Tandoori Chicken with Butter Sauce, Aloo Gobi and Basmati Rice (Michael Smith - Food Network)

Wow, this is one of my favorite Indian dishes!! Complete with Naan bread and basmati rice, minus the Aloo Gobi!! God love him, Jamie did all of this one himself -even the homemade curry powder!

Now, I'm no expert but it seems that this is two Indian dishes put together! I'm sure I've had Tandoori Chicken and Butter Chicken as two completely different dishes. This one was Tandoori Chicken done with a butter sauce!! There was lots of work to this, and we even had our smoke detectors going off!LOL The chicken was cooked in the oven on the highest temperature which probably had something to do with it!! The chicken was marinated overnight in the Tandoori marinade and the butter sauce was served over it once it was cooked.

This other dish, Aloo Gobi was the first time we've had this and it will be the last for me!! This plate you see pictured above was mine and when it was all said and done, mostly everything was gone except for the potato and cauliflower dish! I can't put my finger on it, but there was some flavor that didn't appeal to me and it only had potato, cauliflower, onions, cumin seeds, curry powder and a green chili in it??? Whatever it was, I didn't like it but Jamie did - so it was all worth it! The kids weren't fussy on it, but they tried and that's all that matters! You can't be adventurous without getting mixed reviews!!

Once again, my house had the lovely aroma of Indian spices gone through it and I went crazy with my candles and Febreeze bottle!LOL

These recipes were on-line actually on Michael Smith's show on the Food Network!! Shouldn't be too hard to find and it's definitely worth looking for! Thanks guys - again!!!

Curried Moose - a Family recipe usually made with beef!

This a family recipe that I've been making myself for years that my Grandmother used to make. Traditionally, we made it with beef, but since we had a moose roast in the freezer, we opted for that instead! It worked really well..... always nice to come up with something different to do with moose!

This curry was different though from the ones that I'm used to making because the curry powder wasn't the same as the kind you buy off of the shelf at the supermarket! You guessed it, it was a homemade blend - I guess I do owe Jamie some of the credit after all!!LOL Apparently curry powder isn't just curry powder! It consists of numerous spices blended together...didn't know that!!!

First thing you need to do is finely chop a few onions, at least enough to cover the entire bottom of your pot (we used our red 9 qt Le Crueset Dutch Oven Pot!!) to probably about a 1/4 of an inch if not more!! You brown your meet in the onions, salt and pepper, and some olive oil. Once your meet is browned, add your curry powder (about 3 tbsps) and chili powder (about a tsp) and cook for a while reducing the onions. At this point I used to add a little water, but started using beef broth which is better!

While this is simmering away, peel and cut your potatoes into cubes. You need to top your pot up with water and boil your potatoes until soft. Don't put more water than you need into the pot! Once your potatoes are cooked, add your green peas and about 1/2 to 3/4 of a can of tomato paste to thicken it!

At this stage you can cook your rice (we use basmati rice) and by the time it's ready, so should your curried moose! We always serve this dish with buttered bread/rolls and a glass of white milk! This has me craving this dish all over again!!

One thing that I do not like, is the smell of onions and other food smells on my clothes and in my hair. I prefer to make this dish on a weekend and I usually have scented candles lit as I'm cooking it! After it's all said and done and the dishes and leftovers are put away, I go through the house with my spray bottle of Febreeze!!LOL Jamie thinks I have an overly sensitive nose, but if I can smell food off me, I assume others can too!! But in saying that, I do what I have to do in order to still make this dish - definitely worth it!!

This dish takes a while to cook - you can't rush it, so don't even try!LOL

Prime Rib Roast with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes from the Food Network

Easter Sunday was a fantastic eating day and I don't mean just because of the chocolate Easter eggs!!

The morning started with delicious buttermilk pancakes which we substituted half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour and added about a tablespoon of Nutella!!! This recipe came from allrecipes.com in case you wanted to know and it's called buttermilk pancakes II.

The main meal of the day for us though was supper. We had a Prime Rib Roast with Horseradish Mashes Potatoes and Yorkshire Puddings from scratch all drizzled in a wine and beef broth reduced sauce!!! Unbelievable!!

