Girl’s Night: Jamie Oliver’s Chicken Skewers, Satay Sauce and Fiery Noodle Salad

by Julie

Full MealHello everyone,

Here’s to good wine, good food and good friends!

Growing up in my old neighbourhood, it was nice to have friends down the street. As a kid, there were always playmates a few blocks away. Into early adulthood, it was always easy to meet up for fun that involved the consumption of alcohol.

Now I have moved out of my old neighbour into a new one. As a full blown adult, I have realized how it is still awesome to have friends within walking distance. And John’s best friend and his wife just so happen to live 10 doors down from us!

When the boys are out, Jackie and I often get together for dinner and wine. Sometimes we go to her place, sometimes she comes to mine. We often split a bottle of wine, and enjoy a nice dinner together. Usually the host makes the entree, and the guest brings a salad and bottle of wine. The 2.5 minute walk that separates our homes makes a girl’s night so convenient. Jackie and I have shared some delicious meals during our get-togethers.

Jackie often prepares Jamie Oliver recipes, and they are always delicious. A while back she had me over and made today’s recipe, and I just had to share it with you. This recipe is quite spectacular and has become a regular in my home.

In this recipe, Jamie Oliver encompasses baked  chicken skewers marinated in satay sauce with the “fiery” noodle salad that gets its flavour from a homemade Asian-style dressing, cilantro, and or course a spicy chili pepper. On a bed of lettuce, lay out the noodle salad, top with your chicken and dress with Jamie’s suggested garnishes.

The recipe below is pretty much Jamie’s words, however I made a few small changes here and there (suggested substitutions and switching the word “coriander” to “cilantro,” changes are italicized) Jamie Oliver is very non-specific when it comes to ingredient quantities and directions, so just go with the flow! This is one of the things I love about him.

Food 2TIPS:

  • For a vegetarian alternative, knock out the chicken as the noodle salad with the satay sauce is great on it’s own

Thanks to Jackie for a great recipe, great company and many fun evenings!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here to view Jamie’s recipe on the Food Network website.

Click here to view printable Word version of recipe:
Chicken Skewers, Satay Sauce and Fiery Noodle Salad

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Chicken Skewers, Satay Sauce and Fiery Noodle Salad
By Jamie Oliver

INGREDIENTS:

Satay Sauce

½ a small bunch of fresh cilantro
1 fresh red chilli
½ a clove of garlic
3 heaped tablespoons good-quality crunchy peanut butter
Soy sauce
A 2cm piece of fresh ginger
2 limes

Chicken

4 skinless chicken breasts
Runny honey, for drizzling

Noodle Salad

250 g dried medium egg noodles (1 nest per person) – alternatively you can use rice noodles
100 g unsalted cashews, chopped
½ a medium-sized red onion
1 fresh red chilli
a small bunch of fresh cilantro
1–2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 lime
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp runny honey

Garnish

2 little gem lettuces or romaine lettuce
½ a small bunch of fresh cilantro
1 fresh red chilli
Soy sauce
1 lime

Seasoning

Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt & black pepper
DIRECTIONS:

  1. Get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Turn the grill on to full whack. Lay 4 wooden skewers in a tray of cold water to soak (if they float, use a plate to weight them down). Put the standard blade attachment into the food processor.
  2. Put the cilantro (stalks and all) into the food processor with the chilli (stalk removed), peeled garlic, 3 heaped tablespoons of peanut butter and a lug of soy sauce. Peel and roughly chop the ginger and add. Finely grate in the zest of both limes, then squeeze in the juice from 1 of them. Add a couple of splashes of water and whiz to a spoonable paste. Season to taste. Spoon half into a nice bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, put the rest aside.
  3. Line the chicken breasts up on a plastic board, alternating ends, and close together. Gently and carefully push the skewers through the breasts. Slice between the skewers to give you 4 kebabs. Thread any stray pieces on the ends of the skewers. To make the chicken crispier you can score it lightly on both sides. Scoop the rest of the satay mix from the processor into a roasting tray, add the chicken skewers and toss with your hands to coat, rubbing the flavour into the meat. Clear away the board and wash the knife and your hands. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season with salt. Put on the top shelf of the oven, under the grill, for about 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through.
  4. Trim the bases off the little gemlettuces and get rid of any tatty outer leaves. Click the rest of the leaves off, halving the cores. Rinse in a colander, spin dry, then take straight to the table. If you are using romaine, rinse, dry and spread whole leafs out on a serving platter.
  5. Fill and boil the kettle. Put the nests of noodles in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and a plate, then leave to soak for 6 minutes. Put a medium frying pan on a low heat. Bash the cashew nuts with a rolling pin or against a work surface in a clean tea towel. Add to the warm pan and leave to toast, tossing occasionally and keeping an eye on them as you do other jobs.
  6. Peel the red onion half and put in the processor with the chilli (stalk removed) and the stalks from the bunch of cilantro. Pulse until finely chopped, then put into a large serving bowl with 1 or 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and a few lugs of extra virgin olive oil. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime, and stir in 1 teaspoon each of sesame oil and fish sauce. Mix well, then taste and correct the seasoning. Drain the noodles in a colander, refresh quickly under cold water, drain again, then add to the bowl.
  7. Toss your cashews and turn the heat under them up to high. Add 1 teaspoon of honey, mixing and tossing the nuts in the pan. Once dark golden, tip them into the serving bowl and add the cilantro leaves. Toss everything together and take to the table with the bowl of satay sauce.
  8. Turn the skewers over, drizzle with a little runny honey and put back under the grill for 8 to 10 minutes.
  9. Roughly chop the cilantro leaves and finely slice the chilli, if using. Put into little side bowls, take both to the table and put next to the lettuce.
  10. Take the chicken to the table with a bottle of soy sauce and a few wedges of lime for squeezing over. Let everyone build parcels of lettuce, noodles, chicken, a sprinkle of cilantro and chilli and a squeeze of lime.

Almond Joy Cookies

by Julie

Almond Joy CookiesHello everyone,

To my American friends:

When it comes to chocolate bar selection, you are so fortunate. Us Canadians don’t have nearly the selection that you do on your shelves. Whenever I go into an American grocery store or even gas station, I can’t help but pull unfamiliar chocolate bars off the shelf to have a look at them. My favourite, Almond Joy, is a chocolate bar that I often stock up on when I come visit (that and the Idaho Spud!)

To my fellow Canadian:

If you haven’t already, make sure you try an Almond Joy bar on your next trip to the USA. An Almond Joy is like our Bounty bar (milk chocolate covered coconut filling) except with almonds on top. Although the difference seems subtle, the Almonds make this bar a step up from the Bounty!

So in honour of my favourite American chocolate bar, I decided to make Almond Joy cookies. These cookies are stuffed full of chocolate chips, dried coconut and of course almonds! The recipe is simple and not fussy at all – just the way I like to bake!  If you want to add some flair to your standard chocolate chips cookies, this recipe is well worth it!

Bar and Cookie 2

TIPS:

  • I find that the temperature and the amount you cream the butter has a significant effect on the shape and consistency of the cookies. The warmer and the more you cream the butter, the softer and flatter they become

So if there is anyone reading this who happens to be part of the company that makes Almond Joy, I beg you to PLEASE find a way to get these on our Canadian shelves! Until then, I will be eating my Almond Joy cookies.

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here for printable Word version of recipe:
Almond Joy Cookies

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Almond Joy Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup chopped almonds

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a small/medium bowl, sift the dry ingredients together (flour, salt, baking soda)
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with a beater.
  4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
  5. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, coconut, and almonds.
  6. Grease cookie sheets.
  7. Drop round tablespoons of dough onto the cookie sheets.
  8. Bake for 11-12 minutes.
  9. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing.

Roasted Tomatoes

by Julie

Roasted Tomatoes 1Hello everyone,

So it happened again. This year’s hoard of garden tomatoes ripened at the same time.

I had put a bundle of green tomatoes in a covered box in the dark and when I took a peek a few weeks later, they were all red.

As much as I love eating them fresh, I simply can’t consume and estimated 157 ripe tomatoes within the time frame of them staying good. My solution? Roast them!

Roasted tomatoes are something special. You can’t understand how magical and delicious they are until you try one.

I roasted a few dozen of my tomatoes to start, as I can only fit three baking bans in my oven at once. I will have to make this a project that lasts a few days to get them all done. My intent is to freeze these roasted tomatoes to make the world’s best pasta sauce or tomato soup.

But as soon as they come out of the oven and cool a bit, I can’t help but stuff my face with these babies seriously denting my frozen tomato stock. You’d be shocked how quickly you can devour 5 tomatoes. They just go down so easy when they are roasted.

TIPS:

  • Roast your tomatoes until you see black to maximize the caramelized flavour
  • Great to do when tomatoes are in season, but if you have over-ripe tomatoes you need to use up, this is a great way
  • Also can be served as an appetizer fresh out of the oven. Try topping with feta cheese, chopped basil and balsamic vinegar after roasting

I kept this method simple as I will be using my frozen roasted tomatoes for cooking. But you can try dousing your tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and garlic before roasting. But I would urge you to experience them simple, with salt and pepper. The tomatoes come out so flavourful that they barely need any dressing up at all.

6 baking pans later, I have 8 bags of roasted tomatoes in my freezer, ready to go when I need them! Store-bought or garden fresh, if you find yourself in the luxurious position of having too many tomatoes, try roasting them!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here to view printable Word version of recipe:
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

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Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

A great way to preserve tomatoes when you have too many. Roasted tomatoes will keep for months in the freezer and are great for cooking dishes like pasta sauces and tomatoes soups. Also a great way to add flavour to bland or over-ripe tomatoes. Also makes a wonderful appetizer – after baking, top with feta, basil and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, or eat them in their purest form.

INGREDIENTS:

Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350
  2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. You can do without but risk ruining your pan as these things are in the oven for a while.
  3. Wash tomatoes and cut them in half, larger tomatoes cut into quarters.
  4. Brush tomatoes with olive oil and lay them all out on the pans, cut side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Alternatively, you can toss them in a bowl with the olive oil and salt and pepper, but I like to baste them one by one to keep them nicely intact.
  5. Bake for 1 hr 15 minutes. If the tomatoes are starting to show signs of turning black, remove them. If not, bake for another 15 minutes. Once you see black, you’re done! If you have multiple pans in the oven, you may have to bake longer – just keep an eye on them.
  6. Let cool for a few minutes before eating them.

 

Chocolate Mousse

by Julie

Serving Mousse

Hello everyone,

A way to get people to come visit is to entice them with dinner. You drive, I cook. I managed to use this trick on my good friend Micheline not too long ago.

As Micheline was preparing to run a half-marathon, she needed to carbo-load. I love carbo-loading just for fun, so this was a good match. I prepared her my homemade pesto pasta dinner and bocconcini salad. I think this meal gave her the energy she needed for her race, as she finished well!. Yes, I’m giving my cooking full credit for this, nothing to do with her dedication to training.

Seriously, respect for Micheline and anyone who runs long-distances (I define a long distance more than 1km.) I don’t have it in me. I prefer to do pull-ups and lift heavy stuff, activities where the pain ends abruptly. Go me!

Anyways, Micheline requested “something with chocolate” for dessert. Usually, my go to chocolate dessert is brownie sundaes, but I decided to try something different. I have always had a special place in my heart for chocolate mousse, and will typically select it if I am so lucky to find it on a dessert menu. So I decided to give the poofy and decadent dessert a go.

To my utter astonishment, all the chocolate mousse recipes I found were surprisingly easy! Melt the chocolate, whip the egg whites, whip the cream, fold ingredients and BOOM! After an hour of chilling you have a quick dessert that is a real crowd pleaser at any dinner party!

What I really enjoyed about this mousse is that it was fluffy and not too heavy, and just the right amount of sweet. Many recipes call for semi-sweet chocolate, but I opted for bitter-sweet chocolate.

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BITTERSWEET VS. SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE

So what is the difference? Bittersweet has a higher cocoa content then semisweet, and semisweet has a higher sugar content then bittersweet. I like to use bittersweet in my chocolate recipes for a stronger chocolate taste. You just might have to add a little more sugar. Chocolate has to have at least 35% cacao to be labelled bittersweet.

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So after chilling the dessert, garnishing it with some whipped cream and shaved chocolate, we snapped a couple pics for my blog and devoured the dessert in about three bites apiece.

Note: This recipe serves 4 normal people or 3 chocolate lovers.

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here to view printable Word version of recipe:
Chocolate Mousse

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Chocolate Mousse

Inspired by Bobby Flay

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (shave ½ an ounce for garnish)
3 tbs white sugar
3 egg whites
2 cups whipping cream (set a few tbsp. of the whipped cream aside for garnish)
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place your large metal mixing bowl in the freezer.
  2. Place chocolate in medium metal mixing bowl. Melt chocolate in double boiler on medium heat. Once chocolate is melted, turn off the heat. .
  3. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add the sugar and continue to whip to hard peaks.
  4. Remove large mixing bowl from freezer. Add whipping cream and vanilla. Beat the whipping cream to soft peaks. Reserve a few tbsp. for garnish if desired.
  5. Fold the egg whites into the melted chocolate until chocolate is not quite fully incorporated.
  6. Fold egg-chocolate mixture into the whipped cream. It is okay if the mousse is not mixed perfectly. You don’t want to over mix or your mousse will lose its fluffiness!
  7. Divide mousse into serving bowls, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
  8. When serving, top with extra whipping cream and shaved chocolate.

