Sprout

2011-12-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

hello friends!

sprout is moving, and changing...

please continue to follow me here, as i turn the page from food, to food and family.

some call me momo,

so here it is, the new momo miles, still a wee bit under construction.

estellelle: inspire: moni

2011-10-05T11:11:00.000-04:00

estellelle: inspire: moni

I am a little giddy at the thought of sharing this link with you! I hope you take a few moments to read and enjoy. It's humbling and yet inspiring and somewhat validating to read a little something about yourself, my hope is you treasure the beauty of YOU whilst reading about the simplicity of me.

New Order Living

2011-07-26T08:58:00.005-04:00

Growing up in Europe exposed me to many different cultures, history that is thousands of years in age, the beauty of landscapes and architecture like no other. When I moved to Canada over 15 years ago, I immediately fell in love with the people, their warm welcoming ways, the possibilities for anyone wanting to lay a hold of them. And who can beat jaw dropping clearance sales? Yet there was something missing... I grieved the richness of Europe, and I missed little things, like admiring homes with rather short front doors, a building date of over 800 years past above it. It's taken me years to allow myself to discover Canada, to learn about it's youthful beauty, it's multicultural diversity, all scrambled into one big pot. Today, I love this country, even it's winters, with snow so high you can't help but get out into it. I love that we are so welcoming, I love that we have freedom to raise our kids just the way we feel is best.

Summer day trips in Europe are still amongst my favourite childhood memories. The steep Swiss mountains with it's clean, crisp valley lakes. Not far from these same mountains, cafes in bustling cities. Riding street trams for shopping expeditions, visiting museums, and my favourite, old castles, some in ruins, many perfectly restored. Now that my own girls are at prime day tripping ages, we have taken full advantage of this, every free Summer day, we are on our way, discovering and loving this country, Canada.

One lasting favourite is St. Jacobs, Ontario, where Old Order Mennonites live as they did many years ago. A personal Mennonite heritage on my father's side sparks additional interest, one can't help but feel curious about these plain, simple folk. Aren't you? Is your first impression one of admiration, or do you wonder why they would live such deprived lives?

I have had to assure my husband on many an occasion, I would not attempt to reform to an Old Order, still I can't help but feel fascinated by these people's priorities, and how they are amongst the healthiest and most satisfied in the country. While I can't imagine a life of plain dress, no cars, or the comfort of electricity, I admire with all my heart their love for community. So I ask myself, why are they amongst the healthiest in our large country? Theirs is a life without daily trips to the gym or grocery stores filled with quickly accessible fancy health foods - to me, it's proof in the pudding that all these new health craze studies, all that fancy gym equipment, might not be what we should be striving for. So what do Mennonites do differently? They work physical jobs and they are loyal to family and community. They even take Sundays off, no questions asked. Could it be that simple? That, plain? Can we take some of their ways of life and incorporate them into our modern ways, creating a New Order of living? Should we prioritise community over our careers, just one day out of seven? Can it profit us all, even studio apartment dwellers in high rises, to get our hands a bit dirty, to learn about our land while we work it and profit much more than a few home grown vegetables and herbs? And rather than spending money at restaurants, might it be wiser to gather in people's homes after Sunday worship, filling long tables with a Thanksgiving-worthy feast through combined effort, every week? When our neighbours are in need, are we the first to drop everything, and gather others to help where we can?

I hope your heart warms when you think of community, as does mine. Open your homes, your hands, your resources.

And buy your boys straw hats, your girls cute bonnets. Pinching cute cheeks may just out last that fleeting baby stage.

Hell-O Jell-O!?

2011-07-08T11:42:00.007-04:00

I hope you are one of us crazies who read package ingredient lists, especially when it comes to childhood essential treats, cringes, and, with a disgusted to the gut feeling, puts the product back on the shelf.

I have been called upon the "depriving" I have inflicted upon my children of many foods that no child should do without. And yes, my kids beg for the stuff. But they have become experts at reading labels and we most often end up in the produce aisle rather than the boxed kind. They don't seem to mind a bit once they are informed!

When immigrants passed through Ellis Island many a moon ago, they were often served Jell-O as a "welcome to America" treat. Making the stuff essential to our food culture, even in my mind (and my belly). But there is no need to buy those little boxes basically made up of artificial flavour and food coloring. Why should these be part of a complete childhood? Research is not lacking in evidence of the horrific things these have done to it's eaters.

I have happy news!!

PRINT RECIPE

Wiggly Jiggly Fruity Cups

Serves 8

1 liter clear juice (meaning texture, not color), like grape, cranberry, apple, 100% juice - not sweetened "fruit" cocktails

2 pkgs. Knox Gelatin, or enough of your brand to set 1 liter, or 4 cups, of liquid

2 tbsp superfine sugar (optional)

assorted fruits, with the exception of pineapple, which hinders gelatin of doing it's job

Measure out 1 liter of juice. Pour 750 ml into a medium saucepan. Stir the gelatin into the remaining 250 ml, let it absorb in the juice for 5 minutes.

If using, add the 2 tbsp superfine sugar to the juice in the saucepan. Bring up to a gentle boil, stirring, to melt the sugar. Now carefully pour the hot juice into the gelatin mixture. Stir to combine, then pour into individual serving cups.

Refrigerate until just about set, 1 1/2 hours, add chopped fruit, and allow to set until firm about another half hour.

I dare you

2011-07-07T12:11:00.004-04:00

It's no secret - our family's dream is a move out to the country, build our dream house in the midst of tall trees (which is far from a mansion, but a humble home, using creativity and simple materials, not high end expensive finishes - a house should feel like home, after all), grow fruit and vegetables to feed a crowd, swing in hammocks while reading good books, finishing days with guitars and bon fires and friends. Most of us have dreams, too many of us never dare to pursue them. As I watch my children grow, and their eyes light up whilst doing things they love, when we have that typical grown-up to child conversation about what to become one day, it brings joy to my heart when they have big dreams, when they don't say silly things like, "well, that would be nice, but that's impossible, so I won't dare try". I wonder if God sees dreams passed over, dreams let go by us, the same way I do when I see a child's can't do outlook? Dreams usually have purpose, and when they are beautiful dreams, they extend past ourselves and include those around us, often many more, people we may never know. So please, allow yourself to follow your dream, don't be too humble to brush God off, thinking it's not for you. He's in the dream business, His dreams came true when He created you.

Allowing myself to take the time to learn to cook, without being so hard on myself when I fail, has been a dream for me. I want my legacy to be memory evoking recipes left behind to generations after me, for people to enjoy them and to smile and perhaps shed a few little tears, when they remember the times we spent around the kitchen island. I refuse to let anything stand in it's way.

Still there is something to be said about efficient cooking, so more time can be spent sitting together, enjoying each other's stories and thoughts. During cold winters, we love spending time near the oven, it keeps us warm(er), and the beautiful aromas evoke comfort in so many ways. Summers are short, cooking outdoors a special treat, and I do embrace it any chance I get. This dinner is a perfect example of this, the house remains cool, and post-cooking wash up is sparse.

I started with skinless, boneless chicken thighs, about 2 per person (plus extra for lunch the next day, or course). I grabbed a large bowl, and combined these seasonings in it:

2 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp turbinado or brown sugar

1 tsp coarse kosher salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 - 3 tbsp olive oil

Pat your chicken dry, then add it to the bowl, using your hands, coat with the seasoning rub. Set aside.

Now, grab a large head of broccoli, cut it into medium florets. Using a large length of aluminum foil, make a pouch for the broccoli by laying it in a 2 inch line in down the center. Crimp both ends of the foil to make a pouch, but leave the top open. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Time to heat the BBQ to high.

Meanwhile, scrub 4 russet potatoes, then place in the microwave (yes, I know... but do you really want the oven on for an hour right now??!), and cook on high for about 15 minutes. Check for doneness, adjust cooking time if necessary.

When the BBQ is good and hot, place the broccoli pouch on one end, and the chicken, presentation side down first, on the other. Turn the BBQ to medium. The broccoli (which I love cooked rather than raw but with a good crunch left in it) and chicken will be ready in about the same time, roughly 10 - 15 minutes. Turn the chicken as little as possible. I like to cook it about 3/4 of the way on one side, then almost to done on the second. At this time I add my favourite BBQ sauce to both sides and let it caramelize, turning it once or twice.

A few chives snipped from the garden, chopped and stirred into thick sour cream with a little salt and pepper completes the dish. (By the way, read your ingredients even on basic foods like sour cream, you might be surprise what you find. I only buy Western sour cream, it's entirely natural and tastes so much better for it.)

Voila - dinner is ready, just 20 minutes later, and the kitchen is still refreshingly cool.

Slow life revolution

2011-06-29T10:15:00.005-04:00

"Today's online services turn friendship into fast food -- wrapping everyone in a "friend" paper -- and sharing really suffers". (foxnews)

Stop for a minute and think about that. Are we feeling more connected? Perhaps. Do we have conversations with friends over dinner, interesting topics abruptly ending with, "yup, saw it on facebook". Do we visit people less, since we've "visited" with them online? Guilty, I am. Lately I questioned myself repeatedly, are my friendships becoming deeper, or, not at all? Is there value in daily virtual chats, or will I enjoy face to face visits all the more, even if they are less in quantity, but more in quality? My intentions are not to start an anti-facebook revolution, it's a life change I am embracing, and in doing so, I have noticed just how much facebook has taken over my social activities. I worried for a several days about losing touch with past friends found, about missing out on saying a quick hello to every day friends, about seeing photos and keeping up to date. Now I am certain, keeping in touch will continue with those truly apart of my life, I may just pick up the phone more often and hear my friend's voices, photos might become more precious again when sent by snail mail. Instead of missing out, I will learn to appreciate once again. I think that's what I've missed.

My thoughts on food are not far off, cooking from scratch with time invested elevates the most basic of all foods to a level where fine dining can't touch it. If you don't understand what it means for there to be love in your food, then you need to make a point of finding out. It's not something that can be explained, but something that needs to be discovered. If I am going to start any sort of revolution, that would be it. Value the simple. The every day. And find satisfaction in an entirely new way, which has nothing to do with success or money.

Try this marinara, it's slow cooking process, resulting in a depth of flavour that is pure bliss, not to be forgotten any time soon.

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Roasted Vegetable Marinara

4 large, ripe tomatoes
1 large red pepper, quartered, seeds removed
1 head of garlic

olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush tomatoes, red pepper, and garlic head with olive oil and place in a shallow baking dish. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes.
Remove vegetables from the oven, set them aside to cool slightly.
Peel tomatoes and red pepper by pulling the skins off with your hands. Squeeze the garlic out of it's shell. Place vegetables in a food processor with 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and pulse until almost smooth, leaving some texture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook your choice of pasta in salted water until al dente, drain but do not rinse, place back in pot. Add marinara and cook until heated through.

Try it with turkey meatballs and a little cheese, but it's pretty devine all on it's own.

Perfectly crisp, through and through

2011-06-18T11:58:00.004-04:00

Being of the health food eating kind, never craving junk food, I do have one exception, you probably do too - fries. It's not just the kids with this one, mom and dad have cravings just the same! Having home fries is, sadly, never the same, we miss out on those gorgeous crunchy outsides. Home fries certainly are not a substitute, they are, in my opinion, an entirely different food.
Then comes an a-ha moment... while watching Food TV with my very interested 7 year old daughter, who replaced mindless kid's shows with Discovery Channel and Food Network (my heart gets all fuzzy and warm thinking of this).
I've made home fries countless times. I've read many a recipe. None share these easy, vital steps that make ALL the difference. Are you ready for this? It's simpler than you might think... (seems all things in simple form somehow come out on top, doesn't it?) Here it goes:
After cutting scrubbed but unpeeled Russet potatoes into even sized wedges, put them into a bowl of cold water, drain and rinse, repeating until the water goes from milky to clear. You have now washed off excess starch. Step two: place the wedges on a clean dish towel, and dry thoroughly.
That's it.

Place the wedges in a dry bowl, drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil over them, about 1 for every large Russet potato. Add a few pinches of sweet paprika, kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss to coat the wedges evenly. Put them on parchment lined cookie sheets, spread apart so steam can evaporate, rather than make the wedges soft. Bake in a 425 F oven for about 40 minutes, until tender inside and crispy outside. I use two cookie sheets since I make a huge amount for my fry loving family, rotating them top to bottom halfway through the cooking time.

Remove from the oven and hit them with a little steak spice to kick it up a notch, or coarse salt if you prefer.

And when bikini season comes to a close, I figure we'll dress the fries up a bit, piling them high in a round casserole dish, adding a good covering of Monterey Jack cheese and bacon bits, then melting the cheese under the broiler for a minute or two. Pretty it up with chopped green onions - all males in your house will love you just a bit more that day!

Inspired by Chuck Hughes

From the inside out - the anti diet

2011-06-16T14:15:00.005-04:00

I don't believe in diets, and yet I do watch what I eat a whole lot more this time of year than any other, with just two rules: avoid sugar as much as possible, and eat vegetables more than usual with every meal (snacks included). And since we don't eat processed or premade foods, I think that's enough effort. This quote pretty much sums it up, "Don't focus on the growth of something ... focus on it's health! Healthy things grow!" Eat right, feel right.

No time to cook? Try this one on for size: snow peas and onions are flash heated and left perfectly crisp by draining pasta over them right in the strainer. Add in fresh, ripe tomatoes, a bunch of herbs, some garlic and a hint of cheese, your dinner is ready in 15 minutes. You could even barbecue chicken in the same time by pounding chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap until 1/4 inch thick, seasoning with salt and pepper, and brushing with good for you olive oil. Barbecue on medium heat for about 12 - 15 minutes. I bet waiting for pizza delivery would leave your belly hungry for a whole lot longer!

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Spring Garden Pasta
Serves 4 - 6

1 lb dried shell pasta
2 cups snow peas, trimmed and cut in half
2 cups ripe grape tomatoes, any variety
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

herb pesto:
2 cups fresh herbs, like basil or parsley, very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 - 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan OR 1 cup grated Mozzarella

Cook pasta until tender.
Meanwhile, place trimmed, halved snow peas and sliced red onion in a colander set in the sink for draining the pasta.
Make the pesto by pulsing the garlic and salt in a blender, then add herbs, olive oil, pepper and Parmesan (if using Mozzarella, don't add to the blender, but stir into pasta when ready). Pulse again until combined. If you have a proper chefs knife, you can skip the blender by chopping your herbs and garlic super fine, and stirring into olive oil, then adding cheese.
When pasta is tender (but not mushy), drain right over the vegetables in the colander. Do not rinse. Pour pasta and veggies into a large bowl, add pesto, cheese and tomatoes, toss to combine. Serve with additional cheese if you so desire.

When your garden's bounty is herbs...

2011-06-08T20:24:00.007-04:00

It's Spring.
It's hot.
It's almost Summer.
I love it.
Because I love the BBQ.
And herbs.

PRINT ME!

The Herby Turkey
Serves 4 - 6

Foccacia buns or slab, cut into burger size squares, sliced

patty:
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 - 2 shallots, finely minced
a good handful finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

pesto:
about 10 sage leaves, finely chopped
one parsley sprig, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp grated Parmesan

to cook:
2 - 3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

mayo

To make the herby pesto, place garlic and salt in a blender. Pulse for a few seconds. Add almonds, pulse again. Add everything else and pulse just enough to combine. Done!

Fire up the BBQ on high, get it good and hot. To make the herby turkey patties, mix your patty ingredients with the turkey, only until just combined. The more you mix, the tougher the end result. Oh, and use your hands, they are your best tool. Shape into 4 - 6 even patties.

Stir 1/2 tsp garlic powder into some olive oil, and using a pastry brush, coat both sides of each patty.

Turn the BBQ down to medium, gently place the patties about 2 inches apart on the grill. Now leave them alone for 6 - 7 minutes (use a timer!), then flip, only once, never more, and cook another 5 - 8 minutes, or until firm to touch.

Quickly toast foccacia on the BBQ, then spread the bottom half of each with a little mayo. Add a patty, spoon a little pesto on it and finish with the top half of the foccacia. Serve with a simple tomato salad.

Are you keeping a weekly menu?

2011-06-06T14:56:00.003-04:00

I know I am a bit of an odd-ball, but I will never be ashamed of telling you how much I enjoy sitting down with my menu journal, a good pen and note paper for the shopping list, plus a few cookbooks, to write a weekly menu. It's probably as relaxing to me as a bubble bath would be to others (I despise long, quiet - boring - baths, so much so that I whenever we get around to building our dream home, I am not planning for one in my master bath - give me a good size walk in shower with a decent shower head any day!).

In general, here are a few menu writing guidelines I have developed over the years:

Meals are planned around vegetables, rather than meat or even grains.
I plan for two meat dishes a week, and probably one fish every two weeks.
I never do more than one kind of starch a week, for example I wouldn't plan for more than one pasta, rice, or potato dish.
I add "cheater meals", like the roast potatoes and omelet this week, from extras already in the pantry, to stretch out the menu week and also give myself some fast, no-fail dinners. This often includes fruit salad, waffles, and sunny eggs. Or pasta either handmade stored in the freezer or dried in a package, with a quick homemade marinara.
I add snacks that need to be made, this week I am making another batch of Roasted Red Pepper Hummus for our veggies. Other weeks I make muffins, cookies, or even a banana sorbet.
If I am not cooking from memory, I always add the cookbook title and page number for quick reference.
When I am short on time or imagination, I can look back in my journal for menu ideas from weeks past. Although this is a rare occasion!

What are your menu writing strategies?

Singing a song, come sing along

2011-05-30T20:24:00.006-04:00

Dare I say, it's just about Summer?! The girls spent the day in their bathing suits, which greatly distracted them from helping me plant a few long awaited herbs and two very different varieties of tomatoes. I chose "Sun Golds", for their small size and sweet, lush flavour. And "Carbon" tomatoes, with a promise for large, almost-black beefsteak tomatoes. My mouth waters as I think of crunching on the little guys and drizzling olive oil on the big'ns. I purchased my herbs and tomatoes from a young couple that runs Creekshore Farms
opting to support a local organic farm instead of a big box operation. Assuming I am acclimatized to the cold Canadian weather which delights us almost year round, I was sweating bullets after an just an hours worth of gardening, and so a second shower was much called for, after which time dinner was much requested.

Turning on any hot appliance in the kitchen was the last thing on my mind. Instead I grabbed two cups of cooked chick peas from the fridge and went to work. (There are several foods I keep ready to grab and enjoy at all times - one of which is a large amount of chick peas, soaked one night and cooked the next morning - another is avocados, lime and cilantro, and a very large veggie tray, this being my favourite as our family vegetable consumption has skyrocketed since I began doing so.)

For any of you who have suffered from any kind of digestive issues, you know the happy dance we jiggy up when a dinner goes down and easily transforms into whatever it may be purposed to do in our bodies, rather than bringing with it side effects too unpleasant to speak of.

Today I broke out into song.

Sing with me if you will, or are alone in the room...
I feel good, danananana... I knew that I would now! So good, so good! I've got FOOD!
It truly is rare that I feel perfect after any given meal, but this one was a winner. I chowed down two of these wraps, felt full but not pregnant, energized not from a sugar rush.

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Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Sprout Dinner Wraps

Hummus:

2 cups freshly cooked from dry and cooled chick peas

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained if using canned

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp sesame tahini

1 garlic clove

1/2 - 1 tsp coarse sea salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Place the garlic clove and salt in a food processor or blender, pulse to chop garlic. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.

For each wrap:

8 inch flour tortilla

diced cucumber and plum tomato

a handful of fresh sprouts

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

a drizzle of olive oil, if you're an addict as I am

Prepare your wrap by spreading hummus on a tortilla, leaving a one inch border. Add cucumber and tomato dice down the centre, top with sprouts. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Fold up one side of the wrap, then two sides towards the centre. Enjoy!

The Back Burner

2011-05-17T16:43:00.006-04:00

There are seasons in life when new chapters begin, and others are put aside, neatly, on a burner, in the back, which is hardly visited at first, with hopes of renewed time in the days to come. Our family has started one of these chapters, we have transitioned into home schooling. Over whelmed at the thought of taking such responsibility on at first, I now see it as a very natural extension of my parental privileges. I secretly wait for a moment of panic, for stress to settle in, but for some reason, educating my children at home simply works.

I am often asked about the "whys" and "hows" of home educating. I can tell you of negative experiences at public school, or perhaps harried schedules, but in the end, it's the possibilities I am after. The unity it creates in our family, the real life learning there is so much more time for.

We've spent afternoons fishing with cousins.

We've read in the sun. On comfy chairs. With a pretty darn cuddly class pet close by.

We've cooked a whole bunch, too. In a matter of days, the girls are cooking me eggs for breakfast and quesadillas for lunch.

As for dinners, well, it's been the perfect time to pull out family favourites, leaving culinary explorations on the back burner.

Here's an example of what's on the menu.

Whole roasted organic herbed chicken, probably with a garden salad or some sort of vegetable dish.

Baked potatoes stuffed with all sorts of enticing things, like steamed broccoli and a homemade cheese sauce. An omelet might be on the side.

Homemade refried beans, Spanish rice, guacamole and a crisp salad has quickly become a number one choice.

I love to make fresh pasta lasagna, entirely from scratch right down to the marinara. Oh, and I make a bechamel rather than using ricotta or cottage cheese. Mmmmm. Left overs are the best, so I make a good amount.

Chicken souvlaki, Greek salad and roasted potatoes is a staple, too. I make tzatziki with fresh ingredients. I can't get enough of this!

Soup. Nuff said.

Some days we eat pancakes and fruit... as in any busy home!

What are your family favourites?

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Spanish Rice

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

1 1/2 cups Time Wise brown rice, or Basmati rice, if you prefer white rice

2 1/2 cups quality chicken stock

1/2 tomato salsa, any heat level (I do love the hot stuff!)

1/4 tsp salt

Heat a saute pan (if you have a lid for it, if not use a large stock pot) over medium heat. Add the oil, then the shallot and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring once in a while to prevent browning. Add the rice, toast it in the oil for about a minute, then pour over the chicken stock and salsa, season with a little salt. Close the lid, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Cook until done, about 15 - 20 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork, then serve.

Are we that thoughtless?

2011-04-28T09:56:00.003-04:00

Mark Bittman on what's wrong with what we eat Video on TED.com

I came across this video, I would love to share it with you, I would love for us to see the big picture together. Would you take 20 minutes out of your day and allow this information to make small changes in the choices you make?

Check out his inspiring blog HERE.

...food matters, because you matter!

Neat Sweet Treat

2011-04-13T14:50:00.005-04:00

Let's talk sugar subsitutes.

Many options are readily available in just about every grocery store these days. Once faced with chemical, albeit zero calorie, harmful replacements, a demand for natural food has brought to light many products which are not only sweet, but also nutritious. The best of both worlds? I think so! Diabetics have options too, not as many, I know, but for now I am speaking from a nutrition point of view only. And calories? My opinion is eat whole and healthfully, you'll be fuller longer and have less cravings, staying thin in the process.

Where chemical sweeteners like aspartame cause many horrible illnesses, like cancer, brown rice syrup can be used in all baking and brings low glycemic, high nutrient sweetness to your foods. When treats become a part of nutritious eating, we can enjoy them, without guilt, possibly for the first time!

Brown rice syrup is a good source of magnesium, potassium, manganese, iron and the B-group vitamins. Add organic brown rice cereal (fiber), 70% dark chocolate (antioxidants), and nuts (protein), you've got yourself an all around gorgeous dessert packed with all the right stuff

PRINTABLE VERSION

Brown Rice Crisp Treats

Makes 16 squares

1/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup organic brown rice syrup

1 tsp real vanilla syrup

3 cups organic crisped brown rice cereal

7 oz best quality 70% dark chocolate

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Prepare a double boiler by setting a glass or stainless steele bowl over a simmering pot of water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water and that no water gets into the bowl (steam or drops). Put the brown rice syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla into the bowl, stirring over the heat until evenly incorporated. Remove from double boiler, cool for one minute, then add in the brown rice cereal. Mix thoroughly.

Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan, lightly press the rice mixture evenly into the pan.

Set another bowl over the simmering pot, add the dark chocolate, gently melt, then add the butter. Pour over rice and quickly spread to cover the top of the rice.

Set in the fridge for about 1 1/2 hours, then cut into squares with a sharp knife.

Store in the fridge for up to two days.

Baaa

2011-04-03T13:56:00.011-04:00

Making it through the Winter months flu-less is an accomplishment. Getting a bad head cold and vicious cough right at the break of Spring is down right ironic. Yet here I sit, I have no appetite, instead I cough, sneeze and hold cold fingers to my aching forehead. Cooking my father-in-law's birthday dinner was tricky, without a sense of smell.

Allow me to take you on a journey my girls and I had theprivilege of enjoying just yesterday. The absence of food is intentional, I simply can not think food at this time. Visiting with farm animals is always a great joy to my girls, visiting with ones that are literally hours old would be out of this world exiting for anybody. New friends Sue and her daughter Vanessa milk these ladies by hand every day, they sell this milk and also fresh goats cheese. I find myself with a million questions, but I hold back, as today we will enjoy the moment of new life.

Goats have big personalities, it surprised even me, so far I've judged them by their cover - a beautiful one, with big eyes, and baa's which bring out chuckles in even the most sophisticated city dweller. The white goat is their main milker, she produces 1 1/2 of rich milk every day. She also fits into the crowd, as though she was one us, or perhaps our family dog, hoping to catch a glimpse of three dark baby boys, perfect and hardly wobbly as they make their way to mama. Mama, gently guiding the babies with her horns, she was as nurturing as any new mom might be. Add to the mix a one month old, fluffy, white lamb named Dolly, mischievously toddler-like, playful and not the least bit shy. It was picture perfect. And I forgot about the discomfort of my aching body momentarily.

Veggie gardening confidence boost, I assure you!

2011-03-26T11:49:00.014-04:00

I'm a sandwich gal. A lot of good stuff can be fit between two slices of soft bread. And since I ended up with far too many sprouts for our small family, I gave a bunch away, then packed as much as I could into my Brie, Tomato, Sprout and Dijon sandwich. Next time I will start with about 1/4 cup of seeds, rather than half. I wonder, too, if staggering growth between the three tiers is a smart idea. That way we could enjoy a steady fresh supply of sprouts every four days or so. I can add sprouts to any sandwich, salad, or even dress up a pasta dish or BBQ steak, they are versatile, full of nutrition, and so could find a spot on many of our plates. Try marinated and grilled whole portabello mushrooms with roasted red peppers and sprouts on flax bread. If you like goat cheese, and a bit of that. Lunch doesn't need to be peanut butter and jelly anymore. Try sprouts! Tiered sprouters like the biosnacky can be found at health food stores or online. But a mason jar and some cheese cloth will get you started immediately - simple directions here.

DAY THREE

DAY FOUR

DAY FIVE

DAY SIX

If I can grow sprouts, anyone can. My kids think I'm pretty neat.

Growing

2011-03-23T14:44:00.005-04:00

There are some prayers I pray very quietly, skipping words altogether, and only thinking the rest. These are prayers I know God hears (when does He ever not hear our prayers?!), ones He loves, ones I pray often yet appreciate only much, much later. They are prayers of growth, heart searching ones, lamps shining into the utmost corners of our hearts. My faith is huge when I pray these, I know God hears me even though a little bit of me wishes he'd choose to ignore as I am well aware that He's not going to send change by dropping it in my lap, but by sending me a situation, I am sure you know what I mean. If only I had this kind of faith when I am praying other prayers, ones for healing, direction, and wisdom.

Let me take you back a few weeks.
The day before we were due to leave for a sun-filled, bone-warming March Break family vacation, following three days of intense rainfall and snow melting, our worn out roof decided to give up life and leak, right into the master bedroom.

Let me take you about a year back.
We finally paid off debt, we were free, we never wanted to get back into such drudgery. For a year we lived comfortably, mostly playing catch up. A couple of months ago we finally arrived at a stage in life where we could begin saving. Saving for a roof, saving for future education, for retirement.
The roof to leak at this time, was simply put, bad timing. A year from now would have been much more convenient. But it wouldn't be so, thank GOD we have Him to turn to. My husband and I both put worries aside, deciding to do what we could, and expect God to pick up from there. We arranged for large, water sealing tarps, we checked into home insurance, and lined a slurry of contractors to give us repair quotes. I'd like to say God put a check in the mail to pay this horrific bill, but it would not be so. He must be up to something much grander.

Then today happens. Mountains of laundry awaited me, for the second day in a row, after an unfortunate head lice incident my daughters brought home from school. I was just about to tackle the last two loads when my washer stopped working.

I immediately went to God, after informing my husband, who didn't seem as discouraged as myself. Doubt and an issue with trust arose from the depth of my heart, and was brought to light. I felt angry, I wondered where in the world God was, why, with a roof needing repair, He would allow another repair or, worse, a large purchase to enter our lives. I tried calming myself, I continued to clean, I read a good book, then I decided to pray the unthinkable - "You fix the machine, God!"

I'd like to say He did. And I can.. After a few failed start up attempts during my angry moments with God, red lights faintly flickering but losing energy quicker than a pregnant woman walking up a flight of stairs, I gave the machine another shot, turning knobs in all directions (no, I did not hit or bang on the top of the machine, we all know this doesn't work!), slowly, suddenly, life began sputtering back into the machine. Red buttons flickered brightly, and I heard that beautiful sound of water gushing into the drum. Coincidence? I think not... Since I had prayed that very morning for God to show me corners of my heart in need of an upgrade.
And, just to top it all off, the previously broken buzzer works at the end of each cycle again, too. Not bad for a machine that's been dying for the past long while. I wonder if my clothes will come out whiter and brighter?

Day two for Sprouts: so much growth in just 24 hours, reminds a bit of my growth, too. The prayer of a righteous man avails much. Sometimes, it fixes washing machines.

Sprouting Headquarters

2011-03-22T10:09:00.007-04:00

Weight for weight, sprouted seeds contain more nutrients than any other natural food known to man - enough to rival even the best supplement pills available. They contain high concentrations of valuable enzymes, proteins, mineral substances, trace elements and natural vitamins. Sprouts also contain excellent fiber that is beneficial to the intestines and regulates the digestive process. Since they grow right up to the moment they are picked, practically no nutrients are lost. (source)

It's Sprouting, Day 1.

By the weekend we should be enjoying a fun combination of organic alfalfa, radish, and broccoli sprouts. I borrowed this biosnacky sprouter from my mom, feeling very grateful as it has many great childhood memories of watching daily growth attached to it. The waiting game between seed time and harvest in an outdoor garden can test the patience of just about any child, but when sprouting, action starts almost immediately! I soaked half a cup of seeds for 8 hours, and then gently spread them in the sprouter trays. The bottom tray catches excess water and is very easily removed twice a day when I pour 1 cup of water into the top tray. The water slowly dribbles from tray to tray, perfectly moistening each seed.

Good-bye, old man Winter

2011-03-10T13:59:00.019-05:00

Shout with me, if you will, a big good-bye to old man Winter! I can not tell you how joyous I feel at the thought of the world around me coming to life again. You probably don't feel much different, I would imagine, unless you live for Winter sports, then, I am sorry. Apple Streusel Crisp is a dessert/afternoon snack I begin making at the first sign of Fall, continuing right through Winter, after which it is put aside, so I have something to look forward to, later that year. It's been a staple in my kitchen for at least 11 years, a number I find amusing, as I don't feel I've been around long enough to use such a thing. Royal Gala are not your usual baking apple, yet I prefer them, I love my apples super soft. Crispin or Granny Smith apples are great if you prefer apple chunks to hold their shape.

Apple Streusel Crisp

Serves 6

Streusel:

6 tbsp cold butter

1 cup oatmeal, rolled

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

In a medium sized bowl, cut the cold butter into small chunks, add oatmeal, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt, using fingers, incorporate the dry ingredients into the butter until it resembles a chunky, coarse meal. Place in the fridge while preparing the apples.

Apple filling:

3 lbs Royal Gala apples (about 6 - 8)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp dry ginger

dash each nutmeg and ground cloves (optional)

1 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel, quarter, core and cut apples into even slices (about 3 slices per quarter). Cut slices into 3/4 inch cubes. As you cut the apples, place them directly into a glass or ceramic baking dish, about 8 x 11 inch in diameter. Once all the apples are done, evenly stir the brown sugar over them. Then add the spices, flour and corn starch. Take the streusel topping out of the fridge, and layer over the apples. Place on the middle rack in the oven, and bake, uncovered, about 1 hour, or until apples are soft. Serve with yogurt, milk, whipping cream or ice cream.

Vegetarian night

2011-03-08T18:44:00.005-05:00

The last time I kept a diary, I was in grade 8. I quickly learned that no matter where I hid the thing, inquisitive little sisters were sure to find it. Today, I write a rather different weekly journal, one I am happy to share with anyone who cares: I keep a weekly menu. This normally includes five dinners - one that gives us a good variety of proteins and grains. I then load everything up on veggies. If a special breakfast is needed for the weekend, I jot that down, too. Lastly, I make a list of baked goods, sweet or savoury, also breads, which will be made to get us through the week healthfully. Writing down the book with the recipe and the page number makes things even easier. If I am using printouts, I put them all in one easy to find spot.
At times when I don't use my journal, we spend more on groceries and eat more junk. It's a lose-lose situation overall. So I make a point of taking a half hour each week to plan ahead. There's never a scramble when dinner time comes around, I know exactly what's in my fridge and I can even prepare for the next day, if chick peas need soaking or meat needs thawing.
When I am feeling less creative or I'm too busy to look through cookbooks, I flip back in the journal to weeks gone by for dinner ideas, remembering favourites and passing on flops.

A new family favourite was born today, one I changed to my liking by replacing some original components with chick peas for a complete all-in-one vegetarian dinner.

Chick pea and Vegetable Fajitas
Serves 4

1 large red bell pepper, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
1 small onion, peeled, halved and sliced into 1/4 inch strips
1 cup cooked chick peas
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
6 - 8 8-inch whole wheat with flax tortillas

Guacamole:
2 ripe Hass avocados
1/4 cup very finely chopped red onion (optional)
1/4 cup very finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced
Hot pepper sauce
salt and black pepper
Use a fork to mash the avocados, leaving it a bit chunky. Stir in the onion and cilantro.
Add lime juice and hot sauce to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
If the guacamole has to sit for a few hours, keep the avocado pits and push them right into the guacamole, this will keep it from oxidizing and turning brown. Put in an air tight container and store in the fridge.

To make the fajitas:
Combine red pepper, onion, chick peas, cumin, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, and garlic in a bowl. Drizzle with the canola oil, toss to combine.
Heat a saute pan to medium high. Add the vegetables and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 - 7 minutes. Remove pan from heat, sprinkle lime juice over vegetables and stir to combine.
Spread some guacamole on each tortilla. Top with vegetables and chick peas, top with a little sour cream or my favourite, Balkan yogurt. Optional: shredded jack cheese, salsa, additional fresh cilantro.
Fold or roll up and enjoy.

Here's how I served it to the kids, since they love chick peas more than anything:
(By the way, the kids very happily, very messily, ate everything on their plates.)

And, for my husband, the please-make-sure-you-load-it-with-cheese guy, I did just that:

It's a wonderful life

2011-03-07T12:05:00.007-05:00

There are so many things I love about this photograph.

Most obviously, I am quite certain my yellow lab is nothing short of eye candy.

Digging a little deeper, I easily find those one thousand words pictures can tell.

I am a mom. My house is not perfect, colorful toys have replaced stylish decorating accents. Because I am a mom, my Christmas wreath is still up in March, as kids grow out of shoes and clothes at lightning speeds, and the funds for that rusty metal moose head I've had my eye on are literally worn by ever growing not-so-little-anymore little (healthy) bodies.

Because I am a mom, I have time to bake bread, from scratch, the sweet smelling dough rising in a sunny spot beside the fireplace.

Because I am a mom, we can not hire pricey contractors to put in new floors, we've had to learn to do it. Yet as my kids zoom around on their new plasma cars, I feel satisfied.

Because I am a mom, my life from the outside in may not look perfect, but when you look a little closer, it's just that, and more.

I feel fortunate to be a stay at home mom in a culture where career is king. I'd rather not miss out on those many little things that make life what life should be.

Quinoa = Love

2011-03-03T18:24:00.008-05:00

I have a naughty secret.

Today was my first time making quinoa.

That's not the secret.

I wanted to enjoy every bite of this adventure - since the little taste I had of the quinoa while cooking made me smile so huge - that without hesitation, I turned the TV on for my girls, pulled up a table and a couple of plastic chairs, and yes - I let them eat, by themselves, without parental supervision, in front of the TV.

Then, I poured a big glass of 2007 Riesling, plated salmon, baby bok choy and red quinoa pilaf with as much pizzaz as I could muster, dimmed the lights, and ate one amazing dinner, quietly, savouring every morsel. Paul was not home, he's working in the big city today, and traffic can be horrific around dinner time.

Three words. I love quinoa.

I'd like to say my kids loved it too, that when I returned to the family room, they were licking their plates and pleading for more. But it would not be so, not yet, anyway. One day, they too will savour every last bite. Since we'll be eating of it often from here forward.

Honey and Soy Glazed Salmon over Organic Red Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf with Steamed Baby Bok Choy

Serves 4

Begin with the quinoa.

Red Quinoa Mushroom Pilaf

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

1 cup fresh crimini mushrooms, gently wiped and thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups organic red quinoa

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

freshly ground black pepper

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 F/180 C.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the shallot and mushrooms, cook and stir until mushrooms are brown and shallots are soft.

Stir in the quinoa, salt, thyme, bay leaf and black pepper. Toast the quinoa while stirring, for about 3 - 4 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, careful for splatter as the saucepan is very hot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.

Remove quinoa from heat, uncover, fluff with fork, remove bay leaf and set aside. (Don't worry if not all of the chicken stock has absorbed.)

Let stand about 10 minutes - here's where you start the salmon.

Honey Soy Glazed Salmon Filets

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp canola oil

4 skinless, boneless fresh salmon fillets (totalling 1 pound)

Make sure your oven is preheated to 350 F/180 C.

Prepare the glaze:

Combine soy sauce and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then add honey and stir to incorporate. Remove from heat.

Heat an oven proof skillet (cast iron or stainless steele) over high heat. Add 1 - 2 tbsp canola oil, enough to coat the surface.

Reduce heat to medium, add the salmon, presentation side down. Cook without disturbing until the fish turns opaque halfway from the bottom up. The fillets will be browning nicely.

Turn the heat off. Turn fillets over and quickly spoon glaze over them. Immidiately transfer to hot oven, bake 5 minutes.

While the salmon is baking, prepare the baby bok choy:

Steamed Baby Bok Choy

8 baby bok choy

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup water

Trim the base of each bok choy, being careful to leave them intact. Remove any damaged leaves.

Heat a large skillet over med heat.

Drizzle the olive oil to coat the surface.

Add the chopped shallot, cook 2 - 3 minutes until tender.

Add the water and bok choy.

Cover tightly with lid and steam for 3 minutes.

Season lightly with a little pinch of salt.

Presenting... The kitchen/pantry/breakfast nook/heart of the home

2011-03-01T14:19:00.014-05:00

Kitchens certainly don't need to be huge or fancy or expensive to be welcoming, warm and the best part of the home. A little personality, most often discovered when creativity trumps budget, ample storage and one decent work surface is all you need.

Welcome!
We used only basic big-box cabinets. I found the door handles at IKEA for 50 cents a piece. My fridge is small but huge in comparison to most used in Europe. I love bamboo for flooring, not only is it earth friendly, it is also warm and gentle on my feet (and knees), not bad at $2/sq ft. The counter is laminate, I haven't regretted my choice once, especially since we added gorgeous 2 inch glass and stone tiles as a back splash. We chose a more expensive tile and installed it as a border, which makes this an affordable way to add luxury.

I chose a less expensive floating island, which also adds more storage, for every day bowls, baking sheets and strainers. Plus the huge roaster I bought for Thanksgiving which fits no where else.

I like to keep my counters uncluttered - cooking is much easier when you can use every last bit of the counter. I do keep a cutlery container full of cooking tools close to the stove, this way everything I need is within reach.

On the other hand, I don't mind open pantries, it screams family to me, and that's what the kitchen is all about, isn't it! We eat here exclusively, except for dinner, the girls watch and often cook with me around the island, and I can help them with homework while finishing up the dishes. It simply works.

I do dream of a modern country home, I love panelled walls and am surprised how these 80's panelled walls, installed horizontally, turned out. Modern country in small town suburbia, done.

