Holiday DIY: Homemade Baileys

The holidays are here and with it comes all the parties come all the boozing! We are big fans of ceasers and baileys for the holidays in our family.

A close family friend has been making his own homemade Baileys for as long as I can remember. Last year I decided to try my hand at it and now I will never go back to buying it! This version is so much creamier and goes down do much smoother, no after bite!

With loads of parties to go to needing a little gift to give and lots of family gatherings coming, it's the perfect time of year for you guys to test out this recipe yourself!

What You'll Need

INGREDIENTS 

-1 cup wild turkey 
-1 cup 1/2 &1/2 
-1/2 tsp coconut extract 
-1/2 tsp almond extract 
-1 tin condensed milk 
-3 eggs 
-3 tbsp choc. syrup

Put it all in an blender, blend for 1 minute and you're ready to go! 1 bottle of wild turkey makes just over 3 batches and each batch fills just about 1 empty wine bottle. I tend to keep empty wine bottles in the fall for when I make this and I have a couple more decorative ones on had for when we have company or to give it as a gift. 

I have also packed them up in mini bottles attached to mason jars with coco mix and marsh mallows like the idea bellow. The hard part is finding mini unlabled bottles so stock up if you see any throughout the year!

And lastly you can set up a super cute little coco station like I did for our party last night. People can make their own coco and add baileys, great for when you have family over. I also make coffee ice cubes to have on hand for those who like to drink it cold. They are stowed away in my frezzer in zip lock bags.

Hope every ones week is off to a great start and let me know what you think of the recipe!

Recipe: Cauliflower Bacon Cheddar Chowder!

I made this soup a few weeks back for me and Nate, we loved it so much that I made it again this past weekend when we were up at the cottage for a family gathering. Everyone seemed to love it as much as us so I wanted to share the recipe here for you guys!

It takes a bit of prep and you'll have to be in the kitchen the whole time you make it. It's not a prep and relax kind of recipe but it's well worth the efforts in the end!

Ingredients

8 slices of bacon, chopped (half used for garnish)
1/2 of a large white onion chopped
2 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper
4 cups shredded or grated cauliflower (1/2 large head)
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth, divided
2 cups 2% milk
3-4 dashes hot sauce (or more or less)
2-1/2 cups (12oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (half used for garnish)
2 green onions, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Whisk together flour and 1/4 cup chicken broth in a small bowl then set aside.
2. Saute bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep all bacon drippings drippings in the pot. Add chopped onion, celery, and garlic to the pot then season with salt and pepper and saute until vegetables are tender, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add shredded cauliflower to the pot then stir to combine. ( if you do not have a food processor to shred the cauliflower shop VERY small)Add water then place a lid on top and steam cauliflower until tender, stirring a couple times, about 5-7 minutes. Add remaining chicken broth and milk then turn up heat and bring to a boil.
4. Slowly whisk in flour/chicken broth mixture while stirring, then turn down heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until chowder has thickened. Turn off heat then stir in 2 cups cheddar cheese until smooth, then stir in half the cooked bacon. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Serve topped with remaining shredded cheese, cooked bacon, and green onions, if desired.

Recipe: Burrito Bowls

For those of you that don't know me and Nate used to live in San Diego and we often miss Mexican treats. So from time to time I love to make some Mexican inspired meals  to fulfill our cravings. Burrito bowls is super yummy easy dinner that I will for sure make again!

You'll want to prep a few of the toppings the night before to make for a quick dinner prep the next day. I make my own homemade guacamole and salsa but you could for sure go store bought and not have to worry about the the night before prep. Though I think homemade tastes so much better and is much healthier of course.

Ingredients
Rice:
2 cup cooked brown rice (I prefer brown but you can for sure use white)
2 limes juiced
1 handful of chopped cilantro
1 stalk green onion chopped
1/4 t. chile powder
1/8 t. cumin
Salt to taste

Toppings:
1 chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces and cooked
Black beans
Chopped red and yellow peppers
Shredded cheese of choice
Plain greek yogurt (sour cream if you prefer)
Guacamole
Salsa

Stir lime juice, green onion, and parsley into the cooked rice. Season with  chile powder cumin and salt to taste salt and set aside.

Divide rice into serving bowls, and toppings and enjoy!

Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie Soup!!!

So to begin with, yes this tastes as amazing as it sounds! So perfect for the winter months ahead and super easy recipe. As always I found this recipe online and made my own changes and additions.

It made the perfect amount for me and Nate to have a meal as well as freeze more than enough for another meal. It would be the perfect amount for a family of 4 for 1 meal though I would suggest doubling the recipe to have some left over to freeze for those lazy winter nights when you're not in the mood to cook.

The perfect companion for this soup would be some warm tea biscuits (this is a recipe my mom has used or years and they always turn out perfect). But I 2was feeling a little sick the day I made it so left it to just the soup. I wanted to be in bed bundled up not in the kitchen any longer.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups water 
• 5 cups fat free or skim milk
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 of a large white chopped onion
• 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped
• 2 chicken bouillons
• fresh ground pepper
  
• pinch of thyme
• 1 cup canned, frozen or fresh corn
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 16 oz cooked chicken breast, diced small
• 2 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp onion powder

Directions

Create a paste by combining 1/2 cup of the cold water with flour in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside.

Chop chicken into small bite sized pieces and cook in frying pan with a bit of oil on medium heat until cooked through. Set aside

Pour remaining water and milk into a large pot and slowly bring to a boil. Add celery, onion, carrots, chicken bullion, thyme, fresh pepper, corn and return to a boil. Partially cover and simmer on low until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. 

