New Favorite Sweet Treat

I went over to Nanna's this week. She presented me with a plate of... well, they were brown, and shiny, and odd looking kind of bars. They really leave something to be desired in the looks department.

I judged this book by it's cover and proclaimed "Eww those look nasty!"

Then I put one in my mouth.

Oh

My

God!

They were sweet, but not too sweet, chocolaty, crunchy, creamy, mouth full of goodness.

I'll admit, these probably aren't for everybody, but they're my new favorite leave them on the counter, they'll be gone by the end of day, snack as you walk by kind of treat. And with the Christmas season soon approaching, I will be adding these ugly little treats to my repertoire.

These things are so ugly, I'm not going to post a picture. You'll know they turned out right when you look at them and go Ewww. But I encourage you to close your eyes and open wide!!

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Mallow Bars

1 1/2c rolled oats
1c bran flakes (or special K, or Rice Crispies, or Corn Flakes, whatever you have will likely do)
1c peanuts
1c raisins (I only used a handful cause I'm not a fan of raisins.)
1c small marshmallows (no, the big ones will not work)
1/2c honey
1/2c brown sugar
1/4c butter
1/2c cocoa powder
1c peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl combine oats, cereal, raisins and marshmallows. In a pot combine honey and sugar, cook over medium high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Add peanuts, butter and peanut butter. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat, add cocoa powder and vanilla. Mix well. Pour mixture over cereal and oats. Mix thoroughly until marshmallows are melted and everything is covered. Press into a 9" pan. Cool for an hour. Cut into squares.

Really me,
Yes, I eat ugly things (no jokes please!)
Nik

Comfort food

Since the weather has already been getting many of us down, myself included. I thought it would be nice to have one of those meals that makes your stomach feel happy. For me that's something creamy, and savory, a little heavy, and rich, with a little bit of a crunch.

I thought the perfect thing would be chicken pot pie. One problem. I suck at making pie dough. Any time that I have ever needed pie dough, I've had to ask one of my grandmothers to make me a batch. Pathetic, I know.

I decided to try the pie dough anyways. Got some tips from my aunt J. Kept everything cold, and chilled it for 4 hours (while I went to lunch at my aunts.) Came home rolled it out for a little cherry pie for K. It seemed to be ok. But with the way the week has been going so far, ok probably would end up sucking. So I started thinking what else I could do.

Stove Top to the rescue yet again! I made up a batch of my chicken pot pie filling, and a batch of Stove Top. Placed the mix into ramekins and topped with the stuffing. Haven't had it yet, but I know it will be good!

Chicken Pot & Stuffin
1 chicken breast (large)
2 c water
1 cube of chicken stock
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 c milk
cornstarch (as needed)
Veggies of choice
Box of Stove Top

Boil chicken in 2 cups of water in a medium size pot until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and flake using 2 forks pulling in opposite directions. Add chicken stock cube or powder to the boiling water. When stock is dissolved place chicken and veggies into the stock. In another small pot melt butter add flour and cook for 45 seconds. While stirring constantly add milk slowly. Add milk and flour mixture to stock and bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme to taste. If the sauce is not thick enough, mix a Tbsp of cornstarch with some water and add to mixture until desired thickness. Spray ramekins with cooking spray. Make Stove Top as per box directions. Place stuffing on top of chicken. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 mins before serving.

Enjoy!
















Really me,
Chef extraordinaire
Nik,

Walking Mustache

I made meatballs today. I reminded me that I wanted to tell you about the greatness of Stove Top.You want to know what the best thing since slice bread is? It's Stove Top.

I don't like eating anything that is cooked up a turkey's butt. So Stove Top it is! I never used to like stuffing... now I do!

Not only is it good as stuffing... it has many other uses.

Meatballs for example. You can use Stove Top instead of bread crumbs in meatballs... or burgers... or anything else you usually put bread crumbs in.

Topping. Yup it works great for topping on home made mac & cheese or tuna casserole.

Finally, cesar salad. Yup, I ran out of croutons the other day and used Stove Top.

Anyways, back to meatballs. I'm making meatballs, rolling them and putting the on the cookie sheet with Demi helping me. When a mustache comes out of the vent.

I watched it. My hands were all ground beef, pork, stove top goodness. I couldn't do anything. It found a hole and hid.

I watched the hole.

I told Demi to watch the hole.

Then it came out of the hole and headed for one of Jordyn's toys on the floor. I made a dash and kicked the toy out of the way. The mustache started high tailing it back to the hole.

I ran and put on some shoes so I could step on it. I missed it by thismuch.

As far as I know it's still in the hole in the quarter round. Who knows what kind of network of bugs is in there... it could be a virtual bug highway!

Now I'm all like this





Only replace spider with mustache bug.

Really me,
Mustache Hater
Nik

EI and Maternity Leave Calculator

I created this calculator years ago when I was pregnant with Demi. I posted it to a forum , it was well received, and I don't believe there is another calculator out there. So why not publish my own work!

Please keep in mind that there are many variables that go into the calculation, which means the calculator might not be exact. My calculations this time around were $40 off.

