Wasp Nest? No.

HOW

DID I

NOT

NOTICE

THIS

BEFORE

TODAY?

So after a lovely play date at the park, where ironically, the other mom and I had a discussion about bees and allergies and other terrifying topics moms obsess about, we come home and my oldest glances out the window and proclaims "OH MY GOSH, LOOK!"  So I look.  And this is what I see hanging like a paper lantern (a BIG paper lantern) from a tree about half way between our home and boys' play fort. Before I can even express my own opinion on the matter, my son reappears with his book...

For him, it's a real page turner...

Check out the thickness!  He knew exactly where to open it .....

And here we have it....."Mom - those are Bald-Faced Hornets".  Thankfully he said this before I said what was on my mind... "Ew.  Bees!"  Then I just got to act all cool and pretend I knew it all along.  Ha!

My kids are awesome!  

xo

Jen

Stewed Tomatoes & The Great Tomato Give-Away!

It's inevitable.  The great tomato give-away begins each and every year around mid to late August.  Either you planted a few tomato plants in your yard and now they are bursting with beautiful fruit that you and your immediate family couldn't possibly use or else people everywhere are generously gifting you with the ripened spoils of their gardening windfalls.  I say that either way you are in a winning situation!  Since our move last summer, I have yet to actually plant any vegetables and this makes me sad.  Our last home had a gorgeous and huge garden where we got to grow our own tomatoes, peppers, onions, potatoes, lettuce, zucchini, watermelons, pumpkins, butternut squash, asparagus, cucumbers, beans...you get the picture.  I now have a lovely space in my yard just waiting for the spring of 2013, so stay tuned for the coming new adventure! 

Any-who, my hunky husband came home the other evening with some precious garden give-aways courtesy of one of his clients.  Hooray!  Hurrah!  I love free stuff!  Especially when we can eat it!  So after a day or two of tomato sandwiches, tomato salads and tomato dressing, these beauties were just asking to be stewed down and put away in my coveted freezer to keep all of the other goodies in there company.

Years ago, a woman at a roadside vegetable stand convinced me to take a hamper of tomatoes for $5.  I couldn't beat the price even though I had no idea what I was going to do with all of those tomatoes.  Fortunately my Mom was visiting and she started immediately coring, slicing and dicing and soon my kitchen smelled great and I was filling the freezer with bag after bag of delicious stewed tomatoes.  I used those babies on everything that year - in soups, pasta sauces, in rich beef stews, to top thick slices of fresh crusty bread, as a side for pan-fried pork chops and meatballs, and ladled over rice and macaroni and cheese......  Whoa!  I am getting hungry just thinking about it.

So, whenever I have a few extra tomatoes on hand then this is definitely my go-to use for them.  You can go to the trouble of peeling and seeding the tomatoes if you like, and I do on occasion, but if I'm in a hurry (or not in the mood) then it all goes into the pot - seeds, skins and all.  Also, this recipe changes for me every time I make it as I will tend to use whatever vegetables and herbs I have on hand - onions, celery, garlic, peppers, zucchini, basil, thyme, oregano and, of course, salt and lots of fresh ground pepper.  I will then list my ingredients on the freezer baggies so if I'm looking to make a pasta sauce I will use one with Basil and Garlic, if I am looking for a sauce to braise or stew chicken, I go with Thyme and if we're having tacos, fajitas or nachos, I pick one that's been stewed with jalapenos or chili peppers. 

It's really about using everything you have and wasting as little as possible.  There was a time when I am convinced we threw away almost as much food as we actually ate.  Meat, produce and dairy sitting in the refrigerator until it was expired and we would guiltily add it to the weekly trash pick up.  I knew it wasn't right and I decided to make a serious effort to change that wasteful and costly habit.  It's actually been really fun to come up with ways to incorporate leftovers into a future meal or find quick and delicious uses for the odd carrot or 3 beets that are left in my fridge at the end of the week. 

Wash 'em up!

Core 'em up!

Dice 'em up!

Cook some onions down in some delicious olive oil.  Ahhh...smells good!

Add your tomatoes........

I used my garlic press to add the garlic but alternately you can thinly slice up a clove or two.  Whichever way floats your boat!

Next comes the green pepper and basil stalks.

Lastly, add the chopped basil, salt and pepper.....and KEEP TASTING!  It'll not only make your tummy happy but will let you know if anything is missing.  Then cook it down slowly until all of the flavours are well blended and the consistency thickens up nicely.  This is way better than the stuff in a can.



The day I made this, there was a little left over after portioning out my baggies so I pureed the last bit and used it to top homemade pizza dough along with some cheese, left-over chicken and veggies. We had a great meal and a healthy addition to my freezer stores.  I love that! 

Puree.

Use as a pizza sauce and add your favourite toppings....

Voila!  Dinner is served!!

xo

Jen

Pretty Produce

My poor, poor husband.  My poor, poor children.  Why, you ask?  I love to look at food.  My niece would say "BOR-ING"!  Clearly we have a differing opinion.  While my better half and the kiddos view a visit to the store as purely functional and should simply be an "in-and-out" experience fulfilling our need to restock the pantry shelves at home, I could spend hours (literally hours) wandering the aisles or market tables, talking to vendors and pestering the produce or meat department staff about the origin of the food, growing or production methods, recipes or the colour of the sky that particular day.  Truthfully, I keep waiting for someone to turn and run when they see me coming because it'll be the 20th time I've asked about grass-fed beef.  I inspect every apple, brussel sprout and leek that I come across.  Why did this one grow like this?  Look at the shape or colour of that!  It's all so interesting to me.  To sum it up, I like to grocery shop like some women like to shop for shoes.  My husband and boys have a...... less enthusiastic feeling so when we're together food shopping I have to keep it short before that glazed look appears on their faces and I end up dealing with  a whiny bunch at the checkout.

Fortunately, our latest journey to the market (as a family) was great, and it seems as though our eyes filled our market basket with a definite colour scheme.  Think purple and green!  Very pretty!

It was interesting to lay everything out when we got home.  "Mom!  They all match!!"  So what can I say?  My eye likes what it likes.

xo

Me

Wheat Bran loaf w/ Honey, honey!

If you've never baked bread from scratch then you have sadly missed out.  Sorry to be so dramatic but hey, that's me.  Plus, I just really, really, really want you to experience all the wonders resulting from this beautiful craft.  The smell of yeast, the texture of the dough as it comes together, the little puffy mounds that begin to rise under your tea towel reminding you a little of Frankenstein - "it's alive!", you'll want to shout.  And finally, the unbelievable aroma filling your home as your loaves bake and the sound of the crust when you gently tap the finished product.  Wait - the taste!  How can I forget the taste?  It's just so much better than the stuff you buy in the bag at the grocery!  Now I am no bread "artisan" but after many years of kneading, I can work my way around a loaf or two.  I will say that bread baking requires a little practice but as with most things, the more you do it the better you get at it plus the kneading part is a great workout for your arm muscles and who couldn't use an extra workout here and there?  Especially if you're eating all of that bread!  Ha ha!

This is quick-rise yeast.  Looks normal enough...

Hey now!  What's going on?

A little luke-warm water really woke those babies up!

Whole wheat flour...so soft and flour-y?  I'm so descriptive, I know.

Wheat bran!

When I'm in the mood I do everything by hand but today I'm not in the mood so I decided to start with my trusty mixer.  It happens.

Pre-me-kneading.

Here we go.  Almost looks like a smile...

Dough is looking smooth and feels great!

Into a large, greased bowl to rise, baby, rise!

...1 hour later, after it's doubled in size you ....flatten it?  Yup!

And one becomes two...

Out comes my grandmother's rolling pin...not because it's a particularly good one but I love using it knowing that she used it to make all of my childhood favourites.

Rolling rectangles, batman!

Looks like a jelly roll!

Nip and tuck...it's not just a TV show, ya know!

Into a greased loaf pan for rise number 2.

IT'S ALIVE!  (See, I told ya you'd want to shout it)

After the second rise...

Looking like they want to jump in the oven.

Can you believe it?

Did I make that?

Two for the price of one!!  Oh yeah!

Now for the real test....sooooo good!

This is how we topped bread at my grandmother's house.  Fresh field tomatoes from the garden with salt, pepper and green onion!  Delicious!

Wheat Bran Loaf w/ Honey

• 2 1/4 tsp Quick Rise Yeast
• 2 1/2 cups luke-warm Water
• 3 cups Organic Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 - 2 1/2 cups Unbleached Bread Flour
• 2 cups Organic Wheat Bran
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 11/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp Milk

1. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of luke warm water and let stand for 4 - 5 minutes, until bubbles begin to rise
2. In a large bowl, combine the whole-wheat flour, 1 cup of bread flour, bran and salt
3. Add remaining 2 cups of water, yeast mixture, honey and oil, and stir adding enough of the remaining bread flour to form a soft dough that's not too sticky and holds it's shape
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and begin kneading by hand adding more flour as necessary until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes
5. Place ball of dough into a clean, greased bowl and turn to grease the whole ball
6. Cover with a clean tea-towel and place in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in size, about 50-60 minutes
7. Once risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press flat
8. Cut dough into two equal halves
9. Roll out each half into a rectangle, using a rolling pin
10. Roll each rectangle jelly-roll style, stretch and fold under ends, and pinch seams
11. Place each loaf into a greased loaf pan, seam-side down
12. Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm, draft-free place to rise again until doubled in size, about 50-60 minutes
13. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
14. Using hands or pastry brush, glaze each loaf with 1 Tbsp milk 
15. Bake approx 35 min until loaves are well browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom
16. Cool on wire rack

I am certain you need to knead!  Have fun and enjoy!

xo

Jen