Big Steak...

Tonight's dinner -- BIG STEAK on the kamado, marinaded in lots of garlic and other good stuff.  We bought a big roast and decided to butcher it ourselves... after all, how hard can that be?  (We will find out soon enough...)

We took some time to trim off the fat, there was not much there.

We got 2 giant steaks (one is tonight's dinner) 2 smaller steaks, 1 roast and 1 tip that we will use for a stir fry.  Not bad for a $29.00 roast (Top sirloin roast) - cheaper per pound than chicken!

Tonight's dinner - One GIANT steak - we will need help eating this.

Need to start with a marinade - this one will be with olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper and lots of garlic.

Did I mention lots of garlic?

My helper adding the dijon mustard.

There was a bit of red wine left, so we added it too.

Into the fridge to marinate...

Need to shovel the deck before BBQing or do we call it Kamadoing?   I guess we can just call it grilling?!

Oops, how did that get in there?

Grill starting - needs to warm.

While the grill warmed we prepared onions and potatoes.

With olive oil, salt and pepper -- for the grill.

Mmmmm, grill is ready for the steak...

And there it is!

Salad - topped with feta, capers, red onions and tomatoes.

Cooked perfectly.

The final dinner plate.

Yes, these pictures were over kill, but the meal was amazing!!!   We worked together for this one and it was better than the pictures tell.

Birthday Card for a girly 8 year old

I love making cards!   Doesn't matter what kind, I'm not picky


Here is a birthday card that will be given away this weekend -- very simple and plain...

Stamps: SU Crazy for Cupcakes
Paper:  SU Real Red, Whisper White, Black  & Celebrations DSP
Other: SU Markers, SU Crystal Effects


Then at the last minute, I decided that it was to plain and simple, not girly enough for the party.   I took the same design, changed the colours and this is what I came up with.  (sorry about the lighting... its amazing how fast the light changes)

Stamps: SU Crazy for Cupcakes

Paper:  SU Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso  & Valentines paper from 2010 spring mini (can't remember the name)

Other: SU Markers, SU Crystal Effects

I am not a Stampin Up rep, I do however, love their products!   

For real -- The Best CHEWY chocolate chips cookies ever...

My first blog post was the best chewy chocolate chip cookies if you read my post you would find that it was a complete disaster... We still ate them, so it really wasn't that much of a disaster, but they definitely were NOT chewy.
So what is the rule?  If at first you don't succeed, try again.   I did.   Here it is.

 Yummmy -- looks better already!  Creamy and chocolaty

They scooped out properly onto the pan

Cooked perfectly (I think I cooked them 17 minutes, sometimes stoneware pans need longer baking times)

SUCCESS!  Here is the final product -- Perfect Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.   I would share them, but they are long gone.   I guess I need to make more.
Remember, if you try this recipe out == DO NOT DOUBLE it does not work...


And finally, here is the recipe (adapted from Erin Cooks)


1/4 cup soft butter
6 tbsp white sugar
6 tbsp brown sugar (packed)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 375
• Cream butter and sugars
• add eggs and vanilla
• add dry ingredients
• add chocolate
• use scoop to place on pans
• bake for 12-15 mins

Makes 21 cookies

ENJOY

Jenny

Pork Gyros

Dinner... it often is the big question of the day as in, what are we going to have for dinner?!   


Tonight - Pork Gyros on the Kamado Grill!

Start with pork tenderloin, olive oil, tarragon vinegar, lemon, lots a garlic, oregano, salt and pepper...

Magically the Kamado Grill starts!!!   

Ok, well maybe it doesn't magically start...   Maybe he starts it for me!   

While the grill warms up (which is no longer than a propane bbq.)  Mix the olive oil, tarragon vinegar, juice of one lemon, 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, about a tablespoon of oregano, salt and pepper.   Let the meat do its thing...

Then let the Kamado grill do its thing... there are so many good things about this grill.  #1 the flavour, you can't get that smokey flavour with a regular BBQ and #2 there are no flare ups!  Leave it and you don't even have to check it.   At least that is what I am told, I haven't ventured to cook on the grill yet.

Next, get the kids to chop the veggies....  

Mmmmm, grilled to perfection!  With onions done on the grill too....

The gyros warmed up.   Getting hungry yet?

Getting there.

 Calvin's...  Can you get anymore on it?

I'm new at this, so I don't even have a recipe to post... 
1.  Marinade your meat while the grill is warming
2.  Make your taziki and hummus (or yummus)
3. Chop your veggies
4.  Slice meat thin while warming the gyros
5.  Top as your wish
6.  Enjoy!

Ski Night

Living in Chelsea we are so lucky -- there are 2 ski hills that are 15 minutes away, there are 2 more that are 20 minutes away and bigger hills about an hour away.  How many people can say that? 


Seeing as how today was MUCH warmer than yesterday, you know it was only -15c by this afternoon, and today was 2 for 1 at Camp Fortune, we as a family went for a family ski.  As soon as the kids got off the bus and had a snack, we packed ourselves for the 15 minute drive to ski!  

The sun started to set with little fluffy flakes of snow.  We took a picture.  I have to say an iphone photo does NOT give the sunset justice.   Even as we got the phone out to take a picture, the moment was almost gone.  (Please note, yes this is me in the picture... this will be one of the few pictures you will find of me since it is usually me holding the camera)

The kids only started skiing this winter - I am amazed at how quickly they learn!  I think part of it is they are not scared to fall and hurt themselves...   


I on the other hand started back after a 15 year break.  My first time back on the chairlift I had a small panic attack "HOW AM I GOING TO GET OFF THIS THING??"  I almost thought I might have to go back down on the chair lift.   Somehow everything remembered how to get off and more importantly how to ski.  


Everyone did tell me that it was like riding a bike (I guess they haven't seen me ride a bike...)  Yes, it is just like riding a bike.


Cheers, Jenny

The best CHEWY chocolate chips cookies ever... almost

So, here I am starting my blog -- getting so many ideas out of my head and on to the computer...


Today was cold. So cold that some people recorded temps of -34c!  It was so cold that this morning, walking from the car to work I got an ice cream headache.   Well, Sandy said she got an ice cream headache, I did too, but I took her words...  Thanks Sandy


Back to the cookies, after all this is what the post is about...   


Since it was so cold out today, ski lessons were canceled for the kids.   Which meant they came home on the bus.   No waiting at the ski hill meant I could bake/record my first recipe -->  My favourite CHEWY chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Since these cookies are so yummy I thought I would double the recipe.   Creamed the sugars and butter til they were nice and creamy.

Then I added the eggs, the first one broke but that's ok since they will be mixed.

After all the dry ingredients came the chocolate chips - YUMMY

It was shortly after this picture, actually it was after the cookies were on the pan waiting to go into the oven, that I realized I had only doubled the first 4 ingredients..  GRRR


Back in the bowl everything went to get the rest of the dry stuff in... Back on the pan and into the oven.   They turned into NOT the Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever, but a cookie failure.   Matt looked at me and said, "you can not have a cookie failure!" 

 Made me smile, he is my trusty taste tester, always willing to try.

And of course, he is right... there are no cookie failures.

Here is the final product.  Not the chewy cookie it should be but yum yum none the less.
I will try this recipe again and post it again - when I get it right, with the recipe attached.  The moral of the story DO NOT DOUBLE THE RECIPE


OK, so for my first ever baking post, it wasn't the best.  Please bear with me while I figure this all out.   

Here is the recipe


Cheers, Jenny

Starting something new...

Today I am starting a blog - this is something that I have talked about and have wanted to do for over a year... I have always found a reason for not starting it.   
Today it is starting!


Well...  The process started a few days ago when I challenged my good friend Julie to actually start a blog.   This is mine!   I did it!  


What will this blog be about?  Most people who start blogging have some kind of direction.  This is my problem, I don't have a direction... So, I am going to start and see where it takes me.  


This will follow my interests, my thoughts, my travels, my family, my love for things (purses), photography, baking, my husbands cooking, my paper crafting...