I Still Love Simon (after all these years...)

Simon (singing to me)

It has been going on since 1983.  Grade 9. I fell in love with Simon and his band.   I was hooked, like many young girls my age.  I spent all of my money on magazines featuring the band, I bought every album and single (remember the 45's?).  I had 77 posters hanging in my room...thanks mom for never telling me to take them down.  I bought buttons and pins, the most notable of them saying crude things about what I did with whom..."I had s-- with Simon" etc...  Again, thanks mom for not really saying anything about the pins.   I used to sit in my room and listen to Save a Prayer wishing that I was married to not one of them but all of them (especially Simon).  My friends and I each picked our favorite and just by doing this, they were ours.  We memorized birthdays, stayed up and watched Sam Taylor and Terry David Mulligan on Friday Nights hoping and praying they would play a Duran Duran video or interview the band. Remember Video Hits and Good Rockin' Tonite??   I remember the moment that The Reflex came out. Our social media (back then) was the local radio station promising to play the new single after 6 pm.  There I was in my room, armed with a blank cassette tape ready to record the new single so I could listen to it over and over again.  Finally in my Grade 12 year when I lived in the US, I got a chance to see them live in concert, and even though it was just Simon, John and Nick....it was like a dream come true.  

Roger

Fast forward to 2005 when I saw them for a second time in Calgary.  Here I was, married with 2 children, yet when we got to the Saddledome...I felt like a teenager again!   The fact that we started in the worst possible seats and were moved 6 rows from the stage was also pretty amazing and one of my most memorable Duran-moments. There I was, screaming "I LOVE YOU SIMON!!"
I know he heard me.

John

Last night, I got to do it for a third time.  And for me...it honestly just gets better and better.  The feelings and emotions I had as a teen, wishing for Simon to knock on my door and start singing to me (yes I did wish for that) all came flooding back.   I surprised myself by knowing almost every lyric and intonation of those songs. and was on my feet dancing and watching in awe as those Wild Boys gave it their all on stage.


Now I suppose my view on Duran Duran is skewed.  I will admit that.  I was...am...was...in love with them (Simon) so I suppose I am biased.  But on the flip side....for me and hopefully thousands of other ladies in their.....a-hem....early 40's (!!) to feel like we are 16 again for a couple hours while we belt out Rio, Wild Boys and The Reflex is totally worth it.  

They still had that magical power over me and I know the next time I see them....it will still be all that and a backstage pass?  Hey...a girl can dream....

Food Enthusiasts Guide to Glamping....

This is me...doing "work"....

Recently I wrote a blog post for Health Stand Nutrition on Glamping (link below).    Being the food enthusiast I am, of course everything I do pretty much revolves around food.  I am not a chef, but I do enjoy delicious food.   When we plan our camping trips, aside from the usual gear, I have charts on meal planning, snacks, appies, and grocery lists galore to ensure I have all necessary ingredients.  One would think I am planning a wedding and not a camping trip.  BUT....all the work is well rewarded.  My top tip? Plan, plan, plan!  Do as much as you can at home so when you camp, you have delicious meals and appies with as little work as possible.

A delicious breakfast ready in minutes with minimal mess

Dates stuffed with a walnut, a skiff of blue cheese
wrapped in proscuitto.  So so so good.

OK...this is a bit of a cheat, but part of glamping is finding that
great bakery that makes pies fresh daily.  And what better
on Canada day than this???  A bit of red and white!!!

This was my favorite.
Camping Cheesecake
So good. So easy. So delicious.

Camping Cheesecake

I got this idea from a friend/coworker of mine and its truly delicious.  Here's what I did:

• Chop dates and walnuts at home (I used my Vitamix!) and put it in a container.  It's non perishable and ready to use! 
• Pack marscapone cheese (1 container), maple syrup (goes with us anyways for pancakes), vanilla (yes, vanilla).  
• Fresh fruit (I brought peaches from the market, but blueberries or any berry would also work)

To create this delectable dessert, I used a round ziploc (easy to store if not all is eaten).  Start with putting your walnut/date mixture at the bottom.  Then add maple syrup and about 1 tsp of vanilla to the marsapone cheese and mix well. Maple syrup is to taste...maybe I added 1/4 cup?  Then top with fresh fruit.  And...voila!   A perfect dessert that was truly a hit!

http://www.healthstandnutrition.com/glamping-for-the-foodie/

What's my motivation?

Meal planning can be hard sometimes.  How do people do it?  What guides them? When is the best time?  As the kids get older (and way busier!), I find myself planning more and more.  I try to do the whole "cook once eat twice" thing, though this does not always work.

