MIA

I have been MIA from the blog all week, as this is about how exciting my meals have been:

Because this has been my life lately:

You have no idea how excited I am to be leaving for NYC in one week.  Eeeeeeeeeep!

I am SO in need of a vacation.  Or three.

How has your week been?  

Do you have anything exciting on the horizon?

Fantasy Food

Last night the hubby and I got dressed up and headed out to a fundraiser for our local Science Center.  We went with our friends Jeff and Alaina.

Jeff and Alaina

Moi

All food and drink was included in the ticket price, and some of the best restaurants in the city were there with tasty samples.  Naturally, we tried one of everything.

Some kind of puff pastry, pork thing & golden beet with goat cheese balsamic sauce

A peanut butter, chocolate and sponge toffee dessert & A fish taco

Some kind of raw fish on a cracker & crispy polenta with pork belly

Pulled Pork

Cheesecake cup

A warm salad

Can't remember what this was :-)

 

Some things I can't remember, but one of them was made with beef tongue - it wasn't good

Kangaroo Meat on a Bun

A Poutine Spring Roll and Some other thing

This was a dried ice thing made from the essence of popcorn

Foie Gras with Black Truffles (this was nasty)

I tried quite a few foods that I had never had before, including kangaroo (tastes like beef), beef tongue, and foie gras.  I would eat the kangaroo again, but the others were repulsive.  My favourite bites of the night included the fish taco, the beet with goat cheese, the pulled pork sandwich and the pork belly with crispy polenta.

Have you ever eaten kangaroo?  Foie gras?  Tongue?

Bare

The fridge has been looking a little bare lately.  Life has been a bit busy, so we have been relying on pantry and freezer items and meals that require little prep.  Thesis work for me and triathlon training for the hubby = no time for cooking anything fancy.

We always have oats in the cupboard, so they are good for easy, empty-fridge breakfasts.

 

Some jarred sauce, frozen organic beef, and rice pasta makes a great spaghetti bolognese when jazzed up with some garlic, onions, balsamic, spices and a rind from Parmesan thrown in for a while for flavour.

 

 

 

I found a lonely lemon and avocado in the fridge and whipped up 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta for dinner this evening.  

 

I have had my fill of pasta for a while and am craving something different ... perhaps sushi tomorrow.

What do you eat when the fridge gets bare?

First Day of Spring

And what a beautiful day it was.  

It sure feels like spring has sprung, although living in Saskatchewan, one can never be too sure.

Eats as of late have of included a lot of salads.  I picked up a new dressing a while back, Organic Sesame Ginger dressing, and it is making me want a large salad daily.  Not a bad thing!  As you may know, I absolutely hate making salads, so I have been using the organic mixed greens that come prepackaged so I don't have to wash them. 

Our first-day-of-Spring meal was a little more wintery today.  I have a bunch of dried wild mushrooms that I picked up at Costco and used them to make a mushroom risotto to accompany pork chops in mushroom sauce - an old family fave.

 

 

 

Not a very colourful dinner, but tasty nonetheless.  

I absolutely love mushrooms, especially the dried ones as they won't go bad on me.  You just soak them for a short while in water, wine or broth, and then they are ready to be used.  The liquid that they have been soaked in can be used in whatever you are cooking to add a little extra umami.

Do you like mushrooms?  Do you ever use the dried mushrooms?

Green

appy St. Paddy's Day!

My morning started off green.  

I have read numerous times that one of the best ways to start the morning is with an organic apple on an empty stomach.  

I enjoyed this apple with some tea.  

 

Green tea with toasted brown rice to be exact.   I got it at Bulk Barn, and it is fabulous stuff.  

Yep, that's popcorn in the tea!  It has a very earthy taste.

After about a half an hour I had some oatmeal made with almond milk and topped with PB and organic dark chocolate covered walnuts.

I love St. Paddy's day, and all things Irish.  Check out my Irish themed dinner from a couple years ago.  Also, one of my favourite Irish recipes (Irish oatmeal bread) can be found here.