Enjoy.

>DOWNLOAD SPREADSHEET


Really me,
The excelaholic
Nik

Confessions

Here are my confessions.

I am not a perfect mom. I am FAR from it.

Sometimes I freak out.

Sometimes I raise my voice.

Sometimes I sound like *gasp* my father!

Sometimes I use the television as a babysitter so I can use the bathroom or grab something to eat.

Sometimes I have to leave the baby in her crib while she's crying so I can throw on a clean pair of pants and a dry shirt.

Sometimes I use bad words within ear shot of the kids.

Sometimes I get mad and yell at Demi

Sometimes I feed us 'crap' like kraft dinner or McDonalds.

Sometimes I find myself judging other mothers for their parenting choices.

Sometimes I don't make time to play.

Sometimes I think I'll really mess the kids up beyond fixing.

Sometimes I think I'm bi-polar due to the crazy mood swings that happen due to stress, breast feeding, lack of sleep, lack of food etc.

Sometimes I think that my kids will hate me when they get older.

Sometimes I tune out when Demi is screaming... I mean singing one of her songs.

Sometimes I'm not the best mother.

I hope that most of the time will make up for some of the time and my faults will be forgiven.

Really me,
Sometimes
Nik

FML... Really?

I think this is going to be a pet peeve week for me.

I scroll through my facebook statuses. The usual proud moms bragging about their kids, social commentaries from others, zen moments from some... and then I see FML. Oh how I hate you FML. For those of you who do not know what FML stands for... don't laugh, I had to ask! It's an acronym for F*ck My Life. As Daniel Powter would say, 'You had a bad day'.

I can't even think of a situation where FML is appropriate. Maybe...

My identity was stolen and the person racked up millions in debt in my name...FML

I was wrongly convicted and I'm in jail for life... FML

Cause you know, those situations really suck. But that's not what I see. I see...

Got a paper cut on my finger and I have to type an essay. FML

Broke my cell phone. FML

Dog peed on the floor. FML

Ummm really? You had to clean up some pee, so your whole life is ruined? Sure the phrase may have been genius at one point, but the novelty has worn off, and clearly so has the meaning.

I don't want to get in to the whole "life is a gift" shpeal but it is, and for one little disappointment, or inconvenience to have somebody saying f*ck my life! is ridiculous! Forget about the fact that you're fortunate enough to even own a computer, and in some cases a fancy phone. I'm sure there are a lot worse things that could happen.

Think about it next time you're about to type FML. Is it really THAT bad?

Really me,
Loving Life
Nik

"Camping"

Last weekend we did the closest thing we will ever come to camping. K won't stay anywhere where there isn't running water... so that makes real camping difficult. Our version of camping is setting up a tent in the backyard. And let me say we got an awesome deal on our tent!

We bought the Broadstone Makobe Lighted 6 person tent from Canadian Tire. Regular price $129.99 on sale 45% off $69.99. We also bought 2 air mattresses 1 queen and one twin.



I'm lucky to have an aunt who's inlaws have a cottage... actually I'm lucky said aunt likes me. lol So off we went to Round lake to set up our tent in the backyard of the cottage property.

The tent went up really easily even for novices. It only took us about 15 minutes, which isn't too bad for the first time. I'm sure next time it will take 5 mins. After we got everything set up and we lied back on the air mattress K exclaimed "This is roughing it" ha ha, he's funny.

The weekend was fantastic, as always we were fed well by my aunt and uncle, the water was beautiful, my cousins were great with Demi. And now K can say that he went camping like every man should. Now if only we could get rid of all the bugs, I would be a happy camper!



Really me,
the camper
Nik

Caramel Crunch Cake by LaRocca

This was the challenge.

And this was my answer...

I've seen this cake in Loblaws, I always wanted to buy it... but as you know, I'm frugal and this cake was $14.99 for a 7" cake. How could I possibly pay $15 for a wee little cake! It's not like spending $23 for a glorified rubber chew toy for the baby (I'll get to that story one day). After years of starring this cake down behind the bakery glass, I finally bought it. (to be accurate, K bought it, I think I would have chickened out at the cash). Let me tell you... this cake was worth the wait. It was fantastic! I was in trouble, because there is no way I could ever bring myself to buy the $15 cake again.

I accept the challenge!

Hazelnut Meringue
What I did What I would do next time
4 egg whites 5 egg whites
3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 walnuts 1/4 cup hazelnuts (or walnuts)
2 Tbsp corn starch 2 Tbsp corn starch

Preheat oven to 250 C. Draw 2 8" circles on parchment paper and place on a cookie sheet. Beat the egg whites in a glass or metal mixing bowl (meringue will not form peaks in a plastic bowl) until soft peaks form. Slowly add white sugar and beat until hard peak forms. In a food processor grind nuts and corn starch together until it reaches the consistency of corn meal, or a little bit bigger. Fold the nuts into the meringue. Place meringue in a piping bag (or a ziplock bag as I did). Pipe meringue in a spiral fashion onto the parchment paper circles. Bake in the oven for 1.5 hours or until the meringue is hard throughout. Remove from oven, remove parchment paper when meringue is cool enough to touch, place on a cooling rack.

