popcorn balls

you make these like the rice cripy squares

5cups popcorn
1cup candy corn
1/2cup butter
3cups marshmellows
4drops red colouring
3drops yellow colouring
place popcorn, candy corn ina bowl and set aside..
melt butter and marshmellows,stir until all melted
pour over popcorn and stir til all is mixed
grease your hands well and
roll into balls, set on a piece of wax paper
and let stand for a bit..(5 to 10 min)
you can use licorise to make a stem for the popcorn balls..
just cut it to fit,
shape the balls like a pumpkins, its fun to make different shapes
with it..but you have to be quick, it will get hard fast..
you dont have to put the food colouring in it, but it makes a
great orange colour for halloween..
you can add a cup or so of nuts to it also..
I love the nuts in it, they add a sweet, salty taste..

til next time..

spooktacular

well I hope you all have fun on Halloween..
when I was a kid, that was the best time..
eating the molasses candies, oh they were my favourites!
Anything mollasses, we would get these small apples around that time of year.
Snows apples, I think they called them..tiny apples and really white inside..
Soaping windows came along with that night too..
we would put our winter coats on, our boots and then our costume..
we would grab our pillow cases, and off we would go..
Mom would drop us of at the store, we would go all around the town,
she would be waiting for us at the store, right were we started..
when I say we, I mean my sister Gail.. Tina was just a baby..
it was so cold at that time, snow on the ground and sometimes really high.
the first stop would be the general store..Freemans,
 they would give us a can of coca cola
and a bag of potatoe chips..man we thought that was great
We used to get lots of home made candies, popcorn balls, I loved those.
then the rumours of all those kids getting straight pins in ther popcorn balls
stopped us right then and there..no more home made stuff..
it was a disappointment, but safety first..
carving pumpkins, making a costume, we never bought one..and
 I dont think any of my friends did either..
Nobody could afford to.
we usually went as hobos, or clowns, or some guys went as girls,
I remember one kid went as a kitchen table..
they glued a tea pot and cups on the top and a couple plates..

yes we egged a few things and soaped a few..and then there was the
nicky, nicky nine door..
I used to string tin cans to the peoples cars when they came to get candy
at our house..
Now I was in my 20's when I did this..
they would always get us back
One of them used to say they needed to use the bathroom
and they would plaster the seat with baby oil..
(that was when we finally got an inside bathroom)
It was all in fun..
So have a great time this Halloween,
I"ll be watchin for all you ghosts
n gobblins..

pasta

I know that students love pasta..

I make this dish with spinach,
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

in a proccessor blend the spinach to a mince,
you may need a full bag of spinach..

you want it to be like a thick liquid..
add in a bit of olive oil, about a tsp to start
add salt you may need to add a lot
pepper a couple shakes

cook pasta as directed on package
when pasta is done, drain,rinse,then add the spinach sauce
to the pasta, heat in oven for about 10 to 15 minutes..
enjoy
pasta is a good thing to have in the cupboard..
it is easy to do things with ,
if you have basil, oregano, pepper and salt..
you can create a pasta dish
then if you have any leftover meat,
veggies,
mix that in with cooked pasta and you have dinner!
Cold or hot pasta will be a good meal..
Im pretty sure the dieting people out there will say not to
eat much of it..but everything in moderation..
everything in moderation..you can eat what you want, you just can't eat
a large bag, or container of what you love..
just watch how you eat..
I was always told..21 days and it becomes a habit..
so lets see if thats true..
let me know out there what you did or didn't do..

hot peach

this is a dandy treat..

all you do is take some peaches, peel and slice..
add a little sugar to make a syrup..heat until they are hot, or have some juice
oh yea, add a quarter tsp cinnamon.
make sure you have some vanilla ice cream in the freezer..

or buy a can of peaches..a quarter tsp of cinnamon..
pour into that cast iron pan you have, or any fry pan
heat on low, til its hot.
put a couple scoops of ice cream in a bowl, pour some of the peaches and juice
onto the ice cream
and eat while hot, or warm
I can taste it now..

its time for soup

I have a nice recipe for a tomatoe basil soup

you can use a can of any size of diced tomatoes
basil      1tsp
oregano 1/4 tsp
diced onions  1/2 c
diced garlic     1/2c

dice the onions and garlic and saute them in a pot
with some oil..
open your can of tomatoes ( 19oz can or more)
I usually puree half the can
put the other can in the sauted garlic and onions..
add your pureed tomatoes and basil, oregano
simmer for 15 to 20 minutes
mm, this is good..the aroma is fantastic
and then if you make some of that bread I had on here..
you will definetly impress campus kids..

