Why?

Why isn't there anything comparable to In-n-Out Burger? 

Today (for the first time since we returned from the Las Vegas) I ate fast food. And let me tell you, it did not compare. Not only was the food at McDonalds a huge disappointment (except the fries, of course), but the prices did not reflect the poor quality.

When the Ross family hits up McD's the damage is usually 22-28 dolla' bills y'all (meet gangster Haley). How much was the oink-fest at In-n-Out you ask??? (You did ask, right?) $18. And that included 2 ass-kicking milkshakes. And a cheeseburger is just $2.20. And look at it!!! Unreal!!! And it tastes as good as it looks. There are some things in the states that are all hype... you get there, and it's not nearly as good as people say it was. But In-n-Out Burger isn't one of them. The food is fantastic & there really is nothing comparable here.

No. No, there isn't. Yes, Fatburger & Five Guys tastes great. But can I feed my family for $18? No way. Not even close. And a trip to Peters Drive-In (if we find ourselves in the area) is almost twice that. Great food, but the guilt in a fast-food dinner should be the CALORIES and not the COST.

And look how adorable this little milk carton is (ok, that has nothing to do with my post, but still, super adorable). Anyway, even though we don't do fast-food that often (you can't tell from this post...) after having good fast food within reach (don't even get me started on Baja Fresh or Sonic) for a couple of weeks, it was hard to have to go back to 1/4" thin patties for $3.99. 

 nom nom nom.......

642 - Vol. V

The person you loved who didn't love you back.

Sadly, there have been many. Not one person that might warrant a story of tragedy, rejection or romance, but dozens of young men who I watched from afar (creepy, I know). I use to fall in 'love' with every half-decent guy wearing a delicious smelling after-shave. My high-school diary is filled with references to the guys I 'loved'. I made up nicknames for them (in case Kendra violated my privacy), so looking back I don't even know who most of them were. 'B'man', "DollarBills' (Someone with money? At a private school overseas, that was most kids.), 'Curly', 'The Roofer' and 'Nepal'. None of them ever loved me back. This entry could read less like a love story & more like a list of life-long rejection. I for one, have come to terms with it.

It's not like I had my sights set on the most popular guys either, Nepal in particular was kind of a socially awkward nerd (but a very good basketball player). He didn't like white girls & I knew it. Because he flat out told me so. As a teenager I tried to pick guys that I 'had a shot with', except J.T.T. of course.... although I was convinced that if he only knew me....he would love me.

Nepal wasn't my first rejection. A.B. was. And it crushed me. I bravely invited him to go wall-climbing with me (not a date, I said, just something I knew he would also be into). He said yes. Because I was right, he wanted to go rock climbing. And although I was one of only two very impressive girls on the climbing team, and despite the fact that I mentioned several times that I had won Team MVP (I beat all the boys), A.B. just wasn't into me. So I did what any teen girl would do, I changed everything about myself to try & impress him. I started listening to Phish. I wore Birkenstocks. I parted my hair in the middle. I talked solely about baseball, I even went to Mickey Owen Baseball school. I was one of three girls. One was my sister. It was hell.

But A.B. held out. As far as I could tell he wasn't interested in anyone else, he just didn't like me. And we became 'friends'. And he was actually kind of boring. And pretty soon I had a boyfriend. And he was way cooler than A.B. So naturally, I did what any teenage girl would do..... I dumped him before he could dump me.

Italian-style Meatloaf

 Tonight for dinner (just the kids & I) I made an Italian-style Meatloaf from Chef Michael Smith (Can you tell which cookbook I used to make my meal plan this week?). Brian made this recipe once before, when I was sick, and it was so good. So very very good. And I usually have most of the ingredients on-hand... except olives (eww) which I have to buy because I don't really like them. I buy a single scoop of olives ta Sobeys from the deli, if I bought a whole jar I'd have it for years...

Preheat your oven to 350.

In a saute pan, add 2T. of olive oil, turn to medium heat & add:

2 large onions, finely chopped (I only use one)

8 cloves of garlic thinly sliced (I only use 2)

Cook until they are golden brown.

