Thoughts from a diaper diva

The return of diaper diva

2009-09-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

Wow. Over 1 year since my last post....Don't worry, all is ok on the homefront....I have very recently discovered Twitter... Many talk show hosts talk about it and celebrities seem to be quite engaged to using it..so I thought I would check it out.... Guess what..it is pretty cool. I can get updated on my favorite celebrities from trustworthy sources. I thought that I would post the link to my blog on my twitter page to see what type of response I would get from my followers.
My last blog topic was canning peaches. I canned peaches again this year. Fun...and I am happy to report that I will also be canning pears and applesauce. Those peaches sure tasted better than store bought. Perhaps it was because the peaches were prepared with love and were grown close to home. Whatever the reason, nothing beats homemade. I will use the same recipe for syrup with the pears as I have with the peaches.
I have attached a link to the recipe I will be using, however, I hope to not add any sugar..Enjoy..

//http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/applesauce/

There is nothing better than homemade applesauce with hand-picked apples, and it is so easy to do! If you want chunky applesauce, use a potato masher to mash the cooked apples. If you prefer smooth apple sauce, run the cooked apples through a food mill. The key is adding a few strips of lemon peel to the apples while cooking. The lemon heightens the apple flavor.

Homemade Applesauce Recipe

Preparation time: 45 minutes. The sugar amounts are just guidelines, depending your taste, and on the sweetness of your apples, use less or more. If you use less sugar, you'll likely want to use less lemon juice. The lemon juice brightens the flavor of the apples and balances the sweetness.
Ingredients
3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered apples. (Make sure you use a good cooking apple like Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonathan, Mcintosh, or Gravenstein.)
4 strips of lemon peel - use a vegetable peeler to strip 4 lengths
Juice of one lemon, about 3-4 Tbsp
3 inches of cinnamon stick
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
up to 1/4 cup of white sugar
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Method
1 Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
2 Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels. Mash with potato masher.
Ready to serve, either hot or refrigerated. Delicious with vanilla ice cream or vanilla yogurt.
Freezes easily, lasts up to one year in a cold freezer.

The hiatus is over....

2008-08-23T11:50:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone.

It's been seven months since my last post. Summer hasn't been too eventful this year. The lack of warm weather didn't bring me to the beach or pool too often. However, I have just returned from a two week vacation where the weather was spectacular for us. I returned home with some new tan lines, a few extra pounds on the "derriere" and about 80 pounds of peaches.

I have spent yesterday evening bringing out my dusty canning jars (which haven't been used in 7 years) and got straight to work. In 3 1/2 hours last night, I canned 24 jars of peaches. I still have approximately 30-40 more jars to fill.

I have to say, looking at the jars this morning gave me great sense of accomplishment. Homemade, tasty and free. I think canning will become a new hobby for me.

Canned Free haven peaches
I made a light syrup by warming 1 cup of sugar with 3 cups of water. (These peaches are quite sweet and do not require much sugar). I think next year I will play around with different recipes where you can use fruit juice instead of sugar. I have also read that adding sugar isn't necessary.

You can cut your peaches into halves, quarters or eighths. Ensure that you remove the skin and any bruising. You should be able to cut your peach in half and then pull your peach apart. If the skin doesn't peel off easily, dip the peach in warm water first.
Place your peach slices in the jars then fill with syrup. Place your seals and lids on the jar for canning.

http://www.homecanning.com/can/AlRecipes.asp?R=103

Here I sit regretting I didn't bring any pears home!

2008-01-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone.
I have had a bad week. It was supposed to end with a belated birthday celebration for my daughter, but I got sick and needed to postpone plans. The only thing I can really do when I am not well is rest in bed or watch tv. Today, I caught this episode of Nigella Express and I wanted to share it right away. It is really simple and involves all of the important food groups. You will see below that recipe call for pancetta. I used a smoked canadian back bacon, it is MUCH leaner. Pancetta is quite fatty. For those of you who eat white chicken meat only, boneless breasts or fillets work just as well. I personally use a mixture.
Happy cooking.

