The Perfect Boiled Egg

When it comes to boiled eggs, I have a bit of a Goldilocks complex in that I like them not too runny and not too hard, but jusssst right! I'm not sure what that's called, God knows I'd never be able to order it correctly in a restaurant, but for the purposes of this blog I shall call them 'Silky Smooth'. That's right, bringin' the hotness to the boiled egg baby!

Now, it's taken me a while to perfect the 'Silky Smooth' boiled egg, but I've finally done it and feel inclined to share with you all.

My 'Silky Smooth', perfectly boiled egg

I looked up some videos/articles on how to properly boil an egg and in my opinion they were all wayyy too complicated. If you would like to eat a 'Silky Smooth' egg as pictured above, keep reading.

The 'Dad Sandwich'

I was first introduced to this delicious sandwich back when I started dating my hubby. The first time he made it for me, I was both intrigued (because I'd never seen anything like it), and amazed (because it tasted so good!). Both the hub and his brothers know it as 'dad's sandwich', because their dad is of course the person who first concocted it.

Not only is it super easy to make, and not only is it sooo good, it's also great for any meal of the day whether you're looking for a hearty breakfast, a quick dinner or a yummy supper! It also just happens to be what I had for supper this evening :)

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

I had these on hand recently when a friend stopped by and she absolutely loved them. Several weeks and several recipe requests later I'm posting it to my blog... this ones for you Britney :)

Chocolate Chip & Walnut Pumpkin Muffins

Unfortunately, I just have photos of the completed product on this one, but it was easy and fun to make. The recipe actually came from one of my favourite books The Looneyspoon Collection, and is entitled 'Pumpkin and Spice and everything Nice'.

Stovetop Popcorn

Some people like to arrive at a movie by a certain time, some like to sit in a certain row, some prefer a certain seat - I like to hold the popcorn. Often described by friends as a 'popcorn fiend', I enjoy nothing more than mindlessly scarfing down a giant bag of buttery goodness, I know it's not the healthiest, but it's not like I'm at the movie every other day.

When you don't have your own popcorn maker, and you have a tendency to burn the microwaved stuff, it's hard to satisfy that popcorn craving. Thankfully, my hubby introduced me to stove-top popcorn - a much healthier way to eat my face off.

The Ultimate Moose Burger!

The Ultimate Moose Burger

I'm not sure how many of you regularly consume Moose meat, but I for one love it! Growing up in rural Newfoundland, there has always been moose in the freezer, and even now that I've moved to the city, I still have a regular supply from family.

My most recent supply came with a couple of pounds of ground Moose, something that excited me beyond belief. You see, even though I typically have Moose on hand, it's rare for it to be ground - usually it's in the form of roasts, stewing meat or steaks... but burgers?? Yumm! Now that's a treat!

Recently, a chef from my area made the cover of Readers Digest for having one of the top burgers in Canada (pictured above). She did this with her recipe for the Ultimate Moose Burger. The recipe was listed online so naturally I gave it try and let me tell ya, my life will never be the same! It's actually the best burger I've ever eaten and it was homemade!!

May 2-4 Recap

Cheers to May 2-4!

I hope everyone out there enjoyed their May 2-4. I'm happy to report my weekend was one of the best May 2-4's to date! Not only did the weather cooperate this year, but the 'cabin', company and food were also great. Below I've included some lovely food porn, as well as some scenic highlights from the weekend.

May 2-4 Checklist

The preparations for the glorious May 2-4 weekend are underway, and tomorrow afternoon my friends and I will head out around the bay to celebrate. For most of the province, it's become a tradition to head to a cabin to ring in the unofficial start of summer. This means booze, buddies and bbq - quite the fantastic combination! Tonight I ran out with some of the gang to prep for the grub portion of the weekend. Below is a photo I snapped of only a portion of the food we'll be bringing.

