4 of my Top Hearty Meals

Ham and Split Pea Soup

We started with the ham bone leftover from Christmas dinner at my mom's house.

Boiled for a few hours with spices (oregano, thyme, bay leaf, s n p)
and vegetables (onions, celery, carrots).

Removed the bone and added the remaining contents to a blender,
then returned to pot.

Added chopped leftover ham and simmered a few minutes more.

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Turkey and Dumplings

Saved leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and froze it.

Thawed the meat in the fridge and placed it in a casserole dish.

Added frozen veggies from the garden (peas and beans)

Prepare a can of cream of whatever soup (I used cream of broccoli).

I also used a whole can of milk and a 1/3 of a can of water...

evaporation almost destroyed my first attempt at this dish.

(sauce was waaaay too thick)

Added veggies thawed or frozen...doesn't really matter.

Pour soup over all of that mess!

Cook covered in oven at 350 for approx 30 mins...or until bubbly.

NOW...mix up the dumplings and roll into 8 or so 2" balls.

Uncover casserole dish and place dumplings evenly over the top of the soup mixture.

Cook uncovered for another 15 or so minutes until the dumplings are firm.

Topped with 7 pepper spice...for a kick!

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Pumpkin Soup

Roasted a pumpkin stored from the garden 

(a cheyenne bush pumpkin from Wendy Moreton of Hamilton!)

Scooped out the flesh and ran it through the food processor.

Simmered onions in a pot.

Added pumpkin mash, 6 cups of water, s n p and a hint of thyme.

In the last few minutes, add cream or milk (we added milk)

Topped with the last of the roasted pumpkin seeds 

(for added fibre...ok who am I kidding...it was for the crunch!)

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Giant Hashbrown with Chipotle Mayo

This is my NEW FAVORITE BREAKFAST!

Shred a whole potato into a bowl.
Squeeze out any moisture you can.
Add 1/2 a chopped onion and 1 egg.
Heat up a frying pan and grease it with oil or spray.
Once hot, spread the shredded potato mixture evenly around the pan.
Use a cutting board to help flip evenly.

Top with Chipotle mayo for a spicy way to start your day!

Garlic Mustard....Mustard

In the last few years, I was introduced to the lovely 'weed', Garlic Mustard.

It's one of those plants that came over with European settlers...

and has taken over ever since.

Seriously!  

There is no where in North America where you will have to adhere

 to strict conservation collecting with this one.

In fact, the Ontario Government has come out with a super cool website to tell you all about it!

It might take you a few seasons to make sure it is what you think it is.

Spring time looks like the above picture.

The cute, scalloped leaves are hard to mistake.

Once you identify these leaves, its hard to miss them.

You start to see them literally

EVERYWHERE!

The bright green spring leaves are a treat too.

They taste garlicky and goes great in a salad.

By August, they start looking like the above picture.

They shoot up and send out spindly shoots.

They sprout these wee seed pods.

Once the pods are dry...collect immediately!

I've checked one day and by the next day the wind has scattered them all.

Again, I can't stress enough...collect as many as you want...

You don't have to worry about this hearty plant coming back.

The seeds look like long poppyseeds.

They have a light mustard taste.

I've heard you can made mustard from grinding the seeds...

So that was our big experiment this year!

We collected the seed pods and slowly, patiently removed all of the seeds from each one.

Each pods contains anywhere from 2-10 seeds.

This process is time consuming...so plan a movie marathon or binge watch session.

A few weeks ago I actually got around to making the mustard I had set out to make using these seeds.

It turned out great!

I was amazed at the distinct wasabi taste.

Imagine...making wasabi in your own backyard!

I will admit I was a little disappointed...it didn't taste more like mustard.

Just being honest.

I guess I'll have to grow mustard greens in order to actually make mustard.

Even still...a very cool experiment indeed.

Thanks go out to The 3 Foragers for inspiring me to move beyond my comfort zone!!!

Cookbook Testing: Slow Cooker: 100 Tried and True Recipes

Following up on the post I did about slow cooker recipes.

A feature on one cookbook in particular.

Let me take you through a few of the recipes I've made so far...

Sausage and Bean Casserole pg 110

Substituted chick peas for white beans.

Hearty and savory.  A perfect weeknight meal.

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Spicy Chicken and Cheese Dip pg 44

Omitted the chicken.

I had to take something to a potluck dinner for the local Scout troop.

Add a bag of tostitos chips and you've got a party.

(Note:  this did not reheat well.)

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Beef Ragu with Tagliatelle pg 81

Omitted the red wine (it was Valentine's day. we drank it instead)

Substituted creamy tomato soup for the tomato paste.

A totally drool worthy meal for a couple or a crowd.

The leftovers reheat beautifully.

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Spicy Pulled Pork pg 73

Made the rolls myself.

Not so spicy...as the title claimed.

Add red pepper flakes when we reheated the meat and it was perfect!

I can see me making a ton of pulled pork this summer time.

The slow cooker plugged in on the deck.

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REVIEW:

A perfect addition to your shelf.

If you want slow cooker meals (both budget-friendly and easy to make),

this is the book for you.

If you want to expand your knowledge of what you think a slow cooker can do, 

this is the book for you.

If you just want some fun recipes for entertaining,

this is so the book for you.

Definitely a keeper!

PS.  Thanks to my awesome step mom Mary Elaine for gifting this cookbook!

Slow Cooker Recipe Roundup

Slow cooker means convenient, set-it-and-forget-it meals.

Hot comfort food for the dead of winter.

Stick to your ribs...and coat your stomach.
Easy on the wallet when it comes to the ingredients.

But the slow cooker can be so much more...
so let me share with you some of my most recent slow cooker meals.

MEAT

A bunch of fridge and pantry staples can come together with meat in a slow cooker.

What comes out is an amazing meal!

The best part of slow cooking with meat is that the cuts that really benefit low and slow style cooking are generally on sale or are very resonablly priced.

Chicken thighs or legs.

Pork shoulders or ribs.

I have really broaded my tastes this year with slow cooked meat.

Check it out!

Honey Garlic Chicken and Rice

Sweetened with local wildflower honey, this dish was a hit with everyone...even Owen!

Super simple...like 4 ingredients...everybody wins.

Plus, you'll be immune to colds...and vampires.

Cashew Chicken and Rice

This dish rocks...with or without the cashews (you add them in at the end anyway).

We made this dish once and were so hungry, we forgot to add them!

Totally tasty both ways.

Hawaiian Chicken

Not just for thick winter meals!

Try plugging your slow cooker outside (not in direct sun).

I cooked this delicious meal on our deck!

It was a bright, tropical flavoured chicken dish...perfect!

Not only that, but it didn't heat up our kitchen.

BONUS!

Sticky Ribs  (from The Joy Of Cooking Cookbook)

Wash and pat down the ribs. 

Cut them up into manageable pieces. 

Toss into the slow cooker along with the following ingredients: 

10 oz beef broth, 

1/2 cup water, 

2 tbsp maple syrup (we used out own), 

2 tbsp local honey, 

3 tbsp soy sauce, 

2 tbsp bbq sauce or ketchup, 

1/2 tsp dry mustard. 

Cook on high for 6-8 hrs. 

I'm not even joking...the meat will fall off the bones!!! 

Served with yellow potato wedges, baked and a green salad with cubed Wilton Mozzarella cheese.

Pulled Pork Sliders

Made from the Slow Cooker cookbook I got at Christmas!

Wait for my post all about the other recipes I've made from this book.

Truly a keeper for the cookbook shelf!

Spicy Pork Carnitas

Not a real flavourful meat dish...but adding sweet chili sauce and avocados helped.

We also didn't have any flatbread...so I just whipped some up in the breadmaker.

Just as tasty!

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SOUPS

The slow cooker is still my go-to for soups...
So here are this years soup concoctions!

Green Lentil Bacon Soup

As seen in Shape Magazine's slow cooker roundup.

I used regular bacon from a local butcher rather than Canadian (peameal) bacon.

Harvest Veggie Chili with Quinoa

I made the veggie chili before and froze it.

