HAPPY 100th POST TO ME!!!

(picture taken from Sugar & Spice @ http://chelley325.wordpress.com/)

100 posts!

How terribly exciting.

I came on to post about something not at all exciting but now I feel like I have to hype it up a little to make the 100th post special!

But let me talk about what I wanted to post about first.

There is a resident of my building who has an English bulldog named Sophia. John as kind of fallen in love with her. This dog might be my only hope of getting a puppy. I wikipedia-ed bulldogs (because it is the most highly respected source of any and all information ever) and it told me that English bulldogs fall 77th on a list of 79 dogs ranked in order of smartest to dumbest.

Yeesh.

But they are kind of so ugly-they're-adorable, as depicted in the photos below:

That's actually just cute. Not ugly at all.

That one too. Adorable!

I added some fuel to the fire by getting John to brainstorm fun British names with me for our potential future apartment pal. Runners up were: Reginald, Elton, Tiberius, Brutus, Neville Longbottom, etc.

Final decision: Winston Churchill. Ol' smoosh-face Winnie. Although I may have to limit the vast array of nicknames if the dog is on the lower end of the obedience/understanding spectrum.

Please check out this website if you get a minute.

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring07/Coates/care.html

There are some great little stories on it.

This is the best part because it basically explains why a bulldog would be perfect for us:

"Care for adult English bulldogs involves the following:
-regular feeding in the morning and at night(some dogs require special food to prevent alleriges)
-light exercise once a day
-daily facial cleaning to prevent fold dermatitis
-regular vet visits
-a good couch to sleep on"

Without making it too obvious, a less active dog might be the key. We both have busy-ish schedules so laziness could be the golden ticket.

I know dogs eat shoes and slobber on things, and generally wreak havoc but I want a poooopy dog. A little Winston.

I'll keep you posted.

We're researching (I'm procrastinating proof reading my essay) other breeds of dog. If you have any suggestions please pass them my way.

Please keep in mind:

1. I live in a small-ish apartment but have access to a balcony and kind of really want to build a little square of lawn complete with fire hydrant for it.
2. I do not want a large dog. Small to medium sized suggestions only.
3. It has to be adorable.
4. It should be a lovey dog, not yappy, and not overly hyper.

Does that leave any dogs?

I know I promised an exciting 100th post but I really should get back to my essay.

And by essay I mean dog research and the Grammy awards :)

Gumbo & Mint Meringues

I love the weekend. It should always be the weekend.

I woke up at a reasonable hour (more reasonable than 5:45) this morning and made banana-chocolate-chip-date pancakes (was thinking about that banana bread I made last weekend) for breakfast. Last night after Say Yes to the Dress ended I went searching for smething to watch and distract me from my essay and I wandered over to the Food Network on demand (channel 93 for those of you who are Rogers customers and in Toronto) and to my delight I discovered that there are like 10-15 episodes of Chuck's Day Off on there! I knew John would be happy about this so we watched a few episodes this morning over breakfast. That Chuck. He's a very interesting food network host as he runs what appears to be a fairly successful restaurant in Montreal, has insane food items tattooed all over his arms (love it) and - from what I heard on the grapevine - used to have a pretty bad coke addiction!

Does that make me a sad individual that I have gossip on Canadian Food Network stars?

Anyway he's worth watching. He also features the music of Canadian artists each episode - lots of Sam Roberts which I can definitely get behind. Pump a little "Them kids" or "Fixed to Ruin" and I dare you not to enjoy it.

John's in the kitchen making a seafood gumbo and I am making mint meringues. I couldn't be bothered to try and fiddle around and make the nice red stripes like Marth did and mine sort of comically look like albino dog poop. But they taste good - although I think I may have added too much mint extract. It's a bit strong. Oh well. Maybe once they dry out the flavour will detensify (is that a word?) itself.

Mmmmm dog poop.

If you feel like making a gumbo of your own here is a Martha recipe for you:

Gumbo

You will need:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced crosswise, 1/4-inch thick
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, sliced
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (35-ounce) crushed tomatoes
6 ounces okra, sliced crosswise, 1/4-inch thick
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 dried bay leaf

1. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat; add flour. Toast, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to stop it from cooking.

