Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom!
Hope you have a lovely day--
enjoy the picture!

Upgrade

Soo...I've been thinking it's time for an upgrade. My friend Haley (who writes a lovely blog about scrapbooking) always has random lists on her blog, and this is a random list of sorts.

Some things in life we keep around or keep doing just because we always have, and we don't realize there is a whole other world of goodness out there to be enjoying. So with that in mind, here are some things I am upgrading, maybe you will too (or have a few of your own?)

1. Pepper Grinder
You always hear how it is important to refresh your spice drawer and not use nutmeg from 1973, because even though they are dried, spices are best the fresher they are. After awhile, the spice flavor dulls and flattens out, kind of defeating the purpose.
While pre-ground black pepper is all fine and good, lately I have been feeling it adds color and not too much flavor. So, after hearing from a chef (Jamie Oliver?) and talking about it over family dinners, I figured it's time to break out the old grinder. I have one, I just never use it. I am not a fan of exotic peppers--I'll stick with the tried and true, but it will be freshly cracked and spicy. Can't wait. (May even make the switch with salt, too).


2. Dishtowels
My absolute favorite dishtowels are the Floursack towels from Danica. Great colors, great size, great drying ability (so many towels are nice but don't actually dry anything!) I have quite a few, but I also have some old, stained uglies that are still in the drawer. I am getting rid of them and going to have a drawer full of my favorites. Now that makes drying dishes (or hands) much more fun!


3. Glasses
This is embarrassing. When Jeff and I first got married, we got a lovely set of beautiful glasses. At the time, we were also into Pom Tea which came in a reusable glass. Always one for reusing, we kept the glasses and they entered the rotation. Over the years, wouldn't you know, our nice glasses broke here and there, and now, looking in our cupboard, we have few of them left. They are supplemented with a nice collection of Pom glasses and some other randoms that worked their way in (including 2 Venti sized Starbucks porcelain cups.) The truth is, the Poms stayed around because they are an ideal size and weight and they never broke!
In reality though, it is embarrassing to serve your guests their drink in glass with a logo on it. And, we do have some new lovely glassware at the store that is the same size and shape as the Poms without the logo (or dishwasher etching). So it's time for an upgrade there too.

What do you need to upgrade in your life? Last year I made the switch to reusable grocery bags, and stopped using papertowel to wipe Hannah's highchair tray/face/hands after meals (bought a ton of baby facecloths and keep them in the drawer with the dishtowels. Works way better and we save money and paper towels! Woot!)

Gingersnaps made a seasonal upgrade too--if you are lucky, your salad will be made with fresh garden greens from the garden centre--yummmmm.

Gingersnaps Weekly Menu

Gingersnaps Weekly Menu

August 2-7

Monday – CLOSED

Tuesday – Deli Sandwiches and Subs

Wednesday – Deli Sandwiches and Subs

Thursday – BBQ Roast Beef on a Bun

Friday – Chicken Caesar Panini

**Heather made a really cute menu this week but I can't get it to open properly in the new download menu--grr. So, come in for Beef on a Bun and see it in real life! PS--Just cracked some new ice cream flavors in Sweetpea's (including Cotton Candy and Coconut) so grab some of that for dessert.

Saturday – Assorted Pizza

August Tea of the Month

A Raspberry in Paris

A raspberry in Paris. So, what exactly does a raspberry do in Paris? Well, visit the Louvre, see the Mona Lisa, go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and take a stroll down the champs elysée. This herbal tea is also incredibly good for you and incredibly delicious. Raspberries contain ellegaic acid, a substance in the family of tannins, a phytonutrient, and are subsequently considered by some nutritionists to be a good source of antioxidants. You’ll notice upon opening the packet that we’ve included a generous portion of dried raspberry pieces to ensure that the goodness of the fruit passes on to the tea. Rooibos itself is also an incredibly nutritious natural delight.

Enjoy a cup of loose leaf tea freshly brewed for you!!!

Special Tea of the Month price

$1.68

SKU: HOTL (single serving)

Sprout

We are very excited to announce that Hannah is going to be a big sister! Sprout (as we are calling the new little one) is due to arrive next February!

