I loooooooooooooooove my new counter tops

Yep, that's right....LOVE them. Gone are the 1 inch square tiles and the ugly grout. No more white porcelain sink and ugly black faucets..........and I love the replacements. Even if I have developed an eye twitch when I hand over my visa to the Home Depot cashier, it's still worth it.


And in another couple of weeks I'll have the window replaced, the walls painted and the cabinets will be replaced by stained maple and I'll have open concept shelving. Just wait until you see that!

So while S was hooking up the garburator the other night, I needed a quick meal to throw on the table since it was already almost 9. I had come across a recipe for Vietnamese grilled pork awhile back and thought, rice noodles and pork - what could be easier?

With just a few basic ingredients and 15 minutes of marinading, this was the tastiest pork I have ever had. Even minus the hoisin and hot sauce that was on top, this could be the best way to use up sirloin pork chops.

You can find the recipe HERE.

Throw another shrimp on the barbie....

Is it just me or was I the only 10 year old with a crush on Crocodile Dundee when that movie came out? I dreamt of marrying a guy with a Tilly hat, big knife and an Aussie accent ;)

Well, the counters and sink are installed and I must say they look great! I'll have pictures up tomorrow sometime. In a few weeks we'll have everything painted and the cabinets done and I can say I finally understand why my dad used to take holidays when he was doing any kind of reno work. It's almost impossible to be enthusiastic about priming walls or anything of the sort after a 12 hour work day!

That being said, since our weather has been great and the stove has been unplugged, this months Cooking Light magazine had some great grilling recipes for me to try. Our favourite was Grilled Fiesta Shrimp. We did make a few modifications - I couldn't find the can of black beans I had in the pantry and I dumped some hot sauce in this to kick it up a notch.

Not the most beautiful picture in the world is it? Kind of looks like the dogs breakfast. I will say, the cheese is not absolutely necessary. I used a Mexican cheese blend and can't say it did anything for the dish. Maybe a jalapeno jack would've been better?? But the ease of this dish made up for all of that. Throw some tin foil down, layer your shrimp, cheese and corn and then toss on the bbq for 15 minutes. That simple - perfect for a hot night after work.

You can find the recipe HERE.

Kitchen is almost back to normal!

I think the worst part about reno'ing a kitchen is...it's the kitchen. If you reno the bathroom, most people have a second one they can use. If you reno the kitchen, well, you are S.O.L. If you aren't finding pieces of gyp rock in the hummus, or plumbers putty on the bread, then you just aren't doing the reno's right!!

That being said, we primed the walls last night, and the counters are being delivered early this afternoon (which means a 1/2 day for me at work.....odd). S's best friend came out to visit on Sunday and he's a cabinet maker by trade. You know what that means.......my painted cabinet doors just aren't going to cut it ;) He'll be coming back to visit in 2 weeks and for materials, Heineken and ribs, I get brand new cabinets :)

So in effort to not eat out all the time while this is being done, I broke out the crockpot. I have no idea why I have an aversion to using it, but it's never something I think of.


I had a couple of pork tenderloins in the fridge that I was going to grill. Instead, I saw this post at Savour-fare and realized, I've got that exact same cookbook!!! I threw everything into the crockpot, literally, 5 minutes worth of prep. Popped it outside on the deck and 8 hours later, done! I can tell you that the smell coming from the deck was making hungry at the 4 hour mark!
This is an easy way to get dinner on the table. The flavour was good, but not spicy enough for our tastes. Next time I would double the red curry paste that I added.

Thai Pork with Peanut Sauce

Adapted from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook, by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufman

Yield: 4 servings

Nonstick cooking spray
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 lb (0.45 kilograms). each, each cut in thirds)

2 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded, cut into strips

1/3 cup prepared teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon prepared Thai red curry paste (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Procedure:
Place pork, bell peppers, teriyaki sauce, rice vinegar, curry paste (if using) and garlic in cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork from the crockpot and shred. Add peanut butter to liquid in cooker, stir to combine, then return pork to the cooker and toss so the sauce coats the meat.Serve over rice.

