Acire Adventures

Vegetarian Food Week Day 6

2012-02-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

I tried this recipe a couple times years ago. It was an awesome one to revisit. I think it would also be good with some chicken or shrimp instead of tofu (but I probably shouldn't be saying that during vegetarian food week!).

Pad Thai

What you need:

6 oz silken tofu, cut to 1/2 inch cubes
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
1 carrot, shredded into long shreds
1 cup bean sprouts + extra for topping
3/4 cup dry roasted, salted peanuts, chopped
1 pkg wide rice noodles
scalding hot (not quite boiling) water
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, thinly sliced, white & green parts separated
3/4 tsp Asian chili paste
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp tahini

How to make it:

In a heatproof bowl, place noodles and cover with scalding water. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Drain.

Place tofu cubes on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the moisture, set aside for at least 15 minutes.

In a bowl, combine vinegar & sugar until dissolved. Add 1 Tbsp basil, garlic, white parts of green onions, chili paste and salt. Whisk in oil and tahini until well blended then set aside.

In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add red pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add tofu and half the dressing. Add noodles and the rest of the dressing and toss until coated.

Transfer to a large bowl and toss in bean sprouts, half of the carrots and half of the peanuts. Sprinkle with the green part of green onions.

Divide into serving bowls and top with bean sprouts, remaining carrots, basil and peanuts.

Vegetarian Food Week Day 5

2012-02-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

This recipe caught my eye because it called for fiddleheads, which I've never tried. Sadly, I couldn't find the things anywhere, so I used some frozen green & yellow beans instead. Don't let the rhubarb in this recipe weird you out either, it is actually fantastic!

Thyme Fettuccine

What you need:

2 cups green & yellow beans, trimmed
12 oz (4 servings) brown rice fettuccine
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup rhubarb
2 Tbsp soya sauce
2 tsp tahini
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

How to make it:

In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to boil. Add beans & cook for 3 minutes, until tender-crisp. Drain.

In a fresh post of water, cook fettuccine until tender & drain.

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil at medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add rhubarb and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in tahini then drizzle with soya sauce, syrup and 1 tsp olive oil. Stir in beans & fresh thyme. Cook for 1 more minute then toss in cooked noodles & serve.

Vegetarian Food Week Day 4

2012-02-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

I like spinach salads best when they incorporate exciting flavours, like fruits and spices. This one is amazing as a side salad or a meal (Mason may argue the last point). I know it looks like a lot of work, but it is so worth it! You can make the pecans ahead of time if you can a quick prep. They make for a yummy snack alone as well!

Strawberry & Pecan Spinach Salad

What you need:

Zesty Pecans
1 1/2 cups pecan pieces
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (depending if you want them spicy or not)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp water
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp orange zest

Dressing

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup strawberry jam

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp silken tofu

1 clove garlic, minced

Salad
1 bag baby spinach (10 oz)
2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced

How to make it:

Zesty Pecans
Spread pecan pieces on a baking sheet and roast at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-8 minutes.
Mix together sugar & spices in a medium bowl.
In a pot on the stove, bring syrup, water, oil and orange zest to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir in the nuts.
Once nuts are fully coated, toss pecans in the bowl with sugar and spices until they are evenly coated.
Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet until dry then store in an airtight container.
**If you want them to dry faster, place them in the oven (still warm, but turned off) for 15 minutes or so.

Dressing
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Salad
In a large bowl, toss spinach, strawberries and onions.
Pour about half the dressing (or less) on and toss.
Add more dressing if needed.
Divide into individual servings and top with zesty pecans.

Vegetarian Food Week Day 3

2012-02-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

After the trouble with the first couple recipes, I'm happy to say that the third recipe of the week went great.

It made for an awesome breakfast (even Gavin loved it) and delicious leftovers too. I had never had frittata before, but it's a lot like a crustless quiche. The really great thing about it is that you can do all the prep the evening before and then bake it in the morning, that way you can still have it fresh out of the oven in the morning without having to throw down any crazy prep first thing.