Share me!

Just made some changes to the blog, and you can now share our posts on your facebook page and more! Just see the bottom of the post for the link to share.

Update from Sarah and David--heat is excruciating! Got to meet Paula Deen and eat Collard Greens and go on a haunted city tour. Oh, and they both mentioned they miss me very much--so sweet. ;)

Retail Innovators of the Year

We are VERY excited to announce that we have been selected as a Retail Innovator of the Year by the North American Retail Hardware Association! AND, we are thrilled to be the ONLY Canadian winner in this category!

The NRHA describes the awards thusly:

Each and every day, independent retailers are changing their playing fields—developing new ideas and blazing new trails along the retail landscape. The Retail Innovators of the Year awards program is dedicated to recognizing these retailers.

We won in the Store Operations category. Right now, Sarah and David are in Savannah, Georgia for the NRHA National Convention and All-Industry Conference to accept the award and participate on a panel of innovators. They are experiencing all that Savannah has to offer, such as the 114*F heat and humidity (that's 45* C folks, usually we only see a 45 with a minus in front of it) and eating fried alligator!


We're getting little updates here and there, maybe Sarah will even make a post on this (hint hint) but we will update you more as we hear it!

Garden Tips--Water Plants

Garden Tips--Weeds

Anna Olson's Peach Apricot Preserves

Peach Apricot Preserves

Makes about 10 cups (2.5 L) preserves

• 1 lb peeled and diced fresh 450 g peaches
• 1 lb pitted fresh apricots, sliced 450 g
• 1⁄2 cup lemon juice 125 mL
• 6 cups sugar 1.5 L
• 2 cups pasteurized honey 500 mL
• 3 tbsp freshly grated ginger 45 mL
• 3 tbsp finely grated lemon zest 45 mL
• 2 x pouch liquid pectin

1. Prepare jars for preserving by washing and air-drying. Wash Snap lids by hand and air-dry. Wash all utensils to be used in preserving (tongs, ladles, funnel, etc). Prepare a large pot of water, bringing up to a simmer while preparing preserves.
2. Bring peaches and apricots up to a simmer with lemon juice then cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until fruit is soft. Stir in sugar, honey, ginger and zest and return to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. Stir in pectin and hold jam over low heat while packing jars.
3. To pack jars, warm Snap lids in hot tap water (not boiling water). Immerse jars to be filled into the large pot of water and simmer for three minutes. Remove and tip over on a clean tea towel to drain. Using a jam funnel, ladle preserves into jars, filling to 1⁄4" from the top. Wipe any preserves that dripped on the top of the jars and screw on Snap lids until "finger tight" (do not tightly fasten). With tongs, immerse filled jars into boiling water and boil for 15 minutes. Carefully remove jars from pot and let cool upright on a tea towel.
4. After jars have cooled to room temperature, check that the lids have sealed (the lids should appear concave, and should not move when the top is pressed). Any jars that have not sealed should be stored in the fridge and consumed. Label and date jars and store in a cool dry place for up to a year.

Gingersnaps Weekly Menu

Garden Tips--Ladybugs

The Liar in the Dairy Aisle...

Dear Friends;

Today I am on a mission to expose one of the biggest ripoffs and scams known to summer. It is robbing children and adults alike of one of the purest joys in life--the joy of an ice cream cone.

Visit your local grocer and you are sure to find almost an entire aisle of ice cream-type products. But a big sign saying "Edible Oil Products" doesn't really sound appealing on a hot summer day.

The next time you buy "ice cream" check to see if the words "ice cream" appear on the packaging--chances are they don't. Even popular brand names--names you would shout out if I asked you to name what kind is in your freezer--are likely "Frozen Desserts." A trip to one local grocery store found only one brand (Chapmans) that is indeed ice cream. The rest are all Frozen Desserts (check the lower right hand side of the package.)

