Category: Food & Drink

It has been a while since I did a a post dedicated to delicious drinks. I usually get together with the girls during ‘midterm break’ and figured that it would be the perfect time to sip on these.

1. Apple Cider Mimosa
   Mimosas are a must as breakfast and brunch for our crew; this fall twist on it is GENIUS! It’s fancy and cozy at the same time, which seems absurd but you have to try this!
   
   
2. Pomegranate Gin
   I love this cocktail because its refreshing; can also double for a festive drink at Christmas and well… gin is my favourite; if a drink has gin in it, I’ll try it! Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the thyme in it.
   
   
3. Autumn Harvest Sangria
   We often enjoy sangria in the summer, so being able to sip it year round makes this recipe a favourite. It is a great recipe for entertaining family, friends and coworkers because of the ability to make LARGE batches without compromising taste.
   
   
4. Cranberry Moscow Mule
   I was first attracted to Moscow Mules because of the copper mugs; I know that sounds silly, but it is the truth. However, I stayed for the Ginger Beer. The tartness from the cranberries is delicious. This also is a go to drink at Christmas for me.
   
   
5. Mulled Wine
   For the traditionalists out there, this is for you. It is super easy to make and really comforting on a chilly fall evening.

A warm lasagna on a chilly fall day is very yummy! This version adds a bit of Tex Mex kick!

Ingredients

1 can Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup Low Sodium
1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup Fat Free
1 14 oz can of  Aylmer Accents Chili Seasoning Diced Stewed Tomatoes
1 pinch of salt
1.5 cups of Campbell’s Chicken Broth No Salt Added
1 box of Catelli Express Lasagne Oven Ready Noodles
1 rotisserie chicken 
2 bell peppers 
1 onion 
1 Tbsp Old El Paso Jalapenos 
3 cups Cracker Barrel Tex Mex Cheese Shreds, divided into thirds

Directions

1. Mix the cream soups and diced tomatoes together in a large bowl
2. To the mixture add the salt and chicken broth and stir
3. Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish with margarine and line with lasagna noodles
4. Shred the rotisserie chicken
5. Dice the bell peppers, onion and jalapenos and mix them together in a bowl 
6. On top of the noodles, layer approximately half the chicken and half of the onion, bell peppers and jalapeno mixture
7. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese on top
8. Pour half of the soup/diced tomato mixture on top
9. Place another layer of noodles
10. Place another layer of chicken
11. Place another layer of the peppers/onions/jalapeno mixture
12. Place another layer of cheese (1 cup)
13. Pour the remainder of the soup/tomato mixture over it
14. Top with the last of the cheese (1 cup)
15. Cover with foil and back for 40 minutes at 350
16. Uncover and continue to bake at 350 for another 10-15 minutes (until the cheese is bubbling and lightly browning)

My garden exploded! I over planted this year because last year our garden drowned (multiple times) and very little grew; this year though… EVERYTHING grew. I pickled, I gave away lots of produce to family and friends, I blanched and froze my harvests, I made all sorts of freezer foods and of course I ate as much fresh vegetables as I could each day.

One fantastic recipe I keep going back to each fall is Ratatouille.

Ingredients
1 medium eggplant
2 medium zucchini
2 medium squash
3 carrots
1 medium onion (white or yellow)
1 large Hungarian wax pepper
4 medium tomatoes

Salt
Pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic
4 tsp Italian seasoning
1 bayleaf

Directions

1. Dice the eggplant and sauté it in a large pot with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper; when tender transfer to a large casserole dish.
2. Dice the zucchini and squash and sauté it in the pot with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper; when tender transfer to the casserole dish.
3. Dice the carrots and onion and sauté it in the pot with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. (Keep in the pot!)
4. Mince the garlic and add it, the Italian season and bayleaf to the pot; then cook for approximately one minute.
5. Dice the tomatoes and wax pepper; add to the pot.
6. Add the eggplant, zucchini and squash to the pot.
7. Simmer for 30 minutes; stirring occasionally.

*Remember to remove the bayleaf prior to serving.
*Some people like to drizzle with additional olive oil and garnish with fresh basil when serving.

September is an extremely busy month for us; I go back to school and the seasonal business that I run with my husband kicks into high gear. There isn’t a lot of down time for us and every spare second we manage to get, all we want to do is REST — the last thing we both want to do is spend that precious time cooking.

I own pretty much every cookbook under the sun that is dedicated to, “meals in hurry” or “dinner in 15.” I used to spend the last week of August making a bunch of freezer meals for us to pull out –but I usually end up forgetting to take them out. We don’t have any fast food restaurants nearby, because we live in the “country,” which is probably a good thing because to be honest, we’d probably just eat McDonald’s everyday otherwise. Unfortunately, we live so far out, that subscription services like Hello Fresh aren’t available.Our pantry/fridge/freezer is usually stocked up with convenience foods like Kraft Dinner or Lean Cuisine. But, those things are not great to eat all the time.

Costco has been a lifesaver because of their ready made meals! These make our lives SOOOOOOOO much easier and our diets much better during the busy season. I grab a ready made entree, a salad or vegetables from the produce section and we are set!

Our favourite go to meals include…

-Souvlaki Porkchops & Greek Salad (I add a side of Minute Rice)
-Stuffed Salmon (I add sauteed asparagus to the side)
-Shepard’s Pie (I add a salad on the side)
-Donair/Gyro Kit
-Chicken Pot Pie (I add a salad on the side)
-Stuffed Chicken with Asparagus, Spinach & Feta (I add a side of Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes)
-Stuffed Peppers
-Marinated Chicken Drumsticks & Quinoa Salad
-Lobster Alfredo (I add a salad on the side)

The ready made meals are delicious, affordable and fast. I come home from work and put the entree in the oven, do some chores/work, then the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time I prep the side if needed. Then we scarf it down and keep working.

I highly recommend them!!