CaliPoutine

Have either of you( or anyone else) tried the 75% reduced fat cheddar by Cabot ( Its orange). I bought some the last time I was in MI and have yet to try it.

We just finished dinner and I'm still hungry I made a quick pizza sauce using canned cherryn tomatoes imported from Italy. They're on sale( or clearance) at the my local grocery store for .79cents. I've really enjoyed them so I think I'll go up tomorrow and get a few more cans. I just sauted some garlic in evoo, added a pinch of oregano, salt and sugar. I added the tomatoes that I pureed in the food processor. I added a tbls of paste, abd a splash of balsamic vinegar. I let it reduce a bit. The pizza dough came together really quickly. I used the plastic dough blade in the processor and the proof feature on my new stove. I rolled it out really thin because we prefer thin crust. I did have a hard time transferring it to the stone. It wouldnt move even though I used cornmeal on the peel. Robin had to hold the stone in her gloved hands while I tried to move the pizza onto it. I found out that I rolled the dough out wider than the actual stone. Oops!! I used canned mushrooms because I actually prefer them to fresh on pizza. I used some shredded part-skim mozzarella and some light Mexican blend. When the pizza came out, I cut it into 8 slices. We had 3 each and some salad. I figured 4 points per slice. I think I'm going to make some of Robin's favorite granola and then call it a night!!

I ran out to the store to get some mushrooms for our dinner tonight. Of course, I can't go to the store for just 1 thing. I saw this in the chip aisle and I was pretty shocked. I know 365 Everyday is from Whole Foods. I examined the package and there is NO French writing on it. It does say Whole Foods on the back and Product of Canada. There wasnt a shelf tag either. Obviously, my small town grocery store got it by accident. When I brought it to the cash register, it wasnt on file either. The cashier charged me 1.50 for the bag. I picked up these because I plan on making them next week for the Seniors. I thought I'd cook up a few and put them on our pizza. I hope they're good because for that price, it will make a great meal for the Seniors. For them, I'll make a sweet and sour sauce and serve it over rice.

Regular Jif, or Simply Jif? It wasn't until I tried the latter that I realized just how much sugar the manufacturer (formerly Procter & Gamble, now J.M. Smucker Co.) adds to Jif. Peter Pan, the first mass-marketed brand of peanut butter, is even sweeter; Skippy used to be not as sweet until the folks at Bestfoods (now Unilever) noticed that Jif outsold Skippy. Simply Jif has about half the sugar of and less sodium than regular Jif. Its taste is a lot closer to that of all-natural peanut butters. Given your dietary needs, if you're not already buying it, you might want to try it. ← Its actually regular Jif. But, I think the Canadian Jif has less sugar the the US Jif. There is 1 gram of sugar per 1Tbls. We're ok with that because we really like the taste. I probably used 1-2tsp on her banana.

Thanks Rachel, thats really sweet.

Wow Kim, you got a nice haul!! I have that cupcake book too, although I havent baked anything from it. I love all the cupcake papers, are they all from Wilton? I bought those disposable cutting boards when we got our new fridge. I use them to line the shelves of the fridge for easy cleanup. ETA: Apparently, when I was a young child, my nickname was Devil Dog because I just loved them!! I'm glad I can't find them here or in Michigan.

Robin was hungry when she finished her time on the treadmill so I gave her a banana with a bit of peanut butter. Our favorite pb is Jif. As I mentioned before, she requested Irish Oatmeal. She adds some peanut butter too. I had 1 whole egg w/ 2 whites. I probably added a Tbls of light mexican cheese blend( Sargento) on top. I brought home fabulous bagels from Florida when we were there in December. I always scoop them because I actually prefer the crusty parts rather than the doughy parts. I used some light whipped cream cheese. Last but not least, I had a bowl of instant grits( 3 points). I grew up eating grits in Florida, even though the area I lived in was predominately transplanted NY jews. I'd rather have grits than home fries. I also drank a glass of non-fat milk. I use about a tsp of splenda on my grits. Robin's requested Pizza tonight. I was watching Eat, Shrink and Be Merry on Foodtv Canada and coincidentally, the Podeleski sisters were making pizza. I'm off to find the recipe.

Morning all, While I'm waiting my turn for the treadmill( its so easy to exercise now!!), I thought I'd post what Robin picked up for me yesterday. We have a small ebay business where we sell vintage items( christmas, collectible, kitchen) She made a local thrift store run and found these. She always tries to find some kitchen related item for me( do you see why we had to put an addition on our house?) when she goes out. Summer is the best time around these parts. You should see the treasures she finds. The platter says Wagner on the back. The bowl is a nice heavy glass and I'll use it for catering jobs. The canape maker is funky, the copyright on the enclosed book is 1986. She paid .75 for that and the bowl. The platter was 3.00. Robin has requested oatmeal for breakfast. I think I'll have a bigger breakfast ( eggs, bagel, grits) and skip lunch.

Amanda Hesser wrote about grains of paradise( thats where I first heard about them) in her book " Cooking for Mr. Latte". I doubt though that its her!!

