Sweet

My Delicious Chocolate Orange Cake!

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Chocolate Orange Cake
Zesty Chocolate Orange Cake

Almost everybody loves a good chocolate cake, but last week, I made a simple addition to my usual recipe to make an amazing chocolate orange cake. For some reason, I can’t follow a recipe without making a small change, adding a twist, or substituting an ingredient. It’s more fun that way, and I get to experiment in the otherwise strict domain of baking!

The following recipe is based on my go-to chocolate cake recipe, the ‘Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake’. I love that name. I’ve made it for guests and they love it, too. It’s very chocolate-y and it uses cocoa powder in both the cake and icing. (By the way, to make the basic chocolate cake that Hershey’s is famous for, just omit the orange zest in both the cake and frosting.) 

Chocolate Orange Cake
Zesty Chocolate Orange Cake

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The Best Shortbread Sugar Cookies For Canada Day!

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Canada Day Cookies
Canada Day Cookies

Today marks the 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation! As an immigrant to Canada, I cannot be more grateful that I live here. I’m more proud every year and I love celebrating everything about Canada. When I first moved here, I kept asking people how Canada was different from the United States, where I had lived prior to moving. It was a lot of fun to hear what each person thought was the major difference. After living here for more than 25 years, I can tell you what is different, but that would be the subject of another post! Let’s just say that our cities consistently rank as the top livable cities in the world and that, along with Canada’s diversity, is one of the reasons I love living here.

This year we’ve seen lots of fun activities going on around the country in celebration of Canada’s 150th, also called Canada 150 by the Government of Canada.

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(Vegan) Chocolate Banana Muffins

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Chocolate Banana Muffins
Chocolate Banana Muffins

You know that feeling when you want to try a recipe but don’t have all the ingredients? Well, that happened to me yesterday, which is why there are parentheses around the word ‘Vegan’ in the title of this post.

My neighbor dropped off two chocolate banana muffins on Sunday, made by her vegan daughter. They were delicious: moist, dense, and super chocolate-y. And, because they’re vegan, you can safely lick the batter! I had to make these asap, because the two muffins didn’t last more than an hour, and, well, a craving is a craving.

When I looked up the recipe for these chocolate banana muffins on the Two Peas & Their Pod blog, I knew that I didn’t have white whole wheat flour nor did I have almond milk on hand. I stopped off at the drugstore to pick up milk and took a quick look in the baking section. As I sort of expected, they didn’t carry these items so I was going to make do with ingredients I had at home. It was too early for the natural food store to be open. Continue reading →

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Rice Krispies Treats With Froot Loops

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Rice Krispies Treats
Rice Krispies Treats With Froot Loops

There are a few treats that remind me of my childhood, and Rice Krispies Treats is one of them. When I was a kid, I went to school on a trimester system. That means we went to school for 12 weeks at a time, then had a 5 week ‘intersession’ period.

During one intersession, I took a baking class. I was 9 or 10 years old. That class is what started me on my lifelong baking adventure. My mom’s an amazing baker (and cook and entertainer…) and I used to watch her bake all the time. But, at the intersession class, I was the one baking and creating – on my own!

The first item we made was Rice Krispies Treats. They’re simple and fun. With all the sweet and bran-type cereals that followed Rice Krispies, I must admit that I don’t often choose Rice Krispies as my breakfast cereal. This means I usually buy a box of Rice Krispies, just to make the Treats. They’re so easy and quick to make, and everyone loves them. They’re the perfect snack for school or travel, too. Continue reading →

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5 Tips For A Successful Kids’ Halloween Party

~ sweetlifestyle

fullsizerenderIt’s Halloween in a few days which means it’s one of my favorite times of the year!  I’ve got childhood memories of wearing my costume and marching in a parade at school for parents and kids to admire.  I’ve got adult memories of carving pumpkins in my college dorm.  I’ve got lots of memories of going trick-or-treating with my kids over the years.  And, handing out candy dressed in a witch hat is an evening I look forward to all year.  So, in my opinion, Halloween is a great excuse to have a party!

I’ve thrown a few Halloween parties for the kids over the years, sometimes themed in with one of my daughter’s birthdays.  It’s just too easy to have a Halloween party, especially when the dollar stores, drug stores, and corner stores are all so well-stocked with fun crafts and ideas.  Did you know that, in the US, Halloween is about a $7 billion a year industry?  Canadians spend about $1 billion, which is more per capita than Americans do on Halloween costumes, decor and candy, according to an October 2014 article in The Financial Post.

img_3046Here are my 5 tips for hosting a party, followed by photos of what I’ve done.

Let the kids be involved in setting the agenda.
Do kids come wearing their costume or not?  What do they want the main activity to be? What do you want to serve? How many people is comfortable for you and your child to entertain? What time do you want to have the party?  I think Halloween is more fun in the dark, so if you can do a late afternoon party, go for it. Continue reading →

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A Confirmation Brunch For My Daughter

~ sweetlifestyle

FullSizeRender-13When I was 13, I had my Confirmation at our church.  My 8th Grade Catholic friends and I had attended weekly catechism classes during the year, culminating with a retreat and ceremony.  That weekend, I also received a letter (that I still have) from my parents that reduced me to tears because it talked about how I was growing up.  My sponsor and role model was a family friend and someone I see and speak to all the time about life, friendship, and advice.  Getting confirmed was a big deal and something I remember very clearly as part of my Catholic upbringing.