Veggie Frittata

What you need:

2 cups fresh baby spinach
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2/3 cup chopped leek (the white & light green parts)
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup copped white mushrooms
7 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 tsp fresh thyme
salt & pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wash spinach & drain, then place wet leaves in a saucepan. Cover and cook for 2 minutes of medium-high heat, just until leaves wilt. Allow to cool, then squeeze out excess moisture and chop. In a large skillet, heat oil then add onion, leek, pepper, carrot, and mushrooms. Cook until soft (about 5-8 minutes). Stir in spinach then set aside.

In a large bowl beat eggs and milk. Add cheeses, basil, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well then add in the vegetable mixture. Pour into a greased baking dish (I used a glass pie plate).

Now you can cover and refrigerate for a few hours or bake immediately!

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and fully set. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Vegetarian Food Week Day 2

2012-02-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Day two, here we go! I have to start with a little confession...

The second recipe I tried this week was a little wacky too. I used a recipe from a cookbook I have for a homemade pizza sauce. The ingredients all sounded good and simple, but it called for a huge quantity of garlic and basil in relation to tomatoes. The result was spicy and disgusting so I tossed it and remade it my way. It was delicious, but what a struggle!

Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Pizza Sauce

What you need:

1 1/2 cups sun-dried tomato pieces (packed)
1-2 cups boiling water
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp sliced natural almonds
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

How to make it:

Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a medium bowl and pour boiling water over until they are fully covered. Set aside for 15 minutes. When the tomatoes are done soaking, remove them from the water, but reserve the liquid. Put the tomatoes and all remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender, adding tomato liquid as needed. Blend all ingredients until it reaches the right consistency for pizza sauce.

I bought some multigrain pizza shells at the store and baked the pizza with mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese. Then I sprinkled on some chopped green onions after it came out of the oven. It was delicious!

Vegetarian Food Week Day 1

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for Vegetarian Food Week?

I'll be honest, it started out a bit rough (I started a couple days early this time), but it's all good. I had Mason help me decide what kind of vegetarian dishes we'd be eating because I know that the V word makes him a little nervous. Ironically enough, this first dish was good BUT I think it would be way better made with real meat. I used vegetarian "ground round" in it and it has a very unique taste. The fake meat is just not for me - though if you like it I'm sure you'll love this dish. I plan on making it again using ground turkey!

One more note... when cooking the shells be very careful not to let them stick to the pot or get overcooked. If they tear, the dish won't work!

Vegetarian Stuffed Shells

What you need:

20 jumbo pasta shells
1 package vegetarian "ground round" (or cooked ground meat)
3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
3 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 (14 oz/398 ml) can diced tomatoes
2 cups tomato sauce

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook pasta shells according to package instructions. When finished, drain and lay (open side down) on a paper towel.

In a bowl, mix ground round, bread crumbs, oregano & garlic.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add ground round mixture and diced tomatoes (with juices). Stir well then simmer on low for 5 more minutes.

Prepare a large baking dish by greasing it lightly. Stuff each shell with ground round mixture then place in baking dish. Cover shells with tomato sauce and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the sauce in bubbling. Serve topped with shredded cheese.

A Couple More Announcements

2012-02-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

I guess this is just housekeeping, but I'll get a bunch of random stuff down in this one post.

First of all, my blog email has changed. It used to be acireaccessories[at]gmail[dot]com, but it is now erica[at]acireadventures[dot]com . My links have been updated and now you know!

Second, I'm sure you noticed I changed the blog again. It's so much fun for my nerdy side to redesign my blog and I always get tired of one thing and want to change it. Plus, picnik is closing, so I might as well take advantage of it while I still can!

Third, and most exciting...

Next week I'll be doing a Vegetarian Food Week! It will be the same as past Food Weeks: one recipe a day for seven days. But this time, all vegetarian recipes! I gave up meat for a short period a few years ago and even though I eat it now, I still love trying recipes without it. I hope you'll join in the fun. :)

Have a lovely weekend!

