New Design

Woo Hoo!! My blog has a new design thanks to www.thecutestblogontheblock.com. I LOVE IT!!!

What do you think?

August.

Wow... it's August already (well, in a couple of days). Where have the last 7 months gone?
At the beginning of the year I was ready to grab 2010 by the balls and make it a great year! A year for new beginnings and to find my way back to my old self.

Well, I can tell you that I did accomplish great things in the first 7 months... but, I am not getting anywhere on my 'eat healthier and work out more' plan. I did, however land my career job and it's FANTASTIC. The pay is good (for a junior designer), I have my own office, it's close to home, the people are awesome... and most of all, I LOVE MY JOB!!! I've worked so hard to be in this field and it's great to finally be here. Where do I go next? This fall I plan to study for the Ontario Building Code exams and hopefully I will have my BCIN by 2011. After that I will be focusing on preparing myself to write the NCIDQ exams so I can officially call myself a 'Registered Interior Designer'. For now, I am just an Intern.

Landing my career job was only half of my new years resolution. I wanted to give myself a year to work out, eat healthy and enjoy a better lifestyle (while losing weight along the way). I was really hoping that by my 27th birthday (yikes! am i really that old?) I would be at my goal. Well, July was the half way mark and I think I had lost a whooping total of 1 lb.

I'm starting to be inspired to work out again, although I'm finding it hard to make time to work out. When I come home from work I'm tired, I make dinner, clean up then all I want to do is relax. I try to wake up at 6am, my alarm goes off and I tell myself that I am too exhausted and wont be able to function at work unless I get at least another hour of sleep. So now, I'm debating joining a gym. I know, I know most people who join gyms just pay their monthly dues and never go. I was once one of these people however, there are three gyms in the vicinity of my work and I'm thinking my lunch break would be the perfect time to go work out. I can eat my lunch at my desk when I get back.

I'm also really intriged by all of the 'runners' in my life. My new boss has a running group and runs every Thursday (usually more), and a couple of my friends are running for the underwear affair and are training for that. Unfortuneately, I am not a runner. I hate it. My boobs flop around, and Sam says I look like a duck when I run. I think for now, I will stick to walking my dog.... hopefully I can bump up the walks to everyday. I have also started back with working out, I'm working myself up to doing Tae Bo again... Billy Blanks is a tank!

Stay tuned for some recipes that I have been holding out on!

Paprikas Csirke

Thursdays are Grey's Anatomy night, and ultimately the night I'm looking for a no fuss meal. This week I decided to do a crock pot version of my grandfather's recipe for paprika chicken. I chopped the vegetables, and prepped the meal the night before... unfortunately I was also making Wednesday night's meal at the same time. When I got home from work Thursday night something just didn't smell right... turns out I forgot to add the paprika!! I quickly added it in and let the dish cook for another hour but it just wasn't the same.

Here is the recipe for you to enjoy... the original recipe is to be made on the stove, but it can also be cooked in the crock pot, just don't forget to add the paprika!

Paprikas Csirke

(Hungarian Paprika Chicken)

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (I use whole boneless, skinless breasts)

1 Tomato, diced

1 Green Pepper, diced

1 Medium Onion, Diced

Mushrooms (optional)

Palm full of Paprika

EVOO – once around the pan

½ Cup of water

2 Heaping Tablespoons of Flour

3 Heaping Tablespoons of Sour Cream

1. In a soup pot brown the diced onions in a little oil, (the original recipe calls for 1/4cup but I think that is way too much, I just eyeball it and give enough for the onions to cook in).

2. Once the onions are browned, remove from heat and add the paprika to the pot, mix gently. DO NOT miss this step; it won’t taste the same if you don’t put in the paprika (ha ha).

3. Add tomatoes, green pepper, mushrooms, chicken and water to the pot. Simmer for one hour. (This is where I would throw everything into the crock pot, and let it cook through the day).

4. When the chicken is cooked through, mix together flour and sour cream then slowly add to the pot. Be careful not to stir too much as the chicken is very tender and will break apart easily. It’s better to shake the pan if you can.

5. Serve over dumplings, rice, or egg noodles.

Zucchini and Tomato Dish

So this blogging thing isn't going over so well... but life always seems to get in the way, and the lack of readers doesn't help much either. I have a bunch of recipes to share with you though, so you can look forward to those over the next week or two.

This is one of my favourite side dishes that my mom always made in the summer. It works great as a side dish, a meal on it's own or even for breakfast! It's simple and delicious.

You can play around with the proportions and seasonings in this recipe.

