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Braids can be fun...woulda been nicer if I woulda  had a comb or a brush.

 

 

 

Even boys can wear braids

Braids can be fun for cousins after a day playing in the leaves.....

Cabbage, Potato and Mushroom Soup

 

 

 

 

Cabbage, Potato and Mushroom Soup

1/3 head of cabbage cut in chunks( I used a bit more)

2 potatoes cut in chunks

4-5 carrots chunked

1/3 cup raw long grain rice

1  onion

2 litres water or more to cover veggies..I used more

I tbsp. chicken powder broth( I used 2 for the amount of water I had)

1 can Wild Mushroom soup

Bring all  veggies with ½ an  onion to a boil and simmer till veggies are cooked.

Sauté  the other ½ onion in 3 Tbsp. butter until carmelized.  Add onions to pot.  Add 2 Tbsp. flour to hot fry pan and fry till golden brown...add to pot.  Throw in a can of wild mushroom soup  and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.  Enjoy.

I added slivers of Black forest ham to mine with a sprinkle of dill.

 

Then top it off with a piece of Polish Apple cake

 

 

 

 

Cajun Chicken, Shrimp Pasta, made with a Cajun cream sauce.

Ingredients

·         3 Tbsp. olive oil

·         2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin

·         1 package cooked frozen shrimp

·         2 1/2 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning, divided

·         3 small bell peppers, cored and thinly sliced (I used a red, orange and yellow bell pepper)

·         3 roma tomatoes, diced

·         1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 Tbsp. butter

·         1 Tbsp. flour

·         11/2 cup chicken stock

·         1/2 cup heavy cream (or you can reduce to 1/4 cup)

·         12 oz. dried penne pasta

·         sliced or grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

·         thinly sliced green onions, for garnish

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced chicken breasts and sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning. Give them a quick stir to combine. Then saute for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and is no longer pink. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside in a large bowl.

Place frozen shrimp in a bowl of water and let sit until chicken is cooked to thaw a bit. When chicken is removed from fry pan, add a little oil and stir fry shrimp until hot…sprinkle a bit of Cajun spice over shrimp while frying….then remove from pan and put in bowl with chicken.

Into fry pan add an additional 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the bell peppers, tomatoes and onion. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add garlic. Continue sauteing for an additional 3-5 minutes until the edges of the veggies begin to brown just slightly. Transfer the veggies with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the chicken and set aside.

(I recommend adding the pasta to the boiling water at this point.)

Add the tablespoon of butter to the skillet, and once it is nearly melted, sprinkle the flour over it. Stir together to make a roux, and then cook for an additional minute, stirring occasionally. Add the  chicken broth and stir immediately to combine it with the roux, being sure to also scrape the brown bits on the bottom of the pan to grab that extra flavor.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 5 minutes to reduce. Add the cream, pinch of cayenne, and remaining 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, and stir until combined. Season with additional salt and pepper if need be.

Add your cooked pasta, chicken and veggies to the sauce and stir until evenly combined. Serve the pasta garnished with Parmesan and sliced green onions.

Big recipe ….would probably feed 6 with a nice salad, garlic toast and a bottle of wine.

 Yummo!

My Mean Eagle

My first sketch in a long time

My Litte Paree

Pickled Yellow beans and Carrots

1 bag beans( about 4-5 quarts)

3 bunches  baby carrots

4 quarts water

1 quart vinegar

3/4 cup pickling salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. turmeric

garlic cloves

baby dill
1/4 tsp. pickling spice

Scrub beans and cut ends off. Clean or scrape carrots and ends.  I scraped mine even tho' they were baby carrots. In each jar put 1 clove garlic and a small sprig of baby dill and 1/4 tsp. pickling spice. Boil water, vinegar, sugar, and salt about 3 minutes.  Have your lids boiling for 2 minutes.  I made 7 pints, 4 3/4 pints and still had brine left over for maybe 2 jars, but ran out of veggies. The turmeric just gives the veggies a brighter colour throughout the winter.  Sometimes if I want a hotter taste I add one small dried chili pepper per jar.  This is better with green beans if you want them spicier for Caesar stir sticks, but I prefer no chili pepper.

Alexandra Edelberg быстрая причёска 1.wmv

In the Midst of Life

This poem was written by the Polish poet, Tadeusz Ròzewicz, after the war ended. He was 24.
Even tho' written after the war it can be inspirational to anyone changing a perspective in life.

