Elusive Silence

Back in the day, when I was young, unsure of myself, and couldn't be alone with my own thoughts that would run rampant in my head if left unchecked, I couldn't be caught dead without background noise. The TV was a constant in my life. I turned it on as soon as I woke, and fell asleep to it set on the sleep timer.

Now, well now there are children. There are distractions galore! There is shrieking from two little girls.
There is dog barking.

Phone ringing.

Baby crying.

Little girl pleading.

Husband asking.

Dog licking. (disgusting!)

Boss calling.

Customer whining.

Little girl whining.

Temper tantrums.

Cell phone texting.

Cute baby babbling.

Cartoons, and cartoons and cartoons.

and so.many.more noises.

I cannot get a single uniform thought out. I've already been stopped twice while writing this one wee little post.

And then my husband decides to play this



Who can concentrate with that song going on!!

What I wouldn't give for some silence! A full thought to come to fruition!

Bliss!

Until then, I'll just dance. Fa Fa L'Americano da da da da da.

Really me,
thought challenged (see I couldn't even come up with a clever tag line!)
Nik

Look out Pickle Barrel Cajun Seafood Pasta to die for

I've been a little neglect this week with my meal plan. I can tell you that we did stick to our plan with a little shuffling. Unfortunately we had to put our beloved dog down this week so I can admit that I wasn't up to doing much of anything including eating or cooking.

Here's the meal plan for the past week.

Monday- Cajun Seafood Pasta
Tuesday- Sloppy Joe with coleslaw
Wednesday- Fantastic Chicken with rice and peas
Thursday- Chimichangas
Friday- Pulled pork

Monday we were invited to dinner at my dad's so we pulled the cajun seafood pasta. Wednesday was a bad day, I can't even remember what we had. Fantastic Chicken was pushed to Thursday.

I pushed myself to get back at it today after doing not much of anything, and figured the Cajun seafood pasta was as good a recipe as any... that and the whipping cream was going to go bad.

I read the recipe K found on all recipes and I was less than impressed. Even less impressed when I read the reviews. So I decided to go it alone.

2 cups of whipping cream
1/2 cup 2%
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning (again I used creole because I just like the taste better)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup of Kraft Parmesan cheese
1/4 lbs of shrimp peeled and deveined
1 can of crab meat
Spaghettini noodles

1. Place whipping cream in a medium pot on medium heat. Heat until just before boiling. Add salt, pepper, cajun seasoning, and garlic. Allow to simmer for 5 mins. stirring frequently.
2. Turn heat down to low. Add mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Stir frequently for 5 mins.
3. Cook noodles. Place raw shrimp in white sauce. Allow shrimp to cook through until no longer translucent.
4. Drain noodles, return them to their pot. Add crab meat to the sauce allow to heat through 1-2 mins. Pour 2/3 of sauce over noodles, make sure all noodles are evenly coated.
5. Plate noodles, top with the remaining sauce dividing it equally between plates.

With the addition of some julienned zucchini, and carrots, this would be a pretty close contender to Pickle Barrel's Jumbo Shrimp and Lobster Pasta. Of course you could add any seafood you like. Substitute crab for lobster, add some scallops.

We give this meal a 'solid 7.5' says K. It's a tasty dish, quick to make even after a day at work, it is a little pricey, so I would probably drop it to a 7. But overall a keeper!

Really me,
Executive Chef
Nik

Sunshine and lollipops

Perfection

Seems to be a running theme in my life right now. Maybe not even perfection, but reality. Am I being real? Am I giving an impression of my life... the life I wish I had? The life I think I *should* have?

The other day in my news feed I saw a comment from one mother to another. Mother 1 was thanking the Mother 2 for posting a status that showed her family had it's ups and downs like everybody else because Mother 1 was starting to think she was doing something wrong. I'm sure we all know somebody that we think has a perfect life... odds are, they don't.

I know as a mother I like to look like I have everything put together, I'm in control... my hair is done... I'm dressed... the kids are dressed, we make cookies, sing kumbaya around the campfire every night and my sh*t don't stink. But it does. Some days it reeks to high heaven!

