Fake Lasagne
This recipe only requires 10 minutes of preparation and then into the oven it goes for 50 minutes. This gives you lots of time to get settled at home after work, help the kids with homework or just put your feet up and wait for the timer to announce that dinner is ready. I usually serve this with a salad or bread.
This is also one of the first recipes my teen-agers learned to cook as it is easy and the results are very impressive. Don’t forget to teach your kids to cook and get comfortable in the kitchen. Turning groceries into a meal is a very important life lesson.
Cost of this meal is about $12 and there is plenty for 5 people (cost of fast food for a family of 5 - $38)
675g lean ground beef
1 small onion
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 cup salsa
½ cup each of grated cheddar cheese and grated mozzarella cheese
12 pieces of oven ready lasagne noodles
2/3 cup of water
More cheese as topping
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Brown meat in a tablespoon of Canola oil at medium heat and add the chopped onion. Brown for a few minutes until meat is no longer pink. Add the can of chilies, the soup, salsa and cheeses and stir until well blended.
Layer in a rectangular lasagne pan in this order, 1/3 lasagne noodles and 1/3 sauce. Do this 2 more times. Drizzle water all over and top with more grated cheese if you wish.
Cover tightly with foil and bake in hot oven. Set timer for 50 minutes. When done, take it out of the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
You can contact me at ullameredith@gmail.com if you have any comments or questions.
Friday, 11 November 2011
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Buying Canadian made when possible
It takes awhile to get used to asking the question “is this made in Canada”? and I forgot several times and only thought of it after I had left the store.
I was sitting at the Quick Lube in Okotoks when I remembered my Canada First commitment and asked the guy if this was a Canadian or an American franchise. To my surprise it was not only a Canadian owned business but not a franchise. The oil filter was made in Mexico and the attendant didn’t know where the oil came from but I certainly hope that it is local! How much of the oil from the Fort McMurray area stays in Canada and how much is exported? I don’t know anything about engine oil but considering how many vehicles are on the roads there must be a lot of oil changes happening every day. Is there an engine oil on the market with local oil and how would I know? Maybe we should develop a brand of engine oil called “Canada First Lube” so there will be no guessing where it is from.
A lot of my groceries are already fairly local but wanted to check out some of the other items we use on a regular basis. I found we have two kinds of tooth paste in the house, one made in Canada and one made in the US. The same goes for deodorant and shampoo, Canadian made products are easy to find you just have to get used to pick up an item and look at the label to see where it is made. I didn’t experience any problems with quality so I will continue to choose Canadian made when I can.
Would it hurt our economy if we all started to buy Canadian when possible? Do we sell a lot more to the United States than we import? Considering the difference in the size of our countries I guess it would be logical to assume that we sell more than we import but is that true?
I also purchased four new tires last week but I don’t think they are made in Canada but I bought them at Canadian Tire – does that count?
If you have answers to my questions, please e-mail me at ullameredith@gmail.com
I was sitting at the Quick Lube in Okotoks when I remembered my Canada First commitment and asked the guy if this was a Canadian or an American franchise. To my surprise it was not only a Canadian owned business but not a franchise. The oil filter was made in Mexico and the attendant didn’t know where the oil came from but I certainly hope that it is local! How much of the oil from the Fort McMurray area stays in Canada and how much is exported? I don’t know anything about engine oil but considering how many vehicles are on the roads there must be a lot of oil changes happening every day. Is there an engine oil on the market with local oil and how would I know? Maybe we should develop a brand of engine oil called “Canada First Lube” so there will be no guessing where it is from.
A lot of my groceries are already fairly local but wanted to check out some of the other items we use on a regular basis. I found we have two kinds of tooth paste in the house, one made in Canada and one made in the US. The same goes for deodorant and shampoo, Canadian made products are easy to find you just have to get used to pick up an item and look at the label to see where it is made. I didn’t experience any problems with quality so I will continue to choose Canadian made when I can.
Would it hurt our economy if we all started to buy Canadian when possible? Do we sell a lot more to the United States than we import? Considering the difference in the size of our countries I guess it would be logical to assume that we sell more than we import but is that true?
I also purchased four new tires last week but I don’t think they are made in Canada but I bought them at Canadian Tire – does that count?
If you have answers to my questions, please e-mail me at ullameredith@gmail.com
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Canada First!
I have been trying to be a locavore for awhile now and I guess the desire to eat and shop locally is now expanding into trying to support our economy. Maybe it is just a natural progression to expand the local from my community to my country.
Definition of a locavore: “Someone who exclusively (or at least primarily) eats foods from their local or regional foodshed or a determined radius from their home (commonly either 100 or 250 miles, depending on location). By eating locally, most locavores hope to create a greater connection between themselves and their food sources, resist industrialized and processed foods, and support their local economy. The majority of locavores do not give themselves a strict radius from which to eat, but instead buy as much of their food as they can from farmers, growers, and sellers with whom they have a relationship or whose growing or producing practices appeal they want to support.
Many locavores give themselves several exceptions to their local diet. Commonly excluded items include coffee, chocolate, salt, and/or spices - although locavores tend to try and find local coffee roasters, chocolate producers, and spice importers when they can”.
That is the starting point of thoughtful consumption – to buy local when I can.
I chose local food for freshness reasons but I also shop locally because it sustains the town I live in. I have been reading about Darren Barefoot who is spending a year living Canadian – he buys, eats and consume only Canadian products and services which I think is fascinating as I can see the potential for developing more Canadian products. Thoughtful Consumption means thinking of the origin of the product before buying it and trying to source a local item instead.
What if we had a pool of one million people who were committed to buying Canadian products first? Maybe more companies would be interested in trying to develop and launch products if there was a ready and willing pool of customