Happy Hallowe'en!

Katniss Everdeen!

I have never LOVED Hallowe'en.  I like it, but I don't love it.  Growing up in Nova Scotia, it was always cold and damp, and any costume you wore had to be modified with some sort of raincoat and rubber boots, or a winter jacket and mitts.   Calgary is no different, though the last 5 years here have been so mild that tonight's "freezing" weather threw me for a loop.  But...it's all about the kids, and they had a blast tonight.  

Welcome to Zombie-land!

For the first time since we have been taking them Trick or Treating, tonight was the first night that they went on their own, with friends.   At first, I thought I would be sad (no, I didn't!).   I came home after dropping my daughter at her friends and it was just my husband and I.  A strange feeling at first on  Hallowe'en, but then, we opened some wine, made a fancy cheese and olive plate, and I was no longer feeling nostalgic...but feeling proud that my kids had friends to be with, and proud that they were out on their own, having fun.  

All in all, it was a Happy Hallwe'en for everyone...kids AND parents!

Tricks and Treats for us too!!!  Yum!

Lasagne Florentine-ish!

Tonight was a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-dinner!

• Worked til 4:30. home by 4:55, with 5 minutes to spare before taking my daughter to dance.
• In that 5 minutes, it was quick thinking:  make dinner versus take out.  Nope...make dinner. Be good.

Then for a quick assessment of what I had (clock ticking)...

• Cooked chicken from Costco in the freezer, frozen bag of spinach, mozza in the fridge, milk, garlic, lasagne noodles....hmmmmmmmmm...this could actually work!
• 4:59....dump lasagne noodles in pot with water, turn on stove, and ask the boy to keep an eye on it while I drop his sis to dance.   He is so good...when I got home, the noodles were gently simmering, and he had pushed all the lasagne noodles to fit in the pot!

I was home again by 5:25 pm and had 35 minutes before I had to leave again to pick up the girl.

• Melt butter, garlic, flour, add milk...quick white sauce...done.
• Grate cheese
• Microwave frozen spinach and squeeze out water
• add fresh garlic and some mozza to spinach.  This will be the middle layer.....
• Chicken...all cooked cuz it was from Costco!
• Noodles...done.....

Time to put it all together....5:45 pm....here goes....

• First layer... noodles, then some chicken, sauce and a bit of mozza.   
• Next layer..noodles, and the spinach/garlic/mozza layer and a bit of sauce
• Next layer...noodles, chicken, sauce, and finish off with the rest of the mozza.  

5:57....3 minutes before I have to go get daughter from dance!

• Foil....oven....350.....I'm out the door, and dinner is in the oven!

Home again at 6:25 pm....dinner is almost ready, and I even have time to make garlic bread!

My biggest regret in all this?  I took no picture of dinner, as we were starving, and ready to eat!   It was actually pretty good!  What made it easy?  The chicken from Costco, the frozen spinach, and the fact that I basically think about food every time I am driving home from work!

Rivel Soup for the Soul...

Steaming bowl-a-soup, anyone?

 Both our kids were sick today...flu, cold, etc...I think most people, kids included, have their "safe foods" when they are feeling unwell.  My kids always ask for something called "rivel soup". I learned how to make this from my mother-in-law, and have to say, while mine is not as good as hers, it is pretty close (which means it is amazing!).  

It is dubbed "lazy man noodle" soup, but there is nothing lazy about it, unless you've been making it for years.   The first time I made it, it took me almost 45 minutes to make these rivels!



I always save my bones...be it from chicken or turkey.  I just bag 'em and chuck 'em in the freezer.  When I am ready to make soup, just add water, and boil 'em up.   I add a bay leaf or two, some soup base and some sea salt and pepper, and then the broth tastes amazing, fresh and cures what ails you. Start boiling it in the late morning and let simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Strain out all the bones.  If there is meat on the bones, you can shred it off and use in the soup if you wish.

For the rivels, its simply eggs and flour, and you really need to see someone do it to know how to do it.   I will attempt to write the recipe out, though, just in case there are any adventurous people out there!

