All About Me And A Bag Of Chips!

Foodie Friday!

Just a quick foodie Friday this week, I have both kids home with me today. One is a bit under the weather and the other has the day off for a "teacher day"...

This week's gadget is very cool and hip, and if I had more counter space I would be all over it like rice on white!

CHROME FRUIT RACK

 

"Promote healthy snacking by storing and displaying a variety of fruits with this nifty fruit rack. Features a banana rack to keep bunches bruise free, as well as a metal track that's perfect for apples, oranges and more. Its unique decorative design makes it easy to fill and remove fruit while looking great on your counter. Rubber foot guards help protect surfaces and keeps rack from slipping. Great for personal use at home or in the office, and also great as a gift."

That brings us to this week's menu. Nothing to fancy this week since I have DH's birthday, DR appointments and playdates scheduled...

• Sat- Sloppy Joe's - Sweet Tater Biscuits - Salad.
• Sun- Take Out.
• Mon- Fish - Homemade Fries - Salad.
• Tue- Curried Pork Noodles - Broccoli.
• Wed- 5 Spice Chicken Legs - Indian Style Rice.
• Thur- Homemade Pizza.
• Fri- To Be Announced.

So with that I will wrap things up again for another week! Hope you all have a great weekend and until next time..TATA!!

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Foodie Friday!!

Yay, it is Friday and that means the end of the week and all things "food" here on my little blog!

I have a very cool little "gadget" to show off today! Leave to the Japanese to invent something this handy!

Calamete Calamente pasta fork set

"Believe it or not, there truly is a better way to eat noodles! Calamete is a uniquely designed Japanese fork modification made especially for spinning your favorite noodles with ease due to its projecting “thumb” piece that simulates a hand. Perfect for any spaghetti or other long noodle lover."

Cool huh? A bit pricey though at 44 US dollars for two, but hey, if I had the money I would so totally buy a few! LOL

That will bring us to this week's menu

• Sat- Out For The Day.
• Sun- Butter Chicken - Rice - Broccoli
• Mon- Pimped up Frozen Pizza.
• Tue- Frittata with Bacon, Fresh Ricotta, and Greens. (<--LINK)
• Wed- Salmon Fillets with Dill Couscous and Spicy Kale (recipe)
• Thurs- Sloppy Joe's with Sweet Potato Biscuits - Spinach Salad.
• Fri- Leftovers.

BUTTER CHICKEN RECIPE (I received this recipe from a friend!)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp tandoori or tikka curry paste, divided
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
2 tsp minced fresh hot pepper
1 tsp each ground cumin and paprika
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) crushed (ground) tomatoes
1 cup 35% Whipping Cream
1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut into chunks
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Place half of Butter in a 13 x 9-inch (3 L) glass baking dish. Place in oven for about 3 min or until melted. Swirl to coat dish; set aside.

In large deep pot, melt remaining Butter over medium-high heat. Cook half of tandoori paste, the ginger, hot pepper, cumin and paprika, stirring, for about 2 min or until fragrant . Add tomatoes; bring to boil. Stir in Whipping Cream; return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring often, for 10 min or until sauce is thickened.

Meanwhile, in bowl, combine chicken, yogurt and remaining tandoori paste; toss to combine. Spread in single layer in prepared baking dish. Bake in oven for 10 min. Pour tomato sauce over chicken; bake for about 10 min longer or until sauce is bubbling and chicken is no longer pink inside. Sprinkle with cilantro and lime juice.

With that I will wrap things up for another week! I hope you have a fabulous weekend and until next time..TATA!!

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As promised -- Two yummy recipes!!

Image via Wikipedia

Last week I made two of the yummiest recipes I have made in a long time! Both were hits and pretty easy to do, and both I changed just a little bit, to make them more "me". I'll post my versions of the two here with links back to the originals!

Skillet Lasagna

Ingredients nocoupons

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil and/or parsley, plus more for garnish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb (500 grms) ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• no-bake lasagna noodles
• 2 medium carrots, peeled into ribbons
• 1 zucchini, peeled into ribbons
• 4 handfuls baby spinach
• 1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Take the two tins of tomatoes, the garlic, salt, pepper and whatever other spices you like and whiz until smooth in a food processor or with a hand blender.

Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, egg, parmesan, the remaining 3 tablespoons herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl.

Cover the bottom of the skillet with a little of the pureed sauce. Place some lasagna noodles (breaking apart to fit) over the sauce in the skillet. Layer half of the carrot and zucchini on top; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a couple of handfuls of the spinach, half of the ricotta mixture, some of the mozzarella and some more of the reserved tomato sauce. Repeat the layers, ending with noodles. Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover and simmer until the lasagna is cooked and the cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes.

Let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with more parmesan and fresh herbs.

Chicken and Egg Soup with Pastina

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lb (500 grms) of a frozen soup base mix (Basically a mix of chopped carrots, celery root, leek)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 (2 1/2-to-3-pound) chicken (Cut into pieces)
•  3-4 chicken stock cubes
• 2 lemons
• 1 cup cup pastina (small pasta, I used tiny stars)
• 2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
• 2 cups baby spinach or other baby greens
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• Crumbled feta cheese, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the soup veggie base, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, and enough cold water to just cover the chicken and veggies, Also add the stock cubes, a bay leaf, some whole pepper corns and the juice of 1 lemon; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours. After the 2 hours, remove the chicken and strain the soup through a sieve to get rid of all the little pieces of chicken and veggies. Bring the broth back to a boil and add the pastina and simmer until the pasta is cooked. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bone and shred into bite-size pieces.

Remove the soup from the heat. Whisk the juice of the remaining lemon with the whole eggs and yolks in a medium bowl until frothy. Gradually whisk a ladleful of the hot soup into the egg mixture, then stir the warm egg mixture into the soup and return to medium-low heat. Cook until creamy, about 1 minute. Stir in the shredded chicken, spinach and dill, and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls; garnish with feta, if desired.

Both dishes got two very big thumbs up from everyone and Will now be placed in my "must make often" folder!! Have a great day and until next time..TATA!!

I've been deceived!!

The last couple days DH and I have been watching CHEF AT HOME with Michael Smith, he is a Canadian chef who cooks out of his home on PEI for his wife and cutie pie little boy. The whole "theme" of the show is cooking without a recipe, using what you have on hand and the house is just gorgeous and and I am always commenting to DH that I love and want to own it.

Yesterday I decided to do a little Googling to see where abouts in PEI his house was and just see what the real estate was like in that area, you know, in case we ever win the lottery and decide to move back to Canada. WELL, come to find out, that the gorgeous house he cooks out of, has pictures of his family in, art work from his son, is not REALLY his house, but a rented place used for the show!!

I feel hoodwinked I tell you!! He brought hot chocolate up to his son in "his" bedroom, the photos of his family, everything staged, a lie!! LOL Now I really should have noticed something was up because he always had the ingredients he was gonna use on hand in abundance. Jars of homemade chicken stock in the fridge, baskets of mushrooms in the pantry and the fridge and pantry were always so well stocked and organized. It's like finding out there is no Santa Claus..waaaa! (OK maybe a bit on the dramatic side LOL)

In anycase I am still lusting after the house and enjoying the show, but now I am onto you Michael Smith and Foodnetwork.ca and i will not be so easily deceived again..Muhahahahaha...LOL Until next time..TATA!!

PS -- Here is a link to rent the gorgeous house, just in case YOU win the lottery and want to vacation on PEI...http://www.vrbo.com/21839

Foodie Friday!!

Good morning peeps! It's Friday and that means all things "Food" and "Food Related" rein supreme today on my little corner of the web. I don't have a gadget today, but I have something even better, a photo of my dream kitchen!

Back when we bought this apartment (2 years ago this month) we basically redid the whole apartment, except the kitchen. The people who owned the apartment before us had actually put in a whole new kitchen a couple years before and it was still quite nice, so we left it. A few months back I ran across a photo of a kitchen and just fell in love. The thing about the kitchen, other then it is just gorgeous, is that it is basically the exact shape of my kitchen now! Big window at the end with sink under it, lip sticking out above the sink for the lights. This could very easily be my kitchen! Anyways, I saved the photo and hopefully in the next couple years we will be redoing are present kitchen and it will most definitely be looking like the following photo...

 

Is that not just gorgeous, so light and airy. I especially love the subway tiles and the floor AND I already have some of those very shelves on the right up in my kitchen now, it's a sign I tell you, a sign! LOL

So, that will bring us to this weeks menu. I have a couple new recipes I am trying out, mixed in with some quick and easy dinners. Next week is Fall break for the kids and we have a bunch of things planned. I am most excited about heading off to Tivoli for their Halloween party, the kids are just going to have a blast. We haven't told them yet that we are going, we want it to be a surprise...can't wait!

Menu for the week of October 10th until the 16th.

• Sat- Pancakes - Fruit.
• Sun- Chicken Chili Rellenos Bake (Homamakers mag Nov pg 43) - Salad.
• Mon- Pimped Up Frozen Pizza.
• Tue- Beef Kefta with Melon Slaw (Food Network mag pg 89).
• Wed- Out to Dinner.
• Thurs- Skillet Lasagna (Food Network mag pg 88).
• Fri- Leftovers.

With that I will wrap things up for this week, hope you have a great weekend and until next time..TATA!!

Foodie Friday!!

Good morning peeps, it is that day of the week again, where all things "food" take over my lovely little blog! This week instead of a kitchen gadget, I have a yummy seasonal side dish that I made a couple times now and just LOVE. It is a perfect side dish for pork or liver and uses yummy apples that are in season right now!

APPLES IN MADEIRA (original recipe from Essentials Oct magazine)

• 250 grms bacon (chopped)
• 4 red apples (cored and sliced into thin wedges)
• dried sage (to taste)
• 2 red onions (sliced)
• 1 tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 100 ml madeira
• 100 ml chicken stock

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbs oil in a large pan, add the bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes until crisp.
2. Add the onion and cook gently for 10 minutes.
3. Add the apple, sage, red wine vinegar and sugar and cook 5 minutes until lightly caramelized.
4. Increase the heat and pour the madeira and stock and let cook 5 minutes until reduced.

So there you go, yummy, yummy dish!!!

That will bring us to this weeks menu, I have a bunch of new recipes to try this week, so looking forward to that!

Menu for the week of Oct 3rd until the 9th

• Sat- Pork & Chive Pot stickers. (Everyday Foods Magazine pg 48)
• Sun- Autumn Vegetable Tagine. - (Oct VT pg 42)
• Mon- Leftovers.
• Tue- Hamburger Stroganoff. (<--LINK)
• Wed-Tomato Mozzarella Tart with Basil Garlic Crust. (<--LINK) - Salad
• Thur- Cashew Chicken - Rice - Broccoli in Oyster Sauce. (everyday food pg 50)
• Fri- Leftovers

Yummy, so with that I will wrap things up again for this week, have a great weekend and until next time..TATA!!

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Yawn....

Will someone please tell my lovely son that 5:30 is WAY to early to be waking up in the morning??!! I am seriously debating whether I should go crawl back into bed now. LOL

I really don't have a whole lot to report today, the weather has been pretty drab and chilly and it is getting increasingly darker earlier, so I need to run out soon and stock up on candles to "hygge" up my apartment! I pulled out my Halloween candle holders, the kids just love to eat dinner with a jack-o-lantern on the table. I LOVE Halloween, so I am hoping to maybe get stuff together for a party again this year..we'll see...

I got in touch with my inner "Martha" yesterday and made a batch of Snickerdoodle cookies. I've never made them before and they turned out so yummy! I am adding them onto my list of favorites to bake for the Holidays.

Here is the recipe I used in case you are interested...

Snickerdoodles (from Martha's Holiday Cookies 2005)

Makes about 20 (or 40, if you make the balls very small)

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Put butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.

2. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 20 (1 3/4-inch) balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

3. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes

With that I will wrap things up for today, hope you have a great one and until next time..TATA!!

Food-Dum-Diggity Friday!!

Yes folks, it is indeed that time of the week again! The week seems to have flown by and I can't believe we are already into October next week!! Time to start planning for my Halloween party!

Since we are now officially into Autumn, my "gadget" this week is Fall inspired and hella cute...

Party Crock Pumpkin Slow Cooker Cookset

"Product Description: Hamilton Beach designers have created a new cookset that has a style home entertainers love and the convenience home cooks demand. The Party Crock cookset has a detachable dish that is designed with convenient cooking in mind – especially for get-togethers. The 1.5-qt. capacity is ideal for side dishes, appetizers or dips. It’s a slow cooker with flexibility. Hosts can prepare food directly into the detachable crock dish well before the guests arrive and then refrigerate if needed. When it’s time to heat, simply place the dish on the electric base for familiar slow cooking. The pleasant surprise is at the presentation. Home entertainers now can garnish their party table with color and candlelight. The Party Crock cookset includes a cast-iron warming stand that keeps the dish from getting cold by using the heat of a tea candle. A graceful, curved pattern cut into the warming stand allows candlelight to add that special ambiance in the room. The Party Crock cookset goes from fridge to slow cooking to buffet table at the busy cook’s convenience without using valuable oven or countertop space. The warming stand, with tea candle, eliminates the need to weave a power cord across the table or find the nearest outlet. There is only one dish to clean from prep to party to leftovers."

Is that not just the cutest!! It's on-sale right now also, so not to bad of a deal!

That will bring us to this week's menu. I am trying a couple new recipes and few old standbys. We have a birthday party to attend Sunday and S has dance late Monday, so both days are just all about "fast & easy"...

Menu for the week of Sept. 26th until Oct. 2nd

• Sat- Gorgonzola - Fig - Spinach Pizza. (Oct VT pg 60)
• Sun- Sandwiches.
• Mon- Tacos.
• Tue- Salmon - Sweet Potato Fries - Roasted Broccoli.
• Wed- Chicken Tenders - Cream Noodles - Salad.
• Thurs- Coriander-Crusted Pork Chops with Sautéed Apples and Caramelized Onions. (<--LINK)
• Fri- Leftovers.

With that, I will call it an end to this week. I hope you have a fabulous weekend and until next time..TATA!!

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Foodie Friday...

I haven't really posted a proper "foodie Friday" in awhile, but with us headed into Autumn my cooking mojo is on the rise again, so hopefully I will get back into my regular Friday postings!

This following gadget is one I have had my eye on for awhile now. I seen one on sale awhile back and I am still kicking myself for not picking it up!

Mario Batali Panini Press

"Grill perfect paninis, meat, seafood and more with this ridged pan and fitted press from our exclusive new "Italian Cooking Essentials" cookware line, designed in collaboration with famed New York chef and Food Network star Mario Batali. Red enameled cast iron has a matte black interior that requires no seasoning. Helper handle on the side; cast stainless knob on the press. Includes a 16-page recipe booklet, adapted from his book "Molto Italiano."

So onto this weeks menu, Saturday I am making a liver dish, I LOVE liver, love it, but everyone else hates it, so I rarely (as in mostly never) make it, but I saw this recipe in a magazine and though "you know what, I do the cooking and I want liver, so they are going to have to live with it for one night! LOL Well DH and L will, S has a birthday party and gets a free pass from eating the liver. To show that I am not a totally meanie though, Wednesday's meal is all about the kids. ;)

Menu for the week of September 19th until the 25th

• Sat- New Liver and potatoes. (Essentials mag Oct pg 104)
• Sun- Root Veg soup with red onion and goat cheese - Garlic Bread. (Essentials mag Oct pg 114)
• Mon- Leftovers
• Tues- Double-Cheese and Prosciutto Calzone (<--LINK) - Salad.
• Wed- Weenie Mac & Cheesy (Macaroni & Cheese with a Hot Dog Surprise) (<--LINK)
• Thurs- Curried Sweet Potato Fritters - Spinach Salad. (Oct VT pg 34)
• Fri- Wildcard. (Leftovers, Take Out, Whatever I decide)

I have posted what magazines the recipes have came from and what pages they are one, in case anyone is interested. All magazines are available in digital form through ZINIO.COM

VT= Vegetarian Times

So on that note I will wrap things up for the week, have a great weekend and until next time..TATA!!

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Feeling a bit yucky....

I've had a sore throat and fever for the past couple days, so I have to pop into my DR's today so she can do a strep test and check me out, fun times I tell you! I fear it is going to be a LONG season of colds and whatnot with the kids lovingly bringing germs home from school by the bucket fulls. LOL Such is life I guess...

So with that being said, I am going to go back and lay down and rest a bit. I'll leave you with my upcoming week menu though, since it is Friday! ;)

Menu for the week of Sept 5th until the 11th..

• Sat- Eggs in Purgatory.
• Sun- Pasta & Bean Soup.
• Mon- Leftovers.
• Tue- Homemade Pizza.
• Wed- Eggplant Parmesan - Salad.
• Thurs- Meatballs Stroganoff - Egg Noodles - Broccoli.
• Fri- Grilled Cheese - Tomato Soup.

Hopefully next week I will be back into the groove and blogging for regularly again...August was a strange month..until next time..TATA!!