Calendar Making Woes and Joys

 

 

I have a "Love / Hate" relationship with my calendars. I have been making them since my daughter turned 1. She's 12 now. That's a lot of calendars and a ton of scrapbooking!  The first year I made them, I decided the month before Christmas that I was going to make 5 handmade calendars for the grandparents, great grandparents and one for myself. I had no idea of the time and stress this gift might cause. Even those simple calendars required me working day and night. My husband became an over night scrapbooking sensation, popping eyelets through pages and stamping the month names onto the calendars...even SPETEMBER (his mom got that calendar). My initial intention with calendars was to make one, a highlight of MacLean's first year. They were so well received that I keep making new ones...every year. 

 

These calendars highlight special moments that occurred in the previous year, during that month. We had a fantastic 2016! A new puppy, growing children, my nephews starting preschool and kindergarten. I was so excited about how the calendars turned out this year! Each layout, more special than the last. This year's calendars were equally as pressed for time as the first simple one I sat down to do in 2005, the technique, however, has improved. 

I use many different scrapbooking techniques in my calendars. Each page begins with a photo, from there, I draw out colours, find coordinating papers and look for inspiration. I often find inspiration at a local scrapbooking store, The Scrapyard, its a vortex of creativity. They offer many classes and have the most wonderful scrapbookers on site. There is always someone around, willing to offer you some helpful advice or to teach you the latest technique. 

 

When I make calendar layouts, I always leave the brand strip on the bottom of the page. I bind the calendars myself and find that this extra bit of paper helps with reinforcing your coil. I later choose a coordinating paper that I can fold over the front and back of the layout to ensure a strong reinforcement. This is challenging. Not reinforcing. Mixing your patterns. The blank calendar page gets glued onto the back of your layout. Its not always easy to match the black and orange layout to whatever colour scheme you chose for your November layout. Neutral patterns come in handy for that!

 

As you can see from this photo. I opted for a black and white wood grain print, which works well with my November layout and even better with the October prints!

This year, I used so many new photo editing apps. These added even more detail and interest to my layouts. I've always loved the instagram filters but there are so many other special apps out there. A few of my favourites are "A Beautiful Mess," which is an amazing collage app and "Waterlogue," with this app you have the ability to change your photos into watercolour "paintings." A Beautiful Mess allows you to put photos into collage frames, add filters, wording, images and borders. Waterlogue, has so many different styles of watercolour that you can create photos that look like historic artworks or even comic book frames. When these two apps are used in conjunction with each other, you can create interesting pieces like this...

 

When you're rushing to create a Halloween page, having the ability to print a photo layout like this one, on an 8.5 X 11 photo page, makes it very quick to create a 12 X 12 scrapbooking layout. As you can imagine, most of the layout is covered, you only have a few details to add to your hybrid digital / handmade scrapbooking piece. 

Typically, the last layout in my calendar is a family photo in front of our tree. I was renovating for guests prior to Christmas and designing a calendar. Decorating my tree would have to come after I mailed the calendars out to two sets of grandparents. I found inspiration for my December layout in an old photo of my brother and I at Christmas and an old Christmas book, T'was the Night Before Christmas. This copy of the classic Christmas story belonged to my children's great grandmother. I couldn't help but photocopy the image of Santa in the chimney onto cardstock and fussy cut it, to add as an important vintage element on my holiday layout. I just love the way it turned out. 

 

These gifts are so personal, my mother in law's calendar features very different photos than the one for my mom. My mother's calendar is drenched with photos of her grandchildren (my neice and nephews that live so close to me). My own often features family photos of my little family unit of four. All of the layouts, however, are made from the same papers and elements and come together quickly. The first one taking 2-3 hours to create and the final one, 15 to 20 minutes to recreate. 

I hope after reading this article, you find some inspiration to sit down with your photos and make something beautiful for someone you love. This project always causes stress because I never start it early enough. I'll never stop making them though, I enjoy them way too much. 

Thanks for reading!!  Feel free to comment below with any questions or concerns, or if you just liked this Big Idea. 

Quick and Healthy Eats. A Local Treat. Soffritto Bison Lasagna

 

I realize I often write about convenience food.  Its because quick meals are a reality for many families. These modern times have different rules and expectations than many other generations. In so many homes, both parents work, children are busy with extracurricular activities; we're hyper focused on nutrition and require a healthy meal to be laid out on the table before rushing off to evening activities. There are ample reasons for busyness. The reality of the situation is that we fill our time, regardless of what it is filled with, it is filled. 

