A few words of caution...

1. Multi-tasking can be dangerous
2. Drinking while working in the kitchen might seem like a good idea... but...
3. When one is having a week where everything one touches goes wrong - one should reconsider making jam (especially if one has never done it before!)

...with that out of the way, let me tell you about my very first jam making experience.

Around this time last year I was invited to my first "jam swap" party. Having never made jam or even considered "canning" - my first reaction was to think of excuses not to participate. A few days later I changed my mind when my monthly issue of Chatelaine featured an article with delicious looking canning recipes - in particular a chipotle salsa recipe. I decided that I could be domestic and try the whole canning thing AND bring something a little different (and a little spicy) to the jam swap. A friend came over and we spent an evening chopping, cooking and canning "Andrea's spicy chipotle salsa". We had fun, I learned how to make salsa AND how to can it! Success!

When I received my invitation to this year's jam swap (AND a virtual jam swap!) - I knew I wanted to try my hand at actual jam. Since my favorite pick from last year's swap was a cranberry and apple jelly (thank you Miranda!) and Brandon's favorite fruit is raspberry I started looking for apple raspberry jelly. My initial search told me that jelly seems like a lot more work than jam. So I started looking for an apple raspberry jam recipe and found this one on http://www.thepassionatecook.com/.

Although I picked the recipe weeks ago, I procrastinated and put off the actual jam making until this week. What bad planning on my part. Not only was this week one of those weeks when everything I touched seemed to go wrong in some way - but it didn't give me a lot of time for a plan "B".

So on Monday evening, after the girls were tucked in for the night - I opened a bottle of red-wine (another birthday present... a very good one!), assembled all my ingredients, started the dishwasher "sani-rinse" cycle on the jars, set up the laptop on the kitchen table to "tweet" and write my "Dear Meaghan" blog post... and I got started. For some reason I thought it would be a relaxing evening... sipping on my wine, stirring the simmering jam every once in a while, thinking about my baby...

I cut up my apples. I dumped all of the ingredients into a big pot. I waited for the raspberries to start giving off some of their juice before stirring everything together.

Then I sat down at the laptop. I sipped my wine. I checked my e-mail. I started writing about Meaghan.... I lost track of time. I could hear the mixture bubbling, but I wanted to finish one more sentence... and then just one more...

And then... the smell hit. Burning fruit or burning sugar - something was going wrong with my pot of jam! It still looked delicious, but the bottom of the pot was bumpy with burnt "stuff".

When I tasted the jam I couldn't tell if it tasted burnt or if it just smelt that way. I took my chances, changed the contents to another pot and after letting it simmer a little longer, I started the canning process. Then I went to bed.

The next morning we opened one of the jars to try the jam that "Mama" made. The smell that wafted out of the jar very closely resembled the smell of the smokey kitchen from the night before. After tasting it, we all agreed that it wasn't very good... and later that morning I emptied the rest of the jars into the garbage can. What a waste of good fruit. What a waste of time. My first thought - I hate canning. I can just buy jam. Why make it?

I've calmed down a little bit since! In hindsight the canning process was actually a success (all of my jars were sterilized and sealed properly). And I learned a valuable lesson (or two... or three).... the most important being that if a recipe says to stir "constantly" - forget multi-tasking and "focus"!

And so... my contribution to this year's virtual jam swap is a flopped attempt to make what looked like a delicious raspberry apple jam. My contribution to this year's "real" jam swap was chipotle salsa (yeah. I made it again!).

Hope you're having better luck if you're canning this year!

A.

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This post is my contribution to the "UtHC virtual jam swap"

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For an introduction to "AOK (trial) Gourmet" click here.

From one impromptu date night to tuna and asparagus on our dinner table...

Help! I don't know where my motivation to workout has gone, but it's missing. And it's been missing for a few weeks now. Is it the change in the weather? Is it the rapidly diminishing hours of daylight? I don't know.


Is there a such thing as a 4 or 5 month "itch" when it comes to exercise regimens? I've gone from working out consistently for 30 minutes (+) a day, 5 or 6 days a week to a couple lazy 20 minute sessions these past couple weeks. Although I haven't honestly seen a huge difference in my body - I have felt the change in my energy, my mood and my self-image. In the last week alone, I have gone from feeling great, to feeling soft & lazy, to feeling thin and sexy, to feeling chunky and bloated. My body can't actually be changing that much from day to day... so why does the way I see myself go from one extreme to the other?

