Last Week of Holidays & Udon Noodle Recipe

I went back to work on Monday, which went well.  It doesn't take long to get back into the swing of things, and I feel prepared and excited for the new school year. 

Buuuuuut the week before I made the most of my last week of holidays.  I spent plenty of time outside and went for a walk around the lake each day.

One day I met up with my sister and nephew for lunch at Roots.

This was our first time visiting this restaurant, and we were impressed with the food.  The menu was big and had many things that sounded good, so I am sure we'll be back.  I want to try their breakfast next time.

Giovanni had the spicy shrimp tacos and thought they were great, and my sweet potato fries were perfect.

We stopped for a coffee at Perk & Taps after lunch.

Another day I met up with Christopher for lunch at Western Pizza.

In the afternoons I usually sat outside with iced tea, Spitz, and a book.

We BBQd bison sausage with mushrooms and potato one evening:

The leftovers were good for breakfast the next day:

I am feeling non-traditional breakfasts lately.

Another evening we had Korean chicken with halloumi stuffed bell pepper:

On cooler evenings we ate beetnicks and beet risotto:

On the Friday night we had Chinese food at Christopher's parents' house:

Then we went back there the next day for an early birthday celebration for our niece Charlotte.

Last Sunday I had my friend Fanta's baby shower which was fun!

Later in the day, we started to get some food ready for the week.  We made coconut braised chickpeas with spinach and roasted sweet potatoes for my breakfasts:

Enough for a few days, and SO filling.

And Udon pork noodles for our lunches:

Udon Pork Noodles

Ingredients:

- 1-2 T sesame oil
- 3 T ginger, minced (or more to taste)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (or more to taste)
- 1 pkg. ground pork (about 1 lb.)
- 2-3 cups bok choy, thinly sliced
- 4 packages udon noodles
- sriracha to serve

Sauce:

- 4 T soy sauce
- 4 T sesame oil
- 4 T brown sugar
- 2 T oyster sauce
- 2 T sake or white cooking wine
- pepper to taste
- 2 T cornstarch dissolved in about 1/4 cup cold water

Heat sesame oil in a wok over medium.  Add half of the garlic and ginger, and cook for a minute.  Add the pork, and cook until done.  Drain some fat if it's fatty.  Add the bok choy, and rest of the garlic and ginger, and cook for a few minutes. 

 * Meanwhile, mix up the sauce, combining everything except the cornstarch slurry. 

Add the sauce and noodles to the wok, separating the noodles with your hands as you add them.  Stir and cook a few minutes, until the noodles are softened.  Add the slurry, and cook another couple minutes.  Serve with loads of sriracha.  Reheats really well.

How was your week?  

What are you up to this Labour Day long weekend?

We're going out on the town tonight!

Cacao Tea

After eight glorious weeks off, I am going back to work tomorrow.  I always take two teas with me to work each day - one to drink throughout the morning, and one for the afternoon.  Fortunately, I just found out about Cacao Tea, and I am so excited about it.

Cacao Tea is an all-natural tea, made only from cacao husks (shells) once they are removed from the cacao nibs.  It is completely free of sugar, calories, dairy, gluten, GMOs, and caffeine, but full of mouth-watering chocolate flavour.

The aroma is incredible, and it has a smooth chocolatey flavour with a very slight natural sweetness.  Although it is caffeine-free, it contains theobromine, a natural compound that provides a gentle energy boost, while decreasing blood pressure, and supporting healthy circulation, respiration, digestion, and brain function.

Cacao Tea is ethically-sourced, organically-grown, sustainable, and fair-trade.  It is rich in antioxidants (10 times that of green tea), flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals.  You can read more about the health benefits here and here.  And, check out the FAQ here.

It was very easy to brew; it's just 1-2 tsp per cup of boiling water, and a few minutes of steeping.  The flavour was perfect for someone like me, who finds hot chocolate way too sweet.  This tea is a perfect dessert-like beverage for me, or great as a morning or afternoon pick-me-up.

We often drink green tea for the health benefits, but I think we'll be switching it up for Cacao Tea for the added antioxidants and flavour.

Cacao Tea Co. ships everywhere in the world!  Click here to order some for yourself.  You can find Cacao Tea Co. on social media using @cacaoteaco and  #cacaoteaco.

Have you ever had Cacao Tea?

Are you a chocolate fan? 

Full disclosure: The tea was provided to be free of charge.  All opinions are my own.

Dinner for a Young Lady

On Wednesday evening we had Christopher's parents over for dinner.

It was my mother-in-law's birthday, and I know she loves Italian food, so I planned an Italian main course. 

We started with snacks in the backyard:

We moved inside for rigatoni with sausage and fennel.  Caprese skewers and bread on the side:

Dessert was strawberry rhubarb pie with ice cream.

We had a really nice evening eating and visiting, and tonight we're headed to their place for dinner.  It's so nice to spend time with family, and this summer we have had many opportunities to get together with our loved ones.  Annnnnd, guess what we're doing tomorrow?!?!  More family time, and another birthday party!  #iloveit

Happy Friday!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Thirteen Pies YXE

After visiting Thirteen Pies in Saskatoon last month, we knew we'd be back very soon. 

On Friday evening we drove to Saskatoon and stopped in at Thirteen Pies before heading to our hotel.  We shared a tomato salad to start:

And then a 1/2 and 1/2 pizza (Killer Cheese from Outer Space, and The Blade):

It totally hit the spot!  The Killer Cheese pizza has truffle honey on top, and it takes the pizza to another level.  The soft, sourdough crust is delicious, and there are dipping sauces available if desired.

We enjoyed our pizza so much that we went back again on Saturday night, this time taking the pizza to-go. 

Pizza in bed, with a Saturday Night Live rerun ... not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening.

Next time we visit Thirteen Pies we'll have to try one of the traditional tomato sauce pizzas.  I'm just so hooked on the white sauce pizzas, especially the two that use truffle oil.

When ordering pizza, do you lean toward white sauce or tomato sauce?  Other?  What about toppings?  What's your go-to?  

(Christopher loves chicken on pizza, while I tend to favour pepperoni; we both love veggie pizzas if we're skipping the meat.  We usually order a tomato sauce base, but apparently not at Thirteen Pies.)

Last Week's Eats

Last Sunday morning I made a frittata for breakfast:

The rest of the day was mostly spent in the backyard.  Christopher was smoking jerk chicken, and we sat outside enjoying the delicious smell while reading books, listening to tunes, and soaking in the glorious sunshine.

He also threw some Thai skewers into the smoker for me, and then finished them on the BBQ for a couple minutes when he finished the chicken.

I wanted something different for my weekday breakfasts, so along with the Thai skewers, we made a batch of Thai sticky rice, and I had that for a few days, with peanut sauce for dipping.

We ate leftovers for lunch a couple of days last week.  Another day I made a bison calzone:

And one day Christopher and I met up for Chinese food:

Suppers included the jerk chicken on Sunday night, which we had with coconut rice and corn:

Jambalaya:

You can find the recipe here.

We grilled wild boar meatballs one night, and had those with rice, chimichurri sauce, and mushrooms with halloumi cheese.

Dinner another evening was bee bim bop.  Our basic recipe for bee bim bop is here.

Dessert for the week was a banana cream pie.

We spent the weekend in Saskatoon visiting my mom 💜

What have you been cooking lately?

How was your weekend?