A little while ago I was contacted by Brenda Tuttle, author and creator of Chef Joey's Cupcake Creation and asked if I would be interested in doing a review. While I wasn't, my Little Sous Chef was very interested and could not wait to get the book and start baking.
My Little Sous Chef is 7 years old, and while he can read quite well and has been a helper in the kitchen over the years, he is still 7.
Hi, I'm the Little Sous Chef and I want to tell you about a book called Chef Joey's Cupcake Creations. I liked this book and the cupcakes were so good. You could even put peanut butter in the icing. And that's what I did for two of them.
My mom is going to ask me some questions about the book and here are my answers:
Was the book easy to read? Yes, it was easy to read.
Did you like the pictures? Not really cause they were a bit babyish.
What made the pictures babyish? Cause there is a baby in it and then it skips until he is a grown up, there is no "years later" showing he growed up.
Did you need anything special to make the cupcakes? Yes I needed cake mix.
Could you make the cupcakes without my help? Not yet but later, when I'm older.
Why couldn't you make them without help? Because I can't measure things and I can't put things in the oven. And I didn't understand the numbers.
What numbers? The numbers of the measuring, like 1/3.
What else do you want to tell me about the book? I didn't use orchids (what's an orchid?). I had Lightening McQueen paper cups and I put little silver and gold balls on the cupcakes.
How many cupcakes did you eat? By now I've aten about 8. Me and my brother have had all of them.
Did your Dad and I get any? Well ya, you both had 1.
Would tell other people about this book? Yup! I will.
Who will you tell? I don't know.
Will you share this book? Yes, I will share it with my friends.
Do you have anything else you want to tell me? Nope. Hope you like the book!
"Guest" Post: Chef Joey's Cupcake Creation
Menu Plan Monday: When delayed posting doesn't work
Delayed posting is a wonderful thing - when it works. It doesn't work when you put in the wrong date and time. Human error.
Oh well, at least the intention was there.
With Halloween done, I won't be at Saunders Farm every weekend, so there will hopefully be more time for baking and planning. Sunday was the 1st of November and also my first "day off" in awhile, so I took advantage of that time and made Lemon Yogurt Bread, with cranberries in it. Going to have a piece in my lunch today.
On to Menu Plan Monday!
Sunday: Roast beef with roasted potatoes, cauliflower and carrots, with gravy.
Monday: Chicken wings, wedge fries and salad. Last minute pick up when my initial plan was missing items.
Tuesday: Spareribs with Hawaiian sauce, rice and green beans.
Wednesday: Penne with tomatoes and garlic, with garlic bread.
Thursday: Chicken Tikka Masala with rice and naan bread.
Friday: French toast. Maybe with bacon.
Have a nice week!
Tyler Florence Friday: Its been fun Tyler!
Its that time. The last Tyler Florence Friday.
What fun it has been, exploring a new chef and his recipes, meeting so many new bloggers.
Rather than end with a bang, I thought I would end with something simple and worth keeping in your repetoire: Tyler's basic crepe recipe.
Crepes are such a worth while item to learn how to make. They are a blank canvas for just about anything you want to fill them with. Smear them with a bit of jam and sprinkle them with icing sugar, and they look impressive. Or saute them in butter sauce and flame them for major wow. Skip the sugar and fill them with chicken and spinach for a fancy main course.
Really, you can do anything you want with them!
I threw these together one Saturday morning, a quick whirl in the blender, then cutting some fruit while the crepe batter rested. My filling of choice that day was sauted peaches in a creamy caramel sauce (brown sugar and butter with a touch of cream), and a drizzle of cinnamon honey yogurt.
The husband had thirds.
Thanks for all the new recipes Tyler! And big hugs and thanks to the lovely ladies who host Tyler Florence Fridays each week, for their hard work and inspiration!
Menu Plan Monday: I'm a day late posting, but still here
I had my plan ready yesterday, I just "forgot" to put it up here and link it to Menu Plan Monday.
Alright, to be totally honest, I had no time in the morning and was so tired last night I went to bed about the same time as my oldest child and conked out. Then I missed swimming this morning because there was no way I was going to be able to get up at 4:40am. I had a hard time getting up at 7:30 am!
