Over the Canada Day long weekend, I made it a mission to test out the new BBQ grill and enjoy time with my dear friends. The essential ingredient is food. President’s Choice came out with a few awesome items for their Summer Insiders Collection.

Burgers and Smokies

I was so excited to try the PC Our Great Canadian Thick & Juicy Beef Burgers and the PC Smokies Poutine Flavour Fully Cooked Smoked Pork Sausages. Definitely not your normal burger patties or smokies.

Available only for the summer, the maple leaf shaped patty  was a fun way to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. It comes frozen, so it’s not that impressive until the beautiful grill marks makes an appearance. It is made with 100% Canadian beef. If you’re at the grocery store, you’ll want to check out the PC Loads of Canadiana Beef Burgers as it’s a bit different since it combines Canadian beef, rich cheese curds, bacon and a classic Montreal-style steak spice into one thick patty.

A handful of deliciousness. We put a slice of cheese on top to get the ooey gooey melted cheese. My choice of cheese was habanero Monterey Jack cheese since it was red and white to match the theme. I kept it simple with a tosated bun, lettuce and some sauce to let the patty shine through.

The poutine smokie has real French fries, gooey cheese and a touch of gravy seasoning. It was so good and decadent. I added some shredded cheese on top for more cheesiness.

I would totally recommend this for your Summer BBQ. It’s the best combination. You’ll want to have both of their burgers and smokies at your BBQ.

Maple Marshmallows

I don’t have an open fire pit in my backyard, but a gas powered stove does the trick to roast marshmallows. Revolutionize your s’mores with these large maple-flavoured marshmallows created for campfire toasting and s’more building. You’ll notice the sweet maple aroma from the PC Maple Flavour Marshmallows as they cook, the flat shape also makes them easily fit between graham crackers.

Cold Brews and Teas

We love our wines and iced tea, but the PC Cold Brew Single Origin Black Coffee was a great addition for coffee drinkers. It is a smooth and full-bodied, this cold brew coffee is prepared by steeping roasted ground coffee beans in filtered cool water for about 20 hours. Made with dark roast 100% Arabica beans, it’s equally refreshing black or with a splash of milk. You can also pair it with their PC Coconut Dairy-Free Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert to make an affogato.

Mango Salsa

It’s not a party without some snacks. In addition to bags of SmartFoods white cheddar popcorn, we had PC Mango Salsa and some Canada themed tortilla chips. The salsa has juicy mango and pineapple, roasted green tomatillos, zesty lime and lemon, and cilantro leaves come together in a vibrant fresh-tasting salsa. The sweet and savoury fruit salsa makes an unexpected yet delightful dip to serve with tortilla chips. You can also add it with your favourite grilled food items.

Final Thoughts

I’ve always stressed about having a BBQ party with all my friends and not knowing what they all want to eat, but as long as we are in good company with delicious food and drinks, we are happy. Summer gives us the perfect opportunity to come together and celebrate our country over twists on Canadian classics. I’ve been a customer of PC products since I can barely remember and their products are pretty solid for taste, innovation and price. There’s everything you have in store. Plan your next Summer backyard party by picking up a few of these awesome products.

Website: http://www.presidentschoice.ca/en_CA/insiders-collection.html

Canada Day is almost upon us and since the sesquicentennial anniversary of Canadian Confederation is upon us, there is lots to do around town. For those who are not ready to brave the crowds around town, you can celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada in your own home. One of my favourite grocery stores – Loblaws has some awesome President’s Choice branded items that can be transformed into Canada-inspired dishes for this weekend.

I personally love Canada Day because it’s my sister’s birthday, there’s fireworks, hot weather, and it’s a long weekend. I hope you can spare some time and spend some time around the dinner table with family and friends.

Moose Ear Doughnuts with Cold Brew Glaze

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Serves: 16
Prep time: 45 minutes
Ready in: 2 hours
Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (50 mL) warm water (100°F/38°C)
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) granulated sugar
• 2 tsp (10 mL) active dry yeast (one 8 g pkg)
• 1 large egg
• 5 tbsp (70 mL) warm milk
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) PC Cold Brew Single Origin Black Coffee
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) PC Sunflower Oil
• 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
• 1 tsp (5 mL) PC Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2-½ cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Glaze:

• 1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) PC Cold Brew Single Origin Black Coffee

Directions:

1. Stir together warm water and pinch sugar in small bowl or liquid measure until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand until frothy, 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Whisk together egg, milk, coffee, sunflower oil, salt, vanilla and remaining sugar in large bowl. Stir in yeast mixture.
3. Whisk flour with baking powder in separate large bowl. Add to yeast mixture; stir just until dough comes together. Knead gently to form smooth ball. Place in separate greased large bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
4. Gently deflate dough. Divide into 16 equal pieces; shape into balls. Roll out 1 ball on lightly floured work surface to 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick oval. Transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheet; cover baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough.
5. Add enough vegetable oil to large wide saucepan to come 2 inches (5 cm) up side; heat until deep-fryer thermometer reads 375°F (190°C) when inserted in oil. Working in small batches, carefully lower dough into oil. Cook, turning once, until golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined baking sheet. Let cool 5 minutes.
6. Glaze: Whisk icing sugar with coffee in separate large bowl until smooth. Working 1 at a time, dip 1 flat side of doughnuts in icing sugar mixture; transfer, glazed side up, to rack set over sheet of waxed paper. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Working 1 at a time, dip glazed side of doughnuts in icing sugar mixture again. Return, glazed side up, to rack. Let stand until set, about 5 minutes.

