Ginger Molasses Crinkles

I did not make many Christmas cookies this year and by many I mean none other then a batch of mom's gingerbread men.

Finding myself with a little more time this week to enjoy some baking, I have been baking and bringing goodies when we go out despite the fact the big day has come and gone.

Hands down one of the best Ginger Crinkles you will eat, Dinner With Julie's Molasses Crinkles are spicy and chewy and enjoyed by our family year-round.

I often add grated fresh ginger root and candied ginger finely diced to the batter, but these are next level cookies even without the addition of the extra ginger.

Fresh baked this morning and packed in this adorable gingerbread house box; I'm hoping they will still make a yummy gift on December 29th!

Love ginger?  This fruit infusion from David's Tea is a warming blend of ginger, apple and safflower petals.  
It smells exactly like ginger beer and is wonderfully soothing.  I'm enjoying it daily sans illness, but this would likely make a comforting warm drink when you have a sore throat or are feeling under the weather.

Might be a nice addition to this Hot Toddy recipe over at Food 52.

Quinoa Salad and some Festive Family Funk

After all the sweets & treats, feasting & over-eating during the holidays, I find myself craving some nutrient-dense food. Quick-to-prepare and easy-to-grab-and-go food because we are still enjoying a relatively schedule-free, low-key week making plans on the spur of the moment as opportunity presents itself, and we don't want to spend time making anything too elaborate.

If you do find yourself with a little extra time to waste, do check out the Festive Funk Family for some, well ... funky fun.  It's a bit addictive.

This morning I prepared some quinoa for a protein-rich salad that we can enjoy later with some fresh fruit and a handful of roasted, spiced nuts compliments of Michelle (thank-you!).

You can read all about quinoa's super powers here.

Make too much?  Try one of these recipes to use up your leftover quinoa.  If you like oatmeal for breakfast, #8 with a splash of warmed milk is really delicious!  My personal favourite use for leftovers.

To make this salad, boil 2 cups of water. Once boiling, add 1 cup of quinoa that has been rinsed in a fine mesh strainer under cold water.  Simmer the quinoa with the lid on for about 12 minutes, remove from the heat and let rest covered for 10 minutes more.  Fluff with a fork and done.

While your quinoa is cooking, whisk 1/4 cup canola or olive oil (or a combination of the two) with 2 tablespoons white vinegar, a teaspoon each of curry powder, honey and chili-garlic hot sauce (optional) and a spoonful of mango chutney (also optional).  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside to mellow.

For your additions: Chop a couple of green onions, grate a small carrot, chop a stalk of leafy celery (top included), chop a handful of almonds and toss into the cooked, cooled quinoa with a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds and some dried currants, raisins or cranberries and some chickpeas.  Amounts are totally flexible here.  Drizzle your dressing overtop, stir, and allow it to sit for a few hours in the fridge (if you have time) to allow the flavours to intensify.
This stores well for several days. Quite hearty on its own, but a nice accompaniment to some grilled vegetables or chicken as well.
This salad also tastes great with fresh basil, diced mango, red onion, red pepper and black beans as your additions with the same dressing.

Would love to know if anyone has ever attempted popped quinoa?  Apparently quinoa can be popped similar to corn kernels for a healthy, but messy treat?!  I'm curious... If you are feeling adventurous, you can find the directions here.

Home Day

Today is home-day.  All the crafting and wrapping, cooking and baking is behind us and we are enjoying a quiet day in. No plans, no schedule, just putter and munch, read, nap, watch movies, "play with our new toys", and munch and nap some more!
I woke up and put on a pot of split pea soup to simmer on the stove.  I guess it should be turkey soup given yesterday's turkey-feasting, but Big Sister scored the turkey bones without even so much as an arm wrestle from me (you deserve them after all your many hours spent on handmade gifts!) and I had a ham bone in the freezer just waiting to be used.
We have lots of delicious leftovers in the fridge and freezer, and cookies and treats abound.  A pot of soup to round out the goodie-to-nutritive-food-consumption ratio seemed in order.

This is really easy, but does take time to simmer and thicken, so it's perfect for a day you don't plan to leave the nest.

I chop a large onion, 3 cloves of garlic, a large carrot, and a couple of leafy stalks of celery along with a small sweet potato and throw it all into a large pot with 2 cups of split peas, a couple of chicken bouillon cubes and six cups of water. If you have a ham bone, throw that in too, but this is really delicious even without.  If you don't have a ham bone, you could also throw in some leftover cooked ham or leave it out entirely for a vegetarian meal.  Simmer until the meat is falling off the bone and the split peas are soft and vegetables are tender. More stock or water can be added if your soup is too thick.
I often toss in a handful of spinach or chopped swiss chard at the end of the cooking time and continue to warm until the greens are wilted.
Leave simmering on low and enjoy at your leisure ... between your treats and sweets and mile high leftover turkey sandwiches, of course!

Mom's Gingerbread Men

I made my first batch of gingerbread men cookies using mom's tried and true recipe.  These boys are spicy and sweet and bake up soft and delicious every time!  You can make the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you are ready to roll and bake.
The dough can handle a fair amount of kneading and rolling if you have little people helping that want to play and roll and flatten several times before actually cutting out any shapes!
I don't usually ice mine, but you certainly can decorate them up with icing, sprinkles and small candies.  I usually just give them two eyes and a belly button and a sprinkle of raw sugar before baking them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until just starting to brown at the edges, but are still soft.

Cream 1/4 cup each butter and shortening with 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
Stir in 1/2 cup molasses and one large beaten egg mixing to combine.  Add some grated orange rind if you like.
Mix dry ingredients and add to above:
2  1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Combine dry ingredients with creamed butter and sugar mixture until a smooth soft dough forms.
Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten into disks.  Wrap and store in the fridge until you are ready to roll and cut.
Bake at 350 as instructed above.

A batch of dough with some small candies and sprinkles and  instructions for icing all packed into a box and tied up with a few cookie cutters makes a creative gift for someone you love.

Pasta? Not Pasta Fazool?!

I'm afraid the story behind this recipe is not going to be a real selling feature.  But give this recipe a try! Seriously! Despite anything you might hear from my family, it is a delicious and super-quick meal for a busy week night, and I'm sure, like the rest of us, you have one or two of those busy nights ahead of you most weeks too.
I came across this recipe many years ago and made it one too many times for my family's liking!  It got to the point where I didn't exactly stop making it (despite their protests!), I would just try to disguise it and make it anyway.
The first one home would walk in the door after school and smell something strangely familiar... and shout up the stairs MOM...what's for dinner? To which I would sheepishly respond... pasta... and they would shout back (a littler louder now) pasta?!  What kind of pasta? and I would say... I don't know...just pasta... to which NOT PASTA FAZOOL?!! would ultimately follow. Fazool was a new four-letter word in our house.

Pasta E Fagioli

Saute a large diced onion, a large diced carrot and a celery rib or two in a little olive oil.  Some diced bacon or pancetta thrown in along with the veggies is really delicious and essential when trying to persuade your family that this IS something they love to eat often, but can be left out for a vegetarian meal!
Add 3 cloves of chopped garlic and continue to saute until everything is starting to soften and pancetta is crisping.
Pour in 2 cups of whatever stock you have on hand: beef, veggie or chicken along with a 14 oz tin of petite cut tomatoes, 1/2 cup small pasta (ditalini is perfect here) and a can of navy beans mashing 3/4 of them first with a fork and pour the rest in whole.  The mashed beans thicken the soup and add a nice punch of protein. A big spoon of basil pesto and a glug of red wine is also very agreeable.
Simmer until the pasta is soft, but not mushy adding more liquid if you like although this is more like a stew then a soup.  Serve in big bowls with parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of crusty buttery croutons if you have them. FAZOOL!

Shared Links

I haven't been too present here lately; fighting a head cold and just trying to get through the week with all it's commitments and responsibilities that will not wait for me to catch-up!
This post is a bit of a cheater!  A few shared links to things I would like to make, drink, read, get to when I am on the mend.

Sparkling White Cranberry Sangria sounds appealing right now!  Could this double as a "hot toddy" curative do you think? In How to Drink, Victoria Moore describes the toddy as "...the vitamin C for health, the honey to sooth and the alcohol to numb!"  I think Victoria is on to something here :D

I would like to make these delicious Winter Gingerbread Blondies!  I love gingerbread spices and these bars sound like the perfect mash-up of gooey and spicy, festive inspiration!

I enjoy reading a good memoir.  Some memorable past reads have been Curtains: Adventures of An Undertaker in Training, by Tom Jokinen and You Better Not Cry, by Augusten Burroughs.  I would like to pick up a copy of Life From Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family and Forgiveness, by Sasha Martin when time allows. One reviewer likens it to "... the Glass Castle, but with more food."

Party season is right around the corner and there are some great appetizer ideas on this Buzzfeed post, 21 Insanely Easy Appetizers Guaranteed to Please Your Party Guests.  Check it out.

Pesto Spotlight

I always have a jar of pesto in the fridge.  My favourite ready-made brand (in the absence of any homemade  of course)  is Classico Basil Pesto.

Ten uses that go beyond tossing with hot pasta!

1. Add a spoonful to your eggs for a simple but delicious addition of herbs and a little cheese to your morning scramble.

2. Turn this scone recipe from sweet to savoury with a spoonful of pesto and enjoy with a big bowl of soup or chili.

3. Add to your soups and sauces.  Tastes great in chicken soup or tomato sauce when fresh basil and herbs are not available.

4. Replace the butter on your steamed veggies with a spoonful of pesto.

5. Add to fluffy mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, scalloped potatoes, any potatoes!

6. Spread inside your grilled cheese.

 7. Toss with diced tomatoes and pile on slices of baguette topped with cheese and lightly broiled for a quick appetizer.

8. Mix some into your melted butter and drizzle on top of air popped popcorn.

9. Use to make a simple salad dressing:

2 tablespoons of pesto, 4 tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of a lemon whisked together OR this creamy copycat recipe.

10. Add a little grated lemon zest to some pesto and brush on shrimp, chicken or salmon before grilling.

Sheet Pan Supper

Sheet pan suppers make a nice, hearty meal that comes together quickly and needs very little attention once everything is chopped and in the oven. This Sausage and Veggie Bake, included at the end of my "Chili to the Rescue" post, was in the "Eight Meals in 30 Minutes" feature on Family Bites.
You can make as much or as little as you need.  I usually fill my biggest rimmed baking sheet to feed the five of us for dinner, with leftovers.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel and chop 8-10 cups of vegetables.  I used small, new potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, brussel sprouts, red onions, and an entire head of garlic cloves, but whatever you like or have on hand will do.
Toss the whole lot with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a tablespoon or two of grainy mustard (optional). Spread the vegetables evenly in a single layer over the pan - careful not to overcrowd as they will steam instead of roast if they are piled on top of one another.  Lay the sausages ( I used 10) on top of your vegetables and bake for 30 minutes. At this time remove your pan from the oven and place your sausages on another plate so you can toss your vegetables.  Lay the sausages back on top of the veggies and pierce the skins to allow the juices to drip down over everything.  Return the pan to the oven for another 30 minutes or until the sausages are cooked and the vegetables are nicely roasted with caramelized edges.
Notes: 
Cut the vegetables roughly the same size to ensure even cooking.
If you are using a mix of root and other vegetables such as peppers or mushrooms, be aware they will cook more quickly than their heartier counterparts.
The roasted cloves of garlic taste fantastic spread on a warm hunk of baguette.

If you like this recipe, there are many sheet pan supper recipes out there.  I would like to try this one next with perhaps some drumsticks and thighs and there are these sheet pan fajitas which look easy and delicious Or check out this book for more inspiration.

Cluck! Pizza it is!

Like myself, Mabel still enjoys a good picture book.  The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza, by Philemon Sturges and illustrated by Amy Walrod, was always one of her favourites.  Emily's too.
I thought of this book tonight as I wanted to make dinner without going to the store...AGAIN, but each time I went to the cupboard with a new idea of what to make, I was missing an essential ingredient! "Cluck!"
The little red hen would like to make pizza and each time she goes to her cupboard, she too is missing an essential ingredient. Unlike myself, the hen ventures out for all the missing ingredients one-by-one and each time she returns home with a fantastic assortment of "other stuff".  The anticipation of what she will bring home next, along with the very creative cut paper illustrations and insertion of a little adult humor, make this picture book a really fun read for everyone. So many enduring visual touches, from her dolphin-safe tuna to her bunny slippers, and the cup of "chickweed tea" she sips while she patiently waits for her pizza to bake...  ...Can't help but love her polka-dot platform shoes and fashion-forward teal scarf knotted at her neck as she heads out to the market to retrieve anything but pickled eggplant!
I too decided to make pizza tonight and similarly had no help from my peeps to get it on the table, but I took a page out of this twist on the classic moral tale and I still shared my pizza!  I wonder if they will help me clean up...??

Spicy Italian Sausage, Kale and Sweet Pepper Pizza
2-3 Spicy Italian sausages removed from their casings and crumbled
large onion
several handfuls of kale/spinach
I keep a bag of New Star cooking greens in my freezer for smoothies, sauces, pizza, curries
sweet red pepper
hot banana peppers (optional)
pizza sauce
parmesan
mozarella
Suraj Garlic Naan bread (makes a perfect individual pizza crust)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees (lower if your oven runs hot)
Saute your sausage, onion and greens in a little olive oil until fully cooked and set aside.
Dice more onion, sweet peppers and grate your cheeses.
Spread your sauce on the naan, add your toppings and top with a little parmesan then mozzarella.
Put on your bunny slippers and sip a cup of chickweed tea while baking your pizzas at 425 degrees for about 14 minutes.
Share with the people...yes even if they did not help make the pizza :D
Continue to enjoy your hard work while they clean up the kitchen for you.

Mason Jar Breakfast

I love breakfast.  First fuel of the day. This is my new favourite; mason jar yogurt parfait? sundae? ...delicious!  A few simple ingredients and minimal prep will take your breakfast to the next level.  Not a morning person?  Pop on the lid and take it with you for a perfectly portable mid-morning snack.

I used an 8 oz widemouthed mason jar, but any shape or size will do.  Save old jam or condiment jars and re-purpose them for your portable breakfasts!
Measurements are not important here.  Simply spoon some fresh or frozen fruit in the bottom of your jar.  Top with the yogurt of your choice. I used natural, Balkan yogurt.  Drizzle with honey, maple syrup, jam, or other sweetener of your choice (optional, but delicious!) Top with chopped nuts, seeds (we love hemp seeds), coconut, dried fruit, and a sprinkle of granola and enjoy!  If you are going to tote and eat later, put your toppings in a separate container to add just before eating to ensure maximum crunchiness.

If you like oatmeal, a much healthier and tastier version than the packaged instant variety can also be made in your mason jar the night before. It's a simple 1:1 ratio of oats to liquid.
I use 1/3 cup rolled oats or quick oats (not instant);  increase to 1/2 cup for bigger appetites
1/3 cup milk or almond/nut milk
Swirl in your sweetener of choice: brown sugar, maple syrup, leftover cranberry sauce or honey.
Shake in your spices: cinnamon, cardamon, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, chai; spice cupboard's the limit!
Stir, pop on the lid and refrigerate overnight.
When you are ready to enjoy, warm slightly and top with more milk, fresh or dried fruits, nuts or seeds
My favourite combinations: 
* Blueberry/banana topped with cardamon, hemp seeds and almonds with maple syrup for sweetness
* Leftover cranberry sauce swirled into the oats and milk topped with walnuts and orange zest or
* Plain Jane with just a little cinnamon, raisins and brown sugar

Eggs are also simple, healthy fuel.  I try to have hard-boiled eggs on hand for an easy grab-and-go or to add to my DIY Starbucks Protein Bistro Box.  Seriously, people, you too can do this!  Get a fancy, schmancy bento box here or create your own version with a reusable sandwich container and a few silicone muffin liners comme ca and load up with some fresh fruit, cheese, Pita Break minis or lavash, nut butter, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, whatever!
Need one more reason to pull out the mason jars?! A wide-mouthed mason jar makes the perfect scrambled egg or circular egg for egg Mcmuffins.  Simply crack an egg into a buttered mason jar, season with salt and pepper.  Add an optional splash of cream or milk. Whisk with a fork and microwave (without the metal lid!) on high for approximately one minute.  Slide onto your toasted English muffin with a slice of cheese and done.
No microwave?  No problem.  Simply put a cracked egg in a buttered mason jar with the lid on.  Set the jar in a pan of boiling water that reaches 3/4 of the way up the sides of the jar and boil for about 8 minutes.
For more breakfast inspiration, watch Buzzfeed's, "What the world eats for breakfast" here.

More Monkeys!

More monkey business!  First I brought you PicMonkey, some online photo editing goodness (if you haven't already checked it out read about it here ) and now I bring you Wize Monkey!!
I just received my pre-order of Wize Monkey Coffee Leaf Tea and assorted samples. Carefully packed with a handwritten thank-you note, some samples of Mango Party and Minty Marvel teas (not yet released) and a coffee leaf cookie baked by Max's (one of the founders) mom!.
Coffee leaf tea is not a coffee substitute, but rather a tea made from the leaves of the coffee plant. The infusion has less then half the amount of caffeine in a cup of green tea (or roughly the same amount of caffeine in a cup of decaf coffee) and 20% more antioxidants than green tea. The really cool part is, by cultivating the leaves for tea, coffee farmers now have year round work instead of the very short 3 month growing season of coffee beans resulting in sustainable and continual work for farmers and their families.

Read more about this new venture here.  I steeped Armando's Original Blend as pictured above. Loved it!  If you are a tea drinker, it is the ultimate taste mash-up of a green, black and herbal tasting tea all mixed into one taste experience! Very pleasant, distinct tasting infusion.
I really hope Wize Monkey takes off.  Love the taste, love the nutritional benefits, love the sustainable model.  From the time of order, I received several updates (loved the photo of the arrival of tea leaves to the warehouse!) from the company as to where the tea was in terms of processing, arrival to Vancouver, packaging and delivery and it arrived to me responsibly packaged with very little waste in a fun, informative box with facts, a picture of Armando the farmer, brewing and nutritional information.  Wizeley done Monkeys :D

Gabe

My day started off a little rough.  I know. I'm supposed to be telling you something good and I will. In fact, that is the origin of my blog title.  We are all prone to a little drama-queen every now and then and as rare as it occurs, even on the "worst day ever" as reported by my kids, I will ask them to "...tell me something good..." tell me one good thing... because there is always something and usually there are many somethings, but we all have these days and we forget. Things don't go as planned, we have lists of things to do, schedules to keep, so many things that need to be accomplished and we easily lose sight of even one good thing.
Well today I was having one of those days and I decided to stop for a coffee instead of taking the time to make one and I met Gabe.  The baby-faced barista likely not much older then my own son with his handmade, graffiti-like name tag (adorable!) and it was the simplest thing really.  He was just taking my coffee order and preparing it for me, but his smile was so bright, his conversation so genuine.  No.  I know what you're thinking.  Not like he was gunning for barista of the month, not like he was reciting the Starbucks script from his employee handbook, not like a scene from the Graduate (Google it kids; it's a classic), but like the most pleasant, polite kid who was happy and it came through loud and clear and it completely changed my day.  I drove away and felt instantly elevated.  The sun was shining, my coffee was warm, the music was playing and I felt thankful for a hundred good things.

...Today I am thankful for:

family in all its many forms: the ones we are born into, the family’s we create when we leave our own, the families that find us; the people who have claimed us, love us, nurture us and protect us.

for my friends and my spouse, for my children

for my siblings that were my first friends

for many teachers (school and other) who engaged and inspired me to read and study and learn more about the world and others, and about myself; who challenged me to work harder, who saw things in me I was unable to see in myself, who elevated me in such a way that in turn I am able to elevate others

for books to read and art to appreciate and music to fill our souls

for good food to eat and prepare and meals to share with friends and family-- to smell and taste, experiment with and appreciate in all it’s colour and complexity

for access to information and world news and science and technology in all it’s amazing and continual advancements

for warm beds and homes and clothes

for health and wellness

for things that grow and seasons that change

for all those who are tolerant and kind, for those who are open to change and differences, for those who can disagree with others and still be kind and respectful to everyone

for those that make me laugh and those that have so much energy there is enough for me too

for all those in our community who work long and irregular hours to serve us, protect us and maintain our city and our streets doing jobs and providing services every day we often take for granted

for diverse, engaged communities with plentiful resources and generous members

for hardships and heartbreak that remind me how vulnerable and strong we can be

for parents who brought me up to be generous of my time and my abilities and to be grateful for the many good things I have

For all the Gabes out there who make our coffee, bag our groceries, hold the door, make us feel happy just by being happy themselves; Thank-you.

Quail Eggs

My sister is an urban homesteader of sorts and she gave us these pretty, speckled quail eggs to try.

A little research and I have discovered that despite their smaller size, quail eggs contain more protein, more calcium and more phosphorous then chicken eggs and significant amounts of vitamins A and B2.

Quail eggs also contain ovomucoid protein, the main ingredient in many allergy medications and reportedly provide moderate allergy relief for some allergy sufferers as well as strengthened immunity with regular consumption.

Another super cool fact I learned is that the quail's body temperature is higher then that of a chicken's and therefore, there is no risk of salmonella in these eggs.
The eggs also contain Lysozyme, an enzyme (found in tears, saliva and human milk) that kills bacteria. They are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world and sometimes eaten raw. 

It took a little extra time to crack all the eggs (about 4-5 quail eggs equal one chicken egg), but we scrambled them up with a splash of milk and some salt and pepper and the eggs were fluffy and delicious and apparently a nutrient dense powerhouse!  Thank-you farmer Sue!

Chili to the Rescue

It was a busy weekend of sports and yard work, home work, and the like after a full week of much the same.  A big batch of chili easily served from the stove-top seemed like a reasonable attempt against thwarting another meal of potato chips with a side of Halloween candy this weekend! That was Friday night's dinner for myself...not a proud moment.
Chili is hearty and healthy and can easily be prepared in a large amount to feed a crowd or freeze for a future meal and the leftovers can be re-purposed in a number of creative ways:
* Mix left over chili with some rice and shredded cheese. Cut sweet peppers in half, remove seeds and ribs and fill with chili/rice mixture.  Place peppers in casserole dish, sprinkle with a bit more cheese if you like and bake covered in foil at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until peppers are soft but not mushy and filling is warm. Remove foil and broil for a couple minutes for nicely browned, cheesy tops.
* Top a simple garden salad with leftover chili.  Sprinkle with crushed nacho chips and serve with shredded cheese, sliced avocado, fresh tomatoes, sour cream and salsa for a quick taco salad OR open a individual size bag of corn chips, crush slightly and top with warm chili, cheese and shredded lettuce for a "walking taco".
*Leftover chili makes great "chili poutine".  Top homemade roasted potato wedges with chili and cheese and broil until cheese is nicely browned.  Top with shredded lettuce, green onions, diced fresh tomatoes and hot peppers.
* Top baked sweet potatoes or roasted spaghetti squash halves with chili, cheese and fixings for a yummy remake that will not taste like leftovers.
* Top a hot dog, fill a flour tortilla, bring the extras to someone you love!

This is a super simple, stand-by recipe.  Feel free to tweek or adjust to your tastes with various additions: cumin, dark cocoa powder, coffee or dark ale, bbq sauce, hot chili peppers, Tabasco, mushrooms, leftover steak--skys the limit!

1 lb of lean ground beef (or substitute Veggie Ground Round or some chopped sweet potatoes for a vegetarian option)
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 19 oz cans of Almyer petite cut tomatoes (any diced tomatoes will due of course, but I love these!)
1 green or sweet pepper chopped
1 19 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 19 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz can Busch's Original baked brown beans (do not drain)
2 Tablespoons chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
Spoonful of brown sugar (optional) to cut the acidity of the tomatoes
1 beef bouillon cube

In a large pot, saute your chopped onion and garlic until starting to soften.
Add lean ground beef or Veggie Ground Round and continue cooking until browned.
Add the rest of your ingredients and stir to combine.
Simmer on stove-top until meat is fully cooked and flavors are well combined.  Tastes better the longer it sits--so perfect for leftovers and a night you need a meal ready to go for varying mealtimes. Leave bowls and spoons close by and hide the Halloween candy (um...in my case... from myself!)

We finished the meal with these super fun, mini, filled eyeball donuts!






For further prevention against junk food dinner, check out these eight meals in 30 minutes at Family Bites.

For fun, check out these 26 things you likely didn't know about chili peppers.  Apparently a good call on the chili powder for our anniversary dinner :D

Gibson Fab 5 Top Cold and Flu Comfort Measures

As cold and flu season approaches, arm yourself with the Gibson Fab 5 Cold and Flu Comfort Measures!  I'm not going to tell you anything you don't likely already know, but life gets pretty busy and sometimes we need a reminder to take good care of ourselves! These are our family's tried and true comfort measures.

1. Get ample rest.  Busy schedules, deadlines, commitments and holidays often leave us feeling depleted and more susceptible to illness.  Try to "under schedule" yourself every once and awhile and catch up on some much needed rest before you need a reason to!

2. Drink lots of fluids.  Our favourites:
Warm ginger tea with honey.  Honey and ginger are both anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial (read all about ginger's superpowers here). Simply grate about a tablespoon of fresh ginger root and steep in a mug of hot water for about 10-15 minutes until well infused. Strain out the ginger and add a generous spoonful of raw honey.  The warm liquid is soothing on your throat and the ginger is wonderful for clearing the sinuses. And,
chicken soup.  You can find our family favourite in a previous post here.

3. Gargle with salt water.  Add about 1/2 a teaspoon of salt to a mug of warm water and gargle to ease the discomfort of a sore throat and flush away nasty bacteria! Not just an old-wives tale!  At first sign of a cough or cold, we gargle 3-4 times a day. Read on for some scientific cred!

4. Honey-ginger Elixir.
Hands down better than any commercial cough syrup on the market!  All natural and chock-full of antiviral, immune boosting properties!
Grate about two tablespoons of ginger root and squeeze out the juice using a small mesh strainer.  Whisk in an equal amount of raw honey and mix until well combined.  Take a big spoonful at bed time to quiet a stubborn night time cough.  Take liberally throughout the day to soothe a sore throat and reap all the heath-promoting benefits the honey and ginger provide. I make this up in small batches (double if we all are under the weather!) and leave sitting out on the counter.  I'm not sure how long it lasts in larger amounts as we use it up before the day is through.

5. Vapor Rub.
I know, I get it.  Make-your-own vapor rub seems lofty, but if you have ever had aspirations to achieve Martha-like status, this is it!  A truly simple recipe to follow.  Three ingredients: coconut oil, beeswax and essential oils.  That's it.  It's natural and smells fantastic and it works (again in my opinion) better than anything store-bought!
You can find the original recipe here.  In my search for a vapor rub recipe, many others used a higher concentration of oils than the Wellness Mama version; for example this recipe here.  I have doubled the amount of essential oils with no ill effects for our family, but always check with your health practitioner before using any essential oils, especially on babies, or children, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
This recipe is not suitable for very young children or babies.
Quite simply:
Spoon a 1/2 cup of coconut oil and 2 level tablespoons of beeswax pastilles in a mason jar or other heat tolerant glass container.  Place your jar in a pot of water (the water level should be about half to three quarters of the way up the side of the jar).  Be careful not to splash any water into your jar. Bring the water to a gentle simmer and stir your ingredients just until melted.  Remove from the heat.
Add 40 drops of eucalyptus essential oil, 40 drops of peppermint essential oil, 20 drops of rosemary essential oil and 20 drops of clove essential oil.  Stir to combine and pour into clean, preferably dark glass jars, but any clean glass jar will do.
Apply as needed to chest and neck for relief of cough and congestion.

Siopao Asado with Nenette!

Today was my tutorial with Nenette to learn how to make Siopao Asado, steamed pork buns from scratch. Honestly, if you have never tried one of these, they are well worth the effort.  The recipe is not difficult, but it does take time to prepare your filling, allow your yeast dough to rise, and roll and fill your buns.  A delicious labour of love!

2 1/2 cups of warm water

2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar

1 pkg active dry yeast

Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and set aside for about 10 minutes or until frothy (if the mixture does not froth, your yeast may be old and you should start over with some fresh yeast)

In a large bowl mix:

5 cups of all purpose flour

1 1/4 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 cup sugar and

cut in 6 tablespoons of vegetable shortening; set ingredients aside.

Once the yeast mixture is frothy, add to the dry ingredients; stir to combine.

Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic.

Place the dough back into your mixing bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to rise for about one hour.

While your dough is rising, prepare your filling. 

In some shortening or oil, saute 1 medium onion, diced and 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped with 2 lbs of shredded cooked pork (or chicken).

Add about half a cup of water (more if the mixture becomes dry, 4 tablespoon each soy sauce and sugar, 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce and 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce.

Dissolve 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a 1/4 cup of water and add to the pan stirring until heated through and thickened.  Taste and add more of whatever you feel it is missing.  Allow filling to cool before filling your buns.

Once the dough is about double in size, remove the plastic wrap, tip the dough out of the bowl and knead again to form a long roll; cut in pieces according to how big or small you want your bao to be-- ours were about the size of a largeish mandarin orange.

Roll the dough into a flat circle and top with a couple tablespoons of your filling and half a hard boiled egg (optional but delicious!).  Pull the dough up around the filing and pinch to close.  Turn dough onto the pinched end and place on a circle of parchment paper.  Cover with a damp tea towel until ready to steam.

Steam for 15 to 20 minutes and place on wire rack to cool slightly.

Eat warm from the steamer before everyone gets home and they all disappear!  Thank-you Nenette!

"Soup is Good Food"

This Sausage Lentil Soup came together really quickly and nicely balanced out the candy-cake-loot bag intake of some of us tonight! Like many recipes I have posted, the amounts are pretty flexible; add more or less of your ingredients according to your preferences.

2- 3 spicy Italian sausages (or whatever variety you like)
a nice big onion diced
2 big carrots and 2-3 celery stalks, cleaned and diced (I add in all the leafy celery tops too)
4 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
6- 8 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
19 oz tin of lentils, drained
Handful of spinach
spoonful of pesto (optional but flavorful)

Squeeze the sausage out of its casing and crumble in your soup pot.  Saute with your diced onion and some olive oil until browned.  Add your carrot, celery and garlic and continue to saute  for a few minutes until beginning to soften.  Add your broth and lentils and simmer until the sausage is cooked and the vegetables are tender or cooked to your liking.  I threw in a spoonful of pesto and a handful of spinach stirring until wilted. Serve with a big loaf of crusty bread or some cheesy garlic toast or a grilled cheese.  Or, pretty filling on it's own...especially when sharing space with the candy-cake-loot bag deliciousness of earlier in the day  :D

Special Delivery

I have a very dear neighbour, Nenette who might be an angel. Ever generous of her time and of her talents, pulled in so many directions, but still somehow frequently finds the time to show up on our doorstep to share something from her garden or some deliciousness she has made from scratch in her kitchen with our family.  

Yesterday, she brought some homemade bao...still warm from the steamer and it tasted like home.  

Her special delivery was timely.  This time of year always leaves me homesick for Mark's parents.  My mother-in-law, Angie used to make these buns. I had never tasted bao until I met her. She made them effortlessly; never scolding for eating them as fast as she could steam them despite the time and care it took to prepare each one.

I had just watched this really touching video about the Mother Exchange Program, an initiative that connects children studying away from home with a mother in their city who prepares home-cooked meals for them when their own mothers cannot ...and then there she was... on my doorstep with a gift of food that connected us to a piece of our past that most days feels irretrievable.  

From first foods to favourite meals to recipes passed down through the generations, there is something deeply satisfying in preparing and sharing food with the people we love.  Food brings us together, it enriches our celebrations, it unites our cultures, it heals, it provides us with comfort and sustenance, it is an expression of our love and gratitude, it is a sensory pleasure and a creative outlet, it unites us with people we have met and places we have been, it connects us to our past.

I was really touched by this video.  I love my family.  I love to cook.  I love to cook for my family.  The concept of our children living elsewhere to study is foreign yet not far away for Mark and I.  The joy a mother finds in nourishing her family and the comfort and connection that this expression provides for her child is beautifully portrayed in the Mother Exchange video clip. If you want to watch something good, do check out the above video link perhaps with a box of tissue.

The Goodness abounds!  Nenette is coming to my house on Monday to once again share her time and talents with me by teaching me how to prepare the bao in my own kitchen.  I am super excited!  Look for a future post of her bao tutorial!  Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you for your very delicious food delivery Nennette and for offering to help me learn how to make them too.

Monkey Business

I might be addicted...I have discovered PicMonkey.  It's an online photo editing site that you can use free of charge and without setting up an account (for the basic options) and at a cost for more options and premium features.  If you are like myself and missed the whole scrapbooking craze of the... was that the 90's?!... this might be for you; no cutting, no glue sticks, no leaving the house carting roller suitcases full of multi-edged scissors and shape punches with a spinach dip in hand! Just grab your laptop and drag and click!  Admittedly, I know very little about photography.  I'm taking these photos on my phone camera which clearly has its limitations, but with access to my Google photos and the PicMonkey photo editor, I have been able to take my photographs to the next level (toot! toot!) and from what I can tell, I have not even scratched the surface as far as what you can do with this program.
The photos above are of the hummus I made today.  We eat a lot of hummus.  It's a quick, high protein snack that can be easily dipped with fresh pita or crisps; we love these and these and we just tried these (delicious!) pictured above or spread in a wrap with some fresh veggies for a quick lunch.  At 89 cents a tin, you can make a good cup and half to two cups of really delicious hummus at a fraction or the cost of any store bought brand and it tastes fantastic.  If you want exact measurements you could Google a hummus recipe, but it's not necessary.
I simply drain and rinse a 19 oz can of chickpeas and pour into the food processor with lots of garlic (6 cloves today! but adjust according to your tastes and whom you may be getting close to later in the evening!), about a tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon (but a tablespoon or two of bottled will do as well) a tablespoon of tahini paste, a roasted red pepper, salt to taste and some vinegar (add a tablespoon at a time and taste for your preference--I usually add one or two).  That's it.  Process until smooth and throw it in your roller suitcase with your fancy schmancy scissors :D.

Weekend Photo Post

Eat Ugly!

To my unexpected surprise, my neighbour brought over a really big bag of apples this week (Thank-you Victoria!). They were not uniform in size or colour and they had some bumps and bruises, but they were fresh and crisp and grown on her tree without any sprays, and with a few ingredients and some peeling and chopping, I transformed them into...

...this apple crisp deliciousness and there are still lots of apples left to make a big pot of applesauce.

I typically just bake with whatever apples I have on hand, especially surprise apples that arrive on my doorstep! But you can find an apple guide here that you might find useful or of interest.

Peel and roughly chop about 8 or 9 cups of apples and dump them into a greased 9x13 baking dish; toss with a tablespoon of flour, a couple tablespoons to a 1/4 cup of sugar depending on your sweet tooth (this time I used 2 tablespoons of maple syrup instead), sprinkle with cinnamon.
Combine 1 cup each flour, oats and dark brown sugar and cut in 1/2 cup of butter until crumbly. You could make more topping if you like it thickly covered.
Sprinkle topping over your apples and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 or 50 minutes.
If you want to get fancy, grate some orange rind into your crumb topping or melt about 8 or 9 caramels with 2 teaspoons of milk and drizzle over your finished crisp.  Toss in a handful of chopped, ripe peaches or pears or some tart cranberries.  Add nuts or leave 'em out. Tastes next level with vanilla ice-cream and a drizzle of caramel or maple syrup.

I came across this video about Intermarche, a French supermarket that is trying to change consumers perspective on ugly, misshapen fruit and limit food waste by selling fruit and vegetables otherwise thrown away before it ever reaches the supermarket.
I'm not sure where Canada is at in terms of minimizing food waste.  After watching Just Eat it, the documentary I linked in a previous post, I'm guessing a bit behind, but I have seen bags of "Naturally Imperfect" apples at the Superstore which I have purchased, and besides being of assorted shapes and sizes, the apples are crisp and taste great.

This is not to say we cannot appreciate all the beauty and perfection nature produces as well.  As you may have noticed from my various produce photographs on other posts, I am very much in awe of all the vibrant, colourful perfection that grows, right along with the curious oddities.
I was no less grateful for the bounty of pristine, Honeycrisp apples my parents shared with me this week (thanks mom and dad!) with their rosey, speckled skin and flesh so sweet it would satisfy the sweetest tooth. We shall not discriminate against the ugly fruit and vegetable's lovely counterparts either.
The apple is a particularly amazing specimen with its multitude of colours and varieties. Did you know that there are 7 500 varieties of apples grown around the world and it would take you 20 YEARS!!! to try them all if you took a bite of one variety each day? That is a a lot of perfection to appreciate! This and other fun food facts found here!  I will be on on the lookout for "beaver butt" the next time I purchase vanilla; who knew?!!

I have shared many photos of the beautiful produce we have grown; we have grown some misshapen fruits and vegetables too over the years; carrots with extra appendages, tomatoes with smiley face scars, and our absolute favourite, the er...um....."unicorn" tomato!

DIY Grapefruit Sugar Scrub

It's late and there is no natural light so I did not take a picture of my final product, but trust me when I say this grapefruit scrub is worth giving a try sight unseen.  No "Pinterest fails" here ladies; I promise.
It is super easy to put together, the ingredients are easy to find and it smells and feels amazing.
I can't credit the original source of this scrub.  I have had the recipe scribbled on a dogeared scrap of paper for years and have no idea where it came from.

1 1/2 cups white sugar
20-30 drops grapefruit essential oil
2 drops of red food colouring (optional, but its just enough to give it a light pink hue)
1/4 cup jojoba or sweet almond oil
1/4 cup liquid castile soap (unscented, or citrus, almond works well here too)

Place your sugar in a large bowl and sprinkle in the essential oil and food colouring (if using) until evenly dispersed.  Add the jojoba/sweet almond oil and castile soap, stir and spoon into clean glass containers careful to avoid getting any water in the jars as it will start lathering and dissolving your sugar.
You can find smaller glass jars at the bulk barn and the dollar stores or you could use small mason jars as well. You can find some fun, free citrus printables that fit on wide mouthed mason jars here or some simple scrub labels here or some super cute "Scrub with Love" labels here.
This makes a great body scrub, or rub for tired feet and is super for shaving your legs! Just mix some scrub with a small amount of water and rub being careful if you are standing in the shower as it can be slippery.
If you have leftover castile soap, pour an inch or two in your foaming hand soap containers, top with water for a wonderful foaming hand soap.

Mulling Spice Mix

Today was the perfect apple cider day.  I had this simmering on the stove with oranges, cinnamon sticks and Stonewall Kitchen Mulling Spices and the house smelled fantastic.

You could easily put together your own mix of mulling spices ( this is a really pretty version that I plan to try soon as is this clever spice tower, but the Stonewall combination is really good if you are looking for a ready made variety. Mulling spices make an easy, festive hostess gift for the holiday season wrapped in cellophane, or brown kraft paper and tied with bakers twine and some evergreen.

Dinner With Julie's Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars were an easy treat for lunches this week.  This recipe whips up really quickly and can be baked in a square pan and cut into bars or pressed out into one large cookie on a round pizza pan and cut into wedges.  Makes a very fun birthday cookie baked, drizzled with chocolate or icing and of course generously covered in sprinkles and studded with a candle or two!