pretzel hugs....

Thought I would share this recipe. We made these today with Grammie. If you are having a bad day, go make yourself some pretzel hugs! You won't regret it. Super simple and great to make with kids. All you need is:

1 bag of small pretzels

1 bag of hershey's hugs

1 bag of m & m's or smarties

Place desired number of pretzels on cookie sheet. Add a hershey's hug on top. Place in 300 oven for about 5-8 minutes, depending on how hot your oven runs. Watch carefully as the hugs melt over the pretzels. Remove from oven and press m & m's or smarties into melted chocolate. Let cool! Place in fridge to cool if short on time. Warning.... these are hard to resist!

Halloween Dance tonight....

Hello Superman...... & "Hairspray" Girl!

Friday night is martini night at our house......

I have Mom to blame for this.... we got into drinking martinis when I was home this summer. First we started indulging every night... then we scaled it back to Fridays only. One of the first things I did when I arrived back from our visit was to purchase martini glasses, a cocktail shaker and some mixes. Ron's favorite martini is pomegranate. I am partial to green apple martinis. Mom likes a dirty martini.

There is something very fun & celebratory about having a drink to recognize the end of the work/school week. It's a time to wind down and relax. Hang out and spend some time together. I think next week I am going to host a "partini" after school at my house for some of my girlfriends...invite them by for a quick drink after school before they head home. It's a nice way to kick off the weekend. Cheers!

live deliciously......

"We will do the shopping, chopping, preparation and yes, even the clean up. In less than 2 hours you can assemble up to 12 delicious, healthy, ready-to-cook meals to be taken home to your fridge or freezer to be served at your convenience. An exciting new menu of meals is available every month."


I have been reading about the new meal assembly businesses for a few years now. They are a huge hit in the States, and it was only a matter of time before the notion spilled into Canada. We have 3 of these ventures in our city now. All of them opened within the last 2 years and have gained a popular following of dedicated consumers. I love to cook and making meals is not an obstacle for me since I don't have a work schedule to contend with.... however, I am still intrigued by the whole idea. My mom and I have booked a session for tomorrow afternoon.... we will make 6 meals in 1 hour! The meals will be ready to take home.... containers for taking home provided and all... we are excited to try this fun new approach to meal-making.

For those of you not familiar with this concept......

"When you arrive at our kitchen, you will be welcomed by our friendly staff. We will provide you with a coffee, apron and a good orientation to get you started.
You will move from station to station and prepare one entrée at each station. Every station is equipped with a recipe, all required utensils and is stocked with fresh ingredients that have been washed, chopped, minced, sliced, and otherwise prepared as required.
You will follow simple, step-by-step instructions to assemble your selected entrées.
Upon completing an entrée, place it on your designated shelf in our fridge, leave the mess for us to clean up, and move on to the next station.
The process continues until you have finished your order, at which time your entrées are moved from our fridge to your cooler/container to be taken home to your fridge or freezer."

I am excited by the idea of having these meals ready for us this weekend because it seems whenever Mom visits we spend a lot of time in the kitchen... and my kitchen here really isn't suited for 2 cooks at once.... we seem to butt butts often. And if we are going to spend time in the kitchen together.... I would rather be doing fun stuff like brownies...or apple pies.

I thought I should also mention the meals that we are "assembling"-:

Autumn Steak en Baguette. Balsamic Pork Tenderloin. Ginger Crusted Ham. Pad Thai with Peanuts. Roasted Sweet Potato and Zucchini Chicken Thighs. Tumbleweed Chicken.

(okay, now I'm hungry!)

the joyful simplicities of October...

potted mums. making caramel apples.

enjoying fresh apple cider. getting out the flannel jammies.

watching the kids get excited about Halloween. the cool fresh mornings.

making pumpkin muffins. the feeling of getting ready to nest for the winter.

a brisk walk in the afternoon sunshine. the beauty of the leaves.

the flu shot episode...

This is what I found last night on my way to bed.... my little one curled up next to my big one.

He had a hard day yesterday. Flu shot day.

It started as soon as I told him after school. The pleading. The begging.

As I parked at the building, the sobbing got louder. The pleas more desperate.

He started fighting when I was filling out the forms. He fought me all the way to the nurse's station. We struggled for 10 minutes. (Where does this 6 year-old get this strength?) Everyone was looking at us.... the protesting got louder. Cries of "No Mommy! I don't like needles! I will run away! I'm gonna die! " Things I have never heard him say before.

He had a complete & utter meltdown.

Not a proud mommy moment. More like a hide-under-the-chair moment.... a Mommy's gonna-need-dark-glasses-to-wear-around-town moment.

The moment the needle goes in.....he stops! Relief. The fear & anticipation gone. Silence.


I breathe a sigh of relief. I am hot with sweat. My hair is all askew. My underwear is wedged. All from the struggle.

It's okay, buddy.
We all have our fears. Mommy too.

