C. Mitchell Presents - Dinner.

Things I Love

2012-02-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

I read Pioneer Woman's blog today - and I loved one of her posts. She just wrote the things that she loved. I'm stealing that idea. I don't think that she will mind. She may - but hopefully she won't.

Things I love.

When the house is nice and warm on a cold night

Hearing my baby niece call me 'AaAa'

London Fog's from Starbucks - made just the way I like it - non-fat, sugar free, extra hot

When my husband wears his 'cozy clothes' (aka pj bottoms) b/c it means he's home for good for the night

A clean house

A dry dog walk on a cool day

Chocolate

Goat cheese

Bruce Springsteen

How my nephew looks like my dad when he was young

Coke Zero

Snow

My deck in the summer

My beside yard neighbour - Beside Yard Barb

Weekends

Our annual family reunions

G & T's

Margaritas

Blood oranges

Invincible with Mark Wahlberg

The Walking Dead (the show)

My Canon Rebel

My mom

Ice cream

My trainer/friend Tanya

Friends

My wedding

Cookbooks

Christmas

My dogs

Sunday mornings

Wooden utensils

Sunshine through the window

The Office

Ellen

Family

New shoes

Painted toes

Hydrangeas

Lemons

Top Chef

Dirty Laundry wine

Poinsettias

Turtleneck sweaters

Hot chocolate with marshmallows

Cows

Homemade pizza

Blueberries

Movies

The ocean

Serving dishes

Cloth napkins

Whipped cream

Laughing out loud

Of course - these are in no specific order.

Alright - enough about my loves. I am going to share a new soup recipe that I love. It's a good'n. It's deelish and it's good for you. Who knew?

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic White bean soup with Rosemary

1 cauliflower

2 cloves of garlic

1 can of white kidney beans

Fresh rosemary - 2-3 sprigs

4 cups of stock (I used chicken)

1 cup of water

Olive oil

1 medium onion - chopped

Kosher salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 425.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the cauliflower into small bunches. Either drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, or spritz with oil. Season with kosher salt and pepper. For the garlic, place the cloves in aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil and add a pinch of kosher salt and pepper - wrap it in the foil and place on the cookie sheet with the cauliflower.

Roast the garlic for about 20 minutes and continue to roast the cauliflower for another 5-10 minutes.

Rinse the beans thoroughly. In a food processor, grind the rosemary with the garlic. Add in the white beans and 1/4 cup of the stock*.

In a large pot. saute the onion in a tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Saute for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add in 1/2 cup of the stock to deglaze the pan slightly. Add in the white bean mixture and stir it into the stock. Add in the remainder stock, water and the roasted cauliflower.

Let the cauliflower simmer for about 15 minutes. Using a hand blender, or a blender, puree the cauliflower.

And that's it.

*Stock - I have found a new favourite stock - Kitchen Basics. I really love this stock. I love the vegetable and the no salt added chicken. They are so flavourful and to me taste almost like homemade. I have found these at Safeway. I would highly recommend trying these when you are needing stock.

Alrighty friends. I hope that you had a blissful Valentine's Day.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Time to put on my stepping shoes

2012-02-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

One step forward and two steps back.

That's sort of how I'm feeling these days. I was doing so well with working out and taking care of myself - eating well, exercising and just all around trying to be healthy. Then I got sick, and exhausted, and just started to go downhill. I had to take a bit of time off work and just tried to get well. In the process, I didn't workout and just got away from focusing on myself and taking care.

Alas - one step forward, two steps back.

Now although this is bad news, I have a bit of faith and think that I can get back to where I was. The weird thing is, is that when I was working out, feeling great, I actually wasn't so well. And now I feel that I am on the mend - so I feel that if I could really workout and be active when I wasn't feeling all that great, that now that I am feeling better, I think that getting back to where I was shouldn't be so hard.

Wishful thinking probably. But it's good to be positive.

As of today I am trying a new way of eating. I will share more as I get a grasp of what I'm doing. It's not a diet, and it's not counting calories (I struggle with those things way too much) - it's basically just a healthy way of eating. There is one day a week that I can enjoy whatever I like - so I will be trying new recipes on that day.

I tried something new this weekend. I watched a show where they made these - so I had to give it a try. I didn't have a recipe so I had to wing it. They were a huge hit - and I will definitely make them again.

Beet Burgers Sims Style

(Yes, I said 'Beet Burgers'! I know, right. Odd? Yes. Delicious? Yes.)

4 good sized beets

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp spanish paprika

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tbsp chili pepper flakes

1 bulb of garlic - whole

Juice of one lemon or orange

1/2 cup white wine

10 cups of water

Mini burger buns

Goat cheese

Watercress

Lots of ingredients, I know, but so worth it.

In a large pot add all of the dry spices. Then add the water, wine, garlic, juice of lemon or orange - and then throw the peels in too. Then submerge the beets in the broth. Simmer over medium to low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the beets are able to be poked easily with a knife.

Remove the beets from the pot and let them cool. Once they are cooled, using a sharp paring knife, peel the skins off of the beets - it should come off so easily.

Slice the beets into about 1/2 inch slices.

In a skillet on the grill, lightly spray with oil, and and lightly brown on one side. Flip the burger and then place a thin strip of goat cheese to lightly melt, while the other side browns. Place the beet on the bun and top with a small bunch of watercress.

I didn't add any sauce, I think the creaminess of the goat cheese is enough. These were fun, healthy and delicious.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Cranberries 101

2012-02-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

When I went to university, the classes were all like 'Sociology 101' and 'Sociology of the Family 302' and 'TV and Popular Media 115'. I think that if there were cooking classes they should be the same, and I would like to teach a class about Cranberries. There are a few things that may be difficult about me teaching this, though:

- I don't really know much about cranberries

- They really remind me of the holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas - so I would probably get really distracted by this - and I would go on a rampage about what I would want for Christmas that year, or how much I love pumpkin pie, or how much I like the snow. See!! I am already off topic.

- I would get upset if people talked during the class and I'd say things like 'If you don't stop talking you'll have to stay behind at the end of the day and do lines' and then they would probably say things like 'Bite me'.

Well obviously I am not cut out to be a teacher. Damn. I feel like I really gave it a good try. I am still going to chat about Cranberries.

Remember how I am hooked on citrus? Oh - if you didn't know - you can check it out HERE. I am loving the freshness of them and adding the fresh juice to carbonated water. It's like a special treat. So, I decided to try to do the same sort of thing with a bag of frozen cranberries I had. Fresh would be just as good, but it's not really the season.

I love it when I can make something and waste nothing - that is sort of what I did with these cranberries.

Cranberry Soda

1 bag of fresh or frozen cranberries

3/4 cup of water

Agave syrup or simple syrup

Carbonated water

Add the cranberries to a pot with the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

With a mesh strainer, strain the juice into a bowl. You should be able to get about 1 1/2 cups of cranberry juice. You can store the juice into a mason jar, and you can set the cranberries aside, and put them into a jar as well. Store them and be ready for Cranberries 102.

In a large glass, add a 1/4 cup of the cranberry syrup. Then add 1 tbsp of agave syrup and mix well. Fill the glass with lots of ice and then top it all off with some carbonated water. If you like it a bit sweeter, you can more agave or even use gingerale instead of the carbonated water. My next attempt at this, I will be simmering the cranberries with some shredded ginger. So it will be just like cranberry gingerale. Holla!!!

It is tart, refreshing and a nice and different treat. I think that adding gin or vodka would make it a great libation.

Alright - stay tuned for Cranberries 102.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Crazy for Citrus. Crazy!

2012-01-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

I am hooked on citrus right now. Hooked. HOOKED. I always love it - but for some reason the mandarins over the Christmas season took over my palette and it hasn't passed. Currently our bowls are full of clementines. They are delicious. They are sweet, and a little tart at the same time. The juice alone is divine, but their zest is also so great too. For breakfast I often will squeeze the juice of one of the clementines into my plain yogurt, or vanilla yogurt, and oh my - deelish.

Key limes - are also a sweet and sour little treat. Their zest and flesh are full of flavour. I have a delicious key lime pie recipe that I made for Chris' birthday a couple of years ago - and I may just give it another try.

Blood oranges - oh hello = wondrous crimson glory of nature. How can fruit be that colour? Seriously??? I just love them.

Mandarinquats - what-the-what? Mandarin crossed with kumquat. Super tart - super flavourful.

Sweet Clementines - oh my these gems are full of sweet, sweet flavour. I love them.

I think that I have raved about zest before. I just love it. I love adding it to so many dishes. I love to add it to strained plain yogurt, salad dressings, marinades, muffins, pancakes, everything. Well, maybe not everything like I probably wouldn't add it to... seriously - I was trying to think of something and I can't. I would add it to my seeping tea, stuffing, chili....

I zested a lemon, key limes and an orange and then put it in a ziploc bag in the freezer - and it was perfect later on. I love the idea of using the entire fruit. I have frozen lemons so that we can have lemons all winter, the zest to add to so much, and the leftovers are great in our garb-orator.

Anyways - I also love the juice of citrus as well - and add that to so many recipes as well. When I typically use the juice, I usually end up throwing the peels own the garb. So, I decided to try zesting some citrus and freeze it. And guess what? It worked!!!

Ok - I'm not going to lie, 2 clementines, 2 key limes and a lemon produce about 2/3 cup of juice and about 3 tbsp of zest, but I really think that it's worth it.

I used some of the zest to flavour strained plain yogurt, sweetened with a bit of vanilla served over berried (thawed) for dessert. And the juice, a refreshing drink. A glass filled with ice, 1/3 cup of the citrus juice, a tbsp of simple syrup and then top it off with carbonated water. Add a lime wedge, give it a stir, and you have a delicious, refreshing drink.

I have decided that I should probably try and live on some sort of a 'grove'. Is that the right word? Orange grove, lemon grove, lime grove...

Loves.

Enjoy!

Leftovers

2012-01-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

Oh Sunday mornings. I just love them. I especially love it when the weather isn't ideal - like today for example - we're having a wind storm. For some reason, when the weather is miserable, I don't feel guilty about staying in my pj's, puttering, watching silly tv, laundry and not taking 'hootch and scootch' for a walk right away (thank goodness for our fenced backyard).

So, I just plan on having a lay-low Sunday - maybe go later to shop for some runners, maybe pick up some potatoes to try and make Hasselback potatoes for dinner and maybe some ingredients for a meatloaf. Not sure why - but I have a bit of a craving.

I have been trying to make a big dinner on Sunday nights so that there are leftovers for Monday night's dinner. I love leftovers, and so does C. Thankfully - because they are a lifesaver. I have been doing this so that I have time to go to the gym after work on Monday nights and not feel the need to rush home for a dog walk and make dinner. It's been working well so far - and I love having time to make dinner on a Sunday afternoon - not being rushed.

Last Sunday I made a pork loin, grits with blue cheese and roasted peppers. The grits turned out really well - and I think may have tasted better the next day.

The pork loin had the bones in - and it was the first time that I had made this cut of meat. It was delicious and super easy.

Roasted Pork Loin with Mustard Glaze

Pork loin - bone in

1/2 cup of dijon mustard

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 tbsp honey

Pre-heat the oven to 375.

In a skillet, drizzle a tbsp of pepper and heat the pan to medium to high heat. Season all sides of the pork loin with kosher salt and pepper. Place the pork in the pan and brown all sides - about 2 -3 minutes per side. Place the pork loin into a roasting dish.

In a small bowl, mix all of the remaining ingredients and cover the top side of the pork loin.

Cover the roasting dish with aluminum foil and roast for about an hour and 3/4. If you have a meat thermometer, check it at this time, check for 170.

Remove it from the oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

I sliced the chop and placed it on top of the grits, sided it with roasted peppers that were drizzled in balsamic vinegar, and then topped with gala apples that were simmered in a bit of water and maple syrup.

Alright - some food for thought - think about leftovers to make your life just a bit easier.

Loves.

Enjoy!

snow day.

2012-01-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

We are snowed in. Well, not really. But we have a lot of snow. A lot for Victoria standards. I love it. It's beautiful - I especially love it if I don't have to go out in it. But, I do. Nowhere really exciting - just work, walking the dogs, and that's about it. Wow, life is boring.

The dogs love it. They have been digging in it. Rolling in it. Wrestling in it. The thing that happens when they are rolling, digging, wrestling is that they get snowballs stuck to them. Mostly on their feet and their bellies. They're not the most fun things to pull off of them - and they don't particularly love having them pulled off. That's the price you pay I guess for loving the snow.

Things that I do when it snows:

- dislike driving in it, BUT, loved being driven by someone else

- shovel my neighbour's pathway. Not, THIS neighbour. Our neighbour Lou and Evelyn. They don't have a car, so they just need their sidewalks done.

- drink hot chocolate when I come in from the cold

- dress Jozie in a sweater

- wear a toque

- wear winter boots with my pants tucked in

- drive like a 90 year old

Week two of Chris making dinner in the slow cooker. What a treat.

One Pot Wonder Chicken Catch-a-tori

3 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into pieces

1 can of tomatoes - we used San Marzano - if you can find them - give them a try, they are deelish

1 onion - chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic - minced

3 peppers - chopped

1 tbsp of italian seasoning

Red pepper flakes - 1/2 tsp - or however much you like

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Pasta

In your slow cooker, add everything but the shredded mozzarella. Cook it on auto - or whatever level your slow cooker has, and let cook for 4-5 hours.

Just before you are ready to serve, cook your pasta until al dente. Add the mozzarella, place the lid back on, and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

This was a super flavouful dish, it made the house smell divine, and was super tasty.

Alright, be safe in the snow (if you have some).

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Oh Neighbour!

2012-01-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

I did the following on this beautiful Sunday:

1. I woke up to a blanket of beautiful white snow. It was the first snowfall of the year in Victoria.

2. I got homesick for my hometown because of all the gorgeous snow. It reminded me of a glorious childhood playing in the snow for hours.

3. I made the most delicious mango smoothy with my new KitchenAid blender that Santa brought me for Christmas. It was the first time that I have used it. I just used frozen mango, vanilla yogurt and the juice of clementine orange.

4. I hung 3 framed pictures of the farm that Chris' dad grew up on Ivy, Ont. I gave him the pictures 3 years ago for Christmas. We've been busy, I guess.

5. I took my dogs for a long walk in the beautiful winter's day.

6. My neighbour across the street said to me 'How do you like me now, neighbour?' This is explained more in detail below, because it is GOOD.

7. I made hot chocolate for Chris and I and we watched a little football.

8. I made grits with blue cheese, a pork loin rack with a mustard, honey, apple cider glaze, sauteed apples and sauteed peppers with a bit of balsamic.

9. I have a mango/blueberry (low fat, low sugar) cobbler in the oven.

10. I am about to sit down and watch the season finale of 'Hell on Wheels'.

I want to share #6.

I had just stepped out the front door. I was trying to organize my gloves, the dog's leashes and lock the front door. Across the street, at the duplex, in front of the house (on the street) is a Ford Ranger parked. Music starts blasting. Hardcore rap - the kind that you don't want your mom, dad, grandma, child, niece... to hear. Even Jozie was shocked - probably not because of the 'lyrics' but because it was really loud. I walk down the steps - ready to start the walk, and the truck pulls off to drive away to the end of our street's cul-de-sac. As we leave the end of the driveway, the Ranger drives past. I glance up and can see the passenger's window is down about 2 inches and as the truck drives by, I hear:

"How do you like me now, neighbour?'

I smile. And then I have a little chuckle. And then I smile again and think:

1. I didn't even know that you are my neighbour.

2. Uh, have you heard my husband's car stereo listening habits? (He'll be deaf in no time)

3. Wow, you are wild and crazy! Did your friend let you touch the volume control for the first time?

4. And, for the entire walk I had 'How do you like me now?' by Billy Ray Cyrus in my head. Which I am pretty sure is not the effect that he was going for.

Grits with Blue Cheese

1 cup of grits - aka - polenta or cornmeal

4 cups of liquid - I used 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of water

Pinch of kosher salt

1 tsp of italian seasoning

1 tbsp of butter

1/2 cup of blue cheese

In a large saucepan, pour in the grits, and slowly pour in the liquid, whisking the entire time the liquid is being added to the grits.

Turn the heat on to medium and start stirring with a wooden spoon. Add in the salt and italian seasoning. You have to stir quite frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom and from bubbling out of control. The grits will start to thicken and you can turn the heat down to medium-low. Continue to stir for another 10 minutes or so.

When it is at a thick consistency, you can turn off the heat, add in the butter and blue cheese and stir it in until it is all melted.

It's a delicious side dish - a bit time consuming - but nothing hard.

If you didn't want to add the cheese, you could add roasted garlic - and they would almost taste similar to roasted garlic mash potatoes. We'll try that next.

Loves.

Enjoy!

My favourites.

2011-12-30T10:25:00.000-08:00

Well hello!

Merry Christmas - Happy New Year (early)!!!

So, how was it? How was your Christmas? I hope that it was relaxing, full of indulgence, full of great food and drink, celebrated with family and friends - I hope that it was all that you hoped for and all that you deserve.

Christmas was delightful around Sims. We celebrated with family and friends, we ate, we opened prezzies, we were spoiled, we played, we laughed, we relaxed and we enjoyed it all.

For New Year's we are going for dinner with friends, and will hopefully be home by 10. Ha! I can't stay up much past 10. I hope to spend some time on New Year's Day and reflect on the year - and how I can make 2012 a good year - have a plan.

I read a blog pretty regularly - I love the pictures and I love her recipes. Ok, I don't really 'read' the blog as much as I like to goo over her pictures and recipes. I do read it though - I just sometimes scan. I am a bit of a 'scanner'. Please don't think that I wrote 'scammer'. I am not a 'scammer'. Anyways - you can check out Kate's blog HERE. She was also a wonderful help for me to help me figure out how to get bigger pictures on my blog. Anyways, the reason why I am talking about her - is because I love her most recent blog post - she listed her favourite recipes of 2011 and I am going to copy her. I think that it is such a great idea - and I love looking back at what I made through the year. I forget sometimes.

I have consulted Chris and have included his favourites too.

Favourite Breakfast - Skillet Pancake with Fresh Fruit (we had this for Christmas morning breakfast this year with blueberries and peaches)

Favourite Beverage - Smoothy Sims Style (blueberry) Chris' fave AND...

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake (my fave)

Favourite Appetizer - Pita Chips and Hummus (I realized that I need to come up a lot more appy recipes)

Favourite Meat Dish - Rustic Pork and Beans

Favourite Veggie Dish - Butternut Squash Gratin

Favourite Salad - Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella Stacked Salad (I love this not only because it's so delicious, but I think that they are a thing of beauty)

Favourite Dessert - Fruit Cobbler (with blueberries and peaches)

Favourite Bread - Zucchini Bread (thanks to the Devlin's I still have so much frozen zucchini still that can be used)

Favourite Salsa - Peach Salsa - it's really the only salsa I made this year, but oh how I love that stuff!!!

