Low Carb, Gluten Free Pasta Bake

I've been asked for this recipe a number of times - here I am finally getting around to it!  I first saw it here and have made it dozens of times, sometimes with slight variations.  I never measure anything so it's a little bit different each time, but it's always very yummy! The beauty of cooking is freedom - if you like your pasta with more sauce, add more.  If you like more cheese, add more cheese.  If you need more flavour, add more Italian seasoning or garlic.  Don't be afraid to stray from the recipe to suit your own taste.

The vegetables being saute'd - this is an important step as it reduces the water and cooks the carrots.  It takes quite a while so give yourself at least an hour to get from turning the stove on until you are putting the casserole into the oven.  

Ingredients

1 whole spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red pepper, diced (I use at least two peppers, green and red)
1 zucchini, diced (I omitted this and it was just fine)
1 carrot, shredded (I just put a whole bag of shredded carrots in) 
2 cloves garlic, minced (I use jarred garlic)
1 tomato, diced (I skipped this because they aren't in season right now)
16 ounces tomato sauce (I use a whole jar)
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (whatever, I put most of the bag in)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

I obviously saw this recipe as a skeleton and incomplete!

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Poke spaghetti squash all over with a knife and place the poked squash on a baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes. While that's cooking, add the oil, garlic, pepper, zucchini, and carrots to a pan, cooking over medium heat.
• Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and with a fork, scrape the flesh from the peel. It should flake off easily in strings, resembling spaghetti. Place the spaghetti squash flesh in a casserole dish. Add the cooked veggies, diced tomato, sauce, and most of the cheese and mix well. Sprinkle leftover cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
• Allow to cool for five minutes, serve, and enjoy!

The recipe says 30 minutes - but I like mine extra cheesy and extra crispy so I put it in for more like 50 minutes.  I would say it easily serves 10 as a side dish but I eat it on it's own with a little bit of extra cheese on it.  2 minutes in the microwave and I have a great lunch that wont tack itself directly to my hips or backside.


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Have a fabulous day!

New Year, New Food - Grain Free Raspberry Chocolate Muffins

As we do when a new year is upon us, I went in search of some healthy recipes to take me through the winter months.  I stumbled upon Detoxinista and have been eating well ever since.  The website is run by a holistic nutritionist and is organized by category.  It's very easy to find yummy, healthy recipes that cater to those of us who have tummy issues, food sensitivities and who also just like to eat quality meals that aren't full of preservatives and all that nasty stuff we should be avoiding as much as possible.  No one with a bad diet was ever accused of being 10 years younger than they actually are.  Isn't that motivation enough?

I have spent countless hours trolling the Detoxinista site and have made a list of all the ones I want to try.  Normally I could live on cheese, vegetables, chocolate and coffee...but with the Danish Exchange Student living with us now, I am forced to actually come up with, and provide proper meals.  Fortunately she likes cooking and is always asking what she can do to help - I might just survive this experience!  We tried the avocado chocolate pudding - it was phenomenal and really tastes like the best chocolate pudding ever.  I don't like avocados but I couldn't even taste them in this.  The site also includes recipes for cauliflower pizza crust, spaghetti squash 'pasta' casserole, and vegan/gluten free mac & cheese.  There is something for everyone, gluten free, celiac, paleo, low carb and how about...simply hungry!

I was looking for something we could make that would be easy for us to take in the morning, rushing for school, starving between meals (I had no idea how much teenagers eat) or when I just can't see myself putting a meal on the table.  I found these yummy looking muffins and decided to give them a try...

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins (Grain-free)

• 2 cups almond flour (store-bought or homemade)
• 2 whole eggs
• ¼ cup coconut oil, softened (butter works, too)
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup fresh raspberries (or thawed from frozen)
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• 12 muffin liners

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
2. Combine all the ingredients– except for the raspberries and chocolate chips– and mix well, until the batter is a uniform consistency.
3. Gently fold in the raspberries and chocolate chips, until they are spread throughout the batter.
4. Using a ¼ cup to measure, drop batter into muffin liners and bake for 15 minutes at 350F, turning the pan halfway through for even baking. The final muffins should be golden brown around the edges and firm in the center.
5. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove to cool completely.

