Jen's Pots & Pins

Scarves, Fabric Painting and other stuff

2011-10-05T12:10:00.001-04:00

I'm back again. Settling in to the new house and getting the kids into their school routines has taken up some time, but I finally have a day where I have to do absolutely nothing till I pick up the kids. My husband's out of town, so no surprise phone calls and unplanned errands. I know I should use this time to be job hunting, but I've been so busy and I'm tired. So I think I deserve to sit down and blog for once.

I showed you my sewing space in my last post and although the room isn't pretty at all, it is functional and it is in use. It is bliss to have everything together and because the room is away from everything else, I can spent time sewing without distractions. The disadvantage though is I'm not within sight and sometimes hearing range of the kids. You know the saying...when the cat`s away the mice will play, or in this case kill each other or break something or spill entire cups of juice on rug etc. So I`m finding it impractical to sew when the kids are home and hubbie is not.

I`ve been doing less sewing, but I`ve been knitting more. I attended a monthly knitting group and had such fun and was inspired by the easy ruffled and fluffy scarfs the ladies were knitting. So I`ve been knitting scarves. Since it is October and Breast Cancer Awareness month, I bought the Bernat Ruffelina yarn to make a ruffle scarf (proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Canadian Breast Cancer foundation). I`m almost done an eyelash yarn scarf using Bernat Boa in Parrot (purple shades) and also for another ruffle scarf I bought Red Heart Sashay in Tango (no need to guess my favourite colours, as I seemed to choose purple shades again).

The other hobby I`ve worked on is my fabric painting. I haven`t painted for about 4 years and I looked through my Painting UFO`s (unfinished objects) and found a painting I did of a Guinea fowl, a bird found in South Africa. I decided the colours would work well as a seat cushion for our outdoor furniture, so I made up a cushion slip with dark denim backing, added ties to attach to the chairs and within 45 minutes, I had that project completed. I have an unfinished table cloth using the same guinea fowl design, so I will either finish the table cloth and paint more for the cushions or I could cut up the table cloth and make more cushions from that. I also have a frog design painted in roughly the same size (which I cannot find to take a photo?) and an unfinished parrot. I could make each cushion in a different animal with the same bright colour scheme.
I also finished up six paintings of apples in a bowl which are destined to be placemats. I just need to sew up backings and finish them.
Once upon a time (about 7 years ago) I was planning to start a home business doing fabric painting and selling the paints I use, but then kids and moves with the military cancelled the plans. But I did order a whole bunch of the paints from South Africa, so I now have a great supply if I wanted to paint more often. It's actually a testament to the quality of the paint that they are still usable after such a long time. I sealed them up well with tape and they remained in a sealed tote in a closet so no air or light exposure. The paints in question are Crisitex and are available in South Africa and a limited few places stock them outside the country. These paints are brushed on using a paintbrush and just the outliners are in paint pen format.

I've taken photos of some of the projects in various stages of completion (excuse the creases, they've just been pulled out of boxes):

My completed cushion with guinea fowl

A set of six mats. Painting completed, must still sew up.

Detail on the apple placemat.

Parrot, possibly for outdoor cushion. Detail painting still to be completed.

Birds originally intended as a wall hanging, not my style anymore, but could work in the kids room or playroom. Lots of background painting to finish.

Tablecloth, featuring a cow, lily, pig and pumpkin in each corner.

Corner detail on tablecloth. Detailed painting still to be completed.

The paints I use from South Africa, Crisitex.

That's enough for now, I'll try to find time to post pics of my completed scarves and other other tidbits soon.

As a last thought: I'm changing my blog to pink this month in honour of all those ladies battling breast cancer past, present and future. Think about doing the same. SAVE THE TA-TA's

My New Sewing Space

2011-08-07T14:56:00.001-04:00

It doesn't look like much now, still disorganized and a bit of a dumping ground for stray stuff, but it's MINE!!! I had my own room two houses back in Quebec, but I had to share the space in Windsor. I now have a 12 by 11 foot basement room with lovely closet space. In the last house I shared a smaller space with the computer desk, filing, a big bookshelf and my husband's clothes. I had to set up my cutting table in the room used as a family room/toy room. I can now fit the desk, cutting table, ironing board and dress form in one space. I have already started putting bags of fabric into the closet and have put all my seasonal, small or outdated clothes in the closet's hanging space. Unfortunately the plumbing issues we had on move-in day caused part of the room's ceiling to be removed, but it'll stay that way for now so that we can access the plumbing for the permanent repairs. I know this post isn't very exciting, but it is a way for me to be accountable and get working so I can share the "after" shots soon.

I'm Back...new city, new house and a new adventure!!!

2011-08-03T22:52:00.001-04:00

Hi all,

I'm back online after many months of house staging, selling and moving. I'm now trying to get our new house in Thunder Bay, Ontario in a state of organized chaos. Not so easy with two little maniacs on summer vacation. We've been in the house less than a week and it's starting to feel like home again.

My kitchen was the first thing to be totally unpacked, because as you know I love to cook and we were just sick of living off restaurant food for over a week and it's not fun dealing with two hyperactive little boys at restaurants everyday. I did a massive meal planning session before we left Windsor and jumping back into things was really easy here. I was lucky enough to have brand new (never used) stainless steel appliances that came with the house and this kitchen has more counter and cupboard space. Unfortunately it also has small pokey bathrooms and a craptastic closet in the master bedroom. But I'm working on solutions to these issues. This older house also has some leaky plumbing issues that wasn't picked up during the house inspection, but luckily we have a friendly, helpful and handy neighbour who helped out and we have the leaks stopped. What else..oh yes, THE HEAT!!! We left Windsor during a heat wave and experienced humidex temps near 50 deg C, but at least we had central air conditioning.So we don't have air con here, but who needs it in Thunder Bay anyway, yeah right..we were totally wrong. I've been told that the weather is pretty much abnormal now (around 28-32 deg C) but we're having a hard time without air con. So lets (wo) man up and stop complaining.

Thunder Bay is just gorgeous!! I really missed nature living in Windsor and here it's just endless forests with streams and pristine lakes everywhere. We don't exactly have a view from our house now, but I've been told we might see some lake in the winter when trees aren't leafy. But just driving around is great. My husband and I were big roadtrippers before we had the kids and we just loved hopping in the car and trying a different road somewhere. We lived in Colorado when we met and married so we toured the whole South Western USA and parts of California. Now with kids it's a complete buzzkill listening to them fighting in the back. Although we like to time our weekend drives after they've had lunch and the drive makes them sleepy and mom and dad can enjoy some quiet time while they nap in the back. One of the great things about the whole moving process was the roadtrip. We headed North through Michigan, then re-entered Canada and followed the Northern shore of Lake Superior all the way to Thunder Bay. It was stunning and beautiful, mother nature at her best!!

I have no photos of my own to share right now, as I've been too busy to download anything. But below is the city landmark The Sleeping Giant across the bay.

I have an actual sewing room in this house, so no sharing, sewing and cutting and storing all in one space. But I don't foresee myself having much time this month to attempt any sewing. Speak to you again soon :)

Cafe World Challenge Week 49

2011-04-23T22:20:00.001-04:00

It's been over a month since my last post, but I've been VERY busy in my blog absence. We're moving in August so I've been busy getting the house ready for listing. A good friend of ours is our realtor and she's been helping me pack away all the excess stuff and stage our home beautifully. I am now absolutely besotted with the house again, at least we still get to stay in the 'new and improved' version for a few more months. While I've been working I've still fed my family and have 4 more Cafe World dishes to report. That means according to my final list...... I am DONE with my Cafe World Challenge. It was a self-imposed challenge to add a weekly component to my blog and keep it active, but now that it's done I'll try to keep posting, I'm a VERY slow sewist and I'm trying to not dominate my blog with excessive cooking stuff. My cutting table and my patterns and fabric have been packed away so I might be limited to the amount of sewing I can do in the next weeks. Hopefully the house gets sold quickly and I can move some of my sewing essentials back into the house. I'm still cooking yummy stuff, so you'll get a recipe here and there if there's time and definitely a post showing the house photos for the listing. I LOVE the way it looks now. I don't have before photos for every room, just the messiest ie. the sewing/computer room.

Anyway Happy Easter to everyone and on to the LAST Cafe World dishes.

GRAND TANDOORI CHICKEN

I love Indian food. Need I say more. So even if this recipe was bad, it would have been great to me. But my husband seems to think it was good too, so it might be worthy of sharing. Tandoori chicken is grilled chicken marinated yogurt and spices. It can be prepared in a traditional tandoor clay oven or just grilled in the oven or on the barbecue. It usually has a red or orange colour, but mine came out a little more yellow. I used only ingredients I had at home so it was an experiment, but I do have a very well stocked spice collection.

Tandoori Chicken

1 lb (500g) chicken breasts
1 large onion, finely chopped

Marinade:

3 tbsp lemon juice
1 3/4 cup plain fat free yogurt
2 tbsp ground coriander
2 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp crushed/minced ginger
1 tbsp crushed/minced garlic

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and add the onion. Wash and dry the chicken and using a sharp knife cut diagonal slits into the chicken breasts.Place the chicken in the marinade mixture and rub into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, turning occasionally. Preheat the grill. Place on a grill tray in the oven and grill for 20 -30 minutes or until done. It can also be prepared on a barbecue.

IRISH STEW

Cafe World's Irish Stew was made with beef, but if I wanted to be traditional I think I should have rather used lamb. An Irish stew definitely needs potatoes, so I added those and I debated about using Guinness, which I've done before, but I was making this in the crock pot and it was still too early for the liquor store to be open, so the decision was made.

"Irish Stew"

2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
1 tsp paprika
4 carrots sliced
3 potatoes diced
1 onion chopped
1 celery stalk sliced

Put meat in stone ware. Mix flour, salt and pepper and pour over the meat and stir to coat. Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix well. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 hours (or HIGH for 6). Stir before serving.

I LOVE stew, I think I've mentioned this before. A good meal which I served with Pumpkin Scones RECIPE HERE.

BEEF WELLINGTON

I also love Beef Wellington, a very English dish consisting of a beef fillet wrapped in puff pastry with a layer of pâté and/or mushrooms.

I love chicken livers and I bought a delicious pâté topped with crushed black pepper from my local deli..awesome on its own, but unbelievable in this dish. I used Martha Stewarts's version. Très magnifique!!!

My husband was skeptical of the description, but wholeheartedly enjoyed this one.

GEM CAKE

I finally used Fondant, and it was so very easy. I initially balked at the price of the tub ($18) but I only used about a 1/3 so I'll get a few more cakes out of it. I could've made my own but didn't want to be scared off by icing that didn't turn out well. I admit I spent quite a while watching demonstration videos on YouTube just to be certain and then I took the plunge. To replicate the look of the Gem cake I used a light moss green fondant, but instead of gems I opted to make a Spring/Easter cake for our dinner at my in-laws today. So I made little "flowers" with the Easter pastel shade smarties in the centre. The cake inside is just box Devil's Food Cake.

Progress: 88/88, ALL DONE

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Cafe World Challenge Week 48

2011-03-17T15:35:00.001-04:00

So this is the 48th post about these Cafe World inspired dishes, not the 48th consecutive week, since I've been slowing off towards the end here. If I don't add the two new dishes I've unlocked, I only have 2 more to go. I quite fancy cooking the new ones, so I'll might just add them.

This post I'll share my Chinese New Year Candy box, Creme Fraiche Caviar and my husband's crazy Unbirthday cake.

CHINESE CANDY BOX

This box or tray is traditionally served at the Chinese New Year. I found they were a little expensive, but I waited till after the New Year and found one on sale at a good price. It contains an assortment of candied fruits. My favourite being the candied ginger and my kids liked the candied coconut.

The fruits in my box were (from top and clockwise): water chestnut, coconut, winter melon, ginger, soursop, sweet potato and lotus seeds (middle).

CREME FRAICHE CAVAIR

For this I used lumpfish roe on toasted baguette with creme fraiche. I've found a local source for creme fraiche, but I've made my own before.

Creme Fraiche

Mix together 1 cup heavy cream and 1 tsp buttermilk. Heat to 85F, pour into a jar and let stand at between 60 and 85F until thickened (12 to 48 hours). Refrigerate and use within 3 weeks.

For those that haven't tried creme fraiche before, it is similar to sour cream, but I find it is not as sour and has a smoother flavour. When I have some leftover from my recipe, I add some vanilla and eat it as dessert with some fruit.

UNBIRTHDAY CAKE

My husband was away for his birthday and the kids were horrified by the thought of a birthday without cake. So I promised we'd make a cake for dad when he returned. This was definitely more for them as they had a ball helping me add colouring to the frosting and sticking decorations to the cake. It was a great March break activity, although I'm still finding drips of bright pink frosting everywhere. I figured it was supposed to be fun and funky so I didn't care about the lopsided cake and messy frosting so the kids got to participate and do their own thing.

I made square cakes instead of round and just cut it to size. I also "cheated" by using box cake...Devil Food cake. Mmmmm good.

New Additions to Cookbook

I've now unlocked Irish Stew, for St Patrick's Day. I actually made one a few weeks back, but I love stew so I'll make another one. Also Beef Wellington, a quintessentially British dish, which I enjoy, but don't think I've ever made myself.

Progress: 84/88 with the two new ones included. Only those and Gem cake and Tandoori Chicken left.

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Cafe World Challenge Week 47

2011-02-25T17:20:00.001-05:00

I attended a Japanese cooking class last year and have used my notes from that class to make sushi. I'm not a fan of raw fish sushi and prefer eating rolled sushi ie. maki. I usually order the vegetarian option at restaurants, but I had leftover smoked salmon from making the Lox Bagel so I added that too.

SUSHI SPREAD

The term sushi actually refers to the rice which is mixed with rice vinegar. This rice can then be topped or rolled in various ways. My cooking instructor stressed the importance of properly cooked rice, so I followed her instructions:

Sushi rice

3 cups of sushi rice
4 cups of water
3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

Place rice in a medium sized saucepan. Remove excess starch from the rice by rinsing it 3 or 4 times. (Add cold water until the rice is covered, then drain water.)
Add the 4 cups of water to the rice and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat so that the rice continues to cook, without boiling over.
Cook for 15-20 minutes then turn off the heat.
The secret tip: Don't peek, do not remove the lid until the dish is ready to serve.
When ready, mix the rice vinegar into the rice.

Cover your sushi rolling mat with plastic, it keeps things clean and non-stick. I wanted to make inside-out rolls, with the rice on the outside, so I tried both methods. Method 1, was to lay the nori on the mat and then cover it with rice and then flip it over, the rice sticks pretty well to the rougher side of the nori. I also just spread rice onto the mat and then pressed the nori into it to cover. Both worked okay. A good tip was to keep a bowl of water at hand to dip your spatula or spoon into. This dislodges sticky rice and makes spreading easier.

I laid my smoked salmon in the centre of the nori parallel with the bamboo. If you did it the other way it wouldn't roll properly. I used avocado and fine carrot sticks in mine. Then just roll up tightly. Remember you don't want to enclose the mat so fold the mat over the fillings to form the roll. I then sprinkled mine with toasted sesame seeds and cut it into pieces. I served mine with soy sauce with a little wasabi mixed in.
Very delicious. Considering it was the first time I did this myself, I think it worked out pretty well.

Progress: 81/86 (only 5 to go)

Next up: I didn't get time to make Unbirthday cake for my husband before he left, but will attempt it when he returns, which will be after his birthday. He's at sea for 3 weeks.

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Wild Thing skirt

2011-02-23T17:19:00.000-05:00

I've found a new favourite skirt pattern. It sews up quickly and easily and has a few variations so that many looks can be created with ease.

Unfortunately the pattern is Out of Print, but you can still find it on the Butterick website.
It is Butterick 4613 and it has six variations including self fringe, flounce and lace edged. I made up View A, which actually has a self belt, but I omitted the belt.

I'm planning to make this version up in the Navy wool crepe to go with the Vogue 8692 jacket. I made a muslin and was so super happy with the style that I decided to immediately rummage through my stash and make up a wearable version. I came up with the ridged cotton woven in an animal print that I used to make this Burda jacket.

I LOVE THIS SKIRT!!! It's fitted through the hips without being restrictive. It has a waist facing and centre back zipper.

I also tried a new hemming technique on this skirt. The fabric is a little stiff so I didn't like the idea of hand stitching a hem and I really didn't want a top stitched hem. So I used hem tape for the first time. I have the Heat 'n Bond Superweight tape. I think it turned out great. The hem is nice and crisp.

I can see myself making many more versions. If the pattern pieces weren't currently attached to the wool on my cutting table I'd pull out a different fabric and sew another up.

I finished this skirt 2 weeks ago and have been waiting to get my hubbie to take a photo of me in it. But in the meantime I've been sewing more braid on more naval uniforms. My husband has been advertising my services to the unit. I should get a photo with all the guys and girls together posing with their Jen-sewn braids. That would be fun.

I've had a little hiatus from sewing my own garments, so I've turned to the sewing blogs for inspiration. One of my favourites, Faye's Sewing Adventure, has just turned 4. Congrats Faye!! She is having a giveaway a week on her blog over the next 4 weeks to celebrate. Check it out. It was actually her blog that inspired the Butterick skirt pattern choice as she made a version a while back and she also made a great animal print jacket which was one of a few made by the blog girls at that time. When I read through my blog list I always have a pen and paper in front of me and jot down any ideas or pattern numbers that I like and then I usually transfer the info to a computer file where I list my current and future projects and any additional inspirational tidbits. I've seen some lovely sewing room fix-ups and tidy-ups on the blogs lately, so that will be my next mission....get my sewing stuff a little better organized. Then maybe I can get in gear to get back to my sewing projects.

Cafe World Challenge Week 46

2011-02-16T16:54:00.001-05:00

Blah, blah, blah.....

That's how I feel lately!! So sorry about being lazy about blogging. I've had one thing after another happen that has hampered my plans and my creative juices have run dry. Not that any of my mishaps have been in the creative realm of my being, but it impacts my general mood. In the grand scheme of things I suppose it hasn't been that bad.
I had my large, heavy wooden fireplace mantle fall on my toes and cause severe pain and limited motion for a week. Then my husband goes away for a week and I get to deal with crazy little boys all on my own. Then of course it's that time again when talk shifts to possibly moving again. UGH!!! So my mind goes crazy. Then I get rear-ended and then have to deal with all the admin involved with a collision and insurance and car repair. So a few days got completely swallowed up with that. Now I have my husband home, but he's off again for 2.5 weeks. Aside from the stress of trying to find a job, but then if we're moving why am I bothering?

Enough of my rant!!! Thanks for listening. I needed to just hammer out my frustration on the keyboard, you were spared the worst of it, the delete key was used extensively.

So with just myself and the little guys to feed I haven't been cooking anything reportable....but managed to squeeze in a Cafe World dish. Lox Bagel. My 5 year old loves smoked salmon so he was very happy.

LOX BAGEL

This was an easy one. I bought "everything" bagels and spread them with my favourite whipped chive cream cheese, topped with salmon and thin slices of red onion. Pop open a bag of potato chips and Voila!!!

Next Up: I'm making Sushi...finally and since my hubbie will be away for his birthday, I'll make the Unbirthday Cake before he leaves.

Progress: 80/86 (nearly there..I haven't added any of the new dishes, since I haven't been playing to unlock any of them)

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Cafe World Challenge Week 45

2011-02-06T10:38:00.001-05:00

We had a great Cafe World inspired dish this week, Chicken Adobo. I don't know how authentic the version was, but it tasted great. Like the stew in the previous post, my boys loved it.

I'm still pondering how to make an affordable Unbirthday cake. I could really cheat and say since it's no one's birthday and its a cake, it's an Unbirthday cake, but I don't think so. I investigated using fondant for decorating the stacked cakes, but it was $18 for each coloured tub and the multicolour packs with smaller quantities to cut out shapes and decorate is $11. What I might do is use coloured butter cream frosting and then use the $11 fondant to add stripes and shapes. Since I am expending lots of energy on the decorating I bought two boxes of devil's food cake to make the process a little simpler.

Anyway...back to the Chicken.

CHICKEN ADOBO

Here in North America, if you hear Adobo you think Mexican, which it is too. But this version is the Filipino version. Read the wikipedia entry for the detailed explanation.

