Raspberry Chocolate Sweet Rolls - oh. yes. I. did.

It's raspberry season here in the lower mainland and I managed to get my hands on 75 pounds of raspberries.  A little over the top, but, that's how I roll. Go big or go home.  I don't fool around.

And these rolls. Oh. My. Sweet. Lawrd.  They were gone so fast, and now I miss them.  I really really miss them.

I took the Pioneer Woman's Sweet Roll Recipe and added raspberries and chocolate chips and then glazed them. baby baby baby.

It goes a little something like this...

Ingredients

• 1 quart Whole Milk
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
• Plenty Of Butter (PW says to melt it, I say don't... just spread it... less messy... it will melt when you bake them)
• 2 cups Sugar (i used white for these rolls)
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon (I left this out... pairing cinnamon with raspberries and chocolate is NOT my thing)
• Glaze: (I actually think this will make too much...)
• 1 bag Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup melted Butter
• a couple sprinkles of  Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it - overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.
Spread 1 tablespoon of butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.
Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees until light golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. (modified from PW's instructions to bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes)
For the glaze, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don't skimp on the frosting.

Almost Packed.

In so many ways I feel like I've been packing for this journey for a long time.  Without even knowing it I've been storing bits of information and growing enormous amounts of passion for a trip I now hope will start very soon.  Being a midwife almost seems like who I already am. Who I've been created to be. Who I've been preparing to be for such a long time.
In high-school, it was the one profession that I really desired, though knew I could not be and would not be qualified at the age of 19 to even be considered acceptance into a program, I dismissed it.  In the last 5 years since earning a Bachelors Degree, a Masters Degree, having a much loved career as an Outdoor Leadership Instructor, since birthing 4 of my own beautiful children and since reflecting again and again on what the next chapter of my life will be, I've mulled a few professions over in my mind.  A few of the thoughts that I've had in the last 5 years include the following:
If I could do it all again, I'd likely come out of high-school and tell myself to become a doctor.

I would absolutely love to become a fitness instructor.  Who wouldn't want to be paid to workout?

I really miss my old job, the students, particularly the young women who were a part of my life.

I think I should maybe pursue being a paramedic. I thrive in crises.

I researched each and every possible pregnancy scenario imaginable, and prepared myself for them all.

I'd love to have a catering company... or bake pies all day... especially on Mondays.

I want to be a landscaper/gardener.... but only on the sunny days. I've planted enough trees in the rain to really really... really hate it. (a rough estimate would be close to 500,000... ok maybe not all of them were in the rain.... but to be sure. I've planted enough effing trees.) umm. nevermind.

Let me hear your birthing story again.

I should be a counselor.  I love working with people one on one.

I'm going to be a personal trainer. I love working with people one on one.

I LOVE my midwives.   I wonder if I could be a midwife? Think of it, it's like a fitness instructor, counselor (I use the term incredibly loosely... to my counselor friends especially!), nutritionalist (again, loose), care giver, & coach.  I'd work with women one on one, giving physical & emotional support throughout pregnancy, delivery and after the birth of babies. It's like a mix of all of the above!!! kinda.  Ok, it has nothing to do with baking pies. But I'll still push those.

I met with my midwife Kim Campbell who owns and operates Valley Midwifery in Abbotsford. She is also an instructor in the Midwifery program at UBC... I didn't actually ask her, but maybe she can influence the decision to get me accepted!?  She sat down with me over coffee for a good 2 hours.  She inspired me, prepped me and encouraged me to pursue becoming a midwife.  I couldn't think of something I want to do more.... of something that fits me better.  I figure if she thought I wasn't a fit at all, she wouldn't have completely wasted her afternoon with me.  Dave is more than incredibly supportive as well.   In many ways, my bags are about packed, I'm ready to step out, take doula courses, get my transcripts in, volunteer at some births, and start this journey of becoming a midwife. I expect I will have to apply for a few years, refine & add experiences to my curriculum vitae a number of times before I actually get in.  Competition is fierce.  10 applicants (of 250+) a year make it.... but then, if I were to compete against my 19 year old self, I'd shamelessly kick my own ass.  Here's to packing up some more stuff so that I can get one of those spots.

I won't Jack, I won't... Seems like my life-long motto as well.