What's the difference you ask? Well, if you have ever had Real Whipped Cream on your hot chocolate or Mocha (like at Starbucks or Gingersnaps) you will know it is light and fluffy and tastes like heaven and melts discreetly into your beverage. However, if you visit a local chain restaurant or coffeeshop, you may receive Whipped Topping which is described as an "edible oil product" and floats on your drink like a dense island of nastiness and when it eventually does disolve it leaves a thick grease slick on top of your latte. SICK. (You may also recognize it as the stuff that you scrape off your ice cream cake and which does not disolve in the sink. Yucky.)

If you visit the Dairy Goodness website you can see a lovely write-up on Frozen Desserts vs Ice Cream (I learned about it myself in the Nutrition Action newsletter from the Center for Science in the Public Interest--the same people who busted the coronary-inducing bucket that is movie popcorn (but at least that tastes good).) An excerpt:

If it looks like ice cream, it must be ice cream, right? There was a time when that was true. But these days, you can’t be so sure. Many of the products for sale in the ice cream aisle at your grocery store are ‘frozen desserts’ that are often made with edible oil products and don’t contain the nutrients naturally found in milk. Read the Nutrition Facts table on the label: frozen desserts are made with oils like palm kernel or coconut oil, ice cream is made from 100% milk (including ingredients derived from milk, e.g. cream, skim milk powder, whey powder).

Most manufacturers have simply removed the words ‘ice cream’ from their packaging and replaced them with the term ‘frozen dessert’. So be sure to read your labels and look for the 100% Canadian milk symbol. And remember: If it doesn’t say ice cream on the package, it’s not ice cream.

In addition to tasting like garbage and leaving a slick on your tongue, the frozen desserts are also frothy and foamy and not rich or creamy tasting (hence the lack of cream). And as a note--the desserts are often the same or MORE expensive than real ice cream!

So, if you look in your freezer and find you having been scammed into frozen garbage instead of real ice cream, pick some up next time (or come by Sweetpea's for some delicious Alberta Made Foothills Ice Cream). When you taste the deliciousness that is real ice cream, your neurons will fire and your synapses will alight and you will experience the true, real joy that is sweet, cold ice cream on a hot summer day.

Tea of the Month July

Anna Olson's Garden Chili Sauce

Yum! What a great way to use all those beautiful blooming tomatoes! Check out this recipe and more in the summer edition of Home at Home magazine!

Garden Chili Sauce

Makes about 12 cups (3 L) sauce

• 12 cups peeled and chopped 3 L tomatoes
• 3 cups diced onion 750 mL
• 2 cups diced green pepper 500 mL
• 2-6 diced banana peppers
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 cups sugar 500 mL
• 1 cup white vinegar 250 mL
• 2 tbsp salt 30 mL
• 1 tbsp dill seed 15 mL
• 1 tbsp celery seed 15 mL

1. Prepare jars for preserving by washing and air-drying. Wash Snap lids by hand and air-dry. Wash all utensils to be used in preserving (tongs, ladles, funnel, etc). Prepare a large pot of water, bringing up to a simmer while preparing preserves.
2. Place tomatoes, onion, peppers and garlic in a pot and bring up to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, until peppers are soft. Add sugar, vinegar, salt and spices and continue to simmer until excess water has cooked away and mixture is sauce consistency, about 20 minutes.
3. To pack jars, warm Snap lids in hot tap water (not boiling water). Immerse jars to be filled into the large pot of water and simmer for three minutes. Remove and tip over on a clean tea towel to drain. Using a jam funnel, ladle chili sauce into jars, filling to 1⁄4" from the top. Wipe any preserves that dripped on the top of the jars and screw on Snap lids until "finger tight" (do not tightly fasten). With tongs, immerse filled jars into boiling water and boil for 15 minutes. Carefully remove jars from pot and let cool upright on a tea towel.
4. After the jars have cooled to room temperature, check that the lids have sealed (the lids should appear concave, and should not move when the top is pressed). Any jars that have not sealed should be stored in the fridge and consumed. Label and date jars and store in a cool dry place for up to a year.

SAVE on ALL BBQ's and Patio Furniture!

June 28 - July 3
ALL BBQ's and Patio Furniture are on sale! Why not treat yourself to a little Canada Day Present?

