Mushroom Farro

Mushroom Farro

6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups farro
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 pound cremini mushrooms or wild mushrooms (or a mixture of the two), cleaned, trimmed and sliced
2 large garlic cloves, green shoots removed, minced
1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup dry white wine
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 to1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt if needed

Place the farro in a bowl, and pour on enough hot water to cover by an inch. Let soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Drain.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften and sweat. Add salt to taste, the garlic and rosemary. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are tender, about five minutes. Add the farro, cook, stirring, until the grains of farro are separate and beginning to crackle, about two minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring until the wine has been absorbed. Add all but about 1 cup of the stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 50 minutes or until the farro is tender; some of the grains will be beginning to splay. Remove the lid, and stir vigorously from time to time. Taste and adjust seasoning. There should be some liquid remaining in the pot but not too much. If the farro is submerged in stock, raise the heat and cook until there is just enough to moisten the grains, like a sauce. If there is not, stir in the remaining stock. If not serving right away, cover and let stand. Just before serving, bring back to a simmer, add the Parmesan, parsley and pepper, and stir together. Remove from the heat and serve.

Yield: Serves six.
Source: Modified from New York Times online

Note on Farro: if you live in Calgary, the only place I have found it is Lina's Italian Market on Centre Street North. If anyone knows somewhere else they sell Farro, I would love to hear about it.

The Man Purse

My Birthday

As I turn 25 again, I reflect back over my past birthday's and this one was definetly one of the best.

We decided to invite my family over for a birthday brunch where I cooked bacon a fritatta and hashbrowns all in the oven - made for a very easy to prepare and easy to clean up breakfast.

Of couse what brunch is not complete without Mimosas?  And what birthday is not complete without cake?

I did ask Adam to make my cake this year, but then I saw this beauty at Superstore and let him off the hook.

Bike Rides

Adam took Jackie on her first bike ride of the season the other day.  Check out the complete post over here at Minivan Stiletto.

A Princess Party

One of Jackie's friend's birthday is only a few weeks after hers.

She turned 4 as well and her Mom hired Cinderella to come to the party.

There were only 4 little girls at the party, they were told to wear their princess outfit, they were all thrilled when Cinderella showed up.

She read them a story, did a few magic tricks, played some games and even had a dance lesson.

Jackie learning the waltz.

The waltz then lead into something a modern princess should know - R&B & Hip Hop - this is Cinderella teaching them the 'sprinkler'.

(Yes, us Mom's were laughing pretty hard at this point.)

Family Dinner Party

Since we don't have a huge house, we find it a little hard to have birthday parties for the kids and all our family too, so we decided to split the two.

Kids party one day, family dinner the next.  It works quite well.

For Jackie's party I served pulled pork on buns with a couple of salads, super easy, all made ahead of time so I could enjoy a glass of wine too.

Of course there was cake too!

Uncle Blake - Blankie thief

Jackie got this super cute princess dress from Uncle Paul and Auntie Catalina (they picked it up at Target when they were in Vegas).

And how can you not love that face?

He just has to be part of the

 action!

Cake & Presents

You might remember I made a princess cake for Jackie's first birthday, since I had the stuff and I am not sure if she will be into princesses next year, I decided to re-do it.

She asked for a pink cake (since last years was purple).  I took a day off work to get ready for the party and make the cakes.

The kids getting ready for the party with more chairs.

I took Jackie to Michaels a few weeks prior looking for a craft we could do at the party.  What I found were Easter coloured sand pails and a whole bunch of stickers.

The kids had a blast decorating their buckets which we later filled with their "grab bag" stuff.

Cake time!

Not only did I make the princess cake, I also made 2 cakes we could do the candles with and serve.  Next year I want to take 2 days off work.

Anderson got a few presents too.  I love that some guests thought of this and how hard it is for the other child to get nothing. 

Jackie got a singing princess card - she loved it!

Birthday Girl

Our little girl is now 4!

I am like every other mother out there that can't believe she is 4 years old already.

Jacqueline is an amazing little lady.

