Mmmmmmm...sounds like we need an official Canada Forum VJ cookbook! I've already been copying all these yummy recipes into a folder on my pc and one of these days I hope to organise them into a notebook.

Keep 'em coming!

I do have all the recipes from the old VJ forum.. I really need to start working on it..

i could always include a Canadian and Honorary Canadian VJ section...

It really would be nice to have a collection...are you planning on compiling them and making them available?

yes of course

If there's anything I can do to help you, let me know!

I wlll try and start it next week...

I was thinking of making it a PDF file....

cake is cut and half gone now....fantastic taste..she used the apple.....very moist, sooooooooo good

So with Marilyn's easy cake recipe in mind, I bought a cake mix

I did buy cherries and will add them to the vanilla cake.

Also bought some filo pastry and some spinach and cheese and will make that up at some point!

For dinner though I am going to fry up some steak and make steak/taco salads.

I think I found the steak that I liked from before (that I had taken out of it's original packaging so couldnt identify). I think it's the small chuck steak 'mock tender'. Now I don't know if that means they are mocking it's tenderness or it's just pretending to be tender....but none-the-less I hope it's the same meat!

going out to eat today.. yay.. to freakin hot to cook in my kitchen

now I just have to decide where we are going to go...

Will try Citrus Chicken and Rice tonight

we're finally going out for my hubby's birthday (he wanted a nice dinner as his present, but he was unemployed at the time, so we held off until now) --we're going here : http://www.mahoganyprime.com/index.php


me is excited

Did Arby's tonight. Tried to find a coffee house open after 8pm...that was a wasted effort!! Sigh. Eh, will try another time I guess.

Happy belated birthday to your hubby, Cassie - enjoy your birthday dinner:-). I had dinner plans already for when Joe got home but he said, put it in the fridge, we'll have it later and we went out instead. Now I am really stuffed! Went to Mellow Mushroom both for lunch and for dinner - hehehe, it is actually really good! I had a portabello and cheese hoagie for lunch (with feta, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and sprouts yum!) and tonight Joe and I split a Cosmic Karma pizza - double yum! Lots of mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, spinach, mushrooms and I don't remember what else. I am going to have to stop eating next week to make up for all of the food this week. Still have angelfood cake with whipped cream and strawberries to have a little later on - when there is room for it!

house salad
filet mignon, medium well
fresh corn, sliced right off the cob
key lime pie

me's a happy girl tonight

glad you had a good meal, cassie..

we ended up going to Chilis...

hubby had fajitas with chicken, steak and shrimp and I had a honey bbq sirloin steak with mashed potaotes and sauteed mushrooms, onions and bell pepper... yum

and I had a really strong strawberry margarita and hubby had a long island ice tea but it seems they forgot the ice tea part.. it was mostly alcohol but hubby didn't complain

Sounds like everyone had fabu dinners!

Happy belated birthday to your hubby...glad you two were able to go out and enjoy yourselves.

I have bread to bake tomorrow...chicken stock in the fridge...a boneless chuck roast to do something with...

Oh wait...it IS tomorrow already. Having trouble sleeping tonight.

Last night, we had steaks on the grill (marinated in a honey teriyaki sauce ... yum!), sauteed mushrooms, sauteed spinach and asparagus cooked on the grill.

Today, we are heading to Portland ME to do some shopping (that is the closest Babies R Us, 3 hours away). I amexcited to have SEAFOOD!!!!

What did you think of the citrus chicken, SweetCouple? I think I might give it a go if it comes back with rave reviews.



Ohhhhhh, that looks lovely, Cassie. Sounds like you had a great time!

I have no idea what we're having for dinner tonight. Hubby's gone to the gym and I'm just about to head out for my walk, then we'll probably go to Sanford to pick up a couple of suits he bought and had tailored. So I'm thinking we might stop off at Pollo Tropical. But I've kinda had a craving for pizza lately. Except that every time I mention it my husband doesn't want any. Hmmm. Maybe I'll just make bbq'd pizza one day. OMG, I'm hungry. I need to go eat something.

Today -- back to reality. I think the hubby requested homemade pizza for supper tonight.

Happy belated birthday to your husband Cassie! Sounds like you had a lovely meal, and the venue looks swanky! (Does anyone say swanky anymore?? )

We had grilled steaks last night, with green beans and potato salad. Tonight I'm thinking meatloaf, salad, and mashed potatoes? Something will come to me....

We had beef brisket over brown rice....beef was made in the slow cooker with Ale! Yum!

I think tonight we will make Curry Chicken with the help of Patak's...

Krikit - have yet to find the elusive Indian restaurant that makes me want to have them as a weekly dinner event....in the meantime, we are using Patak's products that we have found at Super Walmart....

People should say swanky more often

I have filo pastry in the freezer, I was watching Emeril, again, the other day and he made these spinach and feta cheese triangles. Not a fan of feta, so I bought an alternate cheese, but I also bought fresh spinach so I pretty much have to make them today. Spanakopita (Spinach Triangles or Pie)

Mel was at a work fishing tournament this weekend. They caught trout, redfish and flounder. One of his co workers cleaned all the fish for them ans brought it in today. I'm off to his work to pick it up because Mel rode his bike to work.

