Chicken Marbella Anyone???

Mixed brown and white rice, chicken marbella and
wilted kale salad with hot balsamic dressing

As a Dietitian, I am constantly talking about food.  When I am not talking about food, I am usually eating food or thinking about food, meal-planning,  recipe-searching or just wishing I was eating more food.  I have really tried to get into the habit of meal-planning for our week to make things a bit easier on our time and our wallets (less chance of eating out if something is planned at home!)

Mondays is usually "slow-cooker-Monday" as our daughter has piano, and usually there is at least one ice time.  The rest of the week will be me cooking three times, leftovers or pull-something-from-the-freezer two times, and then one meal where we just leave open and it could be anything from our Finger Food Friday meal, to soup and sandwiches

What's on the menu this week?

Chicken Marbella....marinated in prunes, figs,
garlic, wine, olives, capers....

Monday: Spaghetti (cooked on weekend, froze it, and dumped it in the slow cooker on low yesterday...yummmmmmy!)

Tuesday:  New recipe, and the inspiration for this blog post...Chicken Marbella......

Wednesday:  Sausage and pasta with broccoli coleslaw (simple, quick, everyone will eat it, done.)

Thursday:  Quick Moo Shoo Pork (from Canadian Living a few months ago...delicious!)

Friday....Finger Food Friday up in Sherwood Park as we are going to visit the in-laws!

Tonight's meal was inspired by a friend of mine who gave me some to try....I died and went to heaven in that moment...it was just so tasty!   It is a recipe from a series of cookbooks called "Whitewater Cooks" (and coincidentally, these cookbooks are on my Christmas Wish List).  This recipe is super easy as you mix it all up the night before in a casserole dish, and then pop it in the oven when you get home from work!


Chicken Marbella
1 large pack of chicken thighs, boneless and skinless (my pack was about 3 - 4 lb)

Marinade
6 cloves of minced garlic
1 TBSP dried oregano
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar **
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
1/2 cup dried figs, quartered
1/2 cup chopped green olives (I did very few of these as I have an "olive-hater" in my house)
1/4 cup capers with a bit of the caper juice
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine

Place thighs in a 9x13 glass casserole dish.  Combine all the marinade together. ** I did not have any red wine vinegar, but substituted some old red wine that was demoted to cooking wine, and threw in a bit of apple cider vinegar that I had.   Once all combined, mixed, chopped, etc...pour over chicken, cover and place in fridge to let the flavours infuse.   Note that this recipe needs to be done the night before to let those flavours sit.  Once ready to cook, bake for about 45 - 50 min at 350 convection uncovered.   Turn the chicken once during baking, basting with the juices.  Once golden brown...its done! Serve with rice and salad.  

It was so delicious, even my "olive-hater" enjoyed it!!

Cheese Glorious Cheese.....

I heard something wonderful today!  As it is Wednesday, I had my 6 am bootcamp (which I now almost look forward to...).  One of the gals today told me that "cheese is the new kale".   My heart almost stopped.  Cheese?  The new kale?  What could be better news than that?  Don't get me wrong...I love kale....whether it is in the form of chip, or baby kale in salad....de-lish...but I LOVE cheese!   Just looking at this picture gives me goosebumps!

Here are just a few of the nutritional benefits of cheese (and yes, kale is also healthy, but we are talking about CHEESE!)

• Great source of calcium and protein.   Calcium is needed for bones and teeth, but also for much more within the body.    Calcium also plays a role in keeping our heart, muscles and nervous system healthy.  

• Helps prevent cavities!  Cheese is high in calcium AND low in lactose (the natural sugars found in milk).  The more aged the cheese, the lower the lactose content.  Eating cheese after a meal or as a snack can help prevent tooth decay! (Cheese for dessert!  YUM!)

• Cheese is a great source of riboflavin and B12 for energy production, and also contains zinc and vitamin A to help our immune system.

So lets hear it for cheese!   Hurray!

Family Dinner on a Cold and Snowy Night....

Winter has begun....right on cue.  Though yesterday was warm and beautiful, we were warned that we would wake up to cold blowing snow.

While I don't like the cold, I do love having some good old fashioned comfort food on these types of days.  One of my favourite meals when I was young was roasted chicken and macaroni pie.  Tonite I did cheat a little and bought the "flattened and seasoned" chicken from Co-op (still had to cook it!).  But boy oh boy was it delicious!  And my macaroni pie.....soooo gooood, and so easy breezy!  I used a modification of my one pot mac and  cheese recipe (see below) and just added 2 eggs and milk and topped with crushed soda crackers.

Both kids had ice times today, and when they got home, they were greeted by the smell of roasted chicken, hot macaroni pie, baked tomatoes, peas, and raw carrots.  What a great Sunday meal!

One pot mac and cheese

2 cups of Macaroni
2 cups of water
1 cup milk
1 tbsp of butter

Add all the above to a pot and boil for 15 minutes.  Watch that it does not boil over (mine always does!).  Once all the liquid has boiled off, add 1 cup of shredded cheddar (more if you want!).  

**Macaroni Pie Variation...place the macaroni in a baking dish and add 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk (maybe more...i don't measure).  Mix well, and pour over top of the macaroni.  I also added some ricotta cheese as I had that in my refrigerator, and it was delicious!   Top with crushed crackers or Panko bread crumbs and bake.   

It really is comfort food at its best!

I know it is processed, but I need a BREAK!

Ok...so it is October.  We are almost 2 months into school, and I am already at the point where school lunches are giving me ulcers and acne.  Seriously!  My kids will prepare their own lunches sometimes, but there are days where there just isn't time.  Between a busy hockey and ringette schedule and the fact that the kids are getting later ice times and more homework due to their age, it just seems busy beyond belief.  

Today, I treated myself...no, not to a mani-pedi, not to a day at the spa...but to some convenient, semi healthy choices from Costco.  I truly believe that all foods can fit...everything from home-made to processed....it's really just how they fit into your life that makes the difference.  Of course it is better to prepare things from scratch, but at the same time, it can be emotionally healthier to give yourself a break and go with food that is easy and prepared.  And to NOT feel guilty about it!  So, today I bought 1 package of beef sausage rolls, and package of mini soft chicken taco's.  When I was loading up my cart with the lunch items, as well as a Costco fresh-made lasagne for dinner tonite, I did feel slightly guilty, and even ashamed of my cart, which is utterly ridiculous!  I even tried to justify my choices to the cashier to try and find some sort of affirmation! Ridiculous!  Don't worry....I got over that by the time I got to my car.

The end result today was a delicious, easy dinner (with leftovers), and no-think lunches that I know the kids will eat.  Kids were happy, hubby was happy....and all the guilt was gone.  I even had time to make the garlic bread!

Mushroom Barley Risotto

Tonight we had no activities (!) and I was craving something delicious (as usual).   I always try and meal plan either in the car on my way home from work, or if I am really good, I will at least decide on a "maybe" plan the day before and let the idea percolate in my head..."maybe we'll have salmon..."

The menu was simple, but not boring-simple.  Got home, did a quick check to see what I

Super easy and super delicious! 

had....barley...mushrooms, salmon, green beans.....all the makings of an easy and delicious dinner!

1.  Barley...rinse and put to boil.   Takes about 30 - 40 minutes, but do this first, and then you can work on everything else
2.  Chop up the 'shrooms, and sautee them in olive oil and a bit of sea salt and pepper. Can add a bit of white wine if you have some!
3.  Prep the salmon...easy...place on parchment, drizzle syrup and slice up a lemon to put on top.  Cover with foil and bake it up!
4.  Wash the green beans and steam or microwave them up.

By now, the salmon is almost done, and the barley is cooked (just about).  Once the barley is al dente, drain and add to your sauteed mushrooms....you will be amazed at how easy it is compared to real risotto (which I also love, but it is time consuming with all that mixing!).

And.....now, its time to eat!   All done in less than an hour.