Woooo - here's the gyp rock! The ugly white sink and black country faucets are now at the dump. The tile counter tops are demolished and we have primed all the walls. I cannot wait to be able to cook again!

3 ways to not get anything done in the kitcehn

Both S and I have had some pretty intense cravings for mojitos lately. They are the ultimate summer drink in my mind - the first drink I order when I go somewhere tropical, and the first thing I think of when I see my mint growing. Although, if I'm honest, the only reason I grow mint is for mojitos.

We experimented with 3 yesterday - hence the we got nothing done really in the kitchen. The first is your tried and true recipe that you can find HERE. I added some blueberries in the muddling process, hence the slightly pink hue. This is not a sweet drink, but very refreshing. You can top with club soda, or if you want a slightly sweeter drink, top with 7-up.

Both S and the neighbor husband have an intense love of rye. Last summer we introduced the neighbors to the joys of mojitos and when I found this recipe yesterday for a Canadian mojito that has blueberries and rye, I knew I'd have to sample it. Now, rye and I are not the best of friends....I get a little goofy when I drink it. Okay, I'm goofy all the time, but I'm LOUD and goofy when rye is involved.

Both S and I really liked this one - we'll try it on the neighbors this week. I muddled the shit out of the blueberries to get that colour, I was quite happy with it. You can find this recipe HERE.

Then the last mojito - the one that always puts you over the edge just enough that you become happily lazy and wanting to sit in the sun. We used the Canadian mojito recipe and subbed rum for the rye. I think this one was my favourite of them all. It ended in us lounging on the deck for awhile, reading and chatting. And yeah, that damn crackberry, er....blackberry, is never far!

CHEERS!

S cooks!!

Being the control freak that I am, I do a majority of the cooking at our house. This doesn't bother me in the slightest - I love looking for new recipes and ingredients and preparing the meals.

But every so often, I just don't want to do it, or can't do it due to scheduling arrangements. When this happens, S happily steps up to the plate with a few of his tried and true recipes.

As I indulged in a manicure and pedicure after work one night to destress, S set about making this.

Szechuan green beans with pork is a Cooking Light recipe that I tried out probably 3 years ago when we first moved to Calgary. S loved it so much that when I started getting annoyed that he was asking for it all the time, he asked if I would show him how to make it. I have to say, he now does a better job at this recipe than I do.

The trick, according to S, triple the sauce ingredients for more flavour. I have to say, the man is right.

You can find the recipe HERE.

Supper club always comes at the perfect time

And that perfect time would be smack in the middle of a torn apart kitchen!!! Thankfully, someone else would be cooking for a change and I could sit back and enjoy. We are now 5 days away from the counter tops - which means a ton of work still needs to be done this weekend. As I sit here and type and enjoy a glass of wine, S and the neighbor husband are downstairs mudding the walls (and perfect timing, S's best friend - a cabinet maker - is in town this weekend).

So off we went to supper club - this month, Broken Plate, a Greek restaurant. This place is not new to us at all, being one of the places we hit for appies if we aren't looking for a big meal. We were both excited to finally be able to try some of their main dishes for a change (although, as soon as I saw another table with calamari and saganaki I wished I was sitting with them).

First up, a glass of white sangria for me. We got there about half an hour early - I'd worked 13 hours and had interviewed a bunch of people that day (something that always tires me out).

The sangria was good - a nice refreshing drink considering we finally have 30 degree weather!

Usually they pair each course with a wine, but they opted to pair the first of the 6 courses with the house signature cocktail - Thalaussa. A mixture of ouzo, blue curacao, lime juice and 7-up.

I'm not a huge ouzo fan, but what the hell........this picture is the only "normal" one S got of me all night. Most of them I'm sticking my tongue out, have my sunglasses on (which is why I have weirdly flat hair) or my eyes were shut.

The first dish was a fasolata salata - green beans, diced potatoes, kalamata olives, shaved fennel, red onion and onion vinaigrette). Note the absence of the olives - they had already been shuttled across the table to S's plate.

Then they served a seared scallop with risotto fritter and citrus glaze. This was a fresh, light dish, perfect for summer and it paired perfectly with a pinot blanc.

Then, my favourite dish of the whole night. This is one that I routinely order when we do appies here - Kopanisto - a Greek dip made of grilled red pepper and feta cheese and garlic. I would've been happy if they had brought me a huge plate of this with some more pita and left me alone in the corner.

S's favourite dish was the breaded bassa fillet with lemon caper reduction with risotto. We both love seafood and fish and are always excited when we go someplace that has something new to us. I'll be on the hunt now for bassa in one of the 15 grocery stores I frequent.

The only disappointment of the night was the slow braised lamb shoulder and lentils. I love lamb, but this was bland. Braising is great, but you need to have flavour with the meat.

And last but not least, dessert. Both S and I are huge baklava fans - I make it at least once a year (if not more) and it's the go to dessert for one of my best friends who is highly allergic to eggs. Instead of serving the typical baklava that most Greek restaurants favour, they offered up a baklava ice cream with caramelized pears and fudge. The ice cream was distinctly cinnamon flavoured - a hit with me. Not enough baklava flavours for either of our likings, but still a great way to end the meal.

Ah, appies

I could spend my entire life sitting on a deck, eating appies and drinking wine. There has to be a job opening for this somewhere?????

In true form this weekend, I opted to make a Giada recipe from her show. Sweetnick's blog featured it a few weeks ago and I thought at the time, a sauteed shrimp cocktail would be really fun to try.

The dip is an interesting blend of yogurt, mayo, mustard and maple syrup with some turmeric thrown in (which gives it the yellow colour). I am surprised I liked it as yogurt based dips never rate very high with me.

The sauteed shrimp were simple to make although make sure you don't over cook them as they will become rubbery quickly.

An easy appie recipe, this will leave you plenty of time to kick back on your deck and visit with your loved ones. You can find the recipe HERE.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

No fancy title for today's post. I just hauled my butt from bed after being called by work on a Sunday and I'm trying to get myself rolling here. While I am waiting for the most important part of a Sunday (or any day really) to be ready........coffee..........I figured I'd throw up a quick post.

We are very divided in our little family of 2. S prefers all things sweet and I prefer savory. But every now and then something catches my eye that is dessert oriented and I know I just need to try it.

We had a friend coming over for supper last night and while I normally make an appie to go with our meal, I opted to do this super easy dessert instead. I knew when it popped up on both Cate at Sweetnick's blog and Donna at My Tasty Treasures blog that it would be made here at some point.


Now, I know it doesn't seem foodie like to use a cake mix for something, but I'm not about to turn my nose up at something that uses one. If it tastes good, it is what it is. Plus, this is a snap because you mixed your ingredients by hand - and since my beloved kitchen aid is in hiding for renos I didn't want to have to go hunt for it in the spare room.

The smells from this cake were out of this world. I had a fork into it as soon as it came out of the oven and a small corner eaten away within 15 minutes. S kept wandering by and picking at it too until almost a whole row was gone and our friend was still a few hours away!

This cake did not disappoint - moist and oozing with cinnamon and brown sugar flavour, we all agreed that it tasted more like an amazing cinnamon crumb cake than a cinnamon roll. But, who cares? It was simple and delicious and S is happy for another week.


Cinnamon roll cake - adapted from Sweetnick's and My Tasty Treasures blog sites.

1 box yellow or white cake mix
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream

Mix by hand and pour into a 13 x 9 greased baking pan.

1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Mix and pour over cake batter. Swirl into batter with a knife.

Bake @ 325 for 40 minutes. Let cake cool 10 - 15 minutes before pouring icing over.

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk

Stir together and pour over warm cake.

Combining the 2 best meals....

What happens when you marry your two favourite foods together? You get pizza burgers! A delicious addition to any summertime bbq. If you have any males kicking around, they will be at the grill like a dirty shirt, picking at the pepperoni pieces.

These are one of S's favourite burgers and according to him, one that does not hit our rotation often enough. I can barely make it through one of these patties, but S and the neighbor husband both wolfed down 2 each the other night. I was amazed - I don't know how I would feel with two of these things floating around in my stomach!

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup chopped pepperoni
2 tbsp pizza sauce
1/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

Mix and form into patties. Grill 5 minutes a side, or until cooked to your liking.

Serve with monterey jack or mozzarella cheese slices and whatever other toppings you like.

Tequila part deux

So when I posted about my tequila lime chicken the other day I said it was just so-so. Kinda bland, not exciting. When I went through the new food network magazine, they had margarita chicken skewers that thanks to my food porn addiction, had me drooling over the photos.

I had a can of margarita mix in the freezer and I thought what the hell, we'll try it again. Am I ever glad I did! This chicken had that lime flavour I was looking for and you could definitely taste the tequila....talk about chicken with a kick! These turned out nice and moist and were the perfect choice to sit on the deck for an appetizer dinner.

You can find the recipe HERE.

That's not......is it???

Yes, yes....it really is a giant jug of fruit macerating on the counter. Now if macerating on the counter doesn't sound dirty enough for you, wait until you see what you get up to after this drink ;) Let's just say sangria has always proven to be a wonderful start to any evening for me!

As much as I love to try new recipes, everybody has tried and true recipes that just work for them. And this red sangria is definitely the one for me. It takes me back to the days of my early 20's when my best friend and I would hit La Bodega in Vancouver for tapas and a jug of sangria (or 2).

I'm not sure what does it for me in this recipe more, the crushed raspberries or if it's the $15 bottle of amazing Rioja I keep hidden in the wine room for this exact occasion.

***Warning*** - the consumption of the entire jug in one evening will result in a wicked headache the next day.



There is no good way to take a picture of sangria either. You can try from the sides, the top, or through the jug and they just don't turn out the way you want it too. But take my word for it - this recipe for sangria will leave you happy happy happy!

1 apple
1 orange
1 lime
1 lemon
1 cup of raspberries
3/4 to 1 cup of cointreau
1 bottle of red wine (preferabbly a Rioja)
1 cup of orange juice
1 can of 7-up

Slice citrus fruits into thin rings and juice the end pieces. Dice the apple and add to the citrus fruits. Add raspberries and cointreau and let sit on the counter for 2 hours. Put the wine in the fridge at this time too.

Muddle the fruits with the back of a wooden spoon. Add wine, orange juice and 7-up. Fill glasses with ice and add beverage. Enjoy!

I have converted..............

For most of my 20's I toyed with the idea of becoming a vegetarian. It wasn't that I didn't like meat, it just wasn't really all that exciting for me. Whenever I went out to eat I ordered seafood or pastas, never steaks or chicken.

And when I lived on my own, I think I can count on my fingers and toes the number of times I purchased meat just for myself. A wheel of brie, but never meat.

Then along came S - a true meat and potatoes kind of guy. And we moved to the prairies where the seafood selection leaves a little something to be desired (unless you come across those prairie jellyfish....but that's a post for another day). So I started experimenting with different cuts and varities of meat. I soon realized the reason I never liked steak before was because it was always cooked well done - give me a rare steak and I'm a happy camper. I have even been known to eat beef tartare, sushi for the prairie dweller.

But ribs always were just a little beyond my grasp. I have never been fond of them, although we frequent a restaurant where S doesn't even look at the menu before he orders their Jack Daniels ribs.

And then there was last night. S has been working so hard on the kitchen that I thought I would be nice and make him ribs for supper. As I stood there grilling them, I thought that maybe I was making too much, that we'd never be able to eat the 3 pounds of ribs I had on the grill. S wandered by with some insulation and I informed him that I'd eat one section of ribs and then we could give my portion to the neighbor husband.

