Banana Raspberry White Chocolate Chip Bread

I'm back! And I have a recipe to post. We love banana bread in this house and we LOVE raspberries. When I found this recipe on For the love of cooking I knew it would be a hit with our family. I've made it quite a few times (which is hard to do because raspberries are usually eaten within 10 minutes of being washed) and each time we really enjoy it. The weather is a mess, rain, snow sun, extreme wind, so this bread with a nice cup of tea is perfect for a crazy weather afternoon. However, there is no photo of the finished product I was so excited to get the bread in the oven, I didn't grease the pan so some of the loaf stuck therefore making it very un-photogenic.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup raspberries
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour loaf pan to ensure bread does not stick.

Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet. Once combined fold in chocolate chips and raspberries. Bake 55-60 minutes, until done. Cool in pan 15 minutes, remove and cool on wire rack.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

I LOVE this salad, as does the rest of my family. I am not usually a fan of mixing fruit and veggies together but for some reason the strawberries go together really well with the spinach (the dressing helps too). The recipe is from The Best of Bridge cookbook series. I highly recommend it.

Ingredients

• Spinach - however much you need for your family
• Strawberries - same as above
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoon onion, minced

Wash spinach place in large bowl, wash and cut strawberries in half add to spinach and toss gently.

For the dressing combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over salad and toss to coat the spinach and strawberries. Enjoy!

I'm back!

Hi all,
It's been a long time since my last post. Along with the usual holiday going ons we were also very excited to find out we are expecting our third child this summer. Needless to say tiredness had taken over but now that is passing blogging will return with new recipes!

Stay tuned!

Honey Garlic Pork chops

I am still addicted to Pinterest and am always searching for really good recipes. I found this one for pork chops and loved it. I highly recommend making them, they were quick and easy. The adults and the kids both loved them. We will be having these again.

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• salt and pepper
• garlic powder
• 5 pork chops
• 2 eggs lightly beaten with 4 tablespoons water
• 1 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• black pepper
• 4 tablespoons oil, divided

Sift together flour, salt and pepper. (Any spice combination could be used, I just kept it really simple). Dip pork chops in flour, then egg mixture and then flour again. Fry in skillet that has been heated with 2 tablespoons oil.

Fry garlic in remaining oil until soft, not brown. Add honey, soy sauce and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes (keep watch as it can boil up). Dip cooked pork chops in the sauce and serve.

Crock pot pulled pork

We love pulled pork, it is so easy when it's made in the slow cooker and so delicious. I found our recipe at Tasty Kitchen on the Pioneer Woman's website. It is so simple, most of the ingredients you will have on hand in your pantry. I highly recommend it, especially this time of year when everything is so hectic and busy; a quick easy meal is a sure hit. I adapted the recipe slightly to suit my family's taste.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• pork - I use pork tenderloin but it can be any pork roast
• Kaisers
• 1 bag coleslaw mix
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients except pork in the crock pot. Once combined add the pork, turn to coat in the sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Combine coleslaw dressing ingredients. Add coleslaw. Refrigerate until ready to use. When pork is cooked shred, add back to sauce. Pile pork and sauce on kaiser and top with coleslaw. Enjoy!

A Greek inspired meal

I loved tonight's dinner, there was chicken, salad, pitas, potatoes, and a yummy yogurt dip. I was so excited to eat dinner I forgot to take any photos. Not a good blogger I know. I love Greek inspired food, it's one of my favourites. Hopefully one day I'll get to Greece where I can try the real thing. Tonight's dinner was one of my favourites, if you are looking for something full of fresh flavours I highy recommend it.

Chicken ingredients

• 5 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, miced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

Combine ingredients in a ziplock bag. Add chicken marinate 2 hours. When ready to cook heat an additional 2 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan, brown chicken on both sides. Place chicken in baking dish and bake 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees until done and no longer pink.

Yogurt sauce

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and let chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours.

Lemon potatoes

• 4 tablespoons oil
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 red skinned potatoes, washed and dried off, cut into chunks

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients in oven safe dish, make sure potatoes are coated. Cover with foil, bake 30 minutes, take foil off and bake an addiotnal 30-45 minutes (I usually add the chicken to the oven at this point so it is all hot and ready at the same time).

Enjoy!

Chili macaroni

I wanted to make something hearty and healthy for dinner tonight so I decided to do a loaded chili macaroni. It was a real hit, the boys liked it because it had noodles in it and I was happy because of all the veggies in it. I served it with these cheese biscuits and thought it was a really good meal.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced (small dice)
• 1 zucchini, grated on medium grate of box grater
• 1 can whole plum tomatoes
• 1 can roasted garlic tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 8oz macaroni, cooked

Heat oil in large pot. Add onions, peppers and carrots. Cook 5 minutes, add garlic cook 1 minute. Add zucchini cook 5 minutes. Add ground beef and brown, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and water, chickpeas and black beans. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 1 hour.  Add macaroni, stir to combine. Serve with warm biscuits or buns.

