Cozy scent

The snow has reached us.. unfortunately we still had fall chores to do, so had to get them done today while the snow was still minimal.  After a day of working outside, there's nothing better then coming inside to a cozy smelling home, and the scent Christmas cottage by Scentsy does just that!  It makes me think cinnamon and cranberries, maybe stringing popcorn and cranberries for the Christmas tree while drinking hot chocolate with a sprinkle of cinnamon in it like my aunt used to do for us... Sure it is only Oct, but I am a believer that it is never too early to make your home feel Christmas-ey.

A cozy, inviting blend of Valencia oranges, raspberries, cloves, and spices

For further information about this product, and or other Scentsy products go here

Peppermint and Chocolate

I recently became an Arbonne Independent Consultant and wanted to spoil the guests at my 2 launch parties.  I had decided to throw a "Pampermint" peppermint party, so I could make some themed desserts.  Searched pinterest and found 2 recipes I just HAD to try. Home made peppermint patties (which became peppermint patty bark) and chocolate peppermint cookies.

Chocolate peppermint cookies on the left, peppermint patty bark on the right.

What you will need for the peppermint patties;
1 can sweetened condensed milk
5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons shortening

Mix condensed milk, 2 cups of powdered sugar and peppermint extract on medium speed. Add more powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until dough is stiff. (if it is not thick enough, the patties will not set) Roll dough into 3/4" balls, place on parchment paper then flatten. Place flattened dough in freezer for up to 30 minutes.  While the dough is setting, start warming chocolate chips and shortening. (place chocolate and shortening in smaller pot on top of a large pot which has 1/2" water. Use low heat.) Place chilled patty on fork and dip in chocolate until covered, then place on parchment paper. Keep covered patties in fridge for easy storage.

Now, for those of you who don't make the dough stiff enough like me...My modification was making peppermint patty bark.  I took the squishy patties placed them all in the melted chocolate, stirred the mixture a handful of times. Placed a piece of parchment paper in a 9x13 pan, poured the mixture in and put it in the freezer for an hour. It wasn't as pretty as the cookies would have been, but the lack of stirring meant that you still managed to get the peppermint patties in throughout the melted chocolate. Yummmy!

Original recipe can be found here

The second recipe was the chocolate peppermint cookies.

What you will need;
1 cup flour, plus more for the countertop
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
8 large candy canes, or 30 peppermint candies, crushed
2 pounds of white chocolate

Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into one bowl. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and egg yolk, beating well after each addition. Mix in peppermint extract, and slowly add dry mixture. Split dough into 2 separate bags and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325F. Roll out one ball of dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut into 2" circles (I used a small mouthed glass), and place 1" apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. (they do not get thicker or wider upon baking). Roll and cut scraps one. Repeat with remaining disk.  Bake for approximately 12 mins, or until cookies are dry to the touch. Let them cool.

Begin to melt chocolate. Crush peppermint candies. (I used a blender) Dunk cookies in melted chocolate, place on parchment paper and sprinkle peppermint candy on top. Place cookies in fridge to set chocolate.

If you are short on time, one modification that I have not tried, but believe would work quite well is; buy chocolate wafers and add the peppermint extract to the white chocolate. (I have not seen chocolate wafer that are peppermint flavoured, but they are the same consistency of the cookies made in this recipe)

Original recipe found here

Stubborn stains on glass top stoves

I'd like to pretend I did the following on purpose, however, I'm sure I am not the first so let me share my solution with head hung a little low today...
Supper was ready, moved the pot off the hot burner, grabbed a tortilla wrap and put the package on the stove.. Didn't clue in until after supper that I had placed it on the hot burner. :'( I ended up with a lovely image of the package right on my burner.

My solution... Surface Master stainless steel powder cleaner from Saladmaster! I sprinkled a little bit directly to the (cooled) burner, and then wiped with a wet cloth, and......

 BAM all gone! This stuff is a regularly used item in my kitchen, as it is great for keeping my pots and pans looking their best estimate, but and makes my sink nice and shiny as well!

For any questions on this Saladmaster product or any others go here

Cuisinart single serve brewing system

I have been wanting a Keurig coffee maker for quite some time now, but just couldn't let myself buy a new one when we had a perfectly good regular coffee maker already.  But they are sooo convenient...  At first I didn't know if I wanted Keurig or Tassimo, so I asked my friends on facebook.  Every single one of them said go for Keurig, do not get a Tassimo. (not sure their reasoning, but when the votes are 100% one way, you listen)  So I decided if we are going to get one, I wanted to get the best bang for my buck.  I read countless reviews, on countless machines...until I found this one.

