A Rebel Alliance Birthday!

Hello Sweets,

Only a few more days until I get the keys to my new place, which means I am in full on packing mode.  I am excited to be back in my own place, but I will miss my fun little conversations with my roomie.  But it was time for me to get back into my own space again, I just wish someone could do my packing for me lol.  I don't have much left to pack, but the way I've been feeling I might as well be packing a 30 room mansion :p  Which in turn mean I am exhausted, so I thought I would do a quick little post about Nathan's birthday :) 

Nathan's birthday almost always falls on Thanksgiving, and anyone who has a birthday near a holiday knows that combining the two is never fun for the birthday celebrator.  Knowing this, I decided that I would separate the two and make sure Nathan felt very special.  Luckily for me Nathan loves shrimp almost as much as I do, and Nathan's parents hate any seafood so it's never made in the house.  I decided to make him my Spicy Shrimp Linguine, and when I showed him the pictures he was sold on the yummy dinner.  When it was just the two of us, I surprised Nathan with a sweet little card and some paintings that I did just for him :)

Texas flag for my Texan man

A memento of our love and anniversary

Then on the first day we had just the two of us, I decided to make him a delicious dinner complete with wine and garlic french bread.  Lets see handsome and his satisfied smile;

Happy birthday boy!

Look at that beautiful delicious dish

 Of course I also made Nathan a delicious cake, chocolate of course as that is his favorite, but we decided to keep that for the family celebration on Thanksgiving.  Since I had created Star Wars themed cupcakes for a birthday a couple months prior, it was quite obvious what the theme was going to be.  We decided to go with a "rebel alliance" theme, and he let me run with my imagination.  He told me (repeatedly) that I didn't need to make the symbols because he knows how temperamental marshmallow fondant can be, but I am both stubborn and determined lol!
 

chocolate cake with chocolate icing and marshmallow fondant

I used blue coarse sugar to emulate a starry background :)

 Needless to say he was extremely happy and grateful with the results, and nothing makes me happier than to see him smile.  I think now I have created a bar for myself when it comes to his birthday cakes, and knowing me I'll raise that bar every year from now on!

Well I really should get back to packing, but first I need to make some dinner.  Thankfully I made a couple of chicken breasts the other night, purposely, so I'd have a quick meal option :)  Yup, not just a pretty face over here lol ;)  Until next time....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

Not Your Average Country Pumpkin!

Hello Sweets,

Guess what this smarty pants did this morning, I fell down the dang stairs :(  Yup queen of balance herself fell from the very top all the way to the bottom, all with a glass in my hand.  Ironically the glass made it down unscathed, me on the other hand, I'm bruised all over my left side.  Some are even raised.  Ah well what am I going to do right?  Thankfully I was already scheduled to see my doctor this afternoon, but I hadn't done any serious damage to myself besides my ego :p  Well that, and my toush hurts....a lot lol.

Yesterday I promised a trip back to the American Thanksgiving, with a sweet little treat to make the whole thing worth while!  There are staples to every Thanksgiving meal, turkey and mashed potatoes are obviously number one and two.  But that's where all roads take different turns, every family has their own special recipes, whether it's with the main meal or with dessert.  However there is always one dessert that is almost always present at any Thanksgiving meal, pumpkin pie!  Most people don't bake their own but instead buy it, but we all know that is not my style.  I personally don't particularly care for pumpkin pie so I made a coconut meringue pie for Nathan and I (and a few other family members thoroughly enjoyed it lol), but Nathan's mother and Granny both like pumpkin pie so I was going to make it for them.  In true Canuckette form I couldn't just make a traditional pumpkin pie, I had to jazz it up and make it extra special.  Trust me when I say this, it is worth the work and it tastes even better then your regular old pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Pie Spectacular

Ingredients

(filling)

 2C gingersnaps, crushed

1C pecans, chopped

1/2C powdered sugar

1/4C butter, melted

1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2C sour cream

1tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp vanilla

1/4tsp ginger

7 thin ginger cookies, halved

(streusel)

 1/2C light brown sugar

1/2C flour

1/4C butter, firm

1/4C pecans, chopped

 

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Fit pie crust into a 9" deep dish plate; fold edges under and crimp.

2)  Stir together; crushed ginger snaps, pecans, powdered sugar, and butter.

 

 

3)  Press into bottom of pie crust and 1/2" up the sides.  Bake for 10 minutes, cool completely on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

4)  Stir together; pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, sour cream, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla until well blended.

  

 

5)  Pour into prepared pie crust.  Place on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, baking for 30 minutes.

 

6)  Mix the streusel ingredients together, and sprinkle edges of the crust.

 

I had a little extra pie dough, so I created a cute little pumpkin :)

  

7)  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until set.  Shield edges with tin foil for the last 25-30 minutes if necessary.

