The ground outside is wet and covered in yellow and orange leaves. My driveway, normally an interlocking stone, is littered with more leaves, my red car spotted in yellow and orange.
Yes, fall is definitely here.
That's rather depressing when you consider we are still waiting for summer to arrive. Sigh.....
Normally my summer menu's would have been filled with light and fresh items, and only now, when the weather is cooler and wet, would I be turning to heartier and warmer dishes. Well nothing in my menu plan is going to be new and innovative, and all of it repeats of items I made during the summer.
Sunday: Left overs.
Monday: Fajitas, making use of left over peppers.
Tuesday: Sheppard's pie (I didn't have time to make this last week so have moved it to this week.)
Wednesday: Pasta with garlic and tomatoes and sausages.
Thursday: Take out night (it is my day off and I have lots I need to squeeze into it, none of it happening at home.)
Friday: ???? It isn't a surprise, it is an unknown. I will be working all day, and then going to a different job at night (feel free to stop by and see me at my second job, I'll be at the Farmer's Table/Country Kitchen.)
As usual, don't forget to add your own menu to Menu Plan Monday.
Menu Plan Monday: Simple and tasty
Tyler Florence Friday: Making best of seasonal and local
It is a good thing I got alot of recipes for Tyler Florence Fridays in August, because September has not been good for recipe type cooking so far!
And besides', this tart, a Peach and Blueberry Crostata, really would be at its best when peaches and blueberries were in season. Fortunately they both were during August. While the peaches were Ontario grown and seasonal, the blueberries were hand picked by myself, with a bit of help from my children.
A crostata is a free form pie, with all the flaky goodness of a pie without the pan. Perfect for bringing somewhere and sharing, which we did with this crostata. It was enjoyed all around and made enough that 8 of us managed to share it.
You can find the recipe for the crostata on page 260 of Tyler's Eat This Book. His picture is much better than mine but the end result was likely the same: empty plates.
RIP Marvin
Just a baby.Do you remember Marvin? My beautiful and well loved sour dough starter, loved "nephew" of Aunty Sour Dough?
Unfortunately he has met with an unexpected end and I am sad.
As balls of homemade Timbits.Alas, poor Marvin, he was frozen solid.
Marvin made such beautiful loaves of bread.I didn't send off a panicked email to his Aunty, but instead took him out to let him defrost and waited to see how he would do.
Poor Marvin, he never defrosted but instead stayed a block of very sour smelling and greenish-greyish looking ick.
His favorite way to shine, as a breakfast muffin.You will be missed, Marvin!
Menu Plan Monday: Getting used to a new schedule
We aren't all adjusted to my new working schedule yet, it is still a work in progress. It is a good thing it was a nice weekend and I was able to get a fair bit done. I've even managed to squeeze in a bit of baking for the lunches, and got my grocery shopping done (except rice, no one had the rice I wanted.)
We capped off last week's menu by having fair food: the boys each ate pizza while the hubby and I shared a pulled pork sandwich and a beef brisket sandwich. I could smell those wonderful little donuts you can get at the faire, but I didn't see any until we were leaving and by then, the line up was long and we were tired.
On to the plan!
Saturday: Spareribs and coleslaw. Normally this is hubby's night to cook but he cooked a few times earlier in the week so I gave him a break and made him ribs.
Sunday: Leftovers. Cause the ribs he picked up were huge and we have lots left over.
Monday: Prime Rib with scalloped potatoes and roasted veggies. Clean up the freezer time.
Tuesday: shrimp stir fry with rice.
Wednesday: Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread.
Thursday: Sheppard's Pie
Friday: Club sandwiches and chips.
The weather is changing, getting cooler, and soon I will have to put away my Crocs and find where I put last years mittens. Expect to start seeing more cold weather menu items in the next little while!
Don't forget to add your own menu plan to Menu Plan Monday.
Tyler Florence Friday: Two for One dinner
My selection for this week's Tyler Florence Fridays features two recipes in one meal, Herb and Lemon Roasted Chicken with Smashed Broccoli and Garlic. It is listed in Tyler's Real Kitchen cookbook, under the heading Table for Two. I made it for four. Expecting left overs.
As much as I like Tyler and his recipes, he uses way too much oil. The chicken for this recipe involved making a flavorful oil then marinating two bone in chicken breast in the oil. Well I used a bunch of chicken legs, cut into drumsticks and thighs, and found there was plenty of oil to marinate the chicken in. And some left over.
The chicken turned out pretty well, and was a decent match for the broccoli. And 2 tablespoons of oil for that broccoli was too much, plus 1 pound of broccoli for two people is alot. I made it for four and had alot of left overs. Most of which weren't eaten.
All in all, a pretty decent selection though. Not a throw together at the last minute kind of meal, and not the kind of thing I will make during a weekday, but a nice change for a Sunday dinner or for company with scalloped potatoes.
Don't forget to go see all the other choices for this week's TTF. And tell them I said hi, cause I'm still behind on commenting from last week!
Omnivores Ottawa Supper Club: The Urban Pear
If you are part of the food world in the city of Ottawa, you likely know who Ron Eade is (and if you aren't, he is the Food Editor at the Ottawa Citizen and a fellow blogger, you can find his blog here.) He also plays host, along with Mike McCracken, to the Omnivore's Ottawa Supper Club, where food lovers can join them for an evening of good food at a local restaurant.
This month's featured restaurant was The Urban Pear, a cozy restaurant found in the Glebe. Forty foodies, including myself and fellow blogger Mary of Beans and Caviar, enjoyed a 4 course meal for the reasonable cost of $70, $93 if you wanted the wine pairings for the evening.
When the announcement for this edition of the Supper Club went up, I didn't ask my husband if he wanted to go - I asked Mary instead! Full of life and great fun to dine out with, I couldn't ask for a better "date".
First on the menu was the soup, a spiced cauliflower soup with a confit lamb tongue filo, green onion pesto and a preserved lemon and golden morel mushroom compote.
This soup was divine, creamy and thick. While I didn't find the green onion pesto added much to the flavor, the preserved lemon and golden morel mushroom compote was wonderful, bright and with a slight crunch. The confit lamb tongue filo was good, but did not seem to bring anything to the soup other than garnish. Floating in the soup, the filo was also a bit soggy, rather than having that nice, messy pastry texture that I so enjoy in filo. 
Our second course was a pan seared Albacore tuna loin and steamed manila clams with a kohlrabi puree, grilled okra, and a red pepper broth mounted with a house smoked smelt sour cream.
Try saying that five times fast!
The tuna was perfectly cooked, tender and melting. The clams hit that right point, not over cooked and chewy, but not underdone either. I'd never tried okra before but was happy to finish off my pieces, crunchy and not at all slimy as I'd expected they would be. The kohlrabi puree and red pepper broth were both full of flavor and everything in this dish matched well together.
Next was our main course, a beef tenderloin with a panzanella salad of 5th Town fedda cheese, organic tomatoes and balsamic marinated bread with grilled king eryngii mushrooms and a black olive tapenade with basil pesto highlights.
I love beef tenderloin, but only if it is done right, medium rare, pink throughout. This tenderloin melted into my mouth, soft and perfect. I needed my steak knife more for the panzanella, which was hearty and full of flavor. The organic tomatoes were sweet and juice, a lovely paring with the beef.
I didn't see any type of mushroom on my plate, let alone a king eryngii mushroom, which was a bit of a disappointment as I love mushrooms.
Our final course of the evening was our dessert, a roasted Niagara Peach with spruce and balsamic bacon cracker, blueberry infused white chocolate mousse (though funnily spelt mouse on the menu), crumbled oats and basil syrup.
I love bacon but did not understand the bacon for this dish. Nor did I "get" the basil syrup. I enjoyed my "mouse", bites of which I always tried to have with a piece of peach and some crumbled oats. Those flavors worked well together, a bit of a crunch along with the freshness of the peach and the softness of the mousse.
Our little corner agreed, however, that the dessert was not the highlight of the evening we expected it would be. After so wonderful a meal, dessert should wow you, and while we all enjoyed it, this one left us all feeling something was missing.
Chef/owner Ben Baird, and sous-chef Mark Currier, along with all the staff, did a wonderful job hosting us. The service was friendly and fabulous, the setting was lovely, and the food was very good. I'd go back for more beef tenderloin and for more of that fabulous soup.
Thanks to Ron and Mike for hosting (and I hope you get better very soon Mike!) a great evening out!
Menu Plan Monday: And a little news
I'm giving myself alot of leeway this week when it comes to following my menu plan. Chances are at least once I am going to be picking something up for dinner, but it is for a good cause: my sanity!
Last week, I accepted a job offer and began working at IKEA in Ottawa. No, they did not hire me as their head chef, but I am working with food. And while I am supposed to be 3/4 time, for the next 5 days at least, I am working full time. I will have time in the morning to get the boys off to school, but it will be their dad meeting them off the bus and possibly starting dinner.
So taking advantage of the Sweedish Food Shop for a few things on the menu this week, here we go!
Sunday: Roast beef with roasted potatoes and gravy. Joint effort by the hubby and I.
Monday: Sausages with IKEA's scalloped potatoes.
Tuesday: Pasta with tomato sauce and garlic toast.
Wednesday: I'm out for the Omnivore Ottawa Supper Club with Beans and Caviar so the hubby will figure out dinner for himself and the boys!
Thursday: Hamburgers with chips and salad.
Friday: Bacon and eggs. I think. Maybe. Oh who knows, by then I might be ready to collapse!
Don't forget to add your own menu plan to Menu Plan Monday!
And forgive me if I'm really quiet for the next little while, either here at my blog, or leaving a comment on yours (I worked all weekend too, so have not yet had the chance to do my usual read/comments of fellow Tyler Florence Friday posts, sorry about that!) There will still be eating and cooking happening, just likely without a camera.
Tyler Florence Fridays: Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day!
This is going to be short but sweet this week (kinda like this breakfast was!)
Caramel apple croissant French toast.
Do I really need to explain more?
No, I didn't think so.
Wow! It was divine. I loved it, my kids loved it. My poor hubby, he didn't get any.
I made half the caramel and apples, mostly because I only had a few apples on hand. And they were Gala, not Granny Smith. Which was fine with us. And half was plenty as well.
I made one or two more croissants than the recipe called for, but that's because the kids asked for seconds and I had some egg/milk mixture left.
This beautiful, tasty breakfast is my submission to this week's Tyler Florence Fridays, and I'd tell you which book it came from but I can't remember right now. 
Menu Plan Monday: Happy Labor Day
Labor Day weekend, usually the weekend before school starts. Not this year. This year it is the first long weekend of the school year. For me, it is a day of laundry and to get some baking done for lunches this week.
And maybe get a nap in.
Fortunately we have lots of left overs from yesterday, so I don't need to worry about a lunch for everyone today, though now that school is in, my boys are eating peanut butter for every lunch outside of school.
On to this week's plan....
Sunday: Chinese food feast. Yummy stuff. Having left overs for lunch today.
Monday: Roast chicken with Parmesan broccoli and mashed potatoes. I'm making extra chicken for later in the week.
Tuesday: Taco's.
Wednesday: Mac and Cheese. Will figure out something for the hubby to have later, since he won't eat mac and cheese with the rest of us.
Or I will pick up bread and veggies and we will have a make your own sub sandwich night.
Thursday: Enchiladas with salad.
Friday: Thai chicken soup. Probably without the Kafir lime leaves, though, as I've never seen any anywhere.
I'm leaving you with a picture that will hopefully today be loaded up on my Flicker site, along with many more. It is from an early morning walk when we went camping a few weeks ago, and I just like it.
Don't forget to head over to Menu Plan Monday for more plans and inspiration.
Tyler Florence Fridays: A new twist on an old favorite
You aren't going to get a picture of the final product of this recipe, Roasted Corn with Parmesan, my choice for this week's Tyler Florence Fridays. The finished result does not end in something that is picture-worthy, and trust me, I tried. Not too hard, mind you. I really wanted to eat my corn, not just take pictures of it.
