Caprese Salad On A Stick

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I know summer is over, but . . . this:

 

Some might say that I maybe got a little bit obsessed with Caprese Salad this year, perhaps because of this and then this.  

Those people would be right.  I've moved past the denial stage.

But how can you blame me for wanting to post about the same three ingredients again and again:  crisp tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil leaves.  This may just be the best flavour profile to have ever existed, and I ate it again and again and again this summer.  

So, I know that summer has come to an end and now it's time that I officially go into soup, casserole, and stew mode for the dreary fall and winter months (not that I'm complaining...I love those foods too!).  This year it does kind of feel like an endless summer, at least in the place where I live.  The sun keeps on shining, and the rain hasn't yet arrived.  The Hubby and I are leaving for the weekend soon to head to Kamloops, B.C., for his brother's wedding.  I am a bridesmaid and he is a groomsman, and all of his family and most of our friends will be in attendance, so it's sure to be a really fun time.  The bonus is that when I come home I will have a new sister!  

Triple Coconut Banana Muffins (Gluten-Free)

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Triple Coconut = Triple Yum (as in Yum, Yum, Yum).

 

I was a little hesitant to make these muffins.  It's not that the title of them didn't sound delicious - Triple Coconut Banana Muffins.  I would be fine with just Singular Coconut or even Double Coconut anything, let alone triple.  So no, it wasn't the title of the muffins that threw me off.  

It's just that I have so far never in my life cooked with 'only found in the natural food aisle' ingredients.  I never struck myself as a person who would do this, either.  I have always happily skirted that aisle in the grocery store, and pretty much have avoided completely organic or natural grocery stores altogether.  I have always been a big fan of my regular whole wheat flour in baking, have never shopped organic for produce, and will only occasionally substitute soy milk for skim milk in my Starbucks Grande Half-Sweet No Foam Fat-Free Hazelnut or Vanilla or Chai or Early Gray Tea Latte.  

Arugula, Tomato, and Fresh Mozzarella Salad w/ Basil Dressing

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I like when a recipe lists all of the ingredients in just the title.  Baby Arugula, Grape Tomatoes, and Fresh Mozzarella, all topped with Basil Dressing.  You may have figured out that this is just a Caprese Salad in disguise.  What can I say?  I love this flavour combination!

Forget about food for a minute, because I want to talk about me.  I want sympathy please, because I have been at home with shingles all week.  That's right, shingles.  Shingles!  Not the roof kind.  When the doctor told me I had shingles, I didn't even know what it was.  It seems like such an archaic illness.

And let me be the first to say that shingles is flipping painful.  I feel like I have been bludgeoned in the head (repeatedly), like I have a burning pain all across my skin, like I have bugs crawling through my hair, like I am getting an electric shock every 20 - 30 seconds, and like any time my skin comes into contact with anything (at all) that my skin has been lit on fire.  I've also been working at home for four days, and I'm going a little out of my mind with cabin fever.  I know there are many, many, worse conditions out there than shingles, and so this week I've been trying to perk myself up by singing lyrics to songs like, "All the Shingle Ladies, All The Shingle Ladies."  The Hubby says that I'm going to have to start going to Shingles Bars if I keep this up.

Goat Cheese Pesto Torte

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So, this is a keeper recipe.

Every time I have made this spread I get asked for the recipe at least a handful of times, and you will too.  It's very easy to throw together quickly, and it's a make-ahead dish, so you can impress your friends and still have time to paint your nails (or whatever guys do, such as watch an old episode of Mr. Bean.  Which is totally not at all what The Hubby is doing right now as I type this, in his boxers on the couch.  Not at all).


I brought this dish to a bridal shower (a bridal shower with gluten-free cupcakes!) a couple of weeks ago, but cut the recipe into two halves, one with the sundried tomatoes and one without.  The bride, my future sister-in-law, doesn't like tomatoes, sundried or otherwise.  It was a hit, so I made it again for a birthday dinner, and again for a baby shower that I threw for my best friend.  Phew!  That's a total of four times in about 10 days.  You should make this too!  It's very very good on sliced baguette or crackers (gluten-free crackers if you're me).

