Egg Roll in a Bowl

 

I have a binder full of recipes that I've found on various parts of the interwebs.  Some are things I've searched for, some are from Facebook, and some are from blogs I follow.  Most of the recipes in the binder have never been tried by me. The binder is like recipe purgatory.  Once I make the recipe it either gets thrown out because it wasn't our favourite, or it gets a star which means make it again!  If it's extra awesome it might even get rewritten on a notecard and make it to the recipe box!  Last night I made "Egg Roll in a Bowl", and I think it might be moving to the recipe box.  We all liked it, and it wasn't too difficult.  Without further ado, here's the recipe...

Egg Roll in a Bowl

1/2 an Onion, chopped

1 lb ground Turkey or Pork Sausage

1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

1 pkg Coleslaw Mix

Sauce

3-4 Spring Onions, chopped fine

3oz Soy Sauce (6 T)

2T Honey

1/2 t Sriracha

Heat oil in wok on Med heat. Add Onion and Sausage. Cook 5-7 min breaking sausage into pieces.

Add Bell Pepper and Coleslaw mix, stir well, then cover for 5-6 min. (It will cook down)

For the sauce, mix the Soy Sauce, Honey & Sriracha well, then add the Spring Onions.

Pour into the wok & cook uncovered for a few minutes until evenly combined and cooked through.

Serve over rice & enjoy!

My Snack Hack

I have always had a issue with Munchies Snack Mix.

I don't think the pretzels belong. Munchies is a summer staple for us, we take a bag with us to the beach, but the kids also don't enjoy the pretzels, so they usually got tossed to the seagulls as we were leaving (don't feed the seagulls while you're there or you won't get a moment's peace!)

Chad brought a bag home from his office a few weeks ago, and I have been enjoying the occasional bowl in the evenings,  but what to do with the pretzels? There is a distinct lack of seagulls where we live!

I accidentally came upon a solution. I left the pretzels in a bowl overnight,  and the next morning at coffee time pretzels seemed like a reasonable snack! 

So, now I savour the cheezie goodness of Munchies in the evening, and keep a little bag out for the pretzels. Throughout the day I enjoy the pretzels!  I still don't believe that pretzels belong in Munchie Mix, but now I have 2 snacks in one bag!

Overgebleven

I've got a small whiteboard on the fridge where I put my dinner ideas for the week.  I don't usually assign the meals to days, but kind of play it by ear depending on how my day is going & how long some meals will take to prepare.

A few weeks ago I did a bit of research, and put my list on the board

- Hot Dogs, & Mac & Cheese 

- Make Your Own Pizza 

- Overgebleven

The kids were excited, Chancery loves Mac & Cheese, Asher loves Pizza, and what was the mysterious "Overgebleven"?

I told them, "You'll have to wait to find out, but it's Dutch, and I think you'll like it!

------------

The day came when the only thing left on the board was "Overgebleven".

"Tonight's the night!" they said to each other excitedly.

I called them to the kitchen at 5pm, and handed them each an empty plate.

"Where is it? What is Overgebleven?" they asked.

I pulled the leftover Mac & Cheese, Hot Dog, & Pizza out of the fridge and told them to load up their plates.

Kids: "What do you mean?  We're supposed to have Overgebleven!"

Me: "This is overgebleven. it's 'Leftover' in Dutch!"

And that was the night the children ate through tears, and I learned (once again) not to get the children's expectations too high, because apparently even though they liked the original food, having it again as a leftover when it was masquerading as something new and fun is MEAN!

Tortellini Soup

This is a favourite around here, but we never know what to do with the other half of the cabbage!

Tortellini Soup

500 gr Italian Sausages

5 C Water

2 (14.5 oz) Cans Stewed Tomatoes with Juice

2 tsp Basil

1 pkg Dry Onion Soup

2 C Tortellini

3 C Shredded Cabbage

In a large pot over medium high heat, saute sausage until browned and crumbly (5 min).

Pour in water, tomatoes, basil, onion soup mix.

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 min.

Stir in tortellini and cabbage.

Simmer until tortellini is cooked (10-15 min)

We're Going to Cuba!

