On a trip a year ago to visit my Dad, the culinary genius, I had introduced him to the blog Steamy Kitchen where he proceeded to bookmark and print off all the recipes that made him drool on his computer screen. We spent an entire Saturday afternoon making and rolling her mother's famous Egg Rolls, as well as Firecracker Shrimp. We had a feast of Fried Rice, Beef & Broccoli, Lemon Chicken and those crispety, crunchety, delectable egg rolls. My mouth wouldn't stop eating the egg rolls even though my stomach was making things perfectly clear that it was FULL. Just. one. more.

I attempted to make them once on my own but got the wrong wrappers and really didn't know my way around a deep fryer, so I decided that my Dad was a necessary component to the long drawn out egg roll making process.

So when he came to visit me a few weeks ago, there was one thing on both of our minds. EGG ROLLS. We spent two afternoons rolling two different batches (we defs needed extra for the freezer). As I rolled I would sneak bits of the cooked pork/cabbage/carrot filling. With every mouthful I would exclaim "mmmmmm.....this is sooooo good". On the second day of rolling, I thought what a shame it was that the egg rolls took such a long time to make. As I reached for my 18th bite of filling and popped it in my mouth I thought "THIS is so good on it's own, I should just turn it into a stir fry"....as the wheels of my brain started to turn I started to compose a recipe in my head right there on the spot. I dropped my egg roll mid-roll and ran to my recipe journal to write it down.

I have since made this recipe a few times, each time perfecting and working on the sauce. My family and I all agree now that this stir fry is an absolute keeper.


Recipe inspired by Steamy Kitchen
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Serves 4


Pork Marinade:
3/4 lb pork chops, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar

Stir Fry:
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 head napa cabbage, cut into thin ribbons (about 2 cups)
3 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 cup bamboo shoots, julienned (buy these canned in the International food aisle)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

4 egg roll wrappers, cut into 1/2 inch x 2 inch strips
2 green onions


In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all pork marinade ingredients. Let the pork marinade on the counter for 20 minutes or in the fridge up to overnight.

In a wok over high heat, add a tbsp of vegetable oil. Add the pork and all the marinade as well as the fresh garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the pinkness in the meat is gone. Add the cabbage, carrots, bamboo shoots and mushrooms and continue to stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until the veggies have softened slightly. While they are cooking, mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and rice vinegar in a measuring cup or small bowl. When the veggies are slightly softened pour in the sauce and continue to stir fry for 2-3 minutes to let the sauce heat through and thicken slightly. Remove from the heat.

In a small pot with high sides, fill with canola or vegetable oil until the pot is half full (don't go over half full or you'll risk the oil spilling over the sides). Turn the heat to medium-high and let the oil come to between 350 and 375 degrees. I like to use a food thermometer for this so I know for sure how hot my oil is. When it's in this temperature range your food gets crispy but not oily. Once the oil is hot, add a 1/4 of the cut up pieces of egg roll wrapper. It's important that they be egg roll wrappers, since spring roll wrappers are much thinner. You won't get a nice crunch out of spring roll wrappers. The wrappers will crisp up really quickly and need only about 30-60 seconds in the hot oil. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined bowl and then add another 1/4 of your egg roll wrappers. Continue until all wrappers have been crisped in the oil.

Serve egg roll stir fry over a bed of rice. Sprinkle with the crispy egg roll wrappers and chopped green onions. The flavor of this on it's own is fabulous, but you can also add a dollop of your favorite condiment for dipping egg rolls in. We love Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, but Plum Sauce would work here too.

Click here for printable version of Egg Roll Stir Fry

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THE RESULTS?
The flavors of this is phenomenal...it captures all the delicious flavors of Steamy Kitchen's egg rolls but in a quick and easy to prepare weeknight meal. I'm all about contrasting textures, so the crispy bits of fried egg roll wrapper on top make this dish for me. I also find that any time I make Egg Rolls or Firecracker Shrimp I always have leftover wrappers that I put in a plastic bag in the freezer. It's never enough wrappers for a full batch, so this worked out perfectly just using up the few that were left in the bag. What I would do if I didn't have leftover wrappers, is when I brought the package of egg roll wrappers home from the grocery store, immediately divide them up into 3 or 4 ziplock bags and then store in the freezer.

DELICIOUS!


For more recipes check out Gayle's Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap and Erin's $5 Dinner Challenge.

Yesterday the family rose early to go to a pancake breakfast held outdoors. A perfect sunny Saturday morning eating pancakes and strawberries with the family. The only thing that could've make it more perfect would have been if the wasps had decided to buzz off instead of hanging around our plates to lap up droplets of pancake syrup.

Because we were actually up and at 'em so early we made it to the Farmer's Market...can you believe it was my first time? Pick your gaping jaws up off the floor. I've been to markets before, but I haven't specifically been to our Farmer's Market. You're really going to point and laugh when I tell you we've literally lived across the road from the Farmer's Market for FOUR YEARS and this was my first time going. FIRST TIME!! It was so lovely. We left with a loot of fresh veggies which are translating into lot's of salads this week.

Day 1: Egg Roll Stir-Fry
I made this again a few days ago and tweaked the recipe to get the sauce just right. Now it's one of my favorite stir-fry's. The recipe is coming soon I promise ;)

Day 2: Steak and Lemon Salad with Garlic Bread
This is great summer fare...kinda like sunshine on a plate.

Day 3: Roasted Chicken and Potatoes with Rosemary and Lemon with Avocado/Tomato/Mozza Salad
It's not that common anymore for people to purchase and roast a whole chicken, but it's become one of my favorite ways to stretch a buck. Not to mention preparing this chicken takes 5 minutes...which I definitely love.


Day 4: Chicken Flautas with Guacamole and Salad
Leftover chicken from the night before goes into these homemade flautas (like taquitos only bigger) with cheddar cheese. They are amazingly crisp and wonderful and dipped into buttery Guacamole they're positively irresistible.

Day 5: Tex Mex Chicken and Rotini Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
The leftover bones (and any meat) from the roasted chicken can be boiled into a homemade chicken stock which turns into this spicy soup. I also like it because the Southwestern Salad only uses 1/2 a can of black beans, so this allows me to use up the rest.

Day 6: Spaghetti with Smoked Mozzarella, Prosciutto and Asparagus with Garden Salad
With lovely basil from my herb garden and fresh asparagus I can't say no to this pasta dish. You will feel spoiled and gourmet....perfect for date night.



For more great meal plans, check out my complete list of meal plans or the Menu Plan Monday links at Orgjunkie.

Because I live in Canada and we have snow on the ground 7 months out of the year, I really revel in the flavors of fresh summer vegetables. With the shortness of our growing season, I try to snatch up as much produce as I can and combine the sweet earthiness in simple ways to showcase the freshness. This soup was born out of the remnants of the many summer fare dishes I had prepared: boiled baby potatoes, dill cream, sauteed green beans, and a couple cooked chicken thighs. Leftovers that were given new life.

It was a seriously good life indeed. Cut too short by the clang of the soup ladle on the bottom of an empty soup pot. Can I just tell you that I was actually sad when this soup was gone? I need more of this soup in my life!

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Serves 4
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced small
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup green beans, tipped and diced
2 cups baby potatoes, quartered (or cut about same size as other veggies)
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup leftover dill cream (or 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp flour, 1 cup half and half cream and 2 tbsp fresh dill)
3-4 cups milk
1/2 cup leftover chicken (optional)
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup corn
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

In a large pot over medium heat, add a tbsp or two of oil and add the carrots and onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes until they've had a chance to soften a bit, then add the green beans and potatoes. Continue to soften the vegetables for about 5 minutes. Add the stock to the veggies and turn the heat to medium-low, stir and put a lid on. This is going to help quicken the process of softening the veggies. Simmer and stir occasionally for about 5-8 minutes or until the veggies are tender. If you don't have leftover dill cream, push the veggies to the edge of the pot and add the butter and flour to the middle. Stir and let cook for a minute or so just to let the flour cook a bit then slowly stir in the cream and keep stirring until no lumps remain. Add the dill and stir through. If you have leftover dill cream, just dump into the bottom of the pot and stir until heated through. Slowly stir in the milk until combined with the rest of the ingredients. Depending on how thick your roux was, you may need only 3 cups of the milk or all 4. Stir in until it reaches your desired consistency. It will thicken up a bit as it cooks. Stir in the peas and corn (fresh or frozen) and let simmer for 5 minutes until heated through. Season well with salt and pepper, and stir in some more fresh dill at the very end. Remove from the heat and serve.


Click here for printable version of Creamy Summer Vegetable Soup

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THE RESULTS?
I'm sure that my introduction gave it away, but I fell in love with this soup. I want to marry this soup. I want this soup to have soup babies so I can go on eating more and more of this soup. And while you may think it's crazy to make a creamy soup in summer, just wait for a rainy day when the temperatures cool off a bit. You will thank me for it.


This soup is really inexpensive to make. For more inexpensive meal ideas check out the $5 Dinner Challenge.

If you are looking for more green bean recipes, check out $5 Dinners Grow. Eat. Save. - Green Bean Edition.

Massive gardens run in my family (ending with me...no green thumb for this chick). Every summer, both sets of Grandparents as well as my Dad were always tootling around in their gardens that went on forever. Whenever I visited my Grandma's house we could always count on fresh garden produce dug up from the earth moments before being washed and whipped up into lunch or supper. This simple potato side dish is reminiscent of the hot un-airconditioned days at Grandma's house. I felt very nostalgic (and homesick) making this in my very own kitchen and feeding it to my own kids.

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4 cups baby potatoes (if some are bigger than others, slice them in half to keep them all the same size. Otherwise, leave whole)

1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter
1 cup half and half cream
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Salt and pepper


Put on a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the potatoes and cook about 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain.

While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Once melted add the flour and stir and let cook for a couple minutes. This is called a roux, and is your thickening agent. You just want it to cook to get rid of the floury taste. Then slowly whisk in your cream adding a little at a time until the roux and cream are worked together and there are no clumps. Let this come up to a simmer and turn down the heat to low. Let cook until the sauce is thick and creamy (add more cream or milk to thin out if you like). Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh chopped dill. You'll need to season liberally with kosher salt and pepper. Season and taste and keep seasoning until it doesn't taste bland.

Serve the boiled baby potoates with the dill cream on the side. Dish on the plate and pour the cream over the potatoes and enjoy.


Tip: Double this recipe and use the leftovers to make Creamy Summer Vegetable Soup.


Click here for printable version of Baby Potatoes with Dill Cream

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THE RESULTS?
Every summer I crave the flavor of baby potatoes dug straight from the earth and boiled. It's simple and satisfying. I usually like the unmasked flavor of the potato with just a pat of sweet butter, but this dill cream kind of makes me a bit weak. I serve it with a salty and smokey Farmer Sausage to compliment the simple delicate flavor of the potatoes. If you make extra dill cream or have leftovers, it makes a fabulous base for Creamy Summer Vegetable Soup.


For more recipe ideas, check out Gayle's Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

It's sad that it's the middle of August and there are so many soups on my menu plan...but trust me, they are needed! We've had nothing but cold rainy days, long sleeve hoodies, cuddling up on the couch under a blanket and....the FURNACE RUNNING! Can you believe it?! In the middle of summer. I hope you all are having beautiful weather as our summer quickly dwindles. While I may be cooking pots of soup, I am using up gorgeous garden produce. So it all evens out in the end I guess :)


Day 1: Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup* with Multigrain Buns
This is a fun twist on chicken noodle soup. While authentic Thai ingredients like lemongrass and lime leaves are delicious in this soup, I've swapped some of them out and given you substitutions like lemon zest and lime juice.

Day 2: Linguine Alfredo with Smoked Salmon and Tossed Salad
My Dad is always giving us packages of smoked salmon which is great to use up in this recipe. You could also substitute chicken, shrimp or even black forest ham (my mom always used to do that...it's weird but it's good).

Day 3: Egg Roll Stir Fry
My Dad was here a couple weeks ago and we spent HOURS rolling Steamy Kitchen's amazing egg rolls. Like seriously, those things are incredible. On a busy weeknight I don't have time for that kind of thing, so I wanted to take all those same great flavors and turn it into a quick stir fry. You're gonna love this one!

Day 4: Baby Potatoes with Dill Cream, Farmer Sausage and Sauteed Green Beans
I didn't post this recipe last week, but it would cruel not to because of it's simplicity and lovely summery flavor.


Day 5: Creamy Summer Vegetable Soup with Cheddar Biscuits
This soup uses up the leftovers from the night before and turns it into a creamy summertime masterpiece. I was actually SAD when this pot of soup was gone.

Day 6: Nacho Night with Salsa, Refried Beans and Guacamole
For some reason when Friday night rolls around, it is so easy to throw out the meal plan and say "let's eat out!". Instead, I'm planning a family Nacho/Movie night. We are going to watch a family movie and eat nacho's topped with tons of veggies and dip them in healthy salsa, refried beans and guacamole. Super fun and easy to say no to the take out urge!



For more great meal plan ideas, check out my complete list of meal plans or Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday Links.

"On top of spa-GHHHE-TIIIIII, all covered with CHEEEEEEEESE, I lost my poor MEEEEEEEATball when somebody SNEEEEEEEEEEEZED."

You definitely won't be losing any meatballs if you're making this dish...you'll be guarding them with your life. It's a refreshing take on a worn out classic. The turkey meatballs are a lot lighter than beef and the fresh herbs add wonderful earthiness. I love me a good Rose Sauce and it pairs so perfectly with the turkey meat. It's so good you won't even need to cover it with "CHEEEEEEEESE".


Recipe from Evil Shananigans
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Serves 4



Sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 - 12 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup heavy cream

Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground turkey
2/3 cup carrots, grated
1/2 cup onion, grated
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
1/2 tsp fresh oregano, minced
2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/3 cup parmesan, grated

1 lb spaghetti (or any other pasta)

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. Cook pasta until al dente.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, thyme and oregano and stir and let it come to a simmer. Pour into a blender or food processor and add the fresh basil and blitz until smooth. Pour back into saucepan, let come up to a simmer and then add the cream, stir and remove from the heat.

For the meatballs, preheat the oven to broil and cover a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with cooking spray. Add all ingredients together in a bowl and mix until combined. Take about 2 tbsp of the mixture and form into balls, and place them on the oiled baking sheet. This should make between 25-30 meatballs. Sprinkle the tops of the meatballs with a bit more paprika for color.

Bake the meatballs under the broiler for 10-15 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Toss the pasta with half of the tomato cream sauce and place in a serving dish. Top with the rest of the sauce, the meatballs and more fresh basil.


Click here for printable version of Turkey Meatballs with Tomato Cream Sauce

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THE RESULTS?
Our family loved these light and summery meatballs. The grated carrot and onion adds nutrition, flavor and juiciness to the lean meatball. Whenever I eat pasta I can't help but eat seconds (okay...maybe sometimes thirds), but with a lighter dish like this I don't even feel that guilty :)

I know my husband is the one who is ALWAYS in the mood for Mexican, but lately it's been ME. My tummy is always craving the tangy butteriness of guacamole, or the combination of sweet corn and creamy black beans, or the refreshing coolness of sour cream on a hot day.

So the fact that ALLLLLL of those flavors combine into one hearty summery salad it makes me weak in the knees.


Recipe adapted from Eat, Shrink & Be Merry
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Serves 4-6


Beef:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup salsa
Salt & pepper

Salad:
1 head of romaine lettuce, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 diced red or green pepper
1 cup light old cheddar, shredded (surprisingly, you can't even tell it's lower in fat/calories. The cheese flavor is really bold)
4 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
2 whole wheat tortillas, cut into strips

Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing:
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 lime, zested
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add your ground beef, onions, jalapeno and garlic and saute until cooked through. Stir in chili powder and cumin and allow to cook for about a minute. Add the grape tomatoes, salsa and salt and pepper and cook for two minutes until the flavors have combined and the tomatoes soften. Remove from the heat and set aside.

While the beef is cooking, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut two tortillas into strips (I like to use kitchen scissors) and throw onto a baking sheet. Toss them with a little bit of oil or spray with cooking spray and place in oven until crispy and brown. This will only take a couple minutes. Set aside to cool.

To make the dressing, blend all ingredients together in a blender. Pour into a resealable glass jar.

To assemble the salad, arrange the lettuce on the bottom of a serving platter (or individual plates). Top with beef, corn, beans, red pepper, cheese, green onions and avocado slices. Pour on the dressing and top with a few crispy tortilla chips.

Click here for printable version of Nacho Ordinary Taco Salad with Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing
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THE RESULTS?
The creamy sweet dressing combined with all the flavors of the salad makes this the best taco salad I've ever put in my mouth. I loved the beef mixture and think it would taste fabulous in tacos....much better than just plain ol' ground beef and a package of taco seasoning. I'm all about contrast of texture in my salads, so the crunchy tortilla bits on top are perfect. By baking them yourself instead of adding crushed tortilla chips from a bag, you save on a lot of fat and calories. This salad is over the top delicious.


For an alternative dressing to the Creamy Lime Cilantro try Chipotle Ranch Dressing

I know I'm always singing the praises of our wonderful foodie friends Dan and Lisa, especially the authentic Thai food they cook up for us that they learned while living in Thailand and today is no exception. We've had incredible Ba Mee Giao Moo Dang, Grapao (pronounced "kapow") and now this larp (pronouced "laap"). It is essentially a minced meat salad with hits of sour lime, fresh mint, spicy chili, salty fish sauce and nutty roasted rice. This dish is so quick and inexpensive to prepare, this is the go-to frequent dinner in Dan and Lisa's family. They call it their "KD". Dan and Lisa have five kids with one more on the way, and when we all sat down to eat, the kids were ravenous. Each child dished up rice, flavored pork and rolled the mixture into cabbage and lettuce leaves and tore into the rolls like they were chocolate covered twinkies. My husband and I went back for 5th and 6th helpings (I kid you not).

We loved this dish so much I made it at home a few days later when both my Mother-in-Law and my Dad were visiting. Neither of them were really familiar with authentic Thai flavors so I wasn't sure how well the meal would fly with them. When they were each reaching for 3rd and 4th helpings and licking the bowls clean I was completely convinced that this dish a winner.


Recipe by Dan Kremer
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Serves 4

Nam Pic (Sauce):
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup fish sauce
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 Thai chili’s, deseeded and chopped
1-2 tsp brown sugar

Larp:
1 lb ground pork (or ground beef or ground chicken)
3-4 tbsp Jasmine rice grains
3 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp fish sauce
3-4 tbsp fresh mint, chopped (or 2 tsp dried mint)
3-4 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Cooked Jasmine rice
Lettuce leafs and/or napa cabbage leaves

To make the nam pic:
Add all the nam pic ingredients in a jar, stir well and let sit. This can be made well ahead of time and once made will store in your cupboard for a month (the longer it sits the more potent it becomes). If you find this is a dish that you really like and make often (like we do), I recommend making up a double or triple batch to save time the next time you make the dish.

To make the toasted rice:
In a dry wok or frying pan, add the rice grains over med-low heat. Let them toast until the grains have a nice golden color (will probably take about 10-15 minutes). Stir around to prevent from burning. A cool trick is to use an air popper popcorn maker if you have one. Add the rice grains, turn on and let toast until golden (probably about 5 minutes). I find this route shorter and you have to babysit the rice less. The rice doesn't burn quite so easily. Once toasted, remove from the heat and let cool. Place the toasted rice in a food processor, spice grinder, coffee grinder or mortar and pestle until they turn to a bit of a powder. My food processor only chops them to this consistency but we like them a bit chunkier and crunchy.


In a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown the ground meat until cooked through and crumbly. Once browned add the lime juice, fish sauce and about ½ of the toasted rice grains. Let sauté for about 4-5 minutes. Adding some of the toasted rice now, they will soak up the juices in the meat. When almost ready to serve, stir in the chopped mint and cilantro and top with the rest of the toasted rice. This adds a nice nutty crunch to the top.

Serve ground meat mixture with jasmine rice, nam pic and lettuce and/or cabbage leaves.

I like to put a scoop of rice of on my plate, with a big scoop of the meat mixture on top. I then spoon some of the nam pic over my meat, but this part is totally optional. The meat is already seasoned, but the nam pic just really blows the flavor out of the water and adds a good bit of spicy kick from the chili peppers. When adding nam pic to your food, just take the juice mixture and avoid the bits of garlic and chili. They are seriously potent! I then mix that together and scoop that into either a lettuce leaf or cabbage leaf and roll up like a burrito. Some people eat only the meat mixture in the lettuce/cabbage leaves and eat the rice separately, or eat the rice/meat mixture and skip the lettuce...it's all up to you. I like the napa cabbage a bit better as a wrap because it holds together better, is crunchier and has more flavor. But any way you serve this dish up, it's a winner.

Click here for printable version of Thai Larp
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THE RESULTS?
My NEW. FAVORITE. MEAL. Period.

I do realize that if you look at the ingredients and all the steps it does look kind of intimidating if you've never tried it. For us, the nam pic sauce is ESSENTIAL to the meal, but you could just leave that out if it scares you a bit. And like I said, you can mix up a batch before hand and eliminate that step when it comes time to make supper. I also like to toast more rice than I need and store it in a plastic container for the next time I make this dish. That way, when those two steps are out of the way, supper literally takes 15 minutes to put rice in the rice cooker and cook up the meat. The flavors of the sour lime and salty fish sauce dance on your tongue...and the nam pic adds a little "SHAZAAAAAM!" (that was so dorky of me to say, but accurately describes the taste sensation on your tongue).

Word of warning though: DON'T SMELL THE NAM PIC. Just don't do it. I'm warning you. It's one of those things that will scare you, but trust me....IT TASTES GOOD.


For those of you that haven't tried this dish before, have I scared you just a little bit? Or have I piqued your interest?

For more inexpensive meal ideas, visit $5 Dinner Challenge.

Are any of you exhausted from summer yet?! While I do love this time of year, it's so busy with activities and going places I'm almost ready to say goodbye and settle in to the cool, slow pace of fall.

I am NOT however, ready to say goodbye to summer food just yet. While I myself don't have a garden, I'm looking forward to sharing the bounty of my dad's garden goodies and fresh produce from the farmer's market. Vegetables taste so much better straight from the earth. Here's my ode to summer meal plan this week:

Day 1: Thai Larp (pronounced laap)
I didn't seem to get around to posting this recipe from the last meal plan so it's day number 1 to have first priority! Our family loves the flavors in this dish and I even made it for my Dad and Mother-in-Law and they were licking their plates too.

Day 2: Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Cream Sauce over Spaghetti with Caesar Salad
This is a nice way to lighten up a classic dish. The fresh oregano and basil from my herb garden will come in handy.

Day 3: Bruschetta Baked Salmon with Roasted Baby Potatoes and Sauteed Spinach
A super summery tasting dish. Substitute fresh garden tomatoes for the can of diced tomatoes and this is a lovely burst of sunshine in your mouth.

Day 4: Blackened Chicken Salad with Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing
Salads are a great way to lighten up summer meals, and by cooking the chicken on the BBQ instead of the oven you can avoid insane amount of heat that the oven puts out on an already smoldering hot day.

Day 5: Baby Potatoes with Dill Cream, Farmer Sausage and Green Beans
These potatoes in dill cream are a part of my childhood; both sets of grandparents and my Dad have always had an EXTREMELY LARGE garden every summer. I crave the fresh taste of baby potatoes straight from the garden with a good douse of dill picked fresh as well. This is the EXACT meal either of my grandparents would make. I'm starting to feel very homesick right now!

Day 6: Creamy Summer Vegetable Soup with Cheddar Biscuits
I plan to use the leftover dill cream and baby potatoes for a creamy garden vegetable soup. This is also the kind of thrifty thing either of my grandparents would do, so I feel like I'm continuing to walk in their footsteps somehow.

Yesterday I wrote about my Baking Day, and since I was still in the bakity-bakerson spirit I went ahead and made these biscuits. This was a recipe passed down to me from my late mother, so I have been eating these cheesey morsels since I was a kid. When I moved out on my own and attempted baking (did I mention that I used to be really terrible at baking?) these were some of my first creations, and even a rookie like me got them right. The recipe is incredibly forgiving and so easy to whip up. The herbs are merely an option and can be switched up and swapped out depending on the flavors of the meal you are wanting them to accompany. This peticular combination was created especially for Sweet & Savory Beef Stew.

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Makes 12 biscuits

2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
3 tbsp fresh herbs (any combination) - 1 tbsp fresh oregano, 1 tbsp fresh basil & 1 tbsp chives is a good combo for Sweet & Savory Beef Stew
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Measure flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a bowl and stir to combine. Add the grated cheese and herbs and stir together well. Pour in the oil and milk and stir until it forms a soft ball of dough (add more milk if needed to achieve this). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 8-10 times. Roll out into a 1 inch thickness, and using a knife cut into about 12 squares. I never worry about making these perfect. Place the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet close together for moist sides or further apart for crisp sides. Dab the tops of the biscuits with a bit of milk so they brown. Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly browned and serve.

Click here for printable version of Herb & Cheddar Biscuits

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THE RESULTS?
I make these biscuits every time a warm and hearty pot of soup or stew is simmering (usually without the herbs). Anybody can make them and they are so darn tasty with a little butter spread on 'em. Here are some great accompaniments for these biscuits:

• Sweet & Savory Beef Stew
• Beef Barley Soup
• Cream of Leek & Celery Soup
• Hamburger Soup
• Tortellini Soup
  

I was introduced to the idea of a big day of baking almost 9 months ago by Money Saving Mom. The premise is to spend one day of baking goodies to store in your freezer to last you for a few weeks. I never knew how valuable this idea would become to us.

I was never much of a baker so muffins, biscuits, cakes, etc, really didn't come naturally to me nor did I find use in baking them. One day I realized my hardworking carpenter husband was plowing through 2 expensive granola bars a day to satisfy his need for extra sustenance and energy...meaning 1 box lasted us 3 days and cost us $3. I decided to try baking a batch of muffins to substitute the granola bars. SUCCESS. My husband was taking my homemade muffins to work, costing me only pennies to make.

A couple months later, I recognized another trend. On days when there were no leftovers from supper the night before, my husband was grabbing lunch in a drive-thru which added up over the month. When I asked him why he didn't just take a sandwich he said he needed something easy to grab at 7am when he was heading out the door. The next day I baked a batch of homemade pizza pops and stuck them in the freezer. My husband RAVED.

What started out as me trying to save us a few bucks here and there, became a tradition we now can't live without. Every couple of weeks I plan on having a big baking day, where I bake batches of muffins, breads, waffles, homemade pizza pops, granola and other goodies. My husband has even come to REQUEST that a baking day is in order because he's running out of goodies.

If you have the time, spending an afternoon stocking your freezer with quick and easy homemade convenience foods will stop you from buying the prepackaged full-o-garbage convenience foods as well as halting those visits to the drive-thru window. It feels very satisfying and comforting to know that you are saving your family money as well as giving them good food for their bellies.


Today's baking day landed me with:

a dozen Chocolate Zucchini Muffins


I had an extra 1/2 cup of grated zucchini so I made a dozen Carrot Spice Muffins and subbed in my leftover zucchini for some of the carrots.

Fresh blueberries are stupid cheap at the grocery store right now, so I stole some out of my huge container to make a batch of my family's favorite Wildberry Muffins.


I also made a double batch of Banana Bread and made half into muffins and half in a loaf pan.

We've already been eating the banana bread like crazy and the wildberry muffins are much better fresh so I'm leaving both those baked goods out for us to eat and the rest have gone into ziplock bags in the freezer. That should tide us over for a few more weeks.



Check out Frugal Femina's Baking Buddies to get more ideas for your own baking day.

Updated from the archives with pictures and text. Originally posted Nov 26/08

A Canadian franchise I love is called Bad Ass Jack's and they serve up some amazing wraps. We don't get to eat it very often at all, since we don't have one in our city, but I get some major cravings for those wraps (we now have one but we never eat there because I make this recipe). I don't know why I never thought of it before, but recently I had a light bulb moment and I thought "I could MAKE those!"