PS--We will be CLOSED Thursday, July 1 for Canada Day! Enjoy the Fireworks!

Subscribe via email

If you like the blog but don't remember to come everyday, or want to know when we have new postings, feel free to subscribe via email. (Link below, right hand side.) I changed the format of it so it will tell you what the posts are about in the subject heading now, let me know if you like this better or not. It also combines all the day's posts (on day's I do more than one, like today) into one email, so you won't get 3 seperate ones. It emails about 11 at night, to make sure all the posting is done for the day.

When you sign up, it will email you to confirm. For me, this email got filtered out to junk so please take a look for it (it will come almost instantly).

Can't Sleep?

Why is this clock so mini? Oh well. I can't sleep. I come from a family of non-sleepers. Don't get me wrong, we love to sleep, we just can't. We are therefore also a family of nappers.

Odds are, my Mom was up at least once tonight, and so was my sister. Her normal waking hour is 3 am though. Lately mine has been 4:30. Brutal. Especially when you have a 2 yr old to care for. She is also not a good sleeper. Wakes up several times a night, has baby nightmares. So when she is sleeping and I am not it really bugs me, because it is a rare opportunity to actually have uninterupted sleep!

My FIL does not sleep well at night, and thus has a tendancy to fall asleep in the early evening (like at supper, at the table, right after he has asked you a question. As you start to reply, he will start to snore. This is a true story.)

I have had a lot of things keeping me awake at night, so while I can understand it, I certainly do not enjoy it.

So... I present to you some handy tools.

1. A fan. One winter, sick of waking up in the night with a dry, scratchy throat, we finally hooked ourselves up with a humidifier. Then, come summer when we turned it off, we couldn't sleep. It was too quiet (and/or we could hear our neighbour kids coming home at 3am). So we turn on a fan at night. It helps Hannah sleep too (a grown up version of her Sleep Sheep. Side note: Both my sister and my Mother also have their own personal Gentle Giraffe (Sleep Sheep's friend) to help them sleep. Never heard of these? It's basically a stuffed toy with a soundbox that makes ocean sounds, rain sounds etc to help you sleep. A MUST for babies, and yes, we sell them!)

2. A sleep mask. In the prairies, in the summer, it gets light exceedingly early in the morning (around that 4:30 mark) and also stays light till wayyy late at night (10ish or later). You would be AMAZED at how much better your sleep is in the dark--you think, dark, yeah, I get it, that's what nature intended etc BUT it really helps you get into that deep sleep we all desire. I am a connoisseur of sleep masks. In order for it to help you sleep, it needs to be soft, have an elastic that does not dig into your head nor stretch out (and then slide off your face) and actually do a good job of blocking out light. Most masks are one piece, and have something lame embroidered on them (like DIVA SLEEPING) but THESE are the BEST. (Buy them in store! Personal Expressions!) Adjustable elastic, filled with lavender (but not so strong that it bugs you) and with additional little pillows over the eyes for a total blackout. I love them! In fact, my sister and I both own several. And they are green, men, so you don't have to feel weird wearing them either. Try it on the plane (super) or in the car (as a passenger, to avoid that annoying driving-into-the-sun brightness) or in the daytime when you need a nap. Love it.

3. A cool room. We have a 2-story (which I would never do again) and the top floor is hard to temperature regulate. Too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer (have to air condition the hell out of the whole house to get it to sleepable temperature upstairs). We have grobag egg upstairs to make sure the temp is comfortable for Hannah (very important) so we can see when it's getting too warm up here. It is SHOCKING how better we all sleep when the temp is lower (but not cold enough to freeze your nose off). My parents always open their windows at night (even in winter!) but being in the city we get too much traffic noise and often it is not cool enough in the summer, too cold in the winter.

So, with those tips, I bid you adieu. It's now 6:00 and although I am getting tired now, my kid will be up soon.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Happy 29th Birthday Jeff!
Last year of the twenties, better live it up!
If you see Jeff today please be sure to wish him a very Happy Birthday.

