Wow! Here it is ...almost the end of 2015 and the end of my New Years' Resolution for 2015!
First and foremost - thank you for reading my blog and for commenting whether it was in written or verbal form. You guys kept me accountable to my goal! Of course...thank you for sharing the blog and for even making some of the recipes! I was BLOWN away when I saw that people had read this blog not only from Canada and the US, but also from Russia, France, United Kingdom, Poland, Germany, Turkey, Australia and Bulgaria!
A very good friend of mine had the idea for me to rank or at least list the recipes that I would make again and those that I will never make....so here is my attempt to organize my year of posts.
I will make these on a regular basis:
Eat your Greens Detox Soup
Eggs Benny with Sweet Potato and Chipotle Hollandaise
Breakfast Pizza
Greek Layered Dip with Pita Chips
Luxurious Tomato Basil Pasta
Grilled Beef and Asparagus Rolls
50 Flavoured Popcorns
Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta - made often
Tropical Avocado Tart with Coconut Crust
BBQ Glazed Mini Meatloaves
Thai Cucumber Cups
Roasted Vegetable Quesadilla with Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Garlic Powder
Walnut Crusted Pork Tenderloin - I make this all the time!
Spiced Peach and Avocado on Sweet Potato Crostini - I made these a lot in the summer!
Baked Buffalo Drumsticks
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
French Toast with Poached Plums
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary Roasted Grapes
Seasoned Salt
Raspberry or Blueberry Sticky Buns
Baked Chicken Fingers
Chocolate Banana Cake
Tamale Pie
Schechuan Beans
Strawberry Blonde Potatoes
Spice Mixes for Presents
I might make these again:
Curried Carrot Soup
Lemon Poached Shrimp with Pistachio Dukkah
Marinated Italian Mushrooms
Ahi Tuna Tostadas
Cauliflower Corn Chowder
Italian Sausage Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Crockpot Thai Beef Stew..only as I stopped eating beef
Watermelon Salad - only for a big crowd
Crusted Halibut - yum!!
Summertime Cherry Basil Bruschetta - will make this once/year
Cold Thai Chicken Salad
Spanokopita Loaded Potatoes
Pulled BBQ Chicken
I will never make these again:
Plantain with Chicken
Biggest Loser Lettuce Wraps...I like mine better!
Margarita Chicken Lollipops
Mexican Pork and Black Bean Soup
Strawberry and Brie Bites
Shrimp Piccata with Zucchini Noodles
Honeydew Melon Agua Fresca
Ahi Mango Poke Stack
Bulletproof Coffee
Banana Nut Porridge
Cookie Dough Hummous
Poached Pears in Honey, Ginger, and Cinnamon Syrup
Curly Oven Fries
Spinach Feta Bread - I will never make this as Monty will make it!
Lastly, the last few weeks have been weird for me. I thought I would end with a Roasted Goose, but plans took a different turn. I will make that Roasted Goose or maybe Cornish Game Hens...one day....As the end of the year approached, I thought a lot about the blog and whether to continue. I have decided to keep going, but I haven't decided whether or not it will be weekly. I will make new recipes weekly, but I am not sure I will blog about them as I have decided to take up my music again and will need time for that. When you add one thing to your plate, another must come off..... This experience was fabulous personally as meals were not the same old/same old each week at our house. An unexpected thing happened in that I ended up adding in my new recipes into my classroom. I never really saw that coming. I am taking a small course in the new year on youtube channels, so perhaps you will see me next as a vlog! How cool! At any rate...there it is...another year has gone by....and I am left to ponder what goals I will set for myself in 2016. Wherever 2016 takes you.....may you create some fabulous memories and always be surrounded by good company and fabulous food and may you have a good big belly laugh or two along the way! Happy Journeys and Happy New Year!
Tuesday 29 December 2015
Spice Mixes for Presents
My Christmas tradition has been to make my Caramel Popcorn, place it in cute decorative bags with curly ribbons, and give that to my family and friends as a Christmas gift to accompany my husband's homemade beef jerky. In an attempt to give a healthier gift, I decided to not do the popcorn with my classes, nor not to give it as gifts. This year, we decided to make up spice mixtures and give those as an alternative to purchasing these spice mixtures that are full of preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients. Each duo had taco seasoning as I am pretty sure most people like tacos of some sort. We added the Jamaican Jerk Seasoning to those who like spice, and added the seasoned salt for those who like things flavorful but mild. I was SOOOO thrilled when I found these cute little jars, baskets, and labels at a local dollar store. I bought a few locations out of all the green and red jars and rectangular red and silver baskets way back in November- sorry! I hope that those that received them will use them. Those of you who didn't...we just made them for family this year. I do have two extra sets of the spicy ones, though, in case anyone wants them? Of course, I bought extra jars to have at home in my spice cupboard and plan to have these three combos on stock at all times...just in case!
Give them a try for your next meal solution!
Note: You will sneeze a LOT if you make these up in big batches for gift giving!
Another Note: I caved and still made my popcorn as I had some requests for it.
Seasoned Salt: sooooo good on potatoes
Taco Seasoning: PERFECT for seasoning ground meat for tacos instead of using the little pouches
Jamaican Jerk Seasoning: We LOVE it as a rub for chicken breasts, thighs or drums; but I am sure it is also great with pork!
The three choices
Cute little lids!
Happy Holidays!
Strawberry Blonde Potatoes
President's Choice has come out with a new variety of potato - Strawberry Blonde. I thought that I would give them a go to see what they tasted like. They were great - just on their own. I boiled them in the skin as recommended, and we ate them just like that with no butter or toppings. They are sweet enough that they stand alone. We actually cannot remember the time that we last ate simple boiled potatoes. We really enjoyed the softer texture, which made us wonder if our age is setting in and that we now need/enjoy softer food. All in all, I would buy them again. I also noticed that they have another variety called "Petite Merlot". Has anyone tried those? Trying them might have to go onto the list of things to try next year!
http://www.presidentschoice.ca/en_CA/products/productlisting/pc-strawberry-blonde-potatoes.html
Tuesday 1 December 2015
Szechuan Beans
Yum - a family favorite when dining out for sure! I have tried variations of these a few times, but my recipe has been simpler. I simply sautéed minced garlic and ginger...added in some beans (from my garden!!), and then finished the sauce with soy sauce, chili sauce and sesame oil. They were good but never quite the same as the restaurant.
I am very saddened to say that perhaps deep frying the beans for 45 seconds makes the difference. I am also convinced that the rice vinegar is now mandatory in the recipe! I am not convinced that the hoisin needs to be in there, but I can give it another shot. My next step....try this sauce recipe without deep frying the beans first! Aren't you proud? I have now learned to follow a recipe word for word the first time! Whatever I try....Szechuan beans will never be off our menu!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/szechuan-green-beans-recipe.html
I am very saddened to say that perhaps deep frying the beans for 45 seconds makes the difference. I am also convinced that the rice vinegar is now mandatory in the recipe! I am not convinced that the hoisin needs to be in there, but I can give it another shot. My next step....try this sauce recipe without deep frying the beans first! Aren't you proud? I have now learned to follow a recipe word for word the first time! Whatever I try....Szechuan beans will never be off our menu!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/szechuan-green-beans-recipe.html
Szechuan Beans
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