Nutella, Pecan and Candied Bacon Cookies

Well, this is it. All the things you love wrapped up in one cookie. Nutella is one of those things that I can't get enough of. I have been eating it since I was little and still can't stop. I found it challenging to actually get the Nutella into the cookie dough... but then I found a special trick! All you need to do is freeze little bits of Nutella on a cookie sheet before you make the cookies. Voila! Nutella chocolate chips.

I was going to just use normal bacon pieces in the cookies, but then my friend Ethan (tastesbetterwithfriends.com) suggested I make candied bacon. Wow, it tasted amazing... thanks for the tip!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups four
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups Nutella chips
1 package of bacon
1 cup pecans

1. Drop small amounts of Nutella onto baking sheet and freeze for a few hours
2. Preheat oven to 325F. Cover each piece of bacon with brown sugar. Lay bacon on baking sheet in oven and bake for approx 20 minutes or until it is cooked through. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat over to 350F
4. Cream together the butter, white sugar, brown sugar until smooth.
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then stir in the vanilla
6. Dissolve baking soda into hot water
7. Add to batter along with a dash of salt
8. Stir in flour, bacon and pecans (keep some out to add on top of each cookie if desired)
9. Stir in Nutella at end as it will melt quickly
10. Drop in large spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

How To Bake Rainbow Cupcakes

After moving from Toronto to Vancouver last May, I am only able to make the trip back home once or twice a year. When I made my first trip back last summer, I decided to have a baking fun day with my 4 nieces and make rainbow cupcakes. I had made a rainbow cake in the past and it was a big hit with my new friends in Vancouver (now I'm officially the 'rainbow cake girl').

Since I was baking with 4 extremely impatient little ladies, I decided to use the good old pre-mixed cake batter. It works out well when you are working with kids and want to speed up the process. You can use any plain white/vanilla cake mix for this recipe. (I used 2 boxes) Or you can always use make the batter from scratch. For the cake I made, I used a coconut cake recipe and then topped it with a cream cheese coconut icing... so good!

Make sure you get the food colouring 'gels'. They are the only ones that give this vibrant colour. They can be found at Michaels Craft Store in Canada. Not sure about the US... 

The girls each had their own colour to mix up and pour into the muffin trays.

We made them like a real rainbow and went: purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.

Things got a little hard to manage at some points... "No Anna! Not the blue icing!"

Very careful! 

Messy, messy, messy, but fun!

When the cupcakes went in the oven, the girls pulled up chairs to watch them bake. SO cute.

Enjoying the finished cupcakes! I used whipped cream on top which was a good short term icing. For longer lasting cupcakes, use a nice vanilla icing on each one.

Happy Niece... (or "Stop taking our pictures Auntie Kate")

World's Best Broccoli Salad

I have to admit that I have stolen this recipe from my favorite little lunch cafe in Whistler, BC. It is the best spot in Whistler to get homemade sandwiches, salad, burgers, baked goods, you name it. It's called Ingrids and I highly recommend trying it out. I absolutely love their veggie burgers, turkey burgers and salads. I once had this amazing broccoli salad and couldn't stop thinking about it for days. 

I flew back to Toronto (where I lived at the time) and was still thinking about it. I called them one day and begged for the recipe. They were nice enough to give me a rough outline of what was in it. I tried it and turned out really well! Here is the recipe, feel free to add in anything else!

Ingredients:

- Broccoli

- Red Grapes

- Pecans

- Green Onions

- Butter

- Garlic

- Mayo 

- Vinegar

- Sugar

- Salt/Pepper

1. Cut up broccoli, green onions and grapes

2. Saute pecans in a hot skillet with butter and garlic

3. Mix sauce in a small bowl: Mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt/pepper

4. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and chill in fridge until ready to serve

This salad can be made with lots of dressing or very little. I tried it in the above photos with very little dressing. The ingredients are fresh and tasty that it doesn't need much dressing.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash with Chicken Meatballs

There is nothing better than a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs... but this comes close. It's a great substitute if you want to eat a yummy meal with less carbs and fat. As you can see, I'm a little obsessed with spaghetti squash - it works so well with almost any meal. The trick is to bake it the exact right amount, any longer and it will be a little mushy when prepared. It is hard to know the right amount of time, since all ovens vary in heat. I would just test it out every 10 min after 30 min to make sure it isn't getting overdone. Let me know how it goes!


Homemade Chicken Meatballs
Ground Chicken or Turkey
Bread crumbs
Egg
Italian seasoning
Pre heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Roll into bite sized balls and lay out on baking sheet. Bake in the oven on 350 until they are cooked through.

Homemade Tomato Sauce
Onions
Fresh Garlic
Bacon
Can of chopped tomatoes
Can of tomato paste
Carrots or other cut up veggies
Italian Seasoning
Saute onions and garlic in pan until browned. Mix in chopped up bacon (or any other veggies) and saute until cooked through. The bacon is Nathan's idea for extra flavour - leave out if you want to save the calories, but it does taste damn good :) Add in can of chopped tomatoes and tomato paste until desired consistency. Add in Italian Seasoning mix or fresh herbs. Add in meatballs and simmer until the rest of the meal is ready.

Flip over so they are face down when baking

Spaghetti Squash
Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and cut off both ends and then cut in half lengthwise. Remove all seeds and extra squash from middle. Place on baking tray face down for another 20-40 minutes depending on size of squash. Remove and test a piece with fork. Squash should easily peel off like spaghetti (hence the name!!!).

Coconut Cauliflower (Fake) Rice

We have been experimenting with different vegetables that can be substituted for rice, pasta, etc. Last night we decided to have curry for dinner but wanted to try something other than rice. I came across a few recipes and decided to adjust them slightly and it worked out really well. Since we were having Thai Curry, I added coconut to the pan about halfway though and in worked out perfectly since the coconut lightly toasted  as it was cooking. 

The original recipe called for the cauliflower to be cut up in a food processor. Since we don't have one of these, Nathan did it by hand and it worked just fine. If you are making this as a meal and not a side dish, you could add any chopped up veggies that you like. I might try one with carrots, zucchini, garlic, chili, etc.... I'll let you know if that happens.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 head cauliflower, chopped finely

1/4 cup coconut

salt/pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat

2. Saute onion over medium heat for 10 minutes, until lightly browned 

3. Add cauliflower to skillet, stirring often to prevent burning

4. Add coconut if desired after about 10 minutes

5. Add salt/pepper to taste

Original recipe can be found here:  http://www.elanaspantry.com/cauliflower-rice/ 

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, Apple and Bacon Mac & Cheese

Who doesn't love good old Mac and Cheese???

My hips!

Here is a recipe that give you the comfort food you are craving but with most of the calories cut out. I first saw this on Pinterest and it led me to this blog: Pinch of Yum. I thought it looked delicious and was really intrigued at how squash would taste mixed in with the cheese.

Butternut Squash fun... 

The original recipe called for a can of butternut squash puree. Since the store didn't have any, we decided to roast the squash and puree it ourselves for a better taste. This turned out really well. I highly recommend roasting your own squash if you want to try something a little bit more fresh.

The result is really amazing. The apple and caramelized onion are delicious in the pasta and the tiny bit of bacon on top really give it a nice crunch. When I make it again, I might leave the onions till the end and put on top with the bacon. The squash mixed in really well and tasted great with the cheesy sauce. It was still a very heavy meal - but sometimes that is needed on a winter day!

Ingredients

1/2 box of whole grain elbow macaroni

1 butternut squash (see picture above, ha)

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons evaporated milk

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 oz low fat cream cheese

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup onions

1 large apple

4 tablespoons crumbled bacon

Instructions:

1. Microwave squash for 5-7 minutes to soften it up. Cut in half and remove the seeds. Place on sheet in over with salt/pepper. Bake for 45 minutes or until soft. Puree in food processor when it has cooled with a little garlic.

2. Heat butter in a skillet over low hear. When melted, add onions and let caramelize for at least 30 minutes for the best flavour. Keep on low/low-medium.

3.  Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and return to pan over low heat. Add butternut squash, chicken broth, garlic, milk and cream cheese. When combined, add in salt and pepper.

4. Add apples to pasta. Stir to combine and add a tablespoon more broth or milk if needed.

5.  Just before serving, mix in cheese and stir until melted. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon bacon and onions. Add hot sauce if desired!

Orange & Rosemary Roast Chicken

I decided to try my first roast chicken this week. I knew that you could just pop a chicken in the oven with some salt and pepper and it would turn out pretty well. But what's the fun in that! I found this recipe on my Epicurious iPhone App and thought it sounded amazing. I changed it up a little bit and the final product was sooo tasty. Definitely going to make this one again!

Ingredients:
5 green onions
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature (or less if you want to save on calories)
4 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 7-pound whole roasting chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 medium potatoes
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Mince 1 shallot; mix with butter, rosemary and peel in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Pat chicken dry. Using fingers, loosen skin from chicken breasts, legs and thighs. Spread half of rosemary-orange butter under chicken skin. Tie chicken legs together to hold shape. Spread remaining butter over chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Place rack in large roasting pan. Add the onion, carrots and potatoes. Chop 2 green onions; add to pan. Place chicken, breast side up, on rack in pan. Roast chicken until meat thermometer inserted into innermost part of thigh registers 180°F., stirring vegetables in pan occasionally, about 1 hour 40 minutes. 
4. Transfer chicken to platter. Tent with foil while making sauce (do not clean pan).
5. Place same roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add wine to pan; simmer until most of wine evaporates, scraping up any browned bits, about 5 minutes. Add broth. Simmer until sauce is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Strain into 2-cup glass measuring cup; discard solids. Spoon fat from top of sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with pan sauce and an orange slice to garnish.


Original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roast-Chicken-with-Rosemary-Orange-Butter-100978