May 22 | Back to the table.

Oh my it’s been too long. My true personality has been revealed! I have project ADD. I start something with all the enthusiasm in the world and instead of pacing myself, I peter out when life interrupts.

Well I should clarify that I am still living the goal of menu planning and shopping on a budget, I just haven’t been very faithful to my blog. Sorry blog.

So I have stolen back a few minutes to post what this week’s menu. To be a bit more efficient today, I just linked to some of the recipes rather than create them as new posts in my recipe section (lazy me!):

Tonight | Beet Borscht (without the sausage) with Soft Pretzels (Sorry, these little pretzel morsels are not homemade. I leave them to the gifted hands of the Rustic Sourdough Bakery on 17th Avenue)

Sunday | At request from my 6 year old… Backwards Supper (meaning breakfast for dinner) Eggs Benedict with Homemade Hashbrowns and Holiday (Hollandaise) Sauce.

Monday | Salmon with Bacon, Balsamic, Honey and Rosemary (this one’s for you Darren and Nicole) with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Fresh Basil

Tuesday | Lentil Soup with Roasted Beet Salad and Pita

Wednesday | Roasted Chicken Thighs, Potatoes, Mint & Olives

Thursday | Pasta with Walnut and Arugula Pesto

Friday | Quinoa Tabouleh with Fatyrs (again… I leave these little morsels to the professionals… we order meat and potato, spinach, and potato and tomato fatyrs from Little Lebanon on 17th Ave)

Favorite Things | Spring Skin

So regardless of the snow that came down in a rebellious act against spring last night… it is the end of April. And each new season I treat my skin to a new line up of potions. My choice for Spring 2010 is the same set of miracle workers that I used for Summer 2009. They are wonderful. And good for you. Here they are… proverbial drumroll please… (the info comes from www.sephora.com … which had the best reviews of products so you can get an idea of what will work for YOU). All products available at Sephora.

CLEANSE: Apricot Cleansing Lotion

I had originally picked the “On the Go” Cleanser which is a “non-drying” citrusy gel. Thinking it would be better for warmer weather… but I found that is was drying. Your skin feeling tight after cleansing is never good. So I swapped it for the Cleansing Lotion and my skin said, “ahhh”.

Gentle and soothing best describes this deliciously rich-textured cleansing lotion for normal to dry skin. Even the most stubborn makeup, dirt, and grime melt away, as nature’s most precious oils such as sunflower, avocado, sesame, and apricot, soften and moisturize the skin.

-Apricot oil: A nourishing emollient.
-Sunflower oil: An emollient and lubricant.
-Soybean oil: An emollient, solvent, and moisturizer.
-Sesame oil: A nutrient and emollient.
-Wheat germ oil: Moisturizes and softens.

TONE: Pick Me Up Face Tonic

Now I should state that a toner is not a required par of skincare. If you are using the right cleanser, you face doesn’t need to be PH balanced or cleansed further. But some toners deliver additional skincare benefits. Like this one… it has some lovely ingredients that support the evening of skin tone and brights the complexion. Yes please.

Your skin will immediately feel awakened and oxygenated from this carefully blended mixture of plant and citrus extracts. Non-drying yet gently astringent and pore minimizing, this stimulating tonic can be used as a quick, one-step cleanser, any time of the day.

-Extracts of blueberry, blackberry and chamomile: Calming and renewing with astringent properties.
-Rose hips extract: Anti-inflammatory, soothing.
-Sea kelp: Hydrating.
-Alpha hydroxy acids: Increases cell renewal, exfoliates.

ANTI-AGING/NIGHT TREATMENT: Invigorating Night Gel

An exceptionally lightweight gel that stimulates cell turnover, exposing a younger, firmer-looking complexion. A soothing moisture barrier instantly seals in essential vitamins and minerals.

-AHA complex: Helps cell renewal, diminish lines and wrinkles, smooth texture, and minimize blemishes.
-Algae extract: Nourishes the skin.
-Mucopolysaccharides: Binds moisture to the skin, hydrates.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates
- GMO
- Triclosan

MOISTURIZE: Sheer Transformation

What it is:

An antiaging, skin-perfecting complex.

What it is formulated to do:

Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation helps fade skin discolorations—hyperpigmentation, age spots, and sun damage—without the use of chemicals. It instantly nourishes and retexturizes the complexion, smoothing fine lines while providing intense free-radical protection to help prevent further damage. The light, creamy formula leaves skin feeling silky.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:

• Parabens
• Sulfates
• Synthetic Fragrances
• Synthetic Dyes
• Petro-Chemicals
• Phthalates

What else you need to know:

This skincare solution suits all skin types.

