Easiest Appy Ever: Salad Skewers

I can’t take any credit for this appy, my SIL made it last summer and I’m sure there are a gazillion posts on Pinterest but it was such a fun (and fairly clean) way to eat my favourite ever salad: tomato and bocconcini (mozzarella).

You need 4 ingredients, 5 if you want to be fancy, and it comes together in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients & supplies:

-      
-  Equal amounts of:

o   cherry tomatoes

o   mini bocconcini balls

o   basil leaves

-        -  balsamic glaze

-         - skewers

Instructions:

        1.    cut cherry tomatoes in half

        2.   build skewers in this order:

-   half tomato, bocconcini ball, basil leave, other half tomato

-   if you are using the short skinny skewers, do one set per skewer… we could only find the big bamboo skewers so did two sets per skewer

       3.    arrange skewers on a plate and drizzle with balsamic glaze4.  optional: you could also drizzle on a bit of olive oil but we just did the glaze and it was perfect!

These salad skewers were so easy and deliciously refreshing; especially in the heat wave we are enduring right now. If you need to travel with this appy simply put the skewers together at home and store in the fridge until you need to leave. Once you arrive at your destination arrange the skewers on a plate, drizzle on the balsamic, serve and enjoy all the compliments!

Milo trying to get in on our appy action during happy hour!

Why Isn't Every Weekend a Long Weekend?

Why hello there Blogland, yes I am alive. And I don’t even have a good excuse for being radio silent. Even though last week was a short one I still couldn’t gather up the energy to show up even once and I do apologize. We will see how this week goes, no promises.

Work was busy last week as usual and I hosted my last breakfast event until late September and it feels amazing to have that off my plate. I know it’s an amazing group of people with networking opportunities and if I was in mid-twenties I would be killing it, but at this stage of my life all I want to do is go home at the end of the day and hang out with my family or occasionally my friends. So my third (unpaid) job is over for the time being and I am excited for the break.

Now I can focus on my day job and get back in the groove with the wine sales… spring has sprung and patios are opening and people are enjoying vino in the sun. Or even if it’s raining. People need the happy juice no matter what the weather and I need to try and get them to drink Ruby Blues.

But before that happens I thoroughly enjoyed a four day long weekend (yes I had yesterday off as well!) and actually accomplished a lot considering my plan going into it was pajamas, Netflix and food on repeat.

Friday

My mom and I braved Ikea. Coffee was needed. And it rained. Pretty sure I napped at some point.

 

 

Saturday

More rain but it stopped long enough for Milo and I to head down for a walk by the water. And then I ran errands (note to self: do not grocery shop the day before Easter Sunday. Total chaos). There was a couch nap here too.

 

 

Sunday - Happy Easter!

I woke up to a chocolate hunt. My hubby hid a bunny rabbit in the fuse box and a box of chocolate caramels by the hot water tank. These were actually good spots because I would not have gotten them without clues.

He was also spoiled but I raided the Target Canada sales over the last month so I got pretty good deals.

I even made brunch for us: Egg Baskets!  I added hollandaise sauce this time and it was amazing. I will never not include it again. You can find the recipe here – just add hollandaise.

Then we took advantage of the amazing weather and potted some flowers for our porch. Hubby also trimmed our front tree – we planted a 3 foot tall shrub the first summer we were together and it’s crazy to see how much it has grown in the past 6 years (this will be the 7^th summer!).

I probably should have taken an after shot in addition to the ‘work in progress’ photo… baby steps.

 



Hubby's haul

 


Egg Baskets for Easter Brunch!



Front porch planters



Trimming our tree



Milo 'helping' to clean up the branches... by throwing them around and chewing on them

I was sad when Monday rolled around but took advantage of having the house to myself.

It looked a lot like this and I finally caught up on my Netflix.

 

 

 I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!

Linking up with:

Manic Monday | Monday Morning Gossip | Weekend Recap

 

 

 



My Favourite Party Punch

I am loving punch lately. Punch on its own or mixed with some bubbly is just so enjoyable. I decided we needed punch for B's bridal shower so obviously I turned to Pinterest. This recipe looked tasty so it was my starting point. And the final product was a hit.

 

 



 

 

Ingredients
- 1 can frozen lemonade (thawed)
- 1 can frozen orange juice (thawed)
- 2L lemon-lime soda
- 2 cups cranberry juice
- 3-4 cups ice
- lemon and orange slices for garnish

Instructions
 - Pour liquids into a bowl and mix well.
- add ice
- add garnish. I missed this step. No one noticed.

 I was following the original recipe I found but after mixing the main liquids I decided to taste it before adding the sugar. It didn't need a drop of sugar. I also didn't add the water the recipe called for because there wasn't enough room in the bowl (none of us have a punch bowl so we were making do). I figured the ice would melt into it and it did.