In a large bowl, whisk 2 large eggs. Then add:

 1/2c tomato paste

1.5 lbs of ground beef (I use about 1/2 that, which is why I cut back on my onion & garlic)

2c of bread crumbs

1/2c of chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1/2c chopped, pitted kalamata olives (I use 1/4 cup & chop them like hell)

1/2c of Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2c fresh parsley (I use half of that & have used 2T dried parsley in the past as well)

1T dried oregano*

1t of your favourite hot sauce (I used double that, we like spicy food up in here)

Then add the garlic & onions you cooked earlier.

Wash your hands (do I even have to write that?) and blend until it is well mixed. Transfer onto a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper & shape into a thick loaf**.

*Don't skip this ingredient. It is what I think makes this meatloaf so different from others I have had in the past.

(mmmm looks appetizing. Just kidding, it totally doesn't....yet.)

** I make mine a little more narrow. It reduces cooking time & an Italian meatloaf can be a little dried anyway...although I can't really tell the difference.

Cook for 60 minutes (ish).

I throw a little store-bought marinara on top (I think Barilla brand is the best) but you totally don't have to. Tonight I had a tossed salad with mine but it's a pretty filling dish on it's own. Enjoy!

Shrimp, Ginger & Peanut Rice Wraps

One time I decided I was going to make Indonesian food. The entire time I was cooking it I felt so nostalgic (I lived in Indonesia as a child). Thirty minutes after it was done, I was ordering pizza. It was terrible and it stained my food processor. From now on, Nasi Goreng will be something I order when I eat out. I decided then that I wasn't cut out for 'authentic' asian cooking. But I have no problems making a westernized curry or, today, thai-ish wraps (a Michael Smith recipe, changed a little).

In a large mixing bowl combine:

The zest & juice of one lime

1T. grated ginger *

1T. peanut butter **

1T. soy sauce

1T. Honey (I used 1t. of agave syrup & it turned out just fine)

1T. of rice wine vinegar

1/4t. of your favourite hot sauce (I used a little more than that)

Whisk it all together.

* I buy whole ginger at The Silk Road. I feel that is it fresher when you go to use it (just use a mircoplaner to grate it) and the smell will knock you off your socks. It smells so good that every time, I am tempted to take a big bite of it. I wish I could make it into a candle or something.... sooo delish.

** I didn't use peanut butter, I used soy butter (pictured below). We don't have peanut allergies in this house, but I bought this so Miles could take PB&J sandwiches to school. I did use real peanuts for later in the recipe. The soy butter worked fine. You can use smooth or chunky.

Once whisked, throw in 8 ounces of cooked, de-vined, chopped shrimp, 1/4c of coarsely chopped roasted peanuts (I just used planters peanuts, I rinsed the salt off first), 2 cups of bean sprouts (remember to rinse them first so they are extra crunchy), 1 grated carrot and a handful of chopped snow peas.

Fill a pie plate with warm water, then, place in an single (one at a time!) rice paper wrap. Let it soak for about 30 seconds until it is translucent. Carefully remove it from the pie plate & let the excess water drip off. Lay flat onto a clean kitchen towel to fill & wrap.

I am NO pro at making wraps. Usually Brian wraps my fajitas for me (after he is done the kids of course! Haha!). They are tricky & my first couple weren't picture worthy (well, non of them really were), but they tasted great and stayed together while we ate them. The kids didn't love them, they were a little weirded out by the rice paper wraps. Next time I would quickly fry theirs to make them crispy, then I know they would gobble them up. What's not to love? Carrots, peanuts, sprouts! All the things my kids love. And we liked them too. Finally, an asian-inspired food that didn't leave us ordering pizza.

I just love it all....

This is my first blog for the month of May...and it's almost over.

My month wasn't even really that busy although I did spend 2 weeks in Las Vegas at my parents new house. And it only took a couple of days back in Canada to loose the tan that I worked so hard on! (By 'worked hard on' of course I mean that I laid in the sun with an iced lemonade.)

When we came back, all of the sudden it felt like Spring. And our lawn was the ugliest white-trashiest looking lawn on the block. Niiiice. So tonight we worked hard & it's finally up to par with the neighbours, almost. We have the worst lawn, it's ridden with ants because the soil quality is so terrible. But I can't bring myself to get rid of the 3-storey high tree in our front yard. I love it.