1 Zucchini 1 Tomato Pat of butter Few shakes of Lemon Pepper Seasoning S&P Parmesan Cheese to finish it off!

Melt a little butter in a frying pan. You will want to use butter or margarine, and not oil because the goal is to soften the vegetables and not 'fry' them.

Slice zucchini, and saute. Season with a few shakes of lemon pepper seasoning, and salt & pepper.

When the Zucchini is almost finished add slices of tomatoes and saute for another minute or two. Don't stir around too much because you don't want the tomatoes to break up too much.

Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese to finish it off!

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Today I went to the Superstore and attended their free* 'what's for dinner?' cooking class. They made two dishes from the Insiders Report, promoting their products. It was a free class so you really can't blame them. The one recipe that I took away is the Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas. The flavour combination is fantastic, and it makes for a quick and easy meal with a salad on the side.

I am going to post the recipe as it was handed to me, but you will be able to find the same products with a different brand. Unfortunately my camera battery was dead so I wasn't able to get any pictures of this one.

*they have started asking attendants to pay $10 for the class, however, they give you a $10 gift card to use in their store. So essentially it is a free class.

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas- 2 servings

4 PC Blue Menu Ancient Grains Tortillas
1/4 cup PC Blue Menu Spicy Black Bean Dip
1/2 cup PC Blue Menu Peaches and Cream Canned Corn, drained
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Chicken Breast (OPTIONAL- I added the chicken to make it more suitable for dinner)

1. Season and Grill or Bake Chicken, chop or shred into tiny pieces.
2. Place two tortillas flat on work surface. Divide black bean dip between them, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with corn, chicken (optional), then cheese. Place the other two tortillas on top, pressing down.
3. The recipe says to heat the Quesadillas in a frying pan, but I prefer to do it in the oven. If you are making a bunch of them it is quicker to pop them on a cookie sheet, spritz each side with canola oil cooking spray and bake all together at 350 until cheese has melted and tortillas are crisp.

Jack Daniel's Real Deal Onion Dip

In celebration of the Superbowl tonight I have decided to attempt at making a real onion dip. This one from the Cooking with Jack cookbook intrigued me. The dip IS good, but I'm not sure if it is worth the effort required to make it. I almost think that ripping open a packet of onion soup and mixing it with sour cream and yogurt is sufficient. I do however, recommend that you try this yourself and see how you like it.

The Real Deal Onion Dip
Cooking with Jack - Makes about 2 1/2 Cups

6-8 Slices of Bacon
3 Cups Chopped Onion (approx 2-3 Onions)
1 Tbsp sugar
1/3 Cup Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Yogurt
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Hot Pepper Sauce, to taste

1. Cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from your pan with a slotted spoon leaving behind the fat. Set aside.


2. Cook the diced onion in the bacon fat slowly over medium-low heat until browned (approx. 20 mins). Stir in the sugar and whiskey, allow to cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 5 mins. Allow onion mixture to cool.


3. Combine the yogurt and sour cream with the onion mixture, add salt & pepper and a few dashes of hot sauce. I also decided to add a few shakes of garlic powder to elevate the flavour a bit. Store covered in the refrigerator.

4. Sprinkle with reserved bacon bits, and serve with chips, crackers or veggies.

Herb Roasted Pork Loin

I made this recipe last week and was impressed with it. I do have to say though, there are a few things I would change if I make it again. First of all, the cooking time in the recipe is off. I used a smaller piece of pork and still found it needed more time than what was reccomended in the oven. And second, for me personally, I found the dijon to be too over powering. I don't like spice, so the dijon was a but much for me. My friend Rachelle suggests mixing the dijon with sour cream for all of the flavour and none of the heat. I will try that next time, or possibly use honey mustard instead.


With all of that said, the pork did turn out nicely. And the smell of the herbs in the oven was to die for. I couldn't wait to dig in! The gravy that goes a long with the roast was perfect and added the extra oomph to the roast. This would make a good meal for a dinner party. It is very pretty too.


In case you are interested in trying it out for yourself here is the link to the recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Herb-Roasted-Pork-Loin-352314.



Along side the roasted pork loin, I tried a recipe for Maple Dijon Carrots. It was a quick and easy way to dress up carrots.


1lb carrots , trimmed, peeled and sliced diagonally
1 tbsp margarine or butter
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp fresh parsely, chopped (optional)

1. place carrots in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover. bring to a boil and cook over medium-high head for 6 mins until tender-crisp.
2. drain carrots, then return to saucepan and toss with margarine, dijon, and maple syrup to heat through.
3. garnish with fresh parsely if desired. serve immediately.