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

100 Foods List

It's been a very long time since I have posted and for that I am sorry. I wish I had a bit more time to sit down and be able to blog and photograph, unfortunately with work, sometimes school and the daily life activities, I bake and read, but rush my photos and don't get to blog as much as I would like. I do however, tweet and you can follow me @ScrumptiousFood!

I came to post today because I came across something on The Eating Project blog that seemed like it would be fun to post, a couple lists of 100 foods you have to try (before you die, and Canadian yummies). Please feel free to do the same on your blog, you might see some new foods you would like to try, if you already haven't

For both:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.

2) Bold or cross-out all the items you’ve eaten.

3) Italicize any items that you would never consider eating.

4) Post a comment here linking to your results

100 things you should eat before you die compiled by Food Proof

1. Venison

2. Nettle tea

3. Huevos rancheros

4. Steak tartare

5. Crocodile

6. Black pudding

7. Cheese fondue

8. Carp

9. Borscht

10. Baba ghanoush

11. Calamari

12. Pho

13. PB&J sandwich

14. Aloo gobi

15. Hot dog from a street cart

16. Epoisses

17. Black truffle

18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes

19. Steamed pork buns

20. Pistachio ice cream

21. Heirloom tomatoes

22. Fresh wild berries

23. Foie gras

24. Rice and beans

25. Brawn, or head cheese

26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper

27. Dulce de leche

28. Oysters

29. Baklava

30. Bagna cauda

31. Wasabi peas

32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl

33. Salted lassi

34. Sauerkraut

35. Root beer float

36. Cognac with a fat cigar

37. Clotted cream tea

38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O

39. Gumbo

40. Oxtail

41. Curried goat

42. Whole insects

43. Phaal

44. Goat’s milk

45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more

46. Fugu

47. Chicken tikka masala

48. Eel

49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut

50. Sea urchin

51. Prickly pear

52. Umeboshi

53. Abalone

54. Paneer

55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal

56. Spaetzle

57. Dirty gin martini

58. Beer above 8% ABV

59. Poutine

60. Carob chips

61. S’mores

62. Sweetbreads

63. Kaolin

64. Currywurst

65. Durian

66. Frogs’ legs

67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake

68. Haggis

69. Fried plantain

70. Chitterlings, or andouillette

71. Gazpacho

72. Caviar and blini

73. Louche absinthe

74. Gjetost, or brunost

75. Roadkill

76. Baijiu

77. Hostess Fruit Pie

78. Snail

79. Lapsang souchong

80. Bellini

81. Tom yum

82. Eggs Benedict

83. Pocky

84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.

85. Kobe beef

86. Hare

87. Goulash

88. Flowers

89. Horse

90. Criollo chocolate

91. Spam

92. Soft shell crab

93. Rose harissa

94. Catfish

95. Mole poblano

96. Bagel and lox

97. Lobster Thermidor

98. Polenta

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

100. Snake

100 Canadian Foods to Consume compiled by Maple Syrup and Poutine

1. Arctic Char

2. Ketchup flavoured chips

3. Wild Rice Pilaf

4. Caribou Steak

5. Gourmet Poutine

6. Screech

7. Beaver Tails

8. Maple Baked Beans

9. Bison Burger

10. Bumbleberry pie

11. Nanaimo bar

12. Butter Tarts

13. Cedar Planked B.C. Salmon

14. Wild Blueberries

15. Pure Local Cranberry Juice

16. Chocolate from Ganong or Purdy’s

17. A cup of warm cider from your local orchard

18. Caesar

19. 4 of the following types of apples (Cortland, Empire, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Spartan, Greensleeves, Liberty, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, Golden Russet, Idared, Gala)

