Top 5 reasons why Pavlova may be the perfect summer dessert: 1) It's delicious 2) That crunchy meringue topped with a thick layer of whipped cream makes an ideal bed for ANY sweet berry growing nearby 3) It's a ... [ Read More ]
Low Carb Crêpes – Not Pancakes!
The Challenge: Prepare a relaxed Sunday morning spread that both you (the low carb'er avoiding flour and refined sugar) and your favourite sweet-toothed pancake fans can enjoy together. Ok, my beloved Pinterest peeps, let's get ... [ Read More ]
Sugar-Free, Wheat-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Creative Challenge: Satisfy an overwhelming craving for my amazing classic chocolate chip cookie recipe WITHOUT the use of flour or sugar. To be honest, I was reluctant to even try The Bite Sized Baker’s Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie ... [ Read More ]
Healthy Piña Colada Granola
♫ If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain If you're not into yoga, and have this song stuck in your brain... ♫ Ease the pain of the ultimate ear worm with this awesome granola mix. Yesterday, during my weekly ... [ Read More ]
Strawberry Pies Forever
This post is dedicated to good intentions and time lost. For all of the things we intend to do each day that we don’t always get done. Those unread emails, the untouched library books now past due, the way over-ripe fruit rotting on my counter that I ... [ Read More ]
The Making of a Minion Cake
This is Alice, my youngest daughter. Alice just turned four years old (!!!) and all she wanted for her birthday was "a-banana-guy-drinking-a-strawberry-smoothie cake". Over the years I've discovered that it's best not to question the details of her ... [ Read More ]
A Woman’s Love for Whisky
This weekend will be Burns night - for the uninitiated, it’s a celebration of the Scottish poet Robbie Burns which involves digging into cock-a-leekie soup, haggis and good whisky. Here at Hot Pink Apron, we take our food-related holidays very ... [ Read More ]
Mom’s Best Banana Cake
Nothing makes you appreciate your mother more than raising children of your own. Well, that and the smell of her banana cake recipe baking in the oven. My mom and I have endured many highs and lows in our relationship. I blame the fact we are ... [ Read More ]
It’s Canada Day! Drink a Maple Syrup Martini.
To celebrate Canada's 148th birthday I'm craving something sweet, a celebratory drink that brings me as much comfort and joy as my Canadian citizenship does. Peering into our liquor cabinet, a bottle of Nova Scotia's IRONWORKS, ... [ Read More ]
Pistachio Pound Cake & Other Nutty Adventures From Easter
I've recently discovered in myself that I want a BIG family. At least I want a large extended family that I can host large family meals for. Sadly, this isn't one of those desires you can simply wish for by tossing a coin into a fountain. It seems ... [ Read More ]
Beautiful Dreamer Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
"Mom, I have an idea" Alice says with a daydreamer's stare out the window. Alice has many ideas so I hear this proclamation pretty often. "Ok, babe. I'm just about to experiment with our favourite chocolate cupcake recipe. I'm going to try ... [ Read More ]
For The Love of Cheese: The Creamiest Mexicana Roll Ups
Spring is here – time to party! And what’s a party without killer apps? These super creamy, flavourful, and cheesy tortilla roll ups are insanely easy to prepare and ALWAYS a hit at the potluck table. They may very well be THE BEST party appetizer, ... [ Read More ]
Lemon Curd In Its Right Place: My Mouth.
I have been spring cleaning the poop out of my house this week. Literally. And as I scrub, sort and soak all of the filthiness that comes from a house of four hibernating through a Polar Vortex, I keep singing Radiohead's 'Everything In Its Right ... [ Read More ]
Everything I Know About Food Blogging I Learned From Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon
202 blog posts! Here it is -- my 202nd blog post published to Hot Pink Apron. Wow. We've come a long way, baby! It was nearly four years ago, at a time when I was going totally bonkers without a creative outlet to busy myself with between ... [ Read More ]
Irish Desserts are to be Trifle’d With
Screw the cap on that green food colouring tightly -- like, really tight. Crazy glue that sucker closed, it's gross. There are so many other, more authentic ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year... like Irish Whiskey! And why restrain a bevvy ... [ Read More ]
Dallas Buyers Club Sandwich & Other Oscar Awesomeness
Before having kids, I would make a BIG deal out of the Oscars. Every year I would host 50+ people either crammed into my apartment or at a venue kind enough to turn off the jukebox and turn up the TVs for the night. There would always be a massive ... [ Read More ]
Roasted Chickpea Chocolate & How You Can Feed a Child, Nourish a Mind
I have one daughter (my youngest) who will at least try everything on her plate and then I have another daughter who will "yuck", "blah" and scoff at nearly everything placed before her. With this daughter (aka Edie, aka the six-year-old, aka The ... [ Read More ]
Stay Warm with Slow Cooker Dr Pepper Ribs
These are the thoughts of my handsome canine fella, Bowie. He doesn't care that it's -22°c outside, he doesn't care that I don't share the same insulated furry exterior as him, he just wants me to be outside with him. And when he looks at me ... [ Read More ]
Home, Phở Goodness Sake
Words and images by Dana. I have this memory buried in my head that keeps popping up lately. I was about 18, living downtown Toronto, skateboarding home from a college class. One of my roommates was waiting for me on our Kensington Market stoop, ... [ Read More ]
The Fox Says: These are the Best Banana & Apple Muffins
It takes a special kind of Banana Apple Muffin to comfort a mother's spirit as she accepts that her babies are growing up. It has to be a moist muffin, one packed with flavourful fruits and topped by a sweet oatmeal streusal... one just like this: ... [ Read More ]
Pomegranate Seeds to Homemade Grenadine to Shirley Temples
Shirley Temples make me happy. When I sip the combination of sweet grenadine, orange juice, and ginger ale through a bendy straw I feel like I'm a kid again; I'm transported back to my childhood living room, watching the final episode of ... [ Read More ]