Basically the Filipino version is meat simmered in vinegar. My husband grimaced at the thought, but ended up really liking it. My only change to the recipe I would make in future is to use reduced sodium soy sauce. Since you're using a whole cup, it was a touch too salty for my liking. The other great thing about the recipe, for me at least, was that it used pretty standard pantry staples. I only needed to buy the chicken and sprite (which is optional anyway). The sprite is suggested to sweeten up the tangy sauce. I used it because I knew it would bubble up the sauce when added and I figured my son who sometimes helps me in the kitchen would get a kick out of it. He thought it was really cool. Although I think he liked his little glass of sprite better, my kids are still little and I don't let them drink pop, so it was a treat. The bubbles in pop or even carbonated water seem to wreck havoc on his poor tummy though and he usually ends up with tummy cramps, so he told me, "mom I can't have too much I don't want my tummy to hurt." SMART LITTLE BOY!!

Okay so enough chatter, click here to get the recipe on Cooks.com

Up Next: I'm hoping to get an Unbirthday cake done.

Progress: 79/86

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Seriously Super Stew

2011-02-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

I made an amazing beef stew last week and am finally getting time to share it now. I found the recipe in the November 2009 Homemakers magazine. The recipe is on their website HERE.
This particular issue has some fantastic recipes and the splotchy condition attests to it's use. My other favourite from this issue was the "One-skillet chicken Provencal", the cover recipe. I don't think I've taken a photo of this one, but have definitely made it more than once.

Back to the stew...the issue has 5 different beef stew recipes and with the colder weather, I was craving a hearty delicious stew. The stew's intense flavour is due to almost a whole bottle of .....

The dried porcini and other mixed dried mushrooms also add tons of flavour and since the water used to rehydrate the mushrooms is added back into the stew, none of the flavour gets lost.

I served the stew with plain boiled potatoes, but it would be fantastic with mash too. It was a good thing that the recipe makes 6 to 8 servings because everyone wanted seconds and my eldest wanted stew for breakfast the next day and then stew for his school lunch and then instead of greeting me when I picked him up, his first words were, "Can we have stew again for dinner tonight?" So clearly a HUGE hit.

For my Cafe World Challenge followers: I've decided to finish off the remaining dishes when I can and probably won't be posting them every week. I'm stuck on trying to make an Unbirthday cake, as my cake decorating skills are non-existent. While I think on that, I'll try to make Chicken Adobo later this week. We have a huge snow storm heading our way tonight so I'll have to see how the roads look tomorrow and see if I get to the grocery store. They're predicting 30 cm overnight with blizzard conditions. But of course I used to live in Quebec City so I should be used to this weather. Weather is really pretty mild here in Windsor (for my non-Canadian readers...it's on the Canadian side across from Detroit)

Anyway cheerio, keep warm and don't let the weirdo weather get you down.

Happy Birthday James!!

2011-01-24T20:32:00.001-05:00

My little man turned 5 today. It's very emotional for me and also lots of fun. I've been reminiscing about the whole Birth experience today, not the physical birth, but more just the emotions and how excited I was to welcome my first child into my life and then meeting the little wrinkly boy and getting to hold him against me and marvel at his beauty. It was incredibly surreal.

Of course my little buddy was very excited and got his presents this morning before school and had a little party at school and then we went out for dinner and then he got to come home to play with his new stuff and eat his mom's cake. I was very busy today and everyone seemed surprised that I actually got a chance to bake a cake. My husband actually whispered in my ear at a stage, "Did you remember to buy a cake?" Seriously buy a cake, no way!! Since he wasn't having a party at home, I opted for taste instead of a lavishly decorated cake. I came across a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cake in one of the Kraft "What's Cooking?" magazines. Super Simple and the icing on the cake (literally and figuratively) is no icing/frosting just choc chips...lots of them. The recipe is mixed in the baking pan and since there's no extra frosting, the cleanup is minimal. I also didn't have to wait for cake to cool to frost and it tastes devine. My son's reaction: "oooh super chocolaty mom." So it gets a thumbs up!!

For my Cafe World Challenge readers: Sorry I didn't post last week, the males in my family were all sick and had no appetite, so I didn't get a chance to make anything.

For my Sewing readers: I've been busy. Nothing to post, as most of my work has been tedious prep work. I cut out the wool crepe for my Vogue jacket and am still busy thread tracing and making tailors tacks for the marking step. I've prepped fabric for some other projects and have done a bunch of mending - hemming, broken seams, patched boy's pants knees and replaced missing buttons. Once I've finished up the marking step, I've got the grey silk charmeuse waiting to make up the lining and then do a quick muslin of the wool skirt pattern to check fit.

Cafe World Challenge Week 44

2011-01-14T12:50:00.000-05:00

I went for some Greek inspired fare this week....Chicken Gyros and Fries.

CHICKEN GYROS

Usually Gyros are made from meat that has been skewered and slow cooked and then sliced when needed. I'm not able to do this at home, so I just marinated sliced chicken breast and added some of the usual fillings.

Recipe:

1 lb chicken breast sliced (450-500g)
olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp Greek seasoning ( I used Epicure Selections' version)
1 red onion thinly sliced
2 tomatoes chopped
black pepper to taste
Juice of a lemon
warmed pita breads
Shredded lettuce
Tzatziki sauce

Drizzle chicken with olive oil and add the oregano and Greek seasoning. Mix to coat chicken. Allow it to marinate for a half hour.
Heat a little oil and stir fry the chicken till it's cooked.
Toss together onion, tomatoes, pepper and lemon juice. Split the pita breads, stuff with lettuce and tomato mix and top with chicken and Tzatziki sauce.
Enjoy!!

I didn't make my own sauce, I just bought a fresh deli version. Those who know me well, know that I don't touch a cucumber and absolutely won't cut into one either. It's something to do with the smell and the taste. I've just never liked them.

Progress: 78/86

Next up: no idea, but I am making Loco Moco again tonight.

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Basic Patterns from the '90's

2011-01-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

I had a thrift store pattern buying spree last month and immediately made up a blouse and have now finished the skirt. I can usually get the patterns for about 25c each. The two patterns used were:

McCall's 9578 (dated 1998) featuring Pants and skirts with elastic waist, side seam pockets and ties.
Vogue 7752 (dated 1990), a very loose-fitting unlined below hip jacket with pockets, a loose-fitting pullover top with back neck slit and button/loop. A dirndl skirt with elastic waist.

I finally made my denim skirt, I think I started planning one in 2008. I used the McCall's pattern to make up a long black denim skirt. Its not the usual style you'd see in denim, but I wanted a longer skirt I could wear with boots in winter and the elastic waist is comfy. I opted to omit the front tie, I don't need extra bulk in my midsection!!! This was a quickie project, which I finished in two days, in between steaming wool, which is a really arduous task BTW.

I made up the top in the Vogue pattern in some green cotton, it turned out almost tunic-y (yes I know its not a real word), but I'm sure using a fabric with more drape would eliminate the tunic feel. The top has a slit neck at the back that closes with a button and loop. I followed a tutorial here, and made a loop using button hole stitch. It turned out nicely, I've never done that before.

Speaking of firsts, as far as I can remember, this is the very first Vogue pattern I've sewn. I own a whole bunch of them, but haven't used one yet. Of course I'm almost ready to cut into my wool crepe to make Vogue 8692, so that will be #2. These two and my next project are being finished up so that I can free up my cutting table, which doubles as a storage space for works in process. I have the jacket cut out for the Vogue 7752 (above) and will make that next. I wanted a matching jacket and top (like a twin-set) from the khaki fabric, but just didn't have enough as the fabric width was narrower than I expected. I'm also attaching gold braid to another naval tunic, this time for one of my husband's colleagues. It seems he's advertising my services.

Back to the photos, I thought I'd be able to wear the top and skirt together, but I feel very frumpy in that combo. I tried wearing it with a big belt but it still looked odd. So I took photos with the skirt and top styled differently and I think the skirt looks better with a tighter top and the top looks better with skinnier pants. What think you??

Cafe World Challenge Week 42

2011-01-07T10:29:00.001-05:00

Another week and two more dishes down. I made a spicy Kung Pao Stir Fry and just set up a Vegas Buffet based on the Cafe World graphic.

I had my husband home all week and he's been taking kids to school etc, but that also left him time to go wandering around town and he always comes home with stuff I don't need. I was going to make Chicken Gyros and fries this week, but he came came home with steak, chicken flings and shrimp. UGH!!! I shouldn't complain, his galavanting has allowed me some time to stay home and sew..my number one passion right now.

KUNG PAO STIR FRY

A Kung Pao stir fry is a Sichuan dish usually made with chicken, although other meats can also be used. It is different from others because it contains some heat in the form of chilies and Sichuan peppercorns and also has peanuts in it.

I made up my own version using the ingredients I had at home. I should've added Sichuan peppercorns, but didn't have any and opted for chili and a Chinese garlic chili sauce. I couldn't find Chinese chili peppers at my store so I just used a jalapeno, so not very authentic, but very tasty nonetheless. I changed the traditional order of cooking so that I could keep the pan free of hot flavours for the kids. I then scooped out their servings of meat and vegetables and then spiced up for the adults. The Cafe World version was made with beef, so that's why it isn't a chicken stir fry.

Kung Pao Stir Fry recipe:

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb sliced beef steak
3 tbs vegetable oil
1 heaped tbsp Asian chili-garlic sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
1 small zucchini, cut into 3/4 inch dice
1 red pepper, cut into 3/4 inch dice
1/2 cup cilantro leaves

Combine garlic with meat and 1 tbsp oil. Make sure meat is well coated and marinate for 30 minutes.

I prepared all the ingredients before starting to cook, so that it was easier to stir fry.

Sauce: Whisk together chili sauce, soy sauce, sherry, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch.
In another bowl combine peanuts and jalapeno.
In another bowl combine vegetables.

Add meat to hot pan or wok and stir fry until slightly browned. Remove and set aside.
Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil to pan and stir fry vegetables until tender. Remove and set aside.
Add 1 tsp vegetable oil to pan and flash fry peanuts and jalapeno. Return meat and vegetables to pan and add sauce. Stir fry till heated through and serve with cilantro on a bed of rice.

VEGAS BUFFET

If you look at the game graphic above, you can see that this person loaded their plate with Steak, Lobster, probably chicken wings, maybe potato and jello and they have their winnings on hand too.

Since my husband came home with steak, shrimp and chicken flings...I could be a very good substitute. So my version has garlic butter sauteed shrimp instead of lobster and Buffalo chicken flings (basically just chicken nuggets) instead of wings and I served it with potato salad and a store bought jello treat my son begged to have. There wasn't enough time to make my own jello at home. I figured the bag of loonie chocolate would stand in for the Vegas winnings, although I suppose you wouldn't find many loonies in Vegas.
For my non-Canadian readers: a loonie is our 1 dollar coin. It is called a loonie because it has a loon (a bird found in Canada ) on one side. Our Two dollar coin is called a Toonie (Two-nie). Yes I also found this incredibly strange when I arrived, but it is fun to confuse visitors!!

Progress: 77/86 (9 more if no others get added or unlocked)

Next Up: I'm going to make my version of a chicken gyro.

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Jacket Prep Work

2011-01-05T20:25:00.000-05:00

I 've made some progress with the Vogue 8692 jacket. I've made up my muslin and made changes to the pocket pattern pieces that were incorrectly printed. If you're interested the changes are up on Vogue Patterns' Facebook page.

Even if you're not interested in this pattern, you should still take a peak at their Facebook page. They share the work of bloggers like you and me and you'll see many familiar faces and their beautiful Vogue creations.

I just muslined the back, front and sides and tested for fit through my middle. It seems to fit okay!! Any comments?

The other big job was to prep the wool crepe fabric. I have 3.5 yards of 62 inch wide fabric, enough for the jacket and a skirt. The piece is way too big for me to be considering hand washing and flat drying, I'm just not equipped to deal with that. I could've taken it to the dry cleaners, but that will be expensive (I'd rather spend the cash on fabric). So I found another method on Carolyn's Blog Diary of a Sewing Fanatic, she calls it the "Steam the heck out of it" method. As she herself says, this is a REALLY time consuming method. I've been at it all day and haven't finished half yet. It involves using a damp press cloth and lots of steam and yes, pressing the crap out of it. I'm using a 20 by 12 inch piece of lightweight muslin press cloth and it covers the width of the fabric 3 times, but only 2 lengths of the press cloth fit on the ironing board, so I have to wait a while in between, because I can't move the wet fabric. So I don't know if you know what I'm getting at, kind of hard to explain, but it comes down to a LONG TIME. I've at least gotten to catch up on my PVRed shows while I stand there and press and I've been doing housework and blog reading and other stuff while I wait for the wool to dry a bit, before repositioning on the board and continuing the process.

Tonight Canada is playing Russia in the World Junior Hockey Championships Gold Medal Game, so I'm watching that while pressing and writing here while waiting. I'm really hoping to be done by tomorrow morning, as I absolutely have to tear myself away and go out to lunch with my husband. He's been home all week and has wanted to go out to lunch every day, but I've been so engrossed in my sewing that I've nixed the idea each time. So when I agreed to go tomorrow, he called some friends to join us, so I couldn't back out again. At least it's Indian food, which is my absolute favourite. I've been lucky all week, my husband has been around to deal with taking kids to school and back and I've been sewing or doing sewing related reading all week. ABSOLUTE BLISS!!! I think I need a bumper sticker for my car, "I'd rather be sewing!!" Can you get those? I'm happy, I'm on a roll, stay tuned for another update soon.

12 Jackets in 12 Months

2011-01-03T13:50:00.000-05:00

There is a sew-along going on over at Stitchers Guild, where the goal is to make 12 jackets in 12 months. I posted there back in December with a rough plan and thought I'd make my intentions known here too.

Usually at this time of year I would be obsessing over the SWAP contest (also at Stitcher's Guild), but decided to skip the stress this year and do something a little more relaxed. You say 12 jackets in 12 months is relaxed?? Not totally, but it is only a sew-along and no pressure to actually sew up 12 pieces. I thought I'd use the spirit of the sew-along as motivation to finish up some half sewn up jackets and coats in my UFO pile and make much needed cover-ups in my wardrobe. Since the rules of the sew-along are pretty flexible, I can count structured jackets, coats and casual unlined jackets and even cardigan type knit jackets. If I take into account all the UFO's or previously planned pieces for which I have fabric all ready and waiting, I have 7 projects. I'm sure I'll have other patterns and fabric jumping out and inspiring me too, so whatever works out is great by me. My other goal with the sew-along is to stretch my skills, which is also the theme of this year's SWAP, I want to use techniques I haven't used before and to this end my first major project will be Vogue 8692, Claire Shaeffer's Custom Couture Collection jacket pattern.

An added bonus of using this pattern is that Ann Rowley, a moderator over at Stitcher's Guild, has made up an amazing photo tutorial of her progress through this pattern. It is found here. There is also an abundance of discussion about the pattern at Stitcher's Guild, so it will make the attempt of this advanced skill pattern a little easier. I hope!!

I purchased a beautiful navy wool crepe from Denver Fabrics. Ann also used a wool crepe, so I'll follow her recommendations to which interfacing etc to use. I'm using a grey silk charmeuse, which I got when our local Fabricland closed, for the lining.

I was supposed to get the muslin done today as my kids went back to school and I'd have some uninterrupted time available. But alas!! My eldest son was excited about seeing his friends and was wide awake at 3am and never managed to get back to sleep and kept waking me every hour with some request. So I used my quiet time today to nap, I'll need it, he'll probably come home a tired wreck and be as cranky as a constipated bear.

So I'll post more progress at a later stage. Oh and I also cut out a casual unlined jacket in a very drapey khaki coloured fabric, so that will be whipped up too...at some stage soon anyway.

New Year, New Look

2011-01-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year and wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2011!!!

I've been wanting to change up the blog appearance, so to celebrate the New Year, Jen's Pots & Pins has a new look. I hope you like it.

Cafe World Challenge Week 41

2010-12-31T09:33:00.001-05:00

I'm back in the kitchen. Did I ever leave? No not really, I just took off a week posting while travelling around visiting family over Christmas. Since I have two weeks worth of dishes to report on, this post will be longer than usual. I finished up four more dishes to cross off the list, although one is a new addition.

PITA AND DOLMAS

The Cafe World version has a pita stuffed with Falafel and Dolmas. I have previously made Falafel for the challenge, so I made Tabbouleh instead. It is a fantastic salad made from Bulgar wheat, tomatoes, green onions, parsley and mint with an olive oil and lemon juice dressing. I make it pretty regularly and just estimate quantities and taste. I found a recipe on SimplyRecipes.com which is pretty much exactly how I make mine. So check it out there, it would save me typing it all out.

I've never made dolmas/dolmadas/stuffed grape leaves/stuffed vine leaves...whatever you call them. I've always enjoyed them though and had fun making them. I was in the middle of a biscotti baking marathon for a cookie tray fundraiser, so I chose a crockpot recipe to keep pots off my stove and out of the way of the baking. They turned out great. I made this recipe on the Blog "A Year of Slow Cooking" . This blog is a great resource for crockpot recipes and tips. The year involved was 2008, but the blog is still kept current with new recipes and crockpot related posts. These dolmas are stuffed with a rice and ground lamb and turkey (I used chicken) mixture. Once you get the hang of it, the stuffing and rolling of the leaves is quite easy and fast. I still have a big jar of leaves left so I'll probably make these again.

ATOMIC BUFFALO WINGS

I used a Betty Crocker recipe, it was simple enough except for the whole deep frying in batches thing which takes forever if you don't have a great big pot or deep fryer. It is fried in a seasoned flour and then tossed in a hot butter sauce. I set aside some wings for the kids before coating mine in sauce, it was spicy but not atomic. My husband's were probably ATOMIC as he made up his own dipping sauce using all the remnants of his hot sauces. He loves HOT sauce and the hotter the better. I dipped mine in some yummy chunky blue cheese dressing.

WALDORF SALAD

As my regular readers know, I didn't grow up in North America so I am only vaguely aware of what constitutes a Waldorf salad. The Cafe World game had you gathering walnuts, celery and lettuce and I knew there had to be apples in there. So I came up with my own version, although after further investigation I suppose you couldn't really call mine a Waldorf salad at all. It doesn't have grapes or raisins and isn't in a mayonnaise dressing. But what the hell, no apologies, mine was good, better than good, it was superb!! After using a blue cheese dressing the night before for the wings, I got a craving for some good blue cheese. So this is my version:

Jen's Apple & Walnut Salad:

A bag or about 12 handfuls of mixed salad greens
2 stalks celery sliced
1 small green apple cored and thinly sliced
1 small red apple cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup walnut crumbs
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Vinaigrette or dressing of choice (I used a zesty Italian)

Toss together greens, celery and apple. Sprinkle with walnuts and blue cheese.

BLOOD SAUSAGE

I bought a package of blood pudding and cooked it up with some mash and butternut. I remember blood pudding from my childhood. My dad would buy it and I remember enjoying it and considered it a special treat. I haven't eaten it since then and couldn't even remember what to expect. It was good-ish, although it is very rich and I think it should be eaten in small quantities. No recipe here, just a dish to cross off the list.

CAFE WORLD COOKBOOK ADDITIONS

I unlocked the Waldorf Salad and there is also a new cake - Gem Cake.

Next Up: I'm making Kung Pao Stir Fry this weekend.

Progress: 75/86

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

My gifts to myself

2010-12-26T13:42:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough to actually get something sewing related for Xmas this year, a gift certificate to a local fabric store, but I decided to treat myself anyway and over the last two months have bought a number of patterns at sales and bought some fabric to use too. Since today is Boxing Day and many people have shopping on their minds, I thought I'd share my loot with you instead of hitting the stores myself.

PATTERNS: (see captions below)

Okay I was having a meltdown trying to get pics and captions to align, so the captions are here, from top to bottom with links taking you to the company website for details:

Butterick 4613, out of print, I've wanted this one for a while, will be making up View A in the navy wool crepe (see below)

Butterick 5548, tunic

Butterick 5558, a Maggy London dress with interesting waist pleats

Butterick 5562, cute knit tops

Butterick 5570, wardrobe pattern

Simplicity 2508, Project Runway Coat pattern

Simplicity 2692, dress pattern

Simplicity 3827, dresses, tops and skirts

Vogue 1205, Kay Unger Dress

Vogue 1206, another Kay Unger dress

Vogue 1209, Rachel Comey dress

Vogue 1211, Guy Laroche jacket

Vogue 8692, Claire Shaeffer Custom Couture jacket, my next project in the navy wool crepe below.