you also can chop up some home grown tomatoes..they are so good
in this recipe..there is nothing like home grown stuff, the flavour comes out
much more robust..
this is also a good recipe to start out with for a beginner.
It gives you confidence..
thats how you do it, right, you need to feel you can cook,
then all the rest feels natural..
once you accomplish cooking something, there is no limit to what you can do..
dont worry about mistakes, thats what experience is..when you make a mistake
you have learned 'don't try that again..
its fine, we all do it, and I still get things wrong..
I still don't know much about cooking and sometimes I wonder why am I doing this blog..
well yes I do, I like to tell stories, and sharing a couple recipes along the way, never hurt anyone..
so til next time..

coffee break

this time of year, I take a coffee break..
I take it outside..actually on the corner of brock and University
in the city where I live..
I do it to help the Alzheimer Society to raise money.

this year we raised over $380.00 just by stopping cars,buses, Fedex and Purolator trucks
Even the mail people..we had Students of all ages drop by..
It was a great morning!
We are awaiting for more donations to make it official on the amount of money,
we can hand over to them..

It makes your heart warm, to drop that quarter or dime in the box..
people left with a smile and hot cup of java

Which I would like to mention..
each year I ask Tim Hortons to donate the coffee,cups and condiments..
this year they sent a letter back to the Alzheimers to inform them
they thought it would be more convenient for us to pick up the coffee
at another location, the browns vending or the campus..
I was truly upset about this, who decides how close you are to anything..
If your willing to drive to get a  donation how far is it really?

It was a discouraging moment when I spoke the person on the other end,questioning why??
After explaining to them that I have always got my urns of coffee from them
in the last 10 years (plus).They said to me, well sorry about this..
Sorry about this!Sorry.. yes I am sorry that we had to end a good relationship like this..
unfortunately this is the end of it...
It was 3 days before the event..and I was scrambling..
My sister and brother in law went to a place out in the town of Harrowsmith,
they serve breakfast all day..
a bakery, a cafe, and at the end of this month she will be taking over the convenience store and the frozen food area in the same town..I want to give her a giant thank you, she didn't hesitate to offer an urn of coffee and she threw in some donuts for the staff at work..
her name is Ella, she is a kind and generous person..
just a little guy in the big scheme of things..
but that is when you know they haven't forgotten,
Its about giving,its about family, and its about caring for your neighbourhood...
Thank you Ella..God Bless you and your staff for coming through last minute...
we will definately see you next year...

and tomorrow I will post some more recipes...
thanks for hearing me out..

Giving Thanks

many people get to enjoy thanks giving now..
there are lots of soup kitchens, now that serve,,
we have Martha's table, and the friendship room,
the Sally Anne  always has food to give to people who
cant make ends meet..
I tell you its just the unemployed either, where there were two incomes, and now there is one..
people of all kinds have it hard..
its tough for lots of us out there..
So if you check the papers, if you have a computer, and of course the local churches always give a hand..
the Sally Anne is one of the best examples, they have thrift stores..buy one get one..
I will give them a plug: Oct.13th to 19th all sweaters and coats 25% off
Oct 27th to Nov.2nd 25%off cds, books,games
On Oct 22nd here in Kingston they are having a silent auction and Dessert evening..there is over 150 items it cost $7.00..
there is the freedom ministries,harbour lights,the gathering place..
all will feed you one way or another..
they are there for all kinds of support
No matter where you live..there is an Army sign near you..
they desperately need helping hands..
if you can give an hour of your time, do it..you just have no idea how it makes
all of you feel..because, no matter how badly you think you are..
there is somebody around the corner..thats worse off..
the next thing that will be coming up will be the food hampers for Chritmas..
there is the santa shuffle..this is great for all thiose out there
that love running or walking..you will be doing more than just you a good thing..
go to the http://www.santashuffle.com/
its happening in kingston,I'll be there, Peterborough, Barrie,and Ottawa..
so come  runners..I know your out there..do it for them..
you dont have to run..you can be someone who stands on the side lines and takes the donations..
let me know how you do..I'll be here to let you know how it goes at my end...

leftovers, what to do?

well, getting rid of leftovers is easy..

there is soup, of all kinds, turkey, potatoe,
maybe yams, turnip carrots..
its endless..

at one time we used to have goose.. thats greasy..
dripping grease..
but it was a treat..
the home grown version of anything is the tastiest item..
you can't beat it..

lets start with the bird part of dinner,
if you got to take some home, or you were the host,

keep the drippings some for gravy, and some for the broth
boil down the bones..which takes time..
do it slowly..take all day, if you like..
just keep watch of the water..
a bit of salt ,pepper,and some poultry season
let it simmer.....

