food

Winter has truly settled in upon us hasn’t it?   This morning we had to clean up after an icy snow fell overnight.  The crew challenge this month was for ways to deal with the winter blues.   This could mean playing board games, or engaging minds in different pursuits, or taking up something you enjoy doing.   I happen to like making meals that my family likes so I figured that making meals to beat the winter blues fit ever so nicely.  🙂 

Ergo, some of the meals we’ve been enjoying this winter, I’d like to share with you.   Come along for some tasty eats! 

Meals made for the family

I made what I considered a super quick dish.  Some pasta with meatballs and mushrooms in a cream sauce.  Wow… that disappeared super quick!

I made a winter chicken bake that didn’t go over go over so well.  Not enough seasoning in it.  BUT the overabundance of veggies were turned into two different meals, and the chicken I fried up and put into salads.  🙂   So it all got used up and the lads were happy with my vegetable concoctions! 

I made a larger than expected pasta salad which I thought I would mostly enjoy but the lads devoured it over the course of two days.   Could I tell you what all was in it?  NOPE.  Grated carrot, random dried veggies, pasta, sauce, and I think I threw some raisins into it. 

We’ve continued to learn from other homeschoolers and thusly we have a weekly pizza night.  Sometimes store bought, other times homemade. 

I didn’t take as many pictures as I normally do this month of food.   It’s been a harder than expected month in many ways.  Other meals made:

• meatloaf
• zoodles casserole (made with heinz zoodles with ground beef, extra spices in it)
• Chili.  Served as is or on baguettes with grated cheese.
• A couple rice dishes with scramble fried ground beef and various veggies. Different every time. 
• Duck leg.  Turned out decent.  Will do again if can find on sale. 
• Soup, I love soup.  🙂 chicken, meatball, veggie.. it’s all very good. 

Desserts

I made two desserts this month.  I don’t make desserts often as they are high in calories and neither hubby or me need them.  The lad ADORES it as it means “more treats for me!”.   He makes me laugh.

I made a marvellous banana cream pie and ever so delicious lemon bars.  About half the lemon bars I shared to friends at the foodbank and elsewhere much to my lad’s chagrin. 

Just for Me

Sometimes I make meals just for me. 

Cranberry yogurt is one such meal.  It’s one of my favourite post-holiday dishes.  Makes a great breakfast or snack depending on the proportions used.   Generally I do a 1:2 ratio (more yogurt less cranberry sauce). 

I also love white rice fried with lemon juice, a touch of butter with a small onion and a can of tuna.    Just a wonderfully lovely meal.  My guys wrinkle their noses at me, but hey, makes me happy.  🙂 

Meals by the lad

My 15 year old lad has taken on the responsibility for Sunday meals.  It’s my day off and I want him to learn how to cook, ergo…he cooks.  

Over the past bit he’s made hotdogs, hamburgers, meatball soup, roast beef with mashed taters, baked turkey croquettes and cheesy chicken casserole.

The casserole turned out very tasty but on the watery side.  Upon investigation we learned he subsituted cream soup for chicken stock.  He now knows they are quite different. 🙂 

The croquettes are an excellent way to use up leftover turkey.  They were so good and the lad said “fussy to make, but easy”. 

How about you?  Did you make any food that helps drive the winter blues away?   Food that makes you feel all happy inside with memories or just good taste?   It’s a great thing to do eh?   Tell me your meals to beat the winter blues and maybe it will help me with the rest of winter!  🙂

It’s been a long nine-months hasn’t it been?  Stress and anger and all kinds of things happening in the world with elections, deaths, covid and the like.  Now that winter is drawing nigh it’s time to make it some things better eh?  Thanksgiving has come and gone, Christmas becomes it’s time to make some comfort foods in November!  What’d’ya say?  Here’s some that I made.

Main Courses

Crisply Baked Basa Fillets was a total winner.  I had hoped to have leftovers (as it technically made four servings) but between the teen and hubby all of the fish disappeared.  Oh…to make it more calorie friendly don’t use the oil, just spray down the parchment paper with pan spray.

Meat/rice/cream soup goulash.   This was just a simple dish that I make on occasion.  Every time it turns out a bit differently.  Very easy to make.  Dice up some onion, fry up a pound of ground beef seasoned however you like it, as it cooks cook up a 2 cup serving of rice.  Once the rice is cooked toss it in with the ground beef, add a veggie of some sort (today I did green pepper but I’ve done grated carrots, canned peas, diced zucchini etc), and mix in some cream of mushroom soup.  You can easily swap out the soup for one of your choosing.  Also works well with ground anything or sausage fixings.   My guys always like this dish. 

Hashbrown casserole, or Bacon, Potato, and Egg Casserole. Changes I made: I used fresh potatoes from my garden, and I also cooked it straight-through, not taking the time to keep it all fancy looking.   The fellows enjoyed this with ketchup.  I by-passed the ketchup and ate as is.  Tasted great to me.  They wanted a bit more seasoning, hence the ketchup. 

Crock pot ribs… oh my, these were good!!!!  I didn’t have chili sauce so I did extra bbq sauce.  The guys devoured them quickly.  There was expressed disappointment when they were all gone. 

quick comfort foods in November

I made a quick meal one day out of some leftover honey garlic sausage, about 2 cups of cooked aztec rice blend and a pint jar of homemade salsa.  The lad and I have been very much enjoying it.  An excellent simple meal.  Just heat it all together. 

Today I’ve been feeling a bit poorly due to getting a cold from our tenant.  It left me feeling selfish in my cooking habits so I made food with myself in mind.  This rather good mac and cheese casserole, and I made some cheesy garlic bread to go with it.  Add a jar of bruschetta mix.. Excellent meal.  My hubby who said “I’m not hungry, don’t plan on me eating… decided he was hungry after all and went back for seconds”.  The lad did the same.  So much for me having my just-for-me casserole all for myself.  🙂   Later I made soup for supper which my tenant and I enjoyed.  

Other highlights

What else were highlights of the month?

• a package of soup mix, I loved it, the lad thought it interesting, hubby wouldn’t touch it.  Had curry in it so I had a couple restless nights with weird dreams so I ended up giving the rest to a gal needing a few meals with no cumin allergies.  🙂 
• Maple-crusted Peameal bacon roast.  YUMMERS.  It disappeared way too fast and I only got one serving out of it.. bummers that!  The lads are too good at making some food disappear…..
• I made a very slow cook roast in the crockpot with potatoes and carrots around it. Added a variety of seasoning packets.  Again, I had like one serving and the fellows took care of the rest. 
• There was this zucchini casserole that well… ended up in the compost.  It didn’t turn out well. Some recipes are like that eh?  Just don’t work for a household’s taste buds.

Desserts

THIS was a very good pumpkin pie!   Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie.  Just excellent.  The lad’s totally demolished it, my tenant asked for a second piece, and I liked it too and I’m not even a real pumpkin pie person. 

I had planned to make some interesting desserts this month but I think that will have to wait until this coming month.  I made pudding!  Does that count too?!?!?   The fellows were quite pleased with it, I can tell you that much.  And I bought ice cream which is ALWAYS a favourite!   🙂

One of the great things about making dishes with pumpkin and zucchini?  Oh.. making roasted or baked whatever it is, squash seeds.  I’ve been experimenting with plain salt, or salt and pepper or even with funky no salt seasoning.  LOVE THEM.  So much fun and so super easy to do. 🙂  AND!!!!   Since I’m the only one in the household who likes them.. they are always, all mine!  No sharing needed!

My Latest Experiment

One day I was browsing Youtube.  I think I had just finished watching a Shawn Woods MouseTrap Monday show… and somehow I got onto this “how you make extracts” channel.  I thought HEY I can do that.  When I mentioned it to my fellow, he said “I can make you the alcohol, no need to buy it”. So there yah go!  Truly homemade extracts to try.

I have some alcohol left and thought about making vanilla extract which hubby nixed as vanilla beans are rather expensive.  He suggested I made almond extract instead.  Here’s how to do it!  Super Easy eh?

Other meals I’ve shared:

July.  January. February. March and April. August.  and October.  What comfort foods in November have you made?  Anything you care to share?  It’s great to discover new recipes don’t you think?