Favourite Soup - Thai Chicken Noodle Sims Style

Well now that I am completely hungry - I need to go and raid the fridge.

I wish you all a very happy HAPPY new year's eve - and I can't wait for us all to start out 2012 with so much health and happiness. Thank you for reading my little blog.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

These are a few of my favourite things...

2011-12-21T08:23:00.001-08:00

So, are you ready for the big day? Are you done all of your shopping? Wrapping? Prepping? Planning? I'm getting there. Just a few more things to wrap, and a few more things to shop for for Christmas breakfast and dinner.

I thought that I would share a few of my favourite things that I love in the kitchen. Just a few things that may help you if you're stuck with what to get a few people on your list.

Cookbooks - I love this one for baking. Some of my other favourites are: 'The Best of Cooking Light', 'The Pioneer Woman' , 'The Best of Chef at Home'.

Mixing bowls - I love these. They are so practical - and it's great to have so many of them.

Zester - for citrus, garlic, nutmeg. I used my zester A LOT. I love the flavour that zest from lemons, limes and oranges add to recipes.

Homemade Fudge - I would like to receive fudge - but I love giving it.

David's Tea - I LOVE David's Tea. My mom and I went to check it out a couple of weeks ago, and we are hooked. My favourites are Chamomile and Creme Brulee. My mom loves the Peppermint. They have tea, and all the accessories to brew a delicious cup.

Alright - my 'phew is still asleep from our sleepover. I am about to go and wake him up so that we can make some soft boiled eggs and smoothies.

Happy Shopping.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Christmas comes early in so many different ways...

2011-12-19T11:35:00.001-08:00

Even though it's a 6 days before Christmas, it's like Christmas came early today. Santa didn't deliver something under the tree. But... Romeo (our delightful Handyman) is installing a new toilet in Suite B. Hoorah!!! It's been far too long, and we have tried countless times to fix the old one - so we are treating ourselves. Oh for some of you, this may not be very exciting. But... for others who frequent our house and spend time in Suite B - they will be pleased. No more running upstairs. Ok, I know that this is a food blog - but I am just excited. I will love not having to tell people 'oh - that one isn't working'. I will not, however, look forward to a call from Steph the next time she is over.

I am just working on the menu for Christmas Dinner. I know that I will do the usual items, the old stand-bys, and I'm ok with that b/c I know that they are tried and tested. I am, however, going to do a two things (so far that I know of) differently. I am going to do my stuffing in the slow cooker and then stuff my turkey with just fresh rosemary, oranges and lemons. And I am going to make my gravy in advance. Hm, that may be 3. I just watched Jamie Oliver do his in advance, and I am going to give it a try. Why not? If I can do everything in advance, and get to spend some time with family instead of hanging over the hot oven all day, I am game.

My mom usually makes the potatoes - they are deelish. She does them in advance and freezes them. You would never know that they weren't made freshly that day.

If you are looking for an alternative to potatoes, you may want to give these a try. Even if you don't want to try them for Christmas dinner, they are perfect for a week night meal.

Mashed Parsnips with Leeks

1 large leek

3 parsnips - medium sized

Olive oil

Kosher salt

2 cloves of garlic - roasted (optional)

Butter and milk

To prepare the leek, simply cut off the green part and then slice the white part in half lengthwise. Run under water to thoroughly clean. Slice the leek into thin strips.

Add a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet and add the leeks with a pinch of kosher salt and saute over medium heat until they are soft.

Meanwhile, peel the parsnips and chop into cubes. Add to water and bring to a boil and let boil for approximately 8-10 minutes. Drain, but you don't need to rinse.

For the roasted garlic, you can simply place the cloves in aluminum foil, skins on, add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt, and heat in a 350 oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Place the leeks, parsnips and garlic (remove from skin) into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add butter (how every much you like - 1-2 tbsp?) and a splash of milk. If you don't have a food processor, just use your potato masher, or a hand beater for a really whipped texture.

They are light, flavourful and a nice change from potatoes.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Beverages - The DD will thank you.

2011-12-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

We hosted our annual Christmas party last night. For me, once that party happens - it really feels like Christmas. This was our 9th party. 9 years - that's a lot of parties. We were surrounded by family and great friends. I was in my element - cooking up a storm. Our wee house was packed to the max, the kitchen was hopping, it was a great night.

On the menu:

Mrs. Sherstan's Clam Chowder

Chili (I used ground beef this time)

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tarts

Smoked salmon with dill cream cheese and capers on a pizza crust

Chicken wings

Meats, cheeses and olives

Baked brie

Chocolate mousse tarts

Veggies and dip (thanks to my bestie - Tracy)

Hummus

Mulled cider

Cranberry citrus punch

And thanks to my mom!!! She brought her famous spicy meatballs, homemade butter tarts, cherry pound cake and shortbreads.

I haven't done a punch or mulled cider before at our party - this was a first. I usually just offer wine, pop, beer... but we have quite a few friends that come and are the designated drivers - so I wanted to be able to offer them something different than just pop or water. I love that we have such smart friends and family - and they always make plans to arrive home safely.

I got this mulled cider recipe from a cooking demonstration that I went to last month. It is the easiest recipe in the world. Seriously. I would not kid about this. You could probably do this recipe with your eyes closed - but I wouldn't recommend it because I don't want you to burn yourself on the oven.

Mulled Cider

Equal parts of apple juice and cranberry juice - depending on how much you want to make - maybe 3 cups each

2-3 cinnamon sticks (if you don't have cinnamon sticks you can always use just regular cinnamon - 1/2 tsp)

1/2 cup Fresh cranberries

Put all of the ingredients into a pot, or kettle, anything that you can let simmer on the stove, and simmer on low to medium heat. Once it heats up, you can serve it, and you can keep it on low on the stove and serve when desired.

See? I told you! So easy.

For the punch - my mom used to make this all the time, for any shower, or party that we had. It too is super easy. I doctored it up a bit - but it was very similar to what my mom used to make.

Citrus Cranberry Punch

1 can of frozen orange juice (thawed) - with 3 cans of water - or 1 litre of fresh orange juice

1 litre of cranberry juice

1/2 litre of pineapple, or mango juice

1 large orange - cut into thin slices with the peel still on

2 lemons - cut into thin slices

1/2 cup of fresh cranberries

Ginger Ale, Club Soda or Champagne

Ice

In a large punch bowl add in the oranges, lemons and cranberries. Pour in the juices and stir. Add in the ice to keep it cool.

When serving = fill the glass 2/3 with the punch and 1/3 of either ginger ale, club soda or champagne.

This is a great punch because you can really change it up with different fruits and juices.

Alright - I need to curl up on the couch with a bowl of leftover chili, a blanket, and a good Christmas movie.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Christmas baking - my small contribution

2011-12-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

That orang flash on the right - is Ogre, our cat. Always loves getting in pictures.

I put this together today. it cost me about $3, and took me about 2 minutes. Ha! The branches are from our center garden that we are planning on taking out this summer, so I felt that taking a few branches out wouldn't hurt. The pot was existing - and is in it's prime during the summer. Then I found a box of 6 ornaments at a fabric store that were on sale for 65% off - so cost about $3. I already had flower wire that I used to put through the hook on the ornament and shove into the greenery and dirt. It helped cover a bit of an eye sore when you come to our front door.

Yesterday I made a couple of batches of whipped shortbread cookies. I have said this before, I am really not much of a baker. During the holidays, that doesn't change. If I do make treats for Christmas, it's either Tiger Fudge (yumma!!) or whipped shortbreads. I got this recipe from a friend in University. And the first time I tried them, I thought they were the most delicious treats. And when I learned how to make them, I liked them even more. They are easy. NO! Seriously! So easy. They are great to eat with hot chocolate, tea and a delightful little hostess gift.

Whipped Shortbread

1 cup of softened butter

1 1/2 cup of flour

1/2 cup of icing sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. If you have a stand mixer, I would recommend using it. If not, a hand mixer works just as well. Beat the ingredients for 10 minutes - until batter is light and fluffy.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper*, and place a small drop** of the batter on the sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack and then eat them all up.

*I used one sheet with parchment paper and one sheet without, and I found that the cookies that baked with the parchment lined sheet, turned out just perfectly.

**For the last batch, I rolled the dough into small balls and then gently pressed my thumb into the center of each cookie. I really liked how they turned out - they were perfectly round on top.

For the two batches I made yesterday, I 'altered' them just slightly. For the first batch I added the zest of one lemon. So delicious.

For the second batch, I added 1 tsp of crumbled candy canes. Also very delicious.

Happy baking.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Christmas is coming

2011-12-13T11:04:00.001-08:00

The countdown is on... only 13 days left until Christmas. It's always an exciting time of the year. Decking the halls, baking the treats, wrapping the gifts... I have decked the halls, I haven't baked any treats and I have only wrapped 2 gifts. I need to get my Christmas butt in gear.

I plan to bake whipped shortbreads today, make some Christmas tags, finish a birthday gift, and make a grocery list. I know, action packed. Crazy Christmas rebel, I am.

I wanted to share a few photos that my friend Tracy took of us on our first anniversary a few weeks ago. I don't really like getting my photo taken - but Tracy always ends up taking great photos. Our plan is to have a picture taken each year.

If you're like me and this time of year sort of consumes you a bit, and the last thing that you want to worry about is a weeknight meal, and want something easy, check out this super easy, super delicious pork chop recipe. I have made it twice in two weeks and it was a hit both times.

Pork Chops with Balsamic Drizzle

6 pork loin chops (boneless)

Kosher salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes

1/2 cup of balamic vinegar

1/2 cup of honey

2 cloves of garlic - minced

In a large skillet, lightly coat it with olive oil. Heat pan to medium heat.

Season one side of the chops with kosher salt and pepper and pinch of red pepper flakes. Put the season side down in the hot pan, and then season the other side. Cook each side for 6-7 minutes.

While the chops are cooking, place the balsamic vinegar, honey and garlic in a saucepan and over medium heat, whisk together. Reduce heat and let the sauce reduce and thicken. Stir often.

When the pork chops are ready, drizzle with the balsamic sauce and serve.

Super easy, super fast, and super delicious.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Crisps

2011-12-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

The countdown is on - 19 days left until Christmas. Does that stress you out? Do you get excited to know how little days are left? For me, I'm excited. I am excited for everything leading up to it - like the Christmas parties, sending and receiving Christmas cards, the food, friends, family, the fresh smell of our Christmas tree, the house being decorated, and so much more.

I haven't done any baking or prep for Christmas dinner, yet, but am 'thinking' about it. I am going to try baking sugar cookies for the first time - if you have an easy recipe - please share.

What I have baked recently is blueberry crisp. I found a recipe on a blog that I like to frequent - 'How Sweet It Is' - I altered it slightly and it was scrumptious. We found it a tad too sweet, so I altered it again and made Blueberry Pomegranate Crisp. Oh my. I have both recipes posted. If you like sweet - use the first one - and you can add pomegranates to it if you like. If you don't like so sweet, try the second one. Both are topped with not whipped cream, not ice cream, but sweetened plain yogurt - my new favourite thing in the whole wide world right now.

Blueberry Crisp

4 cups of blueberries - I used my frozen organic - but you could use fresh if you have them on hand

2 tbsp of raw sugar

1/2 tbsp flour

2/3 cup oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

4 tbsp of softened butter

Pre-heat the oven to 375.

In a bowl sprinkle the the 1/2 tbsp of flour and 2 tbsp of sugar over top of the blueberries. Place the blueberries in either 4 individual ramekins (about 4-5 inch wide) or one 8x8 baking dish.

In another bowl add the oats, brown sugar and the remaining flour. Add in the softened butter, and either with your fingers or a fork, crumble the butter. The pieces of butter should be about pea size. Add the topping to the blueberries.

Bake for 22 minutes.

We really liked this dish, but we found that the sugar on the blueberries made it a little too sweet, and the sugar on the topping was also a little sweet.

I am hooked on pomegranates right now. I think that the seeds are incredibly beautiful little gems of goodness. The little gems (what I like to call them), are actually called 'arils'. I cracked one open the other day, and thought that I would be ladylike and instead of eating the entire thing right away, that I would spare some for another crisp. I had never baked with them before - and I am so happy that I gave it a try. You will have to give it a try to understand the delicious addition that they add.

Blueberry Pomegranate Crisp (version 2 - not as sweet)

3 cups of blueberries - fresh or frozen

1 cup of pomegranates arils - the gems inside

1 tbsp of raw sugar

1 tbsp of flour

1/2 cup of brown sugar

2/3 cup of oats

1/2 cups of flour

1/4 cup of softened butter

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Add the blueberries and pomegranates together. Sprinkle with the raw sugar and tbsp of flour. Place them in either individual ramekins or a 8x8 baking dish.

Bake for 22 minutes.

And that's it - a delicious dessert that takes minutes to prepare. The pomegranates sort of pop in your mouth - they are divine.

Now for the topping to top off this already delicious dessert. It takes a bit of time to set - but it is the easiest dessert, it's healthy, and your husband may also think that it is whipped cream.

Lemon Vanilla Yogurt

2 cups of plain yogurt - my favourite is Astro Balkan Style - low sugar low fat

Zest of half a lemon

1/2 tsp of vanilla

1 tsp of raw sugar

Place a strainer lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth in a bowl so that the liquid from the yogurt has room to strain. Place the yogurt into the filter and let sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours - even up to 4 hours is perfect.

In a bowl mix together the strained yogurt, lemon zest, vanilla and sugar together. And that's it. Ideally, if you have time to mix the ingredients together and then let it sit before serving, I find it tastes even better. Chris thought that it was whipped cream, and to me it tastes a little like lemon meringue pie.

Well that's my recipe for today. On the menu for tonight's dinner - leftover shepherd's pie and spinach salad.

I hope that you're all getting into the festive season.

Loves.

Enjoy!

One.

2011-11-28T15:09:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was our first year anniversary. One! 'One' was also our wedding song. We had a great weekend. We went to Il Terrazzo for dinner on Friday night - shared a salad and calamari for appetizers, had a 'real bellini', C had short ribs and risotto (amazing) and I had chicken with scallops and prawns - also deelish.

Saturday, my friend Maegan, and I went to the French Mint for a cooking demonstration on Holiday Appetizers. It was so wonderful. Maegan had given me the cooking class as a gift for my wedding shower. We took awhile to pick which one we wanted to take, and I was so happy that we picked this one. A few recipes I will definitely be trying for the holiday season. It was such a great gift - Maegan is always super thoughtful and gives the best gifts. Then in the evening we went to my friend Tracy's surprise party at the Bard and Banker. Surprise she was! It was a great night.

Then yesterday, C and I had a low key day. He worked, I hid from the rain. And then we met Tracy - who took a couple of pictures of us on our first year anniversary. Ordered in Pizza for dinner and then made a cake. We started two new traditions that we are going to 'do' each year on our anniversary: 1. Have a picture of us taken; 2. Bake a cake. It has been a wonderful year being a new wife - I love our life together and I am extremely fortunate.

For our first cake we made a Red Velvet Cake. I have said many times before that I am not a baker. C is also not a baker. But, we did pretty well. We used a recipe from the 'Cake Boss'.

My sister- in-law and nieces gave me this for a shower gift last year. It's a great book. There are a lot of recipes and a lot of really great tips. I would highly recommend it if you have a baker on your Christmas shopping list. Adding their bakery to our list of 'must do's' when we finally make it to New York city has been done.

Red Velvet Cake - from The Cake Boss

1 cup of shortening

1 1/2 cup of sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder

4 1/2 tsp of red colouring gel

3 cups of cake flour (I used all purpose)

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/4 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp white vinegar

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Pre-heat oven to 350.

If you have a mixer, I would recommend using that - if not, using a hand mixer would work just as well.

In a large bowl, cream shortening, sugar and cocoa powder. Add in colouring gel. Add in flour, salt, vanilla, baking soda and vinegar. Beat at low speed until ingredients are all incorporated and then beat on high for one minute. Add the eggs in, one at a time, beating for one minute after adding each egg. Add in the buttermilk in two batches and scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure that all ingredients are all mixed in together.

Using 2 nine inch cake pans, lightly butter and sprinkle with flour. Divide the cake batter evenly in both pans. Bake between 35 to 40 minutes - ours was perfect at 37 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place on cooling racks, and let cool for at least 30 minutes, ideally an hour, before removing the cakes from the pans.

Apparently the traditional icing for this cake is Cream Cheese Frosting - recipe to follow.

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 ounces of cream cheese - let sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours

8 tbsp of unsalted butter * (softened at room temperature)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups of icing sugar - sifted

*Unsalted butter - I learned at my cooking lesson that unsalted butter is the freshest. They salt butter to make it last longer - this was started before refrigerators were invented - curing the butter to make it last longer.

Cream together the cream cheese, butter with the mixer or hand blender for 30 seconds. Add in the vanilla and beat for another 39 seconds. Add in the sugar, 1/4 of it at a time, beating until smooth.

We sliced each cake into two and added the frosting between the layers. We did not soften our cream cheese enough - so it was a bit lumpy - but still delicious.

This was a really easy cake to make - and one piece was my treat - we sent a bunch to work with Chris for his groomsmen. There's still some left if you want to stop by.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Rainy, rainy night

2011-11-22T19:18:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if you can hear that... can you? If you can, then you know that I am talking about the sound of the rain. It sort of sounds like a terential downpour, mixed with a someone standing outside my front door with a fire hose, mixed with the shower going full blast at the same time. Crazy. It's winter in Victoria. I am not going to complain about it though, for a couple of different reasons: 1. I am sitting in my warm house. 2. We have had a lot amazing cool, crisp, dry weather. 3. My dogs aren't loving the rain either, so I don't feel badly that they had a very short walk today.

I am taking a bit of R&R right now - hanging around home trying to recoop from a year of some sort of whacky health issues. I think that I am on the mend - I'm not 100% but hoping that I get there soon.

What else has happened in this past year, is that almost one year ago, I got married! A year of married life has been so wonderful - more than I ever thought it would be - and I can't wait for this weekend to spend some time with my husband and celebrate.

So, since I have been home during the days, I really thought that I would spend a lot of time cooking up a storm. It's weird. It's almost the exact opposite. I am not really sure why. I still love to cook - but during the week, I just don't have much of an appetite to cook different things. A couple of times I have dug the Campbell's soup out of the pantry to hook up dinner. It's funny b/c Chris loves anything with Cream of Mushroom soup - I could make a 12 course dinner with the best ingredients - and something with Cream of Mushroom soup - and he may pick that as his favourite.

What I did make though, was a hearty dish of Butternut Squash Gratin. it's hearty, easy, delicious and warms the soul.