These came together quickly and I had them in the oven in under 5 minutes.  The mixture seemed very thick, much thicker than it looks on the Detoxinista website, but they taste good and held up well.  We will be keeping these in the food rotation with some variations from time to time.  Bananas and peanut butter perhaps?



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Have a fabulous day!

Christmas Breakfast

This year we are staying at home for Christmas.  No running around.  No leaving presents unopened under the tree so we can make other people happy with our presence...no insanity.

My inlaws decided (in a huff) to go to Nova Scotia for Christmas so I invited my parents to come for Christmas.  The downside of marriage...complicated relationships.  Nothing will ever be the same as when you were growing up and that's not always easy.  So, this year, we will be hosting breakfast and as we know, these sorts of things take planning.  I sat down the other day and wrote a wee list of what I would like to serve...foods that are simple and easy to make!

Christmas coffee!  I am the only one in the family who doesn't drink coffee but I know the rest of the addicts wont be able to function without it!

Some sort of champagne cocktail!  I might toggle between orange and cranberry mimosas *hic*

It's not Christmas until I have stuffed myself with chocolate while opening pressies!

I tested these the other day and the Suburban Princes loved them so they are a go!  Put ham slices in a muffin tin or ramekin, crack eggs into them, season and bake!  Easy peasey, lemon squeezey!

Panettone!  Everyone loves this toasted with butter melting on it.  Pure bliss!  Slice it across and put on baking trays to toast in the oven.

Clementines and nuts to keep our energy and vitamin C levels up! 

Everything can be prepped in advance or easily made on Christmas morning to keep stress at a low!

Have a fabulous day!

Merry Christmas to me!

I was home alone and put the shopping channel on for a little while to keep me company.  Yes, I know.  Sad.  But who knows!  I might be on there some day flogging my own product and all the prep work will pay off.

The segment I caught was a bakeware company showing their pans while cooking up a storm.  I was enamoured with this 'Old World' pattern and couldn't pry myself away from the tv.  I saw there staring, imagining the dinners I would serve, casseroles I would cook, breads I would bake...when the host said they go from freezer to oven to table to dishwasher I was sold!

Look at how pretty they are!  They arrived the other morning and I cant wait to use them!  The best part is they are oven safe and come with wrought iron serving racks so no more cooking in one pan then serving in another!

 

I see they come in round dishes too...hmmmm...

 

Soup and sandwich platters!  How cute!  I wonder if Miss Janice knows about these?

A muffin pan too!  How cute!  I will be putting them to the test to find out of they are truly non-stick.  I also need to get rid of some baking and serving dishes to make some room for the new ones!


Have a fabulous day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I will be spending today getting pies baked and dessert prepped.  Our parents are coming tomorrow for dinner so it will be a full day of cooking turkey and ham, roasties, veggies, stuffing and all the traditional Thanksgiving foods.

Every year at this time I like to revisit my very first post.  One of these days I will write an updated version including all of the new things I am grateful for.


Have a fabulous Thanksgiving!

What we have been up to!

Summer is such a busy time...even if we are doing nothing but making lunches and taking them out to the pool...so it's hard to keep on top of blogging everything.  I realised I hadnt written a post about real life for a while so I grabbed my datebook and went back over the things we have done lately....

- The Little Prince wrapped up his dance classes with a little recital.  The kids picked the music and each one got to pick a step and it was all put together.  Having a son I never realized just how emotional little girls are!  Oh my gosh!  The classes were an hour each and 5 little girls spent that hour taking turns sulking, having tantrums and crying in the corner while he waited patiently.  The Little Prince is now terrified of girls.  I plan to keep it that way.  Anyhoo, he did a great job, remembered all the steps, wore a little bow tie and took his teacher flowers.

- I went to a Chamber of Commerce networking event where I met a gift basket designer.  I have already been printing ribbon for her and hopefully her clients will order ribbon too!  www.Royal-Ribbons.com is my ribbon printing business in case you didnt already know.

