If I were famous...

I'd last one minute. The thought of being watched every minute of every day is too much for this girl to handle.  I wouldn't even get to sneak a pick in the car or buy granny panties without it being splashed across the cover of US weekly. I digress. As a teacher I often like to start class with something called community circle.  Either myself or a student poses a  question to the class and it gives to students a chance to get to know one another.  Sometimes they are deep, philosophical type questions and other times they are quick and simple. One question a student asked was "If you were famous what product would you feel fully comfortable endorsing?". Nice one kid, I like it.  If I were famous I would be very choosy about what products to endorse.  I've mentioned before that I don't like gadgets.  I like multipurpose things like all purpose cleaners, clothing I can wear all year, and décor that can work in many different spaces. A few months ago my husband and I fell in love and not with each other. His name is Robbie and he's compact, sleek and hard working.  When I first heard of the Roomba I thought it was the biggest crock of shit I had ever heard in my life (besides those bras on As Seen on TV that claim to tame DDD cannons). I kid you not, the Roomba works. I don't have kids but I do have one hairy ass dog that sheds all year round so our floors were never completely clean.  We have this sweet little guy scheduled to vacuum once a day at 11am while we are at work.  I get home from work to vacuum lines on the carpets, spotless floors and a Roomba full of a dog hair.  All I have to do is empty him and he's ready to go for the next scheduled cleaning. He cleans for about 45 minutes and then docks himself when his battery runs low.  We scored ours Pet Series Roomba at Costco for $350.  We've had him since May and it has been hands down the best money I've ever spent. To my sister-in-law and her husband who introduced us to Robbie, thank you.  Our lives are forever better.

Positivity

Green Thumb

It occurred me recently that there is a lot of shit I am terrible at and I'm ok with it.  As the years pass I have definitely become much more self aware. I know what pisses me off so I try to avoid those situations (grocery stores on the weekend).  I know what makes me happy so I try to create those moments as often as possible (drinks at the beach).  I know what I'm good at and where I need a little a lot of help. Gardening --- I certainly need a lot of help in this department. Look at my pathetic plants. It is beyond me  how I have managed to keep my dog alive for 5 years...


A beautiful hanging basket



Marigold's in our flower box



Parsley in the herb garden

Fake is the way to go...

Bolognese Sauce

picture borrowed from here

In July my husband and I visited NYC.  We had a lovely, quiet meal at a quaint Italian restaurant on our last night in the city. I'm a jerk and completely forget the name, and completely uncharacteristic of me I neglected to take a picture. My husband ordered their Bolognese pasta.  It was freakin' fantastic.  Hands down the best pasta dish I have ever had in my life (I might have helped him with his meal...).  I've never made Bolognese sauce so I had no idea there were three types of meat in it. I guess that's why it is so delish.  After a few weeks of craziness around here I'm back in the kitchen. Bolognese sauce it is. The Manhattan deliciousness was better then mine but I'm happy with the final product.  I've never cooked with ground pork before and really liked it.  The consistency of the NYC sauce was much smoother then mine so I might blend it up a bit next time. Bacon is where its at.
Yield:10+ servings       

Ingredients

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces                                                                     

1 large onion, minced                                                                     

1 clove garlic, minced                                                                     

1 pound lean ground beef                                                                     

1/2 pound ground pork                                                                     

6-10 medium fresh mushrooms, sliced                                                                     

2 carrots, shredded                                                                     

1 stalk celery, chopped small                                                                     

1 (28 ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes                                                                     

1/2 can tomato sauce                                                                     

1/2 cup dry white wine                                                                     

1/2 cup chicken stock                                                                     

1/2 teaspoon dried basil                                                                     

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano                                                                     

salt and pepper to taste                

Method
In a large skillet, warm oil over medium heat and sauté bacon, onion and garlic until bacon is browned and crisp; set aside. In large saucepan, brown beef and pork. Stir in bacon mixture and remaining ingredients. Cover, reduce heat and simmer one hour, stirring occasionally. Serve sauce over hot pasta.

This is Jill

I'm biting the bullet...
I'm taking the plunge...
I'm jumping in the deep end...