When the weather turns warmer, the girls and our pooch will have a little outdoor photo session. I am hoping for gorgeous face-only close ups to put in these large frames. I love simple, detailed close ups.

All kids adore jars with treats, I fill mine with organic dried fruit, instead of sugary cookies. (It's a big hit.)

My favourite and most used cookbooks are always close by.

Lunch bags live here too, as does cereal, the fruit bowl, and napkins. And I am ever so happy to get my aprons and kitchen towels out of my other cabinets and into pretty sea grass baskets.

Easy as pie... er, cookies

2011-02-27T13:55:00.008-05:00

It's been several weeks since I've done any sugary baking, the last few days I've been debating whether it made sense to live a low sugar lifestyle, yet allowing baked treats once in while. I find myself having little conversations about this, just me in the room (silently, no worries), weighing the pros with the cons, wanting the best for my family, wondering if once in a while indulging would be all right. There are several things I don't want to see them chomping on, no silent debating necessary - one of which is food coloring, the other, artificial flavours. (Besides anything that sounds like a chemical science experiment!) Finally, I came up with the conclusion that a once or twice a month treat would be fully acceptable, especially since it'll be homemade.

Homemade Oreos

Yields 20 - 30 cookies

as seen here

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened, Dutch-process cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup white sugar

10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

Filling

4 tbsp butter, room temperature

1/4 cup (1/2 an 8oz. pkg) cream cheese, room temperature

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 F/180 C.
Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Add the room temperature butter and egg (place egg in a bowl of warm water for several minutes to quickly bring up to temperature). Using the paddle attachment, mix the butter and egg into the dry ingredients until the dough comes together. This can take several minutes. If you don't have a stand mixer, use your hands to make the dough.
Form evenly sized balls, about 3/4 inch in diameter, and place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Lightly flatten each.
Bake 6 - 7 minutes.
Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.

Meanwhile, make the filling.
Beat the butter and cream cheese with a small whisk until fluffy.
Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
Beat another 2 - 3 minutes.
Put the filling in a piping bag, match cookies by size, and pipe 1 - 2 tsp filling on one of each cookie pair. Top filling with second cookie to complete the Oreo.

Store in an airtight container, in the fridge, to firm up filling.

Quitting Cans

2011-02-23T13:22:00.013-05:00

A two pound bag of dry chickpeas costs around $2. I am guessing that's the equivalent to about 5 cans, once cooked. With savings of over 50%, a little extra effort is well worth it. Last night I soaked about half the bag in a big bowl of water, once I read these odd cooking instructions (below) and turned to friends for help instead. Today I drained and threw them in a large stock pot, covered them with plenty of water, brought this to a boil for ten minutes then reduced the heat to low and cooked for another 45. I didn't check on them while they cooked away, I folded laundry, made beds and tackled other general clean ups around the house. When the timer went, I drained the chickpeas again and allowed them to cool and dry in the colander.

Then - I tasted one. What a difference from canned chickpeas there was! Besides the far lower sodium levels, and the avoidance of BPA which is sprayed into cans before they are filled, I also noticed the flavours to be much purer. I am almost certain canned peas take on a distinct metal taste. As my 7 year old begs for 'chickie peas' whenever they are in our pantry, I figured I should quit the cans and go natural.

After setting about one cup of cooked chickpeas aside for Quinoa Falafels I plan to try later this week (chickpeas swell to almost twice their dried size), I used the rest for a Roasted Chickpea snack recipe I am eager to munch on. I am hoping to drastically improve my family's snack cravings, even though we aren't huge junkies to begin with.

I searched the Internet for recipes, discovering many similar but distinctly different techniques for roasting perfect crunchy peas. One added oil before roasting, another not until after, still another left it out all together. Here's what I came up with, and I'm quite thrilled with the results.

Crunchy Chickie Peas

Yields about 2 - 3 cups

About 2 - 3 cups cooked, cooled and fully dried chickpeas (about 1 1/2 cups dried)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp kosher or sea salt

1/8 tsp each cayenne and white pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C.

Lay the chickpeas in an even layer on a large cookie sheet. Try not to overcrowd them.

Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, stir them around a bit and place back in an even layer.

Bake 15 more minutes, stir, even out the layer and then bake another 10 minutes, for a total of 40 minutes.

Remove from oven, pour the hot chickpeas into a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over them, toss to coat all peas. Add seasonings and toss again.

Pour back onto the baking sheet, bake another 10 minutes, watching closely to make sure they aren't over crisping.

Take out of oven and cool directly on baking sheet.

Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

This recipe can easily be doubled, using two baking sheets for roasting, and rotating the sheets from top to bottom when you take them out to stir.

Seasonings can easily be changed up.

Try

- homemade Taco Seasoning (here)

- dill, onion powder, salt

- dry mustard, dry honey, salt

- dry ginger, salt

- curry powder or Garam Masala

Recipe challenge?

2011-02-21T18:36:00.006-05:00

Mothers of girls, please help me out.

Mothers of boys, I don't envy your upcoming grocery bills when the teenage years hit, but for now there is a hint of jealousy when it comes to their willingness to eat. Most boys I know ask for seconds, most girls I know need to be reminded to finish up. There are days I tire of this task. A most perfect example is this past Valentine's Day, on which I spent close to 6 hours preparing a Julia Child worthy French menu. I am not overly comfortable with French food, there is far too much that could fail. Once in a while, though, I set a day aside and face this head on. I do find the challenge quite fun, but ending this experience with my girls exclaiming in identical worried tones, "I am not eating that, gross!" is not how I would choose to end that day. Most of the time I can easily ignore their complaints and enjoy dinner regardless. Other times, I get frustrated. Why do kids think we are out to get them and serve them disgusting food? Why are they so skeptical, anyhow?

Then there are days where you crave something new, and hope to train your kids to enjoy many varieties of food. They sit down to dinner, willingly take a bite, and say, "I thought this looked yucky but it's actually really, really good! Thanks, mom!" These same kids then eat, spoonful after spoonful, until their bowls are wiped clean. I love family dinners like these...

I admit, this dinner did look a little unappealing. But if you could smell the amazingness that came out of my kitchen, you'd want to try it too.

I am certain this dish is a great way to introduce new flavours to children. Imagine with me for a quick moment: think of a frog, who sits in a pot of cold water, which is slowly heated to a boil. The frog never jumps out, as he doesn't notice the gradual change around him. Is it horribly terrible to use this image while I teach my kids how to enjoy new foods? On one hand it cracks me up, on the other I think it's genius. I refuse to give in or give up. There is no reason why kids should grow up on bland, colorless foods. Our dinners lately have been seasoned more, which is oh-so heavenly for us big people, I have been intensifying richness of flavours, and using more and more herbs. And I have to say, it's paying off. Perhaps I should cook more French food, too. Won't you try this dish on your kids, and let me know how it goes? (If you can get past the fact that it looks a little like slop?) You can serve this with something as simple as apple wedges (super kid friendly!) or a beautiful Asian salad like this one.

I debated whether or not to share this recipe, solely because of the photo. But it really is that good...

Beef Curry
inspired by Robert W. Surles
Serves 4

1 pound extra lean ground sirloin
1 large red pepper, chopped into roughly 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped the same
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
zest of one lime
1/2 tsp salt

In a blender combine the bell pepper, onion, garlic and chili powder. Blend until well pureed. (If necessary, add 1 - 2 tbsp water to the blender.)
Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan to medium, then add the puree. Cook until thickened and color has slightly darkened, about 20 minutes, stirring once a minute or so (don't think about skipping this flavour deepening all important step!). Add the soy sauce and ground beef. Cook another 5 - 7 minutes, stirring, until beef is cooked through.
Stir in the coconut milk, herbs, lime zest and salt. Heat through.

Serve over rice in individual bowls. Garnish with a small sprig of mint leaves.
Stir Beef Curry into rice and dig in!

Oat'Nana Cookies

2011-02-21T12:25:00.005-05:00

You know, studying is not as it was, oh let's say 10+ years ago, where fractions and foreign languages lulled me to wonderful naps. Sure, growing up is not all sugar and spice, with bills and wrinkles increasing daily, but studying sure is a whole lot more interesting, and far much tastier, these days. I find temperature, moisture levels and the role ingredients play in bringing varying results fascinating. Perfection is hard to come by, I've learned that too.
Feeding kids, who are growing, learning, developing and in need of intense attention spans as they make their way through these crazy-ever-changing young years, is harder than I could have imagined. So when nutrition packed 'sweets' have kids running to the kitchen, drooling as they see cookies come out of the oven, you've got my attention, and I'm all game for more research.

Oat'Nana Cookies

adapted from 101 Cookbooks

3 ripe bananas (fresh, not from frozen as they become too moist once thawed)

2 tbsp real vanilla extract

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups rolled oats

2/3 cup ground almond

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp aluminum free baking powder

6 - 8 ounces quality dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mash banana, add vanilla and olive oil.

Combine oats, ground almond, coconut, cinnamon and baking powder. Stir into the mashed bananas. Fold in the chocolate.

Form 1 inch balls with the palm of your hands. Place 1/2 inch apart on parchment paper lined baking sheet, give a little smoosh on each to shape into a round cookie.

Bake in preheated oven, about 14 minutes.

sausage + veggies + pasta = soup

2011-02-17T17:04:00.005-05:00

Today I discovered that good quality sausages magically turn into amazingly scrumptious meatballs. They are juicy, packed with flavour and turn a nice golden brown. And unlike kid-friendly hot dogs, it's real meat without fillers or nitrates.
As Spring fights it's way into season, I love savouring these last few weeks of warm, comfort-evoking meals as we dream of warm weather, gardens and new beginnings.
Backyard chickens have been ruled out, for now, as by-laws require a coop to be 25 feet from neighbouring fences, which would attach our coop to the back of our suburban home where windows abound and sunlight should not be blocked. For a brief moment I grieved the fresh eggs we would have, but not too long, as I feel refreshingly propelled to dream and follow that dream to boot; a simple, but architecturally stunning home, set in rolling acres surrounded by trees and neighbours to share our land's bounty, 30 chickens roaming freely.

Sausage Meatball, Spinach and Pasta Soup

Meatballs
6 links quality chicken or pork sausages
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan or Asiago, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling
1/4 tsp kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Soup
olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the side of a chef's knife
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 large or 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into circles
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups best quality, low sodium beef broth
2 cups water
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 dry bay leaf
1 cup thawed from frozen chopped spinach (about half a block)
1 1/2 cups small pasta shapes
fresh grated Parmesan or Asiago

Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Prepare the meatballs by removing sausage casings and combining all meatball ingredients, season lightly with salt and pepper.
Shape meatballs into 2 inch diameter balls, place in a rectangle glass roasting dish. You'll have about 15 meatballs.
Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with 2 tbsp grated Parmesan. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes until golden brown and caramelized.

While the meatballs are roasting, set a large stockpot over medium heat. Heat about 2 tbsp olive oil, then add the garlic and thyme (leaves only). Gently saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add carrot, onion, and celery. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in the beef broth, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
Add spinach and small pasta shapes, continue to cook another 5 - 10 minutes.
Once the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the oven and add to the soup. Cook 2 -3 minutes to allow the flavours to come together. Season to taste with salt and fresh pepper. Serve in shallow bowls. Sprinkle with additional freshly grated cheese.

And next time you're making pizza, roll the dough out a little larger than the baking stone, sprinkle some mozzarella about 1 inch from the edge, then roll and seal the edges. Top pizza as usual. Kids adore it, husbands included.

Super seeds

2011-02-11T14:38:00.007-05:00

Today was a life changing day; in a small way, but it's huge for me. I simply made a decision not to feel overwhelmed by the thought of integrating new grains and seeds into our diet. I am OK with not cooking them perfectly right off the bat. I am very much all right with going over budget to dive head first into super foods. I am tired of white sugar and processed starches. I am craving real. For someone who could do without meat, this is a long awaited step into the right direction.
So, first thing this morning, after a quick shower and coffee to get me started, I headed to my local bulk foods store. Usually visited only when needing baking supplies or colorful items to decorate birthday or other special occasion treats, I headed down aisles and stopped in front of bins that, until today, were rather mysterious to me. Until this moment, I passed them, regardless of how health conscience I am (would like to be). Amazingly, opening these "other" bins was no different from opening bins filled with chocolates. The scoops are identical, too. What in the world was I waiting for, anyway? I felt like a kid in a candy store, which, I guess I was, except for the kid part - I love being in my thirties and wouldn't trade it for a thing.

I have a friend, Estelle, a fellow blogger friend, whom I've bumped into on occasion - she sews, she takes stunning photographs, she nourishes her family with seeds, among other nutrient rich things, I am sure. She also gave me permission to re-blog her very own recipe, it's my first super food adventure, and baby, I am hooked. See more of Estelle here, and while you're there, make sure to check out her stunning estellelle shop for the most amazing totes this side of the planet has to offer.
Monday happens to be Valentines Day. Yes, it's a little tacky, I am so happy to be a decade into my marriage where the pressure for gifts and flowers no longer exists. We value us every other day of the year, too. (PS my guy friends - spontaneous acts of love are out of this world!) But since it is a little funny to just let the day come and go, try these stunning truffles for a change of pace!
And just because I am giggly at the thought of it, I would like to mention that tonight's family dinner includes Israeli Couscous. And these cookies for dessert, of course.

Seedy Chocolate Truffles
by Estelle
Yields 3 dozen

1 cup medium unsweetened coconut flakes, divided
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, lightly toasted in a dry skillet
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 tbsp shelled hemp seed
1/2 cup ground almond
1/4 cup ground flax seed
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup almond hazelnut butter or all natural peanut butter
1/2 cup raw liquid honey

Set aside 1/2 cup coconut flakes in a small bowl.
Combine the almond or peanut butter with the honey.
Throw the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and combine well using a whisk or fork.
Add in the nut butter mixture and stir until very well mixed.
Shape and roll the cookie "dough" into walnut-size balls and roll gently in the reserved coconut. Place the cookies directly in the container you'll use to store them in, making sure not to squeeze them in until they've had time to set.
Enjoy right away or rest in the fridge for half hour to firm up.
Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Hungry, hungry hippos

2011-02-09T15:49:00.002-05:00

It's not time for breakfast. Nor breakfast for dinner. Nope, sometimes breakfast also applies to successful kid's after school snack time. They require a recharge and the bridge to dinner needs to be built. I try to keep stocked up on several options that are healthy and easily accessible for little fingers. Snack size veggie sticks and a creamy dip are available at all times. The same applies to a variety of bite size fruit, although I rarely serve dip with this already sweet treat. I also keep a fridge drawer with a variety of cheeses, and am hoping to add homemade crackers (dough perfectly flattened with the pasta machine and sprinkled with good-for-you seeds) to these. I often bake zucchini or carrot bread, and a good old banana bread is made about twice a month. Today, however, when my browned bananas cried out to me, USE ME BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE, I cringed at the thought of more banana bread. And since I know my kids' love for waffles, I combined the two and made banana waffles, instead. I usually whip up a big batch, since they store wonderfully in the freezer and heat easily with a quick dip in the toaster. I don't mind topping these with maple syrup, much to the delight of the juniors, since it's a good source of calcium, iron and thiamine.

Banana Waffles

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl:
1 cup cake and pastry flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed or wheat bran
4 tbsp white sugar
3 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Combine wet ingredients and then gently stir into dry:
3 cups milk
1/4 butter, melted
4 large eggs
1 tsp real vanilla extract

Fold in:
3 medium or 2 large very ripe bananas

Rest on kitchen counter for half hour, to relax glutens and allow the whole grains to be fully moisturized.
Preheat waffle iron, and if necessary, brush with a little vegetable oil. Spoon a ladleful of batter onto the hot waffle iron, spreading batter to the edges.
Cook until waffle iron indicates doneness, repeat with remaining batter.

Flips and Flops

2011-02-07T13:52:00.005-05:00

Let's begin with the flop: I hoped to create a fun, light and still interesting Valentines dessert. And while it was 100% yummy, it was not at all pretty or easy to bite into and it toppled over more than I'd like to admit. Having said that, the chocolate meringue was so delicious, I now want to make some sort of meringue every time I need a fancy dessert, the Nutella tasted a whole heck of a lot better than any chocolate frosting I can make, and who doesn't love chocolate covered strawberries. They are a valentines staple around our home. That and snow. We have far too much snow.

Now to the flip...

The back splash needs grout and paint touch ups, then we are D-O-N-E. Minus the personal touches. But I believe these come with time, and that's what makes them great.

I prefer visual art to be part art, part practical, so I have gone and done just that. Cereal for the kids, wine for moi.

When I build my chicken coop (And yes, I know chickens stink, but so do kids and I've not yet returned them. Oh, wait...) I would like it to look a little (or a lot) like this:

Change up pizza night

2011-02-01T19:14:00.005-05:00

OK, die hard fast food pizza fans...

This one's not for you. Unless you also appreciate the goodness of healthy foods. Since you are reading this blog, I am going to assume you do. You also need to love thin crust pizza. Again, I am going to make assumptions since a thick crust is often accompanied by too much cheese and three varieties of mystery meat.

Still here?

Hummus Vegetable Pizza

1 cup hummus (homemade or store-bought)
1 cup creamy Ricotta cheese, divided
1 head broccoli, split into small florets and very lightly steamed
1 red pepper, ribs removed and sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb whole wheat pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
olive oil
flat leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 F and chop the veggies.

Stretch out the pizza dough to completely cover a greased or parchment lined large cookie sheet. (The less you play with the dough, the better the texture will be play. Overworking it will result in a chewy crust.)
Combine 1 cup hummus and 1/3 cup ricotta. Spread evenly over the pizza dough and scatter onion, red pepper and broccoli over top. Sprinkle with salt and a good grind of fresh pepper. Drop the remaining ricotta by the teaspoon over the pizza. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until crust is golden and baked through in the centre.
Garnish with roughly chopped flat leaf parsley and a little drizzle of olive oil.

It's all part of the reno life, I suppose

2011-01-31T12:10:00.005-05:00

Life's full of surprises, isn't it? How surprised this little guy must have been when he found his way into one of our kitchen electrical sockets, never to find his way out again? I certainly was not happy to find him there, but it sure makes for an interesting addition to our kitchen renovations.

A much better addition, in my opinion, is the glass and stone back splash making it's way onto our walls! Every room needs a little sparkle, wouldn't you say?

Interesting also, is cooking in a semi-construction sight. Though it's something I've been getting much better at over the past couple of years. Today I decided it was a good day for a big batch of Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas, since I had leftover slow cooker chicken, loads of Pepper Jack cheese and a jar of all natural salsa. I prefer my cast iron skillet to whip these babies up, as it's toasting abilities are even and quick to achieve.
First, add about 1 tsp olive oil to the pan, heated to just under medium heat. Add a tortilla, spread some shredded cheese over it and dollop with a little salsa. Not too much though, or the end result will be soggy. Continue with pulled chicken and a little more shredded cheese. Add a second tortilla on top, flip the whole thing when golden. Allow the flipped tortilla to brown, remove from pan and continue to make as many quesadillas as needed. Cool, slice and serve.

Simplify

2011-01-29T19:59:00.000-05:00

Time budget, solved!

2011-01-29T16:05:00.006-05:00

Whole chickens go on sale every few weeks around here. I've discovered buying the whole bird not only is better for my wallet, but also for flavour since bones add the best of it. But as days get busier, there is not always time to carefully roast and baste a perfect chick. So if you don't care much for crunchy skin in the first place, here's a great busy-person-friendly version which never lets me down.

Rinse and thoroughly dry a 2 pound chicken. Toss some fresh pepper and kosher salt into the cavity, then stuff it with both sides of a halved lemon, a few garlic cloves also cut in half (don't even waste your time taking the skins off) and a handful of fresh herbs, my favourites are thyme and sage. Place in a slow cooker, season with a little more salt and pepper, close the lid, turn to high, and walk away. Four hours later, when all your running around is done, and you've spent quality time with the kiddies, carefully take this baby out of the slow cooker (it will probably fall apart on you), take it off the bone and serve with a quick baby greens salad. Or, use in tacos, on grilled sandwiches with roasted red pepper and feta, or stir into a creamy sauce for pasta.

If you have a little extra time in the late morning hour (should this chicken be for a 6 o'clock dinner, take the chicken out at about noon), rest the whole bird and lemon on the kitchen counter and allow them to come to room temperature before cooking. This shortens the cooking time, and more moisture is retained. In fact, you should always, with the exception of fish and ground meats, cook any cuts at room temperature. Less time in the oven is a very good thing.

