Stuffed tomatoes and Peppers

I set out to stuff some tomatoes.. since I had a lot.. but I had extra filling so I added a pepper in.

Filling:
Breadcrumbs (leftover bread in the food processor)
tomato guts
spices
feta
And stuffed.. pre baking..

Ready to eat..

Family time!!

We had well... everyone in J's family over for dinner on Thursday..
I made SOOOOOOOOOOOO much food.. but forgot to take pictures...
here is some shots of the "gang"

Sadie Chat's last night.

On Tuesday July 21st, I had to put down my beloved and faithful cat, Sadie Chat.
She was with me through good times, and through many bad times.
She made the big move with me from Toronto to Vancouver. She was with me through some good relationships, and some not-so good ones.
She slept by my side every single night J. was gone.
I miss her.

Here are some pictures of our last night together. Not the best.. but who cares.

Muffin Therapy

It has been a tough week.
What better to "deal" than baking 4 dozen muffins!!!
*recipes courtesy of the FANTASTIC cookbook Odeen gave me!!

Veggies on the grill

With the weather so hot... I don't want to be using the oven... so EVERYTHING goes right on the BBQ... no special pan required- I just put it all right on... and the best part... NO POTS TO CLEAN!!!

Pesto Pasta

One of my favourite easy meals...
pasta
pesto (homemade when I am so inclined)
garlic
onions
black beans
Parmesan

DIY Engineered Hardwood Floor *mostly* done!

Well all the flooring in done!!! the transition strips and shoe molding is in...
All there is left to do is stain the transitions... and oh ya... clean...

The den...





The hall...

And the shoe molding... I wasn't sure if I was going to like the dark contrast.. but it really works great to create a nice clean line.
Nothing better than renovating a brand new home!!

When you work hard... you have to eat well!!

So.. although my condo is in disorder.. I have been managing to make some good eats for me and the workers!!

Mass said he like guacamole... and I just happen to make a MEAN one...

No real recipe...
avocado
garlic
lime juice
chilies
cumin
+ food processor= heaven!!


And a MUST have it pita chips... I haven't made these in ages.. but they are SO easy.. and such a crowd pleaser!

Pita bread sliced in triangles
Olive Oil
Spices
Parmesan Cheese

use pastry brush to spread oil and spice on pita slices, sprinkle on parm.
broil as needed.



I tried to get a picture of the finished product.. but the boys ate most of it before I got my hands on the camera...


And for dinner...

Rice with Chicken in a mushroom, broccoli, garlic sauce & corn on the cob...



And for me...
Rice with veggie ground round- mexican flavour, fried with black beans, corn, salsa, guacamole and cheddar..

DIY Engineered Hardwood Floor Part 2

So I have been neglecting to document this... but here is some more of our flooring project.

Carpet..ewwwwww
Placing the final piece of the stretch that went from corner to corner!!!!!

Getting ready for a late dinner, day 2...

Still lots more work to do.... transition strips, hallway, clean up... *sigh*

J Cooked!!!!

So I had to document it...

DIY Engineered Hardwood Floor Day 1

We got a wicked deal on some Maple engineered hardwood & coupled with the Home Renovation Tax Credit we couldn't resist..

J's Dad cam down from the Island to help us out- and we have been working hard to try and get the project finished this weekend.

I am rocking some wicked-cool pink camo work gloves

This is the worst of it.. trying to get the panels the carpet was nailed to- talk about a pain in the a$$All cleared... cement floors...


Underlay!!!!
Next... creating the set-up for 45 degree angle
The cutting station...


Finally making some progress...

Day 1 complete...

BBQ for the Boys

J. showed up last night with a case of beer, 2 massive steaks and his buddy.
So... I fired up the BBQ.

Fresh potatoes..
Potato salad inspired by the one my Dad made when he visited.


Tofu and Peppers with Black Bean sauce and garlic.

Full BBQ.
My Meal:
And for the boys...

Baked Tofu

My Mom said that she did this the other day.
Although I didn't have the ingredients that she used... I improvised.. and it turned out pretty well
Coat tofu in breadcrumbs & Parmesan cheese.
layer in pan with tomato sauce, spices, spinach and feta...


And I have to say I LOVE the silicon baking pan... non-stick and cleans like a dream!!

mmm.. Indian Food....

I was craving Palak Paneer the otehr day.. and I couldn't find it anywhere... so we asked a lady in the grocery store...

we got it!!! So I made Butter Chicken and Palak Paneer for dinner...



In the making..


I don't have a great picture of the finished product... best I have is the leftover lunches I made... seriously.... SO good!!