I think this multi job thing is catching up with me and my body is objecting. No worries, though, I can sleep in on Sunday (and will!)
Sunday: Dinner at the in-laws, tasty ham and yummy potatoes. And no dishes afterwards!
Monday: Chili with tortillas.
Tuesday: Crispy chicken drumsticks, veggies.
Wednesday: Spinach and cheese stuffed cannelloni with bread.
Thursday: Oops I forgot to write this down and now can't remember what it was! Oh wait, I remember now: spare ribs, drippy with sauce, warm cinnamon apples and baked potatoes.
Friday: I'm back at the Farm so hubby is in charge of himself and the kids. Personally I think I might try for a pulled pork on a Beavertail.
Have a nice week everyone!
Tyler Florence Fridays: I think I need to make this again
In my "spare time" this month, we managed to get apple picking with the children and our friends. As I mentioned before, we tried a new orchards, and while it was pretty, I think next year we will go back to our usual orchard, which has more ladders, a corn maze, and more importantly, apple cider donuts.
Warm, tiny, apple cider donuts, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
Are you wondering what this has to do with my Tyler Florence Fridays choice for this week? There is a connection, really, there is. No, there are not any donuts in this week's choice, but there is apples and apple juice.
The donuts would be a nice addition though, wouldn't they?
You can find the recipe for Thick Pork Chops with Spiced Apples and Raisins online, or on pages 58 and 59 of Tyler's Real Kitchen (a book I must return to the library, three renewals is the maximum allowed.) I did not use bone in pork chops, I had pork loin chops, but it seemed to work and was quite tasty. And used up some of the apples I have not had the time to make into apple crumble.
I think this is the second last Friday for Tyler Florence Fridays. I'm still trying to decide if I want to try cooking Nigella for my next chef, again, in all my spare time.
Have a nice day and eat an apple - I have plenty left if you need one!
Menu Plan Monday: Some days I feel uninspired
I snuck in grocery shopping today, between my son's doctor appointment, dropping him off to school and my going to work. Restocked some items for my pantry, picked up fruit and veggies that would be safe to leave in my car while I worked, and then headed into work.
Came home, finished up making dinner, which, incidentally was not the one I'd planned on, and am only now finishing up my menu plan.
Sometimes I just don't feel inspired to plan ahead. Sometimes it is difficult to think out what to make for later in the week: Will I really feel like eating chicken on that night? Hmm, if we have pork chops on Monday, do I want anything porkish later in the week? Ack! I can't make that recipe Wednesday, then we'd have rice two nights in a row! (Okay, not a problem for some families, but mine isn't that enthusiastic about rice unless there is sauce.)
Today I took some of my planning inspiration from the grocery store. Yes, I went in with a list of certain items, and I avoided several sections of the store (not just the fridge and frozen aisles, since I was packing things up in my car for 6+ hours, with a high today of 11C.) Taco shells and tortillas made it into my basket, for a taco night. Mushrooms made it into my basket, to be part of tomorrow nights pork chops with mushrooms and tomatoes, which will let me use up the cheese I have shredded in the fridge. Broccoli made it into my basket to be the veg on Thursday.
And a small package of cookies made it into my basket because I knew I would not have time to make cookies, which we ate as ice cream sandwiches.
Even when I don't feel like menu planning, I know it is important, so I push myself to do it. It helps my budget, it helps when life gets chaotic and I know I don't need to think ahead because I've planned out what I need and taken out what I need and have everything I need.
I guess I need to menu plan. How about you?
Sunday: Cabbage rolls with garlic bread and salad.
Monday: Stuffed chicken breast with creamed corn, salad and bread. And oatmeal-raisin ice cream sandwiches.
Tuesday: Pork chops with tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese and rice.
Wednesday: Taco's
Thursday: Chicken cutlettes with noodles and broccoli.
Friday: Hubby and I have potential plans, so I'm leaving this open. Beside's, every menu plan needs a "whatever" night.
Be sure to add your menu plan to the long list of other menu's at Menu Plan Monday.
Saunders Farm: The best fries I'll never eat
If you live in Ottawa, you know what Saunders Farm is. For some it is a yearly tradition: go to the Farm, get your pants scared off you! (Or take the little ones during the day time for some Harvest fun and only a little spookiness, no pant scaring.)