Wedding at the Vegt's

 I won't post much text about this.... enjoy the pictures. We had a lovely time.  In our minds this is why we live here... to share it, and though in our heads this space isn't quite ready (we'd love to beautify & flatten out parts of the yard)... we can't wait until we feel it's ready to share it or it might never happen. 

A Pair Of New Shoes Is Given To A Child In Need With Every Pair Purchased - TOMSshoes.ca

A Pair Of New Shoes Is Given To A Child In Need With Every Pair Purchased - TOMSshoes.ca

What the Warren Jeffs?!

Convicted.

I can't even imagine the horrors 'in the name of Jesus' this man has committed against young women.  One needs only read an article on Warren Jeffs to want to vomit in response to this case.

I don't have much to say... only that his defense in the case is the most despicable argument I've ever heard.  He is "God's spokesperson on earth" BARF.  "A good wife is trained for her husband" SICK.  "I am innocent on the grounds of religious freedom"  WTF?!  No way man.  That this court found this man and 7 other men guilty of child sexual assault is admirable.... No. EXPECTED.  Personal freedoms for women and children, aye, ALL citizens come before the rights of so called religious freedoms... especially when those freedoms endanger, expose, torture, molest, and rape all those personal freedoms which should be protected by the laws of our country.  Common sense and Universal Morals Mr Jeffs are alive and well in the Courtroom of San Angelo, Texas.

Blech.

Quinoa Cucumber Mint Salad

I made quinoa this morning for breakfast... slipped it into the kid's oatmeal... so sneaky, I know.... they were none the wiser. shh.

I made quite a bit though, so when trying to think up an alternative to potatoes/pasta/rice for dinner tonight I thought I would be able to find a quinoa salad that everyone would like...
I found THE perfect recipe in my book... and THE perfect Dave Vegt bowl to serve it in....

1 English Cucumber
1 red onion (but I had to use white)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup fresh mint (chopped)

 1 cup quinoa cooked and cooled (so... turns out to be about 2 cups once cooked) Don't forget to rinse! (thanks for that tip ladies...)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 tsp lemon juice ( I added a splash of lime juice)
1 tsp fresh garlic (or to taste... b/c of the kids I added less)
1/4 tsp salt
a few grinds of your pepper mill

The recipe didn't call for it, but I started making a different quinoa salad that called for toasted almond slices... but I didn't have a few of the rest of the ingredients, sooooo.... I switched to this recipe, but still had the almonds I just toasted, so I added them right in too... glad I did.... it added the colour that the red onion was supposed to...(not to mention the YUMMY crunch).

I'm still wondering if the kids will like it, but it's what I'm serving.

VERDICT:  so so SO yummy.  Dave Loved it, the baby gobbled it up (she'd eat worms if I fed them to her in a bowl with a spoon and let her do it herself...autonomy, independence, determination, tenacity... love that intense girl).... the other kids had to be prodded to eat it at first, but eventually decided they liked it and ate the whole thing without complaining again... that or my threats to add another spoonful to their plates if they decided to complain about it again, really did shut them up... not sure.   Regardless,  there's none left for my lunch tomorrow... and I'm a little upset about that.

Try it. You'll like it.

Somalian Perspective

While I sit here and post pictures of food, and like your pictures of fashion and even pin pictures of design ideas, I'm struck with a bit of harsh perspective when I read about Somalia right now.

You probably know that in the last 24 hours the UN has declared Somalia to be in the state of famine.  Good thing they did, because we might not otherwise have heard that the people of this country are in THE MOST serious food insecurity situation in the ENTIRE world.  All livestock are dead and malnutrition rates are up over 30%.  People are dying.  They are dying fast.  11 million people are at risk.... especially if world leaders are slow to act.

Sign the petition.  Ask your government to act quickly.
Ways to give.  I don't know the best organization to donate to, but here are a few options I trust.

Amnesty International, Hands at Work

The Canadian Red Cross has a link to donate.
Amnesty International has a link to donate.
Compassion Canada has a link to donate.
World Vision Canada has a link to donate.

The crowd was pleased!! Quinoa Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This comes with RAVE REVIEWS.  Seriously.  My family ate the whole pan!  It's cheesy goodness will win you over!!! Yay for learning to cook with QUINOA!

1 cup quinoa (cooked - I did mine in a rice cooker)
2 cups water (water needed to cook quinoa)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used shrimp)
3 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups light sour cream
1/2 cup light mayo
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp minced fresh basil
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used mozzarella & cheddar)

Preheat oven to 350º
Spread cooked quinoa over the bottom of your casserole pan.
Brown the chicken breasts both sides (5 minutes each side) OR, I fried the shrimp in coconut oil.
Cool the chicken and slice into 1 inch wide strips. OR shell the shrimp and spread evenly in pan.
Steam your broccoli slightly.  You want it still slightly uncooked.

 Place the broccoli on top.

Mix the sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, curry, mustard & basil.
Spread on top of everything else in the pan

Spread the cheese on top. Take a picture with the cookbook.
Cook for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese is browned.

 

 DELISH!

 

I served it with these yummy bread sticks I found on Pinterest. They are basically pizza dough, rolled and twisted.  On top I added coarse salt & Italiano Seasoning.  Fresh herbs would be even better.

 

So yummy.  The crowd was pleased!

Chocolate Covered Cookie Dough

How's that for a grabby Blog Post Title?! Ok, not so witty, but yummy sounding right?

A couple of friends of mine came over the other night.  One of them is 9 months pregnant.  We made dinner for our guys who were putting in a 12 foot dormer in the roof line of her house.  Before the guys got back to our place we decided we needed to make something for dessert.  After all  our men had been working oh so hard all day.  Whatever.  We wanted dessert.... and SHE wanted it now.

We searched Pinterest for something fast, easy, chocolatey, and preferably didn't need to be cooked.  Everything we wanted contained peanut butter.  But I was out; there was but one measly little teaspoon left in the bottom of the jar.  We HAD to find something else.... to either put her into labor or keep her from labor, I'm not sure.


This is what we came up with...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Covered in Chocolate!
You don’t need to add baking soda, since these won’t be going into the oven – if you’re going to bake them, add 1 tsp. baking soda to the flour.
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch salt
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars for a minute or two, until fluffy; add the eggs and vanilla and beat again. Add the flour and salt and beat until almost combined; add half the chocolate chips and beat on low speed or stir just until blended.
Shape the dough into large marble-sized balls and place them on an un-greased baking sheet, then refrigerate or freeze until firm.
Melt the rest of the chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave, or a small pot over low heat on the stovetop (careful it doesn’t burn!) – dip the balls of dough, using a fork if you want to coat them completely. Set them on a sheet of parchment or foil and let sit (or refrigerate) until firm.
Makes lots.

Making Quinoa Palatable

About 6 months ago I bought the Costco package of Quinoa... made it for dinner (in replace of rice).... no one liked it. Not even me.   There was something in the aftertaste that was bitter...  And so was I.  Bitter at the fact that this "superfood" was not so super.  Bitter that I had bought a large package and it wasn't being used.

Full of riboflavin, calcium, vitamin E, folic acid, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, beta carotene it's one of the world's healthiest foods.  It's one of the top ten muscle building foods because of it's protein, amino acids and complex carbohydrates, providing energy and endurance to our bodies.  There is no gluten in quinoa making it a perfect food for those individuals who are vegan, vegetarian, gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, Crohn's, or colitis.  I WANT to LIKE this food!!!

In Port McNeill, there was a store going out of business.  It had gifts (I got a couple wub-a-nub stuffy pacifiers for 1/3 the cost I paid for Myelle's, which I meant to gift in the first place, but I couldn't find her plain pacifier one night and in desperation opened the package intended for a friend's baby) Irresistibly cute right?!

I digress.   In Port McNeill, in the store that was closing out, I found a book of like 200 Quinoa recipes.  Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood.  Score.  It looked sooooo good.  I could make this stuff taste great!!  Breakfast, lunch, supper and snack recipes.  Granola, waffles, loaves, casseroles, soups, cereals & desserts!! At closing out store prices, I couldn't lose! 

Here's my first simple attempt at making Quinoa palatable.

The Ultimate Qunioa Granola

2 1/2 cups large flake rolled oats
3/4 cup sliced almonds (original recipe says whole)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup quinoa (uncooked)
1/4 cup flaked  unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup walnut pieces (I used pecans)
1 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon (I didn't add)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup rasins

Mix the dry ingredients.
Mix the wet ingredients.
Combine dry and wet ingredients.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 225º for 1 hour. 
Cool.  Then toss in dried fruit.

