It's been a rather long hiatus.

Let's talk about Christmas. This year I made French Onion Soup in keeping with my husband's family traditions. I avoided cookies of any kind (though they did NOT avoid me, for some reason). I also made the yams and green beans for Turkey dinner. I'd like to try a new yam recipe, but I seem to always stick with the tried and true. Is it true about the microwave causing veggies to lose flavour? If so, these must have been some pretty flavourful yams to begin with because they were still delicious.

We've started another tradition in the making. SNOWBOARDING! We go every Monday which is our day off, and then convene afterwards for dinner. In the interest of not breaking the bank, we've been alternating between the pubs and our houses for dinner. This week is my turn, and I'm planning on a slow cooker roast. It is my belief that I can put the roast in the slow cooker with some carrots and potatoes and just let her roll while I respectively *roll* down the hill. Any suggestions to keep the roast as tender and delicious as possible?

I'll let you know how it goes. Monday night football and roast? De-Licious!

I've Been Bad

I could tell you why I haven't been posting. I could also tell you why I've gained a few pounds; but I don't want to. Let's just say it involves a pair of pee-coloured arches. Bad Mojo.

I really want to return to my healthy (ish) ways in the kitchen. The way I see it, butter cooked properly is better than trans fat any day, am I right? Especially with the winter rain coming, I am feeling the need to dive back into the kitchen and make sure I am creating savoury morsels to cheer us up after a long chilly day. Trying to fit cooking in is challenging, but I want to be committed.

I'm thinking today might be a good day for French Onion Soup. I have the broth, just need the onions, the cheese and the bread. I suppose it depends what time work ends today. I will keep you posted. Keep me away from those arches!!

Rainy Day Comfort Food

Today was not a pleasant day outside.  Let's just say the Ark was brought up on more than one occasion.  That fact also seemed to make lots of people want to console themselves with food, which really, is OK with me.  The more foodie consolation they seek, the fatter my pocketbook is when I head home for the day.  

Tonight I decided on my own brand of comfort food.  Fettucini Alfredo.  Though, it must be admitted, I technically do not know the definition of Alfredo sauce.  I make it up, often, and different every time.  Tonight's Alfredo consisted of heavy cream (I think, does 18% qualify as heavy?) butter, garlic salt, chicken stock, two boiled and minced cloves of garlic, and fat free cream cheese.  Quiet in the peanut gallery! How I choose to justify my butter addiction is none of your beeswax.   I then sauteed green peppers, sausage, and canned mushrooms in a small amount of butter (rehab?) with some chili peppers and what I thought was chili powder, but turned out to be paprika.  The mushrooms, after a taste test, were not tasty at all, so I did my best to separate them out and use only the sausage and peppers.  

I let the sauce reduce until it thickened, though I should have waited for optimal thickness, I suppose hunger got the better of me.  Does anybody have tips for cooking fettucini so it doesn't clump together and not soften?  I used olive oil in the water and stirred with one of those funky separating spoons, which was an improvement on my last attempt, though still not up to company standards.  I threw all ingredients together and tossed, then served.  I was lacking a parmesan or reggiano garnish, but I made due.  It was quite tasty, if not a little rich, but I ate less than my usual half ton pasta portion so in my head it all balances out.  Please don't tell the Wii Fit about my reasoning methods.

My charming husband is only now on his way home from work.  Another hazard of the rain, he was force to work four extra hours today.  Hopefully along with revenge, Fettucini Alfredo is a dish best served cold.

The *Absent* Gourmet

I know all one of you who reads this blog is wondering if I died.  No would be the answer, but I've had a cooking hiatus.  Call it laziness, call it a bad week, call it sinking into the abyss of leftovers and fast food.  That aside I am back.

I burnt my arm at work.  Not just a little red spot and stinging, I'm talking a blistering send you the ER burn.  I'd post pictures, but this blog is supposed to be about the appetizing, not the disgusting.  However my arm is all dressed and pressed and ready for some non-action.

Today I made spagetti and meatballs.  The meatballs were ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, SnP and some spices, rolled into inch width balls.  I browned the outsides, then boiled until they were cooked through.  The sauce was tomato paste, crushed tomatos, oregano, marjoram, Montreal steak spice, boiled garlic, garlic salt, Worcester, Burgundy cooking wine and parsley.  I added water to reduce the thickness slightly and simmered for about an hour.  I added some ground beef and eventually the meatballs to simmer.  Then I remembered that I forgot onions of any kind.  I could feel the real Italians rallying outside my door, pitchforks in hand so I quickly diced some onions, browned them and tossed them in.

Tonight my charming husband is heading out with some chums and my girls are coming over, so it will be appy's and cocktails. I think I may try a naan thai chicken pizza, homemade salsa with taco chips, and possibly edamame. Yum.

I will let you know how it turns out.  Thanks for your patience in my absence.

All Quiet on the Western Stove

Nothing new to report.  Here's why.

I took the weekend off.  We ate junk food, then went to my Grandparents house where they spoiled us with a Turkey dinner and copious leftovers to sustain us for the rest of the weekend.  

I work tonight.

More to come when I get off my butt, do my dishes, and start creating again.  Also, I just saw the WORST Dairy Milk commercial ever, with the creepiest kids.  Yuck.

Chicken Little

This morning, my friends, I have achieved yet another raw meat victory.  I have, in fact, held, cleaned and prepared a raw chicken in its entirety.  Disturbingly enough it made me think of holding a baby, but Freudian issues aside, I am very pleased with myself.  I defrosted the chicken last night, and washed it this morning (I don't even know if you need to wash a grocery store chicken, but I figured better safe than sorry). Then I took a tip from a foodie at work and pushed peeled garlic cloves under its skin, I can only imagine the garlicky goodness that shal result from this innovation.  Next, I rubbed paprika, SnP, garlic salt and Montreal Steak Spice (don't say it) over it, and stuffed it tenderly in the crock pot where it will simmer gloriously on low whilst I venture out to make money today.  I have some Yukon gold potatoes, the small ones, that I am deciding what to do with for a side dish; currently I'm leaning towards mashed.  I will pick up some green beans or other related vegetable on the way home from work.

My charming husband told me to take an extra day off in order to have one more summer weekend with him - what a gem.  I am hoping to make a strata on Saturday or Sunday morning.  Savory style a la Rachael Ray.  I have to pick up some cheeses to make a go of this - but should be fun.  

I have the before picture available currently for the chicken, please note my shining achievement of the lumpy garlic cloves, should you be able to see them despite the obvious blackberry-esque photo quality.  Would you also judge me severely if I mentioned that I've still been too lazy to plug the camera in to charge?  Its alright, I'm judging myself.

Happy Friday to you all. 

Coconut Cream

This morning I got up at 7:30.  My mom was coming to pick me up at 10, since my charming husband had our car for the day, and she didn't want me to take an hour train ride on my day off.  I had much to do before she arrived.  There were copious amounts of dishes from my second attempt at the pate brisee last night that needed to get done.  The pate brisee had to be baked into a pie shell, and cooled, then filled with the filling that I had yet to make (sidebar: the filling is Shirriff, not Sherriff, as I had mistakenly been spelling it) and topped with the whipped cream I had yet to beat.  There also had to be a shower and some getting ready thrown in there as well as breakfast.

The pie crust burnt.  

Fortunately I had enough pate brisee left over to make two mini pie shells, about muffin tin size.  I filled one with the filling, which had thickened splendidly, and topped with whipped cream. This was my first ever non-can variety that has not been essentially whipped soup.  On the filling it needs to be said that stirring constantly just plain sucks.  After my hand cooled (perhaps I should try a longer spoon next time) I re-read the package and decided to opt for the cheat-y microwave method next time.  I think I went astray in two places with the pie crust.  First, I took a page from the mini quiche recipe that said you need to leave the pate brisee hanging over the edge of each muffin indent by about 1/2 inch.  It seems with pie crust, any hanging bits will burn.  Secondly, when weighting the bottom of the crust down with rice (which incidentally you should do with a tinfoil buffer, not a wax paper buffer.  Wax paper? Not so pleasant when it begins to cook) you take the rice off once the bottom has formed, approximately halfway through the baking time.  This I learned when sharing my woes over lunch with my mother, aunt and grandmother today.  Also, you should poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust so it doesn't poof up.  Who knew?  Apparently they all did.  

Either way I was satisfied by bringing one mini pie to my grandma for her birthday, and leaving one in the fridge for my husband, for his dessert tonight.  Tomorrow I will make more pate brisee in the morning, leave it to chill while I work, and make mini pies for the rest of the filling, which are actually much more conveniently mobile than one silly large pie anyway.  Of course, I'm not jaded in the slightest by this experience. ...

I don't have any ideas for dinner tomorrow at this moment, but it needs to be something quick as it will be a long day at work and I will be hungry (read: ravenous and likely cranky) when I get home.  Suggestions would be welcome.