A Life, Lived

Another New Year . . .

 

 

Isn't this typical - I wrote my New Year post whilst updating the maps on my new Garmin. Apparently that is too much for my PC because my blog post froze. SIGH

It was dead brilliant.

Of course.

Oh well. The blogosphere is full of beautiful written and important blogs where you will find posts commemorating the New Year. I am neither important nor a beautiful writer (and I'm only doing this because I have a cheesecake in the oven and what I really WANT to be doing is taking a nap) so I make no promises for this post. No. None at all.

Suffice to say we had a good year. Our travels enlightened us. We lost weight (but sadly gained some back - damn you Italy, damn you and your brilliant food all to hell). At the start of the year we had a long list of things we wanted to do around the house - at the end of the year it is all done but 4 things (light in wine cellar, re-caulk the master bath shower, replace the tap outside, and some electrical work outside) - we are those rare folks who renovated and lived to tell about it. I am now waiting for the karmic burning down of the house as the universe rights itself. I blame the aforementioned weight gain on the renovations as well - talk about stress! Work went well. We shared brilliant wine, drinks, and meals with good friends. We walked more than we ever have - having decided it was high time we explored the natural areas around us. We become more aware of local farmers and food producers. We laughed a lot.

Our motto remains, as always, a life is to be lived.

We try and live it to the max.

Our hope to you is that you can live your life to the fullest in 2011.

Quick Beef Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

A few months ago I signed up for the Fine Cooking Magazine 'recipe of the day'e-mail delivery. Every day, like clockwork, a new recipe pops into my mailbox. I may have to cancel though because I am at risk of being overwhelmed. My pile of 'interesting recipes to try'threatens to topple over and bury me in a mound of fluttering paper.

Truth be told, I need more days to cook all of the food I want to cook.

There are times in the wee hours of the morningwhere I wish I were like a colleague of mine who hates cooking and doesn't really appreciate food. She is happy with a case of Diet Coke and 10 bags of Salt and Vinegar chips. Why cook when one can buy a box of something frozen pre-made in some shop.

This non-cooking appreciation lasts about five seconds. I can't fight it. We all have our creative impulses . . . some write, some throw pots on the wheel, some sing, and some of us cook.

Back to my Fine Cooking e-mails for I seem to have meandered a tad more than normal. When I saw this one I knew it had to be printed off immediately for it had all of the hallmarks of success . . . it was Mexican, it was quick, and it utilized salsa verde. Put up the sign for I was sold.

I must confess that I cheated on the recipe a smidgen. I have 25 jars of homemade roasted tomatillo salsa verde downstairs - why in the blazes would I make more? I used some of my stash which made this quick recipe positively lightning quick. I suspect that my colleague couldn't even heat up one of her beloved frozen dinners in the time it took me to get this on the table. Not that she would eat it though for it is Mexican and she has a fear of Mexican food because it involves possible heat and some sort of peppers.

Silly things these irrational food fears.

I'm going to print the entire recipe for you so in the event that you don't have your own stash of homemade tomatillo salsa verde in the fruit cellar.

The wonderful folks at Fine Cooking made the following suggestions for things to serve with the enchiladas:  Mexican Tomato Rice & Beans or a Jícama, Avocado, Radish & Orange Salad with Cilantro.

Quick Beef Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

Kosher salt
1 lb. tomatillos (about 15 medium), husked and rinsed
3 jalapeños, stemmed and halved lengthwise (seeded, if you like)
1 large yellow onion, half cut into 4 wedges, half chopped
2/3 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1-1/2 Tbs. canola oil
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 tsp. ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper
8 6-inch corn tortillas
1-1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion wedges; cover and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a blender along with 1/3 cup of the cilantro. Purée until just slightly chunky and season to taste with salt.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, chopped onion, cumin, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir 1/2 cup of the salsa verde into the beef.

Position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler to high. Grease a 9x13-inch metal or ceramic baking dish with the remaining 1/2 Tbs. oil.

