Shrimp Dip Recipe

It is flaming hot outside!  I mean, if anyone disputes global warming with this heat that is currently making the any tupperware in the house melt.  And I don't know about anyone else, but I know that when it is terribly hot like it is right now (currently 30 degrees on the celsius scale, and tomorrow it is suppose to head up to 33...damn!), I don't really feel like eating.  It is a strange thing to say, but eating takes too much energy, and I don't have much of that with this blistering heat.  So in light of that, I only ever just want to eat finger food and little things to keep me awake, so I propose this shrimp dip recipe, which come to us from my sister-in-law's mother-in-law.  Here is what you will need:

2 cans of cocktail shrimp
1 jar of shrimp sauce (mild or spicy, depending on your taste)
1 brick of cream cheese, softened
1 250ml tub of sour cream
3 tbsp of mayo
1 or 2 tomatoes, depending on the size, diced
1 or 2 red onions, depending on the size, finely diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cups of shredded cheese, mozzarella or marble
1 bag of Tostito's scoops chips

In a stand mixer of with a hand mixer, blend up the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise until nice a smooth.  Spread the mixture into a 13x9 casserole dish.  Top with the shrimp sauce, then shrimp, then the other veggies, then the cheese.  Serve with the Tortilla's.

Alternatives:

-If you don't have any shrimp, you can replace with Tuna...naw, just kidding.

-For a lighter fair, use light mayo, cream cheese and sour cream...you really can't tell the difference

Until next time,
-d

Changing the Diaper

I know this is a little off topic from the recipes and such, but I feel that I should share with the world (or at least, the 9 people a month who read this) about changing Lexie's bum.  Before I get started, I know from time to time Sylvia or myself will say "change the bum" in front of other parents and get funny looks.  That is what we (and I think Sylvia will say just me, and she picked it up) say for changing the diaper.  I know, if you take it in the most literal meaning, it doesn't make a lick of sense, but hey, we are who we are.

Anyway, on to the changing of Lexie's bum.  You see, what makes it special and unique is that when you take off here diaper, this is the time that she decided to poop.  And I don't mean just a little girl trickle of poop, I am talking it is like a canon going off.  So when you change her, you have to hold her legs up and wait for the inevitable to occur.  Oh, and it doesn't stop there, no.  She then pees at us and decided to throw up at the same time.  All the orifices are getting a work out a changing time.  It didn't take us too long to set up a shielding system for us so that our clothes and whatever she is on when we change her (bed, floor, change table etc) gets the full brunt of Lexie.  There have been times, when we first brought her home, that we went through five diapers and three sleeper in one changing session!

In the end, she has such a satisfied look on her face after she explodes at us, it almost is worth it. 

..I am sure if she were to ever read this some time in the future, she would be mortified.  I guess that is what dads are supposed to do right?

Until next time,
-d

Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce - Update

Just an update to my Spaghetti Bolognese sauce found here, faithful readers AlindaundMarkus pointed out that a real, authentic Bolognese should have a splash of red wine.  The recipe is now updated.  Thanks very much.

-d

Tuna Salad Melts Recipe

Who doesn't like a Tuna sandwich?  (I guess that is kinda a rhetorical question, I can think of at least two groups of people who don't like Tuna; my sister group, and those who are actually allergic to fish).  But aside from those crazy groups, mostly everyone can enjoy a tuna sandwich.  I like to make my tuna salad a little more exciting than the regular old, bland, put-some-mayonnaise-in-and-slap-into-two-peices-of-white-bread types of sandwiches. Why not go the extra mile (or kilometre for us Canucks and rest of the world) and make it into a melt and add some extra flavours and crunch to the sandwich.  This is how I make my Tuna Salad Sandwiches, and they seem to be a big hit with the family.

1 can of White Tuna (a little more expensive, yes, but much better tasting)
Sourdough or Calebrese bread
1 small tomato, finely diced
1 large dill pickle, finely diced
1/2 shallot, finely diced (just for a hint of flavour, not to overpower it)
Juice from half a lemon
Couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
Squirt of Mustard
Slices of your favourite cheese (I like to use a really old chedder for mine, Sylvia likes Swiss, but Provolone or nice stringy mozzarella is wonderful as well)
Butter
Regular salted potato chips.

