Comforts Foods....

COMFORT FOOD! We all have own comfort food. Something that brings pleasure and reassurance on bad days, cold days, dark days or even a day where you just need to smile with your tummy! I have a few comfort foods...but the simplest for me is MASHED POTATOES! Although for me, they have to be done properly.... with butter, a little milk and sea salt!!

It is soo satisfying...smashing them carefully, getting out all your frustrations and stresses of the day! I have had times where all I want for dinner is a bowl of mashed potatoes. Eating with a big spoon, curled up on the couch! Comfort! Heavenly!

Its reassuring somehow. Maybe its from my childhood...mashed potatoes were a common side dish. Even with my paternal grandparents...although they were old school and it was a PLAIN mash. Sigh.
Some days I will dress up my potatoes with a glove of garlic and other times I will top them with spring onions or chives...!! YUM!

Today I had about half a cup of leftover mashed potatoes from last nights dinner! AND I must say...I am proud that there were any leftovers...potatoes are my weakness!! The old me would have just shoveled them in my mouth with delight! But Christmas is coming...gotta start cutting back! Its all about balance!

I also had a small portion of pork tenderloin leftover. I warmed them up slowly and started to think greek(ish)!! I quickly chopped cucumber, and did a rough chop of feta and olives. So in my bowl my creation of yummy flavours formed....potatoes, sliced pork and chunks of cucumber, olives and feta! It was heaven in a bowl!! Why had I never thought of this before....!? 

So...question of the day! What are your comfort foods....

Tooth Fairy business sucks.....!!

We have three kids...that's a lot of teeth to lose!
End result...I would have been fired years ago!
Then again, it's not all my fault...I have kids who have short term memory. They don't always remember to put the tooth under their pillow! And the way things are going...I don't remember to remind them to do it!! Sometimes I remember...but I don't have the toonie(that's two dollars, Canadian)...so I don't remind them! Sometimes too, they lose the tooth at school and we just all forget about it!  I can do soo many things...I can bake/cook...refurbish...write...garden...fix the odd thing in the house, BUT to remember to be the Tooth Fairy!? Nah!!

Just recently my 10yo lost his molar...at school!! He left it at school for about a week! Of course the Tooth Fairy wasn't going to come...she needs the tooth under the pillow! Eventually he brought it home and left it in the hall...for a few days! Now Hubby has a phobia of teeth! He eventually saw the tooth and not sure what it was, picked it up...and proceeded to freak out!! I heard him while I was upstairs! It's great to have a relationship with him...so many laughs!

Eventually.... the tooth made it under the pillow!!

AND because I felt soo bad for the kid...the Fairy left five dollars! Well...OK, there is more to the story!! I forgot that he placed the tooth under his pillow!! It wasn't till morning that I heard the heavy footsteps...and him muttering "she isn't real...she's fake. My tooth is gone and there is no toonie! It's crap!" Right away I questioned him like a good Mother does, "did you look everywhere? Under your bed? Did you even make your bed this morning? Just go have your shower for now, I'll look later! She wouldn't do that to you!"

Once I heard him in the shower, I grabbed the only money I had...a five dollar bill...and went quickly downstairs and made his bed and left the money on the comforter. Later I told him what I found! He was excited! I just looked at him and said "see...you have to really look for something, just don't glance at things and assume..!"

Being a Fairy is hard work!! You have to remember the TOOTH!! You have to have the CASH! Who carries cash anymore?? Everything is debit/credit! You have to slide your arm under the pillow carefully! You have to remember where the squeaky floor boards are! If the bedroom door creaks! And make sure there are no toys on the floor! Some kids are excited and sleep lightly, in hopes of seeing the Tooth Fairy! Once...forgetting my Daughter's tooth, I sat up at 6:30AM knowing that I forgot! Grabbing the toonie, I walked past her bedroom door and threw the coin on the floor!! When my Daughter woke up and saw the coin, she said, "Wow the Fairy must have been tired! She left the tooth and the coin is on the floor!"

Yeah....she was!!

One man's garbage is another man's treasure!

Am I the only one who gets totally excited when garbage day comes? Usually the night before, people put their "trash" curbside...hoping it all gets taken! Here in our town, we have rules and limits...it can be quite extreme...I never truly know what is acceptable!! But this week...I hit the jack pot!! A neighbour who use to live a couple doors down, has moved! Back in August he told me, "in 6 days I am moving to death!" I didn't know how to reply. Looking puzzled and lost for words, I waited for him to explain! Turns out he is going to a retirement home...!! I felt terrible for him...and the conversation was left there...!

