Coziness in a form of a muffin

Today was one of those cloudy dreary winter days where honestly you think you will never see the sun again. On days like that I just want to bake something that is comforting, so today I made chocolate chip banana muffins. I found a good recipe online that is apparently the recipe for a muffin served at a little coffee shop in Banff Alberta called Evelyn's Coffee Bar.

So here is the recipe,

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups of White Flour
2/3 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Cup of Mashed Bananas ( I use my over ripened bananas that I store in the freezer and defrost when needed)
1 Large Egg
1/2 Cup of Butter melted
1/4 Cup of Milk
3/4 Cup of Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350F and line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
2) Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl, then mix all wet ingredients in a small bowl.
3) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until wet, do not over mix.
4) Add chocolate chips and then fill prepared muffin cups to 3/4 full.
5) Bake muffins till tops are pale golden and a tooth pick inserted comes out clean, so about 32 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool.

* Note: It was such a good recipe too that I am going to put it in my book, but I think next time I am going to add some walnuts and maybe a crunchy topping!

Christmas goodies that go straight to my belly!

So I am getting all geared up for the Holidays! I already made a cute dress and a stocking for Olivia and I am working on a blanket for Matt and a tree skirt! So the two goodies I made today are yummy chocolate truffles and peanut butter chocolate balls! So here are the two recipes I used, thank you Pintrest:

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

3 Cups of Semisweet Chocolate Chips, I used Bernard Callebaut chocolate
1 Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Tblsp Vanilla Extract or Almond Extract

Chopped flaked coconut, baking cocoa and powdered sugar

Directions:

1) In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and milk; stir until smooth.Stir in vanilla. Chill for 2 hours or until mixture is easy to handle.

2) Shape into 1-in. balls with a melon baller. Roll in the coconut,cocoa or powdered sugar. Yield: about 4 dozen.


*So yummy and smooth!

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:

2 1/4 Cups of Peanut Butter
2 Cups of Powdered Sugar
1 1/3 Cups of Graham Cracker Crumbs
3/4 Cup of Salted Butter
1 1/2 Cups of Milk Chocolate, I used Bernard Callebaut chocolate

Directions:

1) In a large bowl combine all ingredients minus the chocolate, mash together till well blended. Form into balls and then cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2) Melt chocolate and then dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate, either set aside in mini cupcake liners or put on parchment paper in a pyrex dish and then chill until serving time.

* These taste just like Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, yummy!!

I know this isn't kitchen related but I wanted to show off my sewing projects... well I guess I did them on the kitchen table so that counts right!

Olivia's Christmas dress:

Olivia's stocking:

A little bit French and a little bit Italian

So tonight on the menu was my French Onion soup and I tried a new twist to a bruschetta I make. I have made French onion soup for a few years and I have perfected a recipe just for my tastes, and its simple to make too! Also I have portioned things to just feed two.

My French Onion Soup:

2 Medium White or Sweet Mayan Onions
3 Tblsp of Butter
6 Cups of Beef Stalk
2 Slices of French Bread
1/2 Cup of Provolone, Mozza and Parmesan Cheese blend
Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Set oven to broil. Cut onions in half and then slice them into 1/2 inch thick slices, the onions cook better when they are cut long but thin. Get a large pot heated to a medium heat and add butter till melted and bubbling, then add onions. Slow cook them till they are a nice caramel colour, if you cook too high of a temperature fast then the onions will not have time to caramelize and get a nice flavour. Remember to stir the onions often so they wont burn.
2) Once onions are cooked add beef stalk, salt and pepper and let heat up, once it is heated up add to your bowls. Toast bread in a toaster so they are a light brown, then put on top of the soup in the bowls and sprinkle the cheese blend on top of the bread.
3) Place bowls on a cookie sheet and then place in the oven. You need to watch carefully because some ovens cook faster and you don't want the cheese to cook too fast. My oven only takes about 4 minutes to have a nice light brown spots on the cheese.
4) When cooked remove them from the oven and place on a plate and let cool for a few minutes because it is extremely hot.
5) Enjoy :)


*Note: to me there is nothing better then sticking my spoon into the crispy yet soft top of the cheese and then taking a scoop of the bread that has soaked in the juice....mmmmm I want to eat another bowl right now, but sad there are no left overs!

Okay onto the Italian part, this is super simple too yet yummy!