In general, I cook three times per week, eat leftovers two to three times depending on the meal, and then one to two times per week is the "wildcard" meal (like grilled cheese and tomato soup, or breakfast for dinner, or pulling something from the deep freezer).  Here are a few key questions you can ask yourself when meal planning.  Note my answers are from last Thursday, just to give you an idea of how the conversation with myself went....

1.  What is happening tomorrow?
hockey way down south at an awful time on a Friday.

2.  What do I have in my refrigerator that needs using up?
cheese, bruschetta from the market

Lightbulb!  Pizza cuz its a fun friday thing!

3. Do I have ingredients NOW to make this work?
yes!  tomato sauce, oregano, garlic,  frozen cooked ground beef which I cooked and froze last week, cheddar, mozza, bruschetta....

4.  What can I do ahead of time?
make the dough, prep the pizza, freeze and cook it up tomorrow!

This line of thinking does not always work, but when it does the results are AWESOME!  

My girlfriend texted me that night after I told her what I was doing...

Bruschetta pizza topped with sliced bocconcini cheese

me: Made 2 pizzas for supper tomorrow since I work and we have that game down south!

her: U smart girl!

me: Smart. Maybe. High maintenance and wanting something scrumptious on a Friday? Yep, that's me!

So my motivation for this meal was definitely my need for good food.  When I think about it, this is likely my motivation for most things!

Cheeseburger pizza

Pizza Dough Recipe (keeping in mind that I start with a recipe and then don't use it)

3 1/4 cups flour (yes I usually use white!)
1/2 tsp salt (optional..sometimes I remember to put in, other times I do not)
1 cup warm water
2 - 3 tsp fast rising yeast
1 TBSP sugar
~1/4 cup olive oil

Method:
Place flour and salt in bowl. Set aside.  Now in a large 2 cup measuring cup (like those Tupperware shakers) fill to 1 cup (or just a bit more) with warm water.  Mix in yeast and sugar and pour over flour mixture.  Add olive oil. Knead slowly, as you may need to add more water or flour...depending on how it feels.  Should feel soft.  Cover with a clean lint free cloth and let rise for 45 min or so.  

Of course the best thing is to invite me over and I will show you all how to do the pizza dough!  All it takes is a bit of red in a nice glass....

This was delicious!

January again....

2016.   When did that happen?  Time to start fresh, start new.  Time to be in non-holiday mode...that means cooking for our family, driving to arena's, piano, driving my oldest to his job (yes he has a job now), and on and on and on.  I thought I would try and blog more this year and try and capture our dinners a few times per week, just to get things going and to get people inspired to cook simply but deliciously! 


Yesterday was piano day, which means eating super early or a bit later, depending on what else is going on. Typically I do slow-cooker Monday's, but the weekend was so busy with hockey and ringette that I did not have time to prep the night before.   Now I am okay with the whole concept of breakfast-for-dinner, and grilled cheese and tomato soup, but there's something about Monday's...I need to have it be delicious and full of good flavour.  Salmon!  That's it!  Cooks quickly, pairs nicely with....gnocchi (already had in my pantry).  Cooks quickly, and  can lightly pan fry in...brown butter and fresh sage (yes, I had those things on hand too).  And what veggies....zucchini from the farmers market, and a fresh spinach salad! Done!    And the "piece-de-resistance".....my homemade dill garlic lemon mayonnaise....so good you could eat it with a spoon (I didn`t do that.....but I coulda)

Baked salmon, gnocchi, zucchini and spinach salad

Baked Salmon
-start with a salmon fillet (I get mine at Costco)
-season with sea salt, ground pepper and fresh minced garlic
-rub all over fish
-garnish with lemon slices to bake
-bake at 375 convection, lightly covered with foil....I think I baked it for about 20 min


Gnocchi
- boil for under 2 minutes
-drain and quickly transfer to a butter-seasoned non stick pan
-fry on medium low until you get some nice crispy parts
-cut up fresh sage and toss in with the brown butter / gnocchi


Mayonnaise
-Get out your blender!
-put in 2 medium eggs
-juice of half a lemon
-1 - 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic (okay I used 3..but LOVE garlic)
-fresh dill (or whatever herb...if no herb its good with just the lemon and garlic)
-salt and peppa

Now blend this up....and open the lid of your blender and SLOWLY pour in vegetable oil.  Olive oil is a bit heavy, and while I love olive oil, I do not like the taste of it in mayonnaise.   Eventually your ingredients will emulsify and blender will make weird gurgly sounds...its done then!  Can store in the fridge for about a week, but never lasts that long in our fridge.  We use it to dip veggies, as a creamy salad dressing, spread on sandwiches....lots of possibilities!

And presto..dinner was ready by the time the kids came home (hubby picked them up!)

Happy cooking!