voila mes concombres et cornichons!

I'm back!  Took a little (long?) hiatus but I'm back!

Here's a little photo entry to kick off this blog again!

Let's just say it's been one heck of a food year.  There have been many memorable meals (plus some that I wish I could forget).  But for now, all I have to say is that it's one of my favorite times of year...picklin' time!  So without further ado...

home sweet home-cooked meal

I crave home-cooked meals.

It's been a week since we cooked at home last.  Between out of town guests and being out of town, it wasn't until tonight that I was able to swing by the grocery store after work to pick up a few things to finally make a home-cooked meal.

What's on the menu tonight?  Nothing too hard or fancy - Chicken Tortilla Soup.  The two of us are pooped and fending off a cold, so it sounded like the perfect thing that didn't take 2 hours to cook.

Pictures to come...

top ten (food) reasons why i love you.

Okay, okay, I promise this is the last of the sappy blog entries. 

If you know me and my partner, you know that we're really not super lovey dovey.  But regardless, it hit me last weekend that I HAD to blog about this.  It's been close to a decade that my partner and I have been together, and through the years (through early college years, early adult years and now full on adulthood), my partner has been refining his kitchen skills - skills that have been there all along, that just happened to lay a bit dormant during the pizza & beer years of our early twenties).

So...here they are - the top ten food reasons why I love him.  (or more aptly titled "The Top Ten Dishes I Get Super Duper Excited About):

#10: MASHED POTATOES:
Many years ago my partner first made his mashed potatoes for me.  Sitting around my little table in the middle of my MINUSCULE studio apartment on Hippie Hill in Boone, NC, I ate my serving and then went for more because they were just THAT good.  Then he told me what was in them...trust me when I say they are not a healthy side dish, but they are so indulgently good.  Can't wait for thanksgiving!!!!

I CAN'T BELIEVE I DON'T HAVE A PICTURE OF THEM.  MUST BE BECAUSE I GOBBLE THEM UP SO QUICKLY...

#9:  PASTA
See, the funny thing about pasta is that I have a love-hate relationship with it.  Unless I'm cooking a casserole of some sort (mac 'n cheese, chili-mac, cincinnati chili...you get the idea), you'll rarely find me making pasta.  I might make a red sauce here and there on the weekend to have for the week, but I'm just not a fan of it.  My partner can whip up a delicious red sauce just by opening the pantry & fridge and using a few key ingredients.  And he does, a few times a week!  Wednesday or Thursday night, when the fridge starts to look bare, you can usually find us eating some sort of pasta dish.  He's a fantastic pasta sauce maker.  Don't even get me started on his lasagna...

#8:  ALL THINGS GRILL-RELATED:

Okay, maybe this is on here because it's still summer and summer is grilling season...but grilling is something I've refused to know how to do.  Kind of like a seperation or division of tasks around the house - I make a great soup, my partner grills great things.  Beer can chicken, hamburgers, beef, fish, pork, veggies...you name it.  It's always good.

#7:  BRUSSEL SPROUTS:

I know, I know, they get a bad rap but ultimately as one gets older you realize it's okay to like your brussel sprouts. I promise if you tasted these, you would want them every day. 

(*note the mashed potatoes...those are mine, not his, and not nearly as good)

#6:  GREENS!  

Greens are easily the most favorite side dish in our household and my partner makes great greens - always the right amount of salt and vinegar.

 

#5:  PICKLIN':

Picklin' what?  ANYTHING!  I love that this is a pass-time we enjoy together.  There's nothing like spending the whole day in a hot & steamy kitchen, chatting, joking, laughing, perhaps a bit of arguing and picklin' this and that (cucumbers, green beans, cauliflower, beets, onions,...).  Oh and what's on the docket for this weekend?  Canning.  Expect a future blog entry about this for sure.

#4:  TACO SEASONING:

What man do you know makes his own taco seasoning?  Perhaps it's because taco night is potentially his most favorite night where food is concerned, but through the years, my partner has come to nail the taco seasoning.  Thumbs up for taco night.  You should definitely come over for taco night sometime.

#3:  PIZZA SAUCE from scratch (see #9 too):
My partner can whip up a pizza sauce in about 5 minutes that is better than any store bought or take-out or delivery pizza sauce i've ever had.  No joke.

#2:  GRILLED CORN ON THE COB:
This is the masterpiece that led me to write this blog entry.  Last weekend he made this on the grill, with a touch of cilantro/olive oil/lemon.  Yes, I am that lucky.

And last, but certainly not least...

#1: HAMBURGERS: 
oh. dear. god.  That's all I can say - you have to try one to believe it.  They're that good.  Plain & simple, seasoned with salt & pepper = so tasty & super juicy.   Hands down, my favorite thing.  And the number one (food) reason why I love him.

The happiest, most delicious turkey BLT and fries I'll ever eat.

So, I've had a few blog posts running through my brain lately but this one took precedence and now that I have the photos uploaded, I felt it was time to share.

On the first of the month, my partner of nine years and I got engaged!

Naturally, we got engaged over a meal.  Well, actually, the meal was mid-prep: turkey BLTs and organic all natural french fries.  (see previous post about my love of french fries!!)

Here's how it went down.  I was in the kitchen, post-run, in my stretchy pants and t-shirt.  I was cutting a tomato for the BLT's when my partner came in and was looking at me funny.  I pressed him as to why he was looking at me like that and next thing you know, he's asking me to be his wife.

Honestly, at first I didn't believe him.  I thought he was kidding.  Then I thought he was serious but had to make him affirm that yes, in fact, he was asking me to be his wife! 

