Do you drink Water?

I am always amazed that there are so many people around me who don't drink water. EVER. Really? It's so hard to believe, especially since I drink so much of it... Sure, I make myself a smoothie in the morning and I'll have the odd cup of tea or coffee but water is usually my drink of choice.

I'm not sure how much water I drink in a day but I usually have a glass in the morning, a couple more while I'm at work, another at dinner and then one or two more in the evening. Based on the quantities/size of the glasses, I think I'm probably taking in around 8-10 cups of water per day. Then there's the added water from the foods that I eat too...

According to About.com, "the body is estimated to be about 60 to 70 percent water. Blood is mostly water, and your muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. You need water to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to your organs and tissues. Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste, and protects your joints and organs." (About.com)

There are several known symptoms of mild dehydration:

• chronic pain in joints and muscles
• lower back pain
• headaches
• constipation
• tiredness
• irregular blood pressure
• dry skin

Not surprisingly, people who don't drink a lot of water (or who drink a lot of coffee or soda) tend to have a lot of these complaints; especially the headaches and the tiredness. I know that when I feel a headache coming on (which is rare) it's likely due to me not drinking enough water. This usually happens if I'm out and about and forgot to bring some water along with me.

According to the 'experts' you need water even before you start feeling thirsty. But how much does a person really need? One easy calculation that I found showed that if I divided my weight in half (160/2) the resulting number would signify the number of ounces I should be drinking. In my case, that's 80 ounces, or 10 cups of water (don't forget that this would include water in the foods that I eat, like fruits, vegetables, etc.).

Would you drink more water if you knew some of the benefits that come with drinking water? Here's just a few good reasons to pour yourself a nice cold glass of water right now:

• weight loss- drinking water reduces hunger, is an appetite suppressant, has zero calories, and helps break down fat during digestion
• natural remedy for headache - dehydration is the most common reason for headaches
• look younger - water leads to healthier skin, helps replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increases skin elasticity
• water helps you think better, be more alert and helps with concentration
• regulates body temperature - when exercising it increases energy and helps to fuel muscles
• water raises metabolism because its role in digestion
• fiber and water go hand in hand - water helps with regular bowel movements
• water improves the immune system which means you'll get sick less often
• water relieves fatigue and flushes out toxins - if body lacks water the organs need to work harder which exhausts them and you'll be exhausted too.

You know what's the BEST reason is for drinking a little more water though? It's free (and local too)!!

Non-water drinkers (you know who you all are) always say that they just don't like the taste of water. They're also the same people who are more likely to buy those yucky flavored waters, vitamin waters, etc.. Although I love my water plain I sometimes add flavour to it by adding cucumber slices or wedges of lemon or orange to spice it up a little. If you've been trying to drink more water perhaps flavour them this way (naturally) and then get yourself to the point where you actually start craving a glass of water with ice. Mmmmm...water....I think I'm going to get myself a glass right now!

Is it Spring yet? No? Well, let's pretend it is and make Green Pea Soup!

It's around this time when I'm really starting to look forward to Spring again. I shouldn't really complain though. This winter has been really mild compared to the norm. We haven't had much snow and the temperature hasn't been too frigid. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to the longer days, warmer temps, and the return of rhubarb, asparagus, and peas! Oh...and maybe just a little bit more sunshine!

Who says I need to wait though? Lucky for me I froze a ton of peas last year! Typically, I don't freeze a lot of vegetables as a preserving method because they end up limp and tasteless. I froze some green beans, broccoli and cauliflower a couple of years ago and will never freeze them again. Blech! Instead, I freeze a lot of peas and corn. Peas and corn are great additions to many winter dishes, such as shepherds pie or in pastas or soups. This week I made a simple green pea soup to remind myself that winter won't last forever and that we will be enjoying fresh peas again sooner than we think.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 small onions, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups frozen peas
• handful of mint leaves
• salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot on medium heat melt the butter and add the onions. Cook the onions until softened (about 5 minutes) and add the garlic for another couple of minutes. Add the potatoes, peas, and broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the mint, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. Using a food processor (or blender), blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

I know it's only January but man, I'd really love it if spring were just around the corner. Maybe it's because the days are getting slightly longer already or maybe because January has been so spring-like with all the rain but I've really got spring on the brain.

