Gunmetal Sunshine

Cake Balls/Cake Bites

2011-06-17T12:25:00.000-04:00

Cake Balls or Cake Bites - Whatever you call them they are good!

Yesterday was my daughter's graduation from JK to SK and all the families were asked to sign up to bring something to the festivities and of course my daughter asked me to bring cupcakes....mmmm cupcakes, that's a whole other post that I will need to get to one of these days....anyways back on topic. I decided instead of cupcakes that I would try to make Cake Pops, I'm sure that you've heard of them by now as they seem to be the latest craze...if not check out Bakerella she's got a great site and even has a recipe book out ironically called Cake Pops.

However when going through the items that I had at home lollipop sticks was not one of them so I decided to use the same premise and just put them into the small foil candy cups instead of on a stick. Here's what I mean only mine were silver.

Also since I was in a bit of a rush making them because my daughter wanted to help so I needed to get them done before bedtime I didn't use a recipe. I had looked over the recipes for Cake Pops before and it's pretty simple so I winged it....I do that a lot and I do mean a lot (honestly its usually because I can't be bothered to find the recipe)....usually turns out pretty good but there have been a few times that well lets just say..not so much!

So what I did was take some cupcakes that I made previously from a different project and had in the freezer, defrosted them and crumbled them all up, chocolate crumbs in one bowl and vanilla crumbs in another. I then mixed 2 good dollops of Betty Crocker pre-made icing..what?? I told you I was in a rush, anyway vanilla for the vanilla, chocolate for the chocolate, you get the idea...actually in fact I think that is the first time I have ever used premade icing but hey for this application it turned out great. So 2 dollops or so into each, exact measuring technique I know, then mix the icing and cake crumbs together until they will form a ball and hold together pretty well. Form balls about the size of a small meatball and place on a foil covered baking sheet and place into the freezer to setup.

After the balls go into the freezer melt some chocolate melting wafers ( you can get them at Bulk Barn) in the colour of your choice. Here's a pic of what I mean, these are blue but we had Purple, Pink & Orange.

I melted mine the microwave at 30sec intervals until smooth and completely melted. You then dip your cake balls into the melted chocolate until completely covered and place onto another foil covered baking sheet. You can top them with sprinkles, drizzles of another colour chocolate etc. Note: If you are topping with sprinkles or the like you will need to do so quite quickly as the cold ball makes the chocolate set up really fast.

Once set up place into your foil candy cups and voila you are done!

Here's a couple pics of mine - my daughter did the decorating after I dipped them in the chocolate so you will see that they are quite festive.

They turned out quite well for my first attempt and they were a big hit at the party. I would make these again for sure, in fact my daughter will probably beg me to at every opportunity....I can see it now - Mommy, mommy can you make Cake Balls for Christmas Dinner......

Mobile Blogging!

2011-06-17T11:05:00.002-04:00

So one of the major reasons that I don't blog more is that I'm perpetually short on time. That and I'll have something I want to blog about but by the time I get around to logging in the idea is gone! So I'm going to give blogging from my phone a try and see how it looks and hopefully it will encourage me to post more frequently.
Illerya

Nostalgia

2010-11-25T13:57:00.002-05:00

I was flipping though some pictures that I took earlier this year to post here but never got around to it.

When I found these two it made me look out my window at my garden and miss the pretty bright bobbing heads of my flowers.

We've had some pretty chilly days around here lately and thus most of the plants are no longer so pretty, they are looking quite bedraggled and in most cases have died off.

So I thought that I would post these 2 bright flower pics to give a little lift to a dreary fall day.

Cheers~!
Illerya

Skunked!!!

2010-10-05T08:33:00.001-04:00

I have to say that in all the years that I have had a dog, and I've had one pretty much all my life so we won't go into how many years that is, that I've never had one that got sprayed by a skunk before.

I've had to help deal with porcupine quills, burrs etc. but never had to deal with SKUNK....ewww, man does it ever stink! I know that its a given since...well its a skunk but you think its bad when you drive by a dead one on the highway try being right next to your dog when she gets sprayed in the face......double ewww.

Ok now that I'm past the ewww part of the post on to the helpful part.

Since the my dog was sprayed at the cottage, and who has Skunk Off at the cottage? Right, if you're like me it's at home nice and safe on the shelf under the sink cause who would think that we would need it at the cottage where there's wild animals running around everywhere.....apparently not me. I pack everything else under the sun from extra toothbrushes to solarcaine(when they were calling for rain most of the weekend) but never even though that we should pack skunk stuff.

Lesson Learned - don't make my mistake. Otherwise you will be at the cottage with your friends and various and sundry children and your dog will get too close to a skunk at 11pm...in the dark....when all of the stores are closed....fun.....actually no not really fun. Then while your husband looks for tomato juice you and your best friend will search for gloves/soap/pet shampoo/anything with which to wash the dog. You will then discover a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and the two of you will have an AH HA moment because somewhere in the depths of your minds you will remember hearing that hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mixed together will take out the skunky smell. So you will then ransack your mother-in-laws fridge for baking soda and promptly use the entire box along with most of the bottle of hydrogen peroxide to make a paste which then gets smeared all over the damp dog(best to hose her down slightly first). Let it sit for about 10 mins then shampoo out. Your dog will then smell much much much better -I guarantee.

K not saying that it would happen to you exactly in that manner but it did to me and hey you never know so it is best to be prepared with a quick fix in case the situation ever arises!

