Let the Cooking Begin!

(Cathy)
The cookies are baked, the lists are done and the gifts are bought and wrapped. Now it's time to get cooking for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We all went out last night to purchase the groceries. We found everything we needed at the, 'No Frills'. We used our PC points to purchase the groceries. This is a nice treat for us a this time of year. We just save up all of our points and use them for the Christmas groceries. As I mentioned before, we found everything we needed, except for the turkey. I wanted a 9kg fresh turkey, not basted or stuffed with butter. Have any of you every read or listened to Stuart Mclean's, "Dave Cooks the Turkey"? Well, we had to go to four different grocery stores until we found the right turkey, Canada, grade A - not grade B. (you have to listen or read, "Dave cooks the turkey", to understand)!

So far, so good. Come home and with the boys help the groceries are all put away in the various locations. I go to bed as I have the early shift. Today, I arrive home from work, change out of my uniform, have a quick bite to eat and enjoy a cup of tea before starting to cook the rouladen for Christmas eve. (rouladen is beef rolls stuffed with onions, bacon, parsley, sometimes pickles, and mustard, rolled and browned and stewed in a paprika cream gravy). I go downstairs to get the cream for the rouladen and discover that a bag was left out of the fridge. It contained a 4L bag of milk, 1L carton of buttermilk and a 1L carton of cream! It was warm. Of course, NOBODY, took responsibility! I searched the internet looking for some site to tell me that it was still good. I mean, it was still sealed! I even called Carolin to get her opinion. We both thought as long as it wasn't curdled or smelled bad it should be ok?????? I know, I know..... I'm not taking the chance, especially over Christmas. I called Hubby who will repurchase the milk and cream on his way home tonight. So now what? I have a list and schedule to adhere to!

So, here I sit, enjoying a cup of tea......

Merry Christmas!

Apricot Oat Crunchies

Anonymous left a comment on one of our posts saying she was googling Apricot Crunch Cookies and our blog came up in her search. COOL! I don't know if this is the recipe you are looking for but these are a very, very good cookie. The first time I made them I was teaching 'the teenager' how to bake and we didn't have cornflakes cereal. We substituted a couple of muffits (like shredded wheat cereal). She got rave reviews about the cookies.

Hope this is what you are looking for and enjoy!

Apricot Oat Crunchies

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup margarine, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups quick cooking oats
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
2/3 cup coconut
2/3 cup wheat germ
2 cups cornflakes cereal
heat oven 350F, grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, beat brown sugar & margarine till light and fluffy. Add vanilla, eggs blend well. Stir in rest of ingredients except cereal. Mix well. Stir in cereal. Bake for 8-10 minutes until light golden brown.

Happy Baking, Carolin

Labour Day Menu

(Cathy) Here is our proposed menu for our get together on Labour Day Sunday:

-smoked pulled pork on a bun
-crockpot baked beans
-coleslaw
-corn on the cob
-apple pie for dessert
-hot dogs for any kids who don't like the pulled pork
-veggie sticks: ie: carrots, celery, peppers

Sunshine's mother-in-law has a great recipe for coleslaw and Carolin is the best baker among us four ladies - hint, hint, lol!

Carolin is on vacation at the moment in the Caribbean and was supposed to be home a few days ago. She and the Husband are stranded on an island!!! She has been in contact with her "Blackberry". Let's hope they make it home soon!

Here's hoping for good weather this weekend!

A Great Dinner

Went to the farmer's market today. Met Carolin there. I love going to the market as you will always bump into someone you know and it feels so small town! We bought our produce for the week: eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, green onions, pototoes, garlic, onions, cremini mushrooms, strawberries, peaches and hubby bought some pastries as a treat for the boys. So, what to make for dinner?


I washed and tossed the lettuce into a big bowl. I roasted a red, yellow and orange pepper that I still had from last week. I grilled 4 mushrooms. I diced some red onion, ( also from last week ). I toasted some pine nuts ( yummy! ). Tomatoes were sliced and for the best part..... sea scallops! I purchased 10 sea scallops from the grocery store. I made a dry rub of spanish smoked paprika, freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. I then added some seasoned bread crumbs and mixed it all together. I took my big black glorious cast iron skillet and placed it on my gas stove. Heated the pan and added some extra virgin olive oil. Then dipped the scallops, one at a time into the seasoning mix, only on the top and bottom. Placed them sizzling into the skillet and waited for two minutes before turning them to finish cooking them on the other side. After another two minutes I took the scallops off the heat to rest and then I started to plate dinner.






