Dragon's Breath (Red Cabbage)

The garden & market are bursting with fresh fruit and veggies and I'm trying really hard to find recipes that my family will like to add a little variety to our vegetable diet. We are mostly lovers of fresh veggies and there is very little interest in cooked vegetables, so I'm working hard to add a cooked vegetable to every dinner in addition to the fresh veggies and salad that are already a staple.

When you're a mom of twin 3 year olds and you're trying to feed your family a little more vegetables, you start getting creative with names. There's nothing spicy or firey about this dish, it's not even sour like the cabbage dishes like Sauerkraut, it's almost sweet with the onion and garlic. The name Dragon's Breath is just the only way I could think of to make this dish appealing to 3 year olds, 2 adults with special needs (who sometimes react to food the way my 3 year olds do) and daddy ladybug...who also heard that cabbage was on the menu and wrinkled his nose.

Well, it worked...it was fabulous! Bug ate it all, Daddy Ladybug, Uncle Ladybug and Ms. Ladybug were happy and Lady...well...she still refuses to try anything new. I'll have to make it about 5 more times before she'll give it a try. I would eat 2 huge helpings, so I think it's on the menu for tomorrow again! 

(insert maniacal laughter here) 

This dish is inspired by a dish I had at a friend's house, I was so surprised that cooked cabbage could taste so yummy, I had to give it a go myself. She made something similar with green cabbage, but here's my version with red.

Dragon's Breath (Red Cabbage)

1 head Red Cabbage. shredded thin

1 Onion, sliced really thin

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Oil (any kind you want, the milder flavour the better)*

1 Tbsp Butter*

1/4 cup Broth (chicken or veg work best)

Salt & Pepper, to tastes

*if you really want a low-cal/low-fat dish, use a non-stick pan and skip the oil and/or butter.

In a large saucepan or skillet, heat oil and butter until butter melts. Add cabbage, onion, garlic, broth and seasoning, stir well. Cover and cook on medium low heat for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is soft.

A perfect side to Bratwurst and Mashed Potatoes.

There you have it...cabbage can be easy, healthy, and good. So next time you're in the market, don't pass by that beautiful head of red cabbage, pick it up and take it home!

~Adel~

Canning Tomatoes

I am trying to increase the amount of home-made food we consume in our house, I've already reduced a lot of the processed food we eat and this summer I am working on preserving things we use often. I like to know what's in my food and I'm finding more and more that it's hard to find food in stores that doesn't contain a list of ingredients that I can't even pronounce let alone have any idea what they are or why they are being added to my food.

This unfortunately means more work for me, a whole lot of preserving, more planning, and less convenience foods.

I started a garden this year and although small, it has provided us with some home-grown food that I was able to preserve for the coming months. I have also been able to find wild berries, organic fruit, and local produce to help in that process. I'm working on canning tomatoes as we use a lot during the year. I probably purchase the equivalent of two cans of tomatoes, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, or tomato paste per week, sometimes as many as 6, depending on the menu, so I'm attempting to make a small dent in the amount we buy from the store for the next year. I know it's no where near the amount I should make, but I just don't have that kind of time!

Canning whole tomatoes was easy...diced not so much. That was a lot of work! If you want to try your hand at canning some fresh produce this year, I use this website for all the basic canning information - simplycanning.com.

I stuffed as many tomatoes as I could into the jars and squished and squished until the juice was almost to the 1/2" headspace line (my jars have a line...I didn't know that before!). I added some lemon juice and a tiny bit of salt to each jar and topped it up with a little tomato juice if needed. 

Then I cleaned the rims really well, added the lids and rings and popped them into the canner for 85 minutes...that's a long time and I'm pretty close to sea level here!

I can only fit 4 quart jars in my canner, so it's taken me a few days to get this all done, but here we are...canned tomatoes, enough for a few weeks at least!

Pasta sauce and pizza sauce are also done! Now I'm ready for a big ol' spaghetti and meat sauce meal!