20. Freshly foraged mushrooms

21. Dinner cooked by Michael Smith, Susur Lee or Rob Feenie

22. Fondue Chinoise

23. Dish created from a Canadian Living Magazine recipe

24. Peameal Bacon Sandwich from St. Lawrence Market in Toronto

25. Lobster bought directly from a boat in a Maritime harbour

26. Handmade perogies from your local church or market

27. Alberta Beef at an Alberta Steakhouse

28. Leamington Tomatoes

29. Roasted Pheasant

30. Wild Game hunted by someone you know

31. Ice Wine

32. Habitant Pea Soup – entire can

33. Any Canadian Artisinal Cheese

34. Bannock

35. Tourtiere

36. Flapper Pie

37. Jellied Moose Nose

38. Saskatoon Berries

39. Fish and Brewis

40. Screech Pie

41. Fiddleheads

42. Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich

43. Flipper Pie

44. Montreal Bagels with Smoked Salmon

45. Toutins

46. Jam Busters

47. Bakeapple Pie

48. Bridge Mixture

49. Canadian Style Pizza (bacon, pepperoni. Mushrooms)

50. Shreddies

51. A cone from Cow’s Ice Cream

52. Lumberjack or Logger’s Breakfast

53. Jigg’s Dinner

54. Rappie Pie

55. Pemmican

56. Lake Erie Sturgeon Caviar

57. Belon Oysters

58. Brome Lake Duck(in a way…)

59. Beer from a stubby bottle.

60. A beer from Unibroue or Phillips Brewery.

61. Salt Spring Island Lamb

62. Fry’s Cocoa

63. A bag of Old Dutch Potato Chips

64. Every Flavour of Laura Secord Suckers

65. Chicken Dinner from St Hubert’s or Swiss Chalet

66. Hickory Sticks

67. An entire box of Kraft Dinner

68. Candy Apples (NOT caramel apples)

69. Corn from a roadside stand

70. A meal at Eigensenn Farm

71. Okanogan Peaches

72. Berkshire Pork

73. PEI Potatoes

74. Something cooked in Canola oil

75. Figgy Duff

76. Blueberry Grunt

77. High Tea at the Empress Hotel

78. Fresh maple syrup hardened on the snow

79. Oreilles de Christ

80. Nova Scotia Beer Warmer

81. A cheese plate containing Bleu Bénédictin, Friulano, St. Maure and Oka

82. Black or red currant jam

83. Maple glazed Doughnut from Tim Horton’s with a Large “Double Double”

84. A glass of Mission Hill’s “Oculus”

85. Alberta Pure Vodka

86. Chokecherries

87. Canada Day Cake

88. Boulettes

89. Canadian Iced Tea

90. Mead

91. Fricot

92. Grandperes

93. Local honey

94. Creton on toast

95. Glen Breton Rare

96. A whole box of Smarties, where the empty box is then used as a kazoo

97. Grilled cheese made with Canadian Cheddar

98. A meal from Harvey’s

99. Lake Erie Perch

100. Red Rose Tea

I have to say that I have been lucky to try many of these great foods, how many have you tried?

Cheers.

Nahren

Baklava -- Middle Eastern Style

I apologize for the lack of blogging in the last while; I know it's been quite some time since my last post. I hope to bring more posts to this blog on a regular basis, so I thought to come back with a fantastic baklava recipe!

This was always a staple in our home around the holidays. After watching my mother make this treat after all those years, I learned to make it myself.

The process of baklava isn't too difficult but it can be tedious and must be neat. You need to watch out that it doesn't become un-even, lumpy and unattractive.


Baklava

Ingredients:

Pastry:

• 2 Packages Phyllo Pastry
• 1 pound Unsalted Butter

Filling:

• 600 grams Walnut halves (coarsely ground)
• 1 tbls. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Ground Cardamom
• 2 tbls. Unsalted Butter, melted

Syrup:

• 4 cups Sugar
• 2 cups water
• ½ tsp. Ground cardamom
• 1 tbls. Lemon Juice

Garnish:

• 3 tbls. Unsalted Pistachios, finely ground

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Syrup:

1. Place water and sugar into a large pot and mix well until sugar is dissolved
2. Place on medium heat until syrup starts to thicken and come to a boil
3. Once the syrup reaches a boil, add lemon juice and stir for 2-3 minutes
4. Remove from heat and add cardamom, stir and leave to cool