- My Rotary club held a dinner for the poverty coalition in town and all the poor people who belong got to come to our buffet.  The food was great and even tho it rained (poured) we had a good time doing something nice for the community.

- I went to Toronto and met High Heeled Life for lunch and shopping...but you already knew that.

- The town committee I am on has taken a dramatic turn from how it has been for the last 15 years...most of the committee quit in February which left me as the senior member with a whopping 5 months of experience.  I told the mayor I wanted her to put me on a different committee but she asked me to stay which I begrudgingly did and now it is awesome!  Last year I hated being on this committee and this year it is a totally different experience.  The new chair is a former professional fundraiser and event planner and when I was at her house for a meeting I saw her big notebook is monogrammed!  She takes me seriously and has actually made me feel like a part of the team rather than the obligatory citizen they have to have on the committee.  This 78 year old woman has become my new idol! 

- Hermes Scarf Friend and I went on to homes and gardens tour and I would love to show you photos but I was told to stop taking pics and to delete the ones I had taken off my camera.  I guess they have enough people coming through and dont need any more free promotion.  Too bad, some of the homes were quite nice and very interesting.  The tour took place in 5 houses in the region so we had to do a bit of driving.  It was so nice to spend time with HSF as we are both so busy we dont often have time to just do nothing but chat and gossip.  It was such a hot and humid day - we ended up stopping for ice cream on the way home to help cool off!

- I attended the last meeting of the 'year' for the library book club.  I wasnt in love with the book but it's always a nice way to spend an hour with people I dont see anywhere else.  Usually someone brings treats but for the last meeting most of us brought something so we had a nice dessert buffet.  The next meeting will be at the end of September so I have time to read a few of my own books over the summer!

- The Little Prince and I went to High Heeled Life's house for Canada day...but you already knew that.

- We went to the local waterfront festival for the first time.  Usually the Suburban Prince is working that weekend so it was nice to finally see it after all of these years!  I was impressed at how big it is and will need to plan better for next year and give ourselves a lot more time to see all of the vendors.  There were lots of activities for the kids, concerts all day long, beach activities, a midway and lots more!  Next year I will take photos, we were a bit rushed this time.

- We had my inlaws over for a swim and dinner for my MIL's birthday.  I made two huge slow cooked racks of ribs.  They were sooooo good!  I managed to find the Suburban Prince's favourite bbq sauce just in time!  On the side I had Greek salad and broccoli salad and for dessert I made key lime pie parfaits.

- We went to the local lavender festival and later the same day went to a party for HSF's son who is going to Belgium for a year on a student exchange.  It was part fundraiser part goodbye party tho I will see him before he goes at least two more times.

- The Suburban Prince went for a hearing test - I made the appointment and sent him as I am sick of repeating myself and having to yell all the time.  Turns out his hearing is in the normal range so now he knows he has no excuse.  Are you reading this handsome husband?  I'm on to you!

- We took the Little Prince to see Winnie The Pooh on opening day.  He was a superstar!  He stayed in his seat, yelled to all the characters, ate popcorn and clapped at the end.  I cant wait to take him to see The Smurfs!

- My housekeeper has a girl party every summer so I stopped in for a couple of hours.  It's always nice to see some new people and see some familiar faces from previous years but it's also a bit akward when it's someone else's friends and they all have a history and I am the outsider.  Either way we had nice cocktails by the pool and didnt have to do any of the cleaning up!

- We went to the Highland Games as we do every year.  I have been to them all over the place and it has rained every. single. time.  I have been soaked to the skin, drizzled on, crammed in a beer tent while the bands carried on by standing on the tables and playing their hearts out.  I have seen bands almost struck by lightning and have taken to carrying rain gear and umbrellas with me whenever I go.  There is no way that many Scottish people can gather without rain!  This year was the exception tho!  We got through the whole day without a drop of rain - it's a Scottish miracle!  We had never seen the end of the games before so it was nice to see the bands all playing together....there is a post with lots of photos coming this week.

- I got back to golf, at last.  I havnt even looked at my clubs all season and last week got to the driving range with my teacher for a few buckets of balls.  I am quite pleased at how well I did and got through the entire bag of including my Big Daddy club!  My favourite is when I finish my swing and my teacher tells me I look like the top of a trophy!

