Our Indian Experiment

Mr. BM came home the other day and says "I saw this Indian buffet driving home, I think we should go there one time, it looks neat."

SUREEEEE, first of all, he's never eaten Indian food in his life, sticks his nose up at curry, and he's not even a fan of rice or beans.  This would prove to be an interesting dinner out (which we hardly EVER do) and one that I am positive we are not ready to tackle yet. 
So, with those things (and others) in my mind and not on my tongue I decide to word it slightly differently:
"How about we try a few things here at home first and if you like them we will venture out of your Canadian bubble"

Before I get into the actual post I will tell you that he didn't like the rice or veggies but he was a fan of the chicken.  I personally enjoyed it all but I like things he does not, because, well, I am better than him. 
WAIT, not better as in I am on a pedestal, better as in I am a little more well rounded in the cuisines of the world, I could have rephrased but, meh.

So dinner was a mixture of a few flavors.  We had tandoori chicken but the rice and veggie dish was more of the earthy blends traditionally found in a garam masala.  Garam masala is usually a mixture of 5 or more ground spices incorporating cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.  I only used 4 spices so what do you call that? I dunno but it tasted good to me.
Next time around will be some curry dishes - but no goat, even I don't like that!
Try it out, let me know what you think.  If nothing else, it is a new way to enjoy your rice :)

Lovely Lasagna

Alright, I admit it, I was sad yesterday and I really REALLY needed some comfort food. 

I had entered a competition for a recipe challenge and sadly my recipe was not "original" enough.
Are you kidding me?  Quinoa Paella isn't original enough? 
I'm not bitter, I will work on something for next year but I do have to say I was so disappointed - so much so that I wanted to have the biggest piece of meaty, melty ooey gooey cheesy lasagna with NO veggies on the side.
And I did.
It was GREAT.
I even had a (small) bowl of Rolo Peanut Butter Ice Cream.
But the lasagna was better.
AND I have leftovers for Little Ugh for lunch today too.
I felt better :)

Blueberry Strusel Scones

Boredom set in this afternoon, I had only about an hour before I had to head out and pick up the kiddo and his friend. 
Little Ugh usually has a friend or two over almost every day.  These kids these days seem to know that our house is the house of good eats and flock, I don't mind, really. 
If they didn't come over I would be about 400 pounds by now so c'mon in, eat, enjoy, tell your friends, have them tell their friends friends, but clean up your messes when you leave ;)

We had some leftover blueberries (weird because my kid seems to be like a heat seeking missile when it comes to them) so I figured, hey, I've never made scones before - why not today?  They don't take much time to make or bake so they were the perfect snack for the kids when they got home.
If you've got flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, milk and blueberries you are all set!

The Poutine

Say wha? 
That's french fries with beef gravy and cheese curds for those of you who don't know.
And let me tell you just how wonderful it really is!

Its right up there with a mug of hot chocolate (with those mini marshmallows) on a blistery cold day, a big ole glass of lemonade (with ice and a lemon wedge on the side) on a scorching summers eve, jumping into bed with fresh clean sheets (that's every Saturday for us), a big bowl of meaty chili (with some sour cream and grated cheese please), I think its even better than an a hot fudge sundae (with a cherry on top)!

For those of you who have never tried this or even heard of it, you have NO idea what you are missing my friends.  You should really heed my advice on this one and make this recipe - but not often because it really isn't all that good for you.  Everything in moderation, moderation is key!

Cupcake Battle Royal

How many kids boys do you know that want to bake cupcakes on a Saturday afternoon?  Mine does, and it makes my heart proud!
For a while now Little Ugh has been chirping in my ear that he wants to start a bakery or an eatery and each time he mentions it I tell him to "get out his apron, I need a partner in crime". (yes, I bought him one a long time ago hoping he might have the same love of baking that I had when I was a kid)
Today, he must have felt especially adventurous...he Googled cupcake recipes, frosting recipes and even conversions!
The end result was some ingredients scribbled on a piece of homework and a lot of running back and forth to the computer to remember each step. (I can't even give credit to the website because I have no idea where he found the recipe for the cupcakes but I can give credit to Rachel Ray who taught him how to make icing with marshmallow fluff)

What can I tell ya, I must have taken a thousand pictures!!
They tasted so darn good, I even drank a nice tall glass of milk - and I don't drink milk.

He settled on a decadent chocolate with a marshmallow fluff icing (good on him because I bought the stuff wondering what I was going to use it for)
TRES BON!
So this post is an ode to my son, the next great baker! XO

P.S. I HAD to post this immediately or else I would have never heard the end of it.

Asparagus and Chicken Spaghetti

Little Ugh's take on the "beans beans the musical fruit" diddy, only for asparagus, which I couldn't wait to hear since nothing rhymes with asparagus or veggie - get ready:

*clearing his throat* *AHEM* ....
"asparagus asparagus - veggie that looks like a tree, eat bunches - but hold your nose when you peeeeee"
Good one bud...in my head I am secretly hoping he doesn't want to be a marketing exec.

With all of the veggies Little Ugh likes, asparagus is actually one that he doesn't favor. This time I hid it...by peeling it into strips and tossing it in with the chicken and bacon - tee hee hee I'm so crafty. 

Dulce De Leche Cheesecake

This dessert makes me want to sit in a kitchen at midnight, with my mom and 2 of my closest friends, discussing our problems and talking crazy stories while scarfing this caramelly, cheesecakey treat.  Wait, it would be even better if Betty White was there!