~Adel~

Country Peach Pocket Pies

Peaches are ripe and bountiful right now and I've got a box of peaches still remaining after a day of canning. Time for some creative ways to use up peaches! Not much time left, September is here and it's almost apple season! 

Like the bite marks? I forgot to take a picture before I dove in...yum. 

Country Peach Pocket Pies

Makes 6

1 1/4 cups Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/3 cups Regular or Butter Flavoured Shortening
1/4 cup Cold Water (more or less as needed)
1 & 1/2 cups Peaches (about 2 peaches), peeled & diced*
2 Tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Flour
pinch Nutmeg
pinch Cinnamon
pinch Salt
1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Milk
Granulated or Powdered Sugar

Make pie dough with flour, salt, shortening and cold water. Mix flour and salt, then using a pastry cutter or a food processor, cut in the shortening until the mixture looks like oatmeal. Slowly add water 1 Tbsp at a time and mix with hands or pulse with processor until dough just sticks together. Do not refrigerate or use previously frozen it needs to be stretchy or it will break. Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut 5" circles or use a hand-pie maker to make the pie crust. .

Combine Peaches, sugar, flour, seasonings and lemon juice in a separate bowl.

Add 1 heaping Tbsp of filling in the centre of each pastry circles and fold outside edges together. Crimp edges together to seal or use a hand-pie maker. Brush milk on both sides to help dough brown nicely. Bake in a 375F oven for 15 minutes or until crust is nicely browned.

Dust with sugar and let them cool about 10 minutes before serving (the filling can be really hot!). Great with a big dollop of whip cream or ice cream.

Perfect sunny afternoon dessert.

~Adel~

*to peel fresh peaches, immerse them in a pot of boiling water for about 60 seconds until the skins start to crack. Place the hot peaches into a bowl of ice water and let them cool for about a minute, then rub the skins off. Voila...skinned peaches. Cut as needed for preserving or fresh peach recipes.

Preserving Peaches

Beautiful ripe peaches that fill the air with their delicious fragrance are piled high in 20 lb boxes at my local market. It's time to buckle down and learn to preserve some of those delicious things I grew up on. 

I recall my mother telling me that she used to can 100 lbs of peaches, and similar amounts of raspberries and cherries. We had a huge cool room in our basement and one entire wall was filled with jars of fruit & vegetables. I don't think I'm quite that determined, our meals are seldom followed by dessert (as was the tradition in my family), and my access to fresh fruit is significantly more than we had when I was younger, so I'm not so concerned about stocking up. Simply, I've decided to can peaches because I love the flavour of home-canned fruit and it is a very good skill to learn. So, taking the plunge, I bought 40 lbs and set about learning something new. 

I am not a complete stranger to canning, I spent most of my summers helping my mom peel, cut, stuff and boil various things and I've been making my own jam for a few years, but this is my first experience canning fruit on my own. 

I learned a few things about getting the skin off the peaches and by the time I was done I had the timing down just perfect...60 seconds in the boiling water and a dip in ice water and those skins peeled right off.

I managed to make a huge mess cutting up the peaches to put in jars, but in the end, I got 12 jars of beautiful peaches in a medium-light syrup, preserving that just-picked flavour for the cool rainy months when I can't find peaches in the store. I froze the rest of those 40 lbs as sliced peaches for smoothies and pies. The freezer is getting really full too!

One jar didn't seal, so we were able to have a taste of home-made canned peaches without waiting for the rainy season to start!

Well, there you have it, my first fruit canning experience done, I'd say it's a success...only one jar didn't seal! Now it's on to tomatoes...

~Adel~

Sunshine Benny

Eggs Benedict is a favourite special breakfast in our house. It's Daddy Ladybug's absolute favourite breakfast and I will occasionally make it for dinner too.

Here's my take on the classic Eggs Benedict...aka heart attack breakfast!

Sunshine Benny

Makes 4 servings.

4 English Muffins

Butter

Garlic Powder

8 Eggs, poached

8 slices Tomato

Avocado Slices

Bacon, cooked crisp

Sunshine Hollandaise Sauce

Open English Muffins and arrange on a baking sheet. Spread butter on each open half and sprinkle with garlic powder. Broil until edges start to brown and butter is melted.

Make poached eggs, bacon, and Sunshine Hollandaise Sauce, keep warm until assembly time. 

Top each 1/2 of browned english muffin with a poached egg, tomato, avocado and a spoon full of hollandaise sauce. Top with crispy bacon and serve hot.

Delicious and fresh. A little work and good timing make this an amazing breakfast (or breakfast for dinner).

~Adel~

Sunshine Hollandaise Sauce

I'm always disappointed with restaurant Hollandaise Sauce, I like mine with a little more zip. This one has a little tang and always leaves me wanting to lick the pot when I'm done!

Sunshine Hollandaise Sauce

1/2 cup Salted Butter (Room Temperature), cut in 3 equal parts

3 Egg Yolks, beaten

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Water

Pepper

Melt 1/3 of the butter in a warm sauce pan on medium-low heat. Mix egg yolks, lemon juice and water in a bowl and pour into sauce pan. Mix quickly with a whisk to incorporate butter, once it starts to thicken, add another 1/3 of the butter and mix while it melts, once sauce begins to thicken again, add remaining butter and stir with whisk until it melts and sauce thickens again. Remove from heat, season with pepper as desired, and serve immediately. If sauce gets too thick or curdles, add a Tbsp of hot water and whisk until smooth. To reduce the risk of curdling use a double boiler. 

Great with a Sunshine Benny, veggies, fish or poultry.

~Adel~

Creamy Garlic Chicken Pizza

One of my favourite pizzas is a garlic chicken pizza from a little italian bistro. It is so yummy. I have attempted to replicate it, sorry, it's not as good, but still pretty fabulous!

Creamy Garlic Chicken Pizza

Best Ever Pizza Dough Recipe 

(If making thin crust, save 1/3 of the dough for pizza sticks or freeze for another day)

Garlic Pizza Sauce Recipe

2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

1 cups Grilled Chicken

1 Red Pepper, sliced thin

1 Tomato, diced

1/4 Red Onion, sliced thin

1 Roasted Garlic Bulb, cloves squeezed out and chopped

4 Mushrooms (your choice), sliced thin

Fresh Basil Leaves, ripped or chopped

Parmesan Cheese

Spread pizza dough on pan, creating a little ridge around the outside to keep the toppings in. Spread sauce on pizzas and top with 1/2 mozzarella and the rest of the toppings. Top with remaining mozzarella and bake in a 375 F oven for 17-20 minutes until crust is golden. 

Makes 1 large rectangular pizza or 2 -12" pizzas.

Pizza Friday here we come!

~Adel~

Creamy Garlic Pizza Sauce

Sometimes I just want a creamy sauce on my pizza, chicken pizzas just seem so much better with a little creamy garlic sauce. Here's my favourite!

Creamy Garlic Pizza Sauce

2 Tbsp Butter

3 Garlic Cloves

2 Tbsp Flour

1 & 1/4 cup Milk

Salt & Pepper

dry mustard powder

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

In a sauce pan, melt butter. Add minced garlic once bubbly and cook for 30 seconds before adding flour. Stir flour in and cook for about 1 minute. Add milk and stir until bubbly and thick. Season with salt & pepper  and mustard powder as desired. Add parmesan cheese after removing from heat and stir well. 

Makes enough for 1 large rectangular pizza or two 12" pizzas.

Make this sauce tonight for a delicious Creamy Garlic Chicken Pizza or make your favourite Pizza with my Best Ever Pizza Dough!

~Adel~

Slow Cooker Chicken Pad Thai

I've been experimenting with new meals lately. Some aren't working out so well, but every once in a while I come across something that really works. Daddy Ladybug loves Pad Thai, so I've been working on a twist on the traditional recipe that works for the slow cooker. 