Water, Gatorade, Wieners, Bacon, Steaks, Hamburgers, Hamburger/Hot Dog Buns, Toutin Dough, Mini Potatoes, Salad/Salad Dressing, Jiffy Pop, Cheese Slices, Munchies, Pizzaronis, Pizza, Instant Coffee, Bread, Smart Pop, Strawberries, Kraft Dinner, Orange Juice and Mini Donuts. Missing from photo: Bologna, Fruit Tray, More Steaks, Condiments, and Ice!

Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce

Smart Pasta w/ Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce and Grated Cheddar

As a general rule I try to keep away from pasta dishes, don't get me wrong, I LOVE pasta! I could eat it all day, everyday and it wouldn't phase me. However, my penchant for pasta makes it difficult not to stuff my face when I have it in front of me ....which then makes it difficult to fit in my pants... but anywho, I digress. This spaghetti sauce is my new go to sauce - so delicious and sooo simple!

Losing my Quinoa Virginity!

So a few months back I took the plunge and gave into the hype surrounding Quinoa. For those of you not 100% familiar with Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah), check out Chatelaine Magazine for more on its benefits. It really is a great little grain-like friend to have in your kitchen. It's as versatile as rice and pasta, and can be so easily infused with flavour!

Though I will admit, it was a bit of a struggle to find at the grocery store. It took 3 failed shopping trips, scouring the aisles of 2 separate supermarket chains, to finally stumble across it in the Organics section. Heads up - check there first!

Once acquired, I put the quinoa to work in a recipe I found in my absolute favourite cookbook, The Looneyspoons Collection. More specifically it was entitled: 'Moroccan and Rollin' Quinoa Salad. This was a delicious salad with so much flavour, I cant wait to make it again! Enjoy.

Hidden Treasure - Minced Garlic

 

Garlic tends to be a key ingredient in most of the recipes myself and my husband prepare. Whether we're prepping a little or a lot, I hate the process. I'm talking the peeling, chopping, mincing, etc. that leaves your hands stinking to the high heavens! And yes I know, you can always use a slap chop or something similar, but in my eyes that's just an extra dish to clean.

One day while browsing the spice section at the grocery store, I came across bottled minced garlic - and it wasn't of the dried variety! I couldn't believe it, the answer to my prayers right there in front of me! Clearly I snapped it up to try it out, and not to sound like an infomercial or anything but I'm glad I did. Now every time I need '1 tsp of minced garlic' I just pop my measuring spoon into the jar easy-peasy, it's that simple! No mess, no clean up, just the way I like it :)

Below is the No Name Brand of Garlic I purchased, there are other brands available as well.

90's Throwback - Supermarket Sweep

I'm not even sure where this came from but as I was hanging out with a friend yesterday I suddenly had a flashback to Supermarket Sweep! At the time, I couldn't for the life of me remember the name of the show, it wasn't until I Googled 20 varieties of 'grocery store game' that I finally came across some videos on YouTube.


All I could remember was someone running through the aisles of a grocery store stuffing as much product as they could into their cart. The clip below features mother daughter teams - something I felt appropriate with Mother's Day tomorrow. 

Not your Average Cookie Cutter!

You can come across some pretty strange things while browsing the Internet, and on a recent trek for cookie cutters, I came across some doozies. Naturally, I had to dig further into the land of cookie cutters to see what wonders lay beyond the every day shapes. I hope you are as thrilled/horrified as I was!

Starting with the Strangest/Most Awesome/Disturbing Cutters:

Moustachios

Buy Now

Easy Shortbread

Not sure if you've ever noticed but shortbread dough and pie crust look a lot alike before they're shaped and baked. Back in the day, any time I ever saw my mom mixing a batch of dough, the first words out of my mouth were 'cookies or pie?' If it was cookies, game on, I'd be stealing me a hunk, if it was pie... not so much! Shortbread are delicious both pre and post baking, and they're also very versatile; not only can you shape them how you like, but you can also add all kinds of super delicious toppings like icing, sprinkles, or candied cherries.

These cookies are a regular at the house during Christmas, and during many other times of the year when the mood strikes. They are so good I've seen them convert shortbread haters into lovers... honestly, they're amazing!