Honestly, I don't have much more to say about this - the boys loved it, I loved it, the in laws loved it and now its gone *WAAAAAA*

Individual Beef Wellingtons

You know how many times I have seen Gordon Ramsey make these on Hell's Kitchen and how many times I heard "you should make those"?  If you took 3 boxes of smarties and counted all of them out and multiplied that by about 10, that might come close.  You win Mr. BM!

I cannot rave enough about this dish - its, its, glorious!
We are not huge beef eaters anymore but how can you go wrong with butter slathered meat with a buttery flaky crust?  I only see 1 downside - the ever growing waistline should you want to eat this dish more than 3 or 4 times a year. Meh...carpe diem!

Soft Salty Pretzels

This ain't no lazy Sunday for our household this week, no sirree bob!  WE are the proud new owners of an 11 week old Peek A Poo!  I got suckered in by his little face and the calming way he lay in the arms of the saleswoman, what was I thinking?!
We (Mr. BM) named him Dion.  Why Dion you ask?
Because you see, my fiance is slightly (yeah right - understatement) obsessed with the Atlanta Falcons football team and has wanted to name something after a teammate.  Since I told him that he would NOT be allowed to name our child after them, he got the next best thing.
Isn't he a cutie?

Not to sideline him already but this is a food blog not an "I Love My Dog" blog - although I am going to be making some home made doggie treats in the coming months so if you have any friends with dogs - have them come and check out the posts once up! If Dion likes it, I am sure others will too :)

Pretzels, lets get back to them....those hard salty shelled, soft centered doughy pieces of art. 
I guess when I think of dogs I think of ballpark franks and pretzels.  Not strange, when I think of snow I think of  mashed potatoes, snow cones and marshmallows too so I suppose its only natural that when I get a dog I want hot dogs?  Good thing I didn't fall in love with a wiener dog!!

This dough is pretty easy to work with and only takes about an hour to rise.  Total process before inserting in mouth = 1.5 hours

"Thyme Is On Your Side" Roasted Chicken Thighs

Man, that song reminds me of that creepy Denzel Washington/John Goodman movie Fallen - seen it?  CAREEEEPYYYY 

OK enough of things that weird me out, back to chicken...that doesn't creep me out, except I guess if every time I made it the same song was playing on my ipod or if every time I was at the grocery store strangers hummed it as they passed me by. duh duh duhhhhh
See, this is why I watch romantic comedies, strange movies stick with me for YEARS - ask me what happened in 50 First Dates...some amnesia, some romance, a baby...the end
Enjoy the chicken with or without great music ;)

Fried Food Feasting

Weakness alert! Some rather harsh realities in this post...

We indulged in some not so heart healthy foods this past weekend, being Superbowl and all.  I am sure some of you may have also so I won't judge if you wont! 

It's common really, a big game, a fight night, a party - it happens even with the best of intentions (you know, putting out that veggie tray)

Now that I've gotten that off my chest I should maybe tell you one other little detail (gosh I am blushing)
Every Football Sunday we have fried chicken - OH I KNOW, how bad is that!?! 
It is only 16 weeks out of the year - that's me justifying.  You have pot roast every Sunday, I have fried chicken and biscuits, you say tomAto I say tomatoe.

I do believe that if you make your own fried meals they seem to be healthier (or at least that is what I am sticking with).  You can control the oil you use and how much salt you add - see, healthier....and again, justifying.

This time around we had fresh cut fries and chicken fingers.  They always taste so good when they aren't jumbled up chicken parts :)

Mint Chunk Cookies

Do you know how many hours I wander around the Walmart or grocery stores when visiting the United States just oogling over all the neat things Americans can buy?
It amazes me that some items are not sold in other countries.  And I want to know what I can do to make this happen!
Cereals for example!  Cookie Crisp, Apple Jacks, Count Chocula to name a few... POP TARTS, sure, we have them but in the US the flavors are endless!  I honestly can stand in that section alone for a good 10 minutes trying to decide which few boxes to bring home to Little Ugh.
Canned foods - I recently saw blackberry pie filling - I said it, BLACKBERRY pie filling.
Yes, I can make pie filling from them here but the convenience of it being in a can...GENIUS.

There ARE however some things that I am quite happy aren't here - spray cheese to name one.  Cmon cheese in a can?  Picture it, waking up at night, rushing down to the fridge for a good ole squirt of cheese?  Going to a fancy dinner party, picking up a  little cracker, looking around for some cheese and the hostess brings out "the can"
Really??

But one of my all time favorite thing to pick up for my baking is Andes Creme de Menthe baking chips. 
MMMMM melt in your mouth.  Naturally cookies is the perfect way to use them (although a few spoonfuls on ice cream is also great!)

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

First, I have to tell you that I do not like sweet potatoes.  I don't know why, I just don't.  Every major holiday dinner my MIL makes them and the rest of the family gobbles them up, me, I gobble up my turkey and mashed regular taters.
Sweet potato fries?  Oven Roasted?  Yup, don't fancy them either.  I know, strange eh?

Shoot! I am Canadian and I have held out SOOO long by not adding any "Eh's" in any of my previous posts but that one sort of slipped out.

For you non Canadian readers, to settle a few myths, we do not live in igloos, we do not travel by dog sled, Ottawa is our nations capitol, and we do really love hockey (well most of us do).  But yes, EH comes flying out of our mouths on occasion after a sentence.  We cant help it, I think its our 3rd word we learn.  Dada, Mama and EH.

Alright if you have any other Canadian questions you'd like reveled lemme know.  If not, I will get back to  why I am posting this.
Because, I have found a way to enjoy this nutrient packed veggie and I thought you might want to try it too - see, I share!

This recipe is actually very simple to create.  Just try it, just once!
I don't have a disclaimer but I do highly recommend this post.