Robbie Burns Day Dessert: Mary’s Tablet

Mary's Tablet: A Scottish take on fudge.

Today is Robbie Burns day, a Scottish day of celebration that is observed all around the world. Robert Burns was a celebrated Scottish poet and cultural icon, and every year the nation and its various descendants mark his birthday on January 25th with Burns Suppers. A Burns supper always involves a haggis and neeps and tatties (aka potatoes and turnips) as well as a healthy amount of booze. Music is played, poems are read and the evening is usually capped off with a group singing of Auld Lang Syne (the lyrics were penned by Burns, and he set them to a traditional Scottish folk tune).

We don’t have a recipe for haggis (and a haggis is the kind of thing you might want to buy from a reputable butcher or Scottish grocer anyway), but we do have a dessert that would fit in just fine with any Burns Supper you might be having: Mary’s Tablet. Tablet is a Scottish version of fudge, and is a delightful sugary treat.

So pour yourself a glass of fine scotch, find yourself a bagpipe player (or maybe just watch this clip from So I Married an Axe Murderer) and have a very happy Robbie Burns Day!

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Entertaining, Holiday, Snacks & Desserts, Burns Supper, dessert, Haggis, Mary's Tablet, Neeps and Tatties, Robbie Burns Day, Scottish Fudge, Scottish Tablet

Noodles and More to Celebrate the Lunar New Year

Broccoli Sesame Soy Noodles

We’ve officially entered the Year of the Dragon, and today is the second day of the new lunar new year. Our friends over at Canadian Family have learned all kind of things about the kinds of food served during the celebrations that mark the arrival of the new year. For example:

“For a long life, serve long uncut noodles at the meal. Crescent-shaped pork and cabbage dumplings (called jiaozi, after early Chinese currency) represent prosperity, as do spring rolls and egg rolls which resemble gold bars. The Cantonese word for “lettuce” is a homonym for “rising fortune,” so chicken lettuce wraps are always on the table.”

Here, then are a few recipes to help you put your own spin on welcoming the New Year right.

Broccoli Sesame Soy Noodles
Fresh and healthy, this veggie-filled dish unites many delicious flavours.

Shanghai Noodles with Pork and Bok Choy
Noodles from Shanghai are thicker and chewier than other Chinese noodles. Try them the next time you see them on the menu. If you can find Chinese mustard greens, use them in place of the bok choy. The dish can be made without pork for a vegetarian alternative.

Shrimp Dumplings

Crab-Fried Noodles
Keep laksa paste on hand in your freezer to whip up these noodles anytime. Depending on how spicy you like your food, experiment with the amount of paste in the recipe.

Shrimp Dumplings
There’s nothing small about the big taste packed in these easy-to-make shrimp dumplings.

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
A light, refreshing twist on the classic chicken wrap.

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Dinner Ideas, Entertaining, Holiday, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Chinese New Year, Crab-Fried Noodles, Sesame Noodles, Shanghai Noodles, Shrimp Dumplings, Year of the Dragon

Try a Soul Food Favourite: Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and Waffles

Yes, it seems like a strange combo, but the pairing of fried chicken and waffles is a favourite amongst our friends south of the border. There are various stories as to this unique pairing’s origins (some credit Jefferson with kicking off the craze after bringing the waffle iron to the U.S., and others say it when the slave trade ended, and freed slaves started to move into the Northern U.S.).

Regardless of where it comes from, this combo is an absolute treat. It’s good for breakfast, brunch, lunch OR dinner. There aren’t many recipes you can say that about.

Our version of chicken and waffles isn’t deep fried, but lightly pan fried. Crisp, golden waffles and a creamy sauce round everything out. Try Chicken and Waffles this weekend!

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Breakfast Recipes, Brunch & Lunch, Dinner Ideas, American, Breakfast, Brunch, Chicken and Waffles, Dinner, Soul Food

Peanut Butter for Dinner: 4 Tasty Recipes

Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad

Think peanut butter is just for toast? Think again. Peanut butter is a cooking staple in many warmer climes, including places like Thailand and Morocco. The flavour and sweetness of peanut butter is a great balance to the fiery spices often used in these cuisines.

Try one of these four dishes and you’ll see why you should try more peanut butter for dinner.

Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad
Substitute fresh spinach or rice for the soba noodles, and put it in a whole-wheat wrap for a quick, portable lunch.

Vietnamese Shrimp Pops with Peanut Sauce
These tasty little snackers are designed for grilling, but in colder months, you can use a grill pan indoors. The peanut sauce is a great mix of sweet and spice. 

Moroccan Tomato and Sweet Potato Soup with Peanut

Creative Chicken Stew
The ingredients of this comforting stew borrow heavily from Moroccan cuisine—peanut butter, sweet potato and tomatoes with a bit of kick!

Moroccan Tomato Soup with Sweet Potato and Peanut
Moroccan spices and peanut butter blend beautifully to create a soup with rich flavour and texture. You can serve it chunky or puréed. Natural peanut butter is recommended for this recipe.

