Rain-BEER

So it's my Dad's birthday, and we decided against buying presents this year for Christmas, but I still wanted to do something small for his birthday (even though he told me not to). My dad really loves his beer, so I figure how can he be made at an idea like this? I've been seeing this idea all over the place, and decided it was time to steal this idea for my dear old Dad. The first place I saw this idea was over at Life of a Modern Mom. She did a great job with a few different bottles. I like her Guinness bottles best for some reason... Don't you just think that is the most attractive beer? Anyway, I myself went for festive colours, and I am happy with how these turned out.

At this time of year, we are all looking for something different to give people. Something meaningful, useful, or sometimes just plain funny. What interesting gift ideas have you come up with this year? I'd love to hear about them. Hope the remainder of your pre-holidays are filled only with that good kind of Christmas stress, and that things don't get to frantic.. Otherwise, crack open a nice bottle of beer, and chill out. 

Have a great day!

Tomato Brie Snack

So I don't know about you, but I sometimes find that it's hard to think of interesting snacks that are quick, healthy and preservative free.... The North American granola bar and low fat yogurt so do not make the cut for me.... In fact, even good, real yogurt is not my favourite to bring with me wherever I'm at... So I'm on the hunt for some interesting snacks. The checklist? Not too high in overall calories, some fat is ok though; it must have protein as my blood sugar gets a little testy otherwise; as fake-food-free as possible, and overall just good.

Pretty much every school I go to has a toaster oven in it, so I decided to combine two things I really like: tomatoes and brie. Not to mention my fridge is slightly overstocked with more cheese than I know what to do with at the moment...Not such a horrible problem to have!

I suppose you could just eat this at room temp if you didn't want to bother heating it up. And here's what I came up with I just put it in the toaster oven on 400 or so, and waited a couple of minutes. Drizzled on some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and black pepper, just 'cause.... Here's what I came up with:

You may think that I'm a nut and that I'm totally off on this being calorie frendly... I've gotta say, as a former Weight Watcher member, I can count calories in my sleep. I used maybe slightly more than an once of cheese, and a half a teaspoon of really good quality olive oil. This is certainly not more calories than one of those over-process, less than extraordinary granola bars. And for my taste, I'd pick this option any day. I've gotta say, this one was lusciously gooey and delicious. Remember, eat real food, practice moderation, eat slowly!

I'd love to hear what interesting snack options you guys have been coming up with lately, please do chime in, I'm looking forward to hearing some interesting ideas!

Have a great day!

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A Thirty Minute Meal: Cheesy French Mushroom Baguette

This is a recipe that I have made several times over the last few years. I got the idea from Rachael Ray, it's pretty similar to the original, but I sort of just throw stuff in according to what I have on hand. You can check out the original recipe here. Not only is it totally delicious, but it can also be thrown together in 30 minutes, a plus, especially around the holidays. It's a sort of a sophisticated pizza-ish meal, that is a lot healthier.

* A word on the amount of cheese in this recipe. I realize 3 cups sounds like an awful lot of cheese, and if you wanted, you could cut it down. But honestly, if this is your main meal, and you DO get 8 servings out of this, I don't think there is any reason for panic here. Yes cheese is fatty, but let's not forget that some fat does make us feel more satisfied more quickly, and literally makes us happy. Do you know that a diet that is too low in fat can be linked to depression? That would explain why I turn into a total nut-job whenever I've gone on Weight Watchers... Also, this is a vegetarian meal, and so this cheese is also an important source of protein. Moderation is key. EAT THE CHEESE, PEOPLE!

I think this recipe is VERY Mediterranean. Just have a small piece, a salad and a glass of wine, and you will be totally satisfied.

SERVINGS:  4-8 servings 

(depending how many men are around....)

INGREDIENTS:

2 packs of white button mushrooms, sliced (or a mix of whatever is good - price is a factor !)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves crushed garlic
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 sprig fresh if you have it)
s & p
1/2 cup white or red wine (both work well, but I only ever have red in the house)
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 baguette
3 cups sharp cheese (I like cheddar, but any strong cheese will do)

Optional:
2 onions, caramelized, to go on top of the mushroom mixture (that takes some time...)
a few handfuls of chopped spinach, to be added to the mushrooms with the wine

PROCESS:

If you are caramelizing the onions, go ahead and do that before anything else, because it takes quite some time. Cook on medium low with some olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper for at least 20 minutes or so. This was the first time I added that step in, and I'd say it's worth the extra effort.

