Blessed Beltane, 2011!

This is one of my most favourite days of the year! A lot of our rituals we didn't do today for multiple reasons, the biggest being how busy we were and my very, very sick husband. Instead of the big feast I had planned on, we ate leftovers. There was no new Maypole, no Goddess bread and definitely no bonfire. There was milk for the fairies, our beautiful altar and time spent outside. Tonight there was also be Beltane stories with the kids.

Avery's indoor soccer team had a wind up today with a parent vs kid game, pizza/fruit/cookies/chips lunch and lots of great conversations. Kyle even tried playing soccer for a while, but ended up in pretty rough shape after the fact. Rhianna jumped in and played on the 'parent' team and really dug in there. That girl is fierce! Tiernan, like Kyle, played for a bit before having to sit out again. His lungs just aren't back to normal yet. It was fun to get together with all of the soccer families one last time to wrap up the season. Avery was happy to have that time with his teammates. I'm glad we all ended up going!

Some sad news today, though. We have two pet rats, Rhi and Ratatta. I discovered that our poor little rattie, Rhi, broke her little hand. It isn't swollen or discolored, so I'm hoping that's a good sign. However, she is squeaking a lot and it refusing to use her hand at all. It's the saddest thing to watch. :( I really hope it heals up quickly. She will definitely be getting lots of gentle loving from all of us. Having pets can be so difficult sometimes.

On a better note... I have big plans to overwhelm you with photos from my day. ;)

Battle of the siblings! Avery vs Rhianna!

I live in the house of geeks (myself included) and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Showing me that the fairies drank half the milk we left out last night!

The colour that Spring brings along makes me feel like I've been born again.

I can't wait for the raspberries this year. I planted it last year, but it was already a second year plant, so I got some raspberries from it. This year I'm hoping for even more! Raspberries are my favourite.

I know he looks all sophisticated in this picture, but really... he was trying to ask Avery to feed him. ;)

Here are few of my favourite items on our Beltane '11 altar...

Freshly picked tulip and daffodils.

My Goddess of fertility.

Our makeshift Maypole. The ribbons symbolize all the different kinds of love. Next year I plan on having many more colours, for many more types of love.

This is one of Rhianna's fairies. Mother and Baby love.

My beautiful pregnant fairy. ♥

My newest fairy. We got this one from our dear friends, Michelle and Lonnie, while they were out visiting us in April.

And last, but certainly not least... Rhianna's baby dragon. You can't really tell in the photo, but he has just hatched from an egg. Seemed very fitting for Beltane seeing as it's main focus is on fertility.

All in all it's been a pretty fantastic Beltane. Now I just wish for a healthy family, and a rattie with a healed up hand. Surely both of those things are not too much to ask for.

Blessed be!

Hot Mushroom Dip!

What a fantastic birthday party! Avery and Tiernan have the best friends in the world, and they sure helped make this day even more special for the boys. We went to Putt n' Blast for three games of laser tag and our birthday group kicked some serious butt. Even Rhianna and her friend got the hang of it pretty quickly and held their own through the games. All ten kids were all so good while we were there, not to mention during the hour long drive to and from Kingston. I had the pleasure of driving Tiernan and his three friends both directions and listening to their very boy-ish conversations were definitely a highlight for me. I just sat back and smiled. All of the kids raved about the party - most of them saying they now want their birthday parties there (sorry, parents!). The cupcakes I made for the party were a hit with both the kids and all the passer bys who commented on them. My boys smiled from start to finish and went to bed as happy little critters.

This picture makes me laugh. A lot! Avery's best friend's little sister (got that? She is also the friend Rhianna brought along to the party for company) picked a present out for Avery all on her own. Part of that gift was this Hello, Kitty stuffy. When Avery pulled it out of the gift bag I thought he was going to fall over from laughing! It was so funny. :) The best part was when her dad asked Avery who's going to keep the Hello, Kitty stuffy and he said himself! Ave said he'd keep it on his bed. I love that boy. Sure enough, it's on his bed now. Love, love, love it. So cute.