This might not sound so appealing to everyone, but here is how this works: Bake your corn in the oven, still in the husk (this is a technique I am going to use again and again and again...), then peel back the husk and grill the corn. Give it some good color. When it is to your liking, smear it with mayonnaise. Yes, mayo. I used store bought this time, but you could make homemade. Then sprinkle on Parmesan cheese.
That's it. Eat it. Trust me. Eat it. It really is good.
You will find the "recipe" for this on page 156 of Tyler's book, Eat This Book. I skipped the cayenne and the lime. It didn't need it.
Product Review: PC Butter Chicken Sauce
If you've read my blog for awhile, you know a few things about my family and I. We like Butter Chicken is one of them. I've even posted a recipe for Butter Chicken before.
You also know that I prefer to make things from scratch. In the past I've posted of homemade jams, ketchup, breads and baked goods. Making from scratch is not always the least expensive way to do things, but it tends to be the healthiest.
That said, sometimes it is easier to go with a premade product and not all premade products are bad. In fact, some of them are quite good.
I include the President's Choice Indian Butter Chicken sauce in that list of items that are quite good and worth the value of what comes in the jar (plus it is a good, solid jar that can be reused.) The sauce is thick and flavorful and my kids love it. It is a good choice when you are pressed for time but still want a healthful meal on the table - just throw some chunks of chicken in a pot to brown, pour on a jar of sauce, let is bubble for a few minutes and then serve on rice with a side of veggies. Naan bread rounds it out (and PC makes a decent Naan bread as well, for when you don't have time to make your own.)
Is this the most healthy way I could sever butter chicken to my family? No, it isn't. There is too much sodium and fat in this sauce for my comfort level (though PC does make a Blue Menu version, which is lower in fat, sodium and calories, we don't like it quite as much - it looses something in flavor along with all the fat and sodium.) But when my alternatives for a quick dinner that everyone will eat all involve much worse choices, I'll stick with grabbing a jar (or two, we like to dip Naan in the sauce) of PC Butter chicken sauce.
Menu Plan Monday: Back to school time
It has been a busy day, just like last week was a busy week, and that sometimes throws my menu plan off balance. My trout fishing experience pushed back last Tuesday's planned dinner, and an extra busy Friday resulted in take-out Chinese food instead of a homemade meal. No one complained (except my groaning budget).
Tomorrow marks the first day back to school for the boys, something that is causing mixed feelings here. My oldest is thrilled to be going back, misses his friends and has had enough of being home (and dealing with me requiring a reasonably clean room.) My youngest is not at all looking forward to going back and gets quite grumpy any time anyone mentions it to him.
Unless they are talking about lunches to him, then he cheers up. So to soften the blow of going back, I just pulled out a batch of brownies from the oven, ones that I have upped the fun factor to by sprinkling on some toffee chips.
My house smells very nice right now, warm and chocolaty.
On to the menu plan!
Sunday: Stew with mashed potatoes. By request of the Hubby. It was chilly and rainy.
Monday: Thick pork chops with apples and raisins. From last week's plan.
Tuesday: Homemade pizza. It will be a make your own pizza party at the end of the first school day.
Wednesday: Chicken Paillard with salad. Otherwise known as flat and fancy chicken fingers.
Thursday: Shrimp something. My husband would be thrilled if I made jambalaya for him, so my short list for this shrimp involves jambalaya or a curry of some kind with rice noodles.
Friday: Homemade hamburgers with salad and homemade fries.
I've been late the last few week's posting to Menu Plan Monday, so by the time I post, there are usually over 250 other menu planners on the list already. So there is lots to look at and be inspired by if you are looking to start menu planning!
Tyler Florence Friday: Megan's August Challenge
I knew from the moment that Megan posted this months optional Tyler Florence Fridays recipe, Avocado, Cilantro and White Onion Salad, that I would be eating this alone. The kids wouldn't touch it. And while it is basically a deconstructed guacamole without the heat, too much avocado would not appeal to the husband.