Say good bye to "Cooking with Modesty" and hello to "This is Jill".  I'm not only changing the title of the blog and the focus but also the domain name as well.  This unfortunately means that if your try to visit "Cooking with Modesty" it will no longer be there.  Those of you who read regularly THANK YOU!  Please take a minute to change the link to http://www.thisisjill.blogspot.ca/ I will be making the official change on Wednesday August 28th.  My 300 posts will remain however they will only be accessible through "This is Jill" at http://www.thisisjill.blogspot.ca/  Thanks for following!

See you on the flip side kids.

A possible change of heart...

I've been up since 3am after basically the shittiest sleep I've ever had. Through the long, quiet hours of the night I thought about everything under the sun moon. Kitchen renovations, couch styles, buying a treadmill, name games for the first day of school, and my blog (and that was in the first 10 minutes).  It occurred to me that I've slowed down quite a bit of this blog and have found it challenging to come up with new unique recipes after writing over 300 posts in 3 years. Saaaaay What?!  Cooking with Modesty has focused me, made me slightly more detail oriented, has fueled my passion for cooking, and developed a passion for reading and writing.  Blogging has opened up my eyes to other peoples stories. I have learned from strangers successes, failures and passions in life all through the amazing blog world on the world wide web (Sidenote: my 16 year old students didn't know that's what WWW. stood for...). Those who know me personally know that I am a very open person.  I'm honest, occasionally too honest, and I am happy to share the details of my life, especially if some else finds value in my experiences.  So at about 4:47am it occurred to me that Cooking with Modesty may need an overhaul in the form of a name and focus change.  My mind, writing and creativity have become stagnant. I want to add more dimension to my blog while providing non-cookers a chance to connect with me, my stories and my experiences. That's not to say that I won't write about cooking, in fact my 5:00am 4:47am vision of my potentially new blog would still encompass a lot of recipes however it would open up the opportunity to discuss other topics. I'm not entirely sure if I'll pull the trigger on this new idea or not but wanted to put it out there as a push to myself to continuing pondering this possibility. Thanks for listening to my sleep-drunk banter.

Peace out. zzzz....

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

I was feeling quite under the weather recently and ridiculously thoughtful friends of ours dropped of a care package on the front doorstep one afternoon consisting of a magazine and delicious chocolate zucchini loaf that we devoured in no time (that's what she said). Since our garden is producing some very taste zucchinis I decided to give a baked zucchini recipe a try.  I doubled the batch so I can toss 12 muffins in the freezer for later. Thanks for the yummy treat and the inspiration CJ!

Sidenote: Aren't those muffin liners the cutest? I score them from Dollarama! Cha-ching! Totally going back there to grab more - I heart them. If you decide to use muffin liners I suggest spraying them with cooking spray.  Since there is no butter/oil in this recipe they tend to stick a bit to the paper.  If you are like me and have no shame, you can simply scrape your teeth along the paper to get the stuck on muffin while also eating reminisce of the liner...

Yield: 12 muffins       

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour  

1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

1/4 cup ground flax seed

(*or you can do 1 1/2 cups white flour instead of white/whole wheat/flax combo)                                                                     

1/2 cup white sugar                                                                     

1 teaspoon baking soda                                                                     

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg                                                                     

1/2 teaspoon salt                                                                     

1 egg, lightly beaten                                                                     

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce                                                                                                  

1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons almond milk (or regular milk)                                                                    

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice                                                                     

1 teaspoon vanilla extract                                                                     

1 cup coarsely shredded zucchini                                                                     

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips                                                                      

                                                              

Method       

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Combine flours, flax, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl & set aside. In a separate bowl mix egg, applesauce,  almond milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Combine both bowls. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Breaded Zucchini

So far this summer our vegetable garden has given us a few great greens including lettuce, green beans, and two huge zucchinis, with many more veggies on the way.  Our tomato plants are over 6 feet tall this year!! We have a lot of bunnies living in our yard who have figured out how to dig under the fence and eat our carrot tops -- pfff, how typical eh?  A few nights ago for dinner I made breaded zucchini, a recipe that we adore around here. It is so yummy and easy. It is the perfect side dish for just about any meal -- burgers, grilled chicken, steak.  Whatever your heart desires. We use ranch dressing to dip it in.

Ingredients
1 beaten egg
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Montreal steak spice
1 zucchini, thickly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
ranch dressing for dipping
Method
Beat egg, set aside. Combine bread crumbs, chili powder, steak spice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Slice zucchini very thick (3/4 of an inch). Dip each slice in egg then cover in bread crumb mixture. Place in large fry pan with hot olive oil. Cook over medium heat until golden brown. Serve with ranch dressing for dipping.

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Flax

I mentioned a few posts ago I've been working on preparing some easy to grab food for the 7 days. I made a batch of muffins to have for breakfast or for quick, easy snacks. I used the muffin recipe from a couple of weeks ago and substituted the apple sauce for overly ripe bananas that I had hanging around my kitchen.  I wasn't sure how it would work out but it did! So if you are like my husband and are in love with spreadsheets banana muffins you should definitely give this recipe a try.  I'm also going to suggest using all whole wheat flour instead of half white, half whole wheat just to up the nutrition anti a bit more.  Here is the updated recipe. Enjoy!

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons ground flax seeds (optional)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
 2 smallish overly ripe bananas, smushed (that's a word, right?)
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 - 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (depending on how chocolaty you like 'em)

Method
In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add bananas. Slowly add dry ingredients followed by the chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tin. Bake at 350° for 21-24 minutes. Make sure you let them cool before taking them out of the tin.

Pinecroft & Winter Wheat

My Mama was here for a few days for a visit and since I've been out of town so much this summer, I wanted to spend an entire day touring around my neck of the woods with her.  It was a gorgeous day yesterday so we hit a few different spots.  One place I had never been before that I kept hearing about was Pinecroft.  This is a little tearoom and pottery shop out in the woods with few walking trails and the family dog Missy walking around to greet you (or to score food). If you live in the London area this is a fantastic place to visit.  It was fairly busy for a Friday afternoon so I suggest if you are going on a weekend to call ahead to make reservations.  They only serve lunch so don't expect to show up for an evening meal.  The food is pure home cooking --Sandwiches, crepes, soup that is amaze-balls and delicious desserts. When we got out of the car we were immediately greeted by the delicious aroma of homemade tomato soup. Delish! We ate lunch under sky-high trees as the sun peeks through the leaves.  It was a perfect mommy/daughter date.

After lunch we headed over to Winter Wheat, another place that you ought to visit if you haven't done so already. Their candles are to die for.  I cannot visit without purchasing one. Added another one to my candle cupboard. Yes, cupboard. I might have a problem. Anyways, the grounds are beautiful so be sure to take your camera (but not your doggy -- they aren't allowed). My Mother and I have both visited there more then a few times and it never gets old.  They even have free tea and cookies in one of their cabins. One of my favourite places to visit in this area - It is so serine.

Pinecroft

 

Winter Wheat

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

Next week is going to be a bit crazytown around here so I'm working on getting some food prepared for the freezer so we can have yummy meals with little effort. Booya! Yesterday I made a huge batch of chili, some cookies and creamy cauliflower sauce. The first two items are regulars are this house but the garlic sauce was a first for me.  A girlfriend of mine recommended this recipe and boy oh boy, am I glad she did. It is originally from Pinch of Yum food blog, but I made a few changes. This sauce can be used for whatever your heart desires - sauce, dip, soup just by simply altering the flavour with your favourite spices. The recipe below is what I used to make a pasta sauce.  My husband who dislikes cauliflower really enjoyed this.  A fantastic healthy alternative to a heavy cream sauce.

Yield: 12 servings on pasta

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, cut into medium florets

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt more to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper more to taste

3/4 cup milk

Method

Sauté minced garlic in butter over low heat until garlic is soft. Set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add cauliflower. Cook at a boil for 7-10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Transfer cooked cauliflower to a food processor. Add 1/2 cup of cauliflower cooking liquid, sautéed garlic/butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, and milk. Puree for several minutes until the sauce is very smooth, adding more broth or milk depending on how thick you want the sauce. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender. Serve hot! If the sauce starts to look dry, add a few drops of water, milk, or olive oil.