Summer Fresh.
Something I've always enjoyed about food is the vast world of creativity and artistry it opens up. Suddenly bread is stuffed french toast, s'mores are cookies, almonds are flowers, soda is cake. You are forced to look at everything from a different perspective.
When you take an ingredient or a recipe and apply it in a different way or reshape it you not only see the dish differently but also the world. Ingredients are not spices or sugars, but instead keys to a different dimension where up is down and black is white.
So when I was contacted by Summer Fresh and asked to produce an original recipe including one of their delicious dips, hummus or salads you can understand how excited I was. I have never had the opportunity to experiment with anything like hummus and I was so happy with my results. My Greek Hummus Pizza was so good!
Today you can see mine and many other yummy recipes using Summer Fresh products on the Summer Fresh Facebook page. Just for liking one of those recipes you can receive a buy one get one free Summer Fresh coupon and enter for a chance to win a Summer Fresh party kit so you can play with your food too!
For Dads Everywhere.
They say that scent is the strongest sense tied to memory. When I think of my dad certain smells indicative of dads everywhere come to mind. Cedar sawdust, freshly mowed grass, crisp soap, gunpowder, campfire smoke, soft leather, pine trees and BBQ. Especially BBQ.
Instead of making a dessert to celebrate Father's Day this year I decided to make something that dads appreciate most. Meat and lots of it. A quarter pound of beef mixed with fresh pesto and grilled to perfection. A dinner any dad would be happy to eat.
Just a little way to say thank you for all the wheelbarrow rides and movie nights. Photography advice and piggy back rides. Butter and sugar on soda crackers. Guitar solos and surround sound. Blueberries and Carnation milk. For patiently sitting through makeovers complete with hair gel and bobby pins. Target practice at the gun club. Grapefruit and Led Zeppelin. Extra rare filet mignon and Lipton noodle packages. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.
I love you dad! Happy Father's Day!
Misty The Conqueror.
Don't let that adorable face fool you. She might be comically chubby, covered in thick colourful fur and slow as molasses, but she's a ninja just waiting for her moment to strike.
As cute as cats are they're just as mean. Evil. Malicious. Diabolical even. Be rest assured they're plotting to kill you in your sleep right now. And the best part is you know I'm right. How many times have you nearly tripped and fell walking down the stairs because sweet Spot decided to dart out of the darkness to weave between your legs? Or maybe Mittens thought it would be fun one night to pounce on your half covered feet just as you were dozing off. Perhaps little Fluffy became so entranced by your incessant blinking during a perfectly normal staring contest that she lunged at your eye lashes. Then you just turn around and pat their fuzzy little noggins while cooing sweet nothings.
Misty here is a swirling contradiction of good and evil. She's an enigma wrapped in a riddle wrapped in five pounds of fur. She was born feral, mean and ratty but she transformed into a squishy, lovable fuzzball. The only wildness that remains in her lies in her eyes, expressive and intent.
Normally Misty isn't violent. She's the biggest cat among the three and just as big of a coward. Poor Misty had some tree sap stuck in her fur so Lee and I, being the good masters that we are, went about removing it for her. Lee held her and I started trying to cut the sticky stuff out of her fur. She didn't like that. In fact, sweet Misty disliked that so much, she freaked out, latched onto Lee's bare arm and began clawing and biting it repeatedly. I guess the best defence is a good offence, right Misty?
Needless to say Misty still has sap in her fur and Lee's arm is now covered in cuts.
I guess what I'm trying to say is after a long day filled with exciting and relentless cat attacks it's just nice to sit down to a steaming plate of pasta. Nothing says I hope you don't get a raging infection from those angry cat bites like Lemon Pesto Linguine.
The Hokey Pokey and Other Fine Hobbies.
Let's face it. We're busy people. We have people to see and places to be. Like walking the cat, erecting impenetrable snow fortresses, whittling sporks, colour coordinating the dishes, alphabetizing the condiments and knitting scarves. Putting your right foot in, putting your right foot out, putting your right foot in and shaking it all about.
I'll give you a moment to ponder which ones of those I've actually done.
I'll give you a hint. It starts with an all and ends with of the above.
So in our silly days filled with silly things it's nice to know there are easy, fast and delicious dinners we can whip up between moon walking and kite flying.
It's astonishing how some of the best foods are also the simplest. Next to chocolate covered cherries and self cleaning ovens it's about the best thing ever.