BEST MASK FOR SPRING/SUMMER: Blue/Black Berry Enzyme Mask

Keep it in the fridge for an added treat. This will de-puff any tired, emotional face.

Calm, hydrate, and renew with this amazing aromatic blend of lavender, papaya enzyme, blueberries, and blackberries. This mask energizes skin with new vitality you can see and feel.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates
- GMO
- Triclosan

To use: After cleansing, apply a thick layer to the face, neck, and under eyes. Leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse well. Use 2 – 3 times weekly.

April 25 | A lovely day for cookies.

I was away all of yesterday and when I tucked my 2 year old into bed last night he said, “I missed you”. He sounded like a six year old. I had a moment of panic at how fast they grow up. My actual 6 year old was in her room next to us singing “all the single ladies” (thanks “Chipmunks, the Squeakuel”). Yup too fast.

So I said to my two year old, “what do you want to do together tomorrow”. He said, “make cookies”.

The cookies of choice are a perfect balance of crunch, sweetness and nutrition. Now… promise me you won’t write them off because they sound weird. Try them first.

An added bonus: They don’t contain any wheat, gluten, common headache triggers, milk or eggs.

Quinoa Tahini Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup tahini (or peanut butter, if your diet allows)
• 1 1/4 cups rice flour (reduce to 1 cup if not high altitude) or regular flour if you aren’t avoiding gluten.
• 7/8 cup quinoa (like delicate oatmeal, reduce to 3/4 C if not high altitude)
• 1/4 cup of diced apricots
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toast the quinoa in a dry pan until it’s golden brown and have a nutty aroma
3. Combine first four ingredients; mix until creamy.
4. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well.
5. Spoon rounded teaspoonfuls of batter onto cookie sheets.
6. Bake for 10 – 14 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown.

April 13 | Good enough to repeat.

It has been 2.5 weeks of regurgitated menus… not much new from my previous posts… first my husband and I spent 4 days away for his 40th and I went on cooking hiatus. Then it was spring break and again… kind of continued the menu planning part of the hiatus by just cooking from my existing set of recipes. This week we did have a new recipe though and it was so tasty… Roasted Beet and Walnut salad. Yummo.

As I mentioned in my last entry I have gone back to a dairy, gluten and sugar-free existence. I have been putting it off for ever since we had our international students and I was worried that I would A. not be able to afford a special diet for 6 people and B. make them pack their bags and run if I made them eat like me! But I have to say that I came up with a 10 day menu plan that did not have any gluten, dairy or sugar in it and so far so good! And as my earlier post also shows… it didn’t break the bank either! Careful planning and an open mind makes for a good combo.

The menu for this past 10 days included:

1. Chickpea Casserole (so good) with Roasted Beets, Field Greens and Walnut Salad
2. Lemon and Caper Salmon with Sweet Potato “Fries” and Miso Gravy
3. Brown Rice Pasta with Pesto, Roasted Tomatoes and Olives
4. Zaatar Roasted Chicken and Tomato Basil Bulgar
5. Miso Crusted Salmon with Fennel Salad
6. Onion Dolmas and Spicy Cauliflower
7. Red Curry Fish with Gingered Greens
8. Moroccan Quinoa and Fattoush Lebanese Salad
9. Lentil Salad and Tunsian Carrot Salad
10. And there was a night when the power threatened to go… so I ordered the family Panago.

Tales of a Perfectionist | Entry #6 | I (heart) Safeway

At Safeway, the first Tuesday of every month is Customer Appreciation day. You get 10% off your total bill (or 10x airmiles).

In my goal to reduce our monthly grocery bill I take a couple of hours every other Saturday… look at the flyers for Safeway and Superstore and plan my menus for the next 14 days. The first shopping trip of the month is at Safeway on the Tuesday and the second big trip is 2 weeks later at Superstore.

Last week I took my grocery list to Safeway. I had upped the ante in my money saving goals as this month I took my family off of dairy and sugar… and myself off of gluten. This usually translates into a more expensive shopping trip. Brown Rice noodles instead of regular… Almond milk instead of Cow’s… you get the drift.

