Bacon Pancakes

Breakfast... is the hardest meal for me to eat. I was doing really well with eating breakfast for several months, but somehow I fell off the wagon recently. I think it's due to caring for my lil guy the minute I get up in the morning. By the time he's all taken care of, I get caught up with things I have to do for the day and before I know it, it's almost time for lunch and my lil guy's next feeding. But lately, I've had a hankering for breakfast food. Not the mundane oatmeal, cereal, muffin type of breakfast. I'm talking about those diner style breakfast that consist of sweet and savory flavors all on your plate. So in an effort to combine those brea

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Chicken Scampi

One of our favorite Italian inspired dishes here at home is a shrimp scampi. My husband recently suggested this dish and when I didn't have any shrimp on hand, I improvised and used chicken instead. Some folks may be familiar with Olive Garden restaurant's chicken scampi dish on their menu and this Chicken Scampi recipe is inspired by that. It has a nice punch of garlic, a butter and white wine sauce and a melange of colorful bell peppers and onions that make it a great meal perfect for a weeknight or even for guests!...We can't get enough garlic in our house so any recipe calling for good amounts of it are welcomed in my kitchen! This recipe starts o

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The Autism Problem

The Toronto Star has offered a concise, to the point, editorial on The Autism Problem. The factual context leading into the editorial is the situation faced by Susan Fentie-Pearce mother of a 14 year old autistic  boy "who has become increasingly violent -- pinching, kicking, biting and pulling her hair out." Ms. Susan Fentie-Pearce claims that she sought help from her elected Member of Parliament who allegedly suggested that she should have her son charged with assault so that a judge could "order him moved to the front of the line." for placement in a group home. The Star avoided the he said-she said argument and focused on the need to for Onta

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Triple Chocolate & Mint Brownies

One of my husband's complaints about me is that I'm crazy about cleaning. If I'm not in the kitchen cooking or baking and I'm not online blogging, he'll be the first to tell you that I'm somewhere around the house cleaning. I don't know - maybe it's just a habit I picked up from my mom. But what my husband doesn't understand about cleaning is that often times, it's like finding long lost treasures. For example, I was organizing and cleaning out my baking pantry the other day. In doing so, I stumbled across some mint baking chips I purchased awhile back. Thankfully, they weren't expired so I put them to good use by making these Triple Chocolate & M

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OLD FASHIONED PEACH COBBLER

THE SWEET TASTE OF SUMMERI posted a fruit cobbler not too long ago and made a promise to my readers that I would make – and post – my own favorite, reliable, best ever Peach Cobbler recipe before the end of peach season. Well, I never break a promise. Mostly. (And if I ever did admit to lying, and what girl would? then rest assured that a larger-than-life evil lie to harm anyone would never pass these lips, only the rare little white lie to protect the innocent…me). But when it comes to food I spit on the palm of my hand and cross my heart and do as I say. I am a nice person when it comes to food.We arrived home from brilliantly sunny Florida a mere t

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Το χάλι του Ελληνικού τουρισμού.

Το χάλι του Ελληνικού ΤουρισμούΌταν άκουω από χείλη κλαδικών ειδημόνων και πολιτειακών επαϊόντων δικαιολογίες για την πτωτική συνεχή πορεία επί 3ετία του Ελληνικού τουρισμού σε έσοδα και διανυκτερεύσεις κυριολεκτικά αγριεύω. Μετά την καταστροφή της αγροτιάς, το φευγιό της μεταποίησης και της ναυτιλίας, την παύση των δημοσίων έργων έρχεται η άνευ όρων παράδοση στους τουριστικούς αντιπάλους Κροατία, Κύπρο και Τουρκία.Ενώ τα εκατομμύρια των τουριστών ολοχρονικής γεμίζουν Ρωμη, Παρίσι, Φλωρεντία και Βενετία, και οι χώρες τουριστικού προορισμού αυξάνουν την πίτα του προιόντος τους καλλιεργώντας δεκαετίες σοβαρές προσπάθειες εδώ μόνοι μας δυσφημούμε τον τόπ

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Autism In The New Brunswick Provincial Election, September 27, 2010?

