Knife Skills

Knife Skills – How to Carve/Chop/Slice/Fillet
Published at DK Canada

About the book

The lightning pace of professional chefs' knife skills can be both intriguing and intimidating to home chefs. With, DK's Knife Skills, cooks can learn to chop, slice, dice, carve, and fillet with the best.

Written by three Michelin-starred chefs — Marcus Wareing, Shaun Hill, and Charlie Trotter — and food writer and cooking instructor Lyn Hall from the renowned La Petite Cuisine School of Cooking — aspiring cooks will learn to cut every relevant type of material — from vegetables and herbs, to fish, meat, breads, and fruits.

Including step-by-step color photographs that help a wide variety of cutting techniques easy to understand and simple to master, this practical guide — enables enthusiasts to learn lifelong skills at their own pace.

My Thoughts

A while back, my husband took a cooking class on how to handle a knife at Loblaws and came back with an amazing creation made out of apple.   He quickly proceeded to do another one for us with our apples to show us how easy it was to make one.   And the swans were fabulous!

My husband is a magician when he is in the kitchen.   He can create a new meal just be leaving him be.    One of the things he would love to learn more is how to use the different knives that he has.   So when I saw the title Knife Skills, I knew it would be perfect for my husband.

There are two big parts in the book.  Part one will instruct you on the basics of knife handling.  The section will tell you how to handle a knife, give you an anatomy of a knife as well as an history of this kitchen tool.  It will present you the different types of knives and how to care for them.  Once you have completed the reading of this section, you will be ready to attack the second section of the book which will detail how to use the different types of knife you might have at home.   This specific section is divided in chapters – vegetables, fish & shellfish, meat/poultry/game, doughs & desserts, and fruit.  For example the presentation pineapple shown at page 204 is marvelous.   Unfortunately, they don’t show how to do the swan like the ones my husband did.

While going through the pages, I learned  how to peel a tomato and do a tomato concassé, I discovered how to prepare asparagus and how to trim a globe artichoke which we never did before.  This vegetable is something that I would like to explore more in the future.  When visiting a farm in the area, we saw artichoke growing and discovered its flower which can last for a long time.

This book is perfect for anyone in your family wanting to learn how to handle the knives you have.   Not only will my husband this it is a great book, but I am thinking I will learn quite a bit about it.  And when my kids are old enough, they will be able to learn more about handling knives in the kitchen because of this book.    The book is packed with tips and tricks from chefs and will help you to perfect your knife skills.  It would make a perfect stocking  gift for the chef in your house this Christmas!

Knife Skills is available at your favourite bookstore, even at amazon.ca and amazon.com.

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Step-By-Step Baking Cakes

Step-By-Step Baking Cakes Ebook
From DK Canada

About the book

Make sure your baking rises to every occasion.

Whether you want to produce the perfect tart, bake a cake fit for a king or serve up a soufflé that won't sink, Step-by-Step Baking Cakes guides you through 350 baking recipes for every occasion.
80 classic recipes are fully illustrated with step-by-step instructions to ensure you're always on the right track and variations help you add a modern twist. Clear instructions, essential information on ingredients and advice on equipment and storage will help you bake with confidence and have your friends and family begging for more.

From sweet to savory, Step-by-Step Baking Cakes is the one baking bible that you shouldn't be without.

My Thoughts

This specific ebook has been created to give you the flexibility you need when baking.   Essentially, the recipes were taken from The Illustrated Step-by-Step Baking recipe book from DK Canada so that you don’t have to bring the huge version on your counter while baking.   It features 100 of the favorite cake recipes found in the hardcover version I had a chance to review last year.     It also contains four chapters which covers a wide variety of cakes that could be done everyday, during celebrations or just for fun!  Here’s what you should expect in this ebook.

• Everyday Cakes – Victoria Sponge Cake, Angel food cake, genoise with raspberries and cream, swiss roll, ginger cake, carrot cake, lemon polenta cake, sticky toffee puddings, chocolate cake with buttercream, devil’s food cake, chocolate fudge cake, baked chocolate mousse, German apple cake, rhubarb and ginger upside down cake, Bavarian plum cake, banana bread, bara brith.
• Celebration Cakes – rich fruit cake, plum pudding, panettone, stollen, bienenstich, brioche des rois, kugelhopf, chocolate roulade, and my favorite black forest gâteau.
• Small Cakes – vanilla cream cupcakes, fondant fancies, chocolate fudge cake balls, whoopie pies, chocolate fondants, lemon and blueberry muffins, madeleines, scones, Welsh cakes, rock cakes.
• Cheesecakes – blueberry ripple cheesecake, German cheesecake, lemon cheesecake.

To pick your curiosity, here’s some of the recipes you can find in the Step-by-step baking cakes ebook.

