tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54106971638520389692024-03-19T01:04:41.050-07:00When I'm not at WorkWanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.comBlogger540125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-80580900426565202292015-08-26T17:39:00.001-07:002015-08-26T17:39:10.128-07:00Fridge Pasta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2034_zpsvdtlhavg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2034_zpsvdtlhavg.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I saw <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/m-blazoned/vacation-or-trip-a-helpful-guide-for-parents_b_7789310.html?utm_source=popsugar.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubexchange_facebook" target="_blank">this p</a>osted by a friend on FB. The article managed to almost capture a conversation that I've had over and over since getting back from our trip. In fact, D and I were discussing this very thing just yesterday over a well-deserved, relaxed and very enjoyable beer. When you go away with kids it is a trip. A trip is not necessarily a vacation. There are times when an event can be both a trip and a vacation... I guess, if that's your thing. I'm beginning to think though that travelling to a place you've never been before and staying in a wonderful new city or town or villa or whatever may never mean that I am having a vacation. If vacation means relax, read endlessly at breakfast with my coffee in hand, not have to think about food for even a second, stare contentedly at my umbrella topped drink, not even once have to read something in a language other than my mother tongue... then yeah, why would I travel somewhere wonderful for that. I can do that at home... mostly. If I'm in a new place then I want to see it and be a part of it. Walking around is my favourite way to do that cause I really do think that on foot you have a chance to take a place in... wander a bit. Weaving through streets and parks and taking turns that you might never consider in a car or be able to get to on a bus.<br />
Nope, we took a trip. With our two kids on an overnight flight (they did better than we did with that), our destination in a 6 hr ahead time zone, got through customs, rented a car and drove about 45 minutes away from the airport to a place we'd never been to before. We stayed for a few days about 45 minutes outside of Amsterdam in a lovely, quiet 'trailer park' - these are not the north american trailer parks... think small cottages (2 bedrooms or more) on a compound and all with boat access to a lake. We travelled to the North Sea for a friends wedding. We hopped on a plane and spent a weekend in London whooping it up with family. Saw as much of downtown London that we could in 3 hours. Hopped on another plane 72 hrs after arriving and found our way back to Amsterdam. Stayed in Amsterdam for another 3 days before plopping onto a big plane and landing back in Toronto.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2025_zpslel2bo2m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2025_zpslel2bo2m.jpg" height="258" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our rare family shots with D's wonderful university buddy on my right... the best host ever!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2163_zpsvxlx0bd4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2163_zpsvxlx0bd4.jpg" height="236" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just outside the only museum we dragged our kids to.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2040_zpsmsg1iqd9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2040_zpsmsg1iqd9.jpg" height="318" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small row boat on the left was used to completely embarrass my children when I took them out in it... and rowed terribly of course</td></tr>
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It was wonderful. It was exciting. It was not frenetic but it was NOT doing nothing.<br />
We still cooked. We walked through markets. We searched for ice cream. We made sure that a nose piercing happened. We kept kids happy, healthy and entertained (which isn't really much of a chore with our kids) and it was amazing but make no mistake... it's not a vacation. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2024_zpsjl6vbzva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2024_zpsjl6vbzva.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the few indulgences... </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2108_zps2uts4qvn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2108_zps2uts4qvn.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My morning coffee oasis</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2098_zpsxcpyicmh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2098_zpsxcpyicmh.jpg" height="386" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did I mention that we threw in a weekend in London... family reunion and all</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2088_zpsff6eaxsi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Amsterdam/IMG_2088_zpsff6eaxsi.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Paul's just in case you needed further proof</td></tr>
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On one deliciously hot, steamy night with jet lag throwing us all off our game and not really knowing what the hell was in the fridge of the cottage, this is what I found and threw together. Everyone was very happy. <br />
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<b>Fridge Pasta </b><br />
serves 4 (maybe)<br />
<br />
2 cups dry pasta - rotini, spaghetti, fusilli, whatever - boiled to al dente, drained (reserve pasta water) and set aside<br />
1/2 cup onion (or green onion, leek... whatever) diced<br />
3 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
1 red pepper, thinly sliced - or green pepper or eggplant or sausage or mushroom or whatever<br />
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced<br />
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken diced - or cooked hamburgers, or hotdog sausages or whatever<br />
1/2 cup tomato, finely diced with juice<br />
1 peach - or nectarine or plum or whatever - peeled, diced and crushed<br />
1/2 cup beer or stock or wine or milk<br />
1/3 cup pasta water<br />
1/4 cup cream<br />
2 tsp salt<br />
pinch of pepper<br />
- optional - pinch of pepper sauce (cause I never leave that)<br />
1 tbsp lemon zest or orange zest or lime zest<br />
1/2-3/4 cup cheese (any cheese) diced<br />
1/2 cup fresh herbs - parsley, chive, oregano, whatever - coarsely chopped<br />
<br />
Heat a large skillet over medium heat<br />
Add about 3 tbsp olive oil.<br />
Throw in the onion, garlic, red pepper and zucchini. Cook over med/low heat for about 7-10 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown nicely.<br />
Add in the chicken and heat for another 4 minutes.<br />
Add in the tomato and peach. Mix well<br />
Add in the beer/stock/whatever and pasta water. Stir for two minutes.<br />
Add the cream, salt, pepper, lemon zest and pepper sauce (optional)<br />
Mix well and heat through (about 4 minutes)<br />
Check the taste and adjust if necessary<br />
Turn heat off and add in the pasta. Mix well<br />
Take the whole skillet to the table and sprinkle the diced cheese and the fresh herbs over everything.<br />
Serve.<br />
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<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-88349105901675636642015-07-13T10:16:00.002-07:002015-07-13T10:16:17.835-07:00Asparagus and Pork stir fry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Asparagus%20Pork%20Stir%20Fry/IMG_2108_zpsakwoqkwi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Asparagus%20Pork%20Stir%20Fry/IMG_2108_zpsakwoqkwi.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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We have just arrived back in Canada after a 10 day jaunt to Amsterdam and London. The trip was wonderful and crazy and deserves it's own post. It will be given what it deserves but for now I will tell you that generally kids above the age of 4 are probably more flexible than we give them credit for and specifically that D and I have the best kids to travel with.<br />
Among some of the people that I had the privilege of meeting was a beautiful woman at a party. She is bright, articulate, full of personality and crazy fun - generally one of those salt of the earth types that you feel grateful for having in your life. During the course of our conversation (during a big party, over the course of many hours and just as many drinks BTW) she began to talk about how lucky she felt to be with her partner whom she feared was out of her league in both looks and physique. I of course told her that was ridiculous and rhymed off some of those easy to see attributes that I've written above. It made me sad though. Sad because she was so clearly so open and loving, smart, capable, funny, mischievous, fiercely loyal... need I go on? Sad because I highly doubt that her partner was wandering around the party hand wringing about how beautiful and out of his league she was. Sad because we so quickly get caught comparing and judging ourselves against an impossibly limited physical standard. Sad because that no matter what anyone says to us, we all know that we will have to wrestle with the same inner dialogue when we wake up tomorrow. Sad because I'm there too. If she is reading - you never know - I want her to know how lucky I feel having had the opportunity to meet her and how truly beautiful I (and many others) think that she is. I have no solution.<br />
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Every once in a while you make something that everybody asks for once it's gone. In my family this usually does not include anything with visible vegetables in it. In fact, I can't remember either one of my kids asking for a repeat of something without adding 'but without the ________' to the request.<br />
Then I made this.<br />
The heavens have opened. The gods have heard my cries and have granted me 3 wishes - or whatever. They liked this. They all liked this. I think that kid#1 was setting up for a 'but without the asparagus' adendum but when the recipe is pretty much half asparagus and your parent is giving you a look that means internet privileges might be on the table if she doesn't like your answer, you think hard before uttering sound.<br />
With the exception of mirin and/or sesame oil you should everything for this recipe on hand (any med/lg supermarket should carry them though and they are worth having)<br />
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<b>Asparagus and pork stir fry</b> adapted from <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/spicy-pork-with-asparagus-and-chile" target="_blank">bon appetit</a><br />
serves 3 - 4<br />
<br />
1 lb ground pork (I used honey garlic sausage, casing removed)<br />
1 bunch (med/small) asparagus, ends removed and cut into 2 inch strips<br />
1 1/2 cups broccoli or brocolette using mostly the flowerettes<br />
3 tbps sesame oil<br />
1 tbsp lard or other oil<br />
6 - 7 tbsp soy sauce or tamari<br />
3 tbsp mirin (fish sauce)<br />
3 tbsp sherry or red wine<br />
3 heaping tbsp honey<br />
1 veggie boullion cube<br />
1 tsp worcestershire sauce<br />
3 tsp corn starch<br />
3 cloves garlic, crushed<br />
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or finely grated<br />
dash of pepper sauce or red pepper flakes<br />
a little water in case the corn starch does it's job a little too well<br />
<br />
In a bowl mix together the soy sauce, mirin, sherry, honey, bullion cube, worcestershire sauce, and corn starch. Whisk together and then add the crushed garlic, minced ginger and pepper sauce. mix well and set aside.<br />
Heat a wok over medium/high heat. Add the sesame oil and other oil to the wok.<br />
Add the ground pork to the wok breaking the meat apart as you go.<br />
Cook for about 4 minutes<br />
Add the asparagus and broccoli. Mix and continue to cook together for 5 minutes (turn the heat down a little if necessary)<br />
Turn the heat down to medium and add the soy sauce mixture. Mix and continue to simmer for about 4 minutes.<br />
Check the taste and adjust if necessary<br />
Cool just a little before serving - goes great with rice.Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-40848765572314527602015-06-28T15:02:00.003-07:002015-06-28T15:02:57.795-07:00Peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/peanut%20butter%20chocolate%20bars/DSC_0186_zpsubucy778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/peanut%20butter%20chocolate%20bars/DSC_0186_zpsubucy778.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a></div>
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I need to take a moment here to talk about gif's. That's right - gif's.<br />
gif's were this entity that I barely registered before a few months ago. I'm not on tumblr or twitter (no plans to either... yet... whatever) so these moving picture thingy's were usually part of replies/comments to articles that I read online. I barely ever looked at them really. And then I began to realize that they were pretty funny... sometimes really funny. Closely follow that with Kid #1 joining to bottomless hole that is tumblr which as far as I can tell is just a whole lot of young people having gif conversations, only occasionally accentuated with written language. I am taking more notice of these gif's. I realize that they are quite funny and smart-ass-like... right up my alley.<br />
Recently, I had a conversation with a colleague in which she lamented that she couldn't easily text gif's from her phone. This was an epiphany moment for me.<br />
I have never considered myself much of a computer/technology person - spreadsheets are still a source of endless frustration for me (why can't it fit on the computer screen properly or why aren't computer screens longer? why do the templates never work... you get the idea) The popularity of the internet though changed my interest in technology slowly but surely. I've learned to embrace the changes that technology offers - as much as I can - and am committed to continuing to learn despite my refusal to tumblr or tweet (really - I'm not a celebrity or business or whatever) The realization that I could now text my own gif's to friends or colleagues opened a whole new world of possibilities for me.<br />
What if I could text and entire conversation of back and forth gif's<br />
What if I could have an in-person conversation enhanced by the use of appropriate gif's<br />
What if I could represent each of my student's mark with a gif instead of a mark<br />
<br />
So far I am adding gif's to my texts as much as possible and only one person has texted me back in gif... it's a start<br />
It's so obvious to me now that emoji's were really just a step along the road to conversing in gif. Emoji's are so cute. I read <a href="http://gawker.com/here-is-the-gif-to-end-all-gifs-509103529" target="_blank">this article</a> recently and I have to admit that it's gif is pretty awesome AND that D and I have totally had that argument about how to pronounce gif. If you have lots of time on your hands then scroll through the reply threads and enjoy the ensuing gif-storm.<br />
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As you all know well, Kid #1 and #2 were well disposed to eating these bars. The bars have all of the requisite sweetness and chocolate and none of the disgusting fruit and/or non-chocolate that send out the 'don't eat me' vibe.<br />
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<br />
<b>Peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate bars</b><br />
adapted slightly from <a href="http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2015/05/peanut-butter-cookie-gooey-bars/" target="_blank">Crazy for Crust</a><br />
<br />
1 1/2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour<br />
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature<br />
3/4 cup peanut butter (smooth preferably but doesn't really matter)<br />
3/4 cup (scant) brown sugar<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
1 - 2 tbsp milk<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1 can sweetened condensed milk<br />
2 cups dark and milk chocolate mix<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F<br />
Line a ..... baking pan and and set aside.<br />
Cream together the butter and both sugars until smooth and creamy.<br />
Add in the egg and milk, salt and baking soda and mix well.<br />
Add the flour and mix until it forms dough<br />
Press about 1/2 - 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the pan<br />
Sprinkle the chocolate on top of the pressed dough<br />
Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the chocolate without getting it too close to the edges of the pan<br />
Sprinkle the rest of the dough on top of the chocolate mixture (only press the dough in very lightly)<br />
Bake for about 30 min (a little more depending on your oven)<br />
Cool for 10 minutes before cutting.<br />
