The Weekend

My weekend was quiet and cozy. 

This was the view outside our kitchen window most of it:

Brrrrrrrrr!

Fortunately, the driving wasn't too bad today, and there isn't much of the white stuff left.

Christopher made a big batch of chicken stock on Sunday, and now we have chicken soup for our lunches this week.

Since we're taking a break from our usual weekend breakfasts, we tried a couple new things.  While in Thailand we had some amazing little coconut pancake bites that were so addictive.  When we got home we ordered an appliance to make them ourselves.  We tried one recipe, but they were terrible! So salty!!  Blech!

We'll be giving them another shot soon, as we think we found a more accurate recipe.

Another breakfast was miso soup with seaweed and fruit:

I currently have some bread dough rising, and the oven is warming up, so I'll have a fresh loaf to enjoy for breakfast for the rest of the week.

We did some other cooking on the weekend, including chorizo fried rice:

And green curry with Thai sticky rice on the side for dipping:

I whipped up a cheesecake and Saskatoon berry sauce for the top.

We both love cheesecake!

As much as we dreaded the winter storm, it did make our weekend feel extra cozy.  We got a lot of sleep, read, cooked, baked, watched interesting shows (we can't get enough of docuseries), and felt rejuvenated for the start of the week.

How was your weekend?

Do you like cheesecake?

Fall

The past two Friday we've watched our nephew play football, and last night we really had to bundle up!  Fall is here, and it's coming in strong.

It's supposed to snow a lot this weekend, but we're hoping it doesn't stick around.  I am not ready for that after the ridiculously cold winter we just had.

There are a few leaves on the ground, but most trees are still pretty green.

We've covered up the air conditioning, turned on the furnace, blown out the sprinkler lines, and put our hot pepper plants in the garage to shelter them from the cold overnight temps.

Christopher is really wanting more peppers to show up on these plants, but we might be running out of time.

The cooler weather has us craving heartier dishes, like this delicious meal of spiced beef patties, couscous, and yogurt sauce:

You can find the recipe here.

I guess it's time to start busting out the pumpkin recipes, and I'll probably start with this one.  I promised I'd bring my mom a couple slices the next time we go to Saskatoon.

If you grew any veggies, have you harvested all of them?  Is it feeling like Fall where you are?  Are there any cooler weather recipes you're looking forward to making this Fall?

Sick of ...

Christopher is sick of bacon these days, and I'm sick of eggs.  So, for breakfast on the weekend, we made smoothies one day:

And the next day we had overnight oats.

We probably won't cook bacon and eggs for a while, and will just stick to eating those when we're out of town.  Eventually, we'll feel like making them at home again.

In the meantime, we'll be trying all sorts of other things for breakfast.  This week I've been having red lentil daal and basmati rice in the mornings.

Fortunately, we aren't sick of vegetables!  One dinner last week was just this tray of roasted veggies (parmesan on top):

This week we've made our new favourite pasta:

And a chicken, artichoke and kale casserole:

For dessert - browned butter banana blondies:

I won't link the recipe though, as I think they are too sweet.

What's your favourite non-egg-based breakfast?

Are there any foods you ate too much of, and are now sick of?  (I'm also kind of over yogurt for a while)

Are there any foods you could never get sick of?

Thanksgiving Sides with Mann's Veggies

Are you looking to switch up your Thanksgiving sides this year?

Sometimes I like to throw a new ingredient into the mix or put a creative spin on a holiday favourite.

In time for Thanksgiving, I've teamed up with Mann's Fresh Vegetables and created five delicious, veggie side dish options, that would upgrade the traditional lineup.

Butternut Squash Rotini with Chorizo

- 1 T butter
- 1/2 cup diced chorizo (I found some pre-diced at the grocery store)
- 10oz bag Mann's Butternut Squash Rotini
- 2 T maple syrup
- salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter over medium heat until melted.  Add chorizo and cook 3-5 minutes.  Add the Butternut Squash Rotini right from the bag.  Add the syrup.  Stir, and cook for 7-8 minutes until the squash is tender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Snap Peas with Ginger and Mustard Seeds

- 1-1.5 T canola oil
- 1 T black mustard seeds
- 1 heaping T ginger, minced
- 15oz bag Mann's Stringless Sugar Snap Peas
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium.  Add mustard seeds, and stir until popping.  Add ginger and cook, while stirring for about 45 seconds.  Add the snap peas right from the bag, and cook for approx. three minutes, stirring often.  Add the sugar.  Stir.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve.

Asian Caulilini

- 2 T soy sauce
- 2 T rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 2 tsp honey
- 10oz bag Mann's Caulilini
- 1.5 T sesame oil, divided
- salt and pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 T ginger, minced
- 2 tsp honey

Pre-heat oven to 450 F.

Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, and honey.  Set aside.  Toss the Caulilini with 1 T of the oil, and lightly season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 10-12 minutes - watch!  Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a small pot over medium.  Once hot, add ginger and garlic.  Cook 1-2 minutes.  Add the soy sauce mixture, and bring to a boil while stirring.  Remove from heat and pour over the roasted Caulilini.  Toss and serve.

