live like a kid....

Sitting in the park, on a sunny, cool, crisp October morning...Thanksgiving Monday to be exact, I watched friendships blossom and pirates and sharks become almost real...I smiled to myself as I watched my kids, play with children they had only met seconds before, however playing, as if they had known each other for ages...as if we had come to the park together. I sat alongside many other parents, almost all of us on our phones, indulged in our own lives...speaking to Instagram, Facebook, and all those other crack sites, no one chatting, even about the weather..until, a woman came up to me, she sat right beside me, like "friend" close, not "stranger" close, "how old is your daughter?" she said to me....her son was one of the pirates. From there stemmed a lovely conversation about kids, schools, food, etc..a comfortable conversation, a conversation I enjoyed having with a stranger. Will I see her again? Maybe not, but at that moment in time, it was nice to feel like a kid, to start a conversation just like that, to enjoy another human beings company that started without a "friend request".

Something I am always working on...something that was misinterpreted all through high school. I am not a bitch, I am shy, I am shy of the unknown, uncomfortable with how situations may arise without knowing the steps to get there...in the past year, I think I have come pretty far. I will try my best to embrace new situations like a child, preferably a child in the age range of 3-6, before "life" gets in the way....

The other morning, while walking Noah to school, I made a comment about forgetting my phone....then replied with "sometimes I wish I didn't have a cell phone, its full of distractions..." Noah's reply was, "mom, thats just how life is......."It is how life is...but it doesn't mean we don't have to pay attention to the life that is around us...

Be that one kind word....for I am grateful for the kind words that are spoken to me....

Happy Friday!

K

xo

Zucchini Tots

So, yet again, while clicking through Pinterest, I came across these gems. I knew I had a zucchini in my fridge that a friend had given me from her garden, as well as all the other simple ingredients in this recipe, so I whipped them up!

Credit is given to the blog, The Curious Country Cook, and the link is here..........http://curiouscountrycook.blogspot.ca/2012/03/zucchini-tots.html. They were extremely simple, very basic ingredients, and were very delicious, especially with a dollop of homemade raspberry jam on top! Jam courtesy of Cindy and O'Neils beautiful wedding!

The recipe only yields 12 mini muffins, so you can easily double the recipe. I would stick with mini though, and not make large muffins of this type. They are a great little snack to pop in your mouth....clearly, as I only have two left!

Zucchini Tots

1 cup grated zucchini
1 egg
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I too used Italian style)
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Grate zucchini and press between paper towel to get moisture out, this way you won't have soggy tots. Combine egg, cheese, onion, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Add squeezed zucchini. Mix. Drop by spoonfuls into a greased mini muffin tin (you can fill to the top and press down a little). Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let them rest, then spoon out onto a dish, they are better once cooled, and again, with a dollop of raspberry jam (this was my favourite part), AMAZING!

Enjoy!

K

One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes...

I bought a bag of this "farro" at Trader Joes a while back, and forgot about it until my girlfriend made THE most delicious dish the other night! I had it on Friday night, and I am attempting to make it for dinner, tonight, two days later!

I think the recipe was adapted from a Martha Stewart one, thats what it says anyway...but here is the rendition from Smitten Kitchen, and amazing food blog, check it out!

Considering its a grain, I am sure its relatively easy to find at your grocery store...and all the other ingredients are pretty basic! My girlfriend paired it with roast chicken, fresh sliced tomatoes with olive oil and basil, crispy pieces of baguette drizzled with olive oil, and a light sprinkle of course salt, AMAZING!

Again, here is the link, http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/07/one-pan-farro-with-tomatoes/ or follow the recipe below. I highly suggest checking out the blog..amazing food photos, and recipes!

One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes...

Serves: 4 as a side, 2 as a hearty main
2 cups water
1 cup (updated) semi-pearled farro (see Note above for farro types)
1/2 large onion (I usually use a white one, for mildness)
2 cloves garlic
9 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
Up to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Few basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Place water and farro in a medium saucepan to presoak (I find just 5 to 10 minutes sufficient) while you prepare the other ingredients. Adding each ingredient to the pot as you finish preparing it, cut onion in half again, and very thinly slice it into quarter-moons. Thinly slice garlic cloves as well. Halve or quarter tomatoes. Add salt, pepper flakes (to taste) and 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, and set a timer for 30 minutes. Bring uncovered pan (no lid necessary) up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. When the timer rings, the farro should be perfectly cooked (tender but with a meaty chew), seasoned and the cooking water should be almost completely absorbed. If needed, though I’ve never found it necessary, cook it for 5 additional minutes, until farro is more tender.
Transfer to a wide serving bowl. If there's enough leftover cooking liquid to be bothersome, simply use a slotted spoon to leave the amount you wish to behind. Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil, scatter with basil and parmesan. Eat immediately. Repeat tomorrow.

Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen www.smittenkitchen.com

 

I am salivating already!

K

Fruit Pizza

I thought I had blogged this recipe a while back...apparently not..I haven't made this in forever, but wanted something light and fresh to bring to a friends place for dessert. I rummaged through my recipe book, and found the magical worn out paper!

Although this dessert looks tedious and time consuming, it actually isn't, but let your guests think what they like ;-)

FRUIT PIZZA

Crust

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 cup flour

Combine these ingredients, I use my hands, makes a better dough. Press into a round pizza pan (this takes some patience), bake at 350 for 8-10 mins. Set aside to cool.

Cream Cheese Topping

1 8oz block of cream cheese
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together, spread on the cooled crust.

The fruit I use are strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, sometimes banana, and canned pineapple tidbits because you need the juice for the pineapple glaze. Slice all your fruit, and arrange as you like it. I usually look back at my picture, starting from the outside to the inside.

Glaze

1 cup pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple, I find one can is enough)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice

Whisk together on medium to high heat until it becomes thickish. Pour over fruit, starting from the centre to the outsides. Refrigerate to let the glaze set. Serve right from the fridge, don't leave this out especially with the weather we have been having, it will melt!

Enjoy!

K

Basic Protein Shake

I got this recipe from my Naturopath, Dr. Glenda Laxton of West Coast Naturopathic. She suggested I have this for breakfast to start to day off with a protein, and try and minimize my headaches....I will admit I am not a huge fan of the rice protein, but she is big on no wheat and no dairy. I have my best days when I start my morning off with this shake in a fancy mason jar :-)

I have promised a few that I would post this...so here it is. Thanks to Dr. Glenda Laxton of West Coast Naturopathic Clinic .

The Basic

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (original or vanilla)
1 banana
1/2 cup other fruit (berries, pear, apple, etc)
1 tbsp flax oil
2 tbsp rice protein powder (I use Nutribiotic, vanilla or plain)
1/4 tsp acidophilus (dairy free)

Blend all ingredients and enjoy! I keep my fruit in the freezer (except my bananas) this way, your shake is cool and refreshing!

I know there are MANY other concoctions, but this is what was suggested to me by my naturopath, and it seems simple enough for me to follow. I am not a health nut looking to maximize my protein intake, I just needed a boost for the day :-)

K
xo

White Bean with Kale...delicious soup!

So even though the calendar tells me that its June 25th, and its officially summer....the weather outside showed me otherwise.....yesterday felt like mid October! It seemed fitting, that the first day of the weekly menu be something comforting...it was a grilled cheese and soup kinda night, I had a craving for something hearty, beans and kale seemed to fit!

I found this recipe in a little recipe book that was compiled by a bunch of friends for a bridal shower. What a way to start off the menu for the week, it was DELICIOUS! Especially with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top!

Its very simple, and extremely tasty.....


White Bean with Kale Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1-3 cloves of garlic, minced (I used 3)
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp finely chopped basil leaves
5 cups vegetable broth
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chopped kale (I chopped mine quite well, I hate big pieces of kale, it chokes me!)
salt and pepper

Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion, pepper and garlic, cook for 3-4 minutes. Mix in tomato paste, basil and oregano, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add stock, beans, carrot and kale and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Also, have a grilled cheese sandwich hot and ready to dip into the broth, YUMMY!

Enjoy!

K
xo

Butter Tea Room

For anyone who wants a lovely feminine tea party for your birthday or any other occasion, check out Butter Baked Good's Tea Room. I was lucky enough to attend an intimate birthday there for a dear friend of mine recently, and enjoyed every detail of the afternoon! From the decor, the china, the tea, food, desserts, atmosphere...everything was simply divine!

http://www.butterbakedgoods.com

K

xo