Food Friday

2012-02-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

I first posted this recipe earlier this year and reminisced about my trip to Mexico in 2007 (that was almost 5 years ago?... yikes!). But I didn't have a good photo of the salsa that the recipe is for. So here's a repost of the fresh salsa recipe, with a better photo!

What you need:

3 Tbsp finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed in a garlic press
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 Tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper

How to make it:

Place chopped onion and garlic in a bowl and fill with boiling water. Let them soak for 1-2 minutes then drain. Combine add remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste!

An Announcement!

2012-02-01T14:56:00.000-08:00

Acire Adventures has gone .com!

Ok, I know it's nothing crazy, but I decided to make the switch. Nothing big has changed and the old blogspot address (acireg.blogspot.com) will still bring you here. However, the url is a lot easier to remember now. So feel free to change your bookmarks, etc.

A Weird Week

2012-01-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a sick kid in the house? Did it throw off the entire time that they were sick?

It's certainly not his fault, but my whole week was completely out of whack! It was awesome having my mom here for a couple days so I didn't have to worry about missing classes those days, but the other days, well, I don't know where they went. I spent a lot of time giving hugs, snuggles, kisses, watching movies (Cars 1 & 2 about three times each!), memorizing his doses of ibuprofen, and so on.

Poor Gavin was sick all week.

The upside was that I got more snuggles than I've gotten in the last year in five days! And my arms sure got a workout carrying around 32 pounds of three year old who just wanted to be held, rocked, and sang to when he was most exhausted. Luckily, I think he is finally on the mend tonight. He actually got out of bed to grab a toy before falling asleep, instead of passing out as soon as his head hit the pillow tonight, which seems much more like the boy I know.

In other strange news, he also managed to flush the toilet paper holder down the toilet the other day. You know the little bar that holds the roll of paper?

Yep, it's gone (and I'm sure because I stuck my hand in there and try to find it)! How is that even possible?

Anything strange happen to you this week?
Have a lovely weekend!

Food Friday

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

I love Food Friday... I hope you do too! It's such a nice constant for me to have. While sometimes I'm scrounging for other post content, or debating over ideas, Food Friday is always the same. It's easy, but fulfilling.

Anyways, these blueberry muffins are also easy and fulfilling. In fact, they're delicious. So enjoy!

What you need:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Melt the butter in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir milk into melted butter. Beat in eggs, then add to dry ingredients. Mix until fully combined then stir in blueberries. Pour into paper lined muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes.

Post Birthday Post

2012-01-25T10:50:00.000-08:00

So if you stopped by yesterday, you already knew it was Gavin's birthday (thanks for the birthday wishes, those who sent them!). It was such a crazy day, I just had to share it.

It started bright and early. Mason and I got up early to inflate 30 balloons with helium so Gavin could wake up to a balloon filled room. He woke up just after we brought the last of them in and was so happy. He opened some presents, had waffles for breakfast, and went to gymnastics. It was a good morning!

But I guess he was all used up by the end of that. After lunch and a nap he woke up and, well, took out some natural processes on Mason who had just gotten home from work. Poor Mason got peed and then puked on in about half an hour! Even worse, poor Gavin who had his first puke experience (other than spitting up as a baby). I think it was kind of traumatic for him.

He got better and then worse throughout the day, but we still got through the birthday stuff. We were lucky to have Grandma Val here so we didn't have to send the poor sick kid to daycare! He managed to muster up some excitement for the cake even though he didn't really eat any (for the best I'm sure).

It was a good lesson for my perfectionist side. The day before I was worried about timing the balloons right and trying to get the cake to look good, but the actual day was a reminder of how little we have control over and how little the things I can make "perfect" really matter.

When I put him to bed I asked him if he had a good birthday. In his sad, sick voice he said "yes" then rolled over and fell asleep almost instantly. Good enough for me.

Birthday Boy!

2012-01-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

Last year, it felt weird writing a post that my son was two. Two! That feels like it was just yesterday, but alas, it was a whole year ago. Today my boy is three! Ugh, time goes by so, so fast!