Wrap the tortillas in a few slightly damp paper towels and microwave on high until warm, 30 to 45 seconds. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon some of the beef mixture down the center of the tortilla and sprinkle with 1 Tbs. of the cheese. Roll up snugly and transfer to the prepared baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and beef mixture. Pour the remaining salsa verde over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Broil until golden brown and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve.

In the Running for 'Most Stupid Human' Award . . .

 . . . is this New Jersey woman . . .

U.S. woman goes ‘all out’ with 30,000-calorie Christmas feast

A New Jersey mom who aims to be the world’s heftiest woman enjoyed what was arguably the world’s biggest Christmas dinner over the weekend.

43-year-old Donna Simpson, who currently weighs more than 600 pounds, sat for two straight hours and consumed nearly 30,000 calories worth of food, reports the UK’s Daily Mail.

The massive feast consisted of two 25-pound turkeys, two maple-glazed hams, 15 pounds of potatoes, five loaves of bread, five pounds of herb stuffing, four pints of gravy, four pints of cranberry dressing, and 20 pounds of vegetables.

In total, the huge meal cost about $230 to prepare.

Simpson also had room for dessert as she consumed a sugary “salad” made of marshmallow, cream cheese, whipped cream and cookies.

The mother of two young children said that while she always eats as much as she wants, Christmas gives her cart blanche to “really go all out.”

Simpson, whose stated goal is to reach 1,000 pounds, has drawn intense criticism for her intentional weight gain.

But Simpson insists she is healthy and says “people who feel guilty about eating are hilarious.”

As an Internet personality, Simpson earns an income from her personal website, where people pay to watch her eat. She reportedly consumes nearly 12,000 calories a day, spending more than $600 a week on food.

Let's talk about all of the things that are wrong with this, shall we?

Firstly - what an incredible waste of food. People are starving all over the world and this woman feels the need to consume 30000 calories in one sitting. Shame people are dropping dead from hunger - pass me another drumstick.

Simpson has two small children. What example she is setting for them? Imagine the body image issues those kids are going to have. Imagine the health issues. Perhaps those kids should be raised by someone else.

What does it say about our society that this woman is getting paid by idiots who visit her blog to eat? This is how this twit earns her keep. What a contribution to society. I was tempted to visit her site to have a peak but I didn't want to contribute to her Franco American gravy budget for the upcoming month.

Think of the health concerns that she is gonna have. Any idiot knows that there are a slew of health concerns with being overweight. . . type II diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, cancer, gallstones, joint problems, back pain . . . the list goes on and on. These are serious health problems. This chick is a ticking time bomb!

Imagine what will happen when she finally has her inevitable stroke . . . 911 call. Ambulance. Special stretcher. Fire truck. Paramedics. Flatbed truck. Race to hospital. Special hospital bed. If I was American I would be some pissed off that my tax dollars would go to helping HER in an emergency.

Perhaps the pinheads who visit her site should have to pay to take her to the hospital.

My arteries clogged a bit  at the description of her salad . . . made of marshmallow, cream cheese, whipped cream and cookies.

Then let's finish with all of the idiots in the world who give this woman the time of day. Talk about her. Feed her narcissistic personality. Yes, I DO see the inherent irony.

SIGH

You just know what is coming don't you? Reality TV. Appearances on the biggest loser. Cameras in teh operating room after she has 25 pounds of surplus skin removed after she drops 500 pounds. Squeals of glee when she sees her toes again for the first time in 12 years . . .

We are going to hell in a handcart, yes, we are.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Over the years I have posted a mess of recipes on my blog (mess being a metaphor for a LOT and not a descriptor for said blog, the den, or my life) - can you believe that it has been 4 years? That is a LOT of recipes over the course of almost 1500 posts.

A lot, kids.

There is only one recipe that I have posted more than twice - that would be turkey tetrazzini. This, ladies and gents, is to me what the catnip was to the cats on Christmas Day. I LOVE this stuff.

When no one is looking a sneak a spoon out of the drawer and scoop up huge clumps of this creamy, cheesey, casserole.

Hell, even when someone is looking - what do I care?

