Sparkling Cranberries

Sparkling Cranberries — a fun, festive way to present cranberries for the Christmas holidays!

I love cocktail parties! It’s so much fun getting dressed up and having your besties over for elegant appetizers, fun cocktails, and champagne, celebrating the holidays together. Between choosing the right outfit and decorating your space, you could easily get overwhelmed with too many complicated dishes. Why not make something simple, yet glittery and pretty, to serve at your next soiree?

A delicious way to use sparkling cranberries: a cranberry and brie appetizer... so easy!

These Sparkling Cranberry appetizers are beautiful, elegant, and tasty. The cranberries pop with sugar-coated tartness, enveloped by creamy brie. A basil leaf adds just a touch of savoury spiciness to balance the sweetness, and the tiny hint of raspberry jam holds it all together. Serve these with a glass of pink bubbles to complete the sparkle effect!

Click for the recipe…

Soft Chewy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Soft, chewy, Oatmeal Cranberries Cookies go well with a cup of tea!

My favourite cookie in the whole, wide, wonderful world is the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. I love the soft, chewy texture and the rich bursts of sweetness from the raisins. In my opinion, they must always be enjoyed with a cup of tea. Unfortunately, my family does not share my high opinion of these cookies. This is a typical exchange: "What are you baking? It smells great!" "Oatmeal raisin cookies," I smile. "Yuck!" is the usual reply.

It's time for tea!

As a result of my family's raisin revulsion, I rarely have them in the house. When I get a craving for oatmeal raisin, I am usually out of luck. This time, I decided to try dried cranberries as a substitute. Guess what happened? I loved them! They are even better than raisins, in my opinion. The tart cranberries are a bright counterpoint to the rich butter and brown sugar cookie base. Now I have a new favourite!

Click through for the recipe and instructions

Fruit & Almond Power Bars

Fruit & almond power bars to power you up the mountain and down again.

As the snow melts away and my favourite hiking trails are revealed fresh, my thoughts once again are pulled outside to be in the great outdoors. I love to be outside, but walking and hiking in the damp, chilly air takes extra energy. I like to take a "stick-to-your-ribs" energy snack along on longer walks to keep the blood pumping and the mind on the birds and trees, not my empty stomach!