If you don't live in Ottawa, but read this blog regularly, you know I've been working at Saunders Farm during the month of October, when the farm is open for Haunting Season.
You'd think with a name like Haunting Season, I'd be scaring people, right? Well, I'm not, I'm feeding them!
If you come out to the farm, follow the path under the arbor to the mazes and stop when you see this sign. The Farmer's Table is where you will find me, helping to make wonderful food from fresh and local ingredients. Gourmet burgers made with local, grain fed, hormone free, organic beef. Candy apples hand made with apples picked from a local orchard (the same one I took my children to for our own apple picking.) And more....
Meet Angela Grant Saunders, Director of Beauty, Teambuilding, and more importantly, Catering! Angela's love of good, local and fresh food, is highly contagious. Her enthusiasm shows when she talks about food, when she helps prepare food, when she enjoys her food. The Farmer's Table is Angela's baby, and her pride shows.
If you work at Saunders Farm and are part of one of the food booths, you are part of Team Angela! Go Team Angela!
Nestled in the trees, this is where you will find those fries I said I wasn't going to eat. I'm not going to, I don't eat fries, but I do make them, and I've had it from many, many, many tasters and eaters, that I make great fries.
Alright. I admit it. I ate one. One french fry. The only french fry I've eaten in 5 years! And yes, it was great!
Its hard not to make great fries when you start out with fresh potatoes, hand scrubbed and cut daily.
No freezing for these potatoes, from the cutter to the deep fryer.
First a slow and low fry, just to cook the potatoes gently (or as gently as you can be cooked in hot oil.) We don't want crispy fries yet, just softer potatoes. That takes time, have patience!
After a slow cook, then a rest, it is back into the hot oil for the fries. Really hot oil, not the same low temperature, where the fries will get crispy on the outside, but stay soft and tender on the inside. Golden brown in color, these are not the fries you will get at a fast food restaurant or will pull from a bag and put in you oven.
These freshly made fries come in two sizes, regular and family size, and they go fast! The smell of freshly cooked fries floats through the air around the Farmer's Table, making it hard to resist ordering a few for your family. Or a family size for yourself.
If you are interested in trying these fries, you better hurry, as the farm is only open until October 31st! Wait any longer and you'll have to wait a full year for the next Haunting Season.
And while you are there, don't forget to say hi to me. I'll be at the deep fryers, making mountains of fries that I am not going to eat.
Tyler Florence Fridays: I think I forgot to do something important
Please ignore the mess in the background.But fortunately my husband stepped up to the "plate" and pulled out a camera!
My little sous chef requested cheesecake for his birthday cake, an odd choice for a 7 year old, but one I was able to do. And while cheesecake recipes are everywhere, I turned to Tyler for this special occasion cheesecake. Then made my own adaptions.
Tyler's Ultimate Cheesecake sounds fantastic on its own, with a warm blueberry sauce, but not what I thought the birthday boy would like. Instead I went with cookies, Oreo cookies, and changed the crust, then eliminated the lemon, adding crushed Oreo's part way through the cake, with more crushed Oreo's on top.
I increased the baking time by 1o minutes, but still found it quite soft in the middle. Still very good, very tasty, and well enjoyed by everyone, but soft.
Sorry, there is none left to show a picture of the cookies suspended in the luscious cheesecake, or floating on top. None left to show you the creaminess, smooth and comforting. Not even any Oreo's left. You will just have to try and imagine it.
Only a few more chances to join in on the weekly Tyler Florence Fridays!
Menu Plan Monday: Happy Thanksgiving!
It is Canadian Thanksgiving today, where most families have a turkey coma. We are having spaghetti for ours.
Actually, most of my family had Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, with the Hubby's family, and I had mine much later that night, after work. Yummy turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy. I was able to enjoy the turkey goodness without the work or the dishes and ended my meal with three dishes to wash: my plate, fork and knife.
We have a busy week ahead of us, including celebrating my little sous chef's birthday this week! Since he was premature but born with no health problems and able to come home right away, Thanksgiving for us is more about him than about turkey.