Arugula Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans

by Julie

Arugula Beet Salad with Goat CheeseHello everyone,

I simply love candied pecans! Each little treasure is its own little special bundle of joy that gleefully explodes with wonderful crunch and sweetness when you bite down. You can’t go wrong when you cook something in butter and sugar.

Candied nuts are a perfect touch for many salads. If you have a salad with a sweeter dressing, such as a balsamic vinegar dressing, then adding candied pecans is a great way to make your salad even better.

My mom made this salad a while back for a lovely dinner party. The salad looked so nice on its plate so I asked my mom to snap a picture for future blogging purposes. Today, it is the future.

Arugula, roasted beets, goat cheese, avocado, dried cranberries and a balsamic vinaigrette come together in a delightful combination. Oh yeah, and the candied pecans are really the cherry on top!

This salad makes a lovely starter plated for a dinner party, or serve in a bowl for the main course.

I included a simple recipe for candied pecans to go with this salad. There are many more complicated ways of doing this, but I like this method as it only takes a few minutes, uses a few ingredients and is delicious!

Thanks for the recipe mom!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here to view printable Word version of recipe:
Arugula Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans
Candied Pecans

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Arugula Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans
Inspired by Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network

SALAD INGREDIENTS

6 cups arugula
3 medium beets, roasted and cubed (see directions below)
1 avacado, diced
½ cup candied pecans, coarsely chopped (see directions below)
¼ cup dried cranberries
½ cup goat cheese, crumbled

DRESSING INGREDIENTS

¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 shallot, minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all dressing ingredients

DIRECTIONS

This salad works best plated

  1. Divide arugula onto 4-6 plates
  2. Add beets, avocado.
  3. Sprinkle with candied pecans, dried cranberries and crumbled goat cheese
  4. Drizzle with dressing

 

Roasted Beets

INGREDIENTS

Beets
Olive Oil
Tin Foil

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 375
  2. Wash beets and remove top and bottom
  3. Baste beets in olive oil and wrap in tin foil. You can wrap them all together in one large piece, or individually
  4. Put on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for 1 hr 15 min (Bake for 1hr 30 min for large beets)
  5. Remove from oven and let cool
  6. Once beets are cool enough to handle, it is easy to remove the skin. I like to do this under running water in the sink.

Candied Pecans

INGREDIENTS

1.5 cups pecan halves
¼ cup butter
¼ cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat pan, on medium
  2. Add butter and melt.
  3. Add pecans and mix to coat in butter.
  4. Add brown sugar.
  5. Cook until sugar caramelizes.
  6. Remove nuts from pan and cool on parchment paper.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

by Julie

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour PorkHello everyone,

So it’s that time of year … back to school!

I don’t have children myself, but I can only imagine the change of pace from lazy summer afternoons with the kids, to back to school chaos. I bet it takes a little time to get back into a routine. So I am here to help!

Behold, every busy person’s best friend … the slow cooker!

I love my slow cooker. When John gets home from work, I like to have a meal ready for him. On days where I am planning on abandoning him in the evening, I get my friend the slow cooker to do the work for me!

This sweet and sour pork recipe has become one of my favourites over time. It is one that John enjoys and is a meal that we both look forward to. There is nothing like the delicious scent of a slow cooker wafting through your home to make you look forward to a nice meal!

TIPS:

  • I personally prefer cooking my slow cooker recipes on low. I find that pork is best cooked on low for 6 hours. If you are in a rush, try high for 4 hours.
  • This recipe freezes well

So next time you have a busy day ahead, spend a little extra time the night before preparing a slow cooker dish for yourself. Simply plug it in the next morning and you’re ready to feed the crew!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here for the printable Word version:
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

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Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

2 tbsp paprika
½ tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1 pork tenderloin, cut into bite sized pieces

1 onion, diced
3 cloves minced garlic
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 carrots, cut into rings
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp soya sauce
1 and ½ tbsp. Worstershire sauce

1 can (14-20 oz) pineapple chunks (separate juice and chunks)

2 tbsp cornstarch
¼ cup cold water

Serve with rice

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Fry diced onion in oil for a few minutes.
  2. While onion is frying, add pork to slow cooker. Season pork with paprika, salt and pepper, mixing well so pork is covered with the spices.
  3. Add ingredients to slow cooker (onions through Worstershire sauce) Mix well.
  4. Add pineapple juice to slow cooker, reserve juice to add later.
  5. Cook on low for 6 hours (or high for 4)
  6. Before serving, whisk cornstarch with water and add to slow cooker. Add pineapple chunks, stir and cook until sauce thickens, probably 15-20 minuts.

