Pinteresting Breakfast Recipes

Posted on May 19, 2012

This month I have decided to work my way through some of the recipes I have pinned on Pinterest.  I am a great collector of recipes, and wanted to actually try some of these out before my boards got too big.

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, so seemed like a good place to start!  For each recipe I include a link to the original source (in case you aren’t on Pinterest) and the pin.

Overnight Oats

I absolutely love this recipe.  It was incredibly simple to put together, and it was so wonderful to wake up in the morning and have a hearty breakfast all ready to go.  I was a little worried that the oatmeal would be a strange texture but I needn’t have worried – smooth and creamy would be the best way to describe it!  I had mine with banana and a spoonful of mixed fruit jam – so good!  I did find it made enough for two, but it was just as good for breakfast the second day.  The second batch I mixed with coconut milk and pineapple, also very yummy.   Found here and pinned here.

Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

I love smoothies but I would never have thought to put oatmeal in one.  I halved the recipe so it would just serve one, and true to its promise I really did keep me filling full.  Rather than cook up oatmeal, I just soaked the oats in the yogurt overnight, like I did for the overnight oats.  I also added a little almond milk when I blended it to thin things out.  I will definitely be making this again!  Found here and pinned here.

Quinoa For Breakfast

I wasn’t sure I would like this one but was presently surprised.  I used quinoa I had left over from another meal, mixed it with almond milk, fresh pineapple and coconut.  Found here and pinned here.

Recipes I won’t make again

Pineapple Ginger Smoothie

Not all recipes are worth keeping, and this was one of them.  It certainly didn’t live up to its beautiful picture on Pinterest, and although I loved the ginger flavour, the pineapple flavour really didn’t come through, leaving it a little bland.  I love the idea of ginger in a smoothie and will definitely try that on my own.  Pinned here.  

More Yummy Breakfast Ideas from this Pin Board

A few of the recipes on this board I had already tried.

Sourdough Pancakes – truly the best sourdough pancake recipe I have tried!  Found here and pinned here.

Cheesy Potato Cakes  - with a little minced onion thrown in I think these are perfect.  Found here and pinned here.

Zucchini Waffles – like zucchini bread, only in a waffle.  Found here and pinned here.

Enjoy!  If you know of any other “pinteresting” breakfast recipes, feel free to link to them in the comments! :)

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Tweet, Tweet!

Posted on May 17, 2012

Ever have one of those projects that you knew would be a little challenging, but stretches you more than you ever thought it would?

This project was one of those.

The task: bring this colouring page to life.

It wasn’t the drawing itself that was tricky, but finding the right balance for the body, the right proportions in 3 dimensions, the right materials for the feet, so that they would be sturdy enough for her to stand on, and yet soft at the same time.

I will not call a project done until I am happy that the final result is a direct reflection of the drawing. It took many hours of work to get this one just right, including a consultation with my structural engineer hubby (love you hubby!).  When the final bird took her first flight, she left In her wake piles of bird heads, bodies, and feet in various sizes and shapes strewn about the floor of my sewing room (I’ll admit it was a teensy bit creepy…)  But such is the nature of creating something new.

And here she is, having flown off the page and into the real world!

I have definitely emerged with some new sewing techniques under my belt and a fierce pride over this little bird.  (It’s always the things we work for hardest that we are proudest of, don’t you think?)

I hope she is well-loved by her new owner!

What have you been learning lately?

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It’s My Family!

Posted on May 15, 2012

This might just be one of the sweetest create-a-creature creations yet.  It started with this painting.

Cute, right?  But these aren’t just random people, these are the artist’s family!

And now they have been brought to life.

Complete with arms and velcro hands so they can hold hands….and they are long enough that they can hug, too! (and don’t they look like they would love a hug?)

I am sure they have a lot of love awaiting them when they get home!

 

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Sweet Little Fairy

Posted on May 13, 2012

Another little miss had her birthday last week.  This young lady loves fairies, so when I saw a tutorial for fairy bendy dolls, I knew what to do!

Isn’t she cute?

The birthday girl aslo enjoys making things, so I also included all the materials so that she can make a family of fairies on her own, and a few things to create a fairy house, too.

I might just have to make a few more of these…. :)

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The Food Matters Cookbook – Final Review

Posted on May 6, 2012

I’m sorry for being MIA for the last little while.  Some extra work I’ve taken on, a broken toe, and a few other unexpected things have slowed me down this week, and kept me from posting.

But without further ado – the final review of The Food Matters Cookbook.

In total, I cooked 12 recipes from this book.  I have already shared with you Fruit Snacks and Nut Snacks (adapted from Fruit and Cereal Bites and Crispy Rice Treats), Easy Whole Wheat Bread, Potato Leek Gratin, Best Ever Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (adapted from No-Work Mostly Whole Wheat Pizza Dough), and Curried Rice with Apples and Coconut.

All of these recipes (some with a few minor adaptations on my part) were fabulous and will be made again (I actually have a pizza made with whole wheat pizza dough in the oven right now!)

I also tried Creamy Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese, which I loved for its healthier ingredients, but which hubby had a hard time eating because, despite the mac and cheese disguise, the cauliflower flavour still rang true.  If you like cauliflower, this is a great recipe!  But sneaky chef it is not!

We both liked Vegetable-Lentil Soup with Fragrant Broth.

I loved the Baked Fries with Dried Tomato Ketchup, and actually enjoyed the dried tomato ketchup as a sandwich spread too.  Hubby prefers his fries from the freezer, and his ketchup from Heinz (I love that man but I don’t always understand his taste buds!)

 

Beans Rancheros was also a recipe worth making again.  It was delicious served with nacho chips, as well as spooned into a tortilla, topped with veggies, and rolled into a wrap.

The only recipe that I tried that absolutely didn’t turn out was the Classic (or Not) Caesar Salad.  I’m not exactly sure what went wrong (maybe I cooked the egg a little too long?) but the dressing was lumpy and unappetizing.  Out of all that I tried though, one recipe that doesn’t work out isn’t bad.

What I Loved

This cookbook is HUGE!  You could probably spend a lifetime cooking from this one cookbook and still have lots of variety.  The recipes are healthy but flavourful.  The directions are easy to follow, and I love how most of the recipes have variations to try.  There was a good mix of standard, everyday fare made healthier, as well as some more exotic dishes to stretch your culinary skills and tempt your taste buds.  This is one well-written and well thought-out book.

What I didn’t Like

There’s not much not to like here.  I do love cookbooks with pictures, but in a book this size, the lack of photos is understandable.

The final Verdict

If you want to eat healthier, if you want to cut down on the meat you are consuming but still make it a part of your diet, if you want to cook meals that are easy, but still make your family say “wow!” then run out and buy this cookbook!  There are so many recipes to choose from, you are bound to find many that will quickly become healthy family favourites.  If you are still sceptical, a quick look through the recipes in The Food Matters Project will quickly tell you if can’t live without it!

As for myself, I am passing on this one.  (Are you shocked?)  It’s not because I don’t love it, because I do, and not because there aren’t more recipes that I want to try (Cumin Sweet Potato Chips and Salsa Three Ways are still on my “to try” list), but because as a generally not meat-eating person, it’s just not practical.  Although meat does not take a starring role in any of the recipes, most of the main dishes I was tempted to try still used meat to add flavour to the dish.  Sausage especially seemed to be a meat of choice, and shrimp came up a few times too.    I could easily play around with the recipes until I found substitutes, but why should I when there are so many other meatless dishes to try and other cookbooks to explore?  But that doesn’t mean that I won’t still recommend this book to all of my friends! (and that I won’t be taking it out of the library a few more times myself!) :)

And the next project is….