I also bought the Palmer/Pletsch Pants for Real People DVD:

I also made an order from Denver Fabrics:

A navy Blue 100% wool crepe for the skirt and jacket mentioned above. Also two cotton shirtings, one blue/green check (bad image quality, not the fabric) and another in pink/blue grey. I've found a few Burda magazine blouses for the shirtings to go with the navy suit. I haven't received the fabric yet, but it gives me time to finish up the other projects first.

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-24T11:06:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all my readers and happy holidays. I wish you all wonderful times with your family and here's to hoping Santa got it right for you!!

My little ones have their version of a Christmas classic for you, if you don't understand little boy speak...it's supposed to be Jingle Bells:

Cafe World Challenge Week 40

2010-12-17T17:05:00.000-05:00

This week I tackled a delish Mexican dish and discovered a new-to me blog/recipe website, Simply Recipes. Unlike some other recipe sites, this one is operated by a women, Elise Bauer and her family and all the recipes have been tested before being published. There are also some great posts to read. I've printed out a few recipes and will be using them over the next few weeks. Both the recipes used in the week's post came from this website.

TOSTADA DE CARNE ASADA

For those not familiar with Mexican cuisine, Carne Asada is grilled sliced meat and a tostada is like a taco, except just flatter.

As I mentioned above, I used this recipe for Carne Asada and I also made Pico de Gallo ie. Fresh Tomato Salsa, also from the same website.

Below you'll see the results:

The Flank steak marinating, before it gets grilled.

The fresh salsa and avocado toppings.

Two Tostadas ready to be devoured.

CAFE WORLD COOKBOOK ADDITIONS
I completed a catering challenge and unlocked Unbirthday cake. There are a few more but they are still locked for me, so they won't go on my list.

Up Next: I have Dolmas cooking up right now and have a feast planned...will post on this next week. I'm also looking for a recipe I can use for Atomic Buffalo Wings.

Progress: 71/84

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

And the Pattern goes to....

2010-12-13T18:55:00.000-05:00

Ruthie who authors the blog, Sew Ruthie (formerly RuthieK Sews). I'm very happy the pattern is on the way to Ruthie, as I love following her blog and her various sewing collections.

Raincoat Update

2010-12-11T17:05:00.000-05:00

Even though I've been quiet on the sewing projects lately, I have actually been sewing. I just haven't finished anything in a while. This last month has been devoted to my raincoat using Burda 7750 View A (Left Below).

The main attraction of this design was the hood. I have a few raincoats at home but never use them because they have no hood. Because I'm usually wearing my glasses, I need a hood or umbrella to keep the drips off them, it is a serious pet peeve, I HATE getting my glasses wet.

I've made mine in a black rainwear fabric with a mocha polyester lining, which is visible in the hood. I'm not done yet, I still need to insert sleeves and sew up and insert the lining, but I've decided to put this away for a few months. I've gotten a bit bored with it, but also want to focus on some winter clothing now. I'll pick it up again closer to Spring, so that I can wear it when I need it.

I had a few problems while sewing it up, basically caused by my left/right confusion. When the instructions and pattern refer to left and right I get confused as I'm never sure if it's my left and right as I'm wearing it or laid flat in front of me. I should've just read through the instructions better as I could've figured it out with the diagram for later instructions. I also figured what's the difference anyway? WRONG!!! Big difference, yes the opening flap is facing the other non-conventional side..but my problem was the zipper which is then reversed and is either on the wrong side or upside down. I eventually fixed it somewhat by removing the top zipper stop and sliding the pull onto the others side. The zipper still isn't perfect, it keeps wanting to curl around, but it works and its hidden by the front flap. The snaps under the flap, keep everything in place and no one but me is any the wiser.

On the subject of snaps - this was my first experience at inserting no-sew snaps, I used the brass snaps and needed to practice a bit, but they turned out fine. I think that was on my sewing goals list (in my head), I'm always thinking about doing new things.

I'm making some progress on my sewing to-do list. This raincoat was officially planned in January 2009 for the SWAP contest at Stitcher's Guild. I then revisited it in September 2009 for the Autumn 6pac at Stitcher's Guild. I finally cut out and started it in November this year, when I was just sick of not having a proper raincoat. So although it's not finished, I'm thrilled to have the major work done.

I'm holding the sleeves that haven't been sewn in, they're not weird wing attachments or something.

With my hood on. The kids have been watching lots of Star Wars with daddy, so think I look like an evil Sith Lord when I wear the hood.

Next up I'm clearing the sewing space and making up two patterns I picked up today at a Thrift shop, both from the 90's it seems. I'm making a long black denim skirt and a casual matching top and jacket. I need some "mindless" sewing while I'm waiting for my fabric to arrive for my tailored jacket.

Biscotti and planning

2010-12-10T19:56:00.001-05:00

I decided this was a great week to take a break from the Cafe World Cooking Challenge. My husband was away and with just the kids and I, the remaining dishes were just too much work to tackle. I volunteered to bake cookies for fundraiser cookie trays, so I decided to make biscotti from Buddy Valastro's Book. Click the link on that page for "Bonus content: Recipe" and you'll find the recipe I used.

I made mine with chocolate chips and toasted hazelnuts...a great combination that screams Nutella. Since I also ordered a cookie tray, I opted not to make an extra batch for home, which is great because I have enough of the end pieces and the pieces that broke to last us a few days until we get the tray.

I was busy with the biscotti today, but I've spent the entire week totally absorbed by wardrobe planning and sewing goals. I made some pretty big decisions regarding my next few months of sewing. These will include a wool skirt suit and cotton blouses to coordinate as well as a casual ensemble of a denim skirt (which has been on my to-do list FOREVER) and a top to go with it. I'll post on the specifics in the coming week as well as share the pattern bounty I received in the mail yesterday.

Just a reminder about the PATTERN GIVEAWAY (see previous post), I seem to have very shy readers or no one wants a FREE pattern, if no one comments by the deadline, the pattern will simply go to the first poster after that.

Christmas Wishlist Pattern Giveaway!!

2010-12-07T13:45:00.002-05:00

There's been much chatter about Christmas wish lists and since I never seem to get anything on mine that's sewing related, unless I get it myself, I decided to make sure someone else does.

I'm giving away any pattern you like in the current catalogues of Simplicity/New Look, or McCalls/Vogue/Butterick .

All you need to do is speak up and leave a comment with your 1st and 2nd choice below in the comment box. The deadline is Saturday midnight 11 December (I'm not picky..your time zone is fine, wherever you are) and I'll post the winner on Monday morning, so you can check back then and you can contact me through my profile or I can contact you through yours or your blog. I'll choose the winner by random number generation. Anyone can enter, it doesn't matter where you live.

Have fun and I hope to hear from you.

Cafe World Challenge Week 39

2010-12-04T12:20:00.000-05:00

It's week 39, 13 more weeks till a full year (52 weeks) and currently 13 more dishes to complete, so that's just one a week, can it be done? YES IT CAN!!!

This week I finished two dishes, my usual buttermilk pancakes, which I have probably made more than 20 times since I started the challenge, but just haven't had the time in my busy mornings to take photos or make it look pretty. I'm usually cooking and serving as they get done and sometimes I don't even get any if hubbie and kids are hungry. But this week, I made some for lunch when my husband was at home and we got to sit down together (sans kids) and enjoy breakfast for lunch.

I also made burritos, I made enough filling to have them twice and enjoyed them both nights.

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

This is my go-to recipe, I don't even look in a book anymore, I know the quantities in my head. The other good thing about this recipe, is that if you use fat-free buttermilk, the pancakes are fat-free. I also cook mine in a non-stick pan with fat-free non-stick spray, so the only fat will be what you add on top. My topping of choice is usually just maple syrup, we always have a litre bottle at home, fruit and sometimes if I have some whipped cream. My son James loves blueberry pancakes, so I just toss those into the finished batter.

Recipe:

2 eggs
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Whisk these together until frothy and add:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk

Stir until flour is just moistened.

Ladle into a hot pan coated with non-stick spray and turn when bubbles form on surface and start to break.
Repeat until all pancakes are cooked. It usually makes about 10 4/5 inch pancakes.

Another great practical reason I like this recipe, is the quantity of buttermilk. I usually buy a litre box which contains 4 cups, so I can make these pancakes 4 times, use all the buttermilk and it's used up by its best before date.

RED BURRITO

I love Mexican food!! I loved living in Colorado and exploring the South West and I got to eat tons of great food in my explorations. If I want Mexican fare here, I almost only have Taco Bell to choose from and so I'd just prefer to make my own.

I made a big batch of Beef and Red Kidney bean filling and used that with onion, cheddar and sour cream inside the burrito, rolled it up and drizzled some Taco sauce on top. Just delicious!!! I loosely followed THIS RECIPE

Next Up: Not sure yet, something easy as it'll be just myself and kids.

Progress: 70/83

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Pattern Cyber Sale still on Today

2010-11-30T09:45:00.001-05:00

If you want a GREAT deal on patterns, go check out the McCall Pattern Company Cyber Sale which ends today.

The sale is on the new patterns, just click the link on each page, Buttericks and McCall's are $1.99 and Vogues are 3.99. The other awesome news is that orders over just $15 can enjoy free shipping to the US AND Canada. It's not often such shipping deals are extended to Canada too.

It's a good thing that the sale spanned two days, because I spent the whole day yesterday checking out patterns and deciding which I should really buy. I originally had a list of 24 patterns, which I've culled down to 9 or 10. I need to rethink my pattern storage, mine is now overflowing!!!

I'll place my order today and share the pattern haul soon. Check it out and have FUN!!!

EDIT: I've just ordered and realised the free shipping was only on yesterday, but the prices are still fantastic.

African Fabric Stash

2010-11-27T13:07:00.003-05:00

My parents work in Ghana, West Africa, so I've been lucky enough to get beautiful Ghanaian fabric as gifts over the last few years. I thought it was about time I took the fabric out again and contemplate the projects that they could inspire. The fabric is all cotton, so they would be more suited to summer wear, so it is a funny time of year to be hauling these out, but I was actually pulling out "winter" fabrics and decided to put these aside too.

Photo 1: All the brights...All are 100% cotton Made in Ghana wax prints, all but one were produced by Akosombo Textiles Ltd.

Photo 2: An orange and black large scale print (see apple size for reference). When I researched the company name, it came from China, so not Ghanaian, but in that style and at least bought in Ghana.

Photo 3: The two blue fabrics have a coating on top and are textured. They would probably work for a big bag??? The brown wax print is slightly thinner than the others in the collection and says "London Wax Print".

Photo 4 & 5: My favourite, a beautiful turquoise and gold design with a gold and black border. It is printed with "sukhotthai style" in the selvage, so it is probably from Thailand. I want something really special with this fabric.

So what do you think? Which is your favourite? Do you have any suggestions for patterns to use? I was thinking about summer dresses, skirts or loose tunic styles. My husband has some beautiful examples of the men's shirts made from this fabric, but I thought I'd leave you a photo of the little men in my life wearing their Ghanaian shirts.

Here are Willem and James with their cousin Daniel last Christmas in South Africa. It is Daniel's 2nd birthday today, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY little Danny Boy!!!

Cafe World Challenge Week 38

2010-11-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers. I hope you all had fabulous food and some fun with your families.

I had some fun with my boys making cupcakes this week, but unlike the Cafe World version, which is for birthdays, mine is just because its fun to eat cupcakes and we decorated with a Christmas theme. The boys have been bugging me to decorate the house and put up the tree, but its not even December yet, so I'll wait till next weekend. I did compromise and put up the wreath, helped them make their Christmas list (so we can write to Santa) and we made Christmas cupcakes.

CUPCAKES

My husband loves spending hours wandering through bookstores, so I accompanied him and browsed the cookbook offerings. I was steering towards buying a book dedicated to baking, but really didn't want one of these huge baking "bibles" that, though great to have, will probably cause my over stacked cookbook shelves to fall over. I discovered the Cake Boss's new book. Buddy Valastro has a show on TLC, which admittedly I've never watched, but I found the book intriguing. The first part is basically a biography of his family's bakery and the recipes are at the end. I used his recipe for Vanilla Cake found here.

I was very impressed with the recipe, the cupcakes were great. I cheated with the frosting and used store bought vanilla frosting, but I first removed it from the container and gave it a vigorous whipping and then piped it on. I used Christmas candy decorations on top of that and I used Christmas themed cupcake liners.

The cake turned out so well, I'm thinking I'll try his recipe for Biscotti next. I volunteered to make cookies for holiday cookies trays, so I'm leaning towards Chocolate and Hazelnut Biscotti.

Progress: 68/83

Next Up: I will need to look at the remaining dishes and see what fits in to my next week, check back next Friday.

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 37

2010-11-20T11:30:00.003-05:00

I had a very good cooking week, not only did I make 3 of the Cafe World dishes, but I also had yummy mushrooms stuffed with scallops and made homemade fettuccine Alfredo. The pasta making is really getting so much easier each time I attempt it, the fettuccine turned out perfectly.

I also had a lovely lunch with my husband (without kids) at the buffet restaurant inside Caesars Windsor, so I'll consider that research for the Vegas Buffet dish. Not Vegas, not Caesars Palace either, but close enough. When I went to Vegas, I didn't eat at one of the famous buffets, we were too busy watching shows, casino hopping and consuming absurdly vast quantities of margaritas. If my husband hadn't sworn to never, never go to Vegas again, I'd have thought it would've made a great victory weekend after finally finishing this challenge. Maybe I can still convince him.

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK

I love Philly Cheesesteak, not that I've ever been to Philly and had the real thing, but I love the various versions you get at sandwich shops.

I didn't find the nice bigger hero/sub rolls I wanted, so I had to make do with regular wholewheat rolls. So here goes my version:

Recipe:

Hero/sub rolls, split
vegetable oil
onion, thinly sliced
green pepper, cut into strips
1 lb sirloin cut into strips
salt
hot sauce
shredded cheese

The quantities you use will depend on how many sandwiches you're making. I made enough for 6 rolls so, I used 1 large onion and 1 regular green pepper.

Wrap rolls in foil and warm in a 350F oven. Heat on in a large skillet and add onion and green pepper. Cook until vegetables are soft. Add meat and cook until no longer pink. Season to taste.
Divide meat mixture over rolls and top with cheese. Place in oven for a few minutes until cheese melts, remove, replace top and enjoy hot from the oven.

ESCARGOT

I lucked out with this one, because I was searching for a few days for escargot in shells, as depicted in the game graphic, but finally settled on buying the canned version. I didn't want to eat the escargot, so I was buying scallops for myself at a fish store. What did I find in the same freezer as the scallops....escargot in shells!!! So I bought them and I still have a $1.99 can of escargot in my cupboard. The package said the snails were already cleaned and ready to cook, so I just made an adapted version of the snail butter recipe in Joy of Cooking and plugged the shells with the butter.

Snail butter recipe:

In a blender combine:

1/4 cup softened butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp minced shallots
2 garlic cloves minced
1tbsp parsley
1tbsp minced celery

Plug the snail butter into the snail shells and cook for about 15 minutes in a 300F oven or until the butter bubbles. Serve with toasted wholewheat bread to soak up the excess butter.

CARAMEL CORN

To finish off the week, I made a super easy batch of caramel corn. I generally prefer plain salted popcorn. I always have a huge box of microwave popcorn available and it makes the best quick snack for myself and hubbie while we watch some TV and the kids adore popcorn when they watch a movie on the weekend. My little one calls it "Cocorn", very cute.

I found the caramel corn to be very filling, I can usually eat half a regular package, but I struggled to even eat a quarter of the package, so the kids had extra.

Recipe:

1 package light butter flavoured microwave popcorn (or your favourite type)
1 package (170g) toffees (I used Mackintosh's Mack toffees - the package said "great for baking")
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp milk

Prepare popcorn as usual. Empty into a LARGE bowl (you need to stir popcorn around without it overflowing everywhere) and remove unpopped kernels.
Unwrap toffees and place in a glass bowl or measure, add butter and milk. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until it starts boiling. Stir once during cycle. Give a good stir and pour over popcorn, stir popcorn till coated. Pour out onto a wax paper lined tray and allow to cool and crisp for 15 minutes.

CAFE WORLD COOKBOOK ADDITIONS

I admit I haven't really been playing regularly, so I haven't unlocked any of the new dishes. You now get new dishes when you complete a catering order with a 3 star rating. I'm finding it almost impossible to get them done in time, since guess what...I have a REAL life too. So I won't be adding those, but over the Thanksgiving period, it seems you can cook Deep Fried Turkey and unlock Chocolate Pecan Pie. The latter would be great in real life though.

Next Up: Cupcakes...although not specifically for a birthday, just because I can.

Progress: 67/83, which, read my lips, equates to 16 dishes left. Whhooohooo!!!! Okay that is until more get added or something, but the end is near.

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 36

2010-11-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

Another delicious dish was made this week, I opted to make a nontraditional Tempura Udon, a westernized version with eastern flavours.

'TEMPURA UDON'

Traditionally Udon is served with a dashi, soy sauce and mirin broth. Since I didn't have dashi or mirin and really didn't want to go out and buy ingredients again that I'd hardly use so I opted for a different type of broth. My eldest son is also sensitive to certain seafood ingredients so I would prefer to avoid anything that could upset his tummy.

Since I've never made Tempura before and am not very good at deep frying, I bought a Tempura mix for the shrimp topping the Udon soup. I also thought that the traditional recipes lacked vegetables and as I was making the soup as a main dish, I added some.

Udon - Jen style

Broth:

1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
3 1/2 Tbsp tamari soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger chopped
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp sugar

In a blender puree the broth ingredients till smooth.

1 package (200g) Udon noodles (I used instant)
2 tsp olive oil
About 4 oz shitake mushrooms, stems removed and cut in thirds.
1/4 lb (125 g) snow peas, ends trimmed
1 tsp tamari soy sauce
1 bunch (6) green onions chopped
fresh cilantro to garnish

Cook Udon noodles according to package instructions. Mine asked for 1/2 litre water and this served as the basis for the broth.

In a frying pan, heat oil on high and add mushrooms, sauteing for 2 minutes. Add snow peas and tamari and stir-fry for a further 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add green onions.

Add vegetables and broth ingredients to cooked noodles and water. Heat through. Serve with a sprinkling of cilantro and tempura shrimp.

This recipe produces a very flavourful broth, dilute further with water to your taste. Any of the broth ingredients can be removed according to your likes/ dislikes.
I personally didn't like the idea of my nice crispy tempura floating on soup and getting mushy, so I just took the photo and plated them separately. I like this meal because my husband and I can have the shrimp which we love and keep it separate from the soup, so my sons just eat the soup and still get a full meal and avoid what they can't eat.

Up Next: I've been looking at recipes for Escargot, I thought I'd look for some at the store and make it for my husband. Otherwise I'm making Philly cheesesteak tonight, Yum!!!

Progress: 64/83

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Executive Curl

2010-11-10T21:00:00.001-05:00

As part of the Canadian Naval Centenial celebrations, the executive curl has been reintroduced to naval officer's uniforms. My husband is particularly happy about this change. I heard about this change weeks before it came into effect and he ordered new shoulder boards and sent his mess dress uniform away for the alteration. His usual tailor is in Victoria, BC, which is on the other side of the country, so it usually takes a few weeks to send out and get back, but at present the wait time is higher because the whole navy is trying to get their uniforms altered. So Jenny to the rescue. My husband ordered the new braid and I had to alter his "Service Dress" tunic within a few days, so that he had the "New Look" for all his speaking engagements and parades for Veterans week. Little did I know he went full monty on me and ordered the expensive GOLD braid (as opposed to the gold coloured braid he had previously). I need to have a little chat with him...maybe that $90/yard cashmere could be justified somehow, since he just spent $175 on just the braid for his tunic. Surely that much for a whole jacket is not unreasonable!!! (wink, wink)

So anyway, back to the sewing task. I did a little experimenting with the little bit extra and found that I needed to use a fine needle (I used a size 70 machine embroidery needle), else the machine punched holes in the gold. I really expected it would've been harder to sew, but it was not too bad. I'm not sure of the actual content, only that it is partly real gold. Since I did work in the gold industry, I found this use very interesting...but knowing that gold is very malleable and pliable, it isn't too surprising though.