Serve with brown or white rice.

This dishes freezes well

John’s Buffalo Sauce and Chicken Wings

by Julie

Spooning SauceHello everyone,

John is drawn to chicken wings. Whenever we are grocery shopping and are browsing the meat section to find something for dinner, he always emerges holding a large package of chicken wings and suggests that we deep fry them and make a homemade buffalo sauce. Typically, I veto the idea, citing health concerns as the primary drawback, but occasionally, I give in to his pleading eyes.

Whenever John busts out the deep fryer, the meal that he creates is fabulous. Earlier in the summer, we tried John’s beer battered fish and chips, but today, chicken pieces were what we fried. We selected both chicken wings and chicken drums, and John deep fried them until the skin was golden and crispy.

To make his buffalo sauce, John used a full bottle of Louisiana hot sauce (not a pre-made buffalo sauce and NOT Frank’s!) It is key to select a good brand of hot sauce, and Louisiana brand is our go to. After frying some onions and garlic in a pot, John blends the onion garlic mixture. He then adds the bottle of hot sauce, melted butter and a splash of lemon juice.

This buffalo sauce was to die for! After all of my chicken was eaten, I continued to use my French fries to scoop what was left of the buffalo sauce into my mouth! The sauce is spicy and flavourful and simply will destroy any buffalo wings you will have at the pub.

Buffalo Wings with SauceTIPS:

  • We had more sauce then we needed, so John funneled the extra back into the Louisiana bottle. The sauce will last in your fridge for a few weeks or more.
  • The sauce does tend to solidify in the fridge, so take it out and hour before use, and the re-heat in a pot
  • If you don’t have a deep fryer, this works great on oven-baked chicken wings too!
  • We like to do our wings salt and pepper style before adding the buffalo sauce after the wings are cooked

Whether it is chicken wings deep-fried or oven-baked, or something entirely different, if you need buffalo sauce, making your own is the way to go!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here to view the Word version of recipe:
John’s Buffalo Sauce

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John’s Buffalo Sauce

Serve on homemade salt and pepper chicken wings, deep fried or oven-baked. Alternatively, use chicken drums.

INGREDIENTS:

1-355 ml bottle of Louisiana hot sauce (we used Louisiana brand)
¼ of a large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup butter + 1 tbsp
Juice of ½ lemon

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In 1 tbsp butter, fry onions and garlic until tender.
  2. Blend garlic and onions.
  3. Add garlic and onion paste back to saucepan. Add hot sauce and butter. Simmer for a few minutes.
  4. Add lemon juice. Simmer for another minute.

Once you are done with your sauce, add what is left back to the hot sauce bottle with a funnel. The sauce will keep in your fridge for a few weeks.

Sauce will solidify in the refrigerator, so take out early to bring to room temperature and heat in sauce pan before re-using.

Yellowstone National Park, the End of the World, and Mushrooms with Balsamic Vinegar in Foil

by Julie

Mom and JulieHello everyone!

Did you know that Yellowstone National Park is home the world’s largest active volcano, dubbed a supervolcano?

I found this out years ago and ever since then, I have been fascinated with Yellowstone. Recently, on a trip with my mom, I was lucky enough to visit it!

I’m going to start by sharing my experiences of Yellowstone. If you are interested in reading more about the volcano itself and its destructive power, continue on down to the bottom of the post.

The Sights, Sounds (and Smells!) of Yellowstone National Park

There are many things happening all around Yellowstone National Park. As the park is over an active volcano, you will be able to witness unique sights and sounds produced by geothermal activity all around the park.

Oh and did I mention that it smells like sulphur EVERYWHERE? Don’t worry, you get used to it!

I’m going to take you through the coolest things we saw in Yellowstone!

Old Faithful

Old Faithful

Geysers 

Everyone knows about the geysers at Yellowstone. The world famous Old Faithful really does go off like clockwork, spouting hot water up to 185 feet in the air. Old Faithful was cool to see, but I really enjoyed walking around the geyser basins in the area. A wooden boardwalk snaked its way over an almost desolate looking landscape, as the mineral-laden water of geysers deposit the white silica all over. The area was spotted with beautiful hot pools of green, yellow and orange. It was fun to walk along the boardwalk with the hope of seeing a geyser erupt.

