian kid (over the age of 19) want on a hot long weekend summer day?

For those non-Canucks who may not be as familiar with this cocktail, I will let you into the club.  A Caesar is a tasty mixture of Mott's Clamato juice (tomato juice mixed with clam nectar and seasonings), vodka, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and spices, garnished with a spicy bean, celery-salted rim, and a lime.  No, no no no, it is nothing like the Bloody Mary.  A Bloody Mary is thick and tomato-soup like, and a Caesar is like a fairy princess magical unicorn ride.

This drink happily sits on the cocktail menu of every restaurant and bar in Canada, and I have noticed lately that this little Canadian gem may be working its way into the hearts of Americans. While you could never ever find Clamato juice in the USA a couple of years ago, now they even sell it by the warehouse pack at the Costcos across the border.   I also was able to enjoy a couple of Caesars on our Mediterranean cruise, which made me very, very happy.  Back in Canada, I saw a 'Caesar Starter Kit' at the grocery store the other day...awesome!!  At the liquor store last night I noticed that there are now four brands of pre-made Caesar coolers on the market, and picked up the Franks Red Hot Sauce version for a camping trip this weekend.

While the Caesar is Canada's cocktail, even a proud Canuck might be wondering what exactly the 1-2-3-4-5 Caesar is.  Well, I'm glad you asked!

Easy Caprese Salad

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My mouth is watering from looking at these pictures.  Five ingredients.  Taste perfection.

Fresh juicy tomatoes, crisp fresh basil, chewy fresh mozzarella, all sliced and topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Fresh, fresh, fresh.

When I was in Italy earlier this year, The Hubby and I ate Caprese Salad every day.  I loved Caprese Salad so much there that it hurt (my waistline, but what else is new).  Arriving back in Canada, I worried that when I made it at home it wouldn't be the same.  But it was.  Thanks to the two-pack containers of fresh mozzarella at Costco for less than $10, I can make amazing Caprese Salads at home that taste just like someone's mama used to make me back in Italy.

Spanakopitas

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Spanakopitas...mmmmmm...I want you.

But!

Phyllo pastry is a total jerk.  The phyllo dough comes in paper-thin sheets, tears easily, dries out easily, gets too wet easily when you are trying, like, your hardest, not to dry it out, and just in general doesn't want to do the things you want it to do, especially when it's almost midnight on a Thursday night because you didn't start making spanakopitas until after Real Housewives of Orange County, and you have Greek Supper Club tomorrow night so you have to finish them, and you have to be up at 6am.

But...

Because your taste buds will be soooo happy, you should probably make these spanakopitas anyways, if you have the time to fuss.  They freeze beautifully, so I've been known to make a triple batch and keep them on hand in my freezer for something quick to pop into the oven and serve as an appy when friends and family come over.

I had Supper Club #2 last Friday at my friend Cleary's house, this time with a Greek theme.  Oh, supper club, and the amount of wine that flows.  Here's an excerpt from the evening:  At one point in the night, I accidentally tipped the glass coffee table over in Cleary's living room, causing it to fall to the floor.  The coffee table was fine, but what was on the coffee table, do you ask?  Oh, nothing...except two full bottles of red wine, three full glasses of red wine, and the game of Taboo (ironic).  I remember looking at the tipped over bottles of wine and slow-motion-watching the red fluid just chug-chug-chugging out them onto the floor.  The 'floor' was white carpet, that was now covered in broken shards of glass, copious amounts of red wine, and a soaked Taboo score-pad.  The next thing you know, all four girls are washing and spraying and vacuuming and wiping, in between all of the laughter.  If that happened at my house, there would have been no laughter, only faces with a look of sheer fear on them when they see my reaction to the disaster.  Kudos to my friend Cleary who actually commented afterwards that her living room looked cleaner than before we arrived.  That's what friends are for!  It's also good to know that I still hold the title for the spilliest girl in the world.  For this reason, my best friend Sheena doesn't approve of me buying white clothing when we are shopping together.  Well Sheena, I was wearing a white t-shirt at Cleary's house that night, so I guess one point for you.