I, on the other hand, would enjoy the melting softness of the avocado, the tang of the onion and that wonderful flavor that is cilantro. Bring it on!
Aside from significantly reducing the recipe (what is on this plate is what I made, plus some left over dressing), I changed the onion from white to red. I like red onions and can eat them raw. White onions I can eat cooked but that's it.
I'm actually eating the salad as I write this, paired with a fillet of salmon that I pan fried and let get chilled. The saltiness of my salmon is balanced by the refreshness of the onion and avocado, and I never say no to cilantro. I do think the salad needs something to accompany it though, as otherwise it would be too much.
So pretty, easy to make, and good for company. Provided they like avocado and cilantro.
I'm not going to post the recipe for this one, it is available at Tyler Florence Friday's, where you will shortly see this post listed with a bunch of others for this week's edition of Tyler Florence Fridays.
We interupt this regularly scheduled menu plan
Silly me, when I planned for the week, I forgot that I was going to be taking the boys to a local trout farm, Thistle Springs Trout Farm, to do some fishing with them on Tuesday. The rule at the farm is that you have to keep everything you catch, so fresh caught trout was going to be on the menu for dinner this week! 
Boy my boys have been learning to fish from their Uncle B, who is a good fisherman. I'm not, so going to a trout farm, where you are basically guaranteed to catch something, is a good solution. My oldest boy was our fisherman expert, putting his own bobbers on the borrowed lines, helping to teach both myself and my girlfriend how to cast (Or trying, anyways - I caught a tree, the same tree, twice.)
My little guy quickly lost patience and decided to spend some time taking pictures with my DSLR instead. He is a very patient photographer, and a flexible one too, since he managed to take his own picture to show off his lovely new grin.
After no luck at a regular pond, we moved to a tank area where I managed to catch my first ever fish! He may be little, but the rule is, no throwing them back in, so home for dinner this little guy was destined. 
When I called a halt to the fishing, my oldest and I had caught 5 between us. While I didn't catch the biggest fish in our bucket, I didn't catch the smallest one either.
And while I wasn't required to clean and gut our fish myself (Thistle Springs will do it for you for a small donation to the local children's hospital), it is a skill that I thought would be good for me to know, so they showed me how to do it and I cleaned the catch, while 3 boys (my two and their friend Bambam) looked on and Bambam's Mom took pictures.
Surprisingly, seeing the insides of the fish, its organs, did not bother the boys. Seeing the piece of corn the fish had eaten off the hook, that bothered them.
For their first trout, I decided to go with simple, pan frying them after coating them in a mixture of flour and cornmeal with some seasonings. Cooked with the heads and tails still on.
The boys were warned: Any fish we catch comes home with us and is dinner. This isn't catch and release like you do with Uncle B. You have to try the fish.
(Their Dad, who is not a fan of fish at all, and didn't come with us, was not held to this rule - he had a pork chop for dinner.)
It isn't a pretty dinner. But it is a tasty one. Both boys ate the fish, with my oldest, the fisherman among us, eating the smallest one, and my youngest, who didn't even catch anything, eating one and a half fish.
Before eating dinner last night, both boys wanted to go back when it was bit cooler and try to catch some larger fish. I think I'll wait a week or so before asking them if they still feel that way.
Menu Plan Monday: Plan then shop or shop then plan?
I actually did a little of both for this week's plan. I did some shopping yesterday, after camping, and a bit more today. Somewhere in between, I made a menu plan.
It is the last week before school resumes, and I have alot going on this week. But it is my goal to not buy take out pizza once this week. Ambitious, but doable.
So here we go.....
Sunday: Homemade honey garlic chicken wings, caesar salad and veggies with dip. (I should have doubled this as they were so good and would have been great for lunch today.)
Monday: Pasta with tomatoes and sausages, and garlic bread.
Tuesday: Pot roast style tacos.
Wednesday: Herb and Lemon roasted chicken with smashed garlic broccoli.
