In every family there's the stories..

Little girl with her daddy, a moment in time to hold onto.

Written by Linda Gauthier

We all have our family stories, ones that trigger tears, or fits of giggles or laughter.  Many of my stories center around food, because that is what brought us all together in one place.  I've said before that I come from a relatively large family.  We were and are 4 sisters and 1 brother, 2 wonderful parents and at one time, grandma and grandpa also lived with us.  We were busy, loud and boisterous, and it was a family rule that no matter what you had to do, we eat the dinner or evening meal together.  Throw in stories that included meals with aunts, uncles, cousins, future in-laws, great aunts and extended family and friends and you have volumes of stories.

One such story centers around my Dad (Mac) and my uncle Bill.  The story takes place when they were very young and still living on the farm in Saskatchewan, in the little community of Mildred.  Grandma was making macaroni with cheese for dinner; my uncle Bill, who was the younger of the two, started to cry. When my Grandma asked him what he was crying about, he looked at her with big watery eyes and tears streaming down his face and said, "why are we having Macaroni, why don't we ever have something named after me"?  So from that day onward in Dad's family and ours, if you eat Macaroni with tomatoes in it, it is called Billaroni.

I'm telling you this story because I'm going to give you my latest update of Billaroni--I'll let you in on a secret, I have always been a Billaroni fan.  There is just something special about the taste of a homemade cheese sauce with tomatoes and the yummy creamy texture when it is all cooked together in the oven, with the bubbly crisp cheese on top.

Simple food with a heart-warming memory, and the laughs of a young family, when their Dad tells them the story of his brother, happiness, warmth, and love, all rolled into one.
Could you ask for any more?

Yummy Gooey Billaroni

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (625 ml) macaroni pasta

1/3 cup (80 ml) Epicure’s Seasoning for Mac & Cheese

1/2 cup (125 ml) milk

2 Tbsp (30 ml) butter

1 small can of stewed Tomatoes  ( I used my own canned tomatoes but a commercial brand will work just as well)

2 Tbsp (30 ml) Epicure's Seasoning for Cheese, Chives & Bacon Dip

1 cup (250 ml) breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp (15 ml) Epicure’s Bruschetta Herbs

1 cup (250 ml) shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). 

2. Lightly oil Epicure’s Oval Au Gratin Dish. 

3. In Epicure’s 12-cup Multi-Purpose Pot, cook macaroni according to package directions until al dente. Drain. 

4. Stir in Seasoning for Mac & Cheese, milk, butter and Tomatoes. Spoon into Epicure’s Oval Au Gratin Dish. 

5. Toss breadcrumbs with Bruschetta Herbs and mozzarella. Sprinkle over pasta. 

6. Bake, uncovered, for 20–25 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and crust is golden brown.

I'm serving this with a nice crisp green salad.  The contrast of the textures, crisp clean salad with the creamy comfort of the pasta is perfect.  I'd also like to add garlic toast, but for my meal plan, that would be just a little too many carbs, and I'm pushing it with the Macaroni.

So I'll just envision it, that way.  This may not be one of my sisters' or my brother's favorite, however, you always have someone in the family with a different point of view, but that is what adds to the spice of life, variety and the willingness to try.  Everyone's stories are different, what's yours?

To heck with Billaroni, I want Red Lobster, Now!!!

Stories and Recipes from the Ranch...Homemade Yogurt

Written by Loretta LeBlanc

Yummy Homemade Greek Yogurt 

Yummy Homemade Yogurt

• 1/2 gallon milk – fat content of your choice (I use 1% milk)
• 2 tablespoons plain prepared yogurt (make sure it contains live, active cultures)
• Cooking thermometer
• Cheesecloth enough to fit 4 layers in a large strainer

Pour milk into a heavy-bottomed pan, turn the heat to medium stir occasionally. You don’t want to burn the bottom or let it come to a boil.  Heat the milk to 180 degrees F.