Speaking of the days getting longer -- do you know how hard it is to get decent pics of my dinners when it's so dark out? It's a good thing we tend to eat pretty early! Geez....remember when it was daylight until 9 at night? Sigh.....

Naan Bread - Attempt #1

Now that I know that I CAN make bread, one of my goals this year is to make different types/varieties. One that I really wanted to make, for instance, was Naan. Although authentic Naan is typically made in a special clay oven there are many recipes that use an oven, a frying pan, or a griddle instead. I figured that since I had never tried 'real' Naan before then I probably wouldn't know the difference anyways.

Homemade Naan
(recipe adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads)

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups flour

In a skillet set over medium-heat melt 1 tbsp butter. Add the onions, reduce heat to low, and cook until the onions have softened. Place them in a bowl and cool to room temperature.

Melt the remaining butter in the skillet and pour into a mixing bowl. Add the warm water, onions, salt, and flour (1/2 cup at a time). Work the dough into a ball by hand or in a mixer.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough until the dough is slightly firm, 1 to 2 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball. Let them rest for 3 minutes.

Roll each ball into an 8" round about 1/2 inch thick. (**I think I rolled mine too thin...)

Using an ungreased pan or griddle, place the dough on high heat (I had my griddle set to 400F). Brown each side for 3-4 minutes. Place the breads on a rack to dry as you remove them from the heat.

This recipe worked out allright... The breads tasted really, really good. However, they turned out more like flatbread I think. They weren't puffy like they should have been.

I'm going to do some more research and see if I can find a better recipe.

Until then, I'm going to enjoy my naan/flatbreads.

For dinner, we had the naan bread with a hot black bean dip, a side of raw carrots, and chicken wings with blue cheese dip. Delicious!!

As you can see, not all recipe attempts turn out right the first time. The trick is make adjustments and to try again.

As a food blogger I don't try and portray myself as the perfect cook (or photographer, or writer for that matter). My blog is simply a story; a story about my obsession with food and about my journey as someone in Southwestern Ontario enjoying new recipes, using seasonal ingredients, visiting farms, and guiding people who want to do the same. Sure, not all of my recipes work out, but that's real life, isn't it?

I'll be back soon with another attempt at another Naan bread; hopefully a nice puffy one!

Covent Market Calendar - January (Ontario Beef Stew)

In addition to blogging my way through the 2012 Foodland Ontario Calendar this year I thought it would be fun to do the new Covent Garden Market Calendar as well. My twist for this one is that I will attempt to pick up all of the ingredients required for the recipe at the market itself.

January's recipe is Ontario Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 3 slices Ontario bacon (from Fieldgate Organics)
• 3 lbs Ontario stewing beef (from Chris' Country Cuts) **I cut it down to 2lbs
• 2 medium Ontario onions, chopped (from Doris Family Produce)
• 4 cloves Ontario garlic, minced (I already had garlic at home)
• 3 large Ontario carrots, peeled and diced (from Doris Family Produce)
• 1 tsp dried thyme (from Snack 'n Bake)
• 1 tsp dried basil (from Snack 'n Bake)
• 1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard (Savvy Chef mustard found at Havaris Produce)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (I already had some)
• 1/2 cup Ontario flour (I used my Arva Flour mill flour)
• 4 cups beef stock
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350F.

In a large oven proof saucepan, cook the bacon until it is crispy. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels.

Return pan, with remaining bacon fat, to heat. Brown meat in batches, until it is browned on all sides. Remove meat from pan and set aside.

In the same pan over medium heat, cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they are browned, about five minutes. Stir in the garlic and the carrots and cook for another five minutes. Stir in the thyme, basil, mustard, and tomato paste. Then add the flour. Cook and stir the mixture for about three minutes, until everything is well combined.

Gradually whisk in the beef stock. Let the mixture come to a boil, whisk and simmer until it is smooth. Stir in the cubed beef, cover the saucepan with a lid, and place in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove from oven. Chop the cooked bacon into small pieces and stir into stew. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Along with the delicious beef stew we had mashed celeriac (celery root) and potatoes.

