Cream of mushroom pasta

Some of my friends and family have been asking me to post some quick and easy recipes that they can add to their list of recipes they can cook regularly. So here is one  I hope you will enjoy.

This recipes actually started from Josh's one and only dish he knows how to make.  Back about 15 years ago, when Josh and I was dating he made me dinner one day and it was pretty good.  I thought "wow, he can really cook", but since that day I think I can only count a few times that he actually cooked for me.  This is probably the most successful dish he made.  So if he can do it, you can too.  So this dish was macaroni with a creamy mushroom sauce (1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of extra mushrooms).  Fast forward 15 years, and me making this dish, it is still a quick and easy dish to make.  I have made a few additions to it, so it can actually pass for full meal in a dish.  You can be creative with what you have on hand.
Here is what I'm using today

• Cream of mushroom soup 
• Chicken sliced up
• Diced onions
• Broccoli
• Celery
• frozen mixed vegetables (I didn't realize I ran out of carrots)
• Penne (or any type of pasta you prefer)

1. Cook the pasta and set aside

2. Fry up the onions in a little bit of oil, then add the chicken to the pan. Cook until chicken is no longer pink

3. Add the diced  celery and frozen veggies. Cook for about 1-2 minutes

4. Add the cream of mushroom soup, let it cook until it starts to bubble
5. Now add the broccoli. You don't want to cook broccoli too long or it will get to mushy

6. Taste, add salt and pepper.  I didn't add any extra salt because I don't like the girls eating too much salt, and the cream of mushroom soup is salty enough for us.
7. Add pasta and mix well

7. Enjoy!

Salad Rolls

So today I was deciding what we wanted to eat for dinner.   I ended up deciding on Vietnamese salad rolls.  I went to the freezer and pulled out a frozen pork tenderloin, and to the pantry and fridge for the rest.  I realized I was missing a fair bit of ingredients, so I texted my other half (who was out taking the 2 older girls shopping).  Just a little side note: In our household, I usually do all the grocery shopping and the cooking. So I was kinda worried what he might bring home, or if he would be able to find these items. So here is the list I told him to get - rice paper, coconut milk, vermicelli noodles (the one in the red pack), lettuce (any leafy lettuce like romaine or green/red leaf and no head lettuce), 500ml of whipping cream, bean sprouts (only if they look fresh). 

So this is what he comes home with.

• rice paper - check
• 2 cans of coconut milk- check
• vermicelli noodles - in a all clear package, not in the red package.  He couldn't find that specific one.  So I ended up calling my mom to bring some over --ummmm, I guess he gets a check for that
•  Head Lettuce- yes, head lettuce - Fail
• whipping cream in a can (I wanted one that was in a carton so I could whip it up for a cake)- half fail
• bean sprout- he said "it was the last one left".  So imagine the shape of these bean sprouts.  I spent about half an hour picking through it to get the good ones and pick off all the ugly roots attached.- Fail, because it was so much more work for me.  If he didn't bring it home I wouldn't have to spent the time picking through it and it probable still taste fine.

I guess he deserves a pat on the back for trying.  Good job Josh!

So you want to know how I make salad rolls,

Here is what you need

• pork (I've used many different cuts before, usually my mom uses the belly part which has more fat, but I usually use tenderloin)
• rice Vermcelli (the one in the red package is best)
• lettuce
• bean sprouts
• mint
• shrimp
• (you can be creative and add other ingredients- cucumber, chicken, crab meat, carrots....)

Peanut dipping Sauce
- hoisin sauce (this brand is a little thicker)
- peanut butter (chucky is better, but I only had smooth)
- coconut milk












1. Soak the rice vermicelli in water for a few hours before.
 (this is the one I like to use, the other ones are too thin)

2. Boil the pork until done, take it out and let it rest for a few minutes. Then thinly slice the pork

3. Cook the shrimp, then peel and devein the shrimp  (if your lazy you can use the frozen precooked shrimp as well)

3. Add the soaked vermicelli to boiling water and take out with in 1-2 mins. (do not over cook or it will be come mushy).  Drain, and rinse with cold water.
4. wash lettuce, mint and bean sprouts

5. Now your ready to roll. Run the rice paper under warm water and place down on a clean dry counter.  They I usually put the veggies first, then the noodles and the meat and shrimp on top.

6. Now for the sauce.  Melt about 1 tablespoon for peanut butter in a sauce pan

7. now add half a jar of hoisin sauce, let it bubble a bit
8. add half a (large) can of coconut milk and mix well.