I recently discovered a few pasta recipes that were both stupid easy and scrumptious. Spaghetti alla Carbonara is just spaghetti, pancetta, parmesan cheese and eggs. Or Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe which is basically spaghetti, romano cheese and black pepper.
Here's another for you. Brown Butter Walnut Pasta. Mostly just farfalle, walnuts, parmesan, garlic and cream. Takes up only 15 minutes of your time not including all of three seconds it takes to inhale it.
Now that cat's not going to walk itself.
The Picnic: Inside Out.
I'd like to thank everyone who helped me get this far in Project Food Blog. I appreciate all your support in all its forms! Thank you!
“For this challenge, you're tasked with creating a delicious meal that will travel well and still look great. From picnics and school lunches to bento boxes, or any other meal on the go, you need to whip up an entree, side, drink, and dessert to enjoy after hitting the road. Be sure that your meal fits inside the Project Food Blog Road Trip Cooler.”
Have you ever wistfully watched a sunset stained with roses and violets while sipping a glass of wine? Have you ever savoured a simple chocolate bar on the waterfront, salty breeze in your hair and sand beneath your feet? Have you ever bitten into an apple and let the juices run down your chin on a lazy afternoon absentmindedly swaying on a creaking porch swing?
Twitterpated birds are the best dinner companions. Fresh air is the sweetest spice to add to any meal. A park bench is the perfect table setting. The fading glow of the sun rivals any candlelit dinner. Food is best enjoyed in the presence of nature, humbling and beautiful.
The picnic is the traditional way to bring the inside out and eat at nature's table. There's nothing traditional about this picnic. I've expanded on simple picnic food to elevate your experience. The plain sandwich has been spiced up and transformed into the Curried Egg Salad Sandwich. Chips and dip have been revamped into sweet and spicy Peach Salsa with baked Pita Chips. The simple glass of juice has been stirred into a bubbly frenzy and become Sparkling White Grape Peach Juice. The average Rice Krispies square has been reinvented into a nutty and flavourful Brown Butter Maple Pecan Crispy Treat.
Nature is in a constant state of flux and I've pulled my inspiration for this meal from that fact. Nature's ever changing landscape offers a unique and beautiful tablescape. Go outside and enjoy the fresh air. I think you'll find your food tastes a little bit sweeter, a little more satisfying.
That’s Amore!
I am so grateful to have advanced to the fifth round of Project Food Blog! Thank you everyone who voted for me! I appreciate the support of my loyal readers and new friends.
“One recipe, 100 variations! We're challenging each of you to put your own spin on the same recipe. How you do it is up to you. Will you try out some molecular gastronomy techniques? Share a super-secret trick? Or re-envision the dish from a different perspective? You'll be asked to put your own spin on pizza. For the purpose of this contest and challenge, we are defining pizza as having a solid base, a sauce and at least one topping.”
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie... That's amore!
Everyone knows that song. It's about finding love in the unlikeliest of places. It's about being suddenly seized by love. Some people find love in a darkened movie theatre, at the bottom of a box of chocolates, between intertwined fingers or in a perfect slice of pizza.
Some people might not consider pizza classy or romantic like flowers, chocolates, jewelry or fancy dates. Don't get me wrong. I love roses, cordial cherries, diamonds and filet mignon as much as the next girl. But it's pizza that holds a special place in my heart.
When my boyfriend and I were separated by 3,373 km (2096 miles) the telephone was our only connection. One evening after a long day of work, tired and just a little lonesome, I was talking to my honey over the distance when there was a knock at my door. I wasn't expecting anyone. Intrigued, I swung open the door.
There in my doorway was a pizza delivery guy holding a pizza. For me. My pizza. Free of charge. Lee had called my favourite pizza place and ordered my favourite pizza. Even two provinces away he was still doing such sweet and thoughtful things for me.
Now that miles have shrunk to inches and everyday is filled with reasons to fall deeper in love, I thought I'd learn to make his favourite pizza.
This is my first attempt at making pizza. Oh sure, I've had a lot of experience eating them. Ordering them. Burning them. Even accidentally baking a frozen one with the cardboard still under it then proceeding to violently and vehemently slice through it. Gives a whole new meaning to cardboard crust, doesn't it?
This time I had motivation. This time it was perfect. I love that man, he loves me and we both love this Chicken Pesto Pizza.