And then it happened.....that flash of light, an epiphany, voices and harps were playing. Oh my god these taste good was my first thought, it must just be the sauce I like. And then it hit me, as S watched in amazement, the pile of gnawed on rib bones grew on my plate. These were amazing and to think, I'd gone all these years snearing whenever someone said "let's have ribs".

And I'm sorry neighbor husband, I ate all the ribs I was going to give you :(


You can find the recipe HERE. The rum made the sauce and I substituted sweet thai chili sauce for the regular as it was all I had on hand.

And here's a picture of my sad little kitchen. Right now S and the neighbor husband are downstairs putting up gyp rock - and I will pay them with chocolate peanut butter cookies once the stove is plugged back in.

Cupboard door opinion?

The little door on the right is the original colour of my cabinets. Not my favourite. The door on the left is the same door, recently painted (still needs one more coat). Take the poll on the right side of my blog and tell me what you think!

Tequila!!!!!!

When I was little (think under 5 years old), the instrumental song Tequila by the Rebel Rousers was in my top 3 of songs. The others included the Baby Elephant Walk by Henry Mancini and Guitarzan..........not typical little kid music, but definitely along the tastes of my dad who grew up in the 50's and 60's.

Little did he know that his 4 year old dancing around and yelling Tequila! along to the song would be how his 34 year old daughter still acts when the song comes on...........and that it was fitting as I actually quite like the flavours tequila imparts in cooking.

Don't get me wrong, tequila tastes great for drinking too, but it's the one alcoholic beverage that knocks me on my ass.

So while we were on holidays, I was craving grilled chicken - and not the healthy skinless chicken breast either. I wanted dark meat, and skin and a leg to gnaw on - perfect timing to try Emeril's Cilantro-Tequila Grilled Chicken from his new Emeril at the Grill cookbook.

We picked up some chicken legs (thighs attached) and popped them into the marinade for 4 hours. The S set about grilling.

Keep a spray bottle of water nearby as they can flare up from time to time. Yes mom, the 4 foot flames that happened are just a "flare up", no need to panic.

This recipe results in a very understated tequila/cilantro flavour. While the chicken was good (most grilled chicken is hard to screw up), I found the flavours of the marinade didn't come through all that well. We made a margarita chicken this weekend (to be blogged about later) that both S and I quite preferred.

Would I make this again, probably not, but only because I was really looking for something with a stronger flavour to it. This is the perfect recipe though for people who do not like the taste of alcohol in their meals.

Cilantro-Tequila Grilled Chicken - adapted from Emeril at the Grill

1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

5 cloves of peeeled garlic

1 shallot roughly chopped

1/2 serrano chile, seeded and chopped (I used one jalapeno as no one in our family other than me likes spicy)

1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tequila

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 chicken leg quarters (or 8 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs)

1. Combine all ingredients up to the chicken in a food processor and puree until smooth. Place chicken pieces in a baking dish or resealable bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Marinate, refrigerated for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

2. Preheat grill to medium.

3. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken on the grill and grill for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook another 8 to 10 minutes. Continue cooking, turning the chicken as needed to promote even browning, until cooked through and tender (about 40 minutes for a whole leg, 30 minutes for seperate legs and thighs).

4. Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Dutch parking only........

Just about every Canadian I know identifies with a completely different heritage or ethnic background and this very thing is what makes Canada great! Growing up I was exposed to all sorts of foods and traditions - Chinese, Hindi, German, Jewish, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese just to name a few.

I was the kid that while being baptised Catholic, had an intense desire to learn about other religions and culture as for sure they must be cooler than my background. I never did "stick" to a religion, but the different foods I tried and ceremonies I attended have shaped who I am today. I've tried pigeon, eel, spaetzle, matzo balls (yum), seaweed salad, pigs head, goat and too many other interesting things to list. I cannot wait to continue learning and trying other ethnic foods.

This sign is now hanging in my office at work:

But Dutch or not, come in, sit down and teach me about yourself - I would love to learn about your culture!

And PS - one of the more interesting food cultures I've learned about is from my "mom" at work....she's Swedish and a hoot. And she's getting married this afternoon - CONGRATULATION KJERYN AND MERV!