Cheers~!

Disturbing News

2010-09-14T10:06:00.000-04:00

When I went out for a run last night, which incidentally running has been much more enjoyable this week without the roasting heat & and humidity, I saw something that greatly disturbed me. It was a ....a....LEAF, and not just any leaf but one that was starting to turn red and you know what it means when the leaves start to change colour? It means that FALL is coming which means that SUMMER is over...sob sob.

While I love fall, it's my next favorite season after summer, with it's crisp air and beautiful colours it heralds the end of the lovely hot & and sunny summer days.

Soon everything will look like this

and I will enjoy it, especially when running or picking apples or making pumpkin pie but I will miss summer with it's drinks on the patio with friends or swimming at the lake or just soaking up some rays.

Oh well there's always next summer, so here's to enjoying fall and looking forward.......

Cheers!

Making Bread!

2010-09-08T14:22:00.024-04:00

Recently I decided that instead of buying bread that I would start making my own and see how that went over. Now I know how to make bread and have done so in the past but infrequently so for each of the last 2 weekends I have made a batch of bread. This particular decision of mine received a very positive reaction from both my husband and my daughter as opposed to some of other ideas that I have had...like oooh I don't know deciding that I didn't like the colour of our entire downstairs; 2 hours after it was painted.....

To start off I must mention that while I used my mixer it is not a requirement, you can make great bread by hand; my great grandrelations, my parents and many others though the years have and still do, I however greatly prefer to have my mixer do the work while I do other things such as make Apple Pie (yumm)but hey it's your choice.

In the interest of being a good little blogger girl I documented my steps through this process so that those of you at home could follow along...aren't I nice! The full recipe is posted below the pictures so that by the time you get there you will reallly reallly want to make bread.

Place part of the flour along with the yeast into your mixer bowl.

Now heat the butter, milk, water, sugar & salt - pretend that there is a picture of this part as I forgot to take one. Then pour this mixture in with your yeast and flour with your mixer set to stir. At first it will look kinda lumpy and not great, like below, but no fear it will come together.

Turn your mixer up to about medium speed and beat for about 2-3 mins. At this point it will look a little soupy and more like batter than bread.

Now add more flour until it comes together to form a soft slightly sticky dough, another couple of cups should do it.

You will now want to switch to a dough hook. Unless of course you like to knead bread by hand to get some frustration out, if that's the case by all means please proceed by hand instead.

Let your mixer knead your dough for about 5ish mins, until it is smooth, comes away from the side of the bowl and will not hold an indent when poked lightly with your finger.

Take your dough off the dough hook and out of the mixer and form it into a nice roundish ball. Slosh some oil (I use olive because it's good for you) into the bottom of the bowl flip the dough around to ensure that it's coated in oil. Cover dough with a layer of plastic wrap and place a clean tea towel over the top of the bowl and set it in a nice warm place(I use my stove top with my oven on low) to rise for about 1 hour or until it doubles.

It should look like this when it has risen! Oh and did anyone but me think that risen may not be spelled properly? I thought that it looked weird when I typed it....or maybe it's just me....anyways carrying on.

Punch your dough down into the bowl then take it out and divide into two. Take each half and form into nice little loaf shapes and place into greased loaf pans like so. Then cover with a damp tea towel and place back into the warm place of your choice for another 30ish mins until doubled again.

It should now look like the below. Now put it into a 350 degree oven for about 25-30 mins until cooked through and nicely browned.

Voila! You now have some yummy bread - proceed to cut roasting hot bread because your daughter wants some and burn your fingers. Actually that part is totally optional especially if you don't have a daughter!

Oh and here's a tip - bread when cooked will sound hollow when tapped with your finger.

The recipe:

5-6 c Flour
2 1/4 tsp or 1 pkg Yeast
1 1/4 c Milk
1 c Water

1 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
2 tsp Salt

1. In the bowl of you mixer place the yeast and 2 1/2 cups of flour.

2. In the microwave, heat milk, water, sugar, butter, and salt till hot, not boiling but warmer than lukewarm.

3. Turn your mixer onto the Stir setting and pour the hot liquids into the flour and yeast. Beat on low speed until combined, then beat at high speed for about 3 minutes.

4. Add about 3 cups more flour, just enough flour to make it come together and form a soft dough.

5. Change to your dough hook and at medium speed knead dough for about 5 mins until smooth, it comes away from the bowl.

6. Take the dough out of the mixing bowl and form into a round ball. Drizzle some oil in the bottom of the bowl and place the dough into the bowl being sure that all areas of the ball get coated with oil. Cover with a tea towel, place in a warm location and let rise about 1 hour, until doubled in size.

7. Punch dough down, remove from the bowl and divide half, form each half into a loaf shape and place into two greased 4×8 inch loaf pans. Cover with damp tea towel, place in a warm location and let rise a further 30 min, or until doubled in size.

8. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned . Place onto a cooling rack to cool. Once cooled, slice and EAT!

Brownie Cookie Explosions

2010-09-07T14:42:00.005-04:00

If you like brownies you need to go make these NOW - your life will be changed forever I guarantee.....well what are you waiting for I said you needed to do it now!!!!

Actually you can make them any old time you like but I highly recommend that it be sooner rather than later your tastebuds as well as your family/friends will thank you....your hips and behind welllll not so much but hey you can't have everything!