I know plenty of women (including myself) who are terrified about living up to this perceived perfection and blissful existence that seems to be 'the way it should be when you're a mom'. This notion that as soon as the baby pops out you'll fall madly in love, house payments will magically be made without a thought, a healthy dinner will shoot out of the tips of your fingers while you blissfully hold a contented child in one hand and a beer for your loving husband in the other, all the while looking as put together as June Cleaver... and if you're doing it any other way, or without a smile on your face, well then, you're just a disgrace to women everywhere!

Let me tell you, it is not so! Right now I am standing at my kitchen counter with Demi's curls hanging annoyingly over my laptop as I try to type. The sloppy Joe mix that I made last night is probably burning on the stove for lack of stirring. Instead of doing the dishes in the sink, I quickly threw them in the dishwasher so that K wouldn't think I did nothing with my day. Jordyn is not so happily sitting (read shrieking) in her high chair because she is overly tired from my very selfish lunch out with the girls today. And this morning I spent the few quiet moments I had when the baby was sleeping to go over my back to work budget and figure out if/how we were going to afford anything else after paying the mortgage and child care.

It took long overdue lunch with a bunch of awesome ladies to get me grounded again. Sitting around laughing about all of our parenting faux pas. Children falling down the stairs/furniture, back talking, sleeping issues, money issues, work issues, intimacy issues etc. etc. etc. We are all the same. These moms I look up to. These moms I aspire to emulate. They're just like me. They have problems. They have good days. They have bad days, and they have all the days in between.

So don't worry about living up to some imaginary expectation of perfection because it doesn't exist. There is no such thing as 'the right' way to parent. The only thing you need to worry about is Love. If you're parenting with love, then you will always be doing the right thing for your family.

Really me,
Not so perfect, for reals
Nik

Fajitas and 'Fries Supreme'

Last week went really well as far as the meal plan was concerned. I ended up cooking on Friday after all because Demi's audition went kind of long, and Jordyn was frustrated and had had enough by the end of the drive home, I decided it was best to turn down my parent's dinner invitation and stay home so I could put her to bed.

Here's what you can throw together in 30 mins.































Mmmm 'Fries Supreme'

All it takes is cheddar cheese soup with a splash of hot sauce, some sour cream, and some browned ground beef with some taco seasoning. K added some salsa on top. Delicious.

This is not a particularly healthy meal, but in comparison to eating out, this might save you some calories. We give this meal 6.5 stars. Low marks for lack of nutrition, but it was tasty, fairly quick to make and it hits the spot when you're looking for take out.

Really me,
Taco Bellist
Nik

These are a few of my favorite things...

This is the entertainment unit we had growing up. Now it's the one my kids will have as they grow up.




















And this is the wardrobe I used to have in my room, tuned basement storage unit, turned pantry. Painted and personalized to fit into our coffee inspired kitchen.
































One of two couches and a massive TV the for the girls from my aunt and uncle S & R







































This is my garage sale re purposed computer desk turned bar. It houses all of our wine glasses, alcohol, shot glasses and extra vases and tablecloths.






















A mirror from K's mom. It used to hang in their bathroom. Repainted and hung in our hallway accented by the pussy willows from Nanna.

















One of two storage shelves from aunt J and uncle J. The second one will go in Jordyn's room when the crib comes out. This one fits perfectly in the basement to hide K's wires from his studio and house the kids' toys.

And these are just a few of my favorite things.

So instead of cursing as I clean and dust, I'm thankful for these saved things. These pieces that will get a new life in our home. These things with scars, these old things turned new. Just like all of us these things deserve a second chance.

Even though I'm sure I've said it before. Thank you to everybody who has ever shared with us. We truly appreciate it.

Really me,
Repurposer.
Nik

Curry Chicken Chicken

I'll just say it, I was chicken to make curry chicken. I'm also chicken to make ox tail. Why? Because those are two of K's favorite meals. Any time we're out with an excuse to get food he will aim for the curry... or a roti. Last night I went for it, with the help of several friends, I felt like I could do it.

Here is the Ultimate Curry Chicken

You’ll Need…

3 Lbs Dark Chicken on the bone
3/4 tablespoon salt
dash black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (scotch bonnet, habanero or any hot pepper you like) *Optional.
heaping tablespoon curry powder (madras) I used the regular old yellow curry powder from Basics and added about 1/2tsp of Garam Masala (you can get that at Bulk Barn)
1/4 teaspoon roasted Geera (powder) aka Cumin powder
1 medium tomato diced (I used canned)
1 medium onion sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced
1 teaspoon green seasoning mix (This is what you do with the leftover cilantro from the fish tacos)
2 + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 1/2 cups water
6 tablespoons water (to cook curry)
1 scallion
Shado beni (see note below) substitute cilantro or culantro

My house smelled really good last night, the curry chicken, and then my sister made some red velvet cupcakes. It's a wonder I didn't ruin dinner 'sampling' everything.

I served it with rice and peas (peas and rice for you JR), and a bottle of hot sauce on the side for K.

We all ate it up, even Demi, who, upon looking at it proclaimed "I don't like that".

K said it could have used some more salt, seeing as how I forgot to put the salt in in the first place, that makes sense. lol We give this recipe 8 stars!

Tonight we were supposed to have fajitas and 'fries supreme' but a last minute audition call for Demi will mean take out tonight. Sometimes plans change, and that's fine. We'll push it back to Saturday.

Really me,
Not so chicken
Nik

Quick Fry Steak and Fish Tacos

There wasn't much to report on Tuesday. Quick fry steak is kind of a family thing. My grandmother used to make it every Monday. Unlike me, she likes the same thing every week. Week after week.

The premise is simple. First you need a think steak... pound it out some more. Heat a frying pan, toss in a bunch of butter to brown. When the butter is on the verge of burning, throw in the steaks and cook for a few minutes on each side. Serve with mashed potatoes and corn (or veggie of choice) and pour the brown butter over the potatoes. Really not the healthiest meal out there. lol

We give it a 5. It's quick, easy, you got your protein, stahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifrch and veg (or starch again. lol) And it's tasty.


Fish Tacos with Mango Corn salsa.

Now here's a dish that you can feel good serving to your family. The recipe is based on the two recipes above. I have edited them to our taste.

For one, I cut my basa into strips, dipped in milk and dredged in bread crumbs, then cook them in a pan with a bit of butter. I felt it was a bit healthier of a choice. Because we have two little ones, I omitted the jalapeno peppers in the white sauce. I used 1 part mayo, 1 part greek yogurt (yum!) lime juice, cumin and oregano. Let it mingle for at least an hour, overnight if you can.

As for the salsa... we live in Canada, there is no fresh corn. I used 1/2 can of corn, 1 mango, a hand full of cilantro, squeeze of lime and lemon, and canned diced tomatoes (again because we live in Canada, and I refuse to buy 'fresh' tomatoes from Mexico.), salt and pepper.

The recipe calls for corn tortillas. I tried to use the corn, I really tried to like the corn. I even tried extra hard to like it because it has half the calories as the regular tortillas, so I could have twice as many! But I just do not like corn tortillas. Maybe the ones I bought were old and stale? Or maybe corn tortillas just normally taste old and stale? Whatever the case, I will forever more serve them on flour tortillas. Oh, and K says it's even better with some hot sauce added.

This dish gets a 9 star. It really is a fantastic dinner, and it's kid and baby approved in my house. I barely heard Demi utter a peep, which is rare. She just munched down her little taco.
















Enjoy!

Really me,
rate my dish
Nik

The winnner

I got caught up in Alcatraz. I'm not sure I understand what is going on, but I'll give it a chance.

More to the point....

The total spent on all of that food was $106.27. If my math is right (please somebody double check!), that makes Ashley the winner!

All of the meat aside from the ground beef was 30% off. The total savings on my bill was just about $30. The cheese and orange juice was purchased at Walmart. $4.44 for the cheese, and $7.49 for the juice.

Thanks to everybody for participating!

Jammin' Jambalaya!!