However, he certainly seems like a three year old...

He has been using full sentences for over a year now. He tells stories, plays all sorts of creative, imaginative games, shows his love, and resists potty training and bedtime like nobody's business.

Oh, and he has been growing straight up (and mostly in the legs) like crazy lately. All of his pants from fall are suddenly too short!

So anyways, here's a happy birthday to my boy who grows up way too fast!

Today we'll be having a little celebration with my mom who drove seven hours just to be here for this boy's big day (we love you, Grandma Val!).

Food Friday

2012-01-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

This is my favourite lasagna. I like the addition of spinach (I often add mushrooms as well if I have some on hand) and the ground chicken or turkey instead of beef. The boys love it too and I love that it gets some greens in Gavin's belly!

Florentine Lasagna

What you need:

1 lb ground chicken or turkey
900 ml Tomato pasta sauce
6 Lasagna noodles, broken in half and cooked
1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
1 pkg (500g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook noodles and brown chicken until no longer pink. Remove chicken from heat and stir in pasta sauce.

In a 9x9 baking dish, pour in enough of the meat sauce to cover the bottom, add a layer of cheese, and then a layer of noodles. On top of the noodles spread half of the spinach evenly.

Follow with another layer of sauce, cheese and noodles. Use the rest of your spinach on top of the noodles.

Use almost all of the rest of your sauce (save enough for a very thin layer), add some more cheese, and a layer of noodles.

For the topping, spread a thin layer of sauce on the noodles and top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and beginning to turn golden brown.

The Internet

2012-01-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've all been bombarded with news of SOPA and PIPA, but I wanted to add my two cents. Even though I am not American, I do believe that these bills have the potential to severely harm the internet for everyone. People from bloggers, to those behind Wikipedia, Google, and even the Internet Society are against these bills.

Please do your part and speak out against these bills.

Sign the online petition for Americans here.

And even for us outside the US here.

Random Musings

2012-01-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! And how are you today? I felt like writing to write, so that is what is happening. I have no plan, no real content. Just the urge to type.

I feel like I'm getting a cold today. We had a busy Christmas, a few days off, and then more busyness ever since. We're in a bit of a strange period here... Mason is waiting to start work and I'm having a different semester.

Usually at the beginning of a semester, I have a few weeks to relax and do nothing, but not this time. I spent the last couple weeks compiling my research proposal for a grant I'll be applying for by the end of this week. It's strange, exciting, and has been a little nerve wracking because it's all very new to me. It's definitely a step outside my comfort zone, but I think it will be great. (If not, there'll be something to learn, right?)

Anyways, I'm wrapping up that writing process and diving into school. It seems as though I actually have to do the university thing for real this semester... not just float on through. I suppose that's a good idea since I'm going to be an honours student next year, which brings with it an expectation of being... Independent? Motivated? Advanced?

I'm hoping to squeeze in something creative this semester. I have tons of writing to do and I'm sure as the due dates draw nearer, I'll feel a stronger urge to do anything else. Gavin's room does need a little help converting fully into "big boy" territory, although I've given up hope of everything matching perfectly. Leave the beautiful designs to those on Apartment Therapy, this boy's room just doesn't have room for budget + function + fashion... so the third one is going to suffer a little. Oh well!

In other news, my mom is coming into town on Sunday and I can't wait! I'll have to find some time to put down the books and bake a cake because Mr. Gavin is turning 3 in a week. Yes, three! It's hard to get my head around it.

Oh, and winter finally arrived. On Saturday it was sunny, snow-free and 7 degrees (45 Fahrenheit!) outside. Today it was snowy, icy and -26 (-15 Fahrenheit). I don't feel right complaining, since this is the first week it's felt like winter, but wow is it hard to adjust to that change in temperature!

What's up with you this week?
( Feedburner tells me I have about 70 readers every day, feel free to say hello! :) )

TOMS

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

I hope you've heard of TOMS by now, they seem to be all over the place these days. I bought my first pair in the summer because I wanted them so bad. It's hard to find a good pair of shoes for much less than $50 that fit me well anyways, so it's a bonus that someone else is getting a pair of shoes from my money too!

