Day 277: Chicken Satay and a Contest!
We scavenged for leftovers tonight; a few satay from the party last night, two roasted sweet potatoes from a few dinners ago, and W asked for oatmeal and a banana and pear. We had driven out to Turner Valley this afternoon (I love driving through the rolling hills in the fall) and went to Route 40 Soup Company for lunch, so none of us needed much. And later tonight I went to JaroBlue with some girlfriends for drinks and tapas (to sum: arrived at 8 – you can’t make reservations here but we had called ahead and were told they would accommodate us – went to the pub next door for drinks for an hour, came back, got seated outside at close to 10 while we waited for the two people seated at the large couch area that would accommodate the 8 of us to linger over their dessert, then cheese plate. We ended up having drinks, ordering our food and almost finishing it – although we hadn’t wanted to eat outside; it was nice enough to sit but a little chilly for food – before they left and we could move inside at around 11. The food was mostly really good but sometimes disappointing; particularly the molten maple cake, which did not, to any of us, scream maple. Tasty, but with far too subtle a whisper for something that calls itself a molten maple cake and must be ordered 20 minutes in advance, allowing for extra anticipation to build. The chocolate marquise and crème brulée are better bets.)
So for the party last night I bought a package of chicken fillets – the most expensive and most tender part of the bird; those little strips that sometimes come attached to the breast and are sometimes removed and sold for far more per pound. Sometimes I find them worth it; not only are they unbelievably tender (after marinating in yogurt there’s no real need to chew), they come pre-portioned in little strips that make ideal chicken fingers or satay. You might call them natures’ convenience food. They were marinated in a blend of yogurt, onion, garlic, ginger, curry paste and spices; whiz the lot in the food processor to a thickish sludge and pour over your chicken strips in a ziploc bag. (If you want to freeze them this way, the marinade acts as a sort of insulation against freezer burn.) I just realized I posted the satay recipe exactly 100 days ago, so I don’t have much to offer you now.
Except a brand spanking new Crock-Pot!
So one morning last week the doorbell rang, and I opened it to a FedEx guy who unloaded boxes and boxes of Crock-Pots into my front foyer. They’re for a foodstyling gig I have next week, and the PR firm in Toronto wanted to make sure I had extra. Two of them are programmable Premium EditionVersaware Crock-Pots with stoneware inserts you can remove and use in the oven and on the stovetop like a Le Creuset. Upon closer inspection I discovered one has my name on it, but the other is up for grabs. I immediately wanted to ship it off to one of you. But whom?
I noticed about a month ago SmittenKitchen held a contest for a reusable shopping bag. You had to post a comment to enter. She got 2536 comments. I had comment envy.
You may have noticed I get nowhere near 2536 comments, so your odds of winning are far better. If you leave a comment here (with your email address so I can contact you and find out where to ship it), the comments are numbered and I’ll choose a number at random and send it to the winner. While you’re at it, let us know what you had for dinner tonight (or last night, depending on when you read this – don’t worry, you don’t need to provide recipes), because I’m curious about what all of you eat. Like Laurie Colwin once said, “it is not just the Great Works of mankind that make a culture; it is the daily things, like what people eat and how they serve it.”
I guess we’ll need a deadline. Shall we say next Wednesday, October 8th, at midnight MST?
Does leaving the first comment count for anything??? What a beautiful crockpot – what is more fun is getting the chance to play with them all!! Yay for you!
As for last night’s dinner – let’s just say it was ‘clean out the fridge night’… an odd combination of scrambled eggs, beef stir-fry, and if you were lucky, a barbequed hamburger!!! Lucky for me my husband eats anything, my 9 y.o. daughter is a total sweatheart and scarfed it down, and my 2 y.o. son… well – 2 y.o.’s are perfect little leftover-cleaner-uppers!!! Me – I had a bowl of raisin bran!
Perhaps you could run this again after a few days warning so that I could whip up something worthy of a picture 😉
Take care,
Mel in Cochrane
wholewheat spaghetti with a big bunch of julienned vegies mixed in and sauced with a watered-down-with-coconut-milk satay sauce and then, top the entire mix with sliced chicken barbequed chicken breast. we call it peanut noodles. usually a hit.
Oh, fun! I would love that crockpot…it looks amazing.
Let’s see…last night I made a quick stir fry – just chicken and lots of vegetables, with rice of course. We also went to a wine & cheese reception later in the evening.
Thanks for the comment on my blog, by the way!
That’s one fine looking crock pot! I won’t put myself in for the draw – i get so many lovely free kitchen things it wouldn’t be fair – but I did want to be part of your long list of comments.
Our last night’s dinner was not typical so please don’t judge me: Mamma’s pizza, vanilla cake(from the test kitchen) spread messily with frosting left over from my Breakfast Television appearance much earlier that day. Tonight: I cook. Honest.
Dinner last night was oatmeal with assorted dried fruit. Lunch was a bit better; soy-chili dogs. That is to say soy weiners with tinned chili on a whole grain bun accompanied by a grated raw beet and carrot salad. Can’t remember where this recipe came from but it’s spicy and sweet with cumin,coriander,cinnamon,honey and lemon juice in the dressing. I add a handful of plumped raisins; it’s almost dessert.
Will we be seeing you on Studio 4 from Vancouver anytime soon?
We had leftover vegetarian lasagna in a rush (we went to see A Raisin In The Sun at Theatre Calgary) and hot chocolate and prosecco at the show!
I’m in the middle of the wheat harvest, so dinner last night was whatever my mother-in-law (the “cook” of the operation) felt like making. Which was nothing. Thankfully, she made my hubs a cheese-tomato-cuke sandwich and in the fridge I found a bowl full of garden-fresh potatoes, onions, and carrots that had been sauteed together for about 45 minutes, moistened with a bit of veggie stock. Delicious!
I used to live along Highway 22, close to Millarville. Man, I love those views of foothills and the front ranges …
Ooooh a contest! Number 8! Pick number 8!!!
Last night we had whole wheat spaghetti and meat sauce. We considered ordering out, but I was so glad to make the effort to cook. Well worth it!
Our dinner last night was a new recipe- pumpkin creme sauce over whole grain fusili with a spinach and red pepper salad. It was really good! (I learned from you to write it out because it sounds more impressive that way!)
That crock-pot looks wonderful! I could really use a larger sized one.
Thanks for your daily dinner inspiration!
Ah! Pick me! Pick me!
Dinner last night was barley, chicken and veg soup with pesto. My children had potstickers and grapes. I love your blog.
Well, last night was leftover night. Which, according to my husband, happens far to often in our home. Apparently I cook enough to feed a family of 8. But, in my defense, I tend to cook on the ‘fly’ without recipes, and the quantity gets away on me. So hubby polished of the last of the french onion soup, and then he and our 5 and 7 year old ate Atlantic Salmon with a curried veggie rice. I wasn’t feeling the fish, so I made a curried squash and sweet potato soup. The five year old then finished off half an avocado that I’d cut up for the soup.
Sadly bacon and eggs, hashbrowns and toast. I wish I could have said something exotic and taste bud worthy!
Only 88 days to go.
I would love a new crockpot my has a handle missing! We went to Tribune last night for dinner, was a great meal and the lemon tart for dessert was amazing. Thanks for the recipes, really enjoy your blog.
Our crockpot sucks. I bought a new one last winter, a fancy one, and it sucks. I hope I win.
Last night we had some new friends we met at the market over for dinner. That meant steak. And that meant a trip to the butcher. I was in luck, I found out the butcher close to us sold to Second to None meats and stocked up on some Galloway Sirloin Tips. A tomatoe feta galette; spinach salad with beets, oranges, and feta; garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes; and s’mores cooked over the fire for dessert. Yes, a step up from our usual order of pizza on a Friday night.
I had Quaker Oats cereal (with a hint of brown sugar!) dry in the car before a movie, then went out to Salut in Minneapolis, where I had Champagne Shrimp fettucinie with exotic mushrooms and the 4 bite chocolate mousse. The pasta was good, but a little oversauced. The wine, however, was excellent!
Last night, I had thin sliced turkey breast and cheese in a multi grain tortilla grilled on my George Foreman. Had sour cream and salsa on the side. Half an eatmore chocolate bar for dessert. Cup of tea.
Perhaps the person with the birthday closest to October 8th should win! (Needless to say, mine is October 8th.)
Last night I had a “twice baked” sweet potato. I added fat free cream cheese, cinnamon, a drizzle of sugar free maple syrup, and then placed pecans on the top for the second baking.
I reheated some meat loaf, and added a dish of beets.
Sorry, no picture available!
A contest! How exciting! Unlike our dinner last night, which was bbq hamburgers using (for shame) store-bought patties. Oh, well, it did the trick …:)
We had leftover beef dips. As well as an assortment of raw veggies. We’re still trying to clean out the fridge from our son’s 1st birthday, almost done though!
That would be perfect for my made-from-scratch baked beans! My crockpot has only one setting: hottest.
Last night we had what we like to call “Meaty cups” (little freezable meat pies that we pull out for quick suppers or portable lunches) and a salad made from broccoli, corn, tomato, peppers, cilantro and shredded cheese with a creamy, tex-mex type dressing. Turned out pretty good!
