annemariedemyen

January 5th – Heating Things Up

January 5, 2022January 5, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

Last night’s supper was more about the how than the what. Another small appliance that has proven it’s worth in our empty nest is our TFal Actifry air frier. I use it on a regular basis to make everything from homemade croutons to seasoned sunflower seeds to French fries to chicken wings. It is a nice little unit, simple to use and relatively easy to clean.

Lat night, I used our Actifry to cook chicken wings. I cook about a dozen pieces at a time. I just toss them in, cook for twenty five minutes and set aside while I cook the next batch. My favourite part is draining the chicken fat out of the fry basket after removing the wings. A couple of dozen wings and I have drained about a quarter cup of chicken fat that will not become a part of our diet. Once I cook a couple of batches, I return both to the Actifry with a couple of tablespoons of Frank’s Red Hot sauce and one tablespoon of Frank’s Red Xtra Hot sauce. Cook for a further five minutes and we have perfect hot wings every time.

**Our second TFal Activity – I used the first one enough that I broke the cover hinge off of it**. ***I’m not sure if that is a design flaw in this make or if it was just me.***

***We enjoyed our wings with Caesar salad topped with homemade croutons.***

**And a spicy Caesar featuring vodka that has been spiced up with a hot pepper grown in our garden last summer.**

***Supper is served! We do not usually have riblets but I wanted to try them in the Actifry as this brand isn’t working that well in our oven even using convection mode.***

Air Fried Croutons
Cube one loaf of bread (fresh cheese bread works great)
Spread cubes on two cookie sheets and spray with extra virgin olive oil
Sprinkle with a mixture of grated Parmesan cheese and spices – seasoning salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning mix, garlic powder and onion powder is generally my go to.
Toss in the Actifry and cook for ten minutes. Spread on cookie sheets to cool.
Enjoy on salads or to top oven baked French onion soup

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

January 4th – By the Book

January 4, 2022January 4, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

The theme of my blog this month is ‘Canadian Meal Options’. To this end, I am sharing one meal or dish that Dan and I have each day. Many of the recipes I use come from ‘The New Purity Cookbook‘. It was new forty five years ago when I received my first copy of this book. Through twenty years of child rearing, this book was my kitchen bible for everything from homemade bread, to pancakes, to biscuits, deserts to main dishes. Some fifteen years ago, my daughter borrowed my kitchen bible and I floundered around my kitchen until my son Dan happened upon a copy at an antique shop. 🙄

I didn’t need my kitchen bible to prepare last night’s supper. We had a fairly basic meal of roast pork, oven baked potatoes, onions, broccoli, and gravy. It was all quite tasty and we have enough roast left over to make an encore later this week – served up as fried rice no doubt.

For desert we each had a gourmet chocolate. After desert we each had a couple of leftover Christmas cookies. Dan had peanut butter ones, while I opted for the ‘Spiced Ginger Mounds’ that I made using my Purity Cookbook.

I made countless cookies when my sons and daughter were children. I made chocolate cookies, coconut cookies, oatmeal cookies, cooked cookies, uncooked cookies, fancy cookies, and basic cookies. I made so many cookies. For whatever reason, these ginger cookies were always a favourite with all three of my kids. I was never that much of a fan, but they do get rid of the aftertaste of gourmet chocolates. 👍

**Recipe from ‘The New Purity Cookbook’ (I substitute butter for shortening).**

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

January 3rd – Back to Normal

January 3, 2022January 3, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

It is nice to have the holidays behind us and get back to a semblance of normal day to day living. It is not that we did that much, and what we did was nice, but I just find it good to be back to what is life as we typically live it.

It has been three weeks tomorrow since my hernia surgery. I am feeling fine, especially with the medication that the surgeon gave me for my brutal heartburn. In fact, I am feeling so good that I think it is time for me to start my winter workout regime – nothing outrageous, but some stretching, moving, and lighter lifting. (I don’t plan to start lifting my own weight anytime soon.)

We have another week of frigid temperatures this week and then we are supposed to be back to single minus digits (celsius). That will be a welcome change! I might even be up for a bit of a hike to try out the new boots Dan got me for Christmas.

Now that we are back to our normal lives, we are getting back to our regular diet. Dan worked yesterday so I went for something relatively quick and light to have for supper.

