How far can $1 of corn go?

 

Last night i went to the grocery store. I like going to this particular grocery store only on Thursday night, after 8pm. Why is that you may ask? well, this grocery store is far beyond my budget, and although i would LOVE to shop there for everything i could imagine, it's just not feasible. Anyway...Thursday night after 8 the store is bustling with staff getting the displays ready for the beginning of tomorrow's flyer sales, and all of the product that may be expiring or not looking so super shiny and new, gets discounted to 50% off.  NOW i can afford to shop there!

I usually look for discounted meat (i freeze all my meat anyway), bread and even sometimes fresh produce. If you are careful, you can get through the store with only sale items in your cart, and not have to sell your first born child to pay for the grocery bill.

This particular day i discovered a rack with cobs of corn on them. packages of 5 cobs would end up costing me $1. not bad. they didn't look to shabby either. I ORIGINALLY bought it for our furry little guinea pig friend. I had heard that they liked corn and i decided to try it. well, he does NOT like corn, and i had 4 cobs left over. so, i decided to make some frozen corn. I blanched the peeled cobs in boiling water for 5 minutes, and then cut the kernels from the cob. ok. not bad. a bag of frozen corn for a dollar is a good deal right? BUT...what if i could do more?

The bare cobs reminded me of something. They reminded me that I had once been watching the Food Network (my favourite) and I had once seen one of my favourite chefs (Chef Michael Smith) make corn chowder, using the cobs of corn for a flavour base. LIGHTBULB!! so, i have taken the cobs, have put them back in the water that i originally had cooked the corn in (thankfully i had saved it) and am now simmering corn stock for future use this fall, as a kick ass base for a creamy, dreamy corn potato and bacon chowder. NOM!! I also threw in some stocks of celery from my fridge that have passed their prime, but i didn't consider that in my $1 price tag. Maybe i should have...ok...so, celery that would have been thrown away...uuuuummmmm.....05¢?

I will let you know how it turns out when i post a blog entry this fall or winter, posting a killer new chowder recipe. but for now i'll probably just freeze it and stare at it longingly till the weather turns cooler, and my tummy longs for warm, creamy soup.

Cheers!

My little Urban Front Yard Garden

I began this year thinking i was going to replace my entire lawn with a vegetable garden. Then common sense got the better of me, and I realized i should probably "ease" into it with a little at a time, with the hopes of one day not having a lawn. After all, some days i forget to water ONE plant, so the idea of perhaps wasting a TON of money on something i was going to have to care for, but not have time for was pretty intimidating. So, I started small. 

 I started with my existing gardens. i waited till all the spring bulbs were gone, and i dug everything up. All my shrubs, perennials, grasses...everyting. My existing beds became my garden for my corn and my sunflowers. I also planted sunflowers all down the left side of my house. All of which are doing fantastic, and covering up the ugly, in-need-of-a-paint-job stone bottom of my home nicely. There are quite a few weeds that i literally have just given up on, but for the most part, everyone is enjoying their time in these gardens. corn is growing, sunflowers are blooming, and everything is green and happy!!

The next item on my agenda was adding a small raised bed to the front. My husband found a Pallet Box on the side of the road one day and lovingly picked it up for me. It is about 4'x4', and about 3'deep. we dug a hole, buried it, and planted my tomatoes and  peppers in it. the peppers have all but been taken over by the tomatoes, but it's ok...they are still producing. The flowers are nasturshums. the leaves are edible as a salad green! and the flowers make a lovely plate garnish...ya...for all those fancy dinner parties i throw for my 8, 5, and 1 year old...ha.

 

One of my favourite gardens is my herb garden. This was an existing garden that i uprooted everything in, but the cedar, and planted parsley, 2 kinds of basil, chives, oregano, lemon grass, rosemary, and lavender...in addition to 3 cabbages and another few sunflowers. again...everyone is loving it, and my food has never tasted better! i plan on preserving the herbs fresh in ice cubes, and frozen oil cubes, perhaps even making some herbed EVOO. mmmmmm.....

I think my favourite surprise is my corn. We grow corn here everywhere. there are fields and fields of it, but i have never known someone to grow it in their yard...it is so neat, and the kids love seeing the progression of the cobs as they get bigger and bigger. I think the anticipation of the upcoming meals is the best part. 

I also have some things in my back yard, such as zucchini, brussel sprouts, blackberries, raspberries, pumpkin, rhubarb, fennel, parsley, carrots, collard greens, strawberries, more tomatoes and kale...but who's counting? My back garden is separated in containers because we have a huge black walnut tree that plays havoc with our soil, and some of the plants can't grow in it's acidity. it's always a game of garden roulette in the back, so i figured, why not just do it in the front? and guess what? SUCCESS!!!