So "just do it", right? I wish. Where I was enjoying my daily workouts and feeling great about my progress through the summer months - regular exercise now seems like such a chore. If I check it off my to-do list I'm more like "ugh. at least it's done" instead of thinking "I'm so glad I did that, I feel great!". Brandon thinks I'm bored and maybe I am... I've been doing the 10-minute trainer program for a while now - perhaps it's just too much of the same thing. But come on. I'm a mom. When push comes to shove I just don't have more than 30 minutes a day that I can (or am willing) to give to exercise (is that the wrong attitude?). The workouts I've been doing may have become boring, but I can't think of another program that will give me the same impact in that amount of time. (If you have suggestions... I'm open to new ideas.)


I want to be fit. If not for myself then for my family. I want to be a good example to my girls. I want to keep myself healthy and young (or at least feeling that way) as long as possible. I want to take care of my body. It's the only I have and I've been blessed with a strong one, it seems wrong to neglect it. And let's be honest here... I also just want to be "hot"for my husband! So whether it's through traditional exercise, incorporating more physical activity into my day, taking up a new hobby/sport... I have to do something. And I have to do something BEFORE my motivation completely disappears.


A good place for me to start is to ask myself "what has worked in the past?"


(1) Having a workout buddy - the first time I really got into a steady/regular exercise routine was during my first year of University. I joined a really cheap women's gym in town and would meet up with a girlfriend for aerobics classes. It was fantastic. Often I found myself going when I didn't feel like it because I knew that she'd be there and that we'd probably go out for tea afterwards. That was great for then... but if I want to continue working out at home (cut the travel time, fit it in during naps...) then my workout buddy has got be a 2 year old, a 6 month old, or my ridiculously fit husband (who I can't up with!).

(2) Seeing results - I don't think there is anything more motivating than seeing results. A little more toned, a little bit stronger, a little more energy... and I think that in order to see quick results it is important that the change not be limited to being active. Change also has to occur in the "kitchen" (or wherever it is that you're consuming your daily food). Being more active does not necessarily mean that you should compensate by eating more. This is a hard lesson for me to learn (and re-learn) but I know from past experience that if I'm more careful about what I'm eating, any extra pounds melt away much faster and I'm instantly leaner.

(3) Doing something I enjoy - I know I shouldn't take up running. I've tried it in the past and I just don't enjoy it. I know that I do tend to like the sculpting and toning exercises more than doing an aerobics dance routine. There's no point in me taking up something that I don't enjoy - no matter how efficient or good the workout might be - I'll never be able to stick to it.

(4) Scheduling time - It worked when I was going to classes with my "buddy" and it worked this past summer when I was exercising almost every day at the same time (It also helped that Brandon didn't work very much this summer and he could take the girls for a walk while I did my thing...). For some reason it also works best when I do it as early as possible in my day. After I've eaten something but before I've jumped in the shower... If I've showered it is much less likely that I will bother.

and (5) buying cute workout clothes - I know this seems silly, but I'm totally serious! When I start something new I feel so much more equipped and excited about starting if I have the right attire. I'm not just talking practical here. Yes it is important to have a good sports bra (especially if you're a nursing mom!) but it's also nice to have workout clothes that you feel good in. Unfortunately... the newness of the cute clothes wears off pretty quickly and I can't quite justify buying more yoga pants when I already have 2 pairs that fit me well.


The second question I'm asking myself is "what is stopping me now?"


(1) Going ONLINE to check my e-mail before I start working out. As much as I'm enjoying writing this blog and trying to figure out the whole social networking thing (and connecting with others while I'm at it) it can be extremely time consuming. The other morning I decided I was going to exercise so I put CBC Kids on for Layla to keep her distracted (& mesmerized) while I did my 30 minute workout. Well... that was a flop. I logged in to twitter and before I knew it 3/4 of an hour had gone by and I was still just sitting there. After that lame attempt it would have been wrong to have Layla continue to watch TV so that I could exercise. The opportunity came and went.


(2) I don't WANT to. What can I say, I'm just not into it anymore. I start and I'm counting the minutes and they never go by fast enough.