Lately my time has been filled with renovations. Painting, gluing, wallpapering and all in my kitchen. A fridge in my dining room; a week end without a stove; the perfect recipe for lots of eating out.  Or preparing quick meals like this...

Romantic pic hey? Even a filter cannot make this turkey wrap look appealing. We were installing a new ceiling, we needed some quick energy. The Laughing Cow Cheese was a supremely good alternative to Mayo, my kids loved it. Unfortunately, I had limited space to cook and eat and lots to do. Going out for a burger was exactly what we needed to do! 

We opted for a local restaurant, Boardwalk Burgers. We had a coupon, their new location was close to our house and we had never tried it before. Why not try something new? The burgers were pretty good, I've had better but they were decent, the fries were yummy and the malts looked good...though I didn't try them. Seemed like a few too many calories for one meal. Our coupon was for a free burger. We ordered two large fries, two regular drinks, and four burgers. The total was around $40, with a free burger. The large fries were obscene, one would have been sufficient for the whole family. Regardless, the kids liked it, but I had to listen while they whined about no malts. I left, frustrated with my kids, ready to get back to work in the kitchen and with a stomach ache. That kind of food doesn't sit well. Its not great fuel and though the thought of a diner style restaurant is fun, it is never what your body needs. 

This evening I was looking for some actual food. I'm still working hard with the reno...ceiling paint is on the list for things to do tonight. I didn't want to spend a ton of time on food prep or messing up my kitchen but I wanted real food. I stopped by one of my favourite local stores...Soffritto. I checked in with Gord, the owner, to see what he would recommend. Lasagna was his suggestion. Bison Lasanga. I decided to spend the same amount on dinner as our burger excursion on the week end. $40. That bought me two lasagnas. I had a Caesar Salad Kit in the fridge, on which I had spent a whopping $3.99; so this meal was essentially the same cost. Not the same nutrients. 

Soffritto boasts that their meals are made from high quality and local ingredients. They have every right to boast. Farmers Market bison, locally sourced tomatoes, fresh chewy and stringy cheese, homemade noodles and a housemade, herbaceous, rich sauce that features one of my favourite flavours...red wine. 

It cooked up easily and quickly and according to the package instructions. I preheated the oven to 375 F; I opted to cover loosely with tinfoil at 30 minutes and baked for a total of 50 minutes. 

 

They baked up beautifully. Smelled divine and tasted delicious! Real food. No kitchen mess. What a delightful and quick meal. I served lasagna with my favourite side salad, Caesar with some chopped kale, for added goodness. The kids were thrilled with dinner and so was I. After a week of garbage eating, I was happy to present a home cooked meal that didn't leave me feeling exhausted, in a messy kitchen. The ceiling wasn't going to wait. 

 

Best part of this experiment...it came in waaaay under budget...

 

It was so filling, we only ate one. $20 to feed my whole family? That's great value!  Cheaper than take out. Luckily the lasagnas come in these nifty containers, we packaged up the second one to be consumed for lunches or another meal later this week. Tonight, to celebrate our delicious, under budget meal, we opened a lovely Tempranillo. It perfectly complimented dinner and to motivated this girl to get some construction done! 

 

I understand that we don't all have a Soffritto around the corner, but look around, you might be surprised by what you find at your local Farmers Markets, Grocery Stores and Restaurants. It's ok to demand more from the food you're eating. Your body needs fuel. Delicious fuel. Thanks for reading!!!  If you have any questions or concerns or you just liked this Big Idea, please feel free to comment below!

 

Pizza, garlic fingers and salad

 

All good pizzas start with a good crust. A foundation, a  bit of chewy, bready goodness. The same rule applies with garlic fingers. I grew up on the east coast of Canada where garlic fingers are staple.  Many, many nights of drunken debauchery ended with the consumption of a large garlic fingers. Some might even consider said consumption a preventive measure to avoid an inevitable hang over. After university, I moved to western Canada. A place where garlic fingers did not exist.  Seems like reason enough to pack up and move back home! Or learn how to make them really well. Get all of your westerner friends hooked on them. Teach them about the life force that exists in a pan of garlic fingers. This girl was up for the challenge! 

The link below is my current favourite pizza crust. It is an amazing, no fail crust that comes together very quickly; within 2 hours.  

http://carlsbadcravings.com/perfect-homemade-pizza-crust/

If you're making pizza and garlic fingers, the above link is a good place to start. The recipe makes two really good sized crusts. 

Once your dough has risen, roll it out. Sprinkle your pizza stones with cornmeal and preheat your oven to 450 F. 