2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl, and reserve. Add the chicken, and brown, turning once, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and add to the bowl with the sausage. Add the pepper, onion, and celery to the Dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and add to the sausage and chicken.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the butter to the Dutch oven. Once melted, sprinkle in the toasted flour, and stir until combined. Continue cooking until bubbles form and mixture becomes very thick and dark brown, about 4 minutes. Add the stock, tomatoes, okra, thyme, bay leaf, and reserved meat and vegetables. Raise heat and bring to a boil; let simmer, uncovered, until chicken is tender and liquid has thickened, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove thyme, and serve hot over rice.

(taken directly from the marthastewart.com website)

We're adding okra, shrimp, crab meat, and sausage to ours instead of chicken.

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday night!

Games Night & A Superbowl Recipe

It's Games Night!!!
And I'm excited.

I'm hoping that one or both of the classic games above will make an appearance tonight. I have a bit of a competitive streak and I also like to think of myself as a bit of pop-culture know-it-all so I really like to win, especially at Scene it.

But really, I much prefer just getting to play it with friends than winning.

Honestly.

So before I find you a recipe I have a recommendation for you:

DAVID'S TEA!

I don't know how wide-spread across Canada they are but there is a store right near me and at the recommendation of my friend, I popped in today and bought the creme brulee tea. It is soooo good. If you can find a store I highly suggest you look into getting some of their tea. I want to try the Tirimisu next.

As we stand now, there is slightly over a week until the Superbowl. This means you have only about a week to figure out what snacks you'll need to buy, what recipes you want to try out, and which team you'll be backing - although I'm fairly certain legitimate tried and true football fans already have a preference. I must admit, I'm going to root, root, root for the Colts. I know, they beat the Jets and ol' muscley-arms Sanchez but I kind of have a soft spot for Mr. Manning as he once hosted SNL. I think I mentioned that before. John is cheering for the Saints so between the two of us we're cheering for a winning team.

I also was easily won over by the prospect of putting horseshoe's on my clothing.

Hurray!

So if you're planning on having a big Superbowl party, getting together with a few friends, or just thinking about sitting home alone or with a loved one next Sunday, I have a recipe that you should try:

Waffle Chips
(courtesy of Marthastewart.com, obviously)

1. Peel 4 potatoes. Using a mandoline fitted with the zigzag blade, slice potatoes 1/8 inch thick, rotating them a quarter turn after each slice to create a waffle pattern. Soak slices in cold water 1 hour.

2. Fill a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pot with 2 1/2 quarts vegetable oil, and heat over medium-high until it reaches 365 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Meanwhile, drain potatoes; blot dry with paper towels. In batches, fry potato slices until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Lightly season with coarse salt. (Adjust heat between batches, if necessary, to keep oil temperature at 365 degrees.)

Delish. Bad for you, yes. But delicious none the less. You could always try and brush them with a few tsp of olive oil and then bake them for a healthier option. They won't be cripsy like potato chips though.

Well, friends, I am off to do my hair in anticipation of a big games night!

WEEKEND!

P.S. I changed the inner cannula of a trach tube today. And didn't vomit!

Valentine's Day Brainstorming

In the 3 years that I have celebrated Valentine's Day with John (this year will be number 4 - holy cow) I have come to appreciate the Lover's Holiday for it's more practical uses.
Let me explain.

John does not like Valentine's Day. Not because he hates gushy-mushy relationship stuff, not because he had a bad experience once, and not because he's anti-holiday. He just resents the fact that once a year men are expected to step up their game and prove to their ladies how much they care about them. John believes that men should do this for their significant others eveyday.
All together now: awwwwwww.
I agree ... to a certain extent. I still like the idea of a day set aside specifically to provide an opportunity for those who may not always have the time to show and tell that special someone how much they care. Plus I enjoy getting gifts and chocolate and just generally being pampered.

But fear not for me friends. My dear mother takes care of all that! She is where my love-of-all-holidays comes from. She buys my family gifts for every holiday. Valentine's, Easter, I'm pretty sure we've gotten gifts fo Halloween before...She's toned it down and while we might have poked fun at her for it, her generosity and love never went unnoticed.

She's the best.