See you in four hours, Mrs. Chicken, when your internal temperature reaches 180 F.

Munchies!

2011-01-28T11:26:00.005-05:00

I struggle with snacks. When I read ingredient lists for packaged snacks, even ones claiming health benefits, I never hesitate to put them back on the grocery store shelf (although I would so love to take over the entire aisle and put an enormous "WARNING - what you are about to indulge in contains harmful substances" banner across it). It saddens me to think about the overwhelming amount of kids growing up on nutrition-void and chemical-pumped foods, and also the parents who don't seem to catch on to the connection between food and behaviour, health and defenseless immune systems.
And while my kids won't yet touch some foods, like goats cheese, I am setting a good example by choosing it over fake cheese spread (you know which one I'm talking about). Creamy brie or sharp cheddar is their first choice, thank goodness.

My sister-in-law, Lauren, and I enjoy long chats about our society's food and therefore health issues, together we dig deeper and try to come up with better solutions for our families. There are plenty out there, let me tell you, and most are much simpler than you'd think. I laughed (and cheered!) as she told me about offering her boys a quick dinner of fast food one busy, busy day (it takes much busyness to get to that point), resulting only in big tears from boys who'd much rather eat their mom's home cooked dinners than a meal in a box. Who says kids need processed chicken to be kids? Allow them to learn about the good stuff, get them involved in cooking, and be surprised with the results. It's simply amazing, and yet makes so much sense.
So try these sweet and salty, nutrition packed nuts... with goats cheese on apple slices at home or pack a yogurt and sprinkle these on if you're on the go, or simply enjoy right out of the jar. I know you, and your offspring, are going to love them.

Maple Glazed Almonds with Sunflower Seeds and Pepitas

1 1/2 cups raw, whole almonds
1/2 cup raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cups raw, unsalted pepitas
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch kosher salt

Place a 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and seeds, pour over the maple syrup, stirring constantly to coat thoroughly. Continue until nuts being to caramelize and become glossy, about 4 - 6 minutes. Quickly add in cinnamon and kosher salt, then remove from heat, and spread on a sheet of parchment paper. Cool and store in an air-tight container.

Progress update

2011-01-24T10:50:00.008-05:00

It's been a week of non-stop construction dust, it seems we have spent many, caring hours on this panelling. (Which still cracks me up.) But I really, really love it! Adding character on a teeny budget, accomplished.

This before shot was taken during the day, the 'in-between', below, (rather) late at night without proper lighting. Stay tuned for official after shots!

In the midst of it all we celebrated Sydney's 7th birthday. My kids are fortunate to have a grandma who makes cakes rather well. As they grow up and out of kid's birthdays, I love knowing they will look back and remember "the cakes that Gram made".

I love you, baby girl!

Loving the everyday

2011-01-20T09:42:00.009-05:00

About a year and half ago, give or take a few weeks, I sat myself down on my big, comfy couch with a cup of hot chocolate and a super cozy blanket, candles flickering in the background, I am sure. I had a decision to make. Have you ever noticed that successful folks seem to be passionate about (mostly) just one thing? And so become really, super good at what they do? Well, I felt torn in two between decorating and cooking. I do love them both equally. Both are creative, fun and a great way to express myself.

In the end, I chose cooking, put my decorating adventures on the back burner and let the pots do do all the talking instead of the walls. The biggest deciding factor being that cooking is an everyday event, I would never get bored, I can start a new "project" with every new dinner and still never ever run out of things to do and learn. Cooking has not let me down. There are days, though, I think I may never eat again since the house smells of food far too much. Weird? I know... but smell seems to satisfy my hunger rather often.

And that is exactly when design and decorating comes back to mind, I simply can not help myself. I'll never stop loving this fun and very much personal expression of personality. The way I see it, you may spend money on golf, I spend my hobby money on creativity. In the end, we are both satisfied.

So the question remains, can I do both? Perhaps I can, since I'll be in the kitchen singing my song around 4pm without a doubt in my mind that food excites and satisfies me. And on those days where leftovers abound, and the pots enjoy a day off, I'll trail off to my next decorating project.

And what better place to get back at'er than the kitchen?

I keep a folder with inspiration photographs, do you? They all seem to go in one direction as of late. I like to call it 'industrial chic'. And so, my bare, boring, once green walls are finally receiving a little more of my character... a perfect balance of old and new. (Is it ironic to update a kitchen with 80's panelling? I think not, when I go back to my inspiration shot, above.)

I feel rather lucky that my love enjoys the process as much as I do.

Still, in the midst of it all, I made this oh-so-yummy Chili and served it with homemade spinach pasta. The photo really does not do it credit. But I suppose we all have our limits?!

TIP: wear plastic gloves when handling hot chili peppers, or wash hands well with soap and water if you do touch the chilies.

Roast Beef Chili serves 4 - 6

3 pounds round beef roast, cubed (pick one with not too much marbelling or connective tissue)

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

olive oil

2 onions, diced

1 large sweet red pepper, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

10 garlic cloves, peeled and halved

2 tbsps tomato paste

1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes

1 tbsp grated unsweetened chocolate

CHILI POWDER:

2 hot red chili peppers, seeded and hand-torn

2 tbsps whole coriander seeds

2 tbsps purchased chili powder

2 tbsp sweet paprika

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp white sugar

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp kosher salt

1 medium size can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

GARNISH:

lime wedges

fresh cilantro leaves

First make your chili powder:

In a dry skillet, toast the hot red chili peppers with the whole coriander seeds over low heat until fragrant, shaking the pan so they don't burn.

Now put these in a blender or coffee bean grinder and pulse until you have a fine powder. Add the remaining chili powder spices, sugar and salt.

Now...

Season the beef cubes with plenty of salt and pepper. Set a large pot over medium - high heat and add about 3 tbsps of olive oil. When the pot and oil is very hot, add the beef and stir until brown.

Mix in the onion, red pepper, jalapeno, and garlic.

Stir in the chili powder you just made.

Add tomato paste and San Marzano tomatoes, crushing tomatoes with the back of wooden spoon.

Now add the chocolate. (Think depth of flavour...mmmmm)

Add enough water to just cover the beef and simmer, UNcovered, until the meat is fork tender and comes apart with no resistance, about 2 hours.

Grab two forks and pull beef cubes apart, as little or as much as you prefer.

Stir in the drained red kidney beans, taste and season with salt and pepper.

Simmer for another 30 minutes, covered if already reduced to a thick consistency, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro leaves.

Serve as is, or over pasta (this cuts the heat for the kiddos), corn bread or just a bunch of shredded cheddar cheese.

First handmade ravioli sneakpeak!

2011-01-12T18:29:00.001-05:00

Sprout passion

2011-01-11T11:26:00.002-05:00

I've been eating these beautiful sandwiches for days now. The sprouts are no longer at their prime but they still satisfy my lunch cravings, beyond what any pb & j could ever achieve. Homemade Italian Multigrain bread is incredibly soft yet full of texture. Spread with spicy Dijon mustard and topped with thin slices of double cream brie (no need for mayo here!), this sandwich welcomes Broccolini sprouts and cherry tomatoes and balances the richness of the cheese with bitter sprouts and spicy mustard perfectly. Who doesn't love a harmonious sandwich! What's your favourite?

Poached Salmon, The next day

2011-01-08T13:26:00.004-05:00

One does not need a recipe for fishcakes. Add flavour with sauteed onions, celery and carrots, perhaps some red pepper too. Add substance with cool mashed potatoes and dry bread crumbs. Bind it all together with an egg or two.

Saute in 2 tbsp each butter and olive oil on medium high heat.

If you've ever made fishcakes with canned salmon, you simply must try it with fresh.

Date night at my house

2011-01-08T09:26:00.006-05:00

I understand it takes a foodie to enjoy the cooking process for a home cooked date, but I've got myself convinced this could be fun for all. Imagine sipping on a beautiful glass of wine, favourite music creating a cozy atmosphere... you chop some veggies, cut herbs from your garden, smelling them with a deep breath before adding to a stock pot... People, it's rejuvenating and satisfying on a whole new level. (Don't forget to send the kids to Grama's though!)

Poached salmon is not visually stunning. It's rather pale and has no caramelization, but cook it perfectly, and you'll have yourself outrageously moist and tender salmon, through and through. (And bonus! Get ready for the most amazing broth for a comforting winter soup the next day.)

Add fresh chopped herbs to organic mashed potatoes (ever get stumped at which potato to use for a perfect mash? Always go yellow!)... it's a Salmon and Potato match made in heaven.
The poaching veggies are super yummy, but you may want to save them for your next day soup endeavours, and instead serve blanched, young asparagus. Either way, it's sure to be tasty!

White Wine Poached Salmon Steak

2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 leek, whites and tender greens sliced
2 stalks celery, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 springs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
about 5 fresh parsley sprigs
1 cup white wine
1 tbsp cider vinegar
fresh ground pepper and salt

2 - 4 salmon steaks

Place everything but the salmon in a large stock pot. Fill the pot half way with cold water, more if needed. Bring to a boil.
Add the salmon steaks, bring it back to a boil then turn the heat down to a low simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and cook 5 more minutes in the residual heat.
Drain the fish (save the stock!), and serve the fish with the veggies and potato mash.

Use leftover salmon and potatoes for delicious fishcakes the next day to go along side the before-mentioned soup, so be sure to make extra!

Pasta makes me happy

2011-01-04T11:31:00.005-05:00

What's that old saying, "A picture says a thousand words"?

Here are four thousand for ya.

In summary, pasta is simplicity and innovation at its best.

PS I love my foodie friends. "Two heads are better than one." Thanks, Wanda-licious, for learning with me (and the great tips)!

It's a Very Merry Christmas Risotto!

2010-12-22T09:18:00.006-05:00

Christmas cards are just one of those things; either I get them out far too early, or, not at all. I only start feeling bad about not sending them out a week before Christmas, when my mailbox is stuffed full with beautiful greetings from my much loved family and friends. This year, my lovelies, there will not be a card from me in your mail box, so I sincerely hope this red and white risotto brings as much cheer or more. Try it - I know you'll love it! And please don't let the long name deter you from cooking risottos - they are much easier than you might imagine. (And who doesn't love a fancy shmancy dinner in about 30 minutes?)

Creamy Asparagus and Sundried Tomato with Asiago Risotto,

topped with Shrimp and Scallop Scampi
Serves 4 - 6

3 + 2 tbsp tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium shallot, finely minced

1 lb Italian Arborio Rice

about 1.5 liters of good quality, low sodium chicken stock

about 1/3 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

a bundle of thin green asparagus, stalky ends removed and chopped into fine discs, leaving tops intact

10 sundried tomatoes in oil, drained, patted dry and diced

For the shrimp:

3 tbsp unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

about 1/2 lb each raw, peeled, deveined shrimp and scallops

juice or half a lemon

Since risottos require constant, gentle stirring, make sure all ingredients are measured out, chopped, ready to go before beginning to cook. Get the chicken stock to a good simmer on a separate burner, leave it on low temperature until it's been used up in the rice.
Now, begin with a large saute pan or stock pot. Melt 3 tbsps butter on medium - low heat, then add the minced shallots and allow to cook until softened. Do not brown.

Add all the rice, stir and cook until the butter has absorbed into the rice.

Using a ladle, scoop one ladleful of the hot broth into your rice, stirring constantly until it's about 95% absorbed, then add your next ladle.

Repeat until the rice is cooked al dente if you like, or creamier if that's more to your taste, adding the chopped asparagus to the hot broth pot about half way through to gently cook it (the risotto should take about 25 minutes from start to finish, so toss the asparagus into the broth at about 15 minutes into cooking). Keep the heat for the rice on low-medium, so the broth doesn't absorb too quickly, other wise you'll end up with a gluey, yet still yummy, mess.

Side note: you may not use all the broth, at about 20 minutes into cooking, start tasting the rice to check for doneness. Check every couple minutes after that.

When the rice is done to your liking, remove it from the heat, and add in the chopped sundried tomatoes, 2 tbsp butter and shredded asiago.

For the Shrimp Scampi:

Rinse and pat the seafood nice and dry. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, take out a second saute pan, heat 3 tbsp of butter on med - high, then add the garlic, saute for about 30 seconds. Quickly add your shrimp and/or scallops, cook just until the color changes to pink (please don't over cook!). Add the fresh lemon juice, and you are done.

To plate the risotto, spoon rice into a deep plate, drizzle with a little olive oil, and top with shrimp and scallops. Have additional asiago available at the table for the cheese lovers in your family.

Wine suggestion: Jackson Triggs Riesling

Caramels for all!

2010-11-27T17:50:00.003-05:00

I won't lie to you - these little guys are time consuming, somewhat finicky, and will make a huge mess of your kitchen.

But aren't they fun?

As many of us have, I've been a part of many, many bake sales. They are, after all, great fundraisers and, I think, every one's a winner - baker and buyer. I have, however, grown tired of baking the same old thing, over and over, so I thought I'd change things up this year. I love it don't you? (But I my feet are exhausted, having added a good 10 dozen other - same old, same old - cookies to my bake sale contribution anyhow.)

I think these Caramels would make pretty fun favours for dinner parties or birthday gatherings, too.

Start by unwrapping store bought caramels, and poking them with a flat tooth pick each. Next, grab a few small bowls for sprinkles, coconut, toffee bits, or even crushed pistachios. Now you are ready to melt dark and white chocolate over a double boiler, being careful not to end up with any water drops or steam in the chocolate. I use bulk melting chocolate, it's cheap but doesn't taste cheap. Carefully twirl one caramel at a time in the chocolate, then dip into sprinkles, and onto a parchment paper lined cookie tray they go. Continue until all caramels look stunning, allow to dry for about an hour, then, using a spoon, hit it with some contrasting chocolate for fun detail.

Easy as 1 - 2 - 3. But give yourself at least 2 hours. Especially if you insist on pretty wrapping them with ribbons, like I did.

Deliciousness and a little game of "Where's Waldo"

2010-11-20T19:41:00.004-05:00

My Thursday turned out to be a fun day. Even with my strong disappointment in the Canadian public, and for the first time perhaps ever, possibly also a little embarrassment, too. Then again, maybe that's meant for a certain someone named Jamie Oliver, too. I've seen enough of him on my Telly to know he's a pretty chilled out guy, but Thursday, well...

Sadly, I did walk away from spending two hours in the same room as Mr. Oliver wondering. I'm not sure what I was wondering, but I am pretty sure the evening could have been much better. Should I point fingers at an audience that asked insanely stupid questions, like - "How do you do your hair, Jamie?" Or at a host that seemingly had not much more planned for the evening than to answer question after question from an audience more interested in his looks than his cooks. (I really should stop rhyming!)

Okay, okay... so it was really super cool to see him live... stupidity and all, Thursday will still be a day I'll always remember. And most importantly Jamie did kick me into cooking mode again, with a perfectly cooked steak which even I could smell and drool over far, far away from the stage, spanked with rosemary (yes, that would be spanked - ask me later) and tossed in fresh herbs and the ever important olive oil.

No later than Friday did I crack open a nice bottle of red, and before you could sing the Mary Poppins theme song, I had a gorgeous stew simmering away. So Jamie, you still rock. Everyone has off days, I suppose you can, too.

I am sure you've guessed it by now, there is no photo in my possession of Jamie and me, just a few fuzzy 'pics', this one being the best. (Isn't that sad?)

Red Wine Beef Stew with Potatoes & Rosemary

Adapted from Dave Lieberman

Serves 6

2 pounds beef chuck, 1-inch cubes

3 tbsp butter

4 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 small onions, diced

2 tbsp all purpose flour

2 cups white mushrooms

900 ml low sodium beef broth

2 cups red wine

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes

1 6-inch sprig of fresh rosemary

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled, 1-inch chunks

2 handfuls green and/or yellow beans, ends trimmed

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Season the beef lightly with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a large, heavy pot over high heat. As soon as the butter starts to brown, add half the beef. Brown beef on all sides then remove from pot to a bowl. Add 1 tbsp of butter and brown remaining beef. Remove from pot also.

Toss carrots and onions into the pot, adjust the heat to medium. Cook until the onions start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and stir until it has been worked into the veggies and you can't see it anymore.

Now add the beef broth, red wine, crushed tomatoes and toss in whole mushrooms and sprig of rosemary. Stir the beef back into the pot and bring to a boil.

Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 50 minutes. Stir occasionally.

After 50 minutes, add the potatoes and simmer another 45 minutes, stirring once in a while.

Lastly, add the beans and allow them to heat through.

Serve with fresh parsley.

Mood Swing

2010-11-16T17:47:00.008-05:00

I'm so very much in the mood lately.

Oh, don't even go there... THAT's not what I'm talking about.

No, every year the Christmas Season seemingly brings out a pregnancy like nesting in me. It's unstoppable. I don't hire designers, or shop at expensive stores. I diy. Do you?

This year things heated up in the bedroom first. NO, don't go THERE again!

After 10 years of hoping to buy that super awesome, solid wood bed I've had my eyes on, I finally gave in and went to IKEA. Why do I even hesitate. They should call the place MONEA. $15 for a wood closet door, a few flush mount brackets and a coordinating white bed skirt later, my husband and I could finally enjoy a proper looking bed. (I know you're smirking.)

Phase #2:
I thought it might be nice for the grown-ups to open stockings this Christmas, too.
So I started with a simple free online pattern, made it my own and went to town on a useless, over sized, heavy white quilt. I made five stockings, since my doggy has stolen a piece of my heart, and I'm pretty sure I'm not getting it back.

Next: Diy doesn't get much simpler than this, and yet I adore the results. Flip a poster in your largest frame so the back of the poster is now in the front. Separately print each desired letter on your home printer, and with as little glue as possible, center and evenly glue them on. Put the frame back together and think, "I could've spent $20 on that, but I didn't. Nice."
Decorating ideas stolen from friends I think pays them homage. Right? Well, I am guilty many times over (although this NOEL is all mine) and at Christmas, these cranberries in water with floating candles is my favourite bounty. It's also very budget friendly, coming in under $5. Changing the water once a week allows these babies to float and shine for many weeks. So start decorating early, November 1st sounds just about right to me.
I've also painted an old black and silver mirror white (white paint is the diy'ers best friend, FYI), and am currently working on transforming old beige curtains into a fun, yet sophisticated Advent Calendar. I am so over bad chocolate first thing in the morning.

And so we come to food. I've not challenged myself as of late. I do need to get back at it. But I do love some good staples, and I'll never tire of this Spicy Roast Chicken, out-of-this-world tender and succulent. A proper homemade gravy is irreplaceable, too. From scratch olive oil, s & p fries are delish along side tender baby greens with my Citrus Honey Vinaigrette. I could eat this every day. (All recipes on this blog.)

Fancy frugality

2010-11-02T18:36:00.005-04:00

I am learning some new things these days. After 8 years far from the world of pay cheques and scheduled hours, and instead being my very own boss (ha ha, you know as well as me the kids have taken over!) I have returned and am discovering juggling schedules and priorities once again. Nope, I haven't made bread on a regular basis. Yup, there's packaged pizza in my freezer. And yes, I only work part time. Still, things have shifted, but, I am feeling refreshed and renewed with a new sense of purpose and/or responsibility.

Some things have not changed, however - some things never will. For one, budgeting food expenses. I'm convinced even the super wealthy have some sort of a food budget! And, I still very much enjoy taking budget meals and presenting them fanciful, even with time constraints and slow cookers doing part of my work. The kids are catching on to this idea, too, and are much more interested in dinner lately. "Make sure my potatoes are square, too, Mom!"

Is it as exciting to you as it is to me when "clean out the fridge and use up all the left over bits and pieces" dinners turn out super yummy? Certainly a slow cooker hides many flaws, and with a little plating ingenuity, meals from them can look more than one coloured slop. (Please do take a moment to feel inspired, to put away frustrations, and to get excited about your budget foods!)

So what's in this? And what do I call it? How about Upside Down Shepherd's Pie. If you ask my opinion, this version is much more pleasing to the eye than vice versa.

Towards the end of my grocery week, my choices become slim, and since I do not waste, I use up. I had -

1 onion
2 celery sticks
4 carrots
3 green onions
5 slices Prosciutto
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup red wine

To this I added some fresh things -

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
fresh ground pepper
kosher salt

I first browned the beef with the vegetables, as sauteing adds incredible flavour a slow cooker alone can not achieve. I then added the remaining bits and pieces, threw it all in the cooker, set it on low and walked away. What I do love about cooking this way, is how the aromas start filling the house a few hours in to it. Unfortunately, this also leaves me hungry hours before the dinner table is set.