The New Brunswick provincial election is just underway with  Election Day set for September 27, 2010.    Unofficial campaigning has been under way for several months although the official campaign start date was earlier this week and resulted in several complaints that candidates had jumped the gun in erecting election signs.  (For those from outside New Brunswick, a few shots I took  of the New Brunswick legislature follow).  There are five parties contesting the election including the governing Liberals and official opposition Progressive Conservative Party who traditionally take turns forming the government and of

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Texas Big Hairs Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue Tarts

This week's Project Pastry Queen (PPQ) challenge are the Texas Big Hairs Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue Tarts, chosen by me, here at What's Cookin, Chicago!. I chose this recipe because working with meringues is something I don't do often and this looked like a great recipe involving chocolate and hazelnuts. Besides, the title and presentation of these tarts are just too fun to pass up!...When it comes to baking, cookies, cakes, brownies and bars are usually in my repertoire... not so much pastries. So when it was my turn to decide the Project Pastry Queen baking challenge this week, I wanted to step outside of my usual baking choices. These Texas Big H

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No-bake Nut Butter Energy Bars

So this was my first attempt at homemade granola bars and I wasn’t even really sure what I was going for.  I guess now I know a little bit more clearly what I want and what I don’t want.  These are good.  I mean really, really good but I would almost hesitate to even call them granola bars.  Maybe I would call them peanut butter and oatmeal bars? I think next time I would toast the oatmeal with the nuts in the oven for a bit.  Maybe use some crisped rice and less sugar?  Hard to really tell which way I am going to go but I bet the kiddos will love this first try anyway! No-bake Nut Butter Energy Bars (adapted from

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Chicken Pot Pie Penne

Fall is just around the corner and I've been anxious to cook up some fall favorites. Even though it's still a little too early for all the comforting fall dishes, I came up with a little fall teaser recipe. This Chicken Pot Pie Penne combines the deliciousness of a classic chicken pot pie with pasta for a nice casserole any time of year. Get a taste of fall now!...With the end of August practically here, I'm ready for fall to come! Chicken Pot Pie is a comfort food in our house, especially when the fall weather comes around. Just thinking about tender pieces of chicken breast floating around in a silky sauce with mushrooms, peas and carrots, all cover

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The Joy of Conor and the Natural Beauty of Fredericton on a Perfect August Morning

Today was an absolutely perfect August morning. Mom, Dad and Conor headed out early with the moon still in the sky to get some groceries. We walked the North Riverfront Trail in Fredericton, part of the New Brunswick Trails system, and enjoyed Conor's company and Fredericton's natural beauty along the way. There was no autism on our minds, just the joy of each moment with Conor,   as we made our way along the trail.  Conor  occasionally hit a quicker stride jumping in the air as he went. At our Superstore grocery destination Conor pitched in to help with the shopping and helped carry the groceries  home. A perfect August morning.&n

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Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ham & cheese is a favorite sandwich filling, which many kids are enjoying these days at the start of the new school season. It happens to be my favorite too and the best ham & cheese sandwich I've ever had was on the streets of Paris. Nothing beats slightly salty jambon (ham), along with smooth, buttery emmenthaler cheese tucked into a warm, toasty baguette that has been kissed with a touch of Dijon mustard and European butter. Heaven. Well, imagine the same components of this French ham and cheese sandwich paired with a juicy chicken breast. That, my friends, is what's best known as Chicken Cordon Bleu. It can be time consuming to prepare a t

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Dark Chocolate and Bacon (yes, bacon) Cupcakes

I have so many things that I have made and kept meaning to post.  You know like the perfect popsicle, or salad and then you get distracted by a play date by the pool, or a trip to the beach, or a lengthy vacation?  Well that’s exactly how my summer went.  So better late then never here are some cupcakes that I made for Tony’s birthday by special request.  I won’t even tell you when his birthday was but I will tell you that he loved these things!  For me it was really the novelty of it and I really didn’t like the smokiness with the chocolate but truth be told I am not a huge smoky flavor lover.  Really none of that matt

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PEACH MELBA MY WAY

Brown Butter Pound Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream, Caramelized Peaches & Chocolate Almond GanacheMy dad bought us an ice cream maker when I was in grade school. I have only vague memories of us sitting on the driveway in front of the house, churning ice cream. I don’t remember much about the ice cream itself; there may have been vanilla and peach, maybe strawberry. But I do remember the chocolate ice cream that came out of that maker. The flavor haunts me to this day, and, like a Pavlovian reflex, just pulling up the memory makes my mouth water. Maybe it was the rock salt that we had to pack around the central canister, but the chocolate ice cream, l

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