Not Just for Easter

Hot Cross Buns are traditionally a food made for Good Friday that brings health and luck for the year to come. I like to think that we could all use a little health and luck throughout the year and suggest that we enjoy these buns as often as we want. 

I made this batch for my family's visit to Vancouver Island and they were gone before I knew it. I hope they bring lots of good health and luck to us all. 

Nutella German Chocolate Fusion

Is it fusion when I use Nutella in a German Chocolate Cake? I like to think so. 

Nutella is Italian and the popular German Chocolate Cake is surprisingly not German, but American. It's named after the American chocolate maker, Sam German, who developed the dark baking chocolate used in the delicious cake.  None the less, the two come from entirely different areas of the world and I think that this makes it fusion. 

I also like to think that this version of a German Chocolate Cake is so yummy that it could become as famous as the original.  

Beet of my Heart

I love veggies of all kinds, but golden beets hold an extra special place in my heart. They taste extra delicious because they're hard to get my hands on, they don't leave a red stain on everything they touch, and they're good for you! What could be better? 

I'll tell you what could be better, this Golden Beet and Couscous Salad. It's delicious and quick to make too. Now what could be better than that? I'll have to keep tasting and find out! 

Teri-yummy

Teriyaki sauce is delicious, but I don't like to buy a lot of bottled sauces because of the high sodium content. I like the way they taste as I'm eating them, but I feel so parched afterwards that I have to drink about a gallon of water to quench my thirst. 

This version of teriyaki sauce is easy to make and, if you use low sodium soy sauce, it's not so bad for you. I still wouldn't eat it every night, but I wouldn't have a slab of chocolate cake every night either. 

Read on for the quick and tasty recipe. I especially love serving it with grilled salmon, but I know it would be great with chicken too!

Save Room for Salad

I love salad, but I usually think of salads as a side dish. And I don't usually get too excited about side dishes. You know what I mean right? A side dish is just something that sits on the side of your plate, beside the main part of the meal. 

Well last night I made this salad and that's all I ate. It might be true that I was hungry and hasn't eaten a lot of veggies yesterday, but I think this salad was also just plain delicious. And the dressing is like what my Nana always made for a potato salad; any memory of her always makes me smile. 

Breakfast in Bed

One of these days I think I might be served breakfast in bed. I've certainly dropped enough hints about wanting it as a treat, but it still hasn't happened yet. 

I've mentioned how special a cup of tea feels when it's brought to me, and while that might be enough for some girls, this one is going to keep dreaming for the real deal. 

I might not be making you breakfast in bed today, but this breakfast is a make ahead treat that just needs to be thrown into the oven in the morning. I think something like this would be perfect for my breakfast in bed dream!

Read on for how to make this yummy French Toast Bread Pudding!

Faux Pho

Pho is a Vietnamese dish where I just don't see the appeal. I like everything that goes into it on its own, but I just don't like slurping up long dripping noodles from a bowl of broth. 

Since I do like to eat Wonton Noodle Soup I feel like a bit of a hypocrite, but there's a difference between the two soups. Pho has really long rice noodles and they're super slippery. Wonton Noodle Soup has a different kind of noodle that's much easier and less messy to eat. 

Alright, that's a big stretch. They're pretty much the same. But since my honey loves them, I keep giving them a try. 

Here's my first successful version of a Pho. Mine's a Faux Pho as it has fish instead of beef and I have to admit that I like it. Somehow it feels less uncomfortable to eat a drippy soup in the comfort of my own home! 

Dairy Queen Memories

My sister and I have birthdays five days apart and Valentine's Day falls in between them. This means that there are always lots of heart shaped chocolates, cakes, and candies available for our birthdays.

As little girls, we both couldn't get enough of the heart shaped Dairy Queen Blizzard cakes and my mom would always buy us each one for our birthday parties. Of course, with our birthdays so close together, neither cake would be finished and the leftovers would be tucked away in the freezer for a sunny day. 

Summer would come along and we'd finally remember about our cakes and eagerly pull them out to be enjoyed by the pool. These are some of my favourite memories from my childhood and thinking about them is making me hungry for Dairy Queen again. 

Luckily, General Mills, Dairy Queen, and Orange Julius are partnering up right now and with each specially marked box of General Mills cereal you buy, there will be coupons for one free small Blizzard treat and one free small Orange Julius.

You can redeem your Blizzard coupons at any participating Dairy Queen during the month of May and you can redeem your Orange Julius coupon at any participating Dairy Queen from April 1 - July 31, 2013. 

And incase you're like me and can't wait to enjoy your DQ before May begins, here's my version of Dairy Queen Buster Bar that you can make yourself. I think of it as a great appetizer before redeeming my many Blizzard coupons next month!