 

 

8)  Insert ginger cookies around edges of crust.  Cool completely on wire rack for one hour. (I chose not to add the extra cookies, it was too pretty to add anything else).

Look at those lovely layers!

Perfectly set!! Love it when it all works out

  

This was my first and only attempt I've made at a pumpkin pie, and I am so glad that it turned out perfectly!  The layer of sweetened pecans and ginger snaps give the pie a whole new dimension, dare I say even a more grown up twist to the traditional Thanksgiving dessert :)

My lovely Thanksgiving day duo

  

In addition to these two lovely sweets, I also was in charge of the gravy, potatoes, and another dinner accompaniment.  Yes I know I'm being very secretive about what it is, but that's only because I haven't blogged about it yet and I don't want to spoil it for y'all!  Y'all know that's how I do this lol, but only because I love y'all so much.

Since I have about one more week left before I have to move to my new place *happy dance*, I really need to finish up my packing.  I don't have much left to do, but I'd rather finish everything I am not using before, so that way I am pretty much done and nothing is left but my daily items.  Ah the joys of moving, worse part is the packing!  Remember to check back tomorrow for another Thanksgiving addition :)  Until next time....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

You and I, Baby We Make Fireworks!

Hello Sweets,

I hope y'all are enjoying the weekend, the sun is shining here but with a cool breeze.  It actually made for a perfect day to have a barbecue with some of the family :)  I just love watching my nephew be silly outside, he is always so full of energy and smiles.  I even took a walk after I got home to get some ice cream from this cool double decker bus that's been converted to an ice cream shop.  Unfortunately I didn't bring my phone (which I think is good to do sometimes) so there is no picture to share, but I did get a black sweet cherry ice cream that was both sugar and lactose free.  And guess what?  It tasted very good, not as good as the ones Nathan makes me but good for what it was lol ;)

So I thought this would be my last "4th of July" post, but then I realized I made an adult treat also.  It's just a small, fun recipe that I'm going to save for tomorrow since it's Sunday and that is set for a recharge and relaxing day :)  As promised, today I am going to give you a glimpse through my eyes and how much fun we had on the fourth of July.  Nathan is such an amazing man to have in my life, yes I know I'm fortunate, and he did everything to make sure my first fourth of July celebration would be memorable.  He even was okay with some of the things he thought was just silly, but that's me and he loves me for it (win win).  The first thing we did was make sure I looked the part, from my head all the way to my toes (I always wear cowboy boots so that was just a happy coincident).

Yea you can laugh, we sure did!

So like most girls I love things that sparkle, but I also like things that go bang too!  The following are some videos I took when we went to shoot fireworks off.  This was like nothing I had ever experienced in Canada, Nathan told me we were going to a farmers field and there would be lots of other people shooting fireworks off at the same time.  I wasn't sure what to expect because I've either shot them off with some family and friends, or have gone to one of the parks here that do a big show.  Before we even got to the field we got stuck in Texas traffic, but luckily for us there was a show to enjoy while passing the time :)

 

watching fireworks from the highway :)

Take a look at what fireworks are like in Texas (some might have my finger in the shot lol oops sorry);

 

This was probably the best shot I got all night, it truly captures how fantastic of a show it was

The quality of the firework display is not great, but you can see how large the crowd was

the Canadian gives it a go! Disappointed because the packaging said purple but it was green lol

Nathans turn, and I think he's having a little too much fun :) love him to bits!

sparkle, sparkle baby!!

Fireworks 101: Don't stand in front of a large group of people shooting fireworks off *shakes head*

Quite the show right?  And of course there is one more sparkle to share :)  What is the one thing any girl, young or old, wants when there are fireworks involved?

  

sparklers baby!!!!

Ya I'm still very much a kid inside, but hey I had the time of my life and have a ton of memories.  I can't wait until the next celebration with fireworks in Texas, although I hear you can light them off all year round in the country.  Better watch out uncle Michael and aunt Cindy, we'll be heading your way ;)

Remember to come back tomorrow for a short, sweet, and sassy adult recipe!  Until next time................


Stay sweet,




Jennifer xoxooxo

Sweet Red, White, and Blue

Hello Sweets,

Can you believe that we're already half way through our week?  I don't know why it feels like time is just flying by me, probably because I am counting down the days until I return to Texas and am reunited with my love :)  Has it been flying by for all of y'all too?  I am very thankful to feel more like myself today, not in as much pain as yesterday and actually got out of the house for a change too.  My version of "getting out of the house" is pretty minuscule compared to most people, but I picked up my prescriptions and some groceries so it's a win in my books :)

I am super excited about today's post, as I explained yesterday this specific recipe was completely out of my comfort zone and I was successful so I just couldn't wait to share it with all of y'all.  I don't know about y'all but I love me some pie, specifically cherry pie so I was super pumped when I came across this recipe.  It's not an apple pie, which is uber American, but it's pretty comparable in my books and very patriotic ;)  But enough talk, let's get to this delicious treat already!