Brownie Cookies

1/4 c Butter

1 Bag (1 1/2 c) Dark Chocolate Chips

2 tsp Vanilla

3 Eggs

1/2 c Granulated Sugar

1/4 c Brown Sugar

1 c Flour

1/4 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1 c Peanut Butter Chips

In a microwave safe bowl combine the butter and chocolate chips and microwave until the chocolate is part way melted, remove from the microwave, add the vanilla and stir together until rest of chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.

In another medium sized mixing bowl combine the sugars, flour, baking powder and salt then add in the eggs and stir until will mixed. Stir the chocolate mixture into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

The "Explosion" part

Stir into the batter your peanut butter chips; these will stay slightly melty(is this even a word???) even once the cookies have cooled and they "explode" in your mouth.

Once you have added these place the batter into the refrigerator for about 1 hour until it has become stiffer and easier to work with.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the batter from the fridge and scoop onto the parchment paper using a teaspoon leaving a little space between cookie.

Bake for 12 mins then let cool slightly before removing onto cooling racks. Makes about 24 cookies.

I was so looking forward to trying these out as well as having a slavering husband and daughter standing underfoot asking 430 times when the cookies were going to be ready so I kinda forgot to take pics until the very end once they were cooked - sorry.

So here they are - not the prettiest cookie but wow are they good - chewy, rich, dense and chocolaty.....mmmmm maybe I need to make another batch!

* If you want to add other items in place of the peanut butter chips such as chocolate chunks, smarties, skor bits etc. or even leave out the extra bits all together by all means go ahead they will still be great cookies but I'm a sucker for peanut and chocolate!

Garlic Bread Nirvana

2010-08-24T14:27:00.003-04:00

So I have found my new absolutely favorite garlic bread recipe EVER!

Low calorie it is not (in fact I think that I gained weight just reading the recipe) but I think that for a once in a while treat that I would gladly put in the extra cardio time!!!

I found it on one of my new favorite site The Pioneer Woman, you can find the recipe here along with some great step by step pics. I of course being so excited to made and then EAT this lovely creation forgot to take pictures.

Check out the site not only for the recipe for garlic bread but for other yummy recipes and some pretty hilarious stories about her life.

Cheers

Canning

2010-08-19T10:21:00.007-04:00

If I could write poetry I would write an ode to canning. There is nothing like opening a jar of fruit/jam/pickles etc. in the dead of winter that tastes of the essence of summer. With the added bonus of knowing exactly what went into it and where it came from!

I grew up learning/watching most of the women (and a good portion of the men) in my family canning things such as green beans, dill pickles, apple pie mix and pretty much everything in between that can be grown in/on a garden/bush/tree and I am thankful for those lessons; now that I have a daughter more so than ever. I look forward to passing this knowledge down to her along with some of the recipes that have been in the family for years.....such as my Auntie's dill pickles which are the best, best, best dills ever - everyone who's tried them agrees. In fact my aunt got the recipe when she was young from an elderly lady(not sure if she was family or just a family friend) who had been using it since she was little so the recipe is probably 125ish years old. You can't buy stuff like that in a store....

Now onto some pics of the results of my canning efforts from last night.
-No-Sugar Blueberry Jam (for my FIL who's diabetic)
- Vanilla Plums -Vanilla Bourbon Peaches
Not bad for 1 night, after working all day, if I do say so myself, there would have been more but alas most of the peaches that I bought were not ripe enough so it looks like I'll be doing those on Sat. along with Dill Pickles, Salsa and whatever other fruit I can find at the Farmers Market that looks good.
Happy Canning!

Honey Garlic Wings

2010-08-18T10:32:00.002-04:00

When I was on vacation at my dad's place recently I made chicken wings.

Now I love, love hot wings but my dad...not so much and since there were children there as well I figured that I would make half, hot and half, honey garlic.

Both flavors came out great and everyone loved the honey garlic, here is the recipe that I used for the sauce.

3/4c Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Cornstarch
4 cloves Garlic, finely minced or 2 tbsp Garlic Powder
3/4 c Water
2 tbsp Soya Sauce
1 tbsp Honey

Mix the first 3 ingredients together in a small saucepan. Once well mixed add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Heat over med heat until boiling; stir frequently to avoid sticking/scorching. Let boil for 1 min while stirring. Cool slightly and toss with 2-3lbs of wings that you have baked in the oven until cooked through and crispy; about 35-40 mins at 400.

Edible Arrangements

2010-06-22T09:40:00.003-04:00

For Father's Day I ordered the above arrangement for my husband from my daughter at Edible Arrangements. I've seen their advertisements but had never had one of their products so I figured that we'd give it a try since my husband is not into floral bouquets.

I have to say it was really good and I'd order one again, in fact my daughter now wants one for her birthday...in a princess container of course!

I ordered and picked up my arrangement at the Castlemore Villiage Shopping Center, 9960 McVean Dr. in Brampton. The service was great, super friendly and ready on time, also even though the price she in her computer was a couple more dollars than the one I priced online she gave it to me for the cheaper price.

The arrangements are a little on the pricey side but for a cool, fun, unique gift or centerpiece I would give this a Buy!

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes

2010-06-09T10:39:00.004-04:00

SO I have found the ultimate chocolate cupcake recipe - it is Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream Icing from "Striving to be the Best Mom on the Block" blog(which is a great blog btw and I now follow after taking a look around it). The recipe is easy to follow and makes a super moist chocolaty cupcake. I haven't tried the icing as I was making the cupcakes for 2 & 3 year olds (I made a vanilla cream cheese icing instead, recipe below) but if the cupcakes are anything to go by it will be great!