Butternut Squash Gratin

1 butternut squash - about 2 lbs

1 tbsp of butter

1 medium sized onion - cut into thin slices

2 tbsp of flour

Kosher salt and pepper

1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups of cheddar - shredded

Pre=heat the oven to 350.

Peel the butternut squash and cut it in half lengthwise. Discard the seeds. Cut thin slices crosswise and place into a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium heat and simmer for about 10 minutes - or until soft with a fork.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet and add onions. Saute onions for about 5 minutes or until they are translucent. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat the onions with the flour. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and stir to create a creamy consistency over low/medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in one cup of the cheese.

Drain the butternut squash.

In a 8 or 9 inch baking dish, place half of the butternut squash. Cover with half of the cream sauce. Repeat the layers and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

This goes lovely with pork, chicken or even with a beautiful fresh salad.

Alrighty friends - I am enjoying listening to the rain - and will look forward to it stopping soon.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Must Love

2011-11-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

I am. Not a 'Cobbler' that works on shoes. Although I do love shoes. I am talking about the fruity bottom, with a fluffy, doughy topping on top. I think that I am more crazy with the fruit. It's basically baked fruit - which I can't even explain how much I love - with a topping that is so deelish.

Now, I have to confess that for this new recipe that I whipped up, I did not use fresh peaches. I know! How dare I?? But it's November in Victoria, and fresh peaches are non-existent. If I had not loved peaches as much as I did this past summer and ate them every day, I may have been smart enough to have canned some. Maybe next summer. Anyways... I found canned peaches that are packed in water and don't have any sugar added. They're actually quite delicious, and they aren't sweet, and they worked really well in this dessert.

Before I share the recipe - I do want to share that I am parting ways with my Midnight Sun by Pfaltzgraff dishes that I have had since my first year on my own. They are beautiful, excellent quality dishes, and are almost brand new. I have posted them online if you are interested - let me know.

Check them out on usedvictoria. My mom and dad were so generous to build up my collection over the years - but it's time for a change for me.

Alright - back to cobbler. The dish can be made with fresh fruit for sure, so if you have it - use it.

Must Love Fruit Cobbler

2 cans of canned peaches - no sugar added - packed in water (is what I like to use) - if using canned - drain the juice and don't add to the mixed fruit

2 cups of blueberries - I have used my frozen organic

1/4 cup cane sugar

For the topping:

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 tsp salt

6 tbsp of cold butter

1/2 cup cane sugar

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup cream

Pre-heat oven to 375.

In a baking dish - place the fruit and toss in the sugar. Stir to coat the fruit.

In a large bowl, add in the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and stir together. With your fingertips add in the butter and crumble it in so that they are pea sized pieces. In a small bowl beat the egg and add in the cream, and then add this to the dry/butter mix. Stir together. The dough will go a bit thick. Spoon out large spoonfuls on top of the fruit. You should be able to have 6-7 spoonfuls.

Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown. The crust on the crumble will be crispy and the inside will be soft and moist.

Yumma!

Serve with a dollop of ice cream or a vanilla whipped yogurt or nothing at all.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Sims Style Chocolate Donuts with Toasted Coconut

2011-11-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

It seems when I set out to bake something - it never really turns out how I intended it to. At least with cooking - if it starts to go one way, you can add a little of this or a little of that and get it back on track. Baking, not so much.

My plan for dessert was to make chocolate cupcakes, with a chocolate icing and toasted coconut. This is what it my 'chocolate donuts with toasted coconut' turned out to be like.

I picked up an organic chocolate cake mix at the Superstore on the weekend. I actually really like their products and I had tried this before when making cupcakes with my niece. They must use a dark chocolate within their mix b/c the cake isn't overly sweet at all, and the powder is quite dark.

So, I made up the mix, poured a bit of it into my donut pans and the rest in a cake pan. I put them in the oven and checked on them about 15 mins later - and they had ballooned up to look like muffins on the top. Ugh. So, I went to Plan B.

I wasn't sure what Plan B was, but I just went with it.

What I ended up doing was letting the "donutss" cool off and at the same time, I softened a block of light cream cheese. I then whipped up the cream cheese, crumbled in the cooled off donuts, and mixed it all together. Very similar to these. I put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes to let them cool off.

I then toasted unsweetened coconut in a pan on the stove on medium heat - stirring constantly. Once it starts to toast - it happens very quickly - and you need to keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn.

I also melted chocolate in a double boiler (my version - a pot of boiling water and a stainless steel bowl) with a tsp of butter and splash of cream.

I then dipped the 'donut' into the melted chocolate and then into the toasted coconut. Placed them on a parchment lined pan and put them back into the fridge.

Served with ice cream - these were a huge hit. They were super moist and not sweet - but a little salty from the toasted coconut. Yumma.

So, I guess the moral of the story is - you can fix anything - sometimes you just need to be creative.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Donuts - Sims Style

2011-11-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not much of a baker. I 'try'. I try to use alternatives to make the recipe a little healthier - i.e., whole wheat flour, apple sauce, yogurt... Sometimes this works, and sometimes it does not. I am not really 'there' yet - being able to figure out what measurements to use and where you can or can't or should or shouldn't switch up some of the ingredients. So, I'll just keep trying. I kind of get a bit obsessed with trying to perfect the recipe. The problem is - well there are a couple - 1. The baking has to get eaten - and I don't need it - and I don't always think that the neighbours or friends will appreciate baking. 2. I don't always have ingredients on hand to do the recipe over and over. 3. Who has the time? And 4. I'm not a baker.

I really love the Zucchini loaf recipe that I used for the shredded zucchini. I found the bread to be so moist, so flavourful and not so sweet. It worked well for the Pumpkin loaf too. Both full of flavour. So I decided to try it with carrots. I think that it turned out pretty good, however, I will try it again and add a bit more liquid as it was a tad dry.

Carrot Loaf and Donuts with Cream Cheese Glaze

2 eggs

1/4 cup cane sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups of shredded carrots - about 4 carrots

1 can of pineapple - drained (save the juice)

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

3 cups of flour (whole wheat or all purpose)

1 cup of chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Glaze

4 ounces of cream cheese (1/2 a pack) softened

2 tbsp of cane sugar or powdered sugar

3 tbsp of milk

I used a loaf pan and a mini donut pan. You can find them HERE. They are a lot of fun - I have used it a couple of time - and love what they turn out like. the donuts turn out to be a bit rustic - not Tim's style - more like Sims style.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

In a food processor, blend all of the pineapple so that it becomes a pulp with some small pieces - not to a puree though.

Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla together. Add in the pineapple and carrots and mix together. Add in the oil and stir it all in. Sprinkle in the baking soda and salt and then stir in the flour and finish it by adding in the walnuts.

Fill a loaf pan (butter and flour if it's non-stick) about 2/3 full. If you have the donut pan, add the remaining batter to the donut pan. If you don't have more than one pan, then you can fill up the pan - and just alter the baking time.

Bake the donuts for 20 minutes and the loaf pan 2/3 full for 40-45 minutes. If you fill the pan full, bake for 55 minutes.

For the glaze, using a hand mixer, mix all of the ingredients together. When the carrot loaf is out of the oven and has cooled slightly, cover the loaf with the glaze. And dip the donuts into the glaze.

Ok, off to watch the sunny day - maybe work up the energy to enjoy it with the pups on a walk.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Halloween

2011-10-31T18:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Spooky!

Scary!

Freaky!

I have to share these Halloween pictures of years ago. Many, many years ago. A couple of years in a row, my dad and I would dress up - in some of my mom's things - and trick or treat at the Sherstan's. We would laugh so much - and we were so ridiculous - but we had so much fun. Looking back at these pictures, I not only know that I am so blessed to have the actual photos, but to have the memories too. I was very fortunate to just be able to have a lot of fun with my dad.

I am anticipating the trick or treaters to start arriving shortly. The pumpkins have been carved, orange lights have been hung, pumpkin seeds roasted, pasta dinner simmering on the stove and trying to keep the pups calm with the loud fireworks in the distance.

I have been laying low this weekend. :( I have shingles. Gah!!! Shingles! I thought only older people got shingles. Not the case. So, they are unpleasant. If you have never had them, I wish that you never do. Not only is the area on your skin extremely painful, but the nerve pain. Oh my. It's excruciating and so hard to describe. Oh well. Bring it - I am eager to know what I will get next. :) Actually - this is it. I can feel it.

My friend, Jocelyn, was down just around Thanksgiving and she brought me some of their smoked salmon. I love smoked salmon - and hers was so delicious. Joc and I were roommates during college. I am not sure if she remembers, but one of our 'appetizers' that we used to make up from time to time, were crackers with cream cheese and smoked salmon. With this smoked salmon, I had to make these for us to snack on. They are easy - try them - just don't miss a step.

Crackers

Cream cheese

Smoked salmon

Place some cream cheese - herb or plain - on a cracker. Then crumble some smoked salmon on top.

The smoked salmon was so moist and so sweet. Yumma. I served these with sliced apple as well - and it was a great snack.

A Geisha, a fairy and two others just came to the door. The trick or treating has started.

Happy Halloween.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Oh October

2011-10-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

I kind of can't believe that Halloween is just around the corner, and October is almost over. I'm so sad. The month went by so quickly. It's my favourite month, and it's almost done. I feel that the month just came and went so quickly. It's like take a breath and 15 days pass.

November is one of my new favourite months now too. In 32 days it will be our 1 year anniversary. 1 year! This time last year was full of so much excitement. It's been a great year - marriage wise - and I can't wait for our anniversary. We are going to do the traditional wedding gifts each year - 1st year is paper. I have an idea - and hopefully I can pull it off.

I just joined Pinterest. I was calling it 'P interest'. My friend Tracy told me not to call it that. How embarrassing. Anyways. Uh - how could I not have joined this sooner? There are some incredible ideas. I don't really know how to use it at this point - but it has been fun looking around on it. I found a recipe for pumpkin frozen yogurt and no sugar no butter chocolate chip cookies - oh my - I'll keep you posted.

A couple of weeks ago my friend, Beth, brought me a bag of mixed grains from Trader Joe's. I really want to go to Trader Joe's - she has brought me a few different treats from there - I am spoiled. These mixed grains were Israeli cous cous, vegetarian orzo, red quinoa and mini garbanzo beans. I LOVED this mix. I used it in our turkey soup and then in stuffed peppers. Since we don't have a Trader Joe's here, I need to try and make the mix myself.

For this stuffed pepper recipe, if you don't have Trader Joe's grain blend, then try it with any of the following: quinoa, barley or rice.

Stuffed Peppers

6 bell peppers - for stuffing

1 cup of blended grains

Vegetable stock

1 onion - chopped

2 garlic cloves - minced

1 lb of ground chicken

1 cup of corn

1 bell pepper - chopped into small pieces

2 tbsp of tomato sauce or paste

1/2 cup of goat cheese

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

*This is a very easy to make vegetarian. The grains are full of protein.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Prepare your grains as per the packaging. I cooked my grains in vegetable stock instead of water.

In a large skillet saute the onion in a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Saute for about 8 minutes and add the garlic. Then add the ground chicken and saute until full cooked. Add in the tomato paste, the bell pepper and the corn. Add in the grains and let it simmer to have all of the flavours meld together.

In the meantime, slice off the top of the peppers. You can chop up the tops of the peppers if you like and add it to the stuffing.

Stir in the goat cheese until it is blended in. Spoon the mixture into each of the peppers. Mix the parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and top each of the peppers with this topping.

Lay all of the peppers in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Broil for the last 3 minutes on low to lightly brown the topping.

I served these with a simple salad - and they were a hit!

Loves.

Enjoy!

Right now...

2011-10-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

I am...

- sipping on a hot cup of Cammomile tea - it's my new favourite thing

- watching the end of 'Top Chef - Just Desserts' - and the drama drives me nuts but I can't help watching what they make

- loving my new nail polish that I got in America for 'free' by accident.

- sore from my workout with Tanya yesterday. My shoulders, abs and biceps are in pain. Good pain though. I am going to start working out with her again - I missed her so. We did a completely different workout than we have done before. I am not sure where she comes up with some of this stuff - but oh my oh my.

- thinking about taking the pups for a walk - somedays I would just like to stay in my pjs all day instead

- in awe of the beautiful Chestnut tree that reaches into our yard. At this point, the falling leaves are worth it. The colours are incredible.

- looking forward to having friends in for dinner tonight and watching episode 2, season 2 of 'The Walking Dead'. I am hoping that I can watch it without a blanket covering my eyes.

- thinking of the chili that I will make for dinner. I am going to switch it up just a tad

- about to tell you about my soup

Yesterday after a workout, and driving over the Malahat in foggy and wet, wet rain, I was feeling like some good soup for dinner. I wanted Chicken Noodle - my favourite - so decided to mix it up a bit.

Thai Chicken Noodle soup - Sims Style

8 chicken legs* - skinless

2 limes

1 medium onion - chopped

2 medium yams - peeled and chopped into small cubes - about 3 cups

3 tbsp of red thai curry paste

5 cups of chicken stock

2 cans of coconut milk

1 red pepper- thinly chopped into strips

1 1/2 cups of corn

1/2 pack of rice noodles**

Cilantro

*I used skinless chicken legs b/c they were on sale at Thrifty's this week and I quite like them. I think that boneless skinless chicken breasts would also be really great too.

I also used chicken stock, but you could easily make this soup vegetarian/vegan, without adding chicken and using a good vegetable stock.

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and place the skinless chicken legs. Drizzle juice of half of the lime over top and season with kosher salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes.

In a large pot, saute the onion in a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt, for about 10 minutes. Add in the yams. Continue to saute for another 5 minutes. Add in 1 cup of the stock (I use chicken - use what you like) to be able to soak up all the bits on the bottom of the pot. Add in the thai red curry paste. If you want more spice, add more of this. Mix it all together and let it simmer. Add in the coconut milk and the remaining stock, the corn and the peppers. Let simmer on low.

I love this stuff - it's full of flavour and super convenient to have on hand.

**Rice noodles. I used half a box. I put them in a bowl and covered them with hot water and let them sit for 30 minutes. When they were soft - I drained them and cut them into half or in threes - they weren't all the same length. This was a lot of noodles - so you could probably split the box into 3 - and just use a 1/3.

When the chicken is done - remove from the oven and coarsely remove the chicken from the bones. Chop the chicken and add it to the soup. Add in the noodles and let simmer until the noodles are at a soft consistency.

Add in chopped cilantro and the juice of a lime.

Serve hot.

We really liked the flavours of this - and it was a nice treat to try something different. This made A LOT of soup. When we were done - I added a bit more stock just to soup it up a bit. Yum leftovers!

Alrighty - off to walk the pooper scoopers.

Have a great Sunday!

Loves.

Enjoy!

Half full!

2011-10-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday. Oh my Wednesday's are the 'glass is half empty/half full' day of the week. I am going with half full this week. If I picked 'half empty' I would be loafing around in my comfy clothes, eating mac & cheese (with bacon) and pigging out on Halloween candy, while sobbing that this is the longest week of my life. Uh, something about that scenario is kind of close to what I am actually doing. I am happy to report that I haven't touched the Halloween candy and I am not sobbing. I did however, eat mac & cheese tonight, and I am lazing around in cozy clothes.

I had the greatest weekend in America. I like to call it that. We went to just north of Seattle to do some shopping. We hit the Seattle Premium Outlet Mall and then a couple of malls in Mt. Vernon. My mom and I were dedicated shoppers. My mom spoiled me rotten. We had such a good time, and got some great clothes and deals. I am all set for winter season. We only got lost a couple of times, which was a good thing. The ferry from Sidney to Anacortes is a beautiful trip. I think that I am going to make this an annual thing.

The night before we left, I made a pumpkin loaf. Are you tired of pumpkin recipes yet? I haven't made pumpkin loaf before - I adapted my Zucchini bread recipe - and I will definitely make this again.

I did a regular sized loaf and then a small loaf that I added organic dried cranberries to.

Pumpkin Loaf

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups pumpkin puree

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp baking soda

Pinch of kosher salt

3 cups of flour

1 cup of chopped walnuts

In a large bowl mix together the eggs. sugar, and vanilla. Add in the pumpkin puree and the vegetable oil and mix together. Sprinkle with the baking soda and salt. Add in the flour and mix it. Add in the walnuts, raisins and the lemon zest.

Place in a large loaf pan or two smaller loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Remove it from the pan - and enjoy!!

I enjoy the pumpkin loaf at Starbucks as a treat - and I think that this recipe was almost as deelish.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Mmmmm Bacon

2011-10-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

Today is my Friday. Super short week for me. Tomorrow my mom and I are heading down to America to do some shopping. We are hitting the outlet malls - having a little adventure - a little road trip - mother/daughter bonding - and shopping, shopping, shopping. I am also going to count how many times my mom says 'Ah Crap!' - it's her new thing and it cracks us up. We are both really excited - it'll be nice to have a little time away together and to find some great shopping deals.

We are pretty much done all of our turkey leftovers - day 2 of homemade turkey soup. There is nothing better than a hot pot of homemade soup. Tonight's dinner I made biscuits to go with it. My usual biscuit recipe - more and just added bacon and cheese. Does bacon make everything better? So many chefs on tv says it does - and I don't really think that it 'can't' make it better.

Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

2 cups of flour

4 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of kosher salt

1/4 cup of butter

1 cup of shredded cheese - I used mozzarella

1/2 cup of chopped bacon - about 7-8 slices

1 egg

2/3 cup of milk

Pre-heat the oven to 425.

Place the bacon on an aluminum lined baking pan. Bake the bacon for about 10-15 minutes. Until it is crispy but not too crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and place on paper towel to help drain the grease.

In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the butter and with a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter until it is in pea sized pieces. Add the shredded cheese and the bacon.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg and then add the milk and mix together. Add the egg/milk to the dry ingredients and mix together.

Place biscuit size biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes.

Serve warm.

Alright - I have to go and catch up on Jersey Shore - just kidding - I'm not even watching it right now - I don't even know that they just had a fight. I don't even know.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Challenge Accepted.

2011-10-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

So the pumpkin pie milkshakes were a hit - and a few people told me that Dairy Queen is doing a pumpkin pie blizzard. Challenge accepted! Not sure if you've ever watched 'How I Met Your Mother' - Barney always says 'challenge accepted'.

Anyways - with leftover pumpkin pie, ice cream and a hand blender, I made it.

Pumpkin Pie Snow Storm

Get it? Snow storm can also mean Blizzard. Wooooo.

3 cups of ice cream

3 pieces of pumpkin pie - not huge ones

1/4 cup of milk

Blend ice cream and milk in either a blender or with hand held blender. Chop two of the pieces of pie. Add the pumpkin pie and blend. Then add the another piece of the pumpkin pie that has been chopped and mix with a spoon.

It's good. I am trying to be ladylike and not gorge on this stuff - so I just had a taste. There is enough for the husband to have a couple of these treats.