So tonight it is probably frilled redfish, some grilled veggies and salad with either rice or couscous.

anyone ever done this:

Beer in the Rear Chicken and BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
5 lb whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
2 - 3 tablespoons dry rub, recipe follows
1 (12-ounce) can light beer
barbecue sauce, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Set up your indoor/oven "beer can chicken" roaster according to manufacturer's instructions. Rub the chicken all over with the dry rub making sure to get some around the cavity opening as well. Put the rubbed chicken in place over the beer can, on top of a roasting pan. Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

Lower the oven to 325 degrees F and roast for 90 minutes basting with the chicken drippings and Barbecue Sauce until very, very tender. Carefully remove the chicken from the roaster and let rest 10 minutes before carving. Remove beer can from chicken. Serve with more Barbecue Sauce on the side.

Dry Rub:
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
Cayenne pepper, pinch

Combine all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container.

Barbeque Sauce:
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup water
Dash Worcestershire sauce

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, saute the onion and garlic in vegetable oil until soft. Add salt and pepper. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Prep Time - 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time - 10 minutes
Cook Time - 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield - 4 to 5 servings
Difficulty - Intermediate

no clue what dinner will be tonight.. maybe some kind of chicken in the crock pot because it is too hot to use the oven right now...

I make a Spinach log about once every 2 or 3 weeks and I use shredded swiss in it. I use puff pastry instead of the phyllo. Phyllo is so awful to work with sometimes! I just use one sheet of puff pastry dough, roll it out a little thinner after about 30 min. after I take it out of the freezer. Then I put a mixture of thawed spinach, mixed with egg, feta and shredded swiss cheese. Bring over sides and tuck in ends. Brush with egg wash, and put in the oven for hmmm 20 min? I just watch it after about 15 min. I think I used cheddar and bacon one time with the spinach as well. Maybe throw in some onions and mushrooms too if you like. I absolutely love this recipe.

I say swanky! And yes it was definitely swanky (with a swanky bill to match! ) , but sooooooooo good. Beautiful ambience, nice music, fantastic food. We very rarely treat ourselves this way, so it was a very special date night and absolutely worth it.

Last night I marinated chicken tenders in my special sauce -- a mixture of spicy or dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic (either fresh or powdered), herbs, and olive oil. Hubster grilled them and he made himself a quesadilla while I had a grilled chicken salad. So good

I have to try this recipe I just found.. it looks so good...



http://blogchef.net/bacon-wrapped-chicken-recipe/

you can see picture of it in the link.. looks sooooo good...

Oh! T.O.! Did you ever get to Sushi Katana?

Patak's is great. I'm so glad they have them here.

Last night we had the last of the steak and mushroom pies I brought back from Canada. I had a bit of cauliflower so I boiled that up with the potatoes and mashed them all together. We also had steamed carrots and parsnips and some peas. Oh, and some mushroom gravy. Tonight I am making cream of leek soup because I have a ton of leeks in the fridge that I need to use. (My husband is working late tonight so we'll have that when he gets in.)

I have no freakin idea what to make nor no freaking desire to make anything.. it is too darn hot to cook anything and I forgot to put something in the crock pot before I left and now it is too late

I would get hubby to pick something up but we have been eating out a bit too much lately

Krikit is making leek soup because she has tons of leeks - I am making cucumber soup because we have tons of cucumbers - well, not tons yet, but our cucumber plant is producing very nicely. So 4 medium cucumbers, 16 oz of plain yoghurt, a tsp of fresh dill, half a cup of chopped green onions, half a teaspoon of parsley, a tsp of Mrs. Dash's seasoning, all blended smooth in the blender and chilled for an hour before dinner.

I also did a salad plate with servings of crab salad, hummus, guacamole, sliced cheese, deviled eggs and cherry tomatoes from the garden, with cornbread muffins. Now, I'm full!

Wow. That sounds awesome, Kathryn. Mmmmm.... cucumber soup. I used to have a fabulous recipe for cucumber soup. I wonder what I did with it?

Still waiting for hubby to come home so we can have our cream of leek soup. It's one of the recipes in the family cookbook I was given for my wedding. It sounds like it's going to be really good. Well.... back to chopping.

I ended up making this.. I have made it before and it is good... I don't use Rotel though just a can of Italian diced tomatoes... I just add extra spices... and today I threw in a whole pickled jalapeno pepper... oh and I don't add the cheese just seems kind of weird to me...


http://www.recipezaar.com/159348

I think I said I was going to make meatloaf yesterday, but I changed my mind!

We had Greek Pasta Bake, and it was kind of bland. It's basically elbow macaroni, a tomato based ground beef filling, then macaroni again on top, topped with a white parmesean sauce and baked. They had called for cinnamon and nutmeg in a few places, but otherwise it was a bit bland. We had chibata and a salad to accompany.