To make a long story short, I said yes!  We laughed!  We cried!   We realized both the turkey bacon and the fries were burnt, so we quickly took out the smoke detectors and remade the meal while we called our family and friends to announce the good news!

Then we ate turkey BLT's and fries.  The happiest, most delicious turkey BLT and fries I'll ever eat.

O Canada! Canadian Food (or apparently "Why I Love French Fries")

As you all may or may not know, I'm from Canada.

Yup, I'm Canadian.

And since my partner and I are such food fans, I often get asked about Canadian food.  "What is Canadian food?" is usually asked quite casually.  But then the question usually results in a perplexed look and an instant follow-up question: "wait, IS THERE EVEN Canadian food?"

Short answer: yes, there sure is.

I was thinking about this today, and thinking about my childhood and some of the meals I ate that one would consider "Canadian".  So, here's a very short list of some of my favorite Canadian foods.

(I used Wikipedia for a lot of this).

#1 POUTINE
Oh dear goodness, this is absolutely the most delicious meal you'll find once you cross the border.  I will say that there is "good" poutine and "not as good" poutine, but probably not much "bad" poutine out there.

It's simple:  french fries + cheese curds + brown gravy = salty, delicious goodness.

courtesy of http://notcanadian44.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/poutine.jpg

# 2 LES ROTISSERIES ST-HUBERT

Next of course there's Les Rotisseries St-Hubert.  The secret's in the sauce here.  It's sweet, spicy & tangy.  And of course a common theme is french fries.  Dip the fries in the sauce and you're all set.

Rotisserie chicken, FRENCH FRIES, St-Hubert sauce and cole-slaw (choice of either vinegar or mayo based).

(You can purchase the St-Hubert sauce in powdered form, I've made it a point to have a steady supply since I moved to the U.S. about ten years ago).

#3 CHALET SUISSE

This was the next best thing to St-Hubert.  My parents actually stopped here a lot, not sure why - I assume either proximity to home or cost effectiveness.  Either way, not quite the same as St-Hubert sauce, but simialr premise: rotisserie chicken, FRENCH FRIES & Chalet Suisse sauce!  Once again, the same is true: dip fries in sauce and it's delicious.

http://www.swisschalet.com/our_menu_rotisserie.php

# 4 TOURTIERE

 This one doesn't include fries!!!  This is my grandmother's finest dish - a savory meat pie consisting of beef, pork & veal.  Usually eaten during the winter holidays, it reminds me of being a kid.

http://www.walnutinfo.com/upload/95_recipes.jpg

 # 5 BEAVER TAILS (or QUEUES DE CASTORS)

Yup - that's what they're called - Beaver Tails!  A tasty pastry, especially good on cold days!

http://fruttodellapassione.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/img_2287.jpg

# 6 DECARIE FRIES (& HOT DOGS)

This is the last one the list, but definitely a fond food memory!  Once again, french fries - douse 'em in salt & vinegar and dip 'em in ketchup and you've got yourself the perfect afternoon (after school!) snack.

 

http://citynoise.org/article/5051

 

Well, that's all I got so far.  I know there's more, I can feel it.  It's just that it's late and the last thing I need is to have french fries on the brain when hitting the sack.

G'night.

 

 

Oh wait, I have a blog? I forgot.

So, in typical Cindy fashion, I went and started this blog here and then never actually participated in the act of blogging. 

It's not to say that I haven't thought of it, every time I take a snapshot of this or that delicious meal we prepare, or this weekend when I came upon a handful of half-written (half empty or half full?) journals, or all the half-finished paintings I have lying around in the basement.  Yes, that's right folks - I go halfsies (half assed?) with everything.

Anyway, to redeem myself, here are some of the deliciously wonderful things we've prepared in our household over the last two months or so.  Consider this entry a hodge-podge of photos and commentary, and I'll get back into the themed blogging next time.  Which will be soon, I promise.

Without further ado...

This, my friends, is chili-mac.  Super easy, fast & tasty.  Not so good for you, but that's ok.

Friday night fast food - organic free range chicken wings & greens!

When my partner & I first met, we were in college, new to cooking meals for ourselves and therefore had a lot of these traditional style meals...it's all we knew from our respectful childhoods.  Both of us grew up eating a meat, a potato and a vegetable.  Now it's rare, but oh so delicious when it all comes together.

A staple in our household - homemade pizza, with Olga's pizza crust!  We usually top it with whatever we have on hand.

 Let me introduce you to lentil loaf - my goodness, this is one of the most delicious meals made around these parts...it's a bit time consuming and ingredient heavy but it lasts for 3 days, is uber healthy and so so tasty.  (ok, healthy, except for the cheese part)

Emeril's turkey white bean chili.  If you buy all white turkey meat, it's a bit pricey but it's much healthier.  And so so delicious.  A staple, especially during the winter months.  Recipe HERE

My partner made beer can chicken.  He actually emptied the Miller High Life and filled it with a Sierra Nevada Summer Lager (and has since drank the High Lifes...go figure).

And because money's tight this week, I made some delicious greens & beans yesterday.  Soaked whatever we had left of 16 bean mix, added some carrots & celery & red kale and called it a meal (with some hot sauce, our new favorite condiment).




And that's pretty much it.  There, I've blogged.  And I'll blog again, I promise. 

Got to go.  I'm being told the pasta is ready.

Hoppin' John & Chard pictures

Last night's hoppin' john & chard pictures.  

Mike cooked the hoppin' john with sazon goya because he wanted to make it traditionally and see what it tasted like.  Never again.  Neither one of us were fans.

The greens?  Now the greens were delicious.  Young chard, so they were more sweet and tender than usual.  Unanimously, we decided that greens are our favorite vegetable when dinner is concerned.