Pollo alla Cacciatora Recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson, 2007
Show: Nigella Express
Episode: Hey Presto

This is an old favourite - chicken cooked 'the hunter's way' which grants a certain amount of culinary licence. This, my, version is traditional enough, only speeded up and simplified. The only unexpected deviation lies in the addition of a can of cannellini beans. This, in effect, turns it into a quick, one pot, all-inc supper. Having said that, I also adore it - as do my children - with plain steamed rice, as well. But whatever, when I cook this, I know I can count on getting tea on the table from scratch in comfortably under half an hour.

1 tablespoon garlic oil
1/2 cup pancetta cubes
6 scallions, finely sliced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 pound chicken thigh fillets, each cut into 4 pieces
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 cup white wine
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 (14-ounce) can cannellini beans, optional

Put the garlic oil into a pan with the pancetta, sliced scallions and chopped rosemary and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the bite-sized chicken pieces, stirring well, and sprinkle in the celery salt.

Pour in the wine and let it come to a bubble before adding the tomatoes, bay leaves and sugar. Put the lid on and let the pan simmer for 20 minutes.

Drain and add a tin of cannellini beans and when they have warmed through too, you are ready to eat.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_77081,00.html

Happy New Year..and for my fellow Italian friends Buon Anno

2008-01-13T20:17:00.000-08:00

Being Italian is truly a blessing. Well, most of the time. Most Italians are really simple people. Everything is about the family. ESPECIALLY THE FOOD. For Italians, sitting around the table is something that is taken as seriously as going to church on Sundays. This is how "Sunday lunch" came to be. I will talk about Sunday lunches another time.

Fish. For years, I thought that we only ate Fish on Christmas Eve because it was holy obligation that the Catholic Church created. Well, most of my classmates in Catholic school were Italian, my teachers were either Italian, married to an Italian or just plain wanted to be Italian (LOL- some humor). So each year, we spoke about how groce it was that our mothers served "bacala" on Christmas Eve.

Well, after 36 years, I am now clear on the subject. Eating fish on Christmas Eve is an Italian tradition, not a Catholic one. I have to say, "Thank God for Italian traditions!" The very food I didn't like as a child warms my heart today. It is like I explained in a previous blog post, foods made by MOM bring you back to some loving memories. My mother is the oldest sibling in her famiy, so growing up, Christmas Eve was always at Mom & Dad's house. 36 years later, Christmas Eve is still at Mom & Dad's house.

Like most other Italian families, we fit 26 people in the basement of a Vancouver Special home. It doesn't matter that the plates and cutlery don't match. What matters is that you come ready to celebrate Christmas and the family.

Now if you are a new comer, you'd better bring earplugs. Especially if you are not Italian. About 9 years ago, my cousin brought her new boyfriend (now husband) to Christmas Eve dinner. As soon as I met him, I loved him. I saw such kindness in his eyes. I very quickly noticed something else. He was quiet and shy. After that evening, he was either going to propose to my cousin or dump her. Thankfully, he was strategically seated next to my father, who ensures all drink merrily along with him. My father is not typical of most Italian men when he drinks. He actually becomes alot of fun (unless something goes wrong with the food).

To bring myself back on topic, our Christmas Eve menu looks like this:

Pasta with Salmon
Pasta with plain tomato sauce (for the non fish eaters)
Steamed Broccoli
Steamed Rappini (broccoli rabe)
Prawns sauteed with brandy a la flambe
Bacala (salt cod)
Tuna salad (for the non fish eaters in my family, who apparently can like only tuna from the fish family)
Vegetable salad (this is a newer menu item, made with tons of love by my sister in law)
Garden Salad (radicchio grows in cold weather)
dessert - Fennel & Mandarin oranges

Just before everyone leaves for midnight mass, cookies and espresso is served. For those Italians that have westernized themselves, coffee is served earlier. However, for my parents, coffee is known as the "gentle kick out the door".