I originally found this Cuisinart single serve brewing system (SS-700C) on the Tweed & Hickory web site, and everybody only had good things to say about it!  The comparable Keurig machine is the new B70, however, my concern with the Keurig machines is that I have heard that they frequently need replacing or have parts recalled.  Cuisinart is a well trusted name in kitchen appliances and I had more confidence in their product, plus it had more features and accessories.  For those of you debating a new machine here is some factual comparisons on the Keurig B70 and the Cuisinart SS-700C..

• Choice of five cup sizes including iced beverage setting  - BOTH
• Hot water button lets consumers enjoy instant coffee, soup, tea and hot cocoa  -CUISINART
• Rinse control instantly cleans the inside of the brew chamber  - CUISINART
• Extra large removable 80oz water reservoir  - CUISINART (Keurig is 72oz)
• Auto on/off programming  - Both
• Adjustable temperature control  - CUISINART
• Blue backlit programmable LCD message centre  - BOTH
•  Quiet brew technology  - BOTH
• Removable drip tray  - BOTH
• Chrome accents  - KEURIG
• My K-Cup reusable coffee filter, which conveniently stores in the unit  - CUISINART (these are a $15 value)
• Charcoal water filter  - CUISINART
• Limited 3 year warranty  - CUISINART

Turkey chilli

Due to recent ground beef recalls my regular recipes need a little modification.... So tonight we are trying ground turkey a chilli.  I have a good feeling about this recipe, it sure does smell good...

What you will need;
1 can (796 mL) diced tomatoes
1 can (156 mL) tomato paste
1 can (540 mL) mixed beans
1 green pepper
1 cup of frozen corn
500g of ground turkey
1 pack of taco seasoning

In a frying pan cook ground turkey. Add taco seasoning. Rinse canned mixed beans. In a large pot mix together; diced tomatoes, tomato paste, mixed beans, green pepper and corn. Add cooked turkey to vegetable mix in large pot, and bring to a slow boil. Serve.

I always like to rinse canned beans, as I don't enjoy the mystery stuff they are coated in.

I added taco seasoning to the turkey, which I wouldn't do for beef,  just because turkey tends to be bland and need the boost in flavor.

Snow...berry

Many of my dear friends are officially getting their first snowfall today, but somehow we have managed to avoid it. (so far)  So I decided to partake in the "snow" in a different way, by putting snowberry in my scentsy warmer.  I do find this one to be quite strong, so I only burn this scent in a very open room to fully enjoy it.  It reminds me of a crisp fruity perfume, with a hint of warmth.. Scentsy describes it as "A luscious blend of loganberry, strawberry, peppermint, and zesty cinnamon."  

To view Scentsy products, make a purchase or to speak to a consultant go here

Chocotzel cookies

Just found my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe and added an extra ingredient..  I've been on board with the sweet and salty phase that has taken over the baking world, so to add the salty to this sweet recipe I went with pretzel pieces.  I sure am happy with my decision.  I think the only way it could get better is if I replaced half of the chocolate chips with butterscotch chips, which I will definitely be trying next time.  Wonder what I will call those... Chopretscotch, Chobutzel..  Gonna have to work on the name..

For this recipe you will need;

3/4 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pretzel pieces (pretzels broken up)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars.  Add vanilla and egg, blend mixture.  In a separate bowl combine; flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.  Add dry mix to wet ingredients.  Fold in pretzels and chocolate chips.  Refrigerate for a minimum of one hour.  Heat oven to 350 F and prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Make one inch round balls of cookie dough, place 1.5-2" apart and slightly flatten. (the cookies in this recipe do not widen in size, but they fluff upward)  Cook for 8-10 minutes.  These cookies are done before they brown on top.  Let cool, then try to keep little paws (and big paws) off of them!

For original chocolate chip recipe go here

Scenterific...

Well my Scentsy purchases just became even easier, as my sister-in-law is now an Escential consultant! So on her behalf, I will start a "what I am burning and what I'm burning it in" section on my blog.  I've been using the product for almost 2 years now, and think it is wonderful.  The burners are beautiful, with a wide variety to suit anyones taste (even men), and the bars (the wax which is melted in the warmers via heat from a light bulb) has soooo many incredible scents for whatever season/mood you are in.

Right now I currently own 2 warmers, which is more then enough to spread the lovely scents throughout the top floor of my house.

Hope full size warmer

Heavenly plug in warmer

The bar I currently have in both warmers (just because I enjoy it so much...) is Black Ruby.  I would describe it as fruity meets woodsy, Scentsy describes it as "Juicy plum, black cherry, and sparkling persimmon, with untamed vanilla — a luminous, deep fragrance."  

To view Scentsy products, make a purchase, or speak to a consultant go here 

Mock tartar sauce

Decided to make some cod for supper tonight, and didn't realize until I had called everyone together for supper time that we were all out of tartar sauce! Luckily this has happened in the past and my husband had given me his "recipe" for mock tartar sauce. It is a fancy combination of...

relish and miracle whip. I am a huge pickle fan, so I like it with 3 parts relish to 2 parts miracle whip. This "recipe" has endless possibilities. For example, if you could use zucchini relish instead of the typical pickle relish.. You could change it up by adding fresh dill, and or even some spicy mustard for a little kick...

