Party Favorites
Mixed Berry Trifle (and Other Trifles)
This dessert has luscious pudding, light and airy cake cubes, flecks of chocolate and fresh fruit all mixed into a wonderful combination that is so much more than the individual items could be on their own. It does not feel heavy or too rich when you eat it and it has a perfect combination of sweet…
Read MoreAlmond Snowball Cookies
We are in the deep of winter as I write this. The thermometer has averaged below zero for well over a month. Snow, who knows how deep now, covers the entire lawn. Some mornings you can wake up to a winter wonderland with trees, bushes, cars, sidewalks and roads covered in sparkling white. And you may…
Read MoreChocolate Chunk Shortbread
Its that time of year when shortbread becomes a favourite of almost everyone. I’m here to get you started on what is easily the best variation on traditional shortbread I’ve had. I know you are probably stressing about getting everything done in time for Christmas (or the Holidays, for those who celebrate other festivities this time…
Read MoreSour Cream Twists
Yesterday was not one of my better baking days. It might have been, but it went haywire after I left for a couple of hours, with some of these tasty sour cream twists in the oven. To be clear: I didn’t leave them unattended, but it turns out that I may as well have. I…
Read MoreStrawberry Jello Squares
This is a recipe for the kid in all of us. A base of graham-cracker crumbs, layers of cream cheese, jello and strawberries make a cool, juicy dessert that is perfect for a crowd of people. This recipe takes a bit longer than usual due to the different layers, but it can come together faster…
Read MoreCoconut Cream Squares
There are two kinds of pies I have liked since I was a kid: coconut cream and banana cream. I used to look eagerly at restaurant menus to determine if I’d bother trying to convince my parents that we should have dessert or not. This recipe is a very good substitute for coconut cream pie.…
Read MoreThe Marble Cheesecake Squares That Almost Never Happened
So, what do you do when you realize you’re missing a key ingredient? Occasionally I’ll panic and search the internet for alternative recipes that omit whatever ingredient I’m missing. Or I’ll just change what I was making entirely. Other times I’ll run to the store, but that option doesn’t happen very often since I live…
Read MoreNo-Bake White Chocolate & Raspberry Cheesecake
This has been a hot, dry summer where I live, but the raspberries were abundant at the local pick-your-own farm. My son and I spent one very warm morning picking raspberries for jam. Besides ending up with a scratched arm (mental note: wear long sleeves!) I had enough left over after making the jam, to fill…
Read MoreChewy Ginger Zinger Cookies
Crackly, sugar-topped spicy ginger cookies. Since I was a kid, they have been my favourite cookie to dip into milk (sorry chocolate chip). My Dad used to buy the hard and very spicy “snap” version when I was younger. I guess that’s why I used to dip them – it softened them and made the spice bearable…
Read MoreSommer Kitchen Pudding Cake
I worked as a full-time waitress at a small, family-owned restaurant one year after high school to earn money for college. Mr. and Mrs. Penner (the owners) were the sweetest people and they put up with my many mistakes and steep learning curve when I started. I didn’t walk fast enough, I had a terrible…
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