We let the kids stay up until 9pm & help us with the yard. Miles loves getting dirty & watching insects. Molly was hose-happy. We were all pretty soaked. And happy. The kids both went to bed with no complaints and only 2 books each (we usually get suckered into 4 or 5 with Miles). Maybe it was spending the day outside, but everything just felt so good this evening. My boys reading books, my daughter running around in her diaper, my house messy but the smell of freshly cut grass in the air. Good life.

Speaking of happy....Lately DAVIDsTea has been a source of my happiness. I've never been into loose leaf tea, I've always been a chai-latte lover. But in April I gave up my daily chai and switched to home-brewed loose-leaf tea. And I am obsessed. And apparently there's a whole 'tea' culture. And I love it. In Banff I discovered DAVIDsTEA and I stocked up on everything I would need to start brewing it at home. It was worth every cent. And since then I have been trying new loose-leaf teas. 

Rooibos de Provence is my favourite so far. I also love Strawberry-Ginger. But Rooibos de Provence is an amazing blend. And with a little agave & 5 minutes of my time.... it's perfection.

I'm just brewing single cups right now. I love this little coral coloured tea pot. Super cute. If you haven't been into DAVIDsTEA you need to go (there's one in South Centre) and a pop-up at Holt Renfrew this month. I never thought I would be able to give up my chai-lattes (they are 250 calories each) but I did. And although it hasn't saved me any money (I mean, it probably should have), I am so happy to have discovered loose-leaf tea (all organic & fair-trade) from DAVIDsTEA.

* You can order online & shipping is free with a $50 purchase.

Toastadas

The other day I started a new Facebook page. It's basically a forum for people to talk about food & swap recipes. I wasn't sure it would be successful, I am part of at least 12 Facebook groups were nothing ever happens. But so far the reaction has been great. Anyway, one of the ladies posted a picture of her dinner which she called a "Mexican Pizza". I know it as a Toastada and I love them... but somewhere along the way I had forgotten about them. Anyway, I made one for dinner tonight, so happy to have them back on our table.

Basically a tortilla (although in the past I have used thin crust pizza shells), salsa, onions (caramelized), chicken with Epazote spice (pre-cooked), and sharp cheddar (just a little). Pop it into the oven for about 10 minutes until everything is melted. Then top with lettuce & a bit of ranch. You can also crumble taco chips over it for some added crunch (we didn't).

Not super healthy, but not the worst meal I can think of... we had chicken tonight, which is rare for us. Next time I might try & find some beans to replace it.

Now my kids are running rampant & Brian is watching the hockey game. I might just sit & scrapbook...

Goats Cheese, Mint + Orange Zest

I love food. Obviously. And so it goes without saying that I love doughnuts. So when my favourite doughnut shoppe, Jelly Modern Doughnuts, had a contest to celebrate their 1 year anniversary, I was all over it. It took me a while to think of the perfect flavour to enter in their "create your own doughnut" contest. The stakes were high (at least they would have been if my life were a sitcom, but it isn't, so really the stakes weren't that high). I read through the list of all of the other flavours, considering each one. And then, on the final day for submissions, I committed to my single entry. 

Goats Cheese, Mint + Orange Zest.

And then, with the help of my friends, the OMC (an online mommy group that I am a part of) and my family, we voted. And voted. And voted. And it turns out, I made the top two!

The top four entries were invited to create their doughnut with Chef Grayson at the 1st Birthday party that was held on Saturday. I was up against some stiff competition: Dark Chocolate Chilli, Vanilla Almond & Cappuccino Crunch (mmmm). I honestly didn't think that my "under-dog" doughnut would win. Especially when comments like "gross" were being Tweeted in reply to the announcement of my doughnut. I had to laugh, but also wondered if I would be the only person in the world who would appreciate a Goats Cheese, Mint + Orange Zest doughnut.

I was nervous (I hate being in front of people, I prefer to be behind a keyboard) and beet red. Or is it beat red. Anyway, I was red. My Mother-In-Law and Father-In-Law showed up to sit front & centre... and we took Miles along for the day*. Turns out, once I got past my nerves, I had a great time & learned a lot about doughnuts... and candied Orange Mint.