Do you have an Urban garden? What are your thoughts on front yard gardening?

Onion Garlic Soup - Cure what ails you

Im sick. in the summer. i mean, how much worse can it get? not much by my standards, but at least it's just me. the kids and hubby have escaped it (which means i probably got it off the dirty gross handle of some grocery cart...ick). anyway, I'm on day 4 of this horrific head/chest cold, and so i decided to go nature on it's ass. I'll fully admit...through the spring/summer I've fallen off the good, old fashioned band wagon. I've caught up to it a few times, and had bursts of home cooking and lots of gardening (of course) but for the most part, i've been super busy with work (excuse) and I've been trying to keep the kids from killing each other most days (excuse). Excuse the excuses...they're all i have some days.

ANYWAY, i digress. Soup. I love soup. So last night in my final waking moments before falling asleep, i googled "what to eat when you are sick". one thing i kept seeing was this onion and garlic soup. now, i know what you are thinking...because i was thinking it last night. GROSS. who would eat that, and secondly, who would want to be in the same vicinity as someone who has eaten that?? talk about room clearing. but the more i read, the more i realized, it is really something that could boost my system, so let's have a go. so it's today, and it's in the pan.

3 large roughly chopped cooking onions
3 small (tiny) chopped onions from last years garden
3 HUGE cloves of garlic, locally grown and SUPER strong. (yipes)
one of my frozen bags of home made chicken stock...so roughly about 4 cups.

it's in the pan. my house smells like onion and garlic...but it smells very homy and good actually!

I'll let you know how it works. once i eat it, i'll probably get the house to myself due to the stench, so i'll have lots of time to update the blog.

UPDATE:
So, the soup was remarkably tasty...i wasn't brave enough to eat all the hunks of garlic (i did a rough chop), so i mostly ate the broth. i am feeling better today, so whether it was the soup, or the natural course of the cold, im not sure, but i would make this again, knowing that it is super healthy regardless! and pretty easy to boot! That...and i love anything soup. i am pretty much a soup fiend! love it to pieces. now if only i could get the 2 older kids to eat it?! my toddler eats it up like crazy. even this garlic and onion one!!

Bananacado?

Breakfast at 9:30,shared it with my son,couldn't finish it, and I'm still STUFFED at noon... This is REAL food!
Smoothie ingredients:
1 banana
1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup homemade applesauce
Juice of 1 whole orange
1 tbsp flax seeds
2 tsp honey
Blend to thick, delicious perfection!

Smoothie breakfast

My new found favorite thing to do is drink my vitamins. I have discovered juicing and smoothie making. It's delicious, nutritious and has so much variety it's head spinning. This mornings breakfast comes to me in the former of a strawberry banana smoothie. Super delish! More meals in cups to come!

Cream of tomato soup

I crushed local tomatoes this summer, using my vitoria strainer.
I made the turkey stock after Christmas.
So, in the throws of winter, it's only logical to make tomato soup. And let me say... Its heavenly. Granted, I added (home) roasted red peppers and red lentils for healthy goodness, as well as 2 small onions and 1 clove of local garlic, a bit of salt and a few tablespoons of brown sugar... and to top it off, some half and half and grated marble cheese. Canned soup be gone... I'm never turning back. Yummy! Now if only it wasn't deemed dangerous to can your own soup that includes dairy... I made a lot... I don't know how much I can eat before it goes bad. I may need to share, but I don't think my neighbours will protest too much.!

Magic banana!

Give your kids a fun message... ON their banana at snack time! Simply use a small pair of scissors or any other other sharp object to write a message on their banana peel before putting it in their lunch. Then, when they get to snack time, their message will be revealed! My photos were only taken about 15 mins apart but the longer they sit, the darker it will get! My kids still ask us how we do it, but we are still holding that secret close to our chest for now. :)

Want-not soup

"waste not, want not". I grew up hearing this from my mother as she created dinners from scratch in our kitchen. She would take things out of the fridge or the pantry, and make them into something that was delicious, delectable, nutritious, and for a child, something I never wanted to eat. Now here I am, I have my own children. And I, like my mother, don't have the financial ability to waste things. So, the old adage of "waste not want not" has come full circle.
I have had many times in my past when I had the best of intentions on Saturday afternoon, grocery shopping in the produce section, or the farmers market, filling my buggy with lots of vegetables, fruit, and tasty, healthy food. Somehow though, throughout the week my desire for processed, quick foods bread, cookies, cakes, and things that were just not good for me, would overwhelm me, and the produce would sit in my refrigerator and rot. At the end of the week, my compost bin was full, my belly is a little bit bigger, and I would regret it. So there I would go again, Saturday afternoon, best of intentions, and the cycle continues.
Now that I'm a little older, and a little wiser, my mother's words ring true in my ears, and here I go with my own children, trying to make them eat the food that I refused to eat as a child. The vegetables, the soups, the things that adults like, but the children think look like something that you find the bottom of a blender... or a toilet.
The adage I grew up with now, as I look in the refrigerator, and not wanting to waste the delicious healthy foods that I purchased, is ringing in my ears. So I remove every of vegetable in my refrigerator, and take out a jar of chicken stock (that I made myself) all get put in a pot. Chopped up, beautiful, ready to be delicious,nutritious soup. My, waste not want not soup. It's everything that would have gone in my compost bin, had it been given a few more days.
My kids won't touch it. My husband, although braver than my children, asked if I put the turnip in it I nod, and he makes a funny face.  he will eat it though, and I know this.
I don't want to have to make the soup again, but, I know it will happen. My eyes, you would say, are bigger than my refrigerator.

The best of intentions... create soup.

Breakfast anyone?

2 eggs, pan fried (with some REAL butter of course) and a whole heap of spinach... Delish! Breakfast of champs!

Cold Weather cooking

Today's dinner brought to you by my desire to make wholesome Comfort foods for my family. I know I haven't been on here much but hoping that's going to change. So... Here goes!
Picked up a gorgeous boned shoulder pork roast at the local market yesterday, and upon looking for recipes to cook said pork, I was overwhelmed by recipes for shredded pork and pulled pork. Not that there's anything wrong with those recipes, it's just not really what I had in mind for dinner. So, I had to go back to the basics. I pulled out "the joy of cooking" from my pantry, and took a peek in there. I shouldn't have been surprised that I found the perfect recipe! It was a beautiful recipe for old fashioned pork roast. Dredged in a seasoned breadcrumb mixture, and rubbed with garlic and rosemary. It sounded so delicious, it inspired complete meal with turnip, sweet potatoes, and homemade applesauce. Those 3 things have yet to be created, but I'm sure this afternoon will allow me at least little time to make them. I shall let you know how everything goes, and how my children decide to react to eating turnip and sweet potato. They are not exactly adventurous when it comes to cooked vegetables, so I'm not anticipating a great review on those. I will definitely have some raw vegetables and some dip for them to munch on if they complain too much.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful day, and that everyone has incredible things planned for dinner!
Cherie

Love these old fashioned services

Remember the tool sharpening truck? His loud bell, and how he would come around about once a week? We still have one in our neighbourhood  but I only hear him about once a month. Why don't we do more if this? Isn't it so convenient? Why don't we bring back the milk man? I would probably say it's because everyone works now. There are no housewives home with the kids to receive said milk when it's delivered. I'm here! Deliver it to me! It would be so much easier than lugging 3 kids to the store...
I say, bring back the SERVICE in the service industry. People to pump your gas,  bring you groceries and ice cream. General Repair men...not contractors. I know they still exist, but it's not the norm anymore.
Makes me a bit sad.

Bettie!

New pin from my friend James.
You know you are jealous.
It's ok. I would be too.

It's FRIDAY!!!

well, here i am...and apparently, i didn't realize that i needed lipstick this morning!! ugh.
Oh well...it's ok, because it's friday....one of my FAVE days. why you ask? partying? weekend? payday? nope...it's grocery special day!!!! i know. i'm a huge nerd, but it gets me all excited. not living in the U.S, means that those "crazy coupon ladies" can't be me. not to mention, the things that people usually get coupons for are just garbage. i don't need 86 bottles of sport drink, or 114 boxes of energy bars. we just don't get coupons here in canada the same way y'all do in the U.S., so i have to do things the old fashioned way. (YAY!!) I have to wait till the stores have a great sale, and then SOCK UP!! be it pantry, canning or freezing, i have to figure out a way to keep that sale going for as long as possible. because, who wants to pay full price in february when you can buy it for next to nothing in september? not this chick!

As you saw on my last post, there is a fabulous sale on 10lb bags of potatoes. i mean...come ON!! .99¢? how could i not come home with a whole bunch? but i was good...i didn't buy more than i thought i could handle right now. 30lbs should suffice until i figure out a great way of using them and freezing them. mwahahaha!

i'm just waiting for the apples to go on sale...that's the next big thing. applesauce!! i LOVE applesauce, and having 3 kids means we go through a LOT of it in our house. delish! can't wait for apples.

well, if you see a good sale, stock up and think of me. :) i'll be in my kitchen trying to figure out my potatoes. cheers!

