Banana blueberry love

What to do with a bucket of freshly picked wild blueberries? What would do them justice?

This recipe was my answer this afternoon...

Preheat oven 350F

Combine 

2cups of flour

2tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Set aside

Combine in separate bowl

1cup plain yogurt

1tsp baking soda

(Will expand)

Beat

1egg

1/2cup oil

1/2cup sugar

1tsp vanilla

(I doubled this recipe...I added in two bananas for fun and used half oil half applesauce)

Add flour mixture and yogurt mixture alternately

Stir in 1cup of fresh or frozen blueberries

Makes exactly 12 muffins per batch. 25 minutes baking time. 

After the fact I realized that I missed part of the recipe.  Before they are baked you are to sprinkle them with sugar mixture (2tbsp brown sugar and 1tsp cinnamon)

Since I missed this I sprinkled this on when they were still warm; but next time I will definitely do this step!!!!!

Helpful tip: read the whole recipe!

Mid-afternoon snack....pop pop pop!

Aubrey has a new found love for popcorn....it a quick treat that is great for mid afternoon.  

I use this small pot that has a lid; about 1tbsp of Olive oil and kernels to cover the bottom, turn up the heat, put on the lid and we're good!

Waiting for that first few "pops" is the best part...can you feel our excitement....

Give it a little shake...

Within minutes....

We don't add anything to it...plain Jane...she loves it...we fill her toopy bino pail...and off we go to have a popcorn picnic

One minute in...leg kick...spills it all over the carpet....

No worries....we ate it off of the floor!!!!

Mississippi mud

My baby brother leaves to go back to school this week...it's been so nice to have him around this summer.  

Today is his farewell family dinner...I was enlisted to make dessert; but specifically... his favourite; Mississippi mud. I usually freestyle things and sometimes fail; so I decided to get the recipe from my mom and follow it to a "t"!!!

The recipe:

My grandfather typed this out for my mom over 40 years ago; he's been gone for years now but it is amazing how a small piece of paper can make you reminisce.

 The base:

1/2 cup margarine(soften butter)

1cup flour

1/2 chopped nuts (pecans)

Mix and spread into a 9x13 pan

Bake on 350 for 15 minutes ( took mine 22)

Filling:

Beat 8 oz cream cheese with 1cup of icing sugar

Then mix in 1 large tub of cool whip

(I know what you're thinking....cool whip? But this is a classic recipe!!!)

Spread this over the cooled crust

Filling #2:

Mix 2-4oz packages of instant chocolate pudding with 3cups of milk(you will notice that's less than the package calls for; this is correct; you want it thicker!

Spread this over the cream cheese layer.

Topping:

Top with a tub if cool whip

I used whipping cream (sweetened with a little icing sugar...this will also help stabilize the whipping cream) because I forgot to buy an extra tub for the topping and my mom had whipping cream.

Spread this over the chocolate layer.

Final product:

I shaved chocolate on top instead of nuts...this is how my mom made hers for us when we were growing up!

The reviews are in:

"Best I've ever had; don't tell mom!" -Cher

"So creamy!" -jan

Cher's reccommendation...

I can honestly say I am a little too adventurous in the kitchen for some people.  For example; my sister Cher would rather have powdered mashed potatoes, fake gravy and ikea meatballs than most things I create.  So; boy was I honoured when she said, " oh my word...blog about this; this is next level!"

My mom was baking a side of salmon and my dad was having his usual side of "greens" that go along with his new slim-trim physique and the lower blood sugar#.  But we weren't sure what we should have? My mom suggested quinoa...."mmmm quinoa... Let me make it!", I said. 

I put the quinoa on with some organic chicken stock...while it was cooking I knew I had 15minutes to gather flavour.  I got a big bowl and poured a little soya sauce, balsamic vinegar, grape seed oil, curry powder, zest of an orange, juice of an orange, salt, pepper, honey and hoisin. Whisked that up...(essentially making a vinaigrette)

Added...

Grated 2 carrots

Chopped 2 ribs of celery

3 pieces of asparagus(raw)

Once my quinoa was cooked I tossed it in too. 

Seeing it needed a little crunch I toasted 1/2 a package if Raman noodles and tossed it in last minute. 

( the picture may not translate!!!)

*if I was at home I would of made it GF and I would of added peanuts instead of the noodles and a little fresh ginger!

Serve at room temperature!

For something so simple, so healthy and so quick I could not believe the reaction!

Dinner prep doesn't have to take forever and great flavours are only minutes away!

222 inspired....tropical chicken

People close to me know that my favourite pizza of all time is the tropical chicken on gluten free crust from 222.  The gluten free only comes in medium size and is one of their most expensive pizza but I love it. Jan and I went to superstore to see if we could buy and make it for cheaper.  Making it really does give you nutritional options. 

Crust... 

Now we have made gluten free crust and it tastes pretty good but my favourite splurge is gluten free crusts by Udi's; you can find these in the organic freezer section.  Two come in one pack for $6.99...I'm a pretty big eater; I'd call one a personal pizza!

For regular crusts we usually do make them but I found a steal of a deal at Costco. 4 crusts with 4 packs of sauce for $7.99.  They are very nice; thin....bake up great directly on the rack as directed! One of these will feed our family of three.

Both of these crusts are great directly from the freezer. *I usually keep mine in the freezer until I'm ready to put the toppings on and bake!

Sauce...

I use my husbands homemade BBQ sauce (soya sauce, brown sugar, jalapeños, garlic, franks red hot, molasses etc)...it's smoky and tangy...the perfect sauce! I'm sure you could purchase a dark rich chipotle BBQ sauce at any grocer. 

Toppings...

Bacon; I cheated and bought pre-cooked.  I have never bought this product before and I'd say after using it...for this and for convenience i would buy it again.  I probably wouldn't buy it to eat solo but chopped up on the pizza it was good.  $3.99 for the box and I used half.

Chicken...

Here's a lesson I was explaining to my "soon-to-be" SIL; don't be afraid the the reduced price sticker...I feel they are our friends!

Pineapple....

Drained tidbits

$1.50( I think?!) which does 2 pizzas

Cheese...

Whatever you fancy

$6.99 will do 3 pizzas

Assembly time...

Ready for the oven...

400F convection

15 minutes

Directly on the Middle rack

Salty, sweet, savoury with a little zip from the chipotle sauce...I couldn't believe how great it tasted.  It had so much to live up to!!!

So when all was said and done; this on GF crust worked out to $10.75 a pizza and on regular crust it turned out to be $9.25 a pizza. That is almost half price....left some for Jeff to taste...."you rang the bell on this one!"

So great when it works out!!!!

In the words of Aubrey,"delicious mum!"