Four fabulous local celebs tried the doughnuts & I came out on top. Which was cool, but being a big fan of John Gilchrist, it was really only his 'approval' on my combination that I was looking for (Umm, sounds like I have father issues?). I got it. His review was amazing & the look on his face was satisfying. I also fell in love (platonically...or....?) with Gwendolyn Richards, a food writer for the Calgary Herald.

I didn't know there was a prize. Ranny had asked me & I told him that for a chubby girl, having your doughnut made WAS the prize. But it turns out there was, and I was wrong, a ONE YEAR SUPPLY OF FREE DOUGHNUTS (yep, that deserved to be all in caps) was the prize. Rock on.

For a stay at home mom, who's highlight of her day is cooking dinner...this was heaven. Not the prize, not the doughnuts, the day. The day was so much fun. And I am in love with Jelly Modern Doughnuts more now than I was before.

*Miles ate 5 doughnuts. Oh shut up! Don't you judge me. He had a pink anniversary doughnut, a maple bacon doughnut, a creamsicle doughnut, a handful of samples and a doughnut that he decorated himself (And it was a freakin' work of art if I may say so). I could actually see the rise.....and then the dramatic crash & burn that was followed by a sugar induced coma.

642 - Vol IV

"Two dollars isn't a lot of money, unless..."

You are in a candy store in 1996. That was the year the Canadian 'toonie' was released. And I remember it. Well, not really. I was 16 then and already $2 wasn't much money. But I do remember when it was. When I was little, and we stayed at my Grandmas house, I would get a two-dollar bill from my Dad and go down the street to Gene & Ernie's corner store. We would all go. My cousins and I. And on most occasions that meant the store was filled with at least 9 Hopaluks (although there were more of us). I remember buying Garbage Pail candies. They were my favourite, they were little hard candies, shaped as fish bones, shoes or tin cans. And they came in a little garbage can. I loved them.

One of the trips that I remember the most was also one of the most brilliant 'cons' that us Hopaluk kids ever pulled off. There were a lot of us that day: Myself, Kendra, Carmelle, Keray, Paul, Jenna, Lacee, Leya, Brittany, Melissa, Tyler, Joelle, Ryan, Dana and the boy who lived next door to Grandma. What was his name? He had a really great sandbox... Anyway, the con came about accidentally. I was voted to be the one to ask my Dad for money to go to G&E's. So I did, and he gave me $50. Enough for all of us!!! I was excited. That was more candy than any one kid could ever even imagine. But at the same time that I was asking my dad, Jenna was asking her dad, Uncle Casey. He forked over come cash as well. When we realized what had happened....well, that's when the con started. Leya asked Uncle Neil & Dana asked Uncle Don. The cash was rolling in... And I was the oldest (next to Joelle), or maybe just bossiest, so I carried it all, naturally. We had close to $100. And off we went. And we spent every last cent of it. I remember the bags & bags of 5 cent gummies. I remember Big League Chew, Bubble Tape (in grape & bubblegum flavour) & other 'expensive' candies. I remember Popeye Cigarettes (back then they were still called cigarettes & had red tips), sour soothers, Lik-em-aid, Pop Rocks, BottleCaps & Ring Pops. We were stacked. But no matter how bossy I was, there was no way that my cousins were letting me carry the whole stash. So after arguing for a block or two we stopped at a park (the one by the campground) and dumped out the bag. $100 worth of candy. I still remember it. And we ate it all (we had to, or we might get caught) right then & there in that park.
 Well done Hopaluk kids. Well done!

I love Dyson...

I love my Dyson vacuum.
It starred in a blog post of mine three years ago.....
blogID=1775577122387163285#editor/target=post;postID=805566221651464157

It is worth every penny. And that was the consensus amongst most of the moms on a web forum I was on the other day. No one had a bad thing to say about them. So I love my vacuum, what could be better than that? I'll tell you what? Knowing what an awesome company it comes from.

Today my son came home from preschool with a toy Dyson (pictured above) and a note that explained why. His preschool teacher sent a letter to Dyson requesting a catalog for the kids to look at... one of the kids had been eyeing their new Dyson vacuum and she wanted to have something more for him to look at (She does stuff like that. Miles is really into animals so she got special animal books for him at the library.). Anyway, Dyson wrote her back

Dear ______

Thanks so much for contacting Dyson Canada and letting us know about the budding engineer at ______ Nursery School! He sounds like of the the world's nest promising inventors - he's got such a great start at such a young age! Only four!

