Loaded Potato Skins

A couple of weeks ago my good friend Amanda and I went on a road-trip and had some of the best potato skins ever at one of Amanda's favourite restaurants, the Atlantic Trap and Gill in Edmonton.  They were so very tasty in fact, that I haven't been able to get them out of my mind ever since. 

Snickerdoodles

This recipe appeared in the December 3rd edition of my local newspaper, The Hinton Voice.  

[My friend Sarah hosted a cookie exchange this past Sunday and for this particular cookie event, I decided to make one of my favourite nostalgic cookies  - the Snickerdoodle.  My friend’s mom used to always make us Snickerdoodles when we were little, and my Gramma’s all time favourite spice to bake with is cinnamon so needless to say, these cookies definitely carry a lot of feel good vibes whenever they’re around.

Oven Baked Breakfast Sandwiches

This post sponsored by World Kitchen.  I was compensated monetarily as well as with product for this post.  As always, all thoughts and options are my own, and I only work with brands that I use in my own kitchen. 

This simple, out-the-door breakfast is quick and easy with convenience in mind, and one you'll definitely want to remember this holiday season.  Using a muffin pan, you can make large quantities of easy to assemble, wholesome and nutritious breakfast sandwiches in a breeze! 

Oven Baked Bacon

This is kind of one of those recipes that's like "seriously, how is this even a recipe?". It is however, my absolute favourite way to make bacon.  This might be the way you make bacon already, but just incase this helps even one person make the best bacon of their entire life, then this post will have served it's purpose. 

Butternut Squash Pie

Here's my latest recipe, as it appeared in the November 5th edition of my local newspaper, The Hinton Voice. 

[Move over pumpkin, there’s a new pie in town.

A Roadtrip, a Harvest Supper, and a Bridal Show

Two of my best friends in the entire world are getting married next summer, and and one night over phyrohy's last spring they gave me the honour of asking me if I would be in their wedding.  I of course said yes, and thus began my first ever journey of being a Bridesmaid! 

Some days you just want to colour…

A page from my most recent adventures in colouring. 

So, the inevitable happened - I missed a day blogging yesterday as part of NaBloPoMo.  It was 11pm and just as I was drifting off to sleep after a long, yet content day the realization that I hadn't posted anything yet.   Ultimately though, sleep won (I literally have no willpower when it comes to doing things vs sleeping). I reflected on the day that had passed, and decided that it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't post that day.  I spent a much needed day getting a bunch of work off my to-do list (check out the new class list on the blog's home page!), getting organized with some of the volunteer organizations I'm apart of, and then capped the evening off  in the best way possibly - having drinks and colouring at a local bar/lounge with my closest friends. You read that right, my friends and I had a highly engaging evening filled with adult colouring. 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last year I had the privilege of interviewing the band Big Sugar (you can check out the interview here, and the band's frontman Gordie Johnson's old family recipe for Weekly Tomato Sauce here).  It was my very first interview on the other side of the mic and needless to say I was incredibly nervous!  As a result I spent the entire evening before the concert stress baking - and that was the night these cookies were born.  I decided to take the opportunity to share the cookies with the band - as soon as the interview was over, Gordie invited me to the greenroom and signed a couple of cd's for me (total fangirl moment right there) and started stacking the cookies in his mouth two at a time.  In between bites he told me that they were the best fucking cookies he had ever had in his entire life. I probably would have thought I was dreaming if I hadn't been a complete nerd and completely forgot to turn the recorder off after the interview.  Heh. 

Old Fashioned Butter Pie Crust

Back in September we went to visit my Grandparents who live on Vancouver Island.  We arrived right at the tail end of harvesting season so my Gramps and I decided to visit some orchards and pick some apples. Well, needless to say one thing led to another and before you know it there was just over 200 lbs of freshly picked apples, pears, and squash in the back of my car, all ready to be made into something delicious.  As you can imagine, the next few weeks were filled with apple everything.  I made apple crisp, apple sauce, pear sauce, apple butter, and many, many apple pies. 