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Dinner Ideas, Chicken Stew, Cooking, Moroccan Cuisine, Peanut Butter, Peanuts, Shrimp Pops, Soba Noodles, Thai Cuisine, Tomato Soup, Vietnamese Cuisine

7 Ways to Eat Lasagna

Mom's Sunday Best Lasagna

Lasagna is a perennial meal-time favourite, but there’s a perception in some camps that it’s too complicated to make or that it takes too long to prepare.

Not so, good friends! Try any of these versions of lasagna, and you’ll be enjoying layers of deliciousness in no time.

Lasagna
A reader shared this family recipe with us, and they claim it will be the best lasagna you’ve ever had. “Everyone who has tried it says it’s the best.”

Mom’s Sunday Best Lasagna
Layers of tender noodles, studded with pepperoni, herbs and lots of gooey cheese make this lasagna worthy of Sunday dinner. Lasagna can be assembled, tightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking.

Spanikopita Lasagna

Spanikopita Lasagna
An easy, inexpensive and mouth-watering take on the traditional lasagna recipe.

Tofu Spinach Lasagna
The reader who submitted this recipe created it for his wife, who is always comparing lasagna to her mother’s. The verdict? ” It is SO GOOD, that even though it’s nothing like her mom’s lasagna, she’s always asking me to make it!”

Vegetarian Lasagna
This simplified version of the classic Italian comfort food uses basic, home-grown ingredients to create authentic taste.

Skillet Baked Sausage Lasagna with Garlicky Tomato Sauce

Creamy Seafood Lasagna with Herbs
Canadian fine cheese , real cream, fresh herbs and plenty of shrimp combine to create this lavish lasagna. Use oven-ready pasta for simplicity.

Skillet Baked Sausage Lasagna with Garlicky Tomato Sauce
We recommend using a stainless steel skillet for this recipe, as you will be cutting and serving straight from the pan. Non-stick surface skillets can also be used but use caution when cutting to prevent scraping and damaging the cooking surface.

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Dinner Ideas, Basic Lasagna, Best Lasagna, Easy, Lasagna, Quick Lasagna, Seafood Lasagna, Skillet Lasagna, Spanikopita, Tofu Lasagna, Vegetarian Lasagna

Give Leeks a Chance: 6 Tasty Recipes

Potato Cakes with Leeks and Feta

Leeks don’t get the credit they deserve. They’re a mild onion-flavoured vegetable, and fresh local leeks are available almost throughout the year. Because their flavour is relatively mellow, they’re also incredibly versatile. Try them in one of these six recipes and fall in love with leeks.

Potato Cakes with Leeks and Feta
These lacy potato cakes use very little oil compared to other pan-fried versions. Baked in muffin tins, they get really crispy on the outside while remaining soft and fluffy inside. Potato cakes would also be great served as a side dish with roast chicken.

Baked Mushroom and Leek Risotto
This is an easy version of the classic Italian dish. Mild flavoured leeks combine with wonderful woodsy shiitake mushrooms to create a delicious treat. Serve with a green salad or as an accompaniment to veal or chicken.

Butter-Poached Lobster with Leeks and Pomegranate Glaze

Butter Poached Lobster with Leeks and Pomegranate Glaze
This rich and flavourful dish is a treat to have for dinner and needs only 20 minutes of prep.

Mushroom, Chicken and Leek Pot Pie
Prepared pastry and pre-sliced mushrooms make this tasty meal quick to prepare. For even faster preparation substitute left over cooked turkey cubes for the chicken.

Baked Leek and Tomato Penne
The leek-tomato mixture is wonderful on its own as an entrée and also makes a great side for broiled fish or chicken.

Leek and Potato Soup
This simple recipe from world renowned chef Marco Pierre White adds gourmet flair to any meal. Use it as a starter at your next dinner party, or enjoy it any night of the week!

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Dinner Ideas, Entertaining, Menu Ideas, Must-Have, Baked Risotto, Leek and Potato Soup, Leeks, Lobster Tails, Penne, Pot Pie, Potato Cakes, Seasonal

4 Resolution-Approved Sweets

Strawberry Tiramisu

You’ve made your healthy resolutions for 2012, and now you just need a little help sticking to them? No problem.

Here are four sweet treats you can make, serve and enjoy without any guilt attached.

Strawberry Tiramisu
Creamy and velvety, this spinoff of the famous Italian tiramisu is less fattening, easier to make and sure to be a hit!

Cinnamon Apple Chips
Crisp, oven baked apple chips with a hint of cinnamon-y-sweetness offer a nutritious solution for snack time.

Sweet "Puppy Chow"

Chocolate Surprise Muffins
Make these rich Chocolate Surprise Muffins packed with zucchini as a special treat. These muffins are as healthy as they are decadent.

