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YES it is a beautiful sunny afternoon and I think a yak (kayak that is….lol) is in order.

Stay tuned to AS MY STOMACH CHURNS lol

Working for two years at Archie’s Seafood Restaurant on Commissioners Rd. opened my eyes to the restaurant industry. And, I believe, I was taught by the best! I never did envision myself working in a restaurant of any type but I needed the job and it wasn’t as a waitress. (Before you jump on the band wagon I think waitresses have a very stressful job and HATS OFF! to the good ones.) Waitressing reminded me too much of being a mom…..been there, got the T-shirt.  *a little side note – I do recommend the food at Archie’s. It’s quite yummy. LOL! They have the best garlic bread with cheese I’ve had in a very long time. If you get nothing else there try that!

So I worked take-out first. Friday nights were always crazy. Then I learned about how a kitchen runs and how to organize myself so nobody walked out the door with the wrong order. Doesn’t sound hard,right? Guess again. Then I started cooking on the buffet, flipping omlets, cooking pancakes, french toast and waffles, sometimes eggs, etc. After that I started working front of house, seating people, clearing tables, running food for buffet. Anything that needed to be done. And all the while learning about managing employees, scheduling etc from my good friend. (also my manager….see? Goes to show. When you are looking for a job, sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know…cliche but so true.) So…what’s the point? I LOVED IT! Who knew? I have always been a bit of a foodie.

This is my favorite part: I wanted more hours so I started working at Sandcastle in Port Bruce! Became Ass. Man.  Teehee….. I love saying that.  Marianne showed me a lot about how this Beach side restaurant works. Yah!  That’s right! I said it!  BEACH SIDE!!!!  What??  My dream job! I look out the windows and I see my lake! Yes…I will share. If I have too….GRIN.

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Well, Marianne had a baby. Really cute little baby girl. I asked and was given the position of manager. WHAT? Yeah…me.  So….needless to say I have been busy setting up scheduling. Hours talking to suppliers and trying to place orders that give us all we need to open and not run out, BUT….also stay within budget. Checking with the Health Unit because everyone has to have a Food Management Safety Certificate. Trying to make sure I can keep track of waste, etc and portion control on the food. Lots of paper work but I figure once it’s set up I’m good to go. And I have to wave a big hello to my BFF, Chrissy. Her brains are good pickn’s. 

I’ll be back to share the adventure after we open.  Have fun till then.

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I believe this is a vintage pattern. It’s hard to tell the size but it’s about the spread of my hand, four or five inches. I used kitchen cotton and a 5.5mm hook.

Chain 13 or whatever size fits over your tap. Close the circle with a slip stitch into the first chain crocheted.

Chain one and single crochet 30 stitches. More or less depending on your tension and length of chain. Slip stitch into chain one.

Row 1: 3 sc, 3 sc into next stitch, 3 sc. ch1, turn.
Row 2: 4 sc, 3 sc into next stitch, 4 sc, ch 1, turn.
Row 3: 5 sc, 3 sc into next stitch, 5 sc, ch 1, turn.
Row 4: 6 sc, 3 sc into next stitch, 5 sc, ch 1, turn.

Continue this pattern until 21 stitches.

Some people like to crochet a little edging, (I used a picot edging on the dishclothes I made for my friend.) For my own clothes I don’t . I hope you love these little babies as much as I do.

So…..on to the pitas. This was my first attempt. I had a feeling it would take a few tries to achieve the BUBBLE! I hope to nail it next time. So…what did I learn? LOL!!

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I learned this:

Use a food processor. (I don’t have one yet but will shortly…lol. Very labor intensive)
Don’t put in too much water.
Roll out thinly.
Don’t make them too big!
Make sure your oven is HOT!!!! 500 degree F hot! and your stone or cookie sheet is HOT.

Bottom line: I will continue to do this over until I get it right. Mine may not have “bubbled” properly but they were DELICIOUS!! I plan on freezing a bunch to use over the summer at the trailer.

So google a recipe and have some fun!! Please share your tips or failures and we can learn together.

Now, anyone that knows me will you tell you I have a real passion for garlic and citrus. To find a dish that is so simple and incorporates both of my favorite flavors is a kick for me. It is so creamy and lush…ohhhhhh. Okay enough drooling…. here it is:

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Ingredients:
1 can chick peas (or about two cups)
2 or 3 limes
5 or 6 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons tahini (or peanut butter)
1/8 cup water (or liquid from can of chick peas)
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

First thing you want to do is juice the limes and press, grate or very finely mince the garlic. Mix together and set aside. This allows all that wonderful garlic juice to meld with the lime. You could use lemon instead if that’s what you have but it won’t have the same flavour.

In a blender or food processor add the chick peas (drain and rinse them very well), salt if you are using it and the water. Puree until quite smooth. Add a little more water if needed. Go easy because you will be adding more liquid shortly. Now add the tahini and lime/garlic mix. Puree until the consistancy you like. Some like it a little chunky….I love it smooth.