It actually took longer to carefully open out the lining and sleeves and remove the previous braid than it took to sew it all back up again. One very hepful tip I got from the tailor...the measurement between the stripes was exactly the same as a cable tie (zip-strap), and she actually sent one with the order. So I didn't have to carefully measure or pin. I just laid the sleeve flat, placed the cable tie snugly against the adjacent braid and then the new braid against the cable tie and sewed carefully. Brilliant!!! The cable tie was also the same height as the braid so it was very easy.

The new gold braid with executive curl on top, the bottom two stripes are still the old coloured braid. In person you can really see the difference, the gold shines beautifully. Before the curl came back, the top stripe was the same as the bottom two.

A close up of the completed sleeve braid. I admit that the real gold does look mighty fine.

Peter wearing his tunic with his new executive curl braid. He's happy and I'm happy that he's happy, and boy he looks good in that uniform.

A Final Thought:

This week, and especially on Remembrance Day, we remember the sacrifices of our veterans. Where we are today is a reflection of their service and sacrifice. I encourage you to wear a poppy, to engage with our veterans, and to attend a Remembrance Day ceremony near you.
On the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, we stop and remain silent for two minutes to think about our veterans. It’s a short two minutes, but it’s long enough to reflect on the great country we live in, the freedom to live as we do, and our courageous veterans who helped make it that way.

It’s the least we can do.

Cafe World Challenge Week 35

2010-11-05T20:10:00.001-04:00

This week's cake really didn't turn out well, but the kids had an influence in the design and making and they seem to like it.

I'll keep the post short, as I've just watched Megamind in 3D with my son and the 3D thing seems to hurt my eyes after a while. Very cool movie, by the way, LOVED the music.

ANGEL FRUIT CAKE

To be honest there was nothing angelic about this cake. My kids were begging to use the food colour we had bought for making cookies, so I attempted a type of rainbow cake. They went a little crazy with the green colour and it turned out quite darker than I'd planned. I was thinking pastel shades and it turned out quite differently. I also got the bottom and top a little too crispy, as I was using a silly silicone pan and I forgot to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

So lessons learnt:

1. Rainbow cake = not so pretty
2. Angel food cake and silicone pan = bad idea
3. Go out and buy a proper pan.
4. A recipe that requires 11 egg whites should not get !#$%^'ed up

I think the recipe was good, I used Joy Of Cooking again. Just user error again.

Have a laugh at this silly thing:

Next Up: I'm thinking I'll try Tempura Udon, I love Tempura, but have never made it myself, although I'm NOT keen on deep frying.

Progress: 63/83

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 34

2010-10-29T19:20:00.001-04:00

He won!!!! Our mayor got elected for his third term and I am now relaxing after the hectic campaign and an awesome victory.
This is also a busy weekend with both Halloween and a Ball my husband and I are attending out of town. I've had a lovely day getting my hair done, having lunch with hubbie and buying some va-va voom shoes (the blue ones) for the ball. If I remember I'll post a pic from the ball and the kid's cute halloween outfits next week.

Back to cooking, I completed two dishes: the Crackling "Peking" Duck and Chicken Pot Pie.

CRACKLING "PEKING" DUCK

You'll notice the scare quotes around Peking, that is because this version isn't exactly Peking Duck, according to Joy Of Cooking, where the recipe was found, "with its crispy, lacquered-looking skin, this is similar to the famous Pekin duck but requires much less time and effort."

Real Peking Duck have ducks specially raised for the dish and have air blown between the skin and fat to separate. They are also hung while cooked in a special oven. Real more in this Wikipedia entry.

For those that have the Joy Of Cooking cookbook, I used the recipe for Chinese Roast Duck, found on pg 448 of my 75th anniversary edition. I cannot find a recipe online the same as the one I used, but I'll give a brief outline, otherwise go buy the book or get it from the library.

Chinese Roast Duck:
Bring a pan of water with soy sauce and honey to the boil. Place duck in solution for 1 minute, ensuring to coat the whole duck. Remove, pat dry and place on a rack over a baking sheet, uncovered in the the fridge overnight. This dries it out.
The roasting process takes place on a V-rack over a roasting pan. Roast at 425 F for 20 min, turn over and roast again for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, reduce heat to 350 F. Prick duck skin all over, careful not to pierce the meat. Brush the duck with a mixture containing: orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey and 5-spice powder.
Roast again for 20 minutes, turn over and brush again. Repeat twice more turning, brushing and roasting.
Let rest and serve.

The mixture really gives the duck a fantastic flavour and the skin is crispy and the dish was overall very delicious. It was a huge hit, especially hubbie loved it....he'd turned down duck the night before in a great Quebec city restaurant, because I'd warned him I'd be making it. He said it was worth it.

CHICKEN POT PIE

I made this one the night before the election with the intent that the family could eat the leftovers when I was working election day and night. They ended up having cereal....silly boys, but thank goodness they had good pizza and pasta at the victory party later that night so they got some decent food in and I then didn't need to cook the next day when I was super tired. My James seemed to really like it as he requested it for breakfast and wanted some for school and told his teachers about it. He was really disappointed when it was done, I should make it again soon.

Recipe:

1 can condensed chicken broth (10 oz)
About 1 1/2 cups sliced carrot
1 1/2 cups diced red potato (I think it was 2 or 3)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups white mushrooms quartered
1 onion chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup flour
2 1/2 cups cooked diced chicken, 2 large breasts
1 defrosted unbaked piecrust/ puff pastry enough for a 10 inch piecrust

Preheat oven to 425F
Combine broth, 1 cup water and carrots and potatoes in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute onions and mushrooms until softened. Add to broth mixture. Add peas.
To thicken: whisk together flour with equal amount of water (1/3 cup) to form a paste. Whisk into vegetables. Turn up heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Add chicken.
Roll out piecrust on a floured surface. Roll it out to overhang the pie-dish using. I used a 10 inch pie-dish.
Transfer chicken and veg mixture to the pie-dish. Place crust over filling, trim and flute edge. Cut a hole in centre using a cookie cutter. (I used a cute pie crust cutter set, featuring Fall designs..my son chose the pumpkin for this pie)
Bake until filling is bubbly and the crust browned, about 20 minutes.

I had some leftover pie dough, so I like to roll it out, put some blobs of my favourite jam and fold it over and voila, a dessert too.

CAFE WORLD COOKBOOK ADDITIONS

I unlocked Caramel Corn after the Halloween catering event, so that will be added to my master list.

Up Next: I need some sweetness, so Angel Fruit Cake it will be.

Progress: 62/83

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 33

2010-10-22T18:00:00.001-04:00

This is my last week of campaign volunteering, so this time next week I'll either be a woman of leisure again or have a job, but between you and me I think I'd like to have a little leisure time for a while.

This week I turned a boring regular meal into one of the new Cafe World meals, In Flight Meal. At the beginning of the week I had a grandiose idea to select various real airline's meals and serve them this week, kind of a best of what the different airlines offer, but my husband was away and I totally ran out energy, so I just tried to copy the graphic from the game.

IN FLIGHT MEAL

During my research into airline meals, I found this website, AirlineMeals.net, it shows actual photos people have taken of their meals and rate them etc. I was interesting having a look at the airline fare from around the world. I actually quite like airline food and especially look forward to South African Airways flights into South Africa, as they usually have some local cuisine that I sample before I arrive home. The only problem I have with airline/airport eating is that I tend to eat too much as you fill time waiting by sitting in a restaurant at the airport and then you get food immediately when you take off and you have your meals at strange times.

This week's meal has no recipe, I copied the game graphic by serving steak, steamed veg, salad, bread roll, juice and a packaged dessert.

Up next: I have duck in the fridge ready for making Chinese Roast duck, which will be similar to Peking Duck, I don't have the ability to make Peking Duck in my kitchen so this will be close enough.

Progress: 60/82

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

American Sewing Expo Visit

2010-10-17T14:05:00.001-04:00

I attended the American Sewing Expo in Novi, Michigan on September 25th. It is only about 45 minutes from my house, so I had a fun day away from the family and came back with a few goodies. I've never been to a sewing event like this before, so I was like a kid in a candy store. I didn't attend any of the seminars, but will be doing something next year, since it was my 1st year I wanted to take in everything and figure out how long it took to work my way through the booths. After my shopping, I started making a jean bag in the deconstruction zone, but soon realised the Pattern Review Natural Fibres fashion show was starting, so rushed off to that. Some very impressive entries.

My shopping haul:

Underneath: my partially completed jean bag
top left: Kathy Ruddy's 3 ways to learn CD - Swing & Pleated Yoke Jackets
Fray check....it was cheaper than at my local store & you never know I might need it??
top right: Fashion in Harmony - Acute Angle Blouse pattern
Bottom left: silk cuts at $8/yd, they were selling like wildfire. I got a black necktie silk with leaf detail (1 3/4 yrds) and lime green silk dupioni (1 1/8 yrds). Close up photo below.
Bottom right: my new darling, KAI sewing shears. My husband thinks I'm mad the way I delight in its use. Oh well....you girls get it right???
Not pictured: a teflon iron sole plate

Not bought: a royal blue 100% cashmere from Haberman fabrics that was screaming to be a coat, but alas the $90/yrd price tag would have put my husband in the hospital. But at least now I know that Haberman's is very close to Detroit Zoo of which we are members and visit often, so I think next zoo visit mommy can drop off the guys and go browse.

Cafe World Challenge Week 32

2010-10-15T13:35:00.001-04:00

I actually made some good progress this week, knocking off a Stuffed Turkey....Happy Thanksgiving Canadians...and two fantasy theme dishes. I'm still working everyday, but hubbie took most of the week off and thanks to turkey leftovers the week wasn't as hectic. I'm working on our mayor's re-election campaign, so this routine will come to an end after election day in 10 days. Then I'd better start job-searching again, but I'm really missing my "home-time", but at least now I seem to really take advantage of any time I have at home, no more wasted hours.

SAVOURY STUFFED TURKEY

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a recipe for ham and mushroom stuffing and I set it aside for our thanksgiving meal.

Ham and mushroom stuffing:

12oz/375g smoked ham
1lb/500g white mushrooms
5tbsp butter
1 1/3 cups minced celery
1/2 cup minced shallots
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch ground clove
1 turkey liver, minced
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp fresh thyme
6 cups cubed bread (1/2 inch/1cm)
1 egg
1/2 cup chicken stock

In a food processor, mince ham and set aside.
Finely chop half the mushrooms and slice the rest. Set aside.
In a skillet, melt 3 tbsp butter over medium heat and add celery, shallots, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cloves. Fry until celery is softened. Add finely chopped mushrooms, liver and sherry, cooking until mushrooms are wilted and mixture is moist, but no liquid remains. Mix with ham.
In the skillet, melt remaining 2 tbsp butter and fry sliced mushrooms over high heat until lightly browned. Add to ham mixture, with parsley and thyme. Mix well. Fold in bread. Beat egg with stock and mix into stuffing.
Stuff turkey with stuffing and place remainder in a covered casserole dish. Cook extra stuffing in oven with turkey during last 45 minutes.

I basted my turkey with a mix of melted butter and sherry during the cooking and made a gravy using the remaining pan juices, flour and my homemade chicken stock. Once again, excuse the messy looking turkey photo, my husband turned the turkey over and tried to start carving before I'd taken the pretty picture.

VAMPIRE STAKED STEAK

I didn't want to serve a steak with plain old ketchup, which would give the right "blood" look. So I opted to make my own ketchup. Its very tasty, much better than store bought stuff and doesn't have the artificial ingredients listed in some ketchup varieties.

I found the recipe on the blog Once Upon a Plate, I've made a number of her recipes now and just love the beautiful images.

My ketchup was sweetened with honey, but she lists various other options. I also used the whey from the natural yogurt, which is funny, because I usually use that very same technique, but discard the whey liquid and use the thickened yogurt for desserts or I love to use the thickened plain yogurt for breakfast with a little maple syrup mixed in.

MYSTICAL PIZZA

Since I started this challenge, I've always had this one at the back of my mind and imagined a pizza sized cookie with icing decorations. So that's what I did!!!

I was making a batch of plain sugar cookies (recipe to follow) and used an upturned bowl to cut out the large cookie. It took considerably longer than normal to bake, I think it was in there for about 25 minutes, but it worked pretty well, I also made it a little thicker as I didn't want the bigger cookie breaking apart.
I made up a batch of royal icing, using meringue powder, icing sugar and water and spread that on the cooled cookie. When the icing had hardened, I painted the green swirly bits and the red outline with food colouring and used various coloured icings to make the border and "stars". I also thought it needed a little sparkle, some "pixie dust" and sprinkled some decorating sugar in places. I think it came out pretty well compared to the game version (above), although my sons desperately wanted to add dinosaur sprinkles.

I made a big batch of the cookie dough, cut out the cookies and froze them between layers over parchment paper on a tray in my freezer. When I want to make cookies again, I just lift a parchment layer and bake from frozen, it works brilliantly and the kids get to have cookies to decorate in no time. Also check out their efforts below the mystical pizza, we have such fun decorating cookies and I just LOVE cleaning up sprinkles for a few days, its amazing how far they travel.

Sugar cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

With an electric beater, beat butter, and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and beat till well blended.

Divide dough as needed and roll out on a floured board (flour hands & rolling pin too) to about 1/8 inch (3mm) thick. Cut out cookie shapes and repeat until all dough is used. Bake on a parchment lined baking tray at 300 F for 15 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely before icing and decorating.

Cafe World Cookbook Additions

The limited time items are still here so I'll them to my list now, they are In-Flight Meal and Red Burrito. I'm not unlocking the catering order items so they will not be added to my list now.

Up Next: Mmm, I haven't planned my next week's meals yet, so we'll just wait and see.

Progress: 59/82

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 31

2010-10-08T20:17:00.002-04:00

Another week has rolled by and I still haven't posted about my Expo visit, but I have been sewing. I've picked up some of my UFO (unfinished objects) dresses from my SWAP plan and been fitting in a few seams here and there.

On the cooking front I made beans again this week, it really seems to please my husband..he loves beans, but you know the problem with too many beans!!! I think I will lay off them for a bit. I made a big pot and made a tamale pie for use on Monday and made tamales as well and then froze them and they were eaten on Thursday night. Tuesday was leftover Tamale pie and Wednesday for a change I made Spaghetti Carbonara. I'm really trying to be better at multi-function dishes, as I'm finding that making a full meal from scratch every night is really hard now that I'm not home all day. I had some chicken carcasses in the freezer, so I made a batch of chicken stock on Sunday night and used some to make the masa dough for the tamale pie and tamales, as well as for the spaghetti dish. I also now have some lovely stock in the freezer for use with the stuffing and gravy for the Thanksgiving turkey this weekend. Making homemade stock is super simple, just load chicken carcass with some meat attached into the crock pot with whatever vegetables you have on hand and cook long on low. When I woke up in the morning the house smelt fragrant and yummy and the stock just had to be strained and cooled. I wrote down the ingredients for this batch, so I will share after the tamale recipes.

VEGETARIAN TAMALES (and Tamale Pie)

This recipe can be broken into two parts, the filling and the masa dough. Since the Cafe World version is vegetarian, I opted to make mine with beans, but ground meat, chicken or anything else is great too.

Filling:

1/2 large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup frozen corn
28 oz (796ml) canned tomato
1/2 bell pepper
2 19oz (540ml) cans beans, I used red kidney and black beans
chilli powder, to taste
oregano and cumin, about a tsp each
1/4 cup black olives
salt and pepper

Cook onion and garlic until softened. Add diced bell pepper, cook for two minutes. Add rest of ingredients and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

Masa dough:

2 cups masa (I used Maseca brand)
2 cups warm chicken broth or water
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup lard or shortening
2 tsp chilli powder (optional)

Combine masa, baking powder, salt and chili powder, add broth and combine with fingers or a fork. In a separate bowl, beat lard/shortening till fluffy. Add to masa mix and beat till it has a spongy texture.

Tamale Pie:

Place filling into a casserole dish and top with masa dough. Bake at 350F until masa topping browns slightly and filling bubbles. You can top with some grated cheese during the last minutes of baking.

Tamales:

Soak dried corn husks in water to soften and then dry. Spread some masa dough on husk and top with a line of the topping. Fold over husks, encapsulating the filling in the dough and tie with kitchen twine or whatever will work for you. A few tricks I learnt here...using the bigger corn husks works better or you might need to use two husks to cover a tamale, use your hand to form and flatten the dough on the husk, it seemed to work better for me. Let your filling cool a bit before working with it, I found mine was initially too hot and was melting the shortening in the dough and made things really difficult. My tamales weren't pretty as you can see in the photo, but they tasted great and that counts more in my opinion.

I read that tamales freeze really well, so I placed mine in the freezer and steamed them two nights later from the frozen state. I used a bamboo steamer in a few inches of water in a pan. You need to keep adding water as you will steam the tamales for about 90 minutes. Open and enjoy!!

Chicken stock recipe:

1 lb chicken carcass
1 large onion quartered with skin on
4 carrots washed and cut in 4
1 garlic clove
small handful of black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
few sprigs of fresh parsley
water to fill crock pot and cover ingredients

Place all ingredients in a large crock pot, cover with water and cook on low for 10 hours to 24 hours. I either make at night and strain the next morning or I make in the morning and strain at night. I use a cheesecloth lined sieve over a large bowl to strain my broth, I then let it cool and usually fill a few ice trays, for smaller quantities of broth for sauces or I have 1 litre containers for larger quantities for soups.

Next up: It is Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, have a great weekend Canadian readers, so I will share a stuffed turkey and I made Vampire Staked Steak tonight, so that will be included as well.

Progress: 56/80

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 30

2010-10-02T11:30:00.001-04:00

After 30 weeks of cooking through the Cafe World cookbook, I've cooked some interesting dishes, posted others which I wouldn't have thought blog-worthy and always posted on Fridays, until now. Cafe World got the better of me this week by introducing an anniversary catering mission with some delish dishes to unlock. Under normal circumstances I might have finished it on time, but with my working/volunteering I ran out of time, but I tried....boy did I try. So I won't be able to add the anniversary dishes to my list, but I have printed off recipes for Feijoada (from Brazil & Portugal) and Pastilla (from Morocco). I also haven't posted about my trip to the American Sewing Expo yet, I'll try that tomorrow.

So back to my cooking...I made my version of Ranch Beans this week. I made enough for two separate meals and it helped take the stress out of my evening chaos.

RANCH BEANS

The first night I made the beans, I served them with cornmeal muffins and the next time on a bed of rice.
To save time I used canned beans, but by all means use dried and soaked beans if you want.

3 strips bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans beans (15oz), I used white kidney and red kidney
1 small can (4 oz) diced green chilies
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Brown bacon in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook about 4 minutes over medium heat. Stir in beans, chilies, salsa and cumin. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until mixture has thickened a little.

Cafe World Cookbook additions

There have been a number of limited time cookbook additions this week, none of which I'll add to my master list, unless they get permanently added to the game. The two mentioned above, as well as Shanghai Dumplings, Anniversary Cake, Ratatouille (love it), Red Burrito and In Flight Meal.

Progress: 55/80

Next Up: I was thinking maybe Vegetarian Tamales, will look at some recipes later.

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 29

2010-09-24T09:50:00.000-04:00

Week 2 of working again and things have been hectic, but I did make a dish, as promised. I chose to do breakfast for dinner this week, which is always a hit here as my kids seem to always love eggs and bacon. Since I've already crossed Bacon and Eggs off the list, I made Eggs Benedict.

Eggs Benedict

I love eating Eggs Benedict and all its variations at restaurants for breakfast, although I find a good Hollandaise sauce is not easy to find. I love my recipe for Hollandaise sauce, but have only made Eggs Benedict once before with smoked salmon. I usually love eating my Hollandaise sauce with asparagus, so I served my dinner Eggs Benedict with asparagus so I could dip the spears into the leftover sauce, delicious and decadent. I've only ever made my sauce over indirect heat, you can use a double boiler, but since I don't have one, I use a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.