Caramel
(2) 1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Use one of these methods to make the caramel. I used two methods, I wasted 1.5 hours cooking the milk in the oven. It wasn't the right color when it came out, so I put it in the microwave for another 8 mins in 2 minute intervals. Next time I would cook the caramel using the microwave method or the stove top method, and I would cook it until it was a bit darker and richer in color.
Refrigerate the caramel until cool (approximately 3-4 hours depending on the size of the bowl).

Stabilized Chantilly Whipped Cream
(basically this means a thicker (stabilized) sweetened (Chantilly is a fancy way of saying the whipped cream has sugar in it) whipped cream)

2 cups 35% cream
1/4 cup white sugar (optional)
2 packets of Whip It (in the baking aisle)

Make sure all of your ingredients and your bowl are very cold. Add the Whip It to the cream and beat until soft peaks form. Slowly add in your sugar. Beat until hard peaks are formed. Do not over beat or your cream will turn into butter. Next time, I might try to stabilize the whipped cream with gelatin, I think it might result in a more firm cream that holds up longer, but I would like to test it first.

Assemble the cake just prior to serving. Divide caramel in 2 portions, leaving about 4 Tbsp aside for garnish. Spread caramel onto both of the cooled meringues, pipe whipped cream on top of the first layer. Place the second meringue on top, pipe whipped cream on top. Using the caramel you set aside, place it in a ziplock bag and add a design on the top of the cake. Refrigerate until serving.

$2.99 Condensed milk
$3.49 whipping cream
$1.29 Whip It
$1.25 eggs
Delicious cake... priceless!

Really me,
Challenge completed
Nik

Let's Talk About Sex- Sex 101

That's right, it's time for that dreaded sex talk. Recently I mentioned charting to my sister. She stared at me kind of blankly. She goes to a Catholic high school, and I thought for sure they would be teaching them about charting as a birth control method (since it doesn't go against the church and all) But to my surprise, she hadn't heard anything about it. Her class never did the condom on the banana thing, and she wasn't aware of many of the other methods either... it was time to have a talk.

Before I get into the nitty gritty I want to make it clear that I am in no way condoning sex, and I am in no way telling you not to have sex. My point is to provide you with some very basic information on how to protect yourself, avoid pregnancy, and avoid STIs/STDs.

Some very very very important points
1. The ONLY way to avoid pregnancy 100% is not to have sex (abstinence).

2. No birth control method (the pill, IUD, condoms etc.) prevents pregnancy 100% of the time.

3. The pill, IUDs, the depo shot etc do not protect you from Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), you should still be using a condom.

4. You can get an STI from having oral sex.

Birth Control Methods

Condoms (male)- A condom is most often made of latex. Make sure to read the package to learn how to properly put on a condom. It is my belief that all young girls should know how to put them on, so ladies, practice on a banana if need be. Depending on what stats you're looking at condoms are effective in protecting against pregnancy 82%-98% of the time. They effectively protect against STIs 80%-95% of the time when used correctly. They are the best method to protect against STIs. Condoms are available with spermicide (not good for oral sex), lubricated, and non lubricated as well as many other shapes, sizes, colors and tastes. (Interesting fact: A person who is allergic to apricots is often allergic to latex. If that is the case non latex condoms are available in most drug stores.) You should never use 2 condoms at the same time for 'extra protection'. 2 condoms actually decrease the effectiveness and heightens the chance of the condoms breaking.

Condoms (female)- The female condom is inserted into the vagina and there is a hard plastic rim that keeps it from slipping all the way in. It is not made of latex so it can be used by people with latex allergies. The female condom is 80%-95 percent effective against pregnancy when used correctly. It may be a little tricky to learn how to use, so it is not suggested if it's your first time.

The Pill- The birth control pill goes by many different brand names, you need to see your Dr. to be given a prescription. You do not need your parent's permission to obtain a prescription, and the Dr. must keep it confidential. The Pill is a series of 21 (or 28) pills that a woman takes every day, that release hormones into your body which prevents an egg from leaving your ovaries. The pill must be taken at the same time every day or it decreases it's effectiveness. If you have a 21 pack you will stop taking the pills for 7 days. If you have a 28 pack the last 7 pills are simply sugar pills. The pill is effective in preventing pregnancy 92% of the time when used correctly. The pill does not protect against STIs. ***Certain antibiotics/medications can make the pill ineffective, ALWAYS tell the pharmacist if you are taking the birth control pill.***

The Patch- The birth control patch is a thin beige square that releases hormones into your system which prevents an egg from being released from your ovaries. It can be placed in several discreet places on your body. You wear one patch a week for 3 weeks, the fourth week you do not wear a patch. Repeat. You must see a Dr. to get a prescription. The down side to the patch is that it collects dirt around the edges much like a bandaid and may not look very attractive by the end of the week. When used correctly the patch protects against pregnancy 92% of the time. The patch does not protect against STIs.