Now my father is a culinary cook and butcher by trade, so the family meal and gathering is a very important event for him. So two things cannot happen. We cannot run out of any dish, (that would signify that not enough was made)and we have a change in the menu. I was almost uninvited when I said I would bring crabcakes this year. Whoa.....

Below, I have attached a recipe for Bacala. It really is tasty. My mother follows a very similar recipe.

http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Bacala%20alla%20vincentina

My moms secret to Pasta with salmon is so simple. She makes a basic tomoto sauce and then opens about 3 cans of salmon and gently places then to simmer in the sauce. This is actually a great meal for those of you who are short on time. Your meal is made up of protein and carbs.

My father marinates his prawns in sliced onions. When he cooks them, he cooks the prawns alone in garlic, spices, olive oil and brandy. Here is a link to assist you with the "flambe"

http://whatscookingamerica.net/flambe.htm

I hope you enjoy these recipes. May they bring as much warmth to you as it does to me.

Bon Jovi 'The experience" - Why does it mean so much?

2007-12-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me, is fully aware, that I am a HUGE Bon Jovi fan. Having kids kept me busy from my obsession in most recent years. The belief that one day, I would finally meet Jon himself (and he would fall madly in love with me)had finally subsided. I am married to the love of my life, but I still think that Jon Bon Jovi is extremely easy on the eyes.

This past Sunday, I attended the concert and my interest seems reignited.
Every (Bon Jovi) song that I hear, puts a smile on my face. So often, someone will tell me that the excitement I show in Bon Jovi's music is a little over the top. I have to say that I agree. In a few years I will be 40, and it is a little crazy that I still react the same way to his music as I did 20 years ago. Well maybe it is not so crazy. Sunday evening I finally figured it all out.
Bon Jovi became known to me in 1986. I have older brothers and so I had little choice but to listen to bands like Def Leppard, Scorpions, Pink Floyd and of course Bon Jovi.
In 1987, "you give love a bad name" was a huge hit. I was also in grade 10 (probably my favorite year in high school) and I don't think there were many people in the school who were not Bon Jovi fans. My girlfriends and I did a pretty good job of mimicking his hairstyle (how strange). The school dances always played a good dose of Bon Jovi. After the release of "slippery when wet", it seemed like the release of "new jersey" was immediate. Hit after hit, I was loving it. I was also loving life. I had such good friends (people that are still in my life now), places to go, a part time job and no worries. Every time I hear a Bon Jovi song, it brings me back to that place. "Good times".
You know what? It is completely acceptable to act like a teenager (when it comes to his music or fine good looks) as long as it puts a smile on my face.
So ladies, when you are feeling down, take a dose of "bad medicine" and "keep the faith". Your love of the music will "keep it goin on".
I want to thank those of you who celebrated with me on Sunday. The concert was just another reminder of how blessed I am to have friends that have been in my life for over 20 years.

Hey Jon, if you happen to be reading my blog, I will semi quote my favorite song in order to sum up how I feel about the concert, "You saw a million faces, and you ROCKED them all".

December 16, 2007 at 11:50PM EST
Vancouver, British Columbia #2 - GM Place - 12/16/07 -List of songs performed
INTRO
LOST HIGHWAY
SUMMERTIME
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN'
LAST NIGHT
(YOU WANT TO) MAKE A MEMORY
ANY OTHER DAY
TILL WE AIN'T STRANGERS ANYMORE
SEAT NEXT TO YOU
ONE STEP CLOSER
EVERYBODY'S BROKEN
WE GOT IT GOIN' ON
I LOVE THIS TOWN
PRAYER
BAD NAME
FAITH
RUNAWAY
IT'S MY LIFE
BORN TO BE MY BABY
KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR (Bob Dylan Cover Tune)
BLAZE OF GLORY
HAVE A NICE DAY
SLEEP
WHO SAY'S YOU CAN'T GO HOME
BAD MEDICINE W/ SHOUT

ENCORE:
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN
RUN RUN RUDOLPH
SATURDAY NIGHT
BLOOD ON BLOOD
WANTED
TREAT HER RIGHT
TWIST & SHOUT

Granola Bar Recipe

2007-11-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

Some of you have tried these granola bars. Not only are they a healthier choice, but if you regularly buy granola bars, you will see a huge cost savings with this recipe as opposed to puchasing only a few bars for $2.99.

anola bars sound healthy but at times they are no better than a chocolate bar. Why not make your own? They are great to add to your child's lunch or for after school snacks.
Servings: 15
3-1/2 cups (875 mL) quick-cooking rolled oats
1/3 cup (75 mL) packed brown sugar
1/3 cup (75 mL) butter, melted
2/3 cup (150 mL) corn syrup
1/2 cup (125 mL) liquid honey
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla
Pinch salt
3/4 cup (175 mL) dried cranberries or cherries
3/4 cup (175 mL) chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup (125 mL) flaked coconut (optional)

Preparation:
Line 9-inch (2.5 L) square cake pan with foil, leaving 1-inch (2.5 cm) overhang for handles; grease. Set aside.
In bowl, combine oats, sugar, butter, syrup, honey, vanilla and salt. Stir in cranberries, apricots, and coconut (if using).
Press into prepared pan. Bake in 325F (160C) oven for 70 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Let cool completely in pan on rack. Using foil handles, lift out of pan. Peel off foil. Cut into bars.

My goodness, am I turning into an activist?

2007-11-15T20:54:00.000-08:00

Coquitlam residents, we need your support.

This weekend, I received a written notice in the mail that provides additional information about the Hope for Freedom Society (see link provided at the bottom of the page for information). Commencing December 1st through March 31 the Tri Cities will run its cold wet weather mat program. I have attached a link below that talks a little bit about this program specifically.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/tricitynews/news/11127586.html

You will see in that information that two of the five churches that are participating in the mat program are the Coquitlam Alliance Church (Spuraway & Mariner) and the Calvary Baptist Church (beside Parkland Elementary near Poirier and Como Lake).
These churches are very close to six schools in the immediate area ( a total of approx 3000 students in these schools).
The concern I have, is with the busing program. Up to 30 people a night would be bussed from different locations to one of these churches at 10:00pm and be bussed away from the church the next morning by 7:00 am. In the second link I provided below, you will gain a better understanding of who will be using this program. It is a longer read, however it is important. Although it has only been stated once in the local paper, Blue Mountain Park, Lougheed Mall and Aggie Park (in POCO) are the pick up points and drop off points for this program. Blue Mountain Park is just one other highly frequented place by young children.
This is a poor spot for a drop off point when there are many other locations that would work better.
http://www.hopeforfreedom.org/outadvo2.html

I recognize that we all may have different views on this matter, however I encourage you to raise your questions, comments or concerns directly with city council if you are unable to attend. Here are there email addresses for each some city councillors:

Maxine Wilson mwilson@couitlam.ca
councillor Brent Asmundson basmundson@coquitlam.ca
councillor Lou Sekora lsekora@coquitlam.ca
councillor Mae Reid mreid@coquitlam.ca
councillor Fin Donnelly fdonnelly@coquitlam.ca
councillor Neal Nicholson nnicholson@coquitlam.ca
councillor Barrie Lynch blynch@coquitlam.ca
councillor Doug Macdonell dmacdonnell@coquitlam.ca
councillor Richard Stewart rstewart@coquitlam.ca

There will be a public meeting at town council hall on Nov 21 at 7 pm. If you wish to stop this or voice your opinion, please consider attending. This program is not possible without a zoning change.

