Delicata Squash - originally posted on Sep 27/12

Feeling adventuresome in the grocery store, I found a Delicata Squash on my kitchen counter.  Actually, I bought 2 squash that day.  Stay tuned for story of the fate of the other squash.

New Years Thai Feast - originally posted on Jan 2/11

Quentin really wanted to go to a New Years Eve Thai party he was invited to, but instead we went to his parents house and hung out with most of his family. It was nice. We ate an assortment of appetizers, drank a little too much gin slush and played some version of dominoes that I'd never seen before.
Tonight I have his undivided attention (potentially) and so am planning a Thai feast prepared by me with ingredients I have on hand.

Help with Dinner - originally posted on May 25/13

Dear Lori,
I never know what to make for dinner for my family.  I get so tired of having to cook for my family every. single. day!  What's worse is when company comes over.  I love having my friends over but I never know what to make.
Can you help me?
Signed,
What's For Dinner

You're in the right spot

Hi there!

I started out here on blogger because it's free and easy.  Back when everyone was blogging and before you could become a millionaire by blogging.

I got stars in my eyes and I trusted someone who promised some things that would never come to pass and so I got a url and paid for a Wordpress site.  I'm going to keep my url "blondiecooks.ca" in case I am ever in a position to use it again, and if you can help me with that or know someone who can, please let me know.  But I'm shutting down my Wordpress site so I'm back here for the time being.

Meanwhile, I'll be moving all my recipes from my other site back here and switching things up a bit.
Check back here and my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CalgaryBlondie/ To keep up with what I'm cooking now.
Thanks for stopping by.
Lori

Mistakes

It might be more satisfying to successfully recover from a mistake than to do it right in the first place.
I made a batch of buns for a gift this afternoon. I used my usual recipe, one that I make all the time so I make it with some confidence. I mixed the ingredients in my mixer, put it in the oven under a tea towel to rise, set the timer for an hour and a quarter and went about my other business.
I lifted the tea towel and to my surprise the dough hadn't changed shape nor size.
"What? My yeast is still good." as I leaned in for a sniff. Then I realized that I hadn't put any yeast in. My heart sunk. Fortunately I still had time.
Instead of scrapping the dough and starting fresh, I decided to put the dough back in the mixer and put the yeast in. I mixed it for a little while and it didn't seem to be mixing well so I threw in a tablespoon each of flour and water. It doesn't seem like much and really I have no idea what I was doing so I didn't even know if it would work.
Anyhow, I let it rise for an hour and a quarter. The dough had risen, doubled even but it looked oddly speckled. I wondered if that was granules of yeast that hadn't quite dissolved. I deflated the dough, shaped my buns and left them for the second rise. Well, third.
I baked them and even though they were speckly, they looked good. I cut one open and the texture inside is a little off-the size of the holes are uneven and the texture is a little chewy.
One bite reminded me that I had forgotten the salt. But they are good. I hope the recipient likes them.

I've made these buns enough times that making them no longer gives me a feeling of accomplishment. But making a major mistake and successfully fixing it does. Maybe there is a life lesson in there.

this is not a recipe

I am getting very weary of reading recipes that have the worth "healthy" at the beginning of them.



I just read a recipe for "healthy" quesadillas and I think my head popped off.
Why do we have to do this? Why do we have to categorize food into healthy and unhealthy categories? And on what basis do we categorize any given food? Fat? Calories? Antioxidant properties? Where/how it was grown?

What if...now work with me here...but what if each food in and of itself is not inherently healthy or unhealthy? What if it's your lifestyle over the course of a day, week, month, year that's either healthy or not?

I mean really, if you ate nothing but raw carrots your skin would turn orange, you would get very sick and die. Are carrots unhealthy?

What purpose does it serve to label food "bad" or "good", "healthy" or "unhealthy" What if living a healthy life means eating a variety of foods, moving around some, getting enough sleep and avoiding stress? That leaves room for a piece of cheesecake now and then doesn't it? And maybe a vodka and soda?

I know, I know, this is all very counter to what we all keep reading but the truth is, as a nation we're getting fatter and fatter. We keep talking about healthy this and healthy that but adult onset diabetes has been described as an epidemic. I'd say guilt is just as bad for us as eating too much cheesecake. In fact there have been studies proving that guilt blocks the digestion process and pleasure is known to help aid digestion.

So how about this; put away those labels when you eat. Come on, you know what a healthy diet looks like. Eat your veggies. Get some whole grains in you and lean meat. Drink lots of water. Avoid food that comes with directions or that you can get at a drive through...most of the time. And enjoy your food. Slow down and focus on your meal. Take time to prepare something that's good then enjoy it with a glass of wine and your friends or family. Or just yourself and today's newspaper. Go for a walk after supper, then go to bed early.

Now that sounds healthy.

A word about spices

One of the most common questions people ask me, when we get on to the subject of food and cooking has to do with the use of spices.