Month: March 2012

Desserts, Healthy

Cranberry Peanut Butter Granola Clusters

Since we have been featuring a lot decadent desserts lately, our goal over the next few weeks is to post more healthy recipes. After all, we only have 3 more months until official bathing suit season!

The challenge of featuring healthy food alternatives is that we still want them to be flavourful. I always look to the experts in healthy, delicious recipes – Janet and Greta Podleski of “Looneyspoons” and “Eat, Shrink and Be Merry” fame. I love their cookbooks. If you recall, we featured their Peanut BETTER Gingersnap Cookies on our blog not too long ago! This recipe was adapted from their Looneyspoons Collection cookbook recipe. These pumpkin-flavoured granola clusters are simple, packed with deliciousness and perfect as a healthy treat.

(more…)

by | 2 Comments
Desserts

Butterscotch Fudge Guinness Brownies

I don’t have many Irish tendencies. Being Ukrainian, I pretty much have no real reason to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I think I tried once. I own one of those gigantic hats that is green, white, and full of shamrocks. I honestly have no idea where I even got it from!

I’m always looking for excuses to bake. With Claudia still out of town on vacation, I figured I would play around with a new recipe. I wanted to something for St. Patrick’s Day because it was an easy theme. However, I didn’t want to bake something normal with green food colouring and call it a day – not that there is anything wrong with that! I wanted to do something I’ve never done before. I wanted to bake with beer. But not any type of beer. I wanted to bake with the king of Irish beers – Guinness.

This recipe is adapted from the little epicurean. These brownies are very moist, chewy and flavourful. The Guinness adds a richness in the brownie that could not be replicated by any other ingredient. This is the perfect (sober) way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day…or any day!

(more…)

by | 3 Comments
Desserts

Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies


I loved Easter as a kid. My parents put on the best Easter egg hunts. My brother and I would go nuts every Easter morning filling our plastic baskets with treats. It was like a second Christmas to us. Who wouldn’t enjoy waking up and finding chocolate and candy treats all over the house? I’m not ashamed to admit that even now as an adult, Claudia still takes the time to buy us kids little treats for Easter. I can’t speak for my brother, but the big chocolate bunny and the Easter-themed novelty socks are my personal favs!

I do not know a single person who doesn’t get excited when they go to the grocery store and see that Cadbury Creme Eggs and Mini Eggs are back on the shelves. It was around this time last year when I decided to do a little experiment. What would the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the world taste like with Cadbury Mini Eggs? Well my friends, they taste absolutely delicious! So delicious in fact, that I have decided to post them on the blog. Don’t worry, Claudia has totally approved. And so has all my friends who have tasted them.

(more…)

by | 83 Comments
Desserts

Raspberry Lemon Meringue Cake

Although my love of baking started at home with Claudia at a very young age, it was reinforced when Food Network Canada was part of our cable TV package. I was in university and still living with my parents when I discovered how wonderful the channel is. I remember watching Rachael Ray with Claudia and us both loving the food she would make and her energetic charm. When Rachael wasn’t on, we would turn the channel and eagerly watch the Queen – Martha Stewart. To this day, I love Martha. She defines everything that is classic and elegant in food and home.

I subscribe to Rachael Ray’s e-newsletter. This recipe that we are featuring in this post is adapted from one that Rachael featured a few weeks ago. I didn’t really like the idea of using jarred lemon curd, so I decided to make my own. With a little help from Martha of course. This cake is delightful. It’s full of bright lemon flavour, with a hint of sweetness from the raspberries. The cake is dense yet soft.

(more…)

by | 2 Comments