This is will now be my Chocolate Cupcake recipe of choice!

Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 block Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 c Butter (yes butter do not sub.), softened
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla (the good stuff not the fake stuff)
4-5 cups of Icing Sugar (the amount may vary depending on the humidity and how stiff you want your frosting)

Using a hand held mixer beat together the cream cheese and butter till smooth; then mix in the vanilla. Now start adding the icing sugar, about a cup at a time and blending in between additions until the icing is your desired consistency.

Voila you are done you can now tint it to your desired colour or leave it white and use it to ice your cupcakes or cake. I put it into a piping bag with a 1M tip on it and make those fancy swirly icing tops that you see in fancy cupcake shops! This always impresses people and is super easy.

Insanity

2010-02-05T11:31:00.003-05:00

Check out this site - Beachbody Insanity

A guy I know gave me a copy of one of the workouts from this - the Cardio Power & Resistance. All I have to say is WOW what a work out!

For anybody with a reasonable level of fitness (if you are really out of shape or have not exercised in a while I don't think it would be a great idea to start with this...just sayin as I don't want anyone keeling over because of me) I would highly recommend this, in fact I going to get the rest of the package.

I give this a buy if you are really serious about your workouts and getting into better shape, but expect to work your butt off.......actually that's kinda the point eh :).

FitnessRx Magazine Site

2010-01-26T08:56:00.005-05:00

Hey I've found a really cool website - check it out FitnessRx for Women.

It has lots of great articles and workout ideas. One that I particularly liked was the Warrior Fitness Bootcamp it has videos on how to do a bootcamp workout in your own home or any other small space with limited to no equipment.

There are also "Beauty and Style" and "Nutrition" areas on the site with skin tips and menu and recipe ideas.

Here's a recipe that looks super yummy:

Post-Workout Chocolate Muscle Shake

Description: The perfect post-workout chocolate thick shake for building muscle and burning fat.

Ingredients: 1 cup milk or soy beverage
1 cup plain yogurt
1 scoop whey protein powder
1 banana
1 Tbsp flax oil
2 tsp cocoa powder

Instructions Pour ingredients into a blender and mix for a few seconds.

All in all a great site and resource for anyone looking to be healthier and in better shape!

V-Day Present

2010-01-21T10:36:00.004-05:00

I am totally on a roll today - 3 posts in a row - that must be some kind of record for me. Maybe its because I've gotten back into it after being AWOL for such a long time.

So anyway back on topic, I just ordered my husband the coolest present for Valentine's Day. Its a custom designed beer opener from a company called Logo Bar Products.

Sorry the pic is a little blurry and hard to see as I had to copy it from the order page when I was placing my order.

This design is a take on one that I made up as part of a standing joke after my husband, myself and a really good friend of ours, after a couple of adult beverages ;) decided that if we ever opened a bar that's what we would call it. I even made up some t-shirts with the logo on them awhile ago.

I know that my husband will love this!

Check out the site via the link above, you can make some pretty cool custom things, this would be great if you want to customize glassware or etc. as guest gifts for a wedding or party.

Eat This NOT That

2010-01-21T09:19:00.005-05:00

I received an email today with a link to the Eat This, Not That website and OMG are there ever some surprising items. Ok ok you're thinking in this day and age pretty much everyone knows that they can't always trust take out food, even the supposed healthy choices, such as salad BUT even the most calorie conscious person will be surprised by some of the information on this site....BTW they also have a line of books that go more in depth.

Here's an example from Starbucks; you know that hot chocolate is going to be a little high on the calorie scale especially when you add whipped cream to it but Holy Moly get a load of this one.....now don't get me wrong this drink tastes phenomenal (they were sampling them one day when I was in and I tried some) but I never would have thought they amounted to this (below info from the Eat This, Not That site) :

Starbucks Venti 2% Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate (20 ounces)

760 calories
37 g fat (22 g saturated)
85 g sugars
380 mg sodium

Since when did hot chocolate require salt and caramel to meet the expectations of consumers? Seems a bit gratuitous, no? Thanks to Starbucks’ monstrous creation, the classic winter comfort beverage is now sullied with more than a full day’s worth of saturated fat and as much sugar as nearly4 Hershey’s chocolate bars.

Drink This Instead!

Grande Nonfat Vanilla Crème (16 ounces)

270 calories
7 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
38 g sugars

or how about this one from Subway; Meatball Marinara? You think how bad could a couple of meatballs and marinara sauce (this sauce is usually a good choice) with a little cheese on some bread be? Well let me show you:

Meatball Marinara

580 calories
23 g fat (9 g saturated)
1,660 mg sodium

Subway’s fat-loaded meatballs make this the biggest blemish on the restaurant’s menu. Go for a footlong, and you’re facing more than half your day’s calories, nearly the entire day’s saturated fat, and well over a day’s worth of sodium. Opt for the Steak and Cheese instead. This particular sub didn’t make the cut for the roundup of Jared’s Favorites, but that doesn’t make it a bad lunch option. In fact, crafting your sandwich with steak instead of chicken breast adds only 22 calories to your sub. That’s a manageable tariff for such a generous upgrade. Now pile on the produce.

Eat This Instead!