This isn't cutting edge culinary art - there are no foams, you won't nibble on a wee bit of charcoal mushroom (yes, I did this summer in Chicago), and no savoury popsicles are required. This is however, pure comfort in a casserole dish. Noodles, a creamy sauce (made oh so rich with the addition of sherry), turkey, cheese, some veggies, and a crispy panko crust . . . what is not to like?

Classic AmericanaCanadiana.

I'm sending this to all of my pals out east - you folks could use some comfort. If you have some leftover Christmas turkey in the fridge do yourself a favour, run, don't walk, to the stove and get BUSY!

I've tried different versions of this recipe over the year and I do believe that this one, posted by the incredible Elise of Simply Recipes fame, is by far the best.

Turkey Tetrazzini

• 12 oz egg noodles, spaghetti, linguini or other pasta
• 12 ounces mushrooms, sliced (about 4-5 cups)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups of milk
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry sherry (or vermouth or dry white wine)
• 3 cups coarsely chopped cooked turkey
• 1 cup peas
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (divided into 1/3 and 1/3 cups)
• 1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• Salt and Pepper
• Ground nutmeg (optional)
• 1/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (or panko)
• Freshly chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Start heating 2 to 3 quarts of water for the pasta. Add 1 teaspoon of salt for each quart of water.

Cook the mushrooms in 3 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat, stirring, until all of the liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated, 5-10 minutes. Set aside.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 1/4 cup of butter. Stir in the flour, and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes.

About now, put the pasta into the boiling water you've heated. Follow the package directions and cook until al dente. While the pasta is cooking continue on with the recipe.

Into the saucepan with the butter and flour, slowly whisk in the milk, cream, broth, and the sherry. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 to 8 minutes.

When the pasta is ready, drain it. In a large bowl combine the pasta, the sauce, the mushrooms, the turkey, and the peas. Stir in 1/3 cup of the Parmesan and the 1/3 cup of Swiss cheese. Stir in the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Note that if you have been using unsalted butter, and/or unsalted or low sodium stock, you will need to add more salt than you might expect. Just keep sprinkling it in until it is seasoned to your taste. Add a pinch of ground nutmeg if using, again to taste. Transfer the mixture to a buttered 3-quart casserole.

In a small bowl combine well the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tetrazzini, and dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cut into bits.

Bake the tetrazzini in the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the top is golden.

Garnish individual servings with chopped parsley.

Stoned!

Settle down Middle America, this is NOT a post about your sweetheart, Miley, being caught on camera smoking a bong of something. Truth be told, Miley's habit just can't compare with these guys . . .

Another festive tradition in our household involves fresh catnip toys for our feline friends. . . followed by hours of laughter as they cavort about the house in a state of bliss.

Our laughter was made more complete this year by a special treat that we picked up during our shopping excursion in the States - a stuffed, mechanical hamster in a plasticball. Once this thing is turned on and placed d0wn on the floor it just keeps rolling along - much to the amazement of the cats.

At first they had no idea what to make of this contraption.

They just knew that it looked like a tasty critter but the damn thing was in a plastic ball and it kept rolling AWAY from them.

Beckett and Dante warily kept their distance.

Soon they turned their backs on the rolling hamster for the catnip toys made their appearance. The next thing you knew the guys were rolling about in ecstasy.

It is amazing how they can contort their bodies as they roll about in bliss.

At one point Beckett was actually hugging the table leg:

Strong stuff, that catnip!

This is how the guys spent today:

Strong stuff, indeed!

In my next life I believe I want to be a cat!

Presents, Food, Drinks, and TONS of Laughter AKA Christmas 2010

Yes, as you can read from the title yesterday was a full day here at chez Jerry and Paul.

Full, but brilliant!

Paul finally woke up at 8 (ish - the actual time is the subject of some dispute *smile*)

His first order of the day was to change into his NEW Christmas sleepwear left behind for him by Santa. Then coffee and stockings in the family room. I had whipped up some gingerbread cranberry muffins to tide us over while we opened gifts.