My mom likes to say that every geyser has its own personality. Some are very large, shooting water hundreds of feet into the air and others tiny, barely spouting water out of the ground. Some shoot a stream straight up into the air and others kind of gurgle and spew water all around. Some geysers go off like clockwork, and others are much less predictable, going off randomly throughout the day, or even going off every few years! As things are always changing in Yellowstone, new geysers are always appearing and old geysers going dormant. You never know when you will be walking by when a geyser decides goes off – if you’re lucky, you’ll be treated to the show.

Geyser Basin
Vixen

My favourite geyser was Grotto geyser (shown in video), a big wide geyser spewing hot water all over the place. Another one we really enjoyed was Vixen. Dormant as we walked by, my mom and I were startled as we heard it suddenly spout hot water straight into the air behind us. We turned around and were excited to witness the spectacle.

Grotto Geyser Video Link

The Grand Prismatic Pool

Yellowstone is littered with hot springs, and the most spectacular of all had to be the Grand Prismatic Pool. I fell in love with this pool at first sight, and even returned to see it a second time. Purple in the center, the pool also boasts shades of blue, green, yellow, orange and even red, all diffusing out from the center of the pool. The colours can be explained by different types of bacteria living in the different water temperatures.

Grand Prismatic Pool
Blue Spring

There were other gorgeous hot pools all around the park, and I never tired of them. Doesn’t that blue spring remind you of blue Kool-Aid? I really wanted to drink it, but refrained as the water was likely scalding.

Yellowstone Canyon

Yellowstone Canyon

Yellowstone Canyon

I had no idea this canyon existed when we made the decision to visit the park. I went to Yellowstone to witness the geothermal activity, so I was quite astonished when we hiked down to view the stunningly beautiful yellow canyon. Now I understand where Yellowstone gets its name. Different shades of yellow lava rock form one of the parks most spectacular attractions.

The Mammoth Hot Springs

Beautiful hot springs coming out of the mountainside give the landscape unique colours as the water gently cascades to the ground. The gorgeous rolling mountains made the perfect setting for these springs.

As Yellowstone is always changing, the park rangers were very excited when a new spring decided to start in the parking lot! (The parking lot is currently closed.)

BisonAnimals

One thing we didn’t get the chance to do was visit Lamar Valley, a famous location to view the thousands of animals that roam the park. Elk and bison roam the valley in herds, and we were told itis not unusual to spot a bear or even a wolf.

I was lucky enough to get a close up view of a bison walking on the side of the road. That was my animal viewing experience in Yellowstone!

My mom and I had such a wonderful time visiting this park. It was unlike anything either of us had ever experienced before!

The Recipe

I guess since this is a recipe blog, I need to add a recipe!

One of our favourite things to do camping is to cook vegetables in foil. Balsamic mushrooms are just delicious. Mushrooms with butter and balsamic vinegar, wrapped in foil and cooked over the grill are the perfect side for any camping dinner!

I had a wonderful time visiting Wyoming, and a wonderful road trip with my mom. I wonder where the two of us will travel to next?!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Other posts from this series:
Grand Teton Nation Park and Camping Burritos

Click here to view the printable Word version of recipe:
Balsamic Mushrooms in Foil

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Balsamic Mushrooms in Foil

INGREDIENTS:

Mushrooms, left whole
Butter
Salt and Pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Tarragon (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Place mushrooms on tin foil. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1-2 tbsp of butter. Sprinkle with tarragon (optional)

Wrap all ingredients in foil so it is well sealed.

Place foil package on BBQ and grill for about 15 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked.

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THE SUPERVOLCANO

For those of you who are a little geeky like me, keep reading to learn more about Yellowstone’s volcano!

According to a book I read years ago, if I recall, the discovery of the supervolcano went something like this:

Apparently, scientists noticed that there was a large layer of volcanic ash all over the Midwestern United States, spanning over half the country.. They figured that there had to be a volcano somewhere in Yellowstone Park so began to search. They couldn’t find a volcano at first, but then it dawned upon them that the volcano was nearly the entire park.

Map of USA

Image depicts map of the known ash-fall boundaries for major eruptions from Long Valley Caldera, Mount St. Helens and Yellowstone. Image courtesy of USGS

The gigantic Yellowstone Caldera was created by massive volcanic eruptions over the last few million years. The caldera itself is around 55 km by 72 km. Calderas are created by violent volcanic eruptions so large that the surrounding land collapses into the empty magma chamber. Currently, the park is sitting over 2 gigantic active magma chamber (an upper and lower, around 80 km long, 20 km wide, with around 4,000 cubed km of underground mass.) One article describes the larger chamber as enough magma to fill the Grand Canyon 11 times! This underground activity is what creates the geysers and other geothermal activity around the park.

