Vidalias

It's the time of year again where we see vidalia onions in our grocery stores. This is one of our favorite recipes for those sweet little gems:





Onion Salad


1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together and pour over vidalia onions, sliced into rings, in a large jar. Let sit in refrigerator for 3+ hours. Drain onions and then dress with the following mixture:

1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup salad dressing (we are mayo users)
2 tsp. celery seed

Enjoy. Yummy salad. Even the men love this one.

Pining for spring

I've been having issues with my hands lately which is why I haven't posted much on either blog. Typing hurts and some days so does using the touch pad. I'm desperate for better weather and while we had a tease of it on Monday/Tuesday, today I woke to a skiff of snow on the lawn. I started some seedlings and have a few sprouts of lettuce and basil so far. My morning glory seeds have exceeded the height of the dome on the seed tray and will need to be transferred to a larger pot soon. We are going to build a raised garden bed this spring so I'm looking forward to that. I've been spending some time surfing the net and thought I'd share some of the latest sites I'm enjoying.

I've been enjoying the following gardening blogs:

My Square Foot Garden

Life on the Balcony

Alberta Home Gardening

Also some interesting reading for my conservative friends (my liberal friends may not be appreciative of them):

Mother of All Conservatives

Human Life Matters and Mark Pickup ( interesting aside~ I went to the jr. high school named after his father and his mom was my music teacher for a time. She was also a dear friend of my parents and I have a piece of Mark's artwork hanging in my living room that was our wedding gift from her)

I've also been enjoying my friend Crafty's new cooking blog "Crafty's Cafe" from which I also discovered Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

Salsa Chicken Bake

I've been trying to use up the things I have in my pantry. The prices of fresh produce are through the roof right now so I've been using more frozen or canned things than I usually do in my cooking. Last night's creation was as follows:

Ingredients: (measurements are all approximates I just threw it together)

9 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 cups basmati rice (we bought one of those huge bags on sale so I'm using this alot these days)
1 can of black beans
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 jar of salsa (1 + cup)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Cook basmati in rice cooker. Brown chix thighs in olive oil, season to your taste. Add salsa and roughly 1/2 cup water (chix broth would be tastier but I didn't have any on hand) and simmer. In a 9x13 glass pan layer cooked rice, beans, corn and then top with chix thighs, pouring any sauce over. Top with shredded cheddar that has been mixed with sour cream. Bake til cheese is bubbly and dish is heated through (roughly 20 minutes in 350 F oven).

It was a hit with the whole crew which is no small feat. Iceman gave it 10 stars and even Turtle gave it a thumbs up which is nothing short of a miracle with him lately (Mr. Picky all of a sudden). Kodiak and the Hero added some Franks Lime Hot Sauce to pump up the heat. They all said they'd like me to make it again.

Meatballs

I just finished rolling about 50 meatballs. I made them rather large or I'd still be rolling. I have some pain in my right forearm, elbow shoulder today- fibro related but I have good energy today so I wanted to take advantage of that despite the discomfort. The crew were at my parents for half of spring break and when they returned yesterday they came with meat from my Uncle's farm. The packages of ground beef were huge and someone left 2 out for me to cook dinner with today. (We usually need 2 pkgs. of store bought ground beef for a meal so it was an honest mistake). Now I will be able to freeze several batches of meatballs for future meals.... yeah!

I've never followed a recipe when making meatloaf or ground beef and just kind of throw together what suits my fancy that day or what I have on hand. Today's batch consisted of onion soup mix, worcestershire, dijon, chopped garlic, a dollop of good horseradish, some seasoning, a couple of eggs and leftover basmati rice for binding.

Do you follow a recipe or throw it all together? Care to share your favorite combination? What kind of sauce do you like your meatballs in?

Strawberry Spinach

We purchased some intriguing seeds the other day. I hope that my Aunt will let us plant them out at the farm. They are called Strawberry Spinach or Blitum capitatum, Chenepodium capitatum. I thought it was a new plant variety but apparently it was harvested by German monks some 400 years ago. It has edible fruit and leaves. I can't wait to try it.

Has anyone ever heard of this or tried it before? Are you planting anything unusual this year? Anything that is new to you?

mmmmmmmmmmm

Iceman and I found a new favorite salad dressing. It is made locally, in Alberta at least, and tastes divine. I tried to recreate it but only had dried basil and that just didn't do it justice. I'm thankful to find another dressing that Iceman enjoys. He loves salad but only ate it with Girard's Champagne dressing , which is not available here.

If anyone has a recipe for a creamy basil & garlic dressing than I'd love it if you could share. Meantime, we will enjoy purchasing this product which is available at 2 of the grocery stores in the neighboring city.

There are other flavors as well and I may have to give them a try. Check out the whole product line at Boccalino Grotto.

I'm going to try one more time to grow some lettuce this year in containers. So far I've had little success but I've noticed some container specific varieties while perusing the seed racks so I will try those.

Thick-Crusted Garlic Prime Rib

The Hero made this for Christmas Eve dinner. It was amazing so I thought I'd share the recipe.

3.15 kg (7 lb) prime rib premium beef oven roast

8 cloves garlic, cut into thin slivers

30 ml (2 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

125 ml (1/2 cup) coarsely chopped fresh parsley

50 ml (1/4 cup) Dijon mustard

30 ml (2 tbsp) each herbes de Provence or dried thyme

30 ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil

Shallot Gravy (recipe follows)

Cut shallow slits all over roast; insert garlic slivers into slits. Rub all over with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine parsley, mustard, herbes de Provence and oil. Set aside 30 ml (2 tbsp) of the mixture for Shallot Gravy, rubbing remainder all over roast.

Place roast, bones down, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert oven-safe meat thermometer into centre of roast. Roast, uncovered, in a 230 C (450 F) oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 140 C (275 F); roast until thermomenter reads 57 C (135 F) for medium-rare to medium, 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hours.

Remove from oven. Cover loosely with foil and let stand for 15 to 30 minutes before carving. Drain all but 30 ml (2 tbsp) of the drippings from roasting pan to make gravy.

Shallot Gravy: Place roasting pan over medium heat; add 3 shallots (coarsely chopped) and reserved herb rub. Cook, stirring, until shallots soften. Stir in 500 ml (2 cups) beef broth and 45 ml (3 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce; simmer, stirring up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Combine 15 to 30 ml (1 to 2 tbsp) cornstarch with equal amounts cold water, making a smooth mixture. Gradually stir into broth; bring to a boil, stirring until thickened, about 3 minutes. Strain.

Makes 8 to 10 servings, with leftovers (about 18 Canada Food Guide servings).

Nutritional information per serving: 218 calories, 26 g protein, 10 g fat, 3 g carbohydrates.

Source: Beef Information Centre.

Baking frenzy

I've been on a baking frenzy for the past couple of days. I've made Marshmallows, Eggnog Poundcake, Gingerbread Cupcakes, Banana Crunch Muffins and Orange Poundcake for Trifle for Christmas. I need to make Coconut Cupcakes, Viola's Chocolate Cupcakes, another batch of eggnog pound cake to give away and some more marshmallows, as we gifted the entire batch. I'm in charge of desserts for Christmas Dinner with the only request being trifle and something chocolate. I decided to do a variety of cupcakes which I'm freezing ahead of time and will ice on Christmas Eve.

Barefoot Contessa's Marshmallow Recipe

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.
With the mixer on low speed slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

With a sieve, generously dust an 8 x 12-inch non-metal baking dish with confectioners' sugar. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan, smooth the top** and dust with more confectioners' sugar. Allow to stand uncovered overnight until it dries out.

Turn the marshmallows onto a board and cut them in squares. dust them with more confectioners' sugar.

Yield: 20 to 40 marshmallows, depending on cut size
Recipe from: Barefoot Contessa Family-Style by Ina Garten (Clarkson N. Potter)
** sometimes we sprinkle with crushed candy canes and then dust with confectioners' sugar.

Eggnog Pound Cake

Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup eggnog
Method
Sift dry ingredients together in a small bowl.
In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well
after each addition, then the vanilla.
Add flour mixture to bowl, alternating with eggnog.
Bake at 325° for about 65-75 minutes (in 2 loaf pans), 70-80 minutes (in a
Bundt) or about 22 minutes for mini-loaves.

*recipe from my friend Julya. It's been a huge hit with all the ladies on our message board this year.

Viola's Grandmother's Famous Chocolate Oil Cake

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 T vanilla
3 cup flour
4 heaping tbsp. Hershey's cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cup boiling water

Procedure

Combine sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

Sift dry ingredients and add to batter along with boiling water.

