Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Today is "National Cheesecake Day" and I am celebrating with these "Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars". 

S'mores Popcorn

This week happens to be s'more week (I know, right?) and some of my favourite bloggers are  participating! Be sure to check out the bottom of this post for all of their awesome s'more recipes! 

Cherry Cobbler

I made this berry cobbler the other day and it ended up boiling over.  I laughed when it came out of the oven, thinking there was no way I could possibly use this picture for a blog post, but then when I posted it on Cooking With Jax's Facebook Page to poke fun at my disaster, tons of readers thought it still looked delicious and asked for the recipe.  It WAS still delicious, even though it didn't turn out picture perfect this time, I knew that if I had used a larger different dish like the recipe calls for, it would have turned out perfectly.  The truth is, things don't always turn out exactly as planned.  That's been going on a lot lately in my life, but I'm trying to just go with it instead of letting it stress me out.  So, instead of remaking this entire recipe just so I'd get a better picture, I decided to just go with it and try not be such a perfectionist this time around!

Gordie Johnson's Weekly Tomato Sauce

A few weeks ago I had the privileged to interview Canadian rock legend Gordie Johnson from Big Sugar. During the interview, Gordie told me that his kids love this sauce and he makes it weekly so when he's out on the road, the kids have a delicious homemade meals that their Dad made ready in the to go for the week. As soon as he shared this recipe with me, I made a trip to my favourite Italian store to stock up on ingredients.  This sauce is every bit as delicious as it sounds, and I can't wait to make it again next week with a bit of the secret ingredient ;)!  Thanks Gordie for sharing this awesome recipe with us!  

A Little Bit A Big Sugar

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of sitting down with Big Sugar frontman Gordie Johnson to chat food!  You can read all about how the interview came to be, as well as a glimpse into my day HERE.

For the interview, Gordie and I found a quite corner just off stage and settled in on a stage trunk (a trunk that holds the band's gear).  Sounds of the river flowed on one side, and melodies from the stage drifted down from the other.  The area was filled with activity - Gordie's kids were busy running around, having the time of their lives.   The rest of the band milled about, some on stage finishing up their soundcheck, some down by the river, enjoying a steaming cup of hot tea.

Gordie was really excited to sit down and chat food, so needless to say we got right down to business.  Here's what we had to talk about:

Review/Giveaway: Glow 3 Day Beginner's Juice Cleanse

[This post is sponsored by Glow Juicery, though all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Glow Juicery provided Sarah and I each with a cleanse to review, and they also sponsored the giveaway at the end of this post]

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that my friend Sarah and I over at Stop Nothing But Time have been on a bit of a fitness kick lately.  In fact, for the last 100 days we've been meeting up for an hour or more each day to exercise together to encourage each other on our mutual quest to get fit.  We've gone walking, swimming, hiking, played racquetball, and even did a little indoor rock climbing.   To celebrate 100 days we decided to do a juice cleanse together!  Be sure to check out Sarah's post over at her blog www.StopNothingButTime.blogspot.com for her thoughts and opinions on the cleanse and how it worked for her!  

Backstage Pass: My Interview with Big Sugar

Big Sugar frontman Gordie Johnson performing June 30th in Athabasca, Alberta. 

Last week on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, I pulled into Athabasca, Alberta, about to embark on one of the coolest experiences of my life.  Two weeks prior to that I received an e-mail from the record label that manages Big Sugar.  It turns out that Big Sugar frontman Gordie Johnson wanted to sit down and chat food with me and share a recipe with you all.  I pinched myself a couple of times (and okay, lets be honest - I did a dance around my living room and was so excited I couldn't even reply to the e-mail until the next day).  We made plans for me to attend the band's next nearby concert which happened to be a music Festival in Athabasca, Alberta. 

French Onion Soup Burger w/ Garlic Aioli

This recipe was my contribution to The Hinton Voice's July 2nd Edition. 

 [I am about to admit something that may come as quite a shock to you all.  This spring, my husband and I purchased our very first propane barbecue.  Now, if you’re still talking to me (and I certainly hope that you are!), we did have a charcoal barbecue all along.  While charcoal barbecues are great, I can’t always justify all of the planning and preparing involved.  First there’s the trip to the store to purchase coals (no matter how often I buy them I never seem to have enough). My husband takes his grilling extremely seriously, so there’s also always the soaking of wood chips, the tedious task of pre-heating of the grill to exactly the right temperature, nor to mention the perfect cut of meat marinated ever so tenderly.  Much to my joy, we finally decided to take the plunge and buy a real, heats-up-in-30-seconds, eating-dinner-in-15-minutes kind of grill.   Needless to say, we have been grilling nearly everything that hits our plate these days, including these burgers.

This recipe combines 2 of my all-time favourite things – French onion soup, and my husband’s homemade hamburger patties.  I had just posted a hamburger roundup (a collection of delicious looking hamburger recipes from around the web) and we were discussing all of the different themed hamburgers that had made the cut.  There were your good old-fashioned cheeseburgers, but also a wide variety of themed hamburgers as well – there was the tropical burger (with a grilled pineapple slice nestled between the burger and the bun), the mushroom swiss (mushrooms sautéed in Southern Comfort for an added twist), and even a Rueben hamburger (half hamburger, and half Rueben).  “We should make a French Onion Soup burger”, he exclaimed, clearly already inspired and already envisioning the masterpiece he was about to create.   Before I could happily nod my head in agreement, he already had his shoes on and was half way out the door to pre-heat the grill.]

Recipe makes 4 servings

Ingredients

- 1 lb hamburger

- ½ cup bread crumbs

- 1 egg

- 1 package French onion dip mix (about 2 tbsp), divided

- 1-2 large sweet onions

- 2 tsp butter

- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

- 2 tbsp red wine (optional)

- 4 slices of mozza or gruyere cheese

- 4 tbsp mayonaaise

- ½ tsp garlic powder

- 4 hamburger buns

Directions

Mix together raw hamburger meat, bread crumbs, egg, and ¾ package French onion dip mix. Cover and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to allow the meat to rest  so that all of the flavours have a chance to meld.  Shape into 4 large patties.

Meanwhile, mix together mayonnaise, garlic powder, and remaining French onion dip mix to make the aioli.  Place in fridge until ready to use.

Next, sauté onions, butter, worcestershire, and red wine over medium-low heat until onions are caramelized (about 15-20 minutes).

Grill burgers (about 4-5 minutes per side), then add cheese and allow it to slightly melt.  Place the patty on buns, then top with caramelized onions and aioli.

Nutritional Info (per burger)

Calories - 417   Fat - 17    Carbs – 21     Protein - 33   Fibre – 2

Enjoy!