All of the ingredients were easy to find at the market. Initially, however, I wasn't sure if I'd find the mustard, but sure enough...I found that too. Wouldn't you know it? The mustard is prepared right here in London with all-Canadian ingredients. It feels good to know that although mustard seeds are mainly grown in Western Canada I can still support a local business here in London. For more information please check out http://www.savvychef.ca/.

For an online version of the Covent Garden Market Calendar see this link: http://www.coventmarket.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2012-Market-Calendar.pdf

February's recipe? Herbed Ontario Mushroom Crostini - can't wait!

2012 Foodland Ontario Calendar - January (Turkey Pasta Soup)

Have you gotten your hands on the 2012 Foodland Ontario Calendar yet? I hope so! It really looks awesome this year; partly due to the fact that the pictures (front & back covers) were photographed by Jesse from another blog that I follow called 'Crackers - A Homemade Blog'. Here's a link to their post showing how/where the pictures were taken: http://homemadecrackers.blogspot.com/2011/11/2012-foodland-ontario-calendar.html .

Last year I blogged my way through all 12 of the recipes in the calendar and I plan to do the same again this year. There are a few recipes that I'm looking forward to making; like Fresh Greenhouse Pizza (April), Strawberry Breakfast Parfait (June), Grilled Lamb Chops with Peach Mint Salsa (August), and Steamed Apple Maple Pudding (December).

Here's the first recipe of the year - Turkey Pasta Soup

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 Ontario onion, diced
• 2 each Ontario Carrots and Parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup sliced Ontario mushrooms
• 8 cups sodium-reduced chicken broth
• 2 cups diced cooked Ontario turkey
• 1 cup alphabet pasta or thin noodles
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• pinch pepper
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Luckily I did remember to freeze some of my leftover turkey from Christmas dinner for this recipe. Chicken could easily replace the turkey, however (obviously).

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, carrots, parsnips and garlic; cook, stirring, until vegetables are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms for 1 minute.

Add broth, turkey, pasta, thyme and pepper; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

The soup was really good. Honestly though, you just can't go wrong with soup; it's a great way to use up leftovers, it's easy to make, and it's so comforting on a cold winter day.

Next month's recipe for February will be a Pork & Vegetable Stovetop Stew.

**If you wish to view the online version of the calendar you may access it here: http://www.foodland.gov.on.ca/english/calendar/2012/index.html

**If you'd like to view my blog entries for last year's calendar click on the 'Foodland Ontario' label on the left side of the page or view them by following this link: http://southwesternontariofoodie.blogspot.com/search/label/foodland%20ontario

Homemade Lip Balm

Today we had a birthday party for my daughter. She's going to be 7 tomorrow. In past years we've just hosted a party at home but this year we thought we'd do something different and have a party at the YMCA. Her and her friends went for a swim and then they spent some time eating pizza and cupcakes and opening presents.

In return for coming her friends got a squinkee (my daughter's obsessed with these things), a $2 gift certificate to Baskin Robbins, a small container of bubble soap, a purple foil chocolate heart (it was a Justin Bieber party so everything has to be purple), and some homemade lip balm.

Over the holidays (at MasterMind Toys) I came across a company called Kiss Naturals (http://www.kissnaturals.com/). They have homemade DIY perfume kits, soap kits, bath fizz kits, and various lip balm/lip gloss kits too. I thought it would be something fun to do with my daughter and a great thing to give out to her friends. What really got my attention though was that everything was completely natural (and that it's a Canadian company).

The box contained a bottle of safflower oil, yellow beeswax beads, a container of shea butter and some essential oils.

It was super easy (and fun) to make. We simply mixed together the shea butter, oil, and beeswax into a glass measuring cup, popped it into the microwave for a minute and then stirred until the beeswax was melted.

Afterwards we added the essential oil (we had grapefruit) and tried to add food coloring to it. We were disappointed that the food coloring didn't work, but I guess I should have known better since it's an oil product. Oops! See those red dots at the bottom of the containers in the picture below? Yeah..that's the food coloring. Apparently science isn't my strong point.

About half an hour later we had lip balm.