while your waiting for that..lets see
 if you have some potaoes and yams, and maybe turnip left..you can
put them together and add cream cheese, mix and bake for about a half hour..
OR
you can put them together with some broth in a pot and add some onion, garlic,
salt pepper..and there is soup..
you can do turkey sandwiches..I used to love a piece of turkey, some homemade cranberries
and layer it on with some ground pepper..mmm
toasted or not..it was a fav
you can always make gravy, or buy the can or package kind
and make it up..slice of bread, slice of turkey, slice of onion..
and then pour the gravy on...
yes..I give thanks for that one..

and for those who dont eat meat..
there is always plenty of veggies left..that you can do the same as the meat eaters..
just be sure its veggie broth instead..
as if you didnt know that already..
I always take the leftovers out and look at them, see what will work together and what should be seperate
its an easy thing..experiment..you really cant go wrong..if you are in doubt, check online.
we should do a spice and herb thing..that would be a great idea..
no matter what spice or herb you choose, it will always come down to the salt and pepper..
and being on a budget, doesnt give you the freedom to buy what you want..
but thats ok, you can make it work..
buying dried will have to do, until you get your loan paid..

the Gluten..

raspberry chocolate muffins

1 3/4 cup of gluten free all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
7 tbsp grapeseed oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup milk..to make this vegan friendly add soy milk, or rice milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla  extract
3/4 cups raspberries
preheat oven 350
whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder,and salt

in a seperate bowl,whisk remaining ingredients
except the berries..
pour the liquid into the dry mix and stir together,
 add the berries..

spoon the mixture into greased muffin cups, and bake
for 18 minutes, or until u stick a toothpick in and its clean..
let cool, if you can..and enjoy..

Potatoes, and you thought I was finished with them..

you can never be done with potatoes.. they are so easy to do, you dont even have to peel them
you have to love these things..

here is one more way to do them..and its a good way to use up what you have leftover..
the left over baked potatoe..yes I spell it with an "e"it was the way I was taught in school..

you can do this with a good baking potatoe,
they can stand the test of what you will be doing to this potatoe..
if you have to bake potaotes to do this recipe, well thats ok to..
you can do this in your microwave..its easy..
take the potaoe and cut a top off of the potatoe, scrape out the meat of tit
but make sure you leave some of the white in around the skin..
put the inside of the potatoe in a bowl,
put the skin on a plate or pan if your using an oven.

now you can make some salsa..or if you have a jar of it in the fridge that will do..
but to make salsa is pretty easy..
take can tomatoes chop them up small, chop an onion, red, green, or yellow..
one of whatever you choose, maybe jalapino chopped, red, green, or banana pepper
add to the chopped tomatoes..
then mix together, add this to the bowl with the inside of the potatoe..
mix together and put it back into the potatoe skins..
grate some cheese on top and put in the oven or microwave until hot..
mmm, this is a great way to use up things..
You could get even more creative and put leftover broccoli, or anyveggie, chop them up mix in with the
potatoes and bake...

Give Thanks

This I give thanks to Michael Smith..love this guy.
and he comes to Kingston alot..for book signings and such..
He is putting a resturant on Campus, so we will see him more often..

I just wnated to come on today and wish everyone a great Thanksgiving weekend..
I know most of you will be chowing down on Turkey, and the trimmings..

I just want to add a recipe for those that may be to far away from home to make the trip..
and its not turkey, just chicken, breasts that is....

take the breasts and lay them between cling wrap or parchment, anything you have.
Take a pot, rolling pin what ever you have on hand..that cast iron will do just fine for this!
pound it down flat..
after that, you can put ham or maybe a veggie on the flattened breasts,
and some cheese..now roll it up..
take some onions, saute them..in the cast iron pan,
lay them in the bottom of the pan..
and put your breasts on top of the onions..
cook in the oven for a 1/2 hour, 45 minutes..at 350

You can add potatoes, in the pan..
one pot dishes are my favourite..
less to clean up and the flavour savours in everything..

meatout mondays?

well, I have joined the meatout monday group..
they send me recipes and things..so I would like to pass some things onto you
guys,
this is a yummy recipe: I hope you guys enjoy it

3tbsp water( for sauteing)
3sweet potaoes
2 med onions chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped small
1 can kidney beans
2 peppers chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
11/2 c peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp cumin
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne
3 tsp br sugar
4 c veggie stock
1 tsp ginger

heat water(saute) add onions, garlic,until soft
stir in cumin, cinn, cayenne cook for a minute
add a bit of water to the peanut butter and mix it
before you add it to the pot, it helps to mix it in
then add:
potatoes, beans, tomatoes
stir to coat everything then cook for 30 mins..

you wont know theres no meat..in this hearty dish..
you can dish it up as is, or have rice or noodles
 as is is about 200 cal.