Sweet “Puppy Chow” Snack Mix
This snack mix is a nutritious take on the sweet party mix often referred to as “puppy chow.” With less butter, less sugar and more fibre and antioxidants, this version doesn’t have to be reserved just for parties.

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Snacks & Desserts, Apple Chips, Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Desserts, Healthy, Puppy Chow, Resolutions, Snack Mix, Snacks, Strawberry Tiramisu

5 Quick and Healthy Breakfasts for Busy Mornings

Granola with Yogurt and Honey

Maybe you’re ushering kids out the door, or maybe you just like to sleep in a little too long. Whatever the reason, sometimes breakfast has to be a speedy affair. Here are five recipes that are healthy, fast and delicious!

Granola with Yogurt and Honey
This breakfast staple provides the perfect mix of energy, nutrition and flavour.

Eggritos
These easy egg burritos are filled with veggies, but you can add your favourite omelet ingredients and customize them to your liking. 

Nutty Nana Oatmeal
If your kids like bananas and peanut butter they are sure to love this oatmeal. Add crunchy peanut butter if you prefer.

Cinnamon Quinoa Cereal

Cinnamon Quinoa Cereal with Peaches and Toasted Pecans
Here’s a tasty and nutritious way to start your day. Lightly sweetened vanilla quinoa can be kept, tightly sealed in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Eat cold, right from the fridge or warm slightly, in the microwave before finishing with fruit, nuts and milk whenever you’re ready.

Rise and Shine Breakfast Tacos
These breakfast tacos will have the kids coming back for more. Use your favorite fruits and a flavored yogurt if you prefer.

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5 Spicy Soups to Cure What Ails You

Curried Lentil Soup with Havarti

If you’re battling a cold (like most people in our office at the moment), or simply looking for a way to warm up right now, here are some tasty soups that pack some heat!

Curried Lentil Soup with Havarti
Canadian jalapeño havarti adds an extra touch of spice to this hearty soup.

Moroccan Tomato and Sweet Potato Soup with Peanut
Moroccan spices and peanut butter blend beautifully to create a soup with rich flavour and texture. You can serve it chunky or puréed. Natural peanut butter is recommended for this recipe.

Curried Turkey Okra Soup

Curried Turkey Okra Soup
Use leftover turkey to make a brand new meal! Sweet potato and peanuts are common ingredients in African cooking. Zucchini can be substituted for okra if you have trouble finding it.

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup
This healthy soup is full of flavour and protein and low on fat. Served with the spinach, it’s a complete meal in a bowl.

Sweet Potato Almond Chipotle Soup
This soup is a perfect balance of sweet from the sweet potato, earthy from the almonds and heat from the smoky chipotle – good for you too!

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Dinner Ideas, Chickpea Soup, Curried Lentil Soup, Curried Turkey Soup, Healthy, Moroccan, Moroccan Tomato Soup, Soup, Spicy, Sweet Potato Soup

Our Top 10 Recipes of 2011

Moroccan Quinoa Salad

Another year of great cooking and delicious recipes has come and gone.

Here are the recipes that you loved the best on 20 Minute Supper Club this year.

Moroccan Quinoa Salad
A perfect light supper and one of the site’s most popular recipes, this magnificent salad is packed with flavour.

Moroccan Chick Pea Salad
A Northern-African inspired chickpea salad.

Red Pepper Jelly
This recipe will become a staple in your kitchen. It is great on sandwiches, such as our Turkey Sandwich with Red Pepper Jelly and Stilton, or on its own with cheese.

Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
This slow cooked tenderloin is quite possibly the most tender and moist you’ll ever have. It’s perfect for entertaining.

Iron Skillet Shrimp with Chili Lemon Butter

Iron Skillet Shrimp with Chili Lemon Butter
This versatile dish is just as delicious served with pasta or spooned over couscous as it is here with lots of toasted bread to soak up the sauce.

Slow Cooker Banana Bread with Cinnamon Butter
This no-fuss batter can be mixed in five minutes and baked, allowing the moist heat of the slow cooker to perfectly cook the banana bread while you do other things. A slather of cinnamon butter makes it sublime.

Thai Hot Pot
This recipe easily doubles – go ahead, feed a crowd. We recommend serving with rice to round out the meal.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Great as an appetizer served on a crostini, this savoury morsel will save you time in the kitchen while impressing your guests.

Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs with Garlic Toast

Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs with Garlic Toast
Try to use extra-lean ground beef in this recipe as this allows you to add the meatballs directly to bubbling sauce without first browning them.

Beef and Guinness Irish Stew
Adding beer to this succulent stew helps to tenderize the beef and imparts a slight malty flavour to the dish. Serve with crusty bread for a perfect meal on a cold day.

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Brunch & Lunch, Dinner Ideas, Menu Ideas, Recipe, 20 Minute Supper Club, 2011, Banana Bread, Chick Pea, Morrocan, Morrocan Quinoa Salad, Pork Tenderloin, Pulled Pork, quinoa, Red Pepper Jelly, Slow Cooker, Thai Hot Pot, Top Recipes