Grandma Betty's Broccoli Casserole

Grandma Betty makes it old-school. This delicious (though it may sound scary, mayo, eeek!) dish will win over crowds at your Thanksgiving potluck party at work or on the Thanksgiving table itself. I'm pretty full.

• 2 packages of chopped broccoli, cooked & drained
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup of mayo
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1 T minced onion (optional; I find onions to be gross)
• Breadcrumbs

Mix beaten eggs with mayo, 3/4 of cheese, onion and broccoli. Put in a greased baking dish; sprinkle remaining cheese and bread crumbs on top.

Bake covered 30 min 350. Remove cover last 10 min.

Breakfast!

For a filling and delicious breakfast, try this protein-packed delicious breakfast. I adapted it from a recipe from one of those health food mags V sends me (Taste for Life). I made a big batch and will eat this all week.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water

1 cup steel cut oats

4 cups water

½ cup shredded coconut

½ cup sliced almonds

½ cup raisins

1 t chia seeds

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Dash or so of cardamom

Dash of salt

(add whatever dried fruits or nuts or seeds you want – it’s all about your favourite taste)

1. 1.       Boil 2 cups of water. Add 1 cup of quinoa. When water is soaked up, put quinoa into a bowl to the side.
2. 2.       Boil 4 cups of water. Add steel cut oats. When it comes back to a boil, lower the heat. Once all the water is absorbed, turn off heat.
3. 3.       You can toast the coconut and the almonds if you want, but you don’t have to. Just keep an eye on toasting them if you do.
4. 4.       Add all of the ingredients together. Stir.
5. 5.       Eat. I prefer with lots of milk or some good Brown Cow vanilla yogurt.

Wheat Berry Salad Recipe

1. Boil 1.5 cups (or however much you feel like) of wheat berries in around 3.5 cups of water. Add more water as needed. Wheat berries have a nutty, slightly chewy taste, and take around an hour to cook.
2. In a large pan, heat a little extra virgin olive oil. Throw in zucchini slices (I did half-moons, but I think cutting those in half is better. I used two good-sized zucchinis.) and whatever other veggies you feel like. This time, I had cauliflower, but last time, I used broccoli, which I liked better.
3. Throw some white wine in that frying pan. I don't use measurements, but I probably used a glass in this recipe. I also threw in dried cherries. You can throw them in at the end, but they add a nice taste to the veggies and the wine plumps them up.
4. Add some sesame seeds, just for fun.
5. At the very end, throw in some chickpeas.
6. Stir everything (wheat berries and mixture from frying pan) together in a large bowl. Top with as much feta cheese as you like, and some crushed rosemary. Eat. Delish!

Iced Teas and such....

I used to be a huge fan of sun teas. Nearly every day for a few years, I'd place a mason jar full of water and tea bags on my fire escape for the day. I'd bring the jar in at the end of the day, never finding that they were brewed too strong (sun teas tend to not get bitter like regular tea) and would keep them in the fridge after, pouring on ice whenever the desire to sip struck me.

However, after I discovered sun teas can harbor harmful bacteria, I stopped brewing it. This summer, I've been craving iced tea (way too hot for tea) and really missed iced tea. I've been brewing tea super strong, pouring it over ice, adding a little sugar or honey and milk, and sipping it that way.

The Kitchn, one of my favourite blogs, posted on how to cold brew tea - and I must say, it's coming out delicious. The tea is of a mellow flavour, but really lovely. It's easy - just add some tea bags, cold water, put in the fridge overnight, and the next day - lovely cool delicious tea!

Yummy Sounding Drinks

I have to blame Wanda on it. She's the one who got me into mojitos years ago. W, I need to go to PR with you so I can get the real deal...

Here are two fab mojitos I drank in San Pedro, Belize....

Tropical Mojito
Fresh pineapple
Basil leaves
White rum
Ginger
Coconut Milk

Watermelon Mojito
Fresh watermelon
Mint leaves
Lime Juice
Rum

my favourite chai recipe

Venessa passed along this recipe to me from Bon Appetit. However, I didn't like it as they had it, so I made some minor adjustments to suit my taste.

Enjoy!

1 1-1.5 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled, cut into thin rounds
(the original recipe calls for a 2 inch piece; if you are a huge ginger person, add that much, but i think it becomes overpowering. i prefer a 1 inch piece or a 1.5 inch piece if my ginger is quite thin.)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons (heaping if you like) of black peppercorns
11 whole cloves
(i may try adding even more than i do, as i like cloves)
7 cardamom pods
6 cups cold water
6 bags black tea, preferably darjeeling
2 cups organic milk
(i add 2% but whole would be excellent as well)
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
2-3 teaspoons of vanilla extract
(my secret ingredient for everything!)

1. Lightly crush first five ingredients with a mallet in large saucepan, or use a mortar and pestle (my way) and transfer into a large pot.
2. Add 6 cups of water; bring to boil over high heat.
   
3. Reduce heat to medium-low; partially cover pan and simmer gently 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Add tea bags and steep five minutes. (If you want more of a caffeine buzz, leave the bags in a bit longer.)
5. Discard tea bags. Add milk, sugar, and vanilla.
6. Bring tea just simmering over high heat, whisking until sugar dissolves.
7. Strain tea.

This recipe makes enough for six servings. It stores well in the fridge, and you just pop a cup in the microwave (or you can warm it up on the stove as well) to have another day. I just had some leftover chai and I loved it! This time came out my best--I added less ginger, more vanilla, and it was just lovely!