Jeff is a bit of an expert in airplanes and fighter jets,
let's see if he can correctly identify this one for a birthday prize!
(And to make sure he is reading these blog posts ;) )
Hint: Might have something to do with a 29....?

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Happy 2nd Birthday to the littest HHer, Miss Hannah!

On any given day, Hannah is there, having "coffee", visiting
Cone Lady and the gourmet girls behind the gingersnaps
counter, talking on a banana guard like a phone in Gourmet,
testing the toys in the baby dept, splashing in the fountains in
the Garden Centre, locking herself in the change room in
Personal Expressions or peeling "tickers" (price tags) off of product.
Not "work" to us, but to her, that's her job!

Rule-Breaker Scratch & Save!

This Friday and Saturday Scratch and Save 5-25% on everything* in the store
INCLUDING BUILDING MATERIALS!


WOW! Poor Building Materials, they are always being left out.
Well not this time!

Don't miss out on this never-before-seen opportunity to save up to 25% on your decking, fencing or other lumber package!


*Excludes Special Orders and Items on Hold. Sorry boys, maybe next time.

Garden Party!

Please join us for our
Summer Celebration
Garden Party

This Thursday, June 17
5-9 PM in the Garden Centre

with Special Guest Performer
Earl Stevenson

Mix & Mingle
Drinks, Snacks & Doorprizes

Save 20% on all
Trees, Plants & Shrubs

All sales from Sweetpea's during this special evening
will be donated to the
Lloydminster & Area Drug Strategy

See You There!

Earl's cd is available in store or online here

Give Dad the Perfect Gift

Father's Day is THIS WEEKEND!

What Dad wouldn't want to be turned loose in a hardware store with money to burn any way he wanted?

BBQ? New fire pit? Tools?
Wine Glasses? Espresso Maker? Fondue Pot?
Let him decide!

And Now a Word from Mark Cullen

Excerpted from Mark's monthly newsletter. Get your own copy at www.markcullen.com

The Perfect Month for Gardening

Really, is there a better month in the year to enjoy your Canadian garden? All of that fresh new growth is yet to get beaten up by the weather, bugs or disease. The peonies are in bloom, as are the roses and iris. It is the best month of the year to be alive.

Reduce Watering by up to 50%!

I created quite a stir in May when I talked about this fabulous new product on Canada AM with Jeff Hutcheson. Here is the scoop, in case you missed it:

The Flower Growers of Ontario developed a hemp tea bag and filled it with dry alfalfa, corn starch and sea kelp. This combo absorbs 400 times it weight in water in about 10 minutes.

You dig a hole as you normally would, preparing it just so with compost and all of the good stuff. Just before you place your plant in the hole drop the pre-moistened Water Wick into the bottom of the hole and place the plant roots directly on top of it. Now, when the soil dries around the roots of the plant it will draw water from the Water Wick through its’ roots. The plant will sustain itself much longer without watering.

The Water Wick will disintegrate (adding a mild form of fertilizer) to the soil at the root zone within 6 months.

Bingo. Bob is your Uncle.

Most suitable for container grown plants.

Containers.

June is ‘container month’. I have been watching Canadian gardeners for a long time and one observation that I have is that we love to plant up containers in June to spruce up the deck, patio, pathways and everywhere else that you want colour and plants above the ground.

I urge you not to plant in last years’ soil, when you replant last years’ containers. Not that there is anything wrong with putting it on the ground and digging it in to your existing garden soil. Good idea! The point is that the nutrition was pulled out of the soil last year when you had plants growing in it.

New ‘container mix’ is specifically formulated with the demands of containerized plants in mind. Look for a quality brand that you trust. Check out my new ‘Mark’s Choice’ container mix at Home Hardware. It contains some interesting surprises: Calcined clay which is a natural water absorber, compost (like the great British container soils!) and sharp sand, for porosity. The soil to avoid is a very lightweight bag of fluffed up peat. Not a good use of your money and lacking in nutrition for your plants.

Feed and Forget.