In the Midst of Life
by Tadeusz Rozewicz

After the end of the world
after death
I found myself in the midst of life
creating myself
building life
people, animals, landscapes

this is a table I said,
this is a table,
there is bread and a knife on the table,
knife serves to cut bread,
people are nourished by bread

man must be loved
I learnt by night by day
what must one love
I would reply man

this is a window I said,
this is a window,
there is a garden beyond the window
I see an apple-tree in the garden
the apple-tree blossoms
the blossom falls
fruit is formed
ripens

my father picks the apple
the man who picks the apple
is my father

I sat on the threshold
that old woman who
leads a goat on a string
is needed more
is worth more
that seven wonders of the world
anyone who thinks or feels
she is not needed
is a mass murderer

this is a man
this is a tree, this is bread
people eat to live
I kept saying to myself
human life is important
human life has great importance

the value of life
is greater than the value of all things
which man has created
man is a great treasure
I repeated stubbornly

this is water I said
I stroked the waves with my hand
and talked to the river
water I would say
nice water
this is me

man talked to water
talked to the moon
to the flowers and to rain
talked to the earth
to the birds
to the sky

the sky was silent
the earth was silent
and if a voice was heard
flowing
from earth water and sky
it was a voice of another man

Ти ж мене підманула...

Banana Raspberry Muffins

Banana Raspberry Muffins

2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
2 medium ripe bananas mashed
1 egg
 1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup frozen raspberries

Greased Muffin tins.  Mix egg, sugar, oil, banannas and vanilla, sour cream.  Add dry ingredients. I substituted sour cream for milk....my batter was a little dry so I added just a smidge of milk to loosen it up.  Add frozen raspberries and bake 25 minutes at 375 degrees.
Could add chocolate chips if you need a blast of chocolate.

Raspberries were fresh yesterday at Safeway and on sale,  and I froze them for these muffins as I find frozen ones don't break up as fast in the batter and the batter stays white instead of pink.

Александра Эдельберг part 4-1.wmv

Love this Hair!!!!

Gorgeous Dinner Buns

I was never a bun maker but since I have my Kitchen Aid this job has become a little easier.
These look amazing and just tried half with sprinkled almonds and half plain.  Both were a nice bun with butter and jam.

1 pkg. Dry Yeast(traditional)
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp. butter
1 beaten egg
2 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
3 cups flour

Egg wash...1 beaten egg

Dissolve package of yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Put 3 Tbsp. butter into 1 cup milk and microwave for 1 minute.  To the yeast mixture,  add 1 beaten egg, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 3/4 tsp. salt, and gradually add 1 cup flour.  Whisk ingredients. Add warm milk and butter mixture. With a paddle I mixed in 1 more cup of flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixed , then added the other cup slowly as well until mixed. Switched to dough hook and kneaded the dough for 7 minutes until elasticy. Put 1/2 tsp. oil into a big bowl and oil the sides well. Place dough into bowl and pat oily hands over dough. I covered mine with saran wrap.  Prior to starting anything, I turned my oven on at 150 degrees for 15 minutes, then shut it off and proceeded with bun making.  When the dough was placed in oiled dish and saran wrap. I placed a damp cloth over the bowl and set it inside the turned off warm oven with the door open a bit. Let sit for 11/2 hours, until doubled in size. On a light covered board, place the risen dough and let sit for 5 minutes. Gently pat in down into a square.  Cut into 12 pieces and form each piece into  bun tucking open ends underneath until ball is smooth. Place in a lightly greased 9" by 13" pan. Cover with saran wrap and let rise for 1 more hour. Beat an egg and brush it on over the whole bun.  Add almonds or not....and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  They look fabulous. If a sweeter bun is desired, add 1 more Tbsp. sugar to mixture.



Rising in Babcia's bowl for good luck.





Doubled in size after 1 1/2 hours and saran wrapped.



Cut into 12 pieces and form into balls

Place in 9 by 13 pan



Let rise 1 hour

Voila!!!

1-2-3 Cake

This is absolutely the best idea.


 Take a box of Angel Food Cake Mix and a box of your favorite flavoured cake....like lemon, chocolate, etc. and mix them together in a ziploc bag.  When you have a craving for a piece of cake....I said "piece of cake"....you have it ready to go.  if I bake a whole cake....I eat the whole cake....so this is a much better option.  Hmmmm....... even a midnite snack can be whipped up in  a minute with a glass of milk.

