Archive for the ‘food’ Category
Sorry to have disappeared for a bit. Last week I got a migraine that lasted almost three days before it started turning into a regular headache. Then the next few days were spent catching up on housework, laundry etc. Over the weekend we had to take our computer back to Denver to have a part replaced, so it has been a busy, and definitely not normal week. This week is off to a much better start. Yesterday we made these Strawberry Barley Scones from the book Good to the Grain. She does a great job of describing the unique flavours of the different kinds of flours out there, and I am really excited to make more from this book. These scones were really, really good. Since we first got married, every Valentines Day Hubby and I have always cooked together after the kids have gone to bed. It started out as a way to celebrate without spending a lot of money on eating out when we didn’t have any extra cash and it has remained our tradition whether times were lean or not. I love to cook with him and it’s nice to make a meal without any distractions. Last night we made this Sausage and Kale Soup. Absolutely delicious and another plus is that it made a rather large pot, so I don’t have to double the recipe to feed all of us. I wasn’t able to take any photos, but trust me, if you like delicious, hearty soups, try it. Well, the wind has been atrocious around here, but we have had a few warmer days, perhaps spring is on it’s way. Hope everyone has a fantastic day.
books, family, food • Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 • 9 Comments »
A weekend at the cabin was just what we needed. Some beautiful scenery… 
With a growing love of reading, some time spent curled up in bed… 
Drying gloves and warming toes after hours spent hiking and playing in the snow… 
and plenty of card games as well. I hope everyone is feeling a bit rested and ready to hit the new week running. Not too sure I feel rested, but refreshed I do. Lots of plans this week, we’ll see how life cooperates. Have a great Monday everybody.
books, family, food, home, nature, travelling • Monday, February 7th, 2011 • 3 Comments »
Every year Christmas seems to come up so quickly and we all try to fit in so many things that last two months of the year. I really want Christmas to be calm and peaceful and a time for reflection and family and friends. So this year I am prepared, or at least getting that way. I am going to work on a project every month to make next Christmas easier. I can see how this could very easily turn into making it more stressful by adding so many projects that it just gets out of control, so I am making an effort to keep this simple and remember my ultimate goal, simplify and de-stress Christmas. 
This month I started a small notebook in which to organize my thoughts and write down things that might be good projects or gifts for next year. I have the ideas and where to find specifics, if I’ve already found directions somewhere. I can gather info and as the year progresses narrow some of those things down as I decide exactly what I’m doing. Each month on the 25th I will share with you what my project was for that month, and have some giveaways along the way. I’m really excited about this as next December I shall be fully prepared (in theory) and on track for a simple, beautiful Christmas. I’d love for you to join me, it would be great to have a whole bunch of ideas on the 25th of every month. Even if you get one thing done during the year in preparation for next year it should be a help, no pressure here. This is absolutely not meant to be a way to overload and cause more stress. Ok, so laundry calls, have a great day everybody. I’ll see you in a few days with a fun little Valentine’s project.
books, family, food, gifts, green, home, knitting, sewing • Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 • 8 Comments »
So if you are cold and tired of the winter, wishing for blue skies and plenty of flowers instead of brown grass and lots of wind, embrace the cold and do a bit of baking. Baked Nutmeg Doughnuts, yum, you will be so glad it’s not too hot to turn the oven on. I dipped mine in powdered sugar because that’s what I had on hand, still super delicious. This makes a huge batch, even for the six of us, so next time I will probably half it. Stay warm everybody, unless of course you are on the other side of the world, then enjoy the warmth for us.
food • Thursday, January 20th, 2011 • 7 Comments »
Well, we had a whirlwind trip that included going from Wyoming through Utah, Idaho, and then to Oregon. We took a week and a day and what fun we had. 
We saw some of the most gorgeous scenery… 
We had some real highs (elevation 8,664)… 
…and some real lows ( -13° F) 
Ate some of the most gorgeous food… 
and had my first fancy latte (I have had lattes before, just never one that looked so pretty) 
We had such fun with my brother, we can’t wait to go back and visit again. 
We made it back although a few of us caught the sniffles. This last week we have tried to get acclimated to the wind (we did not miss that one bit) and our regular routine. I’ve got so many things going round and round in my head and lots to share with you all this year. I hope to be post a little more often than I have been, but we’ll see how it goes. Hope everyone is settling into the new year, it’s nice to be back.
family, food, travelling • Tuesday, January 18th, 2011 • 5 Comments »
This next gift idea is for those on the go. I love the idea of being able to throw an apple in it’s little jumper and it stays protected in your bag from bumps and scrapes, perfect for the time you want to eat it. 
I want the majority of the gifts I give this Christmas to be handmade, but that also means I can’t take weeks on each one. I have been working on projects that take less than an evening, somewhere between two and three hours. It’s the perfect opportunity to sit down with some tea and a nice movie and work on something for someone special. 
