Hello? Is anybody out there?

Been a while, huh? There is a string of excuses as to why I didn't update this blog - the holiday season, two new jobs, trying to find a good balance in this new life... just instead of elaborating, I'll just say, "I'm back!".

Over the past few months I've been pretty bad at taking food photos. I did, however, manage to take a few. I'm going to add a couple of posts with a few new recipes on them, and then hopefully I can get back into the swing of things blog-wise.

This is a recipe I found in Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. I altered it only very slightly, and it was pretty good. The kids loved it, but they love anything with tofu in it.

Broccoli, Cashew Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry

Tofu:

1 block extra firm tofu, cut into bite sized pieces

1 tbsp soy sauce

1.5 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Teriyaki Sauce:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

3.5 tbsp agave nectar

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp blackstrap molasses

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger root, grated

1 tbsp arrowroot powder

Stir-Fry:

2 tbsp olive oil

4.5 cups broccoli pieces

sea salt, to taste

2 tsp water

1 large bell pepper (I used red pepper), chopped

1/2 cup raw cashews

In a shallow dish, add tofu. Pour soy sauce and vinegar over the tofu for at least 10 minutes. Stir it once.

In a large bowl whisk all the ingredients for for teriyaki sauce until the arrowroot powder has dissolved.

In a large wok on high, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add the tofu and cook for 4-5 minutes, then turn over and cook the other side another 3 minutes. Remove the tofu from the wok and set aside. Turn the heat to medium, add another tbsp of oil and add the broccoli, salt and water. Toss, cover, and cook for 4-5 minutes until broccoli is bright green. Add bell peppers and saute another 1-2 minutes. Add the teriyaki sauce and increase to high heat. Toss well, and let the sauce come to a slow boil. Once it's at a slow boil and has thickened, add the tofu and cashews. Toss to combine. Remove from heat and serve over some rice noodles.

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I know this isn't much to look at, but this recipe was fantastic! It was deeeeeelicious. YUM. I found it in a cookbook called 'Casseroles' while I was working at the book store (that is no longer.. so sad). I upped the garlic, omitted the cornstarch & water, but left the rest the same.

Harvest Vegetable and Lentil Casserole

1 tbsp olive oil

2 leeks, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

2 parsnips, sliced

1 sweet potato, diced

8oz rutabaga, diced

3/4 cup dried brown, lentils

1 lb tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 tbsp fresh marjoram, chopped

3 3/4 cup vegetable stock

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the oil. Add leeks, garlic and celery. Cook 3 minutes. Add carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, lentils, tomatoes, thyme, marjoram and vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil and transfer to a casserole dish (we had to use two dishes). Bake for 50 minutes.

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I threw this dish together one afternoon when I was stumped about what to make for dinner. It turned out quite well!

Slow Cooked Spinach & Cheese Pasta

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 nutmeg, grated

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 cups whipping cream

5 cups baby spinach

1 red pepper, chopped

1 bag medium shell noodles (uncooked)

1 cup parmesan cheese

In a medium-large sized pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the pepper, salt, nutmeg, garlic, Dijon, ricotta cheese, spinach and whipping cream. Mix until smooth and the spinach has wilted. Place the noodles in a slow cooker, and add the mixture from the pot. Add the red pepper and stir to combine. Add the grated parmesan cheese to the top, cover and cook on high for about 3 hours. Test your pasta to see if it's cooked through since cooking times vary with different slow cookers.

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I've been making these cookies for about 4 years now. I found them in 'Vegan with a Vengeance'! These are Rhianna's favourite cookie!

Ginger Molasses Cookies

4 tbsp raw sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup soy milk

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Place the raw sugar in a bowl.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl mix together the canola oil, molasses, soy milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

Roll into 1 inch balls, flatten and roll in the sugar.

Bake for about 10 minutes.

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Peanut Butter Blossoms - definitely a favourite holiday cookie in this house!

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These cookies are my Mum's specialty. My siblings and I all love Mum's whipped shortbread, and quite frankly, it isn't the holiday season until you take your first bite of these melt-in-your-mouth cookies.

Whipped Shortbread

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl add the butter, cornstarch, icing sugar and salt. Using an electric mixer, mix until the dry ingredients have been absorbed into the butter. Add the flour and continue to mix until the dough's texture is like whipped cream.