She has her mother's memory (Adam is in so much trouble when she realizes this).

She still has her amazing big, dark, dark brown eyes (we are so in trouble when she is 16).

She is not overly tall for her age, but she is definitely not short (I hope she is as tall as me if not taller).

She has amazing hair (her mother's colour, but with curls and body - I am so jealous).

She has not one but two dimples courtesy of her father (who only has one).

She still has her birthmark (something we always tell her makes her special - hopefully it does not bother her too much when she is older - it is on her elbow, funny - neither Adam or I have a birthmark).

She can colour and draw (draw - almost better than me, colour - no problem staying in the lines and know peoples faces should no longer be purple or green).

She can't write her name yet (but she can copy you if you write it for her).

She loves her brother so much (the next two years are going to be tough as they no longer will be together all day every day).

Funny Faces

Valentine's Cookies

If you read my previous post, I mentioned making heart shaped cookies every year with my Mom and siblings for Valentine's Day. 

I decided to do the same with Jackie and Anderson this year, and who knew it would turn into the greatest evening activity EVER.

We baked all the cookies a few days prior, then I made the icing.

Every evening, I pulled out a few cookies, the icing and their bowls of decorative sprinkles and they went to town.

When done, the sprinkles and icing got put away, ready to be pulled out the next day.

Auntie Amy

Super bowl Sunday, Adam headed over to a friends house, and I invited my sister over to hang out with the kids and I.

We decided to make cookies, Valentines cookies.  I have some very fond memories of my Mom making heart shaped cookies with pink icing with us every year for Valentine's Day.

I did not manage to take a picture of the actual cookies, but for some reason I took this picture.

We also made a favourite meal, roast chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn.

Here the kids were eager to help Amy while she was cutting up the potatoes.

Notice the measuring cup full of fishy crackers.

Amy told me as she was leaving, she is now good, has had her monthly does of birth control.  Not saying my kids were bad, but that they are A LOT of work, but who would not love to hang our with Auntie Amy when she does this with you.

Dinner time - they both had to sit RIGHT beside her.  Super cute.



We had a great day hanging out, the kids had a blast, Amy and I got a chance to chat way more than we normally do, and she went home to her hubby and cat, lounged on the couch and slept through the night.

Finding Time

I know I have been a horrible blogger recently, I had a really good run for a while there, but life has gotten crazy.

Mostly it is my work, I have been beyond busy at work, and I am sure you know it is mentally and physically draining.  The last thing I want to do is blog after the kids have finally gone to bed.  I want to sit on the couch, watch TV or read my book.

I haven't even been reading as much as I normally do, I am going to sleep earlier and watching a little bit more brain-less TV.

But I am going to try and get through some of my updates this week.
We will see how I do - this week I am prepping for a 4 year olds birthday party.

A certain little girl is big time into princesses and I have decided to re-do her first birthday cake (the doll cake).  I am not sure if she will be as into princesses next year, so I better take the opportunity.
Something I learned from Anderson's birthday - if you want a fancy cake for the party, I better take a day off work to do it - so I am off Friday when I will decorate the cake and hopefully be able to keep it as a surprise for her.

A Good Night Kiss

We had Sarah and emily over for dinner last weekend.

Anderson and Emily are 6 months apart.

We were able to capture them saying good-bye to each other.

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 TBSP Butter
1 TBSP olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2.5 L chicken broth
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sherry
1 cup half and half cream
sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Pour a thin layer of water in a baking dish or cookie sheet with sides. Place the squash halves cut side down on the dish. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce the flesh. Cool slightly, then remove the peel. Set aside.

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots, saute for a fe minutes then add the garlic, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Pour the chicken broth into the pot. Add the potatoes, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 mintues, or until the vegetables are soft. Add the squash, stir to incorporate. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or transfer to a blender or food processor in batches and puree until smooth. Return to pot.
Season the soup with cayenne pepper, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, salt and pepper, then stir in the sherry and half-and-half cream. Heat through, but do not boil.

Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy!