Oh. My. God.

http://www.makoodle.com/gourmet-rice-krispie-treats/

As you can tell this blog is a reflection of the author’s sweet tooth….lol. I just cannot help myself though. The picture of these treats is just gorgeous and well, LOOK AT THE TOPPING!

When we moved to New Zealand from Canada in 1971, you could not even buy coco cola!! True story. Mum made loads of things that made our new friends simultaneously wince and smile – try it. It is quite a talent. Rice Krispie treats made their way on the scene but made with honey which made them bullet-like! Ewwwwww! My family is responsible for introducing the much beloved peanut butter and jam sammie. At first our new friends thought we were barking mad but they soon saw the light at the end of the sandwich!

Enjoy these morsels but remember to share.

Lots of love
Cinnamon xxxxxxxxx

I love cooking!

Bet that was a surprise, eh? I have been doing a bit of a post bomb today but it was so fun. This blog is not intended to specifically be a food blog and this is because I would get bored keeping to one area. I notice that the blog gets alot more traffic when I post food-related things and that is very cool indeed.

Anyhoo, I adore cooking food,reading about food,writing about it,and sharing it. It is a serious passion for me to the point that I did do some professional training but did not enjoy the professional kitchen at all especially being yelled at…….

For me,cooking for others is simply the most loving thing that I can do. Teaching others about food is awesome as well. New Zealand has taken a long time to adopt overseas food trends and ingredients can be expensive and crazy-hard to find. Thank god for online shopping………I can’t wait to get back to Toronto and to have so many ingredients to cook with.

Cooking food also gives you control over what goes in your mouth but rest assured I am not going to waffle on about ‘healthy eating’. I do watch what I eat but I do not go without a single thing and refuse to quite frankly. Let’s face it, baking is not the same without butter and sugar. My food philosophy is simply to keep your food real and make as much of your own stuff as possible and here is an example:

BLENDER MAYO

1 3/4 c oil
2 eggs
1/2 t salt
juice of half a lemon (add more if need be)
1t mustard (I use dijon)

Put all of this into an old jar and whiz with a stick blender. I swear you will have THE BEST MAYO in under 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Love Cinnamon

Bananas are’nt just for monkeys…..

http://www.thekitchn.com/magic-one-ingredient-ice-cream-5-ways-peanut-butter-nutella-and-more-1716

This banana ice cream is AMAZING…………..

While I support eating sensibly, I actually refuse to cut anything out of my diet and find the words ‘healthy eating’ quite tiring. My food philosophy is eat what the heck you like but in moderation. I use butter, sugar, cream and all those other fab things that we are meant to go into spasms of guilt over and LOVE IT! Food is a joy and passion for me and I can happily say that I enjoy every aspect of it.

I think life is but a short wee thing and that is why you should find the joy and happiness in the food you prepare and cook.

Check Out These Babies!

I am a Pinterest FREAK! I love it and have found so many cool things on it but I would say today was a particularly good day.

I love sharing food ideas which probably means I am not a true food blogger. Most food bloggers seem to develop their own things as do I, but there is so much out there that is share-worthy.

Skip across and look for my boards on Pinterest. Look up Sue Stopford.

http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2011/06/smores-cupcakes.html

Love
Cinnamon

Got Me Some…….

Yip, after hearing so much about how good coconut oil is, I ventured out in the rain and cold and found this tub from the local supermarket.

I have eaten some and it was nice. Lovely after taste.

Where do you get yours from and for how much? What has it done for you?

Love
Cinnamon

Greening up our life: Coconut Oil – the many uses

I love sharing things other people post. Coconut oil is really amazing and I highly recommend it.

You Gotta Try This…..Seriously!

Okay, so I haven’t posted many food chats on here recently but just had to share this one. I am a huge foodie and massive fan of Jamie Oliver. I love him!!!!! This dish is beyond fabulous and literally takes 15 minutes to do from start to finish.

