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Saturday, March 22, 2014

Friends & Family Series: Kate's Homemade Perogies


Hi Guys! I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friends and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts! 

Meet my friend Kate.  She is one of the funniest ladies I know and I seriously laugh my face off every single time we hang out! She has an equally hilarious husband and 4 children who are all a lot of fun to be around! We try to get together for coffee every couple of weeks and we always end up making something together (in fact, we're working on a puff pastry recipe right now!). Her youngest daughter Grace loves hanging out with us while bake up yummy treats (she especially loves the part where we get to sample the goods - she is an excellent official taste tester).   Kate knows how to make perogies, so we decided to have a perogie making day a couple of weeks back during one of our coffee dates.   She was gracious enough to agree to share her recipe on the blog as part of this friends and family post!  
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Friday, March 21, 2014

Friends & Family Series: Tina's Homemade Hamburger Helper

Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts!  

Tina is my Sister-in-Law and Mom to our three beautiful and adorable nieces!  She's one of my favourite people and has an extremely hilarious sense of humour!  Every single time something funny happens I immediately have to tell her about it!  We've shared many giggles over the years, and I'm really excited to be sharing one of her recipe with you all today! She's one of the first people I asked cooking advice when I first married my husband, and to this day some of the recipes she shared with me during those early years of marriage are still our favourites!  This recipe is great because a) all of my nieces love it (and you know how picky kids can be, let alone 3 of them at once!) and b) because it's something easy that you can make with ingredients you probably already have!  You can mix it up to suit your preferences (or to use up whatever you already have in the house). I hope you enjoy her recipe as much as I do! 

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I make my own hamburger helper and the kids love it (in fact, they even asked for seconds!). 

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Friends & Family Series: Cynthia's Homemade Mac 'n' Cheese (with Bacon & Chorizo)

Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts!  

Cynthia is a friend of mine that I met at the Farmer's Market a couple of years ago! Not only is she an amazing cook, she is also pretty handy with crafts! Cynthia's husband Jayden and I went to high school together and we were both bit by the drama bug - we acted in a couple of high school plays together and he was always a lot of fun to have on the set! They have two incredibly adorable little boys (seriously, the cutest kids ever and oh so smart too - their toddler can already play the drums!).  Cynthia blogs over at "Following my Dreams" - be sure to check out her wonderful blog, as well as her post about this recipe (it includes even more delicious pictures!).  

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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Family & Friends Series: Emily & Jake's Chutney Chicken Wraps & Homemade Humus

Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts!  

Emily and Jake are new friends of ours that we recently got to know a little better while watching "The Walking Dead" a few weeks back at our mutual friends place.  As soon as I heard they were from Jasper (our absolute favourite town in the world!) I knew we would get along well!  Both Emily and Jake have a passion for cooking (Jake was actually introduced to me as the "Stir Fry Master") which prompted me to invite them to participate in this post.  I've been obsessed with humus lately so I was really excited when Emily told me that they would be sharing their Chutney Chicken Wraps made with Homemade Humus!  I can't wait until I'm back home in Hinton so I can try their recipe out!  

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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Friend's & Family Series: Tara's Kahlua Cake

Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts!  

Tara is a friend of mine that shares a mutual love for cooking.   She has a family of 6 so she's always cooking or baking up a storm for her large family!  Every year she bakes the award winning gingerbread house at our local Festival of Trees during the Christmas season (seriously, they are amazing, she even had a mobile ice rink built into it one year!).  We first met back when we worked together at our local movie store (what a fun job that was!).  She always made work a blast, and if I could work with her again, I totally would!  Today she is sharing her husband's favourite recipe of hers which happens to be Kahlua cake.  After reading her recipe and checking out her photos I can totally see why he loves it so much!  

Monday, March 17, 2014

Family & Friends Series: Karyn's Family Favourite Lasagna


Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts! 

Today's post is brought to you by my friend Karyn!  I actually met Karyn recently when my back went out right before I went to IFBC last September (she is a chiropractor and fixed me up in no time!).  When I told her I would be visiting Seattle, she was kind enough to write me a list of everything I had to check out since she went to school there (on her list was voodoo donuts and seattle coffee - really great stuff!). Karyn and I became fast friends and now she even sits on one of the boards that I do work for (I guess that kind of makes her one of my bosses!).  She is extremely fun to be around and I can just imagine what a great time her friends must have had when she made this lasagna for them!  It's her family's favourite and I can see why!  I hope you enjoy checking out her step-by-step instructions as much as I did! 

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Friends & Family Series: Sofia & April's Roasted Tomato Sauce

Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts!  

Sofia and I grew up together and hung out with the same group of friends when we were in High School.  We kept in touch through the years sharing our mutual love for recipes and photography. Sofia is now a professional photographer who specializes in wedding photography - she takes some AMAZING photographs. Be sure to check out her Facebook page and her website if you're looking to get some photos taken, planning a wedding (not only will she travel for your wedding she LOVES destination weddings) or if you'd simply want to check out her artistic photos (I really urge you to do this!).  A few years back she shared her family's recipe for Homemade Ravioli on the blog, so today she decided to share the recipe for Roasted Tomato Sauce that she created with her sister April! I can't wait for summer when I have fresh garden tomatoes to make this sauce with! 