Ham and Pea soup

We had a ham for dinner the other night which is always a hit, so I saved the bone to make soup with. We love ham and pea soup. It's so filling and delicious. I always make sure I leave a little extra meat on the bone for the soup. We like there to be a fair amount of ham in the soup. I served it with crusty buns and a salad. It was the perfect dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 ham bone with some meat left on
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, small dice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 3 1/2 cup dry split green peas

Heat oil in large soup pot. Fry veggies until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ham bone, salt and pepper. Cook 5 more minutes.

Add stock, peas and water. Bring to a boil. Skim off the foam.

Cover, simmer until peas breakdown and soup becomes thicker. About 2 hours.

Remove ham bone, shred meat into soup.

Chop Salad

I was looking for a quick salad to make for dinner the other night but I wanted to make sure it had all the essentials in it, I came across this salad at the Stacey Snack's blog and adapted it to what we had on hand. I also used a low fat bottled Balsamic vinaigrette with it. It was really good and so simple.

Ingredients

•  1 bag baby spinach, washed and torn
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tomato, diced
• 50 grams thick salami, sliced
• cheddar cheese, diced
• walnuts, chopped

Combine and top with your favourite dressing.

Shortbread

With everyone feeling crappy and us having decorated our house (a little early I know) for Christmas I thought I would make some shortbread cookies. I didn't have my Grandma's recipe on hand so I found one from the Food Network Canada website I thought I would try. They were different than I normally make as these were a drop cookie but they were still good. You can't go wrong with shortbread during the holidays.

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
1/4 cup cornstarch or rice flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add icing sugar and beat again until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Sift in cornstarch or rice flour, blend in. Sift in flour and salt. Combine (dough will be soft) stir in vanilla.

Spoon large teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake 18-20 minutes until bottoms lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheet to cool. Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

Things have been a little crazy here this weekend. First we had the Grey Cup game in Vancouver (Go Lions!)and then my dad ended up in emergency and now James and I are not feeling well, needless to say the desire to cook is not there right now, so instead I want to share a link to a recipe I have made numerous times and absolutely love. Chicken Enchiladas. This recipe is easy to follow and the end result is delicious. Please go to Pink Parsley and check out this recipe. You won't be disappointed.

*This is the boys last Christmas. We are getting into Christmas mode here and since I don't have a photo of the enchiladas I thought these guys are a good substitute.

Chicken Pizzaiola

This recipe came from my mom. Her and my dad love it. I believe she got it from a local super market (Save On Foods). It's super simple and really tasty. I served it with some corn on the side and some flaky rolls. It was nice on a cold windy day.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite size pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 nugget potatoes, washed and cut in half
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 can sweet onion stewed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 3/4 cup chicken stock

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in large oven proof skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, brown in skillet. Remove chicken from skillet and cover with foil. Add potatoes, onion and green pepper to skillet. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomator paste, and stock. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add chicken back to skillet. Cover tightly with foil. Place in oven and back 45 minutes.

Cookies for Christmas

I've been getting into the holiday baking mode, not quite started but making lists of all the treats I want to make. I never make sugar cookies. This year though because the boys are getting bigger I want to do some they can decorate. We did a practice batch tonight with a recipe I found here. What I liked about this recipe is the almond extract. It smells so good and makes it feel Christmasy. We didn't have any decorating items on hand so we just frosted some with a simple butter icing (when we make them for Christmas we'll use a Royal Icing). The boys had fun icing their cookies and I thought the recipe was good. We'll make them for sure at Christmas.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter. Add sugar. Blend in egg, extracts, salt and flour. Chill dough until firm. Roll 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, cut with cookie cutters, bake 8-10 minutes (do not left brown). Let cool and decorate.

A couple days break

Hi all,

Just wanted to let you know I'll be back to posting tomorrow, we've been busy with doctor's appointments and life in general and will resume posting some yummy recipes Tuesday night.

Kristen

Blondies

I have seen recipes for blondies popping up on Pinterest quite a bit (yep, I'm one of those who is TOTALLY addicted to Pinterest). They look good but I've never made them, my dad has also been emailing blondie recipes trying to get me to make them, so I decided today was a good day to try them. They are so easy! I have no idea why I have never made them before. I like chocolate but it is not my favourite so a dessert like this is perfect for me since I am one of the few I think that prefers a non-chocolate dessert. The nice thing about blondies too is that you can mix in whatever you have on hand or whatever it is that you feel like. I found this recipe and changed it slightly to what I had on hand. I'll for sure be making these again. PS: They smell GREAT while baking!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar (I used golden brown sugar, I rarely have dark brown sugar on hand)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8X8 pan.

Stir melted butter and sugar together. Add vanilla and egg. Stir to combine. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. When combined stir in chocolate chips. Bake 20-25 minutes, let cool, slice and enjoy!

