Feb 5, 2019
Whether you use store-bought cake mix or bake your own from scratch, Cakes in a Jar are simple and fun to make.
Either use a round cookie cutter (the size that fits into your mason jars) and cut out rounds of cake, or slice cake into chunks. To assemble, start with a cake round, top with frosting and then continue layering until you reach the top of the jar, cover with a lid and you’re done!
Of course, one of the best things about these layered confections is the fact that there are endless, delicious combinations you can dream up. What’s more, these individual serving size desserts are perfect for special occasions and can be as simple, or elaborate, as your imagination and time allow.
Get creative for Valentine’s Day, graduations, weddings, Easter, slumber parties, and more! Create masterpieces using school colours for graduations, instead of frosting use whipped cream, cheesecake filling, or pudding; substitute brownies for cake; garnish with sprinkles, coconut, cocoa powder, fruit, or candy. And, don’t forget, you can decorate the outside of the jar, and the lid too!
Here are a few combinations we love:
Red Velvet Love – Layer red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and garnish with heart-shaped candy or sprinkles.
Tiramisu Delight – layer espresso and Kahlua dipped ladyfingers with creamy mascarpone and whipped cream mixture, and top with a dusting of cocoa powder.
Apple Caramel Cheesecake – Layer apple spice cake with Ready-to-Eat Philadelphia Cheesecake filling, chunky applesauce, and top with a salted caramel sauce.
Peanut Butter Brownie Delight – Layer chunks of brownies with fluffy peanut butter frosting, and top with chopped peanuts.
Strawberry Shortcake – layer slices of buttery pound cake with whipped cream, and fresh sliced strawberries.
Lemon Sunshine – Alternate lemon cake with lemon curd or pudding, and top with fresh blueberries.
Banana Bread & Maple Cream – Alternate layers of banana bread with creamy maple frosting, and top with chopped walnuts or pecans and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Feb 5, 2019
By Stephanie Simons,
Head Pharmacist,
Lindo’s Pharmacy in Devonshire
A good night’s sleep is something that most people treasure: it can make you feel restored and refreshed, ready to tackle the day ahead. When we miss out on it, it can wreck our whole day, leaving us sluggish and temperamental. Amazingly, for an act that is vital to all of us, we don’t know that much about sleep: scientists are still studying it to find out exactly why we need sleep and all of its benefits.
In these short and dark days of winter, sleep can be a comfort, but many people still struggle to fall asleep and to wake up. Here are some of my thoughts and insights that you might find useful.
While there is sometimes an attitude that sleep is something that should be minimised in order to make the most of your day, this is a detrimental way of thinking. Most experts agree that good quality sleep is vital to a healthy lifestyle and is just as important as your diet and fitness routine.
A restful night of sleep will leave us feeling refreshed in the morning and will have a notable impact on concentration and productivity. Most people have had the experience of going to work after a restless night and found that they aren’t able to produce the kind of work they normally would.
A lot of people find themselves in bed, unable to shut off, worrying about the day ahead or things that they did that day. By establishing a clear routine in the evening, this can often be remedied. The blue light that emanates from the screens of electronic devices is widely believed to disrupt our sleep, stimulating our brains and suppressing melatonin production. This means that you should stop using them approximately an hour before bed, minimum. You might find temptation easier to resist if your phone or tablet is not within reach: why not leave it in a different room at night?
Before turning off your bedside light, train your body to prepare for sleep by reading a book or listening to some classical music for a short period. This can help to make you feel a little drowsy and set you off on the right foot.
If you find yourself easily disturbed as you are trying to drift off, it may be worth investing in an eye mask or earplugs – they are not just for air travel! Ensuring that your bed smells nice is useful, too, with lavender often cited as being helpful for those who want to rest. A drop of lavender essential oil on your sheets, your hands or even in a pre-bedtime bath can help to soothe your mind.
If you are still struggling with sleep, some nutritional supplements may help your body better prepare for a restful night. Melatonin, the hormone that helps your body transition to sleep, can be taken in a tablet form to help your body better regulate its wakefulness and is available over the counter. Other natural nutritional tablets, such as Valerian, can also help the body fall asleep quicker.
When it comes to waking up, try to resist hitting the snooze button over and over. Studies have shown that waking up when your alarm first goes can leave you feeling more alert in the long run whereas hitting snooze can complicate your body’s waking up process, leaving you feeling more tired.
Natural light helps in waking up but if you’re having to get up consistently before dawn, it may be worth investing in an alarm clock that wakes you up by gradually lighting the room, which can result in a less jarring wake-up call.
Should you still struggle to sleep then come and talk to your pharmacist who can suggest other medication, such as Sleep-Eeze or ZZZquil, which can help send you off to the land of nod. However, these are short-term solutions and if insomnia persists you should consult a doctor.