Newfoundland Jigs Dinner

One of my favourite meals to cook, and more importantly eat, is Jigs Dinner. Growing up, it was always a treat to have, and now that I live away from home (luckily still in the province), I love cooking it up for any occasion. For me, it's a full sensory overload of nostalgia - the sound of the bubbling pot, the smell of it wafting through the house, the site of the peeled veggies on the counter and the anticipation of the delicious feed ahead. In my opinion it's the quintessential comfort food.

Over the years, I've discovered there are many varieties or definitions of a proper Jigs Dinner. It really seems to be dependent on where you were raised in the province, or where your parents were raised. Below is a breakdown of what I consider to be the perfect Jigs Dinner.

Jigs Dinner: Blueberry Boiled Pudding, Carrot, Turnip Tops, Salt Pork Ribs, Buttery Mashed Turnip, Potato

Perfect Fluffy Pancakes

I remember when my sister and I would have sleepovers, my mom would make pancakes in the morning and then everyone would rave for weeks about how good they were... turns out these kids were eating boxed pancakes, what the hey? No wonder they acted as if they'd never eaten a pancake before. I am in no way discounting the deliciousness of my mom's pancakes, because they really are the best (really!), all I'm saying is no one should grow up on boxed pancakes! If you're looking for redemption, look no further.

Blueberry Pancakes

Common Cooking Mistakes

So there's a few things in here I'm definitely guilty of... not much to say about this other than read on - some really great tips to avoid kitchen disaster! Common Cooking Mistakes

Easy Homemade Pizza (less than 20 mins)

Who doesn't love Pizza? Well, I for one am not the biggest fan, unless we're talking gourmet. The standard pepperoni & cheese or meat pizza doesn't quite do it for me. The above pizza is homemade, super easy and ready to eat in less than 20 minutes... too good to be true? Nope, keep reading.

The key ingredient is Pillsbury Pizza Dough. Pop it out of the can, roll it out, bake for 8 mins, load it up with whatever sauce and toppings you like then return to oven for another 7 or so minutes.

Do you want Fries with that?

Yes please!!! 

Fries are those satisfying little nibblies, nestled beside your main. Typically full of fat and starch, they're not your ideal snack; however, that doesn't mean we don't all have a weak spot for the calorific little guys. Whether you call them fries or chips, everyone has a favourite brand or shape they can't resist. 

My personal favourite is the homemade variety, turn them into poutine and I'm brain-dead and drooling. With that said, I have purposely kept myself from buying a deep fryer to avoid constantly stuffing my face with fries and all of the other fatty options available when you own a frier. Instead, I continue my search for a healthier substitute that not only tastes great but satisfies that deep fries desire.

Butternut Squash Fries  

I found this recipe in the cookbook Cook Yourself Thin Faster. The actual recipe is 'Cheese Fries'; however, I prefer to bake mine sans cheese. These have an almost sweet taste, very yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 large Butternut squash, peeled and sliced to resemble fries
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup Parmesan grated Cheese

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Pulled Pork Sandwich

It was way back in December (2011) when I decided to start this blog - I set it up, named it, gave it a look and feel ...then completely and utterly ignored it for the next 4 months. Woops! That's not exactly how I saw this going. Either way, here I am posting my first official food entry, and what better way to start than with this delicious pulled pork sandwich! 

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich w/ Homemade Butternut Squash Fries

Entry numero uno

Entry numero uno

I don't know about you but I take more pictures of my food than some people take of their own children. Clearly I have issues...but moving past that, I've decided I need an outlet to display my obsession. Surely there are others out there like me, those who might be interested in what I have to say...at the very least someone in the market for a new recipe?!

This blog will feature everything under the moon about food - recipes, reviews, articles and then some. The one thing you will learn is I love everything there is to love about food, with the exception of its calories...

So I hope you enjoy my blog, after all, cornering unsuspecting family and friends to show/tell of my kitchen adventures was starting to get awkward ;)