Tuesday 27 May 2014

And They Went to London


I finally had a chance to go through the hundreds of photos that my boys took while they were in the UK.  I was thrilled to see that they got so many great shots.  Looking at them has me wishing that I could have gone with them, everything looks fabulous! Here's a sampling of the city of London.  






















 













I recognize Big Ben, the Tower Bridge and the London Eye...but not the rest.  And even with the help of the the walking map they used, the guys are forgetting what's what.  Anyone familiar with the city care to tell us what some of these beautiful buildings are?

Friday 16 May 2014

Getting Outside


It's been a wet week, so when the rain paused for a while last night we went for a walk.  It's so nice to get outside and see the world around us turning green.  And now that my camera is safely back home, it came along for a walk too.


The geese are back on the pond that served as a skating rink all winter.






Grateful that spring has finally sprung, and hoping for sunny skies as we head into a holiday weekend!

Monday 12 May 2014

They're Back, and Zucchini Pasta


They're back!  

Someone (iphone challenged hubby) didn't realize he was taking pictures with a filter.  So here is London in all of its gloomy yellow-cast glory.  Thankfully there were hundreds of photos taken with my camera (which came back in one piece, hallelujah!), and I think I can edit these to improve the lighting and the colouring.


While the boys were away, my girl was also away, off to the States to celebrate the college graduation of a special someone in her life.  I had an entire week to:

Do less laundry.
Worry that they were all safe in their travels.
Creep their social media to see what they were doing.
Cook smaller portions.

I tried something new, and everyone that was home seemed to like it.  Zucchini 'pasta'.


Healthy and ridiculously easy.  I used a julienne peeler to shred the zucchini into ribbons of  'pasta', steamed it with garlic, added a little seasoning, and served it with some chicken.  


The taste is mild, the texture is good, and it makes a great pasta substitute.  I first tried this at a Pampered Chef party I recently went to.  They served it with chicken and a bruschetta type mixture that they mixed in with the steamed zucchini.  I opted to skip the bruschetta mixture as most of my kids don't like tomatoes, and just served the seasoned zucchini with the seasoned chicken.  This zucchini 'pasta' is very similar to the spaghetti squash that we also enjoy as an occasional substitute for pasta. 

The Miracle of Spaghetti Squash


Zucchini Pasta with Bruschetta Chicken

6 medium sized or 4 large zucchini, washed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
Additional seasoning to taste,  I used a bit of pepper, oregano, cumin, and some red pepper flakes

Using a julienne peeler, run it lengthwise along all sides of the zucchini to create ribbons of 'pasta'.  Keep peeling until you get to the middle, seeded part of the zucchini.  Stop there.  Toss your zucchini ribbons with minced garlic, then steam the zucchini until it is tender yet still slightly firm, just like al dente pasta.  You don't want it to be too soft or it will become mushy.  Drain any liquid that the zucchini has released.  Toss steamed zucchini with olive oil and seasoning. 

Bruschetta Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt, pepper, oregano (or Montreal Chicken Spice if it's available where you are) to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

3 cups diced fresh tomatoes (I prefer Roma tomatoes)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup (small handful) fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Season chicken and heat oil in a pan over medium heat.  Cook chicken breasts for 5-7 minutes on each side until cooked through.  Remove from pan and shred chicken or cut into bite sized pieces.  Set aside.

Toss together the diced fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, and Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.  Combine the tomato mixture with the chopped chicken.

Serve the Bruschetta Chicken on top of the Zucchini Pasta.  Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!



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