(3) I've hit a PLATEAU. Over the summer I watched as the pounds melted away and my pre-pregnancy clothes fit better and better (most of my old jeans are even a little too big now... kind cool). I also felt my body getting stronger as the exercise routine became easier and easier for me to do.


So now what?

It's pretty obvious to me now that I (1) need to add some variety or change things up a bit, even if it's just for a few weeks - enough time to get myself motivated and back into a good groove; (2) should start looking at my diet and watch what I'm eating a little more closely; and (3) have to schedule it in - and stick to my schedule (no e-mail checking until I'm done)!

I wonder if writing these thoughts down for anyone and everyone to read will help me to stick to some sort of resolve. Thanks for being my sounding board!

A.

After my last (and first) AOK Gourmet post, this one is going to seem very simple.

The pumpkin that I pureed for my Thanksgiving meal was big. It provided enough puree to make 3 pumpkin pies, a couple trays of baby food ice cubes with about 4 cups to spare.

With the remaining puree, I had my heart... rather... my tummy (!) set on some sort of muffin or bready dessert that could be made with pumpkin. I have to give another shout out to my good friend and veteran blogger Aimee (over at Under the High Chair) for posting a recap of her "playing with pumpkin" series. I quickly skimmed the different recipes she suggests for pumpkin dessert (including fudge, brownies and muffins) and the pumpkin spice cake seemed perfect - especially since it included a maple-cream cheese icing (hello!). I've been eating the cake for 2 days now and the thought of that icing still makes my mouth water. And here I thought "salt" was my weakness...

The cake was incredibly easy to make (see the recipe at the end of this post) With my new (and much loved) kitchen aid stand mixer - the batter was whipped up in no time. I think I have issues following instructions so let me fill you in on what I did differently... (1) I baked the cake in a glass 9 x 13 (Pyrex) pan instead of a baking pan (for some reason I don't own a 13 x 10 in. baking pan) and (2) I just smeared the frosting over the entire cake instead of using a piping bag to pipe the frosting onto the individual bars. The glass pan didn't make a difference at all. The frosting on the other hand... well it certainly still tastes great... but it just doesn't look as nice as Aimee's!

So not only was the cake super EASY to make - it is super-moist, incredibly delicious... totally "comfort" food. I love it. Brandon loves it. Layla literally licked-up the frosting left in her dessert bowl! Meaghan was reaching and hoping and wishing (Of course I didn't giver her any. Well... maybe just a dab of icing on my finger tip!). The guys who were over to watch the hockey game last night thought it was yummy... And I just finished another piece alongside a cup of coffee. What? I needed a snack and it's really too easy to eat. Brandon described it as "carrot cake without the icky texture". I don't mind the carrot cake texture, but I think I prefer pumpkin spice cake.

So if you have a couple minutes and some pumpkin puree on hand (canned will do) - make it, enjoy it and tell me about it!

A.

(PS) After writing out the recipe (below)... I realized that I also forgot to add the baking powder to the cake. It was still good.... I guess it would have been a little "fluffier" if I'd done it according to the instructions! Sigh... Please keep in mind that I never said I was a cook or a baker.

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Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15 oz can pumpkin
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

(frosting)
8 oz package of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup butter (softened)
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (AKA icing sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy.
3. Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.
4. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until smooth.
5. Spread the batter into a greased 13 x 10 in. baking pan.
6. Let bake 30 minutes.
7. Cool completely before frosting

To make the icing:

1. Combine cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl (with an electric mixer) until smooth.
2. Add sugar and mix at low speed until combined.
3. Stir in vanilla and maple syrup and mix again.
4. Fill a piping bag and pipe frosting onto cooled pumpkin bars.

Alright... I'm a day early with this post!

I'm not sure when it started, but at some point during my teen years, I took over our family's thanksgiving dinner preparation. I can still vaguely remember the first time I ever held an uncooked turkey and had the task of pulling out the little bag of "innards" and the neck stuffed inside the big bird. I learned how to make an aluminum "tent" to cover the turkey in a roasting pan, how to prepare stuffing and sweet potatoes... and bake pumpkin pie!

When Brandon and I got married, I decided to try and start a new tradition - where we would host the 2 sides of our families for thanksgiving dinner. The first year, I really wanted to go all out and start everything from scratch. No boxed stuffing. No canned cranberry sauce. If I was going to host, I was going to be the "hostess with the mostest" (well- I didn't actually think that, but I really wanted to do a good job and impress the family with my domestic skills!). I surfed the net for recipes and printed up a thanksgiving dinner menu from http://www.epicurious.com/.

Last year was the first year that I didn't host (we were in the middle of a big move and our kitchen was being torn apart by renovations) so when we invited everyone back this year - I was determined that everything would be yummy AND well-organized. I tapped into different resources (including the blogosphere) for ideas and recipes and tried a couple new things.

First things first (and unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of this one) - I was inspired for the pre-dinner "snack" by a Mediterranean platter that we shared when we were out for dinner with my SIL and her husband at Ottawa's Empire Grill. Not typically "thanksgiving" at all, but a giant platter with dips (tzatziki, roasted onion dip and red pepper hummus) fancy olives and sweet red peppers (a new favorite for sure!). I had to re-stock the dips and pita a couple times so I think it was a hit!

On the menu for dinner were much more traditional and typical thanksgiving dishes. Turkey (& ham), stuffing, potatoes, carrots, cranberries and rolls. This year's "new" recipes were the turkey (a turPIGon turkey done in the crock pot from Dinner with Julie and the rolls (sweet onion and buttermilk rolls from Under the High Chair).

What's a TurPIGon turkey? It's basically a turkey, stuffed with a ham (what?!?!?). I followed the instructions from dinnerwithjulie.com... where she suggests cooking your bird in a crock pot. So I rinsed and patted the turkey dry with paper towels and opted to stuff it with 1/2 a ham instead of the 1 kilo Julie suggests (since I knew I was already going to have gazillion leftovers to deal with). I proceeded to stuff my turkey into my crock pot. When I say stuff... it is an understatement. It didn't fit. At all. I didn't even try to use the actual cover and instead covered the turkey with aluminum foil and started up the crock pot on HIGH for the first 2 hours and then MEDIUM for the next 4 (to 6) hours. When I checked it at around the 4 hour mark, it was done. No need for 6 hours in my crock pot...


The result? I don't know if I would say it was the best turkey I've ever had but it definitely wasn't the worst (far from it). The cooking method was VERY EASY and left my oven free for other dishes (which I would say was the biggest pro). The ham was good, but as I kind of expected it was rather unnecessary and excessive. Would I do it again? Yeah I think I would - though next time I'll probably opt for just turkey with a little seasoning (like some garlic cloves and fresh herbs).

As for the Sweet onion and buttermilk roles. I actually took the time to prepare these in advance and freeze them as Aimée suggests at underthehighchair.com. This recipe was much more labour intensive than the turkey (see recipe at the end of this post). There were several steps to preparing the dough (mixing, kneading, rising,...). I think I have a thing for shortcuts because the recipe says to mix until a soft dough forms (approx 10 minutes) and I SWEAR I had soft dough in forming in less than 2 minutes! (This may have something to do with the fact that my end result not matching UTHC's... trust me, I've since tasted her rolls and they are better than mine!) The sweet onion mixture also took some time (30 minutes of stirring the cooking onions on the stove) - but the taste of the buttery golden brown onion spread was well worth the effort. I can easily picture myself with the onion mixture, some crusty bread, a glass of wine and some good cheese... yyyyyyymmmmmmmmmmm.


The result? Well... here's the real kicker. I made them ahead of time. I re-heated them in the still-hot oven right before we sat down for dinner. I lined a basket with a clean dish-towel and covered them up............ and left them on the counter until we were more than half way through dinner. RRRRR. With that said, here's what I'm thinking. Very tasty. Not so easy the first time around, but I don't think it would seem as laboursome a second time around. And though I just raved about the onion spread, I actually think the next time I make the dough I'm going to try cinnamon buns instead.

I won't go into the details for the rest of the meal but I will say that everything was delicious (if I do say so myself!). I added chopped mushrooms, cranberries and apples to my basic bread stuffing and was really happy with the result; my mashed potatoes had a ridiculous amount of butter and cream in them (this only happens at thanksgiving!); and I made cranberry "jelly" instead of sauce this year. Dinner culminated with a slice of pumpkin pie (which I need to specify was made with real pumpkin - Brandon seems to think this makes a huge difference in the taste... I'm not convinced but I guess I can still boast that it was made completely from scratch) and warm apple crisp (a favorite in my house...especially this time of year).