I’ve decided that May will be Pinterest month!  My recipe boards are full of recipes I want to try!  I have boards for  baking, breakfast, and general Recipes to Try with almost 150 recipes between them (and growing daily, it seems!)  As always, I’ll share the best with you here and post a general overview at the end of the month.

Happy cooking!

 

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Signs of Spring

Posted on April 30, 2012

Despite the cold chill in the air, there are signs of Spring popping up everywhere.

These pretty little flowers are always some of the first to bloom in my garden, nestled among my tulip and hyacinth leaves.  (I never actually see any tulips or hyacinths as the deer like to keep them well pruned!)  I have no idea what type of flower they are, but have found them growing all over my lawn!

The rhubarb is beginning to grow!  It won’t be long now until we are eating tasty rhubarb treats again!

And then….drum roll please….we have…..

Asparagus!!!!  I am so excited to see the asparagus return to the garden.  Last year we plunked it in with everything else and hoped for the best.  Over the winter I was doing some gardening reading and realized that there are a tonne of things you are supposed to do for Asparagus when you plant it.  None of which we did.  To try to make up for the lack, I did give them an extra dose of compost when the ground thawed and then have hoped for the best.  I am so excited to see these beautiful green spears poking up out of the ground.

There are a few signs of spring inside too….

My flower, herb, and tomato seeds have begun to sprout!  I am always so excited when the first leaves begin to appear.  Just another month and we’ll be setting them outside!

Is there anything growing in your garden or sprouting in your house this spring?

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Fruit Snacks and Nut Snacks – Healthier Snack Foods

Posted on April 27, 2012

It seems to be all about food here at Artisan in the Woods this week.  I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and under motivated lately – does this ever happen to you?  But we do have to eat, so things are still happening in the kitchen! Here are two more favourites inspired by recipes in The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman.

We’ve been munching on these for the last week and they are the perfect snack (and we’ve even had them for dessert!)  Hubby likes nut snacks best, I’m more partial to the fruit, but they are both good.

Both call for cereal.  I almost never buy cereal but happened to have just bought one for hubby that he ended up not liking.  It was one of those cereals that is a mix of flakes and other assorted pieces of all shapes and sizes and it worked well, so I think just about any cereal would work.  Next time I might sub in some nuts and/or seeds or more dried fruit instead.  Hubby has also asked for me to make a batch of nut snacks with chocolate chips.  Not quite as healthy, but I am sure they would be good!

Fruit Snacks

Adapted from “Fruit and Cereal Bits” from The Food Matters Cookbook

  • 1 1/2 cups dried fruits  (include some soft fruits like dates, figs, or prunes)
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • Water or juice, as needed
  • 1 cup cereal
  • shredded, unsweetened coconut (or cocoa)

Puree fruit, oil, and honey in food processor, adding water if necessary.    Fold in cereal.  Roll into balls and then roll in coconut.  Store in the fridge.

 

Nut Snacks

Adapted from “Crispy Rice Treats” from The Food Matters Cookbook

  • 2 cups cereal
  • 1 cup nut butter
  • 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts or seeds
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried fruit
  • 1 tbsp spice (optional)  curry, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, etc.
  • 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Combine.  Use wet hands to form into balls.  Roll in coconut.  Refrigerate.

What healthy snacks do you enjoy?

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Easy Whole Wheat Bread

Posted on April 24, 2012

With one more week in my month-long exploration of The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman, I thought I would join in on The Food Matters Project again.

This week the recipe was Whole Wheat Bread.  Similar to the Pizza Dough, the recipe was of the mix it and leave it variety (no kneading!) 

I must say that I do love the ease of making this type of bread.  (Especially when I remember after I have already gotten into bed and am almost asleep that I wanted to throw this together so I could bake it the next morning!) 

And even though the end result was a little hardier than my usual takes-all-day-and-knead-by-hand-for-twenty-minutes loaf, it is also very soft and moist.  Both hubby and I enjoyed this topped with butter or jam, and even a few days later I am still enjoying it, even without the toppings. 