You will find easy to glance icons that will tell you how many people you can serve with this recipe, how long it will take to make it, how long is necessary to bake it and finally if you can freeze the cake for future event.  You will get a list of the ingredients and special equipment you might need to do the recipe as well as step-by-step instructions to make it.    Each recipe has it’s own photograph of the final product so it’s easy to see if your creation look similar to the one in the ebook!    Finally, there are multi-touch elements throughout the book.   Sometimes it will be step-by-step photos and instructions that you will have to swipe on the screen (don’t forget to have a towel next to you to clean your hands if necessary).  Other times you will have the opportunity to watch a video to discover what to expect at a specific  step.   You have the possibility of get the view full screen if necessary.  I am please to see that there is sound with the videos in this particular ebook.

I love the idea of having a section of the Illustrated Step-by-step Baking cookbook on my ipad simply because it takes less place on my countertop.   It would be nice to have other sections of the original book available on the iPad eventually.   But this is a good starting point.  After all, what kind of baking do we do more often – probably cakes…

Step-by-step Baking Cakes ebook is available for purchase on iTunes for the price of 5.99$.

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

My Cold Cup

My Cold Cup
http://www.mycoldcup.com/

A friend of mine approached me one day with a suggestion of reviewing a new cup on the market that someone at her church had created.    I knew the person a bit and agreed in reviewing the product in question.   Gwenda hand delivered the My Cold Cup to me and I was immediately impressed with the design.

Gwenda Lindhorst-Ko is the Ottawa inventor of a new non-toxic, leak-proof cup designed to keep drinks cold -- dairy, soy, organic milk, smoothies, fruit juices, veggie drinks, ethnic drinks.    She is the engineer and inventor but most important of all she is a mother that saw a need and did something about it.

Watch Gwenda sharing her passion about the cup.

Gwenda wanted a cup that would keep the drinks cold for more than five hours and that could contain just enough liquid for a lunch.    It needed to be something that was wide enough to insert your hand when hand washing it.  At the same time it needed to be unbreakable inside and outside.  We know how kids can something be rough with their things and backpacks are often thrown on the ground in the school yard.  

I tested the My Cold Cup quite a few times since I received it.  The first thing I did was to put some water in it and insert the cold stick.   I left it on the counter for about 6 hours and the water was fresh and cold to drink.    The opening is wide and I love the fact that the cap stay attached to the cup as well.   That way the child don’t have to worry about loosing the top part of the cup.  It was indeed impressive.   Even my oldest son drank it and was in awe of it.  

You don’t have to insert the cold stick in it if you don’t want to.  But I most admit that this is an interesting concept that I haven’t seen in other kinds of bottles in the past.  The cup is also easy to hold no matter the age of the child.   Bottom line is this is the perfect cup for school lunches or to bring at a day camp.

I have a few disappointment that I want to share.   The first one is that there are only two colors available – green and blue.   I personally would love to have a red one and I know my little girl would love to have a pink or a purple one.    Having said this, I think that My Cold Cup should consider expanding the colors as soon as the product is getting known.   We are six people in our family and we like having cup of different colors so we know which one belongs to who.  My second disappointment is that there isn’t a bigger size for adults.   I love to bring water with me when I go somewhere but to be honest having to refill it constantly because I have drank all of it is not fun.   Recently I use the My Cold Cup to go to a writer’s workshop and I had to go in the bathroom to refill the bottle.   I wish there was a 1.5 liters size with the same idea.   Maybe a future product for the My Cold Cup line…

If you are looking for a great cup that will be sturdy and won’t leak in the lunch bag, I strongly recommend the My Cold Cup.   It is a product that was well thought and made by a Canadian mom who saw a need and acted on it.   Encourage Gwenda and get one today!

My Cold Cup can be purchased online or at retail stores in Ontario and BC for the price of 24.95$.  You can also purchase extra freeze sticks for the price of 2.50$ each.  I wish that it would be possible to get a bulk price for purchasing more than one.   With a family of six it’s always nice to have cold drink when we are going outside.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Gwenda for giving me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Plate It Forward

Plate It Forward
From Boom Boom! Revolution
While on facebook one day, I saw an announcement on the Boom Boom! page for a product that was coming.   I thought it was a genius idea and message them to see if it could be possible to receive one to review.   They said yes!    So I waited patiently until it was available and sent to me.

What is Boom Boom! Revolution?
The idea is simple.  The objective of their products is to build community, improve humanity, and champion the belief that doing good is what needs to be done.   Their moniker Boom Boom! is inspired by a boomerang.   What does a boomerang do?  It comes back to you.   The hope is to generate thoughts, actions, and words that will go full circle once launch to someone.

We have experienced this in a different way.   We have the habit to pass along clothing and toys that are not for our kids anymore.   Well believe it or not, this comes around as well as other people have passed along clothing and such to us.
   
When I received the Plate It Forward, I was excited.  Now I only had to pick someone to receive the plate.

What is Plate It Forward?
It's the newest (and tastiest!) way to "pay it forward"…Plate it Forward! Inspired by Card #13 from the Family Deck, this colorful and durable plate lets you pass on two of the most vital joys of life: love and food. Perfect gift for the holidays or any time!   A special message on the plate will give your the steps that need to be done to bless someone.

Step ONE
Make something delicious for someone you care about.
Step TWO
Place your treat on this plate.
Step THREE
Plate it Forward! Deliver the plate to your unsuspecting (and lucky!) recipient.
Step FOUR
High five yourself (and anyone around you) for keeping this act of guerilla goodness in motion.
Now that’s good work!

Our Thoughts
This plate was inspired  by the Family Edition Boom Boom! Card # 13 which encourages you to make something yummy and give it away to your neighbors or friends.   We love to bless others in various ways.   We had recently made homemade donuts which I intended to share.   But when we received this fabulous plate, we also made banana breads (two different ones) and we decided to give a variety of yummy goodies to a friend of our who recently had a surgery.
Here’s the plate before I wrap it up.



One disappointed thing though.   With the cards you can register the one you use on the Boom Boom! site and submit the registration number on each card as you pass them along.   Not so with the plate.   There isn’t a registration number behind the plate so you can’t really register it.   For us, we decided to pass the card along with the plate and I took a picture showing them together with the goodies we were giving our friend and her family.



What I particularly like about this kind of product is that you can do this together as a family.  The kids get excited when they bake something for someone and love to bless others in the process.  In a time and age where often people are self-centered and selfish, it is nice to raise kids who are willing to sacrifice for others. 

I thought it would be nice to include the thoughts of my friend as well.  So here they are:

I’ve been away for the week and haven’t had the time to pass the plate on to someone one.   I like the idea of blessing someone and the plate has a pretty design.

Watch this little video that illustrate perfectly how to use Plate It Forward.


The price tag attached to the Plate It Forward is 16.99$ for one and you can also get a set of two for $29.99.  It can be purchased at their site boomboomcards.com.  The Family Edition of the Boom Boom! Cards is also available on their site for the price of 14.95$

So now our Plate It Forward is gone.   Maybe one day it will come back here.  But even if it doesn’t we have been blessed recently with banana chocolate chips muffins from another friend who came to drop off the Sunday School lesson I will be teaching on Sunday at our place.   So in a way it did came around.  I hope that our Plate It Forward will bless others for years to come!

Disclaimer: Thanks to Boom Boom! Revolution for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Thanks for following Canadianladybug Reviews!

Beneterre Food Wraps

Beneterre Food Wraps

About the products

Sandwich WrapIt!

Reusable sandwich bag that is ideal for kids and adults whether for lunches, portable snacks, picnics or other social events!

• Use in place of sandwich bags, plastic wrap, foil
• 100% natural cotton lined with non-dyed nylon that is lead free, phthalate free, BPA free and PVC free.
• Pleat in the bottom of the bag to ensure room for the sandwich
• Double fold seals in freshness
• Wipe clean or machine wash, air dry
• 7 1/4” w x 6"h x 1” d

Snack WrapIt!

A reusable snack bag that is ideal for kids and adults whether for lunches, portable snacks, picnics or other social events!

• Use in place of sandwich bags, plastic wrap, foil
• 100% natural cotton lined with non-dyed nylon that is lead free, phthalate free, BPA free and PVC (vinyl) free.
• Seals easily with elastic band
• Wipe clean or machine wash, air dry
• 9 1/2” diameter x 3” depth

My Thoughts

As the summer goes buy, the times for picnics, camps for kids as well as soccer nights are filling the days/evenings of many families.    And Beneterre offers fun products to bring a snack or a sandwich with you while participating to these activities. 

The Food Wraps are easy to carry, made of natural cotton and will help to ensure freshness of whatever you put in them.    Recently, my son participate to a special camp for the kids who completed three years of Sparks with AWANA.   The Camp-A-Rama was to be held a full day and I wanted him to have a few snacks just in case.   So I used the Sandwich WrapIt! to include some granola bars and other goodies for him to share with a friend.   I didn’t have to send a sandwich as his lunch was provided.   But having the Beneterre bag helped the snacks to stay in good shape and fresh for the day.    Though I find this product quite interesting, I have concern on how your sandwich would look like at lunch time when it was packed in your bag.    I understand that these days we need to be environmentally careful, that we need to stay away from anything that could contain BPA, but a good old plastic container marker BPA free will protect your sandwich from getting squished.    The other product – the Snack WrapIt! – seems good for a round fruit like an apple or an orange.   However, I have mixed feelings about putting dried fruits and/or nuts in it as I find the bag doesn’t close as good as it shows on the site.   I personally wouldn’t want to find a bunch of granolas at the bottom of my backpack.  

Nevertheless, it is always nice to have other options for bringing little snacks when you go for a walk in the woods, go to a picnic or simply lay on the beach.  These two products are perfect for that because they are not bulky, will keep your food fresh, and will store easily in your bag!     

Other products in the Food Wraps are the Cool Wrapit!, the Max WrapIt!, and the Fold n WrapIt!.  Beneterre also offers Produce Bags and Wine Bags.

You can only order these products directly from their website - http://www.beneterre.com/eco-reusable-bags.php?/.   When ordering you can pick the pattern you prefer for your WrapIt! products.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Beneterre for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Keurig Elite Brewing System

On my birthday this year, my husband surprise me with a Keurig MINI Plus Brewing System.  He thought that this could help me to be more patient when I lacked sleep sometimes and still had to  homeschool the kids.  

