Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wishing you all the best over the holidays and into the New Year!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!!!

November - the month that never was

So this radio silence that I've been on has been because I have been sick since Thanksgiving.  It started with a bad cold, followed by a virus or two, bronchitis and an ear-infection culminating in pneumonia.  It has been a tough two months...  I have never been this sick before.  I could not eat and had a fever for almost five weeks straight.  I am still not 100% and the doctor told me it would be a good two to three weeks before I would be back to myself.  I basically lived on soup, tea and toast.  After a while, my stomach got so messed up by all the antibiotics and anti-viral that I couldn't even drink tea!  Crazy! Basically, I lost all of November.  All the things I wanted to do around the garden, the house and with cooking went up the window.  And this was going to be the year when I would be really prepared for Christmas.  I did manage to do almost all of my shopping on line, but I was quite worried that I would not be able to do anything to prepare us for Christmas.  The only positive thing has been that I lost 13 lbs!  But I have been to sick to enjoy it!
But I am feeling better, relatively speaking.

Another week...

Monday: Spaghetti with tomato sauce
Tuesday:  Pork chops with roasted veggies and coleslaw
Wednesday:  Beef tacos with all the fixings
Thursday:  Turkey pot pie with Cesar salad
Friday: Pierogi with sour cream
Saturday:  tba
Sunday: tba

It's a pretty straight forward meal plan.  I like to keep the weekend meals open to see where we are and who we see, also what may inspire us!  We're going to have friends over for brunch so I am planning that out already - definitely some kind of waffles, baked bacon, fruit salad and something eggy.  Fun!  I baked the pumpkin cupcakes again, and we are really enjoying them!  I will also make some soup so that we can have it for lunch and in case of emergencies!

Meal plan

Monday- Macaroni and cheese with spinach salad
Tuesday- Proscutto wrapped chicken with mac n cheese & broccoli
Wednesday - Salmon with couscous salad & buttered peas
Thursday- Beef barley soup with crudites
Friday - Orange chicken in the slow cooker with rice
Saturday - out
Sunday- tba

Special request: Ribs

 We've all been sick for weeks now, so to cheer us up, I've started taking special requests.  Mr. T asked for ribs.  He is such a little man!  My favourite recipe for ribs is Hubby's Kentucky style ribs done on the barbecue.  I, however, am also sick, so I could not commit myself to such an undertaking.  I decided on an easier, fail safe option: the slow cooker.  I tried a new recipe from Canadian Living : http://www.canadianliving.com/food/fall_off_the_bone_ribs_in_barbecue_sauce.php

I have made ribs in the slow cooker before, but knew that I could do better.  I liked this recipe because it included an overnight dry rub and broiling in the oven, before going into the slow cooker.  Also, I liked how it wasn't drowning in sauce because Mr. T is not a sauce loving guy.

The ribs going into the slow cooker.  The magic will happen while we are out at after school art class.

After six hours on high in the slow cooker.

 The feast awaits!  Boiled baby potatoes and baked beans to accompany the fall-off-the-bone ribs.

 A close up of the ribs - I just couldn't resist this close-up!

 A Halloween inspired creation!

One happy, though sick, foodie!
I loved this meal because, though it required a bit off effort in planning, it was pretty easy to prepare and the results were amazing.  I  put the ribs into the slow cooker in the afternoon and the meal was perfectly ready when we came home after a long Friday.  I think that I will make Friday my slow cooker day from now on.  We have an activity smack in the middle of the dinner hour and by the end of the week, it is just too easy to do take-out. 
I recommend you try this- it's good enough for company, too!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I made these the other day for a baking exchange.  Our theme was autum, but I think everyone used pumpkin in their baking!  I considered making an applesauce cake that is super moist and yummy, but wanted to try something new and different.  The recipe I went with was from Canadian Living- I don't love the magazine but their website is pretty good!  I actually used two recipes this week from them. 

Here is the link for the recipe:
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/quick_and_easy/pumpkin_cupcakes_with_cream_cheese_icing.php  

I used more cinnamon in mine and switched to light cream cheese to make things a tiny bit healthier! I also decorated them a bit differently.

I just picked up new baking soda and baking powder and it made a huge difference in how well these muffins rose in the oven.

The kids and Hubby were fighting over the beaters!  Next time I will add a dash of cinnamon and orange liquer to the frosting.

 Frosted cupcakes waiting for delivery.

The final touch to make them more festive!  These were so good that I am going to make them again for school snacks without the frosting.  Maybe I'll add some chocolate chips to make them more fun, but they were so moist and rich tasting that they don't need anythign extra done to them.

The Sick Days of Autumn

Flu season has just started and we're already crazy sick. That means only comfort food for us this week. After a tough night with Little D who had a fever and upset tummy, it was time to call in the soothing powers of oatmeal. He loves it, but we're still working on Mr. T...

Apple and Cinnamon Oatmeal

2 cups water
1 cup large flake oatmeal
1/2 apple, grated
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
maple syrup to taste
golden raisins to taste
milk
(I also sneak in a teaspoon of ground flax, ground chia and wheatgerm when no one is looking.)

Cook the oatmeal with the grated apple.  Add cinnamon and vanilla to the pot.  Spoon into bowls and top with raisins, maple syrup (the boys like to see how much I put on) and milk.

It's like a hug in a bowl on a cold fall morning.  I could eat oatmeal everyday.  Sometimes I substitute in some peaches and it tastes pretty close to the peaches and cream prepackaged ones that the kids love, but have half the sugar and way more nutrients.  We've been gradually moving towards the healthier, whole grains out there.  We started with the instant and moved on to the large flake.  Next step is steel cut oats, which I really enjoy but the kids and Hubby find have too much "bite."  Slow and steady- I'll have them eating it yet!