Sunday Stuff

1)  This weekend went by quicker than usual.  I had an okay weekend, but one of the best parts was definitely last night, dancing it up with my two best girlfriends.  I have been best buds with these girls since elementary school days, and nothing has changed.

Me, Mel & Shauna

2)  On Friday at lunch I went to Brown's Social House for the first time.  I loved the decor (I am a huge fan of skulls), but the food was just average.  I'd be willing to give it another try because there were a lot of things on the menu that sounded good, and the burgers looked delicious.

 

3)  On Friday evening I met up with some pals at The Freehouse.  I ordered the New Orleans Etoufee, because it won a first place award at the Taste of New Orleans.  Unfortunately it wasn't worthy of an prize in my opinion.  The corn bread was darn good though!  I'm excited to try real New Orleans food this March/April!!!

4)  I was very surprised and touched to read this sweet post that Jennifer posted about me tonight.  Apparently I'm cool like that.  Thanks for the kind words Jennifer!  You are a sweetheart.

5)  My buddy Tricia gave me these bacon mints this past summer, because she saw them and thought of me.  I have absolutely no idea why she would think of me ;-)  This isn't the first time something like this has happened.  You'd think I like bacon or something ...

Anyway, I brought the mints to school for the kids to try.  They were a hit.  Thanks Tricia!

6)  If you didn't click on the first and last link in #5, you made a mistake.  Meat cookies and bacon cinnamon rolls with maple icing are in your best interest.  Yes, I said meat cookies.  Don't judge.

7)  Speaking of bacon ... on Saturday Christopher and I, his lovely sister and her husband made perogies, some of which contained bacon.  It was a fun afternoon.

Vicki

 

 

 

 

 

Christopher made a couple of calzone perogies with the last of the dough.

 

8)  After fun times last night ...

 

It was nice to wake up and enjoy this ...

Notice the bacon ;-)  Ahhhh yeah.

How was your weekend?  Have you ever made perogies?

Blogger Christmas Swap

A while back I was invited by Leigh to participate in a Christmas swap for Canadian bloggers.  I was paired up with Jen, who I hadn't met before, and who's blog I hadn't yet found.  I was happy to meet a new blogger friend!  We scoped out each others blogs, chatted a bit in email and then exchanged Christmas surprises.

I got mine yesterday and it was wrapped so beautifully!

Jen hit the nail on the head with this gift.  She must know I like to entertain (see my entertaining tab at the top of the page), because she got me this cute little bowl and spreader that I am already planning to use next weekend.

She knows how I feel about New York, and got me cocktail napkins with the Manhattan skyline.  Super cool!  I love ANYTHING that has anything to do with New York. 

Through reading my blog, Jen must have noticed how much ginger and curry we eat around these parts, because the other thing in the package was this sauce:

Thank you so much for the wonderful gifts Jen!  They are perfect!

To see what I got for Jen, click here.

In other news ... friends often comment on the weird food that Christopher and I eat, and I've been asked numerous times if we ever cook anything "normal".  Haha!  Tonight I made a very simple, no fuss, no muss tuna casserole.  Normal enough?  ;-)

 

Easy Tuna Casserole

(The measurements aren't exact, because the amounts don't matter much, it will still taste the same)

1 can mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 of an onion (chopped fine)
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 can tuna, drained
A few cups of pasta cooked until almost done, drained
1 cup approx. shredded cheddar cheese
8 or so soda crackers

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.  In a casserole dish, stir together the mushroom soup, water, onion, peas and tuna.  Stir in the cooked pasta until well combined.  Top with shredded cheese (any kind would be good), and crushed up soda crackers.  Cover and toss in the oven for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

(This makes about 4-6 servings, depending on the eaters in your home.  It made just over 2 servings here - hehehe!)

Are you participating in any secret Santa type exchanges this year?  Do you like tuna casserole?  Do you make casseroles?

Wednesday (?) Things

I was planning a "Thursday Things" post for the last hour or so, and only now as I was typing the title did I realize that today is Wednesday.  

Why do my weeks always go like this:

Moooooooonnnnnnnndaaaay Tuuuuuueeeeeeeeesdaaaaaaay  Wedddddnnessssdaaaaaay Thurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrsdaaaaaaaaaaaay FridaySaturdaySunday.