(Then on the way home, he asks, "Why didn't you tell me it didn't hurt?" Huh.The nerve!)

the drudgery of making school lunches...

For 7 years now, I have been making school lunches for Hunter, but this year has seen a lunch for Tyler added to the mix. I am not a morning person.... not meaning that I am grumpy in the morning, but just that I am slow and not on top of my game. I could easily throw a lunch together for one child in the morning, but 2 sacs of food make it into the lunch-making special olympics. Thus, I must plan the lunches in advance and put more time & effort into the preparation. Tyler is an easy child in that he is satisfied with a ham & cheese sandwich every single day. I make a trip to the local deli where lunch meats without nitrates are available for his sandwiches. Hunter, well, her main course takes a little more thought... like I was as a school child, she is not fond of sandwiches, but she does like wraps, soups, pasta, salad and crudites with dips such as hummus. However, if I do a little planning on Sunday.... the lunches can come together quite easily. And I find it is increasingly important to me that the lunches not be thrown together.. I think my kids deserve good, nutritious food that is appealing & tasteful...mostly what anyone would want for a lunch.

My routine starts on Sunday when I spend a few hours in the kitchen. I make 2 days worth of sandwiches for Tyler and then I make the main course of the week for Hunter. Then the baking begins where I make at least 2 treats for the little hands that week. This week I made flaxseed muffins with a recipe that called for 1 cup of ground flaxseed, 1 cup of oat bran, 1 cup shredded apple, 1 cups raisins and 1.5 cups of shredded carrot.....lots of good nutritious stuff. The other treat was a batch of pumpkin cookies with whole wheat flour and craisins. Plus, I also made a favorite...apple crisp. Next, I go to work washing & cutting up a few days worth of fresh fruit~this week green grapes, oranges & pineapple. I put everything into the appropriate containers that go into the fridge for easy retrieval the next morning. This prep work lasts for 2 days until Tuesday night,when I start the routine again, except for the baking. Yes, a mundane & repetitive chore, but what my kids eat is really important to me.

We try really hard to stay away from the artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and all those things that turn our food into frankenfood..... you know.... spooky stuff that is not real. I am always astonished when I visit school & I see all the little packages that go into some kids' lunches. Some lunches contain nothing but packages and not a fresh anything. It's like some people are eating as if on a mission to Mars....... food must only come in a packet.

This whole topic also feeds the admiration I have for my mother. That woman packed a lunch for me & my brother every single day from the day we started school to the last day of Grade 12. I can still remember one of my favorite things in those lunches~ her homemade brownies.... always wrapped in wax paper. Yum! ( I also remember a time, with much chagrin, when I was too cool to eat lunch & threw those lunches away....I am ashamed to admit!) But I more than make up for that with all of your cooking I eat now, right Mom?!!!

Whenever I get stumped for lunch ideas, I treat myself to a trip over to my favorite food blog.... the Vegan Lunchbox. http://www.veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/ This award-winning food blog is such a feast for the eyes and so very inspiring....Jennifer Schmoo puts together the most incredible lunches for her child. Even though we are not vegan, this blog has so much to offer. She has published a book based on her blog and I have finally decided to buy it. This site has given me a kick in the pants so many times about what I feed my children.

However, occasionally, all children should have homemade brownies in their lunch...wrapped in wax paper.

Blog Action Day 2007

On Monday, a very cool thing happened all over the internet called Blog Action Day. It is a day set aside for a mass posting about a single issue - this year it is the environment.

Blog Action Day was officially supported by the United Nations Environmental Programme. "UNEP welcomes the simple yet powerful concept of Blog Action Day and calls on bloggers around world to participate".

Over 20,000 blogs took part in the event.

"At the heart of this innovative idea is the message that by uniting the world's blogging community, we can reach a combined audience of millions to raise awareness of the environment, get people thinking and trigger a global debate. " ~UNEP

So, yes, I missed the actual day to blog my little piece about the environment, but I still want to add my small contibution and it is this:- I have started using non-toxic cleaners and soaps. I prefer the Method line of products that are sold at Shoppers Drug Mart and shown in the picture above.I will quote Method directly:

"You may not know this, but if you're using typical household cleaners, you're messing around with dangerous toxic chemicals. Chemicals that aren't just bad for your home, but for you and your family as well. Not to mention the world.* In fact, if your walls could talk, you'd probably wash their mouths out with soap. But good, clean soap, like Method. Our stuff doesn't contain harmful anythings. Just pure, non-toxic ingredients that clean like heck and smell like heaven."

So, last year, I switched all of our cleaning products to Method. Hand soaps, laundry soap, wipes, dish soap, dishwasher soap, wood cleaners, etc. I love how they clean. I love how they are not toxic to my family. And I love how they are not toxic to the environment..... our environment...... the one that we all share. (Plus, I also like the super chic design of their bottles;)

Now I'm off to clean this house....using Method, of course.

this is all that remains of....