They really are just like the restaurant's. The sauce you use is up to you. At the restaurant I always order my wrap with BBQ Ranch, but I have no idea where you get that sauce or how to re-create it. I'm sure it's slightly more complicated than mixing Ranch dressing and BBQ sauce together (it's actually not...I tried to make it and it turned out exactly the same). We use PC Szechuan Peanut Satay Sauce for our homemade ones because we love it. Other suggestions are: Teriyaki, Thai, Orange Ginger, BBQ sauce, and Honey Garlic. Use whatever kind of sauce your family likes best...because the flavor of the sauce will make or break the wrap.

My own recipe inspired by Bad Ass Jack's
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Serves 4

2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
1/2 lb thin Chinese egg noodles
1 cup sauce of your choice, plus more to serve (we like PC Szechuan Peanut Satay - it's more of a peanut sauce than a typical Szechuan, but other ideas are Teriyaki, Thai, Orange Ginger, BBQ sauce, Honey Garlic or BBQ Ranch. For homemade BBQ Ranch: mix together 1 part ranch dressing with 3 parts hickory BBQ sauce)

1 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 large carrot, grated
4 green onions, chopped

1 package of 10 inch tortillas (your choice of flavor)


First boil your noodles (should take only about 2 minutes) then drain and set aside.

In a large pan over medium-high heat, saute your chickenwith a bit of oil and season with salt and pepper. Saute until no longer pink and cooked all the way through. Add the cooked egg noodles and 1 cup of sauce. Toss to coat and remove from heat. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Cook the peas and corn in separate containers in the microwave with a bit of water. I cook on high for about 5 minutes. Drain both the peas and carrots and add to separate bowls and set aside.

In a frying pan over medium-high heat add about a tbsp or so of olive oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until browned and the liquid has evaporated. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

In the same frying pan, saute diced peppers and onions until soft. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Place the grated carrot and green onions in a bowl as well. Set the bowl of chicken and noodles, peas, corn, mushrooms, peppers and onions, and grated carrot/green onion on the table along with the wraps and extra sauce.

Here's how you make your wrap: Place a few tablespoons of the egg noodle/chicken mixture in the middle of the wrap. Top with your favorite toppings (I add all of them except peppers and onions) and then a drizzle of your favorite sauce. Fold in the two ends, and then roll up like a burrito.

Click here for printable version of Szechuan Chicken Wraps

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THE RESULTS?
WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS BEFORE?! These were sooooo good. They totally hit the spot for my Bad Ass Jack's craving. My husband devoured his wraps, and exclaimed how brilliant I was to think of making these at home. My toddler didn't eat these as wraps, but instead ate the noodle/vegetable/sauce filling...and practically ate my arm off she was so ravenous for these. She loved them.

This recipe makes A LOT of filling, so unless you have ravenous eaters in your house there should be leftovers. This would make an excellent lunch the next day. A great way to jazz up a bagged lunch that's for sure.


For more great bagged lunch recipes, visit this week's Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

The sky is a pale shade of grey, the rain keeps falling and the temperatures have dropped leaving me curled up in a hoodie on the couch. A drastic change from the last couple of weeks warm temperatures and busy summer goings on. We celebrated both mine and my oldest daughter Eva's 2nd birthday, made a few trips to Calgary, the mountains, splashed in the pool, shopped, had visits from Papa and said goodbye to my mother-in-law as she flew back to Guatemala for another year. Life has been so fast-paced lately it's nice to have cool dreary weather to stop and breathe.

This beef curry goes great with both chilly weather and slowing down. The warm and spicy madras spices will warm you to your toes.

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Serves 4

1 lb beef stewing meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tbsp Madras curry paste (my favorite brand is Patak's)
1 28oz. can of diced tomatoes

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef, onion and garlic and saute until the onions are soft and the meat is browned. Add the curry paste and saute for a minute or so to let the flavors of the curry paste open up and then add the tomatoes. Turn down to medium-low and let the curry simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper before serving. Serve over basmati rice.

Click here for printable version of Madras Beef Curry

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THE RESULTS?
This is so warming. It is a change from a curry that is rich with coconut milk or cream...this gets its richness right from the depth of spices and the beef itself. The tomatoes make an acidic sauce and the curry paste has a good punch of spice, so the rich beef stands up well to that. I don't think chicken would work in this recipe; it definitely needs a full bodied protein like beef or even lamb to stand up to and compliment the sauce.