Stephanie Simons is the head pharmacist at Lindo’s Pharmacy in Devonshire. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and has been practicing for over 20 years. She is a registered pharmacist with the Bermuda Pharmacy Council and is a member of the Bermuda Pharmaceutical Association.
Jan 22, 2019
These Korean style fried chicken wings are crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. Coated with a flavourful sweet and sticky sauce, they’re an ideal finger food for game day parties. Finger-lickin’ good!
PREP TIME: 20 min • COOK TIME: 1-hour • TOTAL TIME: 1 hr 20 min
Korean Fried Chicken. Double-fried to crunchy perfection!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 lbs chicken wings, mixture of drumettes and wingettes
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅔ cup potato starch (or corn starch)
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
Make the sauce:
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and garlic; cook for 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, honey, vinegar, mustard and brown sugar; stir and cook for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside.
Season and fry the chicken:
- Add ginger, salt and black pepper to a large bowl. Add chicken wings, and using your hands, mix and toss wings until they are coated well.
- Place potato starch in a shallow dish. Roll each wing in the powder; shake off excess powder.
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Working in batches, add wings a few at a time and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning a few times using a tong. Drain on paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all the wings are fried.
- Refry the wings, starting with the first batch you fried, followed by subsequently cooked batches, for another 3-5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate.
Coat the wings with sauce:
Reheat the sauce. Add the chicken wings while they are still hot; mixing well until wings are fully coated with sauce. Remove wings from sauce, allowing excess to drain/drip off, and place on a serving platter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
ALTERNATIVE SAUCE
If you prefer a sweet and spicy sauce, try these ingredients. It includes gochujang – a traditional ingredient for KFC.
- 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoons sesame oil
Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan. Heat over low to medium heat and stir well. Once the sauce starts bubbling, remove the pan from the heat. Add the double-fried chicken and stir to coat well. Remove chicken from sauce and place on serving platter; sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately. Alternatively, you can skip coating the fried chicken and serve the sauce on the side.
Jan 22, 2019
Recipe & photos from McCormick
Meaty. Cheesy. Easy! Store-bought rolls are transformed into garlic bread with McCormick Garlic Powder and Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning. These ooey-gooey, savory sandwiches are perfect for party snacking.
PREP TIME: 10 min • COOK TIME: 30 min • MAKES: 12 servings
Ingredients
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix tomato sauce, 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon garlic powder in large bowl. Add meatballs; stir to coat in sauce mixture. Set aside.
- Remove rolls from package but do not separate. Cut entire package of rolls in half horizontally, leaving bottom half slightly thicker than top half. Place bottom half of rolls in 13×9-inch baking dish, cut side up. Layer provolone cheese over bottom half of rolls. Top with meatballs and sauce. Sprinkle meatballs with mozzarella. Place top half of rolls, cut side down, on top of mozzarella.
- Mix butter with remaining spices. Brush tops of rolls with butter mixture. Cover with foil. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Reproduced with permission. Copyright © 2018 McCormick & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Taste You Trust™
Jan 22, 2019
Juicy, tender and flavorful pork chops in a thyme and garlic butter sauce. Quickly pan seared and then finished in the oven, these delicious chops are ready in less than 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 medium pork chops
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic – leave 6 cloves whole and mince 2 cloves
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Season pork chops with salt and pepper and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix together melted butter, thyme, and minced garlic. Set aside.
- In a cast iron or oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. When the skillet is hot add pork chops. Sear until golden; about 4 minutes per side.
- Pour garlic butter mixture over the pork chops. Add the remaining whole garlic cloves to the pan. Place skillet in the oven and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145°F (test with meat thermometer).
- Spoon a little of the butter sauce left in the skillet onto the pork chops before serving.
Jan 3, 2019
Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 25 mins • Makes: 6 servings
Easy to make, Potato & Leek Soup is delicious, creamy and satisfying. Serve with crusty bread, crunchy breadsticks, or Parmesan Crisps.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large leeks, washed, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Leeks are grown in sandy soil that hides out in their layers so it is important to clean them thoroughly. Start by trimming off root end and dark green tops. Cut the leek into sections, about 4 inches long then cut each section in half lengthwise. Place sections into a baking dish filled with water. Carefully check the layers for any hidden dirt. Remove cleaned leeks; place on paper towel and pat dry. Chop as required in the recipe.
- In a large stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 10 minutes (reduce heat, if necessary, to prevent browning).
- Add the potatoes, stock, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper to pot and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft.
- Using a spoon, remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth. Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Depending on desired consistency, simmer longer for thicker soup, or add a bit more stock for thinner soup.
- Garnish with fresh herbs or chopped leeks, if desired.
