Long Weekend

We just enjoyed a very nice long weekend, thanks to Queen Victoria's birthday. Most people see this weekend as a 'go-ahead' to plant all their flowers and vegetables in their gardens without worrying about them being killed off by frost. I don't know how this year the plants will do after the May long weekend, as we are still experiencing a lot of cool weather yet.

We didn't do a whole lot of planting. Well, we didn't plant a single thing. But we were still busy with a few "firsts" for the upcoming season as well that makes us pretty excited about summer being around the corner.

The weekend started on Friday with the smell of baking bread in my home. I had found a recipe for Whole Wheat Homemade Bread (without using a machine!) and sent it to my sister, 'cause, well, she's the homemaker, not me. Or so I thought. But alas, I decided to try it as well:

Oh, can't you smell it?! So good!!! Especially eaten with homemade jam and cheese (that is not homemade....I have my limits :o)

Actually, I lied a bit. While my kids and husband can't get enough of this bread, I've had to get used to bread actually having a flavour. I'm getting there. I never realized how bland store-bought bread actually tasted! If interested, here is the recipe: Whole Wheat Bread. What I love about this recipe is no machine is needed. You can use a mixer if you'd like, but good ol' hand kneading works as well (and if you have any stress in your life, what a way to get that stress out!!). I did not use a mixer or bread machine, and it worked.

On Saturdays, I often find myself cleaning up the house. I usually do this on my own (which I really don't mind), but lately I've had some helpers, which of course makes the job lighter.....but definitely not faster! :o)

What makes a long weekend really fun is having visitors. While we did have company this weekend, we only got a picture of one. And we had the privilege of watching him enjoy what we had to offer: our fish in the pond. We actually saw him catch one and eat it whole!

The weekend ended on a very high note, one that we didn't expect to happen at all, but we are absolutely thrilled. Someone now owns the driveway very confidently....without training wheels!!

It took her all of 10 seconds to get the hang of it. Unreal!!! We give FULL credit to this little red bike we bought her a month ago - it has no pedals. So the child uses their feet until they go fast and then lift their feet up and bike. Doing it this way helps with balance, so that they get the hang of it before they go on a bike with pedals.

So proud of her!!!

(and yes, she now wears a helmet :o)

So bring on summer!! We are ready!
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see you on Thursday for our 3rd week of our Book Talk: Chapter 4. I hope to have the Talk ready by Thursday morning, but have a very busy day and night tomorrow, so I  might not be able to get the post up until Thursday evening. If you haven't started the book yet, do! It is a very easy to read book and so you will be able to catch up fairly quickly.

Green Goodness!

Good ol' Pinterest. Every once in awhile, I go there and check some things out. I am not overtly crafty even though I wish I were at times. But instead of going green over all the DIY quilts, pillows, frilly skirts and scarves that there's no way I'd be able to make myself, I go to the recipes because it is there that I am most successful: in my kitchen covered in flour and melted butter, or crying my eyes out from cutting onions.

While perusing the recipes, I found some green yumminess in a cup. And it didn't require choking on flour dust! In fact, it didn't even call for onions!! It is a very simple spinach smoothie. I know these have become quite the buzz the last few years and probably a lot of you drink them. But that's normal for me......it takes me awhile to like or enjoy the "trendy" things of today. I am usually behind the times in regards to food (quinoa and sushi are still not on my menu), home decor or fashion (it took me close to 4 years to like capris. And don't even get me started on coloured denim. :o)

But back to the spinach smoothie. I think what has held me back in making them was that I couldn't quite understand how spinach worked in a smoothie. Do you wash it? Do you cut it up? Do you cook it first? Do you put it in raw?? Many smoothies I saw also had ingredients that I did not have on hand, like flax seed and whatnot, and so I would give up and not even try to make them. Until last month. And I haven't stopped making them!

For those of you who are like me, here are the step by step instructions. With, of course, a picture or two, because that's just how I learn.