I love fluffy mashed potatoes, and so, rather than adding them raw into the crock with everything else, I find it very well worth my time to cook these stove top. This extra step also ensures a beautiful jus-like gravy, as the potatoes did not get the chance to soak up those scrumptious liquids. I search my kitchen for an ingenious way to plate the mash, and discover part of my Spaetzle maker works amazingly well. A little fresh parsley, which is still growing like mad in my garden even though it's rather frosty in beautiful Canada these days, chopped and sprinkled adds a little texture and a whole lot of fresh. Seconds, anyone?

Citrus Honey Vinaigrette

2010-10-26T20:01:00.007-04:00

We've all done it...

Called recipes our own, when in reality, they've probably either been passed down to us by a loving grandmother, or a google search proved successful, perhaps a favourite TV chef taught us something or other new.

So where do we draw the line in the sand, I mean in our own recipe collection, which will hopefully one day, be passed down to the next generation, only for them to claim it as their very own. I say, change a recipe enough, even if it's still similar to the first, you can call it your own. The fine print is up to you.

And yet, I still want to give credit for my absolute favourite vinaigrette to the very inspiring Martha Stewart, who, in the TV world anyway, is what we as domestic goddesses strive to be - perfection in the kitchen and garden, while gift giving, decorating and knitting. (If only we all had a crew of professionals having our backs to make us so very perfect. Except for the jail thing, of coarse.)

Moni's Citrus Honey Vinaigrette
Serves 6 - 8
Inspired by Martha, changed significantly to call it my own

Juice of one large lemon
2 tbsp creamed honey
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp finely minced shallot
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Vigorously whisk together everything but the olive oil. Once the honey has dissolved, slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Store left overs in the fridge. Olive oil will harden when cooled, simply bring back to room temperature and whisk again.

Perfect Fall Bread

2010-10-11T14:33:00.009-04:00

This month Canadian TV celebrates 10 years of Food TV. I think that's quite spectacular, considering less and less people are spending time in their kitchens these days. A short news article had a great explanation for this oddity, stating: ingrained in human nature is a need or instinct to gather around food and be with our circle of friends and, of course, family. Since this is happening less and less, we watch more and more Food TV, which tricks the psyche into having such a need fulfilled. Make sense? I think so. Huh.

My husband won't agree with me, but I don't consider myself to be a great cook. I just love to do it, and so I keep on trying. What makes me smile the most though, even more so than cooking a meal for others, is inspiring people to get their own aprons on and kitchens dirty. And to me there is nothing more down to earth than baking amazing bread, filling the house with that unmistakable aroma, and enjoying simplicity at it's finest.

Now don't get me wrong, I watch a ton of Food TV. Learning while watching TV seems more justifiable, right? Anyway, I've been super inspired to take common foods and adding my own twist. So here's a bread I came up with - I think it's perfect for Thanksgiving. The rustic texture plays well with tart Cranberries. And I adore the leaf design, too.

Rustic Rye, Caraway and Cranberry Bread

Makes 2 loaves

2 1/2 cups white bread flour

1 1/2 cups dark rye flour

2 tsp fine grain salt

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

12 fluid ounces warm water

1 cup dried cranberries

1 tsp caraway seeds

Dissolve yeast in the warm water, this takes about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine flours with salt. Once the yeast is ready, add the water mixture to the bowl.

Using your hands, combine until it comes together in a ball, then turn out onto counter top and knead for about 10 minutes.

Fold in the cranberries and caraway seeds.

Shape into a ball and place back in the bowl, cover with a lint free dish towel and set in a warm place (24 C) for one hour.

After the first rise, divide the dough into two, and shape each into a ball. Cover with the dishtowel, and rest for 10 minutes.

Now gently shape each into a 20cm (8 inch) log, dust with flour, place on a cookie sheet (with parchment paper) or baking stone, cover with the dishtowel and rise again, for one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F (180 C).

To make the leaf design, use a sharp knife to gently cut one long slit down the center and about 5 on each side. Do this gently, without deflating the bread.

Bake in the preheat oven for about 35 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when knocking on the bottom of the bread.

If you want a crunchier crust, spray the inside of the oven 2 or 3 times with a water bottle just before placing the bread in it for baking.

The new. The old. The pretty. Pretty creative!

2010-10-10T14:42:00.005-04:00

I had this funny idea the other day which involved me dusting off my hand-me-down sowing machine, and giving it a well deserved second chance. It's been about 6 years since I've touched that thing, and sadly, there are more memories of frustration than fabulous. But some craft bug bit me and I gave in.

From experience I know now more than ever, that one's things certain - Where there is nothing ventured, nothing is gained. Perfection need not be attained, success may not come over night, but I suddenly feel more domesticated than I did two weeks ago and I want more of that! I do find myself rather surprised at being able to do more than I ever would allow myself if I still feared failure like I did once not so long ago. So get out there, do something... start with one step, then add the next... you just never know where it may lead.

With that I want to say, Happy Thanksgiving... or rather Happy giving thanks... Since it's not just about the turkey and an amazing nap which inevitably follows, but about truly taking time to appreciate, to stand in awe of life, to smile with gratitude just because you can.
Here are a few things I am thankful for this year:

Alone time. And writing. I love that I found writing.

Together time. I have an amazing family, and so many super duper friends.

Walks with my dog. If you've never tried it, you really should.

Clearance racks. Any store, any time. And ikea. Even though I wish I could get away from that place, it's easier to just go back.

My new job, which allows me to work while the girls are at school, and only then, with plenty of time left over for my real life: domestic bliss.

My camera. And photoshop. And a husband that can teach me how to use photoshop to rescue my picture taking abilities.

The unconditional love for and from my kids. As you may know, we all have bad days once in a while. Yet they still keep coming back for more lovin. I suppose that also goes for the love of my life, Paul!

Canada. What a beautiful home we have. And to think we celebrate Thanksgiving at the right time, shortly after harvest and while Fall colours are at their prime! (a-hem)

Road trips. Especially spontaneous ones.

Dinosaurs. Because they make my sweet Sydney so happy.

Music. Especially when Hannah sings to it. Wow, that takes me over the moon.

Hair straighteners. These make me happy.

My parents, who embark on a long cross continental trip to visit with us every year.

Toothpaste. I'll forever be thankful for toothpaste. If you ever feel like you have nothing to be thankful for, start there.

My security in God. There's just something very freeing about that.

Felt. For making me feel like I can sew. Even if my oh-so-hip Hannah Banana hands me Sewing for Dummies.

Apples, apples everywhere!

2010-10-02T15:49:00.004-04:00

I hardly ever cook breakfast. I don't really know why, but I just prefer to pour a bowl of cereal for my clan instead. The odd Saturday, however, when we sleep in a little, and awake during Brunch hour, I brew a nice pot of coffee and break out the pots and pans.

Apple Crisp Porridge
Serves 4

2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 large Royal Gala Apples, peeled, quartered, cored and sliced
1/4 dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups filtered water
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
good pinch of salt

Melt butter in a saucepan at medium heat. When frothy, add the apples, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring often, uncovered, for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until apples are soft and sugar has become sticky.

Meanwhile, combine oats, milk, water, 1 tbsp brown sugar and salt in a separate saucepan. Cook over low - medium heat until oats are soft, about 5 - 10 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning.

To serve, spoon porridge into 4 bowls and scoop apples over. Garnish with cream, and a variety of nuts and seeds for crunch.

~ Making Pasta ~ with Nonna

2010-10-01T09:47:00.005-04:00

There are a few things quite evident when cooking with a real Italian Nonna.

I am much taller than I remembered.

Kitchens don't need to be fancy to make the best of the best.

You pick up the Italian language on the fly. I may never call farina flour again, and possibly add an 'a' to the end of many English words. "Farina, it's'a' tha name of the game'a'!"

Oh, it's good to giggle like a school girl again. And french braid my hair!

After a quick coffee and a variety of homemade cookies, Nonna handed me a bandanna and an apron, which felt to me like the best "Welcome to my kitchen, let's cook!" I have ever experienced.

There is no recipe, four hands stepping in as our most valued tools. I feel at home, so very much at home! Out comes the farina, a dozen eggs, a little olive oil and a hand measured tablespoon of salt. Surprisingly, pasta dough needs a lot less attention than bread dough. And just a short while of kneading later, we are ready for the pasta machine. Here again, it's mostly a thing of touch and feel. Give me one of those new cell phones or a TV with far too many options, I am utterly lost. Farina.. it's catchy, isn't it?... I get it. We are friends. I love my hands more than ever, too, even if they aren't super girly and slender. These are working hands and I plan on putting them to good use.

We get a system going, Nonna and I. Before you know it two hours are up, and we've made gorgeous Fettuccine and a big batch of Spaghettini, too. Nonna tells me I am a fast learner. I tell myself she must be telling the truth, an Italian grandma would never tell a lie. I have visions of turning my kitchen into pasta heaven, I think primarily of Ravioli, filled with beautiful things like ricotta, squash and mushrooms. I dream of inviting friends over for a glass of wine and a rustic bowl of egg pasta, swirled with the most amazing cream sauce. Life is beautiful, my friends. A certain beauty no one needs to miss out on.

Of course there's no better way to finish up an Italian morning than with a slice of pizza for lunch, a glass of red wine with one gorgeous ice cube cooling it down to the perfect temperature (hey, when Nonna offers, I don't refuse - she was proud of the ice cube, and I was happy to try something new).

Thank you, Nonna. You've allowed one of my dreams to come true. I hope to cook for you one day and potentially impress you, too. I promise to pass this knowledge on to my girls, and they are going to promise me to pass it on to their kids, I'll make sure of it. You can't put a price tag on something like this!

Photo credits belong to my good friend, Erin, who is also Nonna's real grandchild and super talented, wouldn't you say?

Bitter Sweet

2010-09-29T12:38:00.004-04:00

I dis-like goodbyes. I tend to cry like a baby, my eyes turn red for an hour, and I feel a little empty inside. One of my kids inherited this unavoidable tendency to cry, while my husband and youngest manage to stay composed, since they seem to know that goodbyes are not forever, they are simply see-you-laters. Oh how I've tried to keep my cheeks dry, my eyes white, my dignity in tact. I think cold, heartless thoughts. I pretend we are driving to the zoo, not the airport. I plan for the future, when we'll reunite.

Nothing. Nope, nothing seems to help. On the contrary, holding those crocodiles in just makes them burst like Niagara Falls. So today, when I drop my parents off to catch their plane back to my childhood home, far far away, I am not holding back. I am going to let myself feel what needs to be felt, I am sure it's better that way, anyway.

Saying goodbye to Summer can be bitter sweet, too. At least one thing's guaranteed, it'll be back in about eight or nine months. For kitchen people like me, there is something super special and unique about transitioning from hot days to cool ones, as we continue to enjoy the fruits of Summer's bounty, but crave the comfort of warmed bellies.

So here's a little twist on Zucchini Bread. When I take that first bite, I am reminded of the sweetness of Summer yet enjoy the comfort of Fall, and my tears are no where to be seen.

Spiced Zucchini with Apricot Bread

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
1 cup shredded zucchini
3/4 cup diced, dried apricots
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 ground cloves
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk for a minute or two, then add the vanilla and eggs. Stir in zucchini and apricots.
In a separate bowl, sift together salt, baking soda, baking powder, spices and flour.
Using a small spatula, pour the dry ingredients into the large bowl, then gently stir only just until combined. The more you stir, the denser the bread becomes.
Grease a loaf pan, fill with batter.
Bake in the 350 F oven for one hour.

Standing ovation

2010-09-17T17:22:00.007-04:00

Hello. It's been a while. It's been busy. I suppose that's life!

We've officially said good-bye to Summer, and I am OK with that, as you know, I celebrate these kind of things. I feel a bit like an empty Nester, as both kids are off to full day school. Yet still, days are full of to-do lists... The next time you, the homemaker, are drilled with what it is you fill your day with, just give your opponent a disapproving look. These people have no clue. Which makes me think, we have holidays for just about everything, and yes, that includes Mothers Day, but I personally believe there should be a day that celebrates the HOMEMAKER. Western society has lost appreciation for it. Working mothers get their applause for doing it all... I think us homemakers should get a standing ovation, for doing it all on a teeny tiny budget, for tidy homes, beautiful dinners, happy kids, I mean everything. Who's with me here?

Of course the perfect homemaker is also the perfect host. Ever ready to welcome, feed and send guests off with plenty to talk about. And since you are perfect, you always have a lush supply of crunchy vegetables in your kitchen. (Right?!) So keep a few more things kicking around, and you'll have yourself the perfect hummus to match.

Smokey Hummus
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 - 2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp kosher salt
one 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 tbsp sesame tahini
1 lemon, for juicing
3 - 4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp Spanish paprika
several dashes of hot sauce - you decide how much

Place the garlic and salt in a food processor or blender. Process until coarsely chopped.
Add everything else, and process until smooth.
Check seasoning, adding more salt, lemon juice or hot sauce as desired.
Process until very smooth.

Sprinkle with a little paprika and a dash of olive oil, serve at room temperature.
Can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Picky eater

2010-08-31T22:01:00.005-04:00

When you've had a crazy day, when you've been to ten stores and still can't find sneakers for your kids' first day back to school, and when these same kids somehow - really, it's beyond me - picked a rather large tear into a second leather dining chair, and the doors you've painted twice need an unfortunate third coat, I'd say it's a good time to recharge with a plate of homemade food.

Funny thing, the other day I made meatballs and decided to use up a gravy powder mix uselessly sitting around my spice rack, to accompany these little organic meaty morsels. One by one we took our first bites. We went back for a second. We couldn't place it right away... it just tasted so, fake. Needless to say, I threw out the rest of that powdery yuck, and will stick to homemade. Always. Period.

Who needs packaged food when basic steak, grilled chicken, or even sausage can be enjoyed with super fast, amazingly scrumptious mushrooms. Don't even try to make these low fat, diet, or whatever makes you feel good about eating. Packaged food is far worse nutrition than a little bacon fat.

Bacon Mushroom Saute

1 lb Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
8 slices Bacon, roughly chopped
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Chives

Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium - high heat. Add the chopped bacon, saute until about half cooked.
Add the finely chopped onions, continue to cook on medium - high heat, stirring, until bacon is crisp and onions soft.
Toss in the sliced mushrooms. Give it a good stir, cook until the mushrooms are nicely browned. Remove from heat.
Stir in the chopped chives. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.

Now, enjoy!

Sometimes I crack myself up. But only sometimes.

2010-08-23T19:12:00.005-04:00

My kitchen's a mess from cooking all day. I'm wearing my favourite blue jeans. The Summer air is crisp, and I've baked bread today. This home cook is as happy as can be! Certainly it's not just me who gets excited about these things?

When asked which season I enjoy the most, I never quite get my answer right. Is it Summer? I suppose it was, as a child, since school was out and we lived in our bathing suits. Or is it Spring? Where everything dead comes alive, and those first Spring flowers bloom in full color. Or perhaps Fall...

Today I will answer, because today I can!
My most favourite Season is no season at all...
I'm lucky as can be, it comes four times a year.
It's the change of Season I love.
Especially when celebrated with a beer.

All right, so I am not much of a poet! But who says I can't try?

Pimped up Garlic Bread
Serves 6

1 large loaf Italian style bread (or homemade french bread, shaped as a letter, like mine today - these things happen when one loves to cook), halved lengthwise
8 - 10 garlic cloves, uniform size, skins left on
6 tbsp unsalted Butter, softened
2 tbsp finely grated fresh Parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
ground black pepper
1 tbsp each fresh basil and chives, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp each fresh thyme and oregano, freshly chopped

Preheat oven to 500 F.
Toast garlic cloves in a dry skillet, shaking pan occasionally, until fragrant and color of cloves deepens slightly, about 8 minutes. Remove from skillet. When cool enough to handle, peel and mince the garlic.
Using a dinner fork, mash garlic and remaining ingredients into butter until thoroughly combined.
Spread cut sides of loaf evenly with garlic butter, transfer to cookie sheet and bake on middle oven rack for 5 - 8 minutes, until golden brown and toasted. Cut each into 2 inch slices, serve immediately.

I like it.

2010-08-20T19:25:00.003-04:00

You want to know something? I am not a big fan of cooked zucchini. Unless it's one of those huge homegrown zucchinis, marinated and tossed on the grill.

Nope, I like my zucchini in the raw. Simply cut into ribbons, and dressed with a light vinaigrette.

(These European style peelers easily replace the use of a mandolin, by the way. And for the $5 price tag, I think every kitchen should have one.)

Life's next steps

2010-08-10T10:36:00.006-04:00

All too often as I pull the covers over my head at night and tuck myself in rather tightly, my mind decides to wake up and wander to all sorts of new, clear thoughts. This must be one of those mommy symptoms, since during a busy mommy day our minds belong to a variety of other places. My husband and I connect at least once or twice during a typical weekday of work, cleaning, and kids. He will often ask me what the plan is for the day, and I find myself scrambling for an exciting, busy sounding answer, because my day, after all, is exciting and busy. There's never a dull moment, that's for sure! But still my answer is the same, day after day - There's cleaning to do, kids to nurture, guide, and feed, the dog needs my attention, the yard can use a weeding, and the days ahead are to be planned. And so, my answer is, "Well, the usual!" Whilst I sometimes question myself, am I doing all I can do? Here comes mommy symptom number, hhm, well, who knows... there's just too many - Doing ten things at once, which we could probably do with our eyes closed and more often than not, don't put enough value on each individual task. To bring things into perspective, I allow myself to imagine what life would look and be like if I stopped doing what I do for a few days. Can you imagine? It takes a village to replace a mother's work.

But let me take you back to that special moment of tranquility, a moment we can't quite comprehend as wonderful while we are, ourselves, children - bedtime. For some it may be the morning shower, or perhaps reading a newspaper on the, um, you know what. For me, this is place is my bed. I am sure my plain white bedsheets, pillow cases and shams came out of a need for peace and serenity after a busy day of primary colors, excitement and chores. So as I lay there last night, listening to the crickets enjoying our grass grown too long, I decided I would embark on a journey I have long dreamed about. I want to write a book. And while it's not common for me to share intimate desires as this, for me, a closet dreamer, I have come to realize that while sometimes critics can bring about a sense of vulnerability, others can bring support and added insight.

My first book thoughts came to me, at bedtime even then, child-less and a young 16, at night when all was quiet. My point of view has changed over the years, from writing a cookbook to inspire College students to eat more than Twinkies and Kraft Dinner, to wishing I was a gourmet chef and coming up with all sorts of new concoctions, all the way to realizing how much I love Reality Reading, much like Reality TV, but without the commercials and fake spins that sell shows to more viewers. The problem with Closet Dreamers is that we don't allow ourselves to value our dreams much, we don't share them because we fear they lack importance. But if there is one thing I have learned from surfacing my thoughts, ideas and flops on this simple blog, it's that everyone has something they can do, something they can share, someone they can reach. And usually it's the smallest things that make the biggest impact.

I'm not sure how much I want to share about the actual premise of the book, however one thing's for sure, it will be that of a life's journey, one of taking little steps and following through with plans. It will involve my many, little passions - food, fun, family, and the environment.

Until then, you'll find me right here, photographing and blogging, and hopefully not stepping on anybody's toes.

Sugar and Spice

2010-08-09T17:24:00.004-04:00

There certainly is a limit to my homemaking aspirations, for example I would never bother with brewing my own beer or making Cheddar Cheese, but spice blends, although conveniently pre-jarred, are probably much better homeade, with a little added personal touch.

It's a rainy day today, a beautiful warm rain, plumping up dull brown grass and saving me a little herb garden watering time. And so, after many weeks of salads, barbecues and other low heat emitting food preparations, my girls asked for a big pot of Chili for our family dinner. I was happy to be able to oblige, as Chili is easily made with common pantry items. But this happened to turn into the perfect homemade spice blend opportunity, as no Chili Powder was to be found amongst my spice rack.

A little googling later, I discovered just how easy this task would be:
Using a coffee grinder, I zapped a few small red chili's into fine powder, then added equal amounts of dried oregano, cumin powder, coriander seeds and paprika. (About 1/8 cup each.) These are, I am sure, entry level Chili spice blend making skills... but my Chili is smelling pretty tasty as it simmers away in the kitchen.