Slow Cooker Chicken Pad Thai

2 Tsp Tamarind Paste*

1/4 cup Fish Sauce

2 Tbsp Chili Sauce (I used sriracha) 

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

3/4 cup Chicken Broth

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Onion, sliced thin

4 Chicken Breasts, cubed

1/2 cup Crunchy Peanut Butter

2 Tbsp Cornstarch + water

Cilantro

Green Onions

Bean Sprouts

Hot Thai Chili Peppers

Lime wedges

Cooked Rice Noodles

*Tamarind paste can be found in the asian section of your supermarket or at asian/indian stores, sometimes also called Tamarind Concentrate, in a pinch, substitute low sodium soy sauce (you probably will need to add more to get the flavour of concentrated Tamarind).

Combine tamarind paste, fish sauce, chili sauce, lime juice,  & chicken broth together in a bowl and mix well to dissolve tamarind. Add chicken, garlic, onion and sauce together in slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours.

About 1/2 hour before serving, add peanut butter and a mixture of cornstarch and enough water to dissolve the cornstarch. Stir well and replace the lid. Cook for another 1/2 hour then add cooked noodles. Toss to coat noodles and serve with cilantro, green onions, bean sprouts, hot peppers, and lime. Best served immediately.

Enjoying a little taste of Thailand straight out of the slow cooker...

~Adel~

Camping Kitchen

The kids and I have managed to get in 7 camping trips this year and Daddy Ladybug has been able to join us for 2 trips with our extended family. I've had lots of practice setting up/taking down camp by myself and figuring out what is the most efficient way to camp with my kids. I'm getting better every time. It is not easy camping alone with kids, but we have so much fun...only once did I seriously consider packing them up in the middle of the night to go home! It's only mid-August and there's several weeks left in the camping season, but I think I might be done for the year, I'm kinda burnt out! Ready for the scheduled life of the fall to return, anyone else feeling that way?? 

I get asked a lot what my kitchen looks like when I'm camping, so here's a post with pictures and organizational ideas that I use when camping to keep my family fed!

The typical camp set up at a BC Provincial Park (this is Cultus Lake). 

They generally have a BBQ attachment to the table so I use that as my starting point and build from there. BBQ or stove go on the metal extension and the folding table (from Costco) goes beside it. The big rock at the end of the table is almost always there, so I use that as a boundary for the kids..."don't go past, it's hot!" I usually bring a bucket for a garbage can, but I forgot it this trip so I improvised with a garbage bag tucked under the stove. The shelter tent usually depends on the weather...over the table if it's rainy or further back if it's dry as a play hide-out from the mosquitoes! 

The kitchen drawers go under the table and the washing bins/draining rack go on top. 

This year I'm trying a new camping organizational strategy, instead of 3 bins, I'm now down to 1 (which holds the bigger stuff like the washing bins) and 2 sets of drawers...one for the clothes and toiletries and one for the kitchen. I've fallen in love with my camping kitchen drawers. No more digging through bins to find things, it feels so organized! This has also reduced the amount of space my camping gear takes up in my vehicle. The best thing about the drawers is they can serve as a side table for the late night glass of wine at the campfire when the kids go to bed.

Inside the kitchen drawers... Cutlery/cooking utensils.

Lighter, clothes line, dish towels/cloths, other random tools & small first aid kit.

Smaller dishes - bigger ones are in a bin.

Nesting pots and wrapped up in hand towels is my french press (very important when your children wake up with the birds...)

Water and iced tea jugs (frozen before I go to use as ice for the cooler) sit on the table for easy access. I try to encourage everyone to have lots of fluids when it's hot.

There you have it, my camping kitchen. 

I create a lot of things here, but it's pretty much a consistent diet of hot dogs, mac & cheese, and s'mores when it's just me and the kids, but occasionally I break out the fancy stuff (and they complain the whole time)!

Happy Camping!

~Adel~