Salmon, green beans and mushroom barley risotto

New Mommy

Clearly, I am pregnant
here, just days before
becoming a new mommy!
June 2000

So there have been three times in my life where someone has asked me if I was pregnant, and I was NOT.  I remember each experience vividly, right down to what I was wearing and what I was doing.  The first time, we were at a family gathering on my hubby's side, and someone-who-shall-not-be-named innocently said that they did not I was expecting again.  Now...on this occasion, I was wearing a very long and baggy sweater (i.e., had no fashion sense), and I was a bit....shall we say....larger than I am now.   The second time it was again on my hubby's side of the family and another "someone-who-shall-not-be-named" asked me when I was due.  We were at a Christmas gathering AND I was drinking a goblet of wine.  I know, right?   I responded that I was not pregnant, and the person then had the gall to ask me if I was serious (twice!)  SERIOUSLY?  (A) I was clearly drinking wine, and (B) Don't ask that question unless you are 1000000% sure!

Today....it happened again!   This time, at work, and the hardest part is that I have been working out at bootcamp, eating okay, and I think I look okay (despite the fact that I am still carrying a bit of summer weight).

.....but perhaps it was the style of shirt I was wearing.  They just looked at me in a friendly way and asked if I was going to be a "new mommy".  I politely responded that I was already a mommy and that I was indeed not preg-o.

Oh well.   Had to vent that out.  Now if you will excuse me, I have an odd craving for pickles and ice cream.  And no...I am not pregnant!

My day as a taxi driver (and chef, but not the maid....)

So not all these things were neglected...I exercised and walked the dog...

Today was a day "off" for me.   Off.   But not really.  here is how it went:

• 5:30 am: alarm went off for bootcamp. 
• 7:35 am: left the house, dropped off kids, dropped off hubby, went to my eye appointment 
• 10:30 am: home again; round up the puppy for her grooming appointment
• 12:00 noon: home again, but now the grooming place called...."your dog is ready to be picked up" Back to PetSmart!
• 1:00 pm: home again and played with my puppy.  
• 1:30 pm: off to pick up my daughter early from school...orthodontist consultation. She needs a jaw appliance and braces.....8K later......
• 3:30 pm: home again.  Son is home from school. Time for after school snacks, practice piano, make a quick dinner, as we have to leave for piano, take buddy to hockey evaluations, and are not home for good til 8:30 pm
• 4:45 pm: dinner is in the works...chicken and pasta with a sundried tomato sauce from Lina's Italian Market, served with  sauteed mushrooms on the side.  Eat if your hungry...if not, eat at 8:30 when we get home.
• 5:25 pm: load up the hockey gear, everyone get in the f#$%in' car! We have to leave for piano (which starts at 5:30 pm...good thing it is only 5 minutes away)
• 5:30 pm: piano drop off;  5:45 pm: rink drop off for my son and his friend
• 6:15 pm: pick up daughter from piano, head home for a 5 minute pasta dinner and to pick up hubby from home....then it's off to the rink
• 6:55 pm: We have arrived at the rink. It is FREEZING. And we still have 45 minutes to go (yes, we were a bit late).
• 8:30 pm: DONE.....walk dog.....kids have a snack and a shower. Brush your teeth!!!  
• 9:30 pm:  I see that there is a bottle of wine open and half full from the weekend....Goodnight kids!
• 10:00 pm....everyone is asleep...and I have my wee-bit of wine, and am sitting here, in total silence......ahhhhhhhhhhhh............

All in all, I probably drove over 100 km today, but got a lot of necessary stuff done and made a delicious dinner.  It was a good day, except for the part where my eye doctor said I'd need bifocals fairly soon....   WHAT??????

Back to School, Back to Reality

Ah September.  The end of summer vaycay; the end of camping and trips to the lake, but the beginning of a new school year (hurrah!).  Time to get back to school lunches and healthy-ER eating (compared to the summer, which for me was full of mouth-watering appies, drinks in the afternoon, sunset Caesar's, followed by wine, dinner, port....the list goes on!).  But before we move forward, full speed ahead...it is important to reflect on what we did this summer...