Meatloaf (loaded with veggies)

I love meatloaf, it's simple and so tasty (I love meatloaf sandwiches the next day, however we usually don't have any leftovers...). I wanted to make sure we had our veggies with dinner as well though but instead of doing sides of veggies I opted to add them to the meatloaf. It tasted great and I really don't think anyone noticed they were there. A great way to incorporate vegetables into a meal. I'm not a great food photographer as you may have noticed, and meatloaf while it is tasty is not a pretty food to photograph so instead of the meatloaf you get a photo of my helper.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloved, minced
• 1 carrot, grated on small grate of box grater
• 1 small zucchini, grated on small grate of box grater
• 1/2 red pepper, seeded and very finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/4-1/3 cup panko
• dash of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine ground beef, onion, garlic, carrot, zucchini, red pepper, egg, panko, milk, salt, pepper, and oregano. Place in loaf pan that has been lightly sprayed with a cooking spray such as PAM.

In a small bowl combine ketchup, mustard and sugar. When smooth spread on top of meat loaf. Bake 45-60 minutes (until cooked through). Enjoy!

Pasta e Fagioli

I love this soup. James and I went to Strongstart at a local school this morning where we played with lots of toys, had a snack, read some books, sang songs and played in the gym. It was a great morning (Jonjon was at home with Nana). When we left the gym we were surprised to see it snowing! It didn't last and hardly stuck but it was so cold! I decided to make this soup for a warm hearty dinner. It is one of my favourites. This may not be a true Pasta E Fagioli as I use chickpeas and kidney beans instead of cannelini beans but I like the pop of the chickpeas. I served it with some dinner buns and couldn't be happier (or more stuffed).

Ingredients

• 4 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 sweet basil Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 small package (about half a pound) lean ground beef
• 1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 6-8 cups beef broth (I use a low sodium one)
• 1 can herb and garlic pasta sauce (I use a can of Thick and Rich pasta sauce, I love the taste, it adds a little more flavour than a can of tomato sauce)
• 1 tablespoon sundried tomato pesto (I use Classico brand)
• 3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6oz. small pasta (I use either ditalini or the small bowties)

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large pot. Add ground beef and sausge. Brown. Remove from pot, drain and set aside.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add veggies. Cook until soft. Add meat and tomatoes, simmer 10 minutes. Add beans, broth, pasta sauce, and pesto. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Add pasta, simmer an additional 30 minutes.

Serve and enjoy. This soup would taste great with some fresh grated parmesan cheese.

I'm taking a break from food today to talk about something that is really important to me. Last June my Uncle Bob passed away after a short, horrible fight against Pancreatic Cancer. He was diagnosed in March and we lost him in June. It's been over a year and it's still a struggle, impossible to believe he is gone. Pancreatic Cancer has horrible statistics, it's the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada, only about six percent of people diagnosed live at least 5 years (please visit Pancreatic Cancer Canada for more information). More often than not it seems when someone is diagnosed with this disease making it to a year is a milestone. Unfortunately for my family my uncle didn't even make it 6 months. The reason I am sharing this is because November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month, however most people I talk to do not know this. I think it is important to bring awareness to this disease as many families are affected by it. Purple is the colour of Pancreatic Cancer, please wear some purple, buy some purple LED lights, donate, or just tell people about this horrible disease and maybe if we all keep talking about it more money will go towards Pancreatic Cancer research and other families will not have to go through the pain that my family and perhaps yours has gone through. And, if you are wondering, Uncle Bob or UB as I called him is the Uncle that called me KR, hence KR's kitchen. This blog is for him.

Auntie Diane's Cuban Pork Stew

My Auntie Diane makes this stew and it is so delicious. It is another favourite around here. When the weather gets cold its a good dish to make. It's really quick and simple. The pork tenderloin is super tender and makes the dish.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 pork tenderloin, cut in bite pieces (silver skin removed)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 red potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 green pepper, chopped

Melt butter in laege pot (I have a large wok that I use). Add onions and celery, cook 5 minutes. Add garlic cook 1 minute.

Toss pork with flour, add to pan. Cook through. Add all remaining ingredients except green pepper. Cook partially covered 20 minutes.

Add green peppers, cook an additional 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Stir Fry

My mom and I went into Vancouver today to go to the Circle Craft Christmas Fair and do some shopping at Pacific Centre mall. Trips into town are so much fun. I love going into the city. While we did some early Christmas shopping the boys, Ryan and my Dad cleaned up our yard, we have mountains of leaves that needed to be raked. It was a great day for all, lots of fresh air for the boys and lots of shopping for the girls! Needless to say when dinner came around we were all pretty tired and not too interested in cooking, so we decided on a quick simple stir fry that my mom frequently makes. It turned out great and was a perfect dinner after a day of shopping.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1 inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
• 1 cup baby carrots, sliced lengthwise in half
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2-3 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup onion, sliced thin
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons oil

Heat oil in wok (or large frying pan). Add chicken, garlic and ginger. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add onions, carrots, 3/4 cup chicken broth, soy sauce and sugar. Cover and cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Add broccoli, mushrooms, and red pepper. Cook 5 minutes (or until chicken is no longer pink).

Mix cornstarch with remaining chicken broth. Stir into chicken mixture. Cook, stirring frequently until sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.