Once the stockings had been opened (and we laughed at the cats getting stoned on cat nip - an annual tradition), we moved into the living room where more gifts awaited us in their shiny foil paper.

Beckett was happy to have the gifts moved and unwrapped - he was glad to have had HIS tree skirt back again.

It was almost 10 by the time we had everything unwrapped! We were hungry . . . thank goodness I had made those muffins.

Breakfast was pannetone french toast, fruit, peameal bacon ('tis a Canuck thing - this, my dear American friends, is CANADIAN bacon - not that crap they sell as Canadian bacon south of the border . . . BAH), Christmas tree cinnamon rolls, and mimosas.

Given all of the work that we had to do later it likely wasn't a great idea to drink an entire bottle of prosecco but how could we stop?

The rest of the day was spent getting ready for dinner - you might think that dinner for 6 wouldn't be a ton of work. You'd be wrong. That being said - we love it and would NOT have it any other way.

We cleaned, tidied, prepared all of the food, got ready, and waited patiently for mom to arrive . . . and waited . . . and waited. Of course she was an hour late.

SIGH

That would be the best Christmas gift - mom to be on time on Christmas Day and NOT to throw all the plans askew. Did you read that mom?

When she arrived I made some blackberry lime martinis - brilliant and we opened the next round of stockings.

There wasn't time to unwrap our gifts to one another so we sent her on her way to visit our cousin who lives around the corner while we did a final clean and started to set things out before our guests arrived at 4.

The table was set.

When everyone had arrived we started off in the family room with assorted cheeses, cured meats, marinated olives, sausage rolls, cheese ball, wild boar pate with apricots, antipasto, spiced nuts, and snack mix. Drinks were poured, Laughter flowed. This is our favourite group of people to entertain - we always have such fun!

Beckett was most interested in those cured meats! For a change he got none (athough the same can not be said about the turkey!)

In the midst of the frivolity I snuck upstairs to the den where I ordered a GPS  online from Best Buy - their Boxing Day sales started on Christmas Day and I didn't want to lose out like I always had in the past. SCORE - a $ 400 GPS for $ 199 and it comes loaded with European maps!

Back downstairs we moved into the dining room for the first course - chestnut soup with crisp prosciutto and thyme.

Then it was time for the main course:  roast free-range turkey with chestnut sausage stuffing, gravy, and Mom's now-famous rosemary, orange cranberry sauce. We served broccoli casserole, baked butternut squash with apples and cranberry,  sage, 10 year-old white cheddar mashed potatoes (dear lord - BEST potatoes EVER) and rolls baked by our favourite Mennonite bakery in St Jacobs.

We discovered that the Lambrusco I brought back from Italy goes BRILLIANTLY with roast turkey. So brilliantly that sadly I have NONE left.

I have no photos of dessert for some odd reason but we had cranberry pudding with vanilla sauce, assorted tarts, a HUGE platter of cookies and squares, and fruitcake.

See what I mean? A full day.

Today I have spent the entire day in sweat pants and a t-shirt. I have NOT showered (EWWWW - TMI, I know). I have done nothing. Nothing at all (well, we did venture outside for a huge walk) - we were saying that this must be the first day in about 5 months where we didn't have something planned, had no work to do, and could truly do whatever the heck we wanted.

Although we both were spoiled and got incredible gifts this may have been the best Christmas present!

I hope that all of you had a grand time yesterday as well!

Merry Christmas

It looks as if this guy  . . .

has stopped by . . .

 
 . . . and either his sack has exploded or we've been very good this year. I suspect the former! *smile*

The stockings are filled . . .

 

even for the cats . . .

. . . and they are NOT thrilled with having to wait!

I let will them into the bedroom soon to wake Paul up!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve . . .

 . . . and in our modern world children are sitting at the computer tracking Santa's progress on NORAD.

Parents are racing about wrapping, cooking, cleaning, trying to kids oblivious to the work that goes into making Christmas magical for them.

No doubt many men, being typical males, are just arriving at the mall and wondering why there are so many cars there and what do you mean the stores close at 5?????!!!!!!