It is also our family tradition that the birthday person gets to pick the menu for that night, so try and guess which one he picked!
Sunday: Leftovers and canned soup with cheese and crackers. We ate together as a family but no one had the same thing to eat.
Monday: Spaghetti, being made by the Hubby right now as I get ready to go to work.
Tuesday: Homemade Make your own pizza.
Wednesday: Hamburgers with coleslaw and sweet potato fries.
Thursday: Chili with tortilla chips.
Friday: Don't know yet, will depend on if we have company or not.
So? Did you guess which menu item was chosen by a 7 year old? If you said pizza, you were right!
Oddly enough, he also picked cheesecake for his cake, which is what his brother did in February. Not sure why, though, since in February he refused to touch the cheesecake, so we will see if I make one he will eat.
Be sure to add your own menu plan in to Menu Plan Monday, hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie.
And have a great Thanksgiving!
Tyler Florence Fridays: Sweets are sweet
I have to admit, when I started participating in Tyler Florence Fridays, I didn't realize it was a year long event. I didn't even think about it having an end date, I simply assumed we would be blogging until no one wanted to anymore, or until our great hostesses (hi ladies!) decided they were done.
So I am sad to learn that the year is coming to an end.
Not that I will stop making Tyler's recipes, but I will miss the motivation to try new things.
I think maybe I will have to find a new chef to focus on and maybe a blogging group to join in with, just for that extra motivation. (And for those of you who know how much baking and home made with-a-recipe-cooking I've done in the last month, you can stop laughing now - things will settle down and I will get there!)
Yes, it is still busy here. Fortunately, I have a few Tyler recipes in my archives to go to. I had a hard time choosing this week's selection, one of three choices, and they all appealed to me.
The original recipe for my final choice called for pistachios and strawberries, for the Pistachio Meringues with Warm Strawberries found on page 256 of Eat This Book. I didn't have pistachios, I had cashews. And I did not have strawberries, I had peaches. I also had a bit of Grand Marnier, so I changed the recipe to Cashew Meringues with Drunken (instead of warm) Peaches.
Hmmmm, these were tasty. Not as crispy on the outside as I'd have liked, but at the time it had been raining for days and the humidity was not low. Cashews and peaches go quite well together, and a splash of orange flavored alcohol really brightens up the fresh peaches.
It isn't too late to join in on Tyler Florence Fridays, just make sure you make your submission before noon tomorrow (Friday.)
Can't wait to see what everyone else made.
Menu Plan Monday: I think I missed a few things!
Not only have I missed writing down my menu plan in my book, I've missed blogging groups and blog events, I've missed taking pictures of the food I have managed to make, and last week even missed participating in Tyler Florence Fridays! And not because I didn't have anything to contribute, I just plain forgot until I was on my way to work and then it was too late.
October is a very busy month for me this year: not only am I going to be working my new job, as well as my usual job at our Taekwon-Do school, I've added in another job that I mentioned in my menu plan last week, working at the Farmer's Table as part of Saunder's Farm's yearly Haunting Season. So much fun! But tiring and limiting my time for cooking and baking. (It is so limited that a few minutes ago my husband went on a cookie raid and had to eat packaged cookies!)
Still, planning and working together, we have a plan for most of the week!
Sunday: Scrambled eggs and fresh bagels. This was supposed to be hamburgers but it turns out I didn't have a package in the freezer that I thought I had. Eggs make a great last minute substitute.
Monday: Stew with mashed potatoes. (If I'm smart, I will double this and freeze half.)
Tuesday: Pulled pork sandwiches. Maybe with salad.
Wednesday: Stir Fry. Cause I didn't make it the last time I planned to and still have the veggies to do it.
Thursday: Lasagna with garlic bread. The finest you can buy frozen and stick in the oven!
Friday: Something chicken. Not sure how yet, I have time between one job and the next to make something and I think I will wait and see how I feel.
Exciting week, isn't it?
Well, maybe not exciting, but we are still going to manage to eat together as a family for most of the week, and that is important for us.
Have your own menu plan? Add it in to Menu Plan Monday, hosted by Laura and I'm an Organizing Junkie.
Menu Plan Monday: Simple and tasty
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.
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.