The Birth Control Shot- (Depo) The shot is a long acting hormone which prevents an egg from being released from your ovaries. The shot must be given at a Dr's office every 3 months. If you miss your shot, or delay your appointment you run the risk of becoming pregnant. When used correctly the patch protects against pregnancy 97% of the time. The shot does not protect against STIs.

IUD- IntraUterine Device. Is a T shaped device that is inserted by a doctor into your uterus. IUDs make it difficult for an egg to implant in your uterus, it also prevents sperm from getting to the egg. IUDs may shift or move so it is very important to check them frequently. When used correctly they are one of the most effective forms of birth control preventing pregnancy 98% of the time. IUDs do not protect against STIs.

Charting- (a.k.a the rhythm method) Charting is the method often recommended by the church. It involves taking your temperature every day before getting out of bed in the morning, keeping track of your period, observing your cervical fluid and really paying attention to your body. This method relies strongly on the woman to be very aware of her most fertile days, and only having sex when she is the least fertile. Most women need to chart for several months before they understand their bodies enough to know when the safer times are and when she is more fertile. Either way if you are having sex without protecting odds are very high that you will get pregnant. This is the least effective method of birth control.

The morning after pill- Is a high dose hormone pill which can be taken up to 72 hours after having unprotected sex, or in the event where a condom breaks. In Canada the morning after pill can be purchased at the drug store, but you need to speak to the pharmacist. It may cause nausea, and may cause you to get your period. The morning after pill is effective in preventing pregnancy approximately 98% of the time. The morning after pill is not meant as a birth control method, but it is available in the event that your main line of birth control fails.

True or False?

If he pulls out, you can't get pregnant

BIG FAT FALSE. The pull out 'method' is not a good method of birth control. There are many many things that could go wrong. He might not pull out in time for one. Secondly if he ejaculated prior to intercourse there could still be sperm hanging around in there which means they could make their way into you during intercourse before he's even thinking of pulling out. And there could also be sperm in the pre-cum

You can't get pregnant your first time

FALSE. As soon as a woman gets her period she is able to get pregnant. It is not dependent on how many times you have or haven't had sex. In fact, the egg is released before you get your period, so it is possible to become pregnant before you even get your first period.

You can't get pregnant if you have sex while you're on your period

FALSE While it does lessen the odds, it does not make it impossible. Sperm can live up to 10 days in a woman and an egg can live 3 days. Do you really want to risk it?

As Sue Johanson used to say. 'If you're not mature enough to buy condoms, then you're not mature enough to have sex.'
http://www.talksexwithsue.com/

If you have any questions about sex make sure to ask somebody more experienced than you, whether that be your mother, teacher, older sister, cousin, friend's parents. Heck, e-mail me. Just make sure you're getting your information from a reputable source.

I'd also like to invite everybody to share their sex myths and knowledge.

Really me,
Sex ed
Nik

I like baseball games

My dad plays baseball on Mondays. Last Monday Demi and I were out, so we decided we would go catch some of Gampa's baseball game. Off we got to the park.

Now you know that I'm 29... how the heck did that happen? It's been a long time since I was honked at, whistled at, cat called or been anonymously grabbed on public transit. That was back in the day when I looked like this....



Once on our way home from school my friend and I nearly caused an accident cause we were just that hot wearing our kilts and tank tops. That was a regular occurrence. I mean really, look at that tan! .... But I digress.

What was I saying? Ah yes, this park has 2 diamonds, we were at the wrong one. We walked up to the benches as I scanned the field, Demi in tow. All the guys on the bench turned and looked at us... several times. Now of course there were no cat calls, but I attribute that to the fact that these men were far too well behaved to make the cartoon style wolf calls that were obviously brewing in their heads in front of my 'younger sister'.

Eventually I asked one of the guys if there was another diamond around. All the other guys of course were jealous that he got to speak to me. He directed us to the other diamond... and they all watched me walk away.

I think we'll have to go to more of Gampa's baseball games and get the wrong field. ;)

Really me,
yup, I've still got it
Nik

Ok, ok, K keeps asking me if I'm going to tell you how old these guys were. They were 50 ok, it was an over 50 baseball league!!! There, I said it! You happy now!! lol

Oh, excuse me, correction... my dad would like to point out that it is over 45, not 50. Thanks dad, that makes it a lot better!

Carnivore Fish

Remember I told you that we had a carnivore fish. Here.
Let me tell you the story. We fell for the whole 'fish are easy to take care of' thing. Demi seemed to love fish, so we caved, bought the tank, and bought two fish. Well it was tank cleaning time, and I asked K to do it this time around. We used some bleach to get all the algae off, I told him to rinse everything really well. In go the fish after a few hours. When we come downstairs the following morning, Demi runs to the fish tank to feed her favorite new pet... I have to explain that the fish are now albino, and they are very tired, that's why they're just sitting on the bottom. Great job daddy!

Luckily Demi either believed my story, or really didn't like the fish that much in the first place. I clean the tank and bid a sailor's goodbye to the fish, off to PJ's we go. This time we decided we would get some cute fish. We got a Gupy, which Demi dubbed the ballerina fish, a neon and an algae cleaner. When we got home we noticed a little tiny 4th fish in the bag. Nobody had noticed, including us. It was the size of a minute, Nanna would say. Whatever the heck that means. It was tiny and cute and stripy, so we decided we would keep it.

Well this tiny fish grew. It grew fast. We often noticed it chasing the other fish around. "Aww it's so cute and feisty!" Right up until Ballerina fish went missing.

We came down stairs one morning, turned the fish tank light on as usual, fed the fish. But Ballerina fish was nowhere to be seen. We thought maybe it was hiding in the rocks. After a day of not seeing it, we thought maybe it died and checked the tank for it's body. No luck. Then we thought maybe it jumped out of the tank and the dog ate it. K talked me out of that one pretty quickly. It would be quite the feat for that fish to jump out of the little food hole, and then if it did that, to have the dog eat it.

I checked the tank every day, and every day that not so tiny fish would swim up to the side of the tank and challenge me. It would even hit it's little head up against the glass like "What lady! I ain't scared of you!"

That's when we knew what really happened to Ballerina fish.

Really me,
Baracuda owner
Nik

Food = Love

In my world food = love. When you love somebody, you want to take care of them. If you don't particularly care for a person, then you don't really care if they're hungry. Hunger is one of our most primal needs. Therefore, the more I care about you the more/better/tastier/healthier I feed you.

For example, when I bake to bring stuff to work, I usually make cookies or some kind of sweet. Sure I like the people I work for, so the food is tasty, but it's not cooking at my best, and it's certainly not healthy... cause I don't really really care about their health. (oops I think that came out wrong. lol)

I bet you thought this was going to be a touchy feely blog... ha! Wrong! It's a food blog!! But I had to explain all of that so that I could say "I must really love my husband and dad" and have you really understand why I say that.

Father's day Menu... Mojitos, Mules



steak on the BBQ, sausage, Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread



Cola Ribs, potato salad, and....



Chocolate Banana Split Dessert.



Really me,
Your loving wife, and daughter,
Nik

Nanna says...weather

Red skies at night, sailor's delight.
Red skies morning, sailor's take warning.

Really me,
Did anybody see the sky this morning?
Nik

Hi, my name is Nik...

and I have a shoe problem.

Shocking right? A woman with a shoe problem. I'll tell you why we like shoes... and jewelery for that matter. Because they always fit!!

No matter how much weight you gain, how many double chins you have, or what the label on your jeans says. Those pretty shoes are still pretty on your pretty little feet. And that diamond necklace, or sparkly bracelet is still just as pretty.

These are my new lust.



They're Champion brand. I love Champion. I love that Payless carries Champion. Cause you know, I love to pay less.

I also have a crush on these.



I know I will most likely never wear them... but I like the way I think I would look in them. Yes, that's right. I envision myself wearing the shoes. I picture what I would do wearing the shoes, and what I would wear them with... and how people would look at me and think, "I like those shoes."

My problem has now become my daughters' problem. I see cute little mini shoes and I just have to have them. This is the pair that I saw for Demi when she was just born. I thought they were so cute that I bought a size 3m and a size 12m for her.



I know, I don't really know what I saw in them, but it was my fledgling start into the world of little shoes. My tastes have grown and matured since then... these are the ones I picked up for Jordyn.



See... much better. Now I just have to wait 9 months until they fit.

Really me,
Shoeaholic,
Nik

Weekend of cooking II

K and I had a nice romantic dinner last night. Though Demi did share in the pasta she made in the form of linguine.

Some of the recipes I read called for wonton wrappers instead of pasta. Somebody suggested doubling the wrappers to give you more of the pasta texture. Since I have a pasta roller, I made my own.
The pasta recipe I used can be found here, only I doubled the recipe. The trick to pasta is letting it sit after mixing for about 30mins to come to room temperature, and to take your eggs out ahead of tie so they are also at room temperature. I mixed my pasta in the bread maker, which also warms up a bit. That made life extra easy!

Crab Filling

1 can (4-6 oz) of crab meat
1/2 tub of marcsapone or ricotta cheese
1 tsp of italian seasoning
or
garlic, onion, basil and oregano to taste
salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the crab meat and keep the liquid aside for the tomato sauce. Combine all ingredients. Store in the fridge until you're ready to use it.

Creamy Tomato Sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic (or as many as you like)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter
basil, oregano and thyme to taste
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar or honey

Saute the onion and garlic. Once golden brown add tomatoes, crab juice, basil, oregano thyme and salt and pepper. Let simmer for about an hour so that the juices reduce. Use an immersion blender to puree the tomato mix. You can completely puree the tomatoes, or leave some chunks, whatever you prefer. Add butter and cream. Simmer for another 30 minutes.

To make the Ravioli I rolled out 2 flat sheets of pasta...err. Demi rolled them out. I used a small cookie cutter with a scalloped edge pressed gently into the dough just enough to leave the imprint of the outline. Then I placed about 1/4 tsp of crab in the middle of each ravioli. Use water to wet the ravioli around the edges. Place another sheet of dough on top, press down around the filling to seal the dough together. Then use your cookie cutter to cut out your ravioli. Make sure to use plenty of flour on the cut out pieces to make sure they don't stick to each other.