Later I made pineapple upside-down gingerbread.
Yay! I love contests! Last night I made a corn and salmon chowder. We had it with fresh rolls from our local farm market. It was a hit with everyone except our one-year old who ate the salmon out of hers and had some peas on the side.
I know that you say that your life is routine, but that crock-pots appearing at your door sounds exciting to me.
Dinner last night. First, it was going to be whole wheat pasta in a gigi sauce, then I toyed with rice & shrimp, but got lazy and took out whole wheat penne in a tomato-red pepper sauce with mushrooms & broccoli — not as good as the first time round, but tasty enough.
Today, I am going to roast (no bar-b-que here — I am going to try a grill pan, but suspect it will be in the oven) red peppers (1/2 bushel) for roasted red pepper pesto, oven roast some tomatoes and, I hope, make some apple sauce. I was at the St. Lawrence Market this morning: it must be harvest season.
Great idea! we love your blog
dinner was pumpkin and black bean soup, and Ben and Jerry’s chocolate cheesecake brownie ice cream, never had it before. It was great but could be more chocolate-y
a contest! awesome
had fresh corn on the cob…and a Trader Joe’s frozen chicken vindaloo
Oooo a new crockpot!! In 5 weeks I’ll be a mother of 3 kids under 3 (no multiples – I fully realize I’m compleatly nuts), I can say I’d be a great contest winner!! Crockpots make life SO easy!
So because I went to my Brother and Sister in laws for dinner last night and had an awesome supper but have no idea what it’s called or what was in it I’m going to tell you about my dinner tonight!
I’ve got about 2lbs of cooked ground beef in my fridge so I’m going to make a Taco pizza! Homemade crust on a cookie sheet (I don’t know why but Taco pizza is the only pizza I make rectangular instead of round … that’s the only pizza my mom made rectangular so I guess it’s just what I know). On the crust I’ll put Tomato paste (I find it’s the best pizza sauce) and then the ground beef which I’ll season with a homemade taco seasoning that’s to die for (it has about 10 spices including sage, curry, chili powerder, savory, all spice .. just to name a few) and onion and cheddar cheese and then I’ll have fresh iceburg letuce and tomato to put on it once it’s out of the oven. Of course there will be sour cream and salsa out to put on top also! I’m looking forward to dinner already!!
Friday night supper was pretty ho-hum, considering we’d made the pilgrimage to the Calgary Farmer’s Market earlier in the day! I cobbled together an omelet with sauteed mushrooms, peppers, spinach, feta and romas, which took way too long to cook because of all of its soggy ingredients! My daughter ate leftover tomatoes and lentils over brown rice –now there’s a recipe that improves with age! Must say I’m always impressed with your efforts Julie, when my kids were as young as W we ate a lot of convenience food that revealed scant evidence of their constituent parts……good on you!
You reminded my how much I like Laurie Colwin. Must pull one of her books off the shelf for a re-read. Sad to say dinner last night was pizza. Ordered in. I’d like to say that’s unusual, but that would be a lie. Maybe a crockpot would make a difference?? (I’ve never owned one).
I’d love to say I had a three course dinner Friday night, and I did in a way, but this is the reality: four stonewheat thins with peanut butter and cheese, leftover fettucelle (love this wider, flat noodles from De Cecco!) in vodka sauce, followed by one or two chocolates from a box of Purdy’s. And a diet coke.
I have long been tempted to buy a crock pot. My parents used it all the time when I was growing up. I’d always get in trouble because I’d lift off the lid to smell the delicious food cooking inside.
Hmmmm…well, we were out for dinner last night at Montana’s. DH is a teacher and had a lousy day, so we made use of one of the many gift cards he gets every holiday and end-of-year. I went outside my normal chicken comfort zone and got the Yankee Potroast, which was actually amazing!! Would love a new crockpot…mine is getting pretty old and less reliable.
Dinner: baby back ribs, slow-roasted (well, braised, actually) and finished on the grill. Mashed potatoes + broccoli. And pumpkin pie for dessert.
Sorry, I didn’t use your recipe for the ribs. Mine comes from the Good Eats man, Alton Brown. I don’t use a rub, I slather them with Bullseye Chicken ‘n Rib Renegade BBQ sauce (official BBQ sauce of the Calgary Stampede–hard to swallow for this Edmontonian…:-)
Mmmmm, the magical crockpot. There is nothing like a long day out of the house, only to be greeted by yummy dinner smells upon returning home. Plus, I feel like a bit of a domestic goddess (which I am not, I assure you) when I make dinner in the morning.
Last night I teamed up with two other mothers (all of our husbands were out of town) and we feed ourselves and our 7 kids fancy tacos. It was chaotic and fantastic.
I’d like to take my name out of the draw – I have a crockpot and got a Mario Battalli dutch oven for Christmas last year but I did want to make a comment. I love checking out your blog everyday, it’s really helped me get more enthusiastic about cooking. You make it seem so easy.
For dinner last night I tried Cooking Light’s Cornflake-Crusted Halibut with Chile-Cilantro Aioli, oven yam fries, jasmine rice and some cut up fresh veggies. I was hoping to entice my nearly 3 and 5 year old girls to eat one of the dishes. The fish was proclaimed to be “not as good as the usual bought kind”, the yam fries were somewhat of a hit with ketchup and the veggies and rice were picked at. Of course it might have helped if I had cooked the fish all the way through… Not sure what we’ll have tonight but tomorrow I’m trying Belgian waffles with your recipe. I’m hoping you’ll make a book out of your blog, any possibility?
Last night’s dinner (and tonight’s leftovers): spicy shrimp (steamed and seasoned at the store), fried potatoes, cucumber salad and creamed carrots & peas. Much cheaper than eating out.
Tonight we had an improvised strata/crustless quiche composed of sliced baked potato, cooked and crumbled bacon, sliced leeks and zucchini sweated in a ittle butter. Covered the whole thing in milk and egg, salt and pepper to taste. Yum!
I have been meaning to send a reply for weeks – a contest now, so how can I not! Last night was an eat out evening but the night before we had toasted bacon and tomato sandwiches with your Chocolate Chip Zucchini Brownies for dessert.
Please say hi to your sister from all the ‘oldies’ at the Ski Cellar.
I love your site and hope the countdown to 365 doesn’t mean the end of more great recipes and fun reads.
Supper at my house…..
Me, triscuits and low fat herb & garlic cream cheese
Husband, dried ribs and beer at Original Joe’s with buddies
Oldest kid, leftover rice and butter chicken from the freezer
Mid-Kid, triscuits with her mom & a frozen mini pizza
Last kid, toast with PB & jam.
Gosh, I love Friday night “fend for yourself night”!! Better known as “ffysn”
tonight is spaghetti!
oh how fun! i’ve been following you for months now, but never left a comment – and what better time to start?
hmm, dinner? well i’m a grad student, so when dinner isn’t a $2 frozen burrito it’s free pizza at a board meeting or the cheese and grapes from a conference. but hey, you do what you gotta do. last night was… oh! last night was jazz in the sculpture garden here in DC, so i had some red pepper and goat cheese spread on sliced french bread and a rather large pitcher of sangria. to make it all remotely healthy we finished off with some juicy chunks of pineapple.
but in reality, most days… PP&J or the frozen burritos. so sad, i know. that’s why i read your blog. food envy.
Theresa: “Mid-kid”! I laughed out loud. thank you. 😉
hey julie!! i actually wrote to you just a little while ago… hope you posted the note on your fridge!! anyway, last night johnny and i had a vegetarian thai curry with tofu, which was really good. i also made an apple cake, which we havn’t eaten any of yet because we ate too much curry. we will eat that tonight with bean stew and home made bread. oh, and how can i forget… we also had a great bottle of red.
our kitten liked the curry, so we let her eat it….. not knowing that she was going to “give it back to us” on the floor later. i guess it is true that curry does not sit well with everyone.
have a great day!!
jenny
Had some leftover chicken, frozen peas, so made a tomato curry paste base for a pizza dough, spread on more curried chicken, red onions, roasted peppers and frozen peas. Topped with a bit of goat cheese and mozzarell, but the clincher is serving this curry pizza with hot mango chutney!!
I just had a poussin (Cornish game hen) roasted with garlic, cinnamon, cumin and lemon and also sweet-potatoes, shallots and red onions roasted with feta and rosemary. I’ll be blogging my dinner very shortly!
Oh, last night was a fun one: it was warmer than usual for October, so I used the last of the cherry tomatoes and basil to make a caprese salad, then bhan mi Elaine-style: shredded chicken sauteed in chili oil, julienned carrots, cilantro, and (obviously) plenty of Sriracha.
Hi there….love your blog. Last night was pizza. Your dough recipe…with bison pepperoni, grape tomatoes, carmelized onions and fresh basil.
Thanks for all the great dinner ideas!
We had leftovers. I had made Taco Soup and the kids weren’t too thrilled with the first time around so I drained it of the liquid and threw it on some flour tacos with green onions, salsa, sour cream and cheese. Voila. Problem solved, children fooled, and dinner served.
