Insta-Snaps: Food Edition

Lately, not only have I been pinning away recipes on Pinterest, but I've also been making them too. Most of the dishes are salads since that's what I've been in the mood for, and I did make a few modifications to suit my palate and use what was already in my fridge. Here's a taste of what I've been cooking up in the kitchen through my Instagram feed.

{ Grilled Kale Salad with Beets and Figs }

{ Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Edamame, Mango, Grape Tomatoes and Almonds }

{ Quinoa and Sweet Potato Chili with Corn Bread }

{ Blackened Salmon with Mango Salsa; Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Figs & Orange }

{ Mediterranean Orzo and Spinach Salad }

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Chocolate Candy Bark

I found this recipe on Pinterest when I was pinning ideas for Valentine's Day treats (see post here) and decided to make these for my husband. Of course, this fun chocolate candy bark can be made for any occasion (Oscars viewing party treats anyone?) so I thought I'd share my results here. These take almost no time at all and are a fast, easy confection to whip up.

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Sweet Treats for Valentine's

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With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, I've found myself occupied with pinning recipes for love-filled treats on Pinterest. They say the easiest way to a man's heart is his stomach after all. Of course these sweet and savoury delights can be made for anyone, from your bestie or mom to your kids. I'm smitten with the macaron pops. I didn't think these little confections could get any cuter until I saw them on a stick!

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A Very Princess Birthday

For her 3rd birthday this year, my daughter requested a princess party. I decided to bake princess-inspired treats for the party and the results really delighted her.

First up were these magic wand sugar cookie pops. I followed Sweetapolita's sugar cookie recipe exactly and am very happy with the way they turned out. Although it was a bit time-consuming, the shape of the cookies came out perfect and didn't warp at all. I iced the cookies with a variation of this icing recipe and then dusted some of them with sugar crystal sprinkles. I added ribbons to the base of cookie pop to make them extra girly and princess-like.

I also baked some tiara sugar cookies using the same sugar cookie and icing recipe I used for the cookie pops.

The pièce de résistance was the princess doll birthday cake. I am not a cake baker by any means but this was surprisingly easy to put together and decorate. I used Wilton's Classic Wonder Mold Doll Cake kit and baked the skirt with Betty Crocker French Vanilla cake mix; the leftover batter was used for cupcakes. I then used a star tip to pipe buttercream frosting (recipe here) flowers over the entire cake and doll.

For the kids' favours, I wrapped up some of the magic wand cookies pops for them to take home.

And that's it! Although I do enjoy baking desserts to match a birthday theme, it is a lot of work and I'm glad I only have to do it once a year! We'll see what she requests for her 4th birthday next year...

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Cake Pops

A group of friends my husband and I have known for quite some time formed a Dinner Club about five years ago, and we all get together about once a month to share a potluck dinner. It's something everyone really enjoys, and it's a great way for friends to stay in touch and for our kids to play together. So how does it work, you ask? Each couple in the group takes turns hosting at their house, while the rest of the members are assigned a course (typically appie, starch, salad, dessert, and the host supplies the main), and each dinner party has a theme. The most recent theme was "On a Stick," and we were assigned dessert. My husband made chocolate-covered strawberries while I made cake pops, and I thought I'd share the results (the strawberries are pretty self-explanatory so this post is just for the cake pops)!

French Toast Muffins

Charlotte and I recently attended a breakfast play date and I brought these French Toast muffins to share with the group of moms and their tots. They're quite genius, really. French Toast in portable muffin form? Count me in. Plus, they're extremely easy to make and Charlotte was able to help me. The recipe is from Dempster's but you can use any bread you like (I used D'Italiano).

Mulled Apple Cider

When I found this recipe for mulled apple cider on the ModCloth blog, I knew I had to try it. I'm a big fan of mulled wine, and this is a perfect non-alcoholic alternative that the whole family can enjoy.

Gingerbread Cookies

I've been baking these gingerbread cookies every Christmas since I was in high school, and it's now a holiday tradition of mine. The original recipe came from my mom's co-worker, which I have since adapted as my own. What I love most is that it uses real pieces of ginger and the Jell-O butterscotch pudding adds a nice chewy bite. If you have any favourite holiday baking recipes you'd like to share, please let me know in the comments below!

Pear and Raspberry Tartlets

My fridge had a few too many Bartlett pears that were starting to get over-ripe and bruised. Since we weren't going to be able to eat all of them before they spoiled, I looked up a dessert recipe that would allow me to use my abundant stock of pears. I modified this recipe into a tartlet instead of a mini pie, and used store-bought tart shells and puff pastry to save time. I would have loved to make the pie crust from scratch but let's face it, when you're trying to bake during a toddler's nap, there's not a lot of time to make your own pie dough.

Muffin Tin Meals

In my house, my husband is the cook. I definitely lucked out because I hate to cook and he's an excellent chef who loves to whip up delicious meals. Baking is my preferred territory. When I found these recipes for muffin frittatas and ham and cheese buttermilk breakfast muffins, I was ecstatic to make breakfast that didn't require any time cooking on the stove top. They're both quick and easy to make, and the perfect portion size for kids.