Rafting....my first time!

Whhoooo-hooo!

Mara Lake 2013

A bit of water-skiing! 

My LA trip...Rodeo Drive

We made it!!!!

First day of Grade 8 and Grade 6

Now the first week of school come and gone, and we are in fine-fall-form!  The kids (so far) like their teachers, they are happy to see their school friends AND their hockey/ringette friends, and they are happy to be back to the routine of it all!

And even though it is sad to see the summer go (winter is coming), there are fun things to look forward to on the home-front...bootcamp (6 am!), finger food fridays (wings and ribs!), hockey and ringette tournaments (!!), home reno's (we'll see how that goes), painting walls and cleaning out closets (fun winter projects) and last, but not least, let's not forget that in a few weeks, I'll be eating turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie!

Here come's the fall!  Bring it on!

It's the Do, not the Give...

Gourmet cheeses, chocolate
croissant, smoked NS salmon,
mimosa, coffee.....ahhhh....

Mother's Day was everything I wanted this year:  Thoughtful words in a beautiful card, a delicious brunch with my favourite foods (I know, how do they choose? There are so many!), a family hike followed by a nice picnic, and dinner out.  I had told everyone not to buy gifts, and to just make a card and be creative.  When my son read me the card, and his short and sweet poem, he then said..."Mom, you really just wanted the do this year, and not the give ".   How profound.  The do. Not the give.   The effort that went into my morning coffee (which was brought to me in bed), the beautiful brunch, the fantastic picnic (complete with snackies!), and the dinner out warmed my heart.  

That family joyfulness sometimes gets lost in all the activities and busyness...it was nice to have one day to find it again.  

Had to take a pic of just the cheese!

It was a beautiful day...

...for a family hike and picnic!

Smile!

Happy Mother's Day!!

The Early Bird Makes a Meal Plan!

It is a great ritual, getting up early on the weekends...brew the coffee, read the paper, enjoy the silence.

Ever since we got our puppy, we tend to get up a bit earlier on weekends.  It is actually quite lovely as everyone else is sleeping, and since hockey and ringette are over our time is our own.  This morning, I really made the most of my time, and actually was a bit of a nerdy-meal-planner, as I had the time to do it.

4 cups of coffee later....4 lasagne's...and it's only 9 am!

What was on the agenda today?

• Lasagne...did 4 lasagne's today...yes FOUR:  2 with meat and 2 with spinach and ricotta

• Cajun Skillet Beans with ground turkey

The lasagne, though a bit tedious, was easy, and while I was grating cheese, browning beef and boiling noodles (no oven-ready for me!), I had my iPad on my mindless albeit entertaining soap (GH of course). The meat lasagne was easy, as it really is just home-made spaghetti sauce, and then a bit of layering.  The spinach and ricotta one took a bit of thought, and in the end, I just made something up, which tasted pretty good!

Cajun Skillet Beans with a Turkey Twist

The cajun skillet beans are a recipe from a friend of mine and of course, not one to follow directions, I had to make it a bit different and add in some ground turkey (only because I bought some and nobody wanted turkey burgers).  In the end....I have all my meals for the week.

Monday:    Cajun Skillet beans with turkey

Tuesday:  Lasagne (meat or spinach...I can choose!)

Wednesday:  Beef on a bun  and salad (found some leftover beef in the freezer)

Thursday:  Leftover skillet beans with salad and garlic toast

Friday:  Finger Food  Friday!


Spinach Ricotta Lasagne

- 3 packs of chopped frozen spinach
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- lots of minced garlic
- 3 eggs
- lasagne noodles
- tomato sauce

Microwave spinach and squeeze out excess water (as much as you can).  Then add in the ricotta, the minced garlic and the eggs. Mix well.  Can add in a bit of the mozza as well, just save some of the shredded cheese for the top.   Layer the noodles and alternate with the spinach mixture ( I did 3 layers of noodles, and ended with the the spinach mixture.  On the top layer, I put some tomato sauce and then topped with shredded mozzarella.  I have no idea how this will taste, but it really looked yummy!  This recipe made 2 lasagne's, though I had to do them both at the same time to allow equal spinach on each!