- I took the Little Prince to visit a friend who has a summer home at the lake...in other words a trailer at the beach and it was nice to watch the kids play and snack while we chatted about life, love and how to take a decent photo of ribbon.

- I visited a friend who had a stroke a couple of weeks ago.  She is 36 and the doctors didnt think she was having a stoke because of her age...even tho she kept telling them she was and had all of the symptoms.  While running all sorts of tests on her they found she has a hole in her heart so now she is waiting for more tests and a surgery to repair the hole.  I am amazed how how stressed she is while being so positive.  She is a bodybuilder and believes she will fully recover and get her life back to normal.  In the meantime she has been realising what's important and told me she plans to make changes in her life.

- A friend of a friend left her husband a few weeks ago.  It was a bit out of the blue but I can totally understand her snap decision - I am the same way and when things arent right I cut ties and move on.  I know this woman as we see each other at some of the same events and she has been at my house a few times...I can honestly say I never liked her husband and think she is better off without him.  I told her at least now she can live her live on her terms and she says 'Exactly!'.

- Another friend is teetering on the verge of ending her marriage.  There must be something in the water or the planets are aligned wrong or something!  It's a 22 year marriage but they have done what so many people do when they get married at 19...they have grown apart.  They hardly do anything together, they practically live apart and often take separate vacations.  I say sh*t or get off the pot!  Anyhoo, hopefully she will decide what she wants and stop torturing herself.  40 is the new 16 so it's not like her life is over!

- I finally saw Midnight In Paris - oh my!  What a wonderful movie!  I had no idea what it was about so I wont spoil a thing here.  I loved it so much and now understand why everyone was raving about it!  I would love to go see it again - after I have googled everyone in it lol!  I took little bottles of champagne with me to ensure I was really involved in the atmosphere.


This coming week is another busy one for me with my ribbon business (www.Royal-Ribbons.com) and getting some plans made for my Rotary club's 90th birthday party.  I somehow ended up being the chair of the committee so I want to have all the info ready and make a presentation to the club in 2 week's time.  I am going with a 20's glam kinda thing...bring on the Charleston!


Have a fabulous day!

Summer in a glass!

I was reading the May/June issue of Tea Time Magazine and spotted some adorable little desserts in miniature!  My in-laws were coming for a birthday dinner so I needed something special for dessert.

Key lime, Boston cream and strawberry shortcake parfaits!  How cute are they!?  They are all so easy to make and assemble and can easily be prepared with ready made ingredients!

Mine didn't look quite as pretty but then I have a 3 year old boy and any mom of a little boy knows one just gets it in the glass, on the table, in the oven, on the plate or anything else one needs too do with food and then runs off to find out what mischief one's little boy is up to! 

I didn't bother using the recipe...the little boy and everything else I need to manage means a lack of time...so I just used vanilla pudding mix, used lime juice in place of 1/4 of the milk and layered with whipped cream and graham crumbs.

It tastes like a day at the beach!  Just vanilla pudding, milk, lime juice, whipped cream and graham crumbs.  Easy peasy!

For the coffee service I channeled my inner Miss Janice and tied pretty little ribbons to my glass coffee mugs!  Everyone was duly impressed!


Have a fabulous day!

Roasted Green Beans

Beans and carrots ready to go in the oven!

Dont forget my birthday giveaway!

My local grocery store has a frozen roasted vegetable mix that I have used a few times and tho it is quite good, it has too many potatoes in it for my liking.  This mix does include green beans which I thought was very interesting but trust me when I say how yummy they are!

Yes I use frozen vegetables, especially at this time of year as they are the best value but also the best quality.  Fresh veggies come from so far away they are quite old by the time they are in the grocery store but frozen veggies are frozen very shortly after being picked so little is lost by the time they find themselves in my kitchen.  When I weigh the cost of a fresh cauliflower that is weeks old vs the cost of frozen cauliflower that has been 'preserved' at maybe one day old...I take the frozen.