Quick Veggie Chili

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 onion from the garden, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 green pepper, diced

1 cup corn from the garden

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed

cayenne pepper and chili powder to taste.

add ingredients to slow cooker and cook on low or 6-8 hrs.

When I reheated the chili, I added buttercup squash, cumin and turmeric.

Adding leftover pre-cooked quinoa added a hint of smokey or nutty flavour.

It also upped the protein of this vegetarian delight.

The spices are so warming...the veggies are totally fall.

Red Lentil and Veggie Soup

Another great vegetarian soup.

I made this soup so much that I memorized it.

It originated from a cookbook of recipes from developing countries.

From this cookbook, I got a hilarious story about "zom".

(if you ever get the chance, ask my mom or sister about it)

The other thing I got from the cookbook was this amazingly simple soup.

Red Lentil and Veggie Soup

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

4 cups vegetable broth

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 onion from the garden, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cumin

I adapted this recipe from pot to slow cooker.

Add ingredients to slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hrs.

Great on a cold winter night!

Chicken Tomato Soup

A slow cooker marvel! 

Adapted from this recipe here.

2 cans of diced tomatoes (or we used our frozen ones from the garden)

1 tsp Italian seasoning (homemade mixture)

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 cup home made chicken stock

2 chicken breasts

 Set on low for 6-8 hrs

Just before serving, take 2 forks and shred the chicken breasts. 

AMAZINGLY EASY! 

Served with mozzarella grilled cheese sammies

I just couldn't resist...

What are your favorite slow cooker recipes?

Home Made Granola Recipe (plus a skinny secret)

Winter is great for getting the baking bug.

As opposed to the other bugs you can catch in the winter.

Of course there are only so many loaves and muffins you can make.

So I present to you:

GRANOLA!

Here is the yummy recipe that I made basically using up all of the

items I bought to make a baked brie with dried fruit and nuts over the holidays.

Recipe

I found this recipe on Yummly.com

You do have to register...it is free.

Then you have to click on a link to the original poster's blog.

Its kinda troublesome...all those extra steps...but trust me, its worth it.

This granola features dates, sweetened coconut, dried cranberries, pecans, walnuts and honey.

FYI.  I omitted the wheat germ and the sunflower seeds.

I didn't have any wheat germ on hand and the sunflower seeds I had were not shelled.

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Now here is my trick!

I've always been told that granola is "too high in fats".

So I start with a cubed apple...then sprinkle granola on top.

Add milk and you have a delicious and satisfying skinny treat.

You're welcome.

PS.  By the time you are drinking the milk from the bottom of the bowl...it's sweet cinnamon milk!!!!

BONUS:  Your house smells wonderful when its baking!

What is your favorite winter smell?

SPECIAL NOTE TO MY READERS:

This post is my 200th blog post since starting this blog in 2010.

I wanted to thank each and every one of you who reads it.

I appreciate you every day.

You drive me to create interesting content and 

life in the woods stories that leave an impression.

Stay with me folks...the ride is about to get a lot more fun!

The Little Potato Company Product Review

Surprise, my first product review!!!

On a very unsuspecting day, Handsome Husband declared I had a package.

I had a momentary panic attack...

Was this something I had ordered online that he wasn't supposed to know about?!?

Wait...no...just remembered I don't shop online...

So I opened the box...

Potatoes!

No way!!!

The Little Potato Company sent me two kinds of potatoes to review 

and come up with some cool recipes.

I have never used this product before...so this was all new for me.

I have friends that swear by these potatoes.  They won't buy any other kind.

So needless to say, my interest was piqued...

Type 1 - BABY BOOMERS

Although the cooking instructions did not mention clay bakers...I thought I would give it a try!

Usually I throw everything in a soaked Romertopf clay baker and bake for 90 mins.

This time, I put the dressed chicken in the baker...and in the last 20 mins I threw in

The Little Potato Company's Baby Boomer potatoes.

The result was amazing!

Even though adding the Baby Boomers mid way through the cooking process

made for an extra step...it was well worth it.

The chicken was given to us by a friend who grows meat chickens, the onions and spices from our garden.

These little cuties were soft, tender and full of flavour.

The absorbed a great amount of flavours from both the chicken and 

the spices on the dressed chicken.