I am happy to report that Tiernan is almost 100% healed now. I think keeping him home for an extra couple of days to rest really helped. He will be seeing our wonderful family doctor on Monday for a follow up, just to be sure. I think I'll drag my husband along with me though.. because he really, really does not look/sound/feel good. Tomorrow should be a much more relaxing day with only a soccer wind up to attend for a couple of hours. Hopefully that will give him more time to heal, too. Luckily our kids are the best ever, and they totally let us sleep in for as long as we want. Oh yes, we are lucky!

Tonight I had a Date Night In with my husband who is sick as sick can be. Nothing stops us! ;) We had a laid back night watching 'Due Date' and eating Hot Mushroom Dip. This dip has been the hugest hit at every potluck, partini and poker night we've hosted. I always make it because it's just that good. I originally got it from me dear friend Amy who got it from her sister-in-law (I think) who found it online somewhere? At any rate, I've only altered it slightly because it was pretty delicious the way it was written.

Hot Mushroom Dip

2 tbsp margarine

1 cup finely chopped onion

4 cloves garlic

3 cups chopped mushrooms

8oz block cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

heavy sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups grated monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup mayo

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt margarine in a large skillet on medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are golden. Remove from the heat.

Add the cream cheese, dill weed, seasoning salt and black pepper. Stir until the cream cheese melts.

Add the grated monterey jack cheese and moyo and mix well.

Bake for 30 minutes until the top is browned and it's heated through.

I serve it with some Greek pitas that I toast in the oven brushed with an olive oil/garlic powder mixture. Deeeeeelicious!

I really need to head to bed so I can join my husband. It's after midnight which means it's officially May! Blessed Beltane! Some milk is out for the fae folk... :)

First attempt at decorating cupcakes!

Sooooo. I spent all day baking cupcakes, cooling cupcakes and icing cupcakes. I bake cupcakes all the time for the kids birthdays, but I've never tried making anything special. My boys are having a birthday party tomorrow at a laser tag place in Kingston. This is Avery's late 11th birthday (Dec), and Tiernan's early 10th birthday (May) . Each of them invited three friends, and Rhianna was also allowed to invite a friend along. I let each boy pick a cupcake design from the 'Hello, Cupcake' book, and I told them I'd give it a try. Avery picked some bowling pin cupcakes and Tiernan chose some werewolf cupcakes. Both were done completely differently, and I learned a lot from my day in the kitchen. They aren't perfect... they aren't even close to perfect... but the kids love them. And really, that's all that matters. :)

Without further ado... (don't laugh.. too much ;))

Ten Pin Bowling!

Easiest cupcake decorating, everrrr! Haha.

These were a lot of fun to make. Balancing the tower of cakes was a bit difficult, but I made it through.

Tiernan's werewolf cupcakes! I need to fix the teeth in the morning. My icing got too warm so it wouldn't pipe properly. And right now I'm too knackered to finish. They're cute anyway. :)

I know the photos are a bit dark, but it was nearing midnight when I took them. I'll get better pictures tomorrow.

Aoooooooooooooooooohh!

So there you have it. My first try at cupcake decorating. I really enjoyed it, I got very, very messy (OMG MESSY!), and I think I'll do it again. There are a few more kitchen/decorating tools I need before I give it another go, though.

Fun Food Friday was easy tonight. We ate poutine. It's easy and delicious, and I really didn't have time to make the pretzel bites (veggie dogs wrapped in pretzels) that I had on the menu. I also have a very sick husband. I have my fingers crossed that he's better by tomorrow. It could be a difficult day for him. At least he can rest when we get home from the party? Poor guy. Both my parents are sick, too. Seems there is something going around. Hopefully none of them caught pneumonia. My parents haven't been exposed to Tiernan at all, but that doesn't mean they couldn't get it elsewhere.

I should get some sleep since tomorrow is a big day. I can't wait!

Who doesn't love macaroni and cheese?!