Cajun Skillet Beans with Ground Turkey

-2 packages of ground turkey (dark meat is best as it is more tender)
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 chopped pepper (green, or yellow, or whatever you have)
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 can of whole tomatoes (19 oz can)
- 1 - 2 fresh tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 - 2 TBSP honey
- 1 1/2 TBSP dijon mustard
- 2 TBSP vegetable oil
- beans:  1 can of black eyed peas and 1 can of mixed beans
- herbs: fresh thyme, fresh basil and fresh oregano
- spices: chili powder, cayenne pepper (not a lot!)
- salt and pepper to taste

Brown the turkey and once cooked put aside.  In the vegetable oil,  brown the minced garlic, chopped celery and chopped peppers together for about 5 minutes.  Once softened, add in the fresh herbs and a dash of chili powder and a dash of cayenne pepper.   Simmer for 2 minutes.   Now add in all those tomatoes, and add the honey and dijon.  For the honey, start with 1 TBSP and then add more if necessary.  Add in the ground turkey.  Drain and wash beans and add to mixture.  Cover and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes.


**Keep in mind that it is now after 10 pm, and I am writing down what I think I did....and also remember...I hardly ever measure anything!

Mango Salsa with....Everything!

Mango Salsa....delicious and nutritious!

Chicken Thigh's from the grill with mango salsa

Mango salsa is so versatile.....it can be served with chips as an appie, as  side dish to your main meal, or even just as a quick snack.   It can jazz up leftovers, or use it as a topper for salad instead of your standard dressing.    We BBQ'd some chicken a few nights ago and had it with mango salsa, pan fried peppers and tortillas.  It was a delicious meal that was not only nutritious, but kid AND adult friendly!   And for those who need gluten free, corn tortilla's are a great option.  

Mango salsa jazzin' up leftover slow cooked beef

Mango salsa ingredients are versatile, and really whatever you want.  I have two good friends who make AWESOME mango salsa....which inspired me to make my own.  It's never the same twice, but it is always fantastic!

2 ripe mangos (if you don't know how to cut a mango, see the link below)

1/2 diced cucumber

1/2 finely diced red pepper

1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 - 2 ripe tomatoes, diced

Juice of 1 lime

Optional ingredients:  jalapeno peppers, poblano peppers, diced avocado, onion

Chop above ingredients and mix together.  Can keep in fridge for up to 3 days, though if using avocado, mixture may not last as long.  Enjoy!

Optional ingredients:  jalapeno peppers, poblano peppers, diced avocado, onion

http://localfoods.about.com/od/onionsleeks/ss/How-To-Cut-A-Mango.htm

Salmon with Curry Linguine

How delicious does this look????   

My kids LOVED this today!   A real hit for a Monday!

Lately, I have really been trying to make meals with what I have at home and  not run to the grocery store every day....which means I have to plan ahead and be creative.  Note:  I do most of my meal planning in the car....either after I drop the kids off at school or on my way home from work.  This weekend was great from a buying-food-for-the-week perspective, as I went to the Crossroads Farmer's Market on Friday and stocked up on a few essentials (including our favourite Saskatoon Berry Pie!) and also went to Lina's Italian Market and stocked up on fresh pasta and and sauce, which make easy freezer-to-table meals in a short amount of time.   Today I decided to cook up a whole salmon fillet from Costco, and have it with the Lina's pasta and their curry cream sauce.  Throw some veggies on the side....and it's the perfect dinner.  

