Cream Mushroom Sauce Penne

I have been slacking in my recipe department, but I’m back on track and I’ve found a great recipe that’s quick and delicious! I am a huge fan of pasta, and when I found this recipe in my recipe book, I couldn’t stop making it! For the past few weeks I’ve made this dish at least once a week! It’s a must try in my books! Bom Appetit! ~Love CTina xoxo

Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 1-2 onions or shallots sliced
- 1 lb mushrooms sliced
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp. all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp port (I use occasionally)
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
- 12 oz dried penne
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Melt the butter in heavy-bottom skillet. Add the onions or shallots and cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add mushrooms and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute.

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cream and port.  Return to heat and add the sun-dried tomatoes, stir occasionally for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a pot of boiled water, add pasta and cook until tender.  Once cooked, drain and add the mushroom sauce and cook for 3 minutes.  Serve in a warm serving dish and sprinkle chopped parsley.

Sugar Cookies + Royal Icing

It’s always a holiday family tradition to bake sugar cookies and then decorate them! This year with so many hectic schedules, it was hard to get all of us in the kitchen at the same time! I decided that I was going to bake the first batch alone! Icing the cookies is such a time consuming and tedious job, but likely I found this great royal icing recipe that was much easier to handle than a buttercream icing, that I usually used!

Cheddar Cheese Scones

Normally I love to eat plain scones with butter and strawberry jam at tea time, but last night was craving something a bit different! I opened the fridge to find 3 bars of cheddar cheese (one of my favorite cheeses!) and felt it was a great night to bake some cheddar cheese scones (recipe found here) – Happy Eating!

 

Banana Apple Bread

As the holidays are quickly approaching us, I am testing out delicious recipes so I am prepared and know what to bake the eve of the parties! This weekend I tried this recipe for Banana Apple Bread.  If you love banana bread, then you haven’t tried anything yet until you’ve tried this fall mix! It’s moist, tasty, and best of all it’s delicious!

Halloween Cupcakes


Halloween must to be one of my favourite times of the year and cupcakes could possibly one of my favourite dessert, so why not bring the two together!  A year ago I purchased this AMAZING Martha Stewart Cupcake book – probably one of the best purchases ever !

Flipping through her book I decided that the ‘Devil’s Food Cupcakes’ would be the best recipe for this eerie day!  I used the Swiss Meringue Buttercream for icing, various shades of blacks, purples and oranges food color and Halloween sprinkles to decorate them!

drink Recipe: Bloody Caesars


There is nothing more refreshing in the mornings up north than Caesars! For the past 2 weekends I’ve been going up north to Mount Forest with my cousins! And every morning we’ve not only had a cup of coffee, but have made Caesars! The delicious mixture of Motts Clamato juice, tabasco, celery salt and vodka, just hits the spot! Caesars are more a ‘Canadian’ thing, but they are very similar to Bloody Mary’s! Major difference is the type of juice! Clamato juice is a mixture of Clam & Tomato juice, and although it may sound a bit gnarly, it is very very tasty!

So the big question, how to make a Caesar?

Ingredients:
- 6 oz. Clamato Juice
- 1-1 1/2 oz. Vodka
- 2 dashes Tabasco sauce (7-10 drops for heat-lovers)
- 4 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce
- Celery Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Lime Wedge
- 1 Crisp Celery Stalk

Directions:
Rim the glass first with the lime wedge then with the celery salt. Add 2-3 ice cubes, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and Vodka.  Top with Clamato Juice & dash of pepper.

If you would like to garnish the drink: you can do so with a lime wedge and celery stalk.  You can also add (dill pickle, pickled bean or asparagus).


Cheers! Drink up!

Fruity Water – Peaches & Oranges


For those who know me, you all know how much water I drink!  But as we all know water has no taste, and yesterday I was looking for something to make my taste buds go WOW! So I decided to add an orange and a peach into the water for the extra zing! Oh was this ever tasty!

Quick Easy Hummus Recipe


I found this great quick and easy hummus recipe online!! Hummus is one of my favorite dips for so many reasons, but mainly because it’s not only super tasty but healthy at the same time!  It is one of the world’s most famous dips and spread!

This time around I added fresh parsley to the mix to send my taste buds on a whirlwind, and I usually add paprika when serving to give that extra zing!  To serve, I usually warm up a french baguette and/or pita pieces, baby carrots and other veggies!

Top Summer Cocktails

 

Welcome to the first day of summer, so let’s get our drink on!  We have picked out this month’s top cocktail choices! These adventurous beverages are for those who love to enjoy the weekend or even a week day!  Are you getting ready to host a summer party this month? Be sure to try the Black Raspberry Sangria! For the mango lovers out there, get mango-nized with the Mango Mama, and anyone who enjoys the famous Brazilian drink, the caipirinha, add some fruit like kiwi, raspberry, or strawberry for a SUPERB summer drink!

Kick off your summer with a GREAT cocktail!!!