Archives for Food category
Posted on Nov 14th, 09 at
7:11 pm under Food
14
Nov
Well, of course we will, but we will have help…
A while back I had gotten rid of our toaster oven. The door was broken and was not very useful because the heat was escaping and it just looked unsightly… We were happy with just having a toaster but when I saw a higher-end toaster/convection/rotisserie oven half price at Canadian Tire, I just bought it… It is a bit overkill for a toaster, though it does work, but it will be great for reheating food and baking small things even after we get the oven back in working condition… and it will probably save a bit of energy at the same time…
I have a few bananas that need to be used up and I thing that I will even be able to bake a banana bread in it!
As for this week, I am excited at our menu, and the bill was about 130$, which is again staying within the budget I have set… and that makes me happy also 
So, we are having…
Hunan Dumplings
Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Falafel sandwiches
French Onion Soup
Something in the crockpot (not too sure yet)
and Raclette (I’ll write a post tomorrow explaining what this is)
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Posted on Nov 13th, 09 at
6:26 pm under Family Life, Food, Misc Ramblings
13
Nov
It’s Day 2 without an oven and I have no clue when we will have it working again.
The Sears guy was supposed to come today but then called yesterday and was able to figure out the problem over the phone with the Error code. He checked with the pieces and they are on order and he expects them for the 30th. I can’t believe it, I can’t go that long without a working oven!
I asked him if there was anything else that could be done and he did say that he would try. He called this morning saying that he would get back to me with news but then never called. It is so frustrating!!!
There are many things in the house that I wouldn’t have a problem without, but this is not one of them… especially since we no longer have a microwave or a toaster oven. Though I don’t like the results much, I remembered that we still have the breadmaker stashed somewhere down stairs, so I might get that out in the meantime…
The next weeks meal plans are sure going to be interesting to make though…
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Posted on Nov 12th, 09 at
3:49 pm under Family Life, Food, Misc Ramblings
12
Nov
My oven is broken!
I made some breakfast cookies this morning, pre-heated the oven, put them in and then soo after I started to smell food burning… I ran to kitchen at about the same time as the alarm on the oven went off flashing ERR:F10 over and over… I got the stuff out of the oven noticing that the cookies on the top shelf were burnt completely but the bottom ones were perfect… The broiler element was on and wouldn’t turn off…
The only way that I got it to turn off was to pull the oven out and unplug it.. then I called Sears (it is not even a year old) and they will be coming to repair it soon…
I have no idea what could have happened for it to break so suddenly. Looking around on the net though it looks like this Error code is because the heat was going too high, meaning that the heat sensor is most likely broken so the oven wasn’t cycling off and on like it should.
This really sucks! I use the oven pretty much everyday.
For breakfast we often rotate between Baked oatmeal, apple pancake, breakfast cookies, etc… For lunch we use the oven to reheat food since we don’t have a microwave, I made bread sometimes on a daily basis, muffins or other desserts and of course supper…
Tonight we are having sandwiches, so I’ll have to go out and buy some bread for tonight…
At least the stove top is working but depending on when the oven will be fixed I’ll have to plan meals around using the stove top exclusively which honestly is quite a challenge. Of course since this is taking away many of our breakfast options we will most likely be relying on the toaster a lot more which means that I will have to buy bread since I can’t make it.
This really sucks!
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Posted on Nov 10th, 09 at
9:21 pm under Recipes
10
Nov
I don’t know why, but I have never owned a Bundt Cake Pan… that is, until 2 weeks ago…
This is the first cake that I have made in it and I am in love with it already! I went to visit friends today and just had to make another one to share with them… so I made this this morning before leaving.
The original recipe called for just 2 cups of apples, more sugar, nuts etc… The first time I made it, I used less sugar, replaced half of the oil and added a bit more apples but not nearly enough to my liking… This morning I tried with 4 cups of apples and it was perfect.
Next time though I am going to try substituting the oil with Sour Cream instead of apple sauce. I think that the sour cream will ass a really nice tang.
So…
In a bowl, mix together:
4 cups apples, peeled,cored and diced (I use Empire Apples)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
In a large bowl mix together:
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (can be replaced in part or in whole by apple sauce)
1/4 cup orange juice
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
Add to the wet ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease bundt pan.
Add 1/3 of batter mixture to the pan.
Sprinkle half of the apple mixture over the batter then follow with 1/3 batter, and then add rest of apples and top with rest of batter.
Bake for 55- 60 minutes.
This cake is really not too sweet with a great Apple-Cinnamon taste… The pics here were of the first cake I made with less apples, doubling the apples added a lot of flavour and made the cake a bit more moist which was perfect!
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Posted on Nov 9th, 09 at
2:03 pm under Recipes
9
Nov
I was having a craving for some fried chicken sandwiches… the kind that you get at fast food places but better… These turned out even better than I would have hoped, they were perfect and everyone loved them!
I had 4 chicken breasts, so it made 8 sandwiches.
To begin with, cut a chicken breast in half horizontally. (So place chicken breast on cutting board, place knife on the side of it and cut with the knife parallel to the board)
Place the halved breasts in a bowl, bag or container and add 1 1/2 cup buttermilk (or a mix of 1 1/2 c of milk with 1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice).
Marinate for at least 6 hours (overnight is better though)
Take chicken out of the Fridge at least 30 min before frying and in a container/bowl/bag put 2 cups of flour and the following:
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Dip the chicken into the Seasoned Flour and then place on a plate and if you want you can redip into the buttermilk and then redip into the flour for more of a crust.
Prepare Oil in a pan, I used my favourite Cast Iron Skillet and added about 1 1/2 inch of oil and heated it up to 325 using a candy/oil thermometer.
Fry the chicken for a few minutes each side until done and golden brown. (it took about 3 min on each side for mine) and place on a few paper towels.
Place on a bun with lettuce and Mayo and whatever else you like…
I love the spicy mayo on these kind of sandwiches so I made a mix with Mayo and Frank’s Red Hot and it was perfect.
This is definitely something that I will be making again in the near future…
I have never had a Fried chicken sandwich that tasted as fresh and crispy as this, and of course, by making by own bread the cost of these are minimal…
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Posted on Nov 7th, 09 at
3:32 pm under Food
7
Nov
This week’s meal plan includes one of the Turkeys that I bought last week and will be made into three of the weeks meals, so with a few staples that needed to be bought (coffee, 10 kilo bag of flour, a few pounds of butter that were on special etc) I was still able to keep the total lower than usual at about 110$.
So here is what we are eating this week..
- Sushi/Cheese Fondue (Simon is not a big Sushi fan so he has the latter and the boys have both)
- Turkey supper (Turkey, crispy potatoes and gravy)
- Samosas
- Turkey Club sandwiches with homemade Ciabatta bread
- Turkey and Dumpling Soup
- Felafel on homemade Pitas
I see that I need to add a few more recipes here to share.. So I will make sure to take pics and share, especially the Ciabatta bread that take sandwiches to the next level, and the turkey dumpling soup that is one of the boys’ favourites. Making the Samosas will be a first time for me so I will share depending on the results, but I am pretty confident that they will be good…
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Posted on Nov 6th, 09 at
5:18 pm under Pregnancy and Birth, Recipes, UP/UC
6
Nov
This is the third pregnancy that I have made sure to drink Red Raspberry Leaf tea through out the pregnancy…
I have been learning more about herbs (still need to get my hand on a good book though… any suggestions welcome!) and this time I have made a point of adding more herbs to my tea to add more nutrients and vitamins and of course the other useful effects that herbs can bring.
My home mixed Pregnancy Tea is made primarily of 3 herbs (though I will soon be adding a fourth as soon as I get to the store).
Red Raspberry Leaf: One of the main reasons of taking RRL in pregnancy is that it strengthens the uterine muscles making labour more efficient. RRL is high in Calcium and Magnesium which helps relieve cramps and is also high in Iron, making it great for energy and anaemia. It also helps settle an upset stomach. Taken after birth, it helps with bleeding, helps the Uterus regain tone and increases milk supply.
Nettles: Nettle is an amazing herb. It is rich in Iron, Calcium and Folic Acid which is very important in pregnancy. It strengthens the Kidneys which reduces fluid retention, and also supports the vascular system which helps prevent varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Taken after birth it can help with hemorrhaging and bleeding and also helps increase the milk supply.
Oatstraw: Oatstraw is another herb that is high in Calcium and Magnesium. It is also high in Vit. A, B, C and E. Oatstraw is known to help alleviate pain and has a calming effect on the nervous system which helps with anxiety and depression and also helps for a more restful sleep. It is also an herb that helps the immune system.
The next herb that I will be getting is Dandelion root.
Dandelion root is a great diuretic, helping to clean and strengthen the liver, kidney and gallbladder (though I no longer have the latter). It also replaces the potassium loss in frequent urination.
I put the same amount of each of the herbs in a Jar to make a large batch of loose tea that I can just take a bit of each day without any fuss. I boil my water, place 2 heaping tsp of the tea in a 1L Mason Jar and fill the jar nearly to the brim with the hot water…
I give it a quick stir (mostly because I love to see it swirl)
And then let it cool down… as I prefer to drink this tea warm or even cold… if I am wanting to drink it hot I add a tsp of my favourite “chunky fruit tea” to add a bit of sweetness to the flavour…and now that I am in the third trimester, I make sure to drink at least 3 cups of it every day…
I couldn’t find my tea sieve the other day (I have since cleaned out my tea shelf and found it) but I had an idea and used my Sprout Jar top for the tea. It works perfectly, cleans easily and I definitely will keep on using it… though I do only use it after letting the tea steep and cool down…
**The general rule for RRL in Pregnancy is 1 cup in the first trimester, 2 cups in the second and 3 in the third. So if you make this, make sure that in the first six months you make the adjustment or made it separate from the rest of the herbs.
Of course this tea is not only good in pregnancy but is also great at any time, especially for women and their monthly cycles.
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Posted on Nov 3rd, 09 at
11:50 am under Food, Misc Ramblings, Raw feeding
3
Nov
Sometimes, the weekly specials at the grocery store just work for you…
I make my weekly menu according to the specials from the grocery stores in my area and I am also trying to stay within budget. I was not being careful for a while and the amount we were spending on groceries was going up a bit more than I would have hoped… So I have been being careful of using what we have in the freezer and pantry and stocking up on things that are on special…
Now that I also have Nala to feed I am really keeping my eye out on cheaper cuts of meat…
I felt I hit the Jackpot this week… Turkey was .99 a pound and so were chickens at another store. I bought two turkeys, one that has been put away in the fridge to defrost for the weekend (which will make a great turkey meal, pot pie, stock and soup along with leftovers) and one for freezer for a later date. I also bought 4 chickens and a 4 bone in chicken breasts. Along with other food to complete the menu plan, including 8lbs of apples and a box of clementines, I managed to keep the cost at about 100$ which I find to be quite remarkable…
The 4 chickens were not the nicest looking or the best quality but Nala won’t mind… I took the time yesterday morning to cut them up and separate them into baggies for about 3-4 weeks worth of Nala’s meals… I am hoping to do the same whenever I see that special so that we have a good stock of food for her in the freezer at all times.
(Ready for the Freezer)
At the same time I was cutting up the whole chickens and was in the groove, I also cut up the chicken breasts that I used in last nights supper which was Fried chicken Sandwiches (recipe to come)…
The bones of course did not go to waste and got thrown into a pot with a few onions, carrots and celery stalks and will become the broth for tonight’s soup and there should be broth left over to freeze for other meals…
(Chicken stock before and after about 20 hours of simmering)
So for about 100$ I will be getting weeks worth of food for the whole family…
Planning meals and stocking up on specials can really be quite rewarding…
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