Ever since Chad & I got married, we have talked about going to Cuba. Cuba has been calling to me ever since I married a Canadian, knowing that as soon as I got my Canadian passport I'd be able to go. The timing never really worked out until this year. We decided it was a good way to celebrate my 40th Birthday, & our 20th Anniversary, what better way to celebrate than to go with friends we had not seen since moving from PEI 3 years ago!

Chad & I got up at 330am to get to airport for 645 flight. Waking up early is never difficult when I'm heading to the airport for a fun trip! We flew to Toronto to meet up with our friends from PEI, & after wandering around the airport for a bit we found them, & had lunch together. As usual when I fly, we had a flight delay, but we were quite happy with that as it gave us more time for a leisurely lunch.

On the flight to Cuba I sat next to a lady who had been to Cuba 20 times, so I chatted with her a little bit about what to expect. We boarded a bus at the airport headed to several resorts. They were selling beer for the bus ride, but we were seated in the back of the bus, & didn't get offered before we left, which was good since it was dark, & the road was very bumpy.

We arrived at the Iberostar Daiquiri resort around 1030pm. Everyone was hungry, so we set out to find food. We went to "Mexican" restaurant at it was the only one open at that time. By the time we got there it was 11 o'clock. The waiter introduced himself as "Rollie", he was playing some music, & asked what our favorite band was. He mentioned he liked Guns n' Roses, so I said I liked the song "Sweet Child o' Mine". He went into the back & returned with his cell phone, then had his friend behind the bar call it. The ringtone was "Sweet Child o' Mine", & I had a new best friend! Next he brought his speaker to our table playing "November Rain" very loudly & asked me to dance. I had nothing better to do at the moment, so I did. Chad had been out getting his sweater since the restaurant was chilly, so when he came back to the restaurant, he was a bit confused as to what was happening!

After all the excitement we asked for some menus, & we were told the chef wasn't there yet. So we had to keep waiting for food. Once again Rollie came back, this time with the speaker playing "Sweet Child o' Mine", but I didn't want to dance, so I sang along instead, which delighted him to no end. Chad said he wasn't sure which was worse, that I knew all the words, or that I knew all the key changes as well! At the end of the song I moved the speaker to another table, & some guests came in & started singing along to it, & Rollie turned the speaker off & said it wasn't for them!
Then, after waiting about 40 minutes, we were served the only option of food... Ham & cheese buns, & fries.

According to Chad, it was the weirdest start to holidays ever!

The Thrift Store Find

A few years ago I was in a thrift shop & one of the volunteers was stocking the shelves.  We'll call her Mary.  Mary turned to me & said, "What section of the store do you suppose I should put this ceramic bathtub in?

It was similar to the one pictured here, & I suggested, "I'd put with nicknacks, as it's clearly meant to be put in a place visible to all!"

"But where would you put it, & what would you put in it?" Mary inquired of me.

"Well, if I were you, I would put it on a front hall table, & when my grandkids were leaving I'd say, 'don't forget to get some candy from the bathtub!'"

I don't know why, but I did not purchase that little bathtub that day.  I was living with regret for the past 2 years, always on the hunt for a little bathtub of my own, despite the fact that I have neither a front hall table, nor grandkids.  A few weeks ago, as I was thrift shopping with a friend, I perused the nicknack aisle as I always did, in search of a little bathtub, when lo & behold, I found not one, but TWO!  One was black & yellow & a little too loud for my taste (little candy bathtubs should be elegant after all).  I gleefully deposited the cute bathtub into my cart & took it home to be put in a place of honour...

It's only logical, isn't it?

Samples!

Friday I had a few errands to run, & it happened that I was at Costco over lunchtime.  I was pretty hungry, so I was looking forward to having some samples to tide me over until I got home!  I roamed the store filling my cart with the few items I needed, & about halfway through my trek, I got my first (& sadly, also my last) sample.

Needless to say, I was still hungry!

Delicious, Delicious Popcorn

I am coming out of rain-induced hibernation to share my friend Tara's delicious popcorn recipe.  It might have a special name, but I don't know it.  I call it Tara's Popcorn. It's delicious.  I think I said that already...