Here's what I did:

• Called my son at 3:30 and instructed him to take the salmon, the pasta and the sauce out of the freezer.  He was happy to comply, and found everything where I said it would be
• Home at 5:45....daughter was in the middle of  piano lessons so I quietly prepared the salmon
• Oven on....400 convection....
• Placed the salmon on a parchment lined cookie sheet and drizzled on some maple syrup and topped with minced garlic and  fresh lemon slices.  Covered it up with foil, and baked until about 6:45 or so.  It was still partially frozen when I put it in...so if your salmon is thawed or fresh, it will take a shorter time.
• Salmon in the oven..time to walk the dog!  And it was even sunny!  
• Back at 6:25....put the water to boil for the pasta....prepared the  peas and broccoli...microwaved the peas and poured some boiling water over the broccoli to slightly soften
• Boiled the pasta, added the sauce....set the table.....and dinner was ready!  Yes, it was a bit later, but everyone loved it!  The kids took seconds (and thirds!).  My son even was shocked at how much he loved the salmon!!!!   

I'd say this meal was a success....pasta, fish and veggies....simple, delicious, and best of all, there was enough leftovers for a few lunches!   

Pomegranate Granola with Vanilla Yogurt

A picture is worth a thousand words....and just look at how pretty this looks!   A delicious and easy weekday breakfast (weekends are reserved for bacon and eggs!).

I bought the pomegranate seeds at Costco for $7.99 for a double container...all ready to sprinkle on whatever...be it salad or breakfast!

What to do:

• Scoop your favourite vanilla yogurt in a bowl...mine is the Oikos 2 % vanilla
• Sprinkle on 1/3 - 1/2 cup of granola (I used Nature's Path Pumpkin Granola)
• Top with pomegranate seeds

It is refreshing, and has a source of protein, fruit and grain combined in one bowl.  

Pomegranate seeds may be small, but they are mighty!  Take a look at what the some of the health benefits are:

• rich in vitamin C
• rich in antioxidants that have heart health and anti-cancer benefits
• source of vitamin K (essential in proper blood clotting and also helps maintain healthy bones)

So next time you are at Costco, buy those pomegranate seeds!  Throw them in your salad, have them for a snack, toss them on top of your granola!  Your heart (and the rest of you) will love you for it!

A Grand Day Out

The weekend has come and gone, and even though the weather felt more like winter than spring (we had a blizzard here yesterday), we made the best of it.

It is always a bit surreal when hockey and ringette are over.  It felt weird in the car yesterday when the four of us were driving, with no arena to go to and no smelly gear in the car.  With it being such a grey day, we decided to go downtown for an indoor adventure!  Our first stop?  The Devonian Gardens.....lush green palm trees, beautiful flowers and tranquil ponds with tropical fish....indoors, but still!  Nice to see green on grey day!

Next...we stopped and bought 4 baby cupcakes at a trendy bakery....chocolate for the girls, and then the boys had vanilla with pink strawberry icing.....delicious!  Then....time to walk around....go into a few little shops....just enough of a walk to get those tummies grumbling!  

We did a late lunch yesterday (which worked out great, as we did not have to cook dinner!).  We decided on Earls....decent food, and a little something for everyone....

Fish and chips and a Guinness for me!
No regrets! Every calorie was worth it!

Hubby got the Earls signature curry dish...

It was such a good feeling to sit and eat together in a restaurant with no arena-schedule.  No places to go or people to see...just us.  We talked  and laughed, and it filled us up...the grey and dreary weather no longer mattered.  Kids were laughing, hubby and I were smiling...I just sat back and drank my Guinness, ate my fish (batter and all) and felt happy.  What a grand day out indeed!

Delicious Morning Oatmeal

As you know, I love food (no, really, I do), and a lot of the time, I like to know what everyone is eating.  A co-worker of mine has her breakfast at work, and it always smells so delicious, and looks so hearty, and pure and good....I had to ask her about it, and then had to make it. It is easy, versatile, and has everything you need in a breakfast...hearty grain to get the brain moving, protein and calcium and some berries to boot!