Chop up all of your mushrooms, and heat up a big pan on medium to medium-high. Eyeball about 3 or so tablespoons of olive oil. Dump in your mushrooms, and stir in the bay leaf, thyme, s & p. Let the mushrooms cook until they've released their liquid. Add in the wine. I had some leftover spinach to use up, so I figured why not bump up the nutrition as much as possible. Leave it cook for just a couple of minutes.

While this is cooking away, half the baguette length-wise, and pull out some of the insides, creating a concave shape for more mushroom-y goodness.

Pile the mushrooms onto the open baguettes (get them on a cookie sheet before, to avoid a transportation disaster). If you have the caramelized onions, spread them on top of the mushrooms. Pile on the cheese, and stick these puppies under the broiler.

And there you have it folks. A marriage of mushrooms and cheese into a melty, flavour explosion... It is totally decadent.

Have a great day!

Review: Fun Foodie Find - Preservative Free Veggie KD!

So about a year ago, Kraft Dinner came out with a new line of healthier, "smart" mac 'n cheese. I have to admit. I was a doubter. But since following the Mediterranean Diet, I've made it a goal to try to consume foods with the least amount of chemicals, preservatives, and general non-food items possible. BUT I LOVE KRAFT DINNER!!! Any good ol' Canadian girl will tell you the same thing. Whether or not you put ketchup on it is up for debate (I SAY YESS!), but other than that, it's a classic! So needless to say, I've been missing KD for sure.

I decided I'd give it a try Kraft Dinner Smart Vegetable Macaroni and Cheese and let you Nervous Nellies all know how it turns out.

TASTE:

I like it! I've gotta say, it's not as different as I thought it would be. The vegetable being used here is cauliflower. My gut reaction was that it sounded disgusting. But, knowing that this was a product with far fewer chemicals, I went against my better judgement and gave it a shot. It was really good! Does it taste like cauliflower? Yes. But, somehow, in the best possible way. I don't love cooked cauliflower, because it has this sort of strange, back-of-your-throat taste to it that when I was a kid could make me gag. But the aftertaste of the KD was a very pleasant taste, kind of like you get when you're eating a really good cream of cauliflower soup.

TEXTURE:

This was a concern for me. I thought it might be a little mushier with all of that cauliflower in it. Well... in reality, who actually knows how much goes into the mix. By no means am I thinking this is a substitute for vegetables. Anyway, the texture was not much different from regular KD.

INGREDIENTS:

Here is what goes into this stuff:

Pasta (wheat flour, freeze-dried cauliflower), cheese sauce (dried whey [from milk], cheddar cheese, salt, butter, sodium phosphates, natural flavours, citric acid (acidulant), annatto (for colour)


While this is definitely far better than the original KD, here's where I have some mixed feelings... 


1. "Natural Flavours" is a very loosely used term here in North America... It basically means that whatever "flavour" they used came from something from nature originally... as for what happened to this product between it's death and the arrival in the local grocery store... well... it is left up to the imagination.


2. "Annatto" is, according to Wikipedia: "a derivative of the achiote trees of tropical regions of the Americas, used to produce a yellow to orange food coloring and also as a flavoring." I suppose there could be worse things...but I still don't know how natural this is.


3. "Sodium Phosphates" are a big mystery to me. According to livestrong.com, it is "Sodium phosphate is a generic term that may refer to any sodium salt of phosphoric acid." Um... well that doesn't tell me much. So I checked what phosphoric acid is. According to blog.fooducate.com, it is a clear liquid that is a mass-produced chemical. It is also a good rust remover, and the ingredient in Coca-Cola that rots your teeth. Yum... I remember my grandfather telling me how in WW2, they used to use Coke to clean the blood off the streets... So... doesn't sound too great. That this KD has no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives seems like a far stretch to me, and is only true by strict definition, I guess. Disappointing.

The Verdict: I DO overall think this product is a pretty ok alternative to regular KD if you are trying to follow a fake-food-free way of living. If an old fashioned macaroni au gratin with white sauce and sharp cheddar is a ten in terms of how good and normal the ingredients are, and KD is a one, I'd give this version a 5. It tastes good, has somewhat better nutritional value, and even though it still has some ingredients I am skeptical of, it is still a much better option than regular Kraft Dinner.

That being said, stick to that sharp cheddar version of macaroni and cheese, other than a late night craving once or twice a year. And when that happens, bring out the ketchup!