The James Dyson Foundation (JDF) encourages young people to think differently, make mistakes and invent. We would love it if your students, their parents and their teacher explored our JDF Science World site to discover design heroes, find out how to design things that work and use out resources in the classroom or at home. Here is the link for you and your community to enjoy:

http://www.jamesdysonfoundation.com/scienceworld

In the meantime, we have a little something for this budding inventor and his classmates coming your way!

Best Wishes. ____________

And Miles was lucky enough to be one of those classmates. We checked out the website & it is cool. I pulled it up on the iPad and Miles has been playing since we got home, there's a pretty cool game that he caught onto quickly (which works out well for Molly since she wanted to her get hands on the toy vacuum).

Thanks Dyson. It's so freakin' (yep, I said freakin') cool when a company invests in it's youth. Maybe someday Miles will invent a new vacuum for Dyson, or maybe he will just be the proud owner of one, like we are.

642 Vol. III

"Write down everything you can remember about your algebra teacher."

His name was Mr.Harter. Dennis Harter. He was a pretty young teacher (I mean, I don't remember thinking he was old and I thought all adults were old.) and I remember some of the girls had a crush on him. I didn't. But I didn't have a crush on him because he taught Math... and who in their right mind would teach math? Math. Math? Really? Math sucks (though I will never tell my kids that....). And I don't care how good-looking you are (were), I didn't ever look forward to Math class. Everything about algebra annoyed me. That you had to "show your work" so you couldn't just guess (my Plan B.), that there was only one correct answer & that I was terrible at it. I do remember that Mr. Harter once made us a multiple choice test, after we begged him to, thinking it would be easier. It wasn't. Instead it just made you question your answer even more (I was confident the answer was 2 until I saw that -2 was an option). Well played Mr. Harter, well played.

But even the subject matter didn't make me dislike him. I remember he was patient and funny. And he didn't says MathS with and 'S' like some of the Australian teachers did. For the record, I would have sat through a million of Mr.Harter's algebra lessons if it meant I could skip ONE of Ibu Fatmawati's Bahasa classes (That I learned to speak Bahasa is an even bigger miracle than that I passed Math.).

A couple of years later, in Mrs.Wilson's Math class (in a public school in Canada), a guy named Darryl picked up his desk and threw it across the room in frustration. I was shocked (that things like that actually happen in public schools....) but I didn't blame him. I could relate. In my mind, I had been throwing desks across the Math classroom for years.

Little known fact: In 2012, I love day-to-day math. I love calculating interest rates. I love finding percentages & averages. And I love teaching my kids to count & add. Let's give Mr.Harter some credit for that. 

Squishy.

Miles & I celebrated Spring by finger painting outside today. I would never let my kids finger paint inside (Paint? Yes. Finger Paint? Heck no.) so it was nice to be able to go outside.

Thanks to Pinterest, I am sure I will be able to find loads of messy projects for us to do outside... I saw these super cute yarn covered balloons I am hoping to make if the weather holds up.

But then again, it is Canada. And it is April.

These exist?

Amazing! I didn't even know that Mint Chocolate Chips existed. And even better, they were 50% off. I am going to bake cookies with them & then make those home-made ice cream sandwiches. Mmmm. Getting hungry.

 I went into Bulk barn today (My second biggest weakness, the first is Chapters). I love Bulk Barn. I have no self-control when I am in there... none whatsoever.

I also got some pizza dough mix, which I have actually made before, but someone was talking about it online & it reminded me how much the kids loved making their own pizzas. The mix is great but I add some garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil & pepper to make it "focaccia-ish". And if you want to great really fancy (and why wouldn't you?) throw some caramelized onions into the crust. Soooo good.

Today when I was putting away my purchases (I also got veggie bullion cubes and for some weird reason that makes me so happy.) it started to bug me that none of my jars & labels match. I always see people with these gorgeous pantries online & feel jealous. I want all my stuff to be all matchy-matchy and not look like some sort of Hippie or Witch Doctors potion closet. Martha Stewart has a line of labels for Avery that are available at Staples. I am going to go check them out tonight. Even if the jars don't match, at least the labels could... it's bugging me.