treat

Serve Up Simple and Spooky Mini Mummy Pizzas this Halloween #whatscooking

October 27, 2015 by Kathryn 5 Comments

I make no secret about how much I love Halloween. Every year is a new chance to create some fun themed treats, put out amazing decorations and enjoy all things spooky. But one thing I’ve always believed is that Halloween fun at home doesn’t have to mean sugar overload. After all, kids will have enough of that when they get back from trick-or-treating! From healthy Halloween snacks to spooky main courses, serving low-sugar alternatives to that bowl of candy is just as much fun!

This year, I decided to create a simple and nutritious Halloween supper. And Kraft Canada gave me my inspiration with its Mummy Face Pizzas. I made a few minor substitutions and in less than ten minutes, had a plate of tasty and healthy Mini Mummy Pizzas to serve to my boys!

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Treat Your Kids to Classic Good Taste with Voortman Cookies-Giveaway

June 26, 2014 by Kathryn 294 Comments

I love baking but occasionally I just don’t have time for it. Whether it’s an especially busy time of year with school and work or it’s the middle of summer and turning on the oven would sweat us out of the house, baking cookies from scratch, while delicious, simply isn’t always an option.

When that happens, I sometimes buy store-bought cookies for lunches and treats instead, and no brand of cookies makes my boys quite as happy as Voortman. I have to admit, when I think about Voortman cookies, I immediately picture the soft round turnover cookies with a fruit centre that my mom used to occasionally buy for a treat when I was a child. But the company has expanded its line so much since then! From low-sugar options to fun new flavours, there’s something for every taste!

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Chai Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting for SPCA National Cupcake Day

January 29, 2014 by Kathryn 249 Comments

I love animals and ever since I was a child there has almost always been one in my house. I went from being a devoted dog lover to completely cat obsessed, but having a pet is just a way of life for me. And with very few exceptions, our pets were always adopted from the Regina Humane Society.

I am a huge believer in the work that SPCAs and Human Societies do to ensure that pets find loving homes and I honestly can’t understand why anyone would spend hundreds of dollars buying a certain breed of animal when there are so many amazing pets in need of loving homes already.

Raising awareness and funds to care for those animals is a cause I support, and that’s why I’m so excited about National Cupcake Day!

For the second year in a row, the SPCAs and Humane Societies of Canada are hosting a National Cupcake Day fundraiser on February 24, 2014. And this year, Anna Olson, celebrity chef and host of Food Network Canada’s Bake with Anna Olson, is joining the party as a Cupcake Crusader.

A long-time supporter of animals and the SPCA, Olson has created an original cupcake recipe for this year’s event. Her Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting recipe can be found at www.nationalcupcakeday.ca!

To help me join in the fun, the sponsors of National Cupcake Day sent me a beautiful cupcake gift basket so I decided to show my support for the cause by whipping up a batch of cupcakes myself.

The basket included the Taste of Home Bakeshop Favourites cookbook and I created a variation of one of the recipes included in the book to make these tasty Chai Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting! [Read more…]

Spoil Your Family with Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

December 18, 2013 by Kathryn 47 Comments

I love Christmas for all kinds of reasons and Christmas food has always been one of the highlights of the season for me. But with two boys, quick and easy is still the name of the game for most of my Christmas baking, and that’s why I love whipping up recipes from the Kraft What’s Cooking website!

I always find ideas for fast and delicious dishes on the site, but when new recipes for Christmas cakes, cookies and candy start appearing, I always feel like Christmas has truly arrived!

In fact, one of my favourite holiday recipes is one that is available on the Kraft Canada website. I’ve been making it for years and it was one my mother always whipped up for Christmas when I was a child too. No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are a must for our holidays!

My recipe has some slight variations, mainly in the preparation method since I tend to favour the hands-on experience of stove-top cooking most of the time. But the microwave method is also a great choice for these quick and easy treats!

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200 Best Ice Pop Recipes is Packed with Ideas for Summer Refreshment

May 2, 2013 by Kathryn 10 Comments

200 best ice pops With the temperature finally warming, my boys and I are in the mood to enjoy all the pleasures of summer. Recently I received the new cookbook 200 Best Ice Pop Recipes from Robert Rose Inc. and whipping up one of the recipes promised to be the perfect way to enjoy the nice weather.

The recipes in this book range from the simple to the exotic and the best part is the recipes contain much healthier ingredients than any ice pop I could find in the store. I’m looking forward to trying some of the fancier recipes over the summer but since the boys were eager for a treat, I decided to whip up the incredibly simple Grape Lemonade Ice Pops first. With just three ingredients, water, lemon juice and grape jam, they were such an easy snack to make! [Read more…]