annemariedemyen

January 19th – Cheesey Biscuits

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

Another January morning in Saskatchewan! Things are relatively iced over from our recent storm and the mercury has dropped out of the thermometer. Fun stuff!

Kat is more her own self today – unfortunately. Her appetite is back and she is not happy that she is not being allowed her usual crispy, crunchy diet. She does not take kindly to my snacking and not sharing so maybe, hopefully, we will both drop a few pounds in the next couple of weeks.

Last night, was another super easy supper. (Last one for a while!). I pulled a container of homemade chicken soup out of the freezer and made a pan of cheese biscuits.

* I do not knead the dough or roll out the biscuits. I have tried it and the results just weren’t there for me. Once I mix in the cheese and work in the last of the flour, I scoop the dough out with a serving spoon and drop it onto a cookie sheet, allow unbaked biscuits to sit for fifteen minutes, and then move to pre-heated oven and bake for the full fifteen minutes. I made 12 good sized biscuits.

I used to make these biscuits frequently when the kids were home but it has been ages since I made a batch. All things considered, I thought they turned out great.

That is it for today. Take care and have a great day!

January 18th – The Kat Came Back

January 18, 2022January 18, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

Kat had her dental surgery yesterday and came back home late in the afternoon. She seemed a bit wobbly and is still less perky than usual, but I know she will be better off for having had the surgery. 💞

Dan wasn’t home for supper last night and between picking up Kat and getting her settled in when we got home, I wasn’t into cooking anything. I took the easy way out (AGAIN) and nuked a frozen ‘meal’ Dan had picked up for work. I cannot say I was a real fan, but then I am not a real fan of macaroni and there was a lot of spicy cheese sauce on it (overly saucy anything isn’t my thing). Dan would probably have enjoyed it as a work lunch.

After supper, I talked to my sister Lorraine. It was a continuation of a talk that had been running off and on all afternoon. She agreed that my supper wasn’t really a showcase of my culinary expertise so I asked her if she could share something a little more photogenic and impressive. Ta Da!

***Cranky’s Baked Spaghetti and Meat Sauce***

Vegetable spaghettini
Meat Sauce: Cranky spiced hamburger, peppers, spaghetti sauce, canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, oregano, mushrooms, and garlic.
Cheese: Saputo mozza

This is just one of the dishes that Lorraine and her husband Jerry offered when they operated their popular Cranky’s food truck. We never had the opportunity to visit their truck during the seasons they were operating but we have taste tested a lot of their ‘family and friends’ meals and never been left disappointed. Jerry, who is generally the entrée chef, used to make a memorable Steak Neptune. Lorraine never met a side dish she didn’t slay. I have tried, and failed, to make Baked Beans anything close to hers. Relatives aside, they are great people, work hard as hell at everything they do, and play hard enough to keep life interesting.

That’s it for today. Take care and have a nice evening!

January 17th – Onion Soup For The Win

January 17, 2022January 17, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

Dan and I have been unwell for a few days now. While we are both on the mend, we needed something to get us solidly back on our feet. Last night, we did what we do when drastic times call for drastic measures. We cooked up a supper of Baked Onion Soup – hot, delicious, and naturally healing.

Dan cooked – I recorded the process. We made it for two, but it can easily be adjusted to serve one or more. (I often make it for myself if I happen to be alone for supper).

***Caramelize two good sized onions in butter.*** ***It takes patience and attention but keep on it until the onions are cooked down and turn a nice light brown***.

***Add low salt beef broth and bring to a boil.***

***Pour into jumbo cups and top with homemade croutons.***

**Which in turn is topped with shredded cheese.**

***Bake in 425 degree F oven until cheese melts, then broil until cheese is brown and bubbly***.

Supper is served!

* I make our croutons in our T-fal Air Frier by cubing a loaf of bread (preferably cheese bread), spread out the cubes on two cookie sheets. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan Cheese and desired spices (I use seasoning salt, ground pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning). Cook in air frier, one tray at a time for 10 minutes. Remove from air frier and return to cookie sheets until cool, crisp and completely dry.

It may not be what a doctor would order – but it sure made us feel better (chest congestion is gone, sinuses are cleared, and throat is soothed) and there were no side effects! 😁

That is it for today. Take care and have a great day!

