Uh.... yum! But I ate it before I got a picture!! Yes, that's how good it is!
Check out Shan's blog for more yummy ideas.
Chickpeas and Rice (Recipezaar Recipe #195593)
Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup parsley
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup basmati rice (uncooked)
2 cups water
Directions
1. Cook water, rice, thyme, and bay leaf and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil and half of the butter in a skillet and then add chickpeas.
3. When chickpeas start to lightly brown (about 5 mins) add parsley and the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Add oregano, basil, salt, and pepper and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and mix rice and chickpeas together until rice is a golden color.
6. Mix in remaining butter (cubed) and Parmesan cheese.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Business and Cleanliness
I look at my calendar and see that every weekend but one is book full until school starts again. And with no holidays in sight for Craig, I'm beginning to wonder how I'm possibly going to get everything done. 2 websites, 2 brochures, posters, bulletins, folder... all in the next couple of weeks. I want to be able to enjoy our summer but I think these next couple of weeks are going to be crazy!! I know I wanted to get my "business" going... I just hope this is the storm and not the calm.
So I went to this home party (kind of like Partylite or Pampered Chef) but it was for cleaning products. The company is called Norwex and I cannot believe how fantastic the products are. The the really great news is that they only use water to clean with. They are micro-fibre cleaning cloths that have silver in them which is a natural purifier. The bacteria and germs actually die in the cloths eliminating the need to use harmful chemicals. The window cloths are amazing!! My sister signed up to be a rep before even hosting a party. And they are not that expensive. I think a cloth is $14 and lasts 7-10 years (remember, no chemicals needed!). I'm sold. I've seen the lab tests. I figure if they can use these cloths in heart transplant procedures, they'll be effective enough to clean my house without transferring germs all over the place. And it's so good for the environment. No more paper towels to throw out, no more plastic cleaning bottles, no more chemicals on surfaces... I love it!
So I went to this home party (kind of like Partylite or Pampered Chef) but it was for cleaning products. The company is called Norwex and I cannot believe how fantastic the products are. The the really great news is that they only use water to clean with. They are micro-fibre cleaning cloths that have silver in them which is a natural purifier. The bacteria and germs actually die in the cloths eliminating the need to use harmful chemicals. The window cloths are amazing!! My sister signed up to be a rep before even hosting a party. And they are not that expensive. I think a cloth is $14 and lasts 7-10 years (remember, no chemicals needed!). I'm sold. I've seen the lab tests. I figure if they can use these cloths in heart transplant procedures, they'll be effective enough to clean my house without transferring germs all over the place. And it's so good for the environment. No more paper towels to throw out, no more plastic cleaning bottles, no more chemicals on surfaces... I love it!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 9
I've been trying to eat healthier, keeping to the cleanse rules as much as possible which has included substituting some stuff for my regular standbys. I'll try organic and stay away from the refined sugars and flours. I've modified a recipe to follow these rules and it turned out quite nice. I think I would add a bit of hot sauce to the sauce to give it a bit more zip. Visit Shan's blog for more What's Cooking Wednesday.
Tilapia Casserole (modified from Recipezaaar #103100)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons spelt flour (you can use all-purpose but I'm avoiding the refined goods)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb frozen tilapia fillets (not the breaded kind... I buy fresh and freeze them)
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of shrimp soup (undiluted)
40 BlueDiamond Pecan Nut Thin crackers, crushed (in the health food aisle... you could substitute Ritz and mix them with melted margarine)
Directions
Make the sauce (or use 1 can cream of whatever-kind-you want soup undiluted)
1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Stir in flour, keep stirring until smooth and bubbly.
3. Remove from heat and add the broth and milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth.
4. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens.
5. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed to taste. Set aside.
Assemble Casserole
1. Layer frozen fish fillets in greased casserole dish (9x9), overlapping if needed (I sprinkle them with a little Mrs. Dash or Lemon Pepper).
2. Spread cream sauce over fish.
3. Sprinkle crackers over casserole.
4. Bake uncovered at 350° for about 60 minutes.
Enjoy! I made Steamed Asparagus and Carrots and Brown Basmati Rice to accompany.
Tilapia Casserole (modified from Recipezaaar #103100)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons spelt flour (you can use all-purpose but I'm avoiding the refined goods)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb frozen tilapia fillets (not the breaded kind... I buy fresh and freeze them)
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of shrimp soup (undiluted)
40 BlueDiamond Pecan Nut Thin crackers, crushed (in the health food aisle... you could substitute Ritz and mix them with melted margarine)
Directions
Make the sauce (or use 1 can cream of whatever-kind-you want soup undiluted)
1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Stir in flour, keep stirring until smooth and bubbly.
3. Remove from heat and add the broth and milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth.
4. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens.
5. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed to taste. Set aside.
Assemble Casserole
1. Layer frozen fish fillets in greased casserole dish (9x9), overlapping if needed (I sprinkle them with a little Mrs. Dash or Lemon Pepper).
2. Spread cream sauce over fish.
3. Sprinkle crackers over casserole.
4. Bake uncovered at 350° for about 60 minutes.
Enjoy! I made Steamed Asparagus and Carrots and Brown Basmati Rice to accompany.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 8
One of the fantastic meals I had during my cleanse was an amazing Asparagus Risotto and a lovely salad. I gave the leftover to Sara who stuffed herself (the recipe serves 4-6 and we polished it off between the 2 of us!). The risotto picture is not that great but SO YUMMY!!!
The Recipe
Asparagus Risotto (from The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health by Dr. Thomas Rau)
1 large bunch of asparagus, 1 to 1 1/4 lbs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced leek (white and pale green parts)
1 cup Arborio rice (I had to substitute Sticky Rice and it worked great)
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves or crumbled dried
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 to 5 cups hot vegetable or chicken broth
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup grated Manchego cheese (I substituted Goat Cheddar as I couldn't find Manchego)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Cut off the whitish bottom parts of the asparagus stalks. Cut the remaining green stalks into thin rounds, stopping about 1 inch from the tips. Cut the tips lengthwise in half and set aside.
In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring once or twice, for 2 minutes. Add the rice and tarragon and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes longer.
Pour in the wine and cook, stirring , until most of it evaporates. Add the sliced asparagus stalks and 2/3 cup of the warm broth and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed Add 1/2 cup broth and cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Continue to cook, gradually adding more broth about 1/2 cup at a time, for 10 minutes.
Add the asparagus tips and continue to cook in the same manner, adding more broth as needed, until the rice is al dente and the sauce around it is thick and creamy, 8 to 10 minutes longer.
Stir in the butter and cheese. Season lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Serve at once.
The salad was mixed greens, shredded carrots, roasted beets and cucumbers dressed with balsamic vinegar and sunflower oil. Yum!
The Recipe
Asparagus Risotto (from The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health by Dr. Thomas Rau)
1 large bunch of asparagus, 1 to 1 1/4 lbs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced leek (white and pale green parts)
1 cup Arborio rice (I had to substitute Sticky Rice and it worked great)
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves or crumbled dried
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 to 5 cups hot vegetable or chicken broth
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup grated Manchego cheese (I substituted Goat Cheddar as I couldn't find Manchego)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Cut off the whitish bottom parts of the asparagus stalks. Cut the remaining green stalks into thin rounds, stopping about 1 inch from the tips. Cut the tips lengthwise in half and set aside.
In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring once or twice, for 2 minutes. Add the rice and tarragon and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes longer.
Pour in the wine and cook, stirring , until most of it evaporates. Add the sliced asparagus stalks and 2/3 cup of the warm broth and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed Add 1/2 cup broth and cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Continue to cook, gradually adding more broth about 1/2 cup at a time, for 10 minutes.
Add the asparagus tips and continue to cook in the same manner, adding more broth as needed, until the rice is al dente and the sauce around it is thick and creamy, 8 to 10 minutes longer.
Stir in the butter and cheese. Season lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Serve at once.
The salad was mixed greens, shredded carrots, roasted beets and cucumbers dressed with balsamic vinegar and sunflower oil. Yum!
