Day 26-28

The beginning of January was going so well.  Then life started happening again!  Still...  I'm making some big improvements.

On Wednesday (the 26th), though, I wasn't feeling well.  When I got home all I could stomach was soup.  So I made possibly the worst kind but it's so good when you're sick - Lipton's chicken noodle soup from the packet.

Thursday was a complete right off during the day.  I think I only had a banana and oatmeal.  At night I got a bit of my energy and appetite back so I whipped up some chicken but it wasn't very elaborate.  I basically spread some olive oil and Epicure's Garam Masala spice on chicken breasts that had the skin on and baked them for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  I paired the chicken with the salad from Tuesday night and dinner was done.

Friday is a day I'm somewhat proud of.  After work I drove up to see R.  I didn't get there until 8 and I still wasn't feeling all that well.  When I arrived we couldn't decide what to eat.  R suggested Subway.  I said pizza so we didn't have to go out.  After resting a bit I decided I felt good enough to cook and scoured the cupboards to see what I could come up with.

We had shrimp... pasta... and garlic so Garlic Shrimp Pasta was an obvious choice. We did not have spaghetti, though, so we had to use macaroni.

The recipe is below.  It was quite tasty.  I thought it was going to be too runny but we added a pile of shredded parmesan in the pot and everything thickened up to coat the pasta.

I will add photos as soon as I find the cable for R's camera.

Enjoy!

Garlic Shrimp Pasta 

• Time 10 minutes
• Serves 4

Ingredients

---

• 1 Pound Spaghetti (or Linguine)
• 1 Pound Medium Shrimp, Cleaned And Deveined, And Coarsely Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 1 Cup White Wine
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Parsley
• Salt & Pepper
• Red Pepper Flakes

• How to make it

  ---

  • Put the pasta on to cook.
  • While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet.
  • Add the shrimp, garlic, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.
  • After a minute or two, as soon as the shrimp are pink and opaque, remove them from the pan.
  • Add butter and wine in the skillet and turn the heat up to medium high.
  • Cook until it has reduced by half.
  • Drain the pasta, reserving a small cup of pasta water.
  • Return the shrimp to the skillet and cook until heated through.
  • Add the parsley and mix.
  • Add the pasta, and cook another minute or two over high heat.
  • If it seems dry, add a little of the reserved pasta water.
  • Serve piping hot, garnishing with additional fresh parsley if desired.
  •    

Days 22-25 - Family, fresh fruit, quinoa and an armadillo cake!

I spent the weekend visiting my family and didn't get the chance to do a whole lot of cooking because of everything we had planned but I still have some foodie things to share!

First off - I was determined to cook SOMETHING so Saturday morning I decided to make a fruit salad.  I shamefully sent my father off with a list of fruit we had written the night before so I could sleep in (I am a spoiled child) but around 8:00 or so I got up to get things going.  Making the salad made me want to kick myself for not doing this weekly.  I love fruit salad.  I won't post a recipe seeing as all you really do is pick your fruit cut it up and throw it in a bowl.  I will say, however, that I love to have bananas in the salad and always pour orange juice over the whole thing to stop oxidization.  What ends up happening is the bananas sort of melt into the juice as the days go on and I personally love it!

After the fruit salad and a hard boiled egg we started off for a day of dress shopping and girly fun!  My sisters and I wanted to treat my mom to a girl's day for her birthday.  Dress shopping, all you can eat sushi lunch, mani/pedis, make up and then "SURPRISE!!" a birthday party!

At the party we had a red velvet armadillo cake a la Steel Magnolias.

Anyone who has seen the movie might recognize why my mom cut the end off first!!  The cake was delicious!

Sunday we did more dress shopping and stopped at the Muddy Duck Restaurant for lunch - a wedding tradition for my family, it seems.

While I didn't cook much we had some successful shopping trips!!  It was so much fun!

Monday morning I had work to do in Toronto and had decided to drive back home right afterwards.  I didn't make a lunch so ate out at lunch and dinner!!!

Today there was no question!  I was going to cook dinner but I really have no idea how people do it when they have kids.  After work I stopped by a friend's event at work, then picked up a box of invitations a store had on hold for me before I made it to the grocery store.  By the time I walked through the door I had absolutely no idea what to make.  I grabbed my phone, downloaded the Food Network Canada Mobile app and searched for a recipe that included quinoa.

