St Paddy's Day Feast.

I was lucky enough to be able to make dinner for our little family as well as my sister, her husband and their three kids. This was unexpected, but very welcomed! I love cooking for people. There's something about making people happy with comfort foods that keeps me happiest. I love nothing more than seeing people smile and say "mmmmm" as they taste my kitchen creation.

For St Patrick's Day, I had decided on three items from the latest Vegetarian Times magazine. In some ways I enjoy making new recipes, but at the same time... it means I haven't had time to alter the recipe into something that suits me. Making three brand new items can be a bit intimidating! The first item was an Irish Stew which I think needed more zing to it. The idea was good - full of different types of veggies which is typically something that appeals to me, but the the main flavour was too bland for me. I know they say "Irish food is bland", and I am mostly Irish.. but I like spices! The second item was cornish pasties which everyone loved! The dough was a bit finicky to make it stick, but I found if I didn't brush the edges of the pasties with the egg wash first, it stuck so much easier. The first half of them looked terrible, but the second half (no egg wash) was great! The final item was potato bite fries (which we always make here during brunches!) with a sugar/malt vinegar dipping sauce. I loved the sweetness the sugar added to the malty taste. Yum. Plus... potatoes? Bring them ON! In that way, I am very, truly and completely Irish.

Irish Stew

(as it is in the magazine... I suggest adding more pizzazz to it since I know it has potential!)

2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

8oz cremini mushrooms, quartered (it suggested button or shiitake)

4 cloves garlic, minced (it suggested 2 cloves, but I always add more!)

1 medium leek - white part only, diced

3 small red potatoes, cut into small cubes

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 medium parsnips, sliced

1 1/2 tsp tomato paste

15 oz crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2 sprigs fresh thyme + 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/2 cup lager beer (I used Paddy's red Irish ale)

1 1/2 tbsp quick cooking tapioca

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 tbsp white miso

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Add the first tbsp oil into a large pot and saute mushrooms and garlic for about 8 minutes until the mushrooms are browned. Remove them from the pan and add the other tbsp of oil. Add the leek and cook for 5 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots, parsnips and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, broth and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the beer, tapioca, and mushrooms and cook for 10-15 minutes until thickened, stirring often. Remove thyme sprigs, and add the cabbage and miso. Simmer 4-5 minutes, or until cabbage softens. Stir in chopped thyme and parsley and season with salt and pepper if desired.

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Cornish Pasties

Dough:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

5 tbsp cold margarine, cut into cubes

Filling:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small rutabaga, peeled and diced

1 small potato, finely diced

carrot, finely diced

1/2 tsp thyme

2 large eggs

1 tbsp spicy brown mustard

1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese

To make the dough:

Stir the flour and salt together, and cut the margarine in. Mix until it makes a coarse meal. Stir in 6-8 tbsp ice cold water. Pinch dough together - if it sticks, it's wet enough. Form into a disk, wrap in saran wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

To make the filling:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic and cook 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add rutabaga, potato, carrot, thyme; cook 3 minutes, then add 1/2 cup water. Reduce the heat, cover and steam vegetables 10-12 minutes, or until tender.

Whisk 1 egg with mustard in a large bowl. Stir in vegetables and Gruyere cheese and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Whisk remaining egg with tbsp of water in a separate bowl and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

Divide dough in half and roll one half out on a floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out 5 inch disks. Fill the circle with a tbsp of filling and fold it over in a half circle shape and pinch together. Use a fork to crimp edges. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Brush the tops with egg wash, and sprinkle with salt & freshly ground black pepper.

Bake on a baking sheet for 25-30 minutes.

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Salt and Vinegar Potato Bites

6 medium red or yellow potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup malt vinegar

3 tbsp sugar

Soak potatoes in a large bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 400.

Toss potatoes with oil on a baking sheet, and spread in a single layer. Roast 45 minutes, or until golden and crisp, turning a few times. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Meanwhile, bring vinegar and sugar to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally.

Serve as a dipping sauce, or sprinkle over potatoes.

Irish!

What a long day! The most wonderful long there can be, but now I'm tired. I had big plans to update this here blog with our St Paddy's Day dinner, but that isn't going to happen right now. First my parents came over in the morning and stayed for lunch.. and then into the afternoon. Then my sister Carole, her husband and their children came here in an unexpected visit (or rather, I knew about the visit, different day than I had thought) and this means F-U-N! For the kids, and for us. My poor sister had to stand and watch me cook all afternoon, but was great company for me. It's so nice to have a second set of hands! My brother-in-law played with all the kids (which he's so good at!) and once my husband got home we sat down to feast. A St Paddy's Day feast! And yes, we are indeed Irish. :)

Tonight my sister's kids stayed for a sleep over (after our kids begged for one!) and it was a late night for those six little monkeys. The movie I rented winded down around 11pm, and by the time all the teeth were brushed, beds were made and the kids were all hugged and kissed goodnight it was 11:30pm. THEN a thunderstorm (!!! In March!!) erupted so curious little bodies had to come out of bed to investigate. They are now officially safely dreaming in their beds, and I... I am tired. Bedtime for this mama/auntie!

I will do my food entry tomorrow sometime... for now... good night, sleep tight (I'd say the bit about the bug beds, but that freaks me out a bit!)!

I leave you with the scene in my rec room a couple of hours ago! 6 kids in pjs, 4 sleeping bags, 6 bowls of Uncle Kyle's popcorn, and one tired doggie asleep on the couch. Love it.

I should rename Avery, "Tomato".

Whenever I make up my menus, I ask my kids and my husband if they have any requests. Tonight's dinner was a request from my eldest son, Avery. He loves tomatoes. He doesn't just love them, he looovessss them! If he had to eat only one thing for the rest of the life, it would be pasta with a tomato based sauce, done any way... just as long as it focuses on tomatoes! Needless to say, he was a happy boy tonight. Actually, both of my boys had second helpings. Oh, growth spurts! It's only going to get worse, isn't it?

I got the recipe for the greek salad from my friend Cara a few years ago. It's a favourite around here, so we eat it pretty regularly. I don't add olives to our greek salad since there is only one of us who likes them (Kyle), but feel free to add them to your salad. The muffins are adapted from a recipe in Moosewood Restaurant's Low Fat Favorites Cookbook. My friend Dylan bought me one of the Moosewood cookbooks for my birthday years ago, and I now own most of them! Love them!

Tomato Based Pasta Sauce

2 large cans (680 ml) of tomato sauce

1 large can of tomato paste (369 ml)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

15 cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 large carrot, sliced

1 bell pepper (I use whatever I have on hand - today was half of a red and half of a yellow)

1 medium zucchini, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp oregano

pinch crushed red chilies

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, saute the onion and mushrooms in the olive oil until soft. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine. Simmer for at least an hour so the flavours can blend and the vegetables are tender.

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Lentil Balls

1 19 oz can lentils, fully rinsed and drained, and mashed

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup cooked baby spinach

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

splash of soy sauce

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, form into 2 inch balls, and place on a baking sheet. Cook for about 20 minutes until they are browned and crispy.

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Greek Salad

2 romaine hearts, ripped into bite sized pieces

1/2 long english cucumber, chopped

15 grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

handful of pepperoncini peppers, seeded and chopped finely

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

juice of 1 large lemon

a pinch of allspice

coarse salt & black pepper, to taste

In a glass measuring cup, cover the garlic with oil and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Whisk in lemon juice, allspice, salt and pepper. Toss evenly into salad and serve.

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Urban Cheese Muffins

(It's actually Herb & Cheese, but my daughter thought I said Urban, so it stuck!)

1 cup unbleached flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cornmeal

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 whole egg

1 egg white

1 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp chopped chives

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp dried dill

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp canola oil

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray down 12-cup muffin tray with cooking oil.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cornmeal and brown sugar together in a large bowl.

In a seperate bowl beat the egg and egg white. Add buttermilk, chives, mustard, dill, garlic, thyme, pepper and oil. Add the grated cheese, reserving some of it for the top of the batter.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until evenly moist.

Scoop into the muffin cups and top with a small amount of grated cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Lucky.

I love the city of Kingston, especially the downtown area. I'm not really a fan of malls, or box stores. I like the unique shops with all their hidden treasures inside. I like supporting the smaller businesses. Downtown Kingston has many stores like that (and also some not so small stores!), so that's typically where I head. I'm also in love with the abundance of limestone buildings in the waterfront/downtown area. I enjoy meandering up and down the slightly hilly street window shopping. We have a few favourite stores that we go to when we head into the city... Tara's Natural Foods, Tribal Voices, Minotaur, Ten Thousand Villages (not a store on a small scale - but one that is very worthy and has many, many amazing treasures), The Rocking Horse (okay, that's mostly the kids loving that one!) and... the LCBO downtown. Haha. I always make sure to stop in there for Kyle because there are always so many different beers in that LCBO than we get here in Belleville. Today was no exception... I came home with plenty of good beers. The other store I enjoy stopping in is not downtown, but in the dreaded mall. I absolutely 100% must stop in at Lush whenever we venture into Kingston. I am always low on something - soap, body wash, body cream, foot cream etc etc, so it's mandatory. I am a huge lover of Lush.

While we were visiting The Rocking Horse today the boys were eyeing up these new Beyblades that their friend Dustin has recently started collecting. We have plenty of the old school Beyblades, but apparently these new ones are better? At any rate, they were oohing and ahhing over them, so I decided to treat them each to one. Oh wow! You should have seen their reaction! I would have thought they'd won the lottery with all the hugging and the 'best Mum EVER'ing and the wanting to buy ME something with their own money. Silly boys. Seeing as I bought the boys each something, I couldn't leave Rhianna out. She picked out some accessories for her wooden doll house, and then picked up some more furniture with her own money that she got from her Uncle & Aunt recently. They were so beyond excited. Oh, the simple things in life.

This was a perfectly beautiful day. The weather was incredible. The sun was shining brightly. The snow is almost gone. The kids were wonderfully behaved. I sang on the top of my lungs with Rhianna on our drive to and back from Kingston (every second song being a Kesha song since two of my three kids are obsessed with her!). The geese came back! There was another Robin in our front yard. It was just an all around happy day.

I am very, very fortunate in my life. I feel very blessed for everything I have, both with friends and family as well as material things. As I was driving in the van on the 401 I just kept seeing images of the destruction in Japan... the broken roads, the disaster of what used to be people's homes, the fires, the explosions, the water and sadness. I feel so helpless just donating money. I wish there was something more I could do. It really made me step back and take a good, long, hard look at my life. I am lucky, lucky, lucky!

The Case Of The Missing Butter!

Seeing as today was the first real day off of Spring Break, I had planned on something super simple to prepare and quick to clean up. Since we don't have a dishwasher, dishes are a huge pain. One day I will remodel my kitchen and you'd better be sure there will be a dishwasher. I've been without one for the last decade, so you'd think I would be used to it by now... but no. Still loathe dishes! It's Soup Mondays (hello, theme days!), so I chose a Taco Soup recipe that I got years ago from my good friend, Amy. My daughter Rhianna isn't a fan of tomatoes, so this really isn't her favourite meal, but at least I can get her to eat half of her dish. Eventually, I know she'll eat the whole bowl just like her brother Tiernan (who also dislikes tomato pieces). I serve this soup with some cheddar cheese grated on top, and a few tortillas to scoop it up.

Taco Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 litre of vegetable broth

1 can diced green chilies

2 large cans of diced tomatoes

1 pack taco seasoning

freshly ground pepper, to taste

Saute onion in vegetable oil in a large pot until soft. Add broth, tomatoes (with juice) and chilies. Add taco seasoning and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered for at least 20 minutes.

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You see that picture of butter? Yeah. I have a little story to tell about that butter. On Saturday I took it out of the fridge to soften for the mushroom turnovers while we headed out to take the kids to their bowling league. I left it at the back of the counter and when we came home, it was gone. No where to be found. We did find a small piece of the foil wrapper on the living room floor, and that seemed like a clear clue pointing at our dog, Tibbs. Boy, was I upset with him. He was put into my bad books for the next few days. No snacks or leftovers or special cuddles. I had to teach him that he just could not go around grabbing things off the counter. He's done it before - with pies! Do not, EVER, leave a pie unattended with Tibby nearby. He is a pie FREAK. Apple, Maple or Veggie - he's not picky. He's gone after all three. All his good dog habits go missing when pies are around.

The point to that ramble is that we blamed our dog. Who else would it be? It was gone! No one else is going to eat a pound of butter AND the foil wrapper. Only Tibbs would be goofy enough to do that. Except... this morning I had the kids clean under their beds and Avery found The Missing Butter! Now, if Tibbs had been the culprit, that butter would be long gone. There would be no hiding the butter for later; I can guarantee that! Our cats, on the other hand? That's a different story. Cats don't eat until the food is gone, they eat what they need. Also, our cat Mirri used to steal Robin's Eggs (similar to Timmies Timbits, or other doughnut holes) and hide them all around the basement for either her or I to find later. This had to be her doing! The only thing is... she could never jump on the counter because she's too... plump. :) So that makes me think it's Solange since she is very spry, and there's no way my old Scooter puss was jumping up there! Does this mean it was Solange AND Mirri? Oh, the mysterious answer to this question is enough to drive me mad. My husband's theory is that the dog took it down off the counter (because it appears that there are teeth marks from both canine and feline species!), and the cats stole it from him. I guess we'll never know! The only thing I know is that I gave Tibbs a dog biscuit out of guilt.

The weather today was downright Spring-like! Above zero, sun shining down all day, snow melting, green grass patches all around, and so many birds singing. It was such a welcome feeling. I officially have Spring Fever and have so many plans lined up to make my little nest an even happier place to live. I am finally coming out of hibernation!

The kids headed over to their friends' house this afternoon to play, so I had some time to myself. I'm not even sure what I did with myself other than walk the dog, do some laundry, chat on the phone and prepare for dinner (which really didn't have much preparing involved!). Either way, it was lovely. Tomorrow we're going to make the most of our beautiful Spring weather (+7C and sunny!) and head out to Kingston for the day. I wish every day was Spring Break.

And for good measure, this is the best picture I've been able to get of my Scootie Wootie Pumpkin Eater. She's my old girl at almost 15 years old and is constantly moving which makes clear photographs an impossibility! She just never sits still. Scooter is the most Zen cat you could ever meet. She's so patient and loving and sweet. I can't even express how beautiful her little soul is. She's beautiful.

Sundays are for love.

Sundays are wonderful! We stayed in bed this morning until 10am (okay, 9am before the time change, but who's counting?) and then lounged around for the next hour or two. Okay, so that was mostly me. Ha ha! Actually, lazing included grocery list writing, general tidying and frying and marinating tofu. Still... I was relaxed and happy that we had no real demands being asked of us today. My son Avery got a call from a good friend of his who he doesn't get to see very often because he switched schools, and ended up heading over to his place for the afternoon. After I dropped him off, I braved the crazy weekend crowds of shoppers to get my two weeks worth of groceries (minus veggies and fruits which I pick up almost daily). Never, ever, ever again. I despise going on the weekends! I typically go on Wednesdays, but because the kids are home this week for Spring Break and I really don't feel like dragging all three kids with me for such a big grocery trip (um, can you say painful?!), I did it while my husband was at home. It was relatively smooth sailing, but that doesn't mean I had to enjoy it.

Our dog, Tibbs, got out today. He does this every now and again. He needs a big run, so he runs to the woods at the end of our dead end street and run, run, runs. And then he runs some more. And usually? Even more! The dog can really go when he gets the urge. We all headed out to get him and eventually after a ton of running, he came back whimpering and panting and ready to go home. Brat. That was our excitement for the day.

Tonight's dinner was easy, quick and delicious. My middle child, Tiernan, could not get enough of the tofu. I think he would have eaten it all if I let him.

For the tofu, I dry fried it which is honestly, the best way to ensure perfect tofu! I didn't use any of those marinades, and instead used my own teriyaki recipe that I used to use on my chicken back when I ate meat. It marinated all day, and I just reheated it by frying it a bit on a dry skillet just before we ate it.

Teriyaki Marinade

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp ground ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

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Stir Fry Sauce & Method

(for vegetables)

1/3 cup vegetable broth

1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 tbsp honey

1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable broth

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Combine broth, hoisin sauce, cornstarch, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, and salt. Whisk to blend and set aside.

Heat oil in a large wok over medium heat. Add vegetables and stir fry for 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp of vegetable broth and continue to stir fry for another 4 minutes. Add mixture and continue to cook until the sauce thickens (a couple of minutes).

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I also made rice paper cold spring rolls with a peanut satay sauce. I usually just add whatever I have on hand to the spring rolls. This time I added baby spinach, carrots, cabbage and bean sprouts, but feel free to add anything and everything.

Peanut Satay Sauce

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/2 small onion, grated

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

In a pan over medium heat, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and keep warm.

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And now it's almost time for Amazing Race with the family!

Saturdays are busy days.

Saturdays are pretty busy in our household. Between bowling, soccer drills, and a soccer game, there really isn't much time to come home afterwards and cook a wholesome dinner. Instead, I prepare a crock pot dinner at 8am and leave it to cook all day. That's why we call it Slow Cooker Saturdays! This morning I put on a casserole dish from '125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes', so it was ready to go when we came home from Avery's 4pm soccer game. I served it with a spinach salad & the remaining Maple Mustard Dressing from the other day.

Cheesy Rice and Mushroom Casserole with Spinach

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp gingerroot, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp crushed black peppercorns

2 cups long grain brown rice

1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

1 (28oz) can tomatoes, juice included, coarsely chopped

3 cups vegetable stock

2 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed, cut into cubes

8 oz fresh baby spinach

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds until they release their aroma and just beginning to brown. Transfer to a mortal or spice grinder and grind coarsely. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, gingerroot, reserved cumin, salt, peppercorns and rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes with juice and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.

Place mushrooms in the slow cooker stoneware. Pour rice mixture over mushrooms and stir to combine.

Place two clean tea towels, each folded in half across the top of slow cooker stoneware. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 4 hours, until rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid. Remove the tea towels. Stir in spinach and sprinkle cheese over the top of the mixture. Cover and cook on high for 20-25 minutes, until spinach is cooked and cheese is melted.

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Saturday evening is also a Date Night in for Kyle and I. We play board games, catch up on shows from the week, watch movies, or just sit and chat. We also get to munch on a yummy appetizer or dessert. :) Tonight we had a small date night since Kyle's not feeling too hot right now having caught a cold. I'm watching a documentary called 'Mine' (heartbreaking, but so good!)and updating my blog while Kyle sleeps on my lap. Ha! We did still get to eat some goodies, though....

Hot Mushroom Turnovers

8oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tbsp butter

1/2 lb button mushrooms, minced

1 onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp flour

1/4 cup sour cream

Using an electric mixer, mix cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter and flour until a soft dough forms. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for an hour.

In a large skillet, melt 3 tbsp butter. Saute mushrooms, onion and garlic until tender. Add salt, pepper, thyme and flour. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and then chill.

Preheat oven to 400.

On a floured surface, roll out half of the dough very thinly in a large circle and cut out 20 2 3/4 circles with a glass. Add scraps to the other half of dough. Add a tsp of filling to the centre of each circle and fold the dough over. Press the edges together with a fork and prick the top to let out any steam.

Repeat with remaining dough and ingredients.

Bake turnovers for 12 minutes or until golden.