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Pie. This helpless victim, made by Grandmother on the weekend, was taken down without a fight at approx. 3:14 am this morning. This is the second victim in less than a week.

The suspect is approx. 5'10" with brownish looking fuzzy hair. Approximately 40 years old. Recently lost 30 lbs and claims his innocence. However, the trail of evidence leading from the fridge to his home office suggests otherwise. Suspect says he has no knowledge of why crumbs are everywhere on his desk & chair or why chocolate appears smeared around his lips.

The cream cheese brownies, also made by Grandmother on the weekend, have been placed in the witness protection program at a secret location. Poor Peanut Butter & Chocolate Pie.

you can leave a comment if you like...

Ijust wanted some of my blog readers to know that you can leave a comment if you like. I have opened up comments so that anyone can comment. Just click on "anonymous" if you don't have a blogger account, but please sign your comment with your initials or some other code of recognition like "friends on White Rock Road" so that I know who you are! It's nice to read comments! Thanks!

put yer apron on....

I must admit that I am a bit old-fashioned. Not only do I love to cook & bake & be in the kitchen, but I also love to wear an apron.... not only for practical reasons( I am a very messy cook), but because of the sentiment of the apron-the women in my family wore aprons on a regular basis. I can especially remember at Christmas how you weren't allowed to help in the kitchen until you donned the requisite apron. Putting on an apron means that you are about to do serious business in the kitchen and others in the family must beware to stay out of your way! The problem is that these days it is hard to find a PRETTY apron. I love the feminine frills of the aprons of yesteryear, not the big manly squares of cloth so common now.The aprons available for purchase in the store have such an industrial or utilitarian look-more like you are getting ready to go under a car to do repairs instead of preparing something delicious for your family. I like aprons that look like they are best friends with high heels & martinis..... a more "come hither" retro type of look.

One day, my dear friend Laurie & I were discussing our mutual love of things in the kitchen, when I mentioned to her how hard it is to find a pretty apron. Not more than a few weeks later, she gave me the most beautiful apron-PINK paisley with a pretty green polka dot ruffle. It was the most AMAZING gift and all the more special because she had sat at her sewing maching & made it herself. Then..... a light bulb went off in my head...& a new addiction was born. I was soon off to the fabric store myself to pick out my own pretties to sew into aprons. Thanks to Laurie, I have dusted off my sewing machine after more than 10 years in the closet, and now I have a stack of fabrics waiting to be sewn into cute aprons for Hunter, my mom, my grandmother....& the list grows. And of course, I couldn't start my projects without a cute new pin cushion, and a flower-patterned rotary cutter. The picture above is the almost-finished apron I made for Hunter... I love the funky, bold patterns together.

Ron is just shaking his head at me..... and he is not happy that he is no longer allowed to use MY sewing maching to fix those rags he calls his hockey gear.

halloween whoopie pies....

The girls got super creative yesterday... not only did they make 2 batches of whoopie pies, but they decided to make "Halloween" whoopie pies. I was upstairs reading with Tyler while the creative juices were flowing in the kitchen and they did all this with no help at all! I only had to EAT! They even cleaned up the kitchen! 11 year old girls are amazing! (And this sad little picture with the fuzziness confirms that my digital is needing to be replaced.)

love making whoopie......

PIES that is!! Many of my favorite recipes have come from my mother's kitchen, but this is the one exception. This was not a recipe made in our house-the favorites in our house were brownies, chocolate cake, macaroons, & nanaimo bars. Whoopie pies were a favorite recipe of my best friend from elementary school. I have vivid & fond memories of going to her house for lunch or after school where her mom would have a plate of freshly made whoopie pies ready for us. Oh, how I used to love to go her house for her mom's whoopie pies... they were so tender, cakey and chocolatey good! Eating a whoopie pie was such heaven and if you finished one, you could actually have another!!! Fast forward about 30 years and I have the original recipe from my friend's mom and we make them often in our house. Both kids love them as I do. I have taken to making these for the kids lunches...after a batch cools, I wrap each pie in wax paper and then put in a ziploc bag in the freezer from which I just add to lunches as needed. I NEVER buy packaged cookies-"Oreos" or "Pirates", or "Dad's" or whatever. My mother always had homemade goodies in our lunches growing up and I would like to carry on in that tradition. A few weeks ago when Hunter took a whoopie pie to school in her lunch, one of her friends commented that whoopie pies "look so good"! So we have invited that friend over today to make whoopie pies-they are not a common baked good here-you cannot find them in grocery stores-and many people have never heard of them and look rather startled when they hear "whoopie pie". I believe whoopie pies are of New England origin...although I would have to "google" that to be sure. Today, you can be sure that around 3 pm, we will be sitting down to a cold glass of milk and a whoopie pie.....

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We are so fortunate that Grammie & Grampie come to visit us as often as they do. It would sure be a long year for me & the kids if we only saw them once in the summer when we go home.

It is such a comfort to know that Mom & Dad are willing & able to come here a few times a year. This is their 6th visit to see us!