Well… as I was at the till watching my tally grow… the boy bagging my groceries made some sarcastic comment about how inexpensive Safeway is… (I had mentioned he was was one of the reasons I loved coming to Safeway… no not HIM… but someone bagging my groceries… remember I go to Superstore the other trips… and the savings was the other). I said, “just you wait my friend… my favorite part is coming up”. The total came to over $400. I gave the cashier my discount card number… always wait until the end to give it… it makes the savings so much sweeter! The discounts started coming off the total. Then she asked if I wanted the airmiles or 10% off… I said 10% please. Beep beep beep. The till told her that she needed a manager to authorize the discount… because I saved $103 dollars off of my $400 bill!!!! She, the bag boy and the manager were all quite amazed… they wondered how I managed to get such a savings… and they were even more impressed when I told them that this load of groceries would feed my family of 6 for 2 weeks. All because of some flyer reading, menu planning and good old Customer Appreciation Tuesday. The best 2 hours on a Saturday I ever spent.

Let’s have a challenge… are you near a Safeway? Let’s do a contest to see who gets the highest percentage of savings off their next Customer Appreciation Day shopping trip! Your bill doesn’t have to be $400… not even $100. We’ll calculate the winner based on percentage! The next big date at Safeway is May 4th.

Tales of a Perfectionist | Entry #5 | F

It is report card time at my daughter’s school… and I am giving myself an F in Current Blogging. Sigh. I have so many great intentions. So I need to at least give myself a B- for Internal Effort! I have been thinking in my mind what I would post… should I have been logged in and not overwhelmed!

But that is just me…. Full steam ahead for a distance. And then putter, putter. HALT! Mini-breakdown. And then with each moment of being “productivity-challenged” I become more and more behind and procrastinate the catch-up work. So in the spirit of being REALISTIC and not PERFECTIONISTIC, I am giving myself a hall pass and I am not doing any make ups…. just full steam ahead for another distance. Well actually I am going to try something new… and not go at full tilt… thus may be spacing out my puttering.

I do have one funny little excerpt from my latest dramas. I have recently joined the ominous GYM. I have never, ever been a gym girl. I do not like to exercise. In fact I wear the Lululemon tshirt that talks about Sweating Once a Day and Drinking Water just to make myself feel more fit. I am an athletic apparel wearing hypocrite. Anyways… after my 6 year old asking “if I had a baby in my belly because it is getting fatter”, I decided it was time to suck it up and sweat. I had been going for a week, and feeling pretty good about my lack of injury. I decided that to really get some results, I needed someone yelling at me. So I looked into a class. Being highly intimidated… and uncoordinated, I hesitantly looked into a low impact cardio class. The only other woman waiting for the class to start was a 65+ year old women who I overheard telling the instructor she had a fused spine. I thought, “this is the class for me… ease into this whole crazy thing”. OMG. It kicked my butt. Kicked it. I mean granted, I am a little competitive, so I can never do the modified version of anything unless medically necessary, and I thought I should be able to do everything the instructor was doing. It is 3 days later, and I am still discovering new muscles from this one low impact discovery session. But what really gets me, is the woman with the fused spine went from the class right to the circuit weights. And when I got out of the shower and was leaving, she was on the treadmill. So apparently she is an AMAZON WOMAN WITH A FUSED SPINE.

Tomorrow, this uncoordinated, rhythm challenged masochist is doing a BODY JAM class. Yes friends, that is a hip hop cardio class. Stay tuned. If I am not back in a couple of days to blog… send flowers.

March 3 | So behind!

I am really on the slide from my menu diary! I have a great line up for the next two weeks that include:

• Firecracker Salmon
• Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
• Cinnamon Roasted Chicken
• Cincinnati Chili
• Quinoa Caprese
• Tarragon Chicken Casserole

And I have discovered the most delicious and simple muffin recipe: Cappuccino Muffins (no surprise, a favorite of my toddler)…

Recipes coming soon.

Tales of a Perfectionist | Entry #4 | Caffeine

So my two year old loves coffee. It baffles me. But this is also the kid that likes to eat soap (Irish Spring is his favorite) … and the first thing he says every morning is “Vitamin C please”.

The other day I had to take a phone call. It was right in the midst of our bedtime routine… but I had been waiting for this particular call and it was important. He was fresh out of the bath. Clean, cozy pj’s… you know the epitome of bedtime perfection.

I gave him a banana and sat him at the table.

The call was short. 5 minutes max.