This Monday night, his Son placed something curb side...and it wasn't till Tuesday morning at 6:30 when I knew I wanted it! Slowly I crept outside...not wanting to be seen as the neighbour that brings your "trash" in. I can just imagine...people wondering and assuming that the insides of my home resemble their home! None the less....sitting curb side was a beautiful chair. Nothing wrong with it! Dated? Maybe! Broken or damaged? Not at all!! I carried it quickly back to the house!! Giddy with excitement, it is now sitting in the kitchen! Hubby was the only one who didn't realize it was new. He thought it was similar to another one......which I found on Kijiji by the way!!

Tuesday night....the Son was back at it again...cleaning things out!! And something caught my eye!! It was getting late and I decided...if its meant to be, it will be there at 4:30 in the morning! It was!! With my jacket on...covering my nightie...I darted like a wild animal...down the sidewalk and over to the pile....it was a chandelier!! Hubby came out and just starred at me! I quickly and quietly whispered, "just seeing if its not too large for our dinning room!" It's not!! It needs some work!! But I'm excited to get to these two things started this weekend!!


Stay tuned for pics....!!
So...what excites you....??

Family Trips lead to tasty meals back home....

This past August our Family trip was to PEI! Yes, I know...again!! But if you've never been there, you don't understand how that small island can cradle you into another world! Do you see what I did there...use the word cradle...the term given by the Mi'kmaq..."the land cradled on the waves"...and it surely is. There is a different pace there....friendlier, more of a focus on what is truly important. This was our fourth trip. Every year we toss around the idea of visiting somewhere else. When it comes time to decide...we instantly fall back into the arms of PEI. Playing in the ocean, you feel as if the island has baptized you! If you are not born on the island, you are not a true islander! Even if you were born on the mainland and were a day old and came across to live on PEI...you are still not an islander(this was told to me by my History Professor)! But as a fisherman told us, we can be an "Islander By Choice"....or as he said, "so you want to be an IBC!"
So....that's what we are! We are IBC'ers!!

We have been home almost 4 weeks...and we all miss the scenery, food and friendly people!
We miss Seafood Chowder! A popular item....and every restaurant has their own spin! We sampled a few and they are all fabulous...it just depends on whether you like it thick and creamy or slightly thinned out! The seafood is amazing...so fresh!! So, this past weekend, slightly homesick...I decided to make a Seafood chowder. It was perfect for a rainy, windy Saturday afternoon!! With no recipe...I stood at the fish counter and saw PEI Mussels! Those babies were going to be in it! As well as salmon and shrimp!! I chose what each kid would eat...you know, I have one or two picky eaters!!

Two hours later...after prepping, washing, chopping, sautéing and allowing all the flavours to marry....it was done!! I would have added a bit of heat...red pepper Chili flakes...but as you know, picky eaters! It was soo simple! I used flavours that I tasted back on the island and some of my own! Some for taste, some for colour!!

Let's just say....bowls were filled twice and very little was leftover for Sunday lunch!

Love how great experiences during family trips lead to tasty meals back home!

September...time for new changes!! Technology!!

Well....after years of carrying around old files/disks  and basically using old, OK...somewhat archaic technology, I have been thrown into a situation. I have been upgraded!! It sounds nice, but if you don't know what to do...like me, you want to run in the opposite direction. I've also had the feeling, OK...perhaps the urge to throw the NEW phone and computer into the wall!! Maybe too...I should have been given the phone first! Get used to it and all it's apps before moving on to a computer...that is cordless! I still can't get certain texts from important peeps!! It's like the phone Gods decided that Julie is not allowed to contact me....why!? Anyone...!? I've been cut off...! And it hurts...!

It takes a special skill to calm me down....Hubby will open a bottle of wine! He will pour me a big glass and send me to the corner. There I will breathe in its woody, fruity tones and I will be hypnotized with its golden shimmer....!! Kids have the naughty corner, and I have the de-stressing corner. Hubby then takes over the idiotic technology and sets it up! Properly...!!! After my return to normalcy...I sit down, breathe and start to write....!! Fingers crossed....!

My biggest issue so far...aside from being upgraded...is that I cannot add photos to this blog! I literally have to upload photos to Facebook, which from there, copy that image and paste it in here! Now with all this new technology...should I be doing that?? It has me wondering if it's time for a change?? Change blog sites!? Do I lose all past posts, photos and readership? I have been struggling with this for the past week!! And I realized, it's September...time for change, routines and slowly falling back into old ones! So...here I am!! What should I do!? What would you do?!

Regrets! That pops into my head! I have no regrets!! Have you ever thought of that? Regrets!? Every path I have chosen, has led me to where I am now! And I am happy! So...no regrets!! With that being said......I think, I'll stay where I am...cause I'm not really ready for another new change!

