Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Kid-Friendly)

My little man got up this morning at 6:45 am instead of his usual 8 am wake up time. Needless to say, it took me by surprise.

With a hot cup of tea in my hand, I sat at the dining table contemplating what to do with a little one full of energy, at 7 am. I am so not a morning person. Yawn.

As I was watching my little man wolf down his cereal and yogurt, I asked my early riser if he wanted to make banana muffins or banana pancakes. With a sparkle in his eye, he clapped his hands and squealed "muff". Okay, muffins it is.

This was the first time my little man and I baked/cooked together. My goodness, I was super surprised by the fact that he is a seasoned pro (for a toddler!). This is all in part thanks to my husband who gets the little man's help on weekend mornings making pancakes. Check out the pictures below of my little man mixing, mashing and stirring the banana muffin batter. Hey, Chef Ramsey, my little man will be a MasterChef (Junior)!

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 medium, ripe bananas
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 large egg
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chocolate chips (you can add up to 1/2 cup if you want more chocolate chips)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

3. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork or potato masher.

"Mas Mas Mas" (aka Mash Mash Mash)

4. Add in sugar, egg, butter to the banana mixture until it is thoroughly combined.

5. Mix the wet mixture into the dry mixture until it is just combined; do not over mix.

Mix Mix Mix.

6. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Mix Mix Mix some more.

7. Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups (greased or lined with muffin liners).

8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown.

Source: Adapted from 201 Organic Baby and Toddler Meals

Canada: Free Certified Tax Software For 2015 NETFILE Program

The Canadian Revenue Agency (aka. The IRS of Canada), published a list of free tax software programs Canadians can use to file your taxes. This is a great resource which I wish I knew about before we filed our taxes a couple of weeks ago. Like most Canadians, I purchased tax software for $30 for the honor of paying more taxes.

View image | gettyimages.com

For anyone who has manually filed their taxes (I have had one horrible experience doing this), using a tax software is a lifesaver as it saves you time, improves accuracy and may even prompt you for tax deductions and credits you might have missed otherwise.

To all those who still have not filed your taxes yet, please check out CRA's website for a list of free tax software you can use. The deadline to file for Canadians is April 30, 2015.

Please note that there are some restrictions on who can use the free software. Please visit CRA's website for more information.

Honey Thyme Glazed Ham

I have been seriously addicted to ham lately. One, ham is cost effective as it is one of the cheaper proteins you can purchase. Two, a leg of ham can be used for a variety of different meals, thus saving you time in the kitchen and gives your family a little variety. Three, it's ham! What's not to like about it?

I love trying out new baked ham recipes. This recipe yields in a juicy ham that looks the prettiest as it is speckled with thyme all over. The recipe is similar to the Honey Mustard Glazed Ham where you cover the ham in parchment paper and aluminium foil before baking. Then a glaze is brushed all over for a nice crispy crust.

If you like a sweeter ham, you might like this recipe for Baked Ham With Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze. Leave me a comment and let me know if you are a ham addict too!

Ingredients
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp dried thyme (2 tbsp fresh)
1 (12 to 14 pounds) bone-in ham
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions
1. Place butter and thyme in a bowl. Cover with a plate or paper towel. Defrost on low in the microwave.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Line a roasting pan or glass baking pan with aluminium foil.

4. Discard wrapping and plastic end cap from ham. Using a knife, cut away any rind, fat or skin from the ham. Score the ham in a diamond pattern and place ham on the glass baking pan.

5. Cover the ham with parchment paper then cover with aluminium foil. Bake for 2-1/2 hours.

6. While the ham is cooking, boil vinegar in a small saucepan until it has reduced to 1 tablespoon. (Turn on your exhaust fan so your whole house does not smell like vinegar).

7. Remove the saucepan and stir in the honey, Worcestershire sauce and thyme butter. Set aside.

8. Discard foil and parchment from ham. If there is no liquid in the pan, add 1 cup of water.

9. Brush ham with half of the glaze, bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

10. Remove ham from the oven and brush with the remaining glaze. Bake until the glaze is golden-brown and the ham is heated through (about 30 to 45 minutes).

Source: Slightly adapted from Epicurious