The kids started helping me make it, but they scampered off in the middle of the process, & I really could have used the extra hands since I discovered the bowl I was trying to mix it in was too small, so mine isn't perfect, but for a first attempt I think I did a pretty good job, & it still tastes awesome.


Basically cook as much popcorn as you want and pick out the unpopped kernels.
(I made about 2/3 cup kernels)

Then on the stove take 1/2 cup butter to 1 cup brown sugar and put it in a pot and babysit it the whole time on med stirring it the whole time. you can dip a spoon in and touch it to the counter and let it cool, should be brittle and break not chewy. oh before you start that concoction though you should have about 1 cup semi sweet chocochips, a big pinch or two of salt, about 3/4 cup ruff chopped almonds and 1.5 cups mini marshmallows.
(I didn't add the almonds, I don't really like nuts in my sweets)

Basically when the caramel is ready you have to pour it on the popcorn, then almonds, then salt evenly, then marshmallows and finally the cocoa chips, without over mixing and making it look like poo.
(Since I was slow adding my marshmallows & choc chips, they didn't melt in nicely with the popcorn, so I stuck the whole bowl in the microwave for about 10 seconds, waited about a minute, then gave it a stir.)

I'm Spicy!

A few days ago Chad was scheduled to go to a meeting over dinnertime, so in his absence, the kids & I were going to enjoy some ramen noodles (Which aren't Chad's favourite).  We had some guests give us a large box of Korean noodles, so we had decided to have them instead of our regular kind.

Chad's meeting got cancelled, & he was not really looking forward to a dinner of ramen noodles, but that's what was on the menu.  We sat down for dinner, prayed, & took a bite, to discover that our lips were burning!  The ramen was super SPICY!

Now, Chad loves spicy food, but he rarely gets it at home because the rest of us are all babies, & don't like things very spicy.  Chad was thrilled to get to get an entire pot all to himself!

But the kids weren't impressed at all...

instead we had sandwiches.

Grocery Store Prices

After 3 months of living in BC & always wondering if the "closer, more convenient" (Save-On) grocery store was THAT much more expensive than the "seems cheaper, but farther away" (Superstore) store I decided it was time to make a list.  And make a list I DID!  I wrote a big list of the regular type things that I buy from the store, sometimes I get these groceries from Costco since it is so much closer than when we lived in PEI, but here's what I found...

On my list was:

Broccoli
Cranberry Juice
Veggie Juice
Dr Pepper
Milk
Coffee Creamer
Pilsbury Biscuits
Eggs
Butter
Margarine
Yoghurt
Magnum Ice Cream Bars
Vanilla Ice Cream
Cream Cheese
Bread
Bagels
Coffee
Coffee Filters
Tortilla Chips
Salsa
Flour
Sugar
Brown Sugar
Ketchup
Soup for Cooking (cream of mushroom)
Soup for eating (Italian Wedding)
Pasta Sauce
Butter Chicken Sauce
Oatmeal
Granola
Peanut Butter
Nutella

I compared the same sized items, & priced according to the brand I would normally pick if I was shopping at that store.  I only put the full price of the item on the list so I wasn't comparing sale prices  I then added all the prices as if I had bought one of each item at both stores & compared the final cost.

The results were...

Save-On-Foods (with 6 store brand items)  $203.04

SuperStore (with 5 store brand items)  $168.64

Individually, the only items cheaper at Save-On were bread & broccoli.  I did not compare other produce, but I'd be interested to know if that is cheaper.  I don't really like the selection at Save-On for produce though...  I was shocked at some of the price differences!

Brown Sugar       Superstore $4.98          Save-On  $6.49
Peanut Butter      Superstore $8.97          Save-On  $11.88
Salsa                    Superstore $6.99         Save-On $12.89

I'll still shop the flyers since I know Save-On have good sales on some of my regular items (Magnum Ice Cream Bars!), but I definitely will aim for Superstore more often now!

Hard Choices

My parents are up visiting for a few days, & today while we were out & about we stopped to have lunch at Tim Hortons.  Just after we had gotten our food as we were bowing our heads to pray, a man came up to us & said, "Please could you buy me some food? I have not eaten in 2 days."