Immediately remove the pot from the stove, carefully pour the hot milk into a bowl. Leave uncovered. Let the milk cool so that it is  between 105 and 110 degrees F. This usually takes 45 min to an hour, depending on the heat in the kitchen.  Put the 2 tbsp yogurt in a bowl, add a few tbsp of your warm milk to thin, then add the yogurt-milk mixture back into your main container of warm milk, and stir well. Don’t add more than 2-3 tbsp of yogurt to the mixture. It won’t make it better, just sour and watery. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  

You will now have to incubate the mixture for about 6-8 hours or overnight. I wrap my bowl in a towel to hold the heat in, then I put in the oven on the “proof” temperature. Don't let it cool down too much, maintain temp. to 110 degrees. If you don’t have a low enough temp, try heating the oven on the lowest heat, then turn oven off, but leave the light on. Let it sit in the oven until it has become nice and thick with some liquid whey. If you are making regular yogurt you are done at this point ( with only 1 step left to complete). Your last step will be to carefully pour off the whey and whisk until smooth.

For creamy Greek yogurt, you will  now refrigerate the yogurt for at least 2 hours, allowing to cool and thicken.

Line a large strainer with four layers of damp cheesecloth (you can also use a tea towel ). You will  now place your strainer over a pot or bowl.  Once the yogurt has set and formed into a blob, carefully break it up and ladle or pour into the strainer. Return the bowl to the refrigerator for one more hour let it strain. You are now done. Yummy Yogurt. It  will appear to be a bit lumpy, so I like to whisk it, by doing this it becomes nice and creamy. Once it reaches the consistency you like pour into a container and refrigerate.  This should give you about 650 g or more and it keeps approximately a week.  I would suggest you save a couple tablespoons from this batch to start  your next batch.  It is so good you will want to make more.

I like my yogurt drizzled with honey. I get mine from a local beekeeper, and the blueberries I picked with my own hands. We get our  milk from a local dairy.   Simple food – so good.

Changes, seasons, appetites, attitudes weather pick a subject and it will change nothing is permanent...

Written by Linda Gauthier

Shorter Days Longer Nights, 

My garden in its fading days    photo by Linda Gauthier

With the nights coming earlier and mornings darker, I find I gravitate towards comfort foods, and foods that are higher in carbs all of which are not the greatest for my meal plans.  How do I keep on course and not feel deprived?  Strategically create foods that meet those cravings without the stodge, or usual carb and calorie-laden content, this can be challenging but also fun.

OVEN FRIED CHICKEN THIGH, RICE WITH RAISINS, MIXED SQUASH AND TOMATOES WITH GREEK DRESSING

These are simple recipes but the flavour is rich and helps to satisfy the need for comfort food, without all the calories.  I'm going to sign off and post some more tomorrow.  

However, I wanted to let you know about a new feature.
I'm happy to be introducing my cousin and friend, Loretta LeBlanc, who will be a frequent guest writer (I hope).  I'm looking forward to her recipes and contributions.  She lives on a ranch in the Kelowna area of BC, so she will be submitting stories about ranch life and some of her great recipes.

We will, in some respects, be the embodiment of the old story about the City Mouse and the Country Mouse, but I however am a country mouse at heart.  I'm excited to be writing with her and hope you will enjoy her stories and recipes as much as I will.  Her first recipe for homemade Greek Yogurt will be posted tomorrow.  I know I'm going to be trying her recipe this weekend.  I love Greek yogurt, like that commercial for hot sauce, where the little old lady says "I use that sh-- on everything!"  I'm that way about Greek yogurt, only I believe it is far better for you than hot sauce.  

So keep smiling, and enjoy these recipes, share your time with family and friends and be thankful for the small things in life that make it worthwhile.

Have a great day.

Behavior Becomes Habit

Written by Linda Gauthier

Guess what day it is? Yup, the day of the walk to the scale, weigh in day.

It has been a very busy week and I have lost all concept of time, I'll blame it on the week and not my age.  It seems lately each day is filled and I accomplish a lot, but they all seem to blend into each other.  It is not that I don't have a varied or interesting routine, in fact I have a wonderful life, I'm very happy and satisfied with it.  I do tend to demand a lot of myself, and expect to accomplish far more than is usually possible.  So that could have a bearing on my perception of time.

