Compared to regular 1% chocolate milk, Natrel Dark Chocolate Milk is a lot more richer, more chocolatey, thicker and a wee bit sweeter. I’m not much of a milk drinker, but this dark chocolate milk may have me hooked.

At the Grocery Innovations Canada trade show back in October 2011, Natrel Dark Chocolate Milk was voted one of the top 10 most innovative products for 2012. I can see why. Containing real dark chocolate, and presently available in Ontario and Quebec, this premium chocolate milk hits the spot, and doesn’t make you feel too guilty because it contains your needed calcium, vitamin D and protein.

Thank goodness I’m not lactose intolerant.

Okay, okay… so the title of this recipe may not sound too appetizing, but I assure you that this is a quick, tasty and affordable meal. My mom used to cook this for my siblings and I every once in a while and I just loved how the simple flavours worked together and satisfied my appetite!

Ingredients:

1 small head of cabbage (shredded or thinly sliced)
1 red onion (thinly sliced)
4 beef/chicken/veggie weiners (sliced)
4 strips of bacon (sliced into small strips)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup vegetable stock or water
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat a wok or large frying pan on medium-low heat. Add sliced bacon and fry for 2 minutes until lightly browned.
2. Add onion and continue to cook until onions soften (about 4-5 minutes).
3. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, pepper and caraway seeds and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Add in cabbage and sliced wieners, then slowly pour in vegetable stock.
5. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes (or until cabbage is wilted and no longer crunchy), stirring occasionally.
6. Serve cabbage with basmati rice.

On the menu was:

“Can’t Wait ‘Til” Spring Mix Salad and Avocado with a Creamy Vinaigrette

Making your own salad dressing is a big money-saver. For this one I used some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a dab of mayonnaise, some lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.

“Stuff You” Steamed Shrimp Dumplings

I admit, this is from a store-bought package, but they tasted delicious!

“Spear My Heart” Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

So yummy. My first time trying anything wrapped in asparagus.

“He’s A Jerk” Chicken with Penne Pasta in a Cream Sauce

I marinated some chicken breasts overnight in a home-made jerk sauce (could’ve used more “jerk” though). Next time I’ll be sure to add some scotch bonnet peppers.

“Dark Hearts” Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

I meant to make the cake (and even the Ice Cream) from scratch, but was running out of prep time (had to go salsa dancing later that night!). Not as “lava-ey” as I hoped (I think I left them in the oven too long), but still quite tasty.

And my girl Colleen brought some fan-freakin-tastic chocolate-caramel covered apples for post-dessert! Courtesy of The Real Canadian Superstore (who knew?).

Dinner went wonderfully, and my lovely friends definitely enjoyed all the food (thank you for coming!). Who knows? Maybe I’ll make this an annual thing… we’ll see what cupid has in store.

This is a recipe that I submitted to Pillsbury’s Baking Challenge. I heard about the contest one night, and realizing that I only had a couple of days to create a recipe, I found a tube of Pillsbury Crescents in my fridge and started brainstorming. Apple-Cheese Struesel Squares (or rectangles, depending on how you cut ‘em), is what came out of it all. After serving the delicious dessert to several friends of mine (and of course, trying it myself), I knew I had a winner in my books. Moist and flaky Pillsbury Crescent base for this quick and easy dessert, along with the blend of tender apples, cream cheese and streusel topping. If you enjoy the recipe, remember to head over to the Pillsbury Baking Challenge website and vote for my dessert (you can vote once a day)!

Ingredients:

1 can (235 g) Pillsbury* Crescent Rolls

For cream cheese filling:
1 – 250g package of cream cheese (room temp.)
3 tbsp granulated sugar (45 mL)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (2.5 mL)

For apple filling:
2 cooking apples, peeled and sliced (e.g. golden delicious)
3 tbsp unsalted butter (45 mL)
2 tbsp brown sugar (30 mL)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (5 mL)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (2.5 mL)

For Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup flour (75 mL)
1/4 cup brown sugar (50 mL)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (50 mL)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (5 mL)

Directions:

1. Grease an 8-inch casserole dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 3 tbsp of unsalted butter for the apple filling. Add in the 2 tbsp of brown sugar and cinnamon and stir until dissolved. Gradually add in the sliced apples and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, using a spatula mix together the ingredients for the cream cheese filling: cream cheese and granulated sugar until blended, then add in the egg and vanilla extract. Set aside.
4. For the streusel topping, mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut in the butter and combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
5. Open the can of Pillsbury* Crescent Rolls and arrange four sections in the bottom of the casserole dish to cover the bottom of it (use your fingers to stretch the dough slightly if necessary). Slowly pour the cream cheese mixture over the bottom layer of the Crescent dough. Top the cream cheese mixture evenly with the semi-cooked apple. Add the remaining four pieces of Crescent dough on top of the layers to seal.
6. Top the layers evenly with the streusel topping and bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

Tips and suggestions: Top with chopped walnuts prior to cooking and serve with vanilla ice cream.

This recipe makes a great appetizer, or all around savoury snack if you’re a fan of fish and potatoes. You can experiment with any type of fish you’d like (or even mix them like I did), but I think cod, salmon or sole work really well. A helpful hint: if you want to reduce the cooking time, cut your potatoes into chunks (instead of boiling them whole), so that they cook quicker.

Yield: 12-14 fish cakes

Ingredients:

4 small white potatoes or 2 large russett potatoes (cut into large chunks)
2 salmon, cod or sole fillets (about 250-300g total)
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 tbsp milk
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup fresh dill (chopped)
3 green onions (finely chopped)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt, or to taste
3 tbsp canola oil (for frying)

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes for about 15 minutes, or until tender.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, sear the fish fillets in a frying pan with a bit of oil for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. When they are almost fully cooked, remove from heat and flake into bits with a fork.
3. Drain potatoes and place into a large bowl. Quickly mash with a potato masher, adding milk and egg to themixture.

1. Mix the flaked fish into the mashed potatoes. Add in the breadcrumbs, green onions, dill, garlic powder, salt and pepper until well combined.
2. Using your hands, roll a portion of the mixture into a ball and form small patties (a little bigger than a squash ball, or larger if you like). Place fish cakes in a frying pan with oil over medium heat.
3. Fry each potato fish cake for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel-lined tray or plate. Serve with your favourite seafood dipping sauce, ketchup or enjoy as is.