And that pretty much culminates my first recipe experiment(s) for my blog project "A.O.K (trial) Gourmet). What to make next week????

A.

===========================

Buttermilk-Onion Pull-Apart Rolls
As posted at UTCH
(from Martha Stewart Living, November 2005)
Makes one dozen large rolls.


11 tablespoons unsalted butter (1-3/4 sticks), softened, plus more for bowl, plus 5 tablespoons melted
3 t. active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2-3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for surface and pin
2 teaspoons salt
2 pounds sweet onions (1 1/2 pounds cut into 1/4-inch slices, 1/2 pound finely chopped)
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1. Butter a 9-inch cake pan using 1 tablespoon softened butter. Butter a large bowl; set aside. Stir together yeast, sugar, and water in a small bowl; let mixture stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir until dissolved. Stir in buttermilk and egg.
   
2. Mix 2-3/4 cups flour and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Make a well in center. Pour in buttermilk mixture; mix to combine. Add 6 tablespoons softened butter; mix on medium-high speed until a soft dough forms, about 10 minutes.
   
3. Scrape dough onto a lightly floured work surface; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer to buttered bowl. Cover dough with a clean kitchen towel; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
   
4. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons softened butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions; raise heat to high, and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Stir in nutmeg. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let cool.
   
5. Punch down dough, and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 17-by-10-inch rectangle, and brush with 3 tablespoons melted butter.
6. Spread onions evenly over dough. Starting on 1 long side, roll dough into a log. Press seam to seal. Cut into about 12 slices, about 1 1/4 inches thick each. Arrange slices, cut sides up, in buttered pan, and brush with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 50 minutes.
   
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake rolls until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Immediately invert and unmould rolls onto a wire rack. Serve warm.

Dear Layla,

A few weeks ago, I wrote "365" - deliberating the idea of doing a 365 project (a la Julie and Julia). A picture every day, a series of new recipes, that kind of thing. Well - I've come to a decision. My first blog project is going to be called (drum role please...)







The challenge... Try a new recipe every week for one year (or 52 weeks). Post a blog about each new recipe and rate the experience (easy to make? tasty or not? kid-friendly?)


Start date... Next Wednesday (October 14)


End date... Thanksgiving 2010



I'm starting next week because this will take some planning on my part (and this week has been particularly hectic... who knew being home with the girls could be so BUSY). I'll have to select the recipes in advance, have the ingredients in my kitchen and (of course) have my camera on hand so that I can post pictures of the results for you to drool (or grimace) over. It's the kick in the butt that I need to mix things up in the kitchen (especially at dinner time) and try some new things. I'm no professional cook so you can be pretty sure that things will stay fairly simple for the most part. The title (A.O.K trial Gourmet) is really just for fun... there may be absolutely nothing "gourmet" about the entire year of recipes! (sigh) On the other hand, I may become a self-taught incredibly saught after chef! Yeah. Right.


Some of the types of recipes I'm thinking of blogging about...


- Apple-raspberry jam (for a jam-swap that's coming up... quickly)

- Cajun shrimp casserole

- Buttermilk and sweet onion roles (recipe curteousy of UTCH)

- Some sort of beef roast (thanks to the 1/2 cow in our freezer)

- Some sort of lamb chops (the lamb is coming soon...)

- cheese-cake (this one is for Brandon... and there may be several over the 52 weeks!)



And much much more.



Hope you'll join me for a year of A.O.K (trial) Gourmet and maybe even try out some of the recipes I'll be posting!


A.

A big family please. 4 boys please.

Had you asked me a few years ago if I wanted a big family... whether I wanted boys or girls... my answer would have come easily. I knew I wanted a big family. I knew I wanted 4 boys.

I've learned since then (and in a number of different circumstances) not to hold my breath when I start making plans. I've learned that it's true what they say... "plans" are simply made to be broken!

Sitting here - the mother of two girls - I'm ashamed and a little embarrassed to admit to you that I always wanted boys. 4 boys.