This will be my go to punch recipe from now on and I think all my future parties will need punch. And I guess that means I need a punch bowl. Who doesn't love an excuse to go an shopping?

What is your go-to party drink?
 

 

Linking up with the Do Tell Tuesday ladies, Tuesday's Table and Delicious Dish Tuesday!

 

 

 

Homemade Chicken Deliciousness

I made the best chicken I have ever had (at home anyway, there is a local Greek restaurant that makes the best chicken I have ever had in the world) last week and I can't take any credit for the recipe. I don't even have my own photo to show you because we devoured it so fast and were enjoying it so much that the thought of a photo didn't enter my mind at all.

 

Originally from Closet Cooking, I found the recipe on Pinterest and knew it was just my style.  And because I am too lazy to type it all out (no shame in my game) I have literally snipped the recipe and directions from the genius behind the deliciousness.

 

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 I followed the directions exactly except for:

 

- I used chicken broth instead of white wine (I only had sweet Riesling and didn't think it would work)

- I wanted the sauce a bit thicker so used a cornstarch/water combo right at the end

 

I served the chicken over brown rice (frozen from Trader Joe's, so easy) and green beans (blanched and then tossed in butter, salt and pepper). We gobbled it up  and didn't even talk except to say how tasty everything was. I will definitely be making this again soon... as in next week.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Recipe: Homemade Pizza

Something pretty great happened last night. Not only did I save dinner, I also proved my husband wrong. It was awesome. We make pizza at home fairly often, usually in the oven on Turkish flat bread or pizza shells, but for christmas we got a pizza stone that you use on the BBQ and it's supposed to make delicious pizza. Well when we were at Trader Joe's last week we got some of their fresh pizza dough and decided we were going to try it tonight. 

 

So the pizza stone came with a paddle which was to be used to put the place the pizza on the stone after the stone has warmed up on the BBQ. So hubby rolled out the dough while I prepared all the toppings, I dressed the pizza and then he said he would be in charge of cooking it. Worked for me. It all went downhill from there. 

 

The corn meal he put on the pizza stone started to burn and then when he was trying to get the pizza off the paddle it wouldn't slide very easily and he panicked, almost folding the thing over into a giant calzone. Not the most patient man, dinner was declared, BBQ shut off and out of the kitchen he stomped. 

 

Well I was hungry and had pizza in the brain.

 

So I turned on the oven to 400 F, grabbed a cookie sheet and spread a bit of corn meal onto it and then used two spatulas to loosen the dough from the paddle and slid the pizza onto a cookie sheet. When he realized what I was doing, my husband told me I was crazy and it would be gross, the pizza wouldn't cook on the cookie sheet (we always cook pizza shells/flat bread directly on the rack). 

The pizza was delicious! So. Good.

So good that he told me it was better than delivery. 

 

Our pizzas are always really good but this one really was tastier than normal. I think it was the dough. Needless to say we will be stocking up!  We will also try the grill stone again but I think I will be the one doing the transfer. 

 

Below I have included directions on making homemade pizza in your oven... for those days you're craving pizza or when you have to save dinner :)

 

Ingredients

- 1 large cooked chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

- 1 cup sliced mushrooms 

- 0.5 can chopped artichoke hearts (4-5 hearts)

- 0.5 cup chopped green peppers

- 1.5 cup shredded mozzarella (or however much you want really)

- 4 tbsp pizza sauce 

- 1 tsp EVOO 

- 1 package Trader Joe's fresh pizza dough 

- Approximately 1 tsp corn meal

 

Directions

1) Get cookie sheet or pizza tray and spread the corn meal on top

2) Roll out pizza dough and then brush with EVOO - do this, it makes a big difference!

3) Spread pizza sauce all over and then 0.5 cup mozzarella 

4) Distribute the rest of the toppings (chicken, mushrooms, artichokes and green peppers)

5) Top with the rest of the mozzarella 

6) Cook at 425 F for 15 minutes (watch after 10 minutes to see how crispy you want your crust)

 


Getting the dough ready for toppings: EVOO, pizza sauce and some of cheese




Add all the toppings and then spread the remaining cheese all over 



Pizza's ready!

 

ENJOY!!

 

Linking up with: Lisa's Do Tell Tuesday and Tuesday's Table 

Recipe: Egg Basket Breakfast

There are many different variations for an Egg Basket Breakfast and after some perusing on Pinterest, starting with this pin) I came up with new go-to.  This was super quick to put together and then while they were baking I had time to cook hashbrowns and cut up some fruit.  Very little effort for a delicious breakfast... or brunch by the time I eat ;)

 

Ingredients:

(makes 3 larger baskets - 1 for me and 2 for my hubby)

- 3 ciabatta buns

- 3 eggs

- 9 thin slices of ham (I used rosemary but whatever meat you want would work)

- 1/4 cup of shredded cheese

- salt & pepper to taste

 

Directions:

 

1. Hollow out bun to use as the 'basket'... I tossed the excess bread but these could be used to make croutons, breadcrumbs, etc...