I admit I can get engrossed in a phone call. I was on the wall phone (aka not the cordless). I was leaning on the kitchen counter, face into the wall. My  back was to my son.

I hung up the phone and turned around. OMG!

My son had pushed his chair up to the counter, taken the coffee grinder and dumped the grinds. He had dipped his banana into the grinds. And between eating the banana and licking the counter he was also driving his car through the grinds. I said (in horror), “what are you doing”??

He was bouncing. Up and down. He said, “eating yummy coffee dirt”. He didn’t sleep well. Either did I.

February 20 | Miso Crusted Fish with Fennel Salad & Toasted Coconut Rice

We were supposed to have this meal last night… but I forgot that it was our traditional Friday Night Family dinner at my parents. There we were treated to a delicious salmon, roasted squash (the sweetest little things I ever saw) and a yummy salad that was garnished with refreshing orange slices.

Tonight’s meal was a new one for us… the recipe called for white miso… which I could not find, so I made it with dark miso. It was delicious, but probably intended to be a bit milder.

I made a side of toasted coconut rice. Really simple. Make your rice using broth instead of water. Toast some coconut in a small amount of coconut oil. Once the rice is cooked, stir in 1 tablespoon of Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste and the toasted coconut.

I LOVE fennel, so the salad was my sweet spot. Really simple and fresh.

MISO CRUSTED SALMON WITH FENNEL SALAD

Fish Ingredients

• 4-5 pieces of salmon or firm white fish
• 2 tablespoon white miso paste
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/3 cup water

Fennel Salad Ingredients

• 2 small fennel bulbs thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber shredded
• 1/4 cup  lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup cilantro

1. Place the miso, tahini, sugar and water in a saucepan and stir over low heat for 2 minutes or until thickened.
2. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium to high heat.
3. Add the salmon, skin side down, and cook for 3 minutes or until skin is crisp. Brush the salmon with the miso sauce, turn and cook 1 minute.
4. For the fennel salad, combine the fennel, cucumber, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and cilantro.
5. To serve, place the fennel salad on the plate and top with fish.
   

From Off the Shelf – Donna Hay

Favorite Things | Mascara

My all time favorite mascara is Great Lash. I have tried mascaras of all sizes and prices (one of the perks of my gig at Sephora). And I always come back to Maybelline’s Great Lash.

The most important thing with mascara is that the tube is fresh and that you don’t use the same tube for longer than 3 months whether it is empty or not. It is a breeding ground for bacteria (dark and moist). So the price point of Great Lash makes it a lot easier to swap the tubes out frequently.

If you are in Canada, Shoppers Drug Mart has a double pack of Great Lash for $5.99. The price is in effect from Saturday, February 20 to Friday, February 26. That’s $2.98 each ladies!!!

Pepper Crusted Roast with Yorkshire Pudding and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Pepper Crusted Roast

The butcher counter at Safeway has this fantastic, all natural steak/roast rub. So that is what I use, but you can also buy peppercorn steak rubs in the spice aisle, or create your own.

• 1 kg roast (I buy the cut that is on sale)
• 6-10 cloves of garlic, peeled and whole
• 4 tbs peppercorn rub
• olive oil
• 2 onions sliced
• red wine or beef/veggie broth to baste as needed and to add to the pan juices for gravy

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250 for a slow roast (all afternoon) or 400 for quick roast
2. stab the roast all over and stuff garlic clove in each puncture
3. coat roast with olive oil
4. pat peppercorn rub all over until roast is covered
5. set roast on layer of sliced onions
6. place in oven
7. check frequently, basting with wine or broth as the pan gets dry (you want to keep the onions from burning)
8. using a meat thermometer remove the roast when the thermometer just passes rare
9. cover loosely with tin foil while you bake the yorkshire pudding and mash the potatoes
10. remove the roast and onions from its pan and place on a plate (slice just before serving)

For the gravy… the cut of roast is going to determine how many juices you have. Place the pan on your stove elements and add wine/broth/potato water to the pan drippings. Bring to a slow boil and then reduce to simmer. As long as you have not burnt the pan, scrape the bits and mix them into the sauce. These add wonderful flavour. Season as desired.

Yorkshire Pudding

Ingredients

• 2 eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups milk (at room temperature)
• 1 cup flour
• roast drippings/oil

Directions

1. Beat the eggs together until light.

2. Beat in the remaining ingredients well.

3. Let stand, covered for 1 hour.

4. (This is a really important step) Fill muffin tins 1/4 full of oil or drippings and put into a hot oven until the fat is sizzling hot.