Strange Things for Breakfast...

So today I decided to take the day off. As some of you know, I am substitute teaching right now, which gives me lots of freedom to come and go as I please, but yet to work as often as I need to. I've been feeling under the weather, and after a busy, busy weekend, I decided to stay home, do some blogging, rest up and tackle Mount Laundry and the Land of Dirty Dishes.

On my way home from driving the hubby into work (I need the car for groceries) I was thinking of weekly meals, and got smoked oysters in my head.... and couldn't get them out. To the point that I decided to have some as part of my breakfast. Why not? They work with all of the rules of the Mediterranean Diet. Who's to say there aren't a bunch of Greek or Italian fisherman doing the very same thing at their houses? Ok, I know sardines are a little more traditional, but who's really looking? Anyway, all I have to say is, yum... I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast, and now am off to do some groceries!

My question for you today is, what are some of the strangest things YOU have ever had for breakfast?

Can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Have a great day.

Chicken Fajitas

So Mediterranean My Way is all about taking the principles of the Mediterranean Diet and putting them in action  in a way that is relevant to my life. Since I am Canadian, and live on the outskirts of one of the best culinary cities in North America, and maybe the World, that means my flavour palate has a really wide range, and includes ingredients from... everywhere! This is my fajita recipe, I usually make it with chicken, but it could certainly be used for pork or beef. It's always a big hit, and you'll definitely never go back to those chemical-laden seasoning packets again.

Servings: Well... Depends how many fajitas you can eat! About 6-ish.

Ingredients:

2 bell peppers
1-2 medium onions
2 lbs chicken breast
1 tbsp chili powder
1-2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
S & P to taste
Optional: a splash of lemon, lime or hot sauce for the end (or a combination of 2)

tortillas
grated Cheddar (the stronger, the better)
thinly sliced lettuce or your choice
sliced avocado or guacamole
sour cream (FULL FAT!)
salsa
hot sauce

Method:

This recipe can be whipped up in under 30 minutes for sure, start to finish. You'll wonder why you've been paying 15-20 bucks a person for ordering them in a restaurant where they come out on one of those smokey skillets that make everyone stare at you in wonder....

Slice up the peppers and onions into nice biggish slices. You want to know they're there when you eat your fajita! Fry them up in a little olive oil in a caste-iron skillet.

Do the same with your chicken breast. Then dump in the dry herbs and spices. Fry it on a medium heat (higher if you're NOT using a caste iron pan). I just want to point out why one would want to use a caste iron frying pan. Take a look at the nice colour it gives the chicken. That's flavour baby. Caste iron is the best for meat. Period.

Serve this all up with the condiments I've listed, but really... it's your fajita! Add whatever you like!

Enjoy! Don't forget a nice glass of wine, something really full bodied with a deep flavour. Think Argentinian or Chilean.

Have a great day!

The Little Mermaid Cake

So a little while ago, I ended up making two identical Ariel cakes for the very same day... it was very bizarre. I guess the Little Mermaid is the theme to have for little girl birthday parties these days. I can't believe it's lasted this long!

So I thought that maybe to kick-start me getting back into things, I would start off with a my very favourite chocolate cake recipe. I like it primarily because of the taste, but also because of it's simplicity in both method and ingredients, all key factors in my book.

If you want to get my marshmallow fondant recipe, you can check out a previous post I did about a Barbie Cake. I did make it by hand this time though.

Before the fondant went on, this cake was iced with the Wilton Buttercream recipe. For the filling, since it was a two layer cake, I took about a cup of icing, and mixed in a big ol' spoonful of dulce de leche, and then chopped up two milky way bars finely and mixed it all together. That turned out really nicely... although you can't REALLY go wrong with those ingredients, now, can you?

So this cake recipe come from allrecipes.com, and it is now the only one I use for chocolate cake. It sort of has an Oreo taste to it if you can imagine. It's a soft, delicate cake with rich colour and an intense chocolate taste. I often find chocolate cake not as chocolatey as you'd expect it to be, but this recipe will not disappoint.  In this particular cake, I double the recipe and bake off two ten inch square cakes, which is different from the usual. I just lowered the temp and extended the baking time.

One Bowl Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two nine inch round pans.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Also makes great cupcakes in about 18-20 minutes!

Here are a couple of alternate views of my cakes, everything was hand made by moi, well, except the candle.

Have a great day!