Apples and Cranberries and Pears! Oh My!
I must have The Wizard of Oz on the brain or something. Imagine if Dorothy, Scarecrow and the Tin Man had encountered these fearsome fruits on their journey along the yellow brick road. I'd say that's preferable to lions, tigers and bears.
But then again, that would probably make for a pretty lame movie. More like Veggie Tales than the story we all know and love.
Maybe if Dorothy could have tasted this Pear Walnut Salad or this Apple Cranberry Chicken she wouldn't have been in such a hurry to get back to Kansas. I'm betting Auntie Em didn't know how to make Apple Cheese and Potato Cakes like me. Just saying...
As promised here are my recipes for the entrée of my Autumn Dinner Party. I could have separated them into three different posts, but why leave you in suspense? I'm not a cruel person. Also they're best enjoyed altogether, so here you go!
Enlightenment.
It's back to school time. Summer break seems to have gone by so quickly. Being a lady of leisure, I spent this Summer with Lee's daughter, Sable. There was a lot of Mario Kart, cookies, and Mr. Noodle. Oh and high fives, Pictureka and peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Living in close quarters with a ten year old girl over the Summer break has enlightened me about some interesting life facts that I was not previously aware of...
Like the names of all the main and supporting characters on Suite Life on Deck. I'm sure that information will come in handy some day right?
Or that Mylie Cyrus is actually Hannah Montana. Either that's a revelation or I'm a bit slow on the uptake.
And that Twilight co-stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are together in real life. Well good for them. Must make their on-screen romance that much more believable.
Also if you stamp as hard as you can on a trampoline right before your partner bounces you can actually make them jump even higher. Scary high. Whole body over the fence panicky kind of high.
This Summer has also offered up some insights about myself that I never would have realized...
Like the fact that I find myself on Team Edward and I have also incidentally read all four books in the Twilight Saga. But that's neither here nor there...
Or that my fifth favourite colour is actually yellow. Who knew?
And, if made to choose between the life of a vampire, zombie or werewolf, I would prefer that of a werewolf.
On a related topic, in the event of a zombie attack I would seek refuge at Wal-Mart for their extensive gun selection and non-perishable food supplies.
Or that I can eat ten Cheese Nips in under a minute. I know. Impressive right?
Speaking of Cheese Nips, this Alfredo Mac and Cheese is made of them. I'm down with the kids. Cheese is so in. This Mac and Cheese looks all adult with the parsley and sun dried tomatoes, but the kid in you will love it too. Or the kid sitting next to you. Whatever.
Good Fences Make Good Neighbours.
You know it's true. Don't deny it. Ok, yes there is the odd neighbour here and there that's not so bad. Maybe you make small talk with them across the street or exchange passing comments about the weather. Maybe they made too many peanut butter cookies one afternoon and delivered some extra to you. Maybe they agreed to pick up your mail while you were gone on vacation and even sorted the bills apart from the flyers.
And maybe, just maybe they really suck. I mean rake their leaves onto your lawn kind of suck. Or park in your reserved space kind of suck. Or even keep their irregular garbage piling up in the back alley that no trash collector will ever touch with a ten foot pole kind of suck. Those neighbours are the kind we build fences for.
Really though, is it so hard to dispose of your old broken mattresses at the dump? Is it too much to ask for people not to pour broken pieces of cement directly onto the road where you have no other option than to drive over it hoping all the while that your tires don't pop? Is it so difficult to refrain from revving your tired and obviously sick Mustang engine for all the neighbourhood to hear right before you peel out of your driveway? That's not very neighbourly.
Since when did common courtesy stop being so common? It's so frustrating because I go out of my way not to offend a perfect stranger even going so far as to inconvenience myself. I'm the person at the grocery store that will wait patiently and without complaint while the person ahead of me takes forever to bag their groceries all the while not moving their cart two inches so that I can get through to bag my own. I'm the person grinding her teeth in her backyard while my neighbours laugh and carry on in their yard with their inebriated friends until 6am. I'm the person that would glare through the peephole at my neighbours while they repeatedly slam the outside door that only needs to be pushed and clicked in place.
Some people really need to consider the piece of mind of others more often before they do something that would disrupt just that. It's selfish. It's mean. It's just plain ignorant. Let's all try and be a little more enlightened, shall we?
And on that note here are some Cheddar Biscuits that could mend fences.
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