Really me,
The Chef
Nik

Weekend of cooking I

Crab ravioli with a creamy tomato sauce, garlic bread and banana cream puffs... sound good? That's what I made over the weekend. None of which is half as hard as it sounds. I will say in advance that I have a bread maker, and a pasta roller.

Grandma's Bread

In a bread maker add the following ingredients in order.

1 1/2 cups of warm water (about body temp)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter (or margarine)
4 cups sifted flour
1 package yeast

Turn the bread maker on to dough/pasta setting. Allow the dough to rise once in the bread maker. Turn your oven light on. Flour your working surface, remove dough from the bread maker. Beat it down, separate the dough in two even sections, roll into a loaf, and put a few slits on the top of each loaf. Place the loafs into a greased bread pan. Place the bread pans on the middle rack in the oven, cover with a tea towel, allow the bread to rise for at least an hour, up to 3. Remove from oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake bread for approximately 20-25 minutes. *Tip: for a softer crust on your bread place a dish with water on the bottom rack while you're preheating and cooking your bread. You can also substitute shortening for the butter.

Cream puffs, and eclairs are some of my favorite treats. They've always seemed very daunting. But really it's not so hard at all. The recipe below is a combination of a bunch of recipes I found.

Banana Cream Puffs

Prepare 1 box of banana (or whatever flavor you're in the mood for) instant pudding.

1 cup water
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

In a medium sauce pan bring water and shortening to a boil until the shortening is completely melted.
Add vanilla, sugar, and salt. Remove from heat add flour and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball. Allow the dough to cool until it is just warm (about 45mins or speed it up by mixing it more). Once the dough is cool, add the eggs one at a time stirring vigorously to add as much air as possible. The dough will be thick and gummy.
Preheat oven to 425. Spoon little balls onto a nonstick baking sheet. Cook the puff shells for 20-25 minutes. When they begin to get brown, be sure to poke holes in them (a shish kabob skewer works well). This is crucial to make sure that the inside puffs up and dries out.
Allow the cream puffs to cool. Use an icing bag and medium pipping end to fill the shells with pudding. Top with icing sugar, or if you're any good with a double boiler, dip in a chocolate gnash. I suck when it comes to a double boiler so I just melted some chocolate chips in the microwave and dipped the puffs in that.
I also filled some of the puff with whipped cream. The canned kind made filling the puffs really easy and fun!



Stayed tuned for weekend of cooking II

Really me,
The baker,
Nik

A great gift... or a curse?

For mother's day my darling husband got me a USB mouse from the girls, and a $100 prepaid Visa card from him. I was thrilled! As you know after a baby, clothes don't quite fit the same (in less of course you're a certain friend of mine who mentioned that she weighs less now than she did before her first baby. You know what? Shut it! LOL) Demi also needed some summer outfits so off we went to Walmart.

Demi is easy to shop for, everything looks cute on her. I could shop for hours for her... or rather, I could take 5 seconds, pick pretty much anything, and she would look great in it. Is it bad to be jealous of your daughter? Ha ha.

Me on the other hand. Shopping is hell! As a teen I spent hours out shopping with friends. I have never been the bean pole, but I think your mind set as a teenager is such that you think you look pretty darn good in anything you wear. That makes shopping easy and fun. But now. Now I see all the rolls, and fat that shouldn't be there. The bra line, the panty line, even my belly button!! Eeek

I used to wear a size 7. So I started with a size 12. I pick up the shorts, lift them up in front of my face and hold them out. "Oh ya! Size twelve will definitely fit. These are definitely big enough!" In fact, size 12 looked so big that I grabbed a size 10 too. Then K and I pick out some shirts that look baggyish in the belly so that I can't see my belly button through them, and try to pick things that I can wear a tank top under so I can still breast feed. Before the fitting room, it's the dreaded bra section.

I have been looking for a bra that fit for years now! Every time I go to Walmart, Zellers, La Senza or La Vie en Rose I try to find one that doesn't make my boobs look like butts split down the middle, and aren't so tight that they give me back boobs, 2 are enough for me! I used to be a size 34B, but I've heard so often lately that my boobs are huge, that I picked up a 36D (you see your ribs spread when you pregnant...so do you hips...and it takes 7 years for them to go back to 'normal'... no I'm not making this up, it's a fact!)

"This is huge" I say to K. "My boobs aren't this big." I say thrusting the cup of the bra in his face.

"Ummm, have you seen the girls lately? They're huge! Err, full of milk" He says.

Ok, so I take the size D just to amuse him. In to the change room I go... 6 items at a time *eyeroll* I try on the size 10 shorts. Ha! They hardly go up my thigh. Ok, well the 12s will surely fit. No such luck. I can get them on. I can even do them up... but then I look like an oversized muffin, like the ones you buy in stores. I ask K to get me the next size up. When I try those on, they fit ok. but I still have the muffin top, more like the ones you make at home this time. Now I'm so embarrassed that I text K to get me size 16!! When the heck did I get to be a size 16?! I'm convinced that sizes are shrinking. Surely I am not growing. The 16s fit well, no muffin top, and I can sit down without fear that the button will shoot off and blind somebody.