Pour batter into two 9-inch rounds (or into one 9 x 13 baking dish). Bake at 350° F for 30 to 35 minutes (rounds) or 35 to 45 minutes (sheet).

Ice as desired. I like to use a double dark fudge frosting like Duncan Hines, but a ganache is even more decadent!

***This is another famous recipe from a group of gals who met on Martha Stewart boards.  This is always the chocolate recipe I go back to.  I'll be making it into cupcakes this time.

Well I better get to it.  I need to run out this evening and finish up my Christmas shopping.  Still haven't got a thing for the Hero. ;)

Gah!!! or should I say Bah Humbug!

Who screws up Butterscotch Confetti Squares?? They are nearly the easiest thing to make but I had nothing but trouble pulling this off today. gah! I'm so not into baking this Christmas. The crew are clamoring for some treats but I think I'm going to make the new home ec student (Kodiak) take charge and make some cookies. He has baked some really wonderful things so far this term. I figure it can't be worse than how I'm making out this year. I was going to make Madeleines but I must wait til I'm in a better baking groove. We've been lax on the goodies around here since I lost weight (yes, I punish them all for my lack of self-control....bwa hahahahaha) and I seem to have lost my baking mojo somewhere.

mmmmmm... Fall Stew

I was perusing the aisles of Extra Foods (a mini Superstore) in a neighboring town while La Diva had piano lessons. I rarely get to this store but have enjoyed several products from there in the past. This time I picked up the PC Memories of Burgundy Burgundy Beef Stew Spice & Recipe Kit. I thought I had most of the ingredients for the recipe at home and with the fall weather stew sounded like a great idea. I must admit that when it came time to making it I didn't have all the ingredients listed on the recipe so I made stew like I normall would but with the addition of these spices and the red wine of course. It was delicious.  The family wanted to know what was different about the stew. The smell was heavenly and I was drooling all day as it simmered in the crock pot. I will likely try some of the other spice combos available.

Fall is in the air.

The last flowery faces of summer around here are my Rudbeckia's.  With their arrival also comes the sign that summer is drawing to a close.  The weather has been cool and crisp in the evenings for a few weeks and while we have managed to avoid a frosty night I fear it is not far off.  This weekend will be the start of my preparation for winter outdoors.  There are many plants that need to be pulled, pots to clean and other plants to transplant and move indoors.  The apple tree is so full that I really must get serious about making crabapple jelly before the whole tree of apples are lying on the ground. Iceman, Turtle and Kodiak have been raking up a pile almost daily. I've baked crisps galore and Turtle took a bucket of apples to his teacher.

Anyone need some crabapples? Have any recipes to share?

Summer recipes

I've made these lately and thought I'd share because they were yummy. :)

Watermelon Agua Fresca
Makes about 10 cups

Ingredients
8 cups cubed seeded watermelon (about 6 pounds with the rind), divided
1 cup water, divided
⅓ cup sugar, divided
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 liter (4 cups) club soda or seltzer water, well chilled
Lime slices for garnish

1. Combine half the watermelon, half the water and half the sugar in a blender; puree. Pour through a coarse strainer into a large container. Repeat with the remaining watermelon, water and sugar. Stir in lime juice. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours. 2. To serve, stir in club soda (or seltzer) and garnish with lime.

Watermelon Agua Fresca Tips
Prepare through Step 1, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

recipe from Eating Well

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive
oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and
chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup frozen corn kernels,
thawed
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans,
drained
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1.Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2.In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.
3.Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.

from Allrecipes

Some yummy things I've made recently

Skillet Shrimp Scampi with Fettuccine
Recipe courtesy Family Circle Magazine

3/4 pound fettuccine pasta
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large sweet red pepper, halved, cored, seeded and cut lengthwise into thin strips
1 small onion, cut lengthwise in 1/2 and thinly sliced crosswise
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds medium-size shrimp, shelled and deveined
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Cook pasta in large pot of lightly salted boiling water until al dente, firm but tender, about 12 minutes. Add the green beans to the boiling water for the last 6 minutes of cooking; beans should be crisp-tender and not limp.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet red pepper, onion and garlic; saute for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the shrimp; saute 2 minutes. Add the wine, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp are opaque, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp.

Whisk together the chicken broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until well blended and smooth. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the skillet. Bring to boiling; cook for 1 minute. Stir in the parsley.

Drain the pasta and green beans in a colander; turn the pasta into a large bowl. Add the shrimp mixture; toss until well combined. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.
Recipe SummaryDifficulty: Easy Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Yield: 6 servings

Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved


Glazed Salmon and Vegetable Medley
Yield: 4

Ingredients:
Children's salmon and glaze:
2 x 4 oz Atlantic salmon fillets (2)
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (15ml)
2 tbsp maple syrup (30ml)
2 tbsp soy sauce (30ml)

Adults' salmon and glaze:
2 x 6 oz Atlantic salmon fillets (2)
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (15ml)
1 tsp each grated lemon zest and juice (5ml each)
1 tsp maple syrup (5ml)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh dill (5ml)

Vegetable Medley:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (15ml)
2 cups sugar snap peas, strings removed (500ml)
1 cup green or yellow zucchini, cut into half-moons (250ml)
1 red pepper, thinly sliced (1)
1/4 cup sliced Vidalia onion (50ml)
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint (10ml)
salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine children’s glaze ingredients together and pour over their salmon fillets. Combine the adult’s glaze ingredients together, reserving the dill, and pour over the remaining salmon. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Arrange fish fillets in 2 small, lightly greased baking pans and sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper. Bake for about 12-14 minutes, or until salmon is lightly browned on top and flakes easily with a fork.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking the salmon, prepare vegetable medley. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Stir in mint and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle adult’s salmon with reserved dill, and serve fish with vegetables.

Tip: Asparagus spears or green beans could be substituted for the snap peas. Rice or orzo would make a nice accompaniment to the fish.

Even my 2 fish despising kids ate this without a groan. La Diva actually asked me to make it again some day as she really enjoyed it. She is the worst of my fish haters. I loved the adult glaze the best but the Hero enjoyed both of them. I served couscous as a side.

Horton Hears an Egg Knocking

We had a really great long weekend. The Hero has had several trips away the last little while with several more to come. It isn't easy on me or the crew. We miss him and things are out of sync when he is away. We had orginally planned to sneak away this weekend so we could have some quality family time. The forecast was all over the map so rather than risk bad weather spoiling our plans we decided to stay put, turn off the crackberry (YIPPEE!!) and do what we wanted to do. You know how holidays can sometimes be filled with meeting the expectations of others, following agendas, driving, stress, etc. We chose to avoid that and just spend our time reconnecting and celebrating the gift of what Jesus did for us.

We really had fun this weekend and spent most of it just the 6 of us. We went to see Horton Hears A Who, did traditional things - coloring eggs, stootzing, eating hot cross buns, made new traditions- resurrection cookies, chocolate chip hot cross buns and a new story, reflected, laughed, kids played lots of soccer, discussed why we celebrate Easter, shared dinner with friends and most importantly enjoyed each other.

The Hero has to work tomorrow. The crew has another day off of school. We will need to get to our library books and home reading. I still hope to get a chance to watch the Passion of the Christ again. Kodiak has watched it with me before but La Diva finds it too painful to watch and the boys are too young to understand or see the brutality. Our lesson with the beating of the nuts was sufficient for them.

If you are looking for things to make with that leftover ham. Here are two of my favorites:


HAM AND BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

This is an easy and economical casserole. I often take it to potlucks along with copies of the recipe.

½ cup Miracle Whip
¼ cup milk
2 cups raw broccoli, chopped
1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 ½ cups ham, cubed
1 ½ cups cooked rotini noodles
½ cup green pepper, chopped

Topping: ¾ cup croutons and ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix together all ingredients except topping. Top with topping and bake @ 350F for 30 minutes.


HOT EGG N CHEESE ROLLS

Grammie always made these and they are so yummy. Great to make ahead and keep in the freezer.

5 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
1 cup cheddar or Velveeta cheese, cubed
¼ cup, celery, diced
1 tsp. Chopped onion
1 pkg. ham chopped
1 Tbsp. chili sauce or pickled relish
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of chili powder, if desired
3 Tbsp. salad dressing aka mayo ;)
1 dozen hot dog buns

Mix all together and add salad dressing to moisten. Stuff hot dog buns and wrap in tinfoil. You can put back into the plastic bag the hot dog buns came in and freeze at this time. Put in the oven until the cheese is melted. Don’t use the microwave, they get soggy and you miss out on the crispy bun.