Goat cheese Bruschetta:

3 Medium sized Tomatoes (any kind but roma are the best I think)
1 Tblsp basil, if you want fresh then about 4 pieces of fresh
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Fresh Garlic
1/2 Cup Feta Cheese
1/2 Cup of Soft Goat Cheese
6-8 pieces of French bread

1) Set the oven to broil. Cut the tomatoes into little dices and place into a medium sized bowl, add basil, olive oil and garlic.
2) Toast the bread in the toaster to a golden brown. Once toasted spread a nice layer of goat cheese on each piece. If you want more goat cheese then add more or less if you want less. Then place the tomato mix on top and sprinkle the feta cheese on top of the tomatoes.
3) Place on a cookie that is lined with parchment paper and then place in the oven. Only cook for about 3 minutes till they are warm. Then serve and enjoy!

5 tips for a better budget

   While growing up I watched my parents budget to feed a family of 8 and watched my Mom clip coupons and go through flyers looking for the best deals. I haven't quite caught the couponing talent that my Mom has but when it comes to budgeting I feel that's something that I have been successful at. Matt and I have always worked out a budget even when we were dating we broke down our expenses and put it in a spread sheet and made sure we stayed in it. We were able to save enough money for a down payment on a house and to be able to live comfortably.

So for me I have a few important keys to stay in budget every week with groceries:

1) Have a monthly meal plan, if not monthly weekly:

I carry a trusty old fashioned day planner (its cute with owls on it) around with me everywhere, everyday in it I have written down what we will be eating for dinner that night and for the month. This helps for me to go through my cupboards, fridge and freezer to look and see what we have and what I need to get that week.

2) Have a schedule:

Every Monday I go grocery shopping. People are creatures of habit and if you know you need to get groceries on a specific day and plan it and have it written down it will cut back on impulse buying and having to run into the store another day because you have forgotten something. 

3) You can't afford not to shop at Costco:

Some of you may think "Is she crazy Costco is expensive!" well trust me when I say you can't afford to not shop there! My in laws love Costco and my parents liked it too but I thought for the longest time that they were expensive and why would I need that much food for a little family. Well it was the best thing we ever did was get a membership when we first got married. The meat products alone are worth shopping there, its high quality and cheaper then everywhere else I have looked. The best is buying a pork tenderloin and being able to get 6 roasts and around 8 pork chops out of one tenderloin. We actually only buy meat 2 to 3 times a year and spend around $150 when we do but cut it all up and freeze it. If you break that down that is only $6.25 per week for 2 of us to eat high quality meat. Almost all their other products including cereal and peanut butter is $2 to $4 dollars cheaper than all other stores.

*Note: I shop at smaller stores in between Costco trips for smaller ticket items like eggs because we don't go through 4 dozen eggs before they would expire.

4) Never let your pantry go bare, always stock up:

If you have a stock pile in your pantry of certain staples or things that your family use on a daily and weekly basis its important to make sure you keep your cupboards stocked up. The worst is letting your cupboards go bare because that's when your budget will be blown. When I go to the store and I know I have a bit of extra money from my budget I will stock up on some canned goods or even body wash and deodorant. 

5) Be honest and accountable:

If you blow your budget one week don't lie to yourself or your spouse about it. If you tell the truth then you hold yourself accountable and can correct it and your spending won't get out of control. You can always cut back the next week and make sure you are on track.

There you go a few of my budgeting tips! Hope you enjoy!

Mm mm better than Campbell's

    Okay, okay it has been almost a year since I said I was going to start this journey...well its been kind of a busy year! Our little bundle of joy arrived and is now 5 months old, and she is such a fun baby. We moved into our new home with a huge kitchen that I love cooking in everyday. So to kick things off I recently got a bit of a hankering for some kind of a fall soup, maybe it's because I felt like we got robbed from some sort of a fall here; and I was trying to hold onto the magic of the season changing rather than facing the fact that winter was encroaching upon us. One of my favourite soups is a butternut squash but I didn't have any so instead I made a carrot and sweet potato soup, this recipe turned out so smooth and creamy even without milk or cream in it!

Ingredients:

2-3 large Carrots
3 medium Red Potatoes
1 large Sweet Potato
1 medium to large Onion
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 1/2 tsps of Curry powder
1 tsp of Salt
2 tbsps of Chicken Bouillon Flavouring
7 cups of Water
1 tbsp of Salted Butter

Directions:

Peel and cut all vegetables into small cubes, in a large stock pot melt butter and add onions first. Sauté for two mins over medium heat, then add other vegetables and sauté for another 6 minutes till they are slightly cooked. Add water and let it come to a simmer, add curry powder, salt, pepper and chicken bouillon. Let simmer till vegetables are soft. 
Take a hand blender and blend till the mixture is smooth, put it back on the stove and let it heat back up. Serve with home made buns (rolls) and some butter.

*Note: if you like to add more pepper, salt, curry powder and bouillon then feel free too, I always tweek recipes to the way that I like them.


Makes for the perfect fall evening dinner!