After you have your containers planted up add a teaspoon or so of ‘Feed and Forget’ fertilizer. I like this stuff as it removes the need to mix or reapply fertilizer for the entire season. With Feed and Forget (by Plant Prod) the granules of plant food provide a dilute form of fertilizer every time that you water or it rains. Well named, terrific concept for the busy or forgetful gardener (which pretty much covers the whole group).

Roses.

You will get your best show of colour from your roses in the upcoming weeks. As they bloom remember to:

Cut them to bring indoors to enjoy on the kitchen table.

Watch for insects and disease – for aphids use Green Earth Insecticidal Soap and for black spot or powdery mildew use Green Earth Garden Fungicide.

Fertilize - with the new ‘Feed and Forget’ for roses or with a quality granule fertilizer like Green Earth 4-8-4 go to http://greenearth.ca/products/product_e.php?prodID=424 for details.

Mulch your rose bushes with finely ground up pine or cedar bark mulch. This will reduce weeds by up to 95% and watering by up to 70%.

When they have finished blooming it is a good idea to remove all of the spent blossoms which will encourage more flowering later in the summer and early fall.

SaveWater/Save Time/ Save the Environment.

Want to know how to reduce your water bill AND the amount of time that you spend on the end of a garden hose?

Use rain barrels. The water is charged with 30 to 40% oxygen (good for everything that you grow) and it is always warm. Plants like this. Do you like cold showers? Have you ever been told to take one? Keep your answers to yourself and remember that annuals and heat seeking vegetables love warm water. I rest my case.

Mulch. I know – I have said this before. June is just such a good month to put down 6 to 8 cm of finely ground up pine or cedar bark mulch. See my comments re: roses and repeat around the garden.

Soaker hoses. Use a 'bleeding' or soaker hose under your mulch to save a ton of water. You will apply water directly to the roots where it is needed most. Made of recycled rubber. A Mark's Choice product at Home Hardware.

Cut your lawn at 2 ½ inches or 5 to 6 cm. ‘The higher the grass blades, the deeper the roots and the more drought tolerant the grass plants’. Quote me any time.

Water your lawn only once a week or not at all. When you do water apply about an inch at one time: this will ensure that the water has moved down to the root zone. Use the new ‘Mark’s Choice’ lawn sprinkler and reduce watering by up to 1/3. How? The water droplets are pulverized into a mist that moves through the soil more quickly than the droplets from either an oscillating or impact-type sprinkler. Only at Home Hardware.

Remember that all plants like to get on the dry side – about 5 cm below the surface of the soil for established plants. So be careful not to overwater.

Also for June:

Remove the spent flowers of your peonies and lilacs when they are done to maximize blooming potential for next year

Stake your tomatoes with a new aluminum Mark’s Choice Spiral stake. You will never buy another stake and you will never have to tie your tomatoes up.

Remove the suckers from your tomatoes as they mature.

Anna Olson's Cranberry Orange Scones

These seem like the perfect breakfast to have out on the patio with steaming cups of coffee--what a great way to start the weekend!

Cranberry Orange Scones

These are the flaky, not-too-sweet style of scone that I favour with a cup of tea.

Makes 6 scones

• 11⁄2 cups all purpose flour 375 mL
• 3 tbsp sugar 45 mL
• 11⁄2 tsp baking powder 7 mL
• 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest 15 mL
• 1⁄4 tsp salt 1 mL
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 90 mL pieces and chilled
• 1⁄2 cup half and half cream, 125 mL plus extra for brushing
• 2⁄3 cup dried cranberries 160 mL

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Place all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cut butter into dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir cream into the dough. Mix just until dough comes together. Stir in cranberries.
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough twice to an inch (2.5 cm) thick, each time folding in half (this is the secret to a flaky scone). Shape dough into a circle 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick and cut into 6 wedges. Place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with remaining cream. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until tops are nicely browned.

Home at Home

The Summer Edition of Home at Home is in store now! We'll be featuring some of the recipes and tips over the summer, but feel free to pick up your FREE copy at Front Cash!

Also, check out WHAT'S HOT in patio furniture this summer, and don't forget to visit the Lifestyle's Greenhouse (next to Annuals) to see all of our patio furniture out on display! You will also see our wide selection of pots and planters on the Boardwalk (located behind the goatpen).

