Birthday babies

Mr. M, Mr. J and Miss C all had their birthdays recently. 

I was such a busy bee during all this time that I managed to make J and C their cakes but had to order Mr. M's. Sometimes when you are putting together a whole birthday party for wee kiddies you have to give in to short cuts in exchange for not being horrifically exhausted. So my niece and nephew for custom cakes but my son did not. Classic! 

J had a Thomas birthday but I made him Mickey Mouse ear cupcakes. They were a little finicky and not quite the right look I was going for but he was very excite by them and he had no complaints while smashing them into his mouth. 

C had a Yo Gabba Gabba birthday but I made her this pretty strawberry cupcake cake.

I was considerably happy with both. The strawberry was probably the fastest and easiest cake I've put together. My grandmother pointed out that if I switch the strawberry upside down it looks like a tree. And so my Christmas tree cupcakes blueprint has been created in my mind. 

M had a toy story birthday. I went what one can refer to as overboard on loot bags. There were only 5 kids and an infant so I figured while the numbers are wee it's ok for them to be a little more stuffed. Once we get in to entire classes worth of kids, I will be thrifty and amazing! 

I printed out pictures from the movie which I found via a google search. We hung them on the mantle and played the movie during the party. 

We played pin the tail on bullseye (as best you can play such a game with 3 year olds) and everyone got a toy story bubble wand set as a prize for playing. Everyone went in the backyard at this point to play with bubbles and run off some of their cookie sugars. 

For food I served the basics- chips, veggies, pizza, taco bites, cookies and juice. I had originally attempted to make blue chocolate dipped oreo pops I found on Pinterest. Major major pin fail. 

M was really excited to see his friends and he was reallllly excited for cake. For his kids party I ordered blue and green cupcakes on their own and bought cool candles and put coordinating sprinkles on the cupcakes. 

For his family party we had pulled pork sandwiches with a plethora of salads and chicken. I found this awesome RIO cake at superstore. It was really well done and blue and jewel come off the cake and are morrocas, which M super enjoyed the idea of.

All in all it was a great year for birthdays! 

Crafty Xmas

Hello Everyone

Pretending I did not forget about the existence of my blog again...for almost a year....

Moving on....

I thought I would pop up a few photos of some Christmas Crafts I made this year. As of late I have had a major urge to craft and sew, crotchet and more. This is my attempt at keeping my brain somewhat less mushy then I have been finding it is getting.

I also am reaching a point where I really enjoy making gifts for people more then buying. SO this year a few things went out at Christmas. 

I love my Christmas Tree, and the kiddo is at an age where he would try and "play" with the ornaments. I decided to take a pre emptive strike and find him something to distract from the expensive tree full of breakable memories. So after spenidng some time on my obsession, pinterest I found some blogs where moms had made a felt tree. So I spent a weekend shopping in Buffalo and hit up Joanne Fabrics. (Hobby Lobby, I will find you someday....someday...)

I made this funky little tree for wee man and he really enjoyed it. My nephew also enjoyed it, and even asked me to make him one. I didn't manage it this year but I promised he would have one by next Christmas Season.

I also am a whore for felt kits at Michaels and last year I got a whole whack of them on clearance. Sadly, I didn't buy them fast enough to get all the different patterns but I did get a few. While I did manange to get each kit for under $10.00 I did put a lot of time and effort and love into these projects- My family and girlfriends all loved them.

For my stocking stuffers for my aunts and cousins, plus for my Pointsettia loving Godmother I made this giant load of Felt pointsettias. They were super easy, I had tons of fun breaking in my glue gun.

For my girlfriends and I we decided on a minimal gift exchange- I started these hand sewn felt crafts in september as time filler at the cottage- glad I started early because I was so new at sewing I had a hard time deciphering the knots and directions. But I did get it down eventually- I made 3 types. Birds, Funky trees and what would you call them...word balls? lol.

I enjoyed my crafty Christmas- and have already been thinking ahead of the game.  I also took up crotcheting and got a sewing machine for christmas so I have embarked into that sleeve of craftiness. Everyone is getting home made gifts for the next 20 years!

Hey everyone!

fall off the face of the earth again? why yes, yes I did. No use explaining the usual excuses. 4 jobs, 2 year old boy, exhaustion and just plain life! But here I am, with probably about 20 blog ideas and maybe, just maybe,  I will have the time to bang them all out. 

FIRST OFF!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MILES!

2 years old already, wow. My silly googley eyed Monster, makes me smile everyday- even when being psychotic. I hope your birthday would be everything you dreamed it to be, if you understood the concept yet ;) Love love love you!

And of course happy birthday to my nephew Jimi- you drive me insane, but I love your silly little face. 