There have been three major eruptions. The largest eruption, about 2.1 million years ago produced 2,500 times as much ash as the Mt. St. Helen’s eruption in the 1980s.There was a smaller supereruption 1.3 million years ago as well. The most recent eruption some 640,000 years ago was 1,000 times larger then the eruption of Mt. St. Helen’s in the 1980. If you don’t remember, that eruption blew off the entire side of the mountain. Imagine that times 1,000. Yikes!

World's Largest Eruptions

The above image shows the size of the Yellowstone eruptions relative to other historical eruptions. Image courtesy of USGS

If an eruption were to happen, there would likely be many warning signs, including earthquakes and seismic activity around the area. Lucky for us, scientists currently believe that the “proportion of melt in the [magma] chamber is much too low to allow another supereruption.” (Wikipedia) I sure hope Wikipedia is right. Other sources say scientists are unsure of the timing of another eruption.

WARNING: THE NEXT SECTION IS NOT FOR THE FEINT OF HEART

What would happen? I found it very interesting that nowhere in the park’s info-centers did they address the topic of what would happen to us, the residents of planet Earth, if this supervolcano were to erupt.  Well it would be REALLY BAD. Catastrophic. Most of the damage wouldn’t come from the lava, but rather from the ash and other matter ejected in to the air. From various sources, here are some fun predictions on what could happen if Yellowstone erupted, subject to the size of the eruption of course:

  • 90% of the population within 1,000 km of the blast could be killed
  • An eruption of this magnitude would make parts of Canada and the entire mid-west of the USA inhabitable for at least 10 years.
  • There would be 10+ cm of ash on the ground in areas within 500 km of the eruption.
  • Ash would cover the American coastlines millimeters up to 2 cm
  • Within 3-4 days, a fine dusting of ash could fall across Europe
  • Agricultural areas, especially around the Midwestern USA, would be devastated. This could lead to starvation.
  • Some waterways would be clogged with toxic sludge
  • Global annual average temperatures could drop up to 10 degrees. These lowered temperatures could last 6-10 years.
  • The monsoons in the southern hemisphere would not fall due to mass temperature change resulting in mass starvation in the Asian countries

Volcanic ash can:

  • Kill and sicken humans and animals
  • Reduce sunlight
  • Trigger rainfall causing mudslides known as lahars
  • Severely disrupt air, road and rail transport
  • Crush buildings – 30 cm of dry ash is enough to collapse a roof
  • Contaminate water supplies
  • Kill crops and other vegetation
  • Clog machinery such as air filters.

Points taken from BBC (reference 7.)

Click here to read the best article I found about the disastrous effects of a potential Yellowstone eruption!

Isn’t this fun? 🙂

(Please note that the reliability of my internet sources may vary)

References:

1.www.wikipedia.com

  1. http://www.techtimes.com/articles/48746/20150425/experts-discover-yellowstones-colossal-magma-deposit-what-will-happen-if-this-supervolcano-erupts.htm
  2. http://io9.com/what-will-really-happen-when-yellowstone-volcano-has-a-508274690

4.* http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/what-will-happen-if-yellowstone-supervolcano-erupts-1463656

  1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3189619/What-happen-Yellowstone-s-supervolcano-erupted-Experts-warn-90-000-immediate-deaths-nuclear-winter-US.html
  2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/supervolcano/article2.shtml
  3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/supervolcano/article2.shtml
  4. http://www.techtimes.com/articles/48838/20150426/yellowstone-supervolcano-magma-reservoir-capable-filling-grand-canyon-11-times.htm

  

 

 

 

Grand Teton National Park and Camping Burritos

by Julie

Jackson LakeHello everyone,

This July, I had the privilege of going on a road trip with my mom! We headed down to Wyoming for a week to visit Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. We started out by spending a couple of days in Grand Teton.

Grand Teton National Park is a peculiar thing in my mind. There is a large circle of mountains surrounding vast plains. The circle mountains form the “hole” where the town of Jackson is located, (also referred to as “Jackson Hole.”) The town site takes up a very small portion of this “hole,” so most of the area is composed of plains, with some trees and many fields.

The national park is a small portion of the circle of mountains. Most of the mountains are smaller and tree covered, but then out of nowhere BOOM! 5 or 6 beautiful rocky peaks pop out of the ground, reaching up to the sky. With the empty space of the plains helping to frame the mountains, it is quite the spectacular sight.