 

2. Put a little bit of salt and pepper at the bottom of the hollowed out bun.

 

3. Fold/drape 3 slices of ham into bun to create a little basket.

 

4. Divide the 1/4 cup of grated cheese between the three bun baskets.

 

5. Crack an egg into each 'basket' and top with more salt and pepper.

 

6. Bake at 350 for 15* minutes.

 

*We like runny eggs so this is the length of time that works for us, if you prefer your yoke cooked more then adjust time appropriately.

 

 

 

I have served these Egg Baskets alone and they were delicious but I got a little fancier this weekend because I woke up on Sunday without a hangover.  #smallmiracle

 

Next time I am also going to make hollandaise sauce to pour on top which will just be amazing!

 

 

Best served with a mimosa and Baileys coffee to wash down the yumminess!

 

 

 

 

Recipe: Milo's Meatloaf Patties

Oops I did it again.  I took photos with my iPhone.  My ancient iPhone 4S.  The good news is that I got a notification while I was on vay-cay that I am now eligible for an upgrade so iPhone 6 here I come!  I briefly contemplated the 6 Plus but my hands are small and I would not be able to use it with one hand, something I do frequently. Unfortunately though, you have to deal with my crappy photos for this post.  I am hoping to have a new phone by the weekend as long as I can psych myself up to deal with the hassle of the upgrade.  Why is it always a nightmare?  Or am I just lazy?  Oh well.

I am sharing a recipe today that is so easy and straight forward and I have been making it for about 4 years now, at least different variations of it.  And although you totally could, I do not make it for human consumption, I make it for Milo. 

When we got Milo (from what we later found out was a puppy mill but did not look like a puppy mill and I felt sick when I did find out but all I can do now is focus on the fact that we got Milo out of there) he had been eating a raw food and kibble diet.  He was healthy and so we saw no reason to stop as we had both heard good things about a raw food diet.  We bought the raw food for the first year and looking at the ingredient list, I was like, this is basically meatloaf.  Meatloaf that I can make and know for a fact what the ingredients are.  Except I also decided to cook it.  Milo LOVES it.  He gets his meat patty every morning along with a cup of kibble… the patty disappears in less than 10 seconds and the kibble consumption varies.  And if the kibble is still there the next morning, I don’t give him more, or I top it up to a cup.

I have a base recipe that I make every time but sometimes if I have extra vegetables I need to use up I will throw those in too.  I also used to include a cup of cooked rice but he seems to have food sensitivities that irritate his skin so he I cut out the rice and that seems to have helped.

Ingredients

1 lb extra lean ground beef
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
2 brown potatoes
2 eggs
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Set ground beef out to acclimate – the inside of a chunk of beef is COLD!

2. In a food processor, shred the carrots, celery and potatoes.

3. Combine shredded veggies and ground beef in a huge bowl (or two large bowls – the mixing can get messy).

4. Add the two eggs and salt pepper to bowl (if you are using two bowls, divide as makes sense).

5. Mix that gooey mixture up.  I use my hands.  I no longer bother with gloves but make sure there is lots of soap ready to go once I’m finished.

 

6. Portion the mixture into muffin tins – I just use my hands and portion it to my palm.  Milo is 26lbs and although I’m sure he wishes he could have more this amount is perfect for him.

 

 

 

7. I usually cook 4-5 patties right away for his meals and then freeze the rest, pulling them out in groups of 4-5 as needed.

Baking at 350:
    From frozen: bake 24-25 minutes depending on size
    Fresh or thawed: bake 20-21 minutes depending on size

Milo stalks me in the morning until I give him his patty.  I warm the patty in the microwave for 21 seconds (I think ours is gutless so check the temp. to make sure your furbaby doesn't burn its tongue!) and then mash it up with a fork:

 

He stands there the entire time...

 

... and is literally dancing in between my legs as I walk it over to his dish.  And the patty is gone within 10 seconds.

 

 A very simple way to keep my boy healthy and happy!

 



Do you make your own dog food?  I would love to give him some variety and try new recipes!

Salad Bag Bandwagon

Friends, I have jumped on another bandwagon to save time during the busy work week.  I’ll be honest because I’m not too sure if it saves money but the convenience and time saving trade-off is totally worth it (although I usually find them on sale).  I now buy 3 bagged salads when I grocery shop for the week.  I buy one salad to have at home for dinners and then I buy two salads for my lunches, salad in a jar.