Next I try the bra on. Can you believe it? It fits!! The straps feel comfy, the underwire stays where it's supposed to go, I don't have any spill over. It's great!! Next up are the shirts. I had one with those big arm holes on the side. I looked like a flying squirrel! That one went back.

So in the end I did get 2 pairs of shorts, 4 shirts, and 2 bras. What's important is that I they look good on me. I don't think anybody's going to be reaching down my pants to check the number on my tag.

That being said, I'm starting Weight Watcher's PointsPlus next week. lol

Really me,
size 16
Nik

Lawn work is not house work

After all this rain we got, our grass was crazy long, not to mention the dandelions were about as tall as I am. I got lucky on Friday, Jordyn fell asleep in the morning and Demi was quite happy chilling on the couch with a little bit of a runny nose. So I had a chance to mow the lawn.

First of all, starting the lawn mower is no fun. You have to pull that damn string until your arm falls off before the motor finally catches. Then the mower blows nasty smoke in your face, and shoots out old dry grass clippings that impale themselves into your newly shaven legs.

Mower going, I attack the front lawn. When I say attack, I really mean attack. After watching some other people cut the grass this weekend, I realize that I do it all wrong. I cut the grass like I vacuum. Instead of trying to explain myself I drew you a diagram.

You see, this is how my husband (and most others) cut the grass.



See nice straight lines, up then down.

This however, is how I cut the grass.



Back and forth,and back and forth, aiming for the pieces I missed on the last pass.

This is probably the reason that my lawn now has a mohawk running through the middle. At least it's the coolest lawn on the block!

I think I'll stick to my vacuuming and leave the mowing to K.

Really me,
Lawndresser
Nik

Meal Plan May 9-15

As promised I'll be posting some meal plans. Hopefully this will not only help to give you some dinner ideas, but keep me on track for cooking at home.

Monday- Fish and Rice
Thanks to my lovely FB friends, I made a bread crumb coated talapia with a spray of lemon to finish it off. The other suggestion was to top with sauteed onions and sour cream. I served the fish with a black rice medley. I found this tasty rice while browsing the aisles of the bulk barn. It has black rice, white rice, lentils, split peas and what looked to be chia seed, and possibly some quinoa. I cooked it with a splash of soya sauce and chicken stock. Serve with your favorite veggie.

Tuesday- Dinner at Dad's. Yes, we're lucky to have family close by who like to feed us.

Wednesday- Butter Chicken
On Wednesday we go to spend the day at grandma's house, which means dinner has to be ready when we get home, cue the slow cooker! I will post the recipe for butter chicken, but for this purpose, I use the PC brand Butter Chicken sauce. Served over basmati rice and a side of naan.

Thursday- Chicken fingers and fries
I've posted my chicken finger recipe before. They're quick, easy, tasty, the kids like them and you can opt for sweet potato fries to add to the nutritional value. Serve with coleslaw and your meal is complete.

Friday- Free day.
We call Friday our "Dirty Dinner" night. That usually means, chinese food, pizza or some other fast food, clog your arteries, don't eat this every day type of meal.

Saturday- Mexican meat loaf
Meatloaf is meatloaf is meatloaf... or is it? Spice up your meatloaf with some taco seasoning, cheese, nachos and sour cream. Serve with a side of rice and beans, and a veggie of your choice.

Sunday- Roast
Sunday is usually family day. We usually get an invite to my dad's for a roast of some sort. This is your traditional meat and potatoes kind of day.

Really me,
The meal planner,
Nik

Nik is Back!!

It's been a long time. Pregnancy is not kind to me. The morning sickness that lasts all day for several months. Aches and pains. And that doesn't even include the labor. 24+ hours of labor, then my Midwife tells me I can't count that. It was prodromal labor. Well guess what lady, I don't care what your medical book says, that was labor in my book! Finally they decided to break my water, not two hours later, and my precious baby girl comes flying out... I kid you not.

We were attempting for a home birth. It wasn't my first choice. My first choice would have been a birth center, but they aren't available in Canada as of yet. I didn't want to be in a hospital. hospitals are for sick people. But hospitals also have the drugs!! I like drugs. I especially like the gas. The gas is my friend! I attempted to smuggle the gas out of the hospital so I could enjoy at my leisure... oh say during sleep training. I'm just saying.

So the birth wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but the end result was a beautiful baby girl. Apparently once they gave me the little push, my body was ready to get the baby out! I went from 5cms to 10cms in 1 contraction. "Don't push" yelled the midwife. Are you kidding me?! That's like telling yourself not to throw up! Next to impossible. I was able to hold off just long enough for them to get gloves and whatnot ready. "Baby Jordyn" (think Third and Bird) arrived after only one push, drug free!