That’s it. Simple as can be! Some people like to drizzle it with olive oil to serve but I don’t. This hummus can be served with pitas or veggies…..or whatever else your imagination desires.

Enjoy!

This morning I awoke all snuggled into my husband and my nice warm bed. Great start to the day. But then I pulled off the covers and BRRRRR it was cold. As strange as this may sound I pictured a chicken boiling in a pot. LOL!!! I couldn’t help myself. After breakfast I assembled the makings for many meals!

Before I continue, I have had a couple of my friends ask me how to make chicken broth that is not fatty so here is a tutorial. As some of you know my kids are grown up and moved out. It’s just my hubby and I so our food stretches much further now. This is a good thing considering how expensive and…..well……processed our foods are. I much prefer “from scratch” and “real” food. One fryer chicken can make ingredients for many other meals it just takes a little more time to do. But believe me, it’s worth it.

Here’s a list of ingredients:

1 fryer chicken
several cloves of garlic
2 or 3 carrots
2 or 3 stalks of celery
1 whole medium onion
4 or 5 stalks of fresh sage
2 tsp salt
enough water to cover

Pretty simple so far…..and it doesn’t get any harder. Chop your carrots, celery and onion how ever you like. I do mine in chunks so it’s easy to remove at the end. Smash and roughly chop the garlic as well. I personally use 6 or 8 cloves but I love garlic. A little trick, put your salt on the cutting board and smash your garlic on top of it. The salt soaks up that precious garlic juice.

Put your washed chicken in a good sized pot (dutch oven or stock pot works nicely). Now, if you have planned ahead and your chicken is thawed, remove the skin. If you are like me most days and the chicken is frozen solid, don’t worry about it. Just put it in the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and cover everything with water. Put on your lid and turn the heat to medium to get it started. Once it bubbles turn it to low and walk away for several hours. Three or four is usually sufficient.

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We haven’t been grocery shopping yet so I had to use up the last few dregs of veg from the crisper. If you find your garlic has started to sprout, cut it in half length wise and remove the green bits. These green bits tend to leave a bitter taste. I had three well sprouted cloves so I planted them! This year I am going to experiement at the trailer with raised garden beds and container gardening.

When you feel your stock is probably ready (meat is falling off the bones) remove it from the heat and let it cool down for half an hour so you can handle it without being burned.

Pull out the chicken. I usually put it in a colander and let drain over the pot for a few minutes. Set this aside, Strain out all the veg and sage and put that aside as well. Pour your broth into a heat resistant bowl or big measuring jug. Set it aside while you work so it will be cool enough to put in the fridge.

At this point it’s a good idea to know what meals you want to prepare with your chicken. This time I am making chicken pies and of course some chicken soup. Strip your carcass baby! Make sure to remove all the skin and as much fat and gristly stuff as you can. (Throw it away!) How you cut up your meat will depend on what you are making. Once you have completed this messy task make sure you totally clean your work suface, put those dishes in the sink and wash your hands. When working with chicken you must make sure you clean up so bacteria can’t grow and make you sick.

Now on to your veg. I remove the sage. It has done it’s job at this point. The rest of the veg I cut up and add them to my planned dishes.

At this point you can stop what you are doing, if you run out of time, and freeze your chicken and veg. I usually do this in freezer bags.

Making chicken pie is so easy. Just make up a two crust pastry recipe. Or double it if you are using the whole chicken for this dish. In a pan simmer the chicken and veg from the stock with whatever other veg you would like to use. (I love mushrooms and peas) Cut two or three good sized potatos into half inch cubes and add to the pan. Add whatever herbs/spices you enjoy and about two cups of broth. Simmer for about 20 minutes. You can add more stock when needed. When the potatos are tender mix up a quarter cup of water with two or three tablespoons of flour. Beat it well as you don’t want lumps in your gravy. Turn up the heat under the chicken mixture and let it get good and bubbly. Slowly pour the flour water into the chicken mixture, stirring constantly until it thickens.Here is your filling.

I like to make individual size meat pies so roll out and cut your pastry to fit in muffin tins. Cut tops to fit as well. Spoon your filling into of the tin. Wash the edges of your pastry with milk and egg mixture and put your top on, pinching it to create a seal. Cut a couple small slits in the top of your pies and bake for about 40 minutes (untill your pastry is golden but not dark brown) in a 375 F oven. Let them cool completely and freeze individually on cookie sheets. Once frozen put them in a large freezer bag, date them.

So….now your broth should be cool enough to put in the fridge. I usually leave it over night. When the stock is cold all the fat will be collected and hardened on the top of the broth. Scrape it off and throw it away! This may sound a little crazy after removing that fat but believe me it’s not. Heat up your broth and add 1 or 2 tablespoons of real butter. Not margarine! This gives the broth an amazing flavor. Now it’s ready to use or freeze.

I hope you enjoy making your own!