Getting your kids to love you forever... or making Mac'n Cheese
It's really cliche, this Mac'n Cheese thing. I know that everybody has done it and I have a bit of an issue with that. As soon as 'everyone's done it' I don't want to do it... just for spite. When everyone raved that 'Forest Gump' was the best movie ever... I decided that I was going to hate it. As a kid, when everyone raved that 'Canada's Wonderland' was the best thing ever, I decided that I wasn't going to go (well... that one only lasted for a couple of years). These are the best examples I have at the moment but really... you need to trust me on this one. As soon as it's popular, I'm OUT.
When it comes right down to it, the homemade stuff is so much better than the box you think that it must be hard to do but it's not. I don't dress this gal up much... no fancy truffle oil drizzling, no crusty crap on the top (a little extra shredded cheese works well though), no multiple cheesing necessary - whatever is in the fridge will do (Just PLEASE no Cheez Whiz!). Sometimes simple is best.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
6:15 PM | Labels: main course, pasta | 0 Comments
Beef Margarita's - whatever that means!
I just kind of threw this together today. Just hit me last night and all of a sudden here I was today making it happen. The recipe hasn't been pulled out in my kitchen for years but it's one of those weird, quasi-fifties thing that you could imagine seeing in an old 'Better Homes and Gardens'. Right next to the salmon mousse and jello salad... you get the idea. Still, there is something about this one AND I'm always on the lookout for something to do with ground beef that isn't involving a sauce (i.e. chili, spaghetti sauce, etc.).
The recipe is another from one of my university roomies - Pat - and as it is written it was pretty, well... simple. I got thinking about it and figured that I could do something new with the same idea. The recipe called for a can of Cream of Mushroom soup - GONE! Try some fresh mushrooms, sour cream, a little cottage cheese and some spices to jazz this baby up. This still comes out just like the quaint dish that I remember Pat making. It makes me feel nostalgic and 'down-homish' when I eat it. Needless to say, my daughter LOVED it. Couldn't get enough. The finicky 3 yr old barely eats plain rice at the moment so I'm not stressing about him in the least. This would go nicely with a salad (not jello thanks), something green and wilted or some nice steamed broccoli.
10:47 AM | Labels: beef, main course | 2 Comments
Excuses, Excuses
I am so excited, my friends. Well, let me be careful here. The joy is bitter-sweet. The end of March Break approaches and it's been a wonderful one. We've had the most fantastic weather, eerily warm and sunny (I washed my outside windows yesterday!) for the middle of March. We've gotten some necessities out of the way, those errands that keep nagging at your brain. I've gotten lots of trail running in - FINALLY! - and we got the bikes out and the bike trailer and all that stuff. Lots of fun. We've also gotten together with some friends. And, as the end of the Break approaches, we are off to see some friends in Hawkestone.
Sometimes, you meet people who amaze you, who go above and beyond and whose commitment is an inspiration. The Jacobsen-Broda's are just those kind of people. They used to live downtown and have now moved where they can have more land, live a different kind of life (where vegetables can be grown, where rescued animals can be better housed) with more space in your head to think. They are also actively involved in community sustainability and nation-wide ecologically responsible energy projects! I LOVE IT!!!
I've only made this cake once before and, my friends, I can't even tell you how long ago that was. It's a spice cake, you see. Not chocolate. Not light, fluffy and white - So, it tends to get forgotten for birthdays and anniversaries - ya' know? A spice cake... with sour cream... and lemon glaze! Why did I ever forget such a thing. Sometimes (I know that this borders on blasphemy), who cares about chocolate! This recipe is from an OLD Gourmet magazine *sigh* RIP. I know that the magazine was sometimes stodgy and out of touch but you could still find a gem here and there... really! This lovely, light, fragrant offering is definitely a diamond. (I know this only because I have written 'Absolutely Fabulous' beside this recipe on the piece of paper I ripped out of the mag) Civi and Brian are going to enjoy this one... I hope!
This cake is totally worth any extra effort - the sour cream, whipping the egg whites (hmmm - as I'm writing this I realise that I totally and completely forgot about the poor walnuts - they did not get toasted and I did not fold them gently into the cake - Oops - I didn't miss them though!). I can't say enough times that the cake was fantastic! As was our day with Brian and Civi (and Roman and Lyric!) we ate some great food.
Went for a great walk in their woods/wetlands,
Came home with some prize winning honey (6th place in the Royal Canadian Winter Fair)...
And some great seeds and specimens to look at under the microscope.
Thanks Broda-Jacobsens for a great day!!!
5:51 AM | Labels: cake, friends | 0 Comments
A little less crap
As you may have gathered from reading some of the stuff that I spew out here, I'm trying to 'de-crap' my eating as much as possible. Let me be clear. De-crap (another new word I think) means I still eat Fat, ok? That crap is not as bad for you as the pundits have been telling us... preaching to us over the years. So, Yes! I still enjoy full fat cheese, butter and eggs with the yolks still in them - Thank you very much. What is not so good for me though, and this is where I'm de-crapping, is all that #@*% that is in all the food that is 'ready to serve', 'just add water', 'simply heat in the microwave for 2 min', etc. You get the idea.
I've recently ended my year and a half long obsession with a certain fizzy drink - too much CRAP. I'm starting to think seriously about getting rid of all the chemical crap (well most of it anyway!) in my food. Check out my cupboard!
Potato Chips
5 potatoes sliced thinly and all sliced as evenly as possible
oil (I used canola and not olive b/c I didn't want any additional taste from the oil)
salt (I used coarse sea salt)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
Slice potatoes and place in bowl. Drizzle with enough oil to make sure that when you swish them around the potato pieces get completely covered.
Place each slice on a baking sheet with Parchment (not Wax Paper!!! As I did here!) or a silicone baking mat (seriously what would I do without these things????). Sprinkle with salt and place in oven for about 7 min. but keep an eye on them. Remove from oven, turn pieces over and sprinkle new side with salt. Bake for another 7 min.
I was going to try a salt and vinegar flavour BUT as I said earlier I used Wax instead of Parchment paper. They are not the same thing apparently! The potatoes for my 'salt and vinegar' batch stuck to the wax paper! I could not get them off with out destroying them completely. It was more than a little disappointing BUT it made pretty cool potato wallpaper (see picture above - ugh!). So, my reader... please don't use Wax paper. If anyone has any other ideas send it off to me... I'd love to get them!
The silicone mat worked great and the potato chips turned out quite well. They are not as thin as the store bought ones but it would be cool to try sweet potato ones or something like that. Believe me, it's a nice alternative to popcorn once in a while. All in all, I would do it again. And next time... I'll try the salt and vinegar ;-)
8:18 AM | Labels: snacks, vegetarian | 1 Comments
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About Me
![My photo](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3GgJ8w60bz0/TD3cPk6X6LI/AAAAAAAABNc/_XofbFQNbpo/S220-s80/Photo+on+2010-07-14+at+11.jpg)
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
My Favourite Cookbooks
- Naparima Girls High School Cookbook
- The Silver Palate Cookbook
- More-with-Less Cookbook
- Moosewood Cookbook
About Me
![My Photo](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3GgJ8w60bz0/TD3cPk6X6LI/AAAAAAAABNc/_XofbFQNbpo/S220-s80/Photo+on+2010-07-14+at+11.jpg)
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
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