At first we said no.  We didn't have any cash or change with us, then I thought about how we were bowing our heads to pray, thanking God for the food we have while this man is asking for a meal.  I got out my credit card & went after the man to tell him I'd buy him some lunch.  At that point he was at another table asking another woman for some food.  She was reaching into her purse as I came up to him & said, "I'll buy you something."

The man replied, "She's going to give me some money."

The lady said, "I only have about a dollar."

"That's ok," he said to both of us, "she's giving me some money, you don't need to buy me anything."

Funny how if he hadn't eaten in 2 days he was happy only getting $1 rather than having a meal bought for him!

Rolo Brownies

Every time we go to a potluck, or I need to make a dessert for some event, my go-to thing to make is Rolo Brownies.  I get asked for the recipe for these all the time, so I thought it was time to share...

Ingredients:

• 2 Pkgs of a good brownie mix (don't go to the dollar store, get the Costco brownies, or the 'Chocolate Decadence' mix that costs a bit more.  Trust me, it's worth it)
• Eggs, Oil, & Water as directed on the Brownie Mix
• One 203gr bag of Mini Rolos 

Directions:

1. Prepare 1 package of brownie mix as directed, & pour into greased 9x13" pan
2. Sprinkle Rolos over top (if you want to be crazy, drizzle caramel ice cream topping as well)
3. Prepare second brownie mix as directed & pour over Rolos
4. Bake as directed, adding about 10-15 minutes (test with toothpick to see if they are baked)

Super yummy hot with ice cream!

Book Club Climb

On Monday my book club got together to go climbing.  I have been wanting to do this ever since the place opened 2 years ago, but had just not gotten to go, so for our last get-together it seemed the perfect thing to do!

We started with some basic training.  Figured out how to get back up if we fell into our harness.  Thankfully no one fell off, so we didn't need to use our new rescue skills! 

Then it was off to the big course!

There are 3 levels, & as you get higher, the routes get harder.  One advantage of a circular course, you can always choose which path you want to go on.  If part of it looks too difficult, you can just avoid that element!

There's a falling zip-line off the second level, which was a fun way to get down & start over!

The spider-web was quite a stretch through the middle!

The third level had a dead-drop.  You jump off the platform, & after a few seconds the harness catches you & brings you softly to the ground (with practice I could probably stick the landing!)

After all our exercise we rewarded ourselves with dessert!

We had a great time together, & I will really miss these girls!

Saturday Fry Up, & Meet Up

Saturday I headed to Fiona's house to have a full English breakfast... for lunch!  I took a few busses to get there, but it was a relatively easy journey.  I got to meet her kids & husband, who were very welcoming, & lovely.  I had a fun afternoon just hanging out & chatting about British music & TV shows & movies.  We have similar tastes & it was nice to be able to talk to someone who has seen a lot of the same shows & listens to a lot of the same bands.

Later in the day I met up with Chad, & we stopped at a pub so he could have some good British Sausage & Mash.  We headed back to Geoff & Margaret's to spend the evening with them before heading back to Canada on Sunday.

We are very thankful for the blessing Geoff & Margaret have been to us.  They opened their home to us 13 years ago, when we were poor students struggling to find an affordable place to live in London, & failing miserably.  We have fond memories of walking their dog Tess, helping out when their 2 year old granddaughter Lucy was over for the day, & playing in the wading pool with the older grand-kids when the weather was hot.  We would have had a totally different experience of London if we had not lived with this generous couple.  They taught us what true hospitality was, simply by inviting us in.

Sadly, it was time to leave again, & hopefully it won't be another 7 years before we are back!

Wandering London

Friday I decided to walk around Oxford Street just to see the sights & perhaps do a little shopping.  I was amused when I stopped for a sandwich, by all the choices that I was not used to.

 

After awhile I thought I'd head to Brent Cross to a shopping centre I had heard about.  I wanted to take the Jubilee Line, but it was closed for upgrades, so I had to take the Northern Line.  When I got out at the station I decided it wouldn't take too long to walk to the shopping centre, but the area is really not set up for walking.  Every time I thought I was making headway getting closer to where I wanted to be, I'd find that the walkway ended, or there was no way to get from here to there.  At one point I was on the street below the shopping centre, & all that was between me & the shops was a brick wall of about 10 feet.  Unfortunately I could not figure out how to get from point A to point B, & at that point Fiona texted to see if I wanted to get together for dinner.  So, I wandered around for about 2 hours pointlessly, but I definitely got good exercise!