The Roast was seared with salt and pepper and then roasted in the oven with mushrooms, pearl onions and thyme. The potatoes were delicious which I didn't expect knowing that they were called Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, but the mixture of butter, heavy cream and buttermilk added to the balance that brought them to an entire new level!!!!

The yorkshire puddings were fantastic and made from scratch but what topped off this meal was the wine and beef stock reduced sauce that was drizzled over the entire meal! Amazing flavors!!

For dessert we had butter pecan cake (store bought!) decorated with caramel icing and coconut and chocolate Easter eggs of course! The Icing was made from sweetened condensed milk boiled for 3 hours in a pot with the water covering the can the entire time. Peel the label off first of course, but do not open the can until it has cooled to the point of just being warm!! Absolutely delicious and I did two cans to have some left over for ice-cream!!

I hope you try some if not all of these recipes! And I hope you had a fantastic Easter with lots of family, friends and to top if off - great food.....

Cottage Pie from the Food Network

Well, I found out something new Thursday night! The dish I always thought of as Shephard's Pie, was actually called Cottage Pie. Do you know what the difference is? No, I didn't either, but Cottage Pie has ground beef in it but true Shepard's Pie has ground lamb.

Whenever I made it, I used just the basic ingredients...ground beef, green peas, carrots, corn, etc and of course mashed potato as the top. This recipe that Jamie used the other night was out of this world and as you could tell by the intense flavors, a tad more complicated!!!!

By complicated I mean more work, but not hard by no means! It consisted of alot of ingredients - salt, pepper, onions, celery, garlic, tomato paste, beef stock, rosemary, thyme, a bay leaf and red wine....

Even the mashed potatoes were fancier from what I'm used to making! The combination of garlic, butter, whipping cream, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese was awesome! It would be shameful for me to make my version of Shepard's Pie after tasting this one, so I'm just not going to make mine ever again!LOL

Jamie found this one on the Food Network once again...I guess you're starting to see a trend here with his favorite recipe sites!!

Take my word for it, if you ever go to make this dish you have to try this recipe and you will not believe the flavor! The kids ate every last bit in their bowls which is chore for one of them to do at the best of times!!

Pistachio Crusted Chicken From allrecipes.com

OMG!! That's about all I can say! This way to do chicken will make you love it again because if you're anything like us, you've eaten it that much that you're finding it hard to make it fun, delicious and interesting!! Well, this will do it!!


Start with a great television show or a movie and sit down to separate a full bag of pistachio nuts from their shells while you watch!LOL I didn't do any of the cooking (don't say it!) but I sure did help in the preparation which counts for an aweful lot in this recipe!


The chicken is actually coated in a dijon mustard, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper mixture then rolled in the bread crumbs and chopped pistachios!! Wonderful flavor, not too nutty, not too sweet! With it of course, as you can see in the photo was steamed broccoli and roasted potatoes which is from our buddy, Michael Smith. I can't remember what we had for dessert, but I'm thinking nothing because I remember not being able to eat another bite!!! This portion size is actually what Jamie picks up for me all the time, and after alot of protesting about it, I clean my plate most of the time!LOL


Well, there it is folks, an absolutely great tasting meal which is also simple and all you have to do is go to allrecipes.com....another one of Jamie's favorite sites!! Enjoy and I hope you take the time to try this one!!

**Note - we didn't have this today and figured I'd mention that little tidbit of information since today is Good Friday!LOL**

Curry Chicken Pot Pie

I have to start by saying I LOVE this dish!!! It is easy, full of vegetables and just such a comfort dish!! It is the kind of dish that you can use whatever you have in you freezer at the time and still love it!

I found this recipe on-line (there is one by Alton Brown - Food Network) just by typing in curry chicken pot pies and just kind of make it up as I go now!!

The first thing I do is bake two of my pie shells. I by two boxes because I find the mixture is more than enough for two and I leave the other box out to thaw to use to cover my pot pies when they go back into the oven.

I start with cooking my cubed chicken in olive oil with onions, celery, salt and pepper. Once cooked I add my chicken broth, usually the low sodium one, and my variety of frozen veggies and my curry powder. I usually use broccoli, corn, peas and carrots - but obviously you can pick your favorites! This time we used the frozen mixture that had green peas, carrots, lima beans, green beans and my favorite - corn!! This makes this dish so easy to make!!