 Remove lid, add potatoes and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add chicken, and slowly flour paste, stirring well as you add. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until soup thickens, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve.

I made a fast little garlic toast to go with it. Enjoyed every spoonful and hope you guys will too!

Recipe:Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

I had a huge piece of Brisket left in the freezer  so I as always, googled some recipes. I found a few that sounded pretty alright but decided to go with Paula Deen's Brisket recipe, cause I mean really, how can that woman go wrong?

Ingredients
2 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon dry mustard
1   bay leaf, crushed
4 lb beef brisket, trimmed
1 1/2 cup beef stock
1 1/2 cup water

I really liked this recipe because aside from the beef stock I had all the ingredients in the cupboard!

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf. Season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Add beef stock and enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan. Lower oven to 300 degrees F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours, or until fork-tender.

Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan.

Served it with garlic mash and brown sugar carrots! This was an insanely easy recipe with a huge pay off. Took max 10 mins to toss together before putting it in the oven, the meat turned out amazingly tasty and moist and I didn't have to pay any attention to it for 3 hours!

Perfect recipe to try for a Sunday night dinner or if you are having people over because this cut of meat is cheap you get so much for your money!

Adventures In Food: The Whalesbone Edition

We live literally a block from this super cozy restaurant called The Whalesbone. They are a seafood restaurant, there for I have been a  few times because seafood is an addiction for me.

 (stole this from google images cause I forgot to snap a pic of the outside)

Having so much family out east when I was growing up, I would spend summers out there and try everything under the sun. There for I am not scared of anything food wise these days. Which is good because they specialize in oyesters! OMG THE OYSTERS! K but let me get back on track.

So Nate always hears me rave about how amazing the food there is and wanted to go. It is pretty pricey there so we saved it for a special occasion. Last night was out wedding anniversary so we made some reservations to have dinner there. Reservations are  a must, I have never been there and not seen this place full to the brim. Last night was the perfect example, 7pm on a Wednesday night that also happened to be Halloween and had we not had reservations we for sure would have been sent packing lol.

This place is very tiny and generally you are sitting pretty close to the next table, but I find it adds to the homey cozy atmosphere of the restaurant.

We started off with oysters! The Whalesbone is a local distributor for fresh sustainable seafood out of their retail store on Kent a few blocks from the restaurant (they sell the the public as well and have an awesome little lunch menu out of the retail store). Not to mention they run the Ottawa Oyster Fest. So when you are getting oysters here you know just how fresh they are going to be!

They serve them with every type of sauce and reduction under the sun to choose from. I think Nate was a little scared at first but he loved them!  They gave us a selection with some from the east and west coast. I was pretty much in heaven.

Next was on to the mussels. We got a pound of PEI mussels served in a thai inspired broth with peanuts and herbs. IT WAS AMAZING! I will probly some time in the near future be tempted to go in on a normal night get 2 orders of these and count it as dinner lol.

For mains I got the lobster with chorizo and root veg and  Nate got the steak and  fries.

We both barely talked through our whole mains because they were soooooo good, we were busy being food focused lol. Don't let the pictures deceive you either these were huge platings. We were both about to burst by the time we were done.

Though that doesn't mean we were able to resist a desert lol. We got churros with chocolate! There are our so full we might puke bvut about to eat desert faces....

I don't even think we left crumbs on any of our plates everything was delicious and worth every penny of our very expensive bill lol.

Last but not least, food coma Nate and Wren soooo ready t go toss on some sweat pants amd hoodies and watch a movie <3

Slow Cooker Recipe - Apple Cider Pork Roast

This was my first time making this recipe which I found in an old magazine. Making any recipe for the first time dcan be a hit or a miss. It can also be a miss that you know could be a hit with a few changes the next time around. So the recipe I post will be an altered version of what I actually made so that it will turn out perfect next time around.

The flavors were amazing together but some came through a little strong and the cooking time suggested was a little longer then I felt it should have been. My pork turned out a little dry because of it. Still delish but a few tweaks needed for next time which I have put into the following recipe for you guys

Ingredients

1 (2 lb.) boneless Pork Loin Roast

1 1/2  cup apple cider

1/2 cup root beer

3/4  teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1/2 cup craisins


Directions
Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.  In a nonstick skillet, brown pork for about 2 minutes on each side.  Pour apple cider and root beer in  slow cooker.  Place one sprig rosemary in slow cooker; top with meat and remaining rosemary.  Place craisins around the roast.  Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until meat is tender. DO NOT OVER COOK. Remove meat, cut and serve

Super simple but you for sure want to check on the pork to ensure you don't over cook it. There for it's not one of those toss together and forget about slow cooking recipes but it is work the little extra attention

Hope you guys enjoy this one!

What We Ate Wednesday

Delightful cheddar rosemary jalapeno bread and baked treats from Art Is In Bakery

Snacks for game night at our place

Left over veg snack from game night along with my fave couscous salad from The Herb and Spice

Steak and Potato Gratin for dinner!

Pesto pizza with shrimp, orange bell peppers and bacon

Epic treats from Truffle Treasures in The Glebe. Truffles, dark chocolate cranberry bark, apple caramel fudge and chocolate raspberry fudge!

Spinach wraps with Barbacoa Beef and homemade Salsa Fresca

Homemade stuffing, Apple cider pork roast (recipe coming tomorrow) and garlic green beans

Clearly we  have been eating well lately! As soon as fall rolls around I get back in my cooking grove!