EmmaEats...and Katie too!

That’s Amore – Spelt Crust Pizza Buns

May 18, 2012 by EmmaEats

Every day, one of the students in Emma’s junior kindergarden takes snacks for the entire class. The snacks are expected to be healthy, low in sugar, nut-free and easy to eat. On most days, crackers, cheese, fruits and/or veggies tend to be the norm but occasionally, there’s a little something switched up to give the children a change. Emma tells me what she’d like to take in for her class and sometimes picks the standard fare too. There have been […]

Categories: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: appetizers, baking, Cheese, Cooking, Dough, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Mozzarella, nut-free, Pizza, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt, Whole wheat flour

I wanna scream so loud for you – Whole Wheat and Spelt Banana Coconut Crumble Cake

May 10, 2012 by EmmaEats

Emma is a huge fan of banana bread. I may have mentioned before how much she likes to have treats for play dates and that she requests specific ones for when certain friends visit. One of her pals has a dairy allergy so slowly we’ve been adding a few more dairy-free treats into our treat repertoire including this moist and flavourful combination of two classics, banana bread and crumble. Let me introduce whole wheat and spelt banana coconut crumble cake. […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Vegetarian • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, Banana, banana bread, coconut, coconut oil, dairy-free, Dessert, desserts, Family-friendly, Flax, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Mother's Day, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Sarah Kay, spelt, Whole wheat flour

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The last time I saw Paris – Spelt Parmesan Gougères

April 30, 2012 by EmmaEats

Earlier this week, I was reading about Jamie Oliver and Food Revolution Day coming up on May 19th. The theme “Bring Food Education Back” made me think about one of the reasons EmmaEats came about – to help inspire families in their kitchens. As I read on, I learned that food education is not compulsory in schools worldwide. How disappointing for kids today! I learned so much back in Home Economics class. Do you remember having to take Home Ec and about […]

Categories: Appetizers, Monthly Mingle, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: appetizers, baking, Bread, Cooking, David Lebovitz, Dough, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, gluten-free, Homemade, Monthly Mingle, nut-free, Paris, parmesan, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt

We say ay caramba – Emma’s Chicken Enchiladas

April 26, 2012 by EmmaEats

We’ve been somewhat fortunate compared to some of our friends with children. Emma’s always enjoyed flavorful foods without much persuasion. Don’t get me wrong, she has her moments. In fact, one of her beloved dishes is pasta with peas, a splash of olive oil and freshly grated parmesan. But, she’s also willing to delve into some adventurous territory too – Japanese beef curry, sushi, chicken paprikash, and this dish, which I affectionately refer to Emma’s Enchiladas. Technically, they’re not actually enchiladas and […]

Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: Brunch, Chicken, Cooking, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Mexican, quick and easy, Recipes, Spicy Food

Remind Me – Mixed Vegetable and Bacon Pancakes

April 19, 2012 by EmmaEats

My father made the best potato pancakes for my brother and I when we were kids. I can still picture him standing next to the sink in our then avocado green kitchen, peeling potatoes one by one and then shredding them with a box grater into a colander in the sink. He didn’t cook often but when he did, I’m quite certain it was appreciated by my mother who normally handled the meal preparation for our family. We loved those potato pancakes. […]

Categories: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Vegetarian • Tags: appetizers, bacon, Brunch, carrots, corn, Dinner, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, grains, healthy, Kid-friendly, latkes, nut-free, Pancake, peas, Potato pancake, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt, spring, Whole wheat flour, zucchini

Her name is Cherry – Chewy Dark Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

April 12, 2012 by EmmaEats

Originally, I had no intention of posting a dessert recipe this week. We had a big family Easter weekend where we consumed so many sinful sweets like nanaimo bars and lemon squares, chocolate cake and truffles, not to mention the many chocolate eggs from the kids’ Easter egg hunt. After “Feaster”, this week should have been a “get-back-to-healthy-eating” week. But then, as I admired the eggs in Emma and Katie’s Easter basket, I remembered these cookies. Their dark and sweet and […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, Biscuit, Cherry, Chocolate, Chocolate chip, Cinnamon, Cooking, Dessert, desserts, Dried fruit, Family-friendly, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt

On top of spaghetti (or not) – Baked Chicken Meatballs

April 5, 2012 by EmmaEats

A favourite Emma outing is a run to the Ontario Science Centre. She could spend days there playing with her friends, visiting the various exhibits, staring at the stars in the planetarium and wandering outside in their courtyards. All that activity leads to her developing a major appetite and her go-to treat in their cafeteria is spaghetti and meatballs. The last few times we’ve visited has been after the cafeteria has closed for the day unfortunately. And so, to make […]

Categories: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: appetizers, baking, Chicken, Cooking, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Hors d'oeuvres, Kid-friendly, Meatball, nut-free, Ontario Science Centre, quick and easy, Recipes

Green eggs and…ribs – Succulent and Smoky Grilled Pork Ribs

March 22, 2012 by EmmaEats

The Big Green Egg (aka the BGE) has revolutionized our kitchen. I am no longer the sole cook in our house. G cooks often and he likes it! And more importantly, Emma loves it! We grill year round and have always made sure that the barbecue was within easy access of our kitchen door. Since acquiring the BGE, one of the first places we clear after a big snow is the path to it. Salmon, trout, cod, lamb chops, steak, chicken, pork […]

Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Barbecue, bbq, BGE, Big Green Egg, Cooking, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, gluten-free, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Pork ribs, Recipes, summer recipes

Sugar and spice and all things nice – Maple Cinnamon Scones

March 15, 2012 by EmmaEats

Maple syrup is a staple in our household. Since Emma was born, we went from eating next to none to now consuming large quantities of it – whether on pancakes, in granola bars or substituting it for other sweeteners. And ’tis the season for maple syrup making. This week turned out to be a perfect week for an outing to a local sugarbush to learn all about how that golden syrupy goodness makes it to our table. One of our […]

Categories: Breakfast, Recipes • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, Biscuit, Breakfast, Brunch, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, scone, scones, Whole wheat flour

Pretend like it’s the weekend. Now. – Whole Wheat Banana Flax Pancakes

March 12, 2012 by EmmaEats

It’s March Break! It’s maple syrup season! It’s a whole week of gorgeous weather ahead! Could it be spring is nearly here?! With the sudden warm and sunny spring-like weather (who said March comes in like a lion?), Emma, Katie and I are all eager to get up and moving. And of course, with it being March Break for Emma, we’re also hoping to get out and do a bunch of fun activities with our family and friends. We’ll be making […]

Categories: Breakfast, Recipes • Tags: Banana, Breakfast, Brunch, Cinnamon, Cooking, Family-friendly, Flax, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, Pancake, quick and easy, Recipes, Whole Wheat

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Paprikas Csirke Gombaval - Chicken Paprikash w Mushrooms

Hickety pickety, my paprikash hen…Chicken and Mushroom Paprikash

March 1, 2012 by EmmaEats

We’re back from our trip to Florida and it is suddenly cold here. I know you probably aren’t feeling too sympathetic to my complaint especially since we were warm and basking in the Florida sunshine merely days ago. But now we are cold, have finally seen some snow (which turned to freezing rain and then melted again) and are being treated to a not-so-nice few days forecasted ahead. Emma’s take on things here: “Mummy, our garden looks terrible. It really needs […]

Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: Chicken, Chicken paprikash, comfort food, Cooking, Dumpling, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, nut-free, Paprika, quick and easy, Recipes, Winter cooking

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Rolling in the…dough – Smoked Oyster Buns