Store in sealed container for up to 4 weeks in your cupboard.

Served over fresh yogurt.  YUMMY!!!

embarrassed by the memories of my own words...

I spent this weekend in Port McNeill, on the northeast corner of Vancouver Island, with my brother and his wife and their 6 week old baby, my mother, my two oldest kids and my good friend Bobbi.  There are so so many memories. 

Road trips are so fun.   As we left home, I desperately tried to find the kid's favorite song (Rat-a-tat-tat - Seventeen), but I could not.  Dave has always been the one to play it and I simply couldn't remember either the name of the song or the name of the artist.  I couldn't help but think that if I were Kathy, I would have had several playlists of their (or at least MY) favorite music. I am not Kathy.

We stayed with Bobbi the first night.  Because Bob can get frantically food stressed, we spent that night making Calzones, packing granola bars (that she made), fruit, chocolate, and veggies for our lunch the next day on the road to Port McNeill.  Her forethought and care for us made our trip divine.... I WILL make those calzones again one day.  oooooooo weeeeeeeee, they were oh. so. GOOD.

We got to Port McNeill with a pretty great, uneventful trip.  A lot of laughs from the kids.  We were all anticipating a lovely trip.  Seeing your brother with his newborn baby is amazing.  I am awe-struck, both by her beauty and his.  His gaze upon her melted my heart and made me see a side of him I never expected. I loved every second watching him, watch her.

8AM our first morning there, my brother and his wife took us crabbing.  With my newly bought fishing license, and their newborn in tow, on a wet rainy morning we braved the elements and set out to catch some crabs.  The sky was gray, the temperature a little chilly, but the excitement and newness of hunting for crab took over my being.  We got there a little late, and the kids were not thrilled to hike through the tide pools and mud flats through sea-weed and kelp, but  we hiked to the edge of the exposed shore where the water lapped our boots and threatened to breech the sides of our boots.  We searched and searched, occasionally finding a female and males under 6 inches, but none that we could feel good about taking.  At last I was walking towards our party almost ready to give up (which is NOT in my nature) and I found a male belly up on the top of the seaweed.  Thrilled, we used a stick and plopped it into a bag.  I am convinced that perhaps my brother and his friend Chris dropped it for me to find (probably knowing they would have a hard time getting me off the beach if I didn't find one)...

I cooked that crab, cleaned it, cut it and shared it for lunch.  Oh baby. Fresh Crab. No. Butter. Needed.
My brother's friend Chris then brought over several of his catch that night.  He caught 20 in all.  We feasted. 

The next day, we visited the Salmon Hatchery in Port Hardy and the Whale Interpretive Centre in Telegraph Cove .  Both of these places were amazing.  The kids and I ate up all the information they gave us.  Especially the whale centre.... there was one guide there who was just amazing with the kids. They loved Anna.

It was all pretty great. Until at the whale centre Wesley closed some gate, probably not even realizing there was a tiny little yappy dog behind it.  He scared the dog, and well whether he meant to or not, the owner's response was a little over the top... he yelled at Wes and then turned to me and said, "Is that your boy?!  Lucky for you my little dog isn't a killer", to which I replied, "Lucky for you, I'm not".  It shook me for the rest of the day.  Did I really say that?  What did Wes really do?  Was this man actually being reasonable? Was I?  I don't know.  But Bobbi turned to me and said that she chuckled a little at me.... and perhaps even if Wes was being mean to his dog there was probably a better way for this man to go about getting the result that he wanted.

We left this morning.  It was a LONG drive back.  The kids were argumentative, restless and NOT the best travel companions.  We made it to Vancouver by dinner time, so before dropping Bobbi off we headed to a restaurant, where Wesley promptly locked himself in the bathroom.  Yes.  He was freaking out, and hearing him freak out my eyes started to leak... I calmly tried to get him to unlock the deadbolt, as I searched for other ways to get him out.  The hinges were on his side of the door.  The doorknob had neither a keyhole or the kind of hole that we all learned to jimmy when we were in elementary school.  The doorknob also did not have screws in it to remove from the door....