Blending the ice cream reminded me of a time that my brother and I were visiting my grandparents in Vancouver. It was late one night - probably around 9 - I was probably 10 my brother 13 and we wanted to make malts. We got out the ice cream and the hand mixer. We filled a bowl with ice cream and my brother turned the hand mixer on. He then pulled the hand mixer out of the bowl and whipped ice cream around the entire kitchen.

He spazzed at me - not sure why. Then freaked out and told me to clean it up. I was laughing so hard that I'm sure I had to run to the loo. Thankfully my grandma was hard of hearing so she couldn't hear the havoc happening in the kitchen.

Oh my ice cream is my favourite. Oh how I wish that it was as good for you as broccoli.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Dinner - I mean Thanksgiving Dessert

2011-10-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving.

I love this time of year. I love Fall, and I always think that Thanksgiving weekend is the kick off to a wonderful new season.

We had a great weekend! So fantastic - I wish that it was just starting now. My cousin and her family came down for the weekend. She did the 1/2 marathon at the Royal Victoria Marathon. 1/2 MARATHON!!!! She did amazing - so proud of her. We had a really lovely weekend with all of them. We love visitors (preferably people we know ;)) stay with us - we like to offer them Suite B - and tell them to just make themselves at home.

They brought the turkey from Merville - a free range, organic, happy bird that lived a great life. And it was delicious. I think that I will be trying to convince them to bring me one every holiday.

We did dinner last night. Friends and family - we really are thankful and blessed to have a wonderful group to be surrounded with.

On the menu:

Turkey

Stuffing - sausage, celery and onion with fresh sage

Mashed turnips with red pepper flakes

Brussels sprouts sauteed with bacon

Cranberry sauce

Mashed potatoes

Corn

Roasted acorn squash with brown sugar and pecans

Pumpkin pie

Rustic Apple pie

Pumpkin pie milkshakes

I'm usually all about the cooking - and I do love it - but for some reason at Thanksgiving I love the baking too. My baking is basic - easy - just the way I like it. These recipes can be made whenever, but they were a great end to our turkey dinner.

Rustic Apple Pie

6 apples - peeled and cut into very thin slices (I used gala apples - and they were just perfect)

2 tbsp of butter

2 tbsp of brown sugar

1 -1.5 cups of pecans - I chopped about 1 cup into medium sized pieces and then left the rest whole

2 puff pastry

1 egg

(this is enough for 2 pies)

In a pan melt the butter, add the apples and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Saute over medium heat for about 20 minutes. When the apples are starting to soften - add the pecans. Saute for about another 5 minutes.

Remove from the pan and let cool.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

When the apples are cool - roll out the puff pastry - into a 9-10 inch circle. It doesn't have to perfect at all - mine look like a square with rounded edges. Place half of the apple mixture into the center of each pastry. Pull the sides in towards the center - overlapping each piece slightly - but leaving about 4 inches open in the middle.

Place the pies on a piece of parchment paper on a baking dish. Add 2 tbsp of water to the egg and beat to make an egg wash. Brush the top of the pastry lightly with this.

Bake in the 350 oven for 30 minutes.

Let cool slightly and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or iced cream.

The thing that I liked about this - is that you can make them ahead of time and then warm slightly just before serving.

And now for the special treat. I found this recipe on a blog that I like to peek at from time to time - How Sweet it Is. She made these - and I knew that I had to give them a try. I altered it slightly - and oh my - I am thankful for these!!!

Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

2 cups of vanilla ice cream

3/4 cup of pumpkin puree

1/2 cup of milk

1/3 cup of cream

1/4 tsp of nutmeg

1/2 tsp of cinammon

1/2 tsp of ginger

Whipped cream for garnish

In your blender, add all of the ingredients - blend - pour into a glass- garnish with whipped cream and ENJOY!

So for today, this Thanksgiving 2011 I am thankful for:

My husband

My pups

My family

My friends

The incredible turkey - and the soup that I am making with it

My trainer - el Diablo (technically not my trainer anymore - but I am so thankful for her)

My health

Memories

Pictures

And oh so much more.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Weekend breakfasts

2011-10-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

We are on the verge of a gloriously long weekend. We are on the verge of spending time with family and friends and giving thanks. And we are on the verge of filling our faces with turkey, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie milkshakes (I know!!!) and all the other delicious trimmings that go with turkey dinner.

Well, we are - what about you? What are you plans? I hope that they are good - and I hope that you get to soak in a long weekend. They are therapeutic.

Getting ready for this weekend - I think that you should treat yourselves to a delicious breakfast. Something healthy, rich, tasty, hearty, simple... Here is what I have in mind.

Raspberry Yogurt

1 pint of raspberries

1 tbsp of water

Plain yogurt

In a food processor, puree the raspberries and the water until smooth. Then add it to plain yogurt.

Uh, really, that is it. It is so fresh, tasty and easy. A great starter for a warm breakfast.

Baked eggs with tomato and cheese

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

(this is enough for one - just double, triple or even quadruple...)

2 eggs

6-8 grape tomatoes - sliced in half

3-4 basil leaves - chopped

1/2 tbsp of cream

2 tbsp of goat cheese or cream cheese

Kosher salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven for 375.

In a small baking dish or ramekin, lightly (very lightly) grease the dish with butter. Add the tomatoes and basil and the cheese. Crack the eggs over top and cover with cream. Season with kosher salt and pepper.

Bake for 5-7 minutes and then change the oven setting to broil and broil for 5 minutes. The longer the cooking the harder the egg - if you like your egg runny - just broil for a couple of minutes.

Remove from the oven, serve with some nice hot toast, and enjoy.

If these don't 'fancy' you, here are a few other breakfast suggestions.

Spinach and eggs

Skillet Pancake

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Don't forget to eat your breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day.

Alright - time to make a grocery list and finalize the Thanksgiving Dinner menu. I love this!!!

Loves.

Enjoy!

Fall - welcome.

2011-10-04T20:35:00.001-07:00

Oh hello Fall. Welcome. Enjoy your visit for the next 3 months. I would appreciate it if you were dry, not wet. That you cool and crisp and not damp and windy. I would like for you to have a couple of Sundays where it's wet and dark and cold all day so that I don't feel guilty about not leaving the house and spend the day in my cozy clothes. Remember only a couple of those days. I think that if you can pull this off, it's going to be a great visit.

It's a blistery one out there tonight. I love the word blistery. I don't love the word blister. Trust me, I am not a fan of that. The word 'blister' reminds me of being a kid and getting new figure skates at the beginning of every season. New skates = El Diablo. The hard, very hard leather, doesn't give, your feet can't move in them and as a result you get golf ball sized blisters on your feet. Your feet hurt so much that you want to just stand at the boards and whimper - but then every time you try you hear your skating coach yell 'Cheryl, stop standing still and move your butt'. Or your sister skates by and says 'You're going to get in so much trouble from mom if you don't move it'. Or when you get off the ice and you have to try and pull your skates off without the blister popping and you hear your mom say 'Well that was a waste of an hour'. See! What had to deal with as a child skater - a child prodigy. Just kidding. Ya, so new skates can be really painful - but then once you break the skates in they mold to your feet so incredibly that they are the most comfortable thing to wear on your feet.

Where was I?

Oh ya - it's blistery out there. Magnum is growling at the wind. He's cute. Not tough. He's more of a lover not a fighter.

Tonight would have been a delightful night for a bowl of homemade soup. I would have liked to have made soup tonight, but... I did a Subway sandwich instead. It's a treat. I had my workout, walked the pups and headed to Subway. Oh not the subway - Victoria doesn't have one. Subway restaurant. I'm goofy tonight.

I made this soup last week, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I will be making this again - and I am not sure that I will change it at all.

Italian Wedding Soup Sims Style

1 eggplant - chopped into small pieces - about 2-3 cups

1 zucchini - chopped into small pieces - about 2-3 cups

3 cloves of garlic

1 onion

1 cup of orzo

25 small meatballs - click here for the easiest recipe

6 cups of chicken stock

Kosher salt and pepper

Soft mozzarella - one slice per bowl of soup

Pre-heat the oven to 400. Place the chopped eggplant, zucchini and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. Place the sheet in the oven and roast for about 30-40 minutes - until the vegetables are golden, soft and slightly caramelized.

In a large pot, saute the onion in small dash of olive oil and kosher salt. When the onion is translucent add the stock to the pot. Remove the garlic from the baking sheet and with the side of your knife, mash up the garlic and mince. Add the garlic, eggplant and zucchini to the soup. Add the cooked meatballs and let it simmer. Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Add in the orzo and continue to let it simmer until the orzo is el dente.

Serve the soup into the bowl and place a slice of soft mozzarella on top. Let it melt and enjoy.

Alright - time to curl up and hang with the husband.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Dinner cruise

2011-10-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the most amazing opportunity to do what I love to do most - cook. And not just 'cook', cook on a sail boat. It was a night of firsts for me. First time on a sail boat. First time being on a boat other than BC Ferries around Victoria. First time cooking for a dinner party that wasn't my dinner party per se.

The sail of Valerie Mae

How did this come about? Thanks for asking.

My friend/co-worker has a beautiful sail boat and he offered a night out on his boat with dinner to raise money for a charity that a team from work were raising money for - Power To Be. He asked if I would be interested in doing the dinner - and I was honoured. After I felt honoured he asked me, I had a moment of panic b/c I would be cooking for people other than my close friends and family.

Thankfully I knew who I was cooking for - as I have worked with the 6 lovely ladies for quite a few years. We had a crew of 4 - John the Captain, Treb the Captain's deck hand, Tracy - the photographer and myself - the cook.

I want to share the night with you with some incredible photos that were taken by my lovely friend, Tracy - Tracy Risinger Photography.Tracy took all of these incredible photos and she was my help - a huge help.

The Empress

John and Bert took us out around the Victoria Harbour. We saw the sunset over glass like water and we saw the beautiful lights of downtown Victoria.

The Parliament Buildings

I made dishes that I am comfortable making and that have been a tasted and liked before. I had a small galley to work in - and it was just perfect. The boat was loaded with everything - stove, oven, sinks, fridge, freezer. Just awesome. We served the dinner on deck so the guests could enjoy the scenery and fresh air.

On the menu:

Salumi board - meats, cheeses, olives, tapenade, baguettes

Fig and Goat Cheese pizza with pesto

Heirloom tomato and soft mozzarella stacks with fresh basil and balsamic

Linguine in a white wine cream sauce, with artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, mushrooms, parmesan and fresh basil

Baked fruit with lemon mascarpone

Blondie brownie with sweet cream, ice cream and chocolate sauce

Salumi board - baguette from Fol Epi

Fresh figs - just like candy

Fresh basil from my garden - I was so happy to share it

Fresh local Heirloom tomatoes with soft mozzarella - oh my

'Low fat' pasta

Okanagan nectarines - oh how I love to share these

A light sprinkling of cane sugar

I was so excited for everyone involved in this night. Excited for John for being able to take out a bunch of friends on his amazing boat - and show them such a magical night. Bert for being such a great help for John and being able to 'drive' (is that the right word) such an incredible vessel. The ladies - we all tried to treat them like royalty. They were able to spend some good quality time together in a beautiful setting. Tracy who got to do what she loves most - take pictures. She was in her element, and took the most perfect photos - and thanks to her it will be a night that we will surely never forget.

High-fiving with the captain

And for me. I can't explain how perfect of a night it was. I got to do what I love most, for people I adore, hang out with my besty, and love every minute of it. I always stress that what I make won't be 'up to snuff' but I think that everyone was pleased with what they ate, and to me that meant everything.

Until next time... oh I hope that there will be a next time.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Summer fruit...I will miss you.

2011-09-27T20:13:00.001-07:00

This summer has been a culinary dream. I think that really every summer is, but for some reason the fruit and vegetables that were available this summer, made me feel like I was in paradise. Although summer really didn't hit until some time in August and we really only ate outside a handful of times, the fresh and local ingredients made me feel that summer still showed up.

This summer I fell in love with so many different fruits. Some I have every summer and some were new.

Blueberries I always love. When they start showing up at the Root Cellar I feel like a kid in a candy store. I just can't get enough of them.

Watermelon - oh my. When it is cold and cut up into small cubes - I could potentially sit down and eat a 10 pounder. Ok, that's exaggerating - but oh I love it. I loved the watermelon juice that I made - such a refreshing treat.

Yellow watermelon - I don't think that it will ever know what an incredible surprise it was for me to cut into that little sweet melon - and find yellow - not bright red - yellow. Eating it was even way more incredible. Ice cold - small cubes - I could just eat that I think for the rest of my life.

Photo by Tracy Risinger

Plums - oh these incredible gems. They come in so many different varieties, but these fuscia morsels are the most beautiful things from nature. The sweetness is even more incredible if that is even possible.

Nectarines and peaches - oh love. I am sad that the Root Cellar has signs up saying that it is the last of summer from the Okanagan. I stocked up - but it will never be enough.

All of these - maybe not the watermelons - but adding every berry you can imagine and all of these other gems make the most incredible baked fruit ever.

I am really going to miss summer this year for the reason that all of this incredible, beautiful fruit is leaving us. Another year will have to go by before we can soak all of these fruits in again.

My sister has a plum tree in her back yard. She brought me over a bag - they were deelish. I ate half of them, pretty much the night that she brought them, and then whipped up an easy pie with the rest. I mean easy.

Plum Pie

Pie crust - click HERE for the recipe

20 plums - halved and remove the seeds

1 1/2 tbps of cane sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Roll out the pie crust and place into either a tart pan or a pie plate. I had an extra ball of dough in the freezer - and it tastes just as fresh.

Place the plums individually on the pie crust. Add them on a slight angle so each one slightly overlaps the next.

Sprinkle with cane sugar.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Remove - let cool slightly. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or plain yogurt sweetened with vanilla.

So, as I write this message, I have said farewell to my plums, my yellow watermelon, and I will cherish my peaches and nectarines for the next couple of days. Thankfully my blueberry stock will keep me throughout the winter.

What fruit will you miss the most?

Loves.

Enjoy!

I will miss you all like I have never missed anything before.

Corn tortillas, peach salsa - my try at a Mexican feast

2011-09-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday morning. There's something about a dull grey Sunday morning that I love. I think that because it's not super sunny and hot, that I don't feel pressured to get up and out right away. I like the idea of sitting in my pajamas, catching up on the Food Network, Coronation Street, checking out a few blogs that I like and just overall loafing. I know, however, that this is just the first of many dull, grey Sundays to come - so I really should get off my Royal Canadian and make the most of this day while it's not raining.

I don't have any pictures to share yet, but I will - thanks to my besty - Tracy Risinger - who got a ton of incredible shots of the best evening. We were the 'crew' for a dinner cruise. I created and prepared the menu for 6 - and we sailed out and around Victoria. I am super excited to share the evening - the menu with you guys.

I sometimes struggle a bit with my cooking style. I am a home cook making simple, hearty, comfort food. I think that I should break out and try different ethnic foods but they intimidate me a bit as I am not sure what flavours go with what and how to incorporate them all together. And then I think that I have to remember that it's ok - that I don't need to cook those foods - I can try them from time to time - but that focusing on hearty, comfort foods, is my thing - and that I enjoy making them. See - issues! Oh well.

For my birthday this year, friends Stagia (it's really Stasia) and Steph gave me a tortilla press - and I have been wanting to use it for quite some time. My mom won a gift basket from Epicure that a bunch of Mexican themed stuff and there was a bag of Masa flour (corn flour) - so I finally had the right ingredients for making corn tortillas.

What really inspired the corn tortillas though - was a bunch of peaches that I wanted to use up. I am usually pretty happy when I make something that I think tastes good, but folks, this peach salsa was DELICIOUS. I am not just saying that because I made it - really truly - I just loved how all the flavours came together.

For dinner Sims Style, for UFC, we had corn tortillas with shredded chicken, lettuce, guacamole, peach salsa and Oaxacan cheese (Mexican) along side Spanish Style Quinoa.

Corn Tortillas

2 cups of fine corn flour - Masa Harina

1 1/2 cups of water

1 tsp of salt

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and form a ball. Place the dough in a plastic bag and let it sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, form golf sized balls with the dough and place them on a baking sheet or cutting board so that they are easy to access.

If you have a tortilla press - hoorah - the process is quite easy. Place a piece of parchment or waxed paper on each side of the press. Place the dough ball on the bottom side of the press - and press.

Using a hot skillet - I used my cast iron pan - place the tortilla in the hot pan and heat on each side for about 30 seconds.

If you don't have a tortilla press - you can put the tortilla in between the waxed/parchment paper and squish it down with a heavy pan.

Peach Salsa

I am not really sure if I should be calling it a salsa, but I am going to. Call me crazy, I know, but my goal was to make a salsa, and I loved how it turned out - so we'll call it that.

3 peaches - peeled

Juice of 1 lime

Pinch of kosher salt

1 jalepeno - seeded (I don't like it too hot - I kept a few of the seeds for a bit of heat - and it was just right)

Cilantro - I am not sure how much I added - probably 1 cup in total - add it whole

Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and chop. The peaches will puree and the entire salsa will be more of a liquid that chunky. The colour goes a beautiful green because of the cilantro - no one would probably know that there were peaches unless they tasted it or you told them.

For the chicken, I roasted two chickens that I covered in the juice of 2 limes and kosher salt, for about 1.5 hours at 400 degrees. After they cooled, I shredded the chicken, added the juice of another lime, added fajita seasoning, 2 tbsp of tomato paste, and reheated in the oven.

I shredded head lettuce very finely and whipped up a batch of guacamole. And shredded cheese for the top.

To assemble:

Corn tortilla

Shredded chicken

Guacamole

Shredded lettuce

Peach salsa

Cheese

I thought that the corn tortillas were really earthy - not sure what other word to use. They had flavour and were hearty - rather than the ones that you buy in the deli. Everything went well together - and although I don't claim to be able to cook authentic Mexican food - I really liked how these turned out.

These will be so good without the meat as well, if you just wanted to try it vegetarian. You could chop a bunch of tomatoes, roast some corn, slice some peppers - endless possibilities.

Alright - in the oven - chicken meatballs. On the stove - homemade chicken stock. Just pulled out of the oven - roasted zucchini, eggplant and garlic. My version of Italian Wedding Soup - recipe soon to follow.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Puddin'

2011-09-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

Straight and to the point - that's my style. Most of the time anyways. Well, probably not all the time, but sometimes. You will rarely hear me talk and talk, just to tell a story. Rarely.

Ok - back to it. I am a bit best tonight - busy week - so my recipe is short and sweet - super sweet - easy as pudding - and that's that. My cousin told me about this dessert - so I thought that I had to give it a try. I didn't really have a recipe - I just winged it - and I kind of like how it turned out.

It may freak you out when you read the ingredients, and I can understand that, but if you are interested, try it. Chris tried it and liked it.He didn't love it, but he did like it, and I know if I make it again, he will eat it up.

Tofu Chocolate Pudding

Say what - tofu!!!!

1 package of medium firm tofu

1 1/2 cup of dark chocolate

In a food processor, blend the tofu until smooth.

Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate until silky smooth. Add half of the tofu to the melted chocolate and gently stir to incorporate and then add the rest of the tofu until it is all blended together. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I think that when I try this again, I may use the soft tofu to see if it will make it just a little more smoother.

Yumma.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Easiest appetizer ever

2011-09-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

Monday, Monday. As much as I really never want the weekend to end, I really don't mind Mondays. I especially like Mondays when Fall is just around the corner. Or should I say 'Autumn'? I actually never say 'Autumn'. I probably won't start now. I think that I will keep with "Fall'. I love Fall. I love the cold crisp mornings; the colours of oranges, reds and yellows; the abundance of squash and root vegetables; turtleneck sweaters; boots - I will stop now - or I would keep going and going.

This morning was lovely. Cool, but with promise of a blue sky. I was up nice and early, walked the pups, cut watermelon for breakfast and headed to work. A good start to the week must mean that it is going to be a good one.

Last week I had my mom and sister and nephews over for dinner. I decided to try something a little different for an appetizer. Only one didn't find them a hit - the wee'in. The little punk. I saw this recipe when I was in Ontario on the Food Network - Everyday Italian - I modified it b/c I couldn't really remember the recipe, but I knew the jest of it. I am really excited to make these again - except if the little punk is coming.

Smoked salmon mini pizzas

1 package of pizza dough or homemade

3/4 cup of plain yogurt

1/4 cup of fresh dill - finely chopped

100 grams of smoked salmon - thinly sliced - I used lox that I found at the Root Cellar - I am not really sure if 100g is enough - it probably is if it is thinly sliced

Pre-bake the oven to the temperature states on the pizza dough package. Roll out the dough and using round cookie cutter or the top of a glass - cut 12 rounds - about 3 inches across.

Bake until light and golden. Let cool.

In the meantime, mix the plain yogurt and dill together. Set aside. Cut the Lox in to 12 equal sized pieces.

Then make the pizzas. Pizza shell, yogurt dill, and lox.

I should have warned you that these were the easiest things in the world to make. EASY!! I think that a different name would be better - but I can't think of one. Any suggestions?

Alright friends - time to warm last night's leftovers up for the husband. Gumbo recipe - coming soon.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Upside-down ShihTzu Cake

2011-09-18T13:44:00.001-07:00

It's been a bit of an action-packed weekend and at the same time - no action at all. Just the way that we tend to like it around here.

It was Chris' bday on Friday. We didn't celebrate in any huge way - just a few of our friends in for dinner, drinks and cake. Very low key. Rosalyn (who made our wedding cake) made his birthday cake for me.

For years, Chris has called our Jozie an 'Upside-down Shihtzu Cake'. Mostly b/c she lies like this - and it's too cute for him to just say 'Jozie is lying on her back'. He has said that we have to figure out how to make a cake upside-down so that we can call it an 'Upside-down Shihtzu Cake'. So for this birthday, I asked Ros to work her magic and see if she could pull it off. And.... she did!! And.. she did an amazing job. Not only was the butter pecan so tasty - but the cake really did look like Jozie being an Upside-down shihtzu cake.

So I have been loving watermelon. I usually do - but I, without knowledge, bought a mini yellow watermelon. Who knew? I didn't know. I guess I could have paid more attention to the sign, but I just saw the word 'mini' and 'watermelon' and $.49/lb and was happy to pick one up. The only thing that I don't love about these mini gems is that they have the seeds in them. I didn't realize just how spoiled we are that we live in a place where we can eat watermelon and not have to worry about the seeds. Remember what it was like when we were kids? Your parents would cut it up and then make you go and eat it outside so that you could spit the seeds on to the grass, and preferably not at your sister or brother. Is it laziness that we live in a place that we don't want to have to worry about seeds? I kind of think that it is. But... at the same time, I am not going to complain when I cut open another watermelon and there aren't any seeds.

I took these pictures of watermelon awhile ago - and I really liked how they turned out. The colour of the fruit is so perfect. Oh, I love nature.

This is watermelon juice. It's basically a bunch of chopped up watermelon thrown into the blender, and it made a delicious and refreshing juice. I think that it would be lovely with a splash of soda as well.

Alrighty - I am about to head into the kitchen to make gumbo. I haven't made it for years - but I have had a craving for it. I will be sure to share.

I hope that you have all had a great weekend - soaking in the rest of summer b/c it's almost done - T minus 3 days.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Popeye's breakfast

2011-09-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

It had been over a month since I had bought a cooking magazine. Over one WHOLE month. That's a bit of a world record for me. When we were in the Vancouver airport - I told Chris that I was going to treat myself to a magazine for the flight. I was a little disappointed at their selection - I could have went with a gossip mag or something food related. I went with Canadian Living. I actually quite like their magazine. I like that it's Canadian, of course, but I like a lot of their recipes - and I feel like it's a it 'local'.

The recipe section wasn't too bad. There was an egg recipe that I copied - tweaked it a bit - and made it for us for a late breakfast this past Sunday. I think that I will definitely make this again - super easy, super healthy and super deelish.

Spinach and Eggs

4 eggs

1 large bunch of fresh spinach - washed and dried - or you can use frozen that has been defrosted

1 clove of garlic - minced

4 pieces of bread - I used pumpernickel - but sourdough, or a baguette would be just as nice

Prepare the spinach first - as it takes the longest out of all of the steps. In a large skillet drizzle a tsp of olive oil. Add the garlic and the spinach with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper and saute until the spinach is fully cooked and wilted - just as it should. Probably about 5 minutes.

Poached eggs: bring a pot of water to a boil and add a tsp of vinegar. Crack the eggs into a bowl - ensuring that the yolks stay together. Stir the water and gently add the eggs to the boiling water - stop stirring once the eggs are being added. Boil for 2 minutes exactly.

Toast the bread.

Assemble: Toast, spinach and egg.

So easy. So tasty and it actually looks quite pretty I think.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Memories.

2011-09-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Well we are home safe and sound. We went to Ontario to visit Chris' family, attend his niece's (Lindsay and her husband Craig) wedding and to have a little R&R. It was a great visit. His dad is doing so well. It has been a year since Chris' mom passed - and although it has been a year - it seems like it happened just yesterday. It was really emotional for me at the start of our trip - I missed her greeting us and being able to spend time with her - and I really missed her not being at her granddaughter's wedding. The wedding was beautiful and she would have been in her element - surrounded by all of her kids, grandkids and her husband. I know that she was 'there'.

Just after the wedding with Chris' dad and sister.

Chris' dad is lovely. He is a quiet man, extremely kind, funny and a great dad. We miss him being here with us - hopefully we see him again real soon.

One of the things that I know most of Chris' childhood is how he and his dad would go out to the old farm sites and look for antique bottles. They called it 'bottling'. His dad likes to say that it was his 'sport'. They would go out to the old farmsteads that had been taken over by the Canadian military (his dad was in the Army) and spend hours looking for these antique bottles. Chris would fish, shoot his beebee gun and be there from sun up to sun down.

His dad has carefully placed his bottle collection on bookcases and around the kitchen cabinets. He has carefully selected which bottles that he wants to display and he can probably tell you a story about each one of them.

Although I love hearing stories of my husband childhood - I think that what I love more is that even to this day, many years later, they still have this great bond and are able to reminisce about a huge part of my husband's youth. It just reminds me of how important it is to create memories and remember them. Every day something will happen, good or bad, and just embrace it all.

Oh my - I'm preaching. I just know that I have incredible memories of my childhood, teenage years, college days and so many more - and I feel really blessed to have them.

Alright - let's talk zuke. That's cool talk for Zucchini. No really it is. All the cool kids say it. I think that I heard my 17 year old nephew say it last night. It might have been 'puke' but I think that it was 'zuke'.

Remember how our friends Claire and Christopher brought us zucchini and I baked with it. What the what? I know! I did. Check it out HERE. Well I also cooked some up to go with dinner one night when my mom was here for dinner. I heart zuke - and this dish I thought was very deelish - but it was even better the next day.

Zucchini Tomato Parmesan Bake

3 cups of cube zucchini

2 tomatoes - chopped into cubes

Olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, add the olive oil and then the zucchini and saute over medium heat. Add kosher salt - a pinch or two. Saute the zucchini for about 15 minutes - until they are soft - but not mushy. Then add the tomatoes. Continue to saute for about 5 minutes.

Place the zucchini and tomatoes into a baking dish, top with parmesan cheese, and broil for about 3-4 minutes until cheese is golden brown.

I am not going to say what Chris rated this - b/c he is not a fan of zucchini, however, he LOVED the Zucchini Bread. But, my mom loved it - so rated it a 5.

Alright friends - share your memories.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Lalalemons

2011-09-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

When Rosalyn gives you lemons - you make lemon ice cubes. What the what???

That's right, lemon cubes.

My friend, Rosalyn, aka Cake Decorator Extrodanaire, gave me a lot of lemons. I mean A LOT. Like probably 30 or something. Her brother was married and they used lemons for their center pieces - I love that. So, they had a lot of lemons to use up - and she generously shared some with me.

I love lemons. I love the sweet bitterness of them. I love their bright yellow that always brightens my kitchen. I love how they make water taste so satisfying. And I love their zest - I love how it gives so much flavour.

I didn't want these gems to go to waste, even though I had used so many of them, so instead of making lemonade, I made lemon cubes of ice and now I will have 'almost' fresh lemon juice whenever I need it.

I simply used my little lemon juicer, added all the juice to a measuring cup, them carefully filled up ice cube trays. Once frozen, I added them to a ziploc bag where they will stay nice and cold, and ready whenever I need to used them. Yumma.

Well, we are just home from our trip to see family and attend Chris' niece's wedding. We had a great visit. The time change has done me in a little tonight, so I am heading to they hay very quickly.

I hope you have all had a great week.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Mo mojitos please.

2011-09-01T07:12:00.001-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, I had a great visit with my cousin, Margo, aka Marjean, aka Wee Jeannie. We did our annual HBC fur trade, minus the fur but with beautiful Organic Blueberries. Not only did we have a great visit at Coombs - we had a nice lunch, a great walk through all the shops and market, ice cream and just a nice time catching up. What also happened, was that she gave me my birthday present. She always gives the best gifts, but this one may be one of my faves. A 'Marjies Mojito' kit.

Oh my. I love mojitos, but I have never made them before. They are super easy - but better than that - they are flippin' deelish!!!n Before you pull out the mint from the garden - take the time to make a few of these, you will not be disappointed.

Marjie's Mojitos

Fresh mint sprigs

Juice of one lime

Simple Syrup*

Rum

Club soda

*Simple syrup - 1 part sugar to one part water. This will keep in the fridge so you can make it with 1 cup of each or 1/2 a cup of each. Add both water and sugar to a saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool in a jar. I tried to make it with cane sugar first but the syrup was too dark and wouldn't be as appealing with the mojito. I have kept it and have used a tbsp when I make iced tea.

In a large glass, put in the fresh mint sprigs. Lots if you like mint - maybe 10-12 leaves. Muddle (fancy word for squish) the leaves with the end of a wooden spoon.

Add the juice of 1/2 a lime. Save the lime as you can add that to the glass at the end for more lime flavour.

Add 1-2 tbsp of the simple syrup.

Add a shot (or two) of white rum.

Fill the glass with club soda.

Stir gently.

And that's it. It's time for you to enjoy this incredibly refreshing drink. I made these 'virgin' style as well - without the rum. They were also incredibly refreshing too.

I picked up a sun hat when we were at the market and husband wore it around the house for a bit. Good thing I got it on film.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Who bakes with vegetables?

2011-08-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Picture this: It's 1988, it's late August, and our neighbour Mr. Bell just gave my mom one of his zucchini's from their veggie garden. It's a big one - probably 19 pounds. Ok, not that big - but it's the size that when you look at it you wonder what in the world you will ever do with so much zucchini.

I see the zucchini sitting on the counter and pray that we won't be subjected to having any of it. (I know!!!! I used to really dislike zucchini.) Later that same evening, after a day of sleeping in, hanging with friends, watching Days of our Lives, and napping, I sit down to dinner with my mom and dad. We have just had bbq'd burgers that my dad has cooked 'cajun style' b/c he likes to make sure that they're really cooked. We're also having ripple potato chips and potato salad. I am ladylike so I only have one burger. My mom is on a 'diet' so she doesn't have the bun. And my dad has 2. I give our black lab, Shadow, the last bite of my burger. She always got the last bite. Loved her so.

As we are finishing, my mom let's my dad and I know that we are having chocolate cake for dessert. At first, I am so excited. I love chocolate cake - who doesn't? And then it hits me - there has been a time before that my mom has made chocolate zucchini cake, and I was not a fan. I immediately look over to the counter and notice the monster zucchini isn't there. My mom brings over the cake and slices 3 pieces, one for each of us. I ask her if it has zucchini in it and she says 'no, of course not'.

My first bite, I can see little green and white flecks. And I can taste a bitterness that is not supposed to be in chocolate cake. I knew it!!! I tell my mom that I can't eat chocolate cake with zucchini in it and push the plate away. My dad gives my mom a hard time, but finishes the cake and has another piece. The cake is eaten over the next couple of days, but not by me.

What a horrible child.

Now, when I look back on that story, there are a few things that stick out. 1. I really didn't like the bitterness of the zucchini in the cake. 2. I am not sure why it freaked me out that a vegetable was in a dessert. 3. My mom is an incredible baker - always has been. 4. I didn't know then that I would now LOVE zucchini. 5. My dad was so funny - I miss him so.

Whenever I do stuff like this, I feel like a farmer. And I didn't even grow this.

Now we are in 2011 and I not only love zucchini, but I baked with it! I know!!! Our friends Christopher and Claire brought us a jumbo zucchini and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. They grow so many vegetables in their garden - and are always blessing us with homemade treats. I also got another zucchini from a friend at work - so it's crazy zucchini time. Today I made the husband shred the rest of what we had - and I froze them in ziploc bags with 2 cups in each. They will come in handy when I want to do some more baking or add to spaghetti sauce.

I found a couple of different recipes online for zucchini bread - so I tried to combine a few - and it turned out quite well. I reduced the sugar by over half - and I am really glad that I did b/c it was definitely sweet enough.

Zucchini Bread

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups shredded zucchini

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp baking soda

Pinch of kosher salt

3 cups of flour

1 cup of chopped walnuts

1 cup of raisins

Zest of one lemon

In a large bowl mix together the eggs. sugar, and vanilla. Add in the shredded zucchini and the vegetable oil and mix together. Sprinkle with the baking soda and salt. Add in the flour and mix it. Add in the walnuts, raisins and the lemon zest.

Place in a large loaf pan or two smaller loaf pans.

Bake for 60 minutes. Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Remove it from the pan - and enjoy!!

I just know that I am reformed - and I love zucchini in baking. Well at least in bread. I may give the chocolate cake a try and I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Blueberry memories.

2011-08-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

One love, one life...

Did you think that I was going to talk about my wedding song? Although I could probably talk about that at great lengths, tonight I am not talking about my wedding. Although... it was so much fun and I will remember dancing for the first time with my new husband.

Tonight - I am singing about my love for blueberries. I know that I have talked about this love before. How can I stop?

I had a great visit with my cuzzie, Margo on Saturday in Coombs. If you haven't been there - you should go - it's so much fun - and there is the best market there. We did our annual fur trade. She brings me blueberries and I pay her in fur. Well not really, she prefers cash. Well, not really - she would try and run without taking the money - it's an odd family trait that we all share. Although last year, I paid her in HBC popcorn and a faux fur that she wore in my wedding. Uh - ok, I will stop talking about my wedding now.

She brought me two boxes of delicious organic blueberries. We had lunch, we visited, we shopped a bit and then we talked about how we will need to make this an annual event. I am so blessed to have an awesome cousin and best friend.

When I was a kid, we used to visit my dad's parents every summer in Vancouver. My grandma was an amazing cook and entertainer. There are a few recipes that I remember her making every summer, and to this day, they are still my favouritea. One of my favourites that I remember her making every summer was her blueberry pie. I remember that delicious pie and how incredible it always looked. It was a genuine piece of art.

I often wonder if this is the reason for why I love blueberries so much. I secretly hope so.

Yesterday I made this, using my aunt's pie crust. There was one point when I felt like my grandma. Our kitchen was really warm and my grandma's kitchen was always hot in the afternoon and early evening. I remember her always cooking and baking with such grace, despite the heat, and she always made the most wonderful creations. I am sure that I have no where near her grace, but it made feel special for a moment, that I have followed in her footsteps baking a blueberry pie on a hot summer day.

Blueberry Pie

1 baked pie crust (cooled) - you can find that HERE - I forgot to add a 1-2 tbsp of sugar, and I am happy that I did - it didn't need it at all

4 cups of blueberries

1/4 cup of water

2/3 cup of sugar

2 tbsp of cornstarch and 1/4 tsp

2 tbsp of water

Whipped cream for topping

In a saucepan, cook 3/4 of a cup of blueberries and 1/4 cup of water until tender. Force through a sieve to mash thoroughly. Place the juice in the saucepan, add the sugar and 1/4 tsp of cornstarch. Mix together. In a separate dish, mix the 2 tbsp of cornstarch with the 2 tbsp of water to blend. Add to the blueberry juice and cook over medium heat - stirring until smooth and creamy.

Place the remaining blueberries in a bowl and pour the blueberry sauce (it will be very hot) over top of the blueberries. Mix and then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Place the blueberries in the pie shell, serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

My mom and Chris were my testers. At first my mom said 'it's not the best pie that I have had' and Chris said that 'it was ok'. And then they kept eating it - and my mom then said that I had changed her from not loving blueberries and Chris said that it was delicious and wanted another piece.

I dare you to try this. Do it. You won't be disappointed.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Tarts.

2011-08-27T21:50:00.001-07:00

I had the gals in for dinner the other night. We had a great visit. I told them to bring their sweaters so that we could sit on the deck - b/c we just haven't had enough summer nights out on the deck this summer. Summer, or whatever you want to call it this year.

We had a nice night. I feel spoiled to be surrounded by such wonderful friends.

I whipped up a simple dessert - and am excited to share.

Baked fruit tarts with Lemon Mascarpone

1 square of puff pastry

Fresh fruit - 1 cup of blueberries, 1 peach, 1 nectarine, 1 cup of mango, 7-8 small plums

1 tbsp of cane sugar

1 cup of mascarpone

Zest of one lemon

The puff pastry that I buy, comes in a box with two squares. For this recipe, you can make 6 tarts, using one of the squares. Thaw as per the instructions on the box - either out at room temperature for an hour - or in the fridge overnight.

Pre-heat the oven to 350. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle until it is about 1/2 cm thick. With a knife, cut 6 squares. Using muffin tins, place the puff pastry piece into the muffin tin - so that it the bottom of the tin is covered and it is higher on each of the four corners.

Bake for 15-17 minutes.

For the fruit filling - all you need to do is cut it all up - and place in a baking dish and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. You can bake the fruit along side the puff pastry tarts.

For the topping - whip the mascarpone cheese with the cane sugar (or any sugar - or sweetener - maple syrup could work too) and the lemon zest.

Let the fruit cool slightly and then place a couple of heaping spoonfuls in each tart, and top with the mascarpone topping.

I love the sweetness and tartness of the fruit, and the creaminess of the mascarpone. So simple, and so deelish.

Chris rated this a 5. :) Love that fella.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Hugs.

2011-08-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Today, like many days, I remember how precious life is and how it is so important to love the ones you love - and tell them often.

Today I would HUG:

My nephew - b/c he swears on Facebook b/c he thinks he can and b/c he came and hung out with me tonight. Heart.

Lindsay - for helping me get my contacts back on my BB. They were lost.

Beth - she encouraged me to go to the gym by giving 'tough love' and I am so happy that she did. 4. 7 k in 30 mins.

My sister - for helping her boys with all of their sporting events.

My mom - for coming home tomorrow.

Steph - for being a caring friend and letting me give her a hard time - and she will still hug me after all the bugging.

Jess - b/c she could use a hug. And she would pass the hug on.

My brother - for believing that I can do something that I am not sure that I can.

David - for being such a good friend to my husband.

Stacy - for pocket dialing me with David's phone.

Maegan - for calling me over and over.

Magnum - for being the cutest little pup ever.

Jozie - for having the cutest shitzu snarl ever.

Tracy - for being a part of the black belt test on Friday.

Pilar - for making me laugh.

Rosalyn - for being such a good friend.

Shannon - to let her know that I will be there for her if she needs me.

Auntie Barb - for being an incredible woman.

Beside yard Barb - for dog walks.

Ingrid - for having the cutest little pup, Winston, who Joz and Magnum love.

Ogre - for not bringing home any 'wildlife' lately.

My husband - just because. I am going to ambush him when he is home and it will be the best hug that I gave and received all day.

After all the hugging that you are giving and getting, treat yourself with a Root beer Float. That's right, Root beer float. I made this for Chris a couple of weeks ago. Just vanilla ice cream, and topped with root beer. I didn't have any - but I did drink the leftover root beer. I love that sh*t.

Hugs to all of you.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Eat your veggies!

2011-08-20T21:00:00.001-07:00

Prepare for Veggie Day. That's right, Veggie Day. Well, I actually don't think that there is such a thing - but there should be. My friend Beth has started to have Meatless Mondays - deciding to have no meat once a week. So, I thought that I would do the same thing - I just don't think that it will be Mondays - I am not sure what day it will be - maybe it will be more than one day - maybe I will switch it up from week to week. The possibilities are endless.

Today on this hot sunny summer day, I made some veggie style burgers for lunch. In one of my magazines they had a recipe for quinoa burgers - so I got the inspiration from that, and just did them Sims Style.

Hummus Quinoa Burgers Sims Style

1 cup of cooked quinoa - after cooked add juice of lemon and a tsp of kosher salt and let cool

1 cup of Hummus

1 egg

1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs

Add cooked quinoa and hummus together and mix. Add in the bread crumbs and the egg. Mix together and form in to medium size patties.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the burgers and cook 7-8 minutes each side or until lightly browned.

I served these with pea shoots that had been drizzled with creme de balsamic and served the patty on top of a slice of tomato.

The thing that I really like about these, is that the seasoning is already done with the quinoa and the hummus. They are light, flavourful and very easy to make.

Chris rated these a 5!!!

This would be a great dish to start a veggie day.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Running for my life... again

2011-08-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

2 and a half years ago, I strapped on the runners, and became a member of the Sole Sisters running clinic with my friend Maegan. We would run each week as a group and I would 'try' to run on my own during the week. I documented my struggles on my blog - bottom of the page - the 'Running for my life' series. Each week was just as hard as the week before. Each week was as emotional as the week before. And although there were weeks that did seem to be a little easier, oh did I struggle. I struggled with my body, with my conditioning, with my breathing and with my confidence. The next year was just as hard, but I managed to run a little more, and felt slightly more confident. Slightly.

Chris helped name my 'Running for my life' series. He knew that I was struggling with trying to get healthy, trying to get fit - and by doing both of those - it was going to save my life.

Now 2.5 years later, I am running for my life again. This time it's different. I think that I mentioned this before, but this time, I really don't know what the difference is. I think - sorry I KNOW - that a lot of it has to do with my workouts with Tanya. We have done stuff that I never thought that I could do, and each week we workout harder and harder. I have been fortunate to lose a few pounds, which makes me lighter on my feet. I have also made fitness a part of my life. I have had to. It has been a lot easier than I thought that it ever would be.

Yesterday after work I planned to do a 30 minute run on the treadmill. My friend Beth was coming for dinner - and for a split second, I thought that I would miss the gym and go home and tidy up and have dinner ready. And then I slapped myself upside the head and came back to reality. That is something that I definitely would have done before. The cool thing was, is that I was able to go to the gym and workout and still have time to come home and hang out with Beth and have a great dinner together.

Anyways - yesterday I ran just under 5 K in 30 minutes. I was pretty excited. Sorry. I was FRICKIN' excited. It was a great feeling to set the goal and just do it. There were times during the run that I thought I should stop and walk - but I pushed through it. Now I know that I can do it - I plan to do it regularly, and often. I plan to keep adding distance and speed and continue running for my life.

Alright - that was deep.

The other day when I had my tea catastrophe, I made some delicious biscuits. They turned out quite nicely, much more impressive than my first tea try. I found the recipe in a Food Network magazine. The recipe used thyme - I didn't have that on hand - so I used basil. I am definitely going to make these again.

Basil Lemon Biscuits

2 cups of flour - I used all purpose - whole wheat would be just as good

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

8-10 basil leaves - chopped

4 tablespoons of cold butter

1 cup of buttermilk

Pre-heat the oven to 425.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together with a whisk in a medium bowl. With a pastry cutter or your fingers, add in the butter until it is pea size pieces. Slowly add in the buttermilk and gently stir.

Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead 3-5 times. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch and with a 2 inch round cookie cutter*, cut out the biscuits and place them on a baking sheet.

*I used the glass that Chris said 'fell' on to the shelf in the kitchen.

Continue to use the dough - rolling it out - until it is all done. Brush the tops with water and put a light seasoning of kosher salt on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven - and serve warm. They were a huge success and for a split second they helped husband and forget about what happened in our kitchen earlier. But a lovely ending to a rough day - homemade biscuits and tea.

Chris rated these a 5!

Find your weekend everyone - enjoy every minute.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Rough yesterday.

2011-08-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Somedays can be called a write off; a disaster; a misfortune; a whole big bummer. Rough yesterday. That was what I experienced yesterday. It was just a day that started out well and just kind of fell*. Am so thankful that I have the very best husband in the world.

*Fell: This is something that husband likes to say when he doesn't really know the answer. For example, we have some open cupboards in the kitchen, and I like them to be tidy and organized. He puts glasses and dishes anywhere when he doesn't know where they go. Yesterday there was a random glass up on the shelf with some of the big bowls. I said to him, 'why is that there?' and he said 'it fell'. Whooo - good times at the C household.

So speaking of a rough yesterday, I decided to try a batch of iced tea. I am kind of addicted to Crystal Light iced tea. I love it. I love iced tea. LOVE IT. I think that it could be worse, I could be drinking straight vodka, kool aid, canned milk (not that there is anything wrong with these). Anyways, we thought that it may be a good idea to try making our own tea. I had some peach mango tea, that I thought would be very tasty cold.

Before you continue reading, please don't judge me. Promise? If you promise - please continue reading.

In a medium sized saucepan I boiled 8 cups of water. I added the tea bags to a beautiful glass pitcher that my friend Jocelyn gave me for my birthday many years ago. I then started to poor the boiled water in the glass pitcher. DON'T JUDGE ME. Crack!!! Water and glass everywhere. This was the first time that husband had to come in to save the day. Water was everywhere. We cleaned that up an I decided to start over.

The oven mitts were soaked in the mess, so I thought that I would put them on top of the element so that the heat from the oven would dry them off. FLAMES!! DON'T JUDGE ME. I turned the wrong element on - and the mitts were in flames. 2nd time husband had to come in and save the day.

In the end, the water boiled. I let the 4 tea bags seep in the water as it cooled off. I don't like tea too strong, so I took them out about 30 minutes later. I then whisked in a tbsp of cane sugar just to take a little of the bitternes off. I let it cool completely and put it into a glass bottle and let it cool completely in the fridge.

It was delicious. Served with lots of ice and a wedge of lemon - so good.

So, that is my story. There are times when things in the kitchen don't go so smoothly. I am grateful for the help of my husband - and how he will come running when I hit the 'panic button'. I know that this is nothing in comparison to so many sad, bad things that happen to people who only deserve the best, but this with 'life' just seemed to happen without warning. Sigh.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Sweet, sweet Saturday.

2011-08-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Sweet Saturday. Up and at 'em early. Well not really early and not really up and at 'em. We have had breakfast - and walked the pups - cleaned the kitchen - and now I am sitting on my Royal Canadian while Chris is off at Kunga.

I wanted to tell you about what we had for breakfast today. I am pretty sure it may be my new favourite breakfast - and the possibilities of how this can be served up are endless. My Auntie Barb told me about this - so I had to give it a try.

Skillet Pancake with fresh fruit

Pancake:

2 tbsp of butter

3 eggs

1/2 cup of flour

1/2 cup of milk

1 tsp of vanilla

Pre-heat the oven to 425. In a bowl, mix the eggs, flour, milk and vanilla until smooth. On the stove top, heat the skillet and add the butter until it is melted. Ensure that the butter coats the skillet.

Add the pancake mixture to the skillet and bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes. The sides will rise up. I loved the rustic look of this - I was very excited when I pulled it out of the oven.

Fresh fruit:

1 nectarine - cored and chopped

1.5 cups of blueberries

1 tbsp of cane sugar

In a pan, add all the fruit and cane sugar. Heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes - stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

It's all ready and you can serve it up - cut the pancake like a pie - and serve with the warm fruit.

C rated this a 5!!

Jozie was hoping for a taste. We gave her one - how could we refuse this face.

I am excited to make this again. I think that I will try baking the batter in my popover tins and serving with fruit. I think that you could add fresh herbs to make it savory and serve with smoked salmon and capers.

Alright friends - I hope that you're all enjoying your summer Saturday.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Go Green.

2011-08-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

I am not sure why I love Thursdays so much, but I do. I think that it's Chris' Friday and it means that he is home for the night. We were able to take the pups for a walk and then sit out on the deck for dinner. It seems like we have stopped Thursday night dinner club for now. Oh, actually maybe just for two weeks. Well anyways, a work out with Tanya, always kicks my Thursday night into gear.

Today's session she thought it would be fun to do Tabatas (sp?). If someone tells you that Tabatas are fun - run - they are fibbing. It's where you do an exercise strong for a minute or 45 seconds, then have a 20 second rest, and start the exercise again. We did these side lunge hops first - for I think a minute or 45 seconds and 20 second rest - 8 times. The legs were a burnin'. And then we did a circuit with 5 different things - all pretty much on the mat - but it was hard. I was breathing very heavily and sweating up a storm. I am VERY UNATTRACTIVE when I work out. I can't help it. Sometimes after the gym I go to the grocery store across the street - and I think that b/c my face is super read and I am still pretty much panting, that they think that I am having a heart attack. Whatevs. That's what the cool kids say instead of 'whatever'. I think.

I had a conversation with my dear friend, Beth, today at work. We were talking about the 'slow cooker' and she said that she would marry her slow cooker if she was able to marry a small kitchen appliance. For a minute I had to stop and think if I had asked myself this before. I do say that I like to marry a lot of things - chocolate, cauliflower, Mark Wahlberg, chocolate... but never a small kitchen appliance. Right now I would have to say that it would be my blender. That thing blends - oh does it blend. I do want to get a small food processor, so I may reconsider if I do get one and try it out. What about you? Do you have a fave that you can't live without?

Speaking of blender, I made rice the other night that needed my blender. Oh friends, this rice dish is a treat. I may never go back to plain rice again. I found this recipe in cooking magazine that I had never seen before. It is called Everyday Food - and it's a Martha Stewart magazine. I used to love Martha Stewart's magazine, but I often felt a little under qualified to read the magazine let alone cook something from it. The pages would often say that you 'had to use the very best olive oil', or 'only butter right from the cows udders will work'. Ok, I'm exaggerating. I actually don't dislike Martha - I think that her magazines and recipes are good. Anyways - who brought Martha into this convo. See how I called her Martha? Whattup Martha?? Ok, anyways, this magazine is incredible. I love cooking magazines = not actually cooking the magazine, 'cooking' magazines. LOVE THEM. I would probably marry them if I could. This magazine was so good. It didn't have a lot of ads, it had recipes for produce that was in season right now, and a ton of different types of recipes - easy, a little more advanced - really just about everything.

Green Rice

1 cup of fresh cilantro - pack it in that cup - the flavour is amazing

1/2 of fresh parsley

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 of a white onion

1 3/4 cups of water

Kosher salt and pepper

1 cup of rice - I didn't use brown - I used basmati

In a blender puree all of the ingredients (except the rice) together. It should take 15 seconds. In saucepan, add a drizzle of oil over medium heat and add the rice absorb the oil. Add the herb and water mixture to the rice and increase the heat to high. Bring the rice to a boil, then cover and let simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes.

That's it! It's so easy - basically your making rice with fresh herbs. I am definitely going to try this again, and think that I will try it with basil, Beth suggested dill, and even mint.

Alright friends - let me know if you like the new colours of the blog. I am trying to figure out how to make my pictures a bit larger - and I am stuck. Part of being able to make the pics larger was needing a new template.

Ok - off to hang with husband - and get ready for a run nice and early tomorrow morning. We only live once - so we got to do and try things as much as we can.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Chips.

2011-08-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well I am back home. Back into the swing of things. Back to life, my life. I don't really like the term 'back to reality'. I just question 'what is reality'? Because at one point in your life, life could be fantastic, 'normal', moving along so smoothly and then next thing, SLAM!!!, life will change. Just like that. I guess that is kind of 'reality'. Maybe for me, I just don't like the possibilities of what reality means. Sigh. It just really means that things can change so quickly, without notice, without warning, for both the good and the bad.

I had a great time away. It is always so relaxing over there. And although I kept myself super busy, I do feel relaxed and rejuvenated. I went on a 5 Km run on Sunday morning on my own. And, I almost ran the entire way. I had to walk half way up a hill, and then again on a straight stretch when my thighs were telling me to take a break - both walks were probably just over a minute combined. I started the run off with a quick walk, probably .5K and then ran the rest. I was super excited when I got home - and felt that I had a surplus of energy for the entire day. That same afternoon I went kayaking. Loved it! When I first got on the water it was a little rough, and I thought that I was going to bail for sure. I thought about throwing up or trying to just fall out by accident - but I stuck at it, and once the friend who had the kayaks joined me out on the water and gave me a few tips - I loved it. It's a great workout for your upper body and so incredible being out on the waves in the sun.

I did quite a bit of cooking while I was there. The chicken dish - Pesto Yogurt Chicken (which I am making tonight so hopefully I can get a snap of it), cupcakes for my nephew's birthday party, pita chips, burgers, pita pizzas. I am in my element when I am in the kitchen, and love to cook for the family - whether it be 6 or 16 - I love to get in my groove.

Official pita chip tester.

Pita Chips

I made these at our Christmas party this last year. I think that I served them with hummus. They were a hit. I love the flavour of them and although they are super easy to make, they are a bit time consuming as you can only do one sheet at a time. Each piece of pita, will make 16 chips. So depending on how many chips you are wanting - you can decide how many pitas to use. I used 5 pieces of pita - and for 13 for dinner - 3 of those being kids - it was definitely enough.

4 pitas

2/3 cup of butter

4 cloves of garlic - minced

Kosher salt

Using kitchen scissors, cut each pita in half. Then each piece into half again, and then half again. When they are in small pie pieces, open the pita up and you can lightly tear them apart so that they are a single layer.

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and add the garlic as it heats. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place a single layer of chips on the sheet. With a pastry or bbq brush, lightly brush the pieces of pita with the garlic butter.

Place in the oven set to broil, and broil for a couple of minutes. Keep an eye on them as depending on your oven, they can crisp up quite closely.

Remove them from the oven and sprinkle with kosher salt. Remove them from the baking sheet, and start all over. I like to have two sheets going at the same time so when one comes out, you can put the other in.

Once they are all done you can store them in a ziploc bag or a container.

The are delicious with Tzatziki. An easy dish for an appetizer for any dinner.

Alrighty - time to go and sit out and get a little sun for the afternoon. I am trying a new rice dish for dinner tonight, so I will tell you how it turns out.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Bubblegum

2011-08-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a great day today. Point Roberts is a gem. Not so much a hidden gem - although not everyone knows where it is, it's a pretty popular place.

My nephew and I did a quick trip to the ice cream store today. It isn't really an 'ice cream' store - but they have hard ice cream to have as a treat - with lots of flavours. The wee'in picked bubblegum flavour and it reminded me of me when I used to pick bubblegum ice cream.

When we were kids we used to spend a good chunk of the summer in Vancouver with my dad's parents. Us kids, mostly my sister and I would stay there on our own with them - my brother was usually at hockey camp. Almost every night, my grandma would give my sister and I money so that we could walk to Swenson's at Oakridge Mall. It was about a 20 minute walk, and we would head off so excited to get there so that we could treat ourselves to the best treat. We would get there and my sister would beg me to try a new flavour, but I would also pick bubblegum. The ice cream was full of gum balls. I used to carry the ice cream cone in one hand, and a sticky dirty napkin in the other that was full of the gum balls that I would spit into the napkin, so that I could enjoy the gum when I was done the cone. Ugh. I can just picture what I looked like. I would have had ice cream everywhere - super sticky hands - gum in my hair - and a covered face. I still eat ice cream cones in a relatively similar way - but I never do the gum ball flavour - it's all chocolatey flavour for me now.

Tonight I made dinner for the crowds. Simple - cottage food - using whatever is in the fridge. My aunt brought a delicious quinoa salad, and you should all know how I love the quinoa. Before I show you the picture of the foods that I made, please consider my bbq'ing ability and that I lack in that skill. Husband is the bbq'er in our household, so I don't have a lot of practice. The taste was so much better than the look though - and I know that this is true because everyone ate it all up. And I noticed that when they were eating it they weren't getting me to look away so that they cold slip it to the dogs. And they didn't go to the bathroom every bite. And they didn't pretend to cough into their napkin. All gone, right to the bone.

Ok, I changed my mind - I am not showing the picture. It just isn't appetizing to look at. I have challenged myself to make it again, so that I can show a picture of it.

Pesto yogurt chicken

4 chicken breasts - bone in - you can do this for boneless, chicken legs or thighs

1.5 cups of plain yogurt

1/2 cup of pesto

In a bowl mix together the pesto and plain yogurt. Add the chicken and cover in the marinade. Cover the bowl and let sit for a couple of hours or overnight.

Heat the grill and cook over medium heat until the chicken is fully cooked. I would say that this will take at least 30 minutes. You can also make this in the oven. 400 for about 45 minutes.

The skin on the chicken was removed as it became quite cajun, but the flavour from the pesto and the moistness from the yogurt, made this chicken divine.

Alright friends - this is my view tonight - lovely. I am going to try and make myself go for a run tomorrow morning - wish me luck.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Rotten.

2011-08-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post right now, at this exact moment, because I am sitting in a gorgeous setting, playing with my camera to try and learn how to take photos, eating freshly picked local blueberries, and just plain old relaxing.

I have lots to share, a few recipes, but for right now I think that I will just say 'hello', let you know that I am still here, and that I am waiting for my nephews to come back to the house so that I can take them for an ice cream.

I am at Point Roberts this weekend, a little piece of paradise. I feel spoiled by the sweet sun that we are having. I feel spoiled that I had a chance to marinade chicken for dinner tonight. I feel spoiled that I got to take a trip to one of my favourite shops - The Gourmet Warehouse with my mom and my sister. And I feel spoiled that I can sit on the deck, with my feet up and type on a lap top.

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Stand.

2011-07-26T20:19:00.001-07:00

Stand Tall.

Stand by me.

Stand by your man.

Stand strong.

Standup.

Stand up for what you believe in.

Stand in the place that you are.

Stand alone.

When I first started my workout journey, I remember Tanya always telling me to standup tall. She said that in no time that I would be standing tall and not even really knowing it. At the time she was saying this, I was probably trying to breathe and not fall over - rather than standing tall. At the time I didn't think that it would relate to me.

I was thinking about how I carry myself the other day, and I think that much more conscience of it. I still find myself hunched over but when I catch myself I try to correct it right away.

When I was running at the gym last, I was struggling to meet my 25 minute goal, and I just kept telling myself to stand strong, stand tall and the weird thing, is that it worked. It actually gave me a strength that I didn't really know I had. It was a great feeling to take in a deep breath, relax my shoulders, focus on my core and be tall.

I am not really sure where this blog post is coming from, but I think that anyone who stands up, stands strong, stands tall will have confidence that will only give confidence.

I don't have a recipe tonight, per se, but I made a salad that I am excited to share.

I did a combo of roasted vegetables, raw vegetables, cheese and meat. It took no time to prepare, it was super satisfying and I hope that I can stop picking at it before Chris gets home so it's not all eaten.

I used:

2 chicken breasts - boneless/skinless - grilled with kosher salt and pepper

1 red, yellow and orange pepper - sliced in half and grilled on the barbeque skin side down

8 petit pan squash - sliced in half and grilled cut side down

1 cup of shelled edamame - in hot water for a couple of minutes

Cherry tomatoes - sliced in half

1/3 cup of goat cheese - crumbled

Dressing: a very small drizzle of olive oil, white wine vinegar and creamy balsamic vinegar. I like to very lightly dress my salads b/c I think that it helps keep the flavours of the vegetables and doesn't drown them.

I mixed it all together - sliced the chicken breasts and added on top - and voila. Delicious salad.

Oh those little edamame - I heart them.

Alright friends - I am going to sneak a few more edamame before the husband is home.

Have a great night.

Stand strong. Stand tall.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Happy Sunny Sunday

2011-07-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

Good morning.

I am up a wee bit early this morning. Before 7. There were a few factors that woke me up - people outside on the street talking, the sun coming in through the slat in the blinds and that it's the weekend and it's nice out and I don't want to waste the day. Although, I haven't done anything yet except watch a cooking show.

It's been a nice weekend so far. I love it that we finally have sunshine. Rumours say that it may not last - but I am not going to listen.

Yesterday I decided that I couldn't handle the deck without a little bit of colour so I went out and got a few plants for the pots. I have done a garden/pots for as long as I can remember. Before I had my own place, I used to do the gardens at my parents house. This year was different. I think that it had to do with the fact that I couldn't really see in June, making it hard to want to spend time outside. And, the weather has been so lousy as well, I haven't had much desire to spend time outside either. I love spending time out on the deck in the summer - and I love having the patio furniture out making it like another room - but without some sort of vegetation it just didn't do it for me. I didn't get too ambitious, but I planted a couple of tomato plants, a few herbs and then a few bright annuals.

I decided that I would probably never be able to work in a nursery b/c I would end up bringing all the plants home with me. I felt so badly for them - they were all growing to their maximum in the little tiny pots they were in. I would pick one up to look at it - and couldn't put it back. I definitely got more than I needed - but hopefully they will all flourish in a new pot.

Yesterday I felt a little spoiled - I had a mini mani/pedi at OM. I bought a Groupon months ago - 50% off. I finally went and did it. I had a lady named Laura and she was great! She made my finger nails look lovely and talked me into getting a brighter colour on my toes - and I love it. I will go there again I think for sure.

Since it's finally BBQ season, I am excited to start to try a few new recipes. My newest chicken, is done with mango. You could absolutely use fresh mango, but I found that the frozen organic brand that Safeway has is really quite delicious. I used chicken legs, but it would be good with any type.

Barbecued Mango Chicken

8-10 chicken legs

Kosher salt and pepper

1 1/2 cup of mango

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar - I used the creme, so it's a little thicker

2 cloves of garlic

Season the chicken legs with kosher salt and pepper, and place on the grill. Barbeque them until all sides are crispy.

Meanwhile in a blender, blend the mango, balsamic vinegar and garlic until it is smooth and creamy.

With the mango sauce, baste the chicken for the last couple of minutes. The sauce will crisp up slightly and coat the chicken and give it a huge burst of flavour.

And that's it. The chicken should be moist and have a sweet and tangy coating.

Note: If you don't have a BBQ - no problem. You can cook the chicken in the oven and when it is crispy - you can start to baste the legs with the sauce. Still as delicious.

Alrighty it's time to GO!!! Dog walk. A trip to the Root Cellar. A trip to Dulce's to get my doo done and then home for some R&R on the deck.

I hope you have a great Sunday!!!

Loves.

Enjoy!

Boondocks.

2011-07-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

Down in the boondocks. Down in the boondocks. People put me down 'cause that's the side of town I was born on.

I wasn't born in the boondocks. I was born in Kitimat. That is a song that a friend of mine sang in our Grade 8 Science class. She sang it over and over again during the class. I thought it was absolutely hilarious that someone would just sing randomly. I also thought that it was hilarious that she tried to teach me the song. After all these years I still remember that part of the song. I didn't end up doing so well in Science 8, I blame it on the boondocks.

That friend of mine was Lori. We weren't close friends in school, but we had a common bond b/c our brothers played hockey together and my dad coached them. Years later, through my good friend Jocelyn, we reacquainted and she is still as funny as I remember her back in grade 8.

Isn't she so pretty!

Lori is the type of good friend that you may not see for years, but when you get together with her you can talk for ages. She mentioned that she reads my blog - so I wanted to give her a 'hoorah' and let her know that I heart her and that I had a great visit with her when I was back home.

Hi Lori!!!

For dinner tonight - it was a bit of a treat, b/c Chris was off so he did the pork on the grill. I love it when that happens. I felt like I didn't have to do too much for dinner when I got home. I didn't make anything new - but both of these dishes are worth whipping up. Super easy, super tasty.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Salsa Verde - I used basil and cilantro for my fresh herbs

Greek Orzo Salad - basically greek salad and orzo mixed together

I made these little treats on the weekend. I can't remember where I saw them, but when I did I knew that I had to give them a try. I love zucchini. I love it roasted, sauteed, in spaghetti sauce, grilled, you name it. So when I saw these, I couldn't believe there was another way to enjoy it.

Zucchini Fries

2 medium sized zucchini - sliced into thin strips

3 tbsp of flour (I only had whole wheat and it worked out just fine)

2 eggs - well beaten

1/2 cup of bread crumbs (I used panko)

1/4 cup of parmesan

Pre-heat the oven to 425. LIne a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using 3 different bowls, add the flour to one, the beaten eggs to another and the bread crumbs and parmesan in another. Season the zucchini strips with kosher salt.

Dip the zucchini strip into the flour, then the eggs and then the bread crumbs and then place on the baking sheet. I would recommend doing this one at a time - or it can get messy quickly. If you haven't used this process before, use one hand for the flour and the bread crumbs and another for the eggs.

Bake in the 425 oven for 20 minutes. They will be nice and crispy and golden and you will want to dig in right away.

I served these with the most simplest dip in the world.

Sour cream and fresh chopped dill. Deelish.

Alrighty friends - hump day is almost over - and then the weekend is right around the corner. Right around!!!

Loves.

Enjoy!!

Peas

2011-07-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

I am craving chocolate right now. I am not really sure why, but I am trying to distract myself from running to the store to pretend that I need toilet paper or something - so that I can accidentally can throw in a Coffee Crisp or KitKat or something. Then I distract myself by remembering I stocked up on toilet paper this week already for AirMiles. Ugh. Life is so hard. Just kidding - it's not hard at all, it's good.

I find that I am struggling a bit this week - trying not to eat what I shouldn't. Like chocolate. I bought some fresh raspberries and blackberries - they are so good - and have been helping with my cravings. I just open the fridge and grab handfuls - ooh lala - they are so delicious.

On Saturday when I was trying to cook up a storm, I tried a new recipe that I have been wanting to try for a long time. Pea puree. I think that it needs a new name - something a little more flashy and appetizing. I used frozen, organic peas and shelled edamame. I loved the texture that the edamame gave. Chris really liked this, but said that he would have liked for it to be maybe a bit more creamier - I agreed - so next time I will try to figure this out.

I tried to keep this low fat without adding a lot of oil or other things. I really liked this and will make it again - and loved the natural colours that the peas gave - just gorgeous.

Pea Puree Sims Style

1 1/2 cups of frozen peas

1/2 cup shelled edamame

2 cloves of garlic - minced

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Kosher salt and pepper

Baguette

Boil the frozen peas and edamame for 5 minutes. Drain and place in a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until creamy. The edamame will still be a bit coarse, but it gives the dish a nice texture. If you are wanting it to be a bit more creamy, I would recommend adding a bit more olive oil.

Slice the baguette into 1 inch slices and place on a baking sheet and heat in a 350 oven for about 15-20 minutes.

I served the puree on the bread, but you could also place the puree in a bowl and put the bread slices along side.

Alrighty that's it for me for tonight. I am having a cold glass of iced tea - and oh how it is blocking my chocolate craving.

Loves.

Enjoy!

I heart tomatoes

2011-07-17T16:11:00.001-07:00

After an early start to the day yesterday - a dog walk, errands, groceries, hanging out with my husband - I got my cook on. I haven't planned on cooking a few different dishes at the same time, in a long time. I think that with all the fresh fruit and local vegetables that it is getting me in the mood.

Although it's not quite peak tomato season, I made a light tomato salad yesterday that was delicious and simple. When I say simple, I mean so simple, but it's so beautiful no one will ever need to know. It's similar to this tomato salad that I make often during the summer, just a bit of a different presentation (and cheese).

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Stacked Salad

2 tomatoes

8-10 basil leaves

4-6 slices of soft mozzarella

Balsamic vinegar and olive oil for drizzling

Slice each tomato into 1 inch slices. Then slice the soft mozzarella about the same width. Once that is done - you are almost ready to enjoy it. Stack the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella so that each stack has 3-4 slices of tomato, 4-5 basil leaves and 3 slices of cheese. Then drizzle lightly with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I made two of these for us, and I only put the balsamic on mine, and it was delicious.

Once tomato season is in it's peak, there will definitely be more of these salads being made.

I hope you all have had a great weekend - it's almost done :(

Loves.

Enjoy!

Accidents happen

2011-07-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

I don't have a recipe for tonight. The reason for that is b/c we had La Taquisa for dinner. Yumma in my tumma. They just opened a place in the shopping mall across from work and I have had it at work. And it kind of seems to be turning into our Thursday night choice for dinner. Kind of like a Thursday night dinner club, but we're the only ones in the club, so it's probably not really a club. If you want to join us, let me know, b/c I think that starting a club is cool. I always have the chicken burrito and Chris has the El Gordo - I think mostly b/c he likes saying 'El Gordo'. The El Gordo is a burrito with double meat. If you have an opportunity to try it out, I would highly recommend it. Oh, and also try their chicken tacos.

Prior to my wannabe Thursday night dinner club, I had my Thursday ass kicking - aka my Thursday workout with my trainer, El Diablo. Sorry, I mean Tanya. No, I mean El Diablo. I call her El Diablo, the devil, she thinks it's funny. I'm pretty sure that she thinks it's funny b/c she enjoys being the devil during my workout.

Tonight's workout was hard. The first 20 minutes there was burning, broken bones, crying, swearing, yelping and a bunch of other stuff. And then just when I thinking that we may lie on our backs to do some ab stuff - she smiles and tells me that the exercise that we are going to do next is the worse thing that we have done, worse than the ab workout we did on Tuesday night and that I am going to hate it. Uh, who says that while smiling??? What occurred next was hard. The kind of hard that you want to weep but you can't b/c you're so sore that weeping will only make it worse. The 'exercise' was to jump up, then go down on to my hands and jump back at the same time, then go down as if to do a push up, then when down, rollover onto my back and then do a sit up where your top sits up and you bring your knees up at the same time, and then you rollover on your front, go up on your hands, jump your legs forward and then jump up - and do it all over again. 20 times.

I find it funny that when I get home that I am still panting. Attractive I know - but whoa - workout from El Diablo will do that to you.

So after the bootcamp portion of the workout we laid on our backs to do some ab stuff. We laughed about how I wouldn't be able to walk the next day, and that when I am at work I may not be able to get up and use the loo so I would have an accident in my pants. I know some of you may not find that funny, but I was delirious and found it hilarious. I am not sure if Tanya was laughing at that or that I looked like an idiot when I was trying to the El Diablo exercise.

That reminded me of a time when I was 6, and I actually did have an accident in my pants. I was 6 and we lived on a small little street in Kitimat called Plover. It was a cute little street, all bungalows, except the Forward's they had a 2 story, where the kids could do whatever, stay out on the street until late, there was no traffic and everyone looked out for one another.

We had just finished dinner. My mom was still at the table with my sister and brother, and my dad had already left for work for the night. I ran out and was going to call on my friend Tyrian Miskel (sp?). I decided to ride my bike. Her house was about 8 houses down the street. As I jumped off my bike and made my way to the front door I realized that I had to go to the 'bathroom'. I thought to myself, well I will just go in and use hers before we start playing. I knocked and Mrs. Miskel came to the door. I asked if Tyrian was there and if she could play. And then it happened. Mrs. Miskel told me that Tyrian was at our friend Janice's. I couldn't hold it and my pants were filled. I said thank you and turned.

I couldn't ride my bike home for obvious reasons, so I walked it. As I passed Alec's house who came riding out on his bike he yelled 'Cheryl, did you pooh your pants?' and I said 'No!!!!'. I am sure that he could see that my pants were fitting differently. I got home very quickly. I opened the door and yelled 'I poohed my pants'. My poor sister, brother and mom.

So this is an embarrassing story - but I thought it was good to tell. Mostly b/c I am going to ask Tanya to read this, so that she goes easy on me so that my legs aren't broken so that I am always able to be mobile and 'get places' on time.

And just so you know - I heart Tanya, aka El Diablo, so much. If it weren't for her I woudn't be taking care of myself.

Oh friends - it's almost Friday - and I am thrilled.

I hope that you all have a fantastic weekend. I will get my Cook on this weekend and share.

Loves.

Enjoy!

20 mins.

2011-07-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

Oh my. What a day. A good day.

I am kind of excited what I am about to share. Before I get with sharing, let me go back in time. I have done two running clinics. Each time I went for the 13 weeks, did the Times Colonist 10K and then pretty much stopped running. I am not really sure why I stopped - I think that it has something to do with reaching my goal, and then my mind just realizes that the goal has been reached, so no more runny. Yipes. This realization is a whole other blog post.

Anyways, when I started to work out this year, I was set to pretty much work out with my trainer a couple of times a week, and then I would work out a couple of times on my own*. Then Hit to Fit came to the gym below us at work, so I started to work out there a couple of times a week. And then I realized that I should do some cardio at least once a week, so I started running on the treadmill, just once a week.

*In my mind that is what I thought I would do - but oh how I struggle.

When I first started I would do 30 minutes and run for 2-3 mins, sometimes 4, and then walk for 1. It worked out well - it was a good work out. Sorry that this is a doozy of a story.

This is my first week back to the gym, and today was my running day. I started walking for 3 mins and thought about what my intervals would be. I thought 4 mins running and 1 min walking. At the 3 minute mark I started to run. At the 6 minute mark, I decided to keep running. Then I thought, try to run for 10 minutes. Then when I hit the 10 minuter mark, I said that I would try 12, then 15 - and then I made it to 20 minutes. I ran for 20 minutes straight!!

The first time ever for me to run past 10 minutes.

I know that was a bit of an explanation - but I was so excited. What I realized later on in the day when I was 'reflecting' was that I didn't talk myself out of it. I always do. Typically I would start and at the 2 minute mark I would start thinking about how tired I was; how my shoulders hurt; how my breathing was bad. It was like the first time that I didn't try to give up, I didn't talk myself out of it, and it was like I knew that I could do it.

I think that on my path - it was one of those moments that I know that I can do things. I don't always think that I can and then something like today happens. I'm proud.

For tonight's dinner it was ll things that I have made before.

I made Chicken Adobo - but used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.

I stir fried red, yellow and orange peppers with edamame beans.

And served all on top of quinoa.

It was a nice light dinner.

During the playoffs, 2nd last game to be exact, we had a house full. It was one of those kind of nights when you start out inviting a couple of people over and the next thing you know you have 15 in your basement watching the Canucks lose. I had originally planned to make a couple of pizzas and a salad. Sheer panic when the numbers grew. It all worked out, thankfully. A friend brought chicken wings - they always save the day.

Anyways, the pizzas that I put together were quick and pretty tasty if I do say so myself. I cheated and used whole wheat pre-made pizza crusts. They're easy - and quick.

Pear, Chicken, Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Pizza

That's pretty much what it is.