The overwhelming feeling from yesterday carried over to today. Don't you just love that? Tiernan's still home with me during the day since he's not himself yet. I was going to send him back to school today, but I really didn't want to set him back by pushing him into activity too early. I did drag him around with me on about a million errands this morning (hello, double birthday party for my boys!) in the crazy (gusting to) 90km/hr winds. By the time we were halfway through he was coughing and sniffling and pale. I felt awful, but I needed to buy a bunch of things. Tomorrow I'll be inside all day cleaning and decorating cupcakes, so hopefully he'll catch up on his rest then. Pneumonia is awful. :/ It doesn't bode well that Kyle came home from work looking like death warmed over, either.

As soon as I'm finished with this blog post, I'm headed to bed. Think I'll actually be able to go to sleep early? I sure hope so!

I made the ultimate in comfort foods tonight. Macaroni and cheese! I adapted this recipe from these lovely ladies over at Twin Tables. I saw them on Rachael Ray, competing to see who has the best mac & cheese. Both of the dishes looked delicious, but I made the winning one and have stuck with it ever since. Along with the macaroni, I made some mushrooms in a garlic sauce from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen and served it with a simple green salad. It was a perfect meal, and I totally had seconds.

Cheesy Beery Mac n Cheese

2 -12oz bottles of pale ale (I use Hoptical Illusions)

1.5 lbs pasta (I used macaroni, but have used rotini in the past)

6 tbsp butter, divided

1 cup diced yellow onion

1 cup sliced mushrooms (I omitted them this time because I had a mushroom side dish)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup flour

2 cups half and half

12oz aged white cheddar, grated (I used 3 year old cheddar)

8oz medium orange cheddar, grated

2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a lasagna pan with cooking spray.

Pour the beer into a medium sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the beer has reduced by half. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large sauce pot, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, melt 4 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Stir in onions and mushrooms and cook until soft (about 4 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the reserved beer, half and half and bring just to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, continue whisking and simmer for about 2 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Reduce the heat to low and add the cheeses. Stir until melted and smooth. Add the salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and combine. Remove from the heat and add to the pasta.

Add to baking dish. Melt 2 tbsp of butter. Add panko bread crumbs and stir until well coated. Spread evenly over the pasta. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

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Mushrooms in Garlic Sauce

1 lb cremini mushrooms, washed, stemmed and quartered

3 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, 3 finely chopped, 1 left whole

juice of half a lemon

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the whole garlic clove, and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until just lightly browned.

Remove from heat, add the rest of the ingredients and enjoy.

One of those days. Again.

My family is lucky that they got anything for dinner today. Ha! I had a wicked headache from the humidity (30C... after weeks of rain and cool weather!), I was tired, and a tad bit grumpy. I was half tempted to just lay on the couch under a blanket and tell Kyle there was no dinner today. Somehow I managed to make half of what I had planned on the menu, just leaving out the minestrone soup. It may not have been the most well rounded meal, but everyone gobbled it up. I consider that a success when trying a new recipe. And after a day like today, that's good enough for me.

Now onto the actual meal... I made a Vegetable Upside-Down Casserole from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook I got from my sister-in-law, Tannis, years ago. I'll definitely be making it again.

Vegetable Upside-Down Casserole

4 cups of chopped veggies (today I used broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, red pepper and green pepper)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup plain yogurt

3/4 cup milk

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (I probably used more than that - I covered it with cheese, maybe 1 cup)

Saute the veggies for a few minutes until tender; set aside.

Preheat oven to 375.

The recipe says to lightly oil a round 2 qt dish, or a 9x13 baking pan, but I forgot to oil it and it was fine. :)

Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yogurt, milk, and vegetable oil. Stir together until well mixed.

Add the veggies to the dish and sprinkle with cheese. Pour the batter over the cheese and veggies, and spread it evenly.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden and firm. Let stand for 10 minutes and then cut and serve.

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And now I'm off to watch the Montreal-Boston hockey game... number 7! Tied up and into overtime.... Go Habs! Once we (hopefully) win the game, it's to bed with my kids. It's so loud in here! ;)

Chili Burgers, Tex Mex Spuds and Thunderstorms.