I quite like my crockpot, but not as much as I think I’d LOVE this one! Last night I took the girls up to Nana’s house and we had an all-girls dinner. Read: no meat. We had pasta (a combination of whole wheat bowties and fusilli to use up opened boxes) with a simple tomato sauce and topped with mizithra (sp?) cheese. Yum. Oh, and freshly picked carrots from Nana’s garden. Delish!
In my small, old fashioned could certainly be replaced crockpot today I made boneless skinless chicken thighs cooked in a sauce made of 1/2 cup marmalade, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1/2 cup bbq sauce. During the last half hour I cranked up the heat on my antique crock pot (did I mention that it was small and old and needs to be replaced?) and added 3/4 tsp of cornstarch mixed in a bit of water to thicken the sauce. Very yummy served with rice and broccoli. So there you have it – my crockpot story, my dinner story and my recipe. Julie, you always inspire me and we love your recipes. Even if I don’t win, this is a great opportunity to say thanks to you again.
Supper was basically leftovers in the fridge assembled in a hurry ‘cuz it was getting really late and we were hungry. I flash boiled some green beans, ran cold water over them to crisp them up, and then sauteed them with some olive oil, salt and pepper. I then sauteed some shrimp and scallops (leftover from a previous supper preparation) in a little bit of butter, garlic, salt and pepper, and added to the green beans. At the last minute I also cut up some roasted garlic new potatoes, heated them up, and threw them into the mix. The result was a warm green bean salad with garlic shrimps and scallops – sounds fancier than it was, but it was tasty!
And I just wanted to say that I love your blog! Even though I don’t necessarily use your recipes, I still come on every day to see what you wrote. Had I known you suffered from “comment envy”, I would have made more of an effort to post comments on your blog!
*gush* I read this pretty much every day, even though I don’t cook nearly that often (isn’t that what husbands are for?), but I have to tell you that when I do cook, I often rely on your help. I love your ginger cookies, and the samosas and mango curry chicken wonton cups are my go-to things when I have to bring something easy but impressive to a party. Imagine all the new things I could do with a fancy crock pot!
What are we eating? Leftover homemade chicken vegetable soup (made from the bones of the roasted chicken we had earlier in the week, and using the potatoes we grew in the field behind our fence)
mmmmmmmm tis beginning to look at lot like crock pot season…..
ok so for dinner tonight (and I’m going to put tonight because it’s smelling sooooo good right now) I am having shake and bake chicken and lemon spaghetti. The shake and bake chicken is my own concoction – the breadcrumbs, dry and fresh, grated and finely chopped asiago, oregano, salt and pepper. I thawed out a couple of homemade ‘basil pesto’ ice cubes, mixed with some dijon and an egg and dredged in that before the breadcrumbs. The smell in here is amazing!!!
Love your recipes. Even to get inspired. Dinner well I could not go wrong with 6 teenagers to feed (4 not mine friend away) Homemade meatballs and spaghetti caesar salad garlic bread and apple crisp. They love food and to eat so it went over well and no leftovers!!
We had Chu chu Kai, a chicken thai dish that they have at the King and I and rice. It’s one of our favorites. Leftover chocolate cupcakes for dessert.
Love your blog.
Actually, I would love the crockpot with your name on it, Julie – sort of an ‘autographed’ cooker from a local celeb! Great stories for later too!
Okay, my 2 year old golden retriever and I finished the leftovers of a Chicken Tamale Pie we picked up earlier this week from Forage.
LOVE LOVE LOVE you!….read you every day and usually in total envy of your din din
tonite i am having oven baked sweet potato fries, and frozen mango margarita….spent the whole day volunteering so this is it! protein. who needs it!…rather have the booze!
ha
keep up the good work….please dont leave me after day 365 is up!
🙂
Perfect!! I’m in the market for a good crock pot!
Dinner tonight (I know, at 4:30pm, sadly) was an irish stew that’s been simmering away all rainy day!
My dinner was a thrown together in 5 minutes to satisfy my hunger before I left on a four hour drive to my parents house for the weekend. It involved a whole-wheat pita with jalapeno hummus, leftover chicken, cucumber, and tomato. I packed along a tupperware with fresh blueberries, creamy vanilla yogurt, and apple crisp for dessert on the drive. Not the easiest dessert to eat with a spoon while driving…
I also love your blog and look forward to reading it every morning.
WOW I have the privledge of being #52 today 🙂
Dinner tonight was a treasure hunt through the fridge:
For me: spinach that was threatening to go off and some balsamic vinaigrette with the remainder of DH’s baked salmon, oh and baby carrots and sugar snap peas with 2 greek gals tzatziki.
DH: same last bit of salmon, assorted vege but no spinach please and thank you.
Eldest& youngest: “Hamburger Macaroni” whole wheat macaroni with a blend of homemade cheese sauce, tomato sauce (to use it up) and veggie ground round – sort of a preschooler’s stroganoff, with cherry tomatoes from the planter still miraculously thriving on the deck.
Rather-particular-middle-child: Same whole wheat macaroni without “the weird stuff” and the last of the cheese sauce, and a baby carrot.
Nothing terribly exciting but I now have freed up a whole shelf in the fridge 🙂
I had a craving for gingerbread today. Don’t know why but maybe because it was cloudy and somewhat rainy today. A real fall day. So my dinner was a slice of homemade gingerbread accompanied by homemade caramel sauce. It was delicious!!
Dinner last night was leftover stuffed pork tenderloin, re-fried left over smashed potatoes and green peas (because that was what I had in the freezer). Tonight is Indian takeout from Vij’s (yay Vij’s)
I am really not sure how you only bought 2 packs of $5 ribs…I share your love of ribs and would have loaded up my buggy.
Tonight we are having pork chops, rice, applesauce and brown beans, (and whatever frozen vegetable is closest to the front of the freezer), because it’s ready in the time it takes for the rice to be done in the microwave.
I admit to being a lazy cook stuck with the same limited menu rotation and I am always on the lookout for new dinner ideas. I am also interested in gluten free recipes and was pleased to see a few listed.
I found your blog after hearing your food segment on the radio. I was pleased to have local Calgary content on my blog favorites list.
Thanks for the great read and the nudge to get creative in the kitchen.
Way to out the readers, Julie! So happy to read how many others make this a daily “must read.”
Theresa, in our house “ffysn” is known as “emfh” — every man for himself. We only use the acronym, as in “what’s for dinner?” “emfh.”
ASL,
Glad to make you smile!
This is a fantastic idea isn’t it! Great job Julie, as always!
Like so many of you, I check out this site everyday. It is great to see that there are so many of us!
In Julie style my dinner was a demonstration of in the moment creativity. I had gotten a bunch of red peppers on sale and decided to make stuffed peppers. Realizing I didn’t have any rice, I used barley instead. Added some garlic, onions, wild mushrooms and parmesan. It turned out pretty good.
Good luck everyone!
I used my crockpot tonight and made bbq beef on a bun. Super easy to make and delicious!
wow – wouldn’t I love a brand new crockpot! love your blog. for dinner last night…simple sandwich with fresh-out-of-the-garden tomatoes and sharp cheddar. simple and delicious.
Hubby is the good cook in our house. Tonight, roasted whole chicken on the BBQ, mashed spuds with mushrooms, broccoli with parmesan, cornbread stuffing and cornbread. Cruzan Rum cocktails to begin!
BTW, me the not so good cook in our house, would LOVE a brand spankin’ new crockpot!
Tonight we had cheese and bacon stuffed chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. Sooo good! Beats the frozen pizza we had the night before.
That is one sexy crockpot! We had Julie’s classic grainy salad with barley, lentils and wild rice, alongside some bison and pepper shish kebabs.
Tonight my husband was away, so my 14 month old and I finished off the italian sausage and spinach lasagna from last night. Nothing fancy, but definitely one of my favorite meals ever. By the way, I should let you know that my husband and I adore your blog (not kissing up, I know the crockpot pick is random). My husband has me read it aloud to him so that we can enjoy the recipes and humor together.
Hi Julie,
Supper has become a little easier since signing on to your site. I’m not a great cook but now feel a little more comfortable with ‘throwing it all together’ and often coming up with something decent. As my son is home from university for the weekend (to see his girlfriend, not me), I asked him what he would like. He requested hamburger soup, so I decided to slice up that broccoli stalk and remains of a red pepper and throw in as well. Turns out this was a great idea, my son even told me he loved it. Ran out for some fresh buns and made a quick chocolate chip cake and voila, a yummy supper.
Wow, what a great looking crockpot! The man of our house (who does most of the cooking) would love it, if for no other reason than to use the same piece to brown the meat and then cook the rest of the meal – less dishes!! Homemade pizza in our house tonight – whole wheat thin crust, with an individual pizza for each family member. Works great for accommodating everyone’s personal tastes. Veggies only for mom, meat totally for teenage son, meat & veggies & especially cheese for pre-teen daughter, and pesto, meat, peppers & onions for dad.
A Crock Pot!! A must have for winter. Friday nights we never know who’s around (teenagers in this house).At 5:30 I looked in the fridge to find a bowl of whole grain and wild rice and veggies of all sorts. Remembered your skillet Jambalaya from the other night, pulled a bag of prawns from the freezer ran them under cold water and tossed it all together. My husband thought I was a genius…
He does’nt know my secret (Thanks Julie). A frozen pumpkin pie with loads of whip cream to top it off!!