* Kat is at the vet’s for her surgery. Everything is looking good so far. They have to pull a couple of small teeth. The vet is to call back once she is done. I can’t wait to have her home. 🤗

January 16th – Struggling

January 16, 2022January 16, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

Well here we are, three or four days in and I still feel lousy. It feels like a month. There are two things I do spectacularly badly – traveling and being sickly. I don’t know what is worse – me being sick or Dan being around me when I am sick. Poor Dan. 🙄

Despite being in recuperation mode himself, Dan made supper last night. And did the dishes. 💞

***Leftover roast beef, air fried potatoes, side salad, gravy and horseradish.***

Supper was basic but very good – just what we needed. Dan is a very good cook, but his specialties run more to homemade soups, stews, steak and seafood, pasta…. We were not really up to anything that ambitious last night.

This morning, I dragged myself into the kitchen to make us each a Denver. I rather petered out half way through but it was doable.

For tonight, I am looking forward to French onion soup. If that doesn’t cure what ails me, nothing will.

I can’t imagine how people with chronic illness or pain, or terminal illness deal with it. When I was in hospital a few years ago, I couldn’t believe the strength and patience of my fellow patients. It was like I was the only one crying, whining, and bitching. 🙄 I even saw some of the other patients eating their ‘hospital food’ (Not to be confused with real food. 🍝).

Anyway, a special shout out today to anyone who is sick or suffering today. I hope you feel better soon. They say ‘”misery loves company” – I say “misery needs hope, and kindness, and aspirin”.

That is it for today. Take care and have a great day!

January 15th – Inevitable

January 15, 2022January 15, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

Dan and I both cook so we can generally put together something relatively edible and nutritious for a meal. We do have the occasional day when we lose track of time or do not feel like cooking. Yesterday was one such day – the not feel like cooking type of day. Fortunately, we went shopping earlier this week and came across a sale on TV dinners.

**For desert, Dan indulged in a couple of his favourite chocolates.**

I opted for an early night, which was obviously a good choice, as I did get up feeling much better than I did yesterday. Dan is also feeling better, so hopefully our bug is behind us.

That is it for today. Tonight we have a more ambitious supper plan.

Take care and have a great day!

January 14th – Mexican Air Fry

January 14, 2022January 14, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

This month on my blog, I am sharing a meal or a dish that we indulge in each day. I am not a professional cook by any means and it was never about creating a collection of recipes. This is simply me keeping it real. This is how and what we eat on a day to day basis – because that is a reflection of who we are. In words better than mine…

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience. – James Beard

“We all eat, and it would be a sad waste of time to eat badly.” – Anna Thomas

“Food may be essential as fuel for the body, but good food is fuel for the soul.” – Malcom Forbes

“Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.” – Alan D. Wolfet

That last quote reminds me of son Dan who has always loved food – eating it, preparing it, and serving it to family and friends. From the youngest age, he would say “It is always good because you put love in it.” (Unless it was fish sticks. There was never enough love to save fish sticks. 🙄)

Last night, we did not have fish sticks. I took out the T-fal Air Frier and made Mexican Air Fry. I began by cubing a couple of chicken breasts, sprinkling them with olive oil and taco seasoning, and air frying them for twenty minutes. I transferred the cooked chicken to a bown and moved on to step two.

For step two, I sliced a tortilla shell into strips, spread the strips in the air frier, sprinkled them with olive oil and a bit of taco seasoning. I air fried the seasoned strips for about ten minutes. I had to stop the process a couple of times to re-spread the strips. (They want to pile up.)

While the tortilla strips were cooking, I prepared the vegetables for step three – red onion, red pepper, fresh mushrooms, pickled jalapenos, and black olives.

Once the tortilla strips came out of the air-frier, I put in the vegetables with a little sprinkle of olive oil and a bit of taco seasoning. I cooked the vegetables for six minutes and then added the cooked chicken from step one and about three tablespoons of hot salsa. I cooked for a further six minutes, before transferring to a bowl and topping with crispy tortilla strips.

I cooked rice to serve with our main dish. I was concerned it could be a strange combination but it worked well – even with soya sauce on the rice. 👍

That is it for today. Take care and have a great day!

January 13th – Beef Dip

January 13, 2022January 13, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

I can’t believe we have made it almost mid-month and last night was our first meal of beef dip. It is one of my favourites, so we have it relatively frequently.

Dan has been under the weather for a couple of days, so he wasn’t up for too much. Supper was basic, but totally delicious and the protein seems to have done him some good as he is looking a little better today.