Classic Macaroni Salad

I recently spent Canadian Thanksgiving with my brother and his friends.  While I was there his friend's wife Emily, who is from LA, introduced me to a traditional American Thanksgiving dish - "Green Bean Casserole" (seriously, where has this been all my life? It was SO good. You can see it pictured above to the left of the gravy decanter).  In addition to my Gramma's famous Apple Pie and a new recipe I was trying for Butternut Squash Pie (look for the recipe in this week's edition of Hinton Voice, or on the blog this Sunday!) my brother asked me to make a macaroni salad.    

National Blog Post Month (NaBloPoMo)

I did something absolutely crazy recently - I signed on to be a part of National Blog Post Month (NaBloPoMo), which means that I'll be writing a post a day for the entire month of November. 

Pad Thai Fries

This post was brought to you by McCain Foods Canada.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of McCain Foods Canada.

If you're looking for a quick and easy post-thanksgiving dinner that doesn't involve turkey, you've come to the right place!  This recipe for Pad Thai Fries takes less time to throw together than the time than it would take for take-out to arrive.  

Cynthia's Chai Tea

This recipe appeared as my October column in my local newspaper, The Hinton Voice - this recipe is courtesy of their reporter Cynthia Bigrigg, who makes wicked awesome chai tea! 

[A couple of months back my friend Cynthia (and reporter at the Voice) and I were chatting recipes.  She mentioned that she brews her own chai tea, often several times a month. Upon hearing this I immediately made plans with her to share the recipe with you all this fall.  Well fall is now upon us, so the other night while brightly colored leaves swirled to the ground, we got together and made this recipe.  Let me tell you, it was the best darn chai tea I have ever tasted!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dessert Ravioli

This post is sponsored by REESE Canada. 

You guys, I have great news!  Not only does REESE now make a spread that tastes exactly like a spreadable Reese's peanut butter cup (seriously, this is a thing!), it's now available in Canada!

If you're looking for a sweet, salty, decadent treat, then this spread is definitely for you.  Incredible on it's own, accompanied by your favourite cracker, pretzel, or cookie, (or really, just licked off of a spoon) this spread is downright dangerous to have in the kitchen.  So dangerous in fact, it should be hidden, so you don't accidentally eat it all in one day - it's really that good.

Garden Borscht

This recipe appeared as my September Column for my local newspaper, The Hinton Voice. 

[The first year I tried my hand gardening, I killed green onions.  Not only did I kill green onions, I killed THE green onions that my Grandfather passed on to me from the plants that his father had passed on to him (sorry about that Gramps & Great Gramps!).   Thankfully there were plenty more where that came from and I didn’t kill the only plants in existence (whew!). 

Yonanas Review & Homemade Banana "Ice Cream"

This post is sponsored by Yonanas. I received compensation in exchange for this post, though as always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own, and I only work with brands that I would use in my own kitchen

I am a huge fan of sorbet, so when Yonanas offered to send one one of their machines to test out and share on Cooking With Jax, I was really excited at the idea of all the different kinds of frozen fruit treats I could make.

Peanut Pad Thai Sauce

I've always been such a huge fan of peanut pad thai it's hard to believe that it's taken me this long to 

re-create it in my own kitchen.  This sauce recipe is great not only in a traditional pad thai dish on a bed of rice noodles, but also as a dipping sauce for veggies, a stir fry sauce, or even as a sauce on a delicious Thai inspired pizza (infact - that's what we had for dinner last night!). 

Regardless of what you use this Thai Sauce for, it's a great one to keep in the kitchen! 

Ingredients

- 1 tbsp peanut oil

- 1 tbsp red curry paste

- 1/4 cup peanut butter

- 1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat)

- 2 tbsp fish sauce

- 1 tbsp chili sauce (like sriracha) 

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1 lime, juiced

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat up peanut oil, then add curry paste.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add peanut butter and coconut milk.  Stir until incorporated.  Add fish sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice.  Once smooth, remove from heat. 

Store sauce in fridge - re-heat to use.

Enjoy! 

Homemade Iced Tea

I am writing this in the midst of a heat wave, on the warmest day of the year so far.  Needless to say I couldn’t possibly imagine using my stove in this weather, much less heating my house up with the oven! As a result, most of the recipes I’m making these days are of the no cook/serve cold variety.