Pina Colada Fruit Dip

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I'm pretty.

It's actually embarrassing how easy this dip is to make.

I haven't written a new blog post in a week, and yet here I am, just waltzing in with a cavalier attitude and this recipe.

Yawn...stretch

You can't even call it a recipe, really.

It's more like just two or three food items, that are in no way good for you, that you stir together in less than four minutes and serve.

But it's good.  Dang good.

There's something about dipping a food that is good for you into a food that's really bad for you that makes you feel like everything cancels out into net zero calories.  I like that feeling.

Peach Bellinis

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While in Italy earlier this month, I sampled some of the local bebitas (a very important Italian word that I got very well-acquainted with, meaning...drinks!); wine, beer, and even a bellini.  Ok, two bellinis.  But it was happy hour so technically with every drink purchased I saved more and more money.  It's basic financial management.  Plus...talk about delicious.

Back on this side of the globe, a few girlfriends from work and I have started a Supper Club, and last Saturday night was our first dinner.  The idea of Supper Club is that we get together every couple of months, sometimes with spouses and sometimes just the girls, and eat and drink.  Everything I love.

We all take turns hosting, and the host makes the main course, while the others take a turn at a course such as appetizer, soup/salad, dessert, and drinks.  We pick the theme and divvy up courses ahead of time by throwing names and theme ideas into a hat.  Themes can be anything...cuisine of a certain country, breakfast for dinner, all-meat, all-garlic (ok, that's just my dream theme)...anything goes.

Last Saturday's theme was...ITALIAN!!!!

The course I was put in charge of was...DRINKS!!!!

I'm on it, girls.

I found this Giada De Laurentiis recipe for bellinis online, and it was a major hit with the girls at Supper Club.  It's very simple to make, and a fun, tasty, 'something different' drink to serve at a girls night.

Very Berry Muffins

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It's officially SPRRRRIIIIINNNG!!  The sun is shining (after having snow at our house three out of seven days this week, but who's counting?), flowers are poking their heads out of the ground (which makes me feel like I should be out there gardening instead of typing this!), and...well, Spring muffins are baking in the oven?!  Yes they are!  Quadruple berry muffins in fact.

You guys.  These muffins.  They are soooo tasty and full of berry goodness...you're going to love them.  Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries.  Perfect.      

Some tips:  I used whole berries for this recipe rather than chopping each berry into smaller pieces.  If you're doing the same, make sure that you use muffin liners which will help to keep the berry trapped in with the rest of the muffin when you are removing it from the tin after baking.  Once they cool in the muffin liner, there will be no fear of the side or bottom of your muffin coming off because it's more berry than muffin. That's right, more berry than muffin.  Also, if you are using frozen berries, throw them into the muffin mixture in their frozen state rather than thawing them first.  This will ensure that your muffin mix doesn't turn purple.

Best-Ever Banana Bread!

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Seriously, hands down, the BEST banana bread recipe known to man. Known to man! I've been eating this banana bread since I was a little girl when my mom would (and still does!) make it. I remember coming home after school to the smell of this baking in the house.

Disgusting

The secret to this moist, delicious, your-taste-buds-are-going-to-love-you bread is six disgusting, mushy, over-ripe, frozen then thawed, bananas (see grotesque picture to the right).


Now, I am a person who prefers a banana when the colour of the peel still has a little green in it (or preferably a lot of green), so the thought of these bananas actually revolts me. Call us snobs, but both The Hubby and I will not eat bananas that have started to brown, even a little bit. But, that just means that we end up with a freezer-full of bananas, which just so happens to be ideal circumstances for making delicious banana bread. Regular yellow bananas with just a bit of brown that have never seen the inside of a freezer just don't seem to yield the same moist result.