I am not fond of most small appliances,or of having to clean them, but one that is worth its weight in gold is my small electric grille. I probably use it at least once a week in the winter and more often in the summer.

**2 serving grille – economical and it wipes clean every time! We have had it for years.**

Last night, I grilled a couple of spicy chicken breasts, made Spanish rice, and served with buttered and seasoned brussel sprouts.

Which was followed by a little dish of Rolo ice cream to cool things down.

***Rolo ice cream always reminds me of grandson Rory’s first birthday. The first sound I heard him make and it was the sound of him choking on a frozen Rolo***. 🤦

Spicy Chicken Breast
Pat 2 chicken breasts dry on paper towel
Season with seasoning salt, black pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning and a very little bit of Cayenne pepper
Grille to well done (flip half way through cooking time as top tends to get dry).
Spanish Rice
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small cooking onion
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chunky hot salsa
Gradually bring to a slow boil (Note: it does scorch easier than regular rice). Stir with a fork, cover, and cook at medium heat (simmer) for twenty minutes without removing cover
** If you do burn the rice** – remove as much of the rice as possible, add water and a generous amount of baking soda to pot. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 3 minutes or so. This will loosen all remaining rice. Remove burnt rice and repeat boiling water and baking soda. (You may want to add cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon at this point to get rid of the smell of burnt rice and salsa from your kitchen.)

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

January 2nd – Shepherd’s Pie

January 2, 2022January 31, 2022 by annemariedemyen, posted in Canadian Meal Options

Here we are, cruising right into 2022. Dan and I took down the tree and packed away all of the Christmas decorations yesterday.

With Dan home for a few days and nights, it would seem our critters have retired to the basement to hibernate, or whatever it is that critters do when they feel unwelcome. At any rate there is no sign of them upstairs or down for the past couple of days. We still have a multitude of electronic and sticky traps about the place. So far the only thing to get stuck on any of the sticky traps was one small hairy dog.

**It was Mom’s fault – she left that thing right where I could step on it. 🙄**

After the packing up and housecleaning and laundry was done last night, we decided on a quick and easy basic comfort food supper. Shepherd’s Pie it was.

(Working Mom’s) Shepherd’s Pie
Brown one pound ground beef. Add one red onion, one shallot, two small cloves of finely chopped garlic, half a red pepper and a few sliced mushrooms. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add one can of Swiss Chalet beef gravy. Stir and simmer for a few minutes.
Make four servings of Idahoan mashed potatoes as per instructions on box. When ready, mix in one quarter of a cup of grated cheddar cheese.
Spread meat mixture in buttered casserole dish
Cover with one can of niblets corn
Cover with mashed potatoes. Top with bits of butter and a sprinkle of paprika.
Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour or until browned and bubbly

I used to make Shepherd’s pie with fresh mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, but this is quicker and easier. If you served them side by side, people would notice the difference, but honestly if this is the only option, most people will think it is real deal.

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

**Today is the first day of the best years of my life. 🌟**

January 1st – Happy New Year!

January 1, 2022June 23, 2025 by annemariedemyen, posted in 2022

Happy New Year everyone! I assume everyone is ready to kick off a brand new year? I read lately that everyday is the beginning of a new year in one’s life. I like that concept. There’s nothing better than a chance to start fresh – new hopes, new dreams, and new energy to push through to the next level. That is my mission for this year – every day is New Year’s Day. 🎉

First off today, I want to send out a big congrats to son Dan, daughter-in-law Amanda, Gabby, Lucas, and Cason who celebrated their first anniversary yesterday. They all deserve the love and happiness that they have found together. Obviously I am biased, but they are the poster family for fresh starts, hopes, dreams, and boundless energy. We are so proud of them all and so happy that they have built, and continue to build on their best lives.

***For better & better*** 💞 (Cason dialed back the energy for this shot 😂)

In keeping with my theme of the month, this month’s theme comes from a suggestion by John of lvphotoblog.com . (If you do not follow John yet, stop by his site to see beautiful shots of the real Las Vegas and surrounding areas).

This month I am going to feature one meal or dish that Dan and I indulge in each day. This could be a bit of a stretch for me but we’ve got this! Stay tuned for everything you have ever wanted to know about the basic diet of a basic Canadian – everything from homemade soup, to beefdip, to how to heat up the perfect tv dinner! We’ve got you covered.

Day one of our culinary adventure starts with our laid back New Year’s Eve menu.