Place a nice heavy bottom frying pan onto the stove and heat to about a medium heat.  The heavier the better because the heat is distributed much better.  Mix the tuna with the tomato, pickle, shallot, lemon, mayo, and mustard.  Cut the bread, whichever you use, into nice thick slices.  Spoon the tuna mixture onto the bread and top with some cheese.  Close the sandwich together and spread the butter on both of the outside sides of the sandwich.  Toss the sandwich into the frying pan and cover to keep the heat in (It will help melt the cheese.  After a couple of minutes, check to see if the bottom is nicely browned, the flip the sandwich and place the lid back on for another couple of minutes. When the sandwich is down, slice in half and serve with the potato chips - going all deli style.

Alternatives:

-I like to add some either chipotle powder (just a little shake) or about an 1/8th of a teaspoon of canned chipotle peppers to the mix for some extra kick

-Instead if just having some chips on the side, open that sandwich up and put some in the sandwich.  It tastes great like that!

-You could always add some more veggies to the mix for kids who don't necessarily like eating vegetables, like some steamed zucchini or steam carrots

Until next time,
-d

Useful Tip of the Day - Getting Rid of Fruit Flies

I hate fruit flies.  I hate 'em.  Stupid little pests that are always up in your face whenever you want to grab an apple from the basket.  I swear these little buggers know when I am coming to leave where they are hiding harass me.  I have no quams about saying that it gives me great pleasure when I kill some of them, or in this case, a mass grave of them.  This little tip comes from, as far as I know, one of my "many" followers Kerl, who may have gotten this from her mother-in-law, but hey, why give others credit when you can take it for yourself.

Seems like a very simple way of ridding yourself of fruit flies is a little dish of some white vinegar and a sheet of pastic wrap.  Just put some vinegar into the dish and put the plastic wrap over top of it.  Poke a couple of little slots through the plastic wrap.  Turns out, fruit flies aren't very bright, and the smell of the vinegar attacts them into their pending sarcophagus, but they can't figure out how to get out once they are in there.  Then let the mass killings begin.  It sounds morbid, yes, but seeing those little nuisances floating around in vinegar warms my heart like a fine Scotch on a cool winters day.

That's about it for today.

Until next time,

-d

Edit: Thanks Paul, my usual editor has given up on editing for me.

Caramel Cakes Recipe (Dulce de leche)

I am not feeling very insipred today to have a full meal or anything, so I thought that I would put up an easy dessert.  My Aunt Edna used to make these caramel cakes every Christmas, and they were one of my favourites.  Sinfully sweet. I got thinking about these the other day when I was dipping an arrow-root cookie into a jar of store bought dulce de leche. (Sounds odd, maybe.  Was it tasty?  Oh yes!).

The easiest way to make a dulce de leche is with a can of sweet condensed milk.  It takes all the guess work out of measuring things to make it the old school before-you-had-cans-of-condensed-milk-way.

So anyway, here is what you need for Caramel Cakes:

One can (or two, if you want to make a bunch) of sweetened condensed milk
12-24 store bought pre-made mini pie shells (the two bite kind if you can get them)
125ml Whipping cream
1 tbsp of icing sugar
Sweet Tooth

Place the can(s) of condended milk, with all the labels off of the can into a pot of boiling water, with enough water in the pot to completely cover the can.  Put a lid on it, but you will have to go back every so often to top up the water as it evaporated.  Always, always, always make sure that there water completely covering the can.  Can't be stressed enough - the can not completey submerged could lead to the can exploding, which is bad.  Boil the can for around three hours (seems like a long time, yes.  Is it worth it? Absolutely).  In the mean time, prepare the crusts.  They may need to go into the oven to brown or something.  When the time is up on the condesed milk, carefully take it out of the pot and let it cool completely before you open the can.  Spoon the nicely made dulce de leche into the crusts.  Top with fresh whipped cream (whip the whipping cream with the icing sugar until fluffy).

Alternatives:

-To make a low calorie desert, substitute the entire desert with a stick of celery.  ;-)

Until next time

-d

More pics of the girl(s)

So many posts in such a short time? What the deuce? Well, alas, it is because I do not have a facebook account and I like when people come to my blog. Maybe, someone will try out one of my fabulous recipes. ;o) Anyhow, here are a few more picture of Lexie and there are two in here of Olivia, because she is damn cute as well.

Olivia

Lexie

Olivia

Turtle...I mean, Lexie

And finally, a Lexie

That's all I got for now. I hope that appeases the masses...or at least my family.

Until next time

-d