Drop by small teaspoons onto a cookie tray. Top with some sprinkles or half of a maraschino cherry and bake until very light brown at the edges, 8-10 minutes.

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Our New Year's Eve was delightful. We had a quiet night at home and let the kids stay up to ring in the new year for the first time. I made these special virgin drinks for midnight and they were enjoyed by all.

Sunset Sippers

3 cups orange juice

1 1/2 cups apple juice

3/4 cup lemonade

12 oz ginger ale

grenadine syrup

In a large pitcher, combine the orange juice, apple juice, lemonade and ginger ale. Pour 1-2 tbsp of grenadine in each glass and top with the mixed juice.

Three is better than none, right?

I haven't had many chances to get this entry done now that my computer cord has seized, but I am completely monopolizing my husband's computer while he's out. Hopefully I can get this done and caught up so it's not so overwhelming.

Let's get right to it. Here are a couple of my favourites from the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I didn't take photos of much so I'll be sure to make everything again so I can share.

For date night on Saturday I decided I needed a warm spinach and artichoke dip. Needed! Didn't take much to throw it together and it was divine served with some pumpernickel bread. I could totally eat some of that again now.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

4 cups baby spinach

1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup parmesan cheese + 1 cup

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook the spinach leaves in a wok until wilted, being careful they don't stick.

Warm the cream cheese up in the microwave for about a minute until it's softened.

Mix all of the ingredients (aside from the extra cup of parmesan cheese) together in a shallow casserole dish, mixing well. Top with the remaining parmesan and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

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On one of our crazy dance days I made a slow cooker lentil soup with some cheese buns. It doesn't look like much, but it was quite tasty and filling so worth recording.

Lentil Soup

1 lb dried lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 qt of vegetable broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

a few handfuls of baby carrots, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, sliced

3 cups water

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Throw it all in a slow cooker and let it cook on low all day long.

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I made this creamy slow cooked rigatoni today because it was the dreaded Flyer Day. This allowed everyone to have a quick bite to eat before leaving the house to deliver flyers, and the intention was to have the salad and bread when they got back from flyers. The pasta turned out really well for something so simple, I must say. Much better than the photo looks. ;)

Creamy Slow Cooked Rigatoni

4 cups rigatoni, cooked for about 7 minutes until just tender

28 oz crushed tomatoes

10 oz can cream of mushroom soup

2 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups grated cheddar cheese

Mix together the crushed tomatoes, mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and cheddar cheese into the slow cooker and stir well to combine. Throw in the already cooked and drained pasta and mix together.

Cook for about 4-5 hours on low.

A good sort of day is the best sort of day.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love PA days (when I don't have to work myself!)? Cause I really, really do. I got to sleep in until 8:30 (Ave slept until 9:30!), relax with my kids, make some grub, work on costumes, laugh with the kidlets, work on our 52 Meals, 52 Countries, 52 Weeks planning, catch up on laundry and decorate for Halloween/Samhein. I find it so delightful that I genuinely like my children's personalities. If we weren't related I would still choose to have them as company. I love it.

Along the foodie theme of this blog, I forgot to mention that my parents drove to Winnipeg recently to spend some time with my beloved uncle who is not doing well health wise. Since they were going, they offered to bring us back anything we had cravings for since it's been two years since we've been there. Kyle chose Hys seasoning salt - with MSG! We can only get the no-msg stuff here, and he really loves to make BBQ potatoes with this goodness. Yum! Our children chose Robin's eggs, of course. Like Timbits, but so much better! Toasted coconut ones? OH YES.

Now you're probably waiting with bated breath to see what I chose, aren't you? Well, I actually told them I didn't want anything. I did briefly joke about banana cake from Jeanne's Bakery, but I certainly wasn't serious about it! Bringing a cake across Manitoba and Ontario is a difficult task. But when we went to visit them they pulled out a whole cake. I was shocked, to say the least. The whole family enjoyed this cake immensely (including my Dad who I left a piece for... Mum doesn't like Jeanne's cakes). Whyyyy we can't have one of the bakeries out here in Ontario is beyond me. I wish!

Behold the beauty of a banana Jeanne's cake! ♥ Moist, delicious cake like no other, light icing that's not overly sugary, rich chocolate shavings all over the outside and the best shortbread cookie on the bottom! Lovely. 100% lovely.