Hollandaise sauce recipe

4 egg yolks

3 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 pinch ground white pepper

1/8 tsp Worchestershire sauce

1 tbsp water

3/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 tsp salt

Bring water to a gentle simmer in a pan, making sure that the water doesn't touch the heatproof dish or double boiler top pan. In the top dish whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, white pepper, Worcherstershire sauce and 1 tbsp water. Continue whisking, add melted butter a few tablespoons at a time. Continue whisking until until all the butter is incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Whisk in salt and remove from heat. Put a lid over the dish to keep the sauce warm.

Eggs Benedict recipe

Hollandaise Sauce

eggs, 1 or 2 per person

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Canadian bacon/back bacon or I used peameal bacon, 2 slices per egg

English muffins, split, 1 half per egg

Fill a large saucepan with water (3 inches) and bring water to a simmer. Add vinegar. Gently break eggs into simmering water and allow to cook for about 3 minutes. Toast muffin halves and brown the bacon in a skillet. Place 2 slices of bacon on a muffin half and when ready top with a poached egg. Top with Hollandaise sauce.

There are many variations on the standard recipe:

-Eggs Florentine with spinach instead of bacon

-smoked salmon instead of bacon

-mushrooms and brie

-asparagus and swiss cheese

etc, etc the possibilities are endless and fun to try. I always love to discover a new combo at a restaurant and order.

Next Up: Cooking and Cafe World Challenge not sure, but I'm going to the American Sewing Expo this weekend, woohooo!!! So I'll fit in a post about what I see, do and (in a whisper) BUY!!

Progress: 54/80

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 28

2010-09-17T07:38:00.000-04:00

Despite starting a volunteer job this week, I actually managed two dishes. Although the lamb was made on the weekend when I had more time. I was exhausted after the first two day's work, but am now faring better and am having a fun and rewarding time after spending the last six years at home with the kids.

Rack of Lamb

There are so many flavour options with lamb: traditional with mint sauce or rosemary or North African/Middle Eastern spices, but I came across a recipe for Cranberry-crusted Rack of Lamb, which combines cranberry, sun dried tomato and thyme, and I thought, "Here's something different!" This actually describes my approach to recipe selection pretty well, I tend to decide the type of flavour (if this makes any sense) first, as in do I want plain, herby, spicy, fruity, rich, zesty or an interesting fusion. Then I either look what I have and make up my own dish or browse through the various sources and get inspiration.

The chosen recipe was delicious and my family really enjoyed this meal. The leftover lamb was a favourite as well, eaten as my son called it "Caveman"-style using the frenched bones as a grip to tear into the yummy lamb.

Clubhouse Sandwich

A Clubhouse or just Club Sandwich is one of my favourites. I must have mentioned before that I love bacon?? So for those that aren't familiar with this one, it's a combination of turkey (in some cases chicken), lettuce, tomato and bacon which are usually layered with three toasted bread slices, although many restaurants serve them in a sub (bread roll).

My Clubhouse sandwich was layered as follows, starting at the bottom:
1. Toasted bread
2. A healthy smear of Dijon mustard
3. Lettuce
4. Smoked Turkey deli meat
5. Toasted Bread
6. Mayonnaise
7. Bacon
8. Tomato, with a sprinkling of salt & pepper
9. Mayonnaise
10. Toasted bread

I then cut my sandwiches in triangles and speared them with a cocktail stick to hold them all together.

This makes a fantastic lunch, but I served mine for dinner with some garlic seasoned baked fries. My son actually loved it so much he's asking for the same for lunch everyday for school and he actually eats it....Hooray!!! I just skip the middle toast layer for his school lunch, his little 4 year old mouth doesn't quite handle the layers yet.

Up Next: Seriously!! Who knows, I'm still adjusting to working and have a very busy weekend too, but I'll make something. I've actually already picked out a Stuffed Turkey recipe for Thanksgiving in October (in Canada) and that is something to look forward to.

Progress: 53/80

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Pasta Making in Pictures

2010-09-14T22:40:00.001-04:00

A few months back I finally caved and bought myself a pasta machine. I've attempted to make pasta a few times with a rolling pin, but I've never gotten the lovely silky consistency and it was either too thick or just fell apart. I also have the book, Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver that features a number of deliciously tempting fresh pasta recipes. If you haven't tried very fresh pasta, you are missing out, it is amazing. The pasta is very tasty and you have so many flavour options too. Basic pasta dough is nothing but flour and egg, I made one batch of plain spaghetti and another spinach dough, where I replaced one egg with pureed spinach.

I've had all the photos I took during a few pasta-making sessions on my camera and have finally downloaded them to share.

Below is the finely sieved tipo 00 flour that Jamie recommends in his recipes. I used this flour for the spinach pasta and unbleached all-purpose flour for the unflavoured pasta and both worked well.

THIS...

IS COMBINED TO BECOME THIS...

THEN GETS ROLLED MANY TIMES AND FILLED WITH GOODNESS....

AND MAKES IT ONTO THE PLATES AS.....My version of Jamie Oliver's recipe for Raviolini of Celeriac and Thyme.

I also used up the leftover dough to make fettuccine served with a tomato pasta sauce.

I also used the dough recipe that came with my machine to create spaghetti.

To end off, just a few tips on making your own pasta.
1) Dust with lots of flour after each rolling to prevent sticking and to help prevent the formed noodles from sticking together.
2) This is a great activity for letting loose some frustration/ energy
3) You need lots of patience, which is almost counter-intuitive to tip 2, but very much required.
4) Making your own pasta takes time, but I've also frozen leftovers and found that the cooked frozen pasta is still tastier than dried.
5) Have fun, experiment and enjoy!!!!

Blog Birthday

2010-09-10T23:35:00.001-04:00

Well it seems I missed my 1 year mark yesterday. So Happy Birthday Pots and Pins!!!
As I predicted in the first post, I haven't posted every day, but I challenged myself to keep posting by introducing the Cafe World Challenge. You readers might be put off by the gaming aspect, but it is all cooking, which I love to do. It's forced me to post and also to really think about some classic dishes in a new way and introduced me to some international fare that I otherwise wouldn't have prepared.

As far as the sewing goes, eeek, I've been really bad, in the last year I've completed 14 items, with two major alterations, the body armour and an evening dress (which didn't make it to the blog) and one knitting project. Okay looking at it that way, I suppose it wasn't too bad, more than one a month. I judge myself harshly because my mind sews faster than the body and is always on to the next project before I'm done with the current and I think sometimes my mind is too detailed in it's expectations. Are any of your minds also prone to such misbehaviour????

I'm enjoying some mindless knitting....squares for two blankets and a chunky scarf, I've also started a camisole in a lovely hemp/cotton blend, which is a new experience for me as I've never knitted entirely in the round before, this one is not mindless...note to self don't knit this one with husband or especially kids around. I had severe stress trying to follow the pattern on a road trip with the whole family. Yea I know...not too clever!!! I bought myself a sock book, so want to start a pair in the next blog year, and also want to knit something small for my little guy, he deserves more than hand-me-downs from his big brother. Remember THIS POST, well I still love that Minimissimi sweater coat, but have taken it off my To-Do list for now. I need to get better at knitting before I attempt it. That coat needs fabulous yarn and I don't want to waste money on something I'll probably foul up every row.

My next sewing project is a winter wool jacket. I've had an idea of what I wanted for a while and a photo in the Fall 2010 Sew Stylish magazine totally encapsulates my vision. Its on page 14 for those who have the mag, it is a ready-to-wear coat that's been modified by adding fur cuffs and collar. The magazine doesn't have a photo on their website, but have a glimpse at the images below (ignore the fur)

The coat pictured is pretty much exactly what I want, except the fur, yoke at bustline and an applied yoke with the jacket flaring slightly. I thought it would be a pretty common design, but obviously not. I've spent weeks searching patterns and found only some options, but they just don't appeal to me. I'm now searching vintage patterns. Do any of you know a pattern I could use?? I ask myself, "Why am I so inflexible in my vision???" I'm sure after a few more days I'll be absolutely crazy and give up the search. I really want to make a well fitting, well tailored jacket so don't want to add additional effort adapting a pattern to my wishes, when I'm sure the fitting and tailoring will be quite enough of a challenge on their own.

This time last year I was also sad because I couldn't attend the American Sewing Expo in Novi, Michigan, which is less than an hour away across the border. Travelling to the US is not easy on a South African passport, but I became a Canadian citizen earlier this year and am now a proud Canadian passport holder, so in two weeks I can cross the border and engulf myself in sewing heaven.

Personally the last year has changed for me too. My little guy started full-time preschool a few days ago and my bigger guy will be starting Kindergarten next week. My boys sure have grown up. So that leaves me home alone for now. It feels very weird, but I'm hoping to find a job that'll allow me some flexibility to still be available when the kids get out of school.

So here's to another year, I'll hopefully get that Cafe World Challenge finished and spend some more blogging time on my sewing and knitting passions. Thanks for reading and goodnight!!

Cafe World Challenge Week 27

2010-09-10T11:18:00.000-04:00

I made some shrimp cocktail this week with the flavours of an old favourite from South Africa.

When my husband & I were dating, his idea of romance was serving me shrimp cocktail and then strawberries for dessert. I had told him how much I liked shrimp or prawns, as I'd have called them then. But my idea of prawns was grilled in lemon butter with the shells intact and served on a bed of rice. I was not really expecting ice cold prawns with a horseradish cocktail sauce. But of course I ate as many as was polite. I still never touch the shrimp at a function, it just doesn't appeal to me. Back in South Africa, we called the bigger sea bugs prawns and the little mini things are shrimp. Therefore shrimp cocktail is little mini shrimp mixed with our version of cocktail sauce and served in a cocktail glass on a bed of lettuce. But my favourite version of this idea is what is called Avocado Ritz, which is a halved avocado with the shrimp cocktail filling and topping it. It is totally delicious.

So I thought if I had to eat cold shrimp (prawns), I'll make the version of cocktail sauce I preferred. My husband of course was very skeptical, but ended up really liking it.

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail

The cocktail sauce I made is a version of the type you'd find in South Africa or I suppose also Britain and other parts of the world, as much of the food back home is of British influence. In its basic form, it is mayonnaise with ketchup (tomato sauce in SA). I wanted mine to be a little tangy so this is my version:

Cocktail Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Salad Cream English Dressing (Heinz sells a version in North America)
2 tbsp whipping cream
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp lemon juice
a dash of hot sauce

Mix all the ingredients to form a smooth pink sauce.

Serve with shrimp on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle with paprika. The sauce is also good as a creamy salad dressing on that bed of lettuce when the shrimp is done.

Cafe World Cookbook Additions

I unlocked the Rack of Lamb in the game and they also added Tempura Udon.

Up Next: I have some rack of lamb in the fridge

Progress: 51/80

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 26

2010-09-03T11:40:00.000-04:00

I made two more dishes this week. I started with Corn dogs, which I just don't eat or for that matter allow my kids to eat. So I had to get creative to make something I would put in my mouth. While I'm typing I waiting for my Sorbet to finish making. I bought a new little toy....an ice cream machine. Actually after getting home I realised it was a "Soft Serve" ice cream machine, so hopefully it works for the sorbet. It was a choice between this cute little maker for $40 or the MUCH bigger Cuisinart all purpose maker for $100. I know I'm cheap, but I also just don't have the space for the big one. At least the little bowls for my model fit in my freezer without me having to completely empty it and I can store the lid/motor/paddles in the space I have available.

Corndog

I spent most of my life never having heard of this fast food option. It simply doesn't exist in South Africa where I grew up. So I naturally had to try when I encountered this thing when I moved to North America. I wasn't impressed!!! It was heartburn on a stick!! For my readers in other parts of the world who likewise know nothing of this, check out the wikipedia entry that will fill you in. It is basically a frankfurter/wiener/Vienna sausage encased in a corn batter and deep fried. Since I had to make this at some stage for the challenge, I thought about what exactly I didn't like about the corn dogs. Firstly I hate deep frying foods, so I would not do that, I also don't like the spongy consistency of the corndogs or they usually use those red sausages that have a more fake flavour. So after some research I found a kids cookbook at the library that had a recipe for Corn Doggies and this was perfect, they use pie crust mix and corn meal with a bit of chili powder and these are baked, not fried, healthier and they were crispy, so I actually liked them. I used the smoked wieners too, so it tasted very much better than those I'd eaten before.

Sirius Sorbet

This dish was part of the Alien theme, so it has some fantasy components. According to Cafe World the steps were: Dust Stars, Gather Plasma, Refine Light, Condensing Nebulae, Pureeing Stardust and Freezing Plasma. Which evokes some really cool images, but alas not practical for the kitchen. I was just going to flip through a few cookbooks and find a recipe for some refreshing sorbet, which would be great in this HOT weather. I was uninspired by the options in many of the books, but picked up SAHA, a cookbook I got for Mother's Day and haven't made anything yet. Check out this previous post to see the book. It has an entire chapter dedicated to ice creams and sorbets. So I started having silly thoughts rather cornier than my corndogs, and figured that Alien can mean Foreign, so if I made the Lebanese Lemonade Sorbet, it would fit the theme?? It works for me.

I love all things lemon, so this sorbet would be perfectly refreshing and delicious.

An adaptation of the recipe from the book (as well as a few others)can be found on The Stone Soup Blog, scroll right to the bottom for the sorbet recipe.

I had to wait a few days to be able to make this one as the store had these pitiful-looking lemons, not good enough for my needs. Eventually I went in and found these beautiful big yellow darlings. I bought the 10 required for the recipe and when I started cleaning and preparing them, the little sticker told me...grown in South Africa. Awesome, way to go homeland!!! So I couldn't resist taking a photo.

After using the ice cream maker, I wish I'd gotten a different one, it just makes 1 or 2 person servings at a time. I have two bowls, but they have to get frozen again before I can make some more. That sucks. So I will keep the lemonade mix in the fridge and make the sorbet as I want it. Luckily it only takes 10 minutes to make a batch.

Excuse the sorbet pic below....I got distracted by kiddie needs and my sorbet started melting before I could get a shot, but you get the idea!!

Cookbook Additions

Ranch Beans have been included for the Wild West theme and I've completed a new team catering challenge and unlocked the Birthday Cupcakes, bad timing I could have made them two weeks ago for mine.

Up Next: Shrimp Cocktail, but not North American style...

Progress: 50/78 (that looks good only 18 more)

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Jammies for James

2010-08-31T09:50:00.000-04:00

My little guy James has sprouted these long legs this summer and I thought I'd treat him with some new pajamas. I'd previously made him pajamas 2 years ago and they will now get passed on to little brother Willem. James always has such a loving and wonderful response to my sewing that I just had to sew something for him again. He's always telling me, "Mommy that's so pretty," etc, etc. He's my little budding fashion maven. He actually had quite an opinion on Sunday night with the Emmy dresses, but I will get to that at the end.

I opted to make cotton knit pajamas this time, last time it was cotton flannelette. I used a pattern from the Burda magazine, Nov 2009 #143. It was the first full pattern from Burda magazine that I've made. I've previously just used components like sleeves to alter other patterns. The pattern was extremely simple, I actually just read through the instructions once and proceeded on my own. They have raglan sleeves and neckline, cuffs and waistbands are finished with tubular ribbing and top stitched with a twin needle. My problem with the pajamas was actually the fabric. I used a grey soft cotton jersey, but found that it was totally off-grain. So I had to get creative with the cutting layout to try to cut out on grain. Then the red ribbing I used just seemed to stretch like crazy and didn't shrink in with steam. So it didn't turn out as I hoped, but I've just looked at the pattern photo again and it seems that the ribbing on that was also very wide. I've learnt my lesson and will check stretch before I buy.

James loves it though, and I quote, "Ooooh mommy it's so soft and red's my favourite colour." These have been made a little big and will last a few years, I hope.

I'll also show you the previous Pj's, just because I can't believe how much my baby has grown.

Now on to my James' Emmy fashion critique:

His favourite: Lea Michele in Navy Oscar de la Renta

And he was no fan of January Jones' electric blue outfit, "That's crazy looking."

As for myself:

I wasn't a fan of January Jones' bed head hairstyle and well I wouldn't wear that dress.
I thought both Jane Lynch and Claire Danes get my vote for best dressed, because they both seemed comfortable, happy and positively radiant. Actually I liked most dresses, this was a good year with some stylish looks and very few people trying to make over the top fashion statements.

Cafe World Challenge Week 25

2010-08-27T09:47:00.000-04:00

This week was the first since I started this challenge that I didn't have anything done for the challenge. I was going to possibly blog about another un-Cafe world-related meal or treat that I have photos of and stored as a future blog possibility, but I woke up and thought hell I'd better at least make one of the breakfast dishes. It would have been easy to make the pancakes as I have the recipe in my head, yes I make them often, but alas I didn't have buttermilk, so I made waffles. Now in hindsight it probably would have been faster to load the kids in the car and quickly pick up some buttermilk and I would've had pancakes on the table faster than these waffles took. I usually have a pancake/waffle mix in the cupboard for week day mornings or when I don't have buttermilk for my pancakes. But I can't really claim to have made waffles for the challenge if they came from a box. Serious cheating.

Things are even more chaotic now, as my husband is out of town and I had to still make my James' lunch for day camp and get them in the bath and dressed appropriately, oh and today was water day, so I had to find bathing suit and towel and what did you say today is show and tell. CHAOS!!!!

So I would not recommend making this recipe when you are rushed. It was just the first one google threw out at me when I woke up so I'm sure there are simpler Belgian Waffle recipes out there. Now when I am not rushed and have time to make a relaxing weekend breakfast for my family, I use a waffle recipe that adds 7-grain cereal or oatmeal to the basic, mmmm it gives a nice crunch and is a bit healthier.

Belgian Waffles

I used a recipe from Cooks.com.

The whipped cream topping is very yummy, but I found the actual recipe quite time consuming. Also the mix seemed very runny and buttery compared to waffles I'm used to. It tasted fine though and the boys were happy. Now when does the little one nap....I need a rest.

Next up: No idea, but I must get organised.

Progress: 48/76

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 24

2010-08-20T10:08:00.000-04:00

I was pretty lazy this week and only made the one Cafe World dish and I cheated on that one too by using convenient ready made ingredients.

Fiery Fish Tacos

When my husband heard I was making fish tacos he wasn't happy...."Tacos have meat, meat or wait for it, meat." So whatever!!! My kids also whined a little when they heard the word fish. They haven't liked fish for a few weeks now and will only eat certain breaded box fish like fish sticks or my eldest loves smoked salmon. This doesn't stop me from making fish, as they can suck it up, eat one bite and focus on their veggies. The Cafe World version has seared tuna, but I figured I wouldn't fork out the cash for tuna steaks if it'll go to waste. So I made a compromise and used the boxed Tempura battered Haddock which my youngest actually likes. I saw many versions of fish tacos online and the idea of using coleslaw appealed to me, plus my kids will eat it if they don't like the rest. So I also cheated there and bought some coleslaw from the deli section. I also used avocado as a treat for myself. I LOVE Avos. So my version (cheats and all) looks like this:

Recipe

1 package Taco shells - for convenience I love the Stand and Stuff variety (Genius!!!)
1 package of favourite frozen fish
Chili powder to taste
Avocado
Creamy coleslaw from deli (or homemade)
Salsa (hotter if you want it fiery fish tacos)

Sprinkle some chili powder on fish, if desired. Cook the fish according to package instructions. Cut into bite-size pieces.
Cut Avos into little cubes.
To serve: spoon coleslaw into warmed taco shell and top with fish, avo and salsa.
Enjoy!!!!

Up Next: No idea...check back next Foodie Friday.

Progress: 47/76

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

My Walk on the Wild Side

2010-08-14T17:05:00.003-04:00

A number of bloggers made some lovely animal print jackets in the last few months and I was inspired. I didn't set out to specifically make an animal print jacket, I was looking for a print in black and brown shades and I didn't have enough of any one fabric in my black/brown print stash, so I went shopping. I found this fabric at my local Fabricland when they were having a Buy 1 get 2 metres free sale. I saw it, remembered how I loved everyone else's jackets and bought it. It is a 100% cotton woven with a heavier weight and has ridges/ribs running from selvage to selvage. I'm not sure what this weave would be called. See the photo below for a close up, maybe one of you readers could answer this for me.