Sweet Potato Fettucine Gratin

- 10oz bag Mann's Sweet Potato Fettucine
- 2 T butter
- 2 T flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup gruyere cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup panko crumbs

Steam Sweet Potato Fettuccine until almost done (see back of bag). Meanwhile, in a small pot, melt butter over medium-low.  Add the flour, and cook about 1 minute, while stirring.  Add 1 cup warm milk, while slowly stirring.  Add 2 tsp fresh rosemary.  Once thickened, add 1/2 cup shredded gruyere.  Layer sweet potatoes and sauce in an oven-safe dish.  Top with 1/2 cup gruyere and 1/2 cup panko, and bake 5 min., then broil 1-2 minutes until golden - watch!

Lemon Garlic Brussels Sprouts

- 12oz bag Mann's Brussels Sprouts halved
-  2 T olive oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 T fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Toss brussels sprouts with 1 T olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Roast on a foil-lined sheet for approx. 20 minutes, until starting to get brown and crisp in spots.  Remove and toss with the remaining ingredients.  Serve.

Christopher and I will grab Mann's Gourmet Veggies from our corner grocery store when we're looking to add a little inspiration to our Thanksgiving table.

What is your favourite Thanksgiving side dish?  
Are you trying any new sides this year?  
What new recipes have you made recently?  

* Mann's veggies were provided to me free of charge.  
* All opinions are my own.

Weekend Recap

On Friday the 13th we went out to the butcher after work and picked up some dinner for a quiet little celebration at home (we always celebrate on Friday 13th).  Instead of doing any work, we bought pre-stuffed chicken breasts and potatoes, so all we had to do was grill them and some corn, and we were eating and laughing around the table in no time.

The next morning we were up bright and early to drive to Saskatoon to see my mom.  That evening we tried Yay Thai in Saskatoon, but we were not impressed.  We will stick to Keo's if we are having Thai food in Saskatoon.  Yay Thai didn't taste as authentic as it could, and it needed much stronger flavours.

It is basically Thai fast food, and it is all served in single-use containers, with plastic cutlery, single-use cups, etc.  You go up to the counter to order and then go up to get your food once it is ready, yet when we were paying the guy turned the computer screen around to us to show us the three tip options.  I thought that was very unnecessary at a fast-food type restaurant.  I didn't see a no-tip option, so I left begrudgingly left 15%, the lowest option. (I really need to be more assertive in these types of situations.)  We each had one dish and one kombucha, and the total came to around $60 with tip.  We won't be back.

*Note - I am very cool with tipping at regular restaurants, but not so much when no one is actually taking my order or bringing me my food, and I have to get my own cutlery, etc.

We spent more time with my mom on Sunday and then drove back home.  That evening we cooked honey mustard chicken thighs and thought they were pretty good, but they were even better as leftovers.

We don't often make one-pan meals; I forget how quick & easy they can be.

We've gone back to summer temps!  Yesterday it was +32!  We were so excited to come home and cook dinner outside, so we planned another low-country boil.  Unfortunately, the wasps were not leaving us alone, so we had to move inside to eat.

On the bright side, dinner was delicious, and the rest of the week is predicted to be really nice too!

Dessert for this week is a berry crisp/crumble with ice cream:

Some eats from last week include this mushroom marsala pasta bake, which reminded me of beef stroganoff:

Sweet potato burritos:

And mocha mousse pie:

We just finished eating salmon, roasted broccoli, and salad, but neither of us was really feeling it.  I don't know if we just weren't hungry for supper, or if we weren't in the mood for these foods, but we both felt pretty uninterested in eating this meal. 

Do you ever not feel like eating something you just cooked?

Are the wasps bad where you are?  How was your weekend?  How's your week going so far?

Ten on Tuesday

1)  We tried a new pasta recipe recently - Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon.  It was quick, easy, and quite good.  It also reheated well.

Tonight we're testing out this one.  I guess all the cool, rainy weather we've been getting has us craving heartier dishes.

2)  Our weekend was full of activity!  On Friday night we went to a potato chip and wine pairing with Christopher's parents.  Then it was our friend Jocelyn's birthday on Saturday, so she had a bunch of people over for an epic pizza party.

On Sunday we cheered for our nephew Giovanni's football team.

They won! 

3)  If you haven't watched NOVA: Thai Cave Rescue on Netflix, I highly recommend it.  It is so intense.  I remember following this story in the news, but to actually see the rescue - wow!  Actually, all of the NOVA documentaries on Netflix are solid five stars.

4)  We have been using the smoker a lot!  Smoked salmon and tofu: 

Christopher made a stir fry with the tofu.

5)  On Sunday we fired up the smoker again and made a big batch of jerk chicken.

It was so good with coconut rice and baked beans.

6)  If you haven't been to The M:EATING Room in town, you've got to try it out.  They have such fresh, healthy and flavourful food, with so many options.  While out running errands last week, we ate a quick meal there.

7)  Breakfast for dinner last week:

We don't often eat breakfast foods later in the day, but it's a nice change the odd time.

8)  It was raining yesterday morning and basically hasn't stopped since.  Last night we wanted a real comforting dinner, so we had pork cutlets with apple sauce, mashed potatoes, and creamed corn.

This meal reminds both of us of our childhood.

9)  Dessert was mocha mousse pie.  This is my second time making this pie because it was so darn addictive the first time.

After this picture was taken, I topped it with a coffee flavoured whipped cream.  Swoooooon.

10)  Some days we come home from work and spend hours in the kitchen cooking.  Last Wednesday was definitely not one of those days.

We boiled weiners and called it a day #wiped.

Have you tried a new recipe lately?  How was it? 

We're done all of our shows on Netflix.  Any recommendations?