And The winner of the Tetley Tea Contest is...

Thank you to all of you that have entered!  A random number generator has been used to determine the winner!

We had 10 entries/comments and chosen at random...

Comment Number 8 was Selected.

And the Winner is TSZ!!

Congratulations Tsz!  Please contact me at scrumptiousDOTblogATgmailDOTcom and send me your credentials!

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods!

Nothing Like a Warm Cuppa Tea on a Cold Winter Day!

Nothing's better on a cold morning or when you have a cold (like me) then a cup of tea.  I've been a fan of tea since I was very young, being introduced to it by my mother.  She cannot go a day without a few cups of tea - it's a cultural thing as well, everyone drinks tea.

Her favourite brand, no fail is Tetley, Orange Pekoe, time and time again.  I have tried to get her into some herbal and flavoured teas, but no avail, she does enjoy the smells though.

Recently I have come across a new link by Tetley, a colour line with differnt moods.  I recently tried Dream, which is the lemon chamomile flavour.  I can definitely see where the name comes from, it's soothing and has you relaxed in no time, great to have while unwinding before bed.

Here is a little about what Tetley has to say about their new (very awesome) line - Colour Therapy:

Tetley Tea is on a mission to help Canadians get more "colourful" with their new line of herbal teas. As you know, colour influences our lives every day. In the home, a bedroom that's painted paled blue an have a calming affect. Wearing red can illicit a sense of energy and excitement. Our colour choices can have dramatic effects on our mood and well being. Now you can match or even influence your mood using colour with this new line of herbal teas for a little Tetley Colour Therapy.

You know, they are absolutely right about the colours and moods, I always keep moods in mind when buying items, clothing etc.

If you're a tea lover, it's about to get better. We're running a contest for you, the fabulous readers!! The prize: A Tetley Colour Therapy gift basket worth approx. $70 with 2 containers each of tea, a canister/tea pot and 50 mood influencing greeting cards.

Here are a few tantilizing photos :

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what's your favourite flavour of Tetley Tea is and what is your favourite colour and why it helps your mood.

Contest will start on Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 and contest will end Thursday, January 20th, 2011 at 5:00 p.m.. Winner will be announced at 7:00 p.m. January 20th, 2011.

**Contest is open to Canadian residents only (excluding Quebec).

Cheers and Good Luck,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Kraft is Great!

You're familiar with Kraft right?

Just wanted to share with you Two of the websites I frequent often:

• http://www.kraftdeliciousdays.com/
• http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/home.aspx

When you want something that's tasty and creative, but don't have all the time in the world, Kraft has some great ideas and recipes to help you get there in a jiffy.  Awesome recipes for dinner after work, for a game night get together or even just to make a treat for yourself.  Kraft has saved me many times over and I have gone back to some of my favourite recipes time and time again - Mmm Kraft Dinner (Random)...

If you don't know about Delicious Days, Delicious Days is a one-stop site for seasonal cooking videos, recipes, activities, and fun! Their latest series of videos on Kitchen Basics will also teach you how to boil an egg so you get that creamy yellow yolk without the gray-green discoloration, how to minimize those tears when slicing onions (stumps some of the best of us), and more!

Hope these little website gems come in handy, they always does for me!

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

YUM Avocado!

I love Avocados, don't you?  Okay, maybe not everybody out there loves avocados.  I fell in love with avocado's in college, I had guacamole for the first time, and it was a trip to flavour country - if I could, I would have avocados everyday.  I have had them plain, with salt and lime (which is my fave), in a shake, in a dip and of course, guacamole.  Still looking for even more ways to have avocado, and thats when I learned about avocado oil.

I have known about flavoured oils, especially coming from a nut of sort, I've seen, walnet, hazelnut, sesame, grapeseed, truffle, sundried tomato, garlic, an assortment of herbs such as basil and mint, chili, etc. not forgetting classic everyday oils such as veg, peanut, canola and olive oil (olive oil being a whole new post in itself).

But this post is about the beautiful Avocado and it's oil... It's one of the most nutritious oils out there.  Helps you have healthy hair, nails and skin.  Olivado has a great product, check it out:

Olivado Organic Avocado Oil combines the best of two worlds - a great tasting health food product

• Olivado Organic Avocado Oil combines the best of two worlds - a premium, extra virgin, cold-pressed oil extracted from the avocado that is a superb food dressing or cooking oil and also a health food product that may lower cholesterol levels, reduce the incidence of heart disease and may even relieve prostate conditions.
• Olivado Organic Avocado Oil is rich in chlorophylls and lutein that act as antioxidants and may reduce the risk of cancer and age-related macular degeneration. Olivado is an excellent source of Vitamin E, contains no trans fats, is sodium and cholesterol free, and is high in heart healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
• Olivado Organic Avocado Oil meets the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Health Check Criteria, has ten times more chlorophyll than olive oil and twice as much Beta-Sitosterol, which has been known to reduce cholesterol absorption in the body.
• In addition to Olivado’s health benefits, it is an ideal culinary oil for high temperature cooking, promotes nutritional absorption enhancing the natural flavour in food, and is excellent as a base for dressings and dips.
• Olivado’s Organic Avocado Oil has been certified Fair for Life by IMO Switzerland. IMO’s Social & Fair for Life Certification ensures that human rights are guaranteed at any stage of production, that workers enjoy good and fair working conditions and that farmers receive a fair price for their avocados. Fair trade improves the lives of small farmers, workers, and their communities, enabling progress and empowerment to a higher level.