Scallop and Broccolini Risotto

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Sometimes...I impress myself.

Like, take last Wednesday night for example.  First of all, it's a Wednesday night, so there's that.  Second of all, I'm like tired after work on Wednesdays, guys!

But, let me back up a little bit, because before Wednesday night there was Monday night, which as we all know is way worse than Wednesday night (because at least Wednesday night is Hump Day and also there's Big Brother).  On Monday night I thawed a frozen package of scallops from Costco in the refrigerator.  This is usually pretty much how I guarantee to myself that I will not be lazy at some point later in the week, because the guilt of having something thawing in my fridge sits in my mind all day long.

Pesto Edamame Salad

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It's officially Day 20 of being gluten-free, and I am even starting to annoy myself with how many times per day I say the words, 'gluten-free.'  Sometimes, in an effort to be less annoying, I shorten it to just 'GF,' but I think it's had a reverse effect.  But on here, my food blog, I am uninhibited, unencumbered, and I can say the words again and again!!!  Gluten-free, gluten-free, GF!!!

So far, so good with the diet.  There are so many great GF products out there these days, that I'm really not finding it so hard to cut it out.  

In case you are wondering, the migraines went like this over the past 19 days:  

The 1-2-3-4-5 Caesar

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The 1-2-3-4-5 Caesar!

What more could a good Canadian kid (over the age of 19) want on a hot long weekend summer day?

For those non-Canucks who may not be as familiar with this cocktail, I will let you into the club.  A Caesar is a tasty mixture of Mott's Clamato juice (tomato juice mixed with clam nectar and seasonings), vodka, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and spices, garnished with a spicy bean, celery-salted rim, and a lime.  No, no no no, it is nothing like the Bloody Mary.  A Bloody Mary is thick and tomato-soup like, and a Caesar is like a fairy princess magical unicorn ride.

This drink happily sits on the cocktail menu of every restaurant and bar in Canada, and I have noticed lately that this little Canadian gem may be working its way into the hearts of Americans. While you could never ever find Clamato juice in the USA a couple of years ago, now they even sell it by the warehouse pack at the Costcos across the border.   I also was able to enjoy a couple of Caesars on our Mediterranean cruise, which made me very, very happy.  Back in Canada, I saw a 'Caesar Starter Kit' at the grocery store the other day...awesome!!  At the liquor store last night I noticed that there are now four brands of pre-made Caesar coolers on the market, and picked up the Franks Red Hot Sauce version for a camping trip this weekend.

While the Caesar is Canada's cocktail, even a proud Canuck might be wondering what exactly the 1-2-3-4-5 Caesar is.  Well, I'm glad you asked!

Quinoa (Mac) 'n Cheese

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I haven't mentioned this before, but I suffer from really chronic migraine headaches.  The people who know me well are thinking to themselves right now, "actually yeah, you've mentioned that like, I dunno, a trillion times," but what I meant was that I've never mentioned it on here.  

These migraine headaches have been going on since I was in my late teens or early 20's.  It sucks.  And I have tried everything, and I mean everything, to try to find a cure for these things.  Here is the list of everything that I have experimented with:

*Various medications
*Acupuncture
*Physiotherapy
*Chiropractic treatment
*Massage therapy
*Craniosacral therapy (weeeeeird)
*Sessions with at least two or three different naturopathic doctors
*Supplements
*Aromatherapy
*All sorts of tests on my head to make sure I'm ok
*Using a netty pot.  Yep.
*Food sensitivity testing
*Blood tests
*Food eliminations, including cutting out dairy, sugar, garlic, wine, etc.
*Botox injections into forehead (for real)
*Best Doctors service
*Ophthalmologist visits
*Laser eye surgery
*Regular exercise (for a short period of time in my life anyway)
*Bikram yoga
*Neurologist visits
*Headache Specialist visits
*Hours of research
*And, I'm sure, there's stuff that I'm forgetting too.