***Pickles, raw vegetables, and shrimp ring.***

**Pillsbury crescent rolls – rolled up with thin sliced ham, Swiss and Gouda cheese.**

**The pièce de résistance of our repast was definitely the crab stuffed portabella mushroom caps.**

Dan imbibed in a couple of Molson Canadian beers with clamato juice while I enjoyed a glass of Canadian Pelee Island Merlot.

To create your own perfect crab stuffed portabella mushrooms….
Clean 4 large portabella mushroom caps, removing the stems and much of the gills
Mix 4 oz of cream cheese, 4 oz of sour cream, 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Add 1/4 cup panko crumbs
Add finely chopped fresh garlic, green onions, and jalapenos
Add finely chopped mushroom stems
Add one small can (drained and broken up) crab meat
Lightly season with salt and pepper
Fill mushroom caps and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of panko crumbs mixed with 1 tsp. butter
Bake @ 375 degrees F for 30 minutes and broil @ 425 degrees F until browned
As with any of the dishes we make – adjust to suit your own taste!

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

December 30th – “Not A Creature Was Stirring…”

December 30, 2021December 30, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in Uncategorized

Since I was determined to make this Christmas a reasonably good one, I thought it would be nice to have a tree. Not only did Dan agree, but he thought it would be ever so nice to have a REAL tree. It was ever so nice. 😁

We got our tree, Dan found the stand, and set it up. Together we strung the lights and I added tinsel and ornaments before Dan moved it to the corner table of the livingroom.

A couple of days later, I happened to spy a little critter slowly jog past Kat. Kat seemed more confused than shocked or upset. I was rather baffled myself . It seemed the size of a mouse but did not seem particularly mouse like – and it was black.

For a day or so there was no further critter activity – no mouse, no poo, no sign of mouse activity in our cupboards. We all agreed to believe that Kat and I had imagined the entire mouse episode. Thank God, because I am terrified of mice. (A story for another day).

Dan went back to work for a couple of night shifts. On night one, I started working on my jigsaw puzzle, and our elusive guest jogged past me. I decided to move into the livingroom. I sent a string of texts to Dan – “we definitely have a mouse in the house… it is in the kitchen… it came into the livingroom… omg it is in the Christmas tree!” Meanwhile Kat dozed on the couch and amazingly I remained rather calm and coherent. Dan was definitely concerned but moreso about my sanity than the actual possibility of my cartoonish mouse.

The second night was much the same – with the guest appearance of a fuzzy grey walnut that peaked out from under the fridge and ducked back just as quickly.

FYI.. as I sit in the livingroom writing this, guest #1 just jogged past my chair. 😳

Last night, Dan was home and he finally saw Guest #1 and… Guest #3 with his own eyes. Guest #3 is a miniature version of Guest #1. Dan agreed that these were no normal mice. I searched the internet and I am somewhat convinced that we are entertaining a family of small shrews who travelled into our house via our REAL NICE Christmas tree.

FUN FACT – Shrews are not rodents but a type of the Eulipotyphla mammal. Apparently rodents are also a form of mammal too – but not a form I choose to relate to. 🥴

Bottom line – Dan is out looking to purchase some mushrooms, bread, and critter catchers – since these little beggars do not seem interested in our regular mouse traps. For the time being, I am at home and “The creatures are definitely stirring!”

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

December 27th – It’s Over

December 27, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in Uncategorized

For better or worse, the Christmas of 2021 has come and gone. It was definitely nice that Dan had the day off this year. In fact we had a few days together. It was very special to have some quiet time to relax in front of the fireplace (which is conveniently placed under the television) and enjoy each other’s company.

Santa Dan was good to me as always. He was out and about for two days finding me the perfect winter boots – with is no simple task and a new elephant to join our herd.

**Short enough to be easy to put on but tall enough to cover my ankles, solid enough to be safe on icy walks but light enough to drive in, warm & cozy but stylish to boot!**

Granddaughter Genie and Alex came by on Christmas morning to drop off a Christmas bouquet and pick up their gifts from us. They stayed for a lovely visit.

We had a good phone chat with son Dan and photos from Amanda of the kids opening their gifts. Gabby and Lucas were obviously happy with theirs. It was a bit harder to tell with Cason from his ‘butt shot’. 😂 I had a call from son Mark later in the day and my siblings and I exchanged seasonal greetings by email. Dan and I had a nice long video chat with his sister Joan.