February 23, 2012 by EmmaEats

Often when we go to visit Emma’s Nanna and Grandad, Nanna makes us a smoked oyster appetizer. It is very delicious and Emma, along with Mummy and Daddy, eats so many that she has difficulty eating anything else for dinner. Imagine our dismay when suddenly we all had a hankering for these tasty tidbits and Nanna and Grandad were away…for three whole weeks…what would come of our need for oysters wrapped in buttery flakey pastry? Would we have to wait […]

Categories: Appetizers, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: appetizers, baking, Brunch, Cooking, Dough, empanadas, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, oyster, Recipes, sausage

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Let’s put our hearts together – Double Chocolate Brownie Cakes

February 14, 2012 by EmmaEats

Valentine’s Day is here. What are your plans? Originally, our family didn’t seem like we were up to more than helping Emma make a few cards which was a far cry from last year’s enthusiasm. We’re just back from a holiday, not quite back into our routine, the house is still in disarray and Katie’s sick. As of last night in fact, we still had the 20 Valentines for Emma to complete for her classmates. Thankfully something changed over the […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, brownie, Buttercream icing, Chocolate, Chocolate brownie, Chocolate chip, Cooking, Dessert, desserts, Family-friendly, Food, Homemade, Kid-friendly, natural food coloring, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Valentine's Day, Vegan Buttercream

Crown Roast of Pork

January 19, 2012 by EmmaEats

[Update Dec 2012: There are some slight updates to this recipe now available at: Crown Roast of Pork – Revisited] It’s always a good thing to have that recipe in your back pocket – you know the one – the one that you’ve made so many times that you could do it in your sleep and the one that everyone raves about each time you serve it. In our house, that go to recipe elicits cheers from Emma. Probably appeals […]

Categories: Dinner, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Christmas, Cooking, Crown Roast of Pork, Family-friendly, Food, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Pork, Recipes, roast

All I want for Christmas…

December 4, 2011 by EmmaEats

There are so many different posts that are in mid-cycle for me and it’s taking longer than I had hoped to get them to a point where they are ready for you. And, as the holiday season descends upon us, there are so many sensational recipes, crafts, gifts presented to us that I’d be ready for another 12 hours to be added to everyday so I could try them all and report back on them. Unfortunately, there aren’t an extra […]

Categories: Not necessarily food

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Sugar Pie Honey Bunch – Apple Crumble Pie

November 23, 2011 by EmmaEats

There was not a lot of pie in my house growing up. We had a lot of scrumptious homemade European desserts that my mother made, but pie was not included in the repertoire. That meant that this year, when I decided that Emma *had* to have pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, I didn’t have a long-held family recipe for pie crust. And the impression I had of pie crusts was they had to have shortening or lard, which did not appeal […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Apple, Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Cinnamon, Cooking, Crumble, Dessert, desserts, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Recipes

Bye bye baby… – Pineapple Upside Down Mini-Cakes

November 14, 2011 by EmmaEats

Today is my Emma’s birthday. She’s four. Already. I’m not quite certain how the time has flown by so quickly but here we are. She’s in junior kindergarten, has friends she’s made without me introducing her and has decided that when she grows up, she’d like to be a dancer, minstrel and paediatrician. We had a birthday celebration this past weekend and she requested it be a luau. The weather gods cooperated and at one point, we ended up with […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, birthday, Cake, Cooking, Cupcakes, Dessert, desserts, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Pineapple, Recipes

Flee Fly Mosquito – Fudgey S’mores

November 10, 2011 by EmmaEats

Over the summer, G talked to Emma about camping. The conversation has come up a few times; I stay conspicuously quiet each time while the excitement between the two of them builds. I’m sure one of these times the conversation will lead to action, but hopefully, it will mean I won’t have to sleep outside among the bugs too. I’m also hoping that I might be able to share in the s’mores around the campfire. Also this past summer, we […]

Categories: Desserts, Recipes • Tags: Baking and Confections, Chocolate, Condensed milk, Cooking, Dessert, desserts, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Fudge, Gift-giving, Graham cracker, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Marshmallow, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, S'more, summer recipes