• mickey_cookies
    family - Food

    4th of July Mickey Cookies Recipe

    June 23, 2016 - By 

    It’s getting close to my favourite month – July. So much beauty in the summer months, living outdoors and picnicking with family. In Canada, we have Canada Day and I have anniversaries and birthdays here too. Much to celebrate and much to bake for too. If you are one of my United States readers then you also have a great deal to celebrate – like July 4th! There are a few iconic things, destinations, people, characters and events I think of when I think of the United States. Mickey Mouse and Disneyland are a couple of those things that are…

  • candy_bubblegum_shake
    family - Food

    Celebrate With Candy Bubble Gum Freak Shakes

    June 10, 2016 - By 

    By now you’ve heard of freak shakes. A glorious excessive sweet celebratory shake that just screams summer. I’ll be honest I think I could manage about one of these a year at best. But it would be worth it. This candy bubble gum shake is the perfect way to kick summer holidays off this year. I plan to make a bubble gum crazy shake for the last day of school with my kids. Crazy shakes, or freak shakes, are a huge craze right now. And there are as many different shakes as there are candies out there. So really, you could make…

  • Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes
    Food

    Scrumptious Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes

    June 9, 2016 - By 

    Fresh strawberries floating around? Ontario strawberries are the best. This time of year strawberries are so fresh! But they don’t keep forever you know. That’s why they will be perfect in these Scrumptious Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes. In Ontario in June  and July you can find the ripest, freshest strawberries around. Now maybe that’s true for some other areas too, but I just know that here we have some amazing berry orchards and U-Pick places. That always makes me happy. Hoping to spend some time visiting a pick your own kind of strawberry farm soon. And with that in mind this…

  • breville_quick_touch_crisp
    Food - homes

    Breville Quick Touch Crisp Inverter Microwave Revolutionizes Microwave Cooking #QuickTouchCrisp

    June 2, 2016 - By 

    This post contains an affiliate link as a service to readers.  The Breville Quick Touch Crisp Inverter Microwave is a thing of beauty, which makes microwave cooking fun. I am very familiar with Breville Canada appliances and I have several here that I love. Recently I was invited to a Breville Canada event in Toronto that showcased seven of their newest products. The Breville Quick Touch Crisp inverter Microwave was one of the showstoppers because it turns microwave cooking and baking on its head and makes your kitchen fun again. Here’s what you need to know about this awesome new…

  • smoothies
    Food - Health

    Eight Super Summer Smoothies

    May 30, 2016 - By 

    Everyone in my family loves smoothies. I love them too, but I struggle with a complete lack of creativity when it comes to making smoothies. That’s why I look for inspiration from others sometimes when it comes to recipes. If you love smoothies as much as I do, but don’t have the time to concoct your own recipes then you might want to use some of these ideas. I think first up for me is the Mango Melon Special. We all love mangoes here and they are so good for you. I could use that Pineapple Green Tea Smoothie too, if…

  • golf_ball_rice_krispie_bars
    family - Food

    Father’s Day Golf Ball Rice Krispie Bars

    May 26, 2016 - By 

    June is coming up fairly fast and if you are like we are, then you are often at a loss for what to get or do for Father’s Day. In the past, when the weather was nice, we have been able to enjoy a picnic. These Father’s Day Golf Ball Rice Krispie Bars are the perfect sweet treat for a Father’s Day home cooked meal or picnic.    Hopefully, it’s nice enough for that this year too. Sometimes it’s fun to do something sporty with the whole family on Father’s Day – mini golf, or golf, or swimming. If you need…

  • viva_collection
    family - Food - Health

    Philips Viva Collection Digital Airfryer

    May 7, 2016 - By 

    The Viva Collection Digital Airfryer from Philips is taking frying to a new level. With this healthy alternative to traditional frying, my family can enjoy the crispy deliciousness of fried food without all the health concerns that go with all the oil associated with frying. Viva Collection Digital Airfryer – Healthy and Tasty Here’s how air fryers work. Instead of dipping our food in a vat of super hot, boiling oil, air fryers use circulating heated air to give that fried texture and taste without all the health impacts that go with submerging our food in oil – namely heart disease, arterial…

  • school_lunches
    family - Food

    Five Fun School Lunches

    April 21, 2016 - By 

    I am a proud MOM of a tween and teen. Most of the time they make their own lunches. Most of the time. Not always. The youngest is still bit hit and miss, but that’s okay. They are both pretty good at packing a balanced lunch, but on occasion we have all been guilty of packing boring school lunches. Anyways, a decade of packing lunches, or supervising kids packing lunches, I have learned a few pointers to pass on and motivate them to build some good habits. Let’s face it lunch can be a totally boring meal. It’s the one I am most…

  • inn_at_mount_julian
    Travel

    Viamede Resort’s Inn at Mount Julian – Best Meal I Have Ever Eaten

    April 19, 2016 - By 

    Food as an Adventure The Inn at Mount Julian is an unassuming, intimate, cozy space. A part of Viamede Resort, the Inn is part of a century old, newly renovated family and couples resort, on Stoney Lake in the Kawarthas area just north of Toronto. A fine dining experience, grounded clearly by the area’s landscape and the abundant local farms and resources, the Inn at Mount Julian is exceptional. The resort and The Inn subscribe to a locavore food philosophy that means all the food is locally sourced. This is the story of the meal I almost didn’t eat. It was…

  • dirty-oreo-cupcakes
    family - Food

    Oreo Cupcakes Are Perfect for Your Two Foot Tornado

    April 15, 2016 - By 

    Do you have a little mess magnet? Chances are if you have children, then you have a mess magnet! I have one of those. She’s a little tornado inside any room she enters. It’s hard to maintain a clean kitchen or living room, or any other space when she’s around. Once in awhile it’s okay to indulge that chaos and even embrace it. That’s what these worms in dirty Oreo Cupcakes are all about. These Dirty Oreo Cupcakes would be great for a birthday party, or a bake sale. But I really like the idea of making them for Earth Day.…