Just a quick post, and even a recipe!
Our on again off again labour finally turned into something when my water broke on Tuesday morning. Our little girl arrived two hours later at 7lbs. 13 oz. We’re back home and we’re all doing great!
Here she is:
and of course, the family shot:
And if you are in dire need of a Guilty Kitchen recipe for the next couple of days, then head on over to Simple Bites where my newest pie creation is on display.
 Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with 100% Whole Wheat Crust
What? Still pregnant? Yes that’s right….it’s still in there and it’s never coming out.
Please don’t ask me if I’ve had the baby yet, or when it’s coming. Please don’t give me any of your well-meaning advice on how to get the baby out, I know them all and I’ve tried just about every one of them. This baby ain’t coming until it’s damn well ready.
Meanwhile, I will continue to pretend that I don’t notice.
I’ll go to the beach with my first born son, and enjoy all the time with family I can. I”ll eat lots of food until I explode and then I will go to bed with the worst heartburn in history. Until this baby comes out, that is my fate.
Continue reading “Mom’s Spicy Jambalaya” →
Carrot Cake. What makes it such a quintessentially important dessert in the lives of North Americans?
When looking into the history and importance, one can find that it apparently started to become extremely popular in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s as a fad “health” food. Carrots in a cake, apparently, make it healthy. Of course you would have to ignore the up to 1 1/3 cups of oil included in most recipes, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make.
Carrot cake is like the brownie, it is everywhere all at once and everyone has their own ideas about what makes it good. A quick Twitter poll gave me the impression that most people want it to be moist, with a fantastic cream cheese frosting. I would have to wholeheartedly agree on those two points. What I couldn’t agree with though, is the addition of pineapple, coconut or raisins. While I can stand a few raisins in the cupcake form of this sweet dessert, I am not a fan of other fruits, and especially not the tough, chewy texture of coconut. Sorry. I did find that no one missed it, and most people agree with me. Although I know there are many who would not, I do think the addition of those things to this recipe would not hurt it in any way. So if you have to have them, give it a go, and maybe add a bit of baking time (and flour) to make up for the additional moisture.
Continue reading “A Better Carrot Cake” →
The time has come to give up my kitchen. Not that I’m complaining anymore.
Usually, when we have company over and people offer to help me, the words barely register before I politely decline their friendly “interference”. I am a lone wolf in the kitchen, manically preparing any number of dishes in record time and getting it all out onto the table for consumption at the same time. Years in commercial kitchens taught me how to time everything perfectly and I haven’t had much trouble since then. Although the occasional potato has foiled my attempts at timing perfection, I’ve vowed not to care.
I can cook anything perfectly, except popcorn and potatoes. There, I said it. So sue me…they are just not my specialty.
And so it has come to pass that my parents are here to help in the arrival of the new addition (still yet to appear!). Treks to grocery stores, farmer’s markets, farms, seafood stores, etc. are now a caravan of people and cars, wallets and cloth shopping bags. We’re an unstoppable force to be reckoned with, lists in hand, pens scratching out the already chosen items. If you see us coming, just pretend not to notice.
Mom has come to rescue me from my own food obsession, at least for a little while, and I couldn’t be happier about it. My usual pickiness has been replaced with a nary a care attitude. Whatever Mom makes is the best damn thing I could think of having that night for dinner. Hubby wants to BBQ smokies for dinner? Sure. As long as I can sit on the couch, feet raised on the hassock, “A Very Hungry Caterpillar” in my lap and a certain redheaded boy by my side. Just how I imagined these last couple of weeks would be.
Continue reading “Mom’s Homemade BBQ Sauce” →
Spot Prawn season. It’s here, and it’s only here for a few short (but mighty tasty) weeks (approximately 80 days).
I have a soft spot for these little gems of the sea, and it’s not just because they are sweet, with a delicate flavour and texture or because they are ridiculously easy to cook. No, my soft spot for these guys is because they are available within a few miles of my home. They are genuinely sustainable and are caught using traps and long lines. What more could an outspoken critic of eating local want in her seafood? I can literally buy them off the back of a boat if I could find them before everyone else does, but I tend to head to my local seafood shop instead. Buying from local merchants in an effort to spread my money around makes me feel like I can do something, even something small, to help the local economy.
Although these fine specimens may not be available in your area, this recipe could be used with any locally available prawn or large shrimp. I’d beg you not to use Asian produced tiger prawns, but instead, I’ll just point you in the direction of some very good information on the subject. See SeaChoice for more information.
On another note, this baby is on it’s way in the next two weeks and I just want to make sure you all know that. I am trying very hard to make sure there are recipe ready to go for when I am indisposed. My Momma is here and she’s cooking up a storm, so look forward to some down home cooking (Jambalaya! Ribs!) coming soon!
Continue reading “Prawn and Paneer Skewers” →
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Hi! I'm Elizabeth. I like fitness, bad ass tattoos, food, bacon, chocolate, taking lots of silly pictures and my spawn. Check out my FAQ for all the usual Qs or send me an e-mail and tell me all about your cat and your Aunt Sally's amazing apple pie. |