I was in the M&Ms store the other day buying a few things for the freezer when I saw they have a big bag of green beans mixed with carrots and I thought I would try roasting them for dinner that night.  I love that I didnt have to pick anything out of the mix!  One of their mixes includes snow peas (not Snoopy's) and they just dont do it for me so I pick them out.

Oh.Em.Gee.  Just like french fries!  The Suburban Prince took them with his dinner to work and his co-workers kept asking who made fries!

Did we know 2/3 cup of green beans has 30 calories? 

I strongly suggest you get these on your dinner table asap!

Tips...

- Defrost the green beans.  I put a tea town in the pan and pour the green beans onto it and let them 'melt' for a couple of hours.  Wet food wont caramelize so skipping this step will mean you dont get lovely crisp beans and wont have the french fry effect.

- When the beans are ready take them and the tea towel out of the pan and pour some olive oil into the pan...a few tbsps is fine...and then put the beans in the pan.  Use lots of salt (I use Himalayan sea salt and kelp in my grinder) and give the beans a toss in the pan.

- Roast at 400 for 30 minutes then toss them to make sure the ones on the bottom dont end up charred and bake for another 20 minutes...toss again and bake for another 15 minutes.  Depending on your oven you might need to adjust the timing but that's what works for me.

Enjoy!

Have a fabulous day!

Curried Chicken - Easy Recipe!

Since we have been spending so much time at home for the last couple of months I have had the chance to try out some meals I have had on my list.  Last week I made a nice curried chicken that got some help from a jar of sauce.

I started with a little olive oil and seared the chicken and sprinkled curry powder on it to make it extra currylicious.

You dont have to cook the chicken all the way through, just sear the outside and then it can be sliced easily.  I deglazed the pan with some cheap red wine I had...ok let's call a spade a spade, it was a bottle of Arbor Mist winterberry merlot.  It was open and on hand.  Anyhooooo I deglazed the pan and put the sliced chicken back in to finish cooking....

Meanwhile I added a jar of curry sauce and chopped up cauliflower and let it cook until I was ready to serve dinner.  We also had Indian rice with lots of peas and roasted veggies. 

This was such an easy meal that took just a little bit of planning ahead!

Have a fabulous day!

My new comfort food

Italian sausage and lentils by Nigella Lawson

Ingredients

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
Sprinkling salt
About 2 3/4 cups (about 18 ounces) dried Puy lentils (I use 1 cup for two people)
1 fat clove garlic, squished with the flat side of a knife, and skin removed
8 Italian sausage links (use the big thick ones)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon red wine
1/4 cup water
Flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish

Directions

For the lentils:  Put 2 to 3 tablespoons of the oil into a good-sized saucepan (and one that has a lid that fits) on the heat and when it's warm, add the chopped onion. Sprinkle with salt (which helps prevent its browning) and cook over low to medium heat until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the lentils, stir well and then cover generously with cold water. Bring to the boil, then cover and let simmer gently for 1/2 an hour or so until cooked and most, if not all, the liquid's absorbed. I don't add salt at this stage since the sauce provided by the sausages later (and which will be poured over the lentils) will be pretty salty itself. So, wait and taste. And remember, you can of course cook the lentils in advance.

Anyway, when either the lentils are nearly ready or you're about to reheat them, put a heavy-based frying pan on the burner, cover with a film of oil and add the bruised garlic. Cook for a few minutes then add and brown the sausages. When the sausages are brown on both sides - which won't take more than 5 minutes or so - throw in the wine and water and let bubble up. Cover the pan, either with a lid or aluminum foil, and cook for about 15 minutes. Using a fork, mash the now-soft garlic into the sauce and taste for seasoning, adding a little more water if it's too strong. 

Remove the lentils to a shallowish bowl or dish (I evacuate the sausages from their cooking pan, plonk the lentils in, then proceed) then cover with the sausages and their garlicky, winey gravy. Sprinkle over some flat-leaf parsley.


Have a fabulous day!!

