Monthly Archives: November 2011

Let the holiday decorating begin!

28 Monday Nov 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

I like to do my decorating for the holidays slowly.  I find that if I start way ahead I get to enjoy each project so much more and I don’t get overwhelmed.  Here’s my start so far.
I’ve got a nice galvanized planter (I use this most of the winter for herbs in the kitchen) and add a layer of peat, then an amarylis bulb (bright pink and green like the majority of my Christmas decorations).
‘Fast hands Louis’ gets into the act with this stage too.
I top everything off with some lovely, decorative stones.

Here we go!  I want this as my centrepiece for a bunch of entertaining.

But what about all those extra rocks?  Well, I’ve dug out of my ‘todo’ picture pile and idea of Martha Stewart’s.  An old cookie sheet (I added felty feet to the bottom), spread with all my pretty rocks and now I’ve got a place for boots to dry in the front entrance.
Now how about my windows?
A few decorative (but light) Christmas balls and some ribbon will do the trick.
I cut ribbons into various lengths.
Spaced the balls out and…

It’s a start 🙂
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But all this is leftover?!

27 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by in roasted potato and leek soup

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I made those fantastic eggs in baked potatoes for brunch but they left me with a lot of roasted potatoes. 
Not the worst situation that I’ve ever been in and easily fixed since the organic bin this week had gorgeous leeks in it.  I sliced up two large ones.
Sweated them in a pan with a tablespoon of butter until they began to soften.
Added my lovely potatoes (this was the flesh from 12 small to medium potatoes, you can always use 6 large potatoes and just make this recipe by peeling and cubing whole potatoes.  Increase your cooking time to allow the cubes to cook and then continue the recipe from there).
Add enough chicken stock to cover the vegetables.  If you’d like this to be vegan, just use oil to sweat the leeks and substitute vegetable stock.
Blitz with a handblender or put in a blender or use your food processor or use a potato masher (you’ll just have a chunkier soup).
Now to season; pepper, salt and my secret weapon, a heaping teaspoon of horseradish.  Weird but it really adds to the dish.
Yumm…
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Holiday Brunch

26 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by in egg stuffed potatoes

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Don’t you love the holidays?  Don’t you love brunch? 
Why not have both?
We have a lot of friends with small kids and often having them over for dinner often does not work out well.  By the time the kiddos are fed, it is time to get them into the bath and at least one parent ends-up not eating before everyone needs to go home in time to go to bed.

But Brunch…
  Noone is crabby because they haven’t eaten and naptime can be pushed by a little bit. 
Perfect.

I really wanted to try a very clever idea that I saw (yes, on Pinterest first) from Cheese and chocolate for scrambled eggs in potatoes.  I’ve got my own version now that was a big hit at brunch but also for lunch the next day with ‘the ladies’.

The night before I baked a potato for each person and a few extras.

The morning of our brunch I sliced off the top…
and scooped out the flesh.  Don’t get rid of this.  Come back tomorrow and you can see what I do with the rest.
Laid them out in a baking dish.
How am I getting this cooking done with an energetic toddler?  Well, a cookie sheet, a shovel, rice and a couple of bowls will buy you enough time to cook.
Break an egg in each.
Bake until firm (about 20 minutes at 330)
Serve with yummy homemade bread.
Sticky buns (use the same dough that makes the bread just roll-out, spread with butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and blueberries).

And bacon sprinkled with brown sugar and then baked until crisp.
Tada!!!
Don’t forget to pop back tomorrow to see what happened to the insides of the baked potatoes.
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Food Waste Friday and Grilled Cheese Fingers-two ways

25 Friday Nov 2011

Posted by in grilled cheese waffles

≈ 14 Comments

This week I have 1/2 a loaf of what was fantastic rye bread, a good-sized portion of salad and two oranges (don’t I always?) being sacrificed to the compost gods.
We seem to waste a fair amount of bread in our house and I’m a bit tired of it.  It is weird because…
I love grilled cheese.  I mean I really love grilled cheese. 
Like I could eat it everyday and be very happy and if I could only convince my family to have it each day with a big cup of tomato soup this would be a very different blog. 
My problem though is being able to watch these little devils and flip them in time while my best helper is in the kitchen with me. 
Confession time;  I have tossed a lot of burned grilled cheese.
Never more (do you have Poe in your head now?).  I saw (on Pinerest of course) people using their waffle irons for cinnamon rolls, biscuits, eggs… 
Hmmm…why could I not use mine for grilled cheese? 
Do you ever think of something and instead of congratulating yourself on your clever thought you instead think “You dolt!  This is only coming to you now?”
Here goes, I’m thinking that with the more intense heat and the shorter cook time I will be able to solve my dilemma.
Press, press, press.
Success!
But wait, why not get fancy and make grilled cheese in small, hand size?
Roll of crescent dough.  Lightly press the seams together.
Add cheese, fold over and cut into finger sizes.
A bit of cheese might have oozed out from my previous experiment.
Three minutes later and…
These are so pretty that next time I’ll fancy up the fillings (maybe bacon and avocado), be less haphazard with the shapes and this is a new appetizer born!
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