For dinner tonight I made a simple roasted red pepper pasta with a caesar salad. It was sweet and scrumptious. Mmmm. We even had dessert! I made something that was s'more like! It was a big hit, though a bit too sweet for me.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

bag of penne pasta

4 red bell peppers

2/3 cup blanched almonds, finely ground

4 tbsp olive oil

juice from half a lemon

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the peppers into quarters and de-vein. Place on a baking sheet, peel side up and cook for about 25 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Once cooled, peel off the skin.

Cook the penne according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree the red peppers, finely ground almonds, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and put it back in the pot. Add the pasta sauce and toss until covered.

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S'mores!

1 package pound cake, cut into 12 even slices

3 Jersey Milk chocolate bars

1 jar marshmallow creme

Take a slice of pound cake, add 4 squares of Jersey Milk chocolate to the top of it, followed by 2 tsp of marshmallow creme and another slice of pound cake. Continue until the pound cake is finished.

Heat an indoor grill and place the s'more sandwiches inside. Cook for a couple of minutes until the insides start coming out the sides. Be careful not to leave it too long or it will burn!

Long weekends call for long blog entries.

Long weekends are so good for the soul, but sometimes I feel like we need to take a day off after a long weekend. We were all pretty exhausted by the end of the weekend because we jammed so much into it, but it was well worth it! Twelve years ago on October 9th, Kyle and I got married on the property of the home I grew up in north of Winnipeg. We had a small wedding with most of our closest family and friends. I wore a beautiful blue dress that contrasted so nicely with the mostly naked trees of Autumn in Manitoba. We feasted on Chinese food, and we danced all night long, me with a baby Avery in my tummy. Before the night ended I stood in my new husband's arms looking up at the gorgeous clear sky at 3am that was so completely filled with Northern Lights it left me breathless. It was the perfect day. I felt like the luckiest woman in the world! Now I know I'm the luckiest woman in the world because I have a man who I can lean on to be my rock, we created three beautiful, intelligent, kind children out of our love, and we have made a really fulfilling life together. Life is good.

The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team came out to practice in a town 15 minutes away from us for three days, and let people come watch. Avery is a pretty big Leafs fan (but now the Winnipeg Jets are his #1!), so I made sure to set some time aside to go and see if we could get in. We went on Thanksgiving Monday and the line up was pretty overwhelming when we arrived. I decided to give it a try anyway, and I am so glad we did! We waited for a fair bit in the very hot sun, but by the time we got ushered in (they were letting a group in for 15 minutes, and then letting them out to bring in another group) we were the last group. Do you know what this means? We got to sit and watch the rest of the practice! We were there for about an hour and I got some really good shots. The best part was the look on Ave's face when he was watching. Pure happiness and adoration. Very cool!

I won't bore you with all the million and one pictures that I did take, but I enjoy this one of Kadri and Kessel. The smile on Kadri's face is contagious!

For Thanksgiving we made a Gratitude Tree. We took a walk through the woods at the end of our street gathering up some changing leaves to attach to our "tree". On the back of the leaves we wrote things we were thankful for. The kids put the typical things on there - our home, our family, our furbabies, our friends, health, clean water, cozy beds etc. And then there were the ones that made me smile inside and out... bees, Magic the Gathering, the Blueberry Bus (aka our van), perogies, Family Night, Paganism and British chocolates (okay, okay.. that last one was mine!), as well as many others. It's nice to see it sitting on our table every time I pass it. As Avery puts it, "It really makes the room feel warm.".

Thanksgiving dinner was spent at my parents place with my folks and two of their neighbours/friends from church. We played some Life Adventures, prepared lots of yummy grub and sat down to eat. And eat. When my family hosts dinners, there is always too much food. I'm not sure if it's the *right* thing to do, but at least we share the goodies? Ha. At this dinner my little family feasted on Tofurky, mushroom gravy, sweet and sour veggie meatballs, perogies, green bean casserole, carrots, dinner rolls and salad. For the rest of the people there was also turkey, ham, stuffing, and regular meatballs. For dessert we had three different pies. Yes, three! One pumpkin, one cherry crisp and one banana dulce de leche cream (that's the one I made). We were all stuffed, to say the least.

