Through the Glass Dimly

In an effort to reduce our monthly grocery spendings we are going to be eating less meat. Tuesday (my husbands Saturday) I sat down and went over the grocery store flyers to find out what was on sale, and build my menu for the next two weeks based on sale items and reasonably priced foods.  Tofu was on sale......  dun. dun. dun!!! So, for a dollar I could get a package of tofu if I bought in groups of 3.   I liked the idea of buying this cheap tofu because I was looking for ways to increase our protein while cutting out several "meat meals" a week. But I have NEVER been brave enough to cook tofu. So, I  scoured the internet for interesting recipes that I could make with tofu that sounded fun and interesting to make. And then I came across this recipe: Tofu Alfredo What a great idea, says I. Alfredo Sauce is one of my loves BUT one that I always feel guilty about because of all the heavy cream and heart clogging factor.  ... and on the menu it we...

We are in love with these burgers!!!!!! Wow were they ever good. I think this is the best new recipe I've made in years. I made some changes to the original recipe to make it my own (as always). Just wanted to share with you: Indian-Spiced Turkey Burgers 1Ib Extra Lean Ground Turkey 4 Scallions, thinly sliced 3 Tbs Chopped fresh ginger 2 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice 1 Tbs Paprika 2 tsp Ground Cumin 1/2 tsp ground cardamon 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper coarse salt and fresh ground pepper Vegetable Oil Whole Wheat Pitas Halved 1 Cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal 1/2 C fresh cilantro sprigs Preheat grill to medium high. In a bowl mix together the turkey, thinly sliced scallions, ginger, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, cardamon, cayenne, 1 1/2 tsp coarse salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Gently form the mixture into 3/4 inch patties (I made minis so I could put 2 in each pocket). Oil your grill with the vegetable oil. Season patties with coarse salt...

I love soup! It’s such an easy thing to make and have homemade-fresh-on-hand. Once upon a time I would make a big pot of soup once a week, and it would serve as lunch for my little two-person family throughout the week, or for a quick supper on a busy night with added homemade biscuits.  I have always heard of Butternut Squash Soup, and have wanted to attempt it. Today seemed like the right day, as I had a bit of extra energy (energy which is gradually leaving me completely as I am now 36 weeks pregnant), a butternut squash, some alone time while Josh was doing yard work for a woman at my parents church, and a need to eat something wholesome for lunch. I absolutely LOVED this soup. So I thought I'd share the recipe with you. It has such a rich creamy texture with a warm fall spicy sweetness. Let me know if you try out the recipe! Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter (you can substitute a cholesterol free substitute if you prefer) 1 small onion, ch...

When I was a kid, Friday nights were reserved for only fun dinners, and family night. We'd start with something like tacos (which have always been my favorite), and brown cows (a brown cow is A&W root beer with just a shot of milk in it: kind of tastes like a melted float! Soooo good), and then we'd watch TGIF complete with the best shows like Perfect Strangers, Full House, Family Matters, etc. Friday nights were always so much fun growing up. When I was in college Friday nights became date night, and mine and Josh's favorite place to go out for a date night was Carino's Italian Grill (where I later worked for 2 years doing things from hostessing to waiting tables to being a salad/dessert chef). Because what is more romantic than Italian food? When I first got married I had the same mentality: Friday Equals Fun Time. And so I've always tried to make something fun for dinner. Tonight was no different. I thought I'd share the recipes with you (which I...

One of my favourite things to cook is soup. Saturday used to be my soup making day. I would make a big pot of some delicious piping soup that would serve as one dinner in the week, and several lunches. Soup is just such a well rounded food. It can be a nice light meal, or a hearty wintery dinner. In honour of fall inching its way closer to us, I've decided to post a recipe that I made for lunch today. Feel free to substitute any bean you fancy. I used white kidney beans because that is what I had, but black beans would be excellent as well. Lemonisious Bean Soup 3 Cans White Kidney Beans (feel free to try out other types) 1 Cup Water 1/2 Onion, finely diced 1 Rib Celery, with leaves, finely diced Freshly Ground Black Pepper (you can use regular ground black pepper, but freshly ground is nicer) 1 teaspoon celery seeds Juice of 1 lemon 1 lemon, sliced paper thin, for garnish Celery leaves, for garnish Method : Heat the oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Add...