Loaded Potato Salad

[When it comes to summer recipes, potato salad is definitely high up on the list.  Whether you’re heading to a summer potluck, or firing up the barbecue for dinner at home, this recipe for potato salad is certainly going to make a great addition to whatever it sits next to on your plate.

Raw Hazelnut Brownies

This is my column as it appeared in the May 7th edition of The Hinton Voice. 

[Not only is this recipe raw, vegan, and gluten free… it’s also delicious.

I know, right?  How on earth could a healthy brownie made with only 4 ingredients that doesn’t include butter, sugar, or flour taste that great?  Well dear readers, I’m here to tell you that these brownies are every bit as good as their sugary baked counterparts.  In fact, this recipe satisfies even your most die-hard chocolate lovers.  Even friends of mine that despise all things healthy can’t get enough of the rich fudgy flavour of these decadent treats!

Thai Curry Soup

Last week 2 major things happened in my kitchen.  One, I finally perfected the Thai Curry Soup recipe that I have been working on for a couple of months now, and two, I pulled one of the most rookie kitchen mistakes of all time.

I sliced hot peppers and then touched my eyes.

Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing & Homemade Croutons

    [This recipe was my April column for The Hinton Voice, my local newspaper.]

Back when I still lived at home with my parents, whenever my family was invited to a potluck dinner, everyone always asked me to bring my famous Caesar salad.  They raved about the Caesar dressing, saying it was the best they had ever tasted by far.    Like any young girl trying to impress her family, I didn’t divulge the secret, nor did I have the heart to tell everyone, that the dressing they loved so much was actually available in the refrigerator section of the local grocery store.  They were right to love it - this dressing was the perfect combination of creamy, garlicy bliss.   As I started to branch out and learn how to make my own sauces and dressings from scratch, I knew that I would need to try and replicate this store bought version that everyone adored so much.  I’m happy to report, that this dressing not only matches its store-bought counterpart, it is even better (because isn’t everything that’s homemade 100 times better?).

Crab Rangoon

To celebrate the premier of Mad Men on Sunday, I teamed up with Modcloth and a group of my favourite bloggers to bring you Mad Men inspired vintage recipes, as well as an awesome themed giveaway! 

Today I'm sharing a vintage inspired recipe for crab rangoon, a common fare at Trader Vic's (a popular restaurant on the show).    

Homemade Dinner Buns and Flavour of Home

This post is sponsored by Knorr Canada. I received compensation in exchange for this post, though as always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own, and I only work with brands I use in my own kitchen. 

Do you ever get nostalgic when a certain food scent hits your nose?  If you do, you're not alone.

"According to recent studies,  80% of Canadians are reminded of their childhood simply from the aroma of certain foods."* 

For me, the smell of freshly baked buns always brings me back to much simpler times, when the only concerns I had were whether or not I would be able to sneak an extra cookie or two out of my Grandma's homemade cookie jar.  

Me as a child, snacking on something delicious in Grandma's kitchen.

When I was a little girl, I used to spend a lot of time in the kitchen with my Grandmother.  Every Saturday my Mom had to work, so she would drop my brother and I off at her Mom's house and Grandma would teach me how to create something delicious. 

Acorn Squash Ravioli w/ Brown Butter Sage & Toasted Pecan Sauce

 I had some leftover acorn squash in the fridge from making this recipe the other day and the urge to make homemade pasta.  One thing led to another and before anyone knew it, this was being served for dinner!  I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine did! 

Ingredients
- 1 recipe for fresh pasta
- 1/2 acorn squash (about 1 cup, mashed)
- 4 tbsp real butter
- 1/4 cup pecans
- fresh sage
- pepper to taste

Directions

Roll pasta according to directions.  

Stuff ravioli's with mashed acorn squash (I like to use 1 tsp filling for small ravioli, and 1 tbsp filling for large ravioli) and cut using your favourite method.  I really like this ravioli stamp I found at Williams-Sonoma last year. 

Boil pasta for 3-5 minutes, or until until ravioli floats to the surface of the water.  Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta, so be careful not to overcook.  Once pasta is finished, strain and add a small amount of butter or oil to keep the pasta from sticking together. 