Now on to the food! When we got back from holidays this week S commanded that I start working through my stockpile of meat in the freezer. So as I bitched and moaned that the whole point of having a freezer is for it to be full, I complied and brough up this huge 5 pound pork loin roast with the intentions of having the neighbors over for a bbq. Well, that didn't quite happen so we bbq'd the roast anyways.

S did a great job bbq'ing as usual, and the meat had a delicious crispy outside.

But 5 pounds of pork loin roast is a lot for 2 people to eat. The next night we set to work on making bbq'd pork sandwiches (the neighbors did get to eat those!).

This bbq sauce is courtesy of Cookingnook.com

Easy Basic BBQ Sauce (I doubled this recipe and it was the perfect amount)

1 x 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp molasses or brown sugar

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small non-metallic pan. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over moderate heat. Reduct the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until the flavours mellow and the sauce thickens slightly.

Keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks

Odd the things that can excite us......

Remember the dead tomato plant? The little Charlie Brown Tomato plant that came back to life and is all spindly?

It has a tomato!! A very little tomato, and only one....but a tomato!!! And it's going to be the best damn tasting tomato I have ever had :) See, it truly is the little things that make me happy.

Well, that and receiving an award for my blog today (more on that in a minute) and getting a great deal on an over range microwave. I really wanted one while we re-did our kitchen, and our microwave was on it's last legs. S convinced me to go to a furniture/appliance store on the way home tonight (I didn't really want to.....I was tired and hungry), and we wandered through their clearance section. Lo and behold, we got exactly what we wanted, in last years model with a really little dent on the bottom....for $100. Yep, everything I had looked at previously was 5 times that amount. But I got this for $100!

And lest you think my blog is not about food anymore, here's a tasty little appetizer that I am commanded to make about 5 times a year for my staff. Every potluck it's the same thing. And it's not just my current department, but the same wraps were a hit back in Vancouver for my staff too. I don't get it - they aren't that special, but hey, these ladies want what they want.....so wraps it is.

1 package of tortillas

1 container salsa

1 container herb and garlic cream cheese

3/4 pack of shredded mexican cheese blend

Mix everything (other than tortillas) in a bowl. Spread a couple tablespoons on the tortillas, roll up and cover with plastic wrap over night. Slice and serve the next day.

And now for the award......Katherine over at Smoky Mountain Cafe gave me this award. Check out her blog - I love the recipes she makes. And the first thing that ever drew me to her blog.....her profile pic - great legs, red shoes! My hero ;)

For this award I have to name 7 things you might find interesting:

1. My ultimate travel destination would be to spend 2 months in Spain. There is something about the culture, food, and people that intrigues me to no end.

2. I'm an accountant/controller, but I always wanted to be something that evoked a lot of adrenaline - think fighter pilot, race car driver, etc. Trust me, while controlling a large car dealership is challenging, rarely do I think I could die from it.

3. I am not actually creative (no matter that Katherine gave me an award for it)....I am logical and practical and any type of creativity leaves me stumped. Even blogging requires phenomenal effort - I'd rather just put up a picture and post the recipe.

4. I have a strange fascination for the show Mythbusters. I pretend to not watch it with S, but secretly peer over whatever novel I'm reading to watch.

5. I love music and have an odd talent to know who sang pop/rock songs from the 60's through to today. If Name That Tune was still a game show I would rock at it.

6. I love game shows. I don't watch much of them now, but as a kid you could plunk me in front of the tv and I would watch them all day. Jokers Wild, Lets Make a Deal, Wheel of Fortune.....they all brought out the super competitive side of me.

7. S is the best thing that happened to me and I almost refused to meet him because we work in the same industry. I'm glad our friends persisted or I'd be missing out on a wonderful person.

To accept this award do the following

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

Here's the 7 blogs I nominate for this - they are all great - check them out!

1. Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock at a Time

2. Debbie at Suburb Sanity

3. Muneeba at an Edible Symphony

4. Pierce at Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor

5. Erica at My Columbian Recipes

6. Spryte at Spryte's Place

7. The Obnoxious Stay At Home Mom

We're not in Kansas anymore Toto.....