Yesterday I went to this neat local Mediterranean Market to get good quality cold cuts to make sandwiches. Today I made the most yummy lunch ever for my husband , my parents, and I. I thought I'd share the recipe here for a delicious Saturday afternoon lunch. Italian Panini with Oven Yam Fries and Cinnamon Aoli Italian Panini 4 Slices Prosciutto Salami 4 Slices Capicolo Ham Provolone Cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer) enough to cover the meat Balsamic Marinated Red Onions (Recipe to follow) Some hearty, heart healthy bread (I used Multi-Grain Sourdough) Dijon Mustard The night before, thinly slice the Red Onion in half rings. Place them in a bowl and cover in equal parts Balsamic Vinegar and water. Place in refrigerator until needed. Lay out two slices of the bread of your choice. Put the Dijon Mustard on one slice of bread. On the mustard lay out the four slices of Salami, and then the Capicolo. Then put on the Balsamic Marinated Red Onions, and top with the Pr...

So, I get to plan dinner for the next week and a half because my parents are out of town. Its back to the old days of figuring out what ingredients I have, what produce needs to be used up, what new recipes I can cook, and what old recipes I can cook. Here's the menu for the week: Saturday: Tex Mex Beef Enchiladas with black beans and rice Sunday: Dill Roasted Garlic Chicken with greens Monday: Penne with Italian Sausage and veggies with a Romaine Salad Tuesday: Chile Garlic Chicken Legs with an Asian Veggie Stir Fry Wednesday: Asian Rotisserie Chicken Salad (using left-over roast chicken) Thursday: Perogies and Cabbage Rolls (which are frozen from a previous batch of cabbage rolls) Friday: I'm working this night, so left-overs And there you have it. I'm hitting the grocery store to get the missing few ingredients.

Edward Weston, Pepper , 1930 Last night I dreamed that I was grocery shopping at "my" Fiesta on Alabama and Dunlavy in the Montrose area of Houston, Texas. I was showing all of my female friends about how awesome Fiesta is for prices. I remember picking up a tin of cocoa powder (of course it had to have something to do with chocolate) and saying, "40 cents. Can't beat that." Before I moved to Kelowna, I had certain rituals that I did every Saturday. Saturdays were my favorite days because, well, I worked Monday through Friday nine to six every day, and Josh didn't have Saturdays off. Saturday was mine. Saturdays belonged to me and I loved them. So I would wake up around nine or ten in the morning, head straight to the coffee brewer, where I would make 6 cups of coffee all for myself. Of course, they've always called me the coffee snob, so this coffee was something dark-deep-heavenly like Sumatra (from Starbucks) or Rowanda (from Taft Street Coffee). On ...

Well, to start out, today is day one of my diet. I am going to actually follow the South Beach Diet this time around and add in a little of the French mind set. I am beginning with the horrible Phaze 1, which eliminates all sweets, and generally anything with a high glycemic index. I have decided to replace my over-eating with good wholesome things. For instance, today I decided that since I can't have toast, I will write a blog. Generally I am bad at baby steps. Its either all or nothing with me, so starting a diet isn't that difficult. However, the problem is that a lot of the time I give up too easily. Perhaps baby steps would be better, but I'd rather cut to the chase and get done what I want to get done. If I write about it, perhaps I will feel more motivated. So today I began my day with a delicious omelet. The ingredients are as follows (keep in mind this is a 2 person recipe): 2 tsp of Olive Oil 1/2 of a small onion, thinly sliced 1 Roma tomato, diced 2 handfulls of...