Claudia's Cookbook

Desserts

Cheesecake-Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ever since the I got back from vacation a week ago I can’t stop thinking about pumpkin. Maybe it’s the cooler weather or the leaves changing red, yellow and orange. It could also be the fact that Starbucks is now serving their delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte that has made me obsessed with making anything and everything pumpkin.

Since I have featured 2 of my absolute favourite pumpkin recipes with you already – Pumpkin Scones and Claudia’s Pumpkin Pie – I had to find a new recipe that me and Claudia enjoyed enough to share. Enter Silvana Nardone from Every Day with Rachel Ray and her Cheesecake-Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes. Because there is cream cheese baked inside, these are probably one of the richest cupcakes I’ve ever tasted. And they are absolutely, positively delicious! If you want a substitute for pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake this Thanksgiving, these babies are by far your best bet. Your family and friends will love you for it.

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Desserts

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

You may think the title of this post is a little, let’s say, aggressive. There are a million different chocolate chip recipes out there, and how could I possibly possess the one for the best chocolate chip cookies in the world? Well, I have proof…sort of. You see, ever since I was a little girl, Claudia made this particular cookie recipe. You can actually see me helping out in the picture to the right of this post! Every time I would bring these cookies to school for a snack, my friends would go insane. They LOVED Claudia’s chocolate chip cookies. Who could blame them? They are moist, chocolatey and absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, they are also adapted from the NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® cookie recipe and not a guarded family secret. I could have made millions! Regardless, these cookies and this recipe continue to be a fantastic childhood memory. Oh, and the cookie dough isn’t half bad tasting either. But you didn’t hear that from me.

A few weeks ago I babysat my best friend’s 4-year old daughter, Julia. I figured there was no better time to make my favourite childhood recipe than with one of my favourite kids. Julia is probably one of the smartest 4-year olds in the world. She also was nursing a broken elbow, so I figured she needed some fun (and sugar). Baking with kids takes a lot of patience…and clean up. I had a blast, but as you can tell, the photographs came second in this baking experience.

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Side Dish

Pickled Carrots

I can’t believe September is already here. The weather is getting a little cooler and our family garden in Saskatchewan is slowly winding down. While I was visiting Claudia on her holidays in August, we had the opportunity to do some canning. (more…)

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Side Dish

Dill Pickles

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Claudia and her lovely garden in Saskatchewan. We have had an unusually hot and dry summer here on the Prairies. This has been a welcome change for our vegetables, as the past few summers have been wet and, quite frankly, miserable. The abundance of cucumbers, carrots, potatoes and onions made capturing some of Claudia’s recipes simple and fun. There is nothing like using fresh ingredients from your backyard.

When I walked into the house after the 5 hour drive from Winnipeg, I noticed something on the fridge. I took a picture of it (above). This simple piece of paper is the reason I started this food blog. This is Claudia’s recipe for Dill Pickles. Yes, just the ingredients for the brine. No instructions, no laminated paper, nothing. Just her coveted recipe scribbled on an old piece of worn paper. I knew I had to post this delicious recipe for the best dill pickles you will ever have immediately!

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Dinner, Healthy

Grilled Turkey Burgers

Claudia has been on holidays these past few weeks and getting some much needed rest and relaxation in our second family house in Saskatchewan. I will be taking the 5 hour drive out to meet her shortly to spend some time fishing, canning veggies from the garden (stay tuned for recipes!) and relaxing with the family. The house in Saskatchewan is probably one of my favourite places in the world. The house was my grandparents, and growing up I would spend every summer out there. The house is literally in the middle of nowhere. A very small community of 6 or 7 houses make up the town. Actually, the place is too small to be an official town. According to the 2006 Canadian Census,  it is a hamlet with grand total of 15 residents. It is so peaceful and quiet out there. Reminds me of a simpler time, really.

I haven’t been out to the house in Saskatchewan for almost 2 years. The last time I was out there Claudia made these Grilled Turkey Burgers. I believe the original recipe called for Stove Top Stuffing Mix, and since we were in the middle of nowhere, we had none. So she improvised. I personally like these a lot better than the original recipe. They are juicy, healthy, delicious and the simplest dinner you will make.
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Healthy, Salads

Cucumber & Tomato Salad

Before I get into the featured recipe, I wanted to introduce you to our newest addition to the family. I have had my eye on a sleek entry-level DSLR camera for quite some time. As I am quite loyal to the Canon brand of cameras, the EOS Rebel T3i was an easy choice. Therefore, from this moment on all my photos will be captured by this beauty. I hope you enjoy! Moving on…

This featured salad is my all-time favourite. It’s super light and simple to make. Plus the colours are gorgeous. My boyfriend makes this salad regularly for potlucks and it’s always a huge hit. Tomato, cucumber, onion and parsley. Perfect use of all your garden vegetables!

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Desserts

Blueberry Ice Cream

I frequent food blogs a lot. Some people zone out in front of the television after a long day at work. I zone out in front of my computer reading my favourite websites. Other people’s creations almost always inspire me to experiment in the kitchen. (more…)

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Desserts

Blueberry Buckle

I love pastry, especially dense ones like coffee cake. This time of year, I especially love berries. There is nothing better than baking with fresh berries that are in season. This recipe is not a Claudia classic, but one that I felt was worth blogging about. It is adapted from Cooks Illustrated. The dense, lemon flavored cake mixed with delicious plump blueberries is a great dessert to feature in the hot summer months. It’s also extremely simple to make.

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Desserts

1 Year

It’s been 1 year since the start of our blog. We would like to thank each and every one of our readers for sticking around and supporting us. Your comments and blog, Facebook and Twitter visits mean the world to us. Here is to many more years of cooking with Claudia and sharing her recipes to the world.

…And of course it wouldn’t have been a true celebration without Claudia’s Skor Cake 🙂

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Desserts

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

The original goal of this blog when it was first conceived was for me to learn and document all the amazing recipes that Claudia had in her cookbook. This blog recently turned 1 year old, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job at showcasing some of her best work. However, every now and then Claudia and I come across some fantastic recipes from others that we feel require some showcasing as well. My boyfriend’s Mom is also an amazing baker. There are countless recipes of hers I would love to get my hands on and feature. However, I’ve been told by her that the only way that will happen is if I marry her son. Fair trade off, right?

This Chocolate Zucchini Cake is one of my boyfriend’s favourite recipes from his Mom. He loves this cake so much that he requests that I bake it for him each year for his birthday. I can’t complain…it’s absolutely delicious. If it wasn’t for Claudia’s beloved Skor Cake, I’d be requesting Chocolate Zucchini Cake for my birthday as well.

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