This is my first pair now... beat up! Red was a bad colour choice for me because they showed dirt. If you don't spend any time tromping through playgrounds filled with sand or dusty rocks, red is probably a fine colour. For me, no. Also, they did wear out pretty fast. Usually my shoes don't wear out so quickly, but when your shoes are made of canvas (and you use a toe against the heel to slip them off) what do you expect? The comfort made it worth it for me.

And here's my new pair! I love the herringbone fabric, which is thicker (wool, I think) than the canvas. Also...

They have teal soles! I love them, but want to see something better?

TINY TOMS!

Gavin has been growing like a weed lately so he needed new shoes. Since we aren't getting winter weather, we couldn't really wait until spring. He said he wanted TOMS like me and he wanted them to be blue. He shopped online with me and we found these.

And they look like they're missing laces, right? Actually there is velcro under the section with the eyelets, so laces are totally optional. He likes them without.

Enough, I know. I should definitely be getting paid in shoes for this post, but I'm definitely not. There's no incentive for me, just shoes (and a cause) I think are awesome.

Sunday

2012-01-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Still no snow. I never thought I would care where the snow was if it didn't arrive.

But now it feels like there is something missing.
Where are the parkas? Boots? Cars that don't start? Toboggans? Icicles? Snowmen?
Walks and park visits are awesome, it just feels so strange in January.

There's some cold weather in the forecast in the next few days... I could go for a little bit of winter before spring arrives.

Food Friday

2012-01-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

I've gotten tons of positive feedback from people who have tried this recipe since I first posted it in September 2010. We've made it so many times, but I always forgot to take a picture... until now! So if you haven't tried this one yet, do it, it's delicious. :)

Tex Mex Chicken

What you need:

4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless, thawed out, of course)
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
Salsa
A handful of tortilla chips
Cheddar, marble or tex-mex cheese, grated

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut chicken breasts horizontally through the centre, but not all the way through. You should be able to open them up, but they should still be in one piece. Place 4 (give or take, depending on how big the breast is) slices of pepper in the middle and fold the chicken back up. Put the chicken breasts on a cookie sheet or in a baking dish and top with salsa. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove from the oven and top with crushed tortilla chips and grated cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes then serve.

Something By My Mom!

2012-01-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

First thing this morning I woke up and found an email from my mom. The subject was simply "I've been published" and all that was in the message was a link. She got an opinion piece published in my hometown's newspaper! Neat.

The background is that when I was 8 and my sister was 10, our elementary school was shut down. It was a really fantastic, small school. Our parents and the staff fought to keep that school alive because they all believed in it so much, but it was closed for practical reasons. I remember my mom got on tv for giving a particularly insensitive school board member the business. It was a sad time, but we moved onto a new school. A lot of great things happened because of the switch. Tara made friends that she might not have otherwise and through one she met her husband! I ended up going to a different high school than I would have otherwise, which is where I met Mason, but I also faced two tough years of bullying by kids I never would have met had I not gone there. There was good and bad because of it. The site of my first and favourite school is covered by condominiums, which is a little sad to see.

where my first school used to stand.

And now there are more schools in the city closing, and one is where my sister teaches. My mom wrote a letter to the people affected now. I think it's very sweet.

Read the article here.

Choose Joy

2012-01-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

As a blogger, I really enjoy reading other blogs (obviously). My favourites are always fluctuating, but lil blue boo has been one for a while. Ashley, the wonderful lady behind it all is super crafty, which I love, but she is also clever, funny, and incredibly real. After a year with more than one tragedy, in the last few months she's been battling cancer. Yep, the big bad word that nobody wants to say. And instead of writing about fear, self-pity, or anything negative she writes about how grateful she is. Grateful that she is fighting this battle, and not any other person in her family. Grateful that she is still here and able to live her life fairly normally. She makes jokes, explains treatments, takes bets on her level of improvement, and talks about how thankful she is for the support she receives. And she chooses joy.