There's not enough wine in the house for that.....

Time to harvest.......

This time of the year, many vegetables and fruit are in full bloom...in farmers fields and in our own back yards! For us, we planted just 8 tomato plants. Last year, someone was waiting for our crops. I still believe it's a certain, plump squirrel! He struts across the fence and periodically looks at me! I know it's him!! So this year, I toned it down......and planted some herbs and tomatoes. I was waiting to see if the squirrel would eat my crops! He did not!! Thankfully!!

During the growing season, I got green with envy when I saw posted pictures of tomatoes in full bloom from friends! Mine were still green...and flowering! BUT now...they are all turning beautiful shades of red...and when you pick one, they are warm from the sun! The red smells like tomato!! This is the time to reap your harvest and smell what true vegetables and fruit should smell like!! Grocery shopping in January is a dull experience...there is no life in produce..it is watery in taste and look.

This past week, with no recipe...cause that's the way I roll...I was experimenting with tomatoes. I made a soup! I roasted the beauties and pureed them(since some of my kids don't like lumps) and drizzled pesto(slightly thinned out) on top!! It was the best soup I've ever tasted!!

Today....I attempted to make a tomato sauce...and I swear...while it was roasting in the oven, I thought my kitchen was a pizzeria! I wish I could have bottled up that heavenly aroma!! I just wanted to dunk a piece of crusty bread into the mixture...!!!

I also made pesto for the sauce and got so carried away with it, that I didn't realize the splatter on my shirt...and since I love basil(with a passion...it's my herb of choice), I sucked my shirt to get it off!!
**Being a busy Mom, I don't always have time to change, especially when I have to go out!!

But when it was all finished and jarred...I just starred at my creation. This is fresh, from the garden...tomato sauce! Not bottled, not filled with (some) preservatives...it's fresh! You cannot get any better than that!!

I believe that we have to teach our kids where food comes from! How to grow it! How to prepare it! To not eat pre-packaged food continuously! I know I am first to admit that we cheat from time to time. But on the whole, I try to make fresh food....I like to know what is going into my food(and my Family for that matter)...I don't need or want a dictionary to find out what a certain ingredient is! Food is fuel for your body....! When the season is right...eat local!! Know where your food comes from! If we start to demand more knowledge on our food....can you imagine the outcome...a healthier society!!
Can you imagine!!!??

OK...enough of this rant, you get the idea!! So...what are you eating tonight??

SINGLE? Looking for a little romance, a little banter?? Have nice feet?? Read on....!!

I know...I know...so behind in the writings on our trip to PEI!! Soon...I promise!! Like tomorrow....cause the brats go back to school and I'll be cheering them on as I shove them into the doors of the school!!! These last weeks of August have been a blur...and now it's September!! But feeling more like the hot, hazy, lazy days of July!!

Couple of things I thought of, for my single friends in search of love, romance, or just that spark of something more....go shopping!! Hubby is away in West Virginia...leaving me with the 3 kids!! So basically I have to take them everywhere I go!  TIP ONE...go to RONA, or a home building supply centre...there you will find guys(hopefully who know how to build). I felt a presence, during the check out...and turned around to see a guy, who was pleasant looking, salt and pepper gruff on his face, very manly...starring at me, smiling and nodding!! I gave a little smile and continued on my way!! LADIES...go to these places!!
PS. You can borrow my kids!

Another store, which at this time, my Mom had the kids, so I was alone....trying to figure out what coffee filters to buy! I just bought a new coffee maker...and didn't realize that the filters had to be cone, not basket! So.....cause I was frantic in my thoughts "NO COFFEE....WHAT!?" .....I didn't read the instructions, telling me the size of the cone...cause I thought all cones were the same!! I was standing in the aisle of the grocery store...picking up packs of filters...confused and wondering if I should just buy them all? An employee came over...and started chatting with me!! Trying to help me...laughing...we decided on the ones to buy! I stated "I need coffee...it gets me through the day!" He replied "I can't drink coffee, it keeps me up all night!" and smiled at me!! I laughed...kinda nervously and backed away and thanked him for his help!  LADIES....go to the grocery stores and stand at a section, looking quizzical!

TIP THREE....if grocery stores and home building centres don't work...go on TWITTER!! I had a message recently...that I had HOT FEET!! FEET!! If you Ladies have gorgeous feet...show them!!! EXPOSE THEM! You never know!! There is a whole group of people who LOVE FEET!! Who knew!!! LOL!! I can see sales of pedicures on the rise!! Maybe I could be a FOOT MODEL and put our kids through University....I know, I'm getting carried away.....!! But isn't that wild!!!

AND I was depressed about turning 40!?!! Not anymore.....!!