Filling:

1. In a bowl, mix coarsely ground walnuts, sugar and cardamom
2. Drizzle melted butter over mixture and incorporate so that the mixture binds together

Baklava:

1. Thoroughly melt butter over low heat
2. Line a large size cookie sheet (17”x14”) with a sheet of buttered parchment paper
3. Take two sheets of phyllo pastry at a time, butter with a pastry brush and repeat until you have 1 ½ packages lining the bottom of the cookie sheet
4. Evenly spread walnut filling over buttered phyllo pastry and firmly press down onto the filling
5. Using the remaining ½ package of phyllo pastry repeat step three by buttering every two sheets, leaving the final top two sheets unbuttered
6. Make sure the pastry is well fitted to the cookie sheet, if there is any overhang; trim off all excess
7. Using a knife pre-cut into desired shapes (squares, diamonds, triangles, etc.)
8. Place baklava in the bottom rack of the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until bottom is golden brown, whilst checking occasionally so that the pastry does not burn
9. After the bottom has reached the golden brown stage, place the baklava on the top rack until the top layer reaches becomes golden brown
10. Remove baklava from the oven and slowly pour 1-2 cups of cooled syrup over the entire slab of hot baklava (feel free to add more if you desire a sweeter baklava)
11. Sprinkle finely ground pistachios on top and leave to cool for one hour
12. Cut slices thoroughly and serve

Cheers,
Naho@Scrumptious Foods

Apple Crumble Pie

*sigh* I really must blog more often. So there are 23 days left until the wedding. I have missed my baking, my bloging and at times my sanity. Seeing as I am not the best at pie crust, I tend to buy the crusts and elabortate on what I would like to make with them. I decided to use what I had on hand and made an apple crumble pie. An apple crumble pie is your typical apple pie with a crumble top crust.

Apple Crumble Pie

Ingredients:

Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees.

Pie Filling:

-3 Apples thinly sliced
-2 tbls Brown Sugar
-1 tps Cinnamon
-1/4 tsp Nutmug
-1 tsp Vanilla
-1 tbls cold water mixed with 1/4 tsp cornstarch

Crumble:

-1 1/2 tbls Brown Sugar
-1 tsp Sugar
-1/2 tsp Cinnamon
-1/4 cup Flour
-1 1/2 tbls butter

Diretions:

1. Add sliced apples to a bowl with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Mix well and add water and cornstarch mixture, mix and let sit for 30 minutes.
2. In another bowl start cruble mixture. Add brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and flour and mix well. Add in butter and incorporate until it is a crumbly mixture.
3. After 30 minutes add apple filling to the pie crust and top off with crumble mixture.
4. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
5. Slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Apple Crumble Pie
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Peanut Butter, Honey, Banana and Nutella Cakies

Some days, one can't help but experiment lol... Well these were not all that bad, I think they could have used a little less flour, so please play with the recipe to your desire :)!

I wanted a really soft peanut butter cookie, almost cake-like so I made "Cakies". Cakies are a cookie that is soft enough to be a cake. I thought of a sandwich I make every so often, peanut butter, banana and honey. Well from there, add a touch of Nutella and here you have it. Maybe next time I will try these as a cupcake, who knows?

Peanut Butter, Honey, Banana and Nutella Cakies

Ingredients:

- 1 Ripe Mashed Banana
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup flour (Start off with half, and if the batter is still too wet, go up to 3/4 cup)
- Pinch of Baking Soda
- Pinch of Salt
- Nutella for the top

Directions:

Set oven to 350 degrees.

1. In a bowl, combine mashed banana, egg, vanilla, honey,brown sugar and peanut butter; mix well.
2. In another bowl, sift dry ingredients together (Flour, pinch of salt, pinch of baking soda)
3. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and incorporate.
4. Spoon drop cookies onto greased or parchment papered baking sheet.
5. Pipe a small dollop of Nutella to the tops.
6. Put into the oven for 10-15 minutes.
7. Once the cakies are done, let cool and enjoy.