In a medium saucepan set to low heat, brown the butter for 5-7 minutes, or until it starts to brown.  This will add a wonderful nutty dimension to the sauce. 

Add in fresh sage and pecans and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the pecans are lightly toasted.  

Pour sauce over cooked ravioli.  Garnish with a dash of freshly ground pepper and a few sprigs of fresh sage. 

Enjoy! 

Orange Coconut Bread

Every month I write a recipe column for my local newspaper, The Hinton Voice.  Here is my column for March. 

[Recently a friend of mine gave me a vintage cookbook that features historical recipes from Jasper.  In it I found a multitude of recipes for orange bread, including the recipe that inspired this one.  Once I delved into the book I discovered that orange bread in Jasper was fairly popular in the early to mid 1900’s, and is a proud Jasper tradition to this day.  Orange bread was served at a local teahouse in the area (the Mount Edith Cavell Chalet) and was a favorite of many notable guests such as King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Bing Crosby and Marilyn Monroe, not to mention the multitude of tourists that came to visit Jasper each year.  Many thought the secret to the light airiness of the bread was due to the high elevation.

In addition to the rich historical origins, one of the things I love most about vintage recipes is their simplicity.  All of the recipes use only a handful of ingredients that are readily available in most kitchens, or are easy to find at a local grocery stores.  Best of all, the recipes boast no fancy equipment - a simple mixing bowl and a sturdy spoon and you’re good to go.  This recipe book in particular even mentions using teacups in place of cups for measurement, which in itself is incredibly telling of the era in which these recipes were cultivated.

Whether you’re making this bread for a little bit of Jasper nostalgia, or simply for afternoon tea, be sure to make a double batch because once the smell of this sweet orange bread hits your kitchen, nothing but a plate filled with crumbs is soon to follow.

The earliest version of orange bread that I could find was served at the Cavell Teahouse located in Jasper, Alberta in 1927 by Mrs. Slark (and later Anne Guild, who took over the teahouse until it closed in the 1970’s).  The bread was made in batches of 12 loaves at a time, several times a day to keep up with the flock of tourists after WWII!]

Recipe makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

- 2 oranges

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 egg, beaten

- 1 cup milk

- 2 cups flour

- 1 ½ tsp baking soda

- 1 cup shredded coconut

Directions

Using an orange peeler, scrape the rinds of 2 oranges into a bowl.  Add sugar and let orange/sugar mixture sit for about an hour to allow the oils from the orange rinds to incorporate into the sugar.

Place sugar in a medium saucepan, and cover with 2 cups cold water (hint - for an even stronger orange flavor, substitute some of the water with freshly squeezed juice from the oranges).  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until mixture becomes a marmalade type consistency.  Allow to cool.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour and baking powder.   Slowly stir into the marmalade mixture, alternating with egg and milk, being sure to start and end with flour.  Gently fold coconut into batter being sure not to over mix.

Pour mixture into a buttered pan and let stand for 15 minutes.

Bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour.

Serve with freshly sliced oranges, or a make a simple glaze using a few tablespoons orange juice and a cup or so of icing sugar.

Enjoy! 

Catching up with Big Sugar

Catching up with Big Sugar

{I sat down with Gordie Johnson from Big Sugar this week to chat food, the new album, and their upcoming show in my local stomping grounds of Jasper, Alberta}

J: So let’s cut the chase, what’s the last thing you ate?

G: We just had some meatballs from famosos (a pizza chain in Alberta) that we went to right before the show.  We needed something good to eat – so we ordered from famosos.  It’s a small little quaint pizza place with really great sauce.  Order me famosos and I’m good to go.

J: The band has been touring across Canada this winter, any great local eateries along the way you’d like to tell us about?

G: We are always on the lookout for good Ethopian food – we know a couple of cities in Canada that we like to go to - Lethbridge Alberta has a really great restaurant [Abyssinian Restaurant]   The restaurant smells like frankincense, they make popcorn, roast all their own coffee, amazing vegetarian food - it’s a whole experience really.