The ability to reheat or recreate leftovers is a deal-breaker for me.

Luckily, these potatoes kept on winning me over.

I give you...spicy taters and eggs!

Breakfast of champions...

soft boiled eggs from our girls served up with local goat cheese and fresh tomatoes.

The potatoes were leftover from the clay baker dinner.

These Baby Boomers re-fried up like a dream!

I added cayenne and chili powder.

DELISH!

Another way I served these Baby Boomers was a trip to the East.

Curried Chicken and Veggies

Leftover chicken from the roast, baby boomer potatoes, onions and paddypan squash leftover from the garden.

I fried up the onions and the potatoes for 10 mins, then added the squash.

Simmer for another 10 mins.  Then I added curry, parsley and cilantro.

I used dried cilantro but really wished I had fresh herbs on this one.

Top with plain Greek yoghurt and enjoy warm.

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Type 2 - FINGERLINGS

This was actually my first dish made with the fingerlings potatoes.

I wasn't sure what to expect...so I went with simple to start.

In this case, I made maple flavoured bacon wrapped pork tenderloin.

Served with a spinach side salad and oven roasted potatoes and carrots.

I roasted the veggies on a stone tossed in olive oil, S & P and roasted for 30 mins at 400 degrees.

The carrots were from our garden and while they were small, they were tasty.

The fingerling potatoes tasted amazing.

Tender and tasty yellow flesh...I almost forgot that I grew potatoes this year!

(All of this cooking...I needed a cool beverage too...lol)

The piece de resistence...Potato, Caramelized Onions and Rosemary pizza!

Original recipe was found in the Inspired magazine.

Heat 4 tsp olive oil over medium heat in a pan.

Add 1 cup sliced onions and cook until soft and golden brown.

This is where I deviated from the original recipe.

I roasted The Little Potato Company Fingerlings in a small dish at 400 degrees for 20 mins.

I made some homemade pizza dough in the bread maker.

After the potatoes cooled, I sliced the potatoes thinly and arranged them on the rolled out dough.

Then I even spread the caramelized onions and remaining oil on the dough.

Next I sprinkled dried rosemary from the garden and Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 425 degrees for 16 mins.

Enjoy as a side dish, fun appetizer or a savoury main meal.

Trust me...this dish WILL impress!

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RESULTS:  I really enjoyed this product!

Although I advocate growing your own food and being food self sufficient...

if you can't grow your own veggies (whether you lack the space or you physically can't manage a garden) ...this is a great product for you.

The potatoes come already scrubbed so they couldn't make it any easier to use this product.

Thank you to The Little Potato Company!

I really appreciate this opportunity to test these wee potatoes.

Coop Reno 2014

My handsome husband has been feverishly working on our shed...

Making sure its all ready for when our hens are to be delivered.

The black flies have been brutal...so that explains the toque in spring...

Our shed scored a brand new window with screen.

That will help with natural sunlight exposure as well as ventilation.

We screwed in some chicken wire on the inside - to protect the screen from the chickens.

Outside we'll install some sort of grate to protect the screen from varmints.

The interior of the shed was in amazing condition

considering the shed itself was almost 20 yrs old.

We installed a new floor as well...the old one had screws pointing upwards...eeek!

We installed new boards on all sides and caulked in the cracks.

Hopefully that will help keep the moisture OUT.

So far the tally is at $202 for new boards, a few 2 x 4's, wood screws and caulking.

This amazing journey has begun with Ches learning that he can build just about anything.

It has taught me a ton about having animals under your care.

I have been ravaging Pinterest and discovered some unbelievable blogs about raising hens.

I have learned a LOT!

While it is tempting to go overboard...

We have been reminding ourselves to take a breath...

And relax...

(once we did that, we discovered wild violets in our yard!)

Stay tuned for the arrival of the ladies!

Open faced sammies

Looking to save money AND cut down on your carb intake?

You don't want to cut carbs out altogether...

Carbs turn into the sugars that feed your brain!

Maybe you want to try an open faced sandwich?

I collected a few of my recent sammie recipes! 