5. (450*F) Fill each muffin cup half full of batter, Place in a 450*F oven and bake for 20 minutes, gradually lowering the oven temperature every 5 minutes by 25 degrees until puffed, crispy and brown.

Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

2 lbs of potatoes (I like red skinned ones, and I leave the skins on for extra nutrients)

5 cloves of garlic peeled and trimmed

butter and milk (varies depending on the texture you like)

salt & pepper

Directions

1. peel (not necessary with red skins) potatoes

2. cut into quarters and put in large pot with approx 3 inches of water

3. add garlic to pot

4. boil until potatoes are soft (check often to make sure water doesn’t boil dry)

5. once soft, drain water (reserve for gravy)

6. mash with butter, milk, salt and pepper (I often add rosemary too) until they are your preferred texture.

7. put in serving bowl…

February 18 | Pepper Crusted Roast with Yorkshire and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Today I am at home with 2 coughing monkeys. So it is a great day for slow roasting. Tonight’s meal is a favorite of my daughter’s.

My number one trick for cooking a medium/well done roast perfectly… is taking it out of the oven when the meat thermometer is just past rare, covering it and letting it rest. It will continue to cook until it is perfectly medium well.

I got the roast on sale so this meal is really economical.

Price Point | $20 for 6

Mushroom & Garlic Linguine

This simple, yet wonderful dish is from a 79 year old from the Okanagan named Bergy! She is also responsible for the great photo!
The only addition I made was the 1.2 cup of red wine… because I had it and didn’t want it to go to waste!

Ingredients

• 1 lb linguine, cooked ala dente,drain
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup red or white wine (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt & pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• parmesan cheese, grated

Direction

1. In a skillet melt 2 tbsp Butter
2. Add garlic, allow to brown, then add mushrooms, basil, salt& pepper.
3. Cook until the mushrooms are just tender
4. If you choose, add wine.
5. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half
6. Add remaining butter and olive oil.
7. Stir and remove from heat.
8. When Pasta is cooked reheat the sauce add parsley.
9. Mix with Pasta and enjoy.

February 17 | Mushroom & Garlic Linguine

I was so excited about this recipe… and it didn’t disappoint. I love sauteed mushrooms. And pasta. And parmesan cheese.  This was a fast (15 minutes to plate) and delicious meal that warmed the heart.

Today was such a hectic day that it was a treat to have something super fast and perfectly satisfying.

Price Point | $7 for 6 people (seriously!)

February 16 | Bi-Weekly Menu

Every 2 weeks I do my menu planning and compile my grocery list. Typically I just plan menus based on what we like, or a flavor we crave. In my quest to bring my grocery bill down… this week I actually looked up the flyers for Safeway, Superstore and Shoppers Drug Mark and made my menus based on what is on sale! It took extra time but I have to tell you it was well worth it. At Safeway they tally up your bill and then at the end when I gave them my Safeway card and coupons they took my discount off …. My original total was $361. My total after discounts was $216!!! At Shoppers I picked up diapers, wipes and multivitamins. My total was $76. After swiping my Optimum card and getting the sale prices my total was $49. It was worth the flyer search and having the free, annoying Safeway & Optimum cards in my wallet. I have approx $50 of produce to buy next week for those menus … which will bring my total grocery (including diapers, wipes and vitamins) bill for two weeks to $400. Or $200/week. Or $800/month. Which is my goal!!!

The next 12 meals (you will see some that were on the previous weeks menu–they are favorites) include:

1. Pizza and salad. The day I do my grocery shopping, I do something super easy for dinner. The last thing I feel like doing after shopping and putting everything away is prep. (Safeway deli pizzas are excellent and they are on sale for $8.99 each this week. The bag of coleslaw–without dressing is on sale for $1/bag. So we fed all 6 with leftovers for lunch for $20)
2. Lentil Soup with Fatoosh Salad & Manoushe Bread (we have this at least 1x every 2 weeks)
3. Linguine with Mushrooms and Garlic
4. Peppercorn Roast with Yorkshire Pudding and Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Roast is on sale at Safeway this week!)
5. Miso Crusted Fish with Fennel Salad
6. Tunisian Carrots & Zucchini Pancakes
7. Roasted Chicken w/Apples & Garlic, Roasted Sweet Potatoes (The recipe calls for thighs, but this week I am using whole chickens. They are on sale at Safeway!)
8. Morracan Quinoa with Pita
9. Pineapple Enchiladas with Spanish Rice
10. Lebanese Lentil Salad
11. Red Chili Fish with Chickpeas
12. Olive Pizza with Cucumber Salad and Tahini Dressing

For those recipes that are new to the blog, I will post them the day they are made.