New Opportunities
Well, it seems that I'm in need of a business card. People are coming to me for design work and I don't think I can use the business card from my previous employer and just cross out all the contact info and pencil in my new stuff. I think one of the hardest things is to design something for yourself but I've gone ahead and designed it and a landing page for my website (whenever I get a chance to create that) so I think it's almost official. I wasn't expecting it to happen quite this soon and by no means is this a full income but it's a start. In a another year or so Quin will be in school (possibly full-time YIKES) so I will have a bit more time during the day to pick up some more work.
Anyway, I love my card. The front is simple and clean and the back feels so lovely. My sister, Sara, is not sold on the back... She doesn't feel it matches the front or that is gives the idea that I'm a fabric designer but I still love it (see below).
I had troubles with a name. Originally I thought I'd just use Heather Lee Designs but if anyone has some spare time and wants to google Heather Lee, you'd find the plethora of sites dedicated to a lovely porn star with the same name. Nice, huh.
Anyway, I love my card. The front is simple and clean and the back feels so lovely. My sister, Sara, is not sold on the back... She doesn't feel it matches the front or that is gives the idea that I'm a fabric designer but I still love it (see below).
I had troubles with a name. Originally I thought I'd just use Heather Lee Designs but if anyone has some spare time and wants to google Heather Lee, you'd find the plethora of sites dedicated to a lovely porn star with the same name. Nice, huh.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Back into the swing of things
So the last couple of weeks have been a blur. I finished the cleanse, landed a couple of new clients, watched an extra child for 3 days and waited hours for our new fridge and dishwasher (ended up getting a loaner fridge as our new one apparently won't arrive until mid-next week). I have been so remiss in blogging. I have been toiling away on the computer doing my design work but haven't found time to get my thoughts out there. I've even taken pictures of some really yummy meals for What's Cooking Wednesday but haven't had the time to post them.
Tyler has finished SK and has been really excited telling me each night before he falls asleep the "You know Mom, tomorrow I don't have to go to school!!" It's been fantastic not having to rush around in the morning. The kids are loving going out in their PJs to play in the sandbox. We set up the tent in the back yard and the boys have been having sleep outs. One of us stays inside with Addison and the other sleeps with the boys in the tent. I think I'd like to try the playpen in the tent and see how Addison does as a test drive for camping the August 1st weekend.
So I really excited about this Thursday. I would like to take the kids to Toronto to see all their Kids CBC friends (Patti and Syd - the hosts, the Doodlebops perform, Captian Claw, Mama Yamma, Salmon de Champlain, Curious George etc.) And it's FREE! (at least the kids are, I might have to pay something). Now, for the not so fun part... I don't think I want to take them by myself... I think that would freak me but we'll see (driving with screaming kids down the 401 and worrying about losing them in Toronto). Yes, I'm slightly paranoid about that sort of thing. But I don't want them to miss it so if Craig can't take his day off on Thursday, I might surprise myself by actually going!
Tyler has finished SK and has been really excited telling me each night before he falls asleep the "You know Mom, tomorrow I don't have to go to school!!" It's been fantastic not having to rush around in the morning. The kids are loving going out in their PJs to play in the sandbox. We set up the tent in the back yard and the boys have been having sleep outs. One of us stays inside with Addison and the other sleeps with the boys in the tent. I think I'd like to try the playpen in the tent and see how Addison does as a test drive for camping the August 1st weekend.
So I really excited about this Thursday. I would like to take the kids to Toronto to see all their Kids CBC friends (Patti and Syd - the hosts, the Doodlebops perform, Captian Claw, Mama Yamma, Salmon de Champlain, Curious George etc.) And it's FREE! (at least the kids are, I might have to pay something). Now, for the not so fun part... I don't think I want to take them by myself... I think that would freak me but we'll see (driving with screaming kids down the 401 and worrying about losing them in Toronto). Yes, I'm slightly paranoid about that sort of thing. But I don't want them to miss it so if Craig can't take his day off on Thursday, I might surprise myself by actually going!
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