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!