I used a Burda Easy pattern 7789, which is probably out of print. It is unlined with a front zipper, elasticated hem, fold over cuff sleeves and flap front pockets.

It will work nicely for fall and winter weather and will be worn to jazz up my many basic black outfits and I was also thinking of doing a brown capsule as the search for fabric for this jacket brought my attention to a few brown fabrics I want to use from my stash. Also looking at the photo below with the jacket on the dress form, I think I really like the combo with red.

Cafe World Challenge Week 23

2010-08-13T10:20:00.002-04:00

This week was a one pan dish of awesomeness (yes I know that's not a word). I made Paella, but with a twist.

Seafood Paella

I've been watching the Martha Stewart show archives on the Internet. The shows are broken onto the segments, it's great because I can watch the segments that interest me and skip the others. I found her show on her South African visit interesting and she made one of my South African favourites, Bobotie, I suppose I should make it and post the recipe sometime. Martha's version is a bit different to mine though. Okay so I digressed a little, in my wanderings and watchings on her site I came across the video and recipe for Mexican Paella (click the photo for the video).

The Mexican elements are the poblano pepper, fire roasted canned tomato and Mexican chorizo sausage. The traditional Spanish version would have dry cured chorizo sausage and saffron. I had difficulty finding poblano pepper and fire roasted canned tomato, so instead I used canned chipotle peppers with some of the sauce washed off and regular canned tomatoes. The chipotle peppers added a bit more heat than the milder poblanos would have, but they gave the smoky fire-roasted taste. I could also not find Mexican chorizo, so I used regular Spanish dry chorizo. I used large green New Zealand mussels and they were great too. Oh and I didn't want to buy a whole bottle of tequila for just two tablespoons, so that didn't go in either, and NO I wouldn't drink the rest, my tequila days are long gone.

The resulting fusion of flavour was perfect......give it a try!!!!

Up next: I thought I'd put together some Fish Tacos.

Progress: 46/76

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 22

2010-08-06T10:35:00.000-04:00

I planned the three dishes and made the three, one was a complete disaster and the other two were very successful. I finally got to free up some space in my fridge and cooked up the corned beef and I made the donuts (UGH!!!!!) and a healthy delicious fruit salad.

Corned Beef

This dish is broken down into two parts, the corning process and then the actual cooking of the corned beef. If you buy a corned beef, just skip to the cooking recipe.

I left my beef brisket in the salt and spice solution for three weeks, I did a bit of research before I started and I found that most people found that the longer recipes produced a spicier and better tasting corned beef. There were recipes that got the job done in 3 days, so it could be done, but I wanted more spice.

I also didn't use any preservative or pink curing salt. My research seemed to suggest that it could be omitted, but I'd be left with a brown corned beef instead of the pink colour you usually associate with it. I looked and couldn't find these ingredients so I skipped them, I was after taste more than colour.

I used this recipe for Homemade Corned Beef, except I left out the saltpeter and only made one beef brisket. I put everything in my crock pot with its lid, just remember not to use a metal container as the salt solution will be pretty corrosive.

I waited three weeks, with a stinky fridge....those garlic clove did their job.

Now on to the cooking. Remove the brisket from the brine and thoroughly rinse it with cold water. I researched the spice combinations used to cook corned beef and came up with my own mix using the spices I liked and I had in my collection, it turned out really well.

Corned Beef recipe

1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 small cinnamon stick broken up
3 bay leaves crumbled
1 tsp whole cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp salt
Corned beef

Place corned beef in a large pot and cover with water I used two litres. I'd reduce the salt if you use any less water. Add all the spices. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for about 3 hours. Replenish the water if it gets low during cooking. Remove from liquid and serve as desired.

Yesterday was really hot and after the heat of the cooking all day, I opted to make sandwiches with the beef. I used thick slices of dark rye and served it with pickles and horseradish sauce. I really wanted to make a bit of a east meets west fusion using wasabi paste, soy sauce and mayo instead of the horseradish, but unfortunately I went to the wrong store yesterday and they didn't carry wasabi....that teaches me to not stray from the best. (Have a mentioned I love Presidents Choice stores, they would always have my wasabi)

I have leftover corned beef, so I might just serve it up with some veggies tonight.

Super Chunk Fruit Salad

I gave my family strict instructions to leave me some fruit and I was able to put together an awesome fruit salad. Now my kids don't want just fruit, they want the fruit salad again. My eldest even suggested that he would not eat any fruit for a day and he'd help me get more so we could make it together. Sweet kid.

So there's nothing to it, I just chopped up some fruit and mixed it all together, no added sugar or syrups, just plain healthy fruit.

I used: Oranges, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi fruit and apples

Jammin Jelly Donuts

Let me start by saying, "I DON'T DO DEEP FRIED." I've never liked it and don't have the right equipment for it and don't plan to get it either. So this was really the wrong recipe for me. My donuts came out too browned and weren't cooked through, I suppose I don't fault the recipe, just this cook isn't meant to make them. I'm also rather particular about donuts and don't usually eat them. When I was in elementary school, they'd have donuts days and would make awesome donuts. I hadn't eaten donuts in many years and then found them everywhere here in North America. I don't really like most donuts here, they are too sweet or sticky and leave a weird greasy/waxy taste in my mouth. So I pretty much avoid them.

Anyway, I crossed them off the list as I'm not going to attempt them again. You can see in the photo below that they don't look too great and were destined for the garbage.

Cafe World Cookbook Additions

Two more additions this week, in the vampire theme: Blood Sausage and in the Hippie theme: Pita and Dolmas

Next Up: I've been watching Martha Stewart show archives on her website and found a great Paella recipe.

Progress: 45/76

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 21

2010-07-30T10:40:00.002-04:00

I had bumper week with three recipes completed. It was almost four, I wanted to make a fruit salad, but every time I opened the fridge or looked in the fruit bowl my supply had been obliterated. I suppose I shouldn't complain that my family likes fruit.

So recipes this week were for Super Sliders, Spicy Devil Eggs and Ice Cream Sundae using homemade ice cream.

Super Sliders

If you live in Canada, you can find the cute little sliders buns and burgers at Presidents Choice stores.
I really love their brand and am always impressed with the PC products.

This dish seems to disappear and return in the Cafe World Cookbook. I'll included it, it was in the cookbook when I made it over the weekend and its gone again now.

I used the PC slider buns and burgers with lettuce and cheddar cheese. I added a dollop of my homemade tomato sauce, which made them delish. So I'll share that recipe quickly. I use it with pasta, mixed with veg or on top of fish. I made a big batch and it is always a crowd pleaser and super simple.

Versatile Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 tomatoes chopped
1 tsp salt
Dried herbs to taste.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 10 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add tomatoes, salt and herbs and cook until tomatoes break down and sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.

I used a marinara herb blend this time, but like basil or oregano too. I've also added fresh basil when I make a smaller batch that will get used up in one meal.

Spicy Devil Eggs

I translated this as Devilled Eggs, which I love. I make these every month or two, usually as a lunch or as part of a casual family dinner. They are also great for pot luck. I made mine with diced deli meat that was in the fridge and added some pickles too. Its so simple you just make hard boiled eggs, scoop out the yolk, mix with mayo and Dijon mustard and anything else that tickles your fancy and pipe into the egg white halves. I use a plastic bag with the corner snipped off for my piping.
I found this recipe that seems to resemble my eggs I made for a lunch with the kids. I forgot I was sharing these with you all, else I would've made them prettier, Sorry!!!!

Ice Cream Sundae

The showpiece for this week, my homemade ice cream. I like making ice cream if I can play with the flavours and make something you can't get in the store. This time I made a Praline ice cream. It should have been praline and ice wine, but I didn't add enough ice wine to affect the flavour. It was an ice wine and brandy blend that I thought would be good. I made the sundae with dark chocolate dessert topping and sprinkled with praline mixed nuts.

Praline Ice Cream

Praline:

Use equal weights of chopped blanched almonds and sugar
I had 120 g of nuts so I used 120 g of sugar
lemon juice

Heat sugar and some lemon juice in a small saucepan until the mixture develops a deep caramel colour. Add the almonds and stir until they are browned. Pour the mixture onto a greased baking sheet (I used a thin layer of oil) and allow to cool. When cold and brittle, grind up with a mortar and pestle or bash into smaller pieces using whatever implements you have on hand.

Ice cream:

500 ml milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1 egg, beaten
800ml whipping/double cream
5 ml vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
prepared praline
liqueur or brandy to taste (optional)

Heat the milk in a saucepan. Combine the sugar and cornflour and add to the milk, stirring constantly.
Boil, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool slightly. Carefully add the egg while whisking constantly. Add the salt and praline.
Cool the mixture completely and stir in 500 ml of the cream and the vanilla. Place the ice cream in the freezer to start freezing. After about 30 minutes to 1 hour, remove the ice cream and break up any ice crystals with a fork. Stiffly whip the remaining 300 ml of cream and fold into the ice cream with the liqueur, if using. Freeze again until stiff.

Cafe World Cookbook

It seems they added Escargot right at the back last week and I didn't notice it. This will be made for hubbie, don't think I'd want some...or they could remove it before I ever have to consider it. HINT, HINT!!!!!

Up Next: My beef will be done corning, I'll cook that up and hopefully make some fresh healthy fruit salad to offset those unhealthy jelly donuts.

Progress: 42/74

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Body Armour Alteration

2010-07-27T20:50:00.000-04:00

I've just completed a really fun and interesting project....altering body armour for a friend.

He has two vests which he uses for work and he needed help mending one with a ripped seam and altering another that was two small. He was close to a fire and the thread melted along one side (the blue vest) and the nylon fabric shredded, so I had to make a repair that would be strong and not compromise fit. He'd bought some rubber backed nylon, upholstery thread and Velcro, so the projects just cost me a few jean needles, which were on my machine anyway.

I moved the side straps on the brown vest and the vest fit again through the middle. After a fitting, he mentioned that he's always hated his lower stomach being exposed when wearing his vests, not too safe. I extended the shoulder straps and applied extra Velcro and he now has better coverage.

It is clear that the vests are not his size, but hopefully they now fit his 6'6" (I think??) frame much better. Since I don't have an industrial machine, some of the stitching isn't too pretty, but I reinforced all seams and I've been assured its the strength that counts.

A fun job and I've been promised a fun barbecue and night out as reward.

Extended shoulder straps

Moved the side strap

Extended shoulder straps

Cafe World Challenge Week 20

2010-07-23T10:15:00.000-04:00

This has been my Japanese week. I attended a cooking class called "Made in Japan" and thoroughly enjoyed it and I made one of Cafe World's Japanese theme dishes.

The class was at my local LCBO, the liquor stores here in Ontario. You can see on their website that only a limited number of their stores offer the classes, so I'm lucky that my closest store is on the list. I would seriously recommend these classes to readers in Ontario, I can't speak for the other locations, but I was impressed with the class and had tons of fun. This class wasn't hands-on, you got to sit back, watch, ask lots of questions and then enjoy the food and also the wine and beer pairings. It was enough food for a meal. I will do this again, but bring my husband or a friend for a fun night out. The other benefit of such a class is being able to ask about ingredients and where to find them. I was able to discover an Asian market that was cheaper and bigger than the one I'd been shopping at. My original intention was to learn about sushi making, so I feel I can now confidently take on this challenge. The instructor and LCBO hosts suggested that they might have a hands-on sushi making and design class in the winter sometime, so I will definitely look out for that one.
Here is the full menu of dishes prepared at the class:
-Salmon Sushi Roll with cream cheese
-California Roll with crab
-Shrimp dumplings with butter sauce (not prepared at class)
-Spring salad with ginger dressing
-Miso Soup
-Teriyaki Chicken
-Steamed sushi rice with coconut flakes

Chashu Ramen

Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup served with various toppings. In this instance the major topping is Chashu, simmered pork. In the above picture you can see that the Cafe World version has the pork, some fish, nori, bamboo shoot, scallion and egg topping, so they pretty much went Full Monty. I chose to stick to basics and only used the pork, bamboo shoots and green onion. I used a great book for all the recipes, The Japanese Kitchen by Hiroko Shimbo. I got this book from the library and did some web searches and found this blog, Tess's Japanese Kitchen, she is learning to cook Japanese food by cooking her way through the book. So you can find the recipes from the book on her blog. It is also worth reading through some of the comments as you get tips about finding ingredients and alternatives.

This was a multi part dish and allowed me to cook the broth the day before, then make the pork the next morning and then cook the noodles and heat the broth and enjoy that night. If you were to follow the recipes in the book and make all components from scratch, you'd be following five of the recipes (click the link to be taken to the recipe on the blog):
-Basic stock for ramen noodles (Ramen Sutokku)
-Simmered Pork for Ramen (Chashu)
-Sweet simmered bamboo shoots (Menma)
-Garlic paste (Ninniku-dare)
-Ramen broth flavoured with soy sauce (Shoyu Ramen)

That last recipe is basically the master recipe that brings all the others together and gives you the final dish. Since I don't have endless time and was only making this for my little family, I used commercial bamboo shoots and garlic paste, so I skipped the 3rd and 4th recipes.

If you're not interested in reading through the recipes, this is a summary. The noodles are served in a tasty broth with garlic paste and the soy sauce pork liquids added and then topped with sliced simmered pork, bamboo shoots and scallions.

A very tasty meal. You can see good pictures of all the components and ingredients on Tess's blog and below is my result.

Cafe World Cookbook Changes

Vampire/Werewolf theme, so Vampire Staked Steak. In line with my weekend plans...going to see Twilight Eclipse, hopefully I've given it enough time since the release to avoid a screaming mob of tween girls. Watching New Moon a day after release is not an experience I want to repeat. But I'm a sucker for the Twilight Saga so will have to see it on the big screen.

Next Up: I'm feeling like some sweet treats, so some homemade ice cream and I might try my luck at donut making. I'll be able to cook up my corned beef the week after.

Progress: 39/72

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 19

2010-07-16T09:20:00.000-04:00

I finally made the lobster, I've been planning this for 6 weeks, but since I didn't want the shells in the garbage in this heat, it left me with one day in the week it could be made. The stars and our schedule finally aligned. I also made a yummy chicken recipe this week.

I'm also making corned beef from scratch. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I had a brisket to use and I would've needed to specially order corned beef and it doesn't come cheap. So my fridge has a big crock pot with a hunk of meat brining, unfortunately my whole fridge now also smells of the garlic in the brine. The meat should be done in 2.5 weeks and I'll cook it up then. I'll share the brining process in another post.

I also have my sushi class coming up next week, which also includes other Japanese cuisine. Mmmm should be good.

Lemon Butter Lobster

I took my son shopping for the lobsters and he had a blast, the lady at the seafood counter was a little grouchy, so didn't appreciate my 4 year old telling her the ins and outs of lobsters. He gets a "Lobstering" DVD from the library at least once a month and has all the info stored in his little, yet huge, brain. Unfortunately he has a seafood sensitivity so couldn't eat any, but he did get to choose the alternative and was happy with pizza.

When it came to actually putting the lobsters in the boiling water, I left that to my hubbie, not that I'm squeamish about doing it, but I didn't trust myself with wriggling things with big claws and boiling water. I have some rather serious clumsiness issues.

I can't remember how long I cooked the bugs, maybe 5-7 minutes, but they turned out just great.

I'll share the recipe for the Lemon Butter dipping sauce, which is great with all forms of seafood or fish, but not so great for the figure.

Lemon Garlic Butter for Seafood

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
5 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt
fresh parsley

Melt the butter, add the garlic and lightly saute. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the olive oil. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the lobster is ready. Add salt to taste and chopped fresh parsley. I serve mine in a little ramekin for dipping, but it would also work for baking fish or seafood.

BBQ Chicken

I saw this recipe in an email from Kraft Kitchens and since I had some of their BBQ sauce in the fridge, I tried it out. I grilled mine in the oven since we don't own a barbecue (not my decision) and it turned out great. The flavour was awesome and the chicken was tender. I think I also did a good job of jointing a whole chicken. That was kinda fun!!!

Find the recipe here.

Cafe World Cookbook Changes

Super Sliders are out.....Vegetarian Tamales are in.

Up Next: Sushi Class and Beef still corning.

Progress: 38/71

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 18

2010-07-09T09:55:00.001-04:00

I've been trying to eat a little better this week, so lots of steamed veggies and small pieces of meat or fish. So I figured I should choose a vegetarian Cafe World dish this week and I had some fun creating it.

Overstuffed Peppers

I've made stuffed peppers a number of times before. I've used couscous, rice and millet with various other yummy additions. The Cafe World version uses couscous, so couscous it'll be.

I was raiding my fridge and cupboards while I cooked, using up some of the stuff I had on hand. I planned to use up some fresh thyme in the fridge, but changed my mind and used parsley from my garden. The reason: It started raining while I was cooking, which under normal circumstances wouldn't be remarkable, but we've had a heat wave this last week, it's been hot and humid and I've usually been bathed in sweat in my kitchen, so I grabbed my scissors and ran outside in the rain to pick some parsley and cool down. People in my neighbourhood sit in their open garages on lawn chairs in the late afternoon/evening and I was witnessed by many and got a few laughs. I suppose I'll now be known as the crazy rain dancer or something.

So enough chit chat, on to my recipe. I noted the quantities I used, but my recipe is only enough to stuff about 3 peppers, so increase the amounts if needed. The couscous also makes a wonderful side dish on its own.

Recipe

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 small carrot diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch each last and dried thyme
1 1/2 cups (2 handfuls) chopped mushroom
1/2 cup couscous
1 cup sodium reduced chicken stock
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 medium sized peppers of any colour

Preheat oven to 375F (190C)
In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook carrot, onion, garlic, salt, thyme and mushrooms. Cook until carrot is softened. About 5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add couscous, remove from heat and cover until the liquid has been absorbed by the couscous.
Stir in the pine nuts and parsley.
Cut tops off peppers, and place in a baking dish. Stuff peppers with the couscous mixture and replace pepper tops. Bake uncovered until the peppers start to brown, about 25 minutes.

Cafe World Cookbook changes

The Raspberry Cheesecake has been removed, a pity, and there are now Super Sliders (mini burgers) and BBQ Chicken. It seems the Super Sliders are only temporary though.

Progress: 36/71

Next Up: I'm thinking Corned Beef, but I'll have to figure out how to make it first.

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

A Look at Laureen

2010-07-07T19:00:00.002-04:00

As promised I've found a selection of fashions recently worn by Laureen Harper, Canada's First Lady.

First off, my favourite, worn at the opening dinner of the G8/G20 Summit last month. I love the departure from the somber coloured suits seen in previous years. She's shown with the lovely Michelle O who looks stunning in white again.

An outfit she wore a few years back in Japan at another G20 Summit. She has a great figure and this light blue paisley silk shows it off perfectly. I also love the green and blue colour combo.

Classic black and white for The Queen's arrival in Halifax. I like Governor-General, Michaelle Jean's outfit on the left, a little groovier.

In black and red with a great hat for the International Fleet Review in Halifax.

Both front and back views of her Canada Day dress, a belted red number with another great hat.

A very cool hot pink and black dress. I really liked this look, a bit edgy but still suitable for the occasion.

Then finally the dress she wore to The Official Dinner with The Queen. It was really difficult to find a photo that showed off the dress better, so a partial view will have to do.

So what do you think? I know I've been watching the news and remarking on Laureen's wardrobe, I think she's really stepped it up and is looking great. Also who doesn't love a lady that can look great in heels and silk and then hop onto a dirt bike the next day.

A Fashionable Royal Visit

2010-07-06T09:38:00.000-04:00

With Her Majesty The Queen's visit to Canada ending today, I thought I'd show her fashion choices for the visit. I was surprised by the vibrant colour and just loved her hats.

It seems she has some rules when it comes to her hats:
- They must give her an aura of formality
- They mustn't muss her hair
- They must have an upturned brim so that people and photographers can see her face
- They must be colourful so that she stands out and people can see her

Click below to take you to a Maclean's photo slideshow of her ensembles.
Canadian Tour Royal Fashion

Which are your favourites??