Old Glory Cherry-Blueberry Pie (from My Recipes)

Ingredients

5C fresh sweet dark cherries, rinsed and pitted

3Tbs lemon juice

1 1/2C fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained

1C sugar

1/4C cornstarch

2Tsp butter, cut into small pieces

9" pie pastry (see tomorrows blog for recipe)

 

 

I wanted to show the monotonous process of pitting cherries lol

Directions:
1)  Preheat oven to 400F.  In a large bowl, mix cherries with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.  In a small bowl, mix blueberries with remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. (yes I squeezed a fresh lemon lol)

 

   

 

 2)  Combine the sugar and cornstarch, gently stir 1 cup of the mixture with the cherries and the remaining 1/4 cup with the blueberries (I tossed it with my hands to be more careful).

 

 

 

 3)  Spoon cherry mixture over 3/4 of the pastry in the pan, leaving 1quadron free.  Spoon blueberries into the empty space.  Sprinkle the butter evenly over the fruit.

4)  Top with the stars and strips (I made an extra batch of pastry and cut it by hand).

 

tah dah! My stars are a little crazy looking lol

5)   Set pie in a foil lined 13"x17" baking pan.  Bake on the bottom rack until the fruit in the middle bubbles and the pastry is well browned (checking at the 1 hour mark).  If the edges brown too quickly (check after 40 minutes), cover loosely with tin foil.  Let pie cool on a wire rack for 3 hours, and can be left on the counter for 8 hours (max).  Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream or whip cream.

 

so proud :)

So not only does it look like a mini flag, it also embodies the red (cherries) white (pastry) and blue (blueberries) aspect.  This was a very time consuming process, but that's not going to stop me from doing it over again and again.  This is going to sound a little crazy but an hour before this I made another pie, lol yes another one.  Nathan's coconut meringue, see :)

 

I know what you're thinking; 1) I'm crazy for doing two pies in one day and 2) I spoil him rotten.  Well I would have to say yes to both lol, since I made the pastry from scratch I had to make his with it as well (plus I love seeing him smile).  The cherry-blueberry pie isn't overly sweet at all, I was actually worried it was going to be tart because of the cherries (they can be sort of tart) but I had nothing to worry about all along :)  This is officially the "Canuckette Forth of July dessert", and I am going to make it every year from now on :)

During the middle of me writing this post my roommate came home and handed me a package that was sent to me by Nathan's aunt Cindy.  She told me she was sending me something to remind me of home while I'm here in Canada, yes I know I live in Canada but Texas is my real home.  Anyways back to presents :D, so I had no idea what to expect but I knew it would be great.  Considering the type of gift it would only be fair to share with all my lovely readers, yup it's a kitchen goodie.

 

Aren't they amazing!?!  I am so in love with them :)  Every since I met Cindy we've been pretty close and we have very similar taste.  Apparently when she and her husband (Nathan's uncle Michael) saw them they immediately thought of me and picked them up.  I am so very blessed with amazing people in my life, and could never thank them enough for the thoughtful gift.  Well I'm going to try and say thanks by baking something chocolate for her :)  Tomorrow I will share the pastry recipe with y'all along with a recap of our celebrations, it's a very good recipe that my bestie shared with me and now I'll share with you too!  Until next time......................................................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxoxo

Simply Sour

Hello Sweets,

I want to apologize in advance because this will be a fairly short post.  I had a hard time sleeping last night because of the needles I had earlier in the day, and I am still very sore :(  On the bright side, since I couldn't sleep I found myself looking for something to watch and came across a show I watched while in late middle school and high school.  See I have a soft spot for anything horror, and naturally I enjoyed watching "Tales from the Crypt".  Even though it is really old and sort of cheesy, it allowed me to forget about the pain even if only for a moment.  However, this is the first post in my fourth of July series :)  I only made two treats for the celebration as it was a small number of family that got together, so two posts will be about edible treats and the third will be about my very first fourth of July celebration.

Now I had always envisioned the fourth as a huge deal full of family bbq's, fun in the sun, and of course a crazy display of fireworks.  The last few years (according to Nathan) have been a little quieter but at very least I would get to experience "American" fireworks in all their glory!  So naturally I wanted to make somethings for the bbq portion, from scratch of course lol sometimes I go right in to house wife mode and there is no stopping me.  I wanted to make a beverage, a side salad, and a dessert but unfortunately I didn't have time to make the side salad (sad face).  So since I'm experiencing discomfort I thought I would start with the beverage and hopefully tomorrow I'll be as good as new, well at least to the best of my ability lol.