Tiernan got his first job and is now officially employed! Ever since his brother got the job delivering the local paper he's been wanting one of his own. We received a notice in our mailbox saying that carriers were needed for the EMC (a once a week paper) and decided to give them a call. Instead of giving him a route, they gave him two that intertwine. Technically Tiernan AND Rhianna are employed since they're splitting the routes. Thursdays are now just as insane as Wednesdays between Avery's flyers, Tiernan and Rhianna's flyers, Avery's 1.5 hour long soccer practice and Kyle's Magic drafts. And poor Ave gets no help with his route anymore.. it's all his! Oh well, more money for him to save since he doesn't need to pay his siblings.

Poor Tiernan has been dealing with the toughest life lesson when it comes to having and loving pets. His rattie, Ratatta, has mycoplasma. This is a respiratory disease that is passed down from mother rat to her babies, but also between cage mates. Some types of rats are more susceptible than others, and Ratatta is one of those. Because she and Rhi (Rhianna's rattie) are cagemates, Rhi also has the disease. Hers is not showing any signs or symptoms, luckily. Just Tatta. She is constantly sneezing and coughing, and I really mean it when I say constantly. I feel terrible for her. It breaks my heart to see her trying to breath properly. So far she doesn't have pneumonia, and she still looks pretty healthy - pink ears and paws, and not losing weight. We've given her two different medications in the past, but although it helped a little at first, the mycoplasma came back as soon as she was finished her prescription. I know the end is probably very near for sweet little Tatta, and this is going to break Tiernan's heart into a million little pieces. He's shed quite a few tears over her already. We've had some great talks over how lucky Ratatta is to have him, and how lucky he is for having her. We talk about how I am thankful that he got her and Rhianna got Rhi because it taught me an important life lesson. Those who knew me pre-pet rat know that I would have been the last one to get a rodent for a pet - I had a major phobia! Instead, I decided to face my fears head on. I will be the first to admit I was petrified and it wasn't easy at first! I started by petting them with one finger, eventually moving to whole hand, and then to holding them covered in a blanket. Now I don't even hesitate to pick them up. In fact, I love them and love holding them. They are so sweet, so cuddly, so clean, and they both have their own amazing little personalities that match their human parents. I will never judge a book by it's cover again. Those ratties have made me a better person.

Okay, now onto some food fun. For our anniversary dinner I made some baked fettucine, green bean casserole and some buns. It was heavy, but sinful and we got to eat it while watching the Jets first hockey game (this time around!). :)

Baked Fettucine

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 lb fettucine

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

plus 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

2 cups swiss cheese, grated

1 cup mozzarella, grated

4 tbsp bread crumbs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup whipping cream

some jarred pasta sauce for topping

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 2-3 quart casserole dish.

Cook the fettucine according to package directions. Drain, and put it back into the pot. Toss with the melted butter and set aside.

Mix the cup of parmesan cheese, the swiss and the mozzarella together and toss with the fettucine. Pour the fettucine into the casserole dish.

In a bowl combine the milk and whipping cream. In another bowl, mix together the 2 tbsp parmesan and the bread crumbs.

Pour the milk mixture over the fettucine. Top with the bread crumb mixture.

Bake for 20-30 minutes. Cover with foil during the last 10 minutes.

Serve it topped with the heated pasta sauce.

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Green Bean Casserole

(I got this from a Grandma's Kitchen card years ago)

1 1/2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk

4 tsp dry ranch dressing

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 1/4 lbs fresh green beans, cooked crisp tender

1 cup bread crumbs

To make white sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Using a wire whisk, stir in the milk. Bring it to a boil and cook, whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the dressing mix and white pepper and set it aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a medium skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Cook onion and garlic over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove half of the onion mixture and set it aside in a bowl. Add the mushrooms to the onion mixture remaining in the skillet and cook about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Combine mushroom mixture with the green beans and white sauce in a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Combine bread crumbs with the reserved onion mixture and sprinkle over casserole.

Bake, uncovered, until heated through - about 20-30 minutes.

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I tried a new recipe out for Slow Cooker Tuesday and it was soooo good! I made a baked bean soup from this site and served it with a caesar salad and some baguette. Tiernan, Rhianna and I ate it at dance and I wish I could have had seconds. It was thick and filling and so comforting! We will definitely be visiting this recipe again.

Baked Bean Soup

15 oz can pinto beans

1 onion, finely diced

1 cup carrots, diced

3 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp chili powder

1 can fire roasted tomatoes, with juice

2 cups water

Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 7-8. Before serving, blend with an immersion blender.

