Canadian Mom Blogger - Product Reviews, Travel, Food and Parenting
Since my boys were just toddlers, they’ve loved all different kinds of jam. When I had a plum tree in the yard, my family almost lived on my homemade Plum Jam in the fall, but for the moment we depend on store-bought jam instead.
Thankfully, there are lots of great jams out there that are almost as good as homemade. And good thing, since it’s a must for that classic PB&J that my boys love to have for weekend lunches!
When I was in my early twenties, I spent a month in the late fall backpacking around South Africa and Swaziland. I fell in love with the country immediately and to this day, I dream of going back and showing my boys the beauty of the area.
It was while I was in South Africa that I first discovered Amarula, a cream liqueur that’s flavoured with the fruit of the Marula tree. I hadn’t even known that there was such a fruit and I fell in love with the liqueur’s distinctive taste and delicious creaminess.
I later learned that the Marula trees are uncultivated and grow only in Africa, making this unique, somewhat nutty liqueur a true taste of Africa. They bear fruit just once a year and the scent of the ripe fruit attracts elephants from nearby areas that love to feast on the fruit. For that reason, elephant tusks are engraved into the bottle.
When I came back to Canada, I brought a bottle of Amarula Cream Liqueur with me. I loved treating myself with a splash in my coffee on a lazy Sunday morning or with a shot over ice as a nice dessert. [Read more…]
Even though they don’t grow here in Canada, nothing says summer to me like mangos. I find they’re at their best when bought in the early summer, and having a piece of perfectly ripe mango always makes me feel like I’m on a tropical beach.
I was in my late teens when I first fell in love with mango, and I got my whole family involved with my new favourite food. We tried mango in everything from ice cream to salsa. And one of our very favourite mango recipes was Mango Bread. [Read more…]
Let’s talk chocolate. Specifically, let’s talk chocolate chip cookies. Is there anything better than a tender, melty, hot-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie?
Yes. Yes, there is. And it is these fun and delicious, best-of-both-worlds Double Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies. Half regular chocolate chip cookie and half chocolate dough with white chocolate chips, this cookie is ALL yum.
These cookies were ones my mom used to make on special occasions and as a child, I called them Yin Yang Cookies because of the way the dark and light halves melted together. My husband, though, refers to them as Black and White Chocolate Chip Cookies. Look to the cookie, people! [Read more…]
When it comes to holiday baking, there are a few tried and true favourites that my family absolutely can’t live without. Benjamin always requests his favourite No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars. And Zackary and my husband are both fans of my foolproof Butterscotch Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies.
But personally, my favourite holiday treats must have my favourite holiday ingredient…Philadelphia Cream Cheese! The smooth, tangy taste of Philly is good for so much more than just cheesecake. And that’s why my holiday baking always includes this scrumptious Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll. It’s easy, looks fancy and tastes absolutely divine! [Read more…]