I am left wondering if toasting the spices before cooking would bring out the flavour even more. Or what those secret ingredients are master barbecuers win competitions with. If you'd like to share your wisdom, I would love to hear from ya!

Flip and Tumble

2010-08-09T09:56:00.007-04:00

For the past year or two, I have been using cloth shopping bags to transport my groceries from supermarket, farmer's market or fresh fruit stand, to home. The sheer amount of garbage that is not in our landfills, lakes and on city sidewalks is enormous. Too often we shy away from doing our small part since it's just too hard to see the overall picture. But cut out plastic bags and plastic water bottles, and it's not hard to miss how much we are doing. Imagine 50 years from now, the mountains of plastic that could either be in our landfills, or not. Reusable shopping bags make it easy on us to do our part. However, one thing that has bothered me, a veggie loving, fresh food preferring consumer, is the 10 clear produce bags that keep showing up in my shopping cart, week after week. Has this dilemma ever crossed your mind? Well, do I have a treat for you!

They are called Flip & Tumble Reusable Produce Bags. Each holds up to 8 pounds of produce and has a drawstring closure. The mesh bags allow for easy scanning at the store and washing at home, right in the bag! And at just $10.95 for 5 bags, it's affordable and I think, the next step in eco-friendly grocery shopping.

Interested? Order yours here: http://www.reuseit.com/

PS: It's a good idea to throw all fabric grocery bags in the wash from time to time. Juices from meats can leak and contaminate whatever goes into the bag next time you are out shopping.

Yes, Sir!

2010-08-04T17:39:00.005-04:00

When Bobby Flay talks Burgers, we listen. We do as he says. And we throw out our idea of what a good homemade burger patty should be. What I am talking about is all that extra stuff we mix and over mix into our ground chuck to"hold everything together and build flavour". Things like eggs, breadcrumbs and onions. Forget them, leave them behind. It's about to get much simpler. And oh so much tastier.

Since burgers a la Bobby is a super fast operation, you'll want to heat the BBQ to high before getting to the meat so it's good and ready when you are.

If your ground beef is packaged like mine, it will look a little like a flat, rectangle brick. Using a knife, cut/divide this meat into four even portions, right there, in the package (after removing any wrapping, of course). Gently shape each portion into a 3/4 inch thick patty. Do not overwork the meat, don't squeeze it, don't compress more than you need to. Nobody likes a dry burger. Now make an impression in the middle of each patty. This prevents it from puffing up and looking more like a flying saucer than a burger.

The patties are just about done - a little seasoning of coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on all sides, plus a little swipe of grape seed oil over everything, and we are ready for the BBQ.

Gently place the patties onto the grill, cook for about 5 minutes on each side for well done. Flip once only half way through, and never ever press down on them. Nobody likes a dry burger. At roughly minute number 9, place cheese of your choice on the patties, and close the BBQ for just a quick minute to melt it. I like to toast the buns at the same time I am melting cheese. After about a minute, remove the buns, place your patties on the bun bottoms and slather with toppings. This is where you want to build flavour. Think outside the patty, not in.

For this Cheyenne Burger I used Old Cheddar, Barbecue sauce, French Fried Onions and fresh chopped Parsley.

Now that's what I call a good burger.

By the way, I've made a rather interesting discovery: Grass-fed organic ground beef hardly shrinks during the cooking process. Meaning you'll have more on your plate, and less in the barbecue drip pan. Besides, it's so much better for you, and the animal.

What, it's dinner time again?!

2010-07-31T19:03:00.004-04:00

Um, good-bye July? Seriously?

I won't say it, I promise...

...OK, so maybe I will. Time flies. There, I said it. It's annoying, I know, everyone says it, too much. But for some reason Summer seems to be winding down, and this brings with it the likeness of a close friends' good-bye. Sure, if we use our time wisely, and fill it with great things, however small they may be, I think we live as though on a surf board, gliding through life with it's ups and downs at a tremendous speed, never stopping to look back with regret. Summer always goes by too fast, which is why I might slap you if I ever catch you complaining about it being too hot. Since now you see it, then suddenly, you don't. Of course, it's rather comforting to know Fall is next in line, like a big warm chunky knit blanket wrapped around us, telling us, don't worry - Summer will be back in a few months.

We didn't have much planned this season, there's family in town, friends to catch up with and our kids needed to be given the time and motivation to finally master swimming and riding their bikes. Those were our goals for this year, may I say simple, yet I love the idea of slowing down and taking time for small details as though they were hugely important to the overall scheme of life. And I suppose they are.

And as time flies by, so does dinner time. Here's one of my favourites:

Beef Enchiladas

1 lb extra lean, grass-fed organic ground beef
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped red peppers
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded if desired, chopped
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
2 cups tomato salsa
1 (19 fl oz/540 mL) can black beans, drained
1/2 cup old Cheddar
1/2 cup Mozzarella
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
8 - 10 flour tortillas, about 7 inches in diameter

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Heat a large skillet to medium, add beef, all peppers and salt to taste. Cook until meat has browned. Add 1 cup salsa and the drained beans; simmer 3 - 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup cheddar, 1/4 cup mozzarella and all but 3 tablespoons of the chopped cilantro.
Spread 1/4 cup of salsa onto the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.
Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each tortilla with olive oil, stack on a plate, then cover with a dish towel and microwave about 25 seconds, or until just warm.
Immediately spoon 1/2 cup meat and bean filling down the center of each tortilla, roll up tightly and place in the prepared baking dish, seam side down. Repeat to fill all tortillas, laying them single file. If you have extra filling, spoon this on top of the tortillas with the remaining 3/4 cup salsa.
Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake covered for 20 minutes.
Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cheeses and bake additional 2 - 3 minutes.
Top with 2 -3 tbsp chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

Itty bitty

2010-07-22T17:20:00.003-04:00

We pack snacks and drinks. We make sure they are healthy, not messy and, hopefully, will keep bellies full for at least a little while. We are moms, and we panic when it comes to preparing snacks! (Or school lunches, for that matter.)

Here's an itty bitty look into what my kids get served on day trips: Cheese Quesadillas. Not only can I make a large amount of these in a very short time, they also travel well and are a completely balanced meal. Especially if you bring home made salsa. But that takes time, and since this is all about getting out the door quickly, I keep a bulk jug of good quality salsa in my fridge, most of the time.

To make:
Place a tortilla wrap in a dry saute pan, medium - low heat. Sprinkle desired amount of shredded cheese to cover, then place second tortilla wrap to cover. Heat for a couple of minutes, then flip to heat other side. Remove from pan and cool on a cookie rack. Repeat to make enough for all the kids, their friends, and possibly the parents too. Slice quesadillas in half, then into thirds. Divide into baggies when completely cooled. Portion salsa into small plastic containers, and you're off to the races.

OK, I know these wraps are super simple and most certainly not revolutionary, but it's these little things that make life just that itty bitty more enjoyable.

You're welcome.

Beefy, sloppy, goooooood

2010-07-20T18:13:00.006-04:00

If you are on a diet, I strongly suggest you do not read on. Go to your favourites and find a different site. Don't think about juicy, tasty food. Or better yet, turn off your computer. It's for your own good. Now, for the rest of us that have noticed eating home made food, which is not always low in fat, carbs, or whatever the latest trend might be, is oddly enough healthier and lower in calories, chemicals, and sweat due to teenage "cooks" preparing our take out... drool on, um, I mean, stay with me.

Hi! I'm glad you're still here. Since I am about to share with you this yummy in your tummy, super fast, husband pleasing meaty sandwich you're sure to make again and again.

For an added bonus, I've got a beer pairing tip: Rickard's Dark ale is rich, satisfying and perfect with zippy beef and onions. I've only recently discovered the vast world, or dare I say culture, of beer pairing. Until now I left that to wine and somewhat sophisticated dinners. I have news! Beer is not just a drinkers brew, for unruly college students or folks living a few miles outside of the nearest town. It's all grown up, just like you and me.

Caramelized Onion and Beef Sloppy Sandwich
Inspired by Ree Drummond

2 medium white onions
1 tbsp brown sugar
hot sauce, to taste
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
fresh ground pepper
salt, to taste
1/2 tbsp thyme
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 whole sausage buns
mozzarella cheese
butter

Peel, halve and slice onions. Heat a saute pan to medium-high heat, add about 2 tbsp butter, then onions, brown sugar and a few splashes of hot sauce. Cook onions are soft, about 5 - 7 minutes.
Remove onions, and set aside.
Season ground beef with salt, pepper and thyme.
Add 2 tbsp butter to saute pan from which onions were removed. Heat until lightly browned, then cook beef in the butter until about half done. Don't stir much, the more you stir, the tougher the meat gets. At the half way point, add Worcestershire sauce and about 5 splashes of hot sauce. Cook until evenly browned throughout.
Add onions and yet another 2 tbsp butter to the pan, stir to combine. Remove from heat.
Turn the oven to broil.
Butter halved sausage buns and lay flat on a cookie sheet.
Broil until toasted, about 2 - 4 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
Remove from oven and divide meat and onions between the buns. Top with slices of mozzarella.
Return to oven. Heat until cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven, close sandwiches and enjoy!

Scrumptious Spinach with Crispy Bacon

2010-07-17T20:18:00.006-04:00

Well, it's a quick one today.

Because today I said good-bye to my nicely blackened, shame-on-you-if-you-don't-have-one, pizza stone. It cracked. Into 8 pieces. I took a photo of my dear friend's last moment, but I am too upset to share it. I do think of myself as quite the multi tasker, but today, that's just not the way it went.

Brick Chicken was prepped and on the BBQ. Somewhere in between making broth with the discarded chicken backbone, baking a cheesecake and turning out a super scrumptious spinach side dish, I left the BBQ heat on high, for a really long time. Long enough to crack the stone. Yes, with the chicken smoking away underneath.

Thank goodness they are only $9.99. (Shame on you if you don't have one yet, at that price!)

But hey, did ya know that even if you char (um, burn) a whole chicken, it's most likely just the skin? Chickens have some serious skin going on, as we still enjoyed moist and tenderly falling off the bone meat for dinner, although peeling off burnt skin is not much fun.

OK, so maybe the yummy chicken made losing the stone a little more bearable. However to really make me feel better, will you try this spinach? It's irresistible!

Crispy Bacon Sauteed Spinach

1 lb fresh spinach, washed and torn or shredded
1 lb bacon, sliced
2 pieces of thick, white bread, crusts removed and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil

In a large saute pan, on high heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon, and rest on paper towel.
Drain all but 2 - 3 tbsp of the bacon fat, then, still on high heat, crisp the cubed bread until golden, to make croutons. Remove.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil to the saute pan, and toss spinach to wilt, about 2 - 3 minutes.
Place spinach in a serving dish, sprinkle with bacon and croutons.

Simple satisfaction

2010-07-13T09:00:00.008-04:00

There is certain beauty in perfectly sculptured cakes, in cotton candy and foods made to look like another. Stunning in a much grander way, I often think, is nature put on a plate, with all it's colors and textures. It makes my mouth water and my tummy growl... roasting veggies either in the oven, or if you are much smarter than I this time of year, on the barbecue. I love getting a veggie craving, as it is easily satisfied, not only to the palate, but also to the eye.

Allow me to bring my kids into this once again - subject: Brussel Sprouts.

In a somewhat odd way I enjoyed the comments they were giving me at the grocery store as I picked out a few handfuls of what should be cute to most girls, as Brussel Sprouts are mini cabbages, after all. "Noooo, mom, you can't buy those!" (They have figured out that whatever lands in the cart, will also be a must try on their plates.) "Gross! Yuck!" It's a mystery to me why most of us shudder at the thought of these cute little green guys. That's me included: in 10 years of marriage, I've only cooked them twice. Not very often for a dedicated veggie lover. It's the color that draws me in, as it brings balance to my other red, brown and purple veggies. Yes, I do pick my veg according to color. It's a thing of beauty, one we can all achieve even if we're not talented cake designers.

If you love your slow cooker, you're going to love this: Veggies and sausage roast at the same temperature, for the same amount of time. And dinner is ready in 30 minutes, not 4 - 8 hours.

Start with 5 - 7 different vegetables, including mini potatoes, chopping each individual kind into 20-minute-cook-sizes. That's 1.5 cm thickness for potatoes, quarters for mushrooms, and chunky slivers of red onion. You get the idea. Grab some trusty olive oil, drizzle to lightly coat. Kosher salt, fresh black pepper. You can't beat flavour like this. Spread in a glass baking dish, bake at 425 F for 20 - 25 minutes, along side a baking dish with sausage in single file (uncovered). After roasting, drizzle the medley with just a little more olive oil. Yup, that's right, it's amazing! I do love to add a little coarse salt here, too, as it brings out especially the potato just that little bit more.

Now before I get any of this in motion, I always run out to my herb garden, to do a little snipping and chopping. Parsley can be super underrated, but I love adding it right at the end of cooking, as parsley adds a layer freshness like none other. I also love my chives, as you know, onions are near and dear to my heart. I save some of these herbs to stir into the roasted vegetables, but most of them I use for this yummy accompaniment:

1/4 cup real mayonnaise
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp horseradish
salt & pepper
few tablespoons of fresh chopped herbs

There's just more love on the plate with a sauce like this.

PS: The children ate all of the Brussel Sprouts, um, may I add, with no complaints (ok, not until after much convincing the first bite). You just never know until you try. My biggest surprise, was, my enjoyment of them... as roasting them with other vegetables creates a rather lovely Sprout.

Learning makes our brains grow

2010-07-09T15:02:00.005-04:00

So I am feeling a tad out of step.

School's out and, oddly enough, boredom must be cured. Do children not realize how lucky they are to be out of school? I am sure my sisters and I experienced the same. Chores come to mind, especially window washing, seemingly always a good way to stop four sisters from bickering. To the credit of my beautiful girlies, they do have an imagination to be rivaled, and although our home is a disaster, it's good to know all those toys were worth their purchase. But how is it they need new excitement around each corner, what's so bad about a lazy nap, I ask.

My personal out-of-stepness, if you will, probably comes from a lack of challenging myself in the kitchen since that last school bell rang. When hubby and kids can't believe their eyes at hot dogs being offered, a break welcomed by myself also, I know it's time to step it up again and lose myself over new culinary techniques.

Regardless, there are some staples that have mouths watering, no matter how often they are made. Here's my number 1 Marble Cake:

Marble Cake

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.
In a large bowl, whisk butter with sugar and eggs until creamy and light.
Add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk.
Incorporate slowly with whisk, then beat for 2 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup of batter, and pour remaining into prepared loaf pan.
Stir cocoa into reserved batter, pour evenly onto white batter, and using a knife, swirl cocoa batter into the white to incorporate in a marble effect.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 - 60 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean.

True love finds perfect muffin tops

2010-06-30T11:40:00.007-04:00

Our first date was nothing spectacular, and yet I will always treasure the smile it brings back to my face. Far too young to be thinking about marriage, I couldn't help but wonder at how amazing it might be after just a simple few hours spent at Starbucks, with a tall, dark and handsome boy, sipping my $5 coffee. At that time, spending $5 on fancy coffee seemed a little extravagant, and so I felt amazingly special to share this pleasure with a good friend, who, much sooner than later, became my husband.

Ten years later, we are still very much in love, enjoying the small moments in life that create the bigger picture. We've been through ups and downs, stressful times and easy times. We have two beautiful daughters, that belong to us (for now, anyway!), a perfect doggy (hey, I get to be biased, too!) and a house on which we've unleashed our idea of decorating on.

All this started with $5 coffee, two Cafe Valencias, which not only opened my eyes to true and unconditional love, but also to the trio of coffee, orange and chocolate. It's one of those combinations that is just right.

And since all things can be wrapped up in either a muffin, when sweet, or a burger, if savoury, I felt inspired to turn out these:

Cafe Valencia Muffins
Makes 12

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup 2% or higher milk
2 tsp instant coffee
zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup orange juice (about 1 orange)
1 tsp real vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup good quality dark chocolate chips

sugar and melted chocolate

Cream butter and sugar well, until fluffy and pale.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Stir instant coffee into milk, then add to sugar and butter mixture.
Add orange zest and juice, and vanilla. It will look as though the batter is curdling, don't panic! Everything will come together with the addition of the flour.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips.
Fold into creamed mixture gently, taking care not to over mix.
Line muffin pan with muffin papers, fill each about 3/4 full to make 12 muffins.
Sprinkle about 1/4 tsp of granulated sugar on each.
Bake at 400 F, about 16 - 20 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Cool, then drizzle muffin tops with melted chocolate.

Not for the squeemish!

2010-06-25T09:37:00.011-04:00

There's no doubt about it, chicken with the bones left in tact delivers more flavour and keeps even dry white meat succulent and juicy. But did you ever think chiropractic moves would be essential in the life of a home cook? Well, today they are.
The weather is far too hot (yay!) for turning on the oven and roasting a one hour chicken. Say good-bye to that until at least September. And yet bone-in chicken often takes too much time and heat on our trusty BBQ's, either resulting in a trip to the oven anyway to finish it off, or alternatively dried out chicken which is not so fun to devour. I prefer a couple of juicy drips running down my chin.

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind... OK, so your hair is enjoying a little breeze, your neighbours' mouths are watering, and you may be sitting on comfy patio furniture sipping on some wine. I've heard much about it, however left it to people with far less flops to account for: It's time for a little Chicken under a Brick.
The worst part most certainly is cracking the bird's breast bone after butterflying it. But there's wine on the patio, don't forget... (And thank you, Ms. Chicken, I hope you had a good life, because you are about to make mine sweet.)

Voila - can I say it again - pizza stones are a kitchen must have! Especially for the couple of bucks they cost... Next stop, large rectangle baking stone so I can grill two chickens at a time.

I would recommend a practice run before showing off to friends how amazing your new talents are. Flare ups do happen and chicken needs to be cooked to 170 F to be presentable. I started off with a smaller bird, about 2 1/2 pounds, but I am sure a larger bird will deliver even greater results.

Chicken Under a Brick

Serves 2 - 4

1 chicken (about 3 pounds)

1 1/2 tsp coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)

1 tsp coarsely ground fresh black pepper

Cut the chicken in half down the back, using kitchen scissors, along both sides of the backbone. Discard. Cut off the outermost parts of the wingtips. Lay the chicken flat, and press down on the chicken's breast with medium pressure to crack (!) the breastbone. Using a mallet, pound the chicken gently and evenly to flatten to a uniform 1 1/2 inches.

Combine salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub all over the chicken, inside and out. Work as far under the skin as possible without tearing the skin. Cover the chicken and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Never, ever cook cold meat straight from the fridge!)

Fire up the grill to medium heat. Oil the grate using grape seed oil or shortening. Not too much though, or flare ups will be mighty!

Lay the chicken skin side down on the barbecue, stretching it out fully. Cover with a pizza stone or another nonflammable weight of several pounds, like a cast iron skillet. Grill the chicken with the cover open for 20 minutes. Remove the pizza stone, turn the chicken over (only once!) replacing the stone to continue cooking for another 15 - 25 minutes. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 F and it has a nice crispy, golden brown skin.

When finished, rest the chicken on a cutting board for 5 minutes. To serve, carve along the breastbone, then portion as you wish.

Oh, the little things in life...

2010-06-22T09:59:00.005-04:00

There are four summer words in the english language we all love to hear - "Shrimp on the Barbie". Doesn't that sound almost as endearing as, "I love you, please eat"?! It's possibly the easiest way to say these beautiful words; all you need is a Barbie - the fire kind, not one with long blond hair and impossible measurements - shrimp, and a few kitchen staples.

Before I forget, and I do easily forget if a notepad and pencil is not close by, I must tell you about some bacon from a few nights ago... Perfectly crispy, salty and sweet. It's a must try on all accounts, it's bacon with brown sugar, baked in the oven at 375 F. Words actually fail me to describe this phenomenon, it's no wonder Brown Sugar Bacon has, apparently, been all the rave as of late. For one pound of bacon, use 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Place the bacon single file in one or two rimmed rectangle baking dishes. It's a good idea to line the dishes with aluminum foil before lining up the bacon, as brown sugar sure does love to stick! Sprinkle the brown sugar over bacon evenly, bake for 15 - 30 minutes - depending on the thickness of the bacon, and material of the baking dish. I happened to use two different ones: my aluminum pan required just 15 minutes, where the stone pan needed 25. Please do use good quality, naturally smoked bacon. It's not much of a splurge! When finished, drain on paper towels for a minute, then try to hold yourself back and eat only 2 - 3 slices. I am ever so sorry about the lack of photos, I am the first to admit we all need a good photo or two with every recipe. But this one just didn't last, I could hardly hold back the troops, and so not much after the bacon came out of the oven, it was gone. It was just that good.