I see the dress she wore last night to the State Dinner was not included. Apparently she "recycled" this dress, by having the bead work on the right sleeve changed. The gown was originally worn to a state dinner in Trinidad and Tobago last autumn and had been decorated with the country's national birds, the scarlet ibis and cocrico. The original design used sea pearls and sequins. These were removed and replaced by Swarovski crystals to form a maple leaf design.

As I'd previously mentioned, my husband attended the State Dinner last night. I saw him on TV a few times and found this very poor photo with him in it. I hope to see the official photos soon. Lucky guy!!

In the last few weeks during The Queen's visit as well as the G20/G8, I've noticed Laureen Harper's excellent fashion choices. She's Canada's First Lady. I think I'll scour the web for the outfits I've seen recently and share.

Cafe World Challenge Week 17

2010-07-02T09:10:00.002-04:00

I had a more productive week, finishing 3 more dishes. I would have done four, but had a last minute visitor the night I wanted to do lobster, so I will try and do it this weekend.
I think I must give my hubbie some royal treatment with lobster, before he attends the Official Dinner with The Queen on Monday, he's among the group of servicemen (and women) being honoured for their service in Afghanistan. I'm very proud of my Navy man.

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers...hope you all had a fun and relaxing day yesterday. To my friends south of the border, Happy Independence Day also.

Herbed Halibut

Lets start by saying that wow, Halibut is expensive. I haven't bought any in a while and forked out $31 for the two pieces. So this recipe would work with any fish. I actually used a similar technique in this previous post. I love making fish in a foil package in the oven. You're basically steaming the fish and you can add all sorts of lovely flavours. It's healthy too, as you're not frying or breading.

Recipe

2 large halibut or other fish fillets
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp white wine
3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley, chive and dill)
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, sliced

Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F
Brush fish with the olive oil.
Put the fish on a sheet of aluminum foil.
Cover fillets with remaining ingredients and surround with lemon slices.
Fold over foil and seal to form a parcel. Bake until fish is no longer glossy and flakes easily.

Falafel

For those who haven't had this before, it is a Middle Eastern fried ball made from ground chickpeas.

I've made them often, but found a dry "falafel mix" which you just add water to and fry, it was really easy. The falafels batter recipes I've used before are often too liquid and didn't work well. So I experimented a little and came up with a recipe that seems to work.

I like serving mine in a wholewheat pita bread with hummus or tahini and sometimes add tabbouleh. I mentioned my problems with salsa in my last post, well I have the same issue with hummus. I had 3 half used containers in my fridge and just loaded my pita with hummus and falafel, I know a chickpea overload, but a delicious one.

Recipe

540 ml (19oz) can of chickpeas, drained
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 egg beaten
2 tbsp fresh coriander
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1 pinch cumin
1/2 tsp baking powder
salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients in a blender.
Shape into small balls. Deep-fry for about 3 minutes or brush with olive oil and bake at 350F/180C for 15 minutes.

I used both cooking methods in my experiment, in the photo below you can see that the upper falafel were fried and the lower ones were baked. I'm not a fan of excess oiliness, so I preferred the baked version, but traditionally they are fried.

Chocolate Cream Pie

I admit, the above heading should be in air quotes. The version I made didn't have real cream or possibly even real chocolate (you never know). I completely buckled to consumerism and made Cool Whip Pudding Pie.
I re-organized my baking supplies and had a box of Oreo crumbs make its way to the front and this recipe is on the box staring at me every time I open the cupboard. So what the hell, its close isn't it? For now I'll count it, I might make a real version at another time and I'll post the pic. For what its worth, it was okay, but not as good as the real thing.

Up next: I'm hoping I can finally get my lobster done

Progress: 35/70, halfway, for now at least.

Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property

Cafe World Challenge Week 16

2010-06-25T16:50:00.001-04:00

I totally forgot about posting this week. It's been one of those...my husband was away for most of it and of course my eldest gets strep throat and is miserable. It didn't help that this was his last week of school before summer holidays and he didn't get to see his friends, he's a sensitive little soul. He managed to get better for today, which was his pre-school's family picnic, so we had a blast outside with the kids, playing soccer, swimming and then treated the kids to ice cream at McDonald's. So we were all bombed from the sun, activity and sugar and had an extra long nap, correction I had a short nap and the rest of the family is still sleeping.

So I'll get to it. I only made one dish, an easy one for a crazy week.

Chips and Guacamole

I LOVE avocadoes and there are some good, ripe avos in the stores right now. I hate buying avos that aren't ready and then I invariably can't wait and open it and it's too hard to enjoy. I find the avos I buy here in North America though are rather tasteless compared to the beauties I was used to in South Africa. I think we have about three main growing areas there and the avos are ready at slightly different times, I suppose we were just closer to the trees and we got them fresher or something.
So since I love avos, obviously I love guacamole too, although I am picky about it, I have never liked guacamole bought from the store, you just can't taste the avo.
So this is my quick version, I use salsa instead of the fresh tomato, red onion and chillies I use when I have time. I always have half used jars of salsa in my fridge, as my hubbie usually impulsively buys tortilla chips, salsa and hot pepper hummus when I send him to the store, forgetting about the same stuff he already had in the fridge. I usually STRESS emphatically that he should stick to the list I give him, so he usually forgets at least one thing from the list and comes home with a ton of other stuff and suggests, "honey I thought we could have this for dinner". OMG what did he think the list was for!!!! I usually plan meals a week ahead, so I've taken stuff out the freezer and/or need to use up something.

Wow I totally went off-topic there, so sorry, but I'm sure some of you know that feeling ;) So on to the recipe:

Guacamole

2 ripe avocadoes, peeled and pitted
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup salsa
salt to taste
hot-pepper sauce to taste

Mash up the avos with a fork and combine with the other ingredients. Easy, Peasy.
Serve with tortilla chips.

Notes:
1. I like the "scoop" variety of tortilla chips as they don't have fragile corners that break off in the dip. This guacamole is nice and chunky and needs a sturdier chip to handle it and you get lots of dip in the scoop.
2. The lemon juice is to help the avos from going brown but I'd suggest storing in the fridge with plastic wrap spread on the surface of the dip to prevent contact with the air. Its best to serve this shortly after making it.

Cafe World Cookbook additions

Some yummy ones this time:
Chocolate Cream Pie, Raspberry Cheesecake and Lox Bagel

Progress: 32/70

Next up: I've actually planned, An easy version of one of the new desserts, Falafel and Herbed Halibut. Thinking about it now, I might just squeeze in some Lobster. I have to play "catch up".

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Cafe World Challenge Week 15

2010-06-18T11:00:00.002-04:00

I managed two dishes this week, something spicy and something sweet.

Although there have been no more additions to the basic cookbook this week, Cafe World has introduced an Advanced Cookbook for level 75 and up, but since I'm not at that level yet in the game I won't include them in the challenge....yet. I did take a glance on another website and there are only 4 dishes at the moment, Chicken Vindaloo (a HOT favourite), Osso Bucco, Confit de Canard and Kabayaki.

Lavish Lamb Curry

The Cafe World version had yogurt and uses ground lamb. I thought I'd use what I had at home and made a version of Lamb Madras instead. It is usually red in colour with lots of chili powder. You can change the amount of fresh chili and/ or chili powder used depending on the spiciness you prefer. If you want it hotter, keep the chili seeds in, otherwise remove them as most of the heat is in the seeds.

Lamb Madras

2 tbsp oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
red chillies (I used 1/2 fresh, hot chili deseeded)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 lb lamb (1 kg), cubed
sprigs of cilantro
large can tomatoes 28 oz (796 ml)
2 tbsp tomato paste
salt to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the lamb and cook until it is browned. Set aside.
Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until translucent.
Add the garlic, chili powder, garam masala, red chillies and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the meat to the tomato mixture and cook for 30 minutes.
Add the lemon juice and cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt. Serve with rice and garnish with a sprig of cilantro.

This recipe was enough for us for two nights, so it would probably serve 4 people.

Delicious Chocolate Cake

Cherries were on sale this week and my big bag at home inspired me to make Black Forest Cake. It isn't the cake that Cafe World meant to be served, but it is chocolate, it is cake and boy is it delicious. If you want a really decadent Chocolate Cake I recommend using Martha Stewart's Moist Devil's Food Cake and be sure to use the frosting recipe too, it is too die for.

Another great recipe I've used is this one from a previous post.

I used the following chocolate cake recipe for mine, but use any chocolate cake recipe you like and then follow the construction steps, also the amount of cream etc you'll need will depend on the number of layers you make. This time I made just 2 layers, since I cut my first layer skew, but three layers is great.

Black Forest Cake

200g/ 7oz plain chocolate broken into squares
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 eggs separated
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
3 tbsp Kirsch
2/3 cup self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup ground almonds

Filling & topping:
Plain chocolate
3 tbsp Kirsch
425g/15 oz can stoned black cherries, drained with juiced reserved
2 cups whipping cream/ double cream, whipped
fresh cherries with stalks

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F. Grease or line with parchment paper, a 20 cm/ 8in round cake tin.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, keep stirring to mix. Remove from heat and leave until barely warm.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thickened. Add chocolate mixture and the Kirsch. Fold in the flour and almonds. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gently fold into the mixture.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40 minutes or until firm to touch.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out let cool on a wire rack. Use a long serrated knife to cut the cake horizontally into even layers.

Construction:
Mix the Kirsch with 6 tbsp of the reserved cherry juice. Place the bottom cake layer on your serving plate and sprinkle with 3 tbsp of the Kirsch syrup.
Spread cream over the sponge layer and scatter with the canned cherries. Place the next sponge layer on top and repeat adding kirsch syrup, cream and cherries until top sponge layer is added. Sprinkle top with kirsch syrup and top with cream. Use a potato peeler to make chocolate curls and sprinkle over top of cake. Top with fresh cherries.

Store any leftover cake in the fridge, since there is lots of cream involved and if you cannot find Kirsch, use brandy. If you don't want alcohol, you can leave it out, just drizzle the cake with the cherry juice.

Progress: 31/67

Next Up: Not sure...again.

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Cafe World Challenge Week 14

2010-06-11T10:16:00.001-04:00

I'm writing this with the World Cup opening game about to start. My team, Bafana Bafana (South Africa) are taking on Mexico. So I will try to keep this quick, if you don't mind.

This week I only made the one Cafe World dish, Homestyle Pot Roast.

Homestyle Pot Roast

I'll skip all the chatter and just give the recipe.

Pot Roast - I used 2.2 kg Blade Roast, but suitable cuts are usually labelled or ask your butcher.
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp fines herbes (or your favourite dried blend)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
beef broth or chicken broth
1tsp beef bouillon granules/powder
2 yellow onions, cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 large carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
3 large red potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup red wine
2 tbsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 F (180C)
Combine dried spices & herbs and rub onto roast.
Heat oil in a large oven-proof pan over medium high heat. Brown roast on all sides, remove and set aside.
Stir in 3/4 cup broth and deglaze by scraping up any of the meat bits stuck to the pan. Mix in bouillon. Return roast to pan and arrange onion and garlic on top.
Cover and bake in preheated oven for 2 hours.
Remove from oven. Lift out roast and place onion underneath, add potatoes and carrot. Then add enough broth and/or water to nearly cover the vegetables. Place roast on top (make sure the meat isn't in the liquid)
Cook covered for 1 hour more. Remove roast and let stand for 10 minutes.
Remove vegetables and keep warm while preparing the gravy.
Gravy: Place roasting pan with juices over medium high heat. Add wine, scarping up browned bits of meat. Bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water to form a paste. Gradually add the paste stirring constantly , until thickened to desired consistency.
Serve meat with vegetables on a platter with gravy on the side.

My husband likes horseradish on his meat. So I cut up some fresh horseradish and placed in my blender with a little water. When it was fine enough I added a little white wine vinegar and he liked it. Just be careful!! The fumes that comes off fresh chopped horseradish is painful to the eyes.

I took a break from writing to go sing my National Anthem and can now go watch the game.

Cafe World Cookbook addition

One more addition this week. Not my favourite....Corndogs, maybe there's a more healthy version I could make?? For the non-North Americans, it is a hotdog sausage coated in a corn batter and fried, it has a popsicle stick through it for easier eating.

Next Up: Once again...no idea!! I must get sit down and do some planning this weekend.

Progress: 29/67

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Black & Red Shift Dress

2010-06-06T19:30:00.000-04:00

I've made up a new dress using Simplicity 2583, a "Project Runway" pattern.

I used View B, sleeveless with the knot on the neck band. I used the black crepe which I've used before and a red linen blend which I brought back from South Africa. The design changed a few times, firstly because I didn't have much of the red fabric and then I had a serger accident and cut a hole in the bottom of the centre front. I played around with a few options and finally settled on just adding a black band at the bottom. It was actually hubbie's idea!! Yay Pete!! Thanks.

It was going to have 3/4 sleeves, but we went to a garden party this afternoon and I thought it would be a perfect dress, but a little hot for the weather. So I made it sleeveless instead and as it turned out, the weather was cool and breezy. So I didn't boil in the black dress. I also found that I could slip it on without the zipper, so I left it out.

I truly love this dress. I got more excited about it the more I sewed and loved wearing it. My husband also loved me wearing it, he went around telling people, "Doesn't Jen look lovely in the dress SHE MADE!!" He was very sweet and now thinks I should made an exact version in yellow and navy.

I think he is so impressed with the sewing that he's asked me to make him new High Collar Whites. He apparantly has a "pattern" but who knows. It might be a good challenge.

Cafe World Challenge Week 13

2010-06-04T11:20:00.000-04:00

This week I only completed one dish, a really simple stuffed mushroom recipe.

I was planning to make Lemon Butter lobster, but with the hot weather we're experiencing in my area I will only make that the day before garbage pickup. Seafood shells in garbage is not pleasant. So that leaves me Sundays, which is usually very busy for us, so I will wait till I have a relaxing Sunday available, which might be a while. Ugh!!!

Stuffed Mushroom

I wanted a nice light dinner and thought stuffed mushrooms and salad would work well. I looked through my fridge and feta cheese and sundried tomatoes caught my eye. But after some thought, I decided to get some goat cheese as my feta is rather strong tasting and thought it would be a bit much with the rich tasting sundried tomato.

Recipe

Large mushrooms, I used three Portabello.
Olive oil
salt and pepper
1 package goat cheese
sundried tomatoes, I used some in a jar with oil.

Remove mushroom stems, brush olive oil all over mushrooms, I used about 1 tsp per mushroom. Place rounded side down on baking sheet covered in foil. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover with foil and Bake at 350 F (180 C) for about 8 minutes or until tender.
Remove cover and place a slice of goat cheese and some sliced tomato on each mushroom. Return to oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese starts to melt.
Serve and enjoy.

Cafe World Cookbook additions

They seems to be adding a new theme every week and with that some cookbook additions. So it seems for every dish I make some more are added.
This week Falafel has been added for the Egyptian theme. I've made this many, many times, but usually from a prepared box of Falafel mix. My made from scratch version didn't turn out well. Time to find a new recipe.

Progress: 28/66
Up Next: Not sure...check in next Friday to see.

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Easy Chicken Teriyaki

2010-05-29T06:17:00.000-04:00

I have a number of dishes that I classify as my go-to dishes in various situations. Spaghetti and store bought sauce is my "I'm hungry and have no time" dinner. Store bought soup is the standby for the kids when I prepare very spicy food or shellfish, which James has a sensitivity toward ie. he throws up uncontrollably for hours afterward. When I have veggies in the fridge that need to get used up before they spoil, I do a stir-fry and if I have chicken in the freezer, I turn that stir-fry into Chicken Teriyaki.

The Teriyaki part is complements of Epicure Selection's Teriyaki Seasoning. I adore Epicure's products!! No I am not a consultant, but a friend of mine in Quebec was and I attended a number of tasting parties and hosted a few as well. I now buy the products from a local consultant and keep the catalogue and monthly specials handy. The products are of great quality and don't have all the excess salt and preservatives sometimes found in other spice mixes. They also have good kitchen and cleaning products. They're a Canadian company and you can buy through a local consultant or order online. Enough of that...you'll see me use many more of their products along the way. Back to the recipe.

Chicken Teriyaki

Chicken cut into 1 inch cubes
assorted veggies sliced or diced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp VE Teriyaki seasoning or another brand
2 tsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce

Mix seasoning with soy sauce and sugar. Marinade chicken in mixture in fridge or if pressed for time just add the teriyaki sauce mixture straight to the cooked chicken.
Cook chicken in preheated oil until cooked through. Set aside. Stir-fry vegetables in same pan and cook till done. Combine with cooked chicken, heat through and serve with rice.

In the photo above, I used carrot, onion and zucchini. I have onion, red & yellow peppers and mushroom in the fridge now so that will probably be used tonight. I sometimes also add garlic and fresh ginger, although I think they are already in the seasoning. This meal is healthy, easy and my family loves it.

Cafe World Challenge Week 12

2010-05-28T08:05:00.001-04:00

I spent my long weekend trying to recover from a throat infection, so I was in no mood for major cooking, but I did cuddle up with my little boys and watch some Food Network, which I haven't done in months. That is, both watching Food Network and actually get to watch something of mine with my sons in the same room. They usually moan too much about wanting to watch their shows that it's pretty pointless attempting to watch anything myself. But this weekend was different, I had one with his head on my lap and the other snuggled against my side and they watched in silence, I wished I'd gotten a photo, a rare peaceful moment!!!

So anyways...I saw an episode of Bob Blumer's Glutton for Punishment and he was learning to make dim sum dumplings from the masters and it seemed really difficult. So I thought I'd prepare some Shu Mai Dumplings while fresh with the tips I picked up from the show.

Shu Mai Dumplings

As it turned out, Shu Mai dumplings are open ended and are not as difficult to construct as those I saw on the show. I also found that there are ready-made dumpling wrappers, so I didn't need to make the pastry.

I used this recipe from myrecipes.com. It was pretty simple, with standard (for me) ingredients. When I went to the oriental food market, the guy there was very uncertain about me making my own dumplings and kept on trying to sell me the prepared frozen ones, but since I bought the dumpling wrappers and a bamboo steamer and new chopsticks, I think he made a better sale.

I think they turned out pretty okay looking, not perfect, but none fell apart and they were easy to eat. They tasted absolutely FAN-frikken-TASTIC, I'm still salivating about that meal 24 hours later. I think the ginger and green onion were the essentials for the taste. These dumplings had pork and shrimp, but I saw different recipes with just pork, just shrimp and some with mushroom and other veggies too. I even saw tofu and eggplant versions.

I was really intimidated at first, but I'm really glad I discovered this dish...this recipe is definitely a keeper and will be made again and again.

New Cafe World dish

Another favourite has been added earlier in the week: Philly Cheesesteak
Late last night I came across two new ones, Angel Fruit Cake and Spicy Devil Eggs. I wish they'd introduced this last week, so I could have included the Devilled Eggs I made then, oh well it's very easy and I'll do them again soon.

Progress: 27/65

Next Up: If I can find some, I'll get some Lobster.

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Cafe World Challenge Week 11

2010-05-21T10:50:00.000-04:00

Another two dishes are done. But as usual another dish has been added to the Cafe World repertoire, so will I ever reach that halfway mark? Oh well...its fun anyway and I've left some interesting stuff to still cook in the second half, whenever that happens.

Caramel Apples

The kids had a blast with this one. I found many "easy" recipes that just involved melting down caramel candies, easy yes, but I usually don't prefer the taste of commercial caramels, so I found another Canadian Living recipe. This recipe has some really cool ideas for adding nuts and chocolate too, but I just wanted my apples plain.

I only made three apples, because I knew the novelty would wear off quickly with the kids. The recipe makes a bigger batch of caramel, so I greased a baking pan and poured in the caramel and put it in the fridge and voila yummy caramel candies for mom.

Dino Drumstick

There's not much to say about this one. I used those large turkey drumsticks and just broiled them in the oven. Nothing special, just another meal to cross off the list.

New Cookbook addition

Cafe World has introduced another classic and a favourite of mine, Clubhouse Sandwich.

Progress: 26/62

Next Up: No idea, wait and see.

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

SWAP 2010 is Done...but not mine.