• start with 2 cups and a bit of flour
• add in 3 eggs.   NO water at this point.
• Mix together rubbing your hands together, and make it all look like sand at a beach.
• Then, you need to add water, but if you add too much, it will wreck it.  I find that if you just slightly wet your had under the tap, and mix it into your bowl, it works better.  Every time you do that, rub all the dough together.  Eventually, you'll get nice small little balls (I know, sounds funny). 
• If it still appears too fine, wet your hand again, and rub the dough all together between your hands.   
• Once it looks like this....then pour all your balls in a colander and shake out the tiny tiny balls, and use only the one's that stay in your colander.

The rivels.....

• The broth (which you should have ready after boiling up those bones) should be boiling, and then just add in the balls!  
• Boil for 5 minutes or so, and your soup is ready.  Add S&P to taste.  I know it has no veggies, but the broth, combined with the "lazy-man-egg-noodles" are just perfect for that comfort food that is much needed for colds, or getting over the flu, when you need those hot steaming liquids.  

One last pic of my perfect-rivels!

I am happy to say that my rivels were amazing today, and I made them in less than 15 minutes!  Practice does really make perfect!  

Yummy Breakie!

Melted cheese on a bagel with home-made apple butter......ahhhhh....

So this morning's breakfast was so blog-worthy!!!!  And yes, I know I probably should have had half of the damn bagel, but it was just too delish.

What did I have?   A multi-grain bagel with melted Balderson 5-year aged cheddar (are you salivating yet?) and then...I added something amazing....home-made apple butter!  One of my hockey friends gave me a jar of this bliss yesterday, and I think I am going to hide it in my fridge for just me.

The combination of flavours was exquisite.   I had my grain (bagel), I had my protein (cheese) and I am counting the apple butter as part of a fruit (I ended up smearing more on than the above pic shows!).

So yummy, just had to share!  

Dinner is ready!

Kids made dinner tonight!  Fabulous!

Tonight's dinner needs to be remembered.  Not just because it was delicious and well balanced, but because it was ready by the time hubby and I got home from work!

Yes, our kids made dinner, and not Kraft Dinner!!!  They made fettucini alfredo!  Our son came up with the idea, and both kids worked together to create this meal, which was delicious!   They looked up the recipe online, and made (yes...MADE!) the sauce from scratch! They had their melted butter, minced garlic and whipping cream and made the sauce!  Our son then found bacon in the freezer and fried it up (again, I am not kidding you) and added the fried bacon to the sauce.  They even added broccoli for some veggies, and then mixed the sauce with the fetuccini, and had it all ready for when we got home today!

We were so proud of them, as they showed creativity, initiative and worked together to make a wonderful dinner.   

Kudos Kids!   I am just so proud of you guys!  There's no turning back now from this dinner....I will expect a full-on 5 course meal by December!  

ps.  When we found about the fried bacon, we did show them where the fire extinguisher was, and explained how to put out a grease fire, just in case they fry up more bacon!

Power of a Parent Party!

So yes, hockey season has begun, and is in full gear.  Nothing kicks off a season better than an exhibition game (which we won!), and a parent party!!

Every year, when the season ends, it's such a rush of emotions....happy that we are finished with the busyness of the year, and at the same time, sad that we have to say goodbye to all of that.  Well, here we are again, and each year we have played, we have had an amazing group of kids, and more importantly, an amazing group of parents!  This year is no different, and while we know many of the parents on our team, there were some new faces last night, and it was great to get to know everyone, and make new friends.

There was so much enthusiasm, laughter and just a bit of drinking and carrying on (!!).  From the first moment we arrived at the party, we could tell this year was going to be nothing less than great!  We have great coaches, great parents and great kids.  We even have a great group of girls who can bond off the ice while their brothers battle for the puck.

All in all, I have a feeling that this year will absolutely ROCK!

There's only one thing left to say.....Go GLADIATORS!  