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Peanut Butter, Honey, Banana and Nutella Cakies
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Guacamole

Okay so the photos isn't the best, but this guac is really good! One of my favourite summer dips would have to be guacamole... The vibrant colour, refreshing taste go great with some tortilla chips and a nice cool drink. This is a small batch of guac and can easily be doubled.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

- 1 Avocado (Peeled and mashed, keep pit on the side)
- 6 grape tomatoes (quartered) OR 1/4 cup of chopped tomatoes
- 2 green onions (Finely diced)
- Juice of half a lime
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Have the peeled and mashed avocado in a bowl and add the diced tomatoes and green onions.
2. Fold ingredients together and slowly add lime juice. You can add more or less lime juice to your desired consistency and taste.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Don't forget to put the pit back into the guacamole so that it keeps it from discolouring quickly.

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Guacamole
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Coconut Macaroons w/Milk Chocolate Dip

I made these coconut macaroons a few times this summer. I heard some pretty great reviews, but sadly this recipe does not belong to me! Check out this AWESOME recipe by Martha Stewart here: www.marthastewart.com/recipe/coconut-macaroons.

I added chocolate to the recipe for taste and decoration, apparently they taste like bounty bars (use milk chocolate).

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Coconut Macaroons w/Milk Chocolate Dip
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Simple and quick dessert :)!

Do you ever find yourself a bit tired to turn the oven on and bake due to the sweltering heat? I do, as much as I hate to admit it lol. This recipe I threw together many years ago when I wanted to mimic a fruit tart.

The Very Simple and Quick Dessert

Ingredients:

-1 pkg store bought dessert shells
-1 pkg Vanilla Pudding, prepared
-1 pint blueberries
-1 can Whipped Cream/Topping
-Powdered Sugar

Directions:

These can be made in small batches or the whole package, it's to your liking:

1. Spoon vanilla pudding in dessert shell
2. Add blueberries in a stylish fashion
3. Add a dollop of whipped cream and another blueberry for decoration.
4. Dust on as much powdered sugar as you like

Note: This can be made with any size dessert shell as well

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Simple and quick dessert lol...
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

It's been quite a bit since my last post, apologies. With the wedding coming up in 99 days, things are starting to get even more busy by the minute. I made this pasta salad twice this summer, it's very simple and refreshing. Great for a picnic, a potluck or a quick lunch.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

-1 pkg fuselli pasta, cooked and chilled
-1 pkg pasta salad seasoning
-1 small red onion, sliced
-1 red pepper, sliced
-1 package grape tomatoes, whole or sliced in half
-1 cup black olives
-3/4 cup chopped cucumber
-200 g of feta cheese
-4 tbls. Mediterranean salad dressing

Directions:

1. In a large bowl add cooked pasta and sprinkle dry seasoning mix. Mix well until evenly incorporated
2. Add in sliced red onion, toss
3. Add in sliced red pepper, toss
4. Add in grape tomatoes
5. Add in black olives, toss
6. Finally add in chopped cucumber and toss. Make sure all veggies and pasta are mixed well and seasoning is even throughout
7. Add chopped or crumbled feta cheese and toss lightly
8. Fold in Mediterranean salad dressing and toss until evenly distributed

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Berry Cheesepie (Small Cheesecake)

Sometimes when I only want a small cheesecake, I make a cheesepie, because it's the size and form of a pie. Others use different ingredients for a softer texture, I just use the same ingredients as I would for a cheesecake.

Cheesepie (Small Cheesecake)

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.

Ingredients:

Crust:
You can either buy your own ready made crust from the grocery store or make a quick one out of graham cracker crumbs.

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbls. melted margarine or butter
2 tsp. sugar

Filling:

1 package brick cream cheese, softened
1 egg
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 cup plus 1 tbls. sugar

Directions:

Crust:
1.Mix all the ingredients to form a crust and press firmly into a pie dish or an aluminum pie pan.
2. Bake for 10-15 minutes and let cool.