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For tonight's dinner I decided on another recipe from One Bite Won't Kill You. It was called Tortilla Towers and was a pretty big hit in our house. It has some spice to it, so the boys just loved it! Rhianna ate a quarter of it, and then said she was full. I think it had more to do with the spice. I think the next time I make it I won't add the chilies to her portion and leave it for the rest of us. The only thing I changed about the recipe was upping the ingredients a bit. Definitely another one we'll come back to.

Tortilla Towers

15 small flour tortillas

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large red pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

16 oz refried beans (or you can make your own)

1 1/2-2 cups pepper jack cheese, grated

4 oz can chopped chilies

2 cups picante sauce

1 1/2-2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 cup sour cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a bit of the vegetable oil. Fry each tortilla gently on each side to crisp them up a bit. Dry on some paper towel and set aside. Add the rest of the oil and fry together the red pepper and onion until tender.

Spread 5 tortillas with some refried beans. Place them on a baking sheet. Cover with the second tortilla.

Combine the pepper jack cheese, chopped chilies and red pepper/onion mixture in a bowl. Stir to combine. Now top each of the tortilla towers with 1/5th of the cheese/chilies/pepper mixture. Cover that with another tortilla. Spread some picante sauce over the top of the flour tortilla and cover it with some grated cheddar cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Top with sour cream.

Birthdays and Chili Mac!

Happy birthday to our beautiful Mirri cat. She turned 8 today, and is back to being the same age as Rhianna. Mirri is an interesting character. She's afraid of strangers and ends up hiding a lot when people are over. She's rather... round... so we like to call her fluffy. :) She's pretty quirky, but we love her to pieces. Mirri has the most beautiful big golden eyes, and is the most loving towards the kids. At night time you will always find her in bed with one of them. We sure love our Mirri-Smirri!

I made yet another pasta dish for dinner tonight! This time I planned on making this Italian/Mexican Mac, but changed it up a bit. It had a real bite to it, was enjoyed by most and eaten by all! I'll share my version with you.

Chili Mac

1/2 large bag penne

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 large white onion, chopped finely

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp red chilies

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

28oz can water

1 block pepper jack cheese, grated

In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook 3-5 minutes until tender. Add the chilies, chili powder and black pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the uncooked pasta and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the crushed tomatoes and water, and cook another 10 minutes until the pasta has cooked. Add the grated cheese and stir for a minute until it has melted.

Cheesy Eggplant Rigatoni

This was a perfect sort of day. It started out the best way - lazing in bed until 8am when we finally decided to get up. Okay, so Tibbs totally had a say in that time! When the doggie needs to pee, the doggie needs to pee. We had a relaxing morning watching a 'Little Travelers' DVD (Iran), and Kyle made us a delicious brunch of oven roasted potatoes, soy sausages and leftover spinach and cheese turnovers. Tiernan headed over to a birthday party for a friend of his who lives down the street while the rest of us went to Avery's first soccer game of the indoor season where he got his team shirt (first time he couldn't get #13! #12 it is!). Woah, that game was intense! They tied with the other team, 2-2, and there was not one minute of boredom. The kids on his team are fantastic. They all seemed to mesh well, there were no kids with attitude, none of them are ball hoggers, and it helps that I know a fair few of the parents already. I'm even more excited about this season now.

Now I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I'm not the biggest fan of eggplant. I've tried it time and time again, hoping that one of those times I'm going to fall in love with it. The only way I've actually enjoyed it so far is in the form of a dip as baba ganouj. But I keep on trying, and tonight was no exception. I threw it into a pasta sauce as an experiment, but - I'm still not the biggest fan. I ate it because the sauce itself was yummy, but I would have liked it better with mushrooms or zucchini or spinach or something. Luckily, the rest of my family likes it more than I do!

Cheesy Eggplant Rigatoni

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium eggplant, diced into small pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp Italian seasoning

dash of red chilies

28oz can crushed tomatoes

1 ball mozzarella, diced into small pieces

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 large bag rigatoni

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While the water is heating for the pasta, heat the olive oil in a large wok. Add the eggplant and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until eggplant has started to brown and soften. Add the garlic and fry another 30 seconds. Add the seasonings and crushed tomatoes. Stir until well combined. Lower heat, cook for about another 5-10 minutes making sure to stir occasionally. Add the two cheeses and stir until melted.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and mix it together with the sauce.

