Now, don't laugh, but it took me years to figure out how to make decent nachos at home. Every couple of months I'd give it another go and something always went wrong. The chips were burnt around the edges but the cheese was barely melty, the chips were soggy in the middle, or the toppings were so-so. I would throw up my hands, say "I give up, I can't make nachos!", and a few … [Read more...]
A Recipe for Black Velvet Beef Stew (a.k.a. Snakebite Stew)
Okay, so here's the story. Back in my pub night filled misspent youth I used to like ordering this drink which was a mix of hard cider and stout (usually Guinness). It's known as a Black Velvet, or sometimes it's called a Snakebite. Last night I was making stew for dinner. I often add beer to our stew. This time, thinking back to the taste of that Black Velvet drink, I … [Read more...]
Chicken Tinga Tacos, Making Crazy Good Restaurant Style Mexican Food at Home with Old El Paso
Old El Paso products are a staple in our house. It's one of the few "box meals" that I will regularly buy. The truth is I've tried making Mexican from scratch and the results have been less than stellar. Relying on Old el Paso is not only simpler, but I also end up with a much tastier end result. I am, in short, a pretty big fan of their taco kits and their canned beans. So … [Read more...]
Pork Chops in Creamy Mushroom Sauce the Made from Scratch “Clean” Version {Recipe}
Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of a can of cream of mushroom soup? The list includes things like sugar, modified food starch, and “flavouring”, to name a few. Cream of mushroom soup is a favourite with my kids (ooh! future blog recipe idea!), and none of those ingredients have a place in my pot. So when I make the classic “pork chops in mushroom soup”, I … [Read more...]
Maison Le Grand Pesto & Rosée Sauces {Super Simple Recipe}
Canadian sauce maker Maison Le Grand sent me a lovely assortment of gourmet cold-pressed Pesto and Rosée Sauces to play around with in the kitchen. They asked me to share a recipe with my readers that I made with one of the Rosée Sauces. And I've been struggling with what to post, because truly the sauces are so easy to use, it's embarrassing to call anything I've come up with … [Read more...]
Lazy Mom’s Unstuffed Peppers {Recipe}
I make this dish at least two or three times a month, as it's a real family favourite. It started out as my mother-in-laws classic recipe for stuffed peppers and over the years has morphed into a dinner in one dish casserole sort of thing. I am far too lazy to actually stuff peppers. It is so much easier to just cut them into halves then to try and cut off the tops and scoop … [Read more...]