Once the vegetables are ready, I add my cornstarch and water (just a little) to thicken up the filling! I fill up my two cooked pie shells and top them with the other two shells that I put aside!!

I bake the two of them on my sheet pan just until the top pastry is cooked and serve it right away - YUMMY!!!!!!

Hope you try this easy one and enjoy it as much as we do! This one is made by myself when we have it...funny how we have certain meals assigned to each other!LOL Hey, it works for us!! Truth be known, it's about a 30-70% ratio!!

A little tip - any left over filling can be frozen and made into another pot pie or Jamie likes to eat the mixture just as it is!!

Maple Baked Beans - Michael Smith style!!

Well, I haven't been at it in a while but that's not to say we haven't been cooking!LOL Actually there a few new favorites that we tried over again and cooked for others!! The newest one we tried though has been Maple Baked Beans from Michael's cookbook!

This was a really nice flavour with maple syrup and fried bacon! The texture was firmer than the regular baked beans that I'm familiar with but we're not sure if that's the way they were supposed to be or an error on our part!LOL The recipe mentions 2 cups of water in the list of ingredients and they are not mentioned after! We're thinking that the extra 2 cups of water would have made a difference and softened up the beans a little more. It was fine though, we just added a little more water and baked them for longer. I will definitely eat them again and try it with the "extra" water right from the start!! I'm really not sure though, but I may still like the regular baked beans with molasses best! With it of course was homemade bread with butter - YUMMY!! (note: the bread was not baked at our house!LOL)

Dessert was my job! We had a Fruit Crisp made with a frozen berry blend of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries (which you can get almost anywhere!!) and topped it off with ice-cream! Timed to come out of the oven just as we sat down to eat - PERFECT!!! Also from The Best of Chef at Home cookbook....

Thanks again guys for another fantastic meal!!! Oh, and your welcome for the fabulous dessert!LOL

Delicious Burgers like Harve used to make!! (A GFW thing!)

Well,you can't beat coming home to a quick and delicious meal that's also comforting! All you need is ground beef, lots of onions, salt and pepper and I also added a touch of chili powder to mine. Then voila, the most fabulous burger in minutes!

Every town has their favorite little restaurant where the locals think is the best that there is to offer and Grand Falls-Windsor is no exception! I remember growing up and going to Harve's Take-out on Grenfell Heights where they served loose meat burgers out of a little tiny place that I don't think could fit any more than three or four people at a time. You had to place your order, go back to your vehicle (to make room for other customers!LOL) and go back a few minutes later and you were given a tray to bring your "messes" or "states" out to your vehicle to eat. I even remember the color of the trays and the feeling I'd get when it was time to go inside the little building that seemed to be 5x5 at the most to return them and I knew it would be a while before we returned again!

Time changes things though. For example, driving down to Harve's Take-out seemed so far away and the drive was totally part of the experience, but now a drive down the same street is cluttered with houses, side streets and so on.... Harve's actually had to be rebuilt a few years (quite a few now) due to a fire and the support in the community was amazing! Certain things can change, but the basics have to stay the same and my loose meat burger was simple, basic and fantastic!!

BTW, did anyone notice that it was Tina cooking tonight instead of Jamie?LOL Seriously though, don't forget to keep enjoying the simple things too!

Maple Ham with Caramelized Onion by Ricardo (Still the Food Network!)

Imagine the best roast you've ever had! Falling apart as you gently touch it with your fork and so tender and juicy! Well, we had a ham like that for supper! I've never even seen a ham with the same falling apart - stringy texture before!

It was Maple Ham with Carmelized Onion with potatoes and steamed broccoli. Absolutely wonderful - but although it wasn't from Michael Smith, it was one that Jamie had seen on the the Food Network!

I'm thinking the fact that the ham was cooked for four hours may have had something to do with it. It was cooked first with just the garlic and caramelized onions added. When it was time to add the potatoes that were cooked in the same pot, the maple syrup was also added. What an unbelievable flavor it brought to the ham which until now I thought could only be done with pineapples!LOL

When the ham and potatoes were ready they were just placed in a casserole dish, butter and flour were added to the left over juices in the pot to make a delicious maple sauce to pour over the supper!