When the " gotta have cake" urge appears, you mix 3 tablespoons cake mix to 2 tablespoons water.  Mix evenly and pop in the microwave on High for 1 minute. 
Yup, that's right...one minute! 

 Who can beat that???

You can put your batter in a cup, but I used a ramekin and it was just perfect. I just let it sit for a minute and then sliced around the edges with a knife and turned it upside down and it just popped out with no breakage.

You could have some ready made frosting or just dust it with icing sugar or just eat it plain.

This was so good I think I'll make another one.

Out of microwave in a minute....

Spring Crocuses

Turkey Meatballs with Mozerella Cheese

Turkey Meatballs with Mozerella Cheese

1 pound ground turkey thigh
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs seasoned ..or add
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup Parmiagiano-reggiano cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup prepared pesto(green)
1/4 cup milk
1 tbs. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 pound mozerella cubes
3 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine turkey with all ingredients except oil.  Mix until blended and make 13/4 inch meatballs.  With a finger, press a hole into each meatball and stick in a piece of cheese and seal meatball.  Place on tinfoiled cookie sheet and drizzle oil all over meatballs.  Bake for 30 minutes. Delicious!

If you want a more moist meatball, place in simmering marinara sauce for a few minutes and serve with pasta.

But.....be prepared for garlic breath the next day.

Sometimes it's just a Veggie Day.....

Have a Sunny Day

Yummy Basa Filets

Nothing tastier than a package of Basa filets.  Thaw them out, cut in half, dredge in flour, salt, pepper, and Paprika. Mix veggie oil and butter half and half and fry on medium heat about 5 minutes on each side until breading is a nice golden colour.  I love these hot....I love them cold...I love then by themselves or in a sandwich the next day with sweet pickles.  A quick supper with a salad.

Happy 42

Zucchini Appetizers

Zucchini  Appetizer

 3 cups unpeeled grated zucchini

4 eggs beaten

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ tsp. Oregano

½ cup oil

½ cup parmesan cheese

¾ tsp. Salt

2 tbsp parsley flakes

1 cup mozzarella cheese

 You can add bacon, mushrooms if you like.  Mix eggs, flour, baking powder, oil, parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, oregano, parsley flakes, and salt. Blend well. Fold in grated zucchini.  Spread batter in a greased 9 by 13 inch pan.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over batter and parsley flakes. I made a mistake and blended my parsley flakes in batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Freezes well.

Delicious!!!

A LWOW TO DLA MNIE ZAGRANICA

Chicken Veggie Stirfry and Mad Men

Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

6 boneless , skinless chicken thighs, cubed

1 tbsp. Soya sauce

1 tbsp. Sesame oil( I used Mazola)

¼ tsp pepper

2 cloves garlic minced

1 lb. Baby Bok Choy

2 tbsp. Veggie oil

1 sweet red pepper thinly sliced

1 tsp. Minced fresh ginger

2 pkg. dried ramen noodles( ditch the soup seasoning)

¼ cup hoisin sauce

1 green onion

Toss chicken, soya sauce, oil, pepper, and half garlic mixture: marinate 10 minutes. Cut up Bok Choy..set aside( I soak mine in water until ready).

In wok or skillet heat 1 tbsp. Oil over  high heat, stir fry chicken until juices run clear, when pierced about 3 minutes.

Add Bok Choy, red pepper, ginger and rest of garlic. Stir fry for about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate.  Add 1 ½ cups water and remaining oil to wok.  Bring to a boil. Discard spice packets from soup, and add noodles to wok, cover and steam until softened and loose.  I actually put my noodles  in a separate pot of water while the chicken was frying just to get them soft and broken apart, then added them( drained) to the chicken, veggie mixture in the Wok, ...since I prefer my noodles soft.

 Add hoisin sauce and green onion, toss until hot and combined.

And the boy can laugh........

Save your Bras

Save your Coffee Cans

Homemade Laundry Soap

Homemade Laundry Soap

 3 bars Ivory Soap 

4 lbs. Borax

4 lbs. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

4 lbs. Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

Mix and store in airtight container.

1 to 2 tablespoons per load.