I bet Brown Sugar Bacon and Shrimp on the Barbie would be amazing together.

Shoot, now I'm hungry. So much for losing a couple of pounds before hitting the beach.

Oh well.

Shrimp! Here's how I love it:

1 lb medium or large uncooked, thawed shrimp, deveined and peeled
3 tbsp grape seed oil
the juice of half a lemon
2 - 3 cloves garlic
pinch white pepper
salt to taste, but only if the shrimp is not already salted (check the package labels)

Combine the marinade, and add the shrimp. Marinade for about 20 minutes at room temperature, then skewer.
Heat the Barbie on high heat. Cook about 1 1/2 minutes on each side, until firm and color has changed. Do not over cook, or these beautiful shrimps will be tough and I love you may only come out as I like you, a little.

Coincidence?!

2010-06-16T10:04:00.005-04:00

The Soccer World Cup is in full swing as I write today, so perhaps an Italian flag should be replaced by a German one... I feel an apology coming on as I am terribly sorry to my German heritage, but when it comes to food, the Italians do take home the Gold. If you will notice the *coincidental* similarity of these two photos:

Do the Italians always have food on their minds?

Don't tell the authorities, but I think my passport is telling a lie! I am a typical Canadian, a Heinz 57 of many nationalities. (Of course my children are greater mutts than myself. But then, I have always been partial to mutts!) Still, I am convinced I should have been born somewhere between Italy and Spain. Although I would miss my blond hair.

And since you are wondering... No, I did not eat this much pasta in one sitting! This portion is for photography purposes only. (I did come close though... as this happened to be super yummy.)

I've had this dish buzzing around my head for a few days now. (Again, food on my mind at all times, very Italian-ish.) I am loving the fresh herbs in my garden, and I always stock Sundried Tomatoes in my pantry, as well as cream cheese - which is purchased in bulk and used in bulk. Garlic is never far off... and so I thought to myself, this must be a match made in Italy heaven. As I photographed the chopped herbs, tomatoes, and garlic, I couldn't help but think it looked an aweful lot like *a* flag. And so, a dish buzzing around in my head became a story buzzing even louder. A little like those horns at the World Cup.

Comparable to Spaghetti alla Carbonara, this pasta makes a great side to a crisp salad or fresh asparagus and grilled chicken. A good chef's knife comes in handy here - chopping the herbs, garlic and tomatoes finely is, I think, important for even flavour distribution. And don't forget to play with the ingredients - what's good for me may not be good for you. I happen to love a good amount of flavour... in other words use as much or as little herbs and tomatoes as you wish, it's sure to be tasty every time!

Asiago and Sundried Tomato Garden Spaghetti
Serves 4 - 6

3/4 - 1 lb Spaghetti
1/2 cup plain cream cheese (please don't use low fat)
2 - 3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 fresh basil, chopped (or a combination of basil and parsley)
1 (270 ml) jar Sundried Tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 cup reserved pasta cooking water
fresh ground Pepper
Sea Salt
Asiago Cheese, a big chunk of it, for grating at the dinner table

Cook pasta in salted water to al dente, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water just before draining. Do not rinse pasta!!
In a large saucepan, combine cream cheese and olive with the garlic, herbs, tomatoes and fresh ground pepper over low heat until melted. Add the drained but not rinsed (!) spaghetti and reserved 1 cup pasta water. Stir to combine well. Season with salt to taste.
Serve with asiago cheese and a grater.

Will you be my neighbour?

2010-06-09T14:08:00.006-04:00

Summer is all about taking it easy, right? My dog Cooper knows all about that one - hence we are working on a bit of a double chin. But isn't he handsome? He's a pro at snuggling too, by the way, and has a soothing way of waking me up in the morning. It sure beats the beep-beep-beep of an alarm clock. I'll take puppy eyes any day!

So summer. And taking it easy. Slow cooked fork-tender meats. Barbeques. And a cold beer. Summer dresses and breezy air cutting through heat. Are we ready? I say bring it on!

Besides, 3/4 of the way into my Sprout year, I find it fitting to slow down, to stick with the familiar (most of the time, anyway, as I am sure there will be days I will be tempted to roll up some sushi, bake a mile high cake, or try a new vegetable), and get really good at just a few things.

My kiddos don't seam to mind. Last night at dinner I commented on how they've done an amazing job eating lately. They said it was because the food was normal. I threw in that a few short months ago there was nothing normal about cilantro, or raw onions for that matter. No comments after that, just chewing, and asking to be excused once mouths were wiped.

Interestingly enough, nine months ago I would have never made my own salsa. Roasting a chicken was reserved for a special day. Today, it is stress free cooking. It's fresh, and fast and comfortable. Learning can have it's ups and downs. And failures. But having learned is really, really nice. I'd like to think this is only the beginning, and I am proud of my family for sticking with me. Having once thought I would cook gourmet meals, beautifully plated, artistically styled... I realize now that cooking from scratch is what matters. Cooking it right, making it fun and having family and friends enjoying - mmmmm. It means the world to me.

So here's what I love most, and plan to work on over the next three months:

Bread - a good variety of shapes and tastes

Slow cooked meats - not the Crock Pot kind (even if there is nothing wrong with it)

Organic Burgers - I am convinced anything can be turned into a burger!

Fresh vegetables - lots of them, too... and summer salads

How's my vegetable garden, you ask? Well, it's turned into more of an herb garden. But I love herbs, so why not?! Besides, the idea of being able to harvest all summer long and having more than I can use sounds so... neighbourly!

Cookie with benefits

2010-06-02T14:06:00.008-04:00

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, with a Banana thrown in
Makes 3 1/2 - 4 dozen - These freeze amazingly well, and are a yummy treat frozen! Try sandwiching a scoop of ice cream in between two. Mmmmm summer!

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup overripe banana, mashed
1 cup chocolate chips
1 3/4 cups rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 375.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg.
All at once, add the flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon on top of the butter mixture.
Stir together the dry ingredients, then mix into the butter. (Hey, it's a short cut I've used for years! And only admitted to it after watching Anna Olsen doing the same on her TV show. Save a dish, have a dish!)
Next, stir in the mashed banana, chocolate and oatmeal.
Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets, bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Let cool and store in airtight container.

I love to add a little extra something to my baking. It's possible I justify to myself the sugar and butter added also, but I am pretty sure I'm quite hooked on the flavours fruits and vegetables, nuts and dried fruits add to a cookie, muffin and loaf. Or pancake!

It's been hot lately... oh so very hot! If you know me well, you will remember I am not a huge fan of winter, so after a long bout of cold weather, I down right refuse to turn the air on until even I need a little relief.

Heat + bananas = super fast ripening... Basically, we eat them "straight from the package" for the first 2 or 3 days. Then I freeze a few cut into one inch chunks for smoothies. The rest I allow to get just about black, overripe and ready for baking. But how much banana bread can one family eat in a summer? Thus the cookie.

One Hundred posts, One Hundred reasons I love what I do

2010-05-28T13:59:00.005-04:00

I've tried going to the gym. I've had three one-year memberships. It's a love-hate thing for me, as I love how it makes me feel, but in all honesty, going every day is not stimulating enough in my books. I see results in my physical well being, but that's where it stops. I can lift weights like crazy, but the weight will never benefit from me lifting it. It somehow seems counter productive in my mind. (But please don't lose your workout motivation, I am just shooting from the hip here!) This may sound crazy, but I would much rather clean my house, pull weeds, mow the lawn, and especially, walk my dog. I may never be Jillian Michaels, but I am happy, and I feel good - and that's what matters in the end, doesn't it? I have come to terms with the fact that loving food and all things home may never give me killer legs, and my tummy may not bounce back from babies as beautifully as it could. I just don't care. Because life as I know it is perfect, to me. I once again came to this realization as I was out walking the dog a few days ago. The warm spring air surrounding me felt tremendously cozy, as I bonded with Cooper, my new, amazing, wonderful and loving Lab. My eyes soaked in the miracle of new life, as flowers bloomed and leaves swayed in the wind. Then, suddenly, I experienced one of those moments where time stands still. My glance turned to about a dozen bright yellow Buttercups in the front yard of a house Cooper and I were passing. For some reason it took my by surprise - I don't remember the last time I saw Buttercups that weren't "in the wild". I stopped for a moment, and remembered how I loved to pick these as a child. At about the same time, a man around my age passed us, Blue Tooth in his ear, seemingly talking to himself, a serious and stressed look on his face. I wondered - have we missed it all together? Do we need new, better and bigger every year? Does it really make us happy? Did we get rid of the Buttercups, to have perfect green grass? Maybe a modern, fast paced life is not what it's cracked up to be. So next time you are out, stop and smell the ... wild flowers. Perfection can be found in simple imperfection.

Pancakes are a little like the gym to me. They are somewhat one dimensional, certainly not a well balanced meal nor exciting on the palate. But, as all kids do, mine enjoy these so much, not once do I need to remind them to finish their breakfast (OK, dinner... my kids love pancakes for dinner!). Until one day I discovered Granola Sour Cream Pancakes, which, with their nutty crunch, were oddly satisfying to me. To make them even more tempting to myself, I whipped up a sophisticated fresh Blueberry and Lemon Sauce, rather than drenching already sweet cakes with more (maple syrup) sugar. Now you've got my attention!

What's that you say? You'd like to try them for yourself?

Sour Cream Granola Pancakes with Blueberry Lemon Sauce
Pancakes inspired by Art Smith's "Back to the Family",
sauce inspired by my hunger

Makes 12 Pancakes

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 large egg, beaten
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk or alternative (1 cup milk, 1 tsp vinegar - allow to coagulate for 10 minutes)

Granola

Preheat the oven to 200 F, to keep pancakes warm as you make them.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl.
In a large bowl, combine egg, butter, vanilla, sour cream, and buttermilk. Beat well.
Add the dry ingredients, combine without over mixing. Lumps are OK.
Heat a non stick griddle over medium heat, brush with a little vegetable oil. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour individual pancakes into the pan and sprinkle each with granola.
When the pancakes begin to bubble, flip to cook the other side.
Place cooked pancakes on a sheet pan and keep warm in the oven.

For the blueberry sauce, thaw 1 - 2 cups frozen blueberries. Place in a blender with 1 tbsp superfine, or instant (not icing), sugar. Add the zest of 1/2 a lemon. Blend until smooth.

I want to take a moment to thank you for faithfully reading this blog. It's been and continues to be an incredible journey, and I'd like to think all of you readers are a driving force that keeps me giving my best, not giving up, and continuing on this path of learning and discovery. Cheers! Here's to 100 more!

Hooray, hooray, I love the month of May!

2010-05-26T13:48:00.005-04:00

The month of May seems like a good time to talk about favourites, since May happens to be, hands down, my favourite month of the year. The grass and trees are green, the temperature divine, days last long(er) into the night - oh why can't it be May all year long?

During the past months of bread baking by hand, I have also discovered that my favourite bread is a baguette style multi grain loaf. It's so very simple, not at all perfect in shape, as I can't seem to master the transition from cookie sheet to hot baking stone in the oven quite right. It is not in the least sweet, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with white flour and a good variety of grains coexisting in perfect harmony. (I use Robin Hood Multi Grain Bread Flour.) I love that I can whip up fancy crostini toppings and toast this bread, sliced, in yummy olive oil. At the same time, I can cut 6 inch chunks, and make sub sandwiches for school lunches. And who can resist a little peanut butter and Nutella smothered in between two fresh slices? I certainly can't...

Multi Grain Baguette

2 1/2 cups white bread Flour
1 1/2 cups multi grain bread flour
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
12 fl oz warm water

First, start by stirring the yeast into the warm water. Allow yeast to froth up, about 10 minutes.
Combine flours with the salt, and once the yeast is ready, combine both and, using your fingers, work together into a tacky ball. The dough should not be too sticky, just a bit.
Place dough on your counter top, knead for 8 - 10 minutes.
Place in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and set in a draft free, warm place (24 C) for 1 hour, or until doubled in volume.
Divide the dough in half. Flatten each portion slightly with your palm, then fold in one side to the middle, then the next. Roll up horizontally to make a baguette. You can make 2 - 12 inch baguettes, or 4 - 6 inch.
Place the baguettes on a tea towel which has been lightly dusted with flour. Make sure they are spaced far enough apart so they can double in size without touching. Cover with second towel.
Rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 475 F with your baking stone inside.
Scour the bread tops with your sharpest knife, preferably one with a smooth edge, to avoid pulling the dough.
Using a pizza paddle or a cookie sheet dusted with flour, slide the baguettes onto the hot baking stone in the oven. Spray the inside of the oven a few times with a water spray bottle, and quickly close the oven. (This creates that lovely crunchy crust.) Avoid opening the oven for at least 5 minutes.
Bake for 10 - 15 minutes.
Remove bread from the oven, knock on the bottoms - if it sounds hallow, the bread is ready.

I can boast about this roast!

2010-05-24T09:53:00.004-04:00

Who doesn't love weekends? Especially long weekends, with plenty of sleeping in, coffee on the patio, and bed times that don't seem to matter. The aroma of something roasting in the oven or the barbecue ties it all together, and life seems perfected in those precious moments of family. Did I mention we welcomed a new dog into our home? He's an almost 3 year old Lab, who answers to the name of Coop. Especially when said in a low, drawn out voice. I haven't always believed in love at first sight... however I certainly do now. But back to the chicken, which has roasted in my oven for a quick hour - this is one of those classic no-fail staples which I will be passing along to my girls in a book planned for their wedding day. There is no stuffing, no lengthy preparations, just a stunning roast chicken, with great flavour and even better gravy.

My Favourite Roast Chicken

1 (3 pound) whole chicken
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 500 F.
Rinse the chicken, or chickens - this recipe is easily doubled, in fact, I always do - inside and out under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
Place the chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan on a rack. Rub all over with olive oil.
Combine the seasonings, and rub onto chicken. You can also rub it under the skin, directly onto the meat. Sprinkle some inside the cavity, too.
Roast the chicken, with the roasting pan lid closed, at 500 F for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 450 F, roast another 20 minutes. Turn the oven down again to 425 F, roast for 10 minutes. Take the roasting pan out of the oven, remove the lid, and place back in the oven for the last 10 minutes.
Check the temperature in the largest part of the thigh, without allowing the thermometer to touch the bone. It should read 180 F.
For the gravy, pour the drippings into a saucepan, add enough chicken broth to make about 2 cups total, and bring to a boil. Stir together 2 tbsp corn starch and 1/4 cup cold water. Add to the boiling drippings, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in the juice of a 1/4 lemon. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.

Harvested some Chives, made some Salmon

2010-05-21T10:42:00.004-04:00

Yup, that's right, these chives are fresh, green and beautiful - and - from my backyard. So what, you say? Well, let me tell you, they've been in my backyard since Earth Day, about 6 weeks, and they are not only alive, but thriving! For someone struggling to keep house plants alive, that is a really, super big deal. There just might be hope for me after all... I do have pretty big dreams of a pretty big garden.

I made a decision this week. Salmon is going to be bumped up from splurge to regular item on the weekly grocery list. My love, Paul, immediately throws in some advice - let's beer batter and fry it! And although I may give into this once in a while, salmon is a symbol of heart, brain and skin health to me - deep frying is not. However, if that's how lovey gets excited about fish, then I will oblige. Once a year.

Citron salmon is seasonal, light, and quickly thrown together. It ranks quite high on my favourites list, actually. I especially love that I can drizzle perfectly paired asparagus with a little olive oil and roast them simultaneously. Chardonnay, anyone?

Citron Salmon

half a fillet of whole Salmon (about 2 pounds)
1 Lime
1 Lemon
2 tbsp of Chives
fresh Dill Sprigs
1/2 cup Butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Mix the juice of half the lemon, half the lime, 2 tbsp chopped each dill and chives into the softened butter.
Generously line a casserole dish with aluminum foil. Place the salmon, skin side down, in the dish.
Spread with flavoured butter. Lay about 10 dill sprigs on top of the butter.
Slice the remaining lemon and lime, lay on top of dill.
Enclose everything tightly with the foil. Bake in the 400 F oven for 20 - 30 minutes. Baking time will vary according to the thickness of the salmon. But please, do not over cook! Rather, under cook just a little, and allow the residual heat in the foil to finish cooking it, while sitting on the counter.

Stuffed Zucchini with Chili and Cheese

2010-05-12T19:02:00.007-04:00

I am serious about making Chili. I seriously always make far too much! So what's a girl to do with it all? Well, I shared some, froze some, and put some on top of zucchini! A sure fire way to turn boring leftovers into a new meal, and a perfect way to add a little more veg to the dinner plate.

Stuffed Zucchini with Chili and Cheese

Serves 4

4 zucchini

about 4 cups leftover Chili

1/2 - 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Trim and cut zucchini in half length wise. Using a teaspoon, scoop out about half it's flesh.

Chop the flesh up into small chunks and stir into Chili.

Place zucchini side by side in a shallow glass baking dish.

Spread the Chili over zucchini, sprinkle evenly with cheese.

Pop in the oven and bake for 20 - 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Turn the oven to broil, and broil for 2 - 4 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Foodie pick me up!

2010-05-11T12:34:00.006-04:00

Well, it turns out we are all human, and on those tired days, when encouragement is needed to get to the next one, sometimes, just sometimes, the right thing comes our way and we can think past hurdles. That's right - food can be a problem, even for a dedicated foodie. Most days I enjoy swimming against the current, but others I wonder - is it really worth the hassle? I wish it was easy to find, and afford, good quality meat and produce. I wish my kids didn't beg me for "normal food, like what the other kids are eating". I wish I could bomb my budget and not think about it when I shop! So thank you, Lindsay, for writing me out of the blue. And reminding me that it doesn't need to be complicated, or bring kids to tears, or break the bank.

"I wanted to offer some insight into our food journey. We started really making changes last summer I guess. We actually saw a couple of books one night at Chapters (Skinny B%*&$). The title caught our attention, and I didn't realize until after reading it that it was a vegan book. After reading it we both wanted nothing to do with meat and so we completely changed our eating and became vegans for a while. It was basically Food Inc (movie), in book form, with more swearing, but it really got our attention with everything. It was really hard to completely switch to vegan, but it really broadened our food options a lot and gave us a better appreciation for everything. Eventually, we eased back into having some meat because we really missed it.

Since then we've tried a few things (no carbs, vegetarian). It was really after watching Food Inc and Food Matters that we made more drastic changes again and have stuck with them. We completely stopped buying meat at the grocery store, and we go to our butcher now which is right close to our building. Everything they have is organic and free range, and they make their own sausages. I never realized that meat could actually be THAT delicious. I feel a lot better about not eating meat that's coming from big huge corporate farms. There's a little veggie market across the street from us in the plaza and they have a lot of organic and local veg there, and we usually go a couple times a week. One of the things in Food Matters is eating a lot of raw veg as well. I'm not a huge veggie person, but we've been getting lots of use out our juicer and making yummy concoctions.

So, we've basically gone from eating out and eating garbage, to eating bags and bags of fruits and veggies and only organic free range meat. We shop at Whole Foods and Planet Organic for the other bits and pieces. It's funny, it actually works out cheaper the way we eat now and we are filling ourselves up with healthiness rather than garbage, even though some of our friends criticize us for shopping at expensive grocery stores and buying "expensive" meat. I've noticed a huge difference in how we feel and our energy though, and eating so much more than just something we "have" to do now... it's like an adventure. Aaron has always loved to cook, and I feel like everything tastes so much better now because we're choosing good quality. I think the true taste test was this weekend, we had my family over for Mother's Day and Aaron cooked a roast chicken and I did some roasted veggies. My niece, who is a notoriously picky eater (taking after her Aunt Lindsay... lol) cleaned her plate! There wasn't a speck of food left! She's 6 1/2 and I have never seen her do that before at a family dinner."

Paperless cooking. It's not over-rated!