I must say, the kids ate everything on their plates and we ALL had Kitchen Party Medley (vanilla ice-cream with caramel cups and fudge in it) for dessert....I don't know about you, but there doesn't seem to be a better way to top off a weekend than a fabulous supper on Sunday which has to include dessert as well!

Hope you had a great weekend and have some great meals planned for the upcoming week!!!!

As you can imagine, the left over juices that the ham was cooked in was put aside to make what I'm thinking will be the best pea soup we've ever had - I shall keep you posted!

Spaghetti With Hidden-Vegetable Tomato Sauce by Michael

Looking to trick your kids into eating more vegetables or even try some different ones? Spaghetti with hidden-vegetable tomato sauce is a perfect way to do just that! It has carrots, peppers, zucchini and baby spinach in it - but is not limited to just these!!

Jamie finally got to use his immersion blender that I bought for him for Christmas. After the vegetables were simmered until soft, you just puree them right in the pot and serve over your favorite pasta! To finish off this dish you just top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, or grated cheddar or both! We also had homemade garlic toast with ours!

I have to be honest though, the taste was there but I really didn't care for the texture of it. I think I'd prefer "normal" spaghetti sauce and just add the extra veggies from this recipe - then it wouldn't be called spaghetti with hidden-vegetable tomato sauce then would it?LOL We also used fettuccine instead of spaghetti for the pasta which may have turned me off a little - I am very particular about my pasta and what I feel should be eaten when and with which sauces!LOL

The good thing is that the kids liked it and had no idea what nutritious vegetables they were eating! As a parent, that is fantastic news so I guess Mommy is just going to have to suck it up and enjoy it too!

Michael's Chunky Monkey snack

One of the things I love about watching Michael Smith is that he incorporates being a Father of a small boy into his recipes.... Very practical for us as parents of 6 and 3 year old girls!!! This recipe book that we are using right now "The Best of Chef at Home" has so much in it that is everyday simple and usable!! There are days (when Jamie's off of course!) that we can look through this book and actually pick out a few things to try all in one day!!!

The best example of this is a "Chunky Monkey"!! A "what??" you might ask...LOL All it is is a whole wheat tortilla buttered with chunky peanut butter (didn't have any so just used smooth), rolled tightly around a banana and cut into rounds!! Quick, easy and something different to get the kids all excited about their snack!

My kids like Nutella as well, and I can definitely see us trying that in our future! One of the variations Michael has there is to add a thin layer of jam...sounds like a great idea for next time!!!! Overall, a great snack for my little monkeys - if only I can keep them from jumping on the bed before one falls off and bumps her head!!!

Thanks boys!!!!

Michael's Prosciutto-Wrapped Salmon with Jamie's twist on it!!!

Are you the type that really would like to eat fish more often, but really cannot get into it??? Me too!! Tuna sandwiches are great with mayo/relish/salt/pepper and maybe a little onion, and it seems the only way I really enjoy cod is deep fried with homemade fries, dressing and gravy on the side!LOL And as for Salmon, it's pretty much the same for me - I find it hard to thoroughly enjoy it enough to eat it was often as they say we should!

Last night though for supper, I actually had salmon fillets that I enjoyed and I actually liked it enough to take the rest for my lunch today!LOL Jamie cooked Michael's Prosciutto-Wrapped Salmon...YUMMY!!! It called for grainy mustard which we discovered recently, we didn't really like in our house so instead of the layer of that between the fillet and prosciutto, Jamie made a dressing to use instead! FANTASTIC idea there Jamie!!!!!

It worked out great and what flavor! With scalloped potatoes and broccoli on the side, the only thing missing was an amazing dessert! If Allie didn't have Sparkes that day, maybe I would have made one! (It helped that Jamie was off that day!LOL)

Great job guys - I still wouldn't be able to eat that more than once a week or two, but it was a great way to eat salmon for sure!!!!

