Canada Day Nails

Here is a little glimpse into what I have been up to with my nail design. An 'Ode' to Canada Day. Red, White and Sexy Nails.

I used my Konad Nail Stamping Kit and made some designs... I am still new, so they are not perfect! But they are each 'VERY' original! I did a base coat in a Happy Red colour and did the stamp with the Konad White nail polish that I ordered especially for the stamping part as it had to be thicker. It did work out much better than the first time. That's for sure!

Light Raspberry Swirl Mini Cheesecakes

Now, here's the recipe I promised you- my 'Ode to Canada' mini cheesecake cupcakes... lightened up and filled with a raspberry coulis. You saw how much they didn't really look like maple leafs, but I thought I would show you the best one out of the bunch. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and I thought I could alter it to make it look 'Canadian'.

 

This is by far the best mini cheesecake recipe I have made. It was light and delicious and with the zing of the raspberries and the perfect graham cracker crust!

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes

 Adapted from (http://annies-eats.com/2010/08/06/raspberry-swirl-cheesecake-cupcakes/#print)

Yield: 12 cupcakes-

Ingredients:

For the crust:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp. sugar

For the raspberry swirl:

3 oz. fresh raspberries (but I used frozen ones and microwaved them to thaw them)

1 tbsp. sugar

For the filling:

1 lb light cream cheese, at room temperature

¾ cup sugar,

Pinch of salt,

1 tsp. vanilla extract,

2 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar.  Stir together with a fork until well blended and all the dry ingredients are moistened.  Press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner.  (I like to use a small drinking glass to easily and evenly press the crumbs down.  Bake until just set, 5 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack.

To make the raspberry puree, combine the raspberries and sugar (since I used frozen berries, I put it a pyrex measuring cup and microwaved it and then stuck my hand blender in). 

Process until smooth, then pour through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.

Here's the final product- A lovely raspberry coulis that just punches you in the taste buds... and since I was making another recipe for Canada Day that required a coulis, I just doubled it up.

To make the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy.  Blend in the sugar until smooth.  Mix in the salt and vanilla.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

To assemble, spoon 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake batter over the crust in each cupcake liner.  Dot a ½ teaspoon of the raspberry puree in a few dots over the cheesecake filling.  Use a toothpick or a wooden skewer to lightly swirl and create a marbled effect. (as you can I got creative with my dancing maple leaf/scarecrow designs).

Bake until the filling is set, about 22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.  (They will look quite puffed initially but will return to normal quickly.)  Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.  Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Nutritional Information:

194 calories

29g carbs

7g fat

4g protein

20g sugar

Here you have the baked little delights. The swirls look even funnier, they look like a murder scene. But heck, let me tell you, they are tasty! I had enough to bring to my parents pool party the next day!

Canada Day Elegant Evening Event

After our awesome Canada Day Bruncy Pool Party, Melanie and I had plans to bring one of her best friends to see the fireworks at Port Credit Harbour. This was Melanie and I's second year and this was Megan's first time ever seeing fireworks!

Cheese in red and white and hey.... how come the girls didn't give me Canada Day face 'tatoo'. Mmmm?

Here are the 2 besties... what a wonderful girl she is, full of love an confidence- an awesome friend for Melanie to learn from- she was so grateful for having been invited and for me buying them a little ice cream treat. I have never seen anyone- young or old- be so grateful for the little things we take for granted. What an awesome pay pack in gratitude... my new vibe!

Here I am, red and white and waving the flag. But what you don't see if that I am sitting in, and fitting comfortably in one of those folding camping chairs. For the first time since they've become popular- about 10 years ago- I am not afraid to sit in one of these chairs, not afraid to break it, not afraid to get out of it either. And able to get out of it without anyone pulling my big ass out of it... like last year at the beach. I got up and down many times and felt so freakin' proud! Yeah to my new body!... and what about the walk to get to the park. Last year when Melanie and I went, we had to park far away and it was a big hike to get there. This year, I just told the girls we would probably be parking far away and we would need to walk a lot, so wear your good walking shoes. And as I predicted, we had to park 5 blocks away at the Go Train parking lot. And guess what... it was a breeze for me to walk with my fit legs and heart and I was even carrying a chair.  What a triumph!!!

There's my gorgeous Canadian Princess with the sun setting on her while she waits for the fireworks to start.

Ok, almost starting, it's getting dark and the girls are beaming with anticipation!

Like last year, they started, LOUD and PROUD. But this year I was able to easily get up for the National Anthem. They were incredible and lasted about 20 minutes. The girls were so excited, covering theirs ears, and watching them look up in amazement was just awesome.

I love fireworks, to me they signify a celebration, an awesome party in the sky for God to see from us humans being so grateful to be here on this planet!

But my absolute favourite is sitting with a crowd of thousands and hearing everyone around you - including myself- saying 'OOOOHHH, AHHHHH' every time they pop! I am proud to be Canadian!

Canada Day Morning Magnificence Party

There you have it, I love Canada! What an awesome country we live in. So when we had an opportunity to meet with our 'tea party' friends on Canada Day in the morning... I said for sure... and it became a pool party decorated with red and white and full of 'red' themed foods.

These pins say it all!

I made 'Healthy' double chocolate mini pancakes with a raspberry coulis and berries on top. It was a hit and Melanie almost drank the coulis from the bowl! I will share the recipe with you in a few days!

I also made 'low fat' mini cheesecakes with a raspberry swirl... but instead of a swirl, I tried to make a maple leaf with the raspberry coulis. But guess what... they kinda look like trees or scarecrows??? But it's the effort that counts and they tasted so good- recipe to come in a few days!

I had some festive Canada Day napkins and giant red peppers dancing around.

Jenny and Szos brought some delicious stuff- this salad was great - made with beets, cilantro, blueberries and walnuts- I just picked the goat cheese off. I tried it to make Jenny happy... but it still tasted like the farm.

Szos made his absolutely delicious guacamole and brought some delicious blue nacho chips made by Neal Brothers... they were real good- Georgia's so cute, she calls them 'crackers'.

I used one of new favourite Pampered Chef gadgets- this cooling tray- I will show you more later but basically those green trays are frozen and you can place your eggs/cheese on it and then there is a plastic tray set you can put on top and place your veggies and dip... instead, I put fruits everywhere. Red grapes, red cherries, white old cheddar cheese- it's a Canadian Flag in food- and then a bit of yellow/orange with the mangos and deviled eggs - it was brunch- so you are supposed to have eggs. They tasted good, but I can't make them pretty like my friend Gaetane does.

Here's Captain Canada - Brent- I think he devoured the guacamole.

Here's the 'Great Canadian Moose Man' - Szos, an awesome coach, friend and spirit!

Here's the pool party part... Melanie was giving a foot soak/pedicure? to Georgia who had been in the pool but was a little cold... she was sitting this one out.

What a beautiful face... this is 'I am a frozen Popsicle sitting on the side of the pool wrapped up in a towel' but I am not giving up... I will be jumping back in... just give me a few minutes!

It's like, everyone has to pose with the Bieb's... Ok, no, I made them pose, because Jenny's cute outfit matched the poster. And Georgia is a big fan- in fact we usually have a dance party- put this was a little different twist on our traditional tea party! I love these people, they have enriched my world in so many ways and continue to dazzle me with their passion for all the great things we have available to us in the Universe.