2010-05-16T19:07:00.001-04:00

The final SWAP Collections are up and the winners have been announced.3rd Prize: Yorkshire Lass' Black Rainbow SWAP, 2nd Prize: Kbenco's First Rung SWAP and Grand Prize: Carolyn's Midnight Blue SWAP. Well done ladies, your collections are fantastic and voting wasn't easy. I loved the different interpretations of the rules. As you can see mine isn't there. I didn't get finished, but loved the process. I will still sew up the dresses I planned as they are all in various stages of completion.

My finished garments included:
1. Red polka dot dress
2. Red silk top
3. Peachy/pink mandarin collar blouse
4. Black tank with lace
5. Black long skirt
6. Purple satin skirt
7. Knitted boat neck sweater (not finished before deadline)

I get lots of wear out of the red dot dress and the black tank and I've worn the long black skirt once. I think the red silk top must have gotten hidden in the closet as there is no reason for me not to wear it. I've put the mandarin collar blouse on a few times but I've found something else that worked better on each occasion. I'm sure it'll be worn soon. As for that purple skirt, I feel inclined to give it away, although I could keep it for costume parties.

As you can see from the list, I finished the sweater earlier in the week. I think it took me 4 months almost to the day, which may seem really long for some of you power knitters out there, but I don't think I've ever finished a knitting project in under a year. So I am HAPPY!!! And I can wear it, it fits. I've given away my last few projects as they were too tight or short.

The pattern used came from the Canadian Living website, I chose it because it seemed really easy for the SWAP time frame. I used an acrylic yarn, TLC Essentials in Harvest. I didn't want to use costlier yarn with my track record. Since the pattern doesn't have ribbing at the edges, the sleeves, bottom and neckline roll over. I actually like this. I also love the colours in the yarn.

I also sewed up another long black skirt for one of the formal dinners. I used McCalls 3436, View F, the A line skirt. I've had this pattern for a while and thought it would sew up really quickly, which it did. I used black crepe and produced a simple long skirt that is very handy for all my events. I can just switch around tops for different looks.

Cafe World Challenge Week 10

2010-05-14T11:12:00.001-04:00

I made my crab bisque as planned, didn't get to the caramel apples I planned, but made one of my two usual quiche recipes and only realised I could include it in the challenge when it was in the oven. So another two dishes done.

King Crab Bisque

I love making soups and will usually make a chowder if I'm using seafood. I googled that the difference between the two is supposed to be the texture. Bisque is smooth and creamy, whereas chowder is chunky. The Cafe World recipe also has potato which reminds me more of chowder, so I decided I'd use my regular chowder recipe and just give it a good whizz to make it smooth. After this experiment, I admit I prefer it chunky like chowder. Reflecting afterwards I also thought that perhaps the colour wasn't right either, aren't bisque's usually redder. With the herbs liquidized in the otherwise white soup, it had a green tint. Well whatever, it tasted okay.

I also did a cheat for this and instead of using fresh crab, I used good quality canned chunk crab. I really didn't need the extra work!!!

Just a note too on the other ingredients and quantities. I change this recipe every time I use it. I usually use haddock or some other fish and usually use leeks. My area seems to have a leek shortage right now, there were none at the 2 store I checked, so I used 1 onion and the 4 spring onions I had left in the fridge. I also sometimes add carrot to my leek, it just depends on what I have on hand. In other words, use what you have or like, that simple!!!

Recipe

1/2 stick butter (50g)
4 leeks washed and thinly sliced or 1 onion and 4 green/spring onions.
4 cloves garlic chopped
pinch nutmeg
5 cups milk
two cans crab meat or other fish
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 large potatoes mashed

Heat the butter in a saucepan and gently cook the leeks and garlic till soft, add the nutmeg. If using the fish, I usually poach it in the milk and then add the leek mixture. If using canned crab, add crab and milk, season with pepper and stir in parsley and mashed potato. Cook until heated through. If you want it smooth like a bisque, use a hand blender or let cool a bit and use a blender.

Impossible Quiche

I was browsing through my recipe scrapbook and my eyes fell on my much used quiche recipe and the decision was instantaneous. This, in my opinion is ultimate comfort food, especially since it has that evil little ingredient....BACON. This quiche is NOT figure friendly, it has butter and cheddar cheese and cream (sometimes), but mushroom is a vegetable right? Since this quiche is pretty rich, you can only eat a little at a time, so I usually serve it with a light salad for dinner and then eat the rest for breakfast or brunch. This would make a great addition to a brunch table. The pastry is rich, so I've made a lighter version before using a store bought pie shell.

Mushroom and Bacon Quiche

Pastry:
250ml (1cup) cake flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 stick butter

Filling:
1/2 a package bacon (250 g)chopped
250 g white mushrooms sliced
3 eggs
375ml (1 1/2 cups) milk or cream (I like 1 cup milk & 1/2 cup cream)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese or 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 ml mustard powder
3 ml salt
ground pepper to taste
1 tsp fresh herbs or 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs

Pastry: Mix all ingredients in a food processor, press into base and sides of a 24 cm quiche dish
Filling: Fry bacon until crisp. Remove and keep aside. Saute mushrooms in bacon grease. Spoon Bacon and mushrooms onto base.
Beat eggs, milk/cream and lemon juice. Add cheese and seasoning and pour onto base.
Bake in a preheated oven at 160C/320F oven for 1 hour.

Progress: 24/61

Next up: My little guy is home sick, so I promised I'd make Caramel Apples, actually he's more interested in the Caramel sweets I make with the leftover caramel.
I might also see if I can find those monster drumsticks and make a Dino Drumstick???

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Bread and Books

2010-05-11T14:08:00.000-04:00

This post is basically a summary of my Mothers Day on Sunday.

I've had a bread recipe out for about 2 weeks, but just haven't had the time to make it. So I figured on Mothers Day my hubbie could take care of the kiddies for a while and I made bread. I used another Canadian Living magazine recipe (Oct '09) for Multigrain Loaves. It uses a mix of multigrain and white bread flours, molasses and sunflower seeds (both inside and a topping). It is delicious. There's something relaxing, at least for me, about kneading bread dough for a good 15 minutes. It forces me to stay in one place and I build up a nice rhythm.

My husband doesn't usually remember to do gift shopping ahead of time, but it is kind of nice, because he usually takes the boys to the bookstore for a few hours and I get an added gift of some peace and quiet. So he took the boys out and I made bread, actually got to have an extended, uninterrupted shower and knitted.

I was quite impressed with my Mothers Day gifts, so I thought I'd share:

Three Cups of Tea, One man's mission to promote Peace one school at a time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. (Top Left)

I read both of Khaled Hosseini's books The Kite Runner and a Thousand Splendid Suns while my husband was in Afghanistan and have wanted to read more books based in Afghanistan. I had heard good reviews of this book and it was on my "To Read list", although I don't remember sharing this with hubbie. He is too clever, isn't he?

Next up are three cookbooks, can I ever have too many??

Saha by Greg and Lucy Malouf(Top Right) is a chef's journey through Lebanon and Syria. This cookbook has beautiful photography and has great dishes as well as stories of the author's culinary adventures through their travels. I love cuisine from this part of the world and it is the only book I now have dedicated to it.

Curry by Jody Vassallo and awesome photography by Deidre Rooney (Bottom left). The photos in this book are modern and really show off the spicy colour of the food. I love curry and this book incorporates curry recipes from around the world.

The last book, Easy Everyday Indian by Das Sreedharan (bottom right) is another Indian cookbook for my collection. It has some different recipes to my other books and has a lovely little section on ingredients. I'm quite familiar with the ingredients in Indian recipes, but it can be quite intimidating if you're not used to cooking this cuisine.

So I hope to be cooking and sharing from these books soon.

Cafe World Challenge Week 9

2010-05-07T11:25:00.000-04:00

It has been nine weeks already and I'm about a third the way through the Cafe World Cookbook. I've realised that some weeks are really slow, like this one, with only one dish completed and other weeks I'm able to do more cooking. I try to do at least one of the dishes early in the week, usually on a Sunday, so that I can show some progress by Friday. This week has been particularly difficult as I've simply not been eating at home.

My husband is the Commanding Officer of the Naval unit in the city and this week was the 100th anniversary of our Canadian Navy, so we have been VERY busy. We usually attend about 2 formal dinners a month and have a few other events scattered in between. But this last week has been CRAZY. We've attended three formal dinners this week and have another next week and we've also had the naval parades during the day. Not that I'm complaining, it sure is fun getting dressed up and having delicious dinners served to you and meeting very interesting people, but this girl really needs a little downtime and little boys don't let mamma sleep in. So here's to hoping that Mamma gets some rest on Mothers Day and I can get back to making more of the Cafe World Meals.

Although I had a hectic week I did manage to make one Indian inspired dish.

Tikka Masala Kabobs

By far my favourite cuisine is Indian and I make Indian food quite often. I don't think this dish is very authentic, but it has the flavours I love.

Recipe

2 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
1 each red and green peppers cut into 1 inch squares
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp chili powder
6 skewers

If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for a few hours to prevent them getting too charred.
Mix all ingredients, except the chicken and peppers, together and pour over chicken in a shallow dish. Coat chicken and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to marinate.
Thread chicken and peppers alternatively onto skewers.
Grill for about 10 minutes or until chicken is done.

New Cafe World dishes

Stuffed Mushrooms have been added. I haven't made the game dish yet, so I'm not sure what the CW version is stuffed with, but these are always yummy.

Progress: 22/61

Next up: I'll attempt King Crab Bisque, might be a little less Kingly (is that a word?) and a little more homestyle. I've also been looking for a Basic Sushi making class, as I'd rather not buy all the ingredients for the Sushi Spread myself. It would be easier and more fun for me to prepare this in a class setting. The earliest class I've found is only in July, but I'll keep looking.

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Cafe World Challenge Week 8

2010-04-30T00:00:00.002-04:00

This week saw three more dishes completed. Something sweet and two uses for ground beef. I made sure to include the cute little spring flowers in the pic to celebrate the fact that mine have also appeared in my garden.

Pumpkin Pie

I've made the Traditional version many times, but thought I'd try a new recipe this time.

I went to my trusty Martha Stewart Living Cookbook and found a Pumpkin-Pecan Pie, it sounds yummy with the pecans, but I opted to omit them for for this challenge, since the Cafe World version doesn't have any. What made this recipe different, was the addition of bourbon to the pumpkin mixture. The bourbon taste was subtle, but just enough to mess with the pumpkin flavour, I think it would have been better with the pecans as the bourbon would compliment their flavour.

You can find the recipe here, type Pumpkin-pecan pie in the search on the left. I'd really recommend this cookbook, as it has some really great recipes. It is the New Classics book, so many of the recipes have a modern twist on old favourites.

Bacon Cheeseburger

A bacon & cheese burger is my second favourite type of burger, so this was an old classic in my house. For some reason I never think to make my favourite at home....a bacon and guacamole burger. A restaurant chain in South Africa served (or serves) this burger. I find it here and there and will usually order it immediately.

If I look out of the house for a bacon & cheeseburger, McDonald's Angus Burger with Bacon & Cheese cannot be beaten. I'm usually not a Mickey Dee's fan, but my James gets to go about twice a month as a treat. The calories in their burger is frightening though, so I haven't had one in months.

My burger was made with ground beef seasoned with a bit of Texan Barbecue spice. I layered my burger up with a smear of mayo, bacon, cheddar cheese (which was placed on the burger patty to melt just before serving) and tomato. I usually add some lettuce too, but I discovered mine was a touch furry, so I had to toss it out.

It was quite funny watching my family eat their burgers. My husband skipped the cheese, bacon and tomato entirely and loaded his with hot picked peppers and hot sauce. He'd put hot sauce on his ice cream and cereal if I'd let him.
James (4) wanted everything I had, but with added pickles. He only ended up eating his bacon, pickles and some of the burger patty. Little Willem (2) seemed to prefer the cheese and had to be coaxed to eat something else. Ah the joys of feeding kids.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

This was a meal where I had no problem with the kids, they cleaned their plates and had seconds. The adults loved it too. I made extra meatballs and froze them.

Recipe

Meatballs:
Equal quantity (I used 500g each for a larger batch) of ground beef and ground pork.
Freshly ground black pepper.
Dried oregano

Mix meat and spices together, form into balls and fry till browned and cooked through.

Sauce:
4 Ripe tomatoes
2 red peppers
1/2 an onion (or 1 small)
Minced garlic, to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 2/2 tbsp fresh basil

Saute chopped onion and garlic in oil till onion softens. Add chopped Peppers and tomatoes. Cook till Peppers are soft. Add chopped fresh basil.

Serve sauce on top of cooked spaghetti and place meatballs on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Delicious!!!

Progress: 21/60

Up next: Tikka Masala Kabobs

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Cafe World Challenge Week 7

2010-04-23T10:20:00.000-04:00

This week has been really slow on the cooking front, as I only made one Cafe World dish. My husband has either been away or had to eat out, so it's been mostly just myself and the kids at dinnertime. I like to share my cooking and get feedback (hint, hint) so when he's not around, its easier to just serve the kids exactly what they like, so its been spaghetti or soup and salad for most of the week.

Tony's Classic Pizza

In Cafe World the picture of the pizza shows pepperoni and the instructions include olives, so I assuming Tony's Classic is a pepperoni and olive pizza.

I made two pizzas, one is Tony's Classic and the other is my favourite, so I'll call it Jenny's Classic Pizza.

No amount of great toppings can save a pizza with a bad base, so I prefer to buy my pizza dough from an expert. I have a great little bakery and cafe in my neighbourhood owned by an Italian family, so I get my pizza dough from them. I get two dough balls in each package big enough for two 12 inch pizzas.

Pizza recipe

Use base or dough of choice
I use a pizza pan with holes, so that the base crisps. I spread coarse corn meal on the plate before adding the dough. This prevents the dough from sticking. For my South African readers, I use good old IWISA pap

For Tony's Classic:

Spread tomato/pizza sauce or puree on the base. I like to mix in some minced garlic and a drizzle of olive oil before I spread mine on. Add cheese, I like an Italian blend of mozzarella, parmesan, emmenthal and provolone, but plain mozzarella is good too. I then place sliced pepperoni and olives on top. Don't put the pepperoni under the cheese, it doesn't crisp and you'll have soggy pepperoni, UGH. I also sprinkle a little Italian herb seasoning on top. I put my pizza on the bottom rack of a 425F/220C oven and cook for about 15 minutes. It'll depend on your pan, so check when the cheese is bubbly and the crust is browned.

* I didn't add the tomato paste in this photo as I didn't have any. I used oil and garlic, as in Jenny's Classic

For Jenny's Classic:

My Classic is a Tomato and Basil Pizza. Mix together some olive oil and minced garlic and spread/brush over crust. Add thinly sliced tomato and chopped fresh basil. Sprinkle with cheese and Italian herb seasoning. Bake on the bottom rack of a 425F/220C oven and cook for about 15 minutes.

Cafe World Cookbook Changes

The Cookbook has had a net decrease this week. The Martian Brain Bake and the Tom Yum Goong are gone and the Sushi Spread is new.

Progress: 18 / 60

Up next: Pumpkin Pie

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Plum Almond Phyllo Tart

2010-04-19T21:03:00.003-04:00

Monday seems to be baking day for me. I suppose I browse through recipes on a Sunday evening after a hectic weekend with the family and have a breather again on Monday with hubbie at work and James at preschool.

Today I made a plum tart recipe that I found in a Canadian Living recipe booklet. It was simple and tastes great. Served with some whipped cream, it was a perfect dessert.

Plum Almond Phyllo Tart

3 phyllo sheets
2 tbsp butter melted

Filling:
2/3 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 egg
dash almond extract
2 tbsp flour
3 plums
3 tbsp smooth or strained apricot jam

I used a 9-inch (23cm) pie dish. Brush phyllo sheets with melted butter and fold in half cross-wise to form a crude triangle. Place each in bottom of pie dish at angles to cover the bottom. I had my triangle points falling over the sides. But you could fold them in.
Filling: Beat together almonds, sugar and butter. Beat in egg and almond extract. Stir in flour. Spread in phyllo shell. Cut plums into 8 wedges each and place on top of almond filling.
Heat baking sheet on bottom rack of 375 F (190 C) oven until hot. Place tart on sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool on rack.
Brush apricot jam over filling. Serve at room temperature.

Cafe World Challenge Week 6

2010-04-16T08:18:00.000-04:00

I had my most productive week yet, finishing 5 dishes. A successful repeat, a Chinese New Year dish, a dessert and two chicken dishes.

French Onion Soup

I tried this one in week 2 and was disappointed by the result. I had a bag of onions to finish, so I gave it another try. I used the same recipe as before, but this time I got the onions caramelized, used commercial beef broth and added snipped chives at the end.

It worked!!! Hubbie liked it (no references to onions in water), James actually had two huge bowls and I had the leftovers the next day for lunch.

Failure is nothing but the step to success in this case.

White Radish Cake

I'd made bread the night before (see previous post) and my house smelled divine...well it pretty much reeked after this dish.

I should've looked at the steps in the Cafe World game, because it seemed that they used bacon instead of the horribly stinky dried shrimp in my recipe. I suppose using bacon is very westernized. In my post-cooking analysis I also found a vegetarian version in my Vegetarian Thai cookbook.

I used this White Radish Cake recipe. It provides great descriptions and step by step photos.

My other problem with this dish was the steaming then frying. My cake seemed like a jellied mush and getting it out the steamer and then fried was a mess.

Although I really did enjoy getting to browse through my local Asian food store, I think I'll stick to eating this in restaurants.

Triple Berry Cheesecake

The Cafe World version has only strawberries, but done three ways: sliced, diced & pureed. My version has strawberry and wildberry swirls and is topped with strawberries and raspberries.

I went to the CookingwithPhilly.ca website and scoured their abundant resource of cheesecake recipes and settled for the New York Style Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake. I've made a few of their cheesecake (and other) recipes and have always had great results. I used half strawberry and half wildberry jam for the swirls and substituted one of the three cream cheese packages with the reduced fat version.

This cheesecake didn't last long...it was a hit with the whole family. Actually I don't think I've met a cheesecake I didn't like. ;)

Spitfire Roasted Chicken

Roast chicken is a classic and I love to make different versions. I'm not sure about Spitfire Chicken, as suggested by Cafe World, it kind of has images of chickens roasting on a spit over a fire, but I decided to go classic and used lemon like the Cafe World version.

Roast Chicken Recipe

1 whole fresh chicken
1 lemon
2 sprigs rosemary or thyme
olive oil or melted butter
salt & pepper

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Prick lemon all over. I find a wooden skewer works well. Place lemon and herbs in chicken cavity and truss chicken.
I then rub the outside with the oil or butter and then season with salt and pepper.
Roast at 350F for 20 minutes per pound. I usually check the breast with a meat thermometer to make sure it's at 180F. I let it rest for 10 minutes before I carve (or I ask my husband to do it).

I added white wine to the pan drippings, let it boil and added a little flour & had an easy gravy.

Voodoo Chicken Salad

This was my delicious find of the week. I wanted to use the leftover chicken from the roast, but it seems the leftovers "disappeared" from the fridge. I did a web search for Voodoo Chicken Salad to get some ideas and found this recipe on Cooks.com.

On reading the recipe, I thought there was a lot going on with that dressing, just too many flavours, but I'll attest that it is superb. I little bit spicy and sweet. I used walnut oil instead of the sesame/olive oil in the recipe.

I'll definitely make this again....give it a try.

New Cafe World recipes

Two more dishes have been added: Vegas Buffet and Sirius Sorbet

Progress: 17/61

Up Next: Not sure, check in next week.

* Disclaimer: Image owned by Zynga. This site is not owned by Zynga. This site is not the owner of the intellectual property.

Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Rolls

2010-04-12T18:34:00.003-04:00

My house smells so good right now. I've just baked a batch of rolls and they turned out perfectly.

I used the Whole Wheat Honey Oat Loaf recipe from my October 2009 copy of Canadian Living magazine. You'll see the instructions to make rolls below the main recipe.

Nothing tastes better than bread right out of the oven, so give it a try sometime. Bread-making is really not that difficult, you just need fresh yeast, some time for rising and the ability to give your dough a good beating (kneading). Although there are some good no-knead recipes out there too and for those lucky enough to have a bread machine, it's even easier.