Michael's Farfalle With Roasted Tomato Garlic Sauce

Well, it's been a while and I'm just now getting to last weeks supper (blogging of course!LOL) Jamie made Bow-tie pasta with roasted tomato garlic sauce! The aroma in our house was awesome as he roasted the tomatoes, onions and garlic in the oven covered in some olive oil!!!!

The dish smelled delicious, looked great and was so quick and easy! The oven roasted tomatoes, onions and garlic were then just tossed together with the pasta and we added a touch of freshly grated Grana Padano Parmesan cheese on top to make a great dish even greater!! (The same kind we used in the Fettuccine Alfredo!)

I actually still prefer the Fettuccine Alfredo though because I'm a saucy person (no comment!LOL), but Jamie did prefer this one!!! He absolutely loved it as did a friend of mine who wishes she was me and got to try all of the recipes instead - so, I do what I can for her!LOL

Chow for now!!! Get it??LOL

Michael's Fettuccine Alfredo

Well, I thought Fettuccine Alfredo was pretty much the same everywhere you went. Definitely not the case because I had the most fabulous Fettuccine Alfredo EVER for supper tonight along with a loaf of garlic bread and it was done in record time!!

Just imagine it though - the two of you working 8-4 (today anyway!LOL), coming home to two small girls and a fantastic meal ready and on the table by 5:15!!!!! We used fresh pasta for a change, and the sauce consisted of cream of course, chives, basil instead of the parsley that it called for, a little nutmeg and the bestest most important ingredient was the grated Grana Padano Parmesan cheese!!!!!! The World's best apparently!! The big time saver though, was the fact that we cheated a little and already had chicken breasts cooked and cut up in the freezer!

Thank you again to my two boys!LOL Absolutely fantastic meal that the entire family enjoyed and cannot wait for the next one to try!!

Do you think I'd try this one again??LOL

Michael Smith's Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

Well, we are off to a fantastic start to 2010!!!!! An awesome comfort meal after a late night New Year's Eve!! For supper, Jamie tried Micheal Smith's Old-Fashioned beef stew and it was fantastic! It was made with a red wine, carrots, potatoes, parsnip, turnip, celery, pickled onions, frozen green peas, etc.

We did do one thing different though which as Newfoundlanders, you might find interesting.... We used a small beef roast AND a small moose roast that my sister had and didn't know what to do with! What an awesome way to use a roast of any kind!! It was absolutely delicious! Now, the kids weren't keen on the parsnip only because we haven't eaten it enough in our household, but obviously you can custom make these things to suit your own family's needs and tastes!!

Thanks again Jamie, and I am sooooo excited that we have left overs!!LOL Cathy and Todd, hope you love it just as much!!

So far we're 2/2!!!

Whole Grain Pancakes by Chef Michael Smith

Welcome followers to our first recipe from this cookbook!!! It's New Year's Day, and after a wonderful evening out (but rather late!LOL), we awoke to something that appeared to be some kind of stomach bug or something!!LOL


Jamie decided to make Whole Grain Pancakes for us this morning for breakfast - a rather healthy kind of pancake actually! It's made with regular flour, whole wheat flour and oatmeal...along with a touch of nutmeg, cinnamon and some other ingredients!! And as an added touch, he added raisins!! They were pretty good actually, but don't expect the same texture as a regular pancake because they are not! To top off these tasty and healthy pancakes we cover them in maple syrup of course but I also dip mine in a bit of vanilla yogurt! You just take a piece of pancake with the syrup already over it and just a taste of the vanilla yogurt - perfect!!!!!!

Great recipe and we'll definitely use it again...thanks Jamie and look forward to supper!LOL

New Year's Eve

Hope you all had a great New Year's Eve celebration!!!! Jamie and I went out to a local bar for a steak dinner/dance all for only $15 per person - and I have to say, it was great! The entertainment could have been better of course, but what can you seriously expect for that price??LOL

I just want to show you guys something that the girls got for Christmas for making their grilled cheese sandwiches (and many more!). It's a Sesame Street sandwich maker and I tried it out for them for supper before we left along with some nutritious beef and vegetable soup!! It really worked - I love it!LOL

Happy reading and Happy eating!! Hope those New Year's resolutions were totally realistic!LOL The next time you hear from me, it will be about a recipe from Michael Smith - I promise!