He's still in a panic.  I'm about to lose it as the server comes over to "help" and see what the commotion is all about.... she's talking in sentences that ARE REALLY NOT HELPFUL.
She says, "It's a deadbolt"
and I'm all, "yep, got it"
"it's really sticky"
"yah think?"
"it's up pretty high"
"super helpful lady thanks, WHAT ARE YOU ACTUALLY GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?!!"

I see the frosted window in the top of the door and BLURT OUTLOUD, "I'M ABOUT TO BREAK THE GLASS IN ABOUT TWO MINUTES"

and then I calm down a little, ask Wesley with tears welling up in my eyes (and no doubt streaming down his face) to "please, use ALL HIS MIGHT, and pull that deadbolt across"

He does.  He did.  He's out.


We ate. Dropped Bobbi off at home and drove ourselves home. (Never-mind that I needed gas and waited until the last Abbotsford exit when my tank was on the emptiest of EMPTY, got to the pumps and the power at ALL the gas stations had gone out....)  We're home. That's all that matters. Home.

A cake made with butter that's been used for sucking up to men for centuries: Boterkoek

Apologize today.  You won't regret it.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup butter 
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 egg, beaten (reserve 1 tsp)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• sliced almonds, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In medium bowl, mix together butter, sugar and almond extract.
2. Add beaten egg except for 1 teaspoon.
3. Sift flour and baking powder, and add to bowl, mixing with wet ingredients.
4. Put dough in greased 9 inch pie plate.
5. Mix the reserved 1 tsp of beaten egg with 1 tsp of water, and brush over dough.
6. Sprinkle with sliced almonds, if desired, it looks pretty.
7. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until done (firm to the touch). This is a dense cake, but should be soft on the inside and hard on the outside, but not too hard!

cleaning out my nostrils... not so hard... they've got good instincts

I finally finished sanding the oldest dresser in the history of time.  I almost gave up.  I started about a month after we moved into the new house... which was... wait what is the date today? TOMORROW. We moved in a year tomorrow. Crazy.  I started it, got 3/4 of the way through or more and then abandoned it in the car port with the rest of the JUNK out there that we weren't sure what to do with once we moved.  This is me. Saving money. Without a dresser for a year. ENRAGED that I have no place to put the stretched out clothes I wore while 4X pregnant with the little critters that inhabit my home.

It's old. It's solid wood and it's big.  It was free from Dave's sister in the first place.  Worth trying to salvage right?  It was green (no offense Paulina, it was a nice colour, just chipped, thick and time to come off).  Unfortunately, there are no before and after pictures; none that I am going to go digging for anyway.)

All I can tell you is that my nostrils are going insane.  One of them is half bleeding.... and they are just overall IRRITATED with me.  WITH ME!  The nerve.  How did I work on this project for a couple months last summer?  I spent 1 hour working on it today (that's all it took to get it done folks... yeesh when will I learn to complete things?!), and my body is physically hating me right now. Revolting in so so many ways.   Why do I choose to do things like this? Who am I? Seriously.

Now that the piece of crap is sanded. Now what? Paint it? Stain it?  Give up now completely?  I don't know. I kind of hate the thing right now. 

 

So give me your votes.  What? What do I DO now?!
Run to the nearest IKEA and buy the first thing I see?

I am in HUGE lawnmower trouble.

I wanted to help Dave (ok... myself, I wanted to help myself to Dave...) The guy gets home from work and... mows the lawn.... first thing. I hate it.  I want his time. I don't want his time on a lawn mower.  Today the weather was, well... not raining.  I wanted to be outside.  I saw the long grass in the back and thought, "Perfect, I can do this for him and forget all about the jobs that need to be done inside the house.... I want to be outside!"


Two rounds.  Not even two rounds on that ride'em lawn mower and it was smoking.  Good grief, I should have paid attention when it shut off automatically the few times that it did on the first round.... but no... I  pushed it, and all of a sudden, all I saw was SMOKE billowing out from under the tractor. Oh shit. What the Vegt have I done?  Dave is going to be sooooo choked at me. so choked.  I decided to leave the mower right where it was.  Nope. Not. Going. To. Touch. It. Again. So, I called him.... turns out, he's on his way home RIGHT NOW.  I don't have to agonize over my punishment or penance, whatever.... I'm going to find out RIGHT NOW just how bad it is.