 I was glad for a rest after all that walking!

And I was happy that Fiona had thought about meeting up again!  Wandering around by myself was starting to get really old!  We spent a few hours talking about our families, & I even managed to get another invitation to hang out again Saturday!

Dinner at the CN Tower

One of the activities of the conference was a trip up the CN Tower & dinner as well.  We somehow managed to arrive 1/2 an hour early to the Tower, so we had some time to observe the city from the observation deck before we were seated.

 

Then we enjoyed a 2 hour, 3 course dinner with some lovely ladies representing PEI, Alberta, Minnesota, Iowa & Ontario!

 

And, yes, I wore jeans!

Dinner Theatre

Every summer my cross-stitching group goes for dinner & a play.  This year, we thought we’d combine the excursion & go to a dinner theatre.  We saw “Heard It Through The Grapevine”, & it did not disappoint!  We showed up excited, & hungry, which was the perfect combination, because there was lots of delicious food, and outstanding entertainment.

Here’s the whole crew

 

The play is set in “Potatoville” PEI, with the action centering on the mayor stepping down from his office, & 2 of the townspeople running against each other in an election.  The audience also participates as towns people, contributing questions to the debate, & voting for the new mayor.

At first we weren’t sure how good of a time we would have.  The actors are also the waiters, & they stay in character the whole time.  Our waiter was the town bumpkin, & he did a great job of playing his part.  One of the mayoral candidates took a shine to our table, & tried very hard to win over Ellen & Adri, even going so far as to serenade them!

I’d say he succeeded, wouldn’t you?

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Grocery Shopping Can Be Exciting!

Yesterday I had to take the kids grocery shopping, since we have been running low on several items, & they were not in school, so I was unable to roam the aisles alone.  I prepped the kids for the impending shopping trip, which they responded to with moans of disappointment.  I figured they were at about the end of in home entertainment & would be glad for the outing, but I was wrong.  Then I reminded them about the free cookies, & they were raring to go!

 

In the store they helped me get some produce, then begged to go see their lobster friends.  Then it was on to the bakery!  While the kids had been distracted by the lobsters I had perused the 1/2 price bakery rack, & found a box of macaroons.

 

The kids got their cookies, fought over whose torn it was to hang on the front of the cart, helped me get juice & yogurt, then Asher noticed the macaroons & exclaimed, “Oh yay!  You got those coconut things that I don’t know the name of!”

 

We ended up with 3 pretty happy shoppers at the end of it, & they also helped me put stuff away!  Maybe summer grocery shopping won’t be so bad after all!

Dinner Dislikes

We were having Moroccan Chicken a few nights ago for dinner, & the kids have definite parts of it that they do not love.  Usually at the end of the meal we find all the tomatoes from their portions still in their bowl, but the raisins are always a favourite!  The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of raisins, but since I love them too, I tend to add almost a full cup!

 

So, we were dining on our Moroccan feast, & Asher turned to me & said, “Mummy, I do not really like these egg peas.  They are not my favourite.”

 

“Egg peas?” I inquired, “What is an egg pea?”

 

Asher: “These little brown round things.”

 

Me: “Oh, you are silly!  Those are chick peas!”

 

Asher: “Well, I couldn’t remember what they were called, and anyway chicks do come from eggs!”

Peanut Butter Krunchie

 

These squares are a staple in our household.  They are so easy to make, & so, so yummy!  I can eat a whole row in one sitting, but I try really hard not to!  I made these for my book club & a few asked for the recipe, so here it is!

 

1C White Sugar

1C White Corn Syrup

 

Heat over medium heat, but do NOT Boil

Remove from heat & add:

1C Peanut Butter

5C Corn Flakes

 

Spread in 9x13 Tupperware, or greased 9x13 pan

 

Melt  1C Chocolate Chips, & spread overtop.

Let cool & devour!