Hey, a thought just tripped through my confused brain, maybe that is why I've had an issue with my weight in the past.  What, you say??  Well, maybe it is my problem with perception, prior to this, in choosing foods.  I perceived I was eating smaller portions, or I was oblivious to how often I was eating.

It is similar to my perception of how much I can do in one day.  I usually have a list long enough for 2 days worth of work for 2 people and I sit there scratching my head at the end of the day wondering why I didn't get everything done.  Am I crazy or could this be a possibility?  

What I have done over the last couple of months is force myself to change my perception of how much is appropriate to eat at one sitting.  I've forced myself to think about what I'm eating, and when I am eating.  I've done this by setting my menu, and only eating those foods; avoiding spur of the moment nibbles; and only using certain smaller dishes to eat my meal off of.

When I reach goal weight, I will have to start another series of behavior modifications for changing my perception, so I'm able to recognize without the restrictions, what are healthy and appropriate portions, allowing me to maintain my weight.

I believe part of our society's weight issues are caused in part by the manner in which we serve our food.  For instance, we use much larger plates than we did when I was young.  Look at the plates they call "retro" compared to the ones we usually have available to buy in the store today.

Converting to less pre-made and pre-packaged foods is also definitely a plus.  Getting off the salt go-round is another.

I believe our super-sized butts are a sure-fire consequence of our super-sized portion mindset.

So now, on to my reason for today's blog, taking my not-quite-as-substantial-as-it-used-to-be butt over to the scale.  Let's see what I've lost, if anything.

That looks a little better than last week, so it is worth the happy dance.  That makes my total loss since September 1, 2012, wait for it, drum roll please, thrrr,  trrr, trrrr:  25.2 lbs!!!
To me, that is totally amazing.  I thought I would be down maybe 12-15 lbs by now, but never 25.2 lbs.
That gives me an average weight loss of 2.8 lbs per week.  Not too Shabby :)
Well, I'm off to make some dinner, but I will be talking to you again later this evening.

Epicures Yummy Taco Filling, serve it on a Friday night after shopping, a rainy day Saturday,or movie night fun dinner, whether you're on the run or snuggling up for family movie night this is the perfect casual meal. You can make big batches of the taco hamburger mixture, then freeze it in portions for several meals. Chop your veggies, lettuce tomatoes, and onions if you like.  Its fun to have the whole family involved in making the tacos.  I like to serve it with whole grain Taco Shells, and Epicure Selections Guacamole.

Reduce your sodium intake with Epicure’s Taco Seasoning: 1 tsp (5 ml) contains only 10 mg of sodium! Store-bought brands can contain as much as 22 times that amount: 240 mg per 1 tsp (5 ml)!

Serves 10 

Cost Per Serving: 1.42     Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb (450 g) lean ground beef

3 Tbsp (45 ml) Epicure's Taco Seasoning

1 cup (250 ml) water

Instructions

1. Brown beef with Taco Seasoning in Epicure's Eclipse® Coated Professional Frying Pan over medium-high heat. 

2. Add water. Simmer for 15 minutes. 

3. Serve in a bowl alongside other taco toppings.

Per Serving : Calories 150, Fat 5 g (Saturated 1.5 g, Trans 0.4 g), Cholesterol 60 mg, Sodium 95 mg, Carbohydrate 3 g (Fiber 2 g, Sugars 0 g), Protein 23 g.

Tips: Creative Cooking: Try this recipe with ground chicken, turkey, or soy for a vegetarian-friendly version. 

Serving Suggestion: Let everyone make their own! Serve whole-grain tortillas or taco shells with shredded lettuce, Epicure’s Salsa, Epicure's Guacamole, grated low-fat cheese, and diced tomatoes. Serve fresh veggies and prepared Epicure’s Dip to munch on while you make up your tacos.

The Best Ever Guacamole

 Ingredients

1-14 oz 398 ml can diced tomatoes

1 Tbsp 15 ml Epicure's Guacamole Dip Mix

1 Tbsp 15 ml Epicure's Salsa Mix-Your choice

1-8 oz 250 g pkg cream cheese

ripe avocados, peeled and pitted

Instructions

Simmer tomatoes with salsa mix and guacamole dip mix in Epicure's Multi-Purpose pot for 10 min. Cool.

