Holiday party 2010

Yesterday my dad hosted a holiday party for his staff from work. I thought I would post some pictures of all of the yummy food we had with my dad's friends. One of my dad's friends brought a healthy serving of pigs in a blanket - they are some mini hot dogs wrapped in dough then baked to perfection. It was one of the favorite things served at the party. My dad made a Porketta and my mom made a really yummy Squash and Mushroom Lasagna. The Porketta was so tender, it melted in your mouth. We also had many varieties of desserts. One of the desserts was called Oreoballs. Here are some pictures of some of the things we had.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2010

The day of Thanksgiving my family was in town from New Jersey. My uncle Peter made some very good cocktails that I had heard about. My dad made the most amazing turkey so that all of the meat was perfectly cooked and seasoned. He also made an unbelievable stuffing - both inside the turkey and a batch that was baked in a casserole dish. Uncle Peter also made some of the best - whipped mash potatoes I have ever had. We even had a delicious chocolate and caramel pie with cinnamon ice cream, that my Uncle Peter also made. In addition, he and my mom worked together and made a fantastic apple tartin. My mom made some whip cream to go along with the pie's for dessert. My family and cousins, aunt and uncle enjoyed eating this memorable feast.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2010

The day of Thanksgiving my family was in town from New Jersey. My uncle Peter made some very good cocktails that I had heard about. My dad made the most amazing turkey so that all of the meat was perfectly cooked and seasoned. He also made an unbelievable stuffing - both inside the turkey and a batch that was baked in a casserole dish. Uncle Peter also made some of the best - whipped mash potatoes I have ever had. We even had a delicious chocolate and caramel pie with cinnamon ice cream, that my Uncle Peter also made. In addition, he and my mom worked together and made a fantastic apple tartin. My mom made some whip cream to go along with the pie's for dessert. My family and cousins, aunt and uncle enjoyed eating this memorable feast.

Michael Smith's Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

On November 14, 2010 me and my mom made a really good beef stew from a cook book named The Best of Chef At Home, by Michael Smith. My dad got brought home this book for me and we decided to make the stew.because yesterday there was a really big snow storm. It seemed like just the right dish to make.

2 lb of stewing beef
A sprinkle or two of sea salt and freashly ground pepper
A splash of any vegetable oil
A few carrots,peeled and roughly chopped
A few stalks of celery, roughly chopped
A few potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
A few parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
A few onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 turnip, peeled and roughly chopped
1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes
1/2 bottle or so of hearty red wine
3 to 4 of homemade or canned beef broth
a few bay leaves
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 jar of pickled baby white onions
a few handfuls of frozen peas
another sprinkle or two of salt and pepper



Preheat a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, pat the beef dry with a clean towel and then cut it into large cubes and season it with the salt and pepper. Add a splash of oil to the pot-enough to cover the bottom in a thin layer- and toss in enough meat to form a single sizzling layer. Sear the meat on every side until it's evenly browned.
Once the meat is done, discard the remaining oil but keep all the browned bits in the pan; they'll add lot's of flavour to the stew. Add half of the vegetables-reserving the other half- and all the meat back into the pot. Add the tomatoes and enough wine and beef broth to barely cover the works. Add the bay leaves and rosemary and bring the pot to a simmer.
Continue cooking until the meat is almost tender, about 1 hour, then, then add the remaining vegetables and the baby onions. Adding the vegetables in 2 batches allows the first batch to dissolve into the stew while the second remains its shape, colour and texture. Continue simmering until the meat and veggies are tender, another 30 minutes or so. When the stew is tender, add the frozen peas and cook until heated throgh. Taste it and seasonas you like with salt and pepper.

makes 6 to 8 servings

Grandma's flavorfully chicken soup

When my grandma was here for a visit she made some really good chicken noodle soup. It had turnips, onions, carrots, leeks, and chicken. We made it on the Thursday of MEA weekend. My brother and I had it for lunch with a plain bagel to dip. Whenever I have her chicken noodle soup I think of the middle of winter.

Clancy's marinated lamb chops

I had these really amazing marinated lamb chops. I grilled the lamb chops because my grand-parents came from Florida.The chops where marinated with oregano and lemon. I grilled them for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side. To finish it off we had some cherry pie from Kowalskis with some cookies and cream ice cream.

Fall Harvest at Earth Dance Farm

On October 2,2010 me and my family went to Earth Dance Farm for the fall harvest. The fall harvest is when as many as people can come to the farm have a chance to meet the interns and the other members of the farm at the harvest. At the harvest they have chili,coffe,apple cider, hot water,and some hot chocolate. They had a fire that kept us warm. There was also horse activites in the horse coral. After we ate we went on a hay ride up to the pumpkin patch to pick some pumpkins.

At the farm it felt like it was the beginning of Fall. There was a small breeze and the corn and potatoes where dug out of the ground. When I saw the acorn squash I thought of Fall, when my mom makes squash soup for really cold days.