Steak and Cheese

390 calories
10 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
1,670 mg sodium

Check out the site you may be as surprised as I was at some of the items, there is lots of interesting info and they don't just cover fast food they also do drinks, grocery store items, snacks etc.

ROD

2010-01-21T09:10:00.005-05:00

I have to tell you about my new favorite thing...ROD (Rogers on Demand) well actually ROD is not new but they have new fitness programing! Yes fitness videos in the comfort of your own home whenever you want without messing around with a VCR (yes some people still use these) or a DVD/BLU Ray player.....and here's the best part all of the ones that I have checked out are either free or just $1.99!

From what I can tell there are tonnes of different videos so you can change it up all the time...no more boring workouts.

I have personally tried a couple of the "yoga for runners" vids and they are great.....I like the instructor and they provide modified positions for those that are not super flexible or are recovering from an injury.

I have a feeling that I will be using these ALOT in my quest for a more smokin bod!

2010 is a Whole New Year!

2010-01-18T11:10:00.005-05:00

Wow have I ever been sporadic about posting. I have decided that this year I need to be more on track and to post at least once a week (hopefully more) hopefully 2010 will be more calm and less stressful than 2009 was even though it has not started off that way.

I have also decided that I'm going to start adding some exercise info to the blog as I am going to be running a couple of 5k and 10k's this spring/summer/fall. I'm starting with a 5k in March and then we'll see what other ones catch my fancy. I'm almost positive that I'll be doing the Zoo Run in Sept(I think) even if the girls are unable to attend and I have to do it by myself. I started a run class last week that is on Monday nights to help get back ionto shape so that I can do those planned runs so tonight I'm running!

Also a friend has a boot camp going in her basement that I have started attending on Sundays and last night the workout was a doozie....she called it the Hilarious 100 - here it is for anyone interested in trying.

100 Toe Taps
90 Butt Bridges
80 Jumping Jacks
70 Band Rows
60 Squats
50 Push Ups
40 Step Ups
30 Kettle Bell Swings
20 Pull Ups
10 Burpees

Then when you're done you fall on the floor half dead! lol - maybe that's the hilarious part???

Burt's Bees

2009-09-08T10:27:00.003-04:00

Always on the look out for my new favorite product I found the most wonderful, fabulous, absolutely stupendous body wash.

It's Burt's Bees Peppermint & Rosemary Body Wash. It smells minty, fresh and zingy and is perfect for the morning shower or whenever you need a pick me up.

Best of all it is a Natural product which is sulphate free and formulated with gentle plant based cleaners.

It has currently replaced all my other body washes in the shower. I looove it and would give it a BUY for sure!

Garnier Products

2009-09-03T08:56:00.006-04:00

Well I have to say that I have never really used the Garnier line of skin products before; I used the hair products and meh they were pretty much the same as any others in their price bracket, nothing outstanding. However a friend of mine has turned me onto their skin care line.

When we went away on the girls weekend a friend of mine introduced me to this baby
From the Garnier website "While you sleep circulation slows down and causes fluid to collect in your lower eye area. Dark circles and puffiness appear. Skin Renew anti-puff eye roller is right for you if you gently want to stimulate micro-circulation around skin's delicate eye area to decongest excess fluid for diminished dark circles and puffiness. "

It's the Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller. You just roll it under your eyes and voila it tightens the skin to help reduce bags and puffiness and helps with the dark circles. I now use it twice a day. Prior to this I have purchased many eye creams(some very pricey) to help with these problems but they always either gave me a rash or made me break out(ick).

Since the above product worked so well and most importantly didn't irritate my skin I decided to try some of their other products as well. I got this one
From the Garnier website "Active lifestyles, environmental aggressors and daily fatigue all contribute to the breakdown of skin-essential nutrients. Skin becomes dull, uneven-toned, rough and prone to breakouts and signs of aging. Skin Renew moisture cream is right for you if you want a daily solution for deeply radiant skin with more even tone and smoother texture.• Dermatologist tested for safety• Non comedogenic—won’t clog pores• Gentle to skin• Allergy tested• Non-greasy"

and this one
From the Garnier website"Nutri-Pure is right for you if you want a quick, gentle, thorough cleansing that detoxifies skin.• Dermatologist tested for safety• Ophthalmologist tested• 100% oil-free• Non comedogenic—won’t clog pores• Gentle to skin• Allergy tested"

These products are great I love the fresh scent and above all I have probably the most sensitive skin ever - I actually think that I am allergic to myself sometimes...lol - and they have not bothered me at all! I would give all of these a BUY.

I'm Back

2009-09-03T08:49:00.003-04:00

So sorry for the huge time gap since my last post but we have had quite the summer. My mother unexpectedly passed away :( so we rushed to NB and were there for 3 weeks, we then brought my 4yr old nephew and 7yr old niece back with us for a month.....yes I said a month! can we say hectic....

Overall it was a crazy summer full of ups and downs but hopefully my niece and nephew will go away with some good memories of their visit. We hope to be able to make this a yearly thing for them to come and visit.

Now that they have gone home and things are starting to quiet down I will be able to start posting again.

Waring Pro Yogurt Maker - Yogurt...YUMM

2009-06-19T11:21:00.005-04:00

My yogurt maker that I ordered from Sears came in on Wed. so I made a batch that night.
Had some last night with Rhubarb that I stewed with some vanilla & blood orange and OMG!! was it ever good. Thick, creamy and just the right amount of tartness. Comparable or better than any store bought yogurt that I have ever had.