Marilyn, those chicken breasts with cream cheese sound divine, and I was drooling looking at the picture, so that's what I'm going to attempt tonight. Will let you know how they taste!

Mmmmmmmmmm cream of leek soup! I love leeks. I make a mean cock-a-leeky pie.

I'm not too big on cold soups, but might be willing to try making on if it gets too hot this summer! Might try a diced gazpacho soup for starters...anyone like that?

I've never actually tried gazpacho, but I might like it!

Well I did make the spinach triangles yesterday, I substituted pepperjack cheese with jalapenos and habanero peppers, it was a tad too spicy for me so I had 1 bite and Mike ate the rest - glad someone liked them.

Tonight - bacon wrapped steak and something to go with it!

I have no earthly idea what to make for dinner. I have bread to make today, so at least we'll have fresh bread. I'm tired of the same old same old dishes. I do have a few on here that I want to try...it's just so hot that I'd rather do simple quick stuff. I guess I'll prowl my favourite recipe sites while the bread is rising.

yes please let me know ... I wanted to make them yesterday but I didn't have the cream cheese or the bacon ... I showed hubby the picture and he said, "those sure look healthy" ...lol

tonight I am making my mom's famous sweet and sour sausage.... I am using bratwurst but my mom always used Farmer Sausage which you can't get down here I have also used garlic sausage with this recipe and it is good but nothing like farmer sausage...

the recipe was originally for ribs but my mom always used it for sausage... .... I haven't made it in ages.... going to serve it with some rice but it is also good with mashed potaotes...

the sauce is:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/8 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Farmer sausage(@2 feet long)

Mix all the ingredients together and pour over sausage.. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour...

I am using about 6 bratwurst that I will cut into chunks...

Something quick and easy today - been busy and running out of energy now:-) So, frozen fish in cajun sauce, cheese and potato frozen perogies both done in the oven, and sliced cucumbers. It's hot!!!!

Joel is gonna grill some chicken tonight...the marinade is making me soooo hungry! Cheese potatoes I think and I've finally finished up my bread today. Three loaves, two bread sticks (garlic and cheese in one, topped with dill weed and parmesan and garlic topped with Italian seasoning) and a small pan of cinnamon rolls.

Well tonight we're going to have left over Greek Pasta that I made the other day. Now last nights chicken, from the recipe that Marilyn gave us...OMG....talk about DECADENT!!!! It was incredible. I pounded out six boneless skinless chicken breasts, and spread the onion chive cream cheese on them, rolled them up, wrapped a bacon slice around them, inserted toothpicks...and viola! They were SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!!! Reminiscent of a "special" occassion meal, you certainly couldn't make them everyday, but I highly recommend them. Warning however, you should love cream cheese...otherwise I don't think you'll like them. I made up some Israeli grain mixture. (That's what it was called...) from Trader Joes and it was incredible also. Very nutty...and grainy. A broccolli slaw rounded things out.

I also made a rhubarb coffee cake the other day that was out of this world. Let me know if anyone wants the recipe.

I've made my own gazpacho, and I've had North American gazpacho. It was really good. When I was in Spain a couple of years ago I ordered gazpacho. WOW. Totally unlike North American versions. It was incredible. I am looking forward to having it, again, in a few weeks while I am over there. Only 19 more sleeps!

OMG! How am I going to lose 20 lbs in 19 sleeps?



Last night we had leftover cream of leek soup. It was really lovely. Tonight I am going to make Thai lettuce wraps.

Tonight will be sloppy joes.

yeah just from the looks of it I wouldn't want to make it regularly... mmm, now I really want to try it...

We had the bacon wrapped steak last night. These particular steaks come in a set of 2, wrapped in like the round plastic things. Anyway they were on sale for $ 3.99, so I thought, what the heck, we will try them. They were so good!! Had potatoes and sweet potatoes/gravy with them.

Not sure about tonight, hmm, will need to look in the fridge and see what's there.

now I want to make them too!

and yes please for the coffee cake recipe!

RHUBARB COFFEE CAKE

1-1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped nuts
2-1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. oil
1 c. buttermilk or sour milk
1 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 c. diced rhubarb, fresh or frozen

Mix all ingredients together.

TOPPING:

1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar

Spread on top of coffee cake. Bake in 9 x 13 inch pan at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.


*** I used a cup of milk that sat for about 5 minutes with vinegar in it instead of the buttermilk. I also used 2 cups of diced rhubarb, fresh, but I think it could have used at least another 1/2 cup. Gene said 2 cups was enough he thought. I used 1 cup of brown sugar and increased the cinnamon and butter (or margarine) accordingly for the topping. ***

enjoy!

I think I have a recipe that is similar to that.. mmmmm, very good... I still need to find me some rhubarb down here

Thanks Carla!

I have no clue what dinner will be tonight... here it is almost 11 am and I haven't done a darn thing yet today