All weekend my home smelled of decadent pork belly roasting in the oven!  Experimenting for an upcoming catering event has my family "pigging" out on bacon!  Tonight's last little bits will find their way into a simple linguine with pork belly.  A few shallots sauteed in a pan, pork belly added, a splash of white wine and fresh linguine with lots of freshly ground black pepper will come together nicely.  Might have to add a side salad of arugula to cut the richness but what the heck...it's better than eating all the left over Hallowe'en candy!

Tonight's dinner was a mish mash of what was in the fridge and it was fantastic.  Sometimes the best tasting dishes are those with the least thought!

Smokey Bacon & Potato Chowder
Serves 6
Preparation Time:  20 minutes
Cooking Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped smokey bacon (or regular bacon)
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 6 cups (1.5L) chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 pototaoes, peeled and diced
• Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium stockpot, cook bacon over medium high heat until crispy.  Remove bacon from pot and place on absorbant towel.
2. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from pot.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add onion, carrot and celery.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir contanstanly for 1 minute.  Add chicken stock, potaotes and thyme sprigs.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. 
4. Remove thyme stalks and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To get more recipes like this visit my main site at http://www.thecookscompanion.ca/

Save the Date!

Join me on Thursday November 26th at Housewarmings in Oakville at their Customer Appreciation Night. Between the hours of 6pm & 9pm see the latest in Holiday Decor and savour easy but elegant holiday hors d'oeurves from yours truly! Plus everything in the store will be on sale! It's a great chance to get a jump start on your holiday shopping, decorating and gain inspiration for the upcoming party season!

Read the latest review for The Groove Mamma Goes Gourmet at Stovetop Readings.

http://www.stovetopreadings.com/

My free Recipe of the Week is now available at www.thecookscompanion.ca

Have you signed up yet to receive these easy, no fuss but delicious recipes?

This week's recipe is for Spicy Couscous with Salmon & Yoghurt - a quick and healthy meal that is equally at home during the week or for a special luncheon.

Gorgeous Bloody Mary Soup Shots. Just one of the recipes in my eBook, "The Groove Mamma Goes Gourmet - Easy Ways To Put The Fun Back Into Entertaining".

It's chock full of tips on how to plan a stress free party as well as a complete menu plan that will work perfectly for the upcoming holiday season.

Available for $7.98 at www.groovemamma.com

Keep on grooving!

Talking Turkey!

What wine should you pair with your Canadian Thanksgiving Turkey? My choice for Roast Turkey with Gravy...Zinfandel or Chardonnay.

Can't see the back of your pantry for old spice? Don't know what that green slime is lurking in the jar at the back of your fridge? Then check out this article I wrote for Changing Gears (http://www.changinggears.ca) and get your kitchen fighting fit!

http://www.changinggears.ca/articles/cooking/index.html

Was just chatting with Sharman Yarnell on CJAD 800 Montreal on her show Showtime. Love talking about food and entertaining. Great plug for my eBook The Groove Mamma Goes Gourmet. Get it today for $7.99 at www.groovemamma.com

I am excited to be part of this great event. Who says shopping isn't good for your health?!

Please join me at the first ever Affair of the Heart shopping night at Sherway Gardens, to be held on Sunday, November 1, 2009.

Affair of the Heart is a fashionable evening in support of women’s heart health. From 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., more than 1,200 guests will have the unique opportunity to gain after-hours access to Sherway Gardens – just in time for the busy holiday season. While getting a jump start on your gift buying, you can sip on a glass of wine, snack on some heart-healthy appetizers and take advantage of exclusive retailer discounts, ranging from 15-40% off!

You will also have the opportunity to win a Grand Prize Draw for a $2,500 shopping spree with a personal shopper at Sherway Gardens. To qualify for a free ticket in the draw, you must make a purchase from at least three Sherway Gardens retailers (additional tickets may be purchased as desired).

Proceeds from the evening will be used to purchase life-saving equipment for the Cardiology Department at the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. Tickets are only $75 each, but quantity is limited. More event details can be found at http://www.affairoftheheart.ca/.

I encourage you to buy a ticket for yourself, for your spouse or for both of you. And please send the link to your family and friends so you can turn the evening into a fun group activity!

You’ve got to shop anyway…so why not have a little fun while you’re doing it. Hope to see you there!