 Oh shit. This is not good.

 Boterkoek (Dutch for Buttercake) my peace offering.

 He takes it.

And is sooooooooo annoyed with me. He thinks he'll have to take it away to get fixed.  Turns out I had the blades on FAR TOO LOW, for one, second, the "grass" I was trying to mow is like 7 inches tall... woopsies.  Third, I probably ran over something that I shouldn't have.

Lawn-mowing FAIL.  He'll never ask me to do it again. Oh. Wait. He didn't? Nevermind.

Organic Produce?

Totally stealing this from here. I thought it was so good I had to share.... makes it simple.  Keeps me from wasting my money...
When should I buy organic?
These foods are referred to as "the dirty dozen" - they're the fruits and vegetables most likely to have residue from pesticides, and they're ranked in order from most to least toxic. This is where buying organic has the most benefit.

• Peaches
• Apples
• Bell pepper
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Grapes
• Carrot
• Pears

When is it okay to save money and buy conventional produce?
These fifteen foods are the cleanest in the produce aisle - they're the ones least likely to have harmful pesticide residues on them when you buy them. Get them organic and/or local when you can, but here's where you can feel okay with saving money by going with conventionally-grown produce.

• Onion
• Avocado
• Sweet corn
• Pineapple
• Mango
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Papaya
• Watermelon
• Broccoli
• Tomato
• Sweet potato

This is just a guideline to get you started. It may not always be convenient for you to buy or get access to organic produce, but do your best. Otherwise, take the initiative and explore the local produce options in your area. Choosing local sometimes outweighs the cost of shipping organic food from across the world. Local farms and farmers' markets are booming with abundant produce in various communities. Find out which ones are closest to you and get to know your food. Ask as many questions as you need to get the answers you want!

Common Sense, but it's not Common.

We're trying to make a difference.


Since Christmas I bought a clothes drying rack on sale at MTF, the local clearance and damaged goods outlet.  I paid 15.99 for it.... half the regular price.  Great I thought, this should make a difference.  I should be able to set an example for my kids... and actually DO something; show them how to make a difference rather than just talk about how we need to reduce our consumption.  I have used the clothes drying rack almost exclusively since then, putting a load in my dryer ONLY when something is needed right away.  I can count on one hand how many times I have used my electric dryer since Christmas.

Why? Why would you do that Kristi? You must have a crazy amount of laundry to do with 4 kids & a husband who works a labor job.  Yes. Yes I do. But when we talk about reducing consumption of power and a host of other things I don't want to be one to just talk about it.  We grew up talking about it, the importance of it, the benefits of it, and yet, I can't recall anyone, not my parents, not my teachers, not anyone who actually translated it into actual living.  We say the world is headed to horrible places because of our lack of restraint, because of our consumption... but who's actually making a practice of doing something about it.  I'd like my kids to see it.... if their futures are to be compromised, I'd like them to at least KNOW how to do things differently.  I'd like them to know how to raise an animal, collect an egg, grow a garden, dry a shirt. Seems like common sense, but I don't need to tell you.... It is not common.

Sure, some of us have switched all our light bulbs.... with the promise that it will make an impact both in the world and in our pocketbooks.  Here's the thing though.  Your household dryer uses MORE energy than all the rest of your household appliances put together.... so you'd think this would be the one appliance that would actually make the biggest difference if we used it less.  I decided to find out.

I'm sure I'm probably saving the world, but I haven't noticed much of a change in my Hydro Bill.

Turns out, Hydro has a threshold quota of power use.... we get charged a certain HIGH amount for the first portion of that threshold, no matter how small.  If we use MORE than than that initial threshold of power, we aren't charged much more at all for it.
BC Hydro's Advice on Drying Clothes
Really? 45$ a year? come on! Surely we are saving more energy than that?! Look at the 'quick facts' section of that link.  The money savings does not keep in step with the CO2 Reduction.... it should. In fact, go down the list of all their energy saving tips.  None. Not a single one of their CO2 reducing tips translates to compensate you in a fair amount in savings. Incentive indeed.
Is this backwards? I mean, schools have been teaching for years and years to use less power, to reduce our consumption, and yet the incentive is taken away.  Don't they have this messed up?  Shouldn't we be charged  small amounts for that first bracket of power use? If we go over THEN we should be charged a higher amount to coincide with the amount of power we use?    It doesn't make sense to me. 