I have been a busy bee lately- I work for a commercial make ahead dinner company part time, watch my nephew 3 days a week,  I am a Pampered Chef consultant and lately business is great, plus I make cupcakes on the side. April was a big month for birthdays- I made 3 sets of cupcakes in 3 weekends. One for my nephew, one for an aquaintance and one for my own child. (I was so tired of making cupcakes I ordered a cake for his second party with the family-gasp)

All in all I was pretty happy with them! 

Yo Gabba Gabba Cupcakes for Miles- Dj Lance Hats

 Elmo and Sesame Street Colours for Grayson

 

Thomas Cupcakes for Mr. Jimi

I am not sure I will have any more orders for a wee while, but I think I will enjoy the break ;)

Next Blog: Yo Gabba Gabba birthday party

Back on the road to healthy choices

Bad news! I basically stopped counting weight watcher points and went back to being a crumb bum.

BUT there is more good news then bad.

When I started This diet 15 months ago I was 28 lbs heavier. And I lost 3-5 of those lbs DURING the holidays. So I am not looking back on this year as a waste. Because it was not a waste. It was steady and slow, and the kind of diet that was not stressful. I maintained too- that is a big deal for me! Do I wish I had stuck with it and lost 2x more then that. Maybe. But I'm damn proud of what I DID accomplish.

There are 3 photos today. Good choices, good choice, medium bad choice. All of which are scrumptious.

First is the indianappleous 500 chicken and apple curry from the looney spoons collection. So good. Mid range ww points, fillings, balanced and night.
Recipe will be posted some day ;)

Second- food court blues. I wanted a mozzarella burger, I got tuna on salad with an insulting sprinkle of cheese. But it was only 9 points, fresh, inexpensive and filling. Sometimes making the right choice turns out yummier then expected.

Thirdly- the not too naughty choice- homemade buffalo chicken pizza.

You will need

1 pc blue menu multigrain pizza crust
1/2 cup blue menu tomato sauce
1 cup low fat mozzarella
1/2 cup low fat old cheddar
1 lg onion diced
1 roaster chicken breast OR 1 regular
Chicken breast cooked- no skin, chopped.
2 tbsp Franks red hot buffalo
1/4 cup Franks red hot sweet BBQ
Any low fat ranch dressing
1 serving ruffled plain chips crushed

NOW

Before Putting anything on the crust, cook the onions in a sauté pan with a little olive oil or butter until Caramelized.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Spread out the sauce then 2 cheeses on your pizza crust.

Toss the chicken in the buffalo sauce and layer on. Next add the onions.

Pop that baby in the oven and cook until its bubbly and brown.

When it comes out of the oven drizzle the ranch across the top, then the BBQ in the opposite direction. Top it all off with the crushed chips and sit back and taste the awesomeness.

32 points for the whole pizza. Yeah, you heard me. Divide it by 4 that's 8pts a quarter. Shock and awe? Yeah you know it. Actually it's lower because it's low fat cheese. mine was full fat. Remove the chips (don't you dare!...ok fine go ahead) and its 8pts less.

Listen now- this pizza is delicious, multigrain, has lean protein, low Fat but it does have a decent speck of grease, carbs, sugar and salt. there are many pizzas you can make with lots of veggies and less to No cheese, the chips are unnecessary but so damn good. point is there are healthier choices- and much worse choices. This is a filthy In between for night's you want to misbehave without weeping in disgust later.

Sometimes, It's good to be bad-ish.


Here's to 2012- the year of the large black dress ;)

Seeing Rainbows

Hiya! It's been a busy summer- how about you? This summer has been busier as usual- I'm surprised by how I have managed to fill every waking moment of my calendar and still have time to breath but it's been a really awesome time for us all. I am far from looking forward to being wholed up in the house surrounded by snow with 2, 17 month olds. But we will be filling our winter schedule with play dates and toddler programs I'm sure. That said- what is it I have been up to you ask? Plenty!

In the interest of not boring you with the details I will list it off super quickly!
*A week here and there at the cottage
*My birthday away in Niagra Falls
*A shopping weekend in Buffalo
*a Pampered Chef conference in Montreal
*Visiting friends from out of town x2
*Numerous Zoo trips.

So this blog post is simple, and delicious. Referring back to my beautiful weekend away with my Hubby to Niagara falls, we spent a dinner at the Rainbow Room by Massimo Capra. I love Massimo when i see him on Breakfast television, The Mom Show and numerous Food Network programs and was not disappointed in the food at this restaurant at all. I made sure to only order items what had his signature on them.

The bread basket they brought to the table while we waited was delicious. Warm rosemary foccacia bread with Hummus that was covered in Olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and hot chili flakes. Different, delicious and super impressive for something so simple. But I forgot to get a photo :(

I had what can only be described as one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten at a restaurant in my life. Top 3, hands down. What could it possibly be to earn such a place in my culinary memories? Why- the silky delicious appetizer "Warm Peaches and Cheese"- Caramelized Niagara Peaches, St. Andres Cheese, Prosciutto Di Parma, Olive Crostini, Nicoise Lettuce, Micro Greens, Peach Vinaigrette....yeah. YEAH! It was so salty and sweet, creamy and crunchy. I was seriously blown away.