It worked but we quickly realized that this model was not the best one for us.   We had issues with the water system in it so we decided to return it and purchase a bigger model – the Keurig Elite Brewing System!

About the Keurig Elite Brewing System

Always ready when you are, this single-cup home brewing system is ideal for that early morning cup or for when you are relaxing with family and friends. Includes a bonus 12 count K-Cup® variety box.

The Elite brewing system brews a perfect cup of coffee, tea or hot cocoa or iced beverage in under one minute at the touch of a button. With the choice of two cup sizes, the Elite brewer offers a removable drip tray to accommodate travel mugs.

• Automatic
• Choice of 2 cup sizes: 240 ml et 300 ml (8 oz et 10 oz)
• Removable 1,42 L (48 oz) water reservoir
• Quiet-Brew Technology®
• Energy Savings Mode – Auto Off

My Thoughts

I have been debating for quite some time if I should get one of these.   My husband thought it would be ridiculous to get one since I only drink coffee occasionally.    But he surprised me for my 43rd birthday and got me one.    And since then I wouldn’t think of not having one in the house.   It is so easy to use that even my oldest can prepare my coffee if I ask him.

This particular model has a water reservoir of 48 oz which will last for a few cups of coffee.   You can have two different size of coffee as well depending if you want a small cup or a bigger one.

The kids also gave me a box of K-cups as well as a use-regular-coffee K-cup tool.    I usually alternate between a few regular coffee and using a K-cup.  That way I can savor different kind of coffee depending of my mood.   Since I received this marvelous machine, I also purchased a K-cup drawer to hold some of my flavours.

For the purpose of this review, I received two boxes of K-Cups.  One is a coffee flavour and the other one is to make my own iced tea.   I really like the iced-tea idea and every once in a while I make one.    The sweetness of the tea as well as the ice cubes in my mug makes it a refreshing drink to take on a warm day.

Since I received these, I realized that another flavour of iced-tea has come up in stores as well as an iced-coffee.   I am eyeing these every time I go to Wal-Mart and hope to be able to try them before the end of the summer.   The iced-tea I am considering has a lemonade flavour and the iced-coffee would be a different way to stay awake when I have one of these night where I wake up and have trouble going back to sleep.

If you are considering getting a Keurig, I highly recommend it.    I really love it’s design and the flexibility in having a different coffee.   I also appreciate the fact that there is a tool that will allow you to use your own coffee.    I also use the tool to put tea or herbal tea that I have in stock.  The way the machine brews the coffee or tea is fabulous and will bring out all the flavour in your cup.

Honestly I never thought that I would appreciate having one of these in my home.   I am an occasional coffee drinker but this machine is a must-have in any household.   Last month, I even had my father-in-law try out one of the coffee and he really enjoyed it.   

My only disappointment is that I don’t have space in our RV so I can bring my Keurig with us when we go on a long trip.   I wish I had more countertop to bring it with us….   But it was a pleasure to re-discover it when I got back from a month away from home last week.   

Disclaimer: Thanks to Gear Communications for sending me two K-cups boxes in exchange of a review for Keurig. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Exploring new possibilities with the WonderMill

http://www.thewondermill.com/

Recently I reviewed a book titled “Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook” and using a recipe of this cookbook I needed to have some quinoa flour.  Instead of purchasing already grinded quinoa flour, I decided to buy the quinoa and grind it myself with the WonderMill.

Within seconds, the quantity I had purchased was all transformed into flour.

Apparently I had enough to make four recipes of muffins.   While reviewing the book, I made mango muffin using the quinoa flour.   Since I had to do another post for the WonderMill, I decided to do a different kind of muffin still based on the recipe I had taken from the book.

This time, I decided to put chocolate chips and dried cranberries instead of the fruit suggested in the recipe.

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup of softened butter

1 egg

1/2 cup low-fat milk

3/4 cup unbleached white flour (okay I will admit that I only had regular flour)

3/4 cup of quinoa flour (freshly made!)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups of mixed chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

Preheat the oven at 375 degrees.

Beat together the sugar and the butter.

In a separate bowl, beat egg and then add the milk.

Sift together the dry ingredients and add alternating milk and egg mixture with sugar mixture. (Since my sugar mixture was already in the bow of my KitchenAid mixer, I decided to alternate between the liquid and the dry ingredients instead.)

With a spoon, fold in the chocolate chips and the dried cranberries.

Pour into greased muffin tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

These muffins were delicious and didn’t last long in a family of six people.   One recipe will give you about 12 muffins.   Note that I made a double recipe and even with extras, there are no more of them in our fridge.  The taste was a little bit different than regular chocolate chip muffins due to the quinoa flour we used.   However I know that they are healthier as well. 

The WonderMill is a wonderful tool to have at home to make your own flour.   Some situations might require some families to choose to grind their own grain.  This machine will do an incredible job rapidly and without making too much noise.   The quick result can be used immediately in any kind of recipes you have.   This machine also has three different levels of grinding – for pastry, for bread and coarse.   The fact that you can pick the grinding level makes the WonderMill a machine that is ideal for many recipes.

