Life's A Peach

I had an awesome childhood
surrounded by incredible family
and incredible food :)

On a daily basis, I am reminded of my childhood in many different ways.  Whether it's hearing my dad's favourite oldie on the radio or visiting a place that I often did as a child, I love remembering the good ol' days.

Of all of the things that bring me back in time, one trumps all others - FOOD!  I grew up watching both my parents cook, and enjoying incredible homemade meals and baked goods.  Strawberry jam reminds me of strawberry picking with my family, and spending hours in the kitchen with my mother making fresh jam.  Homemade pizza reminds me of Friday nights, when my mom would turn the house into a pizzeria filled with aromas that made our mouths water.  Even air-popped popcorn brings back memories, of Saturday movie nights with my parents and siblings.

This week my husband and I are on holidays at the cottage.  We're here making wonderful memories with our children, spending the quality time that we desperately need!  Along with water fun all day, we've been eating like royalty.  I've had the time to cook delicious meals for my family and my boys have happily gobbled up each meal after full days outdoors.

After a delish dinner tonight (followed by an evening fishing excursion), I decided to make a special dessert to end a perfect day.  I glanced over at a basket of fresh Ontario peaches and thought of the vanilla ice cream in the freezer.  In an instant I was transported to my childhood, thinking of summer nights when my mom would serve us fresh peaches and ice cream.  Easy to make, and a guaranteed crowd pleaser!


Warm Peaches & Ice Cream

Ingredients:
4 large, ripe Ontario peaches
1 tsp butter
1 container of your favourite vanilla ice cream

Directions:

1. Rinse and peel peaches.  Cut peeled peaches into half-inch sections and place in a bowl.
2. Place butter in a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat.  As soon as the butter starts to sizzle, add the peach sections to the pan.
3. Lower heat to medium and sautee the peaches for approximately 10 minutes.
4. Fill four bowls with vanilla ice cream.  Distributing evenly, place peaches on top of ice cream.
5. Serve immediately.

Peaches sauteeing in butter

Warm peaches on vanilla ice cream...mmmm!

Ice cream is not an every-day treat or dessert for my family.  When I do serve it though, I try to make it extra special.  Warm peaches over vanilla ice cream is a delicious dessert to serve to your family or even dinner guests (place the dessert in fancy glassware to impress your guests).  And if I can sneak one produce serving from Canada's Food Guide into dessert, I'll jump at the chance!  Try this dessert while Ontario peaches are in season, from July to September each year.  I promise the only thing you'll hear during dessert is "mmmm"!

Chex Muddy Buddies ~ A Perfect Gluten-Free Snack For Any Occasion! #LMDConnector

After learning that Lil-J had a gluten intolerance a year ago, we wasted no time in placing him on a gluten-free (GF) diet.  I immediately felt overwhelmed with the forced changes to our diets.  Cooking and baking quickly became a challenge, requiring more thinking than ever before.  Fast-forward a few months and a lot of self-educating, and we were able to get through each and every meal with delicious GF results.  To this day, we prefer some GF foods over others, based on taste and nutrition (less salt and higher fibre).

With a lot of hard work over the past year, the one food category that still challenges me is snacks, especially quick snacks.  When preparing meals and desserts, I plan ahead knowing that I could be in the kitchen for hours.  But when I make snacks for my kids, I get impatient at about the 10-minute mark.  I also want snacks that my kids can help prepare.  I was thrilled when searching the Gluten Free section of the Life Made Delicious website to find pages of snack ideas using my family's favourite GF cereal, Chex!

Chex Muddy Buddies are crunchy and sweet, and would make any child feel special.  They're also a great no-bake option during these hot summer months!  Whether we're having movie night, on the go running errands, or travelling 4 hours to the cottage, I always struggle to have snacks on-hand for Lil-J.  And Big-A misses out on a lot of yummy snacks because we don't want his little bro to feel bad.  I can't wait to surprise Lil-J on our next cottage drive.  I'll be guaranteed a few moments of peace while he munches away :)

The recipe below for Chex Muddy Buddies has been adapted, using only 1 cup of cereal (compared to 9 cups in the original recipe).  I adjusted all other ingredients accordingly and they came out perfect.  I also prefer to use Honey Nut Chex rather than Rice Chex - I find that they are crunchier.  This recipe is so fast and easy to make, that I will happily make it fresh when I need it, one cup at a time.