<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-33520468198541782172015-06-02T15:05:00.005-07:002015-06-02T15:05:51.229-07:00Sour cream coffee cake with chocolate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1741_zpsmybxblpk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1741_zpsmybxblpk.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have just returned from a work trip to Newfoundland. Newfoundland is a wonderful place... that I do not want to ever permanently inhabit. Beautiful, expansive, sparse, rugged and ceaselessly windy - it's no wonder the people are so wonderful. When I say wonderful I really do mean wonderful. Warm, open and friendly to a fault. So much so that I almost got tired of saying hello or good day to passersby. Fortunately, I didn't have much time to interact with locals due to the fact that I was in St John's with about 140 of my favourite students - singing in St John's and many more remote locales on the island.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1860_zpsie9g2njk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1860_zpsie9g2njk.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my favourites</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1861_zpsmv7uz3oo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1861_zpsmv7uz3oo.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some more of my favourites</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1889_zps2v88lqpl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1889_zps2v88lqpl.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lighthouse at the eastern edge of north america</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1823_zpsjfepi6rd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1823_zpsjfepi6rd.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful window</td></tr>
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My brain is still in the tour bubble a little - such a hard thing to describe. Let's just say that going home after a long day at work seems like a faraway luxury when you are on tour. Going back to a room that is not your home, taping kids in each night, getting woken up by a sick kid (homesick or otherwise), waking them all up the next morning, dealing with spats and drama, organizing rehearsals and concerts, getting back on the bus... again and getting left behind, soaking wet, when the ferry rolls out... is all nothing like going home after a hard, long day at work (please don't feel for one second that I am minimizing a long, hard day at work) It was wonderful and terrible and I am happy I was there and so happy that it's over.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1838_zpsy4y2ajzd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1838_zpsy4y2ajzd.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basilica of St John the Baptist</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1814_zpsjhrapfcd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1814_zpsjhrapfcd.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta get some 5 pin bowling in... cause bowling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1771_zpstl4j3bfs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1771_zpstl4j3bfs.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signal Hill - cause you have to do Signal Hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1794_zpsztcejicu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1794_zpsztcejicu.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are a few of the 400 kids assembled for one of our concert rehearsals</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1797_zpsgvkjnb02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/IMG_1797_zpsgvkjnb02.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who doesn't love a selfie - some of the fantastic kids that we performed with in St John's</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/30a8e2d3-c7e0-472c-8719-5ee3335fabc0_zpsnrapr92b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/Newfoundland%20and%20choc%20coffee%20cake/30a8e2d3-c7e0-472c-8719-5ee3335fabc0_zpsnrapr92b.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaking wet and left behind - we were obviously the best chaperones.</td></tr>
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I'm back in Toronto now where it's relatively warm and essentially gust free (my hair is thankful). My kids are thankful and we've fallen immediately back into our routine. Even though it's in desperate need of a cleaning (aren't we all really?) I love my couch to bits. I love being able to drink a beer on that same couch and I love being in contact with the actual skin of another human being.<br />
I made this cake before I left to mediocre fanfare. I'm not sure what to feed everyone at home anymore. D is not a big sweets person outside of ice cream. I have perfected my chocolate ice cream recipe just for him but now he seems to be getting more and more lactose intolerant - lactaid to the rescue I guess. Kids seem to be favouring anything that is either all chocolate - entirely 120% chocolate, all nutella (isn't that really just chocolate?) or not made by me. I think that microwave popcorn is at the top of the most-eaten list these days.<br />
I want to care but really don't.<br />
That said, this cake had a lovely crumb and both of my parents enjoyed it - at least that's what they said but it's possible they were just being nice cause they knew I made it.<br />
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<br />
<b>Sour cream coffee cake with chocolate</b> adapted from <a href="http://food52.com/recipes/30713-chocolate-chip-sour-cream-coffee-cake-with-apples" target="_blank">food52</a><br />
<br />
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour<br />
1 1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
<br />
2 tbsp (heaping) sugar<br />
1 tbsp cinnamon<br />
3/4 cup (approx) walnuts, finely chopped<br />
<br />
1 1/2 cups sugar<br />
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature<br />
3 egg whites or two lg eggs<br />
<br />
1 cup sour cream<br />
1 cup dark chocolate, coarsely chopped<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375°F<br />
Butter and flour a bundt or angel food cake pan and set aside.<br />
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and set aside.<br />
Combine the 2 tbsp sugar, cinnamon and nuts together. Mix and set aside.<br />
Combine the 1 1/2 cups sugar and butter. Beat together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until fluffy and/or frothy and liquid.<br />
Add the flour and sour cream alternately in three additions - begin and end with the flour. The batter should be smooth and easy to stir.<br />
Sprinkle half of the walnut mixture into the bottom of the baking pan. Add half of the cake batter to the pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the rest of the walnut mixture over the batter. Sprinkle all of the chocolate evenly over the batter. Add the remaining cake batter to the pan and spread evenly.<br />
Bake for about 40 min. or until the cake is golden on top and pulling away from the sides of the pan.<br />
Cool for about 15 minutes before turning out onto a serving dish.<br />
<br />
<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-5065083515251228512015-05-03T17:18:00.001-07:002015-05-03T17:18:16.604-07:00Pizza Pinwheel's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Most of the time I just order pizza. I got it into my head that I wanted to do something new, something different but with components of things I had already done. I was also feeling tired, stressed and maybe a little more tired. D and I go out together sometimes. We try once a week but often it's more like every two (or three). Work doesn't always agree with our date night and kicks up a fuss. This was also a night when D and I were about to go out. Most of the time I just order pizza.<br />
I soldiered on. Slapped the dough together and stuck it in the fridge. Got the filling stuff together. The kids were getting hungry but that's ok. I'm really tired. Kid #1 gives up trying to talk to me because I'm distracted, grumpy and probably a little incoherent. Kid #1 leaves, escapes to room and closes the door. She hadn't stopped texting through the entire 'conversation' so I'm sure she is fine.<br />
Kid #2 asks what's we are having for dinner. Daddy and I are going out. Can I come? No. Kid #2 groans and then sighs deeply when I tell him about the exciting thing he is about to eat for dinner. I might not have been coherent but I think that I was. Kid #2 stomps upstairs, goes to room, reads on my kindle... my kindle.<br />
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<br />
I have way more filling for this than dough. What else could I possibly do with all of that filling. I'm putting it all in. I don't care. It will taste better. Everybody is gonna love this and it's gonna be amazing. Both kids need to clean the lunch containers out of the backpacks incidentally.<br />
Determined. All the filling goes on top of the rolled out dough. All the pepperoni. All the cheese. All the sauce. I start rolling up the dough. This is dumb because the filling is everywhere. I really want to go out. My head hurts. I think that Kid #1 just yelled down to me but I'm not sure. Probably talking on the phone... wait, nobody does that anymore.<br />
I start to slice the bulbous, red blob that is waiting to become my masterpiece. I'm elbow deep in more filling than I can manage. I bet you didn't know this - because I didn't - pepperoni doesn't slice well. There are big slices of pepperoni falling out of everything everywhere. I'm really frustrated now. Kid #2 is practicing piano which means he races through his two beginner pieces at break neck speed despite about a thousand mistakes. 3 minutes later he is done and I am hacking the pepperoni slice dough log, slapping the 'pinwheels' onto a cookie sheet and stuffing filling into every crevice I can. I need a shower.<br />
They bake, I clean up.<br />
They are done. This is not as exciting as it should be.<br />
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<br />
Kid #1 eats one and says it tastes good. She doesn't have another.<br />
Kid #2 stares at plate and sighs. He eats two bites under duress but I'm pretty sure that as soon as we close the door he's got cheetos and rice crispies on standby.<br />
Usually I just order pizza.<br />
Make this at your peril.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Pizza Margarita's</b> adapted from Here<br />
makes 9 - 10 medium sized buns<br />
<br />
Dough<br />
2 cups all purpose flour<br />
2 tbsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
Dash basil, oregano<br />
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated<br />
1/3 cup shortening or lard<br />
2 tbsp olive oil<br />
3/4 cup milk (approx)<br />
<br />
Filling<br />
1 1/2 cups (approx) pepperoni, thinly sliced<br />
1/4 cup zucchini, thinly sliced (or something like mushrooms would work well too)<br />
1 cup greens (spinach, kale, chard), thinly sliced<br />
1 1/2 cups (approx) tomato/pizza sauce<br />
1 1/2 tsp basil<br />
1 1/2 tsp sugar<br />
1 tsp worcestershire<br />
1 1/2 tsp salt and a dash of pepper<br />
1 1/2 cups mozzarella, grated<br />
1/4 cup (approx) parmesan, finely grated<br />
<br />
Dough:<br />
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, basil and oregano together. Mix well.<br />
Add in the parmesan and mix<br />
Add the shortening or lard and cut it into the flour until it forms a loose crumbly mess (pebble sized balls)<br />
Add the olive oil and about half of the milk. Mix until the liquid is incorporated. Add just enough more milk for the flour to form a cohesive dough ball.<br />
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about a minute or two - until the dough is fairly smooth and soft (not tacky), add a little more flour as you knead if necessary.<br />
Wrap in plastic and set aside in the fridge (about 10 minutes is all that is needed)<br />
Preheat oven to 400°F<br />
Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon liner.<br />
<br />
Filling:<br />
Combine the pizza or tomato sauce, basil, sugar, worcestershire, salt and pepper together. Check the tastes and adjust if necessary.<br />
<br />
Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until you have formed a rectangle shape 20 - 25cm by 35 - 40 cm. Dough should be about 2 - 3 cm thick.<br />
Spread the tomato sauce over the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle with the greens and the zucchini slices. Place the pepperoni slices over that. Sprinkle with the grated mozzarella and finish with the parmesan.<br />
Carefully roll the dough up long side to long side.<br />
Carefully slice the roll into about 9 or 10 thick slices and place each on the prepared baking sheet leaving space for expansion.<br />
Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and bubbling like a crazy hot mess.<br />
Remove from the oven and cool for about 10 minutes before attempting to eat.<br />
<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-13552286726646312112015-04-06T09:58:00.000-07:002015-04-06T09:58:29.486-07:00My roast pork with white beans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
This is time. Not coming up to Christmas. Certainly not January through March. It's this time of year. From the end of March until the end of the school year is the time that seems to slip through my fingers. I can't keep up with the date or which weekend is which because they are flying by so quickly. Before I know it the end of March has turned into the first week of June and spring has gone bye bye and I've somehow missed it all. The seasonal garden centre near my house is closing up shop and I haven't even gotten a chance to get in there let along put as much as a trowel into the ground. The rhubarb is as good as gone and I think that there might have been a long weekend and a wedding anniversary tucked in there but I can't quite remember.<br />
I'm not sure why it happens. Could be in part due to the time change that we are forced to participate in twice a year (One guess as to which side of that argument I fall on) Might be that the days are getting longer - but one would think that might cause time to slow down a bit. Could also be that just when I want more time to stop and smell the roses that aren't quite out yet that's when everything else kicks into high gear. Concert season looms. The yearly concert tour is imminent. Events and gala appearances are piling up. Kids are gearing up for the end of the school year (and this will be our first set of high school exams!) And let's not forget the many shows on netflix that I have waiting in my cue - haven't even touched those yet. Kid #1 and I are still working through season two of Gilmore Girls and it's taken us months to get that far.<br />
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<br />
Then there is this recipe. I was so happy that for one evening I had the house to myself. By 'evening' I mean two hours after 7pm. In that time I got the recipe out of the oven, seasoned properly, adequately photo'd and entire recipe entered as a draft. So much accomplished... and that was three weeks ago. THREE. I cringe and whither a little on the inside when I think about it for long.<br />
As such, I've decided that Easter weekend will also be a second thanksgiving weekend for me because I need to remind myself of the things that are good and that will sustain me through the frenetic pace of the next 8 weeks.<br />
1. Winter is gone. Even though it doesn't exactly always feel like it, it is gone. The temperatures will get better and better.<br />
2. After months of mourning I have discovered (to quote the title here) that there is a god who cares about humanity. <a href="http://www.mtlblog.com/2015/02/there-is-a-god-mcgill-ghettos-amelios-to-reopen-next-month/#" target="_blank">Here is my proof</a><br />
3. Music still inspires me. Thank you D'Angelo, Kendrick Lamar, Hey Rosetta, SIA, Die Antwoord and Mafikizolo.<br />
4. Cadbury mini eggs are no longer seasonal.<br />
5. Nickel Brook <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/11023/71708/" target="_blank">Headstock IPA</a> exists and is a beautiful thing. Best part: it is available near me at a <a href="http://www.blogto.com/restaurants/local-1794-toronto" target="_blank">place that also serves great food</a>.<br />
6. I can run outside again without four layers on.<br />
7. It is virtually impossible to destroy pork and beans.<br />
What more can be said? I'm sure I will think of other things to be thankful for but the general theme will be unchanged. Happy Eastergiving.<br />
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<br />
My version of <b>Pork and Beans</b><br />
serves 6 - 8<br />
<br />
2 - 3 lb pork roast<br />
1 medium onion<br />
3 carrots, coarsely chopped<br />
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped<br />
1 med fennel bulb<br />
4 cloves garlic, crushed<br />
1 1/4 cup navy beans, dry<br />
2 boullion cubes<br />
2 1/2 tsp salt<br />
2 bay leaf<br />
1/4 cup brown sugar<br />
2 tbsp worcestershire<br />
2 - 3 tbsp soy sauce<br />
2 - 3 cups water<br />
2 tbsp tomato paste<br />
2 tbsp molasses<br />
1 tsp apple cider vinegar<br />
pepper sauce to taste<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 300°F<br />
Heat a heavy bottomed/oven friendly dutch oven over medium/low heat.<br />
Add about 3 tbsp of oil.<br />
Add the veggies (except for the garlic) and turn the heat down a little. Heat for about 10 min, stirring to keep from sticking. add in the garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes.<br />
Add the boullion cubes, salt, bay leaf, brown sugar, worcestershire, soy sauce and water. Mix well.<br />
Add the navy beans and mix, making sure that the water completely covers the beans with about a half inch of liquid extra.<br />
Add the pork roast.<br />
Roast covered for about 3 hours, checking every hour that the water is good and it's not going dry.<br />
After 3 hours remove from oven and check the beans for doneness (are they soft) and the pork as well (it should be more than enough time). If it needs more time then put it back in for another 30 minutes at 250°F and check again.<br />
Once everything is done, remove the pork from the bean mixture.<br />
Add the tomato paste, molasses and apple cider vinegar to the beans and mix well. Check taste and add salt or more molasses if necessary (and a little pepper sauce in there as well ;-)<br />
Cut the pork roast into large pieces (or large chunks if it is just falling apart like mine) and place back in with the beans.<br />
Serve with mashed potato, crusty break or nothing at all.Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-21569486330204199682015-03-01T10:40:00.002-08:002015-03-01T10:40:16.437-08:00Savoury Oat and Parmesan Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I celebrated christmas again recently with my best friend.<br />
It was February and we had not seen each other since December 14th.<br />
We got about an hour and forty five minutes together.<br />
We live about 15 minutes away from each other.<br />
This is sad.<br />
I totally understand it and then I kind of don't. We are busy. We are so busy. There is always something. Even meeting up with my best friend I squished it in between going to the running track and a family movie night (to be fair, it was family day weekend so what's a girl to do?) We work. We parent. We hustle home. Then there is winter. And I remember how the same thing happened last winter. We got a nasty ice storm just a couple of days before christmas and that set the tone for the entire 80 days to follow. Cold, icy, snow and more snow... and nobody wanted to do anything because it just felt so hard to get anywhere. You really do feel like hibernating. The bare essentials - get to work - get food - and that is it. This year the winter hasn't been quite as brutal but it hasn't exactly been easy. The cold has been relentless this year. This has taken it's toll.<br />
Here we are looking down the barrel of March. The calendar has just as many events on it as it did throughout February, maybe even more. And yet something feels just a little bit different in my soul. I've noticed that night time is not chasing my back on the way home from work. I looked at the forecast for this week and it looks like we have a couple of days that are sitting right around the 0C mark. We've got a tidy little week off nestled in about two weeks before easter long weekend. If I had to put a word on that barrel that I'm looking down right now (the one for March - remember?) it would be 'Promise'. Promise is a funny word because it is not a definite. March might not bring me everything that I am hoping it can but at least there is the hope.<br />
Back to our hour and forty five minutes christmas celebration. My best friends gift had been sitting, ready and waiting for months... except for this. Her cookies. These I made on the day that we met. I made sure that they were just cooled enough that I could put them into little freezer bags - 3 to a bag, the perfect portion amount - so that she could take them home and freeze away. She loves this kind of thing and I love doing it for her.<br />
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<br />
I can tell you that these come together easily and would be great for a party when they would all get scarfed up. I wouldn't bother with them if it was a dinner party thing and there were lots of other courses that could over shadow these little delicacies though - plus who wants to bake cracker cookies when you have a whole dinner party to get ready for? Serve these cookies with some Boursin, Blue Cheese (if that's your thing) or a spreadable something or other. As part of an appetizer or tasting party - olives, grapes, cheeses, meats, spreads - Lovely.<br />
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<br />
<b>Oat and Parmesan Cookies</b> adapted from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-savory-oatmeal-cookies-recipes-from-the-kitchn-166459" target="_blank">thekitchn</a><br />
<br />
1 cup old fashioned oats (I used quick oats BTW and it was fine)<br />
1/4 cup warm water<br />
1/3 cup olive oil<br />
1/4 cup brown sugar<br />
1 lg eggs (or two egg whites if you've just made ice cream and you've got extra whites hanging around looking for something to do)<br />
1 cup unbleached, all purpose flour<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp basil<br />
1/4 tsp baking soda<br />
1/4 tsp paprika<br />
pinch black pepper<br />
1 cup parmesan cheese grated (if you happen to throw in a little cheddar by accident I wouldn't be too upset)<br />
coarse salt (maldon or sea salt)<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F<br />
Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon liner.<br />
Combine the flour, salt, basil, baking soda, paprika and pepper together. Mix well and set aside.<br />
Combine the oats and warm water and mix well.<br />
Add in the olive oil and brown sugar and mix thoroughly until the brown sugar has dissolved.<br />
Add in the egg and mix well.<br />
Add the flour mixture to the oat mixture and mix until combined.<br />
Add in the parmesan cheese and mix to combine.<br />
Form into balls of about 1 1/2 tbsp or so then squish down into a cookie shape. Place on the baking sheet (they don't spread very much so they can be within an inch of each other) topping each with a little bit of coarse salt (might need to press it in a little)<br />
Bake for about 15 - 17 minutes turning half way through baking. Cookies should be just turning golden brown at the edges.<br />
Cool completely.<br />
<br />
<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-15226182613062582022015-02-16T15:10:00.004-08:002015-02-16T15:20:41.804-08:00Chocolate Pudding and a slew of other things not remotely related to Valentine's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I wonder what cruel god or energy force thought that putting holidays which could involve doing things outside (As far as I'm concerned walking <i>to</i> somewhere inside falls into that category) in February was a good idea... in Canada. Yes, let's definitely put family day in February. Just happens to be one of the coldest weekends to date this year. Let's go family day skating... nope. Let's go family day hiking... nope. Let's go family day skiing... nope. Can't even go somewhere on a plane to a place where I can forget that it's beyond freezing back home because it's only a long weekend. This couldn't have been in May? July?<br />
Thank you. Rant is now over.<br />
<br />
I will instead bore you with a myriad of things that I have found interesting over the past little while<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCEQyCkwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dkl8F-8tR8to&ei=7HXiVP6JGMTIsASS6ILoDg&usg=AFQjCNG0PnSBPEdxwutLkiDw78vFTuGYAQ&sig2=7C2XX_2KIz9iZtXmxdzI5Q&bvm=bv.85970519,d.cWc" target="_blank">This movie</a> was fun<br />
And I'm looking forward to <a href="http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QyCkwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dl6bmTNadhJE&ei=CHbiVN20BtK1sQSDnoDADw&usg=AFQjCNHC4OBSZs-N5jB03KDqDnpUnmOMog&sig2=LC--Dd2AdmF2IxDXM7fIbA&bvm=bv.85970519,d.cWc" target="_blank">this one</a><br />
Enjoying <a href="http://www.muchmusic.com/music/playlist/pid/619/cid/530304/hey-rosetta-kintsukuroi" target="_blank">this tune</a><br />
LOVING <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ut7owCpORk" target="_blank">this tune</a><br />
There is just no excuse for <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2015/02/12/the-food-babe-there-is-just-no-acceptable-level-of-any-chemical-to-ingest-ever/" target="_blank">this</a>.<br />
I want <a href="http://www.hammacher.com/Product/79622?promo=search" target="_blank">this</a><br />
I really want <a href="http://www.hammacher.com/Product/84391" target="_blank">this</a><br />
<a href="http://jezebel.com/uma-thurman-on-her-new-face-i-guess-nobody-liked-my-ma-1685437947" target="_blank">Argh</a> Let's all take a moment here... let people live their lives and get over our own issues/obsession with how celebrities look.<br />
I am learning to perfect my weekend morning cup of coffee. Happier and happier.<br />
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<br />
My Mom knocked christmas gifts out of the park this year:<br />
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<br />
And Pudding:<br />
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<br />
<b>Chocolate Pudding</b> adapted from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-chocolate-pudding-from-scratch-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-195012" target="_blank">the kitchen</a><br />
<br />
1 cup whipping cream<br />
2 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
1 scant tsp instant coffee granules<br />
4 oz dark chocolate (I used 72%), finely chopped<br />
3 tbsp dark cocoa powder<br />
3 tbsp corn starch<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
pinch of cinnamon<br />
3 egg yolks<br />
<br />
In a heat proof bowl mix together the cocoa powder, corn starch and salt. Whisk in the cream until completely blended. Whisk in the egg yolks until completely blended. Set aside.<br />
In a heavy bottomed pot heat the milk, coffee granules, cinnamon and sugar over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Turn the heat up and heat until the milk begins to simmer.<br />
Gradually and slowly pour the heated milk mixture into the cream mixture whisking constantly until it's all mixed together.<br />
Pour the whole mixture back into the heavy bottomed pot and heat until it starts to bubble. Let it bubble for two minutes whisking constantly to keep it from sticking. Remove from heat and cool slightly whisking every minute or so to keep it from forming a skin on the top.<br />
Once it cools to almost room temperature place in a large bowl or into individual bowls. Cover with plastic wrap, placing the plastic wrap right onto the pudding and sealing up the sides as well (this way it won't form a skin). Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.<br />
*** If you put yours into a big bowl like I did, don't be afraid to whip or whisk it up a little before serving. It lightened it up a lot.Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-80687084804825020422015-02-13T14:43:00.002-08:002015-02-13T14:43:36.193-08:00This was supposed to be Banana Oat Snacking Cake but ended up being Pretzel Chocolate Brownies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I have to start this post by stating that I have decided to experiment with using only 1 space after a period. This decision has been made in an attempt at <a href="http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/two-spaces-after-period/" target="_blank">hiding my age</a>.<br />
Looking back over my last few posts I have realised that there are only baked goods and sweets showing up here. It's given me pause to think about why that might be. Obviously we have cooked more than our fair share of meals and we have not been eating cookies and ice cream for dinner every night. Not any night in fact. I think that recently I have felt completely uninspired at best and disengaged at worst. The odd thing is that I have made some really good stuff. In the fall I let myself experiment with lamb by making a roast leg of lamb which turned out beautifully. A pork dish seasoned with a generous marinate of worcestershire and soy sauce, garlic, ginger and pepper sauce. Rave review. Recently I threw together some leftover roast chicken and slow cooked vegetables to make a pasta sauce. Beautiful. So why do I feel uninspired and apathetic about what I have churned out? And why don't I post about them even when they turn out well. Here are some of my ideas:<br />
1. I don't feel like the pictures will turn out well. It is kinda hard to take an inspiring shot of sauce on pasta (am I wrong here?) or a hunk of meat on a plate... or in a roast pan. Perhaps I need to expand my photographic horizons or just start taking pictures of vegetables and leave it at that<br />
2. I'm tired from making all the damn food (I don't actually think this is true) but I am tired<br />
3. I don't even feel like eating the food myself (this is true unfortunately. Hummus and toast usually wins... and have I told any of you about my new obsession with grapes and cherry tomatoes?)<br />
4. I am feeling uninspired and apathetic about life and I can't even blame winter for that one - although it certainly is not helping<br />
5. My kids are using the computer too much. Perhaps I need to have my very own computer - one of <a href="http://store.apple.com/ca/buy-mac/macbook-pro" target="_blank">these</a> will do fine, thanks for asking<br />
6. There is not enough room in my brain. I need an upgrade to get more space... or something needs to go to clear some space... no kids... no job... just tossing around some ideas. In truth, I think that this is probably the best answer so far. It's not that there is no down time it's that the down time is still parenting and all the taxiing to this, that and the other in addition to the chores that need to get done - well that's not really head clearing time is it<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are some classy ass measuring cups that my Mom got me for Christmas. Awesomest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So there it is. Mystery solved. Here is the funniest part - my kids don't even really like the stuff I'm baking. At least they are not terribly interested in eating it. I think they've grown totally accustomed to it and would much rather have a snickers bar than home baked cookies. I had to send about 80% of this snacking cake to school with kid #1. Her friends at school probably think that home baked stuff is a novelty and that it tastes much better than the orea cookies my kids are constantly begging for. She is 14 so after sharing with all of her friends I have some new love interests and someone else wants to make me a superhero costume... my super power being doing shit with bananas and chocolate - meh, could be worse.<br />
For the record - I had to go back through this post and erase an extra space after almost every single period. Including the one in the first paragraph. <br />
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<br />
This was my original post idea... then I discovered that every single solitary photo I took blew huge chunks.<br />
<b>Banana oat snacking cake</b> adapted form <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/banana-oat-snack-cake" target="_blank">Bon Appetit</a><br />
makes 1 8x8 square cake<br />
<br />
1 1/2 cups oats (I used a combo of quick and classic rolled oats)<br />
1 cup unbleached, all purpose flour<br />
2 tsp baking powder<br />
1 1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
dash nutmeg<br />
<br />
1 1/4 cup brown sugar<br />
2 eggs (I used 1 egg and 2 egg whites)<br />
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted<br />
3 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely chopped<br />
5 oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (or use chips)<br />
<br />
Grease and flour an 8x8 square baking dish. Set aside<br />
Preheat the oven to 350°F<br />
Combine the oats, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together. Mix until combined and set aside. <br />
In a large bowl beat together the brown sugar and eggs until they are a creamy caramel colour and smooth. About 2 minutes.<br />
Add in the melted butter and beat together for another minutes. <br />
Fold in the flour mixture just until all the ingredients are wet. <br />
Gently fold in the chopped banana and chocolate. Fold in just until mixed.<br />
Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. <br />
Bake for about 35 minutes, turning half way through baking. <br />
Cool in pan for about 15 minutes before removing. Cool a little longer before eating or don't... eat it warm... with ice cream... thank me later.<br />
<br />
This is the recipe that goes with the photos you are seeing...<br />
<b>Pretzel, milk chocolate brownies</b> adapted from Alice Medrich via <a href="http://www.sassyradish.com/2015/01/alice-medrichs-best-cocoa-brownies/#more-5321" target="_blank">Sassy Radish</a><br />
<br />
1/2 cup all purpose flour<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
pinch of cayenne and a larger pinch of cinnamon<br />
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter<br />
1 1/4 cup sugar<br />
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp dark cocoa<br />
2 lg eggs cold<br />
1 cup large chunks of milk chocolate<br />
3/4 cup (or so) broken bits of pretzels<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 325°F<br />
Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment or butter and flour it and set it aside.<br />
Combine the flour, salt and cinnamon together and set aside<br />
Combine the butter, sugar and cocoa together in a heat proof bowl. Place over lightly simmering water and stir until butter is melted and everything is combined. It shouldn't be too hot and will be gritty looking.<br />
Add the eggs one at a time whisking well after each addition. Once the mixture looks silky add in the flour mixture and whisk just until it's mixed in and you can't see flour anymore.<br />
Poor the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chunks and the pretzels on top of the batter.<br />
Bake for about 28 - 33 minutes (mine was done around 28 minutes) depending on how gooey you want your brownies.<br />
Cool before removing from the pan - unless you think it's cool that they break apart like mine did.<br />
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<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-11028687577742541172015-01-11T16:53:00.001-08:002015-01-11T16:54:01.175-08:00Clementine, bacon and maple (?) sugar cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
It's interesting to note what inspires people and how inspiration and motivation can often be interpreted as one and the same thing. Maybe they are the same thing. In reality at least. I think that adversity and/or the negative experiences we go through tend to inspire and motivate me more than the positive ones. Sad but true. I would venture to say that this is the case for more of us than we would care to admit. <br />
The western world has been motivated to assemble in unity against terrorism and for freedom from censorship. I had the odd experience of all of this outcry not quite sitting right with me. Not being sure exactly why I felt odd about it, I started to let myself dwell on the situation and the issues that have arisen around the Paris incident. Rolling it around, here is where my thoughts have gone up to now:<br />
- Is freedom from censorship the same thing as freedom of speech?<br />
- We talk about how powerful words are all of the time. Our words affect people and can illicit a strong response - sometimes we can determine that outcome and sometimes we can't. When does what we say become translated as hate?<br />
- We censor ourselves all of the time - every single day. Journalists, artists, writers, researchers... you name it. That censorship is based on the acceptable social norms currently in existence. There are certain people groups and religious groups that I would never even consider writing negatively about. However, that might not have been the case 75 short years ago.<br />
- No one should have to die for the things that those in the Charlie Hebdo offices died for. Full stop. <br />
<br />
I started to articulate what I was thinking to D. I thought that maybe I was crazy to even be thinking this way. Turns out that D, while not asking exactly the same questions, was definitely rolling things around as well. He forwarded t<a href="https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/01/09/solidarity-charlie-hebdo-cartoons/" target="_blank">his article</a> to me from The Intercept. As I was reading it, I found myself feeling so thankful that I wasn't alone in feeling odd about this whole thing, I wasn't crazy either and that someone out there had managed to articulate their thoughts in a much more logical and concise way than I could have. I'm not done stewing about this for sure but there are other things that are just as concerning... what about <a href="http://m.motherjones.com/mojo/2015/01/boko-haram-attack-nigeria-baga" target="_blank">these guys</a>? Shall we march?<br />
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<br />
Look, cookies certainly are not at the top of the news food chain. World crisis will not be widely affected by the baking of two more dozen cookies. Still I make cookies. Maybe I bake cookies for the same reason others watch reality tv or awards shows - for the record, I can't even force myself to sit through either one. We do it to feel normal. We do it because it helps us lose ourselves in something else. <br />
Full disclosure: I found that the cookies I made were a little too clementine overwhelmed. The maple will be subtle no matter what (sometimes I wonder why I use maple syrup at all when I'm baking) but mine just turned into clementine cookies with a couple of weird bacon sprinkles on the top. I have adjusted the amount of zest accordingly... feel free to add vanilla as well to round it out more. <br />
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<b>Clementine, bacon and maple (?!) sugar cookies </b>adapted from <a href="http://too-much-time.com/2012/12/maple-bacon-sugar-cookies.html" target="_blank">here</a><br />
makes about 2 dozen<br />
<br />
2 cups icing sugar<br />
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature<br />
1 lg egg<br />
1 tsp grated clementine or orange zest (no more than that!)<br />
3 cups all purpose flour<br />
1 1/2 tsp salt<br />
dash of nutmeg<br />
2 tbsp maple syrup<br />
<br />
1 egg white<br />
1 1/2 cups icing sugar<br />
1 tsp maple syrup<br />
3 strips bacon - cooked until very crisp, drained and broken into small pieces<br />
<br />
Combine the flour, salt and nutmeg together and set aside.<br />
In a large bowl combine the icing sugar and butter. Beat together until creamy.<br />
Add the egg and clementine zest and continue to beat until light and fluffy.<br />
Continue to beat on low and slowly add the flour mixture. Beat only until combined. <br />
Divide the dough into two portions. Roll each portion into 3 inch round logs. Cover each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 12 hours. <br />
Preheat oven to 370°F<br />
Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicon liner.<br />
Slice each log into 1/4 inch discs. Place the discs on the lined cookie sheet leaving some room between each for spreading while baking. <br />
Bake for about 7 - 8 minutes. <br />
Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.<br />
<br />
Icing:<br />
Beat together the egg white, icing sugar and maple syrup until creamy. <br />
Pour about a tsp of icing on top of each cookie and immediately sprinkle with a little of the bacon (might want to press the bacon down just a little to wedge it into the icing)<br />
Leave cookies for a while to let the icing get solid. <br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-91515141925325220322014-12-31T15:48:00.001-08:002014-12-31T15:48:06.245-08:00Black and Yellow Chocolate Mousse Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now that christmas is behind us and the pressure is off I feel like I can think just a little more clearly. It's all an illusion of course but christmas seems to carry with it some brain cluttering expectations whether or not you embrace them (I'll leave you to guess which category I fall into). After what felt like a record number of performances this December we really tried to keep expectations low. Like really low. We didn't have a big christmas day dinner (decided at about 4pm that we would glaze and bake the ham in the fridge and have it with leftovers) although D made his amazing omelet for breakfast which sustained us through the day. We didn't go anywhere on christmas day - or boxing day for that matter. We watched movies, movies and more movies. Ate ham and leftovers again. Two words: Track Pants. I think that you get the idea.<br />
Even with the aggressive no-christmas-craziness campaign I still found myself making 4 different kinds of cookies. There was absolutely no reason for these cookies. No one asked for the cookies and not one single person needs those cookies, especially at this time of year. This is probably a good time to mention that because I work in a school I receive chocolates in amounts that are crazy - I donate and give to friends. So why the cookies? It was the sheer guilt of tradition that motivated them. Once they were done I realized that the blondies I made sucked (they lasted a day before I called it and they met their end) and that clementine/maple and bacon cookies become clementine cookies because clementine is a bully - I will post a recipe for these though. From there I needed to find homes for the rest of the stuff because it was physically impossible for us to eat them all. Merry christmas one and all. <br />
Moving on:<br />
These two articles entertained me: <a href="http://kitchenette.jezebel.com/kitchenette-flashback-thanksgiving-foods-that-should-n-1664017707" target="_blank">One</a> and <a href="http://kitchenette.jezebel.com/christmas-foods-that-should-not-exist-1671110353" target="_blank">Two</a><br />
This is the <a href="http://someoneatethis.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">funniest thing</a> I've discovered recently (trust me: keep going cause each page gets better and better)<br />
I still need to <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-savory-oatmeal-cookies-recipes-from-the-kitchn-166459" target="_blank">make these</a> for my bestest because she doesn't like chocolate and because I bake for her.<br />
Can we talk for a moment about how much gushing is going on over <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-albums-of-2014" target="_blank">this man and his music</a>. The album cannot be over hyped.<br />
If you haven't gotten your fill of movies just yet then <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonwillmore/24-movies-you-probably-missed-this-year-but-should-totally-s?utm_term=.dsaLblNJBa#.dkNvRXYmz" target="_blank">this might help you decide</a> on your next rental.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/black%20and%20white%20chocolate%20mousse%20cake/DSC_0051_zps6005489e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/black%20and%20white%20chocolate%20mousse%20cake/DSC_0051_zps6005489e.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mousse cake Pre-Ganache</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/black%20and%20white%20chocolate%20mousse%20cake/DSC_0056_zps33d1601e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/black%20and%20white%20chocolate%20mousse%20cake/DSC_0056_zps33d1601e.jpg" height="227" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mousse cake Post-Ganache</td></tr>
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Way Way Way back in early December, D had a birthday. We couldn't have been busier (all of us) but we still managed to squeeze some gifts and a special dinner in there. I'm not totally confident about this but I think that D requested my own <a href="http://wandathorne.blogspot.ca/2010/01/shepherds-pie.html" target="_blank">shepherd's pie concoction</a>. He did not request this cake - it's possible that he requested cheesecake and I didn't quite take it in... but that also might have been another year. However, knowing that D loves chocolate mousse cake I decided to make something with chocolate mousse. I liked the idea of the colour contrast between the layers. The cake turned out to be surprisingly moist and lasted forever (because D ended up being the only one eating it after 2 days and refused to let it go into the green bin... which is fine because it was his birthday cake). <br />
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<b>Chocolate Mousse Cake</b> adapted from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/355498/vanilla-sponge-cake" target="_blank">Martha Stewart</a><br />
makes 1 9inch round cake<br />
<br />
1/2 cup unbleached, all purpose flour<br />
1/2 cup corn starch<br />
pinch cinnamon<br />
4 eggs, separated<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
1 1/2 tsp vanilla<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F<br />
Butter and flour a round cake tin. Set aside.<br />
Combine the flour, cornstarch and a pinch of cinnamon. Set aside.<br />
Beat together the egg whites and 1/4 cup of sugar until they are stiff and fluffy.<br />
In another bowl combine the egg yolks, vanilla. Begin to beat together and slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar. Beat together for about 5 minutes until thick.<br />
Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until incorporated. <br />
Add the flour in 3 stages, thoroughly combining each time. <br />
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the edges are golden and pull away from the sides of the pan and a tester comes out of the middle clean.<br />
Cool completely before removing from the pan.<br />
<br />
<b>Chocolate Mousse</b> adapted from <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Mousse-107437" target="_blank">Epicurious</a><br />
make about 3 1/2 cups<br />
<br />
1 1/4 cups whipping cream, chilled<br />
3/4 cups whipping cream, room temperature<br />
4 egg yolks<br />
3 tbsp sugar<br />
7oz chocolate (I used between 50 and 60% cocoa solids)<br />
<br />
Heat 3/4 cups whipping cream over medium heat. Remove just before it begins to boil. Cool for 2 minutes. Combine egg yolks, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Pour the hot cream in a slow, thin, steady stream into the egg yolk mixture. Stir constantly until all the hot cream has been added. <br />
Melt chocolate over a double boiler. Add to the cream mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside to cool until at least room temperature.<br />
Whip the chilled cream until it forms stiff peaks. <br />
Fold little by little into the chocolate mixture until all of the whipped cream has been added. <br />
Pour over completely cooled cake. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.<br />
<br />
<b>Chocolate Ganache</b> adapted from <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Dark-Chocolate-Ganache-367229" target="_blank">Epicurious</a><br />
<br />
1 1/2 cups semi sweet (55%) chocolate chips<br />
1 cup whipping cream<br />
1 tbsp salted butter<br />
<br />
Place the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl.<br />
Heat the cream until simmering.<br />
Pour hot cream over the chocolate. Stir until the chips are beginning to melt.<br />
Add the butter while the chocolate is still warm.<br />
Stir until everything is melted and the mixture is smooth.<br />
Cool for a few minutes and pour over cake.Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-9433147510987436352014-11-18T14:52:00.002-08:002014-11-18T14:52:30.253-08:00Caramel Apple Ice Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are looking down the barrel of U.S. thanksgiving which is really not a thing at all here in Canada. It's just something we are aware of... and maybe do a little black friday shopping on Amazon. We are in the dead of winter as far as weather is concerned. Biking has been off the table this week and temperatures have dipped way below what we are used to. I'm working really hard at not letting this affect my mood greatly. I am looking at weeks of crazy christmas concerts and events and things that I have to plan and attend and still get organized for January work... and my family is currently checking out the <a href="http://jezebel.com/why-wasnt-i-called-to-model-for-the-bavarian-2015-hot-p-1660075443" target="_blank">2015 potato calendar</a>. It's a real thing. <br />
Here are some things that I thought were noteworthy over the last month:<br />
1. The Oatmeal's take on <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/blog/net_neutrality" target="_blank">Net Neutrality</a><br />
2. Thanks to a Canadian quasi-celebrity we have all been talking a whole lot more about <a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/11/17/dirty_little_open_secrets_how_the_jian_ghomeshi_scandal_helped_turn_the_tide_against_bill_cosby/" target="_blank">sexual abuse and harassment</a>. Let's hope that this talking continues and turns into a real change in the way society views the women in it. <br />
3. I've been geeking out to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7caf6ouyPFo" target="_blank">this song</a><br />
4. If I don't make <a href="http://www.anediblemosaic.com/?p=18661#more-18661" target="_blank">this</a> and <a href="http://realhousemoms.com/loaded-cauliflower-casserole/" target="_blank">this</a> soon I just don't know what I'm going to do.<br />
5. This blogger beautifully <a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2014/11/08/malted-milk-chocolate-pots-de-creme/" target="_blank">summed up</a> a lot of the food lies that women believe about other women. You know all of those food shots where an incredibly beautiful and thin woman about to eat something big and crazy. <br />
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I made this ice cream a good while ago and, in the spirit of not spreading food lies, I didn't eat very much of it. I tested it and it was good. Truth is I'm not much of an ice cream person. In fact, lately food and I haven't been close but that's another story for another time. Kid #2 won't go near this kind of ice cream if it were the last thing on earth to eat. D basically won't touch ice cream unless it's chocolate or good quality vanilla (I totally get behind that). So that left Kid #1. She dutifully had a bowl or two but let out a sigh of relief when we had guests over because we served this ice cream with apple crisp. It's pretty rich stuff and the texture and tastes worked well together. Feel free to adjust the caramel to apple ratio if you think it might be too sweet for your liking. <br />
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<br />
<b>Caramel Apple Ice Cream</b><br />
makes 1 litre (or so)<br />
<br />
1 1/2 cups whipping cream (the heavy stuff)<br />
1 cup milk<br />
4 egg yolks, whisked together in a bowl<br />
1 cups sugar<br />
2 tsp vanilla or vanilla paste<br />
<br />
Caramel Apple Sauce<br />
<br />
3 - 4 sm/med apples - peeled, cored and diced<br />
2 tbsp brown sugar (optional - depending on the sweetness of the caramel that you are using)<br />
pinch of salt and cinnamon<br />
1/2 cup caramel sauce (I made my own from <a href="http://www.completelydelicious.com/2014/10/how-to-make-caramel-two-ways.html" target="_blank">here</a> but you could even melt in some kraft caramels if it came down to it)<br />
<br />
Add the diced apples to a heavy bottomed pan and heat over med/low heat. As the apples start to cook you might want to add a dash or so of water to prevent sticking. Add in the brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cook until the apples have gotten all mushy and soft and the liquid has cooked down (I simmered mine for about 10 minutes to dry it out a bit) Remove from the heat, add in the caramel and mix well. Set aside. <br />
<br />
Ice cream:<br />
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the sugar gently over med/low heat for just a minute. Add in a little of the cream and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved, add in the rest of the cream and all of the milk. Continue to heat until it almost comes to a boil, turn the heat down to about a half of what you started at and add a little of the hot cream mixture to the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Continue to add the hot cream to the egg yolks in a very small, steady stream until the yolks are warmed up (about a half a cup of the hot cream). Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the hot cream. Place it back onto the stove and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture heats up enough to coat the wooden spoon (you should be able to run your finger over the back of the spoon and have the mixture remain in place without running). <br />
Remove from heat and run it through a sieve and into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap (press down so it is right on the warm custard mixture all the way around and even stuck to the sides of the bowl) and cool completely to room temperature. Place in the fridge overnight. <br />
Once refrigerator cold, pour into an ice cream maker and run for about a half hour or until the mixture reaches a soft serve consistency. Pour everything into a freezer container and stir in the caramel apple mixture. <br />
Freeze.<br />
Soften for a few minutes before serving.<br />
<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-40564508875538104952014-10-07T10:37:00.002-07:002014-10-07T10:37:29.532-07:00Sausage, Cauliflower and Fennel Gratin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are a couple of things that I want to get out to you before the weekend hits. It's canadian thanksgiving this weekend and it's not so much that I'm looking to give you some great ideas to plot down onto your feast table but more that I've got these things scratching around the back of my head needing to get out. I want the weekend off. I want to spend a little time reconnecting with my 13 (!) yr old kid. I would love to see my husband for a while - we've been texting so I know that he is out there somewhere. A long weekend really can't go by without a long, enjoyable run in there somewhere. Maybe a colourful bike ride through the trails. These things will cause me to 'give thanks'. Laundry, cooking, baking, cleaning... only by necessity. <br />
I did a weird thing a couple of days ago. I made ribs. Ribs are great, awesome even. Ribs are totally easy and always get gobbled up quickly and.... I NEVER make them. I'm not sure what exactly possessed me but there I was with two racks of ribs in my hands at the butcher shop and... Oh look, they've come home with me too. After a few minutes of stupid easy prep and about 3 hours of low heat roasting later I had some happy people around me. <br />
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This is not a recipe you want to serve with ribs. I guess you might want to serve it with turkey but not ribs. You definitely want to serve it with some crusty, toasted, garlicky buttered bread... but not ribs. Ribs need to be with ribs. It's own thing. Ribs are the thing that wants to take over the world and no matter what you do they will crush you. They will over power you and they will be better than you ever imagined you could be even in your wildest dreams. A delicious but subtle, colourful yet meek, meaty but textured dish like this is just destined to sit sad and lonely in the fridge until those damn ribs are gone. Then, and only then, will this lovely dish get anything close to the recognition it deserves. <br />
I used honey garlic sausages and I used romanescu cauliflower (or broccoli depending on who you talk to. I like it because it looks like little pine trees but the white fluffy cloud regular cauliflower will do just fine. <br />
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If you happen to be someone who likes a little something weird at your thanksgiving table, or you are looking for a non-turkey kind of table, or you are really not observing the whole turkey table, cornucopia thing at all then you might just want to give this recipe a whirl. <br />
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<b>Sausage, Cauliflower and Fennel Gratin</b> adapted from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-cauliflower-italian-sau-137481" target="_blank">TheKitchn.com</a><br />
<br />
1 lb sausage (I used italian honey garlic), casings removed<br />
1/2 cup onion, diced<br />
2 cloves garlic, crushed<br />
1/2 cup celery, diced<br />
1 cup fennel, coarsely chopped<br />
2 - 3 cup cauliflower, broken into medium sized floret pieces (does that make any sense?)<br />
1 cup spinach, coarsely chopped<br />
1 1/2 cup chopped tomato<br />
1/4 cup honey<br />
1 veggie boullion cube<br />
1/4 cup (scant) juice (I used part of a leftover juice box - apple/grape - from my kid's lunch kit)<br />
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce<br />
1 tbsp oregano<br />
1 1/2 tsp thyme<br />
1/2 tsp cumin<br />
1 1/2 tsp salt<br />
2 tsp pepper sauce<br />
<br />
1/2 - 2/3 cup Bread Crumbs<br />
1/2 - 2/3 cup parmesan, shredded<br />
good dash salt and pepper<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375° F<br />
Butter a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.<br />
Bring a large pot with about 2 cups of water to a boil - add the cauliflower and steam with the lid on for 2 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and set aside. <br />
Heat the same large pot over medium heat. Add about 2 - 3 tbsp oil and the sausage and onion. Cook briefly together and then add in the garlic, celery and fennel. Turn the heat down a bit and cook together for about 10 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are softening.<br />
Add in the tomato and spinach and continue to cook until the spinach becomes wilted. <br />
Add in the honey, bouillon cube, juice, worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, cumin, salt and pepper sauce. Mix well and continue to simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes or until the liquid is about halved. <br />
Add the cauliflower to the sausage. Mix well and pour into the prepared pan. <br />
<br />
Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper together. Mix and sprinkle over the sausage and vegetables. <br />
Cover and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until the edges are browned and bubbling. <br />
Cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-88964544798630252502014-09-22T17:09:00.000-07:002014-09-22T17:09:04.901-07:00Apple Crumb Muffins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It seems fitting that on this last day of summer I post these muffins. There is just something right about it. Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg... it's screams 'Fall'. Otherwise, there isn't a whole lot out there screaming Fall just yet... unless you count the Christmas crap all over the stores. <br />
This weekend happened like many others - me having no plan whatsoever for what I want to accomplish. I thought about painting a room... didn't happen. I considered cleaning out the junk drawer... nope. I did (fortunately) clean some clothes and get the floors swept a couple of times. We also managed to throw in a play date. Kid #2 has changed schools and now attends the same school where I teach/work - yes, that is just a little crazy. Even though his old school is right across the street from us we haven't been able - for one reason or another - to get together with any of his old friends. This past weekend though he got on the horn and had a friend over for a play date. Play date sounds weird and formal. They hung out together. I don't particularly like play dates. Mostly because it involves kids. I don't hate kids or anything, I just don't particularly like them. When I'm tired and it's been a long week it's even worse. Kids are loud and messy and sometimes I just can't. This weekend happened to be one of those times when I just couldn't. Being a superlative Mom though means that you just suck it up once in a while and take one for the team. As it turns out, indoor play dates can be wonderful motivation for me to get some much needed yard work done. I happily spent a couple of hours of said play date outside while they yelled and had fun inside (so long as nothing gets broken I'm cool). Two bags of clippings later and the yard looks great. I suspect that if they had come outside my motivation might have disappeared. It's possible that a mop and bucket might have looked tempting at that point - god knows, I wouldn't be able to turn on a tv screen without the couch magically filling up with kids. <br />
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I made these muffins before the play date. Kid #1 knows now not to make a face when they ask what I'm baking and the answer is something involving fruit. She knows because she has experienced my response on more than one occasion and she knows because she has tasted the results. You can't always judge a book by it's humble, fruity cover. Sometimes it tastes good. Not every single thing has to have chocolate in it or on it. She also knows that one bite will usually shut me up if I'm gotten all hissy about it. Kid #2 - not so smart yet. Doesn't even try to hide the face. Won't even give that fruity thing a single bite. Incurs the wrath of Mom every time. The plate of muffins stayed on the table for the duration of the play date untouched. Apparently mine aren't the only kids who believe that anything made without chocolate is probably not edible. Comforting. <br />
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He ate a half a muffin before bed (couldn't stand the Mom attitude any more). The entire half.<br />
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Apple Crumb Muffins adapted from <a href="http://www.pipandebby.com/pip-ebby/2014/9/11/apple-pie-bread.html" target="_blank">Pip & Ebby</a><br />
<br />
2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour<br />
2 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/8 tsp cloves<br />
1/8 tsp nutmeg<br />
<br />
2/3 cup brown sugar<br />
1/3 cup sugar<br />
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/4 cup (generous) milk or cream<br />
1 1/2 cups (1 lg) apple, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes<br />
<br />
Topping<br />
<br />
1/2 cup unbleached, all purpose flour<br />
1/2 cup oats (I used quick oats for this one)<br />
1/3 cup brown sugar<br />
1/4 cup melted butter<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F<br />
Line a dozen (or so) muffin cups with liners and set aside.<br />
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg together. Mix and set aside. <br />
Combine the brown sugar, sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat (or mix) together until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and continue to beat until well incorporated and fluffy. Add the milk or cream and mix well. <br />
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Using a mixer or a large whisk continue mixing until the flour is completely incorporated and the mixture is thoroughly wet. <br />
Add in the apples and fold until well mixed. <br />
Fill muffin cups just to the upper edge.<br />
Sprinkle each with about 1 1/2 tbsp (I used large spoonfuls) of topping and press it down just a little.<br />
Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until a tester comes out of the middle muffins clean.<br />
Cool before removing<br />
<br />
Topping:<br />
Mix the flour, oats and brown sugar together. <br />
Add the melted butter and mix until it forms little clumps. Set aside to use on the muffins.<br />
<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-1501643883726220772014-09-15T16:23:00.001-07:002014-09-15T16:27:05.167-07:00Banana Blondies and my summer vacation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We did not go away anywhere over the summer. We didn't even attempt to make plans to do anything. We were renovating and painting and sanding and everything that goes along with that - including waiting much longer than expected for jobs to finish. We are not bitter. We understand and it's ok. <br />
I did however, have the opportunity to go away for 24 hrs with my bestest friend KT. KT is one of those people who are just so amazing that you don't know what to do with her. Except she is so amazing that she helps you figure even that out. She is a beautiful person both inside and out. I have no idea why she is friends with me really. I'm pretty grouchy, kinda nonchalant, a bad gift giver (negligent) and I'm not even rich to make up for all of that. KT has recently (coming up on 3 yrs in a few months) started foster parenting babies. Again, she is amazing at it. It's a thankless job in many ways but she loves those babies... except for the sleep. Or lack thereof. Imagine, if you can, parenting new-borns over and over for 3 years straight. We don't get to see each other as much as we would like because I am working during the day and she is not coherent after about 7:30 pm. This made our 24 hr getaway even more special.<br />
Given my last year and a half and her 2 1/2 year sleep deprivation experiment, we were both pretty tired. I thought that you might find it <strike>exciting</strike> <strike>affirming</strike> a<strike>larming</strike> amusing to have a look at what we did for our 24hrs.<br />
1:00pm - get in car<br />
2:40pm - arrive at destination<br />
3:00pm - sit in hotel room, contemplate a walk<br />
3:15pm - walk around the village (this takes about 7 minutes if you walk very slowly)<br />
3:30pm - order snack/lunch<br />
4:15pm - return to hotel room, put bath robes on over our clothes and watch tv<br />
6:00pm - walk down to pool, sit on loungers and watch people in pool<br />
7:00pm - return to hotel room<br />
7:30pm - walk to village for snacks and magazines<br />
8:00pm - find a place with absolutely no children in it and have drinks<br />
9:15pm - walk back to hotel room<br />
9:30pm - settle into bed with magazines<br />
SLEEP<br />
9:00am - get up<br />
9:45am - get breakfast<br />
11:00am - check out<br />
11:45am - get pedicure<br />
1:00pm - get in car and drive home<br />
<br />
For 24 hrs no other human being determined what had to be done, told us what they needed, had to be seen to or otherwise entertained... and that is what we decided to do with the time. Are either one of us disappointed that we didn't go mountain biking or hiking or kayaking? Hell no. Are you kidding. <br />
And that was my summer vacation.<br />
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Here is banana cake, blondies that I have made. It sounds like it shouldn't work because there is no leavening agent in it but somehow it works and the kids loved it. The Kids.<br />
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<b>Banana Blondies</b> adapted from <a href="http://food52.com/recipes/22513-banana-coconut-chocolate-chip-snack-cake" target="_blank">Food52</a><br />
makes 1 pan of brownies<br />
<br />
2 ripe bananas, mashed<br />
2/3 cup melted butter<br />
2 lg eggs, lightly whisked to break the yolks<br />
3/4 cup brown sugar<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
1 cup unbleached, all purpose flour<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
generous 1/2 cup dark chocolate (about 72%) coarsely chopped<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F<br />
Grease and flour (or line with parchment) an 8x8 baking dish and set aside.<br />
In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside.<br />
In large bowl mix the mashed bananas and melted butter. Once combined add the eggs and mix well. Add both sugars and mix well. <br />
Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture. Stir to thoroughly mix. <br />
Add the chopped chocolate and stir just until mixed. <br />
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. <br />
Bake for about 45 - 50 minutes or until just browning at the edges and a toothpick comes out mostly clean from the centre.<br />
Cool before cutting.Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-36614131501890613022014-09-06T15:34:00.003-07:002014-09-06T15:35:06.245-07:00Fridge Frittata and a Story<br />
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It's really quite ridiculous that I'm even posting a recipe like this. I bet you have thought of making this in some incarnation or another about a million times. You've probably gone through with it and actually prepared the thing maybe about a thousand times. It's so easy and basic that I feel kinda silly but the truth is that it's all I've got. Another truth is that I really need to break the ice, break the silence, break the break and pump something out. <br />
Our house being in total chaos - and the large part of that chaos being the kitchen - for the entire summer has just derailed me. My summer was sanding and staining and taping and painting and trying to find some sanity while not being able to make a morning coffee. The good news is that the kitchen is done. I can now make my morning coffee. I only make it on the weekends though because I truly believe that morning coffee is a ritual that is sacred enough not to be rushed. Rushed is the only way that morning coffee will happen throughout the workweek. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is there anyone out there without a potato somewhere in their kitchen?</td></tr>
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This recipe is easy enough that you can use whatever veggies you have in your house, you will pretty much be guaranteed to have the other ingredients just about all of the time and lastly, you really have to try hard to screw it up. Even though I'm back in my kitchen it doesn't feel like my kitchen quite yet - although I'm getting there. Generally, I'm going with some easy, quick and comfortable recipes. When I'm not making this kind of thing, I'm pretty much either snacking on toast, chips or going out for something. <br />
And this brings me to the story portion of this post. Last week, on labour day monday to be exact, I took the kids out in a fit of starving, exhausted, desperation. We went to <a href="http://thewrenondanforth.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Wren</a> (a fantastic little spot about 10 min's walk from my front door with great food and a fantastic craft beer selection). I happen to read <a href="http://theyumyumfactor.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">this blog</a> on a regular basis and the blogger also frequents The Wren so every time I'm there I always kinda scan the place just out of interest to see if she might be there. So I'm sitting with my two kids trying to be sane and sip my beer when who sits down at the large table right beside me but the Yum Yum Factor Lady (at least that what I call her in my head). I tell the kids while trying to be inconspicuous. Kid #2 is 8 and hungry and couldn't give a rip and probably didn't even hear what I was going on about. Kid #1 is riveted and tells me I should say something. She also tells me that if she can text Misha Collins (?) and some other actor guy that is super important to her about something or other.... well then I can certainly walk up to someone (now I did make the point here that in person and on line are two very different things) and tell them that I like their work. Truthfully, I felt weird about it but I thought about how I would feel if someone walked up to me and told me that they really liked my blog. I would be thrilled (I think) and flattered (definitely) and not weirded out at all (unless they proceeded to do something weird or confusing). So I strategized with kid #1. She took kid #2 outside once we were done and I - very naturally, politely and casually - interrupted the Yum Yum Factor Lady's meal by telling her how much I loved her blog. I think that she was happy and asked to take a picture with me. Kids #1 and #2 stared very conspicuously through the front window. If you want to see the picture <a href="http://theyumyumfactor.blogspot.ca/2014/09/the-week-in-yum-aug-30-sept-5-back-at.html" target="_blank">go here</a> (she looks sassy and cool in the hat - I'm the other one)<br />
The moral of this story:<br />
1. Tell people when you like them, their work or their hat.<br />
2. Post more shit on the blog so that maybe someday someone out there will feel inspired enough to introduce themselves to me if they see me somewhere.<br />
3. Go to The Wren.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still playing with (ie. screwing up) a 35mm camera lens which was an Awesome Gift from D. My pictures are not happy.</td></tr>
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<b>Fridge Frittata</b><br />
serves 4<br />
<br />
3 - 4 med potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (very approximate)<br />
1 red or yellow pepper, coarsely diced<br />
1/2 cup onion, coarsely diced<br />
2 lg cloves garlic, crushed<br />
2 cups milk<br />
4 egg whites (you can simply add 3 extra eggs if you don't have egg whites from ice cream hanging around)<br />
4 eggs<br />
1 1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 tbsp each - dried basil, marjoram and parsley<br />
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce<br />
1 tbsp soy sauce<br />
1 tsp pepper sauce (optional)<br />
1 1/2 cups cheddar, shredded<br />
1 med tomato, sliced into 1/3 inch slices<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375°F<br />
Boil potatoes for about 6 minutes, drain and set aside<br />
Heat a large caste iron (i.e. something big that can go straight to the oven) skillet over medium heat. <br />
Add some oil or fat. <br />
Throw in the pepper, onion and garlic. Cool for about 4 minutes and turn the heat off. <br />
In a large bowl combine the milk, egg whites, egg, salt, herbs, worcestershire, soy sauce and pepper sauce. Whisk until fully combined and set aside.<br />
Mix the drained potatoes with the cooked vegetables until they are mixed up well.<br />
Sprinkle the cheese over it all.<br />
Pour the milk mixture over that (it should cover everything)<br />
Place the tomato slices on top and push them down just a little.<br />
Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. The middle should not be liquid.<br />
Cool for about 10 minutes before serving.<br />
<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-45850532005297066682014-07-26T14:06:00.000-07:002014-07-26T14:06:38.541-07:00Updates and a DIY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
First the good news:<br />
D's cousin is this close to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/gallery/2014/mar/09/10-women-who-are-changing-the-face-of-the-city" target="_blank">taking over the world</a> (she is number 9). She is a close friend of mine and I am over the moon with all of the <a href="http://www.city.ac.uk/news/2014/jul/distinguished-law-alumna-receives-honorary-degree" target="_blank">accolades</a> that she is receiving. I am also a little intimidated and hoping against hope that she takes care of me in my old age. Very, very proud.<br />
<br />
Next the 'not as good' news:<br />
I am not a DIY person. <br />
I typically do not enjoy 'Doing It Yourself'.<br />
I am still not sure what prompted me to take on this project aside from saving money and not knowing anyone who might be stupid enough to do it for me. <br />
I also have a sore throat. <br />
I have not cooked much but just enough to keep everyone alive. This is still our kitchen...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please note the big holes where normally the solid surface of a counter top would be. This also means that we have no sink or drain in which to wash dishes. Apparently dishes chores are off once the location of the sink changes.</td></tr>
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I have distracted myself by stripping, scraping and sanding two sets of stair rails. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one of those stair rails</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it looks like after one coat of stain. I am scared and not quite sure what to do next.<br />
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In other news, we have raspberries. This is a big deal for us because the last two years have produced nothing even close to 'bowls full' of raspberries. We are happy.<br />
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<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-17975488255349376452014-07-10T09:17:00.001-07:002014-07-10T09:17:27.482-07:00UpdatesSummer updates:<br />
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This daisy is in my back yard. It is beautiful. There are bugs.<br />
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This is pretty much what life is looking like here. Worst part - no breakfast. I can deal with no food pretty much any other time of day except breakfast. Day two of finding breakfast elsewhere and I'm a bear... a bear in March. Kids think that muffins and hot chocolate for breakfast is cool. They are not having any trouble adjusting.<br />
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It's our 'Renovate all the things' project.<br />
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Kitchen edition:<br />
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Front Hall edition:<br />
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Deck and Balcony edition: No picture available yet because it doesn't start until next week.<br />
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Kid #1 is going into high school in approximately 1 1/2 months. I see her for probably no more than 20 minutes a day between her friends and her bedroom (and what I can only assume is copious amounts of netflix and tumblr)<br />
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We have no vacation plans... none... not even one plan.<br />
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I have decided to try my hand at making my own <a href="http://caribbeanpot.com/the-ultimate-pepper-sauce-recipe/" target="_blank">pepper sauce</a>. The bones seem easy but I imagine that it will take a little tweaking to get the recipe to my taste. At least the basic ingredients are cheap so I won't waste a lot of money if it blows chunks. <br />
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Kid #2 has finally mastered biking on two-wheeler. He hasn't yet mastered the starting and stopping of biking. He went 'biking' with a friend yesterday. I stood and watched them. I became that Mom - the one that stands there and gets super edgy and uptight that her kid is going to fall or get run into or slam into a tree or something. That Mom. I had to close my eyes. <br />
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I really wish I were posting my rhubarb curd ice cream with white chocolate but can't because I haven't made it yet. It sounds finicky but the idea occurred while I was trying to sleep and it made sense at the time. I'm going to try it because I've decided that I need to work harder on my follow through. <br />
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I have some lovely little things happening in the garden this year. Unfortunately, the raspberries have completely taken over the rhubarb and the poppies. It turns out that tomato plants don't really like me that much and have decided to boycott growing in protest. Pleasant surprise: I have dill where I planted none. Nobody here likes dill. <br />
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<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-29840721689502292242014-07-08T12:51:00.002-07:002014-07-08T12:51:30.840-07:00Fennel, pepper and sausage Crostata<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's summer. I realize that turning on your oven in the middle of the hottest season may not be your thing. If you have been reading me for a while (say at least as far back as last summer) then you might have gathered that I'm not big on the grilling/bbq thing. In fact, that is an understatement. I don't care about it to the point of considering selling my bbq... if it were in decent enough shape to sell that is. It's not. There is almost no time that I even consider using my bbq in favour of my stove/oven. I don't know why. It's a fault I guess. <br />
It may be one of those <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_versus_nurture" target="_blank">nature vs nurture</a> things. Once the weather got decent enough in southern Ontario, my Dad would unveil the bbq, clean it and get it fired up. We would bbq on weekly basis for the most part. Now when it comes to food, my Dad is into simple and honest. Having said that he's come a long way - he now believes that garlic is something that could conceivably be used in a recipe without wrecking it (I think that he even goes as far as eating garlic bread once in a while), he also has been seen consuming pizza (something that the rest of us had to eat when he had already gone to bed because it was gross) and I have even seen him eat lasagna - stop the presses. I am told by my Mom (whom I just assume is honest and trustworthy) that Dad ate chicken curry once and although I'm sure it's true I will only fully believe when I see that with my own eyes. Back then though, Dad was a farmers kid to the bone. Garlic was something you hang around your neck in case of vampires, pasta may or may not be a real food and only if served with potatoes as well. BBQ meant meat, on a grill, cooked through (really cooked through) and served... buns optional. Rubs, sauces and garlic nowhere to be found. It didn't sell me on grilling and perhaps that is what has stuck through all of these years. It's a great <strike>excuse</strike> story and I'm just gonna go with it. <br />
We will fire up the bbq if we are having people over for dinner or a big party or something but it seems like such a bother to do it otherwise. And we make sauces. Sauces are essential - D is the sauce man for the most part. The sauces get put on everything. Would you like some chicken with your sauce would not be an inappropriate question. Veggies are also essential. On a skewer, preferably marinated and when done right might just outshine the burgers and chicken. It's a production. <br />
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No grill was harmed in the making of this recipe. A oven was heated up about it though but unharmed as it turns out. For those of you who may be hardcore bbq people at this time of year I think that there may be a very good way to make this whole recipe happen on your grill. You could grill your veggies in the marinade at low heat and then get the grill up just a bit and do the pie itself. <br />
This has nothing to do with anything really but I thought that you all should know that kid #2 has eaten only hotdogs for the last 60 hrs. Extended 8th birthday celebrations. I'm not joking... even for breakfast. <br />
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<br />
<b>Fennel, Pepper and Sausage Crostata</b><br />
serves 4<br />
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Crust:<br />
2 cups flour<br />
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1 inch cubes<br />
1 1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp sugar<br />
3 tbsp parmesan cheese, shredded<br />
1/3 cup ice water<br />
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Filling:<br />
1 lb sausage of choice - whole and uncooked<br />
1 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced into 1 inch thick strips<br />
1 lg or 2 sm fennel bulbs, washed and cut into 4 or 5 pieces<br />
1 med/small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch strips<br />
salt and pepper<br />
1 tbsp brown sugar<br />
4 tbsp olive oil<br />
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar<br />
1 cup mozzarella<br />
1/3 cup parmesan cheese<br />
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Preheat oven to 300° F<br />
Place all of the cut vegetables on a large baking sheet. Add the sausage.<br />
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.<br />
Sprinkle on the brown sugar.<br />
Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.<br />
Toss everything together and spread out evenly on the baking sheet.<br />
Bake for about 30 minutes. <br />
Remove from the oven and cool for about 15 - 20 minutes<br />
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Meanwhile:<br />
Combine the flour, salt, sugar and parmesan together in a large bowl. <br />
Add the cold butter.<br />
Cut in the butter with two knives or a pastry cutter until the butter is no bigger than little peas and everything looks kinda of crumbly. <br />
Add enough of the ice water to keep the dough together in a ball but it shouldn't be too wet. <br />
Cover the dough and let it chill for about 30 minutes (you can let the veggies and sausage cool)<br />
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Put it all together:<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F<br />
Line a large baking sheet with parchment, cornmeal or a silicon liner<br />
Slice the cooled sausages into 1 cm thick rounds<br />
Roll out the dough (edges should be rough not even) to about 1 cm thickness and place on the parchment.<br />
Spread the cooled veggies and sliced sausage evenly on the dough leaving about a 3 cm edge around the circumference. <br />
Sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan cheese on the top. <br />
Fold the edges over on to the veggies. Brush the edges with a little olive oil<br />
Bake for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown at the edges.<br />
Cool for about 10 minutes before serving.<br />
<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-24420955853563484572014-07-01T16:02:00.002-07:002014-07-01T16:02:17.959-07:00Asparagus, Chicken and Potato Lasagna... goodbye asparagus.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are approaching the end of the school year here. I really cannot tell whether it's a quick approach or a ploddingly slow one. It changes each day. It feels like it's been so long and so much has happened throughout this school year but at the same time it's gone so fast that I haven't had a chance to catch my breath. My brain is having trouble computing how to figure it out. <br />
I'm not sure how I'm going to wind down from this year or whether or not I can. It usually takes me the whole month of July to get into a different head space. This year we've had a grade 8 graduation to prepare for (guess what - they now do a hotel dinner and dance for grade 8 graduations), an 8 year old birthday party to plan (hopefully for the last day of school), 3 major house projects to keep on top of (thank you to D for basically looking after nearly all of that) and four more birthdays to look forward to in July. My brain is having trouble computing. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still life with asparagus. This is the happy graduate.</td></tr>
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The funny thing is that you feel at loose ends with yourself for a while. Don't know what to do next and end up just sitting on the couch for an inexplicable amount of time. Then you move to the computer and do the same... probably not even touching the keyboard or mouse once. Just starring at the screen. This may happen repeatedly before a kid reminds you that they have to consume food to survive. Damn. Then back to couch... damn, I have no clean underwear. Damn. My brain can think but somehow cannot prompt my muscles to movement. All of a sudden summer hits and everything kind of stops and something as simple as going to a doctor appointment means I'm done for the day. It's weird and terrifying. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING becomes more desirable or important than reading a book and drinking a cold beer in the back yard. <br />
These are the things that happen when summer begins. <br />
Asparagus season is technically done and I'm slow on the draw with this one. If you happen to live somewhere further north where asparagus is still producing then go nuts. Otherwise, you could always consider a replacement. Maybe broccolette or fresh green beans. Something green though. It needs to be green for my brain to compute it as correct. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is definitely asparagus and chicken that you are looking at...</td></tr>
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To illustrate how much my brain is not computing - I happily edited through all of my photos for this post until I looked back at the photos I had uploaded last week... yup - I was editing the wrong recipe the whole time. Fortunately, I caught the mistake before I posted a recipe for chicken and asparagus with pictures of chocolate cookies. <br />
In the meantime, I'm going to claw my way to the last day of school and let myself fall deep into couch mode for a few days. <br />
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<b>Asparagus, Chicken and Potato Lasagna</b> adapted from <a href="http://food52.com/recipes/4001-italian-asparagus-lasagna" target="_blank">Food52</a><br />
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8 - 9 medium/small potatoes, thinly sliced<br />
1/2 cup onion, diced<br />
2 lg bunches asparagus, hard ends removed<br />
3 cups cooked chicken, torn into med/small pieces<br />
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Sauce:<br />
3 3/4 cup milk, warmed for about 4 minutes in the microwave<br />
6 tbsp butter<br />
6 tbsp all purpose flour<br />
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce<br />
1 tsp mustard powder<br />
1/2 tsp nutmeg<br />
salt to taste<br />
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded<br />
1/3 cup parmesan, shredded<br />
<br />
1/4 cup parmesan, shredded<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F<br />
Butter a 9x13 baking dish.<br />
<br />
Heat a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. <br />
Add the butter and lower the heat to med/low. Let the butter melt completely. <br />
Whisk in the flour and mix thoroughly with the butter. <br />
Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly. <br />
Once all the milk is added continue whisking until the mixture begins to thicken. <br />
Add in the worcestershire, mustard powder and nutmeg. <br />
Mix well. <br />
Add in the cheddar and 1/3 cup parmesan. Whisk until melted in. <br />
Add salt to taste. <br />
<br />
Place a single layer of the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the prepared pan. <br />
Place about half of the asparagus spears on top of the potatoes.<br />
Sprinkle on half of the onion.<br />
Layer about half of the chicken.<br />
Repeat the layering process a second time which should finish everything. <br />
Pour the cheese sauce over everything. <br />
Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.<br />
Bake covered for about 45 minutes.<br />
Remove the cover and bake for another 35 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly and browning at the edges. Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-67977035293522504292014-06-15T10:29:00.003-07:002014-06-15T10:29:44.949-07:00Rhubarb Lemon Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
And then the World Cup. <br />
I did not grow up in a place that recognized the World Cup. In my little town about an hour outside of Toronto, soccer was a thing you played after school when the hockey season was over. Filler I guess. When I moved to Montreal the World Cup was a thing that was recognized for sure but I was a broke student in the music faculty. I didn't really give a crap about team sports generally and had no money to go to the pub with my friends to socialize... and watch the game. Hence, this soccer thing was not at all on my radar. <br />
My subsequent move to Trinidad served to school me in the 'joys' of cricket more than anything else. I thought that all of these people must be talking about croquet. Never heard of cricket and therefor it can't be that important. After, I've been around and would have heard about it if it were a big thing. Yup - it's a big thing... not croquet after all... turns out most of the world knows about a lot of things that I didn't even know existed...imagine. Cricket and all of it's test match weeks and day long games are huge... HUGE. Who knew. <br />
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We took a trip to London a few years ago. We wanted to reconnect with some of D's family and to spend time in a place that I had heard so much about. Our trip just happened to coincide with the World Cup. Of course this meant nothing to me until I attempted to navigate around Piccadilly Square during an England match (god help us all). You couldn't so much as buy a cookie that didn't have the white flag with the red cross on it. I think even vegetables were branded with it. Tv ads and even a music video - so ghastly that I shudder a bit even remembering it - marketing how well the England team would do. Of course being the England team (I'm sorry - I really am) meant that they didn't get too far into the tournament. Imagine my shock when the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, gave a televised statement viewed across the UK expressing his deep disappointment (expressed by him as 'devastation' as I recall) that the team would not be bringing home the cup. What... the Prime Minister... what's going on here. I'm sure that all of the cakes and cookies stamped with the flag went on sale the next day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very dark picture of two members of my family watching a game.</td></tr>
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For D this was a relief because finally I get it. I understand just how important this world cup thing was. I understand that this is something entire countries get behind in a way they never do in the Olympics. I understand that even if you aren't from Brazil you can support them and that you'd better hope if you are in the pub that you aren't the only Brazil supporter present. I understand that even if you've lived in Canada your entire life that when it comes to the world cup you absolutely become Italian. I get that it's almost impossible to work at your desk during a game... and why fight it. I know now that doing something, anything on a day when there are 3 or 4 games happening will be done by me by myself unless it happens in the 60 minutes in between game times. <br />
I understand and I'm ok with it now. I made rhubarb cake so that I could serve it to the construction guys in our house during the game. 'Cause I know now that they won't be working.<br />
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<b>Rhubarb Lemon Cake</b> adapted slightly from <a href="http://www.honeyandjam.com/2010/05/lemon-buttermilk-rhubarb-bundt-cake.html" target="_blank">'honey & jam'</a><br />
<div>
makes 1 tube cake</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
3 cups chopped rhubarb</div>
<div>
2 tbsp all purpose flour</div>
<div>
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour</div>
<div>
1 tsp baking powder</div>
<div>
1 tsp salt</div>
<div>
1/4 tsp cardamom</div>
<div>
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature</div>
<div>
1 3/4 sugar</div>
<div>
3 eggs (or 1 egg and 3 egg whites - that's what I used)</div>
<div>
zest of 1 lg lemon</div>
<div>
3/4 cup buttermilk</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
glaze:</div>
<div>
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice<br />
1 cup icing sugar<br />
cream (if needed to get the right consistency)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Preheat oven to 350°F</div>
<div>
Butter and flour a tube/bundt pan. Set aside. </div>
<div>
Combine the chopped rhubarb (I used frozen rhubarb, let it thaw and drain well) and the 2 tbsp flour until the rhubarb is completely coated. Set aside.</div>
<div>
Combine the 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom together. Mix well and set aside. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Beat or whisk together the room temperature butter and the sugar for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and continue to beat or whisk until well combined and fluffy. Add in the lemon zest and mix thoroughly. </div>
<div>
Continue to beat at low speed or whisk adding about half of the flour mixture. Combine thoroughly. </div>
<div>
Add in the half of the buttermilk and beat until thoroughly combined. </div>
<div>
Add in about half of the remaining flour mixture and beat until combined. </div>
<div>
Add the rest of the buttermilk and combine. </div>
<div>
Add the rest of the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. </div>
<div>
Gently fold in the coated rhubarb to the cake batter. </div>
<div>
Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bang lightly on the counter to remove air bubbles. </div>
<div>
Bake for about 30 minutes. </div>
<div>
Turn the pan and bake for another 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and the cake is pulling away from the edges of the pan. </div>
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Cool completely before removing from the pan. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Glaze: </div>
Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-89940493112985996202014-06-12T17:25:00.004-07:002014-06-12T17:25:52.747-07:00Fiddlehead, Asparagus and Sausage Pesto Pasta Bake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I have a few problems with pesto. <br />
I'm a little ashamed to admit it because pesto is decent tasting and it's easy to make. <br />
My first problem is that I never know quite what to do with it. It's supposed to work with pasta - just tossed in pasta... and not much else. I'm not a tossed pasta kind of person typically so that's just lost on me. D is not much of a tossed pasta kind of person either. <br />
I've also seen it used to coat meat. Usually chicken. Chicken that I'm going to stick in the oven and bake or that I'm going to cook on the stove top. Just chicken and pesto. I'm not much of a 'just chicken' cook. <br />
Pesto works well on bread. As an appetizer. With tomato and cheese or something. I'm not much of an appetizer cook either. <br />
The texture is weird. It's creamy/goopy but also leafy. That feels odd on my tongue. <br />
It can also be a pretty intense flavour depending on how you make it - and because I make my own it can get pretty intense. I use a lot of parmesan. The intensity can overwhelm easily I find and it has to be well balanced out. I always reach for cream or a creamy cheese to add in but it does add to the richness.<br />
As you can tell by now, even though I like the idea of making pesto I'm a little lost when it comes to using it. This means, of course, that the pesto remains in my freezer for undetermined (read: LONG) time. This is not good for pesto... or pretty much anything.<br />
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I'm not exactly sure that pesto and asparagus/fiddleheads are a good combination but somehow this worked. Considering I found the pesto in the back of the freezer and it had no date on it, it's amazing that this worked at all. At least it worked the first day. This is not one of those baked pasta things that gets better the second day. It gets way too dry for my taste. I would recommend making this at a time when you have a few hungry friends coming over and maybe not when you are undergoing kitchen and house renovations. <br />
I'm not really selling this recipe I realize but if you have the right situation to serve it in OR like a sane person make about half of the recipe then you will be fine. <br />
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<br />
<b>Asparagus and Sausage Pesto Pasta Bake</b><br />
serves 8<br />
<br />
1 lg bunch asparagus (about 1 1/2 cups), ends removed and cut into 1 inch pieces<br />
1 1/2 - 2 cups fiddleheads, stems removed<br />
1/2 cup red onion, diced<br />
1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced<br />
4 cloves garlic, crushed<br />
3 - 4 cups spinach, washed, stems removed and coarsely chopped<br />
1 lb sweet sausage (I used honey garlic), casings removed<br />
1 boullion cube<br />
1 1/2 cup pesto (I used homemade but store bought is just fine)<br />
1/2 cup chèvre (soft goat cheese)<br />
1 cup milk or half and half (5%)<br />
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce<br />
1 1/2 tbsp honey<br />
1 tsp balsamic vinegar<br />
pepper sauce (optional - you know I'm gonna throw in a little half tsp or so)<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
1/3 cup parmesan, finely shredded<br />
1 cup mozzarella, shredded<br />
3 cups cooked pasta (rotini, penne), cooked to al dente, drained (save the water though) and set aside<br />
<br />
Preheat a large sauce pot over medium heat. <br />
Add in about 1 1/2 tsp of olive oil. <br />
Add the asparagus and onion, turning down the heat to med/low.<br />
Cook together for about 4 minutes.<br />
Add the fiddleheads, red pepper and garlic. Cook for another 4 minutes, stirring regularly.<br />
Add in the sausage meat and mix well, cooking together just until the meat browns. <br />
Add in the bouillon cube and mix well.<br />
Add in the pesto, chèvre and milk. Mix well and let everything come back up to temperature. <br />
Add in the worcestershire, honey and balsamic vinegar.<br />
