Lasagna

This weekend saw a return to more seasonal temperatures and thus a need for some warm comfort food.  We also had a busy afternoon ahead so I preppped the lasgana at lunchtime with a little help from littlest boy,

 and then was able to put it right in the oven when we got home at 5pm.  As usual, we forced a couple of friends to stay for dinner and enjoyed the lasagna with garlic bread, good wine and good company.

700-800 grams ground beef (pound and a bit)
1 796 gram (28 oz) Can of crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry basil
fresh ground pepper
couple pinches of coarse salt
** if needed, 1/2 tsp-1 tsp sugar, sometimes tomato flavour can be a little acidic and I find a touch of sugar can fix that up nicely)
1 box "Oven ready" lasagna noodles
(you can use the kind you boil first but why do the extra work? or fresh if you prefer)
750 grams nice Mozzarella cheese, shredded

In a small bowl mix together:
1/2 cup parmesean
1 egg
1 tblsp water

In a  large, deep skillet, add ground beef, fresh ground pepper and a couple of pinches of coarse salt.  Brown beef.  Add can of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste along with spices, pepper and salt.

Cook sauce on low heat 20-30 minutes.  Taste every 10 minutes or so to see if it needs more spices or salt etc.  Keep in mind cheese is salty so the sauce doesn't need to be overly salted.

In a 9x13 pan place a spoonful of sauce and a bit of water on bottom.  This allows for a little liquid for the Oven Ready Noodles, which  do require a little extra liquid.

Place noodles on bottom of dish with a bit of space between.  I do three across and at the end of the dish I snap one noodle in half and fit it in that space.

Set yourslef up to put it together, goes much smoother

I place a bowl of water beside my lasgana dish ans layer as follows:
noodles, dip hand in water and sprinkle some on noodles, divide parmesean mixtuer in three, then on each layer blob spoonfuls around on noodles. Layer 1/3 of meat sauce and 1/3 of mozerella cheese.  Reapeat 2 more time for total of 3 layers.  I tend to hold back a bit on cheese in first 2 layers so the top has bulk of mozerella.  Cover with foil, bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes or so to brown the cheese.  You can also brown the cheese up a bit under the broiler.

Happy Cooking!

Little Gifts

Monday mornings are never fun for anyone, but I can always count on a smile from my older son.  He wakes up and literally bounds out of bed full of energy and smiles every single day.  This morning I came downstairs after my shower and he ran down the hall to give me a morning hug and looked up with his beautiful blue eyes and his big smile and I thought:

"Wow, how happy is this kid and how lucky am I to be greeted this way EVERY morning".
During breakfast I was prepping veg for a Sheperd's Pie this evening and he pulled out a pack of pipecleaners (which I might add are now sold as "chenille sticks" because apparently pipecleaners is an evil word) and began to make me a bracelet which  he proudly presented:
 "Here Mom, I made you a bracelet!"
It was lime green and purple and way too loose.  The ends of the pipecleaners pricked me as I moved about the kitchen but I wasn't going to take it off for anything.  He them made "sculptures" out of pipecleaners which he hung from the kitchen cabinets.
"There Mom, now it looks nice in here" he beamed.
So I have scratches on my wrist and irritating thingy's dangling off my cabinets but there they will remain because everytime I look at them I see that little boys' sparkling smile and proud expression and I am so thankful for his little gifts of love.
J.

Mom's Homefried Potatos

My Mom makes the best homefries ever.  We just call them "Fried potatos".  They go with everything and are a staple potato side dish in our house.  Every summer at the cottage John bbq's some kind of meat and we ask my Mom to make her potatos.  For years I watched what she did while making them because I never seemed to be able to replicate them.  However, when something is as important as the world's best fried potatos one must be diligent and persevere.  I am now able to make these potatos myself and they are simple and goooood.

Fried Potatos:
(serves 4, increase amounts as needed for your family)

6 yellow potatos peeled and rough chopped
1 bunch green onions sliced (no yellow onions, must be green onions)
butter
vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Parboil the potatos until they are just fork tender.  In a lg skillet, add a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil and a knob of buter.  Throw in the onions and cook on medium heat until softened, remove from heat.  When potatos are cooked, drain in a colander and let them sit a few minutes to completely dry off.

  Put skillet back on medium heat and once it's heated up add potatos to the onions.  Add a couple more knobs of butter, lots of fresh ground pepper and 2 good pinches of coarse salt.

Cook over meduim heat stirring every couple minutes for about 20-30 minutes.  They get soft and absorb all that lovely flavour.  Just before serving turn heat up to crisp them a bit.  I turn up to high, let them sit and sort of shake them around a few mnutes until they are golden brown.

We had the potatos with steak this evening but they are equally good with pork chops or sausages or leftover with eggs in the morning.

Happy Cooking!
J.