2010-05-02T17:19:00.009-04:00

There's just something about it: cooking without a recipe. Cooking because you know what you want. And delivering that. I've been tinkering with roasted potatoes for some time, and have many recipes that I love. Being the simple dinner lady that I am, I am often happy with a plate of potatoes and something fresh and crispy to fill my plate. Lately my roast potatoes have been very Greek - olive oil, fresh lemon juice, dried oregano and s&p. For me, something was missing. So this is what happens when I cook according to me - my very own Garlic Roast potatoes. (I am so sorry if someone else out there makes theirs the same, I truly, honestly am not copying you. Let's just say great minds think alike!)

And since cooking without a recipe, is well, by feel, I'll include general measurements. Use more or less according to your liking. Make it your own! To my liking, roast potatoes should: 1) be moist yet crisp, 2) have a nice golden colour, 3) marry perfectly with herbs and other seasonings while not losing the potato itself.

By the way, I hardly ever use up an entire bundle of herbs before they go bad. So I tried freezing them for future cooking - it works! I wouldn't recommend doing this for use in salads, or any other uncooked herb needs, but sauces, roasts, and so forth love frozen herbs. In other words, never ever deny yourself fresh at the grocery store!

One last roasting tip: after washing the potatoes, dry them thoroughly - otherwise you will oven steam, not roast!

Moni's Smashed Garlic Roast Potatoes
Serves maybe 4, or two if you make them really, really yummy!

Roughly 6 - 8 small or medium yellow fleshed potatoes, unpeeled, 2cm dice
About 4 - 6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
Olive oil ... you know I love a lot of it! (For more accurate measuring, count to 3 while pouring!)
A few sprigs fresh oregano, picked
Around 1 tsp smoked paprika - basically enough to give the potatoes a red hue
Fresh ground pepper
Coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 450 F.
Combine everything in one or two glass casserole dishes. I like to keep them single file.
Roast in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring once half way through.
Remove from the oven, search for the garlic cloves. Using the tines of a fork, smash them and stir back into the potatoes.

Mushrooms and a little bread

2010-05-01T19:39:00.006-04:00

There's no doubt about it - weeknight meals need to be made in a flash. Being a stay-at-home mom, however, not only is my world quite different from working moms, but so is my weeknight cooking. I can enjoy the luxury of spending 4 hours on a meal, if I so desire. Did I mention I love being a stay-at-home mom? Sure, there are sacrifices to be made. But so far I don't seem to be missing anything, so at home I will stay. It's the weekends which seem to require quick meals. Yet another luxury we enjoy is a husband, or daddy, who has every weekend off. We don't get much time with him during the week, but Saturday and Sunday is family time (when, of course, there isn't something in need of fixing in our semi-old home). We spent most of the day out, and when late afternoon rolled around, the inevitable question loomed: what should we make for dinner? To which hubby replies, let's order pizza! (GASP) Order pizza?! Not when there is fresh sage and thyme in the fridge, not to mention delicious mushrooms, mixed greens and homemade bread!

Dinner in 15 minutes:

Grab 2- 3 cups of mushrooms, wipe them with a damp cloth. Go to town and tear them up a little, no need to chop! Heat a large skillet on high, swirl in some olive oil. Add the mushrooms, cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Now grab a few red chili flakes, a sliced clove of garlic, a couple of sprigs fresh thyme and a handful fresh sage leaves. Salt, pepper, a knob of butter. Oh, yum! Slide the mushrooms into a bowl, add some more olive oil to the hot skillet. Plenty would be great. Slice up baguette style bread, place in the skillet. Flip after a couple of minutes, then toss shredded Jack cheese on the slices. Remove from pan when cheese has melted. Now to the completion of this meal: Half a cup of plain yogurt, a good swirl of olive oil, a couple of teaspoons cider vinegar, salt, pepper and a crushed clove of garlic = healthy, creamy, low sodium, no ingredients we can't pronounce salad dressing. Slice some tomatoes, add to mixed baby greens. Toss with a little, or a lot if you like - it's healthy after all - salad dressing. Oh, and there's always the option of delegating a significant other a couple of steaks which have been sprinkled with salt and fresh pepper, and sending him/her out for a visit with the barbecue.

Kraft dinner, what? Pizza, huh?! I bet I can make this meal faster than anyone can order and bring home pizza. Or cook out of a box.

Give me the green

2010-04-29T09:57:00.009-04:00

I love the colour green. Not forest green, unless it's the real thing, but crisp, yellowy greens. Apparently it's a calming colour. And it's been said that green lovers are smart. Would be nice if that was true, now wouldn't it! (I've decided to run with it.) So what is it about green that makes me sing? It encompasses so many diverse and amazing things - many of my favourites, actually. Like spring, and new life. Greener living, and how it's become a trend! (Possibly the first trend I'll follow, too.) Then there are the vegetables, fruits, and herbs. How green signifies nutrients. And I am sure there is some sort of psychological reason as to why we go on green when approaching a set of lights. Green is not only comfort to me, it is life. In the case of these Thai Rice Noodles, green is crisp from fresh lime, and hot, oh so hot, from the jalapeno peppers I threw in without first deseeding them. Um, perhaps not so recommendable when feeding children under 10 years of age. I do love treating myself to a little heat once in a while, though!

This is a simple, yet stunning rice dish, which satisfies those ethnic food cravings I seem to get. There's not much prep to be done, making it a quick, veggie filled, healthy dinner option. Toss in a cup or two of cooked, shredded chicken or a pound of ready-to-eat shrimp for a meaty upgrade.

Thai Rice Noodles
Serves 4 - 6

3/4 - 1 lb medium-thick rice noodles
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno - deseeded when children abound, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 cups snow peas, ends trimmed
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 handful roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 cup almond slivers, toasted (in a dry skillet, over med - high heat, for about 3 - 5 minutes)
1 - 2 limes, cut into wedges

Prep veggies.
Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
Stir together the fish sauce, sugar and soy sauce. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the oil, then snow peas and red pepper.
Cook while stirring for a couple of minutes.
Add the green onion, jalapeno and garlic.
Continue stirring, cook until the vegetables begin to brown and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the sauce, swirl it around the pan, then add the drained noodles and combine well.
Take skillet off the heat, add in the nuts and cilantro, reserving a few for garnish.
Serve immediately, with lime wedges.

From then to now!

2010-04-23T15:56:00.010-04:00

Isn't it incredible how the sense of taste brings with it a sense of memory? This, to me, is yet another reason why I adore food. In my late teens, I made cream cheese and bagels to pay rent. A minimum wage job, yes, but I never disliked being there. A standard kitchen aid mixer now looks funny to me - as I've worked with models 10x it's size when whipping up pounds and pounds of cheese.

Oh cheese, how you make my world go 'round! Be it expensive or common, I don't discriminate. There's a special little place in my heart (and tummy) reserved for stinky cheese, too. And one day, I just know it, I will love goat cheese, and possibly eat it every day!

We sold about 15 different flavours of cream cheese at the Cafe. Could be more, but certainly not any less. I'm actually quite curious how much I, on my own, ate (inhaled) while working there. It was free, after all, and I was a student, with bills. And still, I only have fond memories of Caramel Apple, Herb and Garlic, Sundried Tomato with Feta, and Roasted Red Pepper. Did you know you can stir just about anything into the creamy white stuff? So today when I saw my bulk amounts of cream cheese in the fridge (thank you Wegman's), I thought - surely I can remember what I did to create cream cheese heaven, oh, 12 years ago. It may not be exact, which is OK - we don't want to have any copy right issues anyway - but this Spinach and Feta Cheese was always my favourite. I think I did my memory justice.

Spinach and Feta Cream Cheese

1 brick or tub Cream Cheese (8oz or 226g)

2 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup crumbled feta

pinch of white pepper

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed as dry as possible

Combine well. Slice bagel. Spread on bagel. Close eyes. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Little incentives, big flavour and a fun show!

2010-04-21T13:22:00.005-04:00

Thinking big can be intimidating. I certainly shy away from situations which put me out of my comfort zone. Well, until recently. I have discovered pushing myself, starting with baby steps which gradually get bigger with every new challenge, also comes with equally big rewards. So, when I put out my 100 member challenge, I felt pumped! Only a day later I found myself pleading with my husband to please... help me out! Again, this challenge isn't so much about the actual number, but rather about creating a community of people eating fresh foods and enjoying the process. I would love to hear about your local food possibilities, about the changes you have made with your food choices, and all the excitement it brings. And, as a little added incentive, I have thrown in a reward of $10 in itunes! The winner will be chosen randomly - once my 100th post is completed. That's just 10 more to go! Help me achieve my goal, because I am looking forward to getting to know you better...

I love trying out new foods on my family. Almost as much as I love figuring out how best to work with a new fruit, vegetable, or in this case, jalapeno pepper. Hot peppers sounds so dangerous, so mysterious... I find myself feeling mischievous - as though I am a child (ok, teenager) playing with fire. It's possible I don't get out enough, but I must tell you - hot peppers are fun!

Besides, it's spring - what a great time to give our ovens and slow cookers some rest, pull out our best knives and biggest cutting boards - fresh is in the house! For anyone in a dinner time crunch, this is that time of year to finally cook from scratch, and possibly receive a standing ovation, too.

Cilantro and lime are beautiful together. Add in a hot pepper, you've got yourself some flavour. Here's a recipe for my home made salsa (no excuses to buy the jarred stuff anymore). You'll feel proud of yourself after making it (all of 10 minutes later), I promise.

Tomato Salsa

Combine and chill for an hour before serving:

3 medium tomatoes cut into 1 cm dice

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (try Serrano peppers if you dare!)

1/2 cup fresh finely chopped cilantro

1 garlic clove finely chopped

2 tsp lime juice (about 1 lime)

2 tbsp tomato paste or ketchup

1 tsp salt

Maybe we'll see each other at The Good Food Show in Toronto this weekend?

ONE HUNDRED

2010-04-19T10:31:00.013-04:00

How's that for a welcome? Imagine yourself reading this while visiting a friends' home for the very first time. Kids in tow. With muddy boots. Kids that might break something, and may be picky about the food put in front of them. All those pretenses of being perfect and having angels for kids would be out the window, no where near your thoughts. You could relax, have a seat, sip on some coffee and enjoy a little togetherness. Is that even a word?

I love community and everything it encompasses: if you've run out of eggs, I've got some for you; if you go on holiday, I will keep an eye on your home; if you require an hour, bring the kids over; if you are alone at dinner (or not), let's eat together; if you need to cry, that's ok - I'll cry with you; have a reason to celebrate, let's party!

I want to thank all of you who read my words. To me they are simple, but they are always real. I don't know all of you readers, but I sure wish I did! So let's create a little community, right here on Sprout. We all have something to offer, and a whole lot to gain. I am getting quite close to my 100th post, (wow!) and would like to celebrate by getting to know you better. If you don't already officially follow me, I would be so honoured if you did. A little challenge to myself is to find 100 "followers" by my 100th post. Not because it's all about me, or Sprout, but because it's about community. I would like to feature you the reader, right here, perhaps as often as once a week, or even monthly. I strongly believe everyone has something to offer! So please, if you would be so kind, join me and let's Sprout together.

To learn how to follow this blog and what following means, use this link:

http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=104226

All natural, super healthy - GRANOLA

2010-04-15T10:11:00.011-04:00

I've been making my own granola for about a month now. I very much look forward to granola day! As it bakes in the oven, my house smells amazingly cozy and inviting, but best of all - this granola is packed full of healthy goodness. For about 10 minutes of prep, that's a pretty big pay off! This recipe is inspired by Cheryl, my lovely tree tapping country friend, and is changed every time I make it, according to what is kicking around my pantry. As you can see in the photos, I don't always add dried fruit - my favourite way to enjoy this is stirred into plain, organic whole milk yogurt, with some fresh strawberries or bananas. If you are using dried fruit, cut up about 2 cups of a variety of fruits, like cherries, apples, and apricots into raisin size pieces. Raisins and dried cranberries do not need to be chopped. Add these to the granola after baking, once it has cooled thoroughly.
Once again, this recipe is a guideline only - as long as quantities are correct, you can change it up in many ways. My granola this week, for example, contains no nuts, because I wanted to pack it in school lunches. The nuts do add incredible flavour and texture, I would suggest them if you aren't planning on sending any to school.

Granola

Combine in a large bowl:
6 cups rolled oats (no substitutions!)
1 cup sunflower seeds or any other seed, like pepitas (which I used for mine this week)
1/2 cup sesame seeds, or something else like unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup ground or whole flax seeds
2 cups slivered almonds, or change it up with any other nut - I love to use pecan pieces

Mix together:
1 cup real maple syrup or honey
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp real vanilla extract

Add the maple syrup mixture to the oats. Combine until everything has been coated with the syrup.
Preheat oven to 300 F. Spread the granola in stone or glass baking pans, about 3/4 inch thick. I use two pans, sometimes three! Place them all on the middle oven rack, should they not all fit, use the next rack down as well, and rotate every 20 minutes top to bottom. You need to set your timer for every 15 - 20 minutes anyway, to stir the granola, this ensure even crisping. Total bake time is about 50 - 60 minutes, or until granola is golden and crisp. Do not over bake though!

Store in airtight containers, like mason jars, and do not refrigerate.

Case Study

2010-04-13T10:02:00.007-04:00

It's a beautiful spring week day, which means I am spending loads of time out in the yard with the kids, digging for 'fossils' in the sand box, pulling weeds, and sitting on the patio with a cold drink. And unless dinner is prepared on the BBQ, it needs to be made in a flash - I don't want to miss any warm, energizing sun rays! The number 1 misconception of cooking from scratch must be the unavoidable involvement of processed food. I guarantee you, this doesn't have to be the case, fresh is just as fast, but one hundred times tastier. I apologize for yet another pasta dish - it seems as though pastas, breads and soups are what I get excited about, probably because I am confident any home cook rushed for time can make great, fresh food without a ton of time spent (except for the bread, I suppose!). The reason I decided to write about this particular pasta dish is because I have been making a rather similar one when I only have about 20 minutes to spare. This Jamie Oliver version truly knocks it out of the park, and I found it to be an interesting case study in using spices (cinnamon with tuna?), as well as fresh lemon and herbs (I am crazy for these!). There is always that question of, how do I know when to use what herb, when do I add it, and what can I add to bring out the flavour even more? Practicing with existing recipes can open the window of opportunity to create your very own signature dishes.

All the credits for this recipe go to Mr. Jamie. Knowing his passion for passing on a recipe, I am sure he won't mind me passing this one on to you.

Lazy Afternoon Pasta
Serves 4

Olive Oil
1 red or white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 - 2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
a bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks chopped
1 x 28oz cans good quality plum tomatoes
2 x 10oz cans good quality tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb good quality rigatoni or penne (I used seashells)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
a small handful of freshly ground grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a good splash of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan a cook the onion, chili, cinnamon and basil stalks on medium to low heat for 5 minutes until the onion has softened and is slightly sweet. Turn up the heat and add your tomatoes, tuna and a good pinch of salt. Break the tomatoes up using the back of a spoon, then bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often. Taste for seasoning, adjust with salt and fresh pepper if needed.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to package directions. When al dente, drain the pasta in a colander, reserving some of the cooking water (about 1/2 cup). Toss the pasta into the tuna and tomato sauce with the roughly torn fresh basil leaves, a glug of olive oil, the lemon zest and juice and Parmesan, mix together well. Loosen the pasta with a little of the reserved pasta water if needed. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.

The Year of the Goat

2010-04-11T10:31:00.011-04:00

I am not an avid reader. My bookcases are full - not surprisingly - of cookbooks, decorating and hosting books, and a stack or two my favourite magazines. Still an exciting part of my life is searching through mountains of books at our local book clear out depot, where I can fill a good size box for $30. Last time I was there, I meandered down the novel section, one that is very unfamiliar to me, and to be honest, one which doesn't keep my attention. I'm a reality kind of girl. Sometimes, however, these two worlds come together and create stories my way - true stories, about life's journeys, by inspiring people that make me want to better myself. "The Year of the Goat" is one of these.

The author is not only a woman my age, but has a desire to leave behind a fast paced life (not that mine is overly fast) in the city and live simply, enjoying and treasuring everything around her. One major difference might be that I do not desire to become a live stock farmer. It's the life style I am after. As my girls continue to grow, and are both just about ready for full time school, I had always imagined myself with a day job, plenty of shopping on the weekends, and super cool vacations. But stop, I've made some discoveries: An hourly wage does not tempt me so much, I'd rather spend my morning baking bread. Shopping is fun, what can I say, however my new motto is, Buy Only What You Need... and use what you buy. My love for cotton and flowing skirts exceeds any desire for high fashion. Vacations sound fun, I haven't been on many since my childhood. An odd thing happened while reading through several all inclusive brochures: I felt bored just reading them. Sit on a beach all day? It's just not me. I would much rather explore different cultures through discovering the land, by the homes people live in and the food they eat, especially at special gatherings. I love to get my hands dirty, what can I say?

By no means do I intend to proclaim this to be the only way to live, it simply is what I have come to realize, my way. My dream house is not a mansion, but a humble, yet well built family home on a few acres, with a couple of dogs as my security system, and chickens to be chased around in the grass. A lush, successful vegetable garden would be nice. I'd like to call my style Organic Modern. If my Hannah Montana loving daughter would describe this, she'd call it - the best of both worlds.

Here is an excerpt from "The Year of the Goat" by Margaret Hathaway, which is right along the lines of what I have always desired for my family as we grow and change.

"As we make our visits, however, especially to those farms where children are being raised, we begin to think about what it is emotionally that a family farm provides. Working together, eating together, living together: this is a combination that from our earlier perch in New York sounded claustrophobic and gave us anxiety about our own plans for the road. But watching the dynamic between members of the families on working farms, our view is entirely changed. ... On a small working farm, everyone has a role, responsibilities, and, in larger terms, a place. People pitch in and help each other, knowing that every chore - however simple - is important. This isn't to say that living on a farm makes life's relationships easy, or that farm families are always cheerful, but on a very basic level it means that everyone engages with one another, in part because they don't have the luxury of hiding in their room with a laptop or XBox. There are animals to feed, eggs to collect, gardens to weed. And the people whose love and approval are most important depend on each family member to get this work done.

Karl and I both grew up in homes where chores were things like feeding the dog or making our beds. The only thing that depended on their accomplishments was, maybe, our allowance. The more farms we visit, though, the more we see that the fair delegation of real responsibility results in incredible family bonds. Watching families in action, we suspect that the feeling of urban disconnection that first led us to explore these farms might be completely eradicated by adopting this lifestyle."

Reignited

2010-04-09T11:49:00.008-04:00

Hello. It's me. What have I been up to, you ask? Too much thinking, probably, and certainly not enough sleeping. I feel much, much better today - smiling appears naturally once again, and I have become accustomed to a quieter house. We have received some good news (no rabies) but still, I can't help wonder, what and why. Most of all, though, I know going forward, when a friend loses their dog, I can offer a genuine hug, and know what they are feeling. Truly understanding someone is priceless.

I have to tell you, I have had some funny thoughts run through my head this week. Thoughts of never eating meat again, for one, as the reality of death hit a little too close to home. I also revisited life's priorities, and even though I feel for my situation they are right where they should be, new life was breathed into them. I haven't cleaned, or cooked for that matter, as much as usual. Instead, I have played one extra board game with my kids, or read them just one more story, but best of all, we just sat and talked. In a time where I felt like something really important to me was taken away, tighter knots were tied in other areas.

In the midst of this, I visited with a truly amazing friend, and plans have been made to plant a vegetable garden together. In all honesty, it absolutely terrifies me, so any suggestions would be very much appreciated...! We're not planning on a small venture here either, as the garden will run along the entire back of my house. Did I say the entire?

Just for the record, our meat consumption will not come to a stand still, but I've certainly got that last push I needed to search the area for at least naturally raised meats. I would so love to go all organic, this however can not always be realistic at $13/pound for chicken breast. In doing what we can, I think we make an impact, we raise our voice to stop the suffering of our live stock, and we demand a better standard for our dinner plates.

As mentioned, my cooking this past week was not where it should be. I think for the first time in my life, I lost my appetite. So last night, as I peeled yet another squash and made it into soup - with a refreshed out look on life, I saw squash seeds in a completely new way! Sure they are smaller than pumpkin seeds, and there aren't a ton of them... but they are perfectly delicious and have value all on their own. My spark was back! A weight seemingly lifted off my shoulders, I took to cleaning and drying these little guys like they were the most important thing in the world. After a splash of olive oil, some seasoning (sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and dried thyme), and a good toss, I preheated the oven to 300 F, and let them roast away until perfectly golden and crisp. And so, a simple supper found it's love and I felt happy.