Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat are sisters… pretty obviously! I was first introduced to them when I was invited to a launch party for their cookbook Lick Your Plate, here in Calgary. I met both sisters, and they are funny and happy and totally inspirational. Their website is awesome, and I subscribe to their e-newsletter which is full of colourful stories and recipes. Through the newsletter I put my name in a draw to win a copy of their new cookbook – Bite Me Too – and darn it, I won!
So, I have chosen to profile the sisters and their recipes in my Eat With Me Cookbook Club on Facebook. Even without buying any of their cookbooks, you can find plenty of awesome recipes on their website. If you’re looking for fun and easy and tasty recipes, check them out.
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I’ve made the Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Pg. 274 of Lick Your Plate a couple times now, and everyone who I share the cupcakes with thinks they are delicious too. I haven’t made the Banana Frosting as the recipe suggests, because I think they’re tasty enough. With sour cream, lemon juice and plenty of chocolate chips, they are not your normal banana bread. I’ve made the recipe as muffins, mini loaves and a small loaf, like banana bread. This is now my go-to banana bread recipe!
As a part of my Cookbook Club I chose to try the Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Chimichangas on Pg. 150 of Bite Me Too. They were easy to make and pretty tasty but I would definitely include a lot more cheese next time (recognizing this would make them a lot less healthy!). I froze a few of them for work lunches, which is nice. I ate them with salsa and sour cream and a little dash of hot sauce.
Jay was working out of town so I wanted to make him something super delicious to enjoy on his days off. I made the Decadent Dulce de Leche Brownies from Pg. 280 of Lick Your Plate. I couldn’t find dulce de leche in the grocery store, although I know that you used to be able to buy it from Eagle Brand – the same people who make the sweetened condensed milk that I used to make my own from. See here for instructions on how to make your own. I adjusted the recipe to only use about 2/3 of the can of the dulce de leche and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of chopped Skor toffee bits (the kind you purchase in a bag, sold with the chocolate chips) for the topping. I thought it would be too sweet as written, and the brownies still turned out awesome. These brownies are dark and rich and super tasty. If you’re a fan of dark chocolate, this recipe is for you! It does make a huge batch, so make sure you have someone to share them with! I ended up slicing up most of the brownies, individually wrapping each piece in plastic wrap and putting them in a ziplock bag in the freezer. There’s nothing better than having a craving for a brownie, knowing there are some in the freezer, ready for you!
I made 1/2 a recipe of the Spicy Red Lentil Soup on Pg. 38 of the Lick Your Plate cookbook for dinner for myself. It was so good!! Super easy to make, and with delicious flavour. I sprinkled soft unripened goat cheese on top but otherwise followed the recipe.
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