Tuesday 29 July 2014

Easy Summer Berry & Mango Dessert

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Hello sweet friends! How are you? I can hardly believe that the calendar will be flipping to August later this week. We are being hit with some super warm weather this week...you know the kind of heat where you just do not want to turn on the oven?! So it's times like these that I look to no bake desserts that feature fresh seasonal fruit or berries. This week, I created this dessert which only took 10 minutes to put together, and with a little help Patak's sauces...Sweet Mango Chutney, I mixed in a little India to give this dish some amazing flavor that was refreshing & delicious.
One of my go-to things for desserts when I am looking for something that is easy is pound cake. It is a wonderful base for so many things like berries, fruit, whipped cream or ice cream.
I kept this dessert super simple by using cake, berries, Patak's Sweet Mango Chutney and whipped cream. The Sweet Mango Chutney really adds a wonderful sweet zip that is so tasty with the berries!
And as a busy mom, when the weather is hot, I am so happy to have some dessert tricks that help me avoid turning on oven.

Summer Berry & Mango Dessert

Ingredients:
- a slice of pound cake for each serving
-assorted berries such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries
-Patak's Sweet Mango Chutney
-whipped cream
-chopped fresh mint {optional}
-icing sugar {optional}

To make:
1. To each slice of pound cake, add assorted berries and drizzle with Patak's Sweet Mango Chutney.
2. Garish with whipped cream, chopped mint and a light dusting of icing sugar.
This would be perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as well. 
Have you had a chance to visit the Patak's site? It is full of amazing recipes that are perfect for grilling season, along with a ton of drink ideas, side dishes and desserts too.
Visit the Patak's on Pinterest to see all of the wonderful recipes. You will find lots of inspiration!

Disclosure: I am part of Patak's Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.


 
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Monday 28 July 2014

Be Awesome Party #5 : Come Link Up Your Projects!

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Hi there! How as your weekend? Did you do anything special or just hang out at home?
 Welcome to this week's Be Awesome Party where you can share your awesomeness by linking up your projects just once and they will be seen across all 8 blogs of the hostesses! How cool is that?
The wonderful hostesses joining me each week are:
Virginia from Fynes Designs, Julie from Sober Julie, Crystal from Sew Creative,
Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs, Tara from Suburble, Stacey from This Lil' Piglet and Shauna from Satori Design For Living.
Thank you so much for partying with us! You are all so crazy talented!
This week's features were chosen by Julie from Sober Julie!
Be Awesome Features 
 In order from top left:

Your Turn to BE Awesome!

Show us your awesomeness and have the chance to be featured on 8 fabulous Canadian blogs.  

Before we get started, here are a few PARTY RULES:
1. Please link to a specific post, not your home page.
2. Please link up your own work/creativity/projects only.
3. Please link back to this party with a text link in your post. If you would like to be featured, please link back!
4. No links to promote giveaways, link parties or shops.
5. This party starts Monday @6pm EST & ends Wednesday night.
6.. By entering a link, you're giving us permission to feature an image on our blogs or Facebook pages. Proper credit & links will always be given.

Let's Party!





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Friday 25 July 2014

Octopus Hot Dog Lunch For Kids

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It's National Hot Dog week and like any family, we enjoy a good round of hot dogs every now and again. And BBQ hot dogs in the summer are always a treat!
When my kids were younger, I sometimes would make fun food on day when we were just hanging out at home.
And these Octopus Hot Dogs are a cute way to serve hot dogs.
My kids love the ocean, so anything sea-themed was always popular.
They are easy to make too. Just boil hot dogs and then use a small sharp knife to cute the strips for the Octopus tentacles. And then serve with veggie sticks and dips to get those servings of veggies in for a healthy side dish.
And if you would like to have a whole ocean-themed day with your kids,  you could always be that super cool mom who does a craft too and make this sea life collage.
Do you have any special recipes for hot dogs that you like to make for your family?
When I was growing up, beans & wieners were a thing to serve for dinner.
Not MY thing, but they were a thing! 

For more delicious hot dog recipes to celebrate National Hot Dog day:
 
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Thursday 24 July 2014

Front Porch Makeover 2014

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Front porches. I love them and sitting on them is one of the my favourite ways to relax in summer.
You may remember how I decorated our front porch in this post from last summer. 
I also love to decorate our porch for Christmas, Fall, and I have made painted plant pots and chevron stripe pots for it too.
It's a thing I like to do every year. 
And I love walking around the neighbourhood and seeing other front porches too!
I always like to keep our front porch warm and welcoming as it's the first thing that guests to our home see as well. I like for it to feel like it is a room on it's own with an ambiance that fits the season. Whether reading a book, or just eating cherries from a basket...it is just a nice place to be to enjoy some quiet time.
This year's decor stemmed from these terrific chairs that I found at a yard sale for $15 each.
I adore that they are old, worn and the shape is beautiful.
So far, I have resisted the urge to spray paint them. I love their warm patina as is.
And what would a front porch be without some lovely plants and flowers to enjoy?
I picked up the wicker plant stand from a yard sale for $5 and I love the tropical feel it lends to the porch. I might spray paint it. Or not. I haven't decided yet.

I found this vase at Value Village for $4. It's great for outdoor arrangements and I like the tall shape. I definitely see spray paint in it's little future!
And the side table has plenty of succulents...the most popular plants on planet earth right now.

The porch is the perfect place for staying cool.
And I love how thrifted finds this year gave me a whole new look for not a lot of money!
And another thing I love about this porch? I often come home from running errands to find my daughter and her boyfriend sitting out here...hanging out and eating cherries.
They look so cute!

Do you have a front porch?
For more great ideas, visit these boards on Pinterest:

Thank you so much for visiting! 


 
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This post is linked to:
The Weekend Re-Treat Party, I`m Lovin`It, 

Tuesday 22 July 2014

18 Beautiful Summer Projects

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A few weeks ago, I co-hosted an Outdoor Extravaganza Party with a 5 other bloggers and we invited all of you talented bloggers out there to come link up your summer projects. After looking through so many amazing projects, I have rounded up a collection of all kinds of things that can be made-over, painted or created to make your house and yard look absolutely fabulous! There are still many weeks left of summer and lots of time to create something that will make you smile!




Did you find something to inspire you?

You can find more amazing ideas on these boards on Pinterest:


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This post is linked to:
Take A Look TuesdayThe Weekend Re-Treat Party, I`m Lovin`It, 
that give mcdonalds coupons and 
breakfast coupons you also can find recipe from