My mouth was watering hours before dinner since I decided to get started on my Jambalaya around noon. The recipe is super simple. You could easily use leftovers cooked earlier in the week and make this a simple 20 min meal. Or an easy slow cooker meal.

Here's what you need.

6 slices of bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
1 celery stock chopped
1/2 green/bell pepper chopped
1/2 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 chicken breast cooked and cubed
2 sausages cooked and cubed (andouille which I couldn't find here, but hot italian would be awesome, or mild italian for a kid friendly version, kielbasa is also a great alternative I came across)
1/2 pound fresh or frozen shrimp
1 can crushed tomatoes (I used whole tomatoes and an immersion blender)
2 cups beef broth
2 tsp cajun seasoning (I used creole seasoning, but they are very similar)
1c Instant Rice
Franks Hot sauce to taste (optional)

Since the chicken and sausage need to be cooked, you can do this the night before, or earlier in the week.

1. In a frying pan, crisp the bacon. Remove it with a slotted spoon. Add celery, pepper and onion. Cook until tender, add garlic.

2. Add chicken, sausage, tomatoes, beef broth, hot sauce, corn and cajun seasoning. (If you are using frozen shrimp add them now). Bring to a boil.

3. Turn heat down to a simmer, add rice and fresh shrimp. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the rice is tender.

4. Add bacon just before serving. Enjoy!

K didn't even notice that I had done my hair when he got home. The waft of jambalaya was so strong in the air that he was pulled out of his boot and into the kitchen to look in the pot on the stove. Never mind that I had newly dyed my hair, he wanted to know what bowls to use. He wasn't disappointed.



We give this meal an 8.5 out of 10. It's easy, quick and tasty. It could have used a bit more heat, in K's opinion. This will be a keeper for sure!

Really me,
The Chef
Nik

How do you do that?

That's something I hear fairly often when I talk about my shopping budget. I usually spend about $80-100 every two weeks on a big shop. Then we will likely spend another $20 on extras during the two weeks for things like milk, or buns or a forgotten item for dinner. Lately we've been in a little rut. Working a few hours every week, two kids at home, pre-school, crawling, ballet and all the other things we do during the week make for a tight schedule.

Food and money and taste and time are all things that drive me crazy on a daily basis. Making healthy meals that don't take forever, taste good, and not break the bank. So when a dear friend said that she was going to try to have a different meal every day for a month. That sounded like an awesome challenge!

I'd love you give you the opportunity to follow along. I'll post recipes, and shopping tips.

We have our meal plan set for the next two weeks, I'll post the recipes with a rating as we go.

Today: Traditional rump roast ($8.59) Scalloped potatoes ($1.49) and Broccoli ($1.50)


Monday: Jambalaya
Tuesday: Quick Fry steak with mashed potatoes and corn
Wednesday: Fish Tacos with mango corn salsa
Thursday: Curry chicken with rice and peas
Friday: Chicken Fajitas with Fries Supreme

Since this is my first blog in a while, I feel like starting it off with a little fun.

Here's a picture of my Sunday shop for 2 weeks.
The person who comes the closest to the price I paid for all the items will win a little something.
Here's a little tip: I spent more on this shop than I usually do.















Eggs (18)
Quick Fry steak (2)
Medium Ground Beef (2)
Bon in skin on Chicken breast (pack of 5)
Chicken thighs (pack of 11)
Pork Shoulder
Bananas (4)
Oranges (4)
Green Pepper
Broccoli
Yogurt Tubes
Alphabits Cereal
Pasta Sauce (4)
Margarine
Butter
Diced Tomatoes (2)
Large Fajitas
Small Fajitas
French Fries
Coleslaw mix
Sour Cream
Whipped topping
Mac & Cheese (2)
Cheesestrings (pack of 16)
Whipping cream
Canned corn (2)
Tropicana Juice (1.63)
1% milk
Old cheddar Cheese (500g)
Mozzarella Cheese (500g)
Black Beans
Kidney Beans
Nibs (2)

ETA: I shop at Food Basics.


Really me,
Glad to be back
Nik