Saturday, March 15, 2014

Family & Friends Series: Heather's Apple Upside Down Cake

Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts! 

Today's post is brought to you by my best friend Heather! Heather has guest posted on my blog before (Heather's Honey Bran Muffins) and is one of my favourite people to try new recipes with!  She moved all the way to Manitoba a few summers back and I still miss her every single day!  When she lived here we used to get together every Thursday to watch Grey's Anatomy and bake up a new treat together (Homemade Oreos and Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins were both a result of one of these girl's nights).  We still bake together, only now we run up our phone bills and picture text each other instead!  I sure miss her, but thankfully she is just a phone call away! Today she's sharing her recipe for Apple Upside Down Cakes, a recipe that will definitely be making it's way into my oven soon! 

Friday, March 14, 2014

Friends & Family Series: Terri's Allergen Friendly Homemade Granola Bars

Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts! 

Today's post is brought to you by my cousin Terri.  She was the maid of honour at my wedding and is one of my favourite family members.  She is the sweetest person you could ever meet and she married a guy just as sweet as her!  They have two adorable children that look exactly like mini version of them!  Due to her children's dietary restrictions, Terri has become extremely conscious of the ingredients that she feeds her family - she is the first person that I ask my allergen questions and if she doesn't have an answer for me, her circle of mom friends surely will!  She was the person who introduced me to overnight oats, and has a ton of healthy, and delicious recipes that she makes for her family.  Her husband Adam is a bit of a shutterbug, so he took these amazing photos of her yummy dish!  I am really looking forward to making them!  

 

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Friends & Family Series: Melissa's Tortellini Soup

Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts!  

This next recipe is by my friend Melissa, who used to live in the small hamlet that I grew up in. She was my Girl Guide leader (Canadian equivalent to Girl Scouts) and I also babysat her 4 kids (as soon as I turned 11 I excitedly got my babysitter's licence and pretty much babysat all the kids in our neighbourhood).  Melissa's adorable kids were always a dream to look after so she was one of my favourite people to babysit for!  I remember when she had her youngest daughter, I sewed my very first quilt for her (I may or may not have also gotten a Girl Guide badge for this).  One of her sons plays hockey professionally and she is all of his friend's favourite "Hockey Mom".  She is always making delicious dinners for his hockey friends, so she's used to feeding hungry crowds!  I was really happy when she agreed to share a recipe with you all, and Marc is really excited for me to make this tortellini soup!   Melissa also has a scrapbooking store called "Memory Junction" Kamloops, BC.  If you're in the area, be sure to head on over there to check it out! 

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Family & Friends Series: Lisa's Best Breakfast Scramble


Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts!  

This recipe is by my friend Lisa, who is a fellow Bruligan (she lives in Brule, Alberta, the small hamlet that I grew up in). She runs a life coaching business called Ultimate Clarity.  She's just one of those people with a great energy who inspires you every time you talk to them!  She is a vegan and is always sharing delicious and healthy recipes and ideas with me!  I hope you enjoy her Vegan Breakfast Scramble as much as I do! 
 
Photo of Solomon Hill, just outside Brule, Alberta
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Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Friends & Family Series: Ashley's S'more Donuts

Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts!  

This post was written by my little cousin Ashley, who also inherited our Gramma's passion for baking, and our Grampa's passion for writing! Ashley is one of my favourite people mainly because she is such a free spirit, but also because she is always filled with such positive energy!  Ashley's just one of those people that can find the good in everybody and every situation.  I always leave conversations will her filled with happiness and inspiration.  I truly believe that you are what surrounds you, and that it's really important to surround yourself with people who inspire you in a positive way.  I hope that Ashley's post fills you with wonder and inspiration just like it has for me!  

Monday, March 10, 2014

Family & Friends Series: Sarah's Homemade Pita Bread

Hi guys!  I'm on vacation right now so I've asked my friend's and family to step in while I'm away!  Each day that I am gone, I will be sharing a recipe from one of my friends or family members.  I started this project with no clear goals, I was just hoping to fill a few of the recipe gaps while I was away.  I received an overwhelming response from everyone, and I am truly honoured and excited to be able to share with you so many great recipes made by so many of my favourite people!  Please enjoy their recipes and be sure to leave them comments at the end of their posts!  

This recipe is by my friend Sarah, who is a professional photographer, crafter, writer, and one of the owners over at The Hinton Voice. She hosts some pretty amazing get togethers (food on a stick was her brainchild, as well as epic movie nights with her ridiculously awesome 3D projection screen).  She is a fellow foodie and posted a photo of her homemade pita bread last fall, so you can imagine how excited I was when she told me this was the recipe she would be sharing! I can't wait to try it!


Sunday, March 9, 2014

Cashew Chicken


Every month I write a recipe column for my local newspaper, The Hinton Voice.  This column was published in their March 6th, 2014 issue. 
[Every time we go for Chinese food, my husband always consistently orders his two usual’s – beef and greens and ginger beef.  I have my favorites too, but unless I’m specifically craving something, I try to get something different every time.   The dish that probably makes it the most frequent appearance on my rotation is Cashew Chicken. It’s just an all out great combination of tender chicken, crisp vegetables, and is paired perfectly with a sweet and spicy sauce topped off with a nutty cashew crunch.   What’s not to love?

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