As I mentioned in a previous post about The WonderMill, finding a place where you can buy the grain is a bit tricky in our area. Though I have found a place that is about 40 minutes from our home, I wish it could be available at Bulk Barn or other health stores.   This time around I was able to purchase the quinoa at BulkBarn which was fabulous as there is one close to home.   However, they don’t carry many different kind of grains.   I wish I could get spelt there but I will have to go to the store close to downtown to try that grain.  

I am definitively impressed with the performance of the machine and hope to be able to use it more in the future. At the store I have found, it is possible to purchase the grains in the 10 lbs bags if needed be.    We are still trying to figure out if it is worth it monetarily to do so. 

The WonderMill is available for purchase at the following vendors in Ontario - BERRY HILL LTD in St. Thomas, Canadian Family Resourses in Newton, Castor River Farm in Metcalfe, Cradlerock Homestead in Desboro, and Quality Marketing in Brantford. The price of the WonderMill is 299.99$ Canadian.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the product for review purposes from WonderMill. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

The Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook

The Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook
Written by Wendy Polisi
Published at Skyhorse Publishing

About the book

With over 200 pages of quinoa-inspired cuisine, The Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook is unlike any other quinoa cookbook. Inside you’ll find Wendy’s exclusive, hand-crafted recipes, photographs of every recipe, nutritional information for every recipe, and alternative ingredients and preparation methods. Included are vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, fast & easy, eating clean, quinoa recipes for kids, and even desserts! Let’s take a quick peek at the recipes included: Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad, Black Bean and Quinoa Tostadas, Quinoa Burgers, Almond Fudge Quinoa Brownies, Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Pizza, and much more!

Who is Wendy Polisi?

Wendy Polisi’s goal is to create whole nutritious foods that are also exceptionally delicious. She came across quinoa by accident—as a busy mom, she felt run-down and out of shape, but after trying out a quinoa recipe one day she was hooked—and she’s never looked back. She lives in Arizona with her family.

My Thoughts

I never cooked with quinoa before.  I’ve heard of it.  I was curious about it.   But up until today I didn’t have the courage to try it out.    So when I received this book to review, I had the obligation to go purchase some quinoa because honestly how can someone review a cookbook without trying at least one recipe.

So I went to Bulk Barn and purchased a small quantities of quinoa.    Now what will I do with it?    I needed to find a recipe…  This book contains recipes for every possible meal you want to serve: breakfast, appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, sides, pasta, polenta, pizza, breads, muffins, desserts.   There is even a section for cooking with kids.    Honestly, I never seen such a complete book on a specific ingredients before!

I looked at each recipe in the book before deciding to go ahead and try the muffins.

All I needed to do was to transform the quinoa into flour and thanks to my WonderMill this was done in seconds!  Look at this amazing quinoa flour freshly made at home. 

Before I give you the recipe, I must admit that we changed it a bit.  You see the recipe is supposed to be blueberry muffins but after going to the Farm Boy my husband and I we quickly realized that the price of blueberries were quite high so we purchased mangoes instead.   Will the switch work?   The only way I could know is by doing the recipe.   So here’s the recipe.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup of softened butter

1 egg

1/2 cup low-fat milk

3/4 cup unbleached white flour (okay I will admit that I only had regular flour)

3/4 cup of quinoa flour (freshly made!)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups blueberries, dredged in 3 tbsp quinoa flour (okay here’s the switch here… I had mangoes, remember?)

Preheat the oven at 385 degrees. 

Beat together the sugar and the butter.

In a separate bowl, beat egg and then add the milk.

Sift together the dry ingredients and add alternating milk and egg mixture with sugar mixture.   (Since my sugar mixture was already in the bow of my KitchenAid mixer, I decided to alternate between the liquid and the dry ingredients instead.)

Don’t forget to flour the fruits…

With a spoon, fold in the floured fruits.

Pour into greased muffin tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

The results are beautiful yummy muffins that the whole family will enjoy tomorrow morning. 

This marvelous muffin was eaten by my husband and I and we both thought it was delicious.   Mind you we have never had cooked mango before so not only we tried out quinoa but we also experimented with the mangoes!   

This recipe was easy to do and doesn’t take much time.    I suspect that you could replace the blueberries with any fruits you would prefer – even chocolate chips!

I still have some quinoa flour so now I have to figure out what else we want to try.   I am more willing now to try other recipes from this cookbook and discover the wide range of possibilities that quinoa offers.

If you want to try something new in your meal preparation, I suggest that you check out The Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook to expand your taste buds and your repertoire of recipes.

The Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook is available at your favorite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes from Thomas Allen. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

WonderMill

WonderMill

http://www.thewondermill.com/

The WonderMill is an electric Grain Mill that will allow you to grind your own flour from the comfort of your home.

The WonderMill Electric Grain Mill has the capacity to perform big jobs. You can grind over 100 pounds of flour in an hour.

