It can't really be August 20th, can it?

Any times in the past that I've said I was busy... yeah.. ignore those. August is very, very, very busy this year! Between dance and Oz and soccer and work and visits .. I don't know if I'm coming or going anymore. In fact, I'm attempting to get this blog finished within 15 minutes so I can go pick Tiernan up from his second play today. Due to this crazy tornado of a month, we've been eating a lot of dinners that I've already blogged about. Like portobello mushroom pasta, veggie lasagna, taco dip, creamy asparagus pasta, caesar salad, (curried) chickpea salad sandwhiches, paninis and simple things like poutine and veggies and dip. You know - all the things I can make with my eyes closed. I do have a couple of super simple recipes to share, as well as one idea rather than recipe.

First though! Photos of some of our latest adventures.

Opening night of The Wizard of Oz at the Empire Theatre has come and passed! The show (which we attended) was fan-freaking-tastic! The cast - both professional and young company played their hearts out. The costumes, the singing, the story - all of it was amazing. The girl who plays Dorothy (Emma) is a friend of ours, and she is one talented young lady! She could knock your socks off with her triple threat talent - singing, dancing and acting. If you're in the area, please go to the show. There are still shows Sunday the 21st until Saturday the 27th with the exclusion of Monday the 22nd. Some days there are both the matinee and evening show, so check the website out and buy your tickets! It's so worth it.

On opening night we picked up some sunflowers (we have always called him our Sunshine) and a Wizard of Oz book to give to our little thespian. He also got a lollipop from one of the wonderful women who looks after all these munchkins. It was so thoughtful - a lollipop for the boys in the Lollipop Guild! I love it. Tiernan was adorable up on that stage as a munchkin, creepy as can be as a flying monkey and so graceful as snow. He did so well! We are incredibly proud of him - more than ever!

On the second day of Oz my sister Carole and her kids came into town to watch the play and then came over for dinner. What better place for the kids to eat than on the floor, picnic style? :)

The next day we held our tradition of a Pizza Pool Party at the hotel. The best part? They stayed at our hotel, the Best Western. We lived in that hotel for a month when we first moved here and it still feels like home to us. The smells from the cleaner. The perfect swimming pool - warm, not too deep, big floor to ceiling windows to let the light in. The breakfast/dining room that had the microwave we needed to use daily. I still remember warming my tea up there after getting the kids to school and then curling up in the big comfy bed in our suite watching MTV shows while I got over H1N1. I loved that hotel! If it hadn't cost that much to stay I might never have left. ;) I just wish our favourite girl had been working at the desk that day! I saw her leaving just as we were pulling in. She was awesome!

Hot tub!

All the cousins - best friends, always! These kids are so very close. It's an amazing thing to witness! (Their faces look a bit sad, but that's because it was time to say farewell.)

And now for the few food items I wanted to blog about. One is the Thai Chick-Un Pizza from Eat Drink & Be Vegan (very scrumptious!), one is some herbed buttermilk biscuits (very comforting!) and the other is english muffin pizzas (easy and great for snacks or school lunches!). Sometime I will blog the two different beer-y pizza crusts Kyle made in our bread maker (that we got from my Dad - thank you!). Right now is not the time, though! It's time for Lost.

Thai Chick-Un Pizza

Thai Sauce:

2/3 cup natural peanut butter

1/3 cup ketchup

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, quartered

1 1/2 tbsp fresh chopped ginger

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup light coconut milk

1-2 tbsp water

1 1/2 - 2 tsp agave nectar

toppings:

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

3/4 cup pineapple chunks

1/2 cup bean sprouts

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all of the sauce ingredients together and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Spread the sauce over your pizza shell. In a bowl, lightly flatten the chickpeas. Sprinkle them over the crust. Add the bell pepper and pineapple over the crust as well. Bake 17-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the bean sprouts.

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Buttermilk Herbed Biscuits

2 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 salt

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp dill

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in one bowl. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix well. Knead for a few minutes on a floured surface. Roll dough into round golf sized balls (or slightly bigger) and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

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A really great fun food dinner is english muffin pizzas. I think these will be a regular lunch food for the kids this year. Make some sauce at the beginning of the week and keep it in the fridge so I can easily whip some up in the morning before school. The kids will love it!

To make them just toast your english muffin, and put them on a baking sheet. Add your sauce, toppings of choice, cheese and then cook it in a 350 oven until the cheese starts to turn brown in places.

For the sauce this is what I do:

1 large can tomato paste

1/8 cup olive oil

3 tbsp pizza spice

pinch of red chilies

dash of sugar

Mix it up, store it in the fridge for up to a week. If you like your sauce thinner, add water. We like ours thick!

**Edited to add - I did not get this done in 15 minutes as I'd hoped. I started this 2 hours ago. Ha!**

Consider yourself updated! ;)

Coming into the month of August, I knew it was going to be a doozy. What I didn't really realize was just how exhausted it would make me. I feel like I'm constantly on the go! Tiernan is busy with rehearsals, Rhianna is busy with her dance camp, Avery's busy wrapping up his soccer season and delivering papers, I'm busy with cleaning the dance studio, chauffering kids, running errands, and working, Kyle's busy with his work, his contract work and his podcast editing, and on the rare day that we don't have anything we make sure to go out as a family and do something fun, relaxing and memorable. It's not as bad as I'm making it sound since I really enjoy being busy, but I do admit to sleeping in until 10:30am once!

On Sunday we found ourselves with no rehearsals, no work for me, no dance camp, and no papers to deliver. I looked at the calendar and saw this blank white space. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen! We decided to jump in the van and take a drive out to Presqu'ile Provincial Park for a picnic of cheese buns, coleslaw, yogurt and brownies. We found ourselves a picnic table near the lake and settled in. The weather was incredible! There are finally some cooler days this week and that day was gorgeous! The skies were very overcast and the air was warm, but not kill-me-now-hot, and you could hear the roar of thunder throughout the whole time we were there.. There were storms going on all around us, but where we sat at the picnic table there was no rain at all. It was like the rain held out until we were finished eating, exploring the water and lounging. When we finally decided it was time to go, the skies opened up and dumped buckets upon buckets of rain onto our van. I love the sound of the raindrops hitting the metal roof. So beautiful!

After visiting the Park, we headed off to pop in at my parents' house for a surprise visit. Luckily they were at home and we settled in for a while watching home movies from just before and just after Rhianna was born. It was great! This coming Sunday is another blank slate for our family. I can't wait for our family time. I am so blessed with these kids of mine and my loving and supportive husband. No matter where our path takes us, I know we'll be just fine because we'll be together.

♥ My two men. ♥

Dinners have been made for the past week, they just haven't been blogged about. Some of the dinners have been repeats. When I worked all day on Saturday, Kyle was in charge of dinner, so I had planned on him making some vegetarian reubens and a caesar salad using creamy garlic dressing. He did a fantastic job and we all gobbled it up! This is one of those times that I am so thankful that I have this blog - it allows my husband to just look recipes up instead of me trying to find the recipes for him in cookbooks, or my own notebooks. :) Another night we had Make Your Own Grilled Cheese night which was a total hit for our kids! I put out a few different cheeses - old cheddar, mozzarella and smoked cheddar, along with some thinly sliced apples, ketchup (for my ketchup loving daughter!), and then I whipped up some aioli sauce and some pesto sauce. It was a lot of fun! On our free day, the kids treated our whole little family to dinner at Montana's! Aww, they are the sweetest. And it was delicious! In the meantime, here are some of the recipes we had this month so far...

I know it's a terrible picture - I was too lazy to get my flash that night! ;) This is the aioli sauce I made on Make Your Own Grilled Cheese night. Tiernan LOVED this, and couldn't get enough of it.

Aioli Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, and chill for at least 15 minutes.

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For Make Your Own Grilled Cheese night, I also made a quick pesto sauce which we all spread on our bread before grilling them. It was a huge hit since everyone enjoyed the pesto!

Pesto

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup walnuts

2 cloves garlic

1/8 cup parmesan cheese

1/6 cup olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.

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I got this white bean burger recipe from my friend Jill's blog. I altered it very slightly, and although they were good, none of my kids liked them. :/ I may try them again with red kidney beans instead, but we'll see. I served these with our family's favourite potatoes. Here's my version of the burgers.

White Kidney Bean Burgers

3 tbsps butter

2 onions, sliced

1 head of garlic, roasted

2 cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp fresh sage leaves, torn

1 tsp thyme

2 tbsp ground flax seed + 2 tbsp water, mixed into a paste

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

salt and pepper, to taste

juice from 1/2 lemon

Caramelize the sliced onions in the butter for about 30 minutes or more.

Once the onions are cooked, pulse together the onions, garlic, spices, flax paste and half the kidney beans. Mix the bean paste mixture with the rest of the beans in a large bowl. Add the bread, lemon juice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook on an indoor grill until crispy on the outside and heated through.

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Date Night In food was positively scrumptious! One of the perks of my job is that when it's slow, I can read the books in the store. This means I get to read cookbooks if I want. I come prepared and bring in a notepad to copy down any recipes that catch my attention. This recipe is one of the ones I jotted down at work. :) It's from the book Grazing, and it's a definite keeper! And yes, it's not the exact recipe - did a bit of tweaking.

Cheesy Black Bean Dip

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 tsp canola oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 lime, juiced

1 1/4 cups Tex Mex cheese

Mash the beans until chunky. Heat the oil, and saute the onion for 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, saute 30 seconds. Add the beans, salsa, cumin and chili. Cook 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in lime juice and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Serve warm.

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Last night I made a yummy spaghetti and meatball dinner with some cheddar swirl bread (recipe to follow). Avery, as he sat down at the table, exclaimed, "THANK YOU for making the best meal EVER in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!" Haha, that boy. The sauce was basically the same as this one, with a few changes.

Spaghetti and Meatballs Sauce

4 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

28oz can crushed tomatoes

large can tomato paste

1 cup sherry

4 tbsp chopped, fresh parsley

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried chopped red chilies

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 package frozen veggie "meatballs"

Cook the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and parsley and cook another minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, the sherry and the spices, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Mix well, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the "meatballs" and cook another 15-20 minutes until the "meatballs" are well heated.

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Smoked Cheddar Swirl Bread

I made a delicious smoked cheddar swirl bread to go with the spaghetti last night. There is nothing quite like fresh bread, let me tell you! If I had time I'd make fresh bread every single day! I used the recipe for Cheddar-Sriracha Swirl bread and followed it to a tee, aside from changing the Sriracha sauce and cheddar for some smoked cheddar. I see many ways I could change this recipe up to have different tastes... mmm mm mmmmm!

A goodbye, some pasta and a little bit of Mexican.

Sadly, we had to say goodbye (for now!) to my cousin Derek and his wife Marion yesterday. I really don't like goodbyes in the slightest. I'm going to miss having them around. They're so easy going, kind, sweet and with the best accents, ever! Now who's going to say the typical Northern Irish "Aye" for me? Or "uh-hah" in that oh-so-cute Scottish way? Sometimes this world is just too big.

We got together a couple more times before they had to leave. They were able to come out for another one of Avery's soccer games which meant I got to hear Derek coach from the sidelines. I'm going to miss that! We also took a drive out to Presqu'ile Provincial Park... in a fully loaded van! Me, Tiernan, Rhianna, Tibbs, Derek, Marion, Mum and Dad. Kyle was working and Avery was at his soccer camp, so we were all able to fit and my parents didn't have to pay for a park pass. ;)

The weather could have been better - it was the one overcast and cool day of this week (of course). It didn't stop us, though! The scenery is breathtaking with a blue sky, but it's still pretty darn beautiful with a grey sky. It also didn't stop me, Tiernan, Marion and my Mum from dipping our toes into Lake Ontario. I cannot go near the lake and not kick off my socks and/or shoes. There's just something about the water that makes me feel alive.

I made fajitas the other day for dinner, but didn't upload the photo or "recipe" (if you can call it that). It's nothing too exciting, but still a big hit. Sometimes simple is just what you need.

Veggie Fajitas

whole wheat tortilla wraps

2 tbsp olive oil

2 small onions, sliced

500g cremini mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 bell peppers of any colour, sliced into strips

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

pinch cayenne pepper

pinch white pepper

toppings:

salsa

sour cream

cheddar cheese, grated

In a wok, heat the oil and add the onions and mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are browning and the onions are soft and sweet. Add the garlic and bell peppers. Add the spices and stir to coat. Cook until the peppers are tender.

Place the tortilla wraps on a plate and heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Fill the wraps with the vegetable mixture and top with salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese.

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Tonight was supposed to be a completely different recipe than what I ended up making! I was famished, and the light meal I had planned just wasn't going to cut it. Instead I took a meal I had planned for this weekend and made it instead. Works for me. I made a pasta recipe that I got from my friend Cara years ago that I believe she got from a Kraft cookbook magazine. With it I made a caesar salad with this creamy garlic dressing and some cheesy garlic bread.

Creamy Fusili

pasta:

1 box fusili

1 jar pasta sauce

2 cups frozen veggies of your choice

1/2 cup cream cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

topping:

2 tbsp butter, melted

1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook pasta according to package directions (to al dente).

Meanwhile, heat the pasta sauce, veggies, cream cheese and mozzarella cheese in a saucepan until the cheese is melted.

Drain the pasta and mix together with the sauce mixture. Place in a lasagna, sprayed with cooking spray.

Melt the butter and mix it together with the bread crumbs and cup of cheese. Sprinkle this over the top of the pasta.

Cook for 30-35 minutes until it starts to brown.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

5 tbsp softened butter

2 tsp olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

heavy sprinkling freshly ground black pepper

1 Italian loaf or French baguette

mozzarella cheese, grated

In a small bowl, mix together the butter, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.

Cut open the loaf of bread and spread the garlic butter evenly over it. Broil in the oven for about 5 minutes - watch it closely so it doesn't burn. When the bread is starting to brown, remove it from the oven and sprinkle it with mozza cheese. Broil again for about 3 minutes.

A few of my recipes from the past couple of weeks.

As promised earlier, a post with food in it! I didn't take many pictures from our dinners, but here are the ones that I did take.


There's no real recipe for this one, but I had a picture, so I thought I would share. :) I made this pasta sauce, but added a can of chickpeas to the pot. I cooked up the pasta of choice, mixed it together with the sauce, and covered it with a blanket of mozzarella cheese. Then I cooked it until the cheese began to brown a bit. This is Kyle's favourite.

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These are the muffins I make for Summer Solstice every year. The white of the cake symbolizes the light of the long days and the chocolate chips symbolize the little bits of dark night that are sneaking in ever so slowly. The kids just love them. I got the recipe from the book Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions. I get many of our Pagan ideas from that book. I think it's my favourite book of all time.

Summer Solstice Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened in the summer sun

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

pinch of salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat the eggs in, one at a time. Add the vanilla. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together, making sure to mix well. Add half of the flour mixture, and half of the milk. Mix well. Add the remaining flour and milk and continue to mix well. Add the chocolate chips.

Bake in cupcake cups for 25 minutes.

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These? They were sinful! We had them for Date Night In this week and we both ate too many. These are not exactly low in fat and calories, but so so so so good. YUM. I got them from my Vegetarian 3 in 1, but altered them a tad bit.

Creamy Mushroom Cups

2 tbsp butter

6 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped

1/4 tsp salt

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp dry sherry

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

6 frozen filo party shells

chopped fresh parsley

Cook the filo according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the mushrooms and salt and cook for 3-5 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the sherry and stir to blend. Stir in the whipping cream, and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened a bit. Add the parmesan cheese, stir and cook until melted.

Fill the filo pastry with the mushroom mixture. Sprinkle the top with some chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.

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Slow cooked curried veggies are pretty regular in this house during the busy days. It needs a full day to sit and cook, and I love it for that. The vegetables tend to lose their bright colours in the slow cooker, but it's still delicious. I usually serve over a bed of basmati rice and a side of Naan bread.

Slow Cooker Curried Veggies

3 carrots, sliced

1/2 green or red bell pepper, chopped

2 zucchinis, chopped

a couple of handfuls of green beans, trimmed and halved

1 cup frozen peas

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1 can coconut milk, well mixed

3 tbsp curry powder

Put the veggies, chickpeas and canned tomatoes into the crockpot.

Combine the stock, coconut milk and curry powder until well mixed. Add it to the crockpot and stir it up.

Cover and cook for 10 hours on low.

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This was my first time making this pasta from Vegetarian 3 in 1 (altered a little). It was a huge hit in our house, though I would have liked a bit more punch to it. I served it with a simple cucumber salad and Harvest Herb Bread (recipe to follow).

Pasta with Spinach and Ricotta

12 oz box of tri colour fusili pasta

1 tbsp olive oil

10 oz baby spinach

5 cloves garlic, minced

300g ricotta cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup cooking water from the pasta

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to package details.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet (I used a wok). Add the spinach and garlic and cook about 5 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Stir in the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and water. Stir to combine. Season with the salt and pepper.

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

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I made this bread from How it all Vegan, but then I de-veganized it by using regular old cow's milk. I also changed it a bit (surprise!). It was crazy yummy. Nohing like fresh (quick) bread.

Harvest Herb Bread

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp marjoram

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp thyme

egg replacer to equal 1 egg

2 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp vegetable oil

3/4 cup milk with 1 tsp vinegar added

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix together all of the dry ingredients while the milk and vinegar sit to sour. Add the oil and milk and mix until "just mixed". Pour it into a lightly oiled loaf pan.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

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I know I missed more than that, but it's a start. Trying to get back to my normally scheduled blogging now. ;)

A great smelling house is a happy house.

June is shaping up to be a really great month. Quite busy, yes, but also very promising. I'm probably most looking forward to Fishbowl Friday.. possibly Fridays. Bring it on; I am ready!

My house smelled lovely today. I made a delicious, pleasing to the nose and tummy feast. Dinner was spaghetti that I wrote about in this entry, a romaine lettuce, carrot, cucumber, sugar snap pea (how I love sugar snap peas!) salad and some fresh baked homemade baguettes. And then... we had dessert! I made a most scrumptious rhubarb crisp. I'm telling you - it smelled great in here!

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Baguettes

4 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp dry active yeast

2 tsp salt

2 cups warm water

oil for the bowl

Mix together the flour and salt in a bowl. In another large bowl, combine the yeast and warm water and leave it for 5 minutes. Mix in half of the flour/salt mixture. Mix until a dough forms. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise at room temperature for 3 hours. It will triple in size.

Gently add the rest of the flour/salt mixture and mix using your hands.

Place on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. It should be supple and elastic when you're done.

Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside; coating it with oil. Cover with a damp towel and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour. It should double in size.

Preheat oven to 400.

Knead the dough again. Cut into 3 equal parts and form each piece into a long baguette. Place on a baking sheet and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Place a bowl of water into the oven. Bake the baguettes for about 25 minutes; removing the bowl of water after 15 minutes.

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Rhubarb Crisp

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup flour

3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tsp cinnamon

4 cups sliced rhubarb

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, melted butter and cinnamon. Mix until crumbly. Press half of the mixture into a greased 8x8 pan. Top with sliced rhubarb.

In a pot, combine the sugar, cornstarch, water and vanilla. Cook together until clear and pour over the rhubarb.

Top with remaining crumbly mixture. Bake for 45-55 minutes.

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While I was eating my dessert I casually asked the kids if they liked it... I looked up.. and this was what I saw! Both boys were licking their bowls clean. ;) Guess that answered my question!

Flour tortillas... and more squirrel talk!

I know, more squirrel talk! I imagine there will be a lot of squirrel talk for the next week or two. I'm obsessed! Today there were three babies hanging out in my backyard. I worry about them because they obviously haven't been taught about the rules of being a squirrel. They lay around in the sun in the middle of the grass, not even blinking when I walk out to see them. I worry about neighbourhood cats and big birds and any other animals who may prey on the little guys. Kyle made a makeshift house for them that we sort of shoved as far under the hedge as we could. We put old towels in there, and hope they figure out it'll give them protection and shelter from the rainy week ahead. I've already seen changes in them, though, so I have my fingers crossed that their instincts will kick in and keep them safe. They're just starting to climb now, and it's so cute to watch them.

I love this one!

The littlest guy, who we've named Acorn, was sunbathing and napping right out in the open!

I made flour tortillas for the first time today and they were a huge hit! I didn't realize it was so simple, but this is definitely the way I'll do it from now on. I pretty much love making anything that requires me to knead dough. It's so therapeutic! At any rate, I made these so we could have the kids' wish for Fun Food Friday - tacos. I used the taco method I wrote about here.

Flour Tortillas

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup very hot water

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the shortening, and use a pastry cutter to mix it in until it's crumbly. Add the hot water, and combine well.

Put the dough on a lightly floured counter. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise for 15-20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 16 balls. Roll them in your hands until they are smooth. Roll them out with a rolling pin on a clean counter.

Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Do not add oil of any kind! Dry fry them for one minute on one side, flip it, one minute on the other side and then flip it again for a final minute on the first side.

Pasta Fail!

Guess who was dumb enough to put sunscreen on her daughter and not on herself? Yeah, that would be me. I joined Rhianna's class at Celebration of Dance and that sun was beaming down pretty good. I have proof on my chest, arms and face. I should have thought about sunscreening myself while I was putting it on my little girl. Oh well, you live, you learn. (Or not, since I do this pretty much every single year!)

For dinner I made a pasta dish I found on Eat Me, Delicious. It's called Pasta with Portobello Mushrooms in a Mustard Wine Sauce. It looked very promising, and I couldn't wait to try it, but in the end I was terribly disappointed. I hate when I build something up in my mind and then in the end it's nothing like I thought it would be. I loved the method in which it's made, but I'm thinking of making this style of pasta with a spinach and mascarpone sauce instead. I loved the toasted pine nuts and the mushrooms. I loved the garlic and onion and chilies. It was just the overpowering sauce that I didn't care for. I even made more pasta than the recipe called for, and used a little less mustard. I guess some are winners and some are not. And what works for one person, doesn't work for everyone.

I also used my creativity in the kitchen and came up with these savory muffins that turned out not half bad. I think next time I may add some chives, and perhaps even some cheese. Yes, I really do love me some cheese.

Onion and Garlic Muffins

4 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups sour milk (just add a tablespoon or two of vinegar and let it sit for a bit)

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly oil 12 muffin tins.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the oil and milk and stir to combine. Add to the muffin tins.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Coraline, Punky Brewster and Pretzel Bites!

Friday, Friday, Fri-day! Friday, Friday, Fri-day! Oh yes, indeed! Hello, weekend! Hello, fun!

Friday means Fun Food, right? That was indeed the case today. I made some pretzel bites that I found on Vegan Dad's blog. They're basically little veggie dogs wrapped in pretzel dough. The kids loved them, and since that was the point, I'm sure I'll be making them again. I served them with fries and some curried mayo that Kyle whipped up, some fruit (canteloupe, honeydew melon, and pineapple) and pickles. Interesting combo, I know. I definitely didn't get through much from my plate - my appetite is terrible now that I'm sick. Everyone else polished everything off, though. For Family Movie Night we watched Coraline (I was the only one who had seen it) followed up by the best show EVERRRRR! I found a Punky Brewster Disc 1, Season 1 at a thrift store here in town and squealed with delight. I couldn't wait to share it with the kids. Turns out they love it just as much as me. We watched three episodes tonight, and will likely finish it off tomorrow sometime.

I even had some leftover dough to make a pretzel for each of us. :)

Tomorrow was supposed to be incredibly busy, but now it looks like two of the activities from our to-do list have been postponed for other days. I'm certainly not complaining. This will give me some more time to try to shake this crazy cough of mine. I am looking forward to my sister Carole and her good friend (almost lifelong!) Audrey coming over. Hopefully the weather forecast is right and tomorrow is a beautiful day.

Happy weekend, friends!

Mostly a repeat.

I have officially caught the horrible illness that's going around my home. Admittedly, this makes me quite whiney. I do not make a very good sick person. I spent a lot of today sleeping, or at the very least, lying down. The only things I've done today is get the kids ready for school, take them to swimming this evening, and make dinner. Now I feel like doing nothing else... except maybe sleeping. Anything to make my eyes stop watering! Hopefully the resting will help my body kick this illness and the cough won't make itself too comfy in my chest.

Told you I was whiney. Don't say you weren't warned!

Dinner was a repeat for the most part. I made portobello mushroom pasta, a salad with leftover dressing from yesterday, and then I made some herbed biscuits I found in my Meatless Cooking book. The buns were okay. They actually tasted really good, but they certainly didn't rise very well. The dough was also difficult to work with. I'm not giving up on them, though, and I will try them again. Tweak them a bit, and see if it helps.

The photo I took is pretty pitiful. It's taken in the basement on my pillow in my sickness nest. We watched last week's Survivor with the kids while we ate. I didn't use a flash and.. it shows. Haha.

Herbed Biscuits

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425.

Measure first 8 ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Cut in the butter until crumbly.

Pour milk over top. Stir until mixture forms a soft ball. Knead on a lightly floured surface 6-8 times. Roll or pat into 1/2 inch thick. Cut with 2 inch cutter. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes. Makes 12 biscuits.

Cookies and soups and buns, oh my!

This morning my daughter told me her stomach was hurting. She barely ate any of her breakfast (not typical for her... breakfast is the only meal she consistently devours!) and continued complaining of feeling ill. I wasn't going to take a chance by sending her to school since I've heard about a wicked stomach bug that's been making its rounds. In the end, I think she could have gone to school. After some cuddling and mummy time, she was just fine. Better than fine! I asked her about it this afternoon and she told me she just misses me (and Daddy) while she's at school sometimes. Rhianna is one of those kids who is a bit of an over-achiever. She wants to do everything and ends up doing it all so well. She's a straight 'A' kind of kid, a great little dancer, a determined competitor (hello, provincial bowling champ), a wonderful friend and an extremely gentle and giving soul. Right now she's on a mission to raise money for Japan (more on that another time). I think she over extends herself sometimes, and I've been trying to keep her 'roped in' a bit. It's not easy because she has such strong desires to participate in everything under the sun. My point is, I think she wanted today to regroup. She wanted some one on one time with me to bake cookies and cuddle and talk. We had some great bonding time, and I think it did her a world of good. Of course, she couldn't stay away from school related things, so she made projects, drew pictures about dance and made herself some math sheets to do. Haha! Now she's ready to head back into school tomorrow with a re-energized mind and soul.

This morning before school, I asked the boys what kind of cookies they wanted and they responded with 'CHOCOLATE'! Rhianna, on the other hand, wanted Skor bit cookies. When it came time to bake the cookies, Rhirhi suggested adding mini chocolate chips to the Skor bit cookies, so that's what we did. We tried one when they were warm, and they turned out wonderfully! The best of both worlds.

Skor Bit Cookies (with chocolate chips!)

2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup margarine

3/4 cup cane sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Skor bits and chocolate chips, to taste (I eyeball it)

Heat oven to 350.

Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

Cream margarine with sugars in a large bowl. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients and combine well. Add the Skor bits and chocolate chips and blend.

Bake by spoonfuls for 9-11 minutes.

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Dinner today was supposed to be yesterday's dinner. Originally I was going to follow Savvy's recipe for a slow cooker vegetable soup, but I ended up changing a few things and it morphed into a different recipe. It turned out pretty good... I certainly enjoyed my bowl full! I served it with a side of baby spinach & seeds and Red Lobster-esque buns. Yesterday I visited an old food blog I had back in 2002 and 2003. Looking through it made me laugh because honestly.. I wasn't much of a cook. I still ate meat back then, and apparently leaned towards a lot of processed foods. Browsing through this blog reminded me how delicious these cheese buns are, so I added them to dinner tonight. They were just as Red Lobster-y as I remember, and also, just as easy and processed. Oh well... my tongue didn't care tonight! ;)

Crockpot Cream of Vegetable Soup

2 tbsp butter

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 small onions, chopped

1 inch chunk ginger root

3 yellow potatoes, skin left on, cubed

3 celery stalks, sliced thinly

1 cup frozen peaches and cream corn

4 cups vegetable stock

3 cups water

1 tsp sage

1 tsp thyme

salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cups cream

In a skillet, melt the butter and cook the onion and garlic until soft. Add the sage and thyme, and stir to coat. Add to the slowcooker. Add the rest of the ingredients, minus the salt, pepper and cream.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Add the cream and season with salt and pepper, and cook another 20 minutes (careful not to boil it). Serve and top with some grated cheddar cheese.

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Red Lobster-esque Cheese Buns

4 cups Bisquick

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/3 cups milk

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp garlic powder

a couple of pinches of salt

Preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl, add the Bisquick and shredded cheddar cheese. Stir until well combined. Add the milk and beat for 30 seconds until a dough forms.

Wet hands, form into balls and place them on a baking tray. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Melt the butter and mix in the garlic powder and salt. Brush over hot buns when they are removed from the oven. Serve immediately.