So now this is life with two girls a husband, a dog and carnivore fish. K is back to work, so it's me, the two girls and the dog. With the help of my mommy friends I'm figuring this all out. I'll be coming back with more shopping tips, meal plans, quick recipes, kid crafts, crazy mommy thoughts and lots lots more.

Without further ado... Baby Jordyn





Really me,
Mom of Two
Nik

Reflection

You know when you have one of those 'AH HA!' momments. After many years you figure something out and you wonder why the heck it took you so long. I've had one of those momments recently, and now I am seeing my lesson pop up in the lives of my friends. So I'm taking it as an opportunity to share.

A very wise lady once told me that the traits and attributes you want your children to have as adults, are not the traits that you want them to have as kids. With a now 2 year old at home I understand all too clearly what she meant. Demi has a strong character, but it is often difficult to foster her independence (which of course we want her to have as an adult) while she's telling us that she wants to clean up the spilled milk or she doesn't want to nap. So here we are on a very slippery slope.

The lesson that I learned recently came, in large part, due to my mother, although she didn't teach it to me per say. We, as parents, usually see the lessons going one way, but really these lessons are happening all the time. Let's say you're at work. You and your co-worker are working on a project together. Something goes wrong and your co-worker blows up and takes it out on you. Let's say you just let the issue go. You go home vent to your spouse, come to work the next morning and even though you're still ticked off you don't say anything. What do you think is going to happen the next time that co-worker gets angry about something? They're not going to think twice about yelling at you.

Now let's say you come in the next morning and you talk to that co-worker and say something like "I know you were pissed off, but there was no reason to yell AT me." The next time that co-worker gets pissed about something, I'm going to guess that they'd think twice before they started yelling at you. (This of course is excluding the possibility that your co-worker is a jerk with an anger issue. lol)

In effect what you have done is taught this person what behavior is acceptable to you. Either, ya sure, go ahead and yell at me. Or, no, it is not acceptable for you to take your anger out at me. I think this lesson is a particularly difficult one to learn when it comes to your parents. For years these have been the authoratative people in your life. "This is just the way they are". But at some point in time if the behavior truly is detrimental to your life, or sanity, then you need to take a step up and say "THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE". I can only assume how difficult it is for the parent to then have to change their ways after being able to do what they please for so long.

Now that I've had this "Ah Ha!" momment, I've been looking at how I come across to Demi. Am I teaching her that I am an attentive parent? Am I loving? Am I caring? Can I admit when I'm wrong (oh, and this one is HARD! Apologizing to a 2 year old!) But these are the important traits that I want her to have when she grows up. It's ok to admit when you were wrong, it's ok to get angry, it's ok to be a little selfish sometimes, because if these things happen it's ok to say sorry.

All of this has translated over to my relationship with K too. Demi is going to learn what behavior is ok in a relationship. It's both a great thing and a horrible thing that we let the people we love get away with a lot more than somebody we don't know. I have much too often taken K for granted, or yelled at him because I knew that he loves me, and he will forgive me. I'm now looking much more closely at how we interact, how I treat him, and how I allow him to treat me. These are very subtle things at times.

Here's my challenge to you for the rest of the week. How do you allow people to treat you and how do you treat others? Look at the important ones and choose your battles wisely. Put the shoe on the other foot, how would you feel if somebody mirrored your behavior to them?

Really me,
Self help guru
Nik

Who needs them!

Have you ever watched "How I met your mother"? If not, I strongly suggest it! I like Barney (Neil Patrick Harris). He has got to be the funniest character of the bunch. And the attribute I like the most??? He never takes a bad picture! No matter what the situation he looks like this…



I wish I could do that! But, alas, nope. My super power works in the opposite way. I can get dressed up, look in the mirror, look fantastic. Men will honk their horns (ya, who am I kidding, that hasn't happened in at least 10 years!). I get in front of a camera and I look like this…



Or this…



The only exception is maybe my wedding pictures. But that was at least an hour of makeup. And really who looks bad in a wedding dress!

Ok, maybe some people.



Which brings me to pregnancy. I have a big mommy group and most people do these amazing maternity photos and they look awesome and glowing and all the other fantastic things that I could only wish to look like after a day at the salon! I look at their photos and wish I could capture the moment like they have.

So instead I did my belly cast. I love it! I did three when I was pregnant with Demi. Pregnancy casts don't show the double chin, swollen ankles, extra cushin on my rear! So this is how I celebrate my pregnancy.


The one on the left is the new one, not yet painted and complete. The one on the right is the completed one I did when pregnant with Demi.

Really me,
Procreating mama
Nik

Nanna Says...

Happy New Years!! Is it all over yet? I thought it never would be. There was so much partying, so many gifts, and so much turkey that the days started to meld into one another in a tryptophan haze.

And after all of the partying, many people seem to be feeling under the weather with some crazy cold/flu that seems to be going around. I thought this might be the perfect time to introduce an idea I had called Nanna Says... you see, my Nanna is a very wise lady with all the old tricks that sound crazy, but really do work.

Here's the first installment.

Nanna says for a sore throat....
Rinse with salt and water and pin a sock around your neck with the heal in the spot that hurts.

Really me,
Cause Nanna says so
Nik