Seriously!

Anyway, here are my "Wednesday" things:

1)  Last nights dinner was Shepard's pie from Costco with a side of salad.  I had some of the leftovers for lunch today.  It makes for a very comforting lunch.



2)  No matter how early I go to bed on a week night I still find it torturous to get out of bed in the morning.  It was almost impossible today.  I made some pretty oatmeal to brighten my morning (1 cup coconut Almond breeze, 1/2 cup oats, heaping spoonful of almond butter, maple flakes, strawberries, and a sprinkle of chocolate).



3)  I had a great weekend last weekend going to a Christmas party and meeting new people, and also seeing Chris' band play.  A friend took some shots at the show:

That's me in the skulls, and my drummer looking tough beside me

Chris has demon eyes!  Ahhhhhhh!

4)  I helped my dad with his Christmas shopping tonight.  First he took me for dinner to Rock Creek where I ate about half of this burger and fries.

We then ventured out in the cold, 50km/hr winds to about 6 different stores.  It was productive, but darn cold!  I love Christmas shopping.  I'm weird like that.

5)  I participated in a blogger gift exchange this year.  Stay tuned for the next post to see what the lovely Jen sent me.  We've never met, and only began reading each others blogs when we found out we were partners for this exchange, and yet she definitely figured me out!

6)  Tomorrow is "Wacky Outfit" day at work.  It is 10:44 p.m. and I have no idea what I am wearing tomorrow, but you better believe I am participating!  Any chance to dress like a weirdo, and I'm in!  I am super tired right now, so it looks like I'll be getting up early to pull something together (ughhh - see #2).

What are your Wednesday things?  Is this week dragging for you?  Have you done any Christmas shopping?  

Seafood Chowder & Lobster Tail

Mondays aren't always the best days ... but they aren't so bad when they end off with a delicious homemade meal like this:

Tonight we enjoyed an easy seafood chowder with a lobster tail and salad on the side.  Chris came up with the idea for this meal earlier in the day, and I thought it was a swell idea indeed :-)

Easy Seafood Chowder

1/2 white onion, diced
2 potatoes, diced
1 small carrot (or half a large), diced
1 stalk celery, sliced
Approx. 2 cups frozen mixed seafood, thawed under cold water
1 cup milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 T butter
3 T flour
Salt and Pepper

Put all the veggies in a pot.  Fill with water until just covered (there will not be much water).  Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium and cook until tender.  In a small pot melt the butter.  Once melted, add the flour and stir in.  Add the milk and cream (you can adjust the measurements based on what you have on hand.  More cream will just increase the richness).  Stir until you have a nice looking cream sauce.  Add the seafood to the pot of veggies/water, then add the cream mixture.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, and keep cooking on low to make it even better (for however long you want). 

Random images of the process:

Mixed Seafood

Prepping veggies

Making the cream mixture

Seafood in!

Adding the Cream Mixture

 

Mmmmmmm!

This soup was FULL of flavour, and much better than any clam chowder I've ever had.

We boiled the lobster tails for about 10 minutes, and dipped them in melted butter.  They were decadent.

All Mondays should taste this good.

 

How was your Monday?  Have you ever had clam or seafood chowder?

Creamy Parmesan Fusilli

On Saturday morning we went to see my favourite movie in the theater - Home Alone!  Breakfast was a hotdog and some popcorn :-)  We followed this by an equally nutritious lunch of Kraft Dinner.

For dinner we headed to Simmer Hot Pot.  We ordered the dinner for two, as well as a seafood plate.  It was definitely too much food!  A cinnamon bun and pickled radishes were served with the meal.

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner we went to the second Christmas party of the season.  We were out pretty late, and ate a late lunch today.  I made creamy Parmesan Fusilli. 

Creamy Parmesan Fusilli

4 cups Fusilli pasta
3 T butter
2/3 cup fresh Parmesan, grated
1/3 cup fresh parsley, or a few T dried
1.5 T mayo
1/2 - 3/4 cup whipping cream
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
6-6 bacon slices, cooked and chopped

Cook pasta according to directions, drain and set aside.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan.  Add everything else, mix well and heat, almost to a boil.  Mix with the pasta and serve immediately.

 

What did you do this weekend?  

Have you gone to any holiday parties yet?