My hubby Matt had the Caprese salad- Roasted Eggplants, Mozzarella “Fiore Di Latte”,
Ontario Hot House Tomato Salsa, Micro Greens Salad, Tomato Vinaigrette. He really enjoyed it and the bite I had was super fresh- the mozzarella was from another world.


Though we had planned to have 2 different entree's so that we could try 2, we couldn't do it. We both reallllly wanted to try the Fettuccini Bolognese. Classic Italian Meat Ragu, Hand Made Fettuccini, Parmigianna Regianno. Neither of us could get half way through it the portion was such a great size and it was again, so delicious and balanced. Creamy and saucy, meaty and he pasta was amazing.


The restaurant itself was simple and sleek- White linens and 360 glass wall views of the falls.
However- While the food was amazing the service was only so so. Which is too bad that Massimo can't control the service that is representing his name. The waiter was very nice, and knowledgeable but it was very slow. We spent the time between appetizers and entree's listening to an argument between the people at the table next to us because they had to take a baby to bed and had not recieved their food yet. When the 8 entrees came out they got up and left, leaving the team of waiters lost and the patrons curious. I thought that was a bit of an over reaction. I loved the food and even though the food was slow it was clearly made well, and with skill. I would eat there again if I had to wait 2 hours for my meal.

Crashy crash

Hey world- I've been absent its true! This time I have good excuses!

1- I have started a career as a Pampered Chef consultant and I am having a blast!

2- I watch my nephew full time and him with my own son all day makes for an exhausted night and I totally pass out early.

3- I got into a car accident and there was a few weeks full of phone calls , physiotherapy and paperwork that took up alot of time and effort! Don't worry we're all ok!

I'll just put all that crazy behind me and get on the bloggity blog track.

Ethnic cooking- masalaaaa

I know its been a while- and im sorry! Its been crazy busy and with birthdays and mother's day, plus an extra long week of strep throat its been hard to stay on all tracks.

The good news is in my absence from my blog I have lost 5.9lbs! I have lost 26 out of 55 baby lbs. Go me!

There was a small period of time where there was so much going on that I didn't real care to think about weight watchers. All I really wanted was to eat what I want, when I want. And you know what? I don't really want that freedom anymore. It obviously has not gotten me anywhere good and So I have been back on track. Do I stll love those damn cookies? You bet I do. Do I eat an entire box in just a couple days? No. And that is one of the hardest things on this new lifestyle journey. But I do want to lose weight, and I always have wanted to and I am learning that one day at a time really is the best approach. So I eat my cookies, and I have a steak or an iced cap. But I think about it first. And I plan for it. And I feel ok about it when I'm done eating or drinking it because I know I'm not undoing everything I worked for. AS LONG AS I REMEMBER NOT TO PANIC AND EAT EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!

Part of the spectrum is trying new things- and lately I have really enjoyed more ethnic foods such as Indian. I made this meal the other day and my hubby and I both went nuts for it. Sadly I don't have the completely correct measurements as I made it at supperworks, but it is definitely worth the share. I am mainly guessing!

MASALA FISH

3 servings

3 Basa fish Filets
Canola Oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tsp Cumin Seed
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/ tsp fresh green chilis
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup water
salt

Put the fish in a ziploc and toss half the lemon juice on it and let it sit for a wee while- rinse the fish off under cold water and dry it.

In a large, deep fry pan (that has a cover, for later) cook the onion, oil and cumin seeds on medium high until the onions are browning and cumin is fragrant. About 5 minutes.


Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Carefully add fish, making sure each piece is covered in sauce. Cover and simmer approx. 15 min. Stir occasionally; add a little water if necessary (internal temp. 158F/70C).



Serve over Basmati rice and with a dollop of plain yogurt and cucumber slices.

This was so mild and delicious- a serious new favourite meal.

2 parties, 2 cakes, one weekend

Hiya! Just another shortish post today- A couple pictures of my most recent cakeventures. I made my son 2 cakes on the weekend for both his kid and family birthday parties- The stand alone cupcakes are chocolate, fudge filled vanilla buttercream and the red and white fondant was all cut out using my cricut cake- I was very tired, very sore and did not get to do yellow and white as I had planned. But in the end it looks more like Dr. Seuss cupcakes which is a-okay and delicious.



The second cake was cupcakes iced together- I drew out and cut the sign and all the little alphabet letters were cut with alphabet fondant cutters. They are devils food cupcakes with no filling and vanilla buttercream.

I got a message on my phone a couple days ago asking about making cakes for someone- I have not yet called them back due to toddler related pandamonium at home but hopefully there will be more cakes in the near future!