You know what the best part of all is??? I know exactly what went into all of it including the rhubarb as I pulled that fresh from my garden just before cooking it. BTW Munchkin absolutely adored it as well.

This is one product that I can see us using all the time. The machine is very simple to use and comes with easy to follow directions and some recipes - I used the Plain Yogurt Recipe from the book. I also like that it has 2 different size containers that you can use and is programmable for 19hrs. Also the top is tall enough and the base wide enough that you could probably use your own container if you so desired.

Sears

2009-06-12T10:50:00.003-04:00

In yesterday's post I stated that I was going to get the Waring Pro yogurt maker, so yesterday I toddled my little self to Sears and then proceeded to look and look and look for this stinkn thing. When finally I was able to get the attention of a store employee she blithely informed me that was not something that they carried in store and that I would have to check the website or the catalogue - she wasn't sure which - and order it through there.

Now I had checked the web site, that is the only reason that I went to Sears, because it showed that they carried the item, silly me! thinking because the website showed it that they would carry it - apparently it never occurred to them that they should specify on the web site the products that are not available in store!??.

Maybe this is their way of enticing you into the store to buy more stuff because by the time that you realize that they don't have the item that you originally came in for your arms are already full of clothing for the kid....or at least mine were!

Now totally off the topic of Sears but I had to comment - what is with the fact that you cannot buy a yogurt maker anywhere in Toronto except online?
I checked Canadian Tire, Walmart, Zellers & Sears and finally had to order through the Sears site. Is it considered too 70's to make your own yogurt? I would have thought given how simple it is and the whole organic and pre/probiotic kick that is happening that many more people would be doing this at home.

Homemade Foods

2009-06-11T10:45:00.003-04:00

I have recently taken a look at some of the food that we buy and decided that I am going to start making some of it myself instead.

For instance yogurt & pancake mix; these are both very simple to make at home and in addition to being healthier(you know exactly what's in it...yay for that) they are also more cost effective when you do them yourself. And believe me when you go through as much of both of these items as we do, Munchkin aka my daughter loooves them, any way to save money and make it healthier is more than welcome.

I made some yogurt the other day using the warm oven method and it turned out very yummy however this method is a little time consuming and finicky if you don't have a gas oven with pilot light. So I have decided that I am going to buy my very own yogurt maker.

The brand that I have opted to go for is the Waring Pro as it has 2 sizes of dishes you can use and all of the reviews I have read are positive and bonus it will match my other appliances.

The following is the recipe that I have decided to go with for my homemade pancake mix.

Whole Wheat Pancake Mix

4 c Whole Wheat Flour
1 c White Flour
1/4 c Baking Powder
2 tbsp Sugar

Mix together and store in an airtight container in a cool dark location.

When ready to make pancakes take 1 1/2 c mix and add 1 c milk and 1 egg. Stir together and cook in a frying pan as normal.

Note: You may want to add slight more or less milk depending on how thick you like your batter.
Also you could use all whole wheat flour but I was afraid of my pancakes being too heavy as can sometimes happen with all ww flour. Will try both ways and update recipe as required.

The "LOOK"

2009-06-05T21:11:00.004-04:00

You know what I hate as a parent?

I intensely dislike when other people especially other women(we can be really bitchy sometimes as I'm sure you've noticed) give you the "look" when you do something with your child/ren. Yes you know what look I'm talking about the one that says "I cannot believe that you would/could/just did that". Be it not making them wear a sweater when they don't want to if its a little chilly, or not putting a hat on them when they are tiny etc. etc., it really could be anything that they don't agree with.

The main reason that I really don't like this is because everyone has their own parenting style and what works for them may not work for you and vice versa and when people do this they make you question your decisions as a parent. Now unless you are neglecting/beating or otherwise harming your child/ren with your decisions and they are happy, healthy and well fed then I think that it is your prerogative as to how you raise them.

When people do this to me I would like to say, just because you wouldn't do it this way does NOT make it wrong so go stuff it!! I know really mature of me....however what I do in actuality is attempt to change the subject and failing that ignore and hope they go away cause arguing is not going to solve anything.

There's my two cents about parenting for the day.

Potty Training Trials

2009-06-05T10:04:00.004-04:00

We are in the process of/attempting to potty train our daughter. I say attempting because I swear this child will be 10 years old going to school still in diapers!!

For ages she got the whole process but couldn't seem to care less about being wet/dirty so thus only used the potty when she wanted a treat, we were using the grab bag of small treats as a reward system(thanks MF for the suggestion and Sis for stocking the bag as it got the whole process moving, no pun intended..hehe). Even my mom & Sis who have trained/assisted training multiple(10+) children between them couldn't get over how impervious/stubborn she was about it.

Now since some of her friends are older she is wanting to be like them and most importantly we discovered the best reward, a ginormous package of Littlest Pet Shop Animals, she gets one only when she uses the potty and she loves these things..yay for that, sooo we are now well on our way for the pee pee in the potty but still not so much on the poop. Oh and I know you were all thinking it, yes we also now have oh I don't know about 53thousand tiny little hard plastic animals just laying in wait for you to step on them and yes yes it does hurt ALOT! The things that we do for our children :)

Misc. Update

2009-06-05T08:48:00.004-04:00

Wow sorry I've been a little bad about finding the time to post recently.

Well the girls weekend was GREAT we all had an amazing time...love those girls..so much fun....let's just say that we decided to end the celebrations at MM & MF's house on Sunday and received a visit from the police for a noise complaint at about oh 10:30/11pm, I think that everyone was a little rough on Monday morning. It's a good thing that we don't do that very often :)

So this weekend is Blues & Jazz fest in my neck of the woods. We go every year and its always great fun. A bunch of us are supposed to go out Sat. to check out some of the bands, will update on Monday how it goes.

Bud Light Lime

2009-05-28T14:32:00.008-04:00

Ooooh I so cannot wait, this weekend is the girls weekend, we've been planning since Jan.. A bunch of us are piling into a vehicle and driving to the US to do so shopping, bar hopping and just generally have a good time sans SO's and kiddies.

Which brings me to my next point. Last week they brought into Canada...well Ontario at least haven't checked all the provinces...the best summer beer. Bud Light Lime! and this is coming from a girl that doesn't even normally like Bud Light.

We thought that while we were in the US we would have to each bring back a case of the stuff but it seems that Anheuser-Busch took pity on us poor old Canadians and sent some this way. Looking forward to drinking some of these this summer.

SO if you have not tried this lovely beverage think Corona but better and bonus when you're going to a party you don't have to cart around cut up limes...yes you know that you've done this too if you like Corona. Some people (beer purists) may not like it but if you're into lite, smooth Mexican type beers its great. Heck don;t just take my word for it go pick up a case and try it for yourself.

Weight Loss Update 4

2009-05-22T09:17:00.003-04:00

I weighed myself this morning and yeah I am back down to what I was last Friday.......soooo not going to go overboard this weekend like I did last one. So basically I spent this week losing the 4lbs that I had gained back. Total down is still 7lbs.
DH got on the scale this morning and he is down another 3lbs for a total of 14lbs....so not fair, he was less good(less good is that even english??) than I was last weekend but it didn't seem to affect him at all???WTF..I mean yeah him.
In all fairness he has also gone running a couple of times this week which I haven't seemed to be able to find the time to do....again not fair....I guess that I could get up at 4:30am or run after supper(blech, just the thought of running on a full stomach makes me want to gag). Guess I will really need to start fitting the work outs in......4:30 am here I come....

Weight Loss Competition Update 3

2009-05-19T09:11:00.004-04:00

Ok weighed in this morning after totally not paying attention to my diet this long weekend. Instead of taking 1 day off I took all 3 days off...bad me!

Results reflected what I had done and I was back up 4lbs so I now stand at a total loss of 3lbs for last week. Some of the 4lbs that I gained back I'm sure has to be water etc. once I get back into the routine of drinking lots of fluids and watching what I am eating hopefully they will go away again pretty quickly and maybe take some of their friends with them :).

Sangria Anyone??

2009-05-15T13:31:00.004-04:00

With the coming of the warmer weather I was thinking that I would like to try out some different summer typr drinks just for kicks.

This weekend I have decided to try Peach Sangria and see how that goes. Below is the recipe that I have put together (based on my preferences from the standard versions that I could find) and will try. Let you know how it tastes after I whip up a batch.

Peach Sangria
1 bottle of White Wine(Sauv Blanc or white Zin)
1 1/2 c White Cranberry Juice
1/2 c Peach Vodka
1 c Peach Puree or Nectar
2 oz Simple Syrup
slices of lemon
slices of orange
Sparkling Water

A couple of hours or the night before serving; mix together everything except the sparkling water. When ready to serve add some ice to a glass and fill 3/4 of the way with the wine mix and top with the sparkling water. Stir slightly and serve. You can garnish the glass with a peach slice to make it look pretty if you're feeling in a chi chi mood.

Note: if you have a crowd or are sitting outside instead of making individual portions just before serving take a pitcher and add in the wine mix, the ice and the sparkling water, stir and serve in the pitcher.

Blown Away Glass Studio

2009-05-15T09:15:00.007-04:00

If you are ever in Elora or area you have to check out this place Blown Away Glass Studio, they make the most beautiful blown glass pieces.

I actually took a glass blowing class with them and they are great, very friendly and knowledgeable. They offer weekend classes as well as 12 week beginner and advanced courses.

Some people will look at the prices(not just at Blown Away but for all hand blown glass) and think that they are a little steep but now after taking the class I have to tell you that until you do it you don't understand the kind of time, work and effort not to mention skill that goes into creating a piece. They are well worth the price - besides there's nothing like owing something that is completely unique.

In fact I am going to call them today to see if I can book some studio time to get some practice in before I forget everything I learned in class.

Weight Loss Competition Update 2

2009-05-15T08:53:00.003-04:00

Yea me!!! I weighed myself this morning and I am down 3 more lbs for a total of 7lbs since Monday. The best part is that I am not hungry all the time or having to reduce the amount of food that I am eating, I'm simply trading the white processed carbs for more beans & lentils.

DH also weighed in today and is down 11lbs but...since he only had a towel on today instead of clothes like he did on Monday we are going to say he's down 10lbs.

Official 1st week weigh in on Tuesday(Monday's a holiday here) morning; hopefully I can stick to it over the weekend and not gain a bunch back.

Weekend Munchies

2009-05-14T15:06:00.006-04:00

Well I got to thinking while I was working away (us that are not rich and famous have to do this occasionally - the working not the thinking) and since it seems that at some point almost every weekend we have friends over at our house (which is great fun by the way) so anyways back to my thinking....I was thinking that I may start using them as my guinea pigs. This way I get to try out new recipes on a broader audience and don't have so many leftovers to call my name and make me eat them....