Fresh Lemonade (adapted from Disney Family Cookbook)

Ingredients

5-6 large lemons

1C sugar (I used about 3/4)

2qt water

an extra lemon to slice for garnish

Directions:

1)  Cut the lemons in half and squeeze each of them into a large measuring cup.  *should yield 1 1/2C of juice*

 

2)  In a large pitcher or mason jar, combine the juice and the sugar.  Stir in the cold water and serve over ice.

 

I didn't use as much sugar as it called for (or what is depicted for that matter), because I didn't want it to be overly sweet but more tart.  Nathan's dad, who you may remember as the lemon lover from my lemon cookie recipe, loved it too!  I even mixed it with some iced green tea I had made earlier in the week and hello yummy town :)  I guess it all depends on your preference for lemonade, but I will tell you once you make it you will never go back to store bought or frozen again.

Well y'all I am going to go kick my feet up and relax in hopes of forgetting about the pain I'm in.  As always I love hearing feedback from each of you, so don't hesitate to drop me a line in the comment box or shoot me an email :)  Until next time........................................................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

Cola and Baking; The Forbidden Love Story

Hello Sweets,

Well with Monday under our belts it's only four more days until the weekend, but who's counting lol?!  I hope y'all had a wonderful day, mine was less then enjoyable and that is because I had a doctors appointment.  I know what you're thinking "doctors aren't that bad" and it's true, he's super nice and very personable which makes him really approachable.  My problem is the type of appointment it was, I had to get injections in my shoulders, neck, mid back, base of the skull, forehead, and temples :(  I know it sounds like a lot and it is, but it helps my quality of life while waiting for surgery.  I wouldn't wish this treatment on my worst enemy, that's because it is very very painful and I cannot wait for surgery so I never have to get them again :D  My doctor speculates that I will be one of few patients he will never see again, and as much as we like each other we're okay with that.

So yesterday I told you today's post will be a recap of a friends birthday we celebrated while I was in Texas, and as the title of the post shows there will be a very unusual ingredient involved.  I've talked about Dave before and would normally link you to his blog but he hasn't posted in eight months lol (finally someone worse than I haha jk), and he is also responsible for the cute little caricature of me specifically made for my blog.  This last trip Dave asked if I would make his birthday cake for the celebration he invited us too, and of course I said yes but I told him I had a new recipe that I think he'd enjoy and not to mention possibly the best chocolate icing I have EVER had.  I came across this recipe on Facebook (although I don't remember how) and as soon as I saw the title it had me intrigued, and now y'all ;)

Double Chocolate Cola Cake

Ingredients

1 can of cola (not diet)

1/2C oil (I used olive)

1/2C butter

3Tbs cocoa

2C all-purpose flour

2C sugar

1/2Tsp salt

2 large eggs

1/2C buttermilk

1Tsp baking soda

1Tsp vanilla

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350F.  In a sauce pan; mix cola, oil, butter, and cocoa and bring to a boil.

2)  In another bowl combine sugar, flour, and salt.

3)  Pour the boiling cola mixture over the flour mixture and beat well.

4)  Add the eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla making sure to mix well.

5)  Pour the mixture into a greased and floured 13"x9" pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from pan, cooling for about 10 minutes before frosting.

 I did a test run and made cupcakes first, needless to say they were yummy

Superman colors for the birthday boy :)

Chocolaty Frosting

Ingredients

1/2C butter

3Tbs cocoa

6Tbs cream or milk

1Tsp vanilla

3 3/4C confectioners sugar

*I must apologize for the lack of pictures, I only have the final product :(*

Directions:

1)  In a sauce pan combine the butter, cocoa, and milk.  Heat until the butter melts.

2)  Beat in the remaining ingredients and spread on the cake while it's still warm.

So as I am sure you noticed this is not your typical chocolate cake recipe, this was actually the first cake I ever boiled any ingredients for.  It's a really light and airy cake, which I think is caused by the carbonation in the cola.  It's not too sweet but it's very chocolaty (in a good way), this is definitely a keeper and will be made again most likely for Nathan's birthday (he loves chocolate cake).  The frosting is soooo good, I couldn't believe how delicious it was as I have made other chocolate icing before.  Needless to say these two recipes take the cake, see what I did there lol?

Well I am slowly getting through my back logged recipes that need to be posted, and I am really excited for the next few posts.  Why you may ask, well I am finally up to my fourth of July treats and I am really proud of one.  That one recipe forced me out of my comfort zone and to try something new, and I am proud to say it was a success but I will not be supplying clues to that one ;)  All I will say is that if you're afraid to try something new do it anyways, you'll thank yourself later.  Until next time........................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo