Food Friday: Dutch Girl Cooking

I think I've come down with another cold. 2nd one in about a month....seriously people.

Anyway it also means I didn't take the time to do this weeks meal plan.

Sooooo.....

I'm suggesting you browse the website of Dutch Girl Cooking

Click HERE

I discovered her on Pioneer Woman's Cooking page.

Note: Recipes on Pioneer Woman's website are NOT on her webiste. Pioneer Woman get's exclusive rights.

So browse away....

The challenge,....using the recipes make your own meal plan this week. I've provided the resources, now plan away :)

Today's Quote

You knock on lots of doors trying to get in, and at some stage you stop knocking and it's what's inside you that speaks.   ~Suzanne Goin, chef

Happy Thursday

It's tv night! And my shows are repeats :(

It's okay though, I have a lot on my "to do" list so hopefully that'll be my motivation to get my butt in gear.

In other news, Boone is doing MUCH better and is pretty much as good as new.

It's pretty mild here today. Going up to +6 and we're expecting rain. Looks like we'll lose the snow we have....again! Not that I'm complaining....I'm just ready for spring now.

Can you believe its almost the end of February? Time flies eh? Looking forward to March though, lots going on next month :)

Happy Thursday!!!

Today's Quote

"When I see danger, I step away. When I think I can move forward, I move ahead, and when I think I can come closer, I do. Sometimes I am wrong, but often, if I pay attention, I am right, and these maps of my own instincts guide me as surely as any by Rand McNally would"  ~Mary Morris

Happy Wednesday

Another beautiful sunny morning, not as cold so that's a bonus. I hope this nice weather keeps up til spring...keep on dreaming sista!

Things are good, hubby had to take Boone to the vet yesterday. It appears he has pink eye. Who knew dogs could get pink eye? Hubby also did research and it doesn't appear that it's contagious. Either way we've been washing our hands lots just as a precaution. I did take photos of his eye but I swear as soon as he saw the camera he opened his eyes as much as possible so you couldn't tell :) but I'll try again and if I can get a good shot I'll post it here so you can see poor Boone in his misery. Actually he's not miserable, he's his cheerful normal self. But you can tell it does bother him at times :(

Oh I made the Cornflake Talapia last night that was on this weeks meal plan....hey it's a guideline, I don't go by it to the tee. Anyway this was the first time that I made it so if you're making it tonight, here are my suggestions:

- Make sure cornflakes are really crunched up to more of a finer crumb than a coarse crumb

- Add more than the suggested seasonings (I love the cornflake taste but it needed more kick)

- maybe do an eggwash coating before you dip the crumbs, my talapia wasn't all that moist (since it's a firmer fish) so the crumbs sticking were a bit of a challenge.

Overall I did enjoy the recipe, mainly because I really enjoy the taste & texture of talapia. And as said before I liked the taste the cornflakes put on it.

Also do we have any Gossip Girl fans out there? I've missed the last two weeks and for some reason my PVR didn't record last week. Can you fill me in before I watch this weeks episode? Assuming that my PVR worked, I should check that. Anyway.....yeah please share :)

Okay that's enough rambling

Today's Quote

"My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment."  ~Oprah

Pancake Day

So I did some research on Wikipedia about Pancake Day....it appears I didn't think of this when I was doing this weeks meal plan :)

Wikipedia says

"The festival is widely associated with the eating of foods such as pancakes, and often known simply as Pancake Day, originally because these used up ingredients such as fat and eggs, the consumption of which was traditionally restricted during Lent"

I know a lot of people even hide money in the pancakes. I don't really remember doing this growing up, nor will I be having pancakes tonight. Mainly because I'm not a big fan of them.

Just curious what traditions you might have had or if you'll be giving anything up for Lent this year?

I've decided I won't be giving anything up for Lent this year either. Boy do I sound like a stick in the mud today. I'm really not :)

Today's Quote

I'm an optimist. It keeps me going. I believe in the potential good.   ~Robert Redford

Weekend in Review

Happy Monday!

It's a cold but BEAUTIFUL Monday morning. I hope you all had a nice weekend.

I sure did, Friday night I went to visit a friend since she is recovering from a day surgery that she had. No worries, she's feeling good, just a bit sore.

Saturday Kristen & I headed to the International Centre for the Outdoor Adventure Show, it was actually pretty good. We didn't buy anything BUT if we were in the market for any of the products we probably would have bought them there.

Saturday evening we stayed in and watched hockey since it was cold, windy & snowing like crazy.

Sunday I slept in til 9....ahhh. Then did some cleaning, grocery shopping, marinated my meat for dinner today (hoisin pork/chicken) then off to Kristen's hockey game where they won! Yay...it's exciting cause it doesn't happen a lot :)

Unfortunately we didn't win the 48 million 6/49 jackpot, I think we did win a free ticket & $10?

Can you believe February is almost over?

I wish I were going down south this year :( We're not and I'm really missing that today.

Also winner has been announced on my photo blog.

Today's Quote
Put blinders on to those things that conspire to hold you back, especially the ones in your own head.  ~Meryl Streep

Food Friday: Meal plan week of Feb 23rd

Hello my friends, our winter thaw is over and the snow is back :(

But it was nice while it lasted. Today is cold and sunny can't really complain about that considering it's still February & winter.

Here's this weeks meal plan ideas:

Monday - Hoisin Pork

I would serve this with Basmati rice and use pork instead of chicken.

Tuesday -  Italian Bacon Drumettes 

Wednesday - Cornflake Tilapia

Ingredients:

4 tilapia fillets

2 cups corn flake crumbs

1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1/3 of a palmful

1/2 tablespoon ground coriander, half a palmful

1/2 tablespoon paprika, half a palmful

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

-In a shallow dish combine corn flake crumbs, dry mustard, coriander and paprika. Season tilapia fillets with salt and pepper, then coat them thoroughly in the seasoned corn flake crumbs.

-Preheat a large non-stick skillet with 2 turns of the pan of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons, over medium-high heat.

-Once the oil starts to ripple, add the tilapia and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

-Serve with choice of sidedish

Thursday - Shake-n-Bake chicken with Broccoli Salad

Friday - Fricatelli
Ingredients

3 cups cooked rice
1 medium chopped onion
1/2 lb sausage, browned
1 can tomatoe soup
Cheddar Cheese shredded
Pepper to taste

-Cook the sausage (drain fat if necessary, I usually boil mine first)
-Add onions and fry with sausage.
-Then add rice and tomatoe soup, once its heated through, add cheese.
-Mix well and sprinkle pepper on top.
Easy and YUMMY!!

Today's Quote

Cooking should not be a chore; it should be an opportunity to share and connect.  ~Lesley Stowe

Cyball Photography

If you haven't visited my photo blog in a while, I just wanted to let you know....time is running out!

There's currently a contest for a free LOVE session.

What's a love session you ask? It's a "tweaked" engagment session.

How do you enter?

Email your story of how you & your sweetheart met to cyballphotography@hotmail.com or leave a comment HERE

Today's Quote

"Whenever you've been touched by love, a heart-print lingers so that you're always reminded of the feeling of being cared for, knowing that, to someone, you mattered."   ~Oprah

Boone Likes to Run

Give Boone a stick and lots of room to run

Hey what happened to the stick?

Did I mention he likes to chase his tail too?

I apologize for the over exposure, was using the hubby's camera and haven't figured out all of the settings yet.

Oh and did I mention?

Boone likes to run?

Today's Quote

"We can either watch life from the sidelines, or actively participate...Either we let self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy prevent us from realizing our potential, or embrace the fact that when we turn our attention away from ourselves, our potential is limitless"   ~Christopher Reeve

Family Day '09

I had a wonderful weekend. Went to Kristen's hockey game, had my first pedicure which was awesome, more because of the people rather than the actual pedicure. If you're going to be in the Halton Hills area, check out Blue Springs Spa without hesitation. Then Saturday evening my brother came to visit and Kristen made his awesome ribs and I attempted the potatoes I suggested on Friday for your Valentines meal. Overall they were good but a bit undercooked, I was way off with the baking time and the smoking of the ribs...sorry guys :(

Sunday spent some time with friends and Monday was family day! Okay I took a tonne of photos so today here's just a few. Tomorrow I'm hoping to have more of Boone running, jumping, etc cause he was just so excited to be out in the snow, in wide open spaces.

Our first photo is Boone, yes that's the view from my side mirror. He was tickled pink to be headed to the great outdoors, regardless if it were cold or not.

I love this shot of Boone

By this time I was quite cold (I can't believe I forgot my mittens) I think the oh-so-bright sun was deceiving. But I did convince hubby for a quick photo before hitting the road again

Say cheese!

Told you I was cold, I look frozen to death.

And here's Boone....waiting at the fence to go in the car again.

Today's Quote

"When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, 'Oh yes -- I already have everything that I really need" ~The Dalai Lama

Food Friday: Valentine's Day Style

Today's post is a menu suggestion for tomorrow, Valentine's Day.

I'm a big fan of the website "Dutch Girl Cooking" she often does guests posts on Pioneer Woman's website (cooking section)
So today I'm going to suggest a menu based on her recipes



First we'll start out with a bread type appetizer:
Rosemary & Garlic Foccacia
**tip**
don't make the dough yourself, buy ready made pizza dough at the grocery store.


Then for the main course:
Spare Ribs
Part I - you will do this part tonight
Part II - you will do this part tomorrow
served with
Sour Cream Gratin

It'll all be baking in the oven while you're getting showered, dressed, lighting candles, etc :) he he he.

And last but certainly not least, dessert!!

This will be your choice....I would recommend something chocolate but hey, that's just me.

Happy Valentines Day to you and your sweetheart.

Today's Quote:

"You lie upon my heart as on a nest,  Folded in peace"  ~Amy Lowell

Winter Thaw

This is what happens when you get an un-seasonal winter thaw.

And you have a dog that LOVES to dig

Yes that is MUD on his nose, in February!

I had just finished cleaning the mud off his paws and he decided to grab his nylabone and lie on the bed with it. I didn't even have a chance to clean his nose so decided to take a picture instead.

Oh the adventures of puppies (can't believe he's almost 8 months old)

Today's Quote

Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.  ~Roald Dahl

Weekend In Review: tuesday style...again

Don't know what's up with me and not posting on Mondays....either way...I had a nice weekend.

Friday night was spent relaxing at home with the hubby. Saturday was up early and to the grocery store, then did all my house cleaning because the girlies were coming to visit. To do SCRAPBOOKING! It was awesome...I only did 3 layouts (I was trying to be hostess too) but 3 layouts are a LOT more than I would have done had I not scheduled a scrapbooking afternoon.

Had a great time catching up with old friends, spending time with the girls and just chatting. Good times, good times.

Then Saturday evening I went to the movies with another girlfriend. We went to see "He's just not that into you" And while it is a romantic comedy, it's definitely not your typical chick flick. I honestly think guys could watch this movie and say they actually enjoyed it. Not necessarily LOVED it like it did, but yeah was at least slighly amused by it :) After that we headed to Second Cup for hot chocolate and to catch up.

I'm so lucky that I have so many girlfriends, they're all awesome in their own way.

Sunday I slept in...oh yeah I did. I didn't get up til 9am. For some that's not late but for me that is totally sleeping in when you have a dog that thinks you have to get up by 6:30 on the weekends. Kristen was already gone to hunting school with Boone so I was able to roll over and get some extra zzz's

I love these 50-50 weekends I've been having lately. 50% busy and 50% just relaxing. Can't ask for much more than that.

Today's Quote

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think."   ~Benjamin Disraeli

Food Friday: The Thought Process

When I sat down to organize this weeks meal plan, I started thinking how I rationalize in my head how the plan will go for that week.

For the most part I base it the main course which is the meat then I pick the sidedishes that I think will compliment it. I also know that Kristen & I have a few staple type meals that we just "mix up"

The only time the layout of the meal plan might change is if I'm in the mood to try something different or something unexpected happens.

So without further ado, here's how I think......

Kristen & I love chicken, honestly we could probably have chicken every dinner of the week and be happy. But for the sake of not turning all of my loyal readers off from chicken we'll narrow it down to twice a week. Then I really try to have fish/seafood once a week, so that leaves two days of the week for the alternate meats such as beef, pork & turkey. I'm sure there are more but that's the basics for me.

Then I think I'd like to have pasta at least once a week (remember whole grains are good for you)

After that I start thinking I'll have pototoes one night, rice another, salad another and straight veggies another. Then I mix & match from there to come up with this:

Monday - BEEF

Slowcooker Stew

Tomatoe sauce, beef chunks, onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Let simmer all day :)

Tuesday - FISH

Now this could be a shrimp pasta, or fried fish, or cod au gratin (which I made for the first time not too long ago and must say was just awesome) and since I had potatoes yesterday in the stew I'm going to pair this up with a nice salad.

Wednesday - CHICKEN

Chicken recipes are literally endless....so make your fav chicken recipe. Now I'd pair it up with rice since I haven't had rice yet this week.

Thursday - PORK

This night Kristen will be cooking a pork tenderloin and I think I'll pair it up with a cold pasta salad.

Friday - CHICKEN

Stir fry is an option that way you have chicken, rice again (but if it's brown rice it's a whole grain so it's all good) and LOTS of veggies such as peppers, onions and broccoli.

Then, here's my tip for weekend cooking. I do the "hard" recipes....if I wasn't using my slowcooker, its the weekends that I take the time to let a stew, turkey soup, seafood chowder or chili simmer on the stove all day. Sundays it's good 'ol salt beef for Sunday dinner. I love the winter comfort foods, nothing better than a hot bowl of turkey soup with warm fresh bread. This isn't set in stone it's just the thought process....most of the time.

Good luck with how you figure out your meal plans :)

Today's Quote

"Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can -- there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did"  -Sarah Caldwell

Tattoo

Kristen got his first tattoo this past weekend. He said it hurt a bit....have no idea what that's supposed to mean. Either way, now he's permanently engraved!

Some of you might recognize this symbol as the logo from the tv show Survivorman (which Kristen is a BIG fan of)

However it's not the only reason that he went this route...if you notice, its a man with a half compass around him, symbolizing the outdoors, if you know Kristen you know he's ALL about the outdoors. I think it suits him to a tee.

When will I be getting a tattoo you ask? Not in the near future, if ever, it's not really my thing. Love Kristen's though. I told him I think a tattoo on the calf is sexy....he he :)

Today's Quote:

Find what you love to do. Find your passion. Know what makes you want to get up in the morning, that's all you need.  ~Condoleeza Rice

Boone Update

I feel like I've given Boone a bad wrap when I was having a hard time walking him.

He's a good dog, a great dog and I'd never give him up. But there are days he's difficult, and I'm frustrated and he "knows it"

However we've since found the solution to the hyperness and not listening when I'm trying to walk him. Kristen purchased a leash called a Gentle Leader. Basically it's a regular leash with an additional loop that goes around his nose, if he tries to pull ahead it causes him to turn back around and end up facing me instead of getting away from me :)

So far so good......and Boone is still as awesome as ever!

Today's Quote

"You must take chances. If you do nothing, you reduce the possibilities you have for greater joy"  ~Walter Anderson

Books

For Christmas I received a couple of books plus a Gift card to buy more books.....aaahhh....this is the life :)

Today's Quote

"Plan your hours to be productive?Plan your weeks to be educational?Plan your years to be purposeful. Plan your life to be an experience of growth. Plan to change. Plan to grow"    ~Iyanla Vanzant

Weekend In Review

The end of another well balanced weekend, relaxation, chores and time spent with friends. Doesn't get much better than that. I'm almost over my cold and I'm working on Friday's Food post.

Sunday night Kristen & I watched Hancock, not what I was expecting but I did like it.
We also started watching Wall-E but haven't finished it yet, so far I really like that one :)
Other than that all is well. Happy Monday!!

Today's Quote:

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great.  ~Orison Swett Marden