Thursday: Pork chops with apples and raisins, with mashed potatoes.
Friday: Homemade pizza, probably make your own style.
Now let's see if I can stick with all of this!
Be sure to see Menu Plan Monday for more menus and inspiration.
TFF: Cheese plus bacon
Nice cheesy bubbles, aren't they? Kind of draws you in, calls to you: I am high carb, high fat, and will comfort you.....
Did I mention it was 34C, before the humidity, when I made this? Okay, so sometimes I'm not so bright. But I was in the 'need' for a comfort food and Tyler's Recipe for Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon and Cheese was calling out to me. I couldn't help it.
I wasn't sure how the kids would feel about the topping of crispy bacon, onions and garlic on their cheese (I totally forgot to add the fresh thyme in), so I put it in a bowl and let them each choose for themselves. Both tried it, but my youngest waited until he was done his pasta and then tried a bit, separate. 
The bacon added a nice saltiness to the mac and cheese, as well as a good crunch.
I admit, this tasted better two days afterwards, when it seemed to be cheesier and gooeyer. I like gooey mac and cheese. Now I like gooey mac and cheese with bacon on it.
This is this week's entry for Tyler Florence Fridays, where we pick any Tyler recipe we want and make of it what we will.
Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon and Cheese
from Tyler Florence
Kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat
4 cups milk
2 or 3 sprigs thyme
4 cloves garlic, smashed and divided (Uhm Tyler, where do the other two go? I just used all 4 here)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 1/2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar (my cheese was orange and old cheddar, not sharp white, so I added in some Parmesan as well.)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (skipped this, didn't have any)
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Leaves from 1/4 bunch fresh thyme (oops, forgot this)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a small saucepan heat the milk with the thyme sprigs and 2 garlic cloves. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to keep lumps from forming. Strain the solids out of the milk and whisk it into the butter and flour mixture. Continue to whisk vigorously, and cook until the mixture is nice and smooth. Stir in the 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and the parsley and fold that all in to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Scrape into a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
While that bakes, heat a saute pan. Add the bacon, render the fat and cook until crispy. Add onion, garlic and thyme leaves and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, scatter the bacon mixture over the mac and cheese. Use a big spoon to scoop out servings, making sure you get some of the smoking bacon mixture on each spoonful.
The library, breakfast and Dorie
This breakfast started at our local library. I know, odd place to start a breakfast.
Actually, now that I think about it, it really started right here, on my computer, while I searched the library database for books.
You see, the little area that I live in doesn't have much. It has a convenience store. A bar. A cemetery and a little church. And a tiny branch of the City of Ottawa library, build inside an old, old church. So I can't buy more than bread, milk, or a beer here, but I can get a good read from the library.
If you've read my blog for awhile, you know I like Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours. I was even part of Tuesday's with Dorie for awhile (but could not keep up with one extra sweet recipe a week on top of what I was already making for the family.) Dorie's cookbook is one of my most favored and used books - if I could only grab one cookbook from my house (aside from my grandmother's hand written notes), it would be this one.
Dorie has other books too, but oddly, I have never seen any of them in any book store. I've looked. New or used, I've looked.
So I went to the library and found one, Pancakes from From Morning to Midnight.
I admit, I also ordered a bunch of other cookbooks, so Pancakes has not gotten my full attention yet. I have looked at it long enough to make one recipe though, Oatmeal-Raisin Pancakes with Cinnamon Sour Cream.
Quick to put together, I assembled the dry ingredients while my sous chef measured the raisins. Then he put together the Cinnamon Sour Cream (we used plain yogurt as I had no sour cream on hand,) while I assembled the wet ingredients and finished up the pancakes.
My little sous chef is having an 'I don't like raisins this week' thing right now, which is actually not like him at all, so while he liked the 'sauce' he objected to the raisins inside the pancakes and has requested I make them again with blueberries. This brother, however, went back for seconds (this picture is my plate, with 3 little pancakes - his brother ate 5 that morning, after a bowl of cereal, and finished off the last 3 this morning.) So I'd say they were a hit.
Oatmeal-Raisin Pancakes with Cinnamon Sour Cream
from Dorie Greenspan's Pancakes From Morning to Midnight
1 cup old-fashion oats
1 cup all - purpose flour
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 2/3 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 cup plump raisins
Cinnamon Sour Cream (recipe to follow)
maple syrup
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients to blend thoroughly. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and mix gently with the whisk, just until combined. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the raisins.
Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat (to 350F if using an electric griddle) and lightly butter, oil or spray the surface.
Spoon the batter, 1/4 cup at a time, onto the griddle for each pancake. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to light spread the batter into rounds. Flip when the undersides of the pancakes are golden and the tops are speckled with bubbles that have popped. Flip the pancakes and cook until the other side has been browned.
Serve immediately or keep in an oven that has been preheated to 200F.
Cinnamon Sour Cream
1 cup sour cream, full or nonfat (we used plain yogurt as it is what we had)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon.
Mix together in a small bowl until well combined. Store covered in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
Menu Plan Monday: Camping and meal planning
At the risk of jinxing things, summer seems to finally have arrived and it is HOT HOT HOT! Despite this, my menu has some heavier items on it for this week. Some of it is by request, some is to use up items that we have on hand. That, and my bbq has still not been repaired/replaced, and chances are, it won't be happening any time soon.
Don't worry, though, I get to grill things this weekend when we go camping with my husbands sister and her family. Which doesn't excuse me from menu planning. It is even more important to plan a menu while camping - no one likes to have to leave the campground to find a grocery store, or even worse, to pay the highly inflated prices of things found at a campground convenience store.
Sunday: Greekfest! I usually try to get to Greekfest at least once during its two week run. I love getting fresh Gyro's and pita, and homemade Tzatziki. Yum. Alot pricier this year, however, so I likely won't be making a return trip.
Monday: Mac and Cheese, from scratch. Just because.
Tuesday: Sheppard's pie. I know, this is a cold weather dish. But I have left over mashed potatoes, alot of them, left over corn, again, alot, and want to try out some local ground beef I just purchased. Plus it was requested.
Wednesday: Butter chicken with Naan and rice. (Come back later for more about this.)
Thursday: Salad and fresh bread. I hope to make it to the Stittsville Farmer's Market and will choose what goes on the salad based on what is available.
Friday: Camping time. Grilled sausages, baked potatoes, salad. Smores. And Doritos.
Saturday: More camping. Hamburgers and hot dogs, grilled corn on the cobb. Smores.
Be sure to check out all the other menu plans over at Menu Plan Monday, where there are over 250 menu plans to browse and be inspired by.
TFF: Quick and simple
My picture looks nothing like Tyler's. His shrimp scampi looks visually appealing. Mine doesn't.
Which doesn't meat it wasn't good and tasty. It was. My little shrimp monster and I enjoyed it, my other two boys liked it, but prefer regular spaghetti sauce over shrimp on their pasta.
Oh well, I can't please everyone with every meal.
This is this week's entry for Tyler Florence Fridays.
Shrimp Scampi with Linguini
by Tyler Florence, as found on Food Network
1 pound linguini (I used whole wheat spaghetti)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.
Menu Plan Monday: A work in progress
Here it is, late Monday night, and I still haven't gotten a completed menu plan. And it hasn't been for lack of trying.
For the sake of at least having something ready, let's try this:
Sunday: Chicken Caesar salad.
Monday: Pork tenderloin with roasted farmer's market carrots, sauted rainbow chard and cucumbers.
Tuesday: Take out, likely pizza. It is cashew-challenge day here, which means a very early departure time for the down town allergists office, followed by work.
Wednesday: Crispy chicken drum sticks with corn on the cobb and mashed potatoes
Thursday: Salad. Not sure what kind, but know it will include grapefruit, by request.
Friday: Fish. Don't know what kind. Don't know how, but I think fish. Or shrimp. Or steak. Or whatever falls out of my freezer. (Or fajitas. I suddenly feel like eating fajitas this week.)
Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Be sure to check out some of the other menu plans there, likely over 200.
