Claudia's Cookbook

Dinner, Healthy

BBQ Shrimp Kabobs

It has been very hot and humid here in Manitoba over the past few weeks. Even with the air conditioning running, there is nothing I’d rather do less than use the oven and stove in the house. That’s why I absolutely love BBQ season. You can enjoy the heat where it belongs – outside. You also have minimal dishes. It’s a perfect combination for me.

This recipe is very quick, simple and light for summer. Not to mention, super healthy! You can use any of your favourite veggies in the recipe. I happen to use sweet red onion and pineapple along with red and green bell peppers.

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Desserts, Side Dish

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Strawberry season has arrived here in Manitoba. I love picking strawberries. As a kid, Claudia and her Mom (my Baba) would often take us strawberry picking outside the city. I had so much fun. Mainly because I ate more than I placed in the basket! There is nothing better than the taste of fresh fruit straight off the vine. When Claudia told me she was returning from a trip to Saskatchewan and was going to pick up some baskets of strawberries, I knew we immediately needed to make her recipe for Strawberry Freezer Jam that evening. This is by far my favourite jam on the planet. Friends who have tried it also agree. I actually learned while making this with Claudia last week that it’s no family secret – it’s literally the recipe from the Certo package! Regardless, it’s beyond delicious. I much prefer the freezer no-cook jam version as opposed to the cooked version. It’s also a lot easier to make.

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Desserts

Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Cookies

Blueberries are everywhere right now. As I mentioned in my post a few weeks ago, I know it’s summer when blueberries are in abundance in the stores and are cheap! I’ve been trying to keep up with the supply in my house before they spoil. That’s how these cookies came about. I wanted to bake something different from the typical blueberry muffins, coffee cake and bars. I was so happy when I found this recipe from the blog Hot Polka Dot. These cookies are moist, rich and soft. Not to mention, the juicy burst of blueberry make them absolutely delicious.

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Desserts

Carrot Cake

I love cream cheese. I don’t understand anyone who doesn’t love it. I know, there are people out there who could care less about it. But when paired with a moist, dense carrot cake, you simply cannot pass it up. This cake is probably the best carrot cake I have ever had. The winning factor – it’s melt in your mouth moist. Unbelievable.

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Desserts

Rhubarb Crumble Pie

There is nothing better than a good crumble. Especially if rhubarb is involved. When you throw in a pie shell – I’m in heaven. Claudia just came back from a 2-week stint in Saskatchewan and brought back some delicious garden rhubarb.

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Desserts

Wookiee Cookies


I love Star Wars. Some people may say it borders on infatuation. Therefore, when I learned that this past weekend was the 35th anniversary of the first Star Wars movie (Episode IV), I thought what better recipe to feature than Wookiee Cookies.

I grew up on Star Wars. Some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around me and my brother spending our summer vacations watching our VHS tapes of the 3 movies which my parents taped off of TV. One of my earliest memories is actually of when my parents took me to the theatre see Return of the Jedi – where I was too embarrassed to tell Claudia that I was scared of the lightsaber battle happening between Luke and Darth Vadar (see, I’m quite the Star Wars nerd), that I instead insisted she take me to the bathroom. I didn’t have to go. I was like 4 years old, don’t hold it against me!

Even today, when I see Star Wars playing on television, I have to watch. I have all the movies on DVD, but I still have this need to stop what I’m doing and watch. It was this action that made my boyfriend purchase the Star Wars cookbook for me for my birthday a few years ago. It was then where I discovered these delicious treats. Wookiee Cookies encompass all the comfort and deliciousness of chocolate chip cookies but with a hint of cinnamon. The cinnamon really does make these cookies amazing.

As previously mentioned, this recipe is adapted from The Star Wars Cookbook: Wookiee Cookies and Other Galactic Recipes by Robin Davis.

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Desserts

S’mores Brownies

Today in Canada is what is known as “May Long Weekend”, or technically, Victoria Day. To many people, May Long Weekend is the unofficial kick-off to summer. It’s the first weekend of the year people open their cabins, head to the lake, and go camping. Our family never did any camping on May Long Weekend. My parents would instead save all their holidays (3 weeks) for August and take us to the middle of nowhere Manitoba and camp with zero electricity, flushing toilets or running water. Sure, we had a pop-up tent trailer. That was great until it would rain and the canvas would leak water into my bed. Or that since there was no showers at the campground where we would religiously park ourselves at for 3 weeks, I would have to get used to showering once a week, with the remainder of the time “bathing” in the lake.

Contrary to popular belief (especially from me and my brother), my parents were not hippies. They were just minimalists who enjoyed being out in nature building campfires and fishing with their kids. My brother and I were so used to spending each summer like this since we were born, that we truly didn’t know any different. We were always super excited when August rolled around. My favourite part of camping with my parents (besides fishing and swimming) was making S’mores and toast on the campfire with Claudia. I love S’mores, They are this delicious camping comfort food that everyone can relate to. These S’mores Brownies incorporate everything in traditional S’mores – chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker. They are a great way to relive your camping days while not actually being out in the middle of the woods with no to shower. They are chocolatey, gooey and best served with vanilla ice cream. This recipe was adapted from the wonderful Joy the Baker.

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Desserts

Manitoba Food Blogger Bake Sale

A few months ago, I joined an amazing community here in my home town called the Manitoba Food Bloggers. It started as a group on Facebook and within a few short weeks of joining, I was attending their very first event. And what an event it was. I met so many amazing and smart people with similar interests as me – such as blogging, food, photography and networking. Claudia is actually excited to attend their next event with me!

After a couple events the group decided it was time to put our talents to work and host a bake sale to raise money for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day, which is a fantastic foundation that focuses on delivering educational awareness of food culture and healthy living in schools.

I couldn’t be more excited to be participating in the bake sale. Not to mention, purchasing some delicious treats from my fellow talented food bloggers! I am planning on contributing a few dozen of our Monster Cookies, Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies, as well as our Chocolate Zucchini Cake! Here are the details of the event:

Get Your Goodies Bake Sale
Friday, May 18, 2012
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Aqua Books (274 Garry Street in Winnipeg)

If you are in the area, please stop by and support a great cause and our local food blogging community!

 

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