Home made chicken broth (aka BRODO)

2007-11-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

For Italians, "brodo" carries more meaning than chicken broth. It is the cure for all illness and a must eat after any surgery. Most of all, it is the reminder of mom's tender loving care during childhood's illnesses. My mother, like most good cooks, prepares everything "by eye". So I am going to share a recipe that I adapted from my Canadian Living cookbook (p 47). My adaptation goes like this.
Fill a stock pot or dutch oven with the following: two peeled carrots, two celery stalks and one whole peeled onion or leek. Remove as much skin as possible from your free range chicken (I have found this really makes a difference), rinse the chicken and place it in the pot. You can then fill the pot with water.
Now many people will use neck bones and other chicken bones to make soups. In the case of free range chicken, some people I have spoken with only use the necks, legs and wings to help cut down on cost, as free range chicken costs considerably more. Personally, one of my favorite meals, derives from the chicken in the "brodo". I will explain later.
Put your pot on medium heat (you should never put your stove on high heat). At this time, you can add some more spices. I like to add these next ones together in cheesecloth so that my broth is clear: peppercorn, parsley (6-8 stems)and a bay leaf (bay leaf should be an ingredient in all meat dishes). I personally use pink peppercorns from Victorian Epicurian Spices. I find it deliver a smoother peppery taste.
You can cover your pot and simmer for 4 hours. This is the TLC I was referring to earlier. Now you can smell that wonderful home cooked broth as it simmers. AHHH....
You will need to peak every so often and add salt to your taste. Those of you who have babies, you can make this without salt and free it in little portions to make those "yucky veggies" taste better.
When this process is completed you can remove the chicken and veggies to a separate plate. Then strain your broth into large containers to be refrigerated. The next morning any remaining fat will have solidified and you can skim it off. After that you can freeze your broth.
**Don't waste the veggies from the soup. I like to take these and mash it up of cut in up and add it to another soup meal. For example, when I make soup, I will boil a bit of water, add pasta or barley, then add the cooked veggies, the chicken broth and then I add the shredded chicken from the broth or homemade chicken meatballs (recipe provided below).
One of my favorite dishes, is to shred the chicken over garden grown radicchio or romaine salad with a homemade vinaigrette. Yum yum.
Chicken meatballs:
One pound ground chicken, 6 stems chopped parsley, crushed garlic (optional, 5 tbls Parmesan cheese, one egg, salt and pepper.Mix the ingredients together, then drop in small spoonfuls into soup.

***variation on this recipe: use veal shanks instead of chicken. The shredded veal can be added to your beef & barley soup.

Most soups require a chicken or beef broth for base. I do not like to buy premade broth (although I have and sometimes am forced to). I always feel like I am buying MSG in a can or tetra pack. We should also consider the garbage we are putting into the environment. It is just not necessary, since this is so easy to make and is obviously the healthier choice. For those of us who don't have much time. I often make this in the evening (around 6:00 turn it off before I go to bed and the pot has cooled by the time I wake up in the morning).

2007-11-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a little poem I wrote about one of my favorite things....music. Well, specifically, Bon Jovi. I never tire of the bands music or the good looks and charm of JBJ himself. I am 16 in 36 year old body. The poem was sent as an email to my friends sharing the good news about our awesome seats for the Bon Jovi concert.

Well ladies, for the last few days I have been livin on a prayer in the hopes that we get really good seats for this concert. After being shot through the heart on Friday and early this morning, the good lord answered my prayers and added a second show. You see, he knows we want to see him dead or alive.

So here is the good news, we have 8 seats all in a row, in section 118, row 16. Ladies that is right beside the stage. We will be makin a memory . We are so close, we WILL see the creases in his leather pants.

The bad news? Well......THERE IS NO BAD NEWS..... This man was born to be my baby. Okay, I am really tired now, I am going to bed.....

I will email you about the cost when I have it figured out more accurately. The tickets cost $125 (we are not on the floor, but we are row 16 from the floor so they are more expensive. Something I found out later and didn't have time clarify at the end of my automated purchase, as tickets were selling way too fast). With taxes and service fees, it comes to approx $139.75. This bands music is like bad medicine. The only seats you can get to the second show now are nosebleeds and behind the stage and only in pairs.

We will have to take care of each other to ensure we don't get lost on the highway, I mean, who says you can't go home after the concert. Imagine, our husbands waiting for us on a bed of roses. Oh God, I hope he wears a JBJ mask.....