A 4 hour Vacation

Yesterday was another 26 plus degree day here in Ottawa.  The pull of the weather was too strong to stay indoors so I emailed Mr. Boss and asked for the afternoon off.  Wish granted. 
Picked up Mom, picked up boys and headed to the cottage for a picninc and some outdoor play
.
I made Peanut Butter and Jam sandwiches on White bread, that's right people, white bread.  Remeber when white bread was just bread?  Well I was breaking all the rules yesterday.  Since we can't send nut butters in school lunches I wanted to have good old PB & J as it's meant to be.  Admittedly the bread stuck to the roof of my mouth with every bite but it was still good.  Littlest boy wouldn't eat it, that child is strange. 

Mom and I moved the picninc table to it's rightful summer location as opposed to it's tipped over leaning on a tree winter location. We doled out the sandwiches, some grapes, Fritos (BBQ flavour), bananas, turkey bites and cheese.  We sat in the sun and ate while boys intermittently hopped up to jump off a large rock or dig at some new discovery in the grass.

No table manners on a picninc, a vacation from "Sit down please, don't wipe your mouth on your shirt, don't play in your drink".  I loved watching them nibble then play, nibble and play some more.

The breeze was warm if it blew from the road but icy cold if it blew off the still frozen lake.
We collected sticks with the wagon and made a big pile for a future bonfire.
We played on the play structure and I am always amazed at how you can judge a child's development based on the new skills they acquire on the playground every spring.
We played in the sand, we sat in the sun, the boys ate Smarties and it was the best 4 hour vacation ever.

J.

Grey and Green

My morning coffee on Saint Patrick's Day

The last couple of weeks have been busy and we've been sick with colds and daily life just seemed to be dragging us down.  The last part of winter is so...grey.  The trees are grey, the streets are grey, the ice and old snow is grey.  No promises of winter wonderlands and Santa Claus, just grey.  I've also been dealing with ramped up anxiety, trying to get a handle on this disorder is not an easy road.

All of this greyness has left me too tired or uninspired to be cooking anything more than some basics and I thought I've got nothing interesting to share so I've been a naughty bloggess and avoided my little Blog.
But then I thought, we have been cooking and sharing with friends, just in a simpler way. 
We had a lovely Saint Patrick's Day Roast Beef dinner with some close friends and some Irish spirits.

We've baked those yummy lemon blueberry muffins, the boys and I made pancakes together this past Sunday.  Last night Lovely Husband was feeling under the weather so I got a loaf of fresh white bread and cooked up some perfect grilled cheese sandwiches.
And now the weather in Ottawa has given us a temporary summer this week.  It's summer temperatures outside with clumps of ice still tenaciously holding out on some lawns (our's included).  Tonights dinner was some grilled sausages on buns, not exciting but fun nonetheless since we get to fire up the BBQ. 
This mini-summer has had us digging out summer shoes and even shorts!  A sign that the world is waking up again.  Today is officially the first day of Spring and thank goodness for that, it couldn't have come at a better time.  However, I do have one small complaint about Spring and children.  The mud.  For the love of God if there is any mud to be found or any puddles or even smushy grass, they find it.  I spent $160 on 2 pairs of shoes for an almost 3 year old today.  What is with the price of kids shoes??  And so Ian was proudly sporting his new sandals while eating a popsicle.  Popsicle dripped all over new sandals, now we have sticky popsicle on the new shoes, 2 minutes later he's in the mud and playing on the 1 square inch of lawn that still has ice!  For Christ's sake kid, can you not wait until you've owned them longer than 10 minutes?
What was that I was saying about welcoming Spring??
Happy Cooking everyone!
J.

Food and Family



Not a great photo but it captures the moment

My sister describes my home as "The Hub".  My house is where we often gather for celebrations, visits and meals.  I love being The Hub, it's a  lot of work but it is very rewarding.  Our little family had a very busy weekend with outings, activities and birthday parties.  It ended with us hosting a birthday party for my brother-in-law on Sunday evening.  At the end of a busy weekend most people would probably balk at the idea of cooking a big meal for 10 people but for Lovely husband and I, it is the perfect way to relax and enjoy ourselves.  Cooking in my small kitchen with many members of my family crammed in, chatting, munching, laughing, is what it's all about.  I derive joy and peace from hosting and feeding my people, it's how I show my love for this group and their presence makes my heart happy.

The weather this March in Ottawa is beautifual and warm.  Originally I said to brother-in-law:

"Request your birthday meal, I will make anything you choose."

He chose chicken pot pie.

 But then the weather turned warm and Lovely Husband had a yearning for his BBQ and with the melting snow and sun comes a natural step away from heavy comfort foods like a pot pie, which we so crave in the Fall and Winter months.  And so brother-in-law's request was ignored in favour of BBQ steak with mushrooms and green peppers, sausages, baked potatos, corn with butter, and ceasar salad.  Sister made a chocolate cake which she iced and decorated at my house with the "help" of my bigger boy.  There were sprinkles and candles and colourful plastic balloon adornments, made and decorated with love, perfection.

Happy cooking!

J.



Smells like...comfort.

Bigger Boy in our bed when he was wee

For some reason, one of my favorite smells is my children's hair.  I love to cuddle and snuggle them and I always need to kiss and sniff their hair.  Not sure why, but it is the best smell in the world and provides a sense of closeness and comfort that is unparalleled.  Lucky for me, the boys are still small enough to want to cuddle with their Mom.  This morning the littlest boy joined me at 5:45am followed shortly thereafter by my bigger boy at 6am.  I got lots of cuddles and kisses, there warm little bodies curled up beside me, bare toes and soft hair, sleepy eyes and fresh ideas spilling out of them.

This is heaven and comfort and bliss even if it happens at the crack of dawn!
Their heavenly scent got me in the mood for more comforting smells and as this morning started a little early it gave me a chance to make Banana Bread!

With fresh coffee brewing and banana bread baking it was a good morning in our kitchen for comfort smells today.  I use my Mom's Banana Bread recipe, don't mess with perfection I say.  Give it a whirl, the smell alone will have you relaxing in no time. 

Happy Cooking!

Banana Bread

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

combine with
3/4 cup milk
1/4 c oil
1 egg

3-4 ripe mashed bananas

Pour in greased loaf pan
Bake 350 for 50-60 minutes, use toothpick to test centre for dineness

My Not-So-Much a Show Home Living Room

The Pirate Ship

This morning the boys were up at at 'em at 6am, as per usual.  Somebody really needs to explain sleeping in to these children.  For the love of God, we're tired people!
Anyway, Lovely Husband and I are sitting in the dining room with our morning coffee because we have been kicked out of the living room or as it is at the moment, the pirate ship for just 2.  This means of course my furniture has been re-arranged, a job made easier by the fact that the carpet is no longer there as it had a vomit encounter of the worst kind last week and Lovely Husband and I looked at the massive chunky pile of barf and decided to call it a loss, nobody was going to volunteer for that job.
For about 15 minutes they played nicely together, now there is screaming and hitting and whining but for those few moments of play and imagination I was willing to forgo the state of my living room, after all it's not like it looks much better without the pirate ship.
Have a great weekend everyone!

J.

A Martyr for Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last night at 10:30pm, and 11:30pm, and 1am, and 3am, and 5am, I could be found having some quality time in my bathroom.  The next victim in our house of a long drawn out gastro bug that's been hanging around our house for a week and a half now.  Usually on Fridays my mother-in-law watches our boys but she is away this week so although I'm not at work today there is no calling in sick for Mom's.
After dragging my sorry self out of bed it was business as usual.  Littlest boy and I dropped Owen at kindergarden where I made an even more spectacular sight than usual in the school yard.  Hey, at least I showered.
On the way home Ian asked for cookies. 
"Sorry kid, we don't have any." I replied
"You can make me some Mommy!  Wiff chocy chpis!" he enthused.
When we got home he promptly ran into the kitchen and pushed his chair up to the counter.
"I'm a little too tired and sick to make cookies Ian, how about crackers?" I said hoping to sell him on some goldfish.
"I can help you Mommy! I help!" he grinned at me.

And so, we baked cookies. And it was fun, and now the house smells yummy and my boy had his cookies wiff chocy chips.

Jen's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

In a large bowl (if you have a stand mixer use it), combine:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
(cream together)
add 2 eggs, mix in one at a time.
Once eggs are blended in add
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. Vanilla
Mix in
2 1/2 Cups of flour, with
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
I usually turn on mixer on low, add 1 cup flour slowly then the baking soda and salt, then add remaining 1and 1/2 Cups flour slowly.
By hand stir in 1 bag of chocolate chips.
My oven runs pretty hot, I bake these at 350 for 10.5 minutes.  Know thy oven, don't overbake!

Good ol' British Comfort Food.

It's a bit of a snow day here in Ottawa today, and this automatically gets my "comfort food" cravings going.  However, today is a work day so not a lot of time to cook...what to do?  Rely on good old fashioned British comfort food of course!  Beans on toast with eggs and bangers.  Not pretty, but warm and comforting and easy to throw together after work.  When I was little my Mom would served brown beans with toast and eggs.  She says that she grew up eating this as well which makes sense as my Grandfather's parents were from England.  We started chatting about this meal and how I was going to serve sausages with my dinner.  Mom says: "Oh, I really love those little breakfast sausages, you should try them with maple syrup poured on them, they're so good"
To which I replied: "Mom, everything is good with Maple syrup on it...do you think this has something to do with why I'm fat?"
Maybe Canadian maple syrup can bring about world peace because it's just that good! 
Anyway, for great sausages I highly recommend the following method:
 First you boil sausages for 5 minutes.
next brown them for 5 minutes in a nice, heavy cast iron skillet.

Lastly, pop them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes to cook through.  The benefit to this method is you get the sizzling pan off the stovetop and they stay nice and moist from cooking in the oven a bit.  The boiling for 5 minutes ensures they cook through without drying out.
We poached some eggs, heated up a tin of baked brown beans, toasted some english muffins, threw the sausages on the plate and Bob's your uncle! A nice comfort meal in about 30 minutes.
To top it all off, I've convinced Lovely husband to do the dishes so as I type he washes. Perfect.

Happy Cooking!
J.