Here we go, the ingredients (which, by the way, are not limited to just this. But these are the basics and it tastes great just left at this)

1/2 cup of yogurt (plain, greek or flavoured)
1/2 a banana, peeled
1/2 an orange and apple, peeled and cored where necessary (leave the apple peel on)
3-5 strawberries without green stems/leaves
A handful or two of raw spinach

(again, remember, these are just the "bones" of the smoothie. You can add whatever you want. Dear hubby likes to add protein powder for his manly muscles :o)

Dump in the strawberries, yogurt, some of the orange and apple, all into a blender. Pulse it until it can run smoothly on low:

 

Add in the half banana, the rest of the 1/2 orange and apple. Puree that. Then once all things have been blended to a pulp, add in the spinach. I do this while the blender is running.

Pour into a large cup!! You may need to use a spoon or spatula to get the last bit out. You sure don't want to waste it down the drain!!

I usually drink this for breakfast. There's just something about knowing I start the day with consuming lots of fruit and veggies. If I don't eat them this way, there is no guarantee that I will eat them in their natural forms later. Besides, who feels like peeling an orange or apple, or eat a bowl full of raw spinach around 4 when hunger strikes you in the afternoon? Not I. This way I don't have to beat myself up about the fact that I haven't had any fruit or veggies yet by the time the afternoon rolls around. Now I can eat my chocolate chip cookies or whatever guilt-free because I already have had my helpings of the good stuff.

Now, GO!! Try one if you haven't! I am sure you will enjoy this very refreshing cup of green goodness!!
 

Oh, there is one downfall. If you do make this, there is a great possibility that you will never be allowed to drink all of it yourself. Hope you are good with sharing!

Who knew green mustaches would look so cute??!

Butternut Squash Soup recipe

Some have asked for "my" Butternut Squash soup recipe. I found the recipe a few years ago in a flyer. I cut it out and after a number of uses, I can hardly read it due to the drips and drops of cooking. So it's good to write it out so I will always have it.

I always saw these uniquely formed vegetable in the grocery store but never felt exotic enough to buy one. I was actually scared of them!! Scared? Yes!  Every recipe I found to use it made mention of cutting and peeling the butternut squash first. Have you ever tried to cut a butternut squash, let alone peel one?? Those things are ROCK hard!! Good 'ole Google told me a quick easy trick of how to accomplish that task. Since then, I have bought these things by the armloads!

So here's the recipe in pictures:

Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash, peeled, de-seeded, chopped (don't worry, I'll share the trick I learned in a minute)
1 can of Evaporated Milk
1 onion, chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
2 TBSP of butter
3 cups of Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 clove of garlic, sliced
1 TBSP of brown sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Here's the trick to peel and cut through a butternut squash: You add it to a large pot of boiling water and let it boil for 5 minutes or more:

While it is boiling, chop the onion and potato:

Once the 5 minutes is up, let the butternut squash cool a minute or two and then peel, de-seed and chop:

Empty large pot from water and add butter:

Once butter is melted (medium-high heat), add the onion, potato and chopped squash:

Cook the above for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it turns a bit brown (like roasted potatoes. Mind you, I hardly waited until they turned brown. Once 10 minutes was up, I moved on). Add garlic and stir for 1 minute longer. Then lower the heat to medium and add the chicken broth. Low boil it for 20-30 minutes or until the squash is soft:

Add brown sugar, salt, pepper and evaporated milk, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes longer on medium-low heat:

Ohhhhh, can't you just smell it??! No??! Scratch your screen then and sniff. I am sure you'll be able to smell it :o)

After the 10 minutes is up, ladle the soup into a blender and puree until smooth:

(if you don't have a blender, just mash it with a potato masher. It'll be just as good, just chunkier).

Serve in a big bowl with a dollop of sour cream (or without):

And in our house, if something tastes good, we are allowed to lick the bowl clean!! For your sake, I used my finger :o)

So all said and done, it'll take about an hour to make this soup, but that includes the 20-30 minutes of where it is just low boiling so you can do some other things.

But if you have a 3 year old and a 9 month old, do count on it taking at least 3 hours. I am sure if I didn't have to put one to bed, clean another's nose (wash hands), help with a toy, give some aid in the bathroom (wash hands), wake up baby, change diaper (wash hands), feed baby a bottle, and whatever else, I would easily have made this soup in under an hour. But it is SOOOO worth it because it is scrumptious and gets you in the Autumn mood, with the added bonus of your house smelling oh so yummy! So go! Try it!! And let me know if you've changed anything to improve on this recipe!