Finding Washing Soda is difficult, but I did eventually  find a big box in Safeway. Borax was easy, Walmart, Sobey's, Safeway carry it. When you can't find Washing Soda, some people say you can use Baking soda and keep it in the oven at 400 degrees..for an hour ....and substitute....but I opted out of that.  If I couldn't find the real stuff...was not going to do it. A chemist said it will not be the same as Washing soda.  Baking soda and Ivory soap of course are easy. I started out with Dove soap because it was pink, and scented with pomegranate and lemon, but when I got home I realized it had a moisturizer in it and decided against using it in case the lotion did something awful to the clothes. So back to the store. I opted for Ivory as I'd like to keep it gentle. White Ivory kind of took the fun out of the colour but it looked cool grating.  

Borax is a natural laundry booster with no toxic fumes and friendly to the environment....$5.00

Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda is a also an all  natural laundry booster...$7.49 for 3 kilogram box.

Ivory Soap.... Of all the commercial soaps, Ivory has been considered the best by  holistic people. $1.97

Baking soda....leaves clothes clean and fresh removing odors...$4.13

I'm supposed to get 150 loads from this, so it comes out at about 12 cents a load.  I just paid 24 bucks for a box of Tide at 120 loads...20 cents.....so it's not alot cheaper....just fun to try and no chemical odor.

There will be nod suds in your washer...but suds are for appearance, because they do not clean.

People with front loaders must take out their little liquid tray before using this or it will clog.

Some people with front loaders have a problem getting odour out of their washer and find the homemade detergent takes care of this problem, leaving the washer fresh.

I just did my first load of white towels and  facecloths with makeup and  they came out nice and clean.

Oooops... put the French side on the Washing Soda facing camera. 

I  mixed mine outside in a double garbage bag just to keep the dust controlled of all the powders because none of these should get in your eyes.  It was easy to shake all the ingredients together like this.

High Heels

High Heels in my next life

High Heels in This Life

Sweet and Sour Ribs...

I'm still cleaning out my fridge and freezer for 2012. This is an old recipe for Sweet and Sour Ribs from my old Chinese cooking class.

4 cups spareribs cut into small pieces.
3 tsp. soya sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tbsp flour
Flour ribs and then add the rest, coating each rib. Deepfry at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or just brown them in a pot of oil till all red is gone.
Sauce
1 cup white sugar
1 cup vinegar
2 cups water
2 tsp. soya sauce
Thickening made from cornstarch and water.
Bring sugar, vinegar, water and soya sauce to a boil in a pot and add browned  ribs.  Simmer till ribs are well done...anywhere from 1-2 hours depending how soft you like gristle.  I like them simmered about 2 hours and when they are just about ready I thicken the sauce.  You can thicken earlier if you want. Garnish with pineapple chunks or serve by themselves.  I added a bit of red food colouring.

Best Beef marinade for Beef and Tomatoes

Sirloin Marinating steak or Flank steak

Round if you have to...but I prefer not. 

Freeze and when half frozen or half thawed, slice in thin slices. This is much easier when half frozen to get nice thin slices. If using round steak just marinate a little bit longer.

Best Marinade:

(from Chinese cooking course 30 years ago)

½ cup cold water

½ tsp. cooking wine( had none so  I used Wine Vinegar)

½ tsp. soya sauce

½ tsp. salt

Touch of pepper

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. accent( I use ½ tsp)

2 tbsp. oil

Mix together and put in your beef slices. Let sit for 30 minutes or longer,  and add 1 tsp. cornstarch to mixture and stir. This marinade makes the beef really tender.  You can fry in hot oiled pan and serve with rice or prepare this meat to stir fry with veggies like Tomatoes and onion. Withthe cornstarch on this the meat strips fry with a batter crispiness.

Beef and Tomatoes

Blanche  1 cup chunked onion and 1 cup chunked  celery in a pot  for 2 minutes.  Takeout and put and set aside. Prepare your beef  and fry in skillet or wok, until redness is gone and remove to another dish. Clean skillet and add fresh oil and add 6 medium chunked tomatoes, onion and celery. Add 1 tsp. soya sauce, 1 tbsp,. accent ½ cup sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 2 cups water or chicken broth, and bring to a boil.  Add a bit of cornstarch to thicken.  Last add your prepared beef strips and serve on white rice.

I was cleaning out my fridge and only had 1 big field tomato so decreased my veggie juices to 1 cup water-1/4 cup sugar-3/4 tsp. soya sauce and 1/2 tbsp accent. 

Yummy.