Friday 28 June 2013

June Food Pen Pal Reveal

It's time for another yummy reveal! Dawn put these yummy treats in my mailbox this month. The email she sent me had a ton of really great questions to help her get to know me and my food preferences (yes, I'm stealing the questions for next month!), so it shouldn't be a surprise that she was able to put together such a great box. She sent a few healthy granola bars that are perfect for popping in my purse when I'm on the go and a key lime lemonade mix that I can't wait to bust out on a sunny day. She also included chocolate flavoured coffee, which I had for breakfast this morning. It made my belly very happy :) And yes, that thing there on the left is a package of cat treats. One of those great questions Dawn asked was about pets and she made my kitties very happy with these treats (in true cat lady form, I opened them before anything else in the box).
The other things in the box were a chai chia cookie mix - I haven't made it yet because it's been so hot I haven't wanted to turn the oven on, but I'm excited to try them - and barbecue flavoured chickpeas - so, so yummy!
My kitty cats and I say thank you, Dawn!

Happy Canada Day everyone!



FPP post March Foodie Penpals Reveal Day

  • On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
  • You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
  • The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
  • You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
  • Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
  • Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

Friday 31 May 2013

May Foodie Pen Pals

It's time for another Foodie Pen Pals reveal! This month I received my box from the wonderful Michelle at 3 Cheap Runners. She sent me such yummy things!


First up was a vegetarian soup mix. I'm the kind of strange person who gets hit with at least one really bad cold and flu during the summer, so this will come in handy!
She also sent red pepper jelly (which I've never tried before and am happy to tell you I liked!) and some dressing that will perfect for summer salads with spinach and walnuts!
I loved that Michelle also sent two treats for me - mint flavoured dark chocolate from a local shop (I loved, loved, loved this!) and chocolate covered pretzels! Even though everything in the box was great, I love salty-sweet so the pretzels were my favourite part of the package :)

Thank you, Michelle! You made my May great!







FPP post March Foodie Penpals Reveal Day
  • On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
  • You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
  • The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
  • You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
  • Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
  • Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

Thursday 2 May 2013

SFF Book and Baking Club: Kate Atkinson's Life After Life and Teatime Treats

Those of you who have been reading my blog know that I love books. I also love book clubs, but don't have the space to host one. So I decided to start the Sugar, Flour, Flavour Book Club. At the beginning of each month, I'll post a book selection and a recipe suggestion. At the end of each month, I'll write a post about the book with the recipe I used and pictures of course. 

If you want to participate and you have a blog:
read the book and make your version of the recipe then post about it on your blog. You can leave a link to your post here on the last day of the month. 

If you want to participate and you don't have a blog:
leave your comments on the book and recipe on my post, or email sugarflourflavour[at]outlook[dot]com with your guest post!

This month's selection:
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Your favourite teatime treat

Happy Reading!

Tuesday 30 April 2013

April Foodie Pen Pals

 April brought me another happy Food Pen Pals experience. I sent a package to Jessica and I had tons of fun shopping for her. Lindsey was my pen pal and she did a great job! I love getting things from different regions in Canada and Lindsey didn't disappoint. She sent me some Welsh Breakfast Tea and Midnight Lavender Tea and some grape seed oil from local shops. She also sent me Inca Fire Salt and Black Beluga Lentils. Plus, Tonka Beans! They're like vanilla beans and I can't wait to bake something with them!
I loved the package and I thought it was really sweet that Lindsey took the time to write about everything she sent on it's very own index card. She explained what they were, why she likes them and gave me some tips for using them. Thank you for a very thoughtful package Lindsey!