All you do....is make a bowl of oatmeal..any oatmeal!  I used what I had...which was Bob's Red Mill 5 grain rolled hot cereal.  I nuked it for 5 minutes with a bit of milk (hence more calcium!).  Note...when nuking oatmeal....ensure you have a deep enough bowl (had a bit of a boil-over mishap!).  Once the oatmeal is done, throw on some vanilla yogurt (or plain...but I like the vanilla) and then top with frozen blueberries.  What a great way to kick start your day!

Hearty...yummy...pure...just right for the morning!

More Broccoli?

Roasted chicken, potatoes and broccoli casserole

I made an amazing broccoli casserole this week...and it was so yummy, I made it twice!

What you need
~2 cups washed and cut broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar (though I have used as little as 1/4 cup as that was all I had the first time I made it!)
2 eggs + milk for a total volume of about 2 cups (give or take)
Panko bread crumbs (could use crushed Ritz or soda crackers, or even crushed salad croutons!)


What to do
1.  Boil some water in the kettle to pour over the broccoli
2.  Wash and cut broccoli and place in a large mixing bowl
3.  Pour boiling water over broccoli to soften.  Meanwhile.....
4. Mix together eggs and milk and whisk with a fork
5.  Shred the Ched!
6.  Lightly grease a casserole dish (I used a 9 x 13, though a smaller one would also work)
7.  Drain broccoli, and mix in ricotta, cheddar, and egg/milk mixture.  Add in salt and pepper if desired.  The mixture should look a bit soupy but not runny.  Add more milk if you think it is too thick.

Top with bread crumbs or crushed crackers, or whatever.  The crunchy part makes it oh so yummy!   Bake at 375 on convection for 30 - 40 min.  If you have a super hot oven, maybe bake it at 350.

My kids had seconds....and....if you have leftovers, makes a great addition to lunch the next day!

Options that could work....add in some chopped spinach or sliced mushrooms!  Any veggie goes!

Sunday Afternoon Biscotti

It was a beautiful day today, relatively speaking...sun was shining, and it was not minus 40.  Seriously though  it was lovely and we even got to take the puppy for a long walk (she's so tired, she's still sleeping!).  So my daughter and I, who crave chocolate on the best of days, wanted biscotti.  Not just any biscotti...we wanted good chocolaty biscotti.   So, we did what anybody would do...we made some!  And it was surprisingly easy!  She found a recipe from Allrecipes.com for double chocolate biscotti...who could resist that?

The finished product...dressed up with icing sugar
just to make it look sexy!

Here's what we did (which is of course slightly different than the actual recipe!)

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar (we used 1/3 white sugar and 1/3 brown sugar)

~cream together butter and sugar, then add:

1/4 cup cocoa powder 

2 teaspoons baking powder

~beat 2 minutes, then add:

2 eggs, one at a time (preferably no shell!)

Now...get that wooden spoon out, and use it to mix the rest:

1 3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Four 1-oz squares of white chocolate, chopped (did not have this, so left it out, plus that sounds like too much work)

So mix the flour and chocolate chips and let the dough cool in the fridge for 10 minutes...then shape like this and put on a cookie sheet:

Here's the biscotti right before putting it in the oven to bake....

Bake 20 minutes on 375 convection (or 25 minutes on regular bake, depending on how hot your oven is.  Once done, take out, and cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet and cut in strips like this:

Soooo goooood......

Turn and bake cut-side-down for about 10 more minutes and voila!  You have home-made biscotti.  The original recipe says you have to cool on a wire rack for an hour...I have no wire rack, and I don't have an hour to wait for my treat...so I just waited 10 minutes, and cut with a long non-serrated knife, and it worked beautifully!  

And my house smells......ahhh......like chocolate!  Cheers!  Time for tea!

Sole Food

I made an amazing, delicious, simple, quick dinner tonight!   I had bought sole at the grocery store, and tossed it in my freezer last week.   On the menu tonite was pasta with a garlic cream sauce...light on the cream, as I only had less than 1/4 cup of whipping cream, spinach cakes (yes, spinach cakes, which were delicious) and pesto crusted sole.  