We're home from dinner. We actually tried to go to Pier 1 afterwards to use a gift card we've had for almost 4 years but they were closet at 7pm. Huh? Its a Saturday night. This is for you Tammy!! I actually prefer malts over shakes so I decided to spurlge and have one with my dinner. I brought my own malt powder( this brand isnt sold in Ontario) and I asked them to add some when they made my shake. Robin had a chipoltle chicken burrito. She enjoyed it, but its not like any burrito we've had before. I dont know many places that serve fries w/ a burrito. I had the veggie burger. I ate 6 onion rings and I'm paying for it now. I'm so full and a bit nauseated. This was more food than I've eaten at any one sitting this week. I only ate about 3/4 of the burger. In addition to a printed menu, they also have a menu board.

I sat down here without my glasses, to check in real quick before dinner guests arrive, and until I looked at the flour bag for reference, I thought I was looking down a five-gallon bucket. rachel, who used to cook for 300 at a time "used to" being the best part ← The bucket is actually a Hellman's Mayo container( supersized) that I swiped( it was finished of course) from my other job.

topic That is exactly my sense of this blog. The three of you are very articulate and have been providing interesting discourse during the week, in addition to interesting food and scenery shots. Before this blog closes, I hope you'll post more about this book - or else post about it later, in a separate topic. I'm really curious about the book and have been considering adding to to my already-overblown collection. ← I actually dont have the book yet, but I did start another topic about it.

I saw the accompanying video that is on the chicago paper's website.

Anyone have this book? I read about it over on the Cook's Illustrated Boards. I started a batch of the dough this afternoon based on information I gleaned from the boards and some articles I googled. Here is a link to the author's website.

As much as I've tried, I can't drink room temp water. I actually don't have a problem getting down really cold water. I think I'm just used to it.

We had veggie subs from Subway for lunch. I added some hummus I made last week. I started some bread from the new book " Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day". Its supposed to be even easier than the no knead bread( Which I've never made). You mix flour, water, instant yeast and salt. Let it rise for 2 hrs and then bake 4 loaves on a pizza stone. Or, they reccomend leaving the dough in the fridge for up to 14 days. Its supposed to taste better with age. I used some while whole wheat flour in place of some of the AP flour.

My spouse found this stuff today. The platter says " wagner" on the back. I dont know if someone made it in pottery class or its actually something that was sold in a store. The platter was 3.00. She paid 75 cents for the bowl and the canape maker.

Hi All, I'm very excited because " I get to eat out tonight". YEAH!! We're meeting Eg member Pookie in London at Prince Albert Diner. Of course I love to cook and bake, but it just feels like that was all I did this week. I made a cottage cheese/fruit thing for breakfast. I mentioned this before in my other foodblog, but I really like the Michigan Brand Cottage cheese. I find the cottage cheese here in Ontario to be too wet and soupy.( if that makes sense). I like a dryer curd. My favorite is Knudsen, but alas, its not carried in MI. Robin took some pics of the fridge. We bought the fridge in October. I think we're still both trying to get used to the French Door style. We passed on the water dispenser because we have culligan and because we thought we were going to buy a RO system for the entire house. We then decided to wait on that for awhile. Robin likes to drink her water at room temp while I prefer mine freezing cold. I bought the egg nog after xmas at Wal*Mart in Port Huron,MI. I'd planned to bake a cake with it, but never got around to it before we started the diet. I've heard that it can be frozen. Its a dulce de leche flavor and its good until Feb 8th. The green case on the side is for my Byetta when I go out. The log cabin is sugar free. I empty out half of it into another container and then mix in real maple syrup. The flavor is great and I only am taking in half the carbs/sugar. Robin wanted me to show you that I do actually go grocery shopping in Ontario. Not everything I buy comes from the states.

I just sliced it up. It simmered for a good long while, maybe 2 hours?

A couple summer's ago we got some fresh peas and carrots from the Amish farmers. They were so fresh and clean tasting!! The wonderful Ontario peaches, berries and strawberries each summer. It pains me to even look at the imported ( tasteless) crap ass produce our local grocery store gets each winter. Oh and man oh man did we have some fabulous bagels in S. Florida over xmas. How anyone can consider those inspid grocery store rolls with holes a bagel is beyond me.

This was good, but I think I would have liked it more without the sausage. It was very smokey!! When Robin looked at the pictures upthread she said " I didnt even know there was zuchini in it". It really disinegrated. I didnt add the tubetti pasta to the pot because I wanted to measure out 1/4 c. each. I also topped with 2 tbls of parmesan. Hmmm, what can I say about this? It was very healthy tasting. I usually make a more Northern Style( read: sweeter) cornbread so Robin wasnt too thrilled with this. There is a touch of butter and agave syrup on mine.

But I really want to see a non fuzzy picture!!

I whipped up some " healthy" cornbread. I used the recipe on the cornmeal. A friend of mine made it before so I know what it would taste like. It's not sweet and has a very grainy quality to it. I like it though. It uses whole wheat pastry flour, cornmeal, 1/4 c. of butter, milk( I used skim), 1tbl of sugar, baking powder, 1 egg and a touch of salt. Please excuse Giada's boobs in the background!!

This is killing me. Mexican food is the one food I consistently crave and there is nothing that even resembles authentic in these parts!!

Ok, let me rephrase that. No, you don't get a choice about how your eggs are cooked. I always get burpy from runny yolks and for some reason the egg puck style egg thats normally in the mcmuffin makes me burpy too( exposed yolk maybe?). You do get a choice betwen the puck egg or the folded egg. Btw, the Egg McMuffin cost $2.72( with tax) here!!