2 years ago John and I started what I like to call the "pratical approach" to celebrating valentine's day. Instead of buying jewelery (love), chocolate (love), or any other little gifts we decided we'd split the price and buy a gift for the both of us. 2 years ago we bought Guitar Hero. Last year, since V-day fell on a Saturday or Sunday (I forget), instead of gifts we each rented 2 movies and ordered pizza & wings & garlic bread. So good. I think we watched The Kingdom, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Usual Suspects, and The Big Lebowski.

This year's practical gift is one that we REALLY need.

We're going to get a new computer chair.

The one we have is okay but it's not very comfortable and it provides almost no support. Plus we have a $20 coupon from Ikea from purchasing our Christmas Tree there and we need to use it before Feb 28th.

I did some research on the Ikea website and have narrowed my choice down to two:

1. The Allak swivel chair ($99)

2. The Moses swivel chair ($69)

I think I prefer the Allak chair because of it's higher back. And (100 - 20) / 2 = $ 40 each. Not too shabby.

P.S. If you're wondering how I'm blogging today it's because at 5:30 this morning I got a text from my clinical instructor telling us that she was feeling under the weather so today's clinical was cancelled. I set my alarm for almost 4 hours later (9:30) then got up and went to the gym. Now I'm watching Rachael Ray and feeling like the weekend has come early. Yes I still have to work tonight and yes I still have clinical tomorrow but tomorrow is Friday and is one of my favourite days of the week.

For good measure, here is a Valentine's Day recipe for you, courtesy of Marthstewart.com

Mini Heart-Shaped Cakes

To make 6 4" cakes:

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable shortening, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup melted dark chocolate, for decorating

1. 
   Preheat oven to 325 degrees with rack in the center of the oven. Butter an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet, line with parchment paper, butter parchment, and set aside.
   In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1/4 cup boiling water. Set aside to cool.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and shortening on high speed until smooth. Add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
   Stir buttermilk and vanilla into cocoa mixture. Into another medium bowl, sift together flour and salt. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture alternating with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until incorporated.
3. In a small bowl, mix together vinegar and baking soda until baking soda dissolves; mixture will fizz. Add to batter and mix until just combined.
4. Pour batter into prepared baking sheet, smoothing the top. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes, rotating pan after 10 minutes.
5. Cook cake completely on a wire rack. Using a 4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 12 hearts.
6. Place 4 strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy susan. Place 1 layer on the cake plate. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the cake; top with another heart, bottom side up. Cover entire cake with a thin layer of frosting and transfer to refrigerator for 10 minutes. Repeat process with remaining ingredients.
7. Remove cakes from the refrigerator and cover each cake with a generous layer of frosting, smoothing as you go around to create a flat surface.
8. Place chocolate in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip; decorate as desired.

Back tomorrow :)

Peppermint Meringues

Hello! I'm curled up comfortably on the couch watching The Bachelor on demand, slowly but surely adding paragraphs to my essay. The fire alarm went off twice - the first time for just under 10 minutes, and then a second time only 10 minutes later for no joke at least 15 minutes. It's also the most annoying sound in the world. Worse than this. I know, it's almost blashphemous to contest it but honestly it is awful.

Anyway, I was inspired to post a recipe, courtesy of MarthStewart.com, for meringues. 2 of my nursing friends and I were discussing healthy recipes for cookies, etc today and I brought up meringues. Upon questioning whether you could add flavour to them I decided to look up a proper recipe for peppermint meringues. I may try to make orange flavoured ones also.

Meringues are fairly easy to make, they just take patience as they have to bake for about 2 hours. They are fat free (sugar and egg whites) and if you want to cut back on the sugar you can try using splenda (the kind that works for baking). I haven't tried this out but I may experiment with Splenda this weekend. If you use Splenda there'd be virtually no calories. Success!

Peppermint Meringues

(I omitted the chocolate filling shown in the picture. If you want to add it to your meringue recipe go here to find out how)

To make the peppermint meringue you will need:

• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• Red gel-paste food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; secure corners with masking tape. Fit a pastry bag with a small open-star tip (such as Ateco #22). Set aside.
2. Make meringues: Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in peppermint extract.
4. Using a new small paintbrush, paint 2 or 3 stripes of red food coloring inside the pastry bag. Fill bag with 1 to 2 cups meringue. Pipe small (3/4-inch-high) star shapes onto prepared baking sheets. Refill bag as necessary, adding food coloring each time.
5. Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

And P.S. are we all aware of this newest gadget from Apple? The iPad? I want. Why? No good reason, just looks super cool.