Cottage Bound

I love heading up to the cottage, but whenever I go it seems to rain for at least one afternoon or evening. And rain means we miss out on a campfire with s'mores - one of my favourite things about cottaging.

So, this year I have been planning alternative treats for days when true campfire s'mores aren't possible and I think that I've come up with a real winner. My dessert involves cookies, marshmallows, and it's certainly gooey, so I know it will invoke all the feelings of s'mores. Plus it's fun, so hopefully everyone will smile in spite of the bad weather!

Read on for my fun Dessert Poutine recipe. It tastes as good as it looks!

Throw Back

Today's post is not really a re-post, it's most of a what else can do with an old favourite post. 

I love my basic Thai curry recipe. It's something I make about even two weeks and considering how many different types of recipes I like to cook, that's practically every night! 

But today's recipe doesn't have any chicken in it. Instead it has tofu in it. And truth be known, I don't really like tofu. At least I didn't think I did. 

After Luke decided he didn't want to eat much meat, I wanted to be supportive and got a ton of library books out on vegetarian cooking. Some of the cookbooks had mainly macaroni and cheese and other heavy foods, but others had tips of for making veggie food sing. 

One of the best tips I learned was that tofu is like a sponge and take on whatever flavours you put with it. That's probably why it's doesn't taste so delicious alone! The other thing I didn't like about tofu was the texture. I found the firm variety too squishy. 

Today's recipe helps to make tofu flavourful and makes it crispy too. Read on for the recipe! 

Gnocchin' on Heaven's Door

I have made a few different versions of gnocchi before but none have given me the same amount of pleasure as this amazing dish did. And not to sound vain, but I don't think that it was necessarily the recipe either. I think the success of my gnocchi had a lot to do with the fact that I cooked my sweet potato the night before and let it cool in my fridge overnight.

I don't know if that's true or not, but I do know that my dish tasted great and I didn't burn my hands while whipping it up. That makes it a winner in my books!

Today's recipe was inspired by one in April's Canadian Living, but I used quite a bit less flour in my dish and I think it helped to make the end result light and fluffy.

Source of Happiness and a Giveaway!

I bike to work everyday and this month marks the weather where I am finally happy to strap on my helmet and pedal. The cherry trees are in full bloom, it's warmer, and I feel great having gotten a little exercise before sitting at a desk all day. 

I like to think I deserve a treat for a pick me up in the afternoon after all that pedalling, but I try to choose something healthy (most days) because staying in shape is why I've taken up biking. Yoplait Source Greek yogurt is one of the best options I have found in a long time for a healthy treat. It's only 50 calories for a serving, it tastes like I am eating something decadent and creamy, and it comes in a great number of flavour options. 

If knowing about this delicious new yogurt isn't enough, I am able to gift one lucky reader with a Yoplait Source Greek yogurt kit that includes free coupons to try this new product as well as a $100 Lululemon gift card that could be used to buy new active wear clothes to help you find your Source of happiness! 

To earn an entry into this giveaway, all you have to do is tell me what flavour of Yoplait Source Greek yogurt you'd be most interested in trying and for a second entry, just like my Facebook page. 

This giveaway will run from now until April 29 and is open to all Canadian residents. You can enter across multiple blogs, but may only win one prize. 

And if you're looking for more ways to incorporate Yoplait yogurt into your diet, try this amazing guilt free Healthified Greek Layered Dip recipe from Life Made Delicious. I made my slightly simpler version twice in one weekend and would have made it a third time, but I ran out of hummus!

French Food at Home

Whenever I go out to eat French cooking I always feel heavy on my way home. Sure, of course I love the way butter and cream tastes. But with each of those indulgent bites I know how I will feel for the next few hours. 

Today I am sharing one of my favourite French treats that doesn't make me feel heavy. I feel light, airy, and perfectly content during and after eating this meal. Add feeling good to the fact that the filling for these crepes is so versatile and you'll end up with a recipe that you'll keep turning back to.

Eggplant-cellent Sauce

I love to cook, but I don't often make my own tomato sauce. Usually when I cook with tomato sauce I am either making a lasagna that requires too much effort already or I am making a quick weeknight supper and I just want to to grab a jar of pre made sauce from my pantry. 

Now that I've made this Tomato and Eggplant Sauce, I will no longer be reaching for the jar come pasta night. I have served this sauce with spaghetti, spaghetti squash, and polenta and each time it's been right on the money. I still haven't made it into a lasagna yet, but I bet I could come up with a lasagna recipe that would be perfect for it!

Hot Stuff

I've said it a few times, but I'll say it again - I love lasagna. That being said, today's post isn't lasagna. It looks a little like lasagna, but there isn't any pasta and there are only three layers. I need lots of layers and pasta for something to be called lasagna. 

Today's post is delicious though. And although my recipe is a vegetarian dish, I've come up with a great alternative for my meat loving friends. Read on to find out the recipes for both!