My garden

I been trying to grow a garden since we moved into our house in 2005, but haven't had much luck with it.  The first couple of years I would only yield carrots. (lots of carrots)

2011

All my other plants would somehow disappear or get over run with weeds.   For example, I would have a zucchini plant and it would be flowering, and the next day I would go out and the flower would be gone, cut off somehow.  I figure it was some kind of animal or bird eating my garden.  So 2 years ago I decided to build a simple garden box, so I went out to home depot with 2 kids in tow and bought a mitre saw and some 2x4's.  It wasn't fancy, but it did keep the animals out.  Last year, I was out of commission with a difficult pregnancy, so no gardening for me.  So this year, I've decided to go all out. 
I started by sketching out a plan that would maximize my garden but still leave enough room to walk around it.  Here's what I did
1. Built 3 garden boxes (this time I used 2 2x8 for the sides and 4x4 for the posts)

2. leveled the existing garden
3. placed the garden boxes down and ordered "Manderley Garden Mix Topsoil (This Blue Cube)"  I ended up ordering 2 cubes and filled the boxes

4.  I covered the outside with mulch and started planting.










 Here are some of my plants so far

More Popsicles

I figured I should try different recipes with the Zoku before I get bored with it, or it gets store away never to see the light again.
So today, I decided to use the rest of my watermelon.
I made 2 different types with a little variation to them.  All super simple and quick.

1. Watermelon with a strawberry Greek yogurt centre

2. Strawberry Greek yogurt on top, with a bottom of watermelon juice
3. Chocolate milk (yes, just chocolate milk straight up)

4. Chocolate milk with banana slices

5. Watermelon, blueberry with mint

Watermelon pops

I couldn't wait the full 24 hours you're suppose to wait for the Zoku to freeze.  It has been about 12 hours since I put it in the freezer, I'm going to give it a try.  I'm going to make fresh watermelon Popsicles.  I had some watermelon left over from the other day, so I clubbed them and stuck them in my blender with a little bit of water just to get it going.

I poured it into the Zoku.  I waited about 10 mins instead of the required 7 mins because I didn't wait the full 24 hours.

Yeah, they worked.  They were so tasty, and refreshing.

Midway food

Yesterday was an over indulgence of grease, grease and more grease.

Our day started with these beautifully custom made cream puffs.  You get to pick the filling (chocolate, passion fruit and original cream), then you get to pick what other fillings you want to add in.  The girls picked strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Then you can dip the top is dark or white chocolate, and finally you can top it off with different coloured chocolate shavings, and sprinkles.

 After the sweet cream puff, the girls had some popcorn to watch the magic show.  Then came the mini donuts, freshly squeezed lemonade and strips of beef bacon in a cup . After a few more hours of walking around we picked up some deep fried Oreos, deep fried pickles, and chocolate covered bacon on a stick.  Good thing my family was with me to help me eat all these goodies. (Sorry, we were so excited to eat these treats that I forgot to take pictures of them to show you. )

To let you know that I'm not a horrible mother, I did pack food for the girls to eat (drinks, blueberries....) A day before we went, I made some carrot cake into little loafs so it would be easier to eat.   When the girls get hungry, they become little monsters.  They are like little packages of dynamite waiting to explode and the smallest things can set them off.  So I always try to feed them before they get to this point, which is why it is always good to have extra food on me.  I'll leave you with my carrot cake recipe that I've been making for years. It's super moist.  Enjoy.

Carrot cake

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar (you can add more, but I don't like it too sweet)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups all purpose flour
3 cups grated carrots ( this time I added almost 4 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large bowl beat eggs, then add oil, sugar and vanilla
3. Mix in all dry ingredients.  Make sure it is mixed well
4. Add the carrots and mix well.  Pour into desired pan
5.  Bake in oven for around 40-50 mins or until toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

A present to myself

Today I took the girls to K days. If your not familiar with what K days is, it's kinda like a county fair.  There are rides and midway games, and of course shopping.  You know the kind of shopping where people yell at you ( or talking really loud to get your attention) as you pass buy trying to demo their product.  Well, I usually buy some useless household/kitchen item.  In the past I have purchased, yes the oh so wonderful "Shammie", some sweeper vacuum thingy, Tupperware, Cutco knives and as I mentioned other useless stuff, that I have already forgotten about.   This year I bought myself a .......Zoku frozen Popsicle maker.   I'm so excited to try different recipes.

The pictures of the Popsicles look so pretty, I wonder if mine will turn out the same.  Take a look at some Popsicles that have been made with the Zoku. Which one should I try first?

Is this the beginning to my end?

As a mother of 3 girls, many of my friends tell me I should start a blog because I have so many stories to tell.  But my explanation is "I'm a mother of 3, I don't have time to blog!"  Let's see how long or how often I will actually post something.  I'm only creating this blog now, because its 1:46am and I'm lying in bed wide awake.  I really shouldn't have had that coke so late.

Welcome to my blog.  I have no clue what I'm going to blog about or what I will post, but hopefully it will be interesting to keep you coming back.  So here goes nothing, wish me luck.