Off to try and get some more of that essay done...I'll be back on Friday!

A Healthy Lunch Idea

Bonjour! Happy Belated Robbie Burns day! I forgot all about it until yesterday night when I ventured over to the local pub to see my Dad and was greeted by men in kilts. Amazing.

This will be a quick post as I have to skeedaddle to work in about half an hour and need to organize dinner and school work to take with me.

On Sunday while I was baking banana bread I also made a challah loaf and here it is:

I'm actually quite impressed by how much it tastes like challah from a bakery! I think I may prefer this one over the regular white bread I made first. I want to get the fixin's to make pumpernickel bread and rye. I'd try sourdough but you need one of those sourdough starters that's been passed down for it to be legit.

I made John a nice healthy and hardy lunch:

Tuna Sandwich on Challah with Peppercorn Ranch Salad

Easy easy easy to make.

• Open a can of flaked tuna, drain the water, and place into a small mixing bowl.
• Add 1-2 tbsp of mayonnaise, minced red onion, and salt and pepper and mix together with a fork. Spread on bread of choice and enjoy.
• For the salad, toss together lettuce, red onion, alfalfa sprout and peppercorn ranch dressing. Top with parmesan cheese.

Yum.

I'll be back tomorrow with perhaps another recipe for you!

Date & Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Sunday. It's such a bittersweet day. I love how lazy it is but I also hate the anxiety I feel creeping in come Sunday evening. I hate wishing away days that I'll never get back but I live for my peaceful Friday late afternoons and Saturday nights.

I went out dancing last night and had so much fun. It wasn't the original plan but we headed to this delightful establishment called the Dance Cave (when you picture delightful please envision darkness, people crammed shoulder to shoulder, beer all over the floors and your clothes, and sweaty people likely on a variety of recreational drugs). It's so much fun though. You can dance your little heart out and not feel self-conscious because everyone else is dancing like no one is watching as well. It's amazing.

I took John out for breakfast this morning but the poor fella wasn't feeling in top form. I had a grand slam breakfast of everything (pancake, sausages, bacon, rye bread, scrambled eggs and home fries.....cue salivation response a la Pavlov's dogs) so I enjoyed myself.

I thought today I would do some baking as I haven't done too much of it in awhile and I find it very therapeutic. I had a minor quarter-life crisis early Saturday night but my dear sister talked me through it. For all the annoying things she may do, I'd be lost without her. She often knows the advice I need. So Thank you Robin!

Back to baking!

I pulled out the bread machine and have a loaf of Challah rising (a sweet egg bread if you've never tried it, pronouned "hulla"). I also made some banana bread as we have a few that are starting to get dangerously brown. Plus dates were incredibly priced at Metro.

Today, I present to you,

Date & Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

For 1 loaf:

• Beat 1/4 cup butter with 3/4 cup sugar. Add in 1 egg and mix until combined.
• Mix in 2 medium bananas, 1 tbsp vanilla, 1/4 cup milk, and mix until smooth.
• Add in 1 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt.
• Mix in chocolate chips and chopped pitted dates (add as much or as little as you'd like)
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour then let cool, cut, and enjoy!

I ate both the ends of the loaf already and it's good. My love of end pieces is definitely inherited from my Mom. We both like the bum slices of bread on loaves and it's usually a race to see who eats it first. I've been known to reach my hand all the way down to the end of the bag to pull out the other end piece. My mom is not impressed haha. The whole bum-piece reminds me of the Olive Theory from How I Met Your Mother's first season. If you watch the show, you may recall that Lily and Marshall believed that they were so compatible because she loved olives and he hated them so the olives on salads, etc always got eaten. John doesn't like the end pieces and they're the first ones that I grab. It's our olive theory in action.

Well friends, I'm going to get back to the Jets vs Colts game. I forgot that Peyton Manning was the QB for the Colts. I like him. I think he was the Manning brother that hosted SNL one time so in terms of hilarity: Colts - 1, Jets & Sanches - 0. But Manning's arms are no where near as impressive as Sanchez's....I guess they're even.

P.S. Thanks, Mom, for being my spell check :)