Here is a warm and spicy idea:

Ground venison patties with sweet chili salsa on a slice of cornbread.

How about creamy tuna salad on home made bread with spinach and fresh tomato slices?

A sloppy joe is also a great option.

Ground beef in a tangy sauce with tomatoes served on 

home made fresh bread!

Left over chicken breast chopped up with chopped celery, chopped spinach

red pepper flakes and a teaspoon of mayo served on 

a piece of toasted caroway rye bread and melted swiss cheese on top!

PS.  Rye is also good for you if you are a diabetic.

Rye bread takes longer to break down and doesn't

turn into as much sugar as regular wheat bread.

All of these options are a great way to curb your carb intake

while still allowing yourself those carbs in a smaller amount.

What is your favorite open faced sammie?

Maple Syrup...second successful year

This winter has been hard...no doubt about it.

I tried to be optimistic for several months.

It just got harder and harder to find the wonder in the winter season.

Our backs were sore from shoveling what felt like tons of snow.

Our roof was starting to bend under the strain.

We didn't have the normal January thaw.

The deep freeze just kept on coming...

The weather networks kept coming up with new ways to say the same thing:

-Arctic Freeze

-Polar Vortex

In other words...extremely cold and so much snow that travel became non existent.

Then the time came to tap the neighbouring sugar maples.

It felt like we would never make it!

The light at the end of the wintry tunnel.

But the weeks wore on, and the temps were too cold.

The maple tapping would wait 2 weeks after we would normally be

getting a sap surplus.

The winds didn't cooperate either.

By the time we got the temperatures for collecting the running sap,

The winds made having a campfire almost prohibitive.

Ches was forced to construct a make shift cabin around the pit.

Halfway to a sugar shack!

He also employed a piece of metal scavenged from a friend.

The wind barrier keeps the heat from escaping too much.

The foil keeps out the ashes but still allows the steam to escape.

The temperatures this spring made sure we didn't collect as much sap as last year.

That just means we can't give any mason jars away...sadly.

We bring the pots inside when they are close to being done.

That's when you get a chance to strain the sap while pouring it into smaller pot.

We use an old fashions metal sieve with a wad of cheesecloth.

The cheesecloth is a wondrous thing!

You can rinse and re-use it over and over.

Talk about keeping your overall costs down.

We haven't bought a single thing (ok $3.00 for cheesecloth)

since last year's original investment of around $140 taxes included.

Essentially, this year's maple syrup is free!

Campbell's Tomato Soup...

I am addicted to soup...the home made kind...eating it, making it, it really doesn't matter.

Not all people have that kind of time on their hands...to be making home made soups.

I have to admit, I have been guilty of using canned soups.

For some strange reason, my lil guy's favorite soup is Italian Wedding Soup...

That is one soup I probably wouldn't bother making from scratch...

Even still...when I do resort you packaged foods, I try to dress them up as much as I can.

Take plain jane Tomato Soup for example.

It's a classic...

Italian spice Tomato Soup with garlic cheddar biscuits

This soup serves as a perfect starting point for great cooking!

You can add it to sauces, stews, dips and chilis for thicker, sweeter consistency.

Its the main ingredient in my tangy saucy meatballs that are a potluck mainstay.

The same sauce can be used on spare ribs as well.

If I'm just making soup...

I'll add a number of different ingredients to change the flavour up.

Italian:  Thyme, oregano, garlic powder and parmesan cheese.

Mexican:  green peppers, chili powder and red pepper flakes, topped with sour cream.

Cheesy:  mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

Sweet:  marjoram and a pinch of white sugar

Fall:  pumpkin puree, turmeric and a pinch of nutmeg

You can visit www.campbellsoup.com and click on the Campbell's kitchen tab

for more recipes and ideas.

Be warned, they do feature Campbell's products heavily.

The purpose of my post was to explain that using some forms of 

ready made food is alright...

as long as you know what you are buying.

I highly encourage people to read the label.

If there is one thing in that list you can't pronounce or explain its

origins...put it BACK!

I feel that Campbell's tomato soup is simple and every item

on the ingredients is real.

If you are specifically looking for soup recipes, click here to head directly

to the soup page at Campbells.