Potato call!!!

http://instagr.am/p/PRzpAelLOX/

Who knows what to do with potatoes?! Preserving I mean. At .99 cents for a 10 lb bag I had to hold myself back from buying more!!! I promised myself I would return before the sale is over IF I can figure it out. Lol! I am going to make home made potato wedges...that's a given. I might just try my hand at gnocchi. And if I can find a good deal on ground pork I will whip up some shepherds pies for the chest freezer...but am I missing something? What else can these incredible, bountiful, CHEAP veggies do?! Help me! I want to buy more! Lol!

Making butter. No churning required.

I'm a notorious sale shopper. I learned it from my mom and it is one of my greatest talents. I recently bought whipping cream on sale with the intentions of yummy deliciousness...but it didn't happen...SO to use the cream without wasting a drop, I made butter! A 2 cup container will yield about 1 cup butter and 1 cup buttermilk. And it's SO simple.

Let cream come to room temperature and chill your metal mixing bowl. Then put the whisking attachment on your mixer and let it do its thing! Just let it go. You may want to cover so you don't splash. Then just watch it as the magic happens! It will turn to frothy gorgeous cream, then it will start to curdle and separate. At this point I switch to my paddle beater and continue to mix on medium. It will start to splash as the butter separates from the buttermilk but if that's the worst that happens, who cares?! Pour off the milk (KEEP IT!!!!) And now rinse your butter. Yes...rinse. add ice cold water to the bowl and mix again. Slowly. Let it mix a bit, and pour off. Do that till the water runs clear and you have no more buttermilk on the butter as it will speed spoilage.
Make sure you get as much water out of your butter after your last rinse, by smushing it with a rubber spatula and pouring off the water that comes out. That's it!!! Enjoy your butter!

an eye opening moment

when you get called something long enough, you begin to believe it. well, this holds true today. i have been asked more and more lately if i'm nuts...crazy...a FREAK. not just by strangers who hear about the way that i live, but by family and friends. my husband and i choose to live very modestly, and old fashioned. very 50's inspired. it's something we enjoy and something we feel is important for our children. we eat home made food. we preserve food in summer to eat during winter. we fix things that are broken...we don't buy new. I sew clothing. we have never been on an airplane...ever. we love spending time together at home. we hike...we don't buy gym memberships. we don't buy things we can't afford...you get the point. but seriously...with all this taken into consideration, WE are the crazy ones? really?!! wow...i feel bad for "normal people".
here we are, teaching our children and ourselves to live a simpler life, all the while, being bombarded with "you need stuff to be happy" commercials and the "keeping up with the Jones'" mentality. it's a daily battle, and it's really hard some days to agree with myself on keeping up this lifestyle, but i know in the end it's what we want. it teaches our children to earn things by saving and hard work. it teaches them pride in what they have, because they have done so much to earn it. this lifestyle allows me to be a work at home mom, and stay home with my kids, and raise them myself. it's what we want, and i am starting to think that waving this freak flag is a badge of honour. something I'VE earned through the struggles and choices we have endured.
so, if you, like me, are tired of the "stuff makes you a better person" and if the busy busy busy lifestyle drives you crazy, come along...wave your freak flag along with me and my family. you'll be glad you did!!

I'm BAAAAACK!!!

i've been gone too long. having a baby, mixed with running a home based OOAK toy business during christmas meant i didn't have time to blog...but, new year, new focus. glad to be back in the kitchen.

I just recently found a recipe for an amazing Chai Concentrate. you can find the recipe HERE.

Now, I enjoyed this thoroughly in my tea. it makes a beautiful cup of warm, spicy chai tea, without paying a premium for the really nice, name brand tea bags. but, where i come in for this recipe, is here...this morning (and most mornings) i make myself a nice big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. but i never do the pre-packaged, pre-flavoured crap they sell in a box. no thanks. i buy myself a big bag of quick oats, dump a nice 2/3 cup in a bowl, boil my water, add whatever flavouring i want that day (brown sugar, maple syrup, apple cinnamon jelly, apples, raisins, etc.) and ta DA!! breakfast. but this morning, i had (as my son says) a LIGHTBULB moment...add the chai concentrate to your oatmeal, and make chai oatmeal. WOW. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. i can't tell you how delicious this is. i added raisins, and a heaping spoon of the chai concentrate, and added my boiling water. it is so good, you will wonder how you ever ate the pre-packaged crap.

try it out, let me know what you think.