As a great Australian saying goes, my two sons are like chalk and cheese. Completely different in likes, dislikes, tastes and habits. Differences are certainly what make the world interesting but sometimes it can be a bit challenging at meal times. My oldest son, who is 8, has a palette like a European; the more savoury and spicier the better. He’s the one diving into the appetizers meant for adults and wolfing down the wasabi peas. I recently overheard him asking his friends what their favourite foods are. Most came back with pizza, pasta and bread where as he shot back with sushi and sashimi and then proceeded to describe every minute detail of it such as seaweed, raw fish, eel and fish eggs! This description was met with gagging noises only boys can perfect but none more choke worthy than my 4 year old son. He falls into the European category too but only so long as it comes with a side of pasta and garlic bread.

My meal philosophy has always been that I will not be a short order cook and as a family we will share one meal, whether you chose to eat it or not is up to you. There may be some nights when the little one goes to bed a bit hungrier than the older one but he never fails to “suffer” through dinner the next night by washing everything down with a big glug of milk. Some parents might consider this cruel but I believe that our kids are born with a fairly flexible palette and it is us as adults who impose certain likes and dislikes on our kids from an early age. In my experience every time an adult tells a child they won’t like a certain food then invariably they don’t. Whereas if you don’t make a big deal of it, keep offering different types of flavours and textures and not get frustrated or give in to the meal demands of a 4 year old, they will eventually open up their minds and their mouths.

It doesn’t happen over night however. For the last few years I have been trying to convince my son that tomatoes are really a fruit and taste sweet. Considering tomatoes are one of my favourite summer foods, I need to get the rest of my family in line with this thinking too!! This year I decided to give my youngest more control over what goes on his plate by having him pick certain vegetables to grow in a container gardens. Cherry Tomatoes which are perfect for containers were a natural choice but we have had great success also with mini cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, baby celery and green bunching onions. All small enough to grow in a few pots on the deck and easy enough for the kids to maintain. They have had a ball watching the plants develop from buds to flowers to vegetables. And they seem to be enjoying the “fruits” of their labour. The other day I spied out of the corner of my eye my 4 year old picking a baby celery stalk out of the pot and munching away on it. Never mind he probably got a bit of dirt and grit in his teeth but he did it by his own doing and not my nagging.

So although the cherry tomatoes are still being enjoyed more by the raccoons and myself than the kids, they are at least involved in their food choices from picking out the types and varieties to how their appear on their plate.

It’s not too late to plant a few veggies in a small pot and get your kids involved – they might just surprise you!

Here’s a cool sandwich idea that satisfies the sushi lover and the non-sushi lover in my family and makes the most of our mini cucumbers we are growing.

Cucumber Rice Sandwiches
Preparation Time: 20 minutes + at least 2 hours refrigeration (up to 24 hours)
Cooking Time: 30 minutes


Makes 32

Ingredients:
· 4 cups cooked warm sushi rice
· 2 ½ tablespoons rice-wine vinegar
· 1 teaspoon salt
· ½ cup cream cheese, room temperature
· ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced
· 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1. Line a square glass baking dish with plastic wrap. Toss warm rice with vinegar and salt in large bowl. Firmly press half into dish. Spread with ¼ cup cream cheese. Layer half the cucumber slices on top, overlapping. Repeat. Cover with plastic; top with a weighted baking dish. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Lift out; transfer to cutting board. Cut into small rectangles. Dip 1 short and 1 long side of each sandwich in sesame seeds. Serve within 4 hours.

Just enjoyed chatting with Deb Bailey at Power Women's Magazine and Radio show on Blog Talk Radio in Arkansas. We were talking about the upcoming holidays for entertaining tips and so much more! Frightening thought that we are already thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas!! www.blogtalkradio/powerwomenmag.com

Attention all tired parents! You can still entertain like you used to!

Mary Luz Mejia of Suite101.com recently interviewed me for my take on entertaining as a busy parent. Check out How Tired Parents Can Entertain

Had a blast this morning appearing on CityTV Breakfast Television. Talked about my new eBook The Groove Mamma Goes Gourmet and demonstrated some great cocktails and easy appetizer tips. Tough gig getting up at 5am but well worth it judging from the traffic coming through my websites. Thanks for the support everyone!

Sitting in cottage country trying to figure out what I am going to buy for my friend who just had her 4th baby. NOT buying another cutsie cottage country craft!

Visiting www.marketmomsonline.com Love the fact that they support mostly women in small business! Who doesn't like to shop in the comforts of their own home, glass of wine in one hand, mouse in the other and credit card in full view! Yeah - you go Market Moms Online!