It reminds me to thankful for everything, including what is so easy to take for granted, the health of ourselves and our loved ones. If you feel so inclined, I would recommend going to her blog and showing some love! I just felt compelled to say something about her because even though I don't know her, I am so inspired by her courage and positivity.

Giving

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up, my sister and I were very fortunate. I don't mean that we were very fortunate in that we got everything we ever wanted and a pony too.

I mean that we were fortunate to have all we needed and more, but not too much. When all I wanted was a tommy hilfiger shirt in grade 7 because that's what my friends had, my parents did not buy it for me. I saved up some money and bought the silly thing myself. I had lots of toys, but they were valued possessions.

On the other hand, the quantity of toys that my son has acquired in his three years of life is absolutely astounding. Perhaps even appalling. I am not saying that we are ungrateful for the incredibly generous and loving family we have... quite the opposite actually. But I do fear sometimes that Gavin will be so well provided for that he won't understand how much he has to appreciate.

So last week when we got home with most of his new toys (that's right, we couldn't even fit them all in the car), we needed to clear out some space for them all. We sat down with him and had a talk about how there are kids who don't have things like he does and that we would like him to share with those kids. We talked about it in terms that he would understand and he responded surprisingly well. He was just fine helping us pack up old toys and books that he doesn't use anymore and then taking them to the Salvation Army!

On our way home, we were telling him how good it was for him to share and he went on about how happy he was. He said that some other boys were going to have his toys and they were going to be so happy (he said it in the cutest voice too!). Then he asked if maybe they could come to our house so he could share his new toys with them too. It was just too adorable. It never ceases to amaze me how much kids understand if you take the time to talk about it with them.

What are your thoughts on teaching kids to be grateful in a time when many of our kids can have anything they want, but many other still have little or nothing?

The Weather

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

I know this is kind of a mundane topic to post on, but what the heck. The weather this year is just too bizarre. It's January and in Lethbridge it feels a lot more like October... and it has since October (except the odd week here or there). Seriously, right now we should be knee deep in snow, but there isn't a skiff to be seen and it's simply too warm to wear my winter coat. We've been taking advantage of the moments that aren't too windy and going for walks and to the playground. It's strange, but pretty wonderful!

Is anyone else having strange weather this winter?

Book-Smart Sunday

2012-01-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

I know this feature doesn't show up very often anymore, but every now and then I just need to mention a book. While I was in Regina visiting family over the holidays, I was browsing through the book store when I came upon this one. There were a lot of reasons behind my interest in it, but mostly I'm interested in First Nations issues and I think that its useful for all Canadians to know more about the residential school system. Since no one taught me these things (until university, and even then they only grazed the surface) I feel the need to educate myself.

The book this week is Broken Circle: The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools by Theodore Fontaine.

Since it is his personal memoir, I found that it helped me connect with the issues on a deeper level. While he discussed broad issues that can be found across Canada, he also discussed his personal experiences and issues during and after his time in the school system. Some of it was really hard to read and other parts were beautiful. In the end, I'm so glad I read it because it gave me a greater understanding of the incredible damage that these schools caused and their far reaching effects, many of which I hadn't ever heard of or considered.

I think that a great number of non-First Nations Canadians know little to nothing about the residential school system which perpetuates the complete lack of understanding towards a huge population of people. If all Canadians could read this one book, it would go a long way towards breaking down the ignorance of these issues that has been present since their very beginning.

Food Friday

2012-01-06T05:00:00.001-08:00

Surprise, another rerun! This post isn't from as long ago as the last one, but needed to be update with a photo. I know you've probably had more sweets than you need already, but here's another sweet recipe.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

What you need:

1 square Bakers unsweetened chocolate
1 square Bakers white chocolate
2 Tbsp milk chocolate (I had some miscellaneous stuff in the cupboard)
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Melt chocolate and butter. Beat in sugar, milk and eggs. Add vanilla and flour. Mix well.
Bake in a greased 9x9 inch pan for 30-35 minutes.