1.  Spinach cakes were easy, and I got the recipe from a friend of mine.  All you do is chop up 12 oz of fresh spinach (i used two 6 oz bags of baby spinach).  Chop it up in batches in a food processor, and add  1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 2 eggs, a minced garlic cloves and salt and pepper.  Mix the chopped spinach together with all the other goods, and then plunk it into muffin tins (greased) and bake at 400 for 20 minutes.  I added a bit of extra cheese, and 1 extra egg, as it seemed a bit dry, but it was DELICIOUS!

Easy Sole with pesto and bread crumbs

2.  Fish....EASY!  I spread some pesto on top of each piece (pesto from Costco!) and then sprinkled Panko bread crumbs on top and put one slice of lemon on each piece just to make it look pretty.

Doesn't this look amazing?  Sole, spinach cakes and pasta!

The end result?

This is my daughter's plate!  
And she had seconds of the fish!

Make your own pizza night

Mushroom red pepper pizza

One of our favourite meals to make on a weekend is make your own pizza night.  It gets the kids involved, and everyone gets the topping they like.   The kids love it!  Our son who loves bacon (who doesn't?) will typically stuff his crust with cheese and more bacon, while our daughter typically does a mushroom and red pepper pizza with not a lot of cheese.  We usually do a fancy pizza and of course always offer a slice to the kids!

Our fancy pizza this time?  Pesto Shrimp Pizza, inspired to me by a thin crust pizza they offer at Earls Restaurant.   I had this for the first time a few years ago, and loved it!  And so super easy!

Bacon pizza with cheese and bacon stuffed crust

 Pizza dough:  Either buy a pre-made crust or by the dough from an Italian market or make your own (which is what I do).   Combine 1 cup of warm water, 2 and 1/4 teaspoons of yeast, 1 TBSP sugar in a mixing bowl.  Add in about 3 1/4 cups of flour and 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil.  Throw in a dash of salt on top of the flour.  Knead well and let rise for 45 min - 1 hour.

Toppings:  While the pizza is rising, prepare the toppings....sliced mushrooms, red pepper, cooked bacon and/or pepperoni, mozzarella, pizza sauce (I cheated and bought pre-made tomato sauce from Sobeys).  Kids can decorate their own and even roll out the dough if you are okay with a bit more mess!

Pesto Shrimp Pizza

Pesto Pizza:  Instead of tomato sauce, use a pesto (I bought the one from Costco).  Spread on your dough and bake for 10 minutes in the oven at 350.  Once baked for a bit, take out, and top with shrimp.  I have used both raw and cooked.   If using cooked, you need to bake the crust longer in the oven first.   Also pat the shrimp dry before adding to the pizza.   Sprinkle mozzarella on top, and can also top with fresh or sun-dried tomatoes.  Bake until shrimp is "snappy" and crust is cooked.   Take half a lemon and squeeze over pizza once cooked.   Serve with a few glasses of red wine (!!)


If you are having a large crowd, you can double the dough recipe and make the pizzas on rectangular cookie sheets!   Leftovers are great for breakfast, school lunches or a midnight snack!

Winefest 2013!

Doesn't the title say it all?  And isn't a picture worth 1000 words?

We went to Winefest on Saturday night for a date night, and it was delicious, filled with all my favourite things...fine wine, delectable cheese plates and mini yummy appies and desserts.  Springbank Cheese supplied the cheese for the evening, and I had a plate from each of the THREE locations in the Big Four Building.  Maybe this seems excessive...but each station had different types of cheese, so it only seemed right to try each and every one!  And no evening would be complete without port....and not just one kind....at least 5 kinds...but by that part of the night, my mind was fuzzy... so it could have been more, but I cannot remember.

Delicious appies and desserts!

Cheese Plate number 3.....I could have gone for a fourth

Are these wines the same?

No..they were different...right?
Either way...same...different....delicious!

And to finish the night...my three favourite port wines...
I am sure I tried two more, but can't remember.

Apparently I fell asleep on the floor with my puppy.  What a great night!