I have been baking for much of my life. As a child I loved to help bake with my Mom and my Grandma too. And, as a teenager I really enjoyed crafting and sewing, reading and cooking up something random. Betty Crocker’s cookbook and I were well acquainted. In fact, I still make a scrumptious jelly roll. Oddly though, I can’t recall ever having made shortbread cookies. Not once, until now. I recall having this perception that shortbread was hard to make, so we didn’t make it. This year is all about new traditions.We moved to a new house…
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My Grandmother on my mother’s side was British. She was a total kick in the pants, a mom to five boys and one daughter and she was a huge tea drinker. Of course she also rolled cigarettes back when Virginia Slims make smoking appear sexy, then quit cold turkey one day after smoking for 30 years. She was a great, quirky and inspirational lady who loved to talk politics with me even when I was only nine or ten. As a child, when I went to her house (every single sick day) I would marvel at the teas (mostly…
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Halloween Rice Krispies treats are so easy to make with kids and super fun too. I mean who doesn’t love Rice Krispies treats? They couldn’t be simpler. It’s the spookiest time of year and my kids love to bake so the other day we decided to see what we could come up with by combining Halloween and Rice Krispies treats. But for this batch of Halloween Rice Krispies treats you need a few adornments to make them festive. Pay close attention to the simple details here and you will have some of the best Halloween Rice Krispies Treats. Kitchen Time…
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It’s time for Canadian Thanksgiving. Yippee! Now pass the gravy. We have so much to be thankful for this year. In fact, if you live in Canada, I am pretty sure you all need to be thankful for the gift of geography and how blessed we each are to be living in a country so rich with resources. After my recent trip with World Vision Canada, I can tell you my perspective on gratitude and life in general has changed dramatically. Canadian Thanksgiving is a great time to share your home, your heart and a beautiful meal together. But before…
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Talking turkey, but no idea where to get the best deal on your bird this year? Flipp has the answer. Thanksgiving can be a beautiful opportunity to share a meal with your family, decorate your house and start celebrating all that you are grateful for. But let’s face it. First there’s the shopping, the cleaning, the cooking and decorating. All of that can be hard on the budget. Sticker shock from the turkey alone can leave you in despair. This year I am using Flipp shopping app because it rocks. Honestly, not sure why this wasn’t around months ago. It’s…
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So what exactly is Kefir? Kefir is a smooth version of drinkable yogurt packed with protein. It is essentially a cousin of yogurt with roots that go back to Europe over 2000 years ago. It is jam packed with probiotics which is why I wanted to try it. The taste is a bit tart, almost sour. It takes a bit of getting used to actually. My kids love drinkable yogurt and one of them found this strawberry flavoured cultured milk smoothie to be a bit sour. I have a sour streak, or should I say, a love of sour tasting…
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Breakfast is key to the start of the day. It is crucial to start every morning on the right foot, and around here Kellogg’s cereal is a big part of that. Rice Krispies are a staple here so when I spied the new Rice Krispies Multi-Grain Shapes Cereal and other Kellogg’s New Products I was giddy. Rice Krispies cereal is the one I bake with and the one I reach for as an adult because I know it works for me. I have loved the taste of it since I was a kid. Happily I can report that Rice…
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As school and fall activities get back under way, easy healthy snacks are extremely important. They are time savers. They can be the things the kids reach for first when we are racing around from school to theatre to swimming and back again. GoGo squeeZ is convenient and tasty. We have been fans forever, so when we found these new flavours we wanted to share them with readers too. GoGo squeeZ fruit snacks come in eight flavours including: the original tasty Apple flavour and they are now also in Apple-Grape and Apple-Pear, two new flavours that are delicious. These never…
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Bring on the butterscotch pudding. By the end of September every parent around will be searching for new lunch ideas and snacks to pack in children’s lunches. It doesn’t take long to run out of ideas each school year. But this year I have a great butterscotch pudding snack I am happy to have found for the kid’s lunches. Puddin’ SqueeZ pudding on the go snacks that will clearly kick things up a notch. Let’s be honest. Back to School is not my favourite time of year. Reason number one: the fall signifies the start of the miserable weather slide that ends…
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I don’t know about you, but one of my favourite soup recipes is French onion. I frequently order French onion soup for lunch when I go out. Sometimes it is very good and sometimes it is disappointing when big chain restaurants attempt the recipe using small scraps of cheese and croutons. If I see French onion soup on the menu I have to try it at least once. It makes me think of home and childhood. French onion soup was my mother’s all time favourite soup. Funny how food can conjure up a feeling, emotion or memory. That’s precisely the…