Add in the spinach, parmesan and 1/2 of the mozzarella. Mix well and cook just until the spinach has wilted and the cheese has melted. <br />
Check tastes and add salt and pepper as necessary. <br />
Add in the cooked pasta. Mix and add enough of the pasta water to make the mixture reasonably thin (I used probably about a half a cup)<br />
Pour everything into a large baking dish and spread evenly.<br />
Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on top of the pasta.<br />
Bake for about 25 minutes or until the mozzarella on top is bubbling and golden brown.<br />
Cool for about 15 minutes before serving.<br />
<br />Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-36655592868204087032014-06-07T13:30:00.001-07:002014-06-07T15:19:07.111-07:00Blubarb Crumb Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
And here we are... at the start of it all. The first rhubarb recipe of the season. I wish that I could tell you that it came freshly picked from my garden but I can't. It didn't come from my garden. It came from my freezer. From last year. How embarrassing. How un-food-blogger of me. <br />
The truth is that life has lately gone into end of school year mode. Lots of papers to sign, dates to book, grad dress to shop for, uniform stuff to take care of for september - it's kept all of us hopping. Coupled with that, every spare second has involved, ripping things out of our house, cleaning up the back yard, cleaning and bagging things for donation, painting, drilling holes and hanging important things... I can't even think clearly anymore. Our neighbours are pretty happy with us though. In the course of one week we have put 1 chest of drawers, 1 bookshelf, 2 chairs, 1 table, 1 large basket and 2 8lb weights on the front boulevard. All of them were gone within a couple of hours. I think the neighbours are now keeping watch on our front sidewalk to make sure they get first dibs. Our kids are wondering exactly when we are going to stop and whether there will be any furniture left in the house when we do. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please note the large power tool in the lower right corner. </td></tr>
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<br />
To be honest I have no problem getting rid of things. None. I could live with very little quite happily. I form very few attachments to stuff. Not always a good thing but it does come in handy when you are going through your house with the purpose of getting rid of stuff. It can be hard to stop once you've started though. I'm at that point right now and I know that this means I have to be careful. I can get out of control. I can justify almost any toss out. I'd love to say that I would regret it later but I wouldn't. I might feel bad that someone else feels bad about it but I wouldn't miss the thing I tossed... like I said, not always a good thing. <br />
All of this toss talk ties in nicely to the rhubarb... and I love a good tie in. The rhubarb is in the freezer. The freezer and fridge that it's connected to will be donated very soon to make way for the new-to-me appliances that my BFF is handing over. I don't even want to talk about how excited I am about it... it's awesome and I have an awesome BFF. So knowing that my freezer/fridge is on it's way out, I'm using this as an opportunity to clear through a lot of that stuff too. Seeing as there is still another bag of rhubarb in the freezer you can look forward to another rhubarb recipe or two coming soon. <br />
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Blubarb Crumb Bars adapted from <a href="http://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/2011/06/21/rhubarb-berry-crumb-bars-recipe/" target="_blank">'Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy'</a><br />
<br />
Quick Blubarb Jam makes about 3 cups<br />
<br />
4 generous cups chopped rhubarb<br />
4 generous cups blueberries<br />
3/4 cup brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup honey<br />
<br />
<br />
Crumb Stuff<br />
<br />
1 cup oat flour (blitz old fashioned oats in a blender until it's a flour like consistency)<br />
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour<br />
1/2 cup buckwheat flour<br />
1 1/4 cup sugar<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
pinch of cinnamon<br />
1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed<br />
1 egg<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F<br />
Line a 9x13 baking dish or pan with foil and butter it. <br />
In a bowl combine all of the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together. Mix well.<br />
Add the cubed butter and using two forks or a pastry cutter begin to cut the butter into the mixture. Once it becomes fairly crumbly looking add in the egg and continue to cut everything together until the mixture is wet and crumbly.<br />
Pat half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Pat down firmly<br />
Spoon about 2 1/4 cup of blubarb jam over the bottom layer.<br />
Evenly sprinkle the rest of the flour mixture over the blubarb layer. Do not press this layer down.<br />
Bake for about 40 min or until the top is light, golden brown.<br />
Cool completely before cutting the bars (this gives the jam stuff time to firm up again)Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-62780663211379670512014-05-31T19:57:00.001-07:002014-05-31T19:57:14.977-07:00Asparagus, red pepper and ground meat Strata<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Things that 13yr olds do quickly (this will be short)<br />
1. Eat<br />
2. Brush teeth<br />
3. Prepare lunch for school (doesn't really matter... refer to #1)<br />
4. Washing dishes (or any other chore that you've asked them to do... and you will probably have to redo it once they are 'done')<br />
<br />
Things that take 13yr olds and excruciatingly long time to accomplish<br />
1. Getting out of bed<br />
2. Showering<br />
3. Getting dressed<br />
4. School projects<br />
5. Collecting clothes for laundry<br />
6. Getting information to a friend (now called texting and apparently it takes about 50 texts to get some simple homework information)<br />
7. Making themselves understood - because apparently that string of words (I'm pretty sure it was english but not positive) you just pelted towards me was supposed to have some meaning for me personally but it's going to take another 15 minutes of painstaking effort to break it down so that it becomes fully understood.<br />
8. Cleaning their room<br />
I will end here because this list could go ad infinitum. <br />
<br />
Kid #2 has been cleaning her room for a total of 1 1/2 weeks now. She has thrown out as much garbage in that week and a half as our entire household would in 3 months. The house reno has included some work in her room and we decided to paint while we were at it (why not, right?) This has upset her entire universe. It meant cleaning up first and foremost. Who would think that cleaning up a small room could take so long. The books still have not make their way back to their shelf. She has no room for anything (her words) but doesn't seem to understand that a closet could potentially be used to hang clothing in and not just piling things on the floor - this would help create more room elsewhere, right? 'Things fall off when I put them on the hanger'. Yeah - probably because you are not using a hanger properly. <br />
I don't understand why you still need to keep the broken (yes - broken) snow globe from 8 years ago. Take a picture. <br />
I don't understand why you are keeping the packaging from something you received as a gift 5 years ago. It's packaging.<br />
At the end of the day, I've decided that I really don't understand the 13yr old brain at all. <br />
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<br />
Some things are simply not for me to understand. What made total sense to me however was that I needed to get food into this 13 yr old belly very quickly because a low blood sugar meltdown was about to ensue. This recipe comes together fast, tastes good and they don't have to chew it very much (refer to #1 in the 'quickly' list - digestion can be an issue).<br />
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<br />
<b>Asparagus, red pepper and ground meat strata</b> adapted from <a href="http://prettyyummyfoods.com/strata-with-asparagus-sausage/" target="_blank">'Pretty Yummy Foods'</a><br />
serves 6 - 8<br />
<br />
1/2 cup onion, diced<br />
two bunches of asparagus, ends removed and cut into about 1 1/2 inch strips<br />
1 cup red pepper, medium slices<br />
3 cloves garlic, crushed<br />
1 lb ground meat (I used a mix of beef, pork and lamb)<br />
1 1/2 boullion cubes<br />
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce<br />
3 tbsp honey<br />
1 tbsp oregano<br />
1 tbsp marjoram<br />
1 tbsp chives<br />
1 1/2 tsp salt<br />
water<br />
4 thick slices of bread, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes<br />
1 1/2 cups cheddar (I used old cheddar) shredded<br />
6 eggs<br />
1 1/2 cups milk<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350° F.<br />
Butter a 9x13 baking dish and set aside. <br />
Heat a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. <br />
Turn the heat down to medium/low and add about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add in the onion. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the red pepper, garlic and ground meat. Cook together for about 8 minutes or until the ground meat is almost cooked through (you will need to stir regularly to break up the ground meat). <br />
Add in the asparagus strips and mix well. Cook for another 4 minutes.<br />
Add in the bouillon cubes, worcestershire sauce, honey, oregano, marjoram, chives and salt. Mix well and add just enough water (about 3 - 4 tbsp) to keep everything from sticking and pull anything off of the bottom of the pot. Check for taste and adjust if necessary then turn the heat off under the pot and set aside.<br />
In the baking dish add the cubed bread and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Toss to mix. <br />
In another bowl whisk together the eggs and milk. <br />
Add the egg mixture to the bread. Mix well. <br />
Add the asparagus mixture to the egg/bread stuff. Mix well. <br />
Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top. <br />
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the middle of the pan isn't liquid and the edges and top are golden brown. Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410697163852038969.post-36126356112866358242014-05-26T10:25:00.002-07:002014-05-26T10:25:48.917-07:00Fiddleheads, sausage and bean ragu and some kitchen craziness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yay Me. I think that this may be the first week in many many many where I have managed to get two posts out. I'm feeling a little self congratulatory about it and may even make up some kind of award for myself. On second thought, maybe I will wait until my track record starts to become consistently better before going the award route. And with that, off we go on what promises to be one of my most scattered posts to date.<br />
For mother's day/anniversary (which happened on the same day this year) D gave me a new camera lense which I love and am getting used to whenever I have time to play around with it. I'm looking forward to some hikes, portraits and lots of food shots with this lens. I have gotten a little time to play though and done a couple of head shots for D who was doing a show this week that required such things. <br />
In other news:<br />
1. Our house is all over the place right now. We have finally organized ourselves enough to fund a reno and fix project and have taken the plunge. What this means is that I have 50% of a kitchen (which will probably become 0% very soon), that our front stairs have no flooring on them and that our backyard space is a combination of rotting deck (that is soon to get ripped out), drywall and dead cabinets. We are purging like crazy (easy to do) and trying not to get frustrated (hard to do).<br />
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2. Our kids have applied, auditioned, gotten letters, been put on waiting lists and finally have both gotten into schools of their first choice. The relief I feel about this is palpable and when they were on waiting lists for one reason or another I felt a real sense of failure as a parent. My reaction surprised me and I haven't taken time to pull it apart yet. <br />
3. D is having a crazy May. I am having a crazy May and it just fuels my i-hate-december-and-may thing. The problem is that this crazy that's been going on doesn't exactly look like it's letting up any time soon. TIRED. Silver lining - refer to #, sentence 2. $$$<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/fiddlehead%20and%20sausage%20ragu/IMG_1295_zpsc0b2a9e8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s615/Wandaberry/fiddlehead%20and%20sausage%20ragu/IMG_1295_zpsc0b2a9e8.jpg" height="400" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This has to be my worst photo on this blog... and who would do this to a cake BTW? A seven year old apparently. </td></tr>
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4. I haven't baked in a long time - except for today when I was asked by kid #2 for a cake to celebrate his school acceptance (please refer to item #1). I haven't calculated how long exactly but it's a long time for me - over a month for sure. Feels weird... when I have time to think about it. I also haven't gotten my bike out yet. This is very very weird and it has to end. I took my bike in for the annual tune up today. <br />
5. I had an interesting conversation with a colleague about how I am doing (or not doing) and what some strategies might be to feel better about myself. My non-work life is angst ridden and changing all the time which is guess is normal and healthy. Parenting is stressing me out... I'm learning to deal with it.<br />
6. It's a good thing that I remembered to pull this out of the fridge, heat a bowl up and take some pictures of it the day after I made it because very very shortly after that it was gone. Of course that's a good thing because it means that it tasted good. Even better is that this is good for you (I'm going to studiously avoid using 'healthy'). There is meat in here but you could definitely leave it out and add in more beans without losing much. I get more buy in with kids when the meat is present. If the meat doesn't buy you anything then go for a meatless version.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with the new lens and nailing the background focus totally. </td></tr>
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7. You may be wondering why you haven't seen these wonderful, life changing pictures of the fiddlehead ragu. Turns out, after all of my self congratulation, that my sd card got compromised. So I have some lovely reno shots, a shot of basil and some of the cake that kid #2 asked for (refer to item #2). Well that's funny. After going back to bed and crying into my pillow for a while, D suggested I post the recipe anyway because it was so good. The flattery worked and even though you are seeing tools, basil and a cake this is a really good recipe that you should try and if you think to take pictures send them to me please.<br />
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<b>Fiddleheads, Sausage and Bean ragu</b><br />
serves 6 - 8<br />
<br />
1/2 cup onion, diced<br />
2 med carrots, coarsely sliced<br />
3 cloves garlic, crushed<br />
1 lb sausage, uncooked and cut into slices<br />
1 1/2 boullion cubes<br />
1 tbsp dried oregano<br />
1 tbsp dried basil<br />
2 tbsp soy sauce<br />
2 tbsp ketchup<br />
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce<br />
2 1/2 (approx) cups fiddleheads, stem tips removed<br />
2 - 3 cups spinach, stems remove and coarsely chopped<br />
1 1/2 tsp cumin<br />
1 1/2 tsp salt<br />
400 ml (1 small can) cannellini beans, half drained<br />
1/3 cup water (optional)<br />
1/2 tsp pepper sauce (optional)<br />
<br />
Heat a heavy bottomed dutch oven or pot (I used a caste iron thing) over medium heat.<br />
Once heated, turn the heat down to med/low and add about 2 tbsp of oil or fat. <br />
Add in the onion and carrot. Cook for about 7 min or until the onion is starting to caramelize. <br />
Add in the garlic and sausage and cook together for another 5 minutes. <br />
Add in the bouillon cubes, oregano, basil, soy sauce, ketchup and worcestershire sauce. Mix and cook together for another 5 minutes to let the flavours mingle.<br />
Add in the fiddleheads, cumin and salt. Mix well<br />
Add the half drained cannellini beans and the spinach. Mix well and cover, turning down the heat to low. Uncover after about 20 minutes. If it looks a little dry add in some of the water. <br />
Simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes more. <br />
Check the tastes and adjust if necessary. Add a little pepper sauce.<br />
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Serve with mashed potato or rice.Wanda Thornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04661596374510236116noreply@blogger.com0