It was so good! We ate this salad with some potato rosti that hubby made along with a very nice spanish red wine!


Definitely, a make again!!!

Timmy is Coming Home

I was reading this week that the company Wendy's was shaking things up and moving Tim Horton's back to Canada. Yeah!!!! I understand that Timmy's (as it is affectionately known in Canada) has not done as well in the states as was hoped for. As a proud Canadian and coffee lover I know exactly why Tim's hasn't done so well to the south of us. It is the old adage 'LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION'! The best way to sell anything is word of mouth. So with that said putting a Tim's in Heath, Ohio is fine but just how many Canadian go to Heath? You need Canadians to spread the word, in other words we are your advertising campaign. So you need to set up shop where we are most likely to be.

I understand there are a few Tim Horton's in different parts of the states. But as one of the many who drive down to Florida on hwy 77 and then the I95 that long stretch of 'are we there yet' is sadly empty of a single Tim's.

Big note to location scouts you need to open a Tim Horton's on just about every cut off all the way down to the sunny states and all the way back to Canada. Location Scouts look at the most common driving routes Canadian use to drive south to escape the winter for a few weeks and plop a Tim's every few miles. You would make a killing, the last thing us Canadians do before we cross the border is stop for a coffee at Tim's . Coming home and getting across the border unscathed is one thing but we really know we are home when we can stop at Tim's and get our coffee and a box of timbits for the backseaters. It appears even the car runs smoother knowing that a few Tim Horton cups are sitting in the cup holders.

Also and this is important, do not change anything on the menu, don't try to Americanize it. We like it just the way it is. So when we head south we want a little bit of home on the way down. And this is a biggy don't mess with the 'Roll Up the Rim to Win' game or date. Most Canadian might not be able to tell you who our first Prime Minister was but we all know what month 'Roll Up Rim to Win' is. So when we head down south at Easter we want to know we have a chance of winning a coffee or muffin.

I was surprised to read that there are less then 3000 Tim Horton's restaurants in all of Canada. Honestly I would of expected that number just in Ontario, it sure feels like Ontario has at least 3000. I wonder if the Tim's in the gas stations, movie theaters, grocery stores and hospitals were in the count or did they just count the full service restaurants.

I would be curious to know from visitors to our country what their take is on our love of Tim Horton's?

Dinner Recipes for Louise from Carolin

Sausage and Rice

3 Italian Sausage
1 Onion Cut up
2 Cups white rice (use real rice not minute rice)
1 L chicken Stock
Parmasan Cheese

Squeeze sausage out of casing so they resemble meatballs. Cook sausage and cut up onion in large pot with a little oil till browned. Add rice, give a good stir and then add stock. If you don't have enough stock add half water and half stock. Bring to boil (just like you were cooking rice only). Once stock is boiling then turn down to simmer for 15 minutes or till rice is done.

Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Should make enough for dinner and lunch the next day for all (based on a family of four).


Ribs in BBQ Sauce

Tray of pork Ribs ( I just buy whatever is on sale)
1/2 bottle of BBQ sauce (whatever kind you like)
1 Onion cut in quarters (if you like)

Cut ribs to fit in Crock pot, add onion and BBQ sauce. Turn crock pot on low for 8 - 9 hours or on high for 5 hours.

Serve with rice.

I save the left over sauce, put in container and freeze. Next time I am making sheppards pie or soup or some sort of casserole I then add the left over sauce. When you take the sauce out of the freezer you will see a layer of fat on the top, just use a fork, remove and toss fat. Now your sauce is fat free.

Mexican One Pot Dinner

1 pound of ground pork (you can use any ground meat I just like ground porks flavour better)
1 onion chopped
1 can (28 oz) chopped tomatoes (don't use ground or pureed tomatoes)
2 cups white rice (use real rice not minute rice)
1 cup corn (or more if you like)
2 TBSP chili powder
4 cups of water (enough to cook the rice)
Chedder cheese grated

Cook ground pork and onion in large pot. Drain meat when no longer pink. Add rice, tomatoes, chili powder, corn, and water. Stir and mix well. Bring to boil and then cover pot and turn to simmer for 15 minutes till rice is done.

Serve with grated cheese on top. Should be enough for dinner and lunch the next day ( based on a family of four).