Check out addme_creative while you're here. It's another community that I moderate with my husband. I hope you will meet like-minded creative friends there. :D

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I created a new photo community.

Come check it out!

snapshot_hunter

There will be weekly challenges. It should be lots of fun, and I hope to see you there!

If you've come to this entry to inquire about posting access, please read the community info page first. Thanks.

If you have a question, comment, suggestion, or complaint regarding this community, please email me instead of leaving anonymous comments. I do not bite. :)

These cookies were excellent! It's a double chocolate recipe, but I chose this one because I wanted something chocolatey, but didn't have chocolate chips, so we made chocolate peanut butter chip cookies. They are very moist, soft, and brownie-like. Holy freakin' awesome stuff! Normally I use real unsalted butter for baking, but I didn't have any so I used the cheapest margarine ever and they still turned out so so sooooo good!



( Recipe! )


Find my growing recipe collection here: Minxy's Recipes
It is updated as new recipes are posted.

Sorry, I don't normally make a big friends cut like this, but back in Nov & Dec my friends list greatly expanded. Not every friendship was destined to last, and I am finding myself with less and less time for the internet these days. I was recently cut by a long time friend on here, so I guess that sort of sparked it. LJ is LJ and after awhile, new journals replace the old forgotten ones. So the cycle goes.

If you feel this was in error let me know why and I'll consider trying again.

Hello new friends!

This is a public announcement:

I recently cross-posted an add_me post in a few communities. I just wanted to let everyone know that I am not getting my notifications from LJ. If you saw my post and decided to add me, please let me know! I am only adding back those who have commented to me somewhere and expressed interest in being friends.

This does not apply to you if I've already added you. lol If you're already on my friends list, please read this intro post to get a more in depth view into my life.

Thanks, and welcome to my world!

We have been looking for this song since we first heard it on CBC's Laugh Out Loud on November 1st. I remember the day because we were in the car on our way to the UnHalloween Party. The only problem finding the song was, we could only remember half of one line that repeated over and over in our heads. The rest of the line came to me last night, and my husband found it for me just a minute ago. Now I can share it with you. Sabrina Jalees did warn that her show was about earworms. Now you have been warned too. lol

"Trevor" by George Westerholm

I read this news article last week and it really touched me. I think everyone should read this and smile. It will give your day a boost. :) (This is local news.)

Three year old saves brother's life

( Full text of the article under cut )

Update to my previous public post: http://minxy-baby.livejournal.com/463081.html

My free 8GB Zune Kit from Matchstick came today!!!!

8GB Zune Kit - Free from Matchstick!

I just got a call from Matchstick and I qualified to receive a free Zune! Canadian friends, please follow this link and see if you qualify too!

http://www.matchstick.ca/mp3/

I will post an update when I recieve the MP3 player.

Someone posted about Butter Braids last week. Just the name sounded delicious. I searched around trying to find a recipe for it, and was beginning to think this bread is a secret! I found 2 recipes that were close to what I thought it should be, and mashed them together.

I had wanted to do a creamy filling, but alas I was out of heavy cream and did not want to make a trip to the store on this rainy day. So I pulled out my husband's favourite raspberry jam to use instead.

I had intended to freeze the second loaf for when he comes home on leave next month, but I think I am going to have to bake more fresh for him. My daughter (15 months) and I already ate a third of one when it came out of the oven. She kept asking me for more. lol I think when I do this again for my husband, I'll experiment with a peanut butter & jam (no glaze) version for him and myself, and bake another jam one for my daughter.

The bread is very soft. The inside of the loaf just melts in your mouth. The outside has a crust from the egg wash. It's lightly sweet on its own, and sweeter with the jam and glaze. I should have used a knife to cut it neatly, but I was impatient and just tore it apart as it was cooling. Delicious!





( 3 more pictures )

The Recipe!

So tonight is my second last night with my husband. He's leaving the country for several months and I have been trying to make every dinner special. He is going to miss our fine Canadian foods.

Tonight I made Brie En Croute. I think I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.





( 1 more picture - Hot out of the oven )

The Recipe!

My blog is available by RSS feed: zesteasy

I watched Paula Deen make this one night and I had to make it immediately. This is now a regular dish in our house, and it’s the only meatloaf I make. It truly is delicious and such a simple meal to cook. My husband is leaving the country and requested I make this for him before he goes. Boy, is he going to miss my cooking.

I don’t know what’s better… a slice of this fresh out of the oven, or a sloppy meatloaf sandwich made with the leftovers.