I'll continue to dry my clothes on that rack.  I still want to do things differently. I want my kids to see me take some action that steps in line with the things they learn at school.  At least I'll  know I'm actually saving energy even if it doesn't make it back to my wallet.... heck... I'll even make the cost of that drying rack back again. That's good right?

On a Dark and Stormy Night

I just heard thunder. Oh boy! Do I need another reason to break this out? 
 
Dark and Stormy

Tall Glass full of ice.
1 1/2 OZ Goslings Black Seal Rum
Top up with Ginger Beer
Squeeze in and garnish with a wedge of lemon
Stir & Tuck In

 Thank You Anthony for this one.

Butter Chicken.... oh baby.

Warning: I am not Indian, and I'm not great at actually measuring things.... but to my taste, this was so so so yummy, easy and I hope you try it.

Marinade: I used 5 HUGE chicken breasts... in olive oil and a bit of lime juice (or vinegar or lemon juice works to tenderize the meat)...1 fresh onion diced, 6 cloves garlic minced, 3 Tbspns Garam Masala, 2tsp, ground cumin, 1-2tsp coarse salt, black pepper to taste, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp curry, 1tbsp corriander.  Let sit overnight in your fridge... you don't have to... but the flavors get deeper.  I used frozen chicken breasts so I put the spices on them as they thawed in my fridge.

Fry in 2-3 tbsps butter... about 5 minutes each side, so that they get a little brown on each side. Medium heat.

Flip and brown each side.

My breasts were so big (hahahaha, All you Mintz ladies know exactly how funny that is!!), that I reduced the heat (NOTHING ELSE) to low and put the lid for 10 minutes on so that they would be thoroughly cooked inside.

Let them cool a bit, because you're going to chop them up... at this point you could even put them in the fridge and cut them another day... you've done the most time consuming part of this recipe already... most of the time I use the leftovers of a roasted chicken.  See all that GOODNESS in the bottom of the pan? DON'T throw it out. Don't you dare. That stuff right there is THE  mind-blowing flavor that will have you wanting this dish over any thing else in your life.

Next you'll need some Crushed Tomatoes.  I know. What is someone who's not in the food industry doing with such a HUGE (2.4 Liters to be exact!) can of crushed tomatoes.  I'll tell you.  It's 3$.  THREE DOLLARS PEOPLE!  This can is as cheap as two small cans of crushed tomatoes and it's at least 4X as much!  Just half of this can means I can cook this sauce and it will last me 5 meals... I freeze it and don't have to cook another day.  I give it away as an easy meal to those who are under the weather, just had a baby, or as a fair trade to someone who gives me raw milk. AND I still have the other half to make pasta sauce with! Score.

Add the leftover goodness from the bottom of your fry pan to HALF that large can (or about TWO 796ml cans) in a stock pot.

Your chicken should be cool enough to handle... cut it up, de-bone it (SO easy to de-bone it when it's already cooked... and way cheaper to buy bone in...) CONTROL YOUR SELF at this point. DO NOT EAT ALL OF THE CHICKEN... one or two bites at the most... the chicken GOES IN THE POT.

Add to your sauce.

Don't wash that pan yet.  Add a bit more butter and fry some more onions in it.  oh baby baby baby. You might lose me here.

Add 1-2 cups of cream or milk, whatever you like, fuller fat is yummier, but that will mean you'll have to watch your portion intake!

Add enough so that it turns a nice pink colour.  Serve over brown rice with Naan Bread... You MUST have the Naan Bread.  Get it, keep it in your freezer until you are ready to make this meal. 

Special shout out to Nicole Krahn for inspiring me to make this dish when she dropped it off at my house when Nova (I think) was born. YOU HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE.

The best part... I can't believe my kids eat it.... like GOBBLE it up.  To make sure I have leftovers, so that I can eat it alone the next day in the privacy of my obscene facial expressions and moans, I need to limit the amount that they eat.  Wes hates spicy food, but to him spicy food means you can see little bits of something in it... like parsley... oooo that's so spicy Wes... and THIS isn't?  Cool.  I won't argue.