Looks like lip balm is pretty easy to make at home. Going forward, I think I'm just going to make my own (big surprise, eh?). Like everything else the ingredient list is just so much shorter when it's homemade (and cheaper!). I found quite a few lip balm recipes online and they're all different. I'll have to try a couple and report back with what worked and what didn't. Until then, we're going to enjoy our nicely moisturized lips!

Tomorrow the plan is to head out to the mall. The kid has wanted to get her ears pierced for a long time now so I thought it would be a great birthday gift for her. Let's hope there aren't too many tears!

Homemade Butter

Butter is expensive, especially the sticks of butter. Actually, what I normally do (instead of buying the sticks) is buy a pound and then cut it into quarters. I then wrap the quarters and put them into the freezer. There you go, inexpensive sticks of butter. You know what's even more inexpensive? Making your own butter. I made some on the weekend.

I had some whipping cream leftover in the fridge so it was the perfect time to give it a shot. All you need is cream (30% or more), a jar with a tight-fitting lid, a piece of cheesecloth and some salt.

Pour the cream into a jar with enough headspace to allow the cream/butter to move around.

Then you shake the jar (a lot). At first you'll hear the liquid sloshing around, then it'll sound like there are chunks flying around in there, and then nothing. Don't worry though, it means that you've made whipped cream. Just keep shaking...and shaking...and shaking. Have you ever seen the infomercial for the shake weight stick thing? They exercise while shaking this stick? Well, whoever invented that must have made homemade butter. It's a great arm workout!

At some point when you're starting to wonder if you'll be a failure at making butter you suddenly hear something in the jar. Could it be? Did it work? Yup, there's something rolling around in there now and it's making a a clunking sound and there's some liquid sloshing around again.

At this point, cover the jar with a cheesecloth and drain out the buttermilk (use the buttermilk for pancakes!). That's not it though, the butter needs to be 'cleaned'. Run some cold water into the jar and strain out a number of times until the liquid being drained out becomes clear. It's important to remove all of the buttermilk from the butter to prevent spoilage.

To be extra sure that there isn't any buttermilk left spread the butter onto a cutting board and absorb any remaining liquid with a paper towel. Keep moving the butter around and blotting it until it seems to be pretty dry (only takes a couple of minutes).

And there you have it - fresh, homemade butter!

 

Who knew that butter would be so easy to make and there's no hours worth of 'churning' required? Next time you need butter and it isn't on sale, check and see if the cream is on sale instead. Chances are, the cream will be cheaper so why not just make your own?

Homemade Pasta for our Mac 'n' Cheese

Well, I did it.... I finally got around to making some homemade pasta. I normally buy my pasta from Glenda's at the Covent Garden Market but really, really wanted to start making my own.

Evidently, a pasta maker was on my Christmas wish list this year. Sadly, I did not receive the pasta maker that I dreamed about but did receive some money from my mother-in-law to buy myself something nice. I used that money to finally buy my pasta maker. Originally, I was going to get the traditional pasta roller but then saw that Kitchenaid now has the pasta press available too. The pasta press can make spaghetti, macaroni, rigatoni and more. After thinking about it I thought that I'd likely get more use out of the pasta press instead so got that one.

What a great machine! It was super easy to use (even for me) and I was able to make some pasta successfully on my first attempt.

Here is the basic 'starter' recipe that I used which was in the Kitchenaid booklet included in the box with the attachment.

Basic Egg Noodle Pasta

• 4 large eggs
• 3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp salt

Break eggs into a glass measuring cup. Check to see that the eggs measure 7/8 cup. If less than 7/8 cup, add water, 1 tsp at a time, until measurement is reached. Coincidentally, my 4 eggs measured exactly 7/8 cup; talk about choosing perfect eggs, eh?

Place flour and salt in stand mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater. Turn to Speed 2 and gradually add eggs and 1 tbsp water. Mix for 30 seconds. Stop mixer and exchange flat beater hook for dough hook. Turn to Speed 2 and knead for 2 minutes.

Remove mixture from bowl and place on clean surface. Dough may appear crumbly (no kidding!). Hand knead for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until dough is smooth, pliable and holds together in a ball. Cover the ball with a clean towel to prevent the dough from drying out.

Form walnut-sized pieces and extrude pasta into desired shape (I used large macaroni).