This pattern is perfect and at $3.49 it fits right in with my high impact low budget gift ideas. If you make more than one the cost per apple cozy goes down as well. This is the first time I have done crochet cables, and I love how they turned out. If you are unfamiliar with any of the stitches there are loads of videos you can look up online as well, that’s what I did. 
These are really quite sturdy as the stitches form these sort of ribs (like inside a bell pepper) so I know my apple is going to remain in pretty good shape. Give it a shot, they are adorable, and a perfect fairly quick gift for those on the go.
crochet, food, gifts, green • Wednesday, November 17th, 2010 • 7 Comments »
I have recently become familiar with Rachel Allen as I got Favorite Food at Home as a gift. I really like her style of cooking and it seems to fit in a lot with the way we eat. I have been wanting to try this recipe for a while now and I finally got around to it. The noodles are cooked in chicken stock and coconut milk instead of water and they are delicious. The stir-fry is filled with chicken, carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, ginger and garlic and it really is scrumptious. This week I have been dealing with mastitis so I have been a bit run down, but over the next few weeks I plan on sharing lots of high impact, low budget gift ideas for the Christmas. I have been avoiding the thought of the holidays, but I really should get in gear as there isn’t that much time left if I am making gifts. I hope you all are doing well, I will be back in a few with my first idea for Christmas gifts.
books, food, gifts • Tuesday, November 9th, 2010 • 4 Comments »
Now that the weather has taken a turn for the chilly and very windy I have put my baking hat on again. I love banana bread, but banana bread recipes are tricky. They are usually too dry or either way too sweet or not quite sweet enough. The day after I tried a new recipe (which ended up being disappointing) I saw Steph’s post. I bookmarked it and made a point of making sure I had all of the ingredients. This is the last recipe I will ever try, it is absolutely perfect. Just the right hint of sweet, and spice and if you can manage to wait (which is next to impossible) until the next day they are even more moist and perfect. I admit I am not patient, so instead of making a loaf, I made muffins. They took me 17 minutes to bake, but do check them sooner as I know for a fact my oven is awful and never is quite accurate. This recipe made 20 muffins which truth be told didn’t last long at all. Oh, and I didn’t have any hazlenuts, so I swapped out pecans and they were great. The kids love having their own little banana bread cakes and seriously they are the most amazing banana bread muffins. Here is the recipe, go on, try them. You won’t regret it.
food • Monday, October 25th, 2010 • 5 Comments »
Now that it’s October, we are starting to get quite a bit of produce, ah such weird weather here. Anyway, we were able to grow a nice pot of spring onions, which I love. They were quick and easy to grow and we will definitely grow them again. 
Our three kind of pathetic looking tomato plants are really starting to produce. We are collecting large handfuls almost every day, and the orange ones are my favourite. 
There are two cantaloupes on our plant. This is the first to ripen, it looks great, it smells divine, though I wouldn’t exactly call it a success…. 
just look how big it is, and I have small hands. We haven’t cut into it yet, probably for snack today, though I’m not sure it could qualify as a snack for six of us, ha ha. This week has been crazy and busy. All four of the kids have come down with combinations of cold/flu/and pinkeye. No two children have the same symptoms and we got the babe’s pinkeye cleared up before anybody else picked it up, a minor miracle as it’s so catchy. I think it’s safe to say that everyone is on the mend, so we are off to the mountains for the weekend, to take a quick relaxing, restorative break. What are you all up to this weekend?
food, gardening, green • Friday, October 1st, 2010 • 5 Comments »
Sorry to have disappeared for a bit. Last week I got a migraine that lasted almost three days before it started turning into a regular headache. Then the next few days were spent catching up on housework, laundry etc. Over the weekend we had to take our computer back to Denver to have a part replaced, so it has been a busy, and definitely not normal week. This week is off to a much better start. Yesterday we made these Strawberry Barley Scones from the book Good to the Grain. She does a great job of describing the unique flavours of the different kinds of flours out there, and I am really excited to make more from this book. These scones were really, really good. Since we first got married, every Valentines Day Hubby and I have always cooked together after the kids have gone to bed. It started out as a way to celebrate without spending a lot of money on eating out when we didn’t have any extra cash and it has remained our tradition whether times were lean or not. I love to cook with him and it’s nice to make a meal without any distractions. Last night we made this Sausage and Kale Soup. Absolutely delicious and another plus is that it made a rather large pot, so I don’t have to double the recipe to feed all of us. I wasn’t able to take any photos, but trust me, if you like delicious, hearty soups, try it. Well, the wind has been atrocious around here, but we have had a few warmer days, perhaps spring is on it’s way. Hope everyone has a fantastic day. 