The WonderMill Electric Grain Mill is extremely easy to use. Simply fill the hopper and out comes flour. There are no small parts or gaskets to misplace, and the self cleaning WonderMill is quick, easy, and virtually dust-free. There is no need for additional attachments to bag your flour simply put a plastic bag in the canister and grind – easy, clean and at no additional cost to you!

The WonderMill is also great for making gluten-free flours such as brown rice, white rice, sorghum, quinoa, soy, millet, amaranth, bean, corn, and more.

My Thoughts

I was quite curious on how I could use an electric mill in my home and make my own flour.   The setup of the machine was quite easy to do.

After trying to figure out what kind of recipe I could do for the first post of this machine, I decided to make cookies based on popcorn flour and oats.  The first steps was definitively to make flour our of our popcorn kernels.

So I poured out a bag of popcorn kernels to make some popcorn flour.

Within minutes the WonderMill has gone through the kernels and given me some popcorn flour.

 

My son Alexandre has found a recipe for cookies based on popcorn flour.  However, I didn’t have any milk in our fridge when we made them and instead I put water in the recipe.   Also I didn’t know what rolled oats was so I decided to take the oats I had at home.

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup of shortening

2 tbsp milk

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups popcorn flour

2 cups rolled oats

Cream the shortening.  Add sugars and blend.  Mix in eggs, add vanilla, milk, baking powder, soda and salt.  Blend well.  Stir in corn flour and rolled oats.   Bake on greased cooke sheets at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Here’s the cookies before being cooked.

Because of my modification in the ingredients, I think the result was not what it was supposed to be.   Mind you, it was tasty and different of what we were used to.   Turned out that the cookies cooked on the flat side of things…   so instead of eating them as cookies, we included them in yogourt and ice cream.  It was still good. 

The WonderMill is a powerful tool to make your own flour  based on various grains.    Finding a place where you can buy the grain is a bit tricky in our area.  Though I have found a place that is about 40 minutes from our home, I wish it could be available at Bulk Barn or other health stores.    I didn’t have the time to travel to get spelt or other grains to test the machine and I turned to popcorn for now.   The results were not what we expected because I didn’t have all the ingredients required to do the recipe.   I will definitively redo this recipe and see if the cookies will be more chewy when I use milk.

I am definitively impressed with the performance of the machine and hope to be able to use it more in the future.    As I said, finding corns are not an easy thing for a beginner but I have discovered one store near the downtown area where I could purchase the grains.   I can even purchase the grains in the 10 lbs bags if needed be.   My husband is also trying to figure out if it is financially worth it to make your own flour or not.    One of the grains I would like to try out is the spelt for sure.

The WonderMill is available for purchase at the following vendors in Ontario - BERRY HILL LTD in St. Thomas,  Canadian Family Resourses in Newton, Castor River Farm in Metcalfe,  Cradlerock Homestead in Desboro, and Quality Marketing in Brantford.   The price of the WonderMill is 299.99$ Canadian.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the product for review purposes from WonderMill. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Popcorn Treats

Popcorn Treats – delicious recipes for savoury snacks & sweet treats
By Hannah Miles
Published at Ryland Peters & Small

About the book

Too long hidden away in dark cinemas, popcorn is a treat that's ready to take a leading role! And on hand to give this humble kernel a star makeover is the wonderfully creative Hannah Miles, who shows how popcorn can be dressed up in a riotous variety of fabulous flavours!

Sweet nibbles range from classic Butter Toffee to indulgent Raspberry and White Chocolate. For those who prefer Savoury flavours, the Pumpkin Seed, Chilli and Thai Spiced varieties are all great healthy snacking options. But it is the Gourmet flavours that are not to be missed: try Margarita, Black Truffle or Salted Caramel popcorn for a truly decadent treat. Or simply combine this favourite snack into other treats such as Cookies, Cupcakes or Lollipops for the best of both worlds. The possibilities are endless and the preparation is simple, so join in the fun and start popping!

Who is Hannah Miles?

Hannah Miles was a high-flying legal eagle working for a top City lay firm when a friend emailed her with details of a “dream cottage” in the Bedfordshire countryside.  Instantly besotted with the thatched stone cottage, Hannah and her husband ditched London life and headed for their rural idyll.  In 2007, Hannah competed in BBC television’s hugely popular MasterChef programme, in which she won the hearts of the nation and the adulation of the judges: John Torodo said of her: “I think Hannah is one of the most naturally gifted cooks I have seen in a long time.”  One of the three MasterChef finalists, Hannah’s food career has since taken off, though she still also practices law.  She has a monthly column in Country Kitchen and Country & Town House magazines, writes for delicious magazine and continues to make both television and MasterChef Live (Good Food Show) appearances.  She is the author of Milkshake Bar, Mini Cakes, Sundays & Splits, The Gluten-free Baker and Whoopie Pies, all published at Ryland Peters & Small.

Our Thoughts

When I saw this title in the catalogue of Ryland Peters & Small, I immediately thought that my husband and kids would love it.   Why?   Well, popcorn has a place of honor in our house for snacks.    I was looking forward to discover the fun recipes included in this little book.     In this out-of-the-ordinary cookbook (after all it is all dedicated to popcorn!), you will find sweet popcorn recipes which will calm your sweet tooth, savoury popcorn recipes which will open up a whole new world of flavors, popcorn treats recipes which will incorporate popcorn in desserts as well as gourmet popcorn recipes which will expand your taste buds in your mouth.