For my first experiment I think that I am going to try a couple of small savory cheesecakes; a Mexican inspired one and a Garlic & Chive one. They will be served with Tortilla chips, toasted baguette slices and some type of cracker. I thought that this might be a nice change to the usual dip type stuff that is commonly floating around, as good as that is in my opinion how can cheesecake not be better!

These are the approximate recipes that I will be proceeding with. I will then provide an update about them after the fact as to how they turned out and how well they went over. Since they are going to be served with crackers etc. I will not be using a crust for either of these.

If you are making the Garlic & Chive one you should roast your garlic beforehand; to do this you cut the top off a head of garlic, drizzle with a little olive oil, wrap in tin foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 30 mins, till the garlic goes soft.

Basic Cheesecake Base :
3 x 8oz pkg Light Cream Cheese, softened
3 x large Eggs
1 tbsp Corn Starch (this is to help it not crack)
1 cup Sour Cream

Beat together the cream cheese and corn starch until smooth, then add the eggs 1 at a time mixing well in between each. Stir in the sour cream. Divide the batter into 2 bowls. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 2 small springform pans(3"-4" ones)and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Mexican:
1 cup Sharp Cheddar or Pepper Jack Cheese
2 oz Hot Peppers, minced (your choice of pepper depending on the heat level you want)
1/2 pkt Taco Seasoning (you could make your own blend if you so desire)

Incorporate the above ingredients into 1 bowl of the divided cheesecake base. Pour into a greased, lined pan. Set aside.

Garlic & Chive:
10 cloves Roasted Garlic
4 tbsp Chives, minced
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Salt

Incorporate the garlic, chives and pepper & salt into the 2nd bowl of cheesecake base. Mix thoroughly and pour into prepared pan.

Both:
After both are in the pans place into preheated oven along with another pan of water(to keep them moist) for approx 25-30mins until almost set(but still jiggly) in the middle. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecakes in the oven 1/2 hour then cool on counter. Once cooled place in the refrigerator over night. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers etc. or cut a wedge and serve as a first course topped with tomato coulis.

Note:You can always make only 1 flavor if you like. Simply double the amount of the "additions" and don't separate the base into 2 bowls. If doing this you may want 1 cake in which case use only 1 pan of a larger size and adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Weight Loss Competition

2009-05-14T10:41:00.003-04:00

Friends of ours (a couple who I'll call MM(guy) & MF(girl)) and my husband and I all decided that we needed to lose weight, especially with the warmer weather coming on fast. It was suggested that we do it as a friendly competition for added incentive and after some back and forth it was agreed that the time frame would be 60 days, starting on May 11th, and that the losing team was to take the winning team out for dinner.

So this past Monday morning saw the 4 of us on my front porch at 6:30am with the scales doing the good ole weigh in......yikes!! in front of each other no less....double yikes!! not only does it suck to get on the scale when you know that you need to lose weight but to do it in front of other people is down right terrifying/mortifying. Mind you everyone probably feels that way and cares more about what the scale reads for them rather that for you but the thought is still there.

After some research I decided that the best diet for me was the Slow Carb, also known and the Low GI diet. There is a great simple version of it on Tim Ferriss's Blog if you follow this link http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/ . Basically you cut out "white carbs" and sub them with lentils, beans etc. and then you get a "free" day each week to eat what you like...not bad huh? When I read it I thought wow I can do that. The site says 20 lbs in 30 days but I'm not expecting those kind of results I'll just be happy to lose some weight and not feel like I'm starving while it do it.

Now it is day 4 and I didn't weigh in today but as of yesterday morning I had lost 4lbs already!!! My husband has lost 5lb, MM nothing so far and MF hasn't stepped on the scale since Monday. I will keep our progress updated here and hopefully at the end of the 60 days I will have lost at least 15lbs and we'll see who wins!

Hot Pepper Jelly

2009-05-13T14:47:00.002-04:00

You know you've seen this stuff before...you may even have some in your fridge right next to the Mint Jelly and mystery containers but were never quite sure what to do with it beyond the 1 or 2 standard things.

Well after coming across the below recipe and then doing some looking online I have discovered a whole other set of uses for Hot Pepper Jelly beside the standard of putting it over cream cheese and serving with crackers.

You can add it to a cheesecake base along with some minced garlic & herbs, you can use it as a spread on sandwiches or use it to glaze chicken or pork while cooking. Oh so many uses that I had never thought of....I guess that I will be putting more hot pepper plants into my garden than I thought this year and making up some jelly.

I will be trying the below recipe for sure as I loooove garlic as well - thought that someone else might fall into that category so here it is.

Hot Pepper Garlic Jelly Recipe : Recipezaar

Kick Off

2009-05-13T14:06:00.002-04:00

OK so here it goes with my maiden blog post.

The reason that I decided to start this blog is that I am constantly finding web pages/blogs/sites that interest me but then when I want to go back to them I have forgotten the name/website etc. (this is possibly due to me losing my mind as I get older, but that's a whole other conversation). So my initial idea was to use this as a way to keep track of sites of interest. Then I got to thinking that including recipes that I find/create and any other bits and pieces that I find of of interest might be helpful for myself and possibly others????guess we'll see on that last one.
Feel free to add your own thoughts/ideas/comments etc. as the mood strikes you.