Twisting that playdate!

Today some friends and I did a twist on the traditional playdate. We had a potluck brunch! 

Our boys are only a few weeks apart.  And now that we are all back to work, it's getting harder to get together.  So we decided to have a Sunday morning brunch playdate! And we included the hubby's!

We had a mini brunch with yummy scones, fresh fruit, and Shrimp and Pea Frittatas (I've included the recipe because they turned out pretty good!).  It was so much fun seeing our little (and big) guys interacting together (something that is quite new for the little ones).

And we ended things with these parting words..."Let's do this again!". 

Great Wine, Great Mussels

The other day I was visiting some beautiful wineries in the area and did a little wine tasting. While at Beaumont Estate Winery I found out several things.  One, they are organic, which is good for us as we live next to their vineyard and were a little concerned with the spraying.  No worries now!

The second is that we started discussing how Gewurtraminer was a great wine to make with steamed mussells.  And I had a little mini aha moment. I was always under the impression that you cook with leftover wine.  My husband and I love wine, but we don't drink a lot of it. We rarely finish a bottle that we open...so I realized that I should cook with the wine first, leaving at least 2 glasses to drink with our meal! 

That evening I arrived home with a new bottle of wine and a pound of mussells.  And started to search for a recipe, and here is a good one from Martha Stewart! Easy Peasy!

Mussels in White Wine and Garlic

Ingredients

2 cups dry white wine

4 large shallots, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 pounds live mussels

1/3 cup mixed fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, chervil, or basil, chopped

6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Directions

1.Rinse and scrub mussels under cold running water. Using your fingers or a paring knife, remove beards (strings that hang from the mussels' shells), and discard.

2.In a large stockpot set over medium heat, combine wine, shallots, garlic, and salt. Simmer 5 minutes. Add mussels.

3.Cover, and increase heat to high. Cook until all mussels are open, about 5 minutes. Stir in herbs and butter. Remove from heat. Divide mussels and broth among four bowls. Serve immediately.

Easter Ham...more than enough for Split-Pea & Ham Soup

Having had a delicious Easter Ham, we decided to use the left over for Split Pea and Ham Soup.  But I've never made a split pea soup.

I have recently started watching (recording) Chef at Home, and he had just made an quick and easy Split Pea Soup.  So I thought I would give it a try. What I like about this show is that it isn't just about recipes, Chef Michael Smith emphasizes using whatever you have in the kitchen.  He talks a lot about what ingredients that work well together, and to take recipes and make them your own.

Speedy Split Pea with Bacon (or in my case Ham)

Yield: 6 Ingredients

1 package bacon, chopped (I substituted leftover ham)

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped (I had parsnips, so added those as well)

2 stalks celery, washed and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled sliced thinly

2 cups dried split peas

8 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

Salt and pepper

2 cups of frozen peas

1 tablespoon of any vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)

Directions

1.Place bacon in a large soup pot over a medium high heat.

2.When the bacon is brown and crispy drain away the fat, leaving about 2 tbsp in the pot.
3.Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the pot and sauté for a few minutes.

4.Add the dried peas, stock, bay leaves, rosemary and salt and pepper.

5.Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until the soup is thick and the peas are completely soft.

6.Stir in frozen peas and stir to heat through.

7.Stir in the vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.

The Kitchen Boss and his Italian inspired chicken.

The Cake Boss has a new show...called the Kitchen Boss.  While I was watching it the other day, he had a quick and easy skewered chicken recipe.  I used the same marinade but didn't skewer it and it was tres yummy!

Marinade: Throw all of these in a blender...

Italian Parsley
Couple of Garlic Cloves
Oregano (he recommended fresh, all I had was dried)
Chili Flakes
Lemon Juice
Lemon Rind
S & P (that's salt and pepper!)
Olive Oil

Blend it all together and use it to marinate chicken (I used thighs) for at least an hour, then grill.

Mmmmm, mmmm, good!

Gai Lan: A spin on the traditional broccoli

If you have never tried Gai Lan "Chinese broccoli", you should give it a try.  It has a very similar taste to broccoli, and if you enjoy the heart of the broccoli (the stems), you'll love this veg!   To make it in a traditional Chinese way, it's super easy and healthy. 

Wash and trim the ends of the gai lan.
Using a little cooking spray in a frying pan. Toss in the cleaned gai lan, stir frying on high.  Add a touch of water to steam the veg, and then cover for a few minutes.  Then add oyster sauce, stirring the gai lan to cover completely...and it's ready!

The Pear Tree is Sharing the Love

I've discovered this new website "The Pear Tree"...and I'm quite enjoying it! They are all about showcasing all that is beautiful in the Okanagan. Right now they are having a contest giving away a cookbook Prairie Feast: A Writer’s Journey Home for Dinner, by Amy Jo Ehman. Enter to win by telling them about your favorite locally sourced food (local to you!). If you would like to enter here is the link, tell them The Mellow Mama sent you! http://thepeartree.ca/2011/02/sharing-the-love/

Making Chocolate Hearts

Do you want to be able to make these chocolate hearts for a special valentine?  Chipits has the instructions to make these, and it couldn't be easier.  The recipe is available here http://www.hersheycanada.com/en/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=7002#
Make something beautiful for your loved one!




RSVP International Marble Pastry Board 18x18-in.

Crock-pot Lasagna…mmmmmm

I’m always looking for good recipes that are quick and provide some variation to meals. Keeping in mind, that I’m quite new to this domestic stuff. I was watching an old show of Oprah, and Jessica Seinfeld shared this recipe…and last night I tried it! It was easy and yummy! This recipe is vegetarian, but I’m sure that you could add some ground beef to meat it up. Just make sure that you brown the ground beef with some onions before adding. I pretty much followed this recipe, but I did use Italian Seasoning instead of Oregano. The recipe can be found on Oprah’s site or in Jessica Seinfeld’s cook book Double Delicious. Good Simple Food for Busy, Complicated lives. Enjoy!

Serves 8. Each serving: 437 calories, 16g fat, 6g fibre