There are many recipes that caught our eye while we flipped through it.  The first reaction of my husband was: “Cool! Something different…”   Once everyone had gone through the book to check out the recipes, we agreed to try out the Banana Maple Popcorn.

Banana Maple Popcorn

This popcorn ingredients are essentially: banana chips, butter, maple syrup and popcorn kernels.   After putting part of the banana chips in the food processor and crushed them in a fine powder and melting the butter with the maple syrup in a pan, you pour all of it on the freshly made popcorn and include the rest of the banana chips.   The recipe is easy to do – even my oldest son could do it.   However, I am uncertain of the result.   The popcorn taste different – more sweet – but the texture is bizarre as the butter has shrunk the popcorn when I poured it.     Maybe we just are a family who are not enjoying sweet popcorn that much…

Crumbled banana chips.

Maple syrup with butter.

The final product.

The next recipes we will more than likely do is the paprika smoky bacon popcorn as well as the thai spiced popcorn.   And one of my boys really want to try to popcorn nachos topped with tomatoes, avocados and cheese.  The picture looks fabulous so we will more than likely try it as well.

Each recipe has a photo of the final product which is a wonderful thing because I like to see what the recipe should be looking like in the end. 

I think this little recipe book contains interesting recipes and that there are a wide range of them to please any popcorn lover.    If your family loves popcorn but is a bit tired of the regular popcorn that you eat every time you make some, I would suggest that you try out the Popcorn Treats cookbook.  You might find a new favorite for your family!

Popcorn Treats is available at your favorite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes from Thomas Allen. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Busy Mom’s Guide to Family Nutrition

Busy Mom’s Guide to Family Nutrition
Published at Tyndale

About the book

With almost everything you need to know to care for your family available on the Internet or at the library these days, how do you sort through the wealth of information available? How do you narrow down your web search? And how many pages are in that reference guide? It can be overwhelming to look for specific information. Relax—we have the cure for the common search. The information you need is at your fingertips in the practical and easy-to-use “Busy Mom’s Guide” series.

Using a question-and-answer format, Busy Mom’s Guide to Family Nutrition provides bite-sized pieces of information, including nutritional basics, the skinny on fats, interpreting food labels, exploring popular diet plans, and much more. Improve your family’s health quotient with the quick reference material found inside, and enjoy your healthy family!

Some content previously published in the Complete Guide’s Family Health, Nutrition, and Fitness.

My Thoughts

How do I get my family to eat healthy food?

Which weight loss plan is right for me?

How do I help my overweight child?

How do I cut through the hype about health & nutrition?

These are all interesting questions that are listed on the cover of the book.    And every mom should worry about these because essentially it is important to teach your kids to make healthy choices so that when they are alone they will continue to make such choices.   But how can you find answers that you can trust to your questions especially from a Christian perspective?   That’s why this book has been published.   Essentially, this book will provide answers to your questions, guidance on how to select healthy food for your family and improve your family’s health on the long run.  This book is divided into sick chapters which will guide you in making sensible choices for your family.

Chapter 1 will introduce you to the nutritional basics.  It covers everything from the sugars, fats and proteins to the more complicated information like enzymes and explanation of lactose intolerance.  Chapter 2 will give you guidance on how to make healthy food choices for every member of your family.  In this chapter, you will read about the importance of eating together as a family as well as learn quite a bit about what is healthy and what’s not.  Chapter 3 will highlights the importance of vitamins and minerals while chapter 4 will concentrate it’s information on the weight problem and how to put a strategy in place to help you control it. Chapter 5 will provide information on the various diets, medications and surgery to help control the weight problem. Finally chapter 6 will guide you in how to help your child or teenager who might be overweight.   It is a well known fact that being overweight can affect the spirit of a person.  Helping a child or a teenager to feel confident even though he/she might be overweight is important I find.   This book will provide you tips and tricks on how to encourage your child to exercise and eat healthy.

I find this book talks about such an important topic that I consider that every family should own a copy.     However, while reading the book and searching information on specific subjects that would interest me more, I realized that this book was essentially a short version of the information found in the Complete Guide to Family Health, Nutrition and Fitness which I had purchased last year in a clearance bin at a store in town.    So since I have the large book in hand, I decided to compare the text of this book to the other one.   And it is compatible – to the point that if you already own the Complete Guide to Family Health, Nutrition and Fitness I don’t think I would suggest that you purchase the Busy Mom’s Guide to Family Nutrition unless you really desire to tuck it in your purse and carry it around with you.   On the other hand, if you are curious in knowing more about family nutrition, the Busy Mom’s Guide to Family Nutrition is the perfect book for you.    You can trust the information you will find in it because it is an official book from the Focus on the Family Physicians Resource Council in the U.S.A.  

