Memories of Skovakia

Today, I'm supposed to be in Slovakia. I had to cancel my flight due to a leg injury. I swear that I must have been an old jalopy in my last life because I am breaking down like one...one wheel at a time. 

So, because I'm not in Slovakia, I'm going to post pictures of recipes that I either made or had in restaurants or that I made here because they reminded me of Slovakia. 

This was my breakfast most days. 

Very simple and peasanty but also pretty and delicious.

You can't get this braided sheep cheese in North America so I ate it like it was going out of business.

We don't get such flavourful and monstrously huge grape tomatoes here, either. 

The produce was so much fresher, tastier and bigger than ours. Sometimes, I would just stand in the produce section sniffing the fabulous yield of beautiful fruits and vegetables, inhaling the scintillating  scents until I started getting worrying looks from the store employees.

I ate them until I developed two stomachs.

I encourage you to do the same.

(Eating them...not getting two stomachs)

I dream of kitchens day...

So, you've probably noticed by now that I haven't been posting much in the last little while. 
If you haven't (noticed) then I'm sure you had good reasons such as watching Wentworth on Netflix or training your poodle to tap dance.
I have a good reason for it. No, it's not laziness, although that's a good guess! Ha ha!
I had a bit of an accident and now my leg is in a cast. I can't walk much, let alone stand at the stove. Cooking is now left in the hands of the junior staff (hubby and son), and consists of all things "pre-cooked" and "frozen".
I do have some old recipes that I may post when my pain meds allow. I'm having a frightful time with these mind altering, mood swing-a-ling-ing narcotics. 
WOO! 
Seriously. 
I am not myself these days.
Some would say that's a good thing, but they would be wrong (and also a titch rude).
So, yeah....that's why I've been "off blog" as they say. Or do they? I think I'm just making that up.
Not that I imagine anyone is actually following me or cares, but it's nice to pretend, isn't it?
It's nice to ramble on like a professional rambler, with no one to say, "Oh, do shut up."
Hee hee.

So, because I can't cook, I am going to amuse myself with kitchen decor. 
Hopefully, I haven't posted these snaps before. If so, let me know. You can write to me care of: Buckingham Palace. Ha ha! See? That's the medication talking (writing).
But seriously, who cares if I've posted before? It's not like I can ever find my old blog posts. It takes forever trying to weed through them all. I wish there was a more efficient way of blogging here but there isn't because it's free. 

Okay. Enough kvetching. On we go, my chums....

My first dream kitchen:
Sort of.
What I am not sure of is that if I were to use those counters around the seating area for prep work, would I not at some point spill food (tomato juice, meat fat, boiling liquid) off the counter and onto the cushions and seats? Or worse: into someone's lap?
Knowing me, that is precisely what I would do. 
Kitchen designers need to keep that in mind when creating these innocent looking dream spaces. That klutzy people like me exist. 
On the other hand, the counter space would be perfect for a buffet style meal... everything right at your finger tips. You wouldn't need to stand to reach bottle of wine, for instance.
I don't know about you but the more I know I "can't" have something (in my case, let's call it "wine"), the more I crave it. 
Stupid brain.
Stupid broken leg.
But anyhoo....
While I do like to have a gaggle of girlfriends around while I'm preparing dinner, I'm not sure I would want more formal guests (people such as your boss and his wife) watching my every move and mistake. Do I want the boss's wife to see that I need a drink to calm my nerves or that I reuse meat that falls onto the floor? No, I do not. 
Okay, you can wipe away your look of horror. We all do it. Those who say they don't are just liars. 
Also, cat hair hasn't killed anyone yet.
Ha ha!
Lighten up, will you?
Jeeeez...

I love the rustic "enchanted forest" feeling of the counter top, but not sold on whether it goes with the back splash brick tile. I feel like the designer got lazy and didn't want to make any effort beyond the counter and the floor tiles. That kind of attitude makes me want to take him (or her) and give their ear a flick. Is that violent? I mean, it wouldn't be a hard flick. Nothing would be broken. I just want a firm message sent to them, is all.

Two things I like (aside from winning lottery tickets, which I never do):
1) Islands (preferably in the Caribbean)
2) White, bright, light, clean spaces.
Although if I had this kitchen, it wouldn't stay clean for long.
It had to be said.

Okay, I know I said I liked white kitchens, but (at the risk of sounding like Eve, in "The Three Faces of Eve"), I also love colourful cabinets. 
Like these.
Something about them screams "soothing", which is likely why all mental health wards back in the day were painted this colour. ;)

There is nothing I don't like about this kitchen except the fact that it is not mine.

This is something one sees mostly in Europe and as a practicing European, I like it.
I love the benches. It's very Tyrolean Alps-ish and cozy. I would make my own colourful cushions...cushions that my buttocks would feel friendly towards. 
Since my accident, I have lost all of my buttock fat (can you imagine? It's all moved around to the stomach area!) which makes long sits painful. 
So, the only way I could sit in this very kitchen is to use both of those blue chair cushions and then what would everyone else do?
Exactly! 
I don't care, is the correct answer. 

This is my kitchen. It is a work in progress. 
Several years ago, the hubby (at my command) removed a whole bunch of cabinets with the giddy anticipation that we would actually renovate the room.
Due to unfortunate life circumstances--money shortage, laziness, procrastination-- we have done the square root of zero since.
If he (hubby) could just paint those hideous brown cabinets white, I would be a far happier person but clearly, he prefers the grumpy me. 

Well, that's it for now.
I'm starting to feel woozy.
It's time for me to ring a bell for my nurse.
Ha ha!
As if...

I want this cutting board!

