The Royal Wedding...this millenium's style.

I don't know if I am a complete Royalist...but I do believe they have their place. Yesterday was the wedding of Prince William and his new wife Catherine. It was a beautiful ceremony, with several tender moments between bride and groom. The bride's (and maid of honor's) gowns were lovely. Everyone looked very regal. And I had this sense of loss. I actually felt a little like...Oh my Goodness, I'll never get to marry the future King and become a Princess!

Ok, I am a bit deluded.  The facts are, I live on the otherside of the world, I'm already married, and oh yes...I don't know Prince William, or any of his friends and family. :)

What is it about Royal weddings that bring the idea of fairytales out in us? Why do many women want to have a fairytale romance, with a prince on a white horse whisking us away.  Maybe it has more to do with the fact that I just passed our one year anniversary. And I remember that when I got married, my maid of honor said that I would never look at weddings the same. That I would always get a tear in my eye and think back to my wedding.

And why am I worried, I did marry a Prince, my prince.

PS The picture at the top was a mock up by the Daily Mail in April 2010...the one on the right is the actual picture of the Royal Couple...good guess on the wedding dress Daily Mail!

Allergy Season is here.

Photo : allergyremediesblog.com

Oh my, I have a tough time with those allergies.  They vary in severity every year, but I sure hate the foggy feeling allergies give me.  I've been given advice that it is best to take antihistamines on a regular basis to help you body build up a resistance to the histamines in your body.  But boy are those things expensive!

Below are several coupons for Reactine Products.  Remember that at London Drugs you can stack multiple coupons and use competitor coupons.

Follow these links for your free coupons:

Reactine $1 coupon.

Reactine $2 coupon.

Reactine $3 Superstore Coupon.

Tips and Tricks Thursdays...tips for summer, camping and bbq's!

1. Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drip.

2. Use a meat baster to squeeze your pancake batter onto the hot griddle and you’ll get perfectly shaped pancakes every time.

3. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn’s natural sweetness.

4. To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.

5. Ants are said never to cross a chalk line. So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march.

Birthdays and Loot Bags

Photo: picnic.typepad.com

Although I am still 4 months away from hosting my first child's birthday party, the thought of it instills fear in my heart. I have been to several different birthdays and have picked up a few ideas that I liked.  But other ones were a frenzy of presents, a frenzy of eating, and then everyone grabbed their loot bag and left. All that intensity in a 2 hour period...whew, don't know if I can do it! 

I picked up a few good ideas on Picnic for some different cute types of lootbags (galvanized pails, cloth bags, decorated paper bags).  And to fill them, here are a few more ideas on Yummy Mummy.  We'll see if I will have the energy or creativity to pull off a cool party come the end of summer!

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.