In The Kitchen

I had the day off today

from work that is...

and spent the day doing equal parts of cooking

and sitting on my butt

I love taking a random Monday or Friday off

this time of year and having a me day

today was that day

and although I did a little more than I intended

I feel good with what I got accomplished

an extra day to recharge the batteries

is always welcome as it is a long long time

between New Years and Easter!

I cooked my Tourtiere on Wednesday

and it turned out really good

love that I took the leftovers to my Mama

and she enjoyed it too

muffins were on the menu yesterday

these were Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins

it called for dried cranberries but I had dried blueberries for another recipe

so I threw those in instead and they turned out great

I can't find the link to the recipe but once I find it I will add it

now for the recipe I have been wanting to try and actually excited about making them

Cherry Morning Rolls

not sure what happened but they are doughy ~ they did not rise

and they are now in the garbage

big tears!

not really but it was a disappointment

my Italian Wedding Soup however did turn out

and after scooping some out to take to Mom

I put the rest in the fridge as

this will be an easy meal this week

now I have been hanging on to this recipe for months

Strawberry Lemonade Scones

called for strawberries but I bought blueberries

and let me tell you ~ I could eat this for dinner

yup ~ dinner ~ they are that good!

but instead we had this...

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

picture and recipe found here

although I cannot find enchilada sauce here

I found a recipe on line and made my own

it was good and made enough to have tonight 

and then freeze for another meal

and that was cutting the recipe in half!

this little one was happy when I would sit for a bit

she loves having someone home.

Hope you had a great weekend!!

Friday Potpourri

Oh winter

I am so tired of you

and your cold weather and snowstorms

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I dream of spring and all it has to offer

but alas for now

I will embrace the wintertime.....

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I adore these jars ~ I can see them lined up

ready for the next recipe

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 I will be busy in the kitchen again this weekend

finishing up my cooking challenge recipes

I will do a wrap up the end of the month

and I am happy to report I have had more hits than misses

although Monday night we agreed

to throw one into the shredder ~ along with any leftovers

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 pinned this and it sounds so yummy

anything with lemon

rocks my world ~ yeah I know

I am easy like that

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so this week was trying

hard to put my optimistic foot forward

challenges ~ new is not easy

not feeling like you are being used to your full potential

makes you take a look at what you are doing

with fresh eyes and wondering if it is time for a change

time will tell

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so besides cooking

the weekend will be spent nesting

recharging batteries

it will include some reading ~ a bubble bath

and maybe a movie

then I will curl up on Sunday night and watch the 

Oscars ~ although I have not seen any of the movies

I enjoy the red carpet arrivals ~ the fashions

all the beautiful people

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I also have Monday off this week

a day for me

hoping for some inspiration

and checking things off my list

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hoping the week has treated you well

that you have had more smiles than tears

and the weekend brings you laugher

and sunshine....

In The Kitchen

It is a stormy Sunday night here on the east coast

and I have already lost power once

so I thought I would dash off a quick post in case it goes again....

yes ~ this was this afternoon

and they said that it is going to get worse

Trev is doing a little happy dance as it more than likely means

no school tomorrow

gotta love a good snow day

me on the other hand have to go in regardless

I don't get snow days

I know ~ boohoo ~ woe is me

so what does one do when the snow is blowing

well beside stay in my pj's all day long

I knock a few more recipes off my

28 recipes in 28 days list

I started off with miniature pineapple upside down cakes

I love the look of them and they are perfect

with a cuppa tea

  

then I made some cookies for my boy

he loves anything chocolate

so these Rolo cookies fit the bill

they were easy peasy and really rich

next up was a traditional Acadian meat pie

called a Tourtiere

this can be frozen and popped into the oven the night 

we want it for supper

last thing off the list this weekend 

was mini Italian meatballs

I made for another planned recipe

they are teeny tiny and I just mixed up some ground beef

with an egg, some Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese

and breadcrumbs

then boiled them in beef broth to cook

I can't wait to throw them into this soup,

So after all the cooking and baking was done

I put supper in the oven

and settled into the tub with a book

it was the perfect way to finish off the afternoon.

I wanted to share with you a couple of things I ordered

after Christmas that came in last week

I ordered this from The Rusted Chain

love her stuff and wanted to get a necklace with my word on it

I also came across this one which I fell in love with

as soon as I saw it

found on Etsy at Branded Heart Jewely

I would order from her again

on my last trip to Costco I picked up a couple of books

from two of my favourite authors

can't wait to read these ones.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

Friday Potpourri

Ahh ~ another week gone

and already the middle of the month

where on earth does the time go??

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it has been a hectic week

changes at work ~ new responsibilities

learning ~ learning

who says you can't teach an old dog...

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packages in the mail

goodies make me smile ~ will share my wares soon

I have been reading posts on my phone

so forgive me for the lack of comments

but I am here and visiting...

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thank you for the lovely comments on 

our love story

Valentines was low key

whipped up some pasta and shrimp for supper

was treated to flowers and a new charm for my

Pandora bracelet

I bought him chocolate ~ his 2nd love!

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more cooking on the agenda this weekend

a couple more sweet things

plus some dinner planning for next week

March will be the month of celery and lettuce I think

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hoping for a movie date with my girls

we will see ~ teenagers are busy you know

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hope your week was full of

love & hugs

and that your weekend is full of sunshine.

Our Love Story

with Valentines day

right around the corner ~ like tomorrow

I thought I would share our love story

I met Trevor through my cousin Donny

back in high school

we were friends first

always a little spark ~ but nothing we really acted upon

we spent many summers together

he was at family gatherings ~ parties ~ celebrations

he was an adopted son of the "Stiles" clan

we went to dances and he had seen me at my best

and my not so best

this was 1983

with my cousin's Donny and Gina

and Trev and I ~ bookends

we look so so young!

we got close a couple of times over the years

but by then he had went away to school

then got a job in a neighbouring city

we would joke ~ when are we going to get married I would ask

quit your job ~ move to Saint John and I will marry you

no deal ~ I need a ring first

and I was climbing the corporate ladder ~ career focused

I loved what I did

fast forward to Easter weekend 1999

Donny was having a bonfire ~ a little party

did I want to come out to it?

Will Trevor be there?  Yes!  He is living back in Moncton

and he is coming out for the night

so off I went and Trevor was there

we both stayed over

and stayed up all night talking and holding hands

he said he would call ~ and he did

we got together the following Friday

and have been together ever since

there was no pretence ~ no acts

because we were friends first 

I think that helped our relationship

I knew that I had fallen in love with this boy

when one day I drove him to where he was storing his vintage truck

(I always wanted a boy with a pickup truck)

as I was following him back home I feared 

what if there is an accident and he gets hurt

what if I lose him

yes ~ that was the day that I knew it was meant to be

we moved in together that September

and the summer of 2000 we set a date to get married

the following summer

August 2001

one of my favourite days ever

I still love this boy of mine

with all my heart

we have been through so much

and at the end of the day ~ he is the one I want beside me

in sickness and in health

for richer for poorer

in good times and in bad

he still holds the key....