 FPP post March Foodie Penpals Reveal Day






  • On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
  • You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
  • The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
  • You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
  • Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
  • Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Lemon Pepper Shortbread with Ginger-Infused Brown Butter

I'm excited to share something new with you this month. And I'm not (just) talking about the recipe. I joined the Leftovers Club! Every month, US and Canadian bloggers are paired up to exchange the yummy goodies they made for their blogs! This month I was paired with Martine at Whey Beyond the Naked Truth. It was great getting to know her through our many emails and so much fun baking for her! After looking at her blog, I decided she might like the flavours of my Lemon Pepper Shortbread made with Ginger-Infused Brown Butter. They're in the oven right now. I hope she loves them!

Lemon Pepper Shortbread with Ginger-Infused Brown Butter
2      c   flour
1      c   butter
1/2   c   powdered sugar
1      T  black pepper
             zest from one lemon
             fresh ginger, peeled, in a 1" cube

In a small pot, heat butter and ginger for about 10 minutes or until butter turns a golden brown.
Remove from heat and discard ginger. (If you want a more intense ginger flavour, you could grate the ginger right into the butter!)
Let butter solidify.
Cream butter, sugar, lemon zest and pepper.
Mix in flour.
Roll into a log and chill 2 hours. Slice into 1/4" rounds and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes.

Party Time: Some people, like the snobs on Top Chef Canada, think shortbread cookies aren't worthy of cocktail parties. I think they're wrong. (Yes, Dan Hudson was my favourite chef this season, and yes, I'm a bit bitter that he was sent home over the guy who managed to make chicken taste like Spam.) So if you want to include these tasty treats on your next party menu, roll them into bite-sized balls instead of slicing them. Just increase the baking time by up to 10 minutes.

Monday 8 April 2013

Breakfast on the Go: Quinoa Granola

A while ago my cousin gave me a recipe for breakfast quinoa. It's cooked with milk, brown sugar and cinnamon, and then it can be topped with fruit or nuts, just like oatmeal. I love it, but I'm on the go a lot and I like food that can go with me. Breakfast quinoa technically should be refrigerated and topping it with fresh fruit means it doesn't last very long in the bottom of a warm purse. So I played around with some quinoa and came up with a version of breakfast quinoa that can go anywhere.  The recipe below has all of my favourite things in it, but you can use whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruit you like! Bonus, it has tons of good-for-you things in it and it fills you up! Try it - I promise you won't be disappointed!
 
Quinoa Granola
1/3  c   raw quinoa
1/4  c   flax seeds
1/4  c   pumpkin seeds
1/4  c   chopped pecans

1/4  c   sliced almonds
1/2  c   shredded coconut
1/4  c   raisins
1/4  c   dried cranberries
2     T   vegetable oil
1     T   honey
1     T   brown sugar
1     t    cinnamon
1/2  t    nutmeg
1/4  t    ginger
1/4  t    cloves

Rinse and cook quinoa as normal.
In a large bowl, mix cooked quinoa, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, pecans, almonds and shredded coconut. Stir in brown sugar and spices. In a separate bowl, mix together honey and oil. Pour over quinoa mixture and stir to coat. 
Spread mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 325F for 45 minutes, stirring periodically. Remove from oven and stir in raisins and cranberries.
Allow granola to cool before storing in an airtight container.

Saturday 6 April 2013

Books!

Those of you who have been reading my blog know two things about me: I love to bake and I love books. And I know this is a baking blog, but sometimes I just have to share my other love with you. LitConnect puts on some great book-related Twitter parties. They're always a good time and on top of getting to chat with some great authors, you also have the chance to win prizes. This month, LitConnect is hosting a party for Desiree Holt and Joey W. Hill and you can win BOOKS and a $100 Gift Card!! The hashtag for the party will be #HoltHillScorch. Click it now to RSVP and read more about the event. If you've never been to a Twitter party before, feel free to leave me a comment and I'll give you some tips. They're super easy!

Monday 1 April 2013

March Foodie PenPals Reveal Day!




I had another really amazing Foodie PenPal experience this month! I sent a package to Jessica and Myra sent me some great goodies from Alberta. Look at all the good stuff!


My absolute favourite thing about the package was the little card Myra included. It explained why she picked the items and where they came from, and also included a list of her favourite websites! Myra sent me two types of loose leaf tea (which she loves) from David's Tea. I haven't tried the rooibos yet, but the earl grey was delicious! David's Tea makes some really great teas that I love to include in stockings at Christmas, care packages or FPP boxes!

 
She also sent probably the best snack I've ever had. These tasty nuts are made in Alberta and Myra sent me a package of Orange Cranberry and the Apple Pie flavour! My favourite was the apple, but they were both really good. I might have to start sending Myra a cheque every month (week??) so she can keep me stocked up on this delicious treat :)


Next up was a package of soup mix. I made it for dinner the night I got the package. Normally I'm not a fan of soup unless I'm sick, but this was quite good. It didn't hurt that my allergies were bothering me that night, too ;) 


Myra also sent some oatmeal in a little to-go container and two energy bars. I ate the mocha bar myself (yum!) and saved the oatmeal and the second bar for my brother. He's a college student and I know when I was in school I was desperate for really good portable food, so when he came to visit this weekend, I sent him home with a little care package that included the oatmeal and bar - he was really happy with them!






Last, but certainly not least, was a bar of soap made locally in Alberta. It smells amazing, it's made with natural ingredients, and it shouldn't irritate sensitive skin. I can't wait to try it!

I hope all my fellow FPPs were as lucky as I was this month! Enjoy your treats!


 FPP post March Foodie Penpals Reveal Day

Are you interested in joining us for Foodie Penpals next month? Here are some more details:
  • On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
  • You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
  • The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
  • You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
  • Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
  • Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

Monday 4 March 2013

February Foode Pen Pals

It's time to share all the goodies I got from my Foodie Pen Pal with you! This month I sent a package to Erin at Happier, Healthier, More Fit Me and Sarah sent to me. The things Sarah sent were o thoughtful and personal. It was a really great package!



Sarah made some vegan cookies and plum jam (and you all know how much I love homemade jam!), which were both delicious. Just in case you're worried, no, I didn't eat all the cookies the day I got the package! She also included some cute cookie cutters, two little booklets with some recipes I can't wait to try and some flour she ground herself. The best part of the whole package (besides the jam - I really, really like jam) was the letter Sarah wrote. She told me a lot about herself in addition to explaining all the goodies she sent. I really learned a lot about my pen pal this month! Thanks for sharing your treats and yourself with me, Sarah!



FPP post Foodie Penpals

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 
If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for November, please CLICK HERE (www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/) to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 
You must submit your information by March 4th as pairings will be emailed on March 5th!

*If you're from Europe, please CLICK HERE (www.thisisrocksalt.com/foodie-penpals/) to signup.

Wednesday 27 February 2013

National Cupcake Day: The Reveal

I'm happy to report that National Cupcake Day was a success! Last time I checked their website Canadians across the country had raised over $143, 000. Way to go Canada!

As promised, here is a picture of the cupcakes I made.




If you made cupcakes for the big day, email pictures and a description (and how much you raised if you'd like) to sugarflourflavour(at)outlook(dot)com and I'll share them with my readers so we can ooh and ahh over them and appreciate all the work we put into giving our furry friends a little help when they need it most.

Sunday 10 February 2013

A Post about My Other Favourite Thing...Books!

I came across a pretty great contest today that I had to share with you. It's Live to Read's 100 Book Giveaway! Those of you who know me know I have a huge book addiction - if I'm not baking, I'm probably reading - so I just had to enter and you should, too. Two winners will each receive 50 books!! Best. Contest. Ever.

There are lots of other book giveaways on the blog, too! Head on over to Live to Read right now to enter. Good luck!

Saturday 9 February 2013

Valentine's Day Cookies and Cupcakes

I call bullshit on Valentine's Day. Yep. You read that right. Bullshit. I happen to think it's a pseudo-holiday that exists for two reasons and neither of them is love. The first reason: the creation of order and control. A long time ago, society realized they could exploit the chemical reactions that occur in people's brains when they think about sex (among other things) to control people. Valentine's Day just helps solidify that control. The second reason: money. We can always use another excuse to boost the economy whether the individual can really afford it or not.

