Sharing recipes with a purpose to inspire hospitality while using our resources to help needy children around the world.

I love to make macarons for the sheer pleasure of their delicate feminine appearance. During peony season I have pink tucked everywhere and it even filters into what I do in the kitchen. If you are terrified of making macarons there are so many good youtube videos and thorough instructions available online. I'm going to give you my few hints that work well for me. First of all, I would not attempt to make macarons without a kitchen scale. A kitchen scale is not expensive and I also use it…

A cake-like bar with a fresh lemon taste. Just right for spring! 3 eggs, separated 3/4 cup icing sugar 1/2 cup butter 1 cups granulated sugar 1/3 cup lemon juice 2 tablespoons lemon zest 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Cream cheese frosting slivered almonds, toasted Grease and flour 9x13 inch pan or line with parchment paper. Beat egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in icing sugar and continue to beat until stiff. Set aside. In large…

I think we have lots of cookie recipes, but here is just one more which I really like. Would you believe that I belong to a knitting group? I am not a crafty person at all, but I must admit I enjoy knitting and sharing life with other women. And there's always a cookie or two. Here's another tried and tasty recipe to add to your list. Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies 3/4 cup softened butter 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/1/4 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda…

Chocolate lovers little indulgence. So quick and easy, and the wonderful smell of chocolate baking will draw the family into the kitchen. Great alone or put one or two into a bowl with ice cream. (yields 48 Two Bite Brownies) 3/4 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup cocoa 2 cups brown sugar 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup flour 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, optional ***if you want a little espresso flavour remove 1 teaspoon of cocoa from the 1/2 cup and add 1 teaspoon of espresso…

This is my daughter's recipe and it uses whole foods and natural sugars coming from the dried fruit. I will share with you today two versions to show how easy it is to switch things up and add whatever you wish. The nuts don't have to be toasted but they do add a depth of flavor if they are. Each variation makes one loaf pan cut into bars. Coconut Date Bars: (Top Bar) 1 cup of toasted nuts (1/2 each of almonds and cashews) 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 2 cups of medjool dates 2…

This is another recipe I found in my grocery store flyer with a small change. I wanted to try and compare this lower sugar recipe to other brownies that I've made. Ingredients: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 eggs plus one egg yolk 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips, melted 1/3 cup peanut butter Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line…

There have been many versions of oatmeal raisin cookies here over the years since they happen to be hubby's favorite, but this is my tried-and-true old stand by! We eat a few fresh from the oven and the rest go into the freezer. Did you know they taste every bit as good straight from the freezer? Oatmeal raisin cookies and a good cup of coffee...the perfect treat anytime of day! 1 cup butter 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 3/4 cups flour 3 cups old fashioned oats…

'Tis the season to indulge in holiday sweets. Today I pulled out a recipe which was sent to me by my sister-in-law during the Christmas season many years ago, and has always been a hit! How can you go wrong? They are rather like having homemade turtles on a shortbread base. Crust: 1/2 cup icing sugar (confectioner's sugar) 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 tablespoon whipping cream 1 cup flour Filling: 30 vanilla caramels, wrappers removed (1 small package Kraft caramels 269 gr) 1/3 cup whipping…

Here is another refrigerator cookie to add to your collection. I make these at Christmas and if you cut the cherries into a little larger pieces, these cookie slices will add some colour to your Christmas cookie tray. The nuts you use will change up the flavour. I'm not sure which I like better, using the almonds or using the pecans. They are both great! 1 cup soft unsalted butter 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups flour 1 cup finely chopped pecans or almonds 1/2 cup…

Recently my kids gifted me with a fun little package of fudge they purchased on their trip and it piqued my interest to go back to some of my old recipes that I'd not made in a long time. This peanut fudge is super easy to make. The original recipe calls for ground peanuts, but I decided to try it with regular peanut butter. Let's just say I'll have to hide it from view before I eat too much. Ingredients: 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup cream 1 1/2 cups peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) 1 teaspoon…

This is a square you will want to add to your Christmas tray. They taste similar to an Eat more bar. Thank you to my niece Cheryl for this recipe. It's been in my Christmas collection for years. 1 cup honey 2 cups chocolate chips 1 cup peanut butter 2 cups salted peanuts Pour honey into a microwave safe bowl and add chocolate chips. Place in microwave and stir occasionally until chocolate chips have melted and the mixture is smooth and hot. Add peanut butter and stir until well blended. Stir…

Gumdrop cookies are a favorite of mine. I haven't baked them in years and suddenly had a yearning for them. A great addition to a cookie platter. It was difficult finding baking gums, one store was still waiting on their order, another didn't carry them but finally I found a store that had them. You can use gumdrops but they are larger and will need to be cut up into smaller pieces. 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 1 egg 1 tablespoon water 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup flour…

Last Monday I posted this and I had to chuckle at the comments to my statement about looking for something to go with your Monday mornin...

I love refrigerator cookies. You can find many recipes with endless flavour combinations. What I like is that you can mix them one day, store the shaped dough in the refrigerator and slice and bake them the next day. I recently made this version and I'll make it again. The toffee bits in them seemed to mellow and make the cookie even more flavourful several days later. 1 cup soft butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon…

Today is Halloween and I'm sharing a treat instead of a trick. These bars have a nice shortbread like base with an almond flavor. I saw this recipe in my grocery store flyer and cut down on the sugar and spices from the original recipe. Ingredients: 1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup almond meal 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled 1 egg 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 2 large apples, cored, peeled, and…