So, with my daughter’s Confirmation coming up this Wednesday night, I wanted her to celebrate the religious journey she has been on for the past 13 years.  Because everyone loves brunch foods, we agreed on a Saturday morning Confirmation Brunch.

But, first, what is Confirmation?  In the Catholic Church, Confirmation is one of the 7 Sacraments (Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Confession, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders).  According to American Catholic.org, sacraments ‘are ceremonies that highlight what is sacred, significant, and important to Christians‘.  In particular, Confirmation is about being sealed with the Holy Spirit.   During the ceremony, each confirmant will be anointed with oil and the phrase ‘be sealed with the Holy Spirit’ will be stated.  The Protestant Church also celebrates Confirmation.

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Matzoh Crunch!

~ sweetlifestyle

IMG_6585This week is Passover and you may have seen Matzoh Crunch in your grocery store or bakery.

I first saw this recipe when David Lebovitz (chef, baker, and cookbook author) appeared on the Martha Stewart show about 10 years ago.  It looked very easy to make, and it is!

Up front, I should say that I make this dessert all year round and get special requests from my kids and friends.  Matzoh Crunch is the popular name and David Lebovitz’s version is called Caramelized Matzoh Crunch With Chocolate.  Basically, it’s a cracker base with a caramel/toffee topping and chocolate.  What’s not to like?!

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Marshmallow Popcorn Treats

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Marshmallow Popcorn Squares
Marshmallow Popcorn Squares

Do you have a favorite treat from when you were a kid?  I have lots because I have a very sweet tooth!  One that I remember making a lot is Marshmallow Treats. ‘Rice Krispies Squares’ or ‘Marshmallow Squares’ are other names for these delicious snacks.  Whatever the name, these treats remind me of my childhood and simpler times.

Invented by Mildred Day, an employee at Kellogg’s, and her co-worker Malitta Jensen in 1939, Marshmallow Treats’ popularity grew when they were suggested in response to a fundraising request to Kellogg’s.  By 1940, the recipe was advertised by Kellogg’s and has been a big hit ever since.  And, by the 1990’s, these bars were a packaged good widely available on grocery store shelves.

Marshmallow Popcorn Squares
Marshmallow Popcorn Squares

When I was in grade school, I took a cooking activity where we made these easy and yummy Marshmallow Treats.  I remember asking my parents to buy marshmallow creme and marshmallows all the time so I could make these whenever I wanted.

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Frozen Fruit Smoothies – Even in Winter!

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Frozen Fruit Smoothie
Frozen Fruit Smoothie

In my post on New Year’s resolutions, I said that I’d publish a post on frozen fruit smoothies.  Here it is!  Because eating more fruit is one of my resolutions, fruit smoothies are an easy way to meet this goal.

This time of year in Canada it can be hard to get fresh fruit that tastes good and is reasonably priced.  Of course, to keep your diet varied, you treat yourself to your favorite fruits from time to time.  Mine are pineapples and mangoes.

But, if you don’t buy as many fruits in the winter, or you find yourself not finishing what you’ve bought, then consider the option of freezing leftover fruits and making smoothies.  You can buy frozen fruits at the store but, by freezing unused fruits, I’m trying to accomplish another resolution, which is to waste less food.

Fresh Fruit to be Frozen in Glass Dish
Loosen Frozen Fruit with a Knife
Frozen Fruit

Here’s what I do.

Any fresh fruit that hasn’t been eaten within a few days of being ripe gets cut up and put in a glass dish in the freezer overnight.  I seem to have ripe bananas, pineapples, and strawberries left over the most. When I take the fruit out, I let it sit for a few minutes, then use a knife to loosen the fruit and store it in a freezer bag.  Voila: unwasted fruit and fresh smoothie material!

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Pumpkin Bars… If You Can Find The Pumpkins!!

~ sweetlifestyle ~ 2 Comments

IMG_2160Further to my last post on Canadian Thanksgiving, I thought I would write a quick one on pumpkin bars and the fact that making them (and anything else requiring pumpkin puree) this year might pose a challenge!!

You see, canned pumpkins, the main ingredient in the bars, are made from ‘pie’ or ‘sugar’ pumpkins.  Pie pumpkins are the smaller, denser, darker version of the larger, thin-walled pumpkins we use for carving jack-o-lanterns at Halloween. These pie pumpkins are made into puree and canned in the fall and are available all year – technically.

This fall, pie pumpkins are in short supply due to the heavy rains this summer in the Midwestern United States where most of the pies are grown. The problem is serious enough to cause some concern for Americans as they plan their upcoming Thanksgiving dinner menu which undoubtedly will include some variation of pumpkin in several dishes.

According to Bloomberg News, Libby’s, the largest producer of pumpkins, says they have enough product to make 45 million 8 inch pies, which is half of what they normally produce. They think this is enough to get through Thanksgiving but, after that, there could be a shortage that will have to wait until next year’s harvest to be satisfied. Continue reading →

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