What I found was a warm spinach salad with quinoa:

Warm Spinach Salad with Quinoa

• 1 Container small (5oz) of baby spinach
• 1 cup Quinoa, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon Organic butter
• 2 cups Filtered water
• Unrefined sea salt to taste
• 50 grams unripened goat cheese
• red onion, diced
• Cucumber, halved and sliced
• -3 Cherry tomatoes, halved
• Sprig of thyme, removed from stem
• Tasty Healthy Salad Dressing (see recipe)

Tasty Healthy Salad Dressing

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons organic balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon unpasteurized honey
• pinch of unrefined sea salt
• fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 250 millilitres organic extra virgin olive oil
• 250 millilitres organic, cold-pressed flax seed oil

Directions

Warm Spinach Salad with Quinoa

1. In a medium sized saucepan, melt organic butter on stovetop. Add quinoa, stirring frequently while it toasts in the bottom of the pot.
2. Once you can smell the toasted quinoa, add water andunrefined sea salt, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiled turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes. When all the water has been absorbed remove from heat and let cool for ten minutes.
3. Toss spinach, goat's cheese, onion, cucumber, thyme and tomato in a large bowl. Add warm quinoa and toss. Pour overdressing and mix. Enjoy.

Tasty Healthy Salad Dressing

1. Mix all ingredients but the oils in a medium sized bowl. Slowly add the olive oil, pouring in a thin stream while whisking vigorously. You should see the mixture begin to thicken as you continue to whisk in the oil. Repeat the process with the flax oil. The result should be a thick, creamy dressing. Use dressing immediately.

Salad dressing for me usually means oil and vinegar so I was excited about this recipe but in the end I think I'll just go with oil and balsamic vinegar for my lunch tomorrow.  The dressing was good but it was a lot of flavour.

I only mixed in some of the quinoa on my plate so I could have this as a cold salad for lunch tomorrow.  It was pretty good!  I love quinoa.  I think with everything cold and a simpler dressing I'll like it even better.

Now I'm going to bed!

Day 21 - Best Muffins Ever

Let me start off by saying I did not make them.  Friday was another total fail!!

I woke up at R's place with a five hour drive ahead of me and a growling belly.  I should have made oatmeal or something but I woke up with a craving for one of the best muffins ever.  Where are they?  Cafe Ole in Pembroke, Ontario.  I've seriously never found another one like it.  I was considering what makes them so good as I started my drive to Toronto.

For starters they're a real hearty muffin.  They are big and brown and you'll usually find oats throughout.  They're also jam packed with fruit.  This time I had a blueberry-peach muffin and the fruit adds such a nice texture and sweetness to the muffin.  I once asked if there was dairy in them and Christine Tomka, the owner, told me there is no added fat to the muffins.  I don't understand how she does it but it makes a difference.  When I get a craving in Ottawa I try muffins from other small cafes but they always seem worse for you.  You can taste the oil or something.

These muffins are usually too big for me to eat in one serving but I couldn't stop this time.  I ate it at 10 and then I wasn't even hungry again until 4.  I figure it's kind of like eating a big bowl or oatmeal with fruit.  Or something.

Again, I was going to take a photo but didn't want to stop eating.

And...  because I was driving I clearly didn't make lunch.

I was going to make dinner for my mom and sisters but when I arrived at my parents' my sisters called and said they were coming to get me.  They had found a store that had the wedding dress I wanted and they wanted to see me try it on but the store closed in an hour and a half.

We tried on dresses and then ran out of time to make dinner before going to the movies which we were doing for my mom's birthday (a belated celebration).

Now I'm going to make breakfast so that I can say I made SOMETHING this weekend!

Day 18, 19 & 20 - Total fail!

And then real life sets in!

I was doing so well but I wasn't actually living my normal routine.  This week R went back to his normal schedule and that meant a lot more travel.

On the 18th I went to a hockey game after work so I did not make anything.  I pretty much rushed home from work (as much as you can when there is a bit of a snow storm and everyone is going slow), fed the dogs, took them outside and then left.

I have to admit, although I had a homemade muffin for breakfast for lunch I picked up an antipasto plate from La Bottega and some bread and then I ate that for lunch and dinner.  Fail!

On the 19th I worked and then drove up to see R and bring him the dogs.  He lives about an hour and a half away.  I called as I was getting close to see what he wanted to eat for dinner.  He said cereal.  I told him I'd go to the grocery store but he thought it was too late for that and suggested take out if I didn't want cereal.  But I was determined.  In the end we both went to the grocery store and picked up the Dole Asian Crunch salad in a bag and some frozen shrimp.

This is a fall back recipe we both enjoy.  R makes the shrimp as I assemble the salads.  I will have to ask R what he puts in the shrimp because I honestly don't have any idea.  I'm pretty sure I saw some teriyaki sauce, soya sauce, and something red.  The shrimp were already cooked so they really only needed to be warmed up and flavoured and then put on top of the salad.

So that was dinner.  I'll add photos soon I just left them on R's camera.

The next day I drove back to my city for work.   I'm pretty sure I had to buy a muffin for breakfast that day and can't for the life of me remember what I had for lunch.  I had a meeting with a caterer after work (which was already 6:30) and I had decided to drive back up to see R because I was going away for the weekend the next day.  The caterer gave me two chicken dinners to take up with me and seeing as I didn't get there until close to 10pm I decided just to eat that.  I was going to take a photo but I was too hungry.

So this was all a total fail. I think what attributed to it all was the fact that we didn't have any food up at R's place and I didn't have anything ready to go at my place.

Planning and shopping!  That's what I really need to work on.  I am really going to have to make up for these three days.

Day 16 & 17 - Oatmeal Muffins and Chicken Pesto Pasta

 I have been a delinquent blogger.

My mom was up for the weekend for a bunch of pre-wedding planning and it all flew by so quickly.  I really have no excuse for yesterday.  So ... I'm not sure who is out there reading this but my apologies.

I wasn't a delinquent cook, however!  

Sunday morning I decided to start the day by making some oatmeal chocolate chip muffins.  The recipe I used (see below) make amazingly light muffins.  If you don't want the fat and sugar of the chocolate chips (and mini kisses in my case) I think they would be fantastic with some berries.  

Here is the recipe I used.  It's very easy ... just don't forget you have to soak the oats before you use them.  I found it here .

One more thing - I used large flake whole oats instead of the quick oats it calls for and it turned out fine.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/4 cup oats
1 1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Combine oats and milk; let stand for 15 minutes. Stir egg, oil, brown sugar and chocolate chips into oat mixture; add vanilla. Combine three dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the liquid mixture; stir until moistened. Use paper liners or cooking spray in a 12-cup muffin pan. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake in a 4oo degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Next up - Monday night dinner.

I really didn't want to hit the grocery store on my way home so I started thinking about what I had in the fridge and decided on Chicken Pesto Pasta.  We had leftover chicken from Saturday and plenty of pesto so it was perfect.  Then I found a recipe for chicken pesto feta pasta and that was even better!  It used up one more ingredient sitting in my fridge.

If I was at R's house I would have added pine nuts but I wasn't and I didn't want to buy any more.

So all I really did was cook the pasta (enough spaghetti for two).  While that was cooking I shredded any bits of chicken we had left from Saturday.  When the pasta was done I saved a tiny bit of water in the pot and then added two tablespoons of pesto and bit of olive oil (I really should start measuring).  It was a bit difficult to mix it up.  I might mix the oil and pesto together next time or save a bit more water.  I crumbled the rest of the feta and added the chicken and gave it all another good stir.  Again - one thing I might change is just add the chicken on top because it settled to the bottom so it was hard to scoop out.  I put the pasta on the plates, shredded parmesan cheese and dinner was served.  

I thought it was going to make for a great lunch as well but we ate it all.

The following recipe was my inspiration but obviously not my guide.  I found it here. 

Ingredients: 

1 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into cubes 

4 tblsp Classico Pesto  

8 oz of uncooked pasta (Rotini or Penne Lisce) = 4 cups cooked 

feta cheese 

Directions: 

Make pasta following instructions on package. When you have put pasta into boiling water 

you can prepare the chicken. Heat pan at med to high temp. Cook chicken in frying pan, add 

salt and pepper and other spices to desired taste (you can use an Italian herb mix). When 

chicken is cooked through turn heat down until pasta is cooked. Drain pasta when done, add 

pasta to chicken in pan stir in pesto. (You can add more pesto if you like a stronger taste). 

Dish onto plates adding the Feta on before serving.  

Today will be tricky because I'm going to the hockey game after work and I have a sandwich for lunch.  Hmmm.... I'll start thinking about what I can make in between.

Have a good Tuesday!

Day 15 - Beer Can Chicken, Smashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Mmmmm!  I'm so happy we finally made it!

My mom and I started off the day right - with a 1/4 cup of oatmeal and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Then we went shopping for wedding dresses and we kind of lost track of time.  Suddenly it was 4:30 p.m. and we hadn't eaten anything else.  And after all that shopping we were too hungry to even think of taking time to make a proper dinner.

We called R to see what he felt like.  Secretly I hoped he suggested we go to the local pub for dinner.  But he didn't.  So I decided we should stop at Bridgehead on our way home to split a cheddar and tomato sandwich to hold us off for dinner.

It did the trick!  When we got home I started making dinner right away.  We already had everything we needed, I just needed to find the best guide for cooking the bird.

The recipe I decided on is below but, as usual, I did not follow it to a T.  So I'll tell you what I did.

I washed the chicken (there were no giblets inside) and then rubbed it with some oil, salt and pepper.  Then I lifted the skin from the body and put some Montreal Chicken Spice underneat the skin as well.

I have a special beer can chicken holder which I got at Canadian Tire for about $10.

I washed a can of Heineken and put it in the holder (after opening it, of course).  I poured a bit of beer in the bottom and put in slices of onion.

I put the whole thing in the oven which was preheated to 350 degrees and set the timer for 90 minutes.

While that was cooking I cut up some potatoes and put them on to boil.  When they were done I decided to make "smashed" potatoes (skins on).  I chopped up some garlic and tossed it in with butter and milk and mixed it all together.  When it was done I put a plate over the pot to keep it warm.  

Just before the chicken was done I put on some water to boil the green beans.  

The chicken looked deee-licious!  I even made gravy with the drippings under the beer can while somebody else was carving the chicken. 

Voila!  Dinner!  

The chicken was unbelievably moist!!!  You should definitely try it!

Again... I'm very happy we decided to take the time and make dinner!  I got to show my mom that I know my way around the kitchen and we had a great meal admittedly in front of the TV while watching the hockey game.

Tomorrow it's the Bridal Show... and then who knows what we'll eat!

Beer Can Chicken

1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub
1 can beer

For the rub:
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

To make the rub:
In a small bowl combine the rub ingredients. 

Chicken:
Remove the neck and giblets from chicken and discard them. Rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken lightly with oil then rub inside and out with salt, pepper and the dry rub mix. Set aside.

Open beer can and empty out half of the beer. Place the beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, place the bird cavity over the beer can. Straighten it out so it is solidly in place. 

Oven Baking Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Carefully place the bird and beer can on a baking pan or roaster that is deep enough to catch all of the juices. Bake chicken for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until juices run clear as indicated above.

Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

Day 14 - Pork Loin Roast

Or at least that's what we planned on eating tonight.  A pork loin roast rubbed with the Fall Harvest mustard from our stash of Raye's mustards.  But then I realized the roast was still pretty frozen.  I pulled it out of the fridge and put it on the counter to sit while we ran to the store for a few more things.

When we came home we saw this:

It took me a few seconds to realize what I was looking at.  Finn, the dog in the photo, tends to chew things up if she's anxious but I didn't recognize the paper.  And then it hit me...  it was butchers paper... the kind that my pork roast was wrapped in.

I ran upstairs to the kitchen and sure enough - no roast!

We were only gone about 15 minutes.  Plus, it was really quite frozen!  I can't believe she ate it all.

Two minutes later she was on the floor in the kitchen looking sad as ever.  What does this look say?

"The roast wasn't even cooked!"

Or is it...

"I think I ate too much... or too fast."

And then there is Sadie...

I can't tell if this is a look of satisfaction (the way you feel after eating a big turkey dinner) or a look of sadness because Finn didn't share a bite.  It's possible she didn't.

Either way, there is no roast for dinner.

Looks like it's going to be pesto pizzas again.

Beer can chicken tomorrow I promise!

POST SCRIPT:


Below are photos of what we ended up eating.  My mom and I had the pizza's, R had the macaroni.

The next day R began to suspect perhaps Sadie had more to do with the roast eating than we thought.  Hmmm...