Preparing for Resurrection Sunday

It's been a busy day so far. We colored eggs this morning in preparation of our traditional "stootzing" (more on that tomorrow) on Easter Sunday morning. Then the crew set off to complete their weekend chores. I made Ina's Lemon Cakes for our dessert tomorrow. I can't wait for dessert they are so yummy. Also on the menu: ham with mango glaze, scalloped potatoes, roasted asparagus with parm petals, green beans and Art Smith's biscuits.

Tonight we are going to make Resurrection Story Cookies. I'll include the recipe in case any of you want to join us.

These cookies are made the evening before celebrating the Resurrection, and are cooked in a warm oven overnight so they will be ready on Easter morning.

You need to preheat the oven to 300 degrees (this is important--don't wait until you are half done with the recipe!)

3 egg whites
1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. Vinegar
A pinch salt
1 cup sugar
A zipper baggie
A wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar.
Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.
Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing.

Add 1cup sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.
Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.
Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.
Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.
Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

GO TO BED!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Resurrection morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Resurrection, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9

A few comments on this post......

If you haven't made Art's biscuits you HAVE to, they are to. die. for!! The Hero said if we didn't have guests he would have been hard pressed not to eat the entire dish. I doubled the recipe for company and served them with chive butter.

Our Resurrection cookies were not hollow this morning. I keep forgetting we are no longer in the desert climate we've become so accustomed to in the south part of our province. This is a relatively new home so it is very humid from the new wood. We also awoke to fog, add the snow still on the ground and you have tons of moisture in the air. We reheated the oven, turned it off and then put the cookies back in for a bit. After a couple of hours the were more hollow and able to be enjoyed. I didn't have pecans so we subbed almonds and they were yummy but needed a harder beating with the wooden spoons. We eventually added the meat tenderizing mallet into the mix to hasten the process. Iceman saved the lesson for the morning by remembering a book on his bookshelf called "Love One Another- The Last Days of Jesus" which told the story of Jesus' sacrifice and had a picture of the empty tomb in it. He did a great job starting off the reading of that story but turned it over to Kodiak when he became a bit overwhelmed by the size of the paragraphs.

Big Breakfast!

At least one day on the weekend the Hero makes big breakfast. He makes all sorts of yummy things, sometimes I help him, others he does it all. He will make everything from waffles, pancakes, eggs many different ways, sausage, bacon and his famous Firehouse Hash. It's a tradition that we all enjoy and appreciate.



The boys at the firehall have recently adopted this practice for their duty crew Saturdays. Yesterday was the Hero's weekend and he coordinated the food this round. Iceman and Turtle donned their turnout gear and went along to help check trucks and clean the hall. They were bragging their Daddy up as he was preparing belgian waffles for the crew. They said that he does this every weekend and that was met with much skepticism from one of the newer members. She even grilled them later to see if it was in fact true. ( She annoys me to no end but that's a whole other story. Iceman showed her who was boss when he could go through everything on the check list and not only know what it was but where it was supposed to be.)



On the menu yesterday were Sour Cream Waffles...

1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Baking soda
1 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. Salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup oil
1 cup sour cream
1 ¼ cups milk
Stir in first 5 ingredients together in bowl. Make a well. Beat eggs together in a small bowl until frothy. Add oil, sour cream and milk. Mix. Pour into well. Stir to moisten. Cook in hot waffle iron until browned, using about 1/3 cup batter for each. Makes 12 waffles.

Chipotle Tamale Pie

picture from Food Network

Tonight I made Chipotle Tamale Pie. I saw Ingrid on Steven and Chris last week and thought it looked delicious. I made a few modifications:

- doubled the recipe due to the family size and my desire for some leftovers;

- I also subbed ground beef for turkey. At almost $7 for a pound of ground chicken or turkey it wasn't happening; and

- cornbread mix is not something I've ever seen in the Great White North so I made mine from scratch.

When I make it again I will reduce the chipotle factor because my younger 2 found it a bit too spicy. I served it with a simple green salad. I found that the mixture alone sprinkled on my green salad was just as delicious as my slice with cornbread topping.

Leftover tip: chop iceberg lettuce, warm slice of tamale pie then crumble, toss with lettuce and Old El Paso Toppers Zesty Ranch. Delicioso!!