Post Thanksgiving Weight

Question:  Why would I weigh in the day after eating turkey and stuffing and pie all weekend?

Answer: Because sometimes I think that maybe...just maybe this time I did not gain weight.  Yeah, right!

Oh well, so I was up 3 pounds after our double turkey feast, but I did my duty, and weighed myself, if for no other reason than to keep on track instead of derailing completely!  I weighed myself again today, and the 3 pounds is miraculously gone.  Okay, it's no miracle, because I was good with my eating this week, instead of cramming double helpings of pie and stuffing in my face!


So what have I learned?

• My weight fluctuates.  Not new information, but it helps me to write it down

• When I overeat, I gain weight.  When I indulge in too much booze, I gain weight.   (duh...kind of a no brain-er, but again, helps to write it out!).  

• Weight fluctuates due to many things, not just overeating.  Fluid shifts, time of the month, amount of salt you eat,  amount of carbs you eat.  Total calories you eat, the exercise you do (or don't do!), etc... 

• Did you know that 1 gram of carbohydrate holds 3 grams of water?   That means if you ate 400 grams of carbs,  you would be holding  an extra 1200 grams (that's 1.2 kg!!!) of water!   EEK!   And no, I don't agree with a Paleo-no-carb-diet, but really, this just puts it in perspective.  Does my body need carbs?  Yes!  Does it need 400 grams of carbs? NO!  Everybody need carbs.  We just need to choose the good carbs, and choose not-to-much-carbs.  There's my sermon on carbs!

So....the moral of this week's weight loss tale?  Don't be so hard on yourself, enjoy the special occasions, but maybe not the double-double of pie and ice cream.   

How many weeks til Christmas season starts?   Time to get moving!

Brown Goddess Does Turkey!

Some beautiful flowers from my sister-in-law Tammy!  Thank you!

 Happy Thanksgiving!  Truly one of my favourite times of year, as it involves lots and LOTS of awesome food, fantastic times with family and friends, and just remembering to be thankful and grateful.  We had two amazing dinners this year, which also means double the weight gain, but no regrets from me!  I enjoyed every bite, from eating some of the crispy skin during the carving of beast (yes, I do that! I am like a vulture hanging out over the "garbage bowl"!) to the pumpkin pie, Saskatoon berry pie and apple crisp to finish off weekend of non-stop eating.

Dressing from turkey dinner # 1 at our house.
I made the dressing in the slowcooker...and OMG D-LISH!

 On Saturday, we made a 20-pound bird for some of my hubby's family (his mom and sister) and for some friends of ours that go back to the days when we had no kids.  It was a great time had by all!

Turkey dinner at our house!

On the menu:  Roasted Bird (of course), dressing made with Cobs bread, Spolumbo chicken apple sausage, bacon and fresh herbs (oh my), roasted yellow beets with herbs, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole and a fresh green salad with pecans and apples (so yummy).  Dessert...was pumpkin pie and Saskatoon berry pie with whipped cream or ice cream or both.  I can't remember what I wore...but I know that the pants had some stretch to them!  

Oven roasted vegetables at turkey dinner # 2 at
my sister-in-law's place...so very delicious, and festive!

 Sunday was a family affair at my brother-in-laws house, and I believe there were 17 for dinner!  Again, there was a traditional bird with stuffing, which was so delicious, I had to take seconds and graze around where the food was so I could sneak in "thirds".  We also had roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, cabbage rolls (two kinds!), and some Ukrainian delicacies called Nalesniki.  Now I am sure I am not spelling this correctly, but basically they are home-made crepes stuffed with either sauteed mushrooms or cottage cheese (again, both kinds were available) AND...then, they are covered in heavy cream and baked.  Oh. My. Goodness.

Dinner # 2 was followed by many desserts (that's "stressed" spelled backwards, ya know!).  But again, the desserts were delectable, and could not be avoided.   Best to just eat what you want in these situations, and just be really really REALLY good for the next month.  

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend, and today, was the best, because today...was leftovers day! Hurray for leftovers!  