My cat, Solange, turned twelve years old today! Solange is a our "middle cat". She is super loving, very snuggly, completely feline-like (sounds strange since she's, well... a cat, but she's the most typical of our cats), and she's a bit of a brat. We sung Happy Birthday to her numerous times, and she enjoyed a lovely salmon "cake". Yes, really. We're crazy animal folks around here! ;)

In other news, we had a beautiful thunderstorm this evening. Our family has a deep love for these storms, and within an instant we're all out on the covered porch to listen to the rain and thunder, as well as feel the crisp wind on our faces. The forecast calls for another thunderstorm tonight, and another tomorrow as well. We can only hope. I love the rain more than most, but lately it's been too much... even for me! However, give me a powerful thunderstorm and I'm back to happy again.

I had dinner put together by noon today. I love when that happens. I made the Creamy Feta salad dressing before taking Rhianna and Avery to the bus stop this morning. I didn't much like the dressing, though, so no sharing that recipe! After I got back I made the Tex Mex Stuffed Potatoes (a recipe I got originally from my friend Cara), and the Chili Burgers (from Moosewood's Low Fat cookbook). I'm a huge kidney bean fan, so these were high up there on my favourites. I admit that I still like the Black Bean Burger recipe more, though.

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Chili Burgers

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup grated carrot

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

2 15-oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Saute the onions and garlic in oil on med-low for about 5 minutes until soft. Add carrots, chili powder and cumin, and cook on low for 5 minutes.

Mash the kidney beans in a large bowl. Add the sauteed vegetables, mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, oats, salt & pepper. Combine well.

With moist hands, form into burger patties. Add a bit of oil to a heavy skillet. Cook the patties on each side for 6-8 minutes, until browned.

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Tex Mex Spuds

6 russet potatoes

1/4 cup Ranch dressing

5 green onions, chopped

1 1/2 cups Tex Mex cheese

1 red pepper, chopped

extra Tex Mex cheese for the tops

Pierce potatoes with a fork and microwave on high for 4 minutes per potato.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut each potatoes lengthwise, scoop out centres and leave the shells 1/4 inch thick. Mash potatoes with dressing, green onions and Tex Mex cheese. Fill shells with mixture. Top with some chopped red peppers and some more cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until heated through.

I love extra long weekends.

I just love that the Ontario school system honours Easter Monday as a holiday. That made all of us off since Kyle didn't have to go in to work either. This four day long weekend was much needed for all of us. We all slept in pretty late, and basically did the hermit thing for the rest of the day. We played a big game of Catan as a family, and had some time to listen to the rain fall down through the open windows. Tiernan seems to be feeling a bit better, but his energy levels are still on the low side and he's still coughing a lot in the morning and evening. At least he didn't throw up today. Look on the bright side, yes? Haha.

I made dinner, we ate dinner, and Kyle and the kids cleaned up after dinner... all by 5:30pm. So nice to sit under some blankets with Tibbs and Solange on the couch while two kids play Lego, one kid plays Guitar Hero and my husband works on some contract work. My plans for the rest of the evening include menu planning (I've fallen really behind!), grocery list writing, chatting online and watching Dr Who with Kyle. And maybe? Maybe I'll even have a Sarsparilla cooler. Oh yes, I think I just may do that.

So, back to dinner! Seeing as it's Soup Monday, I made an Asian Noodle soup that I found in the Moosewood Low Fat cookbook. I'd never made it before, but had been craving a simple soup and this one seemed perfect. It was very easy to make, and it was a big hit! My daughter isn't the biggest soup fan, and even she liked it. Both of the boys gobbled it up faster than I imagined they would.

Asian Noodle Soup

1 large head garlic

1/4 cup miso

3 cups water

3 cups vegetable broth

1 medium carrot, thinly sliced

1 block tofu, extra firm, cut into small cubes

4 cups shredded bok choy

1/4 lb soba/buckwheat noodles

Preheat oven to 400.

Peel each clove from the garlic head, and place into an un-oiled pie plate. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Place the garlic, miso and water into a blender and whir until well mixed.

Add the miso mix and vegetable broth into a large pot. Heat until it's a low boil. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tofu and bok choy. Bring it back to a simmer. Add the noodles and cook for another 6-8 minutes until the noodles are al dente.