The other secret to a really good garlic fingers, is a delicious garlic butter, you can buy a store bought butter or whip one up on your own, this one is my go to!!  Swiss Butter House Ltd Garlic Lover's garlic butter is fantastically delicious!!  

 

My next tip for pizza and garlic fingers is to always mix your cheeses! My personal fave is mozzarella and parmesan. I always add half parm and half mozza for my garlic fingers. My pizza ratio is 3/4 mozza to 1/4 parmesan. Parmesan is so special on a pizza, it adds a big bold Italian flavour to your pizza, plus it helps with the browning of your cheese. 

 

When I make a pizza, there is only one true set of toppings for me. As I have already mentioned, I grew up on the east coast of Canada. In my home town when I order a pizza, I order a "Combination Pizza." The perfect combination. Pepperoni, mushrooms and green pepper. These flavours are so perfectly married that that East Coasters have aptly named this pizza Combination. Are there any other combinations? Sure, but not for this girl!

Once your toppings are prepped and your dough has been stretched and rolled out, place it on your pizza stone, which has been dusted with cornmeal. Add your favourite sauce (left over bolognese makes an extra special base sauce), your favourite toppings; feel free to venture away from "Combination," though I wouldn't recommend it, and bake for 18-20 minutes in your very hot oven! Make sure you cool your pizza and garlic fingers for a few moments before you cut. Otherwise your toppings slip around, although you may enjoy eating the cheese off of the closest slice, that slice becomes far less appealing to your friends and family without its toppings!!  I always serve my garlic fingers with either pizza sauce or donair sauce. The recipe below comes together quickly and easily. 

http://www.food.com/recipe/donair-sauce-481802

 

As always, serve with a salad. Half your plate people!!!  Veggies couldn't be more important!  Your body needs fibre. I quickly beefed up this Caesar Salad Kit with some chopped kale. Super delicious and nutritious!!  

This whole meal came together in two hours, before my kid's evening activities!  The reviews were fantastic! 

Thanks for reading! Few free to comment below with any questions, concerns or if you just liked this Big Idea!!

Sometimes Soccer Gets Cancelled: Perfect Potato Side Dish

 

Every once and a while you get a quick break. An unexpected break.  I got one tonight! My daughter has been playing soccer 5 times per week. It is fantastic for her health and we love to watch her practice and play, but on a cold and rainy day a cancelled practice is a treat! A treat for mom and dad with wine!!

 

My hubby and I have been exploring the Bordeaux region as of late, so we cracked this one and I cooked a roasted chicken, made up some gravy, baked some zucchini, tossed together a Greek Salad and served them with these fantastic potatoes!!

These potatoes are delicious, rustic and simple. Before you begin prepping, preheat your oven to 425F. 

Prepping these potatoes over the years, I have experienced a challenging moment or two. I absolutely hate when I cut straight through them. It totally ruins the presentation and is easier to do than you would expect! I have a trick!!! Much internet research has led me to this incredibly brilliant innovation. I cannot take the credit, nor can I remember where I picked up this handy trick but....

 

That's it! Chopsticks! They act as the perfect guide to assist in keeping your potatoes in tact! 

 

After your potatoes are sliced, add a healthy serving of butter to each potato, along with some salt and pepper. 

 

Bake for 20 minutes. Add more butter and some salt and pepper and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes. 

 

When the potatoes come out of the oven, feel free to sprinkle them with Parmesan Cheese and fresh herbs.  Tonight, I opted to keep them simple, as I was serving with a creole spiced chicken, garlic roasted zucchini and a Greek Salad. Seemed like I had enough going on!

 

There you go guys! I always say I'm a hyper hypo! Once again, I have provided proof.  As the oven was already on, I tossed some barbeque chicken legs in for the kids lunches.  Its like I love doing dishes or something...I do not. 

Thanks for reading!! If you have any questions, comments, or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to post below! 

Where Problems Become Details, My Own Creative Space

 

My husband and I are always tearing something apart in our house and as I prepare to take on a ceiling and lighting job in our kitchen, next week, I'm reflecting on our last renovation. You may or may not know this about me; I'm a creative mess. I love to make things. All things. Anything! 

 

See!?! Total Creative Mess!!   I've been scrapbooking for years. I'm always working on one project or another and until recently, I was working in a pretty uninspiring space. A space that had almost no storage and a giant bed in the middle of it. A bed I covered with layouts, ribbons, glue, scissors. Heaven forbid I'd have a guest. I'd have to hide everything away! Lose momentum on projects, or lose the projects all together! It came from this frustration that my husband and I decided to upgrade my creative space. 

 

The basement bedroom has a tiny window. An itty bitty window that allows minimal light into a rather large basement room. There was a huge, oversized closet in the room that inefficiently housed most of my supplies. It jutted out from the wall and covered half of the window. As enlarging the window was not an option at this point, my husband decided our best approach was to remove the closet. Which might seem nuts but it actually worked out quite well once we dealt with headaches related to the design of the space. The closet was placed where it was, as it hid the duct work and air vents that ran from one end of house to the other. We opted to box the duct work in and wall paper the wall as a feature to house my desk and the IKEA storage unit we purchased for my supplies. 

 

There was a support post built into one of the closet walls. We structurally needed to leave that where it was and opted to distress pallet boards to build it in. It became a feature as well. A problem became a detail. 

 

These details or problems add character to a space and working in an older home, you find problems around every corner!

 

My Scrapbooking Room still needed to be a functional guest room, so we added a beautiful Murphy Bed, from Costco's Bestar Line. Alongside the bed we ordered and installed storage units, from the same line.  This was truly the best solution. I now have the entire floor space for large projects (like my current one...painting and distressing a dining table and chairs). 

 

 

This project worked out very well. I now have an inspiring space with plenty of room to move around! A place to sleep and some extra storage for my guests. Just what I needed!!!

I'll keep you all posted with future adventures in my old house...full of problems...oops! I mean details! 

Thanks for reading!!! Please feel free to comment below with any questions, concerns, or if you just liked this Big Idea!!!

Oh! For Convenience Sake!!

 

It is day four of driving kids to activities, cleaning the house, dropping kids at school. I'm heading into day three of volunteering this week and I'm getting ready to host two play dates tomorrow afternoon at an indoor playground, where I too will need to run, jump and climb like a ninja. I'm tapped out My Friends! This mama needs an easy dinner! 

Buying convenience food is a necessity. Everyone needs a break from time to time. Convenience foods, however, are not all created equal. I have a few tips and tricks up my sleeve that will help you find healthier options for you family. 

My first recommendation is find a grocery store that makes food on site, from healthy and wholesome ingredients. Living in a city, I'm very fortunate. Some of my favourite stops for healthy and convenient food are places like Soffrito's, a local oil distributor that sells fantastic homemade pizzas, pastas, casseroles and salads. It'll cost you more than a trip to McDonald's, but your kids need fuel to get through their evening activities after a full day at school. These "homecooked meals" are no different than something you would prepare in your own kitchen, full of fibre, nutrients, proteins and healthy fats. The mess, however, is in someone else's kitchen.  You get all of the glory and the credit for something that someone else prepared! 

 

Another favourite stop is my local Italian Market. Spinelli Italian Centre is a grocery store, a bakery, a deli and a Cafe. Which means I can fuel my body on the best and most affordable cappuccino in town, while picking up healthy ingredients and meals for my family. Better yet, I can book a coffee date with a friend and then bumble through the store. 

I grabbed so many awesome and convenient foods at the market today. When I'm shopping for convenience, I'm looking for minimal ingredients. A short list. Ingredients I know by name. 

 

I picked up these potatoes on a recommendation from my Bestie. She's says they're super delicious, can't wait to munch on my potatoes cooked in duck fat, which by the way crisps up a potato like no other potato.  They'll be lovely alongside some chicken, served with broccoli or a bagged salad. 

 

This sweet kale salad is so good I forgot to photograph the bag. All I'm saying is convenient doesn't need to be unhealthy, it just needs to be quick!

I keep Coco Brooks frozen pizzas in my freezer. I love to pick up the kid's cheese flavoured one. This is a locally made pizza, from a company that offers tons of fundraising opportunities for charities, schools and organized sports. 

 

A cheese pizza is a perfect jumping off point for kids. A great lesson in simple cooking. Sure you could have it plain or you could add your favourite toppings before you cook it up. Your favourite pepperoni, salami or even mushrooms. 

Today we're having Meatball Subs, garlic buttered with marinara sauce, spinach, a sprinkle of parsley and Parmesan Cheese. This recipe is simple especially when you don't need to prep the meatballs!  I purchased these meatballs at the Italian Market, they cost me about $13.00 and they're fantastic. 

 

How about if you don't even need to cook your marinara sauce? Even more simple, right? As you can see the sauce was $6.25, I only needed half of it, I'll freeze the rest for a later date!! I'll use it on a pizza, as a pretzel dip or over pasta. 

 

I picked up torpedo buns for our sandwiches. Mmmm. They were made in the bakery at the market. I buttered the buns with my favourite garlic butter, which I always keep on hand. 

 

I had a few extra minutes, as you can see in this pic, its only 5:09. My first sport drop off was at 6pm. Lots of time! I sautéed some zucchini in my favourite olive oil...Soffritto's Garlic Infused Olive Oil. I buy as much of it as I can, as often as I can! I also added some sea salt, some pepper and some oregano. 

 

These zucchini rounds were a nice touch! I served my kids meatball sandwiches on toasted torpedo buns, with sautéed zucchini, spinach and fresh parsley. They may or may not have removed the zucchini...but I definitely enjoyed it! They did partake in the side Caesar Salad and the heirloom carrots. They even left their spinach on their subs. 

 

There you have it!! Quick, convenient and relatively low cost. I'm calling this one...#winning. 

If you have any questions, comments or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to comment below! Thanks for reading!!

Turkey Lurkey Soup

 

Turkey soup starts with a delicious turkey dinner. A turkey dinner with all of the fixins'.  Everyone tells you they know the best way to cook a yummy and juicy turkey. I'm no different! The best way to produce a moist and delicious turkey is to brine it first. (Funny side note, the word brine autocorrected to bribe. That also might work! A bribe). Regardless, never make a turkey without brining first.  This is a rule. It is truly the secret to a juicy and tasty turkey. Turkey tastes way better if it has had a 24 hour salt bath, with all of the best poultry friendly herbs. 

 

I always use my cooler to brine my turkey. I add: 

2 cups of sea salt

1 tbsp of whole peppercorns

2-4 bay leaves

Fresh sprigs of thyme, parsley, sage and rosemary

2 cloves of garlic 

1/2 cup of brown sugar or honey

Fill the cooler halfway with above ingredients and cold water; dissolve the salt. Add the turkey and then top off with with more cold water. 

 

Wait 24 hours. When you're ready to cook your turkey, drain off the excess water. If you stuff your turkey; now would be the time. Stuff away!!! Give that turkey a delicious butter massage; whisper sweet nothings to the turkey, place more butter, sage and stuffing under the skin and fill the cavity with as much stuffing as you can manage. Sprinkle poultry seasoning, pepper, chopped parsley, thyme and rosemary all over the skin of the turkey. 

Heat your oven to 400F. Place your turkey inside the oven, uncovered for 20 minutes, to brown the skin. Reduce your heat to 325F and continue to roast, covered, for 15-20 minutes per pound. Baste every 30 minutes.  Make sure you're checking the temperature of your turkey regularly. When it reaches 165F, remove from the oven, leave covered with foil on the counter, to rest. 

Now for the soup!! This is a two day process. After you pick the carcass clean, place the bones (or as many of them that fit) into your slow cooker. Add anything that might add flavour; leftover gravy, stuffing, an onion, a full carrot, celery and bay leaves. Top off the slow cooker with water. Make a bone broth. To do this, turn you slow cooker onto its low setting. When the liquid begins to boil and before you go to sleep, after a high dose of tryptophan, turn your slow cooker down to warm. I leave it on all night and awake to the most delicious smelling broth, in the morning.  Strain your bones through a colander, placed inside a large bowl. Reserve your broth. 

 

Place your broth filled bowl in the fridge. As your soup cools, it will separate.  

 

Remove the layer of fat from the top of the broth. 

 

Discard this layer. 

  

Place your broth into a large stock pot and boil. Taste your broth, as it heats up and decide if it requires salt. Once your soup has begun boiling, turn it down to medium high heat. Add the harder vegetables. Your carrots, potatoes, even parsnips, if you desire. Leave these ingredients to cook for 15 -20 minutes.  At this point, add zucchini, I like to cut mine into ribbons, as I often forego noodles, this is a great substitute. Continue to cook for another 3 minutes. At this point, turn off your pot and add frozen peas. Remove from heat. The peas will cook within the soup broth and will remain firm. 

 

Your turkey soup is now ready for consumption. Enjoy!!  If you like noodles in your soup; cook them separately, and store them separately in the fridge. Noodles in your soup broth will swell and absorb much of the broth. Your bowl of soup will be much more desirable if you place your noodles in the bowl and pour hot soup over them.  Try it with a slice of homemade sourdough!  

http://melsbigideas.blogspot.ca/2017/01/making-sourdough-bread-practicing.html?m=0

 

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or comments, or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to comment below.