What is really cool about the rocky Tetons is that the elevation is high enough that you find yourself in an alpine setting. Gorgeous alpine lakes are surrounded by beautiful meadows full of wild flowers. My mom and I enjoyed hiking around the lakes, through the fields and up to some waterfalls and viewpoints.

We stayed in a cute little cabin in a KOA campground. Equipped with 2 beds and not much else, our perfect little log cabin backed on to a nearby river.

We enjoyed cooking camping dinners in the beautiful clear evenings. One of our favourite meals was our camping burritos!

We grilled our chicken and vegetables, and seasoned them with a taco seasoning. We heated a can of camping beans, which made the perfect addition to the burritos!

TIPS:

  • Use steak or chicken (we used chicken breasts)
  • Use Bush beans or Heinz beans, any flavour you like. We used the classic pork and beans.
  • This recipe works great for breakfast too! Substitute the meat with eggs and you’ve got yourself a great breakfast!
  • We had no choice but to buy a pack of 8 tortillas for the use of two. We re-used our extra tortillas and pre-sliced cheese for making wraps for lunch the next few days.

Julie and MomA great road trip with my mom! Stay tuned for the next installment, Yellowstone National Park!

Bon appetit,

Julie

To view other posts in this series, click below:
Yellowstone National Park, the End of the World, and Balsamic Mushrooms in Foil

Click here to view the printable Word version of recipe:
Camping Burritos

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Camping Burritos

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken breasts/boneless skinless chicken thighs or steak
Oil for cooking
1 onion, sliced
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 red pepper, diced
Taco seasoning or cumin and chili powder
Salt and pepper
1 can Heinz/Bush beans
1 jar salsa
Cheese, sliced or grated
Flour tortillas
Mexican hot sauce – Chalula’s or Valentina’s
DIRECTIONS:

  1. Cut meat into bite sized pieces
  2. Season meat with salt and pepper. Begin cooking on griddle or pan.
  3. Once meat starts to cook, begin to fry onion. You can do this on the same griddle as the meat or a separate pan depending on your camping set up.
  4. Once onion starts to cook, add jalapeno and garlic to onion.
  5. Add red pepper to veggies. Salt and pepper vegetables.
  6. Season vegetables and meat with seasonings (taco seasoning or chili and cumin)
  7. While veggies and meat are cooking, heat beans.
  8. When everything is cooked, make your burritos. On a flour tortilla place your sliced cheese. Then add meat, veggie mix, beans and salsa. If you have grated cheese, sprinkle on top. Wrap and enjoy!

Homemade Pesto Pasta Dinner and Bocconcini Salad

by Julie

Basil PlantHello everyone,

As my garden grows bigger and bigger, I find myself facing some welcome problems  – how on earth am I going to use up all of these glorious vegetables?

Today, we’re looking at produce problem number 1: Basil

I have a beautiful pot of basil plants containing more basil then I could use in an average meal. So I decided that I needed to make something that requires mass quantities of basil. I chose to make pesto!

Pesto is so simple. Throw all ingredients in the food processor and  ZING! You have lovely, fresh, flavourful pesto! Surprisingly simple with basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil.

Fresh Pesto
Bocconcini

Additionally, I decided to make a tomato bocconcini salad. Garden tomato, bocconcini, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and of course basil, come together in this fresh and light salad. In the past, I have done this salad in kind of a mini sandwich form, layering each slice of tomato with a slice of large bocconcini and a leaf of basil. This time, I used smaller bocconcini and mixed it all together in a bowl. Delicious!

With some fresh pasta right from the farmer’s market, this meal was so flavourful and delicious!

You can’t beat fresh homemade pesto!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Artichoke FlowerDid you know that an artichoke will flower if you don’t pick it? Pictured left is an artichoke flower from my garden.

Click here to view printable Word version of recipe:
Pesto
Bocconcini Salad

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Pesto

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 cups fresh basil
1-2 cloves garlic
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup olive oil
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place basil, garlic and pine nuts in food processor and blend.
  2. Add salt and pepper. Drizzle oil into food processor while blending.
  3. Scoop out mixture into bowl. Add parmesan cheese and mix.

Pesto freezes wonderfully!

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Tomato Bocconcini Salad
(To view the plated version of this salad, click here)

INGREDIENTS:

Diced Tomatoes
Small Bocconcini, cut in half if they are too large
Chopped basil leaves
Garlic cloves, crushed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Toss all ingredients together in bowl