Mini Beef Mushroom Burgers

Mini Beef Mushroom Burgers

By adding diced mushrooms to the meat, these burgers stay juicy even when made with Extra Lean Ground Beef. Dress burgers with low-fat toppings such as shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes to keep them lean and wholesome.

Good source of iron (20 % DV), excellent source of zinc (59% DV), 14% DV sodium.

Preparation Time: 20 mins. Cooking Time: 20 mins.

1 lb	Extra Lean Ground Beef Sirloin	500 g
	or Round*
1	egg, beaten	1
1/4 cup	EACH dry bread crumbs and	50 mL
	finely chopped mushrooms
1	medium onion, finely diced	1
3	cloves garlic, minced	3
1 tsp	EACH dried oregano and basil	5 mL
1/4 tsp	pepper	1 mL
16	whole wheat dinner rolls	16

Combine ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, mushrooms, onion, garlic, oregano, basil and pepper. Mix lightly; shape beef mixture lightly into sixteen ½-inch (1 cm) thick patties, about 1 oz of meat, per patty. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day or over-wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.)

Cook burgers in 375º F(190ºC) oven, until digital rapid-read thermometer inserted sideways into centre of each patty reads at least 160°F (71°C), about 25 minutes.

Tuck patties into dinner rolls.

Makes 8 servings (2 burgers per serving)

*Other options: Extra Lean Ground Beef, Lean Ground Beef Sirloin or Chuck, Lean Ground Beef.

Nutritional Information:

Per Serving (2 burgers/serving): Calories: 272, Protein: 18 g, Fat: 8 g, Carbohyrdrate: 2 g, Fibre: 2 g, Sodium 340 mg, Potassium 340 g

Tea of the Month

Berry Berry

A full-flavored tea with deep berry notes.
The infused cup is burgundy red and provides strength and character.
A terrific tasting herbal tea.
Caffeine free with fruit and herbs.
Try it iced for a healthy
alternative to sodas and sugary drinks.

Enjoy a cup of loose leaf tea freshly brewed just for you!
Tea of the Month Price 1.68 (single serving)

Gingersnaps Weekly Menu

Double Click to Enlarge

Summer Project Promotion

From May 31 - June 5 Get up to a $100 Home Gift Card FREE with the purchase of a Summer Project package!

Buy any project this week (fence, deck, shed, garage or play centre ) worth over $500 and receive a FREE $50 giftcard or earn a FREE $100 giftcard on packages over $1000!

*Excludes Special Orders

Dripstik

Invented by a mother of five! After Hannah finally decided she liked Ice Cream last fall (previously she would snack on dry cones), she has been indulging in cones at Sweetpea's and subsequently getting ice cream everywhere. I can't wait for these to come in, I am going to keep one at the store with her name on it!

• Keeps kids' clothes clean by catching the sticky drips from ice cream cones or any frozen treat on a stick.

• Two products in one: One end holds frozen treats on a stick. Flip the Dripstik over and the other end holds ice cream cones in almost any size and variety.
• Perfect for road trips. Indulge your children with stops at ice cream shacks without worrying about the upholstery. Let them get the cone instead of a cup and spoon.

• Helps disabled or elderly persons, letting them enjoy ice cream with self-sufficiency.

• Durable, soft plastic is long-lasting and easy-care-- simply pop into the dishwasher!

Popsicle Makers!

Check out this week's flyer for great summer savings, including this popsicle set! These babies are great because of the wide base, which catches all the drips AND has a little spout for drinking the melted juice.

OR, try the Electric Ice Shaver for homemade snow cones!

• - Two ice molds included
• - Designed to shave ice into mounds of soft
  fluffy snow
• - Includes removable cone holder for easy
  cleaning
• - You can adjust the shaving blade to your own
  desired texture
• - Works with ice cubes and ice molds

Also available--manual ice shaver, snow cone holders and cups, slushie syrup and more.

And, in the flyer this week, save up to 25% on these summer treat makers! Sale ends June 5.