Dan and I enjoyed a nice ham supper for Christmas Eve and a beautiful turkey supper for Christmas Day. We have officially perfected the art of making turkey stuffing. It was our best ever! In between ham and turkey and Boxing Day quesadillas, we snacked on an abundance of treats including the gourmet chocolates I picked up a few days ago. 🤢 I saved Dan from the Rose Petal one.

That it for today. I hope you all had a nice Christmas with the perfect mix of food and family and peace and goodwill.

Take care and have a great rest of the holidays. 🎄

December 24th – Angels Among Us

December 24, 2021December 24, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in Uncategorized

Today, Dan and I are celebrating the ‘Angels Among Us’ – or specifically one angel that came into our lives eighteen years ago today.

While all of our grandchildren are perfectly amazing, Genevieve (Genie) was the first and she changed our lives. From day one, she radiated the sweetest innocence. She became the toddler who loved every ladybug, climbed and crawled and danced her way into every heart.

By the time Genie started school, she was the poised and and precious older sister – a Grandpa’s girl who possessed the kindness and wisdom of one beyond her years.

**With Maddy, little sister and** ***sidekick***

Through the years we have watched our Genie grow, bigger and stronger, but always true to who she is – kind, caring, bright and brave, loving and determined to make this world a better place. And she always will – because she truly is one of those angels who touch the hearts of all she meets and fills the hearts of those of us who are blessed to know and love her.

**Happy Birthday, Sweetie – We love you and we are so proud of you. All the best wishes for you, forever and always.** 💞

December 23rd – Christmas Elves

December 23, 2021December 23, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in Uncategorized

Today I am celebrating a visit from a couple of Christmas Elves (or angels).

Last night we received another dump of the white stuff , along with strong winds. Dan is working today and of course shoveling a ton of snow is not on my recommended post-op activities. Dan left for work this morning, anticipating shovelling when he got home, as our snowblower is presently not inclined to blow snow. For those who have never owned a snowblower, they are seldom inclined to blow snow. 🙄

So, obviously I felt bad for Dan – until this lovely couple about our age showed up, shovels in hand. They offered to clean all of our walks and the city sidewalk for twenty dollars. I offered a bonus if they cleared a little path for Kat on the garden side patio.

They did an amazing job. They practically cleaned off the patio – I told them it was plenty good. I gave them each twenty dollars and was happy to do it. I have no idea where they put the snow. I went out to check after they left, just out of curiosity, and found that they had even shoveled off the cement in the back yard! Our entire back yard is practically cement. I can hear our neighbour out shovelling now. I sure hope our snow didn’t go over the fence, even if they aren’t our favourite neighbours. Naughty elves? 😏

Anyway, that is it for today. Take care and have a great day!💞

December 22nd – 3 More Sleeps

December 22, 2021December 22, 2021 by annemariedemyen, posted in Uncategorized

Every day is still a day to celebrate the season! I have gotten a few things accomplished lately and could realistically be ready for Christmas any time now.

We packaged up a few things for son Dan and family. Dan sent it out for three day delivery on Monday and Amanda let me know they got it yesterday. (Way to go Canada Post!)

**I wrapped presents – without a single glass of wine 🍷. Not that I need wine to do anything, but it helps if that anything involves rolls of paper, sharp instruments, and sticky tape**.

I received the last of the Christmas gifts that I had ordered for Dan and the birthday gift that I had ordered for granddaughter Genie. Dan drove me to ‘Chocolate Regina’ to pick up a small box of gourmet chocolates and we stopped by a the recently renovated restaurant at Casino Regina for lunch. The food and the restaurant were both very nice but the rest of the renovations left a lot to be desired in my mind. I am not a fan of clutter and chaos and that seems to be what they were going for.

**Bernard Callebaut chocolates are amazing! Definitely not a treat we buy every day but they are Christmas worthy.**

I have done a bit more cleaning up and decorating around the house. I love this little candle and these placemats that I picked up from The Dollar Store.

I also ran to Walmart to pick up a few last minute things while Dan was at work yesterday. Their Christmas displays are running a bit low but they brightened the place up by adding shelves of Valentine’s chocolates and Easter bunnies. That is not too wierd. Who buys Easter bunnies in December? 🐰

Today I am going to try to get a bit of baking done and wrap the rest of the gifts.

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