Easter Beasters

oops this is my easter blog post that was accidentally left in the edit folder- better late then never!



A shot of my Easter Cupcake nests



Proof of the gigantic Easter Beaster Feast- This year there was even more veggies and fruits- I made the fancy Devilled eggs



These are the Little People Eggs from fisher price- They were absolutely perfect for my son since he is only 1 and I obviously will not be giving him chocolate. They were filled with these adorable little chick and Bunny, Easter kids, and more.


He did a really good job of finding the eggs and was really excited when he clued in and realized we were giving him things. ;)



This is my easter basket of presents- overkill...yes I know. I told my husband "I overdid it again" and his response, instead of being that I was in trouble was "With you hunny, at this point its just par for the course and I wouldnt expect less" lol. I have no intention of giving giant baskets like this always but its full of thigns I needed to get him and a couple little things. The good news is alot of these items were from the dollar store or under 5 dollars- Except Elmo- Elmo was a gift from Nana, but I felt he helped complete the basket. <3

365 days of awesome

Today I would love to wish my sweet lil monkey of a baby, Miles, a very happy 1st birthday. Love you sweet bum, XOXOXO

Mini Eggs, Big issues

Easter! oh lordy lord it's Easter. And as everyone knows, Easter seems to rain chocolate 100x more violently then Christmas and Valentines day combined. Why? Because unlike Santa who brings gifts with some candy, or your loved one who brings a small box to say I love you, The Easter Bunny brings you buckets and buckets of chocolate- at least he makes you work a little to find it first. Its completely overwhelming being at any store, especially Walmart and Zellers.

I have not celebrated the easter bunny visiting my house in over 15 years and have always built Easter around the Catholic reasons for celebrating but I never seem to get out of the weekend with the scale unscathed. My mother in law God bless her likes to make all us "kids" an easter basket full of chocolates and that sweet little golden bunny as a place setting for dinner. I always savour that basket-



But then comes Easter brunch. Oh yes. Easter brunch with 30 very loud, very hungry Italians. The good news is that while I am anticipating all the eats, I am realizing just how weight friendly our Easter can be. There is a sewing table in my Aunt's basement- very large...and COVERED with food corner to corner at Christmas and Easter.


While Christmas Eve is lots of fishes and fried dough balls stuffed with caulifower or CINNAMON SUGAR and so much more savoury things, our Easter is just a little bit more forgiving. With plenty of cookies and cakes but i digress. Leaving Good Friday and all its shrimp, tilapia, lingini and mussels out of the equation, our table is covered with fruit, veggies and dip, cheeses, pickles, olives and frittatas- there are usually 3 frittatas and they are each stuffed to the brim with a fresh vegetable like peppers, spinach, peas. There is spanakopita (yeah, I don't know how it got on our Italian table either but we would all be very mad if it ever was forgotten) . But in that Spanakopita is serious amounts of spinach and much less feta and fillo then one would think because it is homemade. There is a blueberry strata and thinly sliced luncheon meats. Some of which used to be handmade by my grandfather- who is in his mid 80's now and just can't do it anymore. We were spoiled to have a butcher in the family and lucky for us he was very serious about cutting off as much of the fat as possible- so lean, homemade nitrite free meat for all.


But the big thing, the one thing no one can wait for is the EASTER PIZZA. A pizza bread stuffed to the brim with pepperoni, eggs, ham and cheese in a pizza dough case. They made everyone their very own last year and because I was so very very pregnant it was the greatest day of my life. There is also tortula bread- a very dense, very yolk full sweet bread we only get Easter day too.

I don't even know where I am going with any of this I'm dreaming of the pizza. Oh yeah... Easter and chocolate and food.

This is my son's first Easter, and falls 1 week before his first birthday. I want to allow him to eat SOME sweets when he gets older- but I do have a lot of fears that he will end up like me, and I don't want that for him. I will of course let him eat what he likes when we have our family celebrations but when he get's near the table with 100 types of cookies on it, I will be carefully monitoring him. If only I had more control practicing what I preach. I am also a holiday freak and needless to say I have gone overboard- buying small gifts and things- much of which are all gifts he needs anyway- Bibs, sippy cups, toddler crayons and a colouring book, bath duck, wee toy truck, you get the hint. There is going to be no chocolate- except for a chocolate flavoured toddler cookie- I did want him to experience a first easter egg hunt so I err...asked...the Easter bunny for the toddler friendly Eggs that have little people figurines in them. I also asked the bunny to fill small carrot and egg shaped containers with Cheerios and banana and peach puffs.

I hope I can make it through Easter without a gain! Wish me luck I guess!

Dino-Mite!

I got my cricut cake machine and im in love! This is my cake I made for my Nephew Jimi on his first birthday. Shortest post ever!