Surviving a winter wonderland

Life here in the 'burbs is a bit boring right now.  We have had so much snow in the last two weeks that we sometimes have trouble getting out and about.  The advantage of living at the top of a hill is not worrying about floods...the disadvantage, everything is downhill...down an icy hill...by a river.  The upside is I have been forced to do a little bit of meal planning in case I cant get out easily....I actually planned, shopped for and cooked for three days straight!  That's a bit of a miracle around here as I have often found it too hard to cook with the Little Prince around but he has learned to stay behind the kitchen table when I am opening the oven so now I can actually work in the kitchen without worrying about him.

Because I have been a bit snowed in I havn't been doing very much in the way of fun activities...no lunches, events, snooty pursuits.  My babysitter even had to cancel on me for a couple of months as she has classes on the same night at my Rotary meetings so I have been absent for a little while now. 

There is something to be said for January's cold snowy weather.  There is always so much to be done in the house and the temptation to go out is squashed by -30 degree days.  My closets are organized, the drawers are becoming less and less full.  The laundry is all done and the Christmas decor was packed away weeks ago.  The basement renovation has been coming along nicely as the contractors are happy to be working in a nice heated space rather than outside building house frames.

We have had to dig paths for our little dog to get around the backyard.  I let him out the other day and he vanished in a snow drift.  We have to keep shoes at the back door in case he gets 'stuck' with cold toes and cant make it back to the door.  Yes, all the males in my life are a little tender and fragile.  Scottish women are strong for everyone, keep families together and rescue cold dogs from winter.

I keep thinking I should be creating fun, but to be honest, I just dont want to!  I am enjoying my hibernation and think I will limit my outings to one a week while focusing inward. 

Dont miss my Valentine's Day giveaway!

Have a fabulous day!

Christmas Recap and Baked Eggs

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! 

We had a very low key holiday which included lots of driving, listening to our parents whine, me deciding we will be 'going away' for Christmas next year and the Suburban Prince has to deal with it again as it's his father's birthday today...so he will be going to see his parents...again.  I decided I will not allow the Little Prince to be put in a car again and driven around the province again and miss his nap...again.  So, I will be staying home with him and we will work on getting the house tidy again.

We didn't get each other much in the way of presents...neither of us need anything except house renovations so that's where we decided to put our energy and efforts.  I did give the Suburban Prince some of the books he wanted and a couple signed by the authors.  He gave me a T&Co scarf...the little skinny one, perfect for going around a wrist or tying on a purse and a LWhelan scarf she made especially for me and my need for cheeky monkey fabric.  I cant wait to wear both! 

The Little Prince gave me a TimeOut...he is quite pleased with himself!

I am already thinking about packing up some of the decorations - I dont usually feel this way but this year I just dont feel like dragging it all into the new year.  Start as you mean to go on!  So I will take some down every day and leave the tree with lights on until Epiphany (because I am just so religious) and that way I wont be trying to put it all away until Valentine's day!

The Suburban Prince will be coming home with his brother tonight so I needed to come up with something for breakfast tomorrow morning....here is one of my favourite dishes...so easy, inexpensive and very, very yummy!

I have always been a fan of simple breakfasts and this is a take on Barefoot Contessa's herbed baked eggs...it's basically the 'Husband-is-hungry-now' version!

Butter/grease/oil/spray a ramekin.

Crack your eggs into it.

Top with lots of sea salt with kelp, Italian seasoning, pepper and old cheddar.

Bake at 350 until the eggs are as runny or firm as you like them.

I serve them with toast and lots of coffee!

Have a fabulous day!

Christmas in a Glass

1 bottle Prosecco, or other sparkling dry white wine, well chilled

1 bottle of cranberry flavored syrup

Pour the Prosecco into glasses. Add a capful of the syrup to each glass of the Prosecco, to taste.

As an alternative...pour a couple of shots of cranberry into a bottle of Prosecco, add a straw and carry on your merry *hic* way!

I love the simplicity of this drink - there is a reason why a kir royale always hits the spot - who needs more than two ingredients in glass?

In a time when it is so easy to get carried away and overcomplicate things, I make a note to stop and turn to Nigella who will always tell me to simplify, simplify, simplify. 

Have a fabulous day!

Tag! You're it!