Officially back to my normal updating. :)

I've got a few very simple recipes to share from the last couple of weeks, including a slow cooker recipe from today. Whacky Wednesdays are our crazy nights. Last Autumn/Winter/Spring it was Hella Busy Thursdays... and as much as I tried to keep our running around to a minimum this year ... Wednesdays have become.. well, whacky! It's the day that I find practically no time to sit down and rest with my feet up. It's shopping and banking and sorting and shuffling of children to a million and one activities. You know how it goes - everyone has one crazy night of the week! It goes without saying that Wednesdays are our mandatory slow cooker night, and typically so are Tuesdays. They aren't quite as nuts as Whacky Wednesdays, but we are at the dance studio from 5-8:30. Last night, for instance, I made some comforting chili in the slow cooker to bring with us. Mmmmm! Oh, how I love my slow cooker.

Onwards!

Super Crazy Simple Slow Cooked Artichoke Pasta

2 cans Italian seasoned tomatoes, undrained

2 jars artichoke hearts, drained

6 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup whipping cream

pasta of your choice

Add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts and garlic to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-7 hours. Puree with an immersion blender. Add the cream, stir and keep warm. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Add pasta to the pot, stir well and enjoy!

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Spaghetti Sesame

(from One Bite Won't Kill You.. altered very slightly)

12 oz spaghetti

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tbsp hot water

8 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp vinegar

1 shake cayenne pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup shredded cucumber

Cook pasta according to package directions. Whisk peanut butter and hot water in a large bowl. Whisk in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, vinegar, cayenne and garlic. Toss together with pasta and shredded vegetables.

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Delicious Tofu Marinade

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tsp mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup oil

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp ketchup

Whisk everything together and pour over some dry-fried tofu. Marinate for the day and dry fry once more to heat through.

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Italian Tortellini Salad

(trying to replicate the one I get at the Cafe E near the dance studio)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup cold water

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

freshly ground black pepper

1 package cheese tortellini

3 bell peppers, diced

1/2 long english cucumber, diced

feta cheese, to taste

Mix together the red wine vinegar, cold water, salt, sugar and spices. Toss together with the bell peppers and cucumber.

Cook tortellini to al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop them from over cooking.

Toss the tortellini with the vegetables, sauce and feta cheese and serve!

Another favourite for Avery.

I made a new tomato pasta sauce today from Eat, Drink, Be Vegan. It will definitely be one that I revisit quite often! It was a very simple dinner, so great for weekday nights. I basically just threw some baby spinach on the plate as a side vegetable (um, lazy! lol), and made some garlicky cheese biscuits to go with the pasta.

Lentil Tomato Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

3 large cloves garlic, minced

3/4 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3/4 cup dry red lentils

1 1/2 cups water

2 tsp fresh rosemary

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp agave nectar

1 dry bay leaf

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

In a pot on low heat, add oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes. Be very careful not to burn the garlic. Rinse the lentils. Add the lentils, tomatoes, water, rosemary, basil, agave nectar and bay leaf. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and cook 22-25 minutes until lentils are fully softened. Uncover and simmer 3 minutes to reduce liquid. Stir in vinegar and adjust seasonings. Remove the bay leaf and serve sauce over some cook pasta.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

We're slowly getting used to this whole strict schedule thing. Summer is typically very relaxed so getting back into the up early and go-go-go can be trying. Day two went off without a hitch, and we were even early for the bus this morning. Phew. I'm glad we have a week of getting used to the daily schedule before dance gets added. Then another couple of weeks before soccer gets thrown into the mix. Not to mention the fun things we have planned for September. So excited!

I was dealing with a wicked barometric pressure headache all day today. I tried numerous ways to get rid of it with no luck, so dinner was about as simple as could be. I made a roasted vegetable pasta from 101 Money Saving Meals (tweaked a bit), along with the same salad we had last night (it was so good I couldn't help myself and made more!) and some store bought bread. Please excuse the terrible quality photo.. I blame the headache. :/

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

2 zucchini, cut into matchsticks

1 red pepper, sliced

2 large cloves garlic, sliced

3 tbsp olive oil

10oz pasta shells

6 oz half and half

2 tsp whole grain mustard

4 oz cheddar cheese

2 oz parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Layer the zucchini, red pepper and garlic in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, and toss together. Roast until just tender, about 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta.

