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I was half-tempted to title this blog "Totally Junky and Fattening Granola Bars" because I thought it might attract more of you!  But, it’s true, these granola bars are HEALTHY!  And not only are they healthy, they’re DELICIOUS!  

I was scanning Passionate Homemaking’s blog, and Lindsay posted this recipe for granola bars.  Boy are they amazing!  I made mine with pumpkin seeds, peanut butter, raisins and maple syrup (there are a few variations for some ingredients).  I also added about less than a 1/4 cup of granola as well.  They are so good!  You should check out the link and make them!  Both my husband and I love them.  And the best part is that we know that we’re not eating any crazy chemicals or other preservatives that most granola bars have! (That’s my granola bar featured above!)

Not only are they great for snacks, but they’re great for company.  They could even be used as a treat at a holiday dinner!  If you cut them into squares instead of rectangles you can put them out on a plate and enjoy them at a potluck this party season!  

Happy healthy treat eating!   

Last Wednesday I shared some household tips on ways to use tea beyond drinking it!  Today I want to share with you the differences between preparing different types of tea, as well as a couple of gadgets that we like to use at our house.

Black Tea: The boiling point for black tea needs to be at 99C or else the active substances in the black tea will not develop.  The most common problem when making black tea is using water that is not hot enough!  Black teas are best when steeped for no more than 5 minutes, but definitely not less than 30 seconds.  A popular black tea that my husband loves is Darjeeling tea.  He also loves vanilla plantation tea, which is another yummy black tea.  My personal favourite black tea is Lady Grey.  

Green or White Tea: Water for green tea should be around 80-85C.  Hotter water will burn green tea which will produce a bitter taste.  If you are drinking a high quality green or white tea you can add more water to the tea 4 or 5 times.  Bring the water to just before the boil and steep green tea for 1-3 minutes, and white tea for 3-5 minutes.  I like normal plain green tea.  It’s great for digesting food.

Herbal Tea: After bringing water to a full boil, steep your herbal tea for 7-10 minutes.  My favourite herbal tea is Peppermint.  It’s so aromatic and relaxing when needing unwind.

The Tea Tube: I have struggled with various tea balls, and other tea gadgets, but I have now discovered the most amazing tea gadget!  We own a tea tube, and it is wonderful.  It doesn’t let the little tea bits float all throughout our tea, and it is easily cleaned in warm soapy water.  This is used daily at our house!

French Coffee Press: I know, I know…this post is about tea…so what’s with the French coffee press, right?  Well, as much as I love the tea tube, sometimes you need to make a full pot of loose tea, not just one cup.  This is where the French coffee press comes in handy!  You sprinkle your loose tea in the bottom of the press, and pour your water on top.  Put the lid on, but DON’T PRESS THE PRESS DOWN yet…let it steep as per the instructions above, and the slide the press to the bottom.  You’ll be amazed at how clear your cup of tea is!  

Stay tuned next week for more info on the love of tea! 

We have a dear elderly lady that lives behind us and she has an AMAZING garden!  She even has kiwi trees!  Today while Peter was out checking on our garden she offered to give us a huge bag-full of fresh plums from her plum tree!  They were quite ripe though, so I needed to find a way to preserve them for us throughout the winter, because even though I’d like to, we just can’t eat 200 plums in one sitting! :)  This is what I did to preserve my plums:

1.) Wash all of the plums in cool water.

2.) Lay them out in a single layer to dry.

3.) Create a juice mixture to preserve them in.  You can do 1 of 2 things: 1.) Use plain fruit juice.  There is no preparation for that! or 2.) Mix 1 cup of honey (or maple syrup) for every 3 cups of water.  If you do this mixture, then you need to heat them in a pot until the honey or maple syrup dissolved.  Let it cool to room temperature.

4.) Halve and pit the plums.  Once you have enough for a ziploc freezer bag, mix in 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and stir them around to make sure they all have a covering so that they don’t go brown.  Then spoon them into a ziploc bag with a slotted spoon.  Pour your juice mixture over the plums until they are just covered. 

5.) Seal the bag well, getting rid of all the air.  Lay them flat in the freezer to freeze so that they are easily stackable!

They should stay "fresh" in your freezer for up to 1 year! 

On another note, our garden has been producing great broccoli and I have a recipe set to share tomorrow using it!  We also are enjoying fresh beans and peas in a stir-fry tonight!  Yum! 

How does your garden grow?

My husband Peter makes the BEST crepes!  It’s his speciality.  Anytime we feel like have a rather indulgent late-night snack, crepes always get chosen!  They can be topped with jam, nutella, peanut butter, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, berries, ice cream, or just plain old butter and sugar!  That is Peter’s favourite option.  Here is the recipe for his delicious crepes:

Peter’s Crepes: 

3 cups flour

2 cups milk

3 eggs

1 tbsp. sugar

A pinch of salt

2 tbsp. oil

2 cups water

In a large bowl combine flour and milk.  Mix thoroughly for at least 3 minutes.  In a small bowl beat eggs until they are slightly foamy.  Add the eggs to the flour mixture and mix thoroughly.  Add sugar, salt, oil and water.  Mix until the batter is smooth without lumps.  Warm a non-stick frying pan.  Put about a ladle of batter into the pan and disperse evenly over the surface of the pan by tilting it.  When slightly golden brown on the bottom, flip over.  Crepe is done when both sides are golden.

We used to use a normal frying pan to make our crepes, but over a year ago now we purchased a crepiere pan.  It was worth the investment, and has been excellent for making crepes!  We also purchased a plastic icing spatula from the dollar store which is what we use to flip the crepes.  Happy Crepe Eating!

To my fellow Canadians, Happy Canada Day!  Today is the day that we celebrate Canada’s 142nd birthday!  Are you doing anything special today?  We’re going to spend the day with some friends out in the bright sunshine.  In honour of Canada Day I am giving you a link to make your very own summery cake in the shape of the flag.  Enjoy!

This week is going to be a good one!  Of course, it helps if you start off thinking about it that way. :) This week I’m going to give a recipe for a tasty dessert, a favourite new kitchen item I got, and perhaps more!  Stay tuned!

Monday: Quebecois Chicken (See below)

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner - eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and toast

Wednesday: Happy Canada Day!!  Canada Day Cake (stay tuned on July 1st for that recipe!), Homemade burgers (anyone have a recipe they want to share?!), and salad.

Thursday: Chicken Lasagna with White Sauce

Friday: Curried Beef, Rice, Raisins and Chickpeas (I don’t really use this recipe, but it can be a basic guideline for you.  I add chickpeas and remove pineapple b/c I’m allergic to it!)

Saturday: Fruit Salad, Hotdogs

Sunday: Homemade Burritos

Quebecois Chicken:

2 lbs. chicken pieces

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 tbsp. cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves (minced)

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. ginger (ground)

1 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix with chicken.  Bake in the oven at 350F for 1 hour covered, and uncover for the last 15 mins.  OR cook in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.  OR barbeque on medium-high heat until the middle of the meat is white.  Turn frequently  Serves 4.

Check out what others are cooking this week!