About Me.....

My passion for food began when I was young, but it was passed down and fostered by my grandmother, who is my inspiration and teacher.

My dad is a chocolate lover.  No, I really mean it. 

Not weak-in-the-knees kind of love....more like would-eat-too-much-and-get-sick kind of chocoholic.

I remember my dad would get home at 4:35 every day.

One warm day, little did he know I was scurrying around in the kitchen,

making his absolute favorite dessert: Cream Puffs.

These were no ordinary Cream Puffs,

they were

chocolate-inspired Cream Puffs.

They had squares of Caramilk Bar, 

(melted in the middle)

 then stuffed with a mix of

Whip cream  and Cream Cheese

(my own creamy concoction), then once in a pyramid on a plate,

              drizzled with Chocolate Sauce,

Butterscotch sauce,

and more Whip cream on top.

Drooling yet???

This was also the beginning of my quest to make things how I liked them, not how they "came."

I would tweak recipes, add this, take out that, adjust baking time.

I desired to make the food meet my taste requirements.

Cookies: Soft and gooey in the middle, crisp on the outside

Cakes: Moist, fluffy, layered

Brownies: Strong cocoa flavour, cakey top, gooey middle with Choc chunks throughout

That PassIoN also spills into my cooking.

Raising a young family, and my husband having special eating requirements,

I have experimented

 (and I mean REALLY experimented)

with what works, and what doesn't.

I will have lots of kids meals, adult meals, desserts, and even 

gluten/dairy-free recipes,

 as well as many vegetarian/vegan meals.

I will also do many budget-friendly meals because that is what we need.

My promise to you, is that it will taste amazing, be budget-friendly, and taste amazing!!

*DISCLAIMER*

I am unfailingly healthy with my cooking.

I do of course throw in some great fav's like Lasagne, and Pizza, but most of the recipies will be

healthy, mostly fast, and delicious!

So if you like what you read, and you like what you see...give them a try!

Wholly Waffles!!!

It began with love at first smell. Classy, I know...lol.

As my hubby and I were walking through the harbour in Downtown Victoria,

 the sweet scent of waffles caught my attention. We had walked by it many times, 

but this time we decided to try it. 

For $3, per 1/4 waffle, it was sweet love!!  

Ever since, I have been trying to recreate this awakening in my mouth, at home.

Today, I conquered!!!

What makes these waffles noticeably different?

1. They are made with yeast

2. It is of a dough, NOT a batter.

3. It contains *Beet Syrup* (or sugar) which caramelizes the waffle, on contact

 *asteric denotes the secret ingredients

Caramelized Waffles
1 pack of Yeast (equivalent to 2 1/4 tsp)
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups milk
1/3 melt butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3 cups of flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 beet sugar (or beet syrup)


-Dissolve yeast and sugar, in the 1/2 cup of warm water (this proof's the yeast). 
-Let that sit for 10 mins.
-Meanwhile,  mix up the rest of the ingredients. Once mixed, add in yeast mixture. 
-Beat just until combined. 
-Pour 1/3 cup (depending on size of waffle iron) into waffle iron. 
-Set timer for 2 mins.
-Enjoy!

The yeast adds an unbelievaly delicious taste to the waffles. The beet sugar helps to caramalize them.

~TIP~  Continue making waffles, and freeze what you don't use.  You can either heat them up in a toaster or back on the Waffle Iron. 

Truffles

Truffles
1/3 cup Whipped Cream
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Vanilla
4 squares Chocolate

1. Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil. 
2. Remove and add vanilla and chocolate. 
3. Stir until melted.
4. Chill until firm enough to handle (3 or 4 hours).
5. Roll into balls and dip in desired coating. 

Suggested coatings:
Sliced almonds
Crushed pecans
Cocoa
Icing Sugar
Crushed Candy Cane
Coconut

Hoping you'll stop by....

Welcome to my new blog, for your recipe viewing pleasure!

I  love finding new recipes and tips.

I love baking.

I love tweaking a recipe, so that I fits all of my wants and desires, in an edible format.

And I hope, that you will LOVE this blog enough to visit it daily, and share these recipes
 for your loved ones to enjoy!
And if you could once in a while let me know
 how you like it, that'd be swell :)