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Archive for September, 2009

September 19th, 2009

4 Ingredients — episode 3

Ah, wondering why I’ve tried another recipe so soon after the last one? I know, it’s out of character but hubby’s away. And while hubby’s away, this wife must cook.

Well, okay, not really — he did leave two meals for me in the freezer. And I admit to ordering in pizza last night. But tonight, those chicken breasts sitting in the fridge gave me the guilts. As in, “if you don’t cook me tonight, you’re throwing good money into the garbage!”

So, don’t get too excited now … I’ve got another (wait for it), yes, CHICKEN recipe for you again! One day I may venture out of the chicken section of my 4 Ingredients cookbook. In fact, after tonight, that day may just come sooner than expected.

Here’s the recipe, exactly how it appears in the book …

Cranberry & Orange Chicken
Serves 4. Y.u.m.m.y!
4 chicken breasts
1 pkt French onion soup
3/4 cup cranberry sauce
3/4 cup orange juice

I didn’t have the onion soup or the cranberry sauce, so I picked them up this afternoon. I almost decided to cancel the whole exercise when I realized that every package of French onion soup in the grocery store listed MSG on its ingredients. I also heard my husband’s voice in my head saying, “never trust a recipe that lists soup as an ingredient!” But I didn’t listen.

Silly me. Cause it was Y.u.c.k.y! And I think it was all because of the darn onion soup. I ended up scraping off all the topping before serving it up. We did eat it, but only because it didn’t have a speck of the actual recipe left on it.

I may just need to venture farther out than 4 Ingredients to become a half decent cook (and I do have some great suggested learning sources now thanks to the commenters on episode 2!). The promise of cooking with only four ingredients is so compelling though that I think I’ll give at least a meat recipe a shot.

There’s no scoring for this one because we didn’t even eat it. (And Lynn, I’m purposely not listing the instructions this time. I don’t want you to bother!)

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September 14th, 2009

This was our 'dirty'

Looking back, I can see why my parents continued to fork over what was a considerable sum of money so that I could keep up with my dance classes. I still have no idea how they managed to afford it since I find two children’s activities costly, and they had four. But they did. Somehow.

Sure, they knew I loved it. And I begged to take as many classes as could humanly be squeezed into a highschooler’s schedule. Only now, as a parent myself, do I start to realize there could have been another reason.

Dirty-Dancing-movie-08[1] You see, while other highschoolers were indulging in house parties on the weekend, my circle of dance friends would get together and watch Dirty Dancing. We just never tired of it. I have no idea how many times we repeatedly watched this film (and White Nights – of course!) during those late 80s years.

I hadn’t seen Dirty Dancing since then, though. In honour of Patrick Swayze’s death, I just watched this iconic scene “Nobody puts Baby in a Corner.” The fact that Swayze is just as fabulous as what I remember didn’t surprise me. What did was that we actually considered this “dirty.” Compared to today’s pump-n-grind antics on the dance floors, this dirty dancing seems downright virginal.

Get it now? My parents must have thought that every penny spent on dance classes was worth it if it meant that my weekends were occupied with such relatively innocent behaviour — chocolate consumption and Dirty Dancing.

I’m sure glad they did. Cause I had the time of my life.

R.I.P.

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September 14th, 2009

4 Ingredients — episode 2

It’s okay, you’re forgiven for thinking that I’d given up (again!) on the idea of teaching myself how to not suck at cooking.

My first post on this topic sparked comments from readers that reassured me that I am not the only female lacking in such talent. Instead of mocking me, these lovely folks were sympathetic and encouraging.

This propped me back up because despite it being an age of so-called gender equality, people do tend to go on and on about just how lucky I am that my husband cooks for the family. I wonder if my husband’s male friends go on and on about how lucky he is to have a woman that does the dishes every night?

While my husband has been working his way through the complicated recipes in the latest Food & Drink magazine (and people wonder why I can’t keep weight off), I have worked my way through the 4 Ingredients cookbook.

Okay, so not really. But I did do one more recipe. Sure, it was another chicken recipe, but it was a recipe. And no, it didn’t work out like it was supposed to, but it was edible.

Here’s the recipe I picked:

Chicken with Lemon & Honey
1. 1 chicken, cut into pieces
2. 2 lemons, quartered
3. 2 tbs. honey
4. 2 springs of rosemary

And here’s how it went:

First of all, I didn’t have a whole chicken. This is just too much for a squeamish, former vegetarian. Instead, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts that magically grow in plastic packages at the supermarket. (I was nervous about this switch but checked with hubby and he assured me the recipe would still work.)