( Another picture )

The Recipe!

My blog is available by RSS feed: zesteasy

I created this recipe when I was thinking about Valentine’s and creating unique flavours of food. I remembered hearing about using vanilla in a savoury dish many moons ago. I was eager to try it out, but could not find a recipe that would work for me. So I made this chicken dish using ingredients from my pantry, and it was amazing! It was exactly what I wanted, and even better than I could have imagined. It was so flavourful, and you could really taste the vanilla. The chicken was nice and moist. My husband said his favourite part was the skin.





The recipe!

My blog is available by RSS feed: zesteasy

My new blog is:

*drum roll please*

...

...

...

ZestEasy.com!

Go check it out! I wrote my first blog entry today. :D The layout will change eventually. I don't know CSS at all, so my husband will be working on that whenever he gets time... which might not be for 7.5 months.

Here's the syndicated LJ version if you want to add it your friends list: zesteasy

I'm still going to be blogging here. I am hoping to do a more professional type blog over there. LJ will still contain all my personal day to day life ramblings.

Proper update coming soon... Have lots of work to do before company comes tonight. In the meantime...


Free box of Kashi Granola Bars (Canada only). Go here and register for the coupon: http://www.foodforchange.ca

I had a bitch of a time getting their form to work. It kept saying the security code timed out after 120 seconds, but I am on high speed and am pretty fast typer. Eventually I got it to work by hitting enter on the keyboard... anytime I clicked "Next" I got an error.

Enjoy!

Macaroons These are really good! Nice and soft, chewy and coconutty, and I dipped them in chocolate for good measure. :D

Chocolate Fudge Covered Marshmallows Oh my, these were heavenly. Soft marshmallows covered in buttery chocolate fudge. They do take 2 days to finish, so it's a lot of work, but well worth the effort. It makes about double the amount of marshmallow cream you need, so now I have some extra to use with ice cream or cake or something. The marshmallows were simple enough to make, just very sticky to work with. I can definitely see myself making just the marshmallows alone for hot chocolate, or the marshmallow cream to use on cakes. The fudge is very rich and not something we would normally eat often. But definitely a nice treat now and then.

These tortillas are a little thicker than store bought ones. They make 6 inch rounds, but I rolled them even thinner than called for to get approximately 8 inch rounds. They roll up best when they are still warm, but not piping hot out of the pan. They are great for roll-ups, or even as a layered casserole. I made a beef roll-up type of dish with them and they turned out great, nice and soft and chewy after they soaked up my sauce in the oven. Delicious! I made a plain cheese and veggie one for my 1 year old daughter and she loved it!

This is the first recipe I tried and it worked out well. They are much easier to make than I had imagined. One day I will try tortillas again using a different recipe to see how it comapres in terms of texture and thickness. This was my first try and I don't want to say these are the best when there could be a better recipe out there. Next time I also might try experimenting with whole wheat and maybe seasonings.



( Two more pictures, plus the recipe! )


Find my growing recipe collection here: Minxy's Recipes
It is updated as new recipes are posted.

Thanks so much to one of my Canadian friends, two_step, for the information on free stuff. I just had to pass it on to the rest of my Canadian LJ friends.

Futura Program - Do your everyday grocery shopping and get free money on select products (most of which you probably already buy) to put towards Retirement Savings, Education Savings, Student Loan Repayment, or Charitable Giving. Just save your UPC codes and shop at participating stores.

I think that has to be the coolest fucking thing I've ever heard. I'm just pissed off I didn't know about it before Serenity was born! All the Heinz and Pampers products I bought in the last year, man!

Every coupon clipping Canadian should also be aware of Save.ca. Select the coupons you want and they will be mailed to your house. I usually receive them in a matter of days. Very handy!

Blogs: I have come across a couple decent blogs that focus on free stuff, like coupons and samples, for Canadians. I have made syndicated feeds for 2 websites that I think stand out: cdn_free_stuff and smart_canucks. Now I can read their updates straight from my friends page and never miss an offer.

If you know of anymore websites or programs out there, please let me know and I will update this public entry for my Canadian readers.

This ice cream is nice and light, closer to that "store bought" taste, but better. :) I've made vanilla ice cream before, but it started with a custard base which makes for a very rich and heavy ice cream. The custard based ice creams are good when you want a something decadent, and in small portions. The ice cream is good at any time!

The original recipe makes 6 quarts. I halved it to fit my ice cream maker.



( The Recipe! )


Find my growing recipe collection here: Minxy's Recipes
It is updated as new recipes are posted.

I got the urge to make doughnuts last night. I don't know what came over me. I've never made them before, but I just had to try. And OMG these were the BEST glazed doughnuts I've ever had. Ever. My husband thinks so too. I'm defintely filing this recipe away.

Homemade Glazed Doughnuts

( A couple more pictures plus the recipe! )

I HATE the commercials these guys put out. They are so graphic. They make me cringe every time.

This is the most current one, or at least the one that always seems to be on:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=noFCekWiUGE

Another one:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0Haa4QImf40

Another:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uniqmkPeaZ4

I hate this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf_LWq88H5I

One more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb22mvWavsc

You might be able to find more on their website, but I can only find creepy cartoon people.

::shudders::

This is essentially a brownis that you can add different toppings to. I made the Mocha version. As with a regular brownie, nuts would be good in the batter or sprinkled on top of icing. These dry out in a couple of days, so you may want to cut the recipe in half (reduce pan size and cooking time) if you aren't feeding a large group.



( Recipe & 1 More Picture )


Find my growing recipe collection here: Minxy's Recipes
It is updated as new recipes are posted.

This cheesecake is very rich and makes quite a few pieces. I individually wrapped each piece and put them in freezer so we can enjoy them for a couple of weeks.



( Recipe & 1 More Picture )


Find my growing recipe collection here: Minxy's Recipes
It is updated as new recipes are posted.

This has to be our favourite holiday dessert. We make it year round too, but at Christmas time it's a must. If you like desserts like Key Lime Pie or Lemon Meringue Pie, you will love this. The bottom layer is a shortbread-like crust. The middle layer is a creamy, tangy, lemon custard. And the topping is a coconut meringue.

I use a lemon custard powder in the first layer to give it more lemon flavour and a yellow colouring. I use cornstarch when I am out of custard powder or when I feel like a more traditional shortbread-like crust.

This recipe came from my mom, but I don't know it's origin. I'm sure she wouldn't mind me sharing it. One of the joys of cooking is sharing your favourite recipes with friends.



( Recipe & 1 More Picture )


Find my growing recipe collection here: Minxy's Recipes
It is updated as new recipes are posted.

I saw this on my friends page (from the food_porn community - here) and ran off to make it right away. I misread the recipe and used twice the amount of syrup. Whoops! I diluted it to the proper ratio, but I think next time I will use slightly less than what the recipe actually calls for. I did not add any whipped cream, but instead I just topped it with the milk foam and a sprinkle of nutmeg. It was super yummy! Try it, you'll love it. :D

Starbucks® Gingerbread Latte®

This recipe is for a single grande-size latte but you'll have enough syrup for as many as seven drinks.

Gingerbread Syrup
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup fresh espresso
1 cup milk, steamed (with a little foam)

Garnish
whipped cream
ground nutmeg

1. Make the gingerbread syrup by combining water, sugar, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Be sure the pan is not too small or the mixture could easily bubble over.

2. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer syrup, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat when it's done and slap a lid on it.

3. Make a double shot of espresso (1/2 cup), using an espresso machine. Use the machine to steam 8 ounces of milk, or heat up the milk in themicrowave if your machine does not foam and steam milk.

4. Make your latte by first adding 1/2 cup espresso to a 2 cup mug. Add 1/4 cup gingerbread syrup, followed by the steamed milk. Stir.

5. Top off the drink with a dollop of whipped cream, and a sprinkle of nutmeg.


Find my growing recipe collection here: Minxy's Recipes
It is updated as new recipes are posted.

These cookies are crunchy and go very good with tea. They make a good dunking cookie. The taste is buttery with a delightfully mild Earl Grey flavour. I loved them and want to try another batch with green tea and a batch with some of our loose Chai. These cookies don't take long to prepare or bake, but the dough needs 30 minutes to chill so keep that in mind.



( Recipe )


Find my growing recipe collection here: Minxy's Recipes
It is updated as new recipes are posted.

This is a very tasty alternative to our usual high fat banana bread. This bread is low on calories, but high on taste. There is a small amount of coconut that brings a little bit of sweetness and texture. The glaze is also delicious.



( Recipe )


Find my growing recipe collection here: Minxy's Recipes
It is updated as new recipes are posted.

Check out this site! It's completely free and addicting.

For each word you get right, we donate 10 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger.

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

It's fun. You have to pick the right definition of a word. I'm learning some new words as I go. :) I've donated 2240 grains of rice so far. It takes about 8000 grains of rice to make a cup, so play and play lots!