GeeGee Presents: How to Have a Good Morning (3 Easy Steps)

My Tips (feel free to use or ignore, but don't say I didn't warn you).

1) Never walk between two cedar trees first thing in the morning without looking carefully unless you want to be picking an entire spider web (with spider and its breakfast buffet still attached) from your face.

2) Never pick up a damp towel from the back deck railing and shake it in a manner that will have earwigs flying onto your arm (gaaaaag!) and remaining attached to you no matter how much you seizure from the sheer horror of it. 

3) Never answer your door when you see the men in black suits with brief cases and religious tracts coming up your driveway.

4) (and this is purely optional) Delay getting out of bed for as long as you can.

Because I foolishly did get out of bed, I suffered the consequences of 1, 2 & 3. 

How I eventually got my day back on track was with a hearty breakfast followed by a slurpalicious lunch and finished off with a delightful supper that made my stomach sing instead of growl. Oh, and half a bottle of wine did the trick, too. Side note: Why is it that our stomachs growl most when we are in public and specifically in a quiet waiting room at the doctor's office or during a serious board room meeting with super serious people siting around the table (based on a true story)? Never mind. It's a mystery that will never be solved.

Loaded (Everything but the kitchen sink) Nachos

Last night, it was awfully cold here and I wasn't in the mood for a traditional dinner and I was craving something warm and warmth-inducing, so...HELLO NACHOS!
Fortunately, my company did not mind.
Unfortunately, I was busy cooking up some other appetizers and my hubby took the pictures for me, which is why they're not great.
But, you can still get the general gist of the ridiculously delicious nachos

I've never made nachos the same way or with the same ingredients or the same brand of ingredients, but that's what makes them the opposite of boring, am I right?
I think I'm right.
This time I used good gourmet quality nacho chips instead of the regular cheap popular brands (I won't name names in case they sue me).
I also used a deli brand jar of jalapenos which are spicy but not as ass burning spicy as fresh raw jalapenos. I was going to post a picture of them but then I thought, what if people reading this don't live in my area and can't buy them where they are?
So, what I recommend is that you give all the jalapenos a try and see which ones you like best.
For that matter, give all hot peppers a try. Sometimes, I use other Mexican peppers to try something new.
Life is short, chums.
Eat hot peppers until you can't.

INGREDIENTS:

• Good quality nacho chips
• Kraft (brand name) Habanero cheese (pictured below)

If you can't get this cheese, don't stress. Any cheese will do. If there's one thing I have learned in life (other than using nail polish to keep pantyhose rips from spreading) is that there is no such thing as a bad cheese.
Unless you've let that cheese sit in the glove box of your car for three days during a July heat wave.

• Jalapenos
• Salsa
• Black beans
• Corn
• Sour cream
• Green onions, chopped.
• Ground beef  (fried in oil with chopped garlic, chopped red onions, cumin powder, chili powder, paprika, onion salt, black pepper)
• Grape tomatoes, chopped in half.

I took a large glass pie plate and arranged one layer of nacho chips upon which I put shredded cheese, jalapenos, salsa and green onions. I then added another layer and added more jalapenos, ground beef, more green peppers, black beans, corn and grape tomatoes. I baked it in the oven on 400F until the cheese was melted and the nachos looked a little brown (but not burnt!).

After taking it out of the oven, I added sour cream on top.

It was positively and undeniably edible.

And made my saliva run as I was serving it to my guests.

Just goes to show you that meals don't have to be traditional to be appreciated by your belly or the bellies of your friends.

Sassy Slurpy Summer Salad

This is such an easy, quick, colourful salad. 

It tastes fresh and fruity and exotic at the same time.

But, while it is simple, it is not boring.

You can use whatever fixings you want...the super star of this salad is the dressing.

If you want to impress your friends at the next pot luck, then this is the salad for you.

Trust me. 

INGREDIENTS: (You can omit things you don't like)

1. Corn...the recipe calls for you to roast your corn and then shave the kernels off. 
It adds a smokiness that I like, but if you're tired or lazy, feel free to pop open a can of corn.

2.  Black beans...I used canned. Rinsed and drained. About half a can but it's up to you.

3.  Avocado....one, chopped or sliced.

4.  Red onion...I used a third of a medium onion. Sometimes I use chopped Scallion.

5.  Roasted bell peppers...I've made it with and without roasting peppers in oven and I prefer the roasted. I put them in the oven on high heat for about 10 minutes, until they soften. (pictured below)

6.  English cucumber...I used one, sliced up. It doesn't matter how.

7.  Tomatoes...I chopped up one whole medium sized tomato, but sometimes I use grape/cherry tomatoes.

8. Cilantro...just a few leaves, sprinkled about. Or a lot of leaves if you love it.

THE SALAD DRESSING:

• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice (or bottled, but fresh tastes better)
• 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice (read above)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 small clove garlic, chopped (I used a large clove and it tasted strong and good but the taste stayed in my mouth and was oozing out of my pores for days).
• salt and fresh ground pepper

It doesn't matter how you layer. Sometimes I put it on a platter and arrange it differently. Feel free to be the mad scientist I know you can be.

Just pour the dressing over the salad and toss.

Voila!

How to keep your meat fresh in the freezer.

Nothing excites me more than learning a new trick (aside from a glass of good wine), and if you want to learn something new, click on the site below:

http://www.littlethings.com/bucket-of-water-vacuum-seal/?utm_source=LTts&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=NVcomment

But, do not keep this meat in the freezer for a long time because it could also be hazardous to your health according to this site:

http://readynutrition.com/resources/vacuum-sealing-can-be-hazardous-to-your-health_12022013/