Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I just have to share this recipe because it is so delicious!!!  They are very easy to make in a hurry, they freeze wonderful and everyone LOVES them.  They are the prefect "fall" muffin.

1 cup pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

This is one of those amazing recipes where you put everything into the mixer, in order it is listed.  Mix for a minute or two until everything is combined.  Spoon into muffin tins and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Father's Day Menu

We had such a great Fathers day celebrating my amazing husband!!!  I know he LOVES my cookin so I wanted to prepare an amazing BBQ supper for him. So here is the delicious menu I whipped up. 

Ribs taste so much better when they are cooked for a long period of time so first thing in the morning I started to prepare the ribs.  The first thing to preparing moist, melt in your mouth ribs, is to remove the thin layer of membrane that lays on the back of the ribs .  Then seasoned them with a delicious rub and put them into the crock pot.  You can read my rib recipe over here.

For a side dish I whipped up this delicious loaded baked potato salad.  This was so yummy and will be a hit at any of your next summer get togethers.

We LOVE cornbread around here but it is even better cooked in the cast iron skillet.  Here is my scrumptious recipe. 

Now lets move onto dessert!!!  This peach pie has become one of our family favorites.  It is very simple to make, but it does require time to set in the refrigerator so be sure to prepare in advance. 

Incase you can't read my recipe you can find it in full over here. 

It was my first time making a strawberry rhubarb pie and I must say that the family enjoyed it very much!  It was the prefect balance of sweet and tart.  This is defiantly a pie that was easy to make and you could have the ingredients in your freezer year round.   I have picked and chopped up my rhubarb and frozen 4 cups in a freezer bag with PIE written on it. That way when rhubarb season is over I will have the prefect amount ready to make this pie. 

And there you have it our delicious Fathers Day menu!  Hope you get to try out some of these recipes :)  

Skillet Corn Bread

Corn Bread is such a wonderful addition to so many meals but when it is baked in a skillet it just enters a whole new world of awesome!   I have tried a lot of different corn bread recipes but this is my FAV!

Recipe

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients.  In a small bowl combine all wet ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.

In a skillet melt (1/4 cup of butter or shortening) over medium heat.  When the butter is fully melted and sizzles a little bit add in your batter.  Cook for 1-2  minutes - The batter will sizzle and the butter will come up the sides and onto the top of the batter.

Place skillet into a pre heated oven 400 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe is absolutely delicious.  It compliments chilli, soups and ribs very well.  It also makes a yummy dessert when served with honey or maple syrup.

BBQ Ribs

This rib recipe was absolutely delicious!!!   I am going to try to walk you through what I did to make a melt in your mouth ribs.  

I started by removing the tough membrane that covers the bony side of the ribs.  This helps the ribs to be moist and not tough and chewy.  Next I used a basic rub mix that we keep in our house,  this is the recipe that my husband uses.   Make sure your ribs are covered in this mixtures.   Once they were covered I actually put the ribs in tinfoil and stuffed them into my crock pot.  They were really big and didn't fit nicely in there so I covered the top of the crock pot with tinfoil instead of using the lid.  I wish I had a picture of it...then I left the ribs to cook on high while we were at church (2 hours) and then low for the rest of the afternoon.  

About 1/2 an hour before we were ready to eat I fried up the grill to get a nice colour on them.  While they were grilling I coated them in a homemade BBQ sauce.  

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Ketchup

Molasses

Cider Vinegar

Hickory BBQ sauce

liquid smoke (this is so delicious) 

Pour all ingredients in a pot and let simmer.  This is key to a good BBQ sauce flavour is making sure you have cooked it all together.  If it is too thick you can add some water to it. 

Coat well in BBQ sauce and serve hot!!  

Frozen Hot Chocolate

This has been my year for Hot Chocolate.  All winter long I have enjoyed a delicious hot cup in the evenings topped with whipped cream and a pinch of salt (I know sounds weird but trust me you MUST try it...so delicious).   Last summer I discovered frozen hot chocolate from our local second cup and its something I crave on those hot summer days.  So I decided to search for a recipe and then create my own.  So here is my frozen hot chocolate treat.

Ice
Hot chocolate mix
Coco powder
Milk
Whip cream
Pinch of salt
Sprinkles (for the kids).

In a blender combine ice, hot chocolate mix, coco powder (1 tbsp) and milk (1 1/2 cups per hot chocolate pouch).  When combined pour into cups and serve topped with whip cream and a pinch of salt.

Enjoy on those hot summer days.

Easter Popcorn

We LOVE popcorn around here and during the Easter season we LOVE mini eggs...so why not combine two of our favourites together to get this delicious Party in your Month!!   I wish I could say that I came up with this idea on my own but I did not.  It was friends of ours who opened our eyes to this addictive treat.  

It is simple 

Popcorn popped with lots of butter and salt and a few handfuls of mini eggs tossed into the mix :)   It is so delightful getting a huge handful or sweet and salty.  

No bake birds nest

This are such a fun and delicious spring time treat that is super easy to make.  All you need is 4 ingredients.

1 bag Chocolate Chips

1 bag Butterscotch Chips

1/2 bag Chow Mein Noodles

Mini Eggs 

Melt your chips together then add in about 1/2 the bag of noodles. Place by spoonfuls into a greased muffin pan or you can use beautiful spring coloured muffin liners.  With a spoon (or your fingers) make an indent for the nest. Refrigerate for a few hours then add as many mini eggs to your nest as you would like. 

These look so beautiful used as place settings for your Easter Supper.  They also make fun welcome to spring treats :)