Thanksgiving hearts

With thanksgiving approaching, it is the time of year to set our hearts and minds on the blessings in our lives. Often we let a good moment or feeling pass quickly, and allow ourselves to be consumed with the less pleasant aspects of life.

One great way that I found for getting my family together to focus on the good in life, is a thank you board.

My daughter and I went to the dollar store and gathered some supplies.  We bought; 1 poster board, a pack of pre cut flower felts and a pack of letter stickers. (we did this in spring, hence the pastel and flowers. However, it can be easily adapted to any seasonal theme.)

Every night when my husband got home from work we would sit down and say what we were thankful for, write it on the flower and glue it to the board.  Some days were definitely more challenging then others, as we made a deal in the beginning to have no repeats, but it was very interesting to see what each person considered important and meaningful.   

Saladmaster pots

One of my handy dandy tools in my kitchen is my stackable pots.. Sure did just steam my broccoli and boil my perogies at the same time, and on the same burner!




To see this product, speak to a representative, find great recipes or to check out any of their other products click here

Home made Skor

Well I had one of my "I need chocolate" attacks this morning, and went to my old trusty recipe of home made skor.  My step mom gave me this recipe years ago, and I have had a love hate relationship with it since.

What you will need;

1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of butter
1 pack of salted crackers (aka saltines)
1 cup of chocolate chips
1 cup of walnuts (optional)




Pre heat oven to 325 F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Fill bottom of cookie sheet with salted crackers.

Heat butter and brown sugar until they are blended, do not bring to a boil.  Pour butter and sugar mixture onto salted crackers, spread mixture to cover all crackers.

Place in oven until mixture just begins to boil.  Remove from oven.  Sprinkle on chocolate chips and walnuts (had a craving for not only sweet and salty, but crunchy too..), put back in oven until chocolate gets soft.

Remove from oven.  Use spatula to smooth chocolate chips.  Let cool for 10 mins.  Place in freezer for a minimum 2 hours. Remove from freezer, break into pieces and store in a proper container. (if they happen to make it to the container that is...)

Orange crock pot chicken

Pulled a chicken roast out of my freezer today and then decided to try cooking it with some new ingredients... 

Tomorrow is grocery day, and so the veggies choices were limited; cabbage and celery. Have managed to fit cabbage into several meals recently so went with the celery. However, there wasn't much left so I wanted to add something else which would provide both moisture and flavor, and so I went to the fruit drawer and found some oranges. Put the chicken, celery and oranges in the crock pot, added some chicken broth and sprinkled some epicure oven roast seasoning on top. Mmmm

Kleskun hill, Bezanson AB

Live in Northern Alberta and want to get the badlands experience without the long drive down south?  Head just west of Bezanson to a little hidden gem called Kleskun hill.

The hills are a great place for children to run around and climb the "mountains" like the little adventurers that they are.

There is a trail located to the south of the main hills, where they have cacti that are native to the area.  There are also many beautiful wildflowers located throughout.

When the little ones get tired of wandering the hills there is a playground and sand box located near the onsite campground, which is perfect for a picnic to break up the fun and keep the energy levels high.

Interesting little caterpillar we found along our journey, which we believe to be a hummingbird moth caterpillar.

To change things up, they also have an area with historical buildings and farm equipment.  Functions can be booked at this location, and after walking around, there's definitely more then one place I could picture a beautiful wedding ceremony.

It is definitely an afternoon of fun exploring for all ages, so pack a lunch and a camera and you are sure to have a good time!

To go to the official site, go here

Grande Prairie Corn Maze and Pumpkin yummies

Happy Fall 2012! Yesterday we decided to go all out and celebrate my favourite season, or I used it as an excuse to make yummy food and hang out with friends and family, either way, it was a GREAT day!  Started the day with pumpkin pancakes (shamefully have to admit I used a boxed mix...but added 4 tablespoons of pumpkin puree and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice), headed over to the Grande Prairie Corn Maze in the afternoon where we had a potluck of all sorts of goodies (I brought pumpkin dip, the recipe will be available at the end of the post), and then over to a friends for an amazing feast of a bbq!

Yesterday was my first time at a corn maze, and what a great family fun time! (plus everyone gets their exercise..)  I was very impressed with the Grande Prairie Corn Maze staff, they were all so friendly and helpful, they treated everyone like long lost friends which is so rare to come by these days.  There were also other activities for the kids like; water pump duck races, a corn tosser, a pumpkin field (you can pick one and take it home for a small fee), a ridiculously large chair for photo opportunities, and ice cream in the general store.  