February 13 | Chicken Kebabs and Pomegranate Rice

Today we enjoyed the Kurdish dish, Pomegranate Rice. Made by Nakkar, our homestay student. She doesn’t use a recipe … and I wasn’t able to watch her. One day I will diarize the recipe! It is delicious.

For the main dish I made “fire roasted” chicken kabobs with yogurt sauce. Because it is snowy and cold here… by “fire roasted” I mean broiled in my oven! Normally I would use a bbq.

I am taking a little break from blogging this weekend… we have some great family time planned, lots of Olympic cheering and we will be at my parents, so I won’t be doing much cooking…

Fire Roasted Chicken Kababs

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 6 cloves minced garlic
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh squeezed preferably)
• 2 lbs chicken breast – cut into strips
• 2 red peppers – cubed
• 1 green pepper – cubed
• 12-14 mushrooms
• 1 large red onion cubed
• bamboo or metal skewers (if they are metal, oil them; if they are bamboo soak them in water for 15 minutes to prevent burning)

Yogurt Sauce

Mix together:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped, seeded cucumber
• salt, pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon Zattar seasoning (optional, but available at Middle Eastern shops)

Directions

1. mix first 8 ingredients together
2. toss the chicken and vegetables in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (but up to overnight)
3. thread the chicken and veggies onto the skewers
4. broil at 450 turning occasionally until they look “fire roasted”
5. serve with yogurt sauce

February 12 | Mediterranean Pasta with Fire Roasted Tomatoes AND a side of Olympic Spirit

I heart Fridays. And today was especially great. It might have had something to do with the fact that I was looking so forward to having a tasty pasta dish for supper (yes such a simple thing can make my day)!

But the sunshine,spending some quality retail therapy time with my fabulous girlfriend (ok, I was really just there for morally supporting the purchase of the most divine little bathing suits you could ever IMAGINE on a child), seeing all the kids at my daughters school outfitted in head to toe red in support of the Olympics, and then actually eating the pasta.

This dish is so good. And so easy. And it looks pretty too.
PRICE POINT | $9 for 6

After dinner we watched the Opening Ceremonies. All I can say is WOW. They were incredible! I can only imagine what it would be like to have actually been at BC Place. The national anthem took my breath away. I loved the focus on the First Nations. Those totem poles were phenomenal. The only thing that I had a hard time reconciling with the rest of the show was Nelly Furtado’s Bang the Drum Hips. But I guess if you’ve got them… and you know how to use them…

The whales were amazing. And although I wish it would have been Cohen himself, KD Lang did Hallelujah proud.

Shane Koyczan’s poem We Are More was so, so inspiring.

I am heartbroken for the Georgian community over their tragedy. And I think that the way this lost life was respected and acknowledged in the ceremony was excellent.

Even with the anxious moments waiting for the cauldron to rise this ceremony was exceptional and I am so proud of BC!

Let the games begin.

Mediterranean Pasta with Fire Roasted Tomatoes

This recipe is from the McCormick site. Lots of wonderful flavour. Super easy.

The oil, garlic and spice combo also makes an amazing dip for bread. Try tossing in feta, black olives and capers for extra flavour.

Ingredients 2 pounds medium plum tomatoes (10 to 12), halved lengthwise

1/2 cup olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Rosemary, Crushed

1 teaspoon Thyme Leaves

1/2 teaspoon Oregano Leaves, Mediterranean

1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper, Crushed

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper, Coarse Grind

8 ounces pasta, such as spaghetti or fettuccine

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tomato halves, cut-sides up, in foil-lined 15x10x1-inch pan sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Mix 1/4 cup of the oil, minced garlic and seasonings in small bowl. Spoon over tomatoes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil.

2. Roast 45 to 60 minutes until tomatoes are soft and browned on top.

3. Prepare pasta as directed on package. Drain well. Place 1/2 of the roasted tomatoes and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large bowl. Coarsely mash tomatoes. Add pasta and remaining roasted tomatoes; toss to mix well. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese and additional crushed red pepper, if desired.