Julie you make everything seem so easy and yummy! I really enjoy checking out your blog on a daily basis.
Tonight we had barbequed pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries that were also cooked on the barbeque and I tried the fried spinach on the stove.
My family did not like the spinach and as it turns out it wasn´t mine either, oh well, we tried.
The crock pot looks so cool!
I really think I have dinner with you every night as I read yout website each night. Your recipes are sooo good, and your stories are perfect. Well, for last night’s dinner – I had your Balsamic Vinegar Salmon recipe. Simple, quick and with a 11mos old, the perfect meal. Thanks for all your help with dinner…lifesaver!
I have been wanting a new crockpot for awhile because I have one from the ’80s that is too small to make much more than soup or steel cut oatmeal.
Last night we had takeout as I was so busy getting ready for an open house, that I didn’t have time to make dinner.
I enjoy reading your blog every day and I listen to you every Tuesday morning on the Eyeopener on CBC.
Just had a busy day of basketball with our two girls. The oldest then was off to a friends b’day party and we stayed home and had hamburgers on the bbq. My husband had heard of a trick on Jay Leno to make the burgers moist – put an ice cube in the middle before grilling. I think it works the burgers were tasty.
I enjoy checking out your blog Julie. I have gotten some great ideas from it.
Please enter me in your contest.
Thanks
Lynn
lhallson@shaw.ca
Love that quote, “Laurie Colwin: “it is… the daily things, like what people eat and how they serve it.”
And whoever first thought of separating an egg and beating the whites should really be way more famous than Napoleon.
…Supper tonight? Mulligatawney soup (SunTerra’s recipe!). The BEST chicken soup for a cold.
I love contests! Don’t want to be in the runnings – but my vote is for Christina for having 3 kids under 3. You need a crockpot my girl because you are a brave soul!
Incidentally I have a crockpot just like this! Minus the timer/digital clock, and it does a great job! I love that you can brown your meat on the stove top and save all the delicious carmelized bits in the pot! Good luck everyone!
Just back from dinner at Raw Bar at Hotel Arts and must recommend both dinner and Jason as server. Had a great time and the food was fab. Had the steak with potatoes and pureed Cabbage, Susan of course elected for the Lamb while Trevor went for the Liquini. But I digress, back to cock pots. I tried the Rogan Josh (is this areal person????) and since I only had a 4.5L crock pot had to cut back quite a bit. And also, while you say to simmer for an hour, I just put the whole lot in a let is go for 4.5 hours. Turned out great. Fall off the bone as one would say. Would like to try the whole recipe but am reluctant to purchase yet another crock pot. Maybe Santa will surprise me this year.
Hi Julie, I love checking in every day to see what you are up to and what you are eating. I became a fan when I found your recipe for those breakfast cookies with pureed white kidney beans – they are genius! I am also hooked on the video blogs from Chef John at http://www.foodwishes.com which I discovered by accident. Check him out… he’s fun and I have learned so much from him! Today I spent way too much time in the kitchen. I started the day making lemon ricotta pancakes for breakfast and then launched into making a vat of French Onion soup (using the homemade chicken and beef stock I made earlier this week). For dinner I made a big salad and roasted a ham with visions of using some to make split pea soup in a couple of days. When the leaves start turning I just get crazy and start thinking SOUP! I’m sorry I haven’t left you a comment before… I was sort of thinking I was doing you a favor. Surely you don’t want to read 2536 comments with your busy life! What are we eating tomorrow? Duh…. leftovers!
Comment envy–hmmm. I guess it’s time to confess that I’ve been checking out your blog since last spring; your lemon blueberry squares and cinnamon biscuits are now staples in my kitchen.
Supper tonight was hamburger soup from the freezer but I redeemed myself by making your chocolate chip squares for dessert.
That is an awesome looking crockpot!
Last night was undercooked meatloaf (sliced and thrown into the frying pan to get rid of the pinkness), rice and a fresh salad.
But tonight is more worthy of mention. I was taught how to make perogies today and made batches for the freezer filled with mushroom and sauerkraut, potato and cheddar, and roast beef. My favorite was the mushroom and sauerkraut, something I can’t seem to find in the grocery store. Boiled up, buttered and served with fried onions and sour cream and a smokie on the side – Yum!
Oooooh, that looks just like the crockpot I was lusting after in Costco the other day! I could sure use a new one…mine is small and 15 years old (it was a most excellent wedding gift). Supper tonight? Well, I was tired after work and browned up some x-lean gr. beef and mixed in the leftover barbeque beef I made in my (old) crockpot the other day, added some barley/brown rice to sop up the sauce and served it with steamed broccoli, cauliflower and pea pods. Dessert was strawberry-rhubarb pie (not homemade this time). My 6 yr old loved it and my 8 yr old ate it so he could have pie. The hubby quite enjoyed it (I just asked him).
Thank you so much for your blog, Julie. I get such a kick out of reading it.
same as you! grilled cheese but with cilantro chutney and valencia hot sauce brought back from mexico for dippin. yum!
I love your recipes and blog! I look forward to reading it everyday! You are amazing in the way you can make a fabulous supper out of a few items in your fridge. Last night’s supper was tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches…the only thing I could come up with at 7:00pm after spending 2 hours in a hockey rink and not having taken anything out to prepare! Oh…and homemade Apple Pie!
this is a first for me… entering a contest. Have been reading your posts faithfully for the last 2 months and then going back and catching up on the others. With summer coming to an end and the garden just about put to bed, I did a great soup using vegetables that are still there.Beets,potatoes(the last),onions,and my awesome cabbage,dill and some chicken broth with a bit of sugar ….. yummy. I love using the crock pot in winter… even have baked in it.Love the inspirations you give us all. So glad that I can across this site
dinner tonite was homemade corn chowder, with pancetta and parmesan, a hunk of multigrain bread from Wild Earth Bakery, and a spinach salad. my hubbie is the cook in our house, and I am sooo grateful that it he loves to cook. I’ve been a fan of yours ever since I found your Grazing cookbook at my sister’s. Went out and bought the book for at home inspiration. Thanks!
Dinner last night: whole wheat spaghetti, ground beef mixed with a jar of pasta sauce, parmesan cheese. That’s about it. An easy dinner to make on a low energy, getting over a cold kind of day.
I enjoy reading your blog daily; thanks for the inspiration, the recipes that have become favorites already, and those I have yet to try.
I have been reading your blogs religiously since the beginning. My usual routine is to get my 3 kids J-6yrs, R-4 yrs and J 2yrs to bed and sit down with a cup of tea and something yummy and read what you had for dinner. Tonight I made grill cheese because I had to try it with the grated parmasean on the outside, it was brilliant. Lunch was a little more interesting, soba with dipping sauce – even the baby insists on eating it with chopsticks. Cheers.
Yay! A contest! You won’t even need to ship it if I win; I’m just over in Renfrew so I’ll just run on over to pick it up.
Supper tonight was leftovers from last night: the Thai Coconut Soup Crockpot Recipe from A Year of Crockpotting blog. Here’s the link: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/09/thai-coconut-soup-crockpot-recipe.html
It was better the second day. We dumped some cooked basmati rice in the bottom of the bowl before ladling in the soup. It was pretty good faux Thai soup. Last night was rough (“It’s too sour! It’s too ‘picy!”) thus the kids (4 and 6) had Annie’s Mac and Cheese so we could eat our soup in peace. Their loss.
ooo I’ll play!
I will tell you about last night’s dinner since I actually cooked it and it was good.
I roasted 2 Sunworks Farm chickens(very tasty little chickens) stuffed with rosemary and garlic and the rest of the scraggly herbs left in the herb pot. (I choose to do 2 chickens, as I quoted to my friend who stopped for dinner, JVR says-if you’re going to do 1, then why not 2?). Served with roast potatoes, a little gravy, some sauteed zucchini and red pepper, and peas!
Tonight was pizza-ordered in…everyone needs a night off-no?
I was very excited to be back in Calgary for dinner tonight, where I got to eat fine, Canadian, grain-fed steak!
I love your Colwin quote. Despite having a food blog myself, last night my husband offered to cook while I worked. We had sauteed red peppers, cauliflower, leftover bbq’d chicken strips and tomatoes in wraps. A “clean out the fridge” night as we call them! It helped leave room for all the cheese and crackers we ate later at a party.
I love a contest! Even more I love crockpots (makes life easier).
Dinner last night was smashed potatoes, grilled turkey sausages and fresh veggies. Dessert was choc, swirl icecream. Easy but fairly healthy. As much as I’d love to make a gourmet meal each night, it just is not realistic, with 3 kids.
Love your blog, I often send the recipes to friends to try out as well.
Yeahhhhhhhh look at all these replies. I so love your style of writing you always make me smile. Dinner was barbacue pork chops, baby new potatoes and greek salad.Gotta make the most of the barbacue before the snow comes.
What a great little contest. We went to a party/BBQ last night so I made marinated chicken breasts (garlic, soy sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce) with roasted potatoes (with olive oil, herbs de Provence, and red pepper flakes). Our friend made a salad – thank goodness as I was a little lacking on the vegetable front!
Enchiladas. We only ever have these on week-ends, since I wouldn’t dare try to assemble these on my own without someone to keep the kids entertained.
Tacos! Yesterday was Taco Day, so we had to celebrate.
I admit I check your website pretty much everyday. I hope year two of dinners to follow! Last night was homemade pizza at my parents house. I had no part in the making just enjoyed the not so good for my diet yumminess. oh and your grazing cookbook has been well used by multiple members of my family…so much so they had to buy there own. Thanks!!!
Last night we ate Cuban black beans and rice. It was pretty tasty!
Wonderful crockpot. My comment is about “One Smart Cookie”. Speaking of wonderful!! I no longer look for cookie or squares recipes anywhere other than in your cookbook. Your website is also a treasure and is a topic of discussion whenever I get together with friends.
After a long week and Friday night ballet, we were all hungry and tired so we had quesadillas (inspired by you – whole wheat tortillas, leftover chicken, salsa, avacado and pepperjack cheese), red grapes, slices of bacon and cheddar cheese quickbread with dried pears, and wine for the grownups. Once the kids were tucked in we had chocolate sorbet – thank you very much for that recipe! My husband can’t believe it isn’t high in fat, expensive, or difficult to make – too good to be true!
Hi Julie love your website and have tried several recipes. I really appreciate your keeping it real approach such as trying to empty the fridge or freezer or making something fast in a time crunch. I have 3 boys that play hockey so I like healthy and l like fast something that doesn’t always get accomplished around here.
OK last night we had bacon tomato sandwiches in our attempt to use up our tomatoes from our garden. I also cooked up some rosemary garlic sausages from Irving Farm Fresh Meats that I bought at the St. Albert farmer’s market. For dessert carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Recipe from Company’s Coming it’s a favorite at this house and that was an attempt to make a dent in our carrots. Thanks
I’m sure I’m far far too late for this contest – and a winners’ already been picked, notified, and picked up the crock pot, but in the unlikely event that I am still “eligble”, here I am! [Would it help to say Julie that I read this blog voraciously and have one of your cookbooks???]
In any event, on to dinner last night, which unlike the shiny new crockpot, was rather pedestrian: Spaghetti and Sauce with a slice of ham for protein.
Last night my daughter and I went to a wonderful event-our local foodroots group cooks up a dinner using only localy grown products (I live on Vancouver Island). the food was incredible! Curried chicken, tofu cassoluet, mashed sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie-all created out of food grown here on the island.
I feel so inspired to buy more locally grown food. We are so blessed to have people who are passionate about farming and food issues.
I would love the slow cookerI haave never owned one and the one you are offering looks like a winner.
Thank you for offering your extra one to us your faithful readers (I read your blog every day as well!)
Just remember who was willing to spearhead an elite group of feisty fans into the dead of the night to avenge both your honour and the jumble of beauty and everyday clutter of every-woman’s kitchen. That dastardly photog will never crush the spirit of the Calgarian flower of the foodie blogosphere! Never!
I’m just saying…
First let me say I LOVE your blog!! At last something I can relate to, no fancy dancy recipes that you have to run to the store to find the ingredients for……. Last night I had a cross rib steak that looked like it might be tough so I marinated it cut it into strips slattered on hoisen sauce and BBQed it.delish with sweet potatoes and sauteed veggies……….I would love a crock-pot,I haven’t used one for 20 yrs.its about time I quess
Last night we had only appetizers – had a couple over to our place first and then went to a party – celebrating a woman getting her master’s degree.
Hey Elektra–
I’m IN. Just let me know when (I’m sure the photog was just to make us everyday folk feel a wee bit better but STILL. Sneaky, man!) Unfortunately I sauced my overripe pears yesterday, but I may have a few crabapples that would ‘serve’… Can I drive the getaway car?
…I did like the second photo on the Herald’s website, though. Nothing but love!
(second comment, does not qualify for the draw!)
-CSB
Let’s see – dinner last night? Tahini Rotini – you make hummus, then thin with veggie stock and warm on the stove. Boil up some rotini, then add veggies during last 5 minutes. The recipe calls for broccoli, but we were out, so I matchsticked carrots, red peppers and zucchini (I left the last raw). Toss all with sauce, and sprinkle with lemon zest and toasted sesame seeds. Easy-peasy and yum!
Hi Julie!
Thanks for making me smile! I’m a university student in Edmonton and I NEVER have time to cook- I started trying a few of your yummy dishes, and life has never been better^^ Thanks for sharing about your life, and dishes, and hopefully you’ll continue the blog after the year long deadline is over:D
Last night, I had a horrid sweet tooth, and so for dinner I made( homemade!!) Apple-Pear soup with barley and also roasted pear salad, and oven cooked pears with chocolate centers( I bought an entire bag of pears last week and I’m trying to get rid of them:P)
Hey Julie!
I am also a university student living in edmonton, and I’ve been reading your blog since about day 50 I think… and I love it! I still live at home but I usually help with dinner and have used lots of your ideas for dinner. I also LOVE baking, so I am often inspired but what you have for dessert.
Last night, was an excellent night for dinner, since I got together with 7 of my friends for our “gourmet” club! haha our theme was Italian, and I was in charge of salad. I made one with arugula, prosciutto, gorgonzola, pine nuts, and artichoke hearts with a garlicy-balsamic vinaigrette. we also had everything from home-made tortellini to ricotta torte for dessert. it was very yummie! thanx for the stories and keep blogging!
Last night was homemade chow mein with the leftover BBQ pork tenderlion from the day before – yum. I’ve been a fan of both of your blogs for a long time and get inspired reading them. My absolute favourite cookbook is your Grazing cookbook – I can’t count how many of the recipes I’ve enjoyed – thanks!
of course, carol SB. we’ll rent an intrepid. you drive. we need someone to shout out “start the car! start the car!” when it’s time to cut out of there. anyone?
Last night was smorg out of the fridge. We had company on Friday night, and I made more than enough bbq ribs (pre baked for a couple of hours and just finished on the bbq), potato casserole, and corn. There was still leftover stewed chicken from thursday along with callaloo (mmmm love jamaican food and anything with spinach), and I found some parsley dip in the back of the fridge that our spanish friend dropped by earlier in the week, so we had quite the international buffet last night. I enjoy your blog and always make a point to catch up on the weekend. I use a lot of your recipes and in fact – it’s jambalaya tonight – can’t wait. Thank you for the fun and the inspiration!
Oooh, sweet. Looks very good.
Last night for supper was some very yummy roasted veggies (Red Onion, Zuchinni, Carrots, Asparagus, Garlic) served alongside Octoberfest Sausages (yes, M&M’s). Mmm, very yummy. I love roasted vegetables.
That crock-pot looks sweet!
Yesterday’s dinner was spaghetti and a thrown-together sauce (of veggie ground, tomato sauce, fresh basil, oregana and thyme and chopped up fresh spinach). Its my old faithful dinner – quick, simple and tasty
I love reading your blog every night after work or school. I find that several foods that you cooked one week shows up on up on our table the next week – so thank you!
Today was cooking bulk day so that we can survive the week. I made lasagna – Bobby Flay’s showdown simplified (just browned some ground beef) and I followed it mostly. Also two kinds of chuck roasts. One roast was a caraway seed sour cream gravy with roasted carrots and baby potatoes. The other was tomato sauce, beef broth, onion, garlic, allspice, poultry easoning, thyme, parsley, and mushrooms served with shell pasta. I also sauted a whole bunch of green beans with garlic. It is nice coming home at night and just doing a quick heat up for a good meal.
Please don’t stop after the year!!! I can imagine that it is a lot of work but then maybe the highlights of the week would be great.
I’m usually cooking for one (gee a crockpot would be handy) but when it’s time for guests your site comes even before Julia and Nigella. I’m a late comer to it so I’m enjoying going back over weeks and weeks of food ideas and recipes. And everything has worked beautifully without any fiddling. Last night I tried the roasted yams and had the last of some summer 4-bean salad (Mom’s recipe). Endless thanks.
Tonight we had “meatball souvlaki” – meatballs on ww pita, with veggies and homemade hummus. Of course, a zucchini brownie afterwards (need I mention that we’ve made them twice in the past week?).
Thanks for the great blog and inspiration!
Skillet-fried steelhead trout from Co-Op (tastes like salmon, but way cheaper), fingerling potatoes, and steamed brussels sprouts dressed in lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. A quick and tasty dinner!
What a beauty…with the flexibility of this crockpot, I would use it much more often!!! Love it!!!!
I made a nice Beef Stew for dinner and homemade Focaccia bread to go along side. Delish!
Last night I had spaghetti with a great basil tomato sauce (with garlicy prawns), alongside homemade bread. Yumm!
For dinner last nite, home made spatzle drizzled with garlic, fresh parsley and spices, all simmered in butter. A beef roast, marinated in spices for 2 days, cooked at 300 deg. Fresh salad from the garden and tomatoes, also from the garden that are still ripening in the house.
That’s it!
Ooh Laa Laa, what a lovely crockpot.
We are having chicken and dumplings tonite for dinner. A quick fix since renoing all day.
Thanks for the opportunity to win the great crockpot.
Last night was the first night of hopefully a new family tradition which we’ve named Adventures in Dining. Each Saturday a family member is responsible for researching and preparing a new recipe. It was my 12 year old son’s turn, so he served up Salmon stuffed baked potatoes, corn and sugar snap peas. Only to be topped off with puffed wheat squares (courtesy of your recipe). I basically just helped answer some of his questions and washed his dishes for him, but he did all the prep work. His years in the Cub Scouts taught him well! He was so proud of his meal and I was so proud of him! He set the bar pretty high for his 15 year old brother who is on for next Saturday’s adventure. Love your blog and I’m sure when it’s my turn I’ll be using one of your recipes.
Oh man, what a bitchin’ crock pot….We had Lemon Roast Chicken ( a la Nigella Lawson), with roast potatoes and steamed veggies)…Comfort food for a cool Ontario night!
Crock pot looks great. I have a great one so take me off the contest list.
I had a really delious dinner last night so I thought I would post. My friend called and decided to stop by on her way through town. I pulled together dinner from the frige:
– Fresh mozzerella with tomatoes and basil (from my garden).
– Chicken thighs marinated and cooked in lemon juice with basil and hot chilies.
– Sauteed onions and peppers.
– Beer cheese bread (your recipe)
– Dessert from a local bakery.
I live for cooking on the weekends!
Cool contest….my crockpot is so old it’s close to being a crackpot!
Dinner this evening…..grilled Alaskan salmon….sweet corn…..Greek salad……
Thanks!
Ooooh! Pick me! Pick me! That’s a fantabulous lookin’ crock pot!
Last night was my birthday, so supper was my favorite from those (not too) long ago days when I lived at home and mom did the cooking… *sigh*
She makes ribs with a spicy home-made BBQ sauce, basmati rice and steamed brussels sprouts in a bread crumb, butter, parsley and shredded egg mixture. I wish I’d taken a picture… Anyway, my favorite treat is lemon meringue pie and mom didn’t disappoint.
Anyway, that was last night and this is my entry. Please keep the blog going – I’ve got my family, office and friends addicted! 🙂
ahhh…the comment love!
That is a sexy crock pot. Not a combination of words you hear often.
We had frozen pizza tonight, but last night I made cauliflower soup. Tasty and nutritious. Only the baby and I ate it even though it was really yummy.
What a beautiful Julie CrockPot!!!! I am on my third Crockpot, just love them but this is a deluxe….what I wouldn’t do for one like that!! Last night, we had ribs, awesome receipe that cooked all day in the Crockpot, maybe I would share with you?? We live in the beautiful mountains in BC!! Thanks for sharing…….
Dinner last night was shrimp and mahi-mahi, with steamed green veges and baked potato wedges.
Tonight was baked ham with baked potatoes and yams and microwaved home-made applesauce.
Dessert both nights was apple pie – our tree did well this year. Pie recipe was from the Canadian Cook Book – home ec.text from 1966. I love your “Starting Out” and “Grazing” books. I have a crock pot – If I win, pick again!
Well tonight we actually had your maple-rosemary pork tenderloin, along with roasted yams and baby potatoes. Perfect food for a chilly fall evening. I have to say that pork is my favourite and has been since you posted it 100 days ago, it makes me sad there are only 87 days left
Hi Julie, I’m another faithful reader – love your books as well as your blog!
We’ve been battling ear infections, fevers, and stomach flu with 4 little girls, so our meals have been sadly uninspired of late!
We had a snacky afternoon with friends: spinach dip, hummus, several loaves of bread, a few packages of crackers, those giant organic tortilla chips….amazingly the kids still came home hungry, so I made waffles (at least they were 1/2 whole wheat!), and my DH fried eggs to ’round out’ the meal! The 1 semi interesting thing about waffles at our house is we follow in the mennonite tradition of serving them with ‘white sauce’, which is a homemade hot, fairly thin, vanilla pudding. It is delicious when poured over waffles and fruit of any kind.(but especially berries!)
Guess we’ll catch up on the veggies tomorow!
Rats, I am late to this contest but was in Edmonton this weekend celebrating my mom’s 80th birthday. My niece made her the loveliest decorated cake ( a new hobby)and my sister-in-law fed us too well, as usual. Tonight we had steak, fries and steamed broccoli and cauliflower. It seems I am not the only family member to recently join Weight Watchers so the competition will now be fierce, especially as 8 of the family are going to Mexico together next month. A new crock pot would certainly help in my endeavour to lead a more healthy life. I have made so many of the dishes you have featured on this blog. I read there are only 87 days left? How sad ( for us of course, you may be quite ready to finish).
Really like your web site, and use a crock pot a lot, but mine is really old like me !!!
I have found that marinating ribs in my crock pot in orange juice before I turn it on really makes them tender. I also add some barbecue sauce for extra flavour. Sometimes after cooking just pop them on the barbecue and baste with more sauce. Most of the time they just fall off the bones and we eat them.
oooOOOooo. I luv contests. And the crockpot looks ultra swanky.
I’m thinking the wave of the future is a crockpot for me. Especially since I somehow started a grease fire by accident on the stove…and my kitchen reeks…
For supper I had honey garlic chicken…with white rice (yum). Thankfully, my family lives close by and takes pity on my kitchen disasters. 🙂
Love your site, Julie! I make a point to read it every day – thanks for all the inspiration! Love to hear you on CBC radio, too.
Tonight my husband and I went to Brava Bistro on 17th Avenue for Sunday Supper. I had three completely delicious courses: an arugula, apple, and hazlenut salad to start; risotto with blue cheese and sirloin as my main; and pumpkin pie with candied ginger for the grande finale… soooo good. Tomorrow: back to cooking (after getting some ideas here first, of course).
I had Rice Krispies for dinner.
Ooooohhhhh….fancy crockpot! I love kitchen toys!
I read your blog all the time but I’ve never posted a comment. Had to try for the crock pot though!!
I had toast for dinner last night…upset tummy.
You’ve pulled me out of lurking to post my first comment. Our dinner last night was a yummy butternut squash and apple soup with a slice of whole wheat beer bread. It was very Fall.
Hi, I’m delurking to try for the crockpot–My crockpot gets used a lot, but mine is not nearly as sweeeeeet as the one you have. I found your site through the crock pot lady’s site (crockpot 365).
We had one of my son’s favorite meals last night for dinner, baked mac and cheese with polish sausage. He loves it and will eat seconds (unheard of with him). We also had some green beans I froze early this summer sauteed with garlic and olive oil. Cherry crisp for dessert.
I love reading your posts everyday, but I must admit, I’ve never left a comment. And I never vote on Dancing with the Stars either, but I watch every season. So there!
However, I sure would love a new crock-pot! I’ve been wanting to get one with a timer, so that I don’t come home to mystery mush after returning from a long work-day.
Last night for dinner, I tried something from one of my Pampered Chef cookbooks, I think it was Stoneware Sensations. I made a big chicken with lots of onion soup, and chopped onions. Then I have leftover cooked chicken to make a Chinese Chicken pizza for tonight, and a Chicken and Broccoli wreath for tomorrow night. The roasted chicken was awesome, and I made some plain basmati rice, and a stir-fry of veggies to go along with it. I know it sounds like I am a super-mom, but I am so not!
Take Care Julie!
Pick Me!
Natalie
Hi Julie,
Please continue your blog next year — I have gotten to love reading it every morning!
Hubby and I had spaghetti with mild italian sausage and a ceaser salad on the side. I ran out of my creamy ceaser salad dressing, so I made my own out of oil/vinegar/egg yolk/parm cheese/garlic powder/s &P and a splash of worchestire sauce. Very yummy!
Fantastic idea! A brand spanking new crock pot would be awesome! Last night I had chicken fingers from your Grazing cookbook and sliced tomatoes from my garden and a teeny slice of the fruitcake you gave us the recipe for the other day.
I love your site, the pictures always make me drool and I get lots of great ideas for our own dinners. We’re remodeling our kitchen and the stove is currently unplugged, so dinner last night was cold rotisserie chicken and garlic green beans from the Whole Foods Deli along with the last of the tomatoes and cukes from our CSA.
I’m embarrass to say what we had for dinner last night. The original plan was for baked pasta shells stuffed with broccoli and cheese, but I ended up having to work, so I ate leftover perogies with a side of brussels sprouts, and my darling other half ate this instant Korean soup that packs an entire day’s worth of sodium into one serving.
But tonight – pasta shells. I swear.
Absolutely love your blog. It’s reassuring to know that I am not the only one who opts for breakfast at dinner or other quick fixes to the daily dinner dilemma.
Our dinner was a new recipe of Linguine Puttanesca which my boyfriend found and I wholeheartedly endorsed, seeing that Puttanesca always reminds me of my trip to Italy a few years back. Loved the flavours of Kalamata olives with Anchovies and Tomato sauce. So tasty!
Awhile back there were ads on tv for Chicken Caprese at the Olive Garden in the states. I thought it looked pretty tasty, so I did a web search for the recipe and actually found it. I love when that happens! And it did turn out to be as good as it looked.
Hi Julie,
last night i had um, a chicken sub from subway, which points to the fact that I need a crockpot rather badly.
love your blog!