In food processor or by hand, blend cream cheese with avocados.  Mix with tomato sauce mixture. Serve immediately.

Per Serving 2 tbsp 30 ml:  Calories 50, Fat 4.5 g saturated 1.5 g, Trans 0 g, cholesterol 5 mg. sodium 55 mg, Carbohydrate 2 g Fiber 1 g, Sugars 0 g, Protein 1 g.

Tips:  Serving Suggestions: Excellent with taco chips and as a topping for burritos, fajitas or burgers

I like to have my tacos made with Turkey or ground Chicken

We believe we own cats, truth be told they train us....

Hi everyone so here we go. but first a little giggle....

This picture reminded me of my cat as she stood, paws on my shoulders starring into my eyes, trying to convince me to give her more food, as if she was saying you will bend to my will.  It put a smile on my face and I hope it will you.

 A new menu and a new week with new determination do better this week.

Oven baked Chicken Thigh, Rice and Raisin, Vegetable Medley

Hello again glad to see you.....

Vell hello dere, let me welcome you to my blog I'm so glad to see you, have seat get comfortable, would you like a drink?   Just had to use this pic it cracked me up made me think of a peppy la pew type character, I loved that skunk when I was a kid.  Any way on to the business of writing a blog.

It seems like a long time since I have spoken to you, this week has been nuts.  I have 5 parties booked in the next 10 days.  Well actually 4, had 1 last night, and I'm booking another from last night's party.  In case you are wondering what parties I'm talking about, as I have said before, I am an Epicure Selections Consultant.  I get paid to Party, I'm invited by a hostess to come to her home, speak to her friends about Epicure Selections, give them some food, and if they enjoy themselves they often buy our products.  It's a very enjoyable way to make money, meet new people, make new friends, and have some laughs.  It also has allowed me to work with a product I have loved for years, plus I have the very wonderful benefit of having wonderful tasting food which allows me to lose weight. 

Here's a recipe for Epicure Selections Jambalaya.

Ingredients

1/2 lb (225 g) Andouille or Italian sausage, or cured ham, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Epicure's Sea Salt, to taste
Epicure's Pepper, to taste
1 1/3 cups (330 ml) rice
1 pkg Epicure's What’s for Dinner? Jambalaya Recipe Seasoning Mix
1 — 28 oz (796 ml) can diced tomatoes
2 cups (500 ml) water
1 lb (450 g) shrimp – optional
Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). 
2. Brown sausage in Epicure’s Everything Pan over medium-high heat. Remove to drain on paper towel. 
3. Season chicken with Sea Salt and Pepper and brown on both sides. Add rice, What’s for Dinner? Jambalaya Recipe Seasoning Mix, tomatoes, water and sausage. Stir, cover and bake for 35 minutes. 
4. Top with shrimp during last 5 minutes of cooking, if desired.

This recipe is much lower in sodium than restaurant versions, and easy to make at home.

Per Serving : Calories 270, Fat 11 g (Saturated 4 g, Trans 0 g), Cholesterol 70 mg, Sodium 560 mg, Carbohydrate 34 g (Fiber 2 g, Sugars 4 g), Protein 24 g.

Tips: Serving Suggestion: Serve with steamed veggies.

This is just one sample of the type of food, and recipes I have at my fingertips, it is also the reason I love being able to tell people about Epicure Selections. 

Well today is the big weigh-in day, and with all of the crazy days I've had baking, tasting, mixing, I'm really hesitant once again to do the weight thing, but I have made a commitment to keep going and to publish both the good and the bad so let's get it done. 

 Well not a momentous weight loss but a weight loss, just under a lb, point 8 of a lb to be exact, but I will take it.  I know I was eating or grazing more than I have, lots of tasting and checking to see if the veggie chips where crisp enough etc. that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.  Toes will do the happy dance today, just not worthy of a whole body wiggle bum dance. I will have a better week this week though, I've got all the mixes etc. made and stored in the freezer, so now it will be nose to the grindstone and no excuses. 

So I'm off to get the menu set for the next week I'll have it posted this weekend and the recipes I used last week.  Have a great night and I'll talk to you soon.