GORGEOUS GREEK CHICKEN with Herby Couscous and Tzatziki

Serves 4
Ingredients

For the couscous
1 mug (300g) of couscous
2 mixed-colour peppers
1 fresh red chilli
4 spring onions
½ a bunch of fresh dill
200 g podded raw or frozen peas
1 small handful of black olives (stone in)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
40 g feta cheese
For the chicken
2 x 200 g skinless higher-welfare chicken breasts
1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 lemon
olive oil
For the tzatziki
½ a cucumber
250 g fat-free natural yoghurt
½ a lemon
½ a bunch of fresh mint
Method

Ingredients out • Kettle boiled • Large frying pan, medium-high heat • Food processor (bowl blade)

START COOKING
Put 1 mug of couscous and 2 mugs of boiling water into a bowl with a pinch of salt and cover • On a large sheet of greaseproof paper, toss the chicken with salt, pepper, the oregano, allspice and finely grated lemon zest • Fold over the paper, then bash and flatten the chicken to 1.5cm thick with a rolling pin • Put into the frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, turning after 3 or 4 minutes, until golden and cooked through

Using a box grater, coarsely grate the cucumber • Sprinkle it with a good pinch of salt, then squeeze and scrunch with clean hands to get rid of the excess salty water • Pop in a bowl with the yoghurt, juice of ½ a lemon and a pinch of pepper, finely chop and add the top leafy half of the mint, then mix together • Remove the stalk and seeds from the peppers and chilli, then pulse in the processor with the trimmed spring onions and the dill until finely chopped • Scatter over a large tray or platter

Add the peas to the veg (if using frozen peas, blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes first), destone and tear over the olives, then squeeze over the juice of the zested lemon and add the extra virgin olive oil • Fluff up and scatter over the couscous, toss well and season to taste • Move the cooked chicken to a board, slice it up, then lay it around the couscous • Crumble over the feta and serve with the tzatziki.

You are so welcome!

Love Cinnamon

Comfort: roasted caramelised whole garlic and slow ribs

I LOVE it when I come across food that makes happy to be alive….enjoy!

Saucy gander

The world has felt out of kilter this week.

The flood of images from Boston; strange encounters at work and after work; a sudden drop in temperature catapulting us from late summer into early winter.

And this morning, one of those torrential, tropical downpours that reminds Sydney siders life is not all about sunburn and beaches. None of those polite drizzles, this was rain with fat, heavy raindrops far heavier than any water saving showerhead can produce. The kind of rain that floods footpaths and cafes, gets under your umbrella and splashes up to knee height, and has us talking about carpentry skills for building Noah’s Ark.

It didn’t feel like a baking day, as I had planned. It was a day for a hot toddy, lemon ginger apple juice, or mulled wine, or congee or chicken soup. Something that says comfort blanket. A day for warm fireplaces, long slow…

View original post 977 more words

Nutella Stuffed Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies and Women of Color Collective 3Ls

This is a fab blog. She takes fab pics and is really funny…….

Slutty Brownies

I promised that I would share the recipe for Slutty Brownies so it is. It is borrowed from a website called Gaby Cooks.

Slutty Brownies
Yield: 1 9×9 brownie pan

Serving Size: 16 brownies per recipe

Ingredients

For the Brownie layer:
10 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup AP flour
For the Oreo layer:
1 package of Oreo (regular stuffed or double stuffed)
For the Cookie Dough layer:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions

For the Brownie layer:
In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the sugar and cocoa powder once the butter is melted. Whisk to combine and remove from heat. Add the salt, vanilla and eggs and continuously whisk until the eggs are combined. Add the flour and continue to mix. Set batter aside.
For the Cookie Dough layer:
Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set dough aside.
Assembly:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line the bottom of a 9×9 baking pan with tin foil and then spray the tin foil with a layer of baking spray.
Layer the cookie dough on the bottom of a 9×9 baking pan, pressing down to form the bottom of the slutty brownies.
Layer as many oreos that will fit on top of the cookie dough. No need to overlap. One single layer will do.
Pour the brownie batter on top of the oreo layer and make sure it’s evenly layers on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Test with a knife to see if the center is done. If the knife comes out clean, let the brownies rest before serving. If the knife comes out with batter still on it, allow the brownies to bake about 5 minutes more.
Serve with ice cream 🙂

Enjoy!