Last week I bought a Pear Gorgonzola Mixed Green Salad for home and a Fiesta (Mexican) Salad Kit with a bag of shredded iceberg to top it off with, for my lunches.  (Note: I don’t normally just buy shredded iceberg, I try to buy something with a bit more nutrition but this was all they had this week).The Pear Gorgonzola salad comes with a yummy dressing, nuts and fruit and I can get four side salads out of it so it takes care of two dinner veggies, and there is no way my hubby is eating salad with dinner every night so I have to switch the veggies up anyway.

Bagged salads have also shaved even more time off my lunch prep for the week!  I am lazy and if I don’t have something I can grab and take with me every morning, I would be inhaling cheeseburgers every day.  So on Sunday I whip up 5 delicious salads in a jar in 10 minutes.  Why does it even take 10 minutes?  Because I have to strip the meat off the rotisserie chicken.  And in doing so I am not only getting meat for my lunches, I am also getting enough cooked chicken for at least one dinner.  We make quesadillas, pasta, whatever you can throw chicken in, and it’s already cooked!

So for my lunch salads, I divide the dressing from the kit evenly between the jars (adding a bit more if needed from our home stash), add ¾ cup of cooked chicken, sprinkle whatever cheese or nuts or other fixings that are included in the kit on top of the chicken, and then top with the actual salad mix.  I pack it all down and there is usually another 1.5” which I stuff with the extra salad I bought.  And I usually have a bit of leftovers from the third bag and use them up at some point during the week.

So to sum it up, I save time and we get to eat yummy salads.  Sounds like a win-win to me!

What are your time saving tips?

Recipe: Perfectly Puffed Chicken Pot Pie

I pulled puff pastry out of the freezer on Saturday with every intention of making a yummy appetizer but as it tends to do, wine got in the way and the puff pastry ended up in the fridge.  The next morning I decided to do something fun for dinner so it wouldn't go to waste. My husband has been  incessantly nagging subtly hinting for homemade chicken pot pie.  I have never made chicken pot pie before because I'm actually not a huge fan of pie crust - unless it's filled with chocolate mousse and whip cream - and most chicken pot pies I have tasted had runny filling.   
But puff pastry?  Puff pastry makes everything better.  So I decided to scour the internet and find a chicken pot pie recipe with a thick flavourful filling. And I succeeded.  I am already planning to make these again!

Adapted from this recipe

Using an oversized muffin tray, this recipe makes 6 individual pot pies.  I made four slightly larger pies but will investing in an oversized muffin tray because these pies are perfect for freezing!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium onion, halved, divided
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• A handful of mushroom caps, chopped
• 1 small rib celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup defrosted frozen peas and carrots
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour, plus a sprinkle to roll out dough
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup milk (I used 1% because that's what I had, the original recipe called for cream)
• 1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 1 8-ounce sheet frozen puff pastry dough, defrosted
• 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF

1 |  On medium-high heat, sauté mushrooms in 1/2 tbsp EVOO for approximately 5 minutes and then add 1/2 of the chopped onion and celery.  Cook for 3-4 more minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

2 |  At the same time as the mushroom mixture is cooking in the frying pan, add the other 1/2 tbsp EVOO to a dutch oven on medium heat.  Add the chicken and other 1/2 of the chopped onion and stir regularly.

3 |  Add frozen peas and corn to the mushroom mixture and heat through, approximately 1-2 more minutes.  

3 |  Add the vegetable mixture to the dutch oven and combine thoroughly.  Remove from heat and set aside.

3 |  Now it's time to make the gravy.  In the frying pan, completely melt the butter, then add the flour and cook one minute.  Whisk in the chicken and let thicken for 1-2 minutes.  Stir in milk and cook for another minute, whisking constantly.  And then add what I think is the key ingredient, the star of the recipe; dijon mustard (you don't get an intense dijon taste by any means but there is so much flavour!).  Also add the thyme and then salt and pepper to taste (don't taste too much or there won't be enough for the pie filling, I had to stop myself from eating it...)

4 |  Remove gravy from heat and add to the chicken and vegetable mixture. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

5 |  To put the pies together, spray the muffin tin (or in my case 4 small containers) with cooking spray.  Roll out the dough and divide into 6 (or 4) even squares.  Place each square in the container and then equally divide the chicken and vegetable mixture.  

5 | Pull in all four points of the dough over the filling and pinch edges together to enclose.  

5 | Brush the top with the egg wash and bake for 25-30 minutes, until crust is crisp and deeply golden.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

These were delicious, my hubby even gave me an enthusiastic "GREAT!" when I asked how his chicken pot pie tasted (normally if he likes it he says it's ok so I knew this was a winner).  The pies were moist but not runny and had a ton of flavour, plus they were really filling.  Perfect for a nice Sunday dinner.  And these will definitely become a freezer meal staple!

What are your go to recipes for puff pastry?