Grinch Cookies!

I love everything about about Christmas, but watching a Christmas movie while munching on homemade cookies would have to be my very favourite holiday activity. And to make this year's favourite activity even more festive, I made a new cookie that's inspired by one of my favourite holiday movies, the Grinch Who Stole Christmas!

I've enjoyed matcha tea, a powdered green tea, in lattes for awhile but adding it to a batch of cookies is the perfect way to naturally dye my cookies a delightfully grinchy green. And simple pink piped hearts, three sizes too small, adds to the Who-ville experience in a way I know every single one of you will agree.

So get out your mixing bowls and cookie sheets to bake up a batch of what I think is going to turn into everyone's new holiday favourite - Grinch Cookies!

Beet It, Stains

I love eating beets. They can be sweet, earthy, or pickled and they add a beautiful rich hue to my plates. But I don't love the stains they leave when one when accidentally falls off my fork, tumbles down my blouse, and lands on my pants. In fact, I hate beet stains.

But I've learned how best to go about beating beet stains, and before I share one of the best beet salad recipes I've ever had with you, I'm going to share a couple of tips about getting rid of beet stains.

I've tried two methods and they've both worked pretty well. The first method sounds a little crazy, but I use it if I'm out of my favourite stain remover. Just soak a piece of bread in cold water and use it to sponge away the beet stains, then wash the clothes as usual. My second method is to run the fabric under cold water right away, pretreat the stain with my favourite stain remover, and then wash as usual. I'm always interested in learning about new ways to get rid of stains, so if you have other tested ideas, I'd love to hear about them.

I'm going to post my tips about getting rid of beet stains on Resolve's new Resolve Tip Exchange website. It's a great new site to learn about getting rid of stains, all from readers like you and me!

One of the ways that Resolve is encouraging us to enter tips is by offering 12 weekly prizes of $250 and a grand prize of $5000! Each week we can submit a tip to earn a ballot in the draw for the prizes and that's sure got me thinking of tips I'd like to share!

So far I've sent in tips for removing butter and red wine from clothes, but you'll have to head over to Resolve Tip Exchange to find out those tips! For now, since you don't have to worry about permanently staining your clothes from beets, read on for an amazingly tasty Beet and Carrot Salad recipe!

Tea-mendous Cupcakes

"Keep calm and carry on" is a beautiful British saying. 

Originally the saying was printed on posters displayed throughout England in World War 2 to be used for public safety and to strengthen morale, but today the saying has become commercialized and used in many different ways. 

When I hear the words "keep calm and carry on" I think of people enjoying a cuppa tea, forgetting their worries, and relaxing. And when I found Anna Olson's recipe for Earl Grey Chiffon Cake with Maple Meringue, I could see myself embracing the saying before I took a single bite. 

I made a few changes to Anna's original recipe because I needed to make it my own, but I know you'll still love it. 

One-derland

For my one hundredth post I thought about what recipe to highlight for awhile.

I debated savoury or sweet, simple or sophisticated, quick or time consuming, and couldn't make up my mind.

So after all that I decided that what I was muddling over in head was too complicated and what I should share today would be something featuring one of my favourite ingredients.

And no, I do not mean cheese. Today I mean tea!

I drink one cup minimum per day and whether the tea is black, white, or green, I don't care. I love each and every tea in my cupboard.

But today isn't just about drinking tea (though what I am sharing does go well with a cup), it's about cooking with tea too!