Seedy Lemon Berry Muffins - Yum!

Today, after dinner, I had a hankering for some muffins.  Plus, I figured it would give me the opportunity to use up the last of some stuff that has been sitting in my freezer.

I used the Cranberry Seed Muffins recipe from Canadian Living as the base.

However, I didn't have any oranges in the house, so I used lemon rind.  I also didn't measure the lemon rind - I just grated into the bowl until it felt like enough.
I only had 1 cup of cranberries, but I had 1 cup of frozen mixed berries as well, so I substituted that in too.
As for the buttermilk? Well, I almost never have buttermilk in the house, but you can easily substitute by mixing some vinegar into regular milk (which I did).

The result? Well, delicious smelling Seedy Lemon Berry Muffins!

And the close-up!

I think next time, I may add poppy seeds in addition to the sunflower & pumpkin seeds!

Super-Delicious-Portabello-Mushroom-Sorta-Fajitas!!

I've been debating posting this, since I forgot to take photos while I was making it earlier this week.  However, I've come to the conclusion that it's so gosh-darned delicious that I have to share.

Here's how to make your very own Super Delicious Portabello Mushroom Sorta Fajitas!

You will need:

• sliced portabello mushrooms - I buy the presliced package from the grocery store & slice them thinner, but you could also just slice up 2-4 full portabellos
• 1 medium onion, sliced - I prefer sweet onions, but it doesn't really matter
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 small sweet red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 small sweet green pepper, cut into strips
• Any other delicious vegetables you may want to throw in - I sometimes add celery, carrots or broccoli too
• oil or butter for frying (I usually use canola oil)
• at least 1-2 tsp ground cumin
• same amount of chili powder
• 1 heaping tsp cornstarch
• about 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
• salt & pepper to taste
• tortillas to wrap the mushroom mixture in
• assorted fajita toppings (sour cream, guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, etc)

In a large frying pan or skillet, heat up your cooking fat of choice on medium high.  Once it's warmed up, add the sliced onion & garlic to the pan.
After the onion has started to soften, add your mushrooms and other vegetables.
When the veggies are cooked about 3/4 of the way done, add your cumin, chili powder, salt & pepper.  Mix the cornstarch with the water and then add it to the pan & stir thoroughly.  This will form your sauce.
Once the liquid has boiled down to your desired thickness, and the vegetables are cooked through, take the pan off the heat, heap the mushroom mixture into your tortilla wraps, top with your choice of condiments and enjoy!

Dill Pickle Day

Today was a pretty productive day, considering that I still tire pretty easily (due to growing a human).  I made 6 jars of dill pickles, did a whole ton of laundry, and helped my partner clean the apartment so the landlord could show it today.
If you like dills, and have never made them, it's surprisingly easy!  I didn't take pictures of the process, but you basically need sugar, pickling or kosher salt, vinegar, dill (fresh or dried), mustard seed, garlic, your favourite pickling spice mixture and a basket of cucumbers (the small, not waxed kind).  There's a ton of recipes available on the internet, although I usually base mine on the Bernardin Fresh Pack Dill Pickle recipe. 
I always add extra garlic & chili flakes to my version though, to make them a little zippier.

Oh, while doing laundry, I also checked on the garden for a minute, and ended up harvesting the potatoes.  Considering that I hardly watered & generally neglected the plants this summer, I'm surprised I got anything. 

I'm excited to see how they taste!

Summer Salsa, and the Reason for Inconsistent Blogging

I know, I know - I'm terrible at doing this regularly.  I have a good excuse though.  It turns out, I'm growing a person.  It's hard to make yourself do things when all you want in the world is to stop throwing up and then have a really long nap.

However, the nice doctors have given me anti-nausea medication so I've been feeling more like a human being than a throw-up factory the last little while.

To celebrate, I made, and canned, some salsa. Woo!
I admit, I dragged the stool into the kitchen and sat through most of it, but I managed to successfully do a whole salsa batch!

You of course, want to start with some fresh veggies.  Something like these ones (2 kinds of hot pepper in the bag, a green pepper, some red onions):

Of course, you'll also need some tomatoes.  I used the Black Plum tomatoes from my plant in the garden.

You'll also need things like vinegar (I used red wine vinegar), pickling/kosher salt, sugar, tomato sauce, garlic (mmm garlic), spices and a giant handful of cilantro.

You'll need to peel the tomatoes first, but then you can just throw everything in a pot together and boil it down until you get a texture you like.

Your whole house will smell delicious.
Eventually, you will end up with a nice thick, chunky salsa, at which point, you can start canning.  Or not - eating right away is also an option.
I ended up with five jars of salsa, and a little bit left over to eat right away.

The extra salsa lasted all of five seconds.  My poor partner didn't get any.
I'm resisting the urge to open the jars.

Jack Layton temporarily stepping down :(

Jack Layton, official Leader of the Opposition in Canada's parliament, and leader of the Federal NDP party, announced that he was temporarily stepping down today, in order to focus on battling cancer.

Since Jack and his party won the official opposition against the Conservative party not that long ago, it's a little bit sad for those of us on the left side of the political spectrum.  He's been a fabulously charismatic leader.

We don't know yet who will be replacing Jack as interim leader (or at least, I don't) but I hope that they do just as well in the position so that Jack can focus on getting better.

I think I'm melting

I've been feeling crappy lately, so I haven't been doing much, other than going to work and coming home again.
In addition to feeling crappy, the weather has been doing it's best to melt us all.  I know there are parts of the world hotter than here, but when you aren't used to it, and the humidex goes through the roof - holy moly!!
I'm just glad I'm not a snowman.

Long Weekends

This past weekend was Canada Day (for me) and Independance Day (for my friends & relatives in the USA).

I spent mine with some of my favourite people at a cottage in northern Ontario, halfway to my hometown.  There was food, lake swimming, fires, mosquitos, smores, sunshine and lots of good times.  Going back to work after weekends like these is always hard.

I hope all of you had a fantabulous weekend too!