Then the next hiccup was a lack of rosemary springs. So I just pretended that they were not a part of the recipe and went about my business.

The result was a fresh tasting chicken that the whole family deemed enjoyable. My husband did remark on the lack of rosemary, saying he’d been thinking about the delicious combination of it with lemon. I explained I didn’t that we didn’t have any. He explained we had some growing on our deck. Who knew.

The ratings: Hubby gave it an 9/10, Stella gave it an 8/10, and I gave it an 8/10. It’s easy and the mild taste goes down well with the younger set.

The cookbook I’m using for these posts was written by two Australian women. It’s readily available in Australian and in the U.K. since it’s been a huge hit. And here’s why: (1) All recipes have 4 or fewer ingredients, (2) All can be measured in terms of cup, tablespoon and teaspoon, (3) The methodology is explained on average using 4 sentences, and (4) All recipes use ingredients mostly found in your pantry or fridge already. If you’re one of my Canadian or American readers, fear not, you too can get a copy! Here is a link it on Amazon.ca and here is one for Amazon.com

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September 14th, 2009

Overheard at the bus stop

Father: “That used to be Mommy’s church.”

Son: “You mean she owned it?!”

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September 11th, 2009

According to plan

I had a great day planned out for yesterday.

It’s been 7 months since I’ve returned to Canada from Australia and in all that time, I still haven’t had a playdate with just me, my 14-month-old son, my sister-in-law and her 17-month-old son. While we were in separate countries, we both gave birth to boys — cousins! — just a few months apart.

This kind of playdate is exactly what I pined for during moments of homesickness in Australia. Somehow though life just ran along at break-neck speed, and we had yet to get together. Until yesterday.

On Thursday morning, we would meet after the boys’ morning naps and let them visit with the baby animals at Valley View Farm.

So, here is how I envisioned this day to go …

8:50 am:  Wave Stella off on the school bus.
9:00 am: Put Max down for a morning nap.
9:10 am: Enjoy peaceful, long hot shower.
9:30 am:  Blowdry, dress, make-up.
10:00 am: Check e-mail.
10:15 am: Replenish diaper bag, pack lunch.
10:30 am: Wake Max from nap.
10:45 am: Drive to Valley View Farm.
11:00 am: Meet SIL and nephew for playdate!
11:15 am:  Enjoy the farm and its animals.
11:45 am: Picnic lunch.
12:15 pm: Chase the kids about the play yard.
12:30 pm: Take great scrapbook photos of the cousins.
12:45 pm: Say good-byes.

And this is how the day actually went …

8:50 am: No one is at the bus stop. Apparently, the bus came early.
8:55 am: Pack both kids into car and drive Stella to school.
9:00 am: Unpack both kids from car and walk Stella to the school yard.
9:05 am: Re-pack Max into his car seat.
9:10 am: Arrive home and put Max down for nap.
9:15 am: Max doesn’t want to settle. Make and give him a warm bottle.
9:30 am: Max settles into a nap.
9:35 am: Answer phone that has been ringing off the hook.
9:40 am: Check emails and feel panicked by rush request from client.
9:45 am: Max is woken up from his nap by construction noise outside.
9:50 am: Find some toys and bring to bathroom to occupy Max so I can have a shower. Shower while trying to convince Max not to climb on toilet.
10:00 am: Get out of shower and dig through laundry basket for clean clothes.
10:10 am: Take another phone call. While on phone, ensure diaper bag has diapers and wipes.
10:30: Realize Max has wet through two layers of fresh clothes. Change onesie and pants.
10:40 am: Put shoes on and leave the house with wet hair, no makeup.
10:45 am: Realize I forgot to bring drinks and lunch. Decide not to turn car around and instead hope there is food available to buy at Valley View.
10:50 am: Get distracted and take a wrong turn.
11:05 am: Arrive late to meet SIL and nephew. Greeted with happy smiles.
11:10 am: Enjoy seeing Max’s expression at first sight of animals.
11:15 am: Kick myself when I realize I didn’t bring my camera.
11:30 am: Feed Max scraps from nephew’s lunch. Feel like bad mother.
11:45 am: Let kids run around in the sand and play yard.
12:00 pm: Realize it’s super sunny and I have not put sunscreen on Max. Plus, no water. Feel like bad mother again.
12:15 pm: Enjoy nice chat with SIL in between chasing after the boys.
12:30 pm: Max is visibly exhausted due to no morning nap.
12:45 pm: Say our goodbyes. Promise to do this again soon.