no fun Sunday

I've been slacking in the blogging department, but only because there are a million other things i've been busy with. The gym is one of them, and I'm proud of that, I'm also back in the saddle (litterally) after not having a riding lesson in over a month due to travelling and such. My lesson on Friday was so great, I started jumping which was such a rush! I'm supposed to ride again tomorrow, but doubt I will be able to because currently I'm half laying on the couch, foot elevated on 3 pillow and ice on my swollen ankle. I rolled it last night and now its ugly, ouchie and depressing. I've never had a sprained ankle so I don't know how long this will last, any suggestions as to how to make it heal quicker? Anyone?

We celebrated American Thanksgiving with my good friend and fellow blogger Ana and her whole extended family, there were close to 75 people for dinner at her parents house in adorable Rochester. The spread was unreal, they had everything from fried turkey, to a pomegranate and nut salad yum! Since we missed Canadian Thanksgiving this year (B was in Boston and I was in CO) celebrating it now was a real treat.

Have you ever tried Quinoa? (pronounced Keen-Wah) I discovered it several years ago and its been a staple in our house ever since. It's so versatile and the absolute epitome of nutritious! One night this week I made a Quinoa salad type dish. Other ways of incorporating it, is to use it in lieu of potatoes, rice or pasta. Tip: always rinse the Quinoa well before cooking to get rid of the natural pesticide it produces, failing to do so will result in a very bitter taste.

Quinoa with Coconut-Lime Dressing

6 Cups cooked Quinoa

Scallions

Shitake mushrooms (or your favourite kind)

Broccoli

Basil

For the dressing you will need 1 cup of Coconut milk, 2 tsp Fish Sauce, the juice of 1 lime.

Sautee the scallions, mushrooms, broccoli until cooked but still quite firm, add the cooked Quinoa, fresh basil and finally toss with the dressing add salt and pepper to taste. This can be served hot, room temperature or cold.

My ankle is frozen, I'm pretty sure that means I've iced it long enough.

I have a challenge for you lovely readers

I'm back home from 3 weeks in Toronto and a weekend in Quebec City. Although B worked non-stop we still managed to cram alot of fun things into our time. Including, a sweet horse and carriage ride thorough Old Quebec City which picked us up right infront of our hotel Le Chateau Frontenac, which is 116 years old this year and really does look like a Chateau!

The last time I was in Quebec City was in grade 8, which would have been close to 14 years ago. On the first night in QC, B and I headed out to look for a good place to have dinner, we eneded up at this adorable little French bistro, and the hotel it was attached to looked wickedly familiar. As we waited for our food, I walked into the hotel lobby to see if it brought back memories. Indeed, it was the hotel my grade 8 class stayed at 14 years ago.

So here is the aforementioned challenge; for dinner at Les Freres de la Cote, B ordered something that made me very uncomfortable. Look closely at the picture and tell me in the comments section what type of meat it is. The winner will get a package of goodies sent to their house. This is a real contest, so whomever I told already...you don't qualify.

I will leave you with that.
Good luck to all!

Bison Burgers and Peameal Bacon Sandwiches

I did not make these delicious things, but enjoyed eating them at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair this evening. (the 3 little cuties ate slices of pizza from a PizzaPizza booth)

Cooking these days for me has been non-existent, with the exception of mac and cheese (homemade, not Kraft-yuck-whatever-its-called) for W and an egg white omelet for myself at breakfast. I love being in Toronto but I'm feeling really guilty about my fish who have been alone since last Wednesday..oops! according to Wiki they should be o.k!

Tonight was the first time my little girl wore makeup, but the type of makeup Mimi Bobeck would wear, and it came in the form of a swirly lollipop from awesome Joshua!


I briefly mentioned the Gruyere-Walnut Crisps I made in my last post. They were strange. Every time I had a bite of one, I had to remind myself they were savoury and not sweet, because they looked like shortbread cookies but tasted very VERY different.
...after tasting a few of these mini cheese crispy things, I couldn't help but think they tasted alot like a popular child snack, which is why I snapped the next photo.

Have you ever had peameal bacon? If so, what is your favourite way to enjoy it? tell me in the comments section.

On a cooking fren-zē ; intense usually wild and often disorderly compulsive or agitated activity (not quite, but you know what I mean)

Growing up in a Serbian home, my mom would make Pasulja a rich navy bean soup, with few vegetables and LOTS of flavour. I hated it, up until I got married and realized how much I missed my moms home cooked meals, now I love the stuff and decided to try making it. One day last week I visited Ade's Meat Market and bought a ham hock which was the base flavour of the Pasulja. It turned out delicious and was even better the next day! Some Serbs claim that Pasulja tastes the best the 7th time you warm it up. I wasn't about to try.

1 smoked ham hock (or any other smokey meat of your choice)

1/2 bag navy beans (soaked in cold water for 1hr)

3 cloves garlic minced

3 celery ribs chopped

2 carrots chopped

1/2 onion chopped

2 tbs Vegeta (or any other seasoning salt)

Boil the Ham in a large pot of water for 1hr, add remaining ingredients and let simmer for approximately 3 hours or until beans are tender.

To thicken the soup, make a roux;

3 tbs flour

1/4 C butter OR Oil

Brown the mixture on low heat, add sprinkle of sweet paprika and enough broth from the soup to make a thick sauce. Slowly stir roux mixture into soup until thick.

I made Serbian fried bread to accompany the soup. It was my first time making this, so I was not surprised when they didn't turn out as fluffy as they should have. I'm hoping my next attempt will be better!

There really is no reason to use any other Cookie recipe, EVER, other than this one. I have been making these for years, and when I made them on Saturday I substituted half the batch with chunks of white chocolate and chopped pecans. A.J said they ROCKED!

Make them, now, go do it! Come back and let me know how right I am!

In the fridge cooling right now is my Gruyere-Walnut crisps from Bon Appetite, such a quirky recipe, but I can't wait to bake em and taste em.

Recipe for Di's (Toronto Star clipping) Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

My Mom blogged about this recipe when she was visiting a few weeks ago, you can view her posting here. Try it, and let me know how you like it.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO SALAD WITH BLACK BEANS AND CHILI DRESSING

4 Medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 Large red onion chopped
1/2 cup olive oilsalt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoon minced fresh jalapenoes
1 clove garlic
Juice of 2 limes
2 cups black beans drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro


Heat oven to 400 F. Put sweet potatoes and onions on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally,until potatoes begin to brown on corners and are just tender inside, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven; keep in pan until ready to mix with dressing. Put chilies in a blender or mini food processor along with garlic, lime juice, remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process until blendedPut warm vegetables in a large bowl with beans and bell pepper; toss with dressing and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary/ Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day.

Finished Product

Today I will be making Gruyere-Walnut Crisps taken from Bon Appetit's Thanksgiving issue.

Yoga yesterday at the Downtown studio was GREAT! I'm so sore today.