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Canada Day Burgers with Thousand Island Sauce

The bun: Canadian white and rye flour seasoned with Montreal steak spice. The patty: 100% Canadian beef proudly shaped into a maple leaf. The sauce: Tangy and patriotically red Thousand Islands-style dressing. Meet the unofficial Canada Day burger.

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Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ready in: 25 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients:

• Half of a shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) PC Mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) PC Sriracha Tomato Ketchup Blended with Sriracha
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) PC Baby Dill Pickles with Garlic, drained and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp (5 mL) Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 4 frozen PC Thick & Juicy Maple Leaf Beef Burgers
• Half of a red onion, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick rounds
• 4 PC Canadian Burger Buns, split
• 2 leaves Boston lettuce, halved
• 2 PC Flavour Burst Tomato of Yore Beefsteak Tomatoes, sliced
• 4 slices PC Zesty Garlic Deli-Sliced Dill Pickles

Directions:

1. Preheat barbecue to medium heat.
2. Stir together shallot, mayonnaise, ketchup, baby dill pickles, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and salt in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
3. Place frozen burgers on greased grill. Close lid; cook, turning once, until instant-read thermometer reads 160°F (71°C) when inserted sideways into burgers, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place red onion on greased grill. Close lid; cook, turning once, until grill-marked, 6 to 8 minutes. Place buns, cut sides down, on greased grill. Close lid; cook until light golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Divide lettuce among bottom halves of buns. Top with burgers, shallot mixture, red onion, tomatoes and sliced dill pickles, dividing evenly. Sandwich with top halves of buns.

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Maple Pecan S’mores Dip

No campfire? No problem. This oven-baked dessert dip packs all of the gooey chocolatey-marshmallow goodness of the classic fire-pit treat – no flames needed! Keep it traditional and dive in with graham crackers, or achieve sweet-and- salty nirvana and enjoy with potato chips.

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Serves: 20
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Ready in: 20 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (250 mL) pecan pieces
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) PC Salted Country Churned Butter, melted
• 1 pkg (270 g) PC The Decadent Milk Chocolate Chips
• Half pkg (400 g pkg) PC Maple Flavour Marshmallows (about 14)
• Graham crackers, pretzels or potato chips, for dipping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Stir together pecans and melted butter in 9-inch (23 cm) cast-iron skillet or pie plate. Bake, stirring once, until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle chocolate chips over pecan mixture. Bake until chocolate is softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Arrange marshmallows in single layer over top of chocolate s’more. Bake until marshmallows are puffed and golden, 5 to 7 minutes.

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I hope these recipes will inspired you to make an awesome Canada Day feast.

With the amount of food sensitivities on the rise, how do you put together a meal to cater to friends and family members with gluten or dairy sensitivities? President’s Choice is dedicated to making entertaining easy for everyone, by offering simple ways to embrace favourite flavours and culinary trends – no matter your dietary needs. It hits pretty close to home as my sister is Celiac. I also can’t have too much dairy as my tummy gets a bit upset.

Pasta and Grains

We tried the PC Gluten-Free Four Cheese Tortellini it is stuffed with a delicate blend of ricotta, Parmesan, Romano and mozzarella cheeses, these tender, tasty bites of egg pasta are high in fibre and free of gluten.

Tortellini with arrabiata pasta sauce

Toss with creamy, tomato or olive oil-based sauces, pop into broth-based soups and stews, or serve with cocktail picks and creamy basil pesto dip as hors d’oeuvres. I tossed mine in arrabiata pasta sauce and topped with parmesan cheese. Besides Tortellini, they also have gluten-free pastas and corn couscous.

Sweet Treats

For those with a sweet tooth, they have gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, and even cake mix.

I taste tested the PC Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with my co-workers to get their input and they felt it was a bit hard and stale. Maybe some warm milk was needed to moisten the experience.

Dairy

How do they get the lactose out of cheese and sour cream? Either way, it’s a great option to have in stores now. So, I made a Lactose-Free breakfast nachos using their PC Lactose-Free Old Ceddar Cheese, PC Lactose-Free Swiss Cheese and their PC Lactose-Free Sour Cream.

Lactose-Free breakfast nachos

Best breakfast ever! Next time you’re at a store selling President’s Choice products, check out their food sensitivities collection for compromise-free entertaining at home. Happy cooking.

Website: http://www.presidentschoice.ca/en_CA/familypage/food-sensitivities.html

I was grocery shopping and I saw Takis at my local Safeway in Vancouver. We saw it at the end of the aisle near the milk section. It wasn’t even in the chip and snack aisle. I am so excited since it was only available in the US for the longest time, but it’s finally make it way to Canada. I’m not entirely sure which other grocery stores carry these, but keep your eyes open because I’m sure other stores will start carrying them soon. These are still made by Barcel, which is a Mexican producer of potato, tortilla chips, and other snack food.

There were 3 flavours from what I saw – Takis Fuego (Extreme), Takis Crunchy Fajitas (Zesty), and Takis Xplosion (Mild). They come in 2 sizes – 90g ($1.49) and 280g ($3.69) bags.

Takis Xplosion

If it’s your first time trying Takis, start mild and work your way up. The delicious tortilla chips are so good and the shape is pretty unique.

Takis Crunchy Fajitas

If you want to kick it up a little notch, they have Crunchy Fajitas.

Takis Fuego

Takis Fuego is my favourite. It’s not for those who are spice sensitive. It is delicious but it will leave your mouth scorched. If you love Flaming Hot Cheetos, you’ll love this.