CookingNook.com's Blog

Win 2 free tickets to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) from CookingNook.com!

TIFF is THE exciting place to be in Toronto in September and the Festival, in conjunction with California Strawberries, is giving CookingNook.com two tickets to a non-gala movie screening to give away to one of our visitors. I am so excited I wish I could enter myself!

What do you have to do? It’s simple – simply send an email telling me why you love strawberries and why you would love to go to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). I will select a winner on Friday September 3, 2010, so you don’t have long. Enter today. Send an email to karen@cookingnook.com.

After you enter our contest why not make this fabulous Strawberry and Brie Bruschetta and serve it at your own movie screening (okay maybe girls movie night in). This recipe is going to be in your favorites box forever once you try it:

Strawberry and Brie Bruschetta

12 slices French bread, cut 2 cm. thick
1/4 (50 ml) cup butter, softened
1/4 (50 mL) cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1 small brie cut into 6 wheels
2 cups (500 mL) of sliced stemmed California strawberries
1/2 cup (25 mL) sliced almonds, toasted

Heat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).

Spread 1 side of each bread slice with butter. Arrange, butter side up, on a large baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle approximately 1 teaspoon (5 mL) over each slice of bread. Reserve remaining sugar mixture.

Toast the bread in the oven. Top each piece of toasted bread with 1 wedge of cheese. Return the bread to the oven. Bake until the cheese is melted. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine the strawberries and the remaining sugar mixture. Toss lightly. Spoon the strawberry mixture over each toasted slice of bread and sprinkle with almonds. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings but easily multiplies to serve as many as needed. This is a great any time party recipe.

Don’t forget to send me a quick email. You could easily be the winner of two free screening tickets to the Toronto International Film Festival!*

* Entrants must be 18 years of age or older and be able to get to the festival in Toronto on a day between September 9 to 19th 2010.

Tags: brie recipes, bruschetta recipe, strawberry recipes, TIFF, Toronto International Film Festival

Haagan Dazs has another great Passion Profile for Canadian foodies, this one on Mark McEwen, owner of several wonderful Toronto restaurants and star of Food TV’s show “Heat”.

Mark’s passion for food and cooking is evident in each episode of Heat. He loves to stretch himself and those around him, creating delicious food experiences for all those who taste his food. And now he has ventured into a new area – his own high end grocery store!

Mark is an inspiration to all of us who love food and feeding people. Have a look at his Passion Profile:

Passion Profiles is brought to us by Nestlé Canada, which employs approximately 3,500 people at more than 20 manufacturing sites, sales offices and distribution centres across Canada.

Tags: haagen dazs, haagendazs, ice cream, mark mcewen, passion profiles

Diabetes is a disease that is SO linked to the foods we eat that discussion of it really does belong on a food related blog or site.

We’ve recently added lots of information about diabetes to our main site, what it is, how to prevent it, and how to manage it with great recipes and menus. Have a look at the pages below, especially if you or someone you love has or may have this chronic disease.

What is Diabetes?
Types of Diabetes
The Symptoms of Diabetes
Reversing and Preventing Diabetes
Healthy Diabetic Recipes
About Diabetic Cooking
Sample Diabetic Menus

Tags: diabetes prevention, diabetic cooking, Diabetic Recipes, gestational diabetes, preventing diabetes, sample diabetic menus, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, type ii diabetes, type two diabetes, types of diabetes, what is diabetes

What’s your passion? At Häagen-Dazs it’s ice cream. Their philosophy is that everyone has a passion that feeds their creativity. A passion for style, for flavour, for life. (My passion is writing for CookingNook.com).

To celebrate our passions Häagen-Dazs is pleased to bring you new episodes of the Passion Profiles, an original online series featuring some of Canada’s most intriguing personalities.

Passion Profiles is an online talk-show that takes a rare glimpse at the authentic and demanding passions that define some of Canada’s finest Chefs, Designers and Musicians.

Hosted by ET Canada’s Cheryl Hickey, Passion Profiles will take you into the lives of such personalities as:
· Food Network TV hosts Anna and Michael Olsen, airing July 28, 2010
· Designer and HGTV star Sarah Richardson, airing August 11, 2010
· Renowned chef and TV personality Mark McEwan, airing August 25, 2010
· Award-winning singer/songwriter, Jann Arden, airing September 8, 2010

Cheryl Hickey brings out the best in each of these guests, with stories from their lives and insights to inspire us. Click here to watch now.

Passion Profiles is brought to us by Nestlé Canada, which employs approximately 3,500 people at more than 20 manufacturing sites, sales offices and distribution centres across Canada.

Tags: haagendazs, ice cream, nestle, passion profiles

Hi

For those of you (and I know we are many) who love those cookbooks with tried and true recipes submitted by fans, I have another good one for you. It’s called Mary Engelbreit’s Fan Fare Cookbook: 120 Family Favorite Recipes and it is filled with really delightful recipes.

I love this kind of cookbook, with recipes submitted from all over the country. You just know that people submit recipes for their favorites, which usually means they are going to be good. This cookbook is filled with 120 of that kind of recipe. Good down home food that is sure to turn out every time. Everything from appetizers to dessert are covered with recipes like Buffalo Chicken Dip, Stuffed French Toast, Chocolate Crepes, Wild Rice Soup, Parmesan Meatballs, Chicken and Pasta Rustica, Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce, Dried Fruit Cobbler with Lemon-Cornmeal Dumplings and Cherry Bars.

I see lots that I want to try.

Another thing I like about this book is that is has one of those spiral bindings that allows it to lay flat on the table. Don’t you just hate having to try to flatten a book out so you can read the ingredients with messy cooking hands?

Anyway, just thought you may want to give it a look. Just click here
to get more information about this fun cookbook.

Tags: cookbook, cookbook reviews, favorites cookbook, Recipes

A little while ago I told you about a new contest from Ben and Jerry’s  Ice Cream to name a new flavor.

The flavor has been temporarily named We are Waffling and is a combination of vanilla ice cream, fudge covered waffle cone pieces and a fudge swirl. Entries to find a new permanent name for the flavor have been coming in from across Canada and the top finalists  have been chosen. Now is the time to vote on your favorite.

Click on the link to get to the Ben & Jerry’s Facebook page for voting. You can vote until July 16th.

Have fun!

Tags: ben and jerrys contest, ben and jerrys ice cream, ice cream flavors

Here is a great recipe for summer – sweet potato salad.

Sweet potatoes are so delicious and so full of nutrients, that making it into a cold potato salad just makes sense.

4 orange sweet potatoes
1 small red pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 ribs celery, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced
1 – 8 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

Wrap each sweet potato in foil and bake for 1 hour at 400ºF until tender, or poke with a knife, wrap each potato in a paper towel and cook in the microwave for 5-6 minutes until soft.

Peel the sweet potatoes, then cut into 3/4 inch chunks. Combine the mayonnaise and mustard in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the sweet potatoes, celery, red pepper, pineapple and green onions. Toss gently. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Chill, covered, for 1 to 10 hours. Just before serving fold in the pecans. Can be sprinkled with chopped chives for presentation if desired.

Serves 6

Tags: Favorite Summer Salad Recipes, potato recipes, potato salad recipes, summer salads, sweet potato salad