The Busy Mom’s Guide to Family Nutrition is available at your favorite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes from Tyndale. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Flavors of Asia

Flavors of Asia
Published at DK Canada

About the book

The second book in DK's series with the CIA covering the "Worlds of Flavor" International Conference and Festival, The Flavors of Asia culls recipes from 40 leading chefs from Asia, India and the U.S., including Masaharu Morimoto, Suvir Saran and many others. By transforming the "Worlds of Flavor" festival into a cookbook, the Culinary Institute of America --- one of the best culinary schools in the world --- brings the conference's superb culinary talent right into the home kitchen. Award-winning restaurateur, chef, and author Mai Pham joins the CIA in presenting 125 accessible recipes, from Ammini Ramachandran's Spicy Fritters with Coconut Chutney to Fuchsia Dunlop's General Tso's Chicken, from Myung Sook Lee's Korean Lettuce Wrap with Spicy Beef to Elizabeth Andoh's Kabocha Squash with Red Beans. The chefs' cooking techniques and regional notes appear in feature spreads throughout the book. An enthusiastic foreword by conference chairs and culinary experts Suvir Saran and Fuchsia Dunlop as well as an introduction by Mai Pham, describe Asia's rising influence on world cooking round out this must-have book.

Our Thoughts

Easter 2012.   I had planned to get an ham for supper on Sunday.   We had already invited friends over for supper.   But my husband challenged me to make something different.   So Indian Food it was decided based on two recipes from the flavors of Asia as well as two recipes from Around the World CookBook.  I won’t expand on the recipes I took from Around the Word Cookbook but I can tell you that it was the tandoori chicken and the raita sauce!

From the book the flavors of Asia, I had selected two recipes: Naan bread and Masala Shrimps.

Apparently bread is an integral part of Indian cuisine.    So to make our meal complete, I thought it would be fun to make Naan bread.    The process of making this bread is very easy but take a long time.

Naan – serves 8

1 pound 8 ounces of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup yogourt
2 tbsps melted butter or vegetable oil, plus as needed for garnish
3/4 tsp yeast
1 or 1 1/4 cups warm water, or as needed

The first step is to mix all the ingredients (except the water) in a bowl.    And then you gradually the water and knead until you get a smooth, soft dough.   This will take about 10 minutes.   I will admit that I cheated a bit here as I took my Kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook to do this part.  It was faster and I could proceed to do something else at the same time.

After 10 minutes of kneading, all you have to do is put the dough aside in a warm place and wait six hours.    In the meantime, you could prepare the rest of your meal if needed be.

Six hours later, we made tennis ball size pieces of dough and let it stand once again in a warm place for one hour.

Here’s what the dough looked like an hour later…

The next step consist of flattening each ball and spread it whether with a rolling pin or by hand.   I did it with my two hands and stretched the dough one at a time.   I them placed them on a cookie pan and asked my son, Dominic – age 8, to brush them with a little bit of melted butter.

The oven must be preheated at 475 degrees to cook them for about 4-5 minutes.   I think my dough were too thick as it took about 10 minutes to get them golden.   I also re-heated them when the time for supper was closer.

 

The second recipe I made for our Easter meal was the Masala Shrimps.   Here’s the recipe.

Masala Shrimp

1 tsp cayenne pepper or Indian chili powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp sea salt
1 pound and 8 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
1tbsp vegetable oil
1 key lime, cut into eights
24 cilantro leaves
1 small avocado, cut into small-dice

The first thing you need to do to combine all the spices together and rub the mixture on the shrimps.  Once that’s done, you set the bowl aside for 15 to 30 minutes. 

Then in a large sauté pan containing the oil, fry the shrimps over medium-high heat until they lose their translucency.  This is quite fast and be careful not to overcook them.

The final meal including the tandoori chicken, the raita sauce (both taken from the Around the World CookBook. ) and the pieces of avocado.

Though I realized that having more vegetable would have been preferable, we had a great time with our friends and the meal was delicious.    I’m happy it turned out perfect and than everyone went for seconds!

Afterwards, we did a little Easter egg hunt with the kids including our friends’ son who did it for the first time as he is not even two years old yet.

The recipe book contains recipes from China, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.     You will find everything to plan a meal with your family and friends.    The table of content will indicate the pages where you can find the

• appetizers & small plates
• soups & noodle soups
• salads & vegetables
• meats
• seafood
• noodles, rice & breads
• chutneys, pastes, & sauces
• sweets, drinks, & desserts

The recipes are easy to follow and are mouthwatering.   The only disappointment I would have is that there isn’t a picture on each recipes.   I personally prefer seeing the final result in a picture.   I find it motivate me more to do the recipe if I like what I see.    It doesn’t have to be next to the recipe though.  It could simply have a series of pages containing the different meals in them set up as a table for example.   Needless to say, this cookbook is inspiring and I am looking forward to try out new Asian recipes like the Vietnamese spring rolls or the Korean lettuce wrap with spicy beef for example.

If you are tired of always making the same meals every day, I would like to challenge you in trying something new and out-of-the-ordinary.   The flavors of Asia is definitively the cookbook that will bring new flavors in your mouth.  

Flavors of Asia is available at your favorite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.