Grocery store shelves are quickly emptying of egg nog, butter, whipping cream, potatoes, cranberries, sage, thyme, and peppermint. I know this because I watched people race about in a panic searching . . . whilst I smiled smugly knowing I had a good supply back in the pantry/fridge.

The busiest spot in town is the liquour store.

Of course later it shall be church!

Everyone is listing to their favourite Christmas tunes . . . I can't seem to get this one out of my head today.

It's the last song on Annie Lennox's new Christmas CD - A Christmas Cornucopia. Trust me, if y0u've been a truly good boy or girl this one will be under your tree tomorrow!

We'll be heading off to mom's shortly for Christmas Eve - our annual tradition.

As the hour draws near to the big celebration of birth, rebirth, and the triumph of light over darkness, take the time to remember those who aren't with you this year.

Frenetic preparations are happening here, as I am sure they are there! Our wish to you this evening is for an evening of happiness, laughter, fine food, your beverage(s) of choice, and quality time with those you hold near and dear.

Christmas at the Distillery

Paul had the day off of work on Tuesday - it was his 'Christmas' day since Christmas falls on a Saturday, a day he rarely works. To compensate for the missed holiday they give him a day off during the week - now they'd never think to tack it on to a weekend to provide for a nice long weekend.

Anyway. I seem to be losing my path here. This is a post about Christmas at the Distillery District and NOT stupid HR decisions made by Paul's employer.

We decided to head to the Distillery District in Toronto to check out the Christmas decor. The Distillery District is a historic district to the east of the downtown core of Toronto, spanning 13 acres (52,000 square metres) and comprised of more than 40 heritage buildings and 10 streets.

This haven in the midst of the big city is North America’s best preserved collection of Victorian industrial architecture is located in this historic enclave in downtown Toronto. Formerly the Gooderham & Worts Distillery (founded in 1832), The Distillery has been developed as a centre for arts, culture and entertainment. It is filled with galleries, artist studios and workshops, boutiques, retail stores, restaurants, bars and cafés.

Yup. It is one of our favourite spots in the city!

The area was all decked out for the holidays. Sadly, the outdoor Christmas market had finished up on December 12th. Note to organizers . . . Christmas is December 25th . . . outdoor Christmas markets aught to run until the 24th!

We did notice this new sculpture  . . . sort of hard NOT to notice it. LOL It looks like the spiral metal conveyor belts that were used to bring cases of whiskey from the top floors of the Distillery.

 

Fried Macaroni and Cheese

Today's post is completely in keeping with my recent post about enjoying yourself to the fullest over the holidays and worry about diet and healthy eating in the new year.  Now, to be fair, they aren't as over the top as the Paula Deen recipe where she enrobes those mac and cheese bites with slabs of bacon prior to frying them up, nonetheless these crispy nuggets of goodness won't be appearing on any weight watcher menu soon.

This is a simple procedure - make your favourite mac and cheese - eat a HUGE plateful of it and put the leftovers in the fridge overnight. The next day you cut what is left into bite-sixed pieces, dredge in flour, eggwash, and then bread crumbs. The nuggets are then ready for frying.

Let me caution you - these things are addictive! We all were 'good' and took one to start. Then another. Then a third. Someone, who shall remain nameless, had 8 and then took the remaining nuggets home!

I think that that is a sign that these were a hit.

I do believe I am ready for my trailer in the trailer park now.

Fried Macaroni and Cheee

Leftover baked macaroni and cheese, refrigerated for at least overnight 
1 cup all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon pepper 
1 teaspoon cayenne 
1 egg beaten with 2 ounces water 
1 cup panko bread crumbs 
Oil for deep frying, preheated to 375 degrees

Cut refrigerated macaroni and cheese into slices or bite size pieces.

Season the flour with salt, pepper and cayenne. Dredge each piece through the flour and gently tap off excess. Dip in the egg wash and then coat with the bread crumbs. Allow them to rest for 5 minutes so the crust can set. Very carefully drop into the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove to a baking sheet fitted with a rack and rest for 2 minutes before serving.