Clea
Okay – you might have comment envy but I have “people who can feed themselves because they are fabulous cooks envy”. For dinner last night I made the Caramelized Onion dip from Grazing for the first time. It was excellent. I had half the bowl with El Molino’s high fibre tortilla chips and a beer. Please don’t judge me ;).
Hi Julie,
I love your blog & wish you’d keep it up past 1 year! We’ve made many of your recipes & they’ve really motivated me to clean out my fridge/freezer more regularly.
Ok – dinner last night… was at my inlaws who served meatballs with tomato sauce (a staple dinner of anyone born in the ’50s), carrots, baked potato, and tossed salad. Topped off with a glass of chardonnay – yum!
It kind of inspires me to make dishes from all the eras… the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Hmmm.. there’s a neat blog idea, no?
Chantel
Thanks for your recipes Julie! 🙂
For dinner yesterday, we had seafood paella and some green salad.
Oh, please enter me in this contest…
We had chicken pot pie, which is a fancy way to use up leftover chicken. I also made a new dessert with cool whip,plus pumpkin – a pie like thing with a ginger crust – a trial run for our Thanksgiving weekend, but it was too sweet and gooey, so I think we’ll end up with a more traditional dessert for Thanksgiving after all!
I have a perfectly good crockpot (although this one looks way cooler), so don’t put my name in the hat, but I wanted to let you know that I enjoy your website!
Dinner last night – Indian food from a local restaurant, as we returned from a quick trip to Jasper and had nothing in the fridge. But a few nights ago we had a frittata, complete with chard, green onions, shredded cheese and ham, and topped with smoked chipotle salsa that we brought up from Texas with us. Yum!
Oh man could I use that crockpot! We’re farming near Cheadle (west of Strathmore) and every night between hockey,ringette, and football practices I bring out a full on meat potato meal w/ dessert to the field to feed a harvest crew. We eat in the field they are working in tailgate party style minus the beer unfortunately, and in the shade of a combine. Last night was cabbage roll casserole, focaccia bread, green salad and lemon meringue pie (baked by mom-in-law) Thanks Julie!
Last night was a caprese salad and a frozen pizza.
Sounds sad, I know, but for some reason my boyfriend loves frozen pizzas – more than homemade or from a quality pizzaria. Now I am ashamed with all the amazing menus everyone else had so to try to salvage some pride I feel the need to tell you that for lunch we had a white bean, sausage and kale soup that has been heavily in rotation lately and homemade bread. If you haven’t tried the “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day” recipe, you really really should.
Thanks Julie – I too am hoping you keep this up at least in some form after the year is over!
Free Stuff Friday eh? Ok, we had Fried Egg Sandwiches for dinner with a chaser of HoneyComb cereal. None of us were that hungry as we were over at Cor & Sharon’s for a BBQ in the afternoon. A croc pot would be great as I want to get into making more curries in it. Now that winter is approuching the thought of a hot meal waiting at the end of the day seems very apppealing.
WOW! Look at all those comments!
I am reading this on Monday so what dinner should I write about?
If it’s Thursday’s then I have nothing to say. John took the girls to the demolition derby at the Metcalfe Fair and they ate “fair food”. I stayed late in the city and had a tea from Tim Hortons.
If I can do last night, which was Sunday night, then that is more interesting! John had been sick for three days (not from the fair food!:))so when he finally got up to sit at the table, we had:
BBQ steak with bearnaise sauce on the side,
Sauteed red and yellow peppers, mushroom and onions
Potatoes from our garden and for dessert:
Pumpkin/Choc Chip muffins.
OH and I had a glass of red…
Fun contest!
In the last year I’ve broken TWO crock pot ceramic inserts!
Dinner: Grilled BC Sablefish and oven roasted green beans with lemon zest, garlic and anchovies,wine. Mmmmmm!
Grat idea! I would love the chance to play.
Last night – Chicken fingers from your Grazing book, sliced tomatoes from my garden and a teeny slice of the fruitcake you gave us the reicpe to a few days ago.
Thanks for extending this contest past the weekend! My ancient crock pot recently gave up . . . Count me in for this one please! I made your zucchini with craisin loaf this weekend, along with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (both from OSM) for Joe to keep energized as he built my fence. Dinner was potato leak soup and burgers. Yum!
Love reading your blog for inspiration. Last night had Tacos for dinner, nice and easy.
wow that crockpot looks amazing. last night i had boneless country style pork ribs that were cooked in the crockpot with onion soup mix and garlic. topped off with mashed potatoes and homemade rolls and frsh corn. yummy.
Last night I was driving back from Fort Murray (sans husband and kids) and I ate cheezies, sesame snaps, candy coated spitz, pringles, dibs (those chocolate coated ice cream thingys) and beef jerky. Oh, and chocolate covered almonds. My sister was with me to participate in the smorg.
Shockingly, today I feel gross.
Tonight’s supper will be homemade chicken and rice soup with cheese biscuits. Mmmmmmm…
I’ve wanted a crockpot for ages!
Last night I also had roasted leg of lamb – one of the Sunworks Farms boneless roasts – smothered in mushed up garlic and rosemary from my garden and served medium rare. I roasted some baby potatoes from one of the Hutterite colonies in the bottom of the pan, and served it with a handful of Hotchkiss mixed greens.
All local – working on my locovore committment!
Huh I thought I left a comment, scrolled through all of your comments but guess not.
Last night was not one of my finer dinners but I had a cup of greek yogurt with apples, more of Nikki’s Healthy Cookies from over at 101 cookbooks and a couple glasses of wine.
I’m from Oregon, a friend recommended your blog to me and I’ve been following it via my google reader
Saturday’s dinner was much more exciting than Sunday’s …Saturday was warm bean dip with farmer market carrots, cucumbers, and cauliflower and then crunchy crackers with brie and leftover pork tenderloin. Sunday’s was eggs and a few boiled potatoes and carrots.
I absolutely adore your blog, and I’m glad you gave us some incentive to tell you so! Last night’s dinner was chicken fingers, sweet potato, and asparagus. Yum 🙂
Thanks for all of the great ideas. Dinner tonight was pancakes. Sometimes breakfast is better as dinner!
Saturday night’s supper was homemade pizzas. One had the last of the summer tomatoes and basil and the other was classic hawaian. Desert was old-fashioned lemon pudding – the kind that has a puddingy bottom and cakey top. Yummy!
ooohhh….love the crock pot! I so need a new one. My cooks waaaay to hot!
We had tortilla crusted salmon, rice and corn. Nothing special, but super easy.
okeydokey
have followed you from day one!
Made everyone in my office happy with the Apple Bliss or whatever you named it.
Still slightly twisted about the Edmonton chain restaurant capital because we have fabulous independents up here.
Dinner-Spicy Thai Pesto (from the farmer’s market),fresh tomatoes,shrimp and tilipia(?sp) over fresh steamed asparagus.
You are an inspiration every single day-thank you.
I love your blog, it’s the only one I read.
I got hooked on your book “Grazing” and use it all the time. I like to make chicken fingers in bulk, then freeze them on cookie sheets and bag them once frozen. The result is homemade chicken fingers with the convenience of store bought, minus icky chemicals.
Does being in Australia help or hinder my chances?
I had a self created dhal with brown tinned lentils, eggplant, zuchinni, pumpkin served with rice and some baby spinach tossed through at the last minute. The Dhal was yummy *(but healthy) with garlic, ginger, ground coriander, ground cumin, tumeric and paprika, some chilli powder and fresh coriander leaves, finished with a little double thick greek (but no fat yoghurt). YUM!!
Another foodie from Edmonton here and have to agree with Dianne about the dis on our independent restaurant scene in the summer. I was out for dinner at Culina this past Fri and they give independence a good name as do numerous other places.
Anyway, we’re over it.
Another contest perhaps for dinner with Julie in Edmonton? I’ll drive.
Tonight’s dinner was about frozen pork tenderloin and not wanting a stir fry so we ended up with a Pork and pepper paprikash with not enough kick but something nutrionally sound at leaast. And no chocolate for dessert as I’m trying to detox from an amazing girls weekend.
Please don’t stop at 365, this blog is always compelling and I think it’s your honesty and maybe the shiny crockpot giveaways.
First time I’ve been here. What a great Blog! I’d love a new crockpot. I had two for 25 years and I dropped one and broke it. I cook all kinds of things in mine. Meatloaf, Chicken and Rice, Chili, Spaghetti, Texas Hash, Swiss Steak, etc…. I’m going to try making dessert in it sometime. I asked my 5 kids what they wanted for dinner and everyone wanted something different (of course) so, we had Egg Sandwiches and Mac N’ Cheese, what can I say – it was fast and easy – I cleaned carpets half the day and helped the PTA President for the other half, I didn’t really fell like cooking today. I’ll be back to check out your blog some more!
I read your blog every night after I get home from work to get inspiration to cook for the next day. I love your pictures and courage to try new dishes.
The crock pot looks fantastic keeping my fingers crossed I win I am Irish after all .
xxooPEg
I forgot to post what I had for dinner, it was Baked ham, creamed corn and scalloped potatoes. Yum
xxooPEg
i was searching the web for a recipe involving squash and pumpkin- and your day 225 (i think) recipe came up! i have exactly your ingredients- an acorn squash and leftover pumpkin puree- so i’m so excited to try the recipe out tonight. last night we made an omelette with jalepeno cheddar, tomatoes, and spinach, and some sweet potato fries with pimeton, garlic, and chili powder on them. delicious! your blog is great… my coworker walked by and saw the picture of the chicken sandwich with the soup recipe and exclaimed… “mmmm… whats that?!” 🙂 thanks
I keep dithering waiting for a dinner (that I made) to be worthy to post. But the contest ends tomorrow so have decided to take the plunge and go back to Friday’s dinner when I first read this.
On Friday I didn’t make dinner! Went to dinner at a friend’s house which was great. My contribution was a salad – the only interesting thing about it to share being my new favourite (bought) salad dressing which is Little Creek salad dressing from the Okanagan (http://www.littlecreekgardens.com/) which you can buy in Calgary at Community Natural foods and Planet Organic. It is delicious and no sugar or weird thickeners added. I highly recommend it!
Julie, I check your blog every morning, but have never commented before. Your crock-pot offer has lured me out of the woodwork. Last night’s dinner was an eggplant and ground beef casserole – not a recipe I will repeat.
However, your zucchini brownie recipe was a big hit with my co-workers!
Cheeseburgers topped with tomato, pickles, lettuce and onion with leftover couscous and a garden saled. Dessert – chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream. Mmmmm.
I have not been eating too well lately for lack of time (I know that is no excuse!) For now I simply read your blog and dream about what I will cook and eat at a later date! Last night’s dinner consisted of Stoned Wheat Thins, Bison Garlic Sausage and Sylvan Star Gouda….does that sound fancy or what!?
What Fun! I have been away and didn’t see all this excitment over a crockpot until today.
Dinner last night for me was frustrating… as always and incredibly disappointing. Weeknight meals are always a struggle. I made a ceasar salad and pulled a box of cannelloni out of the freezer – probably a President’s Choice brand – and OH MAN it was awful. Even my teenaged boys didn’t like it!
I really like reading your site, it’s inspired me to do so much more cooking. Last night, I had seafood fennel soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.
I’d like to lie about what we had for supper last night, but I won’t…We went to Burger King and had Whoppers, Cheese burgers, Fries, Coke, and Chocolate Milk. How embarrassing! My daughter, who will be 3 next month, refused to go to dance class the last two weeks, so to bribe her this week, I said that “Daddy” would take her and then if there’s no complaining or tears we would go to BK for supper. Needless to say, Daddy said that she was perfectly fine.
I would just like to mention that I made four of your Browned Butter Bliss desserts for a huge family dinner on the weekend. It’s my new favorite dessert second only to Pear Ginger Upsidedown Cake (PGUC).
Take care of yourself, Julie! You work too much!!!
Julie –
I have been quietly lurking in your blog since you began it! You’ve provided numerous helpful tips that I’ve used – the satay particularly – and I’ve loved your wit and wisdom. Thank you so much for the effort you’ve put into your regular homework assignment!
I find your site a real inspiration although I look at ideas more than I cook. Last night for dinner we had barbequed chicken legs, leftover quinoa salad, brussel sprouts and a green salad.
Hello Julie! You ARE an inspiration and I read your blog all the time. It’s a fun way to keep up with your goings on. I had boiled eggs and toast last night for dinner. With strawberry rhubarb jam!MMM. Gotta love breakfast for dinner. Hope you’re well…
My ‘dinner’ last night was some leftover pulled pork, a just made cabbage roll from my annual fall batch and a hot spicy tomato juice, to try to stave off the cold that I feel coming. Not too gourmet, but felt satisfying at 9 pm after my esl class. And I am so in for the crock pot!
Hi Julie… I absolutely love your website. Everytime I look at it I get this overwhelming warm fuzzy feeling. You inspire me to cook in my warm kitchen especially during this beautiful time of the year.
Last night we had Chili with Garlic Bread. (Inspired from a recent Tim Horton’s Commercial- but homemade is always better)
My daughter made her specialty “beet buns.” Using the breadmaker for the dough and beet leaves from our garden. Yum.
Hello Julie! i totally love your blog and am always checking it out but shy to leave comments until i see THE CONTEST! i try to cook in my crockpot as much as i can but my kids have this thing about not having everything touch eachother!! typical of a 5 and 9 yearold i suppose. anyhow i would love a new crockpot, mine is a hand-me-down from my ma.
so dinner tonight was a 12 bean soup i soaked the beans overnight then threw them in the pot and cooked with onions garlic rosemary sprigs and bayleaves, and the last ingredient was 1/2 a jar of salsa, since i had no tomatoes of any kind and wanted something acidic in there! it was good! i agree with the other readers about not stopping after you hit 365! you make it real!
PICK ME!!!! PRETTTTY PLEASE!!!
I WOULD LOVE THAT CROCKPOT, I JUST GOT A FULL TIME JOB AND DINNER WAITING FOR ME WHEN I GET HOME WOULD BE SUPER!!!
I LOVE YOUR WEBSITE, GRAZING BOOK AND WOULD LOVE TO TAKE ANOTHER COOKING CLASS FROM YOU. EVERY DAY I READ YOUR BLOG TO MY SIXTEEN YEAR OLD DAUGHTER SO WE CAN TRY OUT NEW RECIPES, ALTHOUGH I’M CELIAC AND LOVE THE GLUTEN FREE GIRL TOO.
DINNER – LAST NIGHT WAS BBQ CHICKEN, BBQ BRUSSEL SPROUTS (YUM) WITH A CRANBERRY, SPINACH, GOAT CHEESE SALAD. KEEP WRITING – ITS GREAT!!!!
I, like everyone else, would love that crockpot…dinner last night was chicken chow mein made with frozen chicken bits, frozen veg and fresh chow mein noodles…toss it all with the sauce that came with the frozen vegetables and some extra roasted garlic, hot peppers and soy sauce…hit with hubby and three teenagers…nice because it was quick to make between work and driving to activities…love your blog…it always makes my day…and I also love listening to you on CBC…
Oooo how cool! Count me in. 🙂
I will shamefully admit that last night we got the pasta from pizza hut. Not good, gave me terrible acid reflux. TMI. 🙂
I would love love love that crockpot!! For moi dinner last night was home made minestrone and a ham and cheese croisant from Manuel Latruwe patisserie that my aunt picked up for me and left at my door as a surprise. They’re sooo deliciously good!…especially warmed up in the oven!
PS your blog is my fav!
Thanks for the blog! I always look forward to reading it, and have been inspired to try quite a few of your recipes and ideas. I took two of ‘your’ appetizers to a pot-luck dinner a while ago, and it turns out that one of the other guests knows you – fun!
Like some others, I’m going back to a previous dinner – Sunday since I first read about your contest/challenge on Monday. We made baked penne, with shrimp, feta cheese, mushrooms, tomato and green onion, in a parma-rosa sauce. Definitely a family favorite.
Hope you carry on, in some form, after day 365!
Thanks for sharing your life through food with us. My daughter L, and I have exchanges over supper about what Julie had last night. Your meal ideas and gotten my daughter to try new things. Tonight’s supper is BBQ hot Italian sausage from the Strathcona Market (Meno’s) cut up and mixed with veggies, and stirred in with whole wheat penne. Easy dish, but good for leftovers and easy to add more it tomorrow.
I am really going to enjoy the crock pot.
Thanks again
Help! I need help! My daughter is soo fussy and I gave in and made chicken nuggets for supper. A new crockpot would soothe my frustration over her eating habits.
Thanks and I love your blog!
Diane and Coralee – I didn`t mean to dis Edmonton – I know there are some great independants there! It apparently is the chain restaurant capital though.. there are seriously more chain restaurants there than anywhere else. (I was mostly referring to what was available in the vicinity of the Indy though.. not much out there..)
I wanted a rice bowl with some kind of chicken and vegetable combo but ended up with a cheese and meat sandwich!
Well that’s what i get for not visiting Julie’s blog for a week. I missed the whole contest! (Not that her mom could win anyway.) So then I tried to read all the comments. It would take me all night! But to Gerardo, I must say I identify with you. I wanted Rachel’s dinner (baked mac and cheese and cherry crisp both in the same meal!) but had leftover spaghetti (that was only left over because it wasn’t very good in the first place).
Hey J – can I offer the prize for Free Stuff Friday tomorrow? Nothing close to a crockpot, but a nice little stainless steel Digital Instant Read Thermometer. Yeah, okay, it’s the one you gave me to give someone else when I needed a gift on short notice, which I then didn’t use (it’s the thought that counts after all…). And can i request a recipe (from you or any of your readers)? As you know, I don’t much like veggies, but sure would like to find some recipes that would make me look forward to eating them…
Hi, can any body assist me how to get this video tutorial from this web page, I have watched and listen it at this time but wish for to download it.
This recipe looks easy enough to make every week -and I just may do that!! 🙂 Let me explain: I am 6 months pregnant and craving Thai nearly by the hour, but we have moved to Kentucky where they do not seem to have any Thai restaurants at ALL, so I am left wanting. My husband and I had a favorite restaurant we used to frequent before the move, and Chicken Satay with the cucumber salad was our very fave!! Thank you, I will be making this!