Blueberry Oat Cookie Bliss!!

Ok, so here's the dealio. My name is Cherie, and I'm a grocery shopping addict. I know...sounds nuts, but I would rather grocery shop than shop for anything else in the world. I love thinking about all the wonderful yummy creations I'm going to make, and planning my family's meals just about puts me over the moon! Laugh all you will, but at least it's constructive. :p

Another blessing/curse of the grocery shopping addict is that I go crazy when there is a good deal on. If there is a sale, watch out, because I will be all over it! lately, i have been able to find blueberries, strawberries and raspberries for fabulous prices, so, like any good shopaholic, i buy too many. well, not too many strawberries and raspberries...my kids eat those like candy, and they never last long...but blueberries. I have all the intent to make wonderful desserts, smoothies, pie, you name it, but being as busy as i am, i don't ever quite get there....between laundry, and work, and kids and pregnancy and doc appointments...cooking has been last on the list.


HOWEVER...when I have a lot of stuff in the fridge that will go bad if i don't use it, i head to my handy dandy computer, go to my favourite site allrecipes.com, and put in the ingredient of choice. aka, blueberries. well, lo and behold, here came a lovely recipe and one i HAD to try. i skipped by all the muffins and pies and drinks...cookies make my world happy. and even better, if they are THIS good...oh, darlin, watch out!!

BLUEBERRY OAT COOKIES

1/2 cup butter/margarine, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups quick oats

1 cup All Purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup fresh/frozen blueberries

• Cream butter and sugar together

• Beat in egg and vanilla

• Combine all dry ingredients

• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients

• Combine well

• Mix in blueberries by hand!!

• Drop by rounded tablespoon full on to greased cookie sheet

• Bake at 350 for 12 - 14 minutes, or till lightly browned on edges

• let cool 10 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack

YUM!

So, needless to say, I can't wait to try this recipe again, except with different fruit. Strawberries being #1 on that list! so good, so easy, basic recipe, but so yummy!!

I hope you enjoy as much as I did. 

Cheers!!

"Clean out the pantry and fridge" Soup

So, last minute meals...you wouldn't think soup would be on the menu...but, it's 4:30, and David has just asked me what is for dinner....

oh...


so, here's the deal. I have some frozen pizzas in the chest freezer that i love for days like this. Days where the work and kids get the better of your time, and dinner falls by the wayside. I forget to take some sort of meat out of the freezer, and i find myself, last minute, either scrambling to the grocery store to pick something up, or scrambling eggs for a breakfast dinner.

today, the frozen pizzas will do...but it's not nearly healthy enough, and i think i could do better for myself and my family, so, lets peek in the fridge.

Oh...all those veggies i bought on saturday, with the good intentions of healthy meals, are still sitting there, all cut up (because i have a strict rule of cutting up veggies before they get put away, so they are easier to use when you want them) and waiting to be made into something delicious.

so, here is what i did. I took the following ingredients, and put them all into a big pan...they are simmering as we speak, and should be ready for dinner at 5:45/6:00pm

INGREDIENTS

4 cups beef stock

6 cups water

1-2 tbsp chicken boullion powder

1 cup dry pearl barley

3/4 cup cooked frozen navy beans

1 can niblets corn

1 can cut green beans

1/2 can whole tomatoes (chopped) WITH juice

1 small zucchini, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1/4 head cabbage, chopped

1/2 turnip, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper to taste

few shakes of worcestershire sauce

few shakes of tobasco sauce

let all this come to a boil in your pot, stirring regularly. 

once it is boiling, turn down to simmer and let cook for about 1.5 hours, till everything is nicely cooked through, and the flavours are all melded together.

here is a pic...it's from my ipod, so i apologize for the grainy look. i'll post a better one once the soup is complete, and i have a verdict for you as far as edibility of this soup is concerned (lol)...but soup is one of those things...can you really go wrong?!

Whats for dinner?

so, tonight i'm going very traditional (well...traditional for us) a good old meat and potatoes meal. Boiled potatoes, to be served later with sour cream, butter and chives, chicken legs, sprinkled with Club House Barbecue Chicken seasoning (can't live without this stuff) and panko bread crumbs, and the baked in the oven at 375 for around 35-40 minutes, till done, and on the side, we are having roasted asparagus, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and 2 small cloves of minced garlic.

sounds good to me. yum yum.

whats on the radio you ask? CeLo's F(orget) you. love this song...both versions. lol!! gets me dancing every time!!

cheers all. happy eating!