Ow's it goin', Maid!

I had the most wonderful 45 min walk last weekend on the old railway trail behind my house: in my hiking sneakers, sun shining, up a busy thoroughfare, onto a side street and finally in the quiet of the trail. There was still snow in the middle of the trail in spots; and the melting reveals copious amounts of dog poop! But beautiful and refreshing all the same. The spring bulbs I'd planted in the fall came up in spite of the poor soil in which I'd planted them which was so exciting for me as I miss my Nova Scotia garden terribly. 


We've had a very long, cold winter. The Bay froze over ... then melted ... then refroze --- probably 3 times at least. So, an ice breaker went through a few weeks ago and crunched all the ice together and on top of each other until parts of it resembled Toblerone bars. Saturday and Easter Sunday were warm (for western NL) with 7 C (45 F); and on both days, I had a steady stream of fake icebergs that floated by my front window. It was lovely to sit outside in my lawn chair and watch them.  

Then yesterday, we had freezing rain, then rain, then snow: and today, it's -1 C (30 deg F), for Lard's sake! We don't put our winter clothing away until late May on this Island!  Oh well, it'll be spring again this weekend. 

My youngest daughter asked me to bake scones (one of my specialities) and a cake for her upcoming bridal shower. I haven't really baked for 3 years and haven't baked a plain cake for even longer. But on Good Friday past, I began. The 'crown' orange cake came out beautifully! But I discovered that I'm not very good at pound cakes; it was a bit 'dunch', another great Newfie word. However, it is very tasty! So, into the freezer with it so it can be used later for trifle. 

Dunch: n' dull, heavy: v 'to get stiff with long waiting; heavy, doughy.
   Stiff; cramped or numbed from sitting in one position; to be cramped in the legs, 
   arms, etc.   For example: " You wouldn't be able to stay keeled out on the settle 
   bench very long 'cause it would be quite 'ard and yer bum would go dunch!" 

My next two white layers looked good but were very thin because I didn't notice that my cake pans were 9" instead of 8". So, those got iced and eaten at Easter dinner. Yum!

FINALLY, I baked a simple yellow cake which worked out beautifully ..... so I made two to be cut into four. They're in the freezer waiting to be iced and decorated this Saturday. Wish me luck!

Here's hoping that your weekend is warm and your cakes rise beautifully!

We Can-nelloni get Tasty and Healthy!

Today was "Cooking for the Week" day.  On the menu?  (1) Honey Mustard marinated Pork Chops, (2) Fruity Meatloaf, (3) Vegetable Beef Barley Soup, and (4) Cannelloni -- all of them fitting into my WW diet.

I recently bought a new cookbook by Canadians Janet and Greta Podleski.  They take everyday recipes and find delicious ways to make them healthier; as well, the book is full of practical weight-loss, anti-aging and healthy-living tips (as well as some of the corniest jokes and puns I've ever read).  I love the girls; and I love what they've done with this "best of" cookbook. (They also have a TV show and a fabulous website.)  This is where my Cannelloni recipe came from today.

Part of my healthy journey is challenging myself to try new foods.  Today I cooked with fennel.  It has a gorgeous licorice smell to it, so I knew I'd like it right away. 

It'll help with my tooting!

Fennel is surprisingly full of nutrients. Aside from being low in calories and fat-free, it's a good source of the B vitamin folate, potassium and even supplies some vitamin C.   It's a rich source of antioxidants, most notably, a good source of a phytochemical called anethole, which has been shown in animal studies to reduce inflammation and even prevent cancer.   The health benefits of fennel include relief from anemia, indigestion, flatulence, constipation, colic, diarrhea, respiratory disorders, menstrual disorders, eye care, etc. Fennel, bearing the scientific name Foeniculum Vulgare Miller, or its essence, is widely used around the world in mouth fresheners, toothpastes, desserts, antacids and in culinary.

We start by drizzling olive oil and balsamic vinegar over chopped tomatoes, red pepper, onion, garlic and fennel and then roast this for 45 minutes.  What an aroma!

Once cooled, simmer this with crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, basil leaves and Italian seasoning for 15 minutes; then you puree.  This is your sauce.


The filling for the cannelloni is made up of ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, parmesan, chopped spinach, an egg and seasonings of basil, oregano, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. 

You lovingly tuck the filling into each cannelloni shell (thanking God the whole time for such things as fennel, balsamic vinegar and ricotta).  I easily filled the whole box of shells - 8 total; and made 2 casserole dishes.  Top with a little shredded cheese and bake.  (I used no-cook cannelloni shells so it was 45 min for mine.) 

How did it taste?  Oh my goodness:  it was divine!  

The filling was cheesy but quite delicate in flavor.  The sauce wasn't thick, but because of all the vegetables, it had texture and substance to it; there was no hint of licorce but it had a slight sweetness and a mellow tomato flavor.  It was a perfect combination!


6 Points Plus for each cannelloni; so with salad and avocado dressing, I'd say I ate 14 points ..... more than I usually eat for dinner but a wonderful meal and well worth saving my day for.

Sunday with Shef Sandy!

Today was meal prep day for the week.  (Well, not all the meals, of course.  We can eat chicken nuggets and/or grilled cheese some nights, right!)  And my little Japanese daughter - who's never seen or tasted any of this food - is my new cooking sidekick!   

On today's "Sunday with Shef Sandy" we prepared:

• a deep, dark, delicious, warming chili with a healthy dose of minced jalepenos (minus 8 temps call for heat)
• a lovely help-clean-out-the-fridge soup with minced bacon, chopped ham, black beans, rice, veggies and a dollop of tomato sauce 
• Ambrosia for dessert; and these yummy double chocolate banana muffins for school lunches (and sneaking while I blog!)

And then there was this new dish for dinner:  Chicken Adobo.  I found the recipe online looking for crockpot recipes.

Easy recipe:

Marinate 3-5 lb of chicken (4 thighs for me) in 1/4 cup soy sauce, lots of minced garlic, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or regular), 2-4 bay leaves, salt and pepper.  Marinate for a good long while:  7 hr for me; recipe says overnight. When ready to bake, the chicken gets baked on a bed of shredded carrots (1-1.5 cups) and an onion sliced in rings.  Pour the marinade over this, cover with foil and bake for an hour to 1.5 hr (or cook in the crockpot on low for 7-8; high for 4-5).  

I served this with rice and a simple spinach salad.  And it was absolutely delicious!  The chicken was tender and infused with flavor; and the carrots and onions had a sweet 'n' sour flair.    

A definite YES recipe!