Shrimp & Glitz tagged me in her post "Tagged: 8 Questions!" So now I have a few questions to answer.  I am a bad blog friend though...it has taken me forever to get this completed and posted so I apologize!  Thank you for tagging me Shrimp & Glitz! 

1. What is your favorite dessert?

If it isn't chocolate, it isn't dessert!  I love a deep, dark, lush chocolate fudge cake more than anything else!

2. Ever tried to cook something and fail miserably?

Oh goodness yes!  Remember this Thanksgiving disaster?  My first attempt at making rice crispy squares was a flop too as I forgot to grease the pan and had to soak them out.  In my defence, they aren't something my mom ever made when I was growing up so it's not like I had ever seen them made from scratch until I made them myself.

3. Is there a dish you haven't made yet but really want to?

I want to make Ina's chocolate cake.  It looks so good in the photos and I love a thick thick icing!  I really only eat cake for the icing.  I really hope it tastes better than any of the cakes I have baked from scratch as I have never found one that blows me away.  Oh who am I kidding?  I will buy the box mix at the gourmet store!

4. What is your favorite food?

I won't say chocolate as that would be the obvious answer!  I think pizza is my favourite but it has to be good pizza.  I have been spoiled in my life and once you have had pizza in Italy it is hard to go back to the North American pizza chains.

5. What is your least favorite food?

There are so many foods I can't stand it's hard to narrow it down to just one!  Beef, olives, lobster, cilantro are the first ones that come to mind.

6. Do you have any seasonal meals you like?

Oh I love butternut soup in the fall, roasted veggies, rosemary chicken, a big winter ham...it sounds like I do most of my eating between October and January!

7. What is your comfort food?

I don't know that I really have one as I don't tend to be an emotional eater but on a cold day I love a bowl of soup and toast with butter.

8. Chocolate: milk, dark or white?

Dark...65-70% is ideal though I do love those little hugs - they are a perfect blend of white and milk chocolate.

Now it is my turn to tag 8 people to answer these questions! So here we go!

High Heeled Life

Pink Cashmere Cardigan

It's the World I Know

Hostess of the Humble Bungalow

Confessions of a Domestic Goddess

Flip Flops and Pearls

Pretty Pink Tulips

North of 25A

Have a fabulous day!

Acorn Cookies!

Dont miss my True Prep bracelet giveaway!  And my Happy Baker book giveaway!

Since I had my Autumn cutters out for my apple pie crust I thought it would be fun to make acorn cookies...

I made a basic shortbread dough but used a wheat-free blend instead of traditional flour.  I added lots of cinnamon, allspice and pumpkin pie spice for zesty Autumnal cookies!  Use whichever recipe you like best!

I rolled out the dough and got to work cutting out the little acorns...

...and baked them according to the recipe.  I think they are so cute!

Have a fabulous day!

My apple pie was a work of art!

I bought these cutters last year and was very excited to use them this year!  I used to oak leaf cutter to make the top of my apple pie for Thanksgiving dinner....

I will be honest and admit I used pie crust from the grocery store (anyone who has a problem with that can come and do my laundry while I make crust from scratch because I just dont have time to dither about with something I can easily purchase and tastes just as good - in fact, people are always asking me for my pastry recipe lol!)  I let the crust warm up enough to take it out of the pan and roll it out.  This is important because when I assembled the crust it amounts to a few layers of dough so they should be thin to not make an inch of top crust.  I used 4 pie crusts to make this pie but it is worth it!

I cut out around 100 leaves and put them in a container between layers of waxed paper and put them in the freezer.  This is the kind of thing that can be prepped in advance so hours aren't spent on one pie in one day.  I filled a 3rd pie crust with my apple pie filling (apples, cinnamon, spices, brown sugar) and rolled out the 4th pie crust to make it thinner before putting it on top of the pie.

I used water to 'glue' the leaves onto the top crust and worked my way around until it was covered.

Ready to go in the oven!

I made a crust protector out of tin foil and put it on the pie halfway through baking to prevent burnt edges.

My finished pie!

Tips...

- Dont let the leaves hang over the edge very much

- Egg wash the top for a more dramatic look

- Pile the apples higher as they will sink a bit when baking



Have a fabulous day!