What's in store for tomorrow?  Time to get back on that scale (ugh) and figure out how many weeks I have until Christmas to lose that weight.

Dessert....Day 2.  Traditional pies, and....
Apple crisp which was truly the best!

Seriously...check out this spread!  Everything
from turkey and stuffing to 2 kinds of cabbage rolls
and some Ukrainian Nalesniki...soooo goooood....

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

And now....we sleep....

What's Cookin' at 11 pm? Beef!

My favourite slow cooker cook book!

Fall is a great time for slow cooked meals that warm the heart, belly and soul.  So what else would I be doing at 11 pm at night, but preparing dinner for tomorrow!  I am trying desperately to use up things from my deep freeze in anticipation of buying not 1, but 2 farm fresh 20-plus pound turkeys from my turkey connection at work.  So tonight, I pulled out all of the beef we had left from our 1/4 cow purchase last year. It included 2 big round steaks and one pack of stewing meat...perfect for slow cookin'!  Flipping through the beef section, there were a lot of recipes, but I needed quick, simple, and easy to throw together in the morning while I am half dazed, sipping on coffee.   I actually found 2 that I liked, and of course did my own thing, kind of a variation of both.

Beef-a-la-slow-cooker

First, I cubed all the beef, and threw it in the ceramic part of the slow cooker.   I added a few cloves of minced garlic, 2 TBSP of brown sugar, a bit of sea salt and some beef spice mix I had from Epicure (love Epicure!).  Once it was all mixed, I threw it in the refrigerator, just about ready to go for the morning.  All that's left to do is add a bit of water, ketchup or tomato sauce, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and 3/4 can of beer.


Guess I'll be having a bit of beer after breakfast tomorrow!  When I come home from work, the beef will be oh-so-tender, and all that's left to do is cut the buns (from Cobs Bakery, of course!!) and whip up a salad.  Dinner is served!

Off To The Market I Go!

Happy October!

October is such a great time of year...lots of great produce around at the farmer's markets, leaves changing colour, turkey dinner with all the trimmings....yum!  Fall is a fantastic time to visit all the Farmer's Market's in the city, and to get really fresh local produce and baked goods and celebrate the harvest.

The old Farmer's Market at the Curry Barracks had all my vendors in one place...I'd go down the far aisle to the Greek Gals and get pita and hummus, then right next door was the Stock and Sauce guy and I'd get a variety of dips and bruschetta.  I'd visit Sylvan Star Cheese guy, and buy my gouda and a dozen eggs, and basically just make the rounds.  Next was Pearson's Berry Farm, and  hands down, they have the BEST pie EVER.  Pumpkin, Saskatoon, Saskatoon Apple, butter tarts, Saskatoon butter tarts...

Pumpkin Mini Tarts...so delicious!

Once the old CFM (that's Calgary Farmer's Market) closed, and moved, it was hard to find all the vendors in the same place.   And last year, tragically, I could not find my Pearson's Berry Farm....which meant, NO PIE!   I  looked at CFM and I looked at Kingsland, but they were not there.   Finally, I gave up, and ended up buying sub-par-pies at another vendor.  This year, I searched on Google, and found them at the Calgary's original Farmer's Market:  Crossroads!  I took a trip there yesterday, and boy oh boy, I went a bit overboard.  

Saskatoon Apple...warm it up, add ice cream...
and....ahhhhhhhhhh

I bought 2 pies (pumpkin and Saskatoon-apple) and 2 tray's of the pumpkin mini tarts.   While I am a great baker, one thing I can't do well is pie or pie crust...so I do the next best thing, and find someone else who can.

The flavour and the crust in these pies are flawless.  They are already baked when you buy them, and the freeze well!

Pumpkin Pie....soooo goooood.......

What more could you ask for?  Just looking at these pictures is making my mouth water!

Now...I guess my goal this week will be to save up my calories for Thanksgiving dinner and dessert!

Check out their website and the locations...if there is one near to you, I highly recommend it!


http://www.pearsonsberryfarm.ca/