You will find the original recipe, plus another recipe for baguette which I have yet to try, here.  I am surprised no one else has mentioned this (although I do admit that although I read all of the comments I didn’t visit all of the other blogs) but I found the bread to be overly salty.  Next time I will definitely use one teaspoon instead of two.  I also forgot to put parchment paper in the bottom of my glass loaf pan, and despite greasing and drizzling with 2 tablespoons of oil as the recipe recommends,  the loaf was completely stuck when it came out of the oven.  I’m afraid the bottom of my bread got a little mutilated as I tried to pry it from the pan. (and there was a moment I was afraid I was going to have to scoop it out of there with a spoon!)  I don’t think I’ll forget again.

You can also check out all of the other reviews and variations here.  There are lots of creative cooks out there!  I will definitely be trying out some of the creative variations soon.  I am tempted to buy the cookbook just to keep playing along!  It has been fun to explore the same recipe with so many others.

Enjoy!

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Potato Leek Gratin (You won’t believe it’s dairy free!)

Posted on April 22, 2012

I’m continuing to cook my way through The Food Matters Cookbook and discovering lots of great new recipes!  This one caught my eye as I love both potatoes and leeks, but I was a little sceptical of a gratin that had absolutely no milk ingredients, other than the butter in the breadcrumbs (which is easily replaced if you are dairy sensitive.)

The author promised that the dairy would not be missed.  My hubby, who is starting to get used to the fact that I am now trying new recipes almost all the time, will insist that I take pictures before we eat, and am always looking for feedback, immediately said  ”I love this cheezy potato stuff!”  Well Mark Bittman, you were right.  The cream was not missed and the veggies so tender that somehow it tasted like there MUST be something else in there with them.  Another to add to our family cookbook.

It’s a rarity around here, but this is a recipe I did not alter in any way, and don’t plan to.  It’s that good.

Potato-Leek Gratin with Buttery Bread Crumbs  from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman

  • 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, sliced
  • 1 pound leeks, trimmed, rinsed and sliced thin
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or several pinches dried
  • 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (throw a slice or two of bread in a food processor or blender)
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted (substitute with an oil of your choice for a dairy-free version)

Set oven to 375.  Lay potatoes and leeks in a 9 x 13 pan and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the veggies are very tender.  Top with bread crumbs and put in 425 oven, uncovered, for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until veggies and topping are nice and brown.

Enjoy!

Only one more week (and several recipes to go!) until I post my review.  This was a big book to take on, but not as daunting as it first seemed, as you’ll find out on review day.

Have you tried any great new recipes lately?

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Handbag with Summer Stripes

Posted on April 20, 2012

Last week I had one of those days where there was a lull between custom orders, and it was just me and the sewing room and a whole day ahead.

And so I did something that I haven’t done in months – I went through my bin of UFOs, and projects “to start” and cleaned it out right to the bottom!  I found I have lots of great patterns and fabric ready for summer tops and dresses (and hopefully will make the time to sew them this year!)

I also discovered three cute little bags that I had cut out but never sewn together.  As I finished the first, I thought I might write up a bit of a pattern review, but have since discovered that the pattern is no longer available, so I won’t bore you with pattern details for a pattern you can’t even try!

Here is the first one, pretty in summer stripes!

The inside even has a pocket, and I really like how the handles are part of the bag itself.

The original pattern is Keyka Lou (they have lots of great little handbag PDF patterns!)  but Amy Butler has a pattern for a similar, if bigger and boxier, bag.  A coworker of mine uses a very similar bag for carrying her lunch and I have always admired it and now have my own!  Oops!  On further clicking I have discovered that Keyka Lou sells their retired patterns for $3!  So if you really like the bag, you can buy the pattern here.  It’s a good little pattern all in all, although I found the handles a little finicky and am trying to work out a better way to do them.

Have you found anything interesting in your UFO or “to make” pile recently?

 

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