It's been an interesting and frustrating experience, and I unfortunately haven't had success with any of these treatments.  Sigh.  Craniosacral therapy, by the way, is a total crock (in my opinion).  Also, did you know that there are migraine drugs on the market that cause rapid (as in I dropped 20 pounds in a little over a month) weight loss, but the second side effect is that they also make you really, really, really dumb while you are taking them.  So stupid that you can't even formulate sentences properly, but don't even notice (is it ironic that this sentence here is technically poorly constructed?).  We called that time in my life my 'supermodel' period because I was also trying out the Botox injections to see if those would help, so I was skinny, without forehead wrinkles, and dumb.  It was kind of fun.

I'm a Twitter...er?

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It's time to see what all this Twitter business is about!

Playing With My Food now has it's very own Twitter account.  You can sign up to follow at @PlayingWMFood.

Does anyone have any Twitter tips to share with a newbie like me?  I am super green with this kind of stuff, and would love to hear from you!

Have a great day!
Megan

Easy Caprese Salad

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My mouth is watering from looking at these pictures.  Five ingredients.  Taste perfection.

Fresh juicy tomatoes, crisp fresh basil, chewy fresh mozzarella, all sliced and topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Fresh, fresh, fresh.

When I was in Italy earlier this year, The Hubby and I ate Caprese Salad every day.  I loved Caprese Salad so much there that it hurt (my waistline, but what else is new).  Arriving back in Canada, I worried that when I made it at home it wouldn't be the same.  But it was.  Thanks to the two-pack containers of fresh mozzarella at Costco for less than $10, I can make amazing Caprese Salads at home that taste just like someone's mama used to make me back in Italy.

Greek Yogurt Tzatziki

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Yeeeeeesssssssssahhhh I love tzatziki.

I have made tzatziki a few times in the past, and my attempts have been so-so, but I think that I have now finally discovered the best tzatziki recipe known to man.  It's sooooo good, and really easy too!  I found this recipe on Food.com, and made it as an accompaniment to my spanakopitas for a recent Greek-themed Supper Club night.

It's seriously a must-try recipe!  Do it!

Spanakopitas

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Spanakopitas...mmmmmm...I want you.

But!

Phyllo pastry is a total jerk.  The phyllo dough comes in paper-thin sheets, tears easily, dries out easily, gets too wet easily when you are trying, like, your hardest, not to dry it out, and just in general doesn't want to do the things you want it to do, especially when it's almost midnight on a Thursday night because you didn't start making spanakopitas until after Real Housewives of Orange County, and you have Greek Supper Club tomorrow night so you have to finish them, and you have to be up at 6am.

But...

Because your taste buds will be soooo happy, you should probably make these spanakopitas anyways, if you have the time to fuss.  They freeze beautifully, so I've been known to make a triple batch and keep them on hand in my freezer for something quick to pop into the oven and serve as an appy when friends and family come over.

I had Supper Club #2 last Friday at my friend Cleary's house, this time with a Greek theme.  Oh, supper club, and the amount of wine that flows.  Here's an excerpt from the evening:  At one point in the night, I accidentally tipped the glass coffee table over in Cleary's living room, causing it to fall to the floor.  The coffee table was fine, but what was on the coffee table, do you ask?  Oh, nothing...except two full bottles of red wine, three full glasses of red wine, and the game of Taboo (ironic).  I remember looking at the tipped over bottles of wine and slow-motion-watching the red fluid just chug-chug-chugging out them onto the floor.  The 'floor' was white carpet, that was now covered in broken shards of glass, copious amounts of red wine, and a soaked Taboo score-pad.  The next thing you know, all four girls are washing and spraying and vacuuming and wiping, in between all of the laughter.  If that happened at my house, there would have been no laughter, only faces with a look of sheer fear on them when they see my reaction to the disaster.  Kudos to my friend Cleary who actually commented afterwards that her living room looked cleaner than before we arrived.  That's what friends are for!  It's also good to know that I still hold the title for the spilliest girl in the world.  For this reason, my best friend Sheena doesn't approve of me buying white clothing when we are shopping together.  Well Sheena, I was wearing a white t-shirt at Cleary's house that night, so I guess one point for you.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

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Oh, heyyyy.  How about I just take 3.85 weeks in between writing new posts?  K.  Thanks.

It's been so very sunny and hot, and I have been so very busy.  There's also the problem fact that I am so completely an 'all or nothing' person, that once I get out of a routine I really get out of a routine.  That's the reason that I will occasionally use for how little I go to the gym too (that would be the 'nothing' part of the 'all or nothing' that I refer to above).  And for how often I eat pizza (the 'all' part).  And for how many reality show series recordings I have scheduled on my PVR (again, the 'all' part).  And for how infrequently I water my plants, even in 32 degree Celsius weather (the 'nothing' part).  Routines are important.

Do you like Frank's Red Hot Sauce?  I do.  Of the six hot sauce varieties in our fridge, which yes are all necessary and each have their own important role, Frank's ranks at least second place in my heart/mouth/stomach.  This week, however, it's been in first place.  I just ate it a few minutes ago on popcorn.  And of course I also ate it a few days ago on these tacos.  The chicken in these tacos is doused in Frank's sauce before being wrapped up with all sorts of goodies like fresh avocado, cabbage, cilantro (come to mama), green onions, tomatoes, and ranch dressing.  I like it.  I like it a lot. (said in Lloyd's voice from Dumb and Dumber).

Classic Chicken Jambalaya

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In case you don't want to read this entire blog post, I will summarize.  The lessons to be learned here are that everyone needs a Jeff, and everyone needs this jambalaya.  I will explain...

Lesson 1:  Everyone needs a Jeff
There's something to be said about having a really great platonic friend of the opposite sex.  Some might scoff and say that it's impossible...that it's simplistic or unrealistic to think that two people of different genders can have a healthy, normal, nonphysical friendship.

Don't get me wrong, because for the most part I think that the scoffers are correct.  It is supremely difficult to find a person of the opposite gender who A) wants me to be good friends with someone of the opposite gender, B) wants to be just good friends with someone of the opposite gender, and C) after you get married, still fits into your life really well and even becomes (possibly probably better) friends with your spouse.

Well, I'm here to tell you that my (straight) friend Jeff and I have this type of friendship, and have since that first day in grade 8 when we watched the 1996 MTV Movie Award-winning slasher-film 'Scream,' and did not feel attracted to each other.  Jeff and I have never kissed,  hugging is even awkward, and he's one of my best friends.  It's the perfect male/female friendship.  I actually just got off the phone with him where a good part of the conversation was me tormenting him about how he is going to be the star of this blog post, so I'm tempted to tell a juicy story about him but will save it for another day.  Mwah ha ha, the power I hold!

Beef Stroganoff Casserole

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I'm not a huge craver of red meat, but occasionally the mood strikes.  It struck recently, so I made this Beef Stroganoff, and then The Hubby and I devoured it.

Oh, which reminds me that I should mention, but that way, that you need to make this Beef Stroganoff.

I recommend this as a Sunday night dinner, served with some crusty bread and a green salad.  Or, perhaps an extra-extra-large portion reheated on a Monday night with no side dish at all, while you watch The Bachelorette.  Or, even a few bites for breakfast, cold, out of the dish, standing in front of the glaring judgmental light of the refrigerator.  Any of those methods are all good ways to eat this dish, strictly speaking from experience.

This is the best Beef Strogranoff I have EVER eaten, hands down, and is much better than the Hamburger Helper one that I used to eat in my early 20's (slash ate recently when The Hubby made it for me).  There are quite a few steps involved in the dish, but they are all worth it and each one adds great flavour.