As the pasta comes out of the extruder cut into the desired length with the swinging cutting wire thingy and place on a baking sheet or clean surface. The pasta could be used immediately or stored for future use. If not using right away, air dry for 1 hour, then wrap in an airtight plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 5 days. To freeze, double wrap the pasta and keep frozen for up to 4 months. To use frozen fresh pasta, do not thaw - it should go directly from freezer into boiling water.

When cooking the pasta, cook in boiling water for 2-5 minutes, as opposed to the 7-8 minutes for dry pasta. Notice how the pasta floats to the surface?

I have loved macaroni and cheese since my childhood. Uhm...actually, I had a slight addiction to Kraft Dinner and ate it ALL.THE.TIME. It was also one of my cravings when I was pregnant with Joelle. Needless to say I don't buy it anymore; it's definitely not real food, no matter how much cauliflower they try and put into those noodles now. Blech..

With my first attempt at making homemade pasta I knew that I'd have to make macaroni and cheese. Remember that show '100-mile challenge' that ran on the Food Network from Mission, B.C.? On the show there was a family who loved Kraft Dinner and then on one episode (at the end of their journey) they made both the Kraft Dinner and the homemade version with homemade pasta and they decided that the homemade version tasted the best? Yes, that's when my desire to make homemade pasta began. That was over 2 years ago. Homemade mac 'n' cheese with homemade pasta has been on my mind ever since!

Macaroni and Cheese

• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk, heated
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the milk until smooth. Return to the heat, bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time, until thick, smooth, and glossy.

Stir in the mustard and cheese to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Add sauce to cooked pasta and serve.

Was it worth waiting two years? Yes,..yes it was. But you know what? I think homemade pasta would be delicious with a good bolognese sauce. Mmmmmm.....

Stay tuned for more homemade pasta recipes this year - I'm thinking butternut squash pasta, spinach pasta, herbed pasta, etc..

Eat Fresh, Eat Local, Eat REAL Food!!

How my Blog (and me) have changed over time..

Like many others out there I'm sitting here this morning on New Years Day and reflecting on my life and the events of the past year. It's really hard to believe that yet another year has come and gone. Doesn't time seem to pass at a quicker rate as you get older? I think so!

Anyways, as I was having my breakfast this morning and checking my emails/Facebook/Twitter accounts I took a look at some of my older blog posts. Wow.... When I started the blog in 2009 I was just starting to visit the markets and didn't really know where I was headed. I didn't know that there was such a thing as Ontario cranberries, cherry orchards near London, or even to what extent I could still support the farmers and producers over the winter months. At that point I was still focused on the produce and hadn't yet even thought of local flour, popcorn, peanuts, meats, or even dairy. I laugh at some of the old posts that I wrote; I was just learning back then.

As I gain new readers I often wonder what their thoughts are. Do they think that I just jumped into this lifestyle cold turkey? Do they get overwhelmed and think that they would never be able to do it too? If someone had told me in 2009 that I would be making all my food from scratch and eating seasonally/locally as much as I do I don't think I would have believed them. It was a work in progress, and it still is 2 1/2 years later. There was a time when I used to shop 100% at the grocery store and bought a lot of my food packaged in a box. Then, I made a few visits to the farmers' market and then everything started to change.

It's not about perfection, but about being willing to make small changes everyday; it's about wanting to be healthier, supporting the local economy, supporting the farmers, educating yourself and your family, etc..

I still have a lot to learn myself and a lot of farms and markets that I have yet to visit. This year I'm hoping to spend more time in the St. Thomas area, Chatham, Grand Bend, Woodstock, Kitchener-Waterloo, etc.. I'm also hoping to step things up a notch in my avoidance of processed foods. Stay tuned for more from-scratch recipes like homemade butter, yogurt, and pasta. There will be more homemade breads too - naan, flatbreads, crackers, etc.. It won't just be about the food though - expect more homemade versions of mouthwash, dishwasher detergent, and moisturizers. I'll be more involved in the community and various events throughout Southwestern Ontario too.

Looks like 2012 will be a great year I'm sure; another year of growing, learning and taking things one step at a time.

Remember: Eat Fresh, Eat Local, Eat REAL Food!!