For more information go to http://www.olivado.ca/ and if you're wondering where you can by some fabulous Avocado Oil in Canada click here.

Well, all this avocado talk has made me hungry, gonna hunt down some avocado RIGHT NOW.

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

The Art of Cooking with Jamie Oliver

I want to share a fantastic event coming to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre with you. The fabulous Jamie Oliver will be in Toronto, ON for The Art of Cooking event. On November 18th, 2010 join Bob Blumer (Glutton for Punishment) along with Jamie Oliver for Jamie's return to Toronto, this will be his only Canadian date, catch him while you can.

You can purchase tickets with a special promo for the readers out there for $10.00 off at The Art of Cooking website. Also when you register 5 or more people, you will save an additional $10.00 off per ticket.

Check out The Art of Cooking event brochure here.

Don’t miss out on your chance to be a part of this fabulous event. This will be a night of fun, learning and entertainment.

Jamie Oliver, November 18th, 7:00 pm., Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

See you there!

(Image courtesy of The Art of Cooking website)

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Sucre à la Crème Cupcakes

Sucre à la Crème, absolutely delicious. I came across this delight by my now husband, then friend, he brought some in for Christmas and shared a piece with me.

For those of you who are not familiar with Sucre à la Crème, here is the to-the-point definition on Wikipedia:

The sugar in the cream is a delicacy made of cream to 35% of sugar and brown sugar, all churned during cooking.

Popular in Québec, this delicacy is usually served in small cubes granules during the holiday season, that is to say during the days preceding and following Christmas.

How I came about this recipe... Just after we were engaged (Christmastime), I asked him if he would make me another batch of Sucre à la Crème and in return he had made me a double batch. Uh WOW, as much as I enjoy this delightful fudge, that is enough for an army.

I thought to myself, what am I to do with this mass amount of fudge (aside from share the wealth - which I did) I decided to turn it into a cupcake. These days you see all sorts of flavours, so why not give it a shot.

Continuing with the flavours of Québec, I decided to add some maple syrup to the glaze before topping it off with a generous morsel of Sucre à la Crème.

Sucre à la Crème Cupcakes
Makes about 18 cupcakes

Ingredients:

-Cupcake Batter-

• 1/2 cup Softened Butter (unsalted)
  
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs - Large
• 3/4 cup Self-Rising Flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbls. All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• Approx. 1/2 cup chopped Sucre à la Crème (melted)
  

Glaze:

• 1-3/4 cup Icing Sugar
• 1/4 cup Softened Butter (unsalted)
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 tbls. Maple Syrup
• Pinch of Salt
  

Decoration:

• Additional cubed Sucre à la Crème fudge for topping (about 1 piece per cupcake)
• Sprinkling of Cinnamon

-Directions-

Preheat Oven to 350.

1. Place butter and sugar into a bowl and cream until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Add melted Sucre à la Crème into the mix and incorporate well. (To melt Sucre à la Crème, place in the microwave for intervals of 15 seconds until reaching a caramel consistency)
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Combine All-purpose and self-rising flours and place aside.
   
5. Add flour and milk in an alternating cycle until all the flour and milk have been added and the batter has completely been mixed and fluffy.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Spoon into a lined cupcake pan and bake for 15-25 minutes (depending on your oven).

Cupcakes will brown nicely and be soft to the touch, use a toothpick to check if it's fully baked (the toothpick will come out clean).

While you are waiting for the cupcakes to cool, lets make the icing.

1. Place Icing Sugar, Milk and Vanilla Extract in a bowl and mix well.
2. Add Softened Butter, Pinch of Salt and Maple Syrup and whisk until a smooth consistency is reached.

Once the glaze has been created, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, checking on it every so often to mix.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, slowly spread a small amount of glaze on the cupcakes (it may drizzle down the sides) and and top with morsel of Sucre à la Crème fudge.

Sprinkle with Cinnamon and voila, Sucre à la Crème Cupcakes are here.

Hope you enjoy these cupcakes as much as I have!

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Greek Pasta Salad - Revisited

I had actually had made another version of this salad recipe a few years ago with slight variations, but since I wanted to pass this recipe around, I thought I would post the recipe I brought into work today:

Greek Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 English Cucumber, Seeded
• 1 Package Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, (Sliced Optional)
• 1 Jar Black Olives
• 1 Small Red Onion
• 1 Package Pasta (Fuselli, Rotini, etc)
• 1 Green Pepper
• 1 Small Bottle Kraft Mediterranean Dressing

Optional:

• Extra Dressing / Seasoning
• Crumbled Feta Cheese

Directions:

1. Put on your pasta for the boil, you will need to have this cooked and washed in cold water after cooking as this is a cold pasta.
2. Cut and prep all your veggies (I chose to keep them julienne and cubed) and place them into a large salad bowl and lightly toss.
3. Add your pasta to the veggies and top with salad dressing. Toss Well.
4. The flavours will set over night even better if you choose, serving it right away is also a great option.
5. Top with Crumbled feta and enjoy!

As the summer starts to creep up on us (not that we mind) I'm sure more great salad recipes will be popping up.

Cheers,

Naho