1 pizza crust

Pizza sauce - to lightly cover

1 anjou pear - cut into very thin slices

1 cooked chicken breast - cut into small pieces

1 red pepper - cut into thin slices

Goat cheese - maybe 1/2 cup - crumbled on top

Top the pizza sauce with the chicken, red peppers, pears and then goat cheese.

Bake as per the instructions. And voila it's ready to dig into.

The goat cheese and pears go so well together.

You can do these on naan bread or pitas as well - a great alternative - and are so nice done on the bbq.

Alright friends - I hope that Hump Day was good for you.

Loves.

Enjoy!

I'm back...

2011-07-11T20:00:00.001-07:00

I have been here, there and everywhere.

My last blog post was May 22nd. May 22nd!!! That was quite some time ago.

I know that I don't really need to apologize for not writing - b/c I am sure that most people didn't really know that I was gone - but for those that do check in from time to time - sorry that I have been away. My here, there and everywhere isn't really all that exciting - but I will fill you in.

Here: Shortly after the 22nd, I had some weird eye develop. Over the weekend my vision wasn't great. When I got to work on Monday I wasn't able to read my monitor at all. It was a bit freaky. I went to the doc and then the Eye Doc the next day who sent me to a Specialist. It turns out my eyeballs were in flamed - both the front and back. Because they were inflamed it caused the wall (or whatever it's called) behind the pupil sticky so the pupils couldn't dilate. It was neat. During this time I had to watch the Canucks lose :( - well not really watch - but figure out what end of the rink each team was on and then listen to the crowd cheer when the Canucks scored. After the eyes cleared up - the Bells Palsy came back. What the hell??? That only lasted for a couple of days, thankfully.

So after missing 3 weeks, I feel fantastic. I feel fully recovered. I feel that for whatever reason, I was given all this stuff to have to deal with - and I did. I wish that maybe someone could figure out what caused it - but in the end - I won. I will just keep getting stronger, keep working hard at taking care of myself.

There: We had our annual family reunion the last weekend of June over at Point Roberts. It was an awesome weekend. There were 8 kids, 12 adults, 3 dogs, 1 pirate scavenger hunt, 1 horseshoe tournament and so much fun. We do this every year and this was our 4th year. We all pitch in for dinners. This year was super relaxing, the weather was great and I loved every minute of hanging with my family.

After the crew left, Chris and I spent an couple of extra days there and napped. Seriously, I had like 3 naps a day. I couldn't stop. There was something wrong with me I think - but then Chris reminded me that it's good to relax as we all need it. Point Roberts is a little bit of heaven - we are so lucky to have it in our lives.

Everywhere: That's right, everywhere. Well, not really everywhere. But almost. I went up to Kitimat for Jocelyn's birthday. She shares her birthday with Canada Day. Her husband, Manny, set up a big surprise for her, and we myself and her friends Nina and Andrea, came up for the weekend to celebrate with her. I haven't been up to Kitimat since Jocelyn and Manny were married, 6 years ago this August. It was a nice visit - it was good to see some old friends. It makes me sad too a bit. That was my hometown. It was a great place to be raised. The town is different, it's smaller. It reminds me though so much of good friends, being safe and home.

So, being here, there and everywhere - has been a bit of a lame and then a great start to the summer.

During the 'eye issue' I didn't cook. We ate a lot of salad, sandwiches and whatever was in the freezer. It took me awhile to actually feel like cooking. It's been odd. I just have had no desire to come up with new recipes, try new things and make something with different ingredients. Over the past couple of weeks, that's changed a bit. I think that it's because it's BBQ season which means new and exciting flavours and sitting out on the deck while dinner is cooking.

I cooked a few new things this weekend, but I didn't take pictures - I am out of routine - so I am going to make them again, take pics, and post to share.

Anyways, that's it for me for now. I will be more regular (with my blog) and keep in touch with my friends.

I hope that you are all well, healthy and are enjoying summer.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Remember me?

2011-05-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

My oh my - it's been a long time since I have been here.

I went to Summerland to visit my brother and his family last weekend. I tried to do a post before I left by Blogger was down. This past week has been very busy so I finally have a few minutes to post an update.

Summerland was so great. I just love it there. My nieces and nephew are so much fun to hang out with - I wish that we lived closer together. We planted their vegetable garden - corn, zucchini, potatoes, onions, carrots, squash and cucumbers. I told them that I would be heading up there when summer is done and it's time to pick everything. My brother served me gin and tonics all weekend - and they are now my new favourite drink. I had only had one once before and I didn't like it at all - it was far too bitter - now that bitterness is so refreshing.

I am not sure if you remember, but about 3 months ago, I started working out with my new trainer Tanya. I had a few challenges - but after 3 months it's been a pretty positive experience. Two weeks ago, we did my measurements from when we started and I have lost 20 inches. I kind of can't believe that that much has come off. It freaks me out too - that I had that much - and have much more to go - to come off. I have only lost 10 pounds since then - but the inches are obviously the way to look at the success. I have a lot more to go - and I plan to keep doing what I am doing. I have joined the gym in my office building and will do cardio a couple of times a week there with also doing Hit to Fit.

I have learned from this experience, for the first time in my life, that diet and exercise does really work. I have always pretty much done one or the other. I have not been having the mindset that I am on a diet - I have just been trying to eat as healthy as possible, watching how much I am eating and not eating if I am not hungry. Who knew??? It really does make a huge difference. I love treats - so I am trying to have a healthy treat instead of eating a chocolate bar. And if there may 'happen' to be a chocolate bar in the house - then I will try to have a piece of one, instead of having it all.

I am proud of myself and know that if I keep doing what I am doing and although times can be really challenging - I know that the results are worth it. I still have a lot to go - but now that I know that it is possible it just makes me to keep going.

One thing that I am trying to do for dinner during the week is to make meat and vegetables - try to stay away from the carbs and starches. That sometimes isn't always possible - sometimes I feel like pasta or rice - but if I buy things on the weekend to make that possible, it makes things a lot easier.

A couple of weeks ago I made a stir fry with chicken, vegetables and spicy thai sauce. It was a light dinner, full of flavour and something that I'll definitely make again.

Spicy Vegetable Chicken Stir Fry

1 onion - chopped

1 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cut into thin slices - cutting in the grain

2 garlic cloves - minced

1/2 of a red cabbage - chopped into short small strips

1 red and yellow pepper - chopped into small pieces

8-10 mushrooms - sliced

1/4 - 1/2 cup thai chili sauce

Kosher salt and pepper

In a large skillet saute the onion in a tbsp of olive oil. Add a pinch of kosher salt. Saute for about 8 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and let it saute for about 20 minutes - until the chicken is cooked.

And that's it. A super easy and fast dinner.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Milkshakes!

2011-05-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard... I think that song is really talking about milkshakes.

I love milkshakes. LOVE. I got that trait from my dad. He loved ice cream. I LOVE ice cream. He used to make huge ice cream cones, he loved making floats and he loved a good milkshake. I can remember my dad making an ice cream cone using two cones and having enough scoops on both of them. He would claim he was going to share with our pup, but I am not sure that she really got much.

Last week was Jozie's 8th birthday. We always treat them to an ice cream cone. We let the pups share one. They share my love of ice cream - I taught them from a young age. Oh, ice cream may not be good for dogs you're saying - but whatever, once a year won't hurt them.

I should not really have ice cream, it's not good for me, and after having it for years and years I can see that it goes right to the hips and belly - it doesn't just slide off.

Since I love it so much, I have been trying to come up with healthy options that remind me of my love for the icy treat. I am not really sure if it is really any healthier, but I like to think that it is. So, if I am 'cheating' and treating myself, I like to think that I am doing it in a healthy way. My new 'ice cream' treat is vanilla frozen yogurt - Chapman's brand - low fat, low sugar. And since strawberries are fresh and plentiful right now, I have been perfecting a milkshake - aka - frozen yogurtshake.

This recipe uses frozen yogurt - but if you want to use ice cream please do - it will taste just as deelish. I will still call it a milkshake b/c yogurtshake doesn't have the same ring.

Strawberry Milkshake

10 fresh strawberries - washed and the tops cut off

1/3 cup milk - or yogurt

5 generous scoops of frozen vanilla yogurt

Place the strawberries and the milk or yogurt in the blender. Puree the strawberries and milk until they are fully blended. Add the frozen yogurt and blend again until the frozen yogurt is creamy and silky smooth.

And that's really it.

The flavour of the strawberries is so natural and organic. The frozen yogurt is not overwhelming and is full of incredible bursts of flavour with the bits of strawberries.

This is a perfect treat for anyone you love. Love yourself!

Loves.

Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day.

To all the wonderful, loving, supportive moms, grandmas, stepmoms, aunts you don't need a day to tell you how special you are - but because you do - I hope that you are having a great day with your loved ones.

I spent the morning with my mom. I took her to brunch at Aura at the Laurel Point Inn. We had a great brunch. We ate way too much. We had a lovely view of the inner harbour, and it was so nice to just spend some good one on one time together. I love you mom!

I am missing Chris' mom today. This is the first mother's day for he and his family without their mom. Everyday is hard without a loved one, but days like these often are just a bit harder remembering that they aren't here. Chris was always good to his mom on Mother's Day. He always brought her flowers and chocolate.

For dinner tonight - I think that I will just have to think of food and not actually eat anything. I am still far too full from brunch. I think that we are going to be getting together with my mom, sister and nephews for dinner. Not sure what we'll have but it needs to be something healthy. I am getting my measurements done on Tuesday - and I will need to be able to suck in the stom...

I whipped up a very fast pasta dish last night. I found it on a blog that I check out often - Framed Cooks - she found the recipe in the recent edition of Bon Appetit. I love pasta. I love rustic, easy dishes that are full of flavour. Chris' mom used to say that I should have been 'Eye-talian' because I like to cook pasta so much.

I saw this recipe and knew that I needed to give it a try. It is super easy, super quick and so incredibly full of flavour. You should try it - you'll love it.

Pasta al pomodaro

1 medium sized onion - diced

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic - diced

1 tsp of sugar

12 basil leaves

2 tbsp of butter

Kosher salt

Pepper

Spaghetti

Parmesan - freshly grated if you can - and lots of it

In a large skillet, saute the onion in a tbsp of olive oil. Add a pinch of kosher salt and saute for 8 minutes then add the garlic and saute for another minute. With a hand blender or in a food processor, blend the diced tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the skillet, along with the kosher salt and pepper and basil leaves. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, boil the water for the pasta. Salt the water for the pasta - add a generous couple of pinches to it. I don't normally do this - but it really made a difference - and the pasta was delish. Boil the pasta for 6 minutes - not until it is al dente.

Add the butter to the sauce and stir to let it all melt in and remove the basil leaves from the sauce.

After 6 minutes, use a slotted spoon or tongs and take the pasta from the pot and add it to the sauce. Then let the pasta continue to cook in the sauce. Add a cup of the pasta water to the sauce.

Add a bunch of cheese and stir together. And then serve it up.

The pasta is silky and smooth - and the flavour is divine.

When I was backpacking through Europe many years ago - we were in Florence and we decided to eat out one night - which was a huge treat for us. We found this little restaurant off the beaten track and had pasta. The pasta was almost exactly like this dish. At first when it was served, I remember thinking 'uh this is it??' - and then the first taste was like an explosion of flavour in my mouth. It was a treat last night - sitting down after a long day with my love - and having a delicious bowl of pasta.

Alright - time to probably vacuum and hang out with my hub.

Have a great Sunday - and get ready for another full week.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Egg noodle Love.

2011-05-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

I wasn't really going to write about this. I thought that I would keep it to myself and those who see me on a daily basis. Last week my doctor told me that I had Bell's Palsy. When I found out - I thought - you have got to be kidding me! I had never heard of it before - and just thought - what next? Then my doctor told me that Jean Chretien had Bell's Palsy, and I just about had a heart attack thinking that it was permanent. Bad example, doc.

I knew that something was wrong when my co-workers were telling me that it looked and sounded like I had just come from the dentist with freezing in my mouth. I hadn't. By midday on Thursday my left side of my bottom lip was a bit fat and my mouth was a bit off center.

I am self conscience about it, but I know that I am lucky that I have a very minimal case of it and that it could be a lot worse. I have to be truthful though - that I was just so frustrated that something else has come up. It's been a bit of a rough year for me for some reason. The only thing that I ever tend to get each year is a cold - and this year has been different. I will keep positive and know that all the working out and eating healthy is paying off and if I wasn't doing the workouts and eating healthy - I think that it could be worse.

For tonight's dinner I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I read it a couple of months ago, a recipe with egg noodles. Since then I have been thinking about egg noodles. Wake up in the morning - egg noodles. Walk my dogs - egg noodles. Watch hockey - egg noodles. Chris bought two bags of egg noodles - one for his turkey soup, which was divine, and another bag for who knows why. Anyways - I am guessing that you know where I am going with this. That's right - egg noodle bake.

At first I was really excited to try this. Then as I was making it, I didn't think that it was going to be all that delicious, then I pulled it out of the oven and smelled how incredible it was and then tasted it - and it was definitely worth trying.

Chris got whole wheat noodles - so I didn't feel so badly for having a nice sized bowl of this. It's a hearty, delicious meal that I will definitely make again.

Baked Egg Noodles

1 bag of egg noodles

1 pound of ground meat - beef, chicken, turkey, pork...

1/2 tsp of pepper flakes

Kosher salt and pepper

2 cups of thinly sliced mushrooms

2 cups of tomato sauce - whatever you have on hand

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion

1 cup of sour cream

1 1/2 cups of cottage cheese

1 cup of shredded cheddar

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Boil the egg noodles until al dente. At the same time, saute the ground meat in a skillet and add mushrooms and continue to saute until meat is evenly cooked. Add pepper flakes, a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. When the meat is cooked add the tomato sauce and continue to let it simmer over low heat.

Drain the noodles and place it back in the pot. Add a pinch of kosher salt, the green onions, sour cream and cottage cheese. Mix well.

Add the noodles to a casserole dish. Then top with the tomato sauce. And then with the cheese.

Bake in the 350 oven for 25 minutes.

And that's it. Serve it hot and serve a lot.

Alright friends - I hope that your Monday was good to you.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Goodbye's are always sad

2011-05-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

Blinked - and the weekend is over. It was a bittersweet weekend. Sweet because it was full of friends, family, food and good weather, but bitter because we are saying farewell to friends who are moving across country.

Tina, Jon and pup, Penny, have packed up all of their belongings and are heading out tomorrow for a road trip to their new home in Ontario.

We are really going to miss them. Although I am sad to see them leave, I am so excited for them. I am so excited for them to start on a journey, just the two of them and their pup, starting fresh, starting new, and doing it together.

I thought of them leaving when I was coming home from work the other night - and I got really emotional. Missing them yes, but (and I hope that I don't make this sound weird) but I am a bit envious of their adventure. I love our life - but there is a part of me - that sometimes wish that Chris and I could pick up and try something new. Not sure if that makes sense? It might just be the adventure that I am envious of - an adventure with their loved one. I know that we are just young and we are full of adventures and they will be full of everything that we want them to be.

We will be heading to Ontario in September and we are hoping that we can have a visit with them and see them in their new surroundings.

For the rest of the weekend, we had my sister and nephews over for dinner. I made a variation of pulled pork sandwiches (which I just realized I have never posted and I don't have pictures - will have to make again, soon), coleslaw and mac & cheese.

This morning I had my friend, Tracy and her daughter, Emma, over for the Royal Wedding. I PVR'd it so that we could watch together with tea sandwiches, scones, cupcakes and sip out of RW tea cups. It was a great way to watch the couple in love get married.

Alright, I just wanted to touch base, and let y'all know what I have been up to. Aren't you happy now? Just kidding.

I hope that you all had a great weekend - that it was sunny where you are - and that you are ready to hit this week with full force.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Happy Easter.

2011-04-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter.

I hope that the Easter bunny brought you treats.

We are having Easter dinner at ours tonight. Not too many people over - but good friends and family and I am looking forward to having a good visit, watching the game and eating too much.

I finally am getting to use the beautiful cupcake stand that I got for my wedding shower. Love it!

I started prepping yesterday for Easter dinner. I cut up my onions, carrots and celery for the bottom of my roasting pan; I prepped the brussels sprouts; I browned the sausage, celery and onions for the stuffing; I made carrot cake cupcakes; and I clogged the garborator. Yep! So, the sink clogged too, and then Chris tried to fix it, and as of right now we do not have a functioning sink in the kitchen. This is not the first time I have done this. Our first Thanksgiving dinner in the house, I did the same thing. We called someone in and it was fixed right away, this time, we are not so fortunate. Thankfully we have Suite B - so I have been using that sink. I will definitely be getting my workout going up and down the stairs. Ha, I just sounded like my mom.

I have done anything different for dinner this time. I was so indecisive about what to make - I left it too long - so just bought what I found at the grocery store.

On the menu:

Turkey

Sausage stuffing

Homemade cranberry sauce

Roasted carrots in maple syrup

Roasted brussels sprouts

Broccoli - Chris' pick. This is not something that I ever make for a turkey dinner, but Chris' mom always did and I know that he always loves it.

Mashed potatoes - with rosemary garlic butter

Carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese icing and roasted coconut

I needed a quick break, so writing up a quick blog was a nice break.

I hope that everyone has a nice Easter.

I am off to do another run downstairs and wash some dishes.

Loves.

Enjoy!

Rosalyn cakes

2011-04-22T12:08:00.001-07:00

Hello Good Friday. Aren't all Friday's good?

It's the start of a 4 day weekend for me - and I am so excited. We don't have a lot of plans - we're just going to take it easy - walk the pups, hangout, putter around the house and just relax. I won't be able to complain that I have no time to do anything this weekend - b/c I have a feeling that I won't be making the most of the 4 days. Oh well. Sometimes our body need a break. Right?

We started the morning off with smoothies - just like these ONES. Very refreshing and a good way to start out the day.

We are probably going to take a trip to the Root Cellar in a bit and get some veggies for Easter dinner. I still have no clue what is going to be on the menu - except for turkey.

Ok, enough of the small chat - now I want to talk cake. I work with one of the most talented cake maker/decorators ever. Seriously. She is incredible. Her name is Rosalyn. She made our wedding cake, she did my mom's birthday cake, she did my friend Tracy's wedding cake and cupcakes and she is forever bringing in treats to work.

Yesterday she brought in these! They were seriously the cutest things that I had ever seen. I brought one home for Chris and he said that it was delicious. The patty was made out of just baked cake and then cream cheese added to it. The french fries were sugar cookies. The display was so gorgeous, so creative.

We all keep telling her that she has to do this for a business. I sure hope that she does. She is so talented and she loves doing it. If you are wanting a specialty cake made - let me know and I will pass her info on to you.

Alright - time to think about the rest of the day. I really want to get out in that sunshine since we haven't seen it in so long. I hope that you enjoy the day!

Loves.

Enjoy!