Pumpkin Dip Recipe

1 can of pumpkin puree

1 carton of whipping cream (500mL)

1 package of vanilla pudding

1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin spice

In a bowl mix pumpkin puree, vanilla pudding and pumpkin spice.  In a separate bowl beat the whipping cream until peaks form, pour into bowl with other ingredients and fold all ingredients together.  I served with apple slices and zucchini cookies.

Zucchini cookies

Made 2 different kinds of zucchini loaves and wanted something a little different with my final zucchini baking adventure of the year, so I went with a cookie recipe.  I had never heard of such a thing, but the recipe called for cinnamon and cloves so I figured it couldn't be too bad...  Sure am glad I decided to try it out, 'cause they are yummy, and reasonably healthy (when compared to other cookies that is..) so you don't feel too bad eating them!

What you will need;

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup grated zucchini
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup raisins

2-3 cookies sheets
parchment paper (I have been a recent convert, I used to bake with aluminum wrap but find nothing sticks to parchment paper...)
Time... This recipe is recommended to sit for at least 1 hour prior to baking, so I prepared the dough while the loaves were cooking the day prior

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and zucchini.  Combine dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Fold in raisins.  Let sit for at least one hour. (mine were in the fridge for almost 24 hours and turned out amazing!)  Pre heat oven at 375 F.  Roll 1 inch balls of cookie dough and flatten on cookie sheets to 1/2 " height.  Place cookies approximately1.5- 2" apart. (they did not expand while baking) Bake for 8-10 mins.  Cool, then enjoy!

I really enjoy the flavour of these cookies, and will be definitely be making them again.  One thing I would change (if schools were not nut free), is that I would add either some pecans or walnuts, but they were just fine without them.  They were a nice change to the typical zucchini recipe.

Original recipe found here

O'Brien Park, Grande Prairie, AB

This year we have been absolutely blessed with beautiful weather, which has allowed us to check out many wonderful places in and around our area of northern Alberta. (Canada)  Today we decided to go above and beyond our normal walk and headed down to one of my favourites spots, O'Brien Park. It is only about a 20 minute drive for us, and we get to submerge ourselves into a forrest!  Today was the first time my daughter got to bring her bike, as it is her first time there since removing her training wheels.  She found the ride a little bumpy, as there are tree roots on the path, but once I referred to it as her first real biking adventure, she had a blast!

I have yet to get to the end of the trail, but assume at some point there is an ending.  Having said that, it sure is a great place to let the dogs experience a world beyond their backyard.  However, due to it being a provincial park, dogs are required to be on leash.

 One of my favourite parts about this park is that most days there are very few to no other people there, so you feel like you are fa FAR from town, so it is great when you need a little breather from city life.

Most of the trail system is only a stone throw away from the river valley, which is quite spectacular especially at this time of year when all the leaves are in different stages.

There is a day use area with tons of picnic tables and fire pits.  Some along the river, and others further in amongst a field. (which would be the safer place for those people with younger children)  Today we brought a snack, so my daughter wanted to do a quick picnic after our walk/bike ride.

Raspberry zucchini loaf

 My mother-in-law generously gave me 2 very large bags of frozen raspberries a couple weeks ago and wasn't too sure what I would do with them, but knew I would be able to put them to good use eventually.  While looking for new and interesting zucchini recipes I happened to stumble upon one that would make use of both the zucchini and the raspberries, how perfect!  The flavour combination seems like more of a summer dessert, but my family could probably use a quick break from the fall samplings I have been giving them..

What you will need

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup fresh raspberries (I used raspberries that were frozen but that I thawed prior to baking with)

2 pre greased medium sized loaf pans

Pre heat oven at 350 F. Beat sugar and eggs together until slightly fluffy.  Add zucchini, apple sauce and lemon juice.  Combine dry ingredients; flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Blend dry ingredients with wet ingredients.  Fold in raspberries slightly, so as to create a swirl effect.  Pour into pans and then bake 45-50 mins. (original recipe states to bake for 30-35 mins, or until golden brown and then cover with foil.  However, my loaves did not brown on top until loaves were cooked through at approx. 50 mins)  Let loaves cool for 10-15 mins.  Slide butter knife around the edges of the loaves to avoid sticking, place hand on top of loaf, flip pan upside down, give a couple wiggles to the pan and it should pop out.

"Swirl effect"

The raspberry flavour definitely takes over this loaf, which I don't mind one bit!  Brings me back to my childhood, picking raspberries at the park off the bush that was growing out of one of the neighbours chain link fences.  We would go visit that bush almost every day in hopes of finding new berries!

 My one complaint about these loaves is that it is too moist...  Next time I would try straining the raspberries and zucchini.

2 raspberry zucchini loaves on the left, 2 chocolate zucchini loaves on the right.

Original recipe located here