Okay, I am off to get my Irish on!  

How are you celebrating St. Patrick's Day?

Simple Spiced Quinoa

It feels like spring out there ... so naturally, we fired up the BBQ.

We enjoyed BBQd slouvaki with spiced quinoa and brussels sprouts.

Simple Spiced Quinoa

1 cup quinoa (rinse well)
1.5 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander

Put everything in a pot and bring to a boil.  Once at a boil, transfer to another burner that has been turned to low and simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes.

Does it feel like summer where you are?

What are your plans for the weekend?

Appetite

I have had absolutely no appetite for the last few days.  The interesting thing about having a food blog is I was able to look back at my previous posts, as I remember losing my appetite some time last year.  Turns out it was around the same time of year as now, when the weather was starting to become spring-like.  I go from craving hearty meals to not really wanting to think about food.

The hubby made some trout yesterday and I roasted some mushrooms, zucchini and golden beets.  

 

I ended up leaving quite a bit on my plate as although it was delicious, I just wasn't interested.  Today for lunch I could barely finish a bowl of soup.  That tells me only one thing - hibernation time must be over!  

Do you find that your appetite changes with the seasons?   

Is it a mild change, or quite dramatic like mine?

Friends' Wedding

Two of my friends got married yesterday and it was pretty epic.  

My friend Melody could not have been more beautiful, and the day could not have been more perfect. 

I loved the little touches such as the bees on the flowers and favours. 

 

 I also loved the food.  

The DJ rocked and I danced the night away and caught up with so many old friends. 

Friend's weddings are always the most fun :-)

Congratulations Mel and Steve!!!

Bachelorette Party

Two of my friends from elementary school are getting married on Saturday ... to each other.  They have been friends since they were kids, but none of us ever imagined that they would fall in love in their late 20s and get married.  Last night was the bachelorette party.  

My friend's mom turned her heated garage into the tropics.  She even painted a mural on the inside of the garage door!  

 

There was a big spread of food, signature drinks, and an underwear guessing game for the bride-to-be.  We each had to bring a pair of underwear that represented our own personalities for the bride-to-be.  She then had to guess who brought which pair and why.  It was fun!

Someone got creative and put the happy couple on a pair - hehe!

Bet you never thought you'd see underwear on a food blog!

It is sure to be a fun wedding and I can't wait to spend Saturday evening celebrating and dancing with my entire group of friends from elementary school.  We are all still friends - isn't that crazy!?  And awesome! 

I had to leave the party early because of work today, but before I left I was told to pose for a photo ...

Left to right: Dianna, Suzanne, Mel (Bride), and Me.

Are you still friends with the people you went to elementary school with?  High school?  

What do you have going on this weekend? 

Work Treats

I was in charge of bringing snacks this week to work (and cleaning the staffroom), and wanted to balance out the sweet and salty/savoury each day.  Yesterday I brought some brownies with Caramilk pieces, and they turned out really well.

I used some Costco mix and made it according to the directions on the box.  I poured half of it in the pan and topped it with Caramilk squares and then poured the rest of the brownie batter on top and baked for about 50 minutes.

 

They were decadent with layers of chocolate and bits of caramel dotted throughout.  Mmmmmmm!

 

 

Supper this evening was Angela's 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta.  It was super easy to make and absolutely delicious.  Warning: It is very garlicky, so don't eat before going out on the town!

Not that attractive looking, but apparently it is her most popular recipe!  I will definitely make it again.

Other eats lately have included trout with mixed organic beans and asparagus:

And haystacks (layer of rice, topped with layer of grated cheese, layer of taco beef, and then any other taco toppings you like such as: olives, tomatoes, crushed taco chips, salsa, sour cream, cilantro):

Have you made any new recipes yet this week?  

Any planned for later in the week?

Do you ever bring treats to work?  Do you have a rotation for treat bringing/staff room cleaning?