J: What’s your favourite Canadian cuisine? 

G: I like a good poutine, I haven’t had any in awhile!   I have a drummer from Texas with me, and we have to get him a good poutine, where do you recommend?

J: L&W Restaurant (a local eatery) has the best poutine you’ll ever taste – their poutine’s are legendary.   Kids away at college come home and the first thing the do is grab one of their poutines.

G: Any other great eateries we should know about while we're in Jasper?

J: Well we have a Famoso's, since I know you like that - Jasper is really a great hub for unique eateries.  Café Mondo has the best mulligawtany of your life and since I know you take your coffee pretty seriously, Coco’s Café serves up a great cup.

G: Oh ya, that will make me happy.

J: So you’ve been playing in rural communities vs big cities for this album - tell us about that. 

G: The vibes have been lovely everywhere we go – big cities, small towns – because it’s an acoustic presentation it lends itself nicely to any space.

J: What made the band go in a more acoustical direction for this album?

G: It’s almost like recreation for us.  It’s so much fun and so easy to do – to play the music acoustically.  It was something that was inspiring us and

it got such a nice response that we booked a tour around it.  We really like doing this.

J: What’s your favourite song on the new albumn?

G: All of them – we only play the songs we love.

J: What inspires you?

G: I’ve written hundreds of songs, I haven’t narrowed it down to one thing.  We’re constantly scribbling in books, cataloguing little ideas as we go.

J: Something that helps you get in the mood to write?

Yes, yes, red wine – there’s lyrics in every bottle! 

J: Any wine recommendations?

G: We are really liking the 2010 Chianti Reserve right now – we are really liking those. You’ve got to have a good red wine for it to be a good show.

J: Are there little pieces of home you like to bring while on tour?

G: Once we get on stage, we are at home.

J: Any great Gordie recipes you'd like to leave us with?

G: Something I’ve been doing lately is experimenting with Jamaican food.  I learned how to make a fried egg with coconut oil – it’s almost like a deep-fried egg. You heat up coconut oil, it will get really hot really fast, and you break your egg gently in the oil – it just crusts perfectly round.  It looks just like an English muffin when it comes out.  It’s hard and crispy on the outside, with a little salt and pepper, and it’s nice and runny on the inside, it's really great. It’s such a simple thing, but that coconut oil gives it a certain fragrance and it’s really great. 

See you at the show!

Location: 

The Jasper Royal Canadian Legion 

401 Geike Street 

Jasper, Alberta

Showtime:  

Sunday, March 1st @ 8:00pm

Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.ca

Bonhomme Carnaval: Traditional Maple Sugar Candy

Every year, my hometown has a "Bonhomme Carnaval"event at our local ski hill. This event is a celebration of French Canadian culture with traditional activities like this maple sugaring off on snow, cross country skiing, Norwegian sledding, RCMP in serge, and a bonhomme mascot.  This year the event was hosted by the graduating class of 2015 - with all proceeds going towards their prom.  The students were hard at work all day with the sugaring off, selling cans of maple syrup, and serving up traditional french tourtiere (meat pies), sugar pies, split pea soup, and baked beans.  It was a truly French Canadian experience, and everything was authentic and delicious!  

First they started by levelling off the snow: 

Here they have pure Canadian maple syrup bubbling on the stove (at 113 degrees Celsius to be exact!): 

A ladle of this is about to be turned into something quite delicious... 

The ladle full of bubbling hot maple syrup is poured onto the snow: 

You're given a wide popsicle stick, which you adhere to the maple syrup immediately.  As it starts to cool, you slowly start to wrap the maple syrup around the popsicle stick until finally...

You have a stick of ooey, gooey, maple deliciousness. 

Today was a good day.

Homemade English Muffins

Here is my most recent column in "The Hinton Voice", my local newspaper. 

[In an effort to save money on groceries, my husband and I have been making all of our bread from scratch for the past several months.  Not only do we save copious amounts on our weekly grocery bill, the novelty of a fresh loaf of bread directly out of the oven never loses it’s charm.  Once we had the art of homemade bread down to a science, I knew it was time to step it up a notch and start cutting out other store bought purchases like pizza dough, bagels, and the perfect bed for eggs benedict … English muffins. 

Whether served simply toasted with butter and jam, or in the most incredible breakfast sandwich you will ever make in your life, these English muffins are definitely worth adding to your baking list.   They are both dense and light all at the same time, with airy nooks and crannies just begging to be filled with something delicious.]

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Here is this week's column in The Hinton Voice (my local newspaper).  Enjoy! 

Best of 2014

Last year I put together a list of the top recipes of 2013 and it was such a hit that I decided to do it again this year!  These are the 10 most popular recipes that I posted in 2014. 

Gordie Johnson's Weekly Tomato Sauce

Back in July I had the privilege of interviewing Gordie Johnson, the lead singer for Canadian Rock Band Big Sugar.  It was an amazing experience that you can catch a glimpse about my experience here.  Gordie shared with me his recipe for authentic Italian tomato sauce, a recipe that he makes weekly for his family.  His family's recipe was the 10th most popular recipe posted in 2014.   

Balsamic Glazed Carrots

I made these balsamic glazed carrots with ingredients from my summer garden.  From the carrots, right down to the thyme, all of the fresh ingredients were grown and picked by yours truly.  Gardening is a bit of a new experience for me, so it's always exciting when I'm able to incorporate my love for nature with my love for cooking!  A lot of you thought this recipe was delicious as well because it rang in as the 9th most popular recipe posted in 2014! 

Strawberry Mango Salsa

Earlier in the year, my friend Kate and I decided to get together every couple of weeks and try out a new recipe.  One day she brought a couple of salsa ingredients for lunch and we decided to throw a ripe mango I had on the counter into the mix.  A few squeezes of lime and some fresh cilantro later, and we had ourselves a sweet and refreshing salsa that went great on tortilla chips!  I've made this recipe several times now, and it looks like a lot of you have as well!  This recipe rang in as the 8th most popular recipe posted in 2014! 

Brownie Mini Donuts w/ 

White Chocolate Candy Cane Frosting

In 2014 I had the privilege of working with Hershey's Canada.  Even though I only posted this recipe a couple of weeks ago, it's fast becoming a favourite and rang in as the 7th most popular recipe of 2014! 

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

This cheesecake bar encompasses a lot of my favourite flavours.  I don't think there's anything that combines caramel and apples that I haven't adored.  Throw cheesecake into the mix, and you have yourself a winner.  This recipe rang in as the 6th most popular recipe posted in 2014. 

Homemade Tuna Casserole

This recipe has been a family favourite for years.  It's one of those quick, easy recipes that make a great weekday meal when you're pressed for time.  This recipe rang in as the 5th most popular recipe posted in 2014. 

French Onion Soup Burger

I am a huge fan of all things french onion.  My husband and I purchased our first propane barbecue this summer and I think it's safe to say that 90% of our meals came of the grill in the weeks that followed.  This recipe was the brainchild of one too many barbecues where we wanted something different than just a cheeseburger.  This flavour packed burger doesn't disappoint, ringing in as the 4th most popular recipe posted in 2014. 

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Every New Year I do a bit of a food cleanse.  I try to negate the bounty of holiday treats with a solid few weeks of healthy eating.  This recipe is one of my favourite lightened dinners, and even my pizza loving husband thinks it's a win.  So did a lot of you, because this recipe rang in as the 3rd most popular recipe of 2014. 

Authentic Mexican Tacos w/

Homemade Salsa

I often host cooking classes throughout the year, and this year I decided to bring in my friend Sandy to make her recipe for authentic Mexican tacos and homemade salsa.  This recipe is incredible and will have you dreaming about it for days.  The salsa has a surprising ingredient that makes it stand out and keeps you coming back for more!  This tasty treat came in as the 2nd most popular recipe posted in 2014! 

Chicken Pot Pie (in Mason Jars!)

The most popular recipe that was posted in 2014 is this recipe for chicken pot pie made in mason jars. Not only is this pot pie the perfect combination of creamy tender chicken and golden flaky crust, anything that I can cook, store, and eat all in the same dish is a winner in my books!  Plus, isn't everything in a mason jar just awesome?