Toss the cooked pasta with the roasted vegetables, the half and half, the mustard and the cheeses. Serve immediately.

One of these days things will slow down.

August 2011 is officially nearing it's end. It has felt like a lifetime, and yet, a quick moment at the same time. It never ceases to amaze me how that can happen. Throughout the month, in my complete exhaustion, I felt it would never end. Closing Night for Oz felt like months or years away. Rhianna's dance camp that lasted every night of the first two weeks of August felt like it happened 3 months ago. But, when Closing Night was finally upon us, I was sad. Why did it have to come and go so quickly? Why did the journey have to be over so soon? I felt like I hadn't had the chance to truly enjoy it yet. The last show was incredible. Tiernan really grew into his characters as the weeks passed, and we were blown away. The whole cast was even more amazing than Opening Night and I found myself getting more than a little weepy on multiple occasions. At the end, when the entire room stood up at the very start of the final bow, I had to choke back real tears. As we waited around the back of the theatre for all the munchkins, we parents agreed that it felt like a minute, and a year. We all agreed that we were looking forward to the week of down time before school starts up again, but that it was sad to say farewell to Oz, and all the people who helped make it such a magical experience.

I waited a bit anxiously for my boy to come out for the last time. Would he feel sad and disappointed that it was over? But the minute I saw him trip up the stairs (literally!) from the dressing room and I saw the sparkle in his eyes, my heart was at ease again. He was so completely happy. He came out of there hooting and hollering, saying that this experience he had just lived through was incredible! He ran into the green room to say goodbye to the professional actors and the wonderful behind the scenes crew. He danced up and down the streets with such a lightness about him. He felt on top of the world! I am so proud of this Tiernan-guy of mine. ♥

My poor blog has been quite ignored this summer. I feel so neglectful. I'm sure things will become much more regular once our September routine rolls around. I worked Friday straight through to Tuesday, so Kyle was left to make dinner for us on Saturday and Sunday. My folks took it upon themselves to make a delicious veggie lasagna and a crazy fresh garden salad with apple crisp for dessert for Monday. Saturday was closing night, so it was an easy dinner of caesar salad and grilled cheese with smoked maple tempeh bacon. Sunday my husband made a very yummy Fiorentina Baked Pasta from 101 Vegetarian Dishes that I had been dying to try. He had it ready for when I got home (talk about role reversal!) and I appreciated it so much! That night we had our Date Night In with some sinful Mushroom Canapes (which started out from Simply Appetizers, but I changed a fair bit) and more episodes of LOST. We are so predictable! :) Tonight I made a Pesto Pasta Bake from Half Baked Gourmet Pasta that was unbelievably good! So good I ate two helpings.

Fiorentina Baked Pasta

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

10 oz spinach and cheese dip (we used a simple recipe - to follow)

1 cup milk

3 oz parmesan cheese, grated

10 oz orzo pasta

Heat oven to 350.

Heat oil in a wok and add the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Season with salt and pepper, and place in a shallow ovenproof dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Mix spinach dip, milk, half the parmesan cheese and the pasta in a bowl. Stir and season with pepper. Pour over the mushrooms in the container. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese.

Bake 45 minutes until pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Spinach Dip

(leaves lots left over for snacking)

10 oz package of chopped frozen spinach, thawed

16 oz sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 package of Knorr vegetable soup mix

Mix it all together, and chill for a few hours.

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Mushroom Canapes

30 cremini mushrooms, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

white pepper, to taste

1/2 cup asiago cheese, grated

butter crackers (we used Ritz)

Saute the mushrooms in oil until tender and liquid has cooked off. Put them in a bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and serve warm.

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Pesto Pasta Bake

1 large bag of rigatoni (900 g)

1 batch of Jill's super fabulous yummy pesto sauce

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, diced in small cubes (important to use the good stuff!)

2 cups parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350.

First make a batch of pesto.

Cook rigatoni according to package directions, until al dente. Drain well and place pasta in a large lasagna pan.

In a separate bowl, mix together the pesto, whipping cream, salt, and pepper until well combine. Pour over the pasta and stir well. Top with the fresh mozza and parmesan cheeses.

Bake 10-15 minutes until brown and bubbling. I broiled mine for a couple of minutes to brown.

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!