***Shaved roast sirloin with onions and horseradish on Villagio buns, served with air fried sliced potatoes, gravy, and au jus.***

The only thing I go rogue on is the au jus. We buy Club House Mix but I only use half a package mixed with two cups of salt-less Campbell’s beef broth instead of water. It tastes just as good but is considerably less salty.

After supper, we finished off our individual cartons of Haagen Daz ice cream. Am I the only one who has an overwhelming urge to snack while watching ‘My 600 Pound Life’ ? I love that show, root for each week’s guest star, and am totally happy and inspired by each success story. But every week it is the same thing – I am straight to the ice cream, popcorn, or potato chips. 🤦

The obvious solution would be to quit watching ‘My 600 Pound Life’ but good television is hard to find – especially on Wednesday nights.

I still haven’t found a new winter project. I am torn between cleaning out closets or searching out seed catalogues. Decisions, decisions! Retirement is such a taxing time in one’s life. 🙂

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day!

January 12th – Hotdog!

January 12, 2022January 12, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

We are still enjoying the break in our weather with the mercury reaching temperatures on the positive side today. It is only here for a few days, but we will take anything we can get.

Since I made a relatively hearty breakfast yesterday morning, we opted for another quick, easy supper. We enjoyed the last of the smoky beans from a couple of nights ago, served up with hotdogs and a handful of potato chips. For desert, we finished off the last of the saucy butterscotch pudding that I made earlier this week.

***I am not a fan of condiments but a little of my homemade garlic dill relish on a hotdog definitely kicks it up a notch.***

***With all that cooking time I saved last night, I was able to finish the puzzle I have been working on.*** 😉

Now all I have to do, is find myself a new winter project. It is bit early for bedding plants, but I could spend some time perusing seed catalogues! This warm spell has me seriously dreaming of spring. 🌱

That is it for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞

January 11th – Oops!

January 11, 2022January 11, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

I was so excited about sharing my amazing Saucy Butterscotch Pudding yesterday that I forgot to include the recipe. 🤦 It has now been added and the post updated here or you can just check it out below!

Our ventures out and about yesterday went well. Kat was a perfect little pup when she went for her blood tests – and she aced them! She is ready and cleared for surgery. We brought her home and went our to run the rest of our errands, rounded off by a nice lunch at The Barley Mill. The food was good and the portions generous.

Neither of us were up for much at suppertime, so I grilled a couple of porkchops, made a box of macaroni and cheese, and served with some fresh broccoli. We do not used boxed macaroni and cheese as a rule. In fact, I am not that into pasta other than the occasional plate of spaghetti with tomato/meat sauce or fettuccini/shrimp Alfredo. Dan loves pasta and does make homemade macaroni and cheese for work lunches. We bought a couple of boxes of this Cheetos Mac’N Cheese at a specialty food shop in a gitchy mall here. Dan got overpriced Mac’N Cheese and I got a jumbo Gummy Bear which I wrapped and gave to daughter-in-law Amanda for a wedding present. 🧸

It is a beautiful 2 above Celsius today. Dan has some shovelling to get caught up on, so I made a heartier than usual breakfast this morning.

**Fried a little bacon and green onions in butter**

**Whipped up an omelet and wrapped it up in a warmed tortilla with some slightly** ***melted cheese.***

**Wrapped and ready to go! (Mine had shredded marble cheese and salsa).**

That’s it for today. Take care and have a great day!

January 10th – Saucy Butterscotch Pudding

January 10, 2022January 11, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

We have lots of out and about this morning, starting with a trip to the vet for blood tests for Kat. She is scheduled for dental surgery next Monday so we have to do a bit of pre-work to make sure she is good to go.

Yesterday was a quiet day spent hunkered down through another frigid day. I puttered around and worked on my latest jigsaw puzzle. It is much easier than the last one.

Last night we enjoyed the second coming of our homemade beef soup for supper. Since that didn’t take a lot of my time or effort, I pulled out my trusty ‘New Purity Cookbook’ and whipped up a quick family favourite desert. It is relatively quick now. When I was baking with the assistance of three pre-schoolers, it was a serious time commitment. Even then, it was always worth it because it tastes amazing and it never failed to amaze the kiddos. Now that they are all in their forties it is a bit harder to amaze them, but I still think it is magical.

**Ta da! Cake** ***on top, sauce on the bottom!***

It is time to get going, so that is it for today. Take care and have a great day!