Gluten-Free Chex Muddy Buddies

Ingredients:
1 cup Gluten Free Honey Nut Chex
2 tbsp GF chocolate chips
1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 tsp unsalted butter
1/8 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 tbsp icing sugar

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, measure cereal and set aside.
2. Place chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a glass dish.  Heat in the microwave for 1 minute.  Remove from microwave and stir to combine.  Heat for another minute, remove and stir until smooth.  Stir in vanilla.
3. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
4. Place coated cereal in a plastic food storage bag, add icing sugar, seal bag and shake well until coated.  Spread on waxed or parchment paper to cool.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
5. Enjoy!

Stirring the chocolate and

 peanut butter until smooth,

 then pouring on top of the cereal.

Big-A helping to coat the cereal

 in the chocolate mixture.  He's a great kitchen helper!  Not quite

sure why he's shirtless, though!  LOL

 

Lil-J helping out too...and sneaking a taste :)



SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE!

Spreading the coated cereal on parchment paper to dry.  And a dish of Muddy Buddies waiting

to be devoured!

When making recipes for anyone with a restricted diet, always make sure to read product labels looking for allergens.  My favourite brand of peanut butter is gluten-free.  I purchase GF chocolate chips at my local Bulk Barn.  If you're ever unsure of allergens in prepared food, check out a brands website or contact them to confirm ingredients.  If you do your homework, everyone can enjoy your food without worry.

I will continue making this recipe in the smaller amount.  Both my boys love it, and I can ensure that Lil-J will never feel left out when Big-A gets treats on outings.  This is a delicious snack that I will make again and again.

 

I’m part of the Life Made Delicious blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.  As with every post that I write, the opinions on this blog are my own.

DISCLAIMER: Not all the food products used in this recipe are certified "Gluten Free". I do, however, causiously check all food labels and Brand websites before making my gluten free desserts. If you have gluten allergy concerns,

I suggest you do the same.

 

It's Not Easy Being...Lentils!

In the past, I had never given lentils much thought.  I had passed by the bags of colourful legumes in the grocery store numerous times but the thought of cooking them never appealed to me.  I didn't grow up eating them, and although I knew they were a healthy food that I should include in my diet, I had no clue what to do with them.

Then came this blog post by Listen To Lena!..http://www.listentolena.com/2012/05/love-your-lentils-why-because-theyre-delish.html and a few more after that introducing the Love Your Lentils campaign.  My love for Lena's blog and for Canadian Chef Extraordinare Michael Smith made me rethink adding lentils to my diet.  They're gluten-free, full of fibre, folate and iron (hello pregnant ladies out there!!), and Canada produces 67% of the world's lentils!!!  A 1/2 cup of cooked lentils will provide one serving of Grain Products as listed on Canada's Food Guide and it is recommended as an alternative to meat at least twice per week on the Health Canada website.

Last month, I found myself in the same grocery store aisle looking at the bags of colourful lentils.  I grabbed a bag of red lentils (PRODUCT OF CANADA, of course), and headed home.  After spending way too long online searching for recipes, I decided to try my own recipe using familiar flavours.  With fresh sage picked from my own garden, I excitedly served my first lentil dish with dinner that night.  I made the same recipe again tonight and the boys even ate it (I had to trick Lil-J into trying them but he did eat 5 spoonfuls!).  A definite success!


Red Lentils With Sage Butter

Ingredients:
1 cup dried red lentils
3 cups water
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Place lentils and water in a medium pot, add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.  When the water comes to a boil, turn the temperature down to low, place the cover on the pot and simmer until all water is evaporated, approximately 15 minutes.
2. While lentils are cooking, place butter, chopped shallot and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat.  When butter starts to sizzle, add chopped sage and turn the temperature down to low until the shallots are soft and transluscent, about 2 minutes.
3. Remove butter mixture from heat and stir in olive oil.  Set aside.
4. Once lentils are fully cooked, gently stir in butter mixture using a wooden spoon, coating the lentils.  Serve immediately.

 

Butter, shallots and sage..the smell is irresistible!

Ready to eat!

I honestly almost licked this dish clean!

DISCLAIMER: Not all the food products used in this recipe are certified "Gluten Free". I do, however, causiously check all food labels and Brand websites before making my gluten free desserts. If you have gluten allergy concerns,

I suggest you do the same.