Filling:
3. Soften cream cheese in a bowl and add egg, vanilla and sugar.
4. Using a mixer or blender, mix until smooth getting rid of all the lumps.
5. Once the crust has cooled, add cream cheese mixture and set the cheesepie on a cookie tray and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until top forms a golden brown colour
6. Let cheesepie cool for about 30 minutes
7. Once the cheesepie has cooled down add preferred topping or fruits (cherry, strawberry, blueberry, peach, etc) on top and set in the fridge for at least one hour or until cold enough to preference.

Cut, serve and enjoy!

Cheers,
Naho @ Scrumptious Foods

Vanilla Cupcakes with Pink Whipped Cream and Pink & White Sprinkles

Another pink treat from the baby shower earlier this month. Vanilla Cupcakes (Magnolia Bakery Recipe) topped with pink sweetened whipped cream and pink and white sprinkles.

Cheers,
Naho

Treats @ The Baby Shower
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Chocolate Brownies

I tried my first attempt at chocolate ganache and well, it didn't quite work out as I had imagined. I guess when they suggest heavy cream, I should use it! Well this silky concoction was still very tasty and it would be a shame to throw away, so I thought why not make some chocolate brownies. When making brownies I always find I need to make a liquid base anyways, so this would help add to the rich treat. They turned out really great for trying out my own recipe and they got great reviews. Not too over whelming and just a touch of white chocolate to finish it off.

Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

1 batch of Chocolate Ganache:
-- 3/4 cup cream
-- 1 1/2 cups Semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cups flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Note: to make the chocolate ganache, have chocolate waiting in a heat proof boil. Bring the cream to a boil and then poor slowly over the semi-sweet chocolate and mix until smooth. Let cool 20 minutes.

1. When the ganache is slightly cooled, add in the melted butter or margarine, mix well.
2. Add in lightly beaten eggs, very slowly as you do not want to cook them in the warm mixture.
3. Once blended, add in vanilla.
4. Add the brown sugar and mix well.
5. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time to the mix until you've reached a thicker consistancy, you may need a few extra teaspoons depending on ganache mixture.
6. Pour into a greased and floured baking pan or brownie pan and bake for 20-30 minutes.
7. Once baked all the way through, cool and cut into sections. Drizzle with white chocolate or coat with chocolate of your choice.

Cheers,
-Naho

Chocolate Brownies
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Baked Penne with Rose Sauce and Broccoli

While in Montréal on a weekend get away with my Fiancé and his mother, we had dinner at an Italian restaurant, Mangiamo I believe it was called. Well one of the cousins had a dish that looked rather tasty, a type of pasta gratin. So seeing as we don't have this restaurant in this area I tried to duplicate it and it was not bad at all, except I did not add chicken to mine.

Baked Penne with Rose Sauce and Broccoli

This was a recipe I created for a quick dinner, it's rather simple, nothing fancy.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Penne (cooked, as per package directions)
1 jar of Rose sauce (store bought)
1 cup chopped Broccoli
1/2 cup shredded cheese (marble, or more to preference)
Dash of salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Boil the penne as per the package directions and drain
2. Toss in broccoli
3. Mix in rose sauce until well blended, add more or less to preference
4. Pour into a greased oven proof dish/skillet
5. Add a dash of salt and pepper
6. Sprinkle cheese on top and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes

Cheers,
-Naho

Baked Penne with Rose sauce and broccoli
Originally uploaded by Nahren

Dutch Baby w/Bacon

After seeing so many photos of this scrumptious breakfast/brunch item, I had to try it out for myself. This is a very cool recipe to try out if you like pancakes, crepes or french toast. It's simple and makes enough for 2-4 people depending on your portion preference. I made this for Fiancé and his family for brunch and they all loved it. Add a side of bacon and some fruit and powdered sugar for the dutch baby and enjoy!

Cheers,
-Naho

Dutch Baby w/Bacon
Originally uploaded by Nahren