Simple Bites » Link Love

Weekend Reading & Connect with Simple Bites

Aimee — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 04:43:35 +0000

It is safe to say that fall is just around the corner. Here in Quebec, the first red leaves on our maple trees are what give the approaching season away. For the time being, though, it’s warm-but-not-too-hot, sunny, and still perfectly suitable for sitting on the back porch while munching apples.

Fall is about routine, returning to school, and for me, it’s about connecting. Friends are back in town from various holidays, families are gathering for Sunday dinners, and older siblings are in class — making toddler playdates a great way to catch up with girlfriends.

Although I can’t invite every one of you over for tea and cookies, I’d still love to connect this autumn — and beyond. Really quickly I’m going to highlight several of the ways we can do that and then I’ll share my link love.

Facebook

On our Simple Bites Facebook page, we swap recipes, trade dinner ideas and connect over our love of ingredients. It’s fun, it’s chatty; I’ll see you there. (Psst! Help me reach my 1000 fans milestone!)

Flickr

At my readers’ requests, Simple Bites now has a Flickr group, and now I can see what you’re cooking for a change! Stop in and share photos of your farmer’s market finds, the kids whooping it up in the kitchen, or your stash of home preserves.

Twitter

This is raw, up-to-the-minute updates and tips from my kitchen. My laptop sits opposite my main workstation and channels what’s happening in the heart of my home to my followers. It’s easily my favorite form of social media; why not follow along?

Simple Living Media Newsletter

I love when these recaps of the week pop into my inbox on a lazy Saturday morning. I know that if I missed anything really huge on any of our SLM channels, Jenny (our writer) will be sure to highlight it in our newsletter. You can sign up for free, and receive special benefits such as giveaways (for newsletter readers only!), product discounts and juicy news items!

Head here to sign up for our newsletter.
Feel free to introduce yourself on any of these platforms; I look forward to connecting!

Weekend Reading

Here are a few articles and recipes that caught my eye this week:

Quick Skillet Granola :: Dinner with Julie
Preserving Summer’s Bounty: Recipes & Tutorials :: Keeper of the Home
Sockeye Salmon Salad :: Guilty Kitchen (with a tutorial on how to fillet a salmon)
Cheryl’s Beef & Sausage Stew :: Backseat Gourmet
Books for Cooks: Baby Gifts :: Family Bites
How I Make Lacto-Fermented Salsa :: Nourishing Days

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, everyone!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Real Food on a Real Budget - how to eat healthy for less.
Eat Cleaner - all natural food wash.
The Soft Landing - feeding families safely.

Weekend Reading & Connect with Simple Bites is a post from Simple Bites

© 2010 Simple Living Media, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Simple Bites subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please contact hello@simplelivingmedia.com to let us know. Thanks.

Weekend Reading

Aimee — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:12:18 +0000

Tips on Baking with Toddlers ::Progressive Pioneer
The Urban Campfire :: By Cheryl Arkison for Food Network.ca
Lemon Blueberry Scones :: Good (cheap) Eats
5 Tips for Packing Healthy Lunchbox Beverages :: The Family Kitchen
16 Facts About Wheat Flour :: Stone Soup
Freezer Preserved Tomatoes :: In Jennie’s Kitchen

Have a great weekend everyone! We’ll see you back tomorrow with an extra special post!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Real Food on a Real Budget - how to eat healthy for less.
Eat Cleaner - all natural food wash.
The Soft Landing - feeding families safely.

Weekend Reading is a post from Simple Bites

Weekend Reading

Aimee — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 04:13:49 +0000

The Only Back-To-School Lunch Post You’ll Need :: One Hungry Mama
Teaching Knife Skills to Kids and Suggestions for Cutting Tools :: What’s Cooking Blog
How to pick, peel and use peaches :: Christie’s Corner
Summertime Iced Tea Blends :: Simple Organic
Stock and Organize Your Freezer for Last-Minute Meals :: Organizing Your Way
Soy-Free Vegan Blueberry Muffins :: Stetted
4 Tips for Safe and Eco-Friendly Food Storage :: Organic Authority
Five Ways to Feed Your School Kid :: Kid Appeal

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Real Food on a Real Budget - how to eat healthy for less.
Eat Cleaner - all natural food wash.
The Soft Landing - feeding families safely.

Weekend Reading is a post from Simple Bites

Weekend Reading

Aimee — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 09:24:41 +0000

You know what? I can’t remember the last time I ate a potato – and that is a good thing.

Fresh produce is so plentiful and gorgeous right now, that the average meat-and-potatoes dinners are replaced with a pile of market fresh vegetables on the plate, with a little protein on the side. Corn cobs by the dozens, broccoli and beans, tomatoes and cucumbers, all fall under my knife as we enjoy them in their prime.

OK, so that’s not ALL we’ve been eating! We recently celebrated summer with about 25 friends and a huge banana split bar. It’s a simple summer dessert that feeds a crowd in a jiffy and is a definite crown-pleaser.

Last week we looked at preserving three ingredients that are abundant right now: broccoli, cucumbers and corn. Next week look for more preserving recipes to come your way and for a few dishes featuring more seasonal produce. Hooray for August!

For now, here are a few posts that I enjoyed on the web this week:

How to Make Healthy Ketchup :: Kitchen Stewardship
Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble Pie (video) :: Kitchen Simplicity
Make a Watermelon ‘Cake’ :: Veggie Belly
Raspberry-Brown Sugar Gratin :: Smitten Kitchen
Sea Glass Jello :: The Recipe Girl
Why You Shouldn’t Can Like Your Mother Did ::Food in Jars
15 Sure-Fire to Get Kids to Eat Healthy :: Raise Healthy Eaters

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Real Food on a Real Budget - how to eat healthy for less.
Eat Cleaner - all natural food wash.
The Soft Landing - feeding families safely.

Weekend Reading is a post from Simple Bites

Weekend Reading (abridged)

Aimee — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 10:36:05 +0000

Happy August!

We just returned from a wonderful mini-vacation on the Maine coast where we camped on the beach, feasted on lobster and played in the ocean until sundown. I took a break from my online work and play, and thus my Google Reader got rather out of control and hit four digits! So, this weekend reading edition will be brief, as I haven’t yet caught up with my blog and favorite sites.

However, I did want to take this opportunity to point you in the direction of an online tour of my kitchen…

I was thrilled to be recently featured on the Cafe Mom food blog, The Stir, last week. The lovely Kim Conte interviewed me and we chatted about my family, cooking, blogging and Simple Bites.

Included in the feature is a full photo tour of my kitchen, so you can see where all the action takes place and where I spend most of my time. Of course I threw in some family shots and plenty of food photos to make you hungry, too!

Head HERE for the full interview on The Stir and a tour of my kitchen!

Enjoy the week ahead, everyone!

If you stumbled upon something inspiring this week, why not share it in the comments?

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Real Food on a Real Budget - how to eat healthy for less.
Eat Cleaner - all natural food wash.
The Soft Landing - feeding families safely.

Weekend Reading (abridged) is a post from Simple Bites

Weekend Reading: More Great Canning Recipes

Aimee — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:33:48 +0000

Our Canning 101 series wraps up today. Are you inspired yet?

I’ll tell you, I’m buying the first case of peaches that shows up at the market and I’m not stopping there. All the recipes left me itching to can! I’m ready to stop editing posts and talking about canning–I’m ready to get my kitchen really, really sticky!

We’ve covered a lot of ground, wouldn’t you agree? A post on The Basics got us out of the gate with a bang, after which we moved onto Tomatoes, followed by Fruit Butters without looking back. We reached our stride with Cherry Preserves and Peaches, while an introduction to Lacto-Fermentation pushed some of us out of our comfort zones. Nectarine-Raspberry Jam brought us down the home stretch and was a sweet ending to a good run.

Thank you to everyone who followed our series and contributed such savvy comments. Also, thank you to my contributors who shared their knowledge willingly in hopes of inspiring a new generation of canners.

Now, we’d love to hear about what you are canning in your kitchen–or have plans to can. Feel free to share with us in the comments section.

Of course, we couldn’t cover everything in just one week, and so here are some more recipes to peruse. I’d be happy with a shelf full of these sweet and savory preserves in my pantry! Hmm, I guess I had better get busy.

Happy canning everyone!

Savory

Quick Pickled Red Onions :: Not Without Salt
Roasted Tomato Salsa :: Doris and Jilly Cook
Aunt Kathy’s Pickled Beets :: Pinch My Salt
Quick Refrigerator Pickles and Pickled Vegetables :: The Dabble
Peach Salsa :: Christie’s Corner
Sweet Pickles :: Mama’s Minutia

Sweet

Plum Cinnamon Jam :: Culinate
Silky Apricot Butter : Sweet Preservation
Yellow Cherry Jam :: Kitchen Jam
Grapefruit Cranberry Marmalade :: Kitchen Simplicity
Slow-Cooker Blueberry Butter :: Food in Jars
Blood Orange and Vanilla Bean Marmalade :: Dinner with Julie

Just for fun

Make jam with your friends :: Culinate
Throw a Preservation Party :: Sweet Preservation
Put ‘em up! :: Food in Jars (a canning book giveaway! Hurry!)

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Real Food on a Real Budget - how to eat healthy for less.
Eat Cleaner - all natural food wash.
The Soft Landing - feeding families safely.

Weekend Reading: More Great Canning Recipes is a post from Simple Bites

Weekend Reading: Helpful Canning Links & Resources

Aimee — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 11:13:59 +0000

We’re just getting warmed up in our Canning 101 series; next week is jam-packed (sorry, couldn’t resist) with canning inspiration for you.

In the meantime, here is a brief compilation of useful links and websites to peruse before we officially get the water boiling:

The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2009 revision
Where to Buy Jars for Canning :: Food in Jars
The National Center for Home Food Preservation
HomeCanning.com
Fresh Preserving :: Official site from Ball and Kerr
Home Canning: Boiling Water Method :: Andrea’s Recipes

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Real Food on a Real Budget - how to eat healthy for less.
Eat Cleaner - all natural food wash.
The Soft Landing - feeding families safely.

Weekend Reading: Helpful Canning Links & Resources is a post from Simple Bites

Weekend Reading

Aimee — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 05:51:07 +0000

Here’s what caught my eye and made my stomach growl around the web this week…

4 Perks of Cooking with Kids :: Shaina at The Family Kitchen on Babble
Blueberry Orange Cornmeal Pancakes :: Satisfied
Best Ideas for Meals in a Jar :: The Kitchn
Sour Cherry Jam :: Honey & Jam
Five Centerpieces for a Backyard Party :: At Home with Kim Vallee
Napa Cabbage Slaw :: Whipped
Feeding a Crowd Nourishing Food for Less :: The Nourishing Gourmet

Here are two brand new sites I’d like to draw your attention to…

Although they are very different, they are both the creations of women I respect and admire and I am certain they will prove to be extremely useful in helping to simplify your life.

List Bean: create your lists your way :: from Sherri Kruger
Saving Naturally: live healthy, spend less :: from Stephanie Langford

Have a wonderful weekend!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Real Food on a Real Budget - how to eat healthy for less.
Eat Cleaner - all natural food wash.
The Soft Landing - feeding families safely.

Weekend Reading is a post from Simple Bites

Weekend Reading: Frozen Bites Edition

Aimee — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 10:16:28 +0000

We touched on frozen treats this week, but really, there are so many more options than semifreddo, popsicles, and iced coffee. Here are a few more ideas to inspire for you the upcoming scorching months.

Enjoy!

Faisselle Ice Cream and Raspberries Popsicles :: Tartelette
Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches :: Cookie Pie
Strawberry Margarita Cake :: Mama’s Minutia
Lemon Frozen Yogourt :: Backseat Gourmet
Strawberry-Cinnamon Frozen Yogurt :: Ready Made
Strawberry Nectarine Popsicles :: Kitchen Simplicity
Hot Chocolate Popsicles :: Family Bites
Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream :: Multiply Delicious
Root Beer Floats :: Food for My Family
Super Citrus Smoothie :: Joy the Baker
Apricot Sorbet :: Two Peas and Their Pod

How are you keeping cool? Feel free to share a favorite recipe in the comments.

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Real Food on a Real Budget - how to eat healthy for less.
Eat Cleaner - all natural food wash.
The Soft Landing - feeding families safely.

Weekend Reading: Frozen Bites Edition is a post from Simple Bites

Weekend Reading

Aimee — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:18:32 +0000

It is safe to say summer has arrived here in Canada, at least I think so; we can always get unwelcome surprises. For the time being, though, it’s warm-but-not-to-hot, sunny, and perfectly suitable for sitting on the back porch spooning strawberry sundaes.

Around here, summer is about connecting. With family, with friends, both old and new. There’s something about entertaining outdoors that encourages casual eating, and makes the prospect of drop-in dinner guests so much more relaxing.

Although I can’t cook everyone of you an informal lunch, I’d still love to connect this summer — and beyond. Really quickly I’m going to highlight several of the ways we can do that and then I’ll share my link love.

Here are a few articles and recipes that caught my eye this week:

What to Eat, What to Avoid, How to Compromise :: Kitchen Stewardship
Nectarine Mango Salsa :: Cheeky Kitchen
Whole Cane Sugar: A Better Way to Sweeten :: Simple Organic
Basic Hollandaise Sauce :: Eat. Live. Travel. Write
Freezer Cooking Q & A :: Life As Mom
Steps to Healthy Living :: New Nostalgia

What did you enjoy reading this week? Share with us!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Real Food on a Real Budget - how to eat healthy for less.
Eat Cleaner - all natural food wash.
The Soft Landing - feeding families safely.

Weekend Reading is a post from Simple Bites