88 years

Today is my Papa's 88th birthday. Explaining to the crew that great-Papa is 88 years old has been quite the feat, particularly with Iceman and Turtle. That is a mysterious number in their minds. Iceman just finished 100 days of school so he knows how far up into that countdown 88 is. They are in awe of this birthday milestone.

I've recently been reading about the history of my Papa's family. Someone from a branch of it has written a book about the experiences of the family in coming to America and finally settling in southern Alberta. It is fascinating and heart wrenching reading. My Papa's picture is in the book several times as he grew up in that same area. He was very well known for his musical talents. It was his grandfather that brought his family over from Russia. His mother had already lost a husband to the war and came with them in search of a better life for her and her son. It was here that she met my Papa's father and remarried. She is mentioned in the book quite often until her marriage to my great-grandfather and her departure from the family farm to another in the area. I imagine that the hardships experienced by our relatives are not far off of those experienced by my Papa and his family.

I was sharing with Iceman in his weekly journal about how one of his family members from way back created the croissant. I've always heard this story but never saw the lines of connecting this person to my Papa until I read this book. There is talk of an uncle who was working for a wealthy family in Alsace France and his creation of this wonderful bread. It was named croissant after him. The family name was Croissant (pronounced Croix-sent). The book speaks of my great grandfather's memories of this wonderful bread baked by an uncle back in Russia. He speaks of the oven built to cook their bread and the arduous process to bake it. He is remembering this wonderful bread while his own tummy is grumbling from hunger and he is doubting his decision to come and find a better life in America.

I've always joked that my affinity for bread was a genetic disposition and had little to do with self control. I have decided that I must try to make croissants. I've heard it is quite labor intensive. I think it would be a great thing to attempt in honor of our heritage. Anyone have a recipe to share?

My lazy day, don't wanna cook, go to

I love watching Paula Deen. Her accent makes me giggle. She cooks with real food and she eats it with the joy that I do. A few weeks ago I saw an episode dedicated to brunch/breakfast type foods. Drooling, I went on the hunt for the Potato Crusted Ham Quiche recipe. The first night I decided to make it I did not have the proper ingredients. I used frozen hashbrowns in place of the potatoes, I omitted the peppers because some of my kids curl their nose at them, I did not have ham so I used a couple of cans of crab meat and a 4 cheese mix in place of the cheddar and gouda. I'm a rebel with most recipes. Last night I made it with real shredded potatoes (definitely better than the hashbrown cubes) and subbed in turkey bacon, mozza and imperial cold pack sharp cheddar.

It is an easy dish no matter what ingredients you have on hand. It makes a great dinner when you forgot to defrost something or need an easy dish. Let me know what combinations you come up with.

A Lovely Day

We have an extended long weekend with no school today and tomorrow. This morning we started our day by making goodies for breakfast. We took a can of crescent rolls, put spoonfuls of cherry jam on them, rolled them up, sprinkled with French Toast Sugar & Spice. Once they were baked we drizzled them with icing. The crew thought it was the best breakfast treat ever and it was made more complete with a YOP drink. Fortified by the breakfast they all pitched in to help clean the house.

Afterwards I realized it was Chinese New Year today. So we decided that we should do something to recognize the day for the only Chinese family in our town. La Diva and Kodiak are friends with two of the children from this family. The own the local Chinese restaurant that we frequent quite often. They are a lovely family and we appreciate them! So after some research we headed into town to find supplies to create our gift. We found a fabulous large square vase, some bamboo, oranges and tangerines and some red gerbera daisies. I filled the vase with the oranges and tangerines, centered the bamboo in the vase, put the daisies in water piks and arranged them amongst the oranges, added some bear grass and was quite pleased with the final product. La Diva made a card wishing them a Happy New Year.

While we were away I had pizza dough brewing in the bread machine for dinner tonight. It turned out so well that I have another batch on the go to throw in the freezer for a later day.

Pizza Crust from the Bread Machine

1 1/4 cup water
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. dry milk (I don't have this in my pantry so I just used a splash of regular milk)
1 1/2 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp. yeast

Set bread machine to dough setting. Once finished, remove dough and divide in half. Dredge dough in mixture of flour and cornmeal; spread on pizza pan. Top with your favorite toppings. Bake in 400 F oven for approximately 20 minutes.

Makes two 12 inch pizzas.

Can be made ahead and frozen.

The Hero is coming home a day early from his trip so it makes a good day all the more lovely.