All that said, I never turn down a reason to bake, so even though I'm calling bullshit, I'm still baking my heart out.




Using your favourite shortbread cookie recipe (or sugar cookie recipe if you like to go that way - blech), these pretty little cookies take hardly any time at all. When you mix up your shortbread, just add red food colouring to part of the dough. Chill then roll out the white dough and cut it out with a scalloped circle cutter. Place the cutouts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then cut out the centre with a heart shaped cutter. When you're finished with the white dough, roll out the red and cut out hearts using the same cutter you used to remove the centres from the white dough. Place a red heart inside each circle and bake.


With two heart shaped cookie cutters and the same technique, you can also make these gorgeous cupcakes.



Roll out some gum paste, cut out your hearts and use them to top your Valentine cupcakes. Adding some disco or pearl dust to the gum paste decorations gives them a little extra festive sparkle.

Saturday 2 February 2013

Book Review: Chloe's Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli

Awhile ago I bought a book called Chloe's Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli. If you're a fan of Food Network's Cupcake Wars (and really, who isn't), you might remember her as the vegan baker who won her episode. Her book is full of vegan recipes - which look absolutely mouthwatering! - including one of the recipes she used on Cupcake Wars. Because this is a baking blog, I focused on the baked section of the book for my review, but I've also tried recipes for real food.


The first recipe I tried was a chocolate cake with mocha icing and almond slices. I baked it as a cake in August with the icing recipe included in the book the first time, then I turned it into cupcakes with different icings the second and third times. I guess telling you I've used the recipe three times in six months probably means I'm stating the obvious when I say I loved it. The cake has a rich cocoa flavour without being too sweet and it's so moist! The price of the book is worth it for this recipe alone!

The next recipe I tried was for yoga cookies. These little treats use agave syrup instead of sugar and lots of yummy but healthy ingredients to make a cookie that tastes amazing without pushing the indulgence meter too high.


The third dessert recipe I chose for this review was for the cupcakes that won Cupcake Wars. The texture of these vegan cupcakes was a bit different from a traditional cupcake in that it was actually something I wanted to put in my mouth. I also liked that they weren't overpoweringly sweet, making them balance nicely with any icing you choose to pile on top. Moist. Delicious. Perfect. Now wonder these were winners!

Based on the other recipes I tried and the face that this book makes vegan food that is delish with ingredients that are easy to find and affordable, I recommend picking up a copy for yourself! And if you want to check out some of Chloe's recipes before you buy the book, her website has some freebies for you.

Note: I purchased this book on my own because I found it interesting. I was not compensated for this review in any way. I just love to share amazing food finds with my readers!

Friday 1 February 2013

National Cupcake Day for SPCAs and Humane Societies

 


I think by now it's pretty clear that two of my biggest passions are baking and animals. That's why I'm so excited to tell you about National Cupcake Day for SPCAs and Humane Societies. National Cupcake Day, which is on 25 February, is designed to get Canadians baking for a good cause. Anyone can register to make cupcakes for this special day by visiting www.nationalcupcakeday.ca. Once you've registered you'll have your very own online bakery to collect donations. It's really that easy. Sign up, bake, collect donations for your treats through the website. And in addition to doing something great for our furry friends, if you upload a picture of your cupcake creations to National Cupcake Day's facebook page you have a chance to win a prize pack, too!

I'll be participating this year (you can view my online bakery here) and I think you should, too. If you don't feel like baking cupcakes yourself, why not buy some from someone you know? Or feel free to make a donation to anyone participating whether you know them or not. Even if you don't get a cupcake out of it, the puppies and kitties will thank you.

Check back here at the end of February for pictures of my National Cupcake Day creations and don't forget to make an animal happy today!