There are very few things in this world that scare me. I mean, I think I am pretty tough - I can be in your face and pretty bold when I need to be. People don't scare me nor do their attitudes. Spiders, snakes and other creepy crawlies - not so much. Earthquakes - nope, been in some small ones and I'm good - no fear whatsoever.

But tornadoes.....tornadoes scare the crap out of me. I don't know why but my fascination with weather does NOT extend towards tornadoes. We had a small one last year about 10 km from our place - S called me to the back door to see the funnel cloud hit the ground and I promptly took shelter in the wine cellar (not a bad place to be in case of disaster if I do say so myself).

And today we've been under tornado warning since about 2 p.m. You know when you go to the zoo and the tiger is pacing back and forth in front of it's cage watching you? That's me in front of the windows at work this afternoon and now at home.

That's our view at about 6:30 from our back deck. The clouds are very dark and swirly - my stomach is equally as swirly and I'm warily watching the clouds blow around. S even plied me with some Pinot Noir in the hopes that I will just "relax". Yep......not relaxed (although the Pinot was very nice).

So dinner turned into a simple pasta dish. I contemplated driving to the grocery store in town (16 km away), but open prairies + tornado + me in my vehicle = not going to happen. So we improvised with a borrowed lemon from the neighbor wife (thank you!) and some things in the fridge. This was a simple, not extraordinary pasta dish. But for a comfort bowl of pasta, you really can't go wrong.

You can find the original recipe HERE.

As for the kitchen, we're humming along. Cabinets are down and we set about choosing a paint colour. The ugly green is the colour of our main floor right now. The colour on the left - Cliffside. The colour on the right - Hiking Trail. We're leaning towards the Cliffside one - a little bit more grey than brown. Thoughts?

The only meal out I took pics of on holidays

I really do have pictures of food I've cooked recently - but they are on the camera and that's somewhere in the mess that is my kitchen reno. Please stick with me - I promise that I'll start cooking again really really soon :)

As it stands, the kitchen is now minus cabinets and 1/2 of it's gyp rock. It's really sad - and for someone who is slightly neurotic like I am, a bit overwhelming when there is this huge mess that I cannot clean up. But, we picked the colour we are painting our main floor (a grey/brown called Cliffside) and we're going to look at microwave range hoods this weekend.

While we were away, we always go for dinner at Hillside Estate Winery/Bistro. Their wines are fabulous and if you sit in the right spot of the patio, you can see Okanagan Lake. We did not sit n the right spot so you are SOL for a fabulous picture view this time!

We started with the fried oysters in chipotle cream. I love love love oysters, and while these were good, I really do prefer them raw with a tiny bit of horseradish and lemon.

The requisite glass of wine - a Muscat Ottonel that is probably my favourite that they produce.

I wasn't overly hungry, but was craving pizza something fierce last week. I opted for the artichoke, eggplant and goat cheese sauce pizza. I love thin crust pizzas and this one did not disappoint.

S opted for pasta for some reason - it was 34 degrees outside! It had chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and a chipotle style cream like the oysters. I "think" he enjoyed it - he finished it....but I don't think I ever did really ask him what he thought?!

We passed on dessert and opted to hit more wineries and then go back to my parents for a nap. Truly, for the person who only gets about 5 hours a night of sleep, the daily nap was rather nice :)

And as for the stay tuned announcement from a previous post...

I, the person who abhors exercise and does it only grudgingly so I will remain a size 12 (ick)......have decided along with my friend H to train to run a 1/2 marathon next year. Uh yeah....what????????? That's what S said. But, I figure I'm turning 35 and I am pretty sure if I train for a year I can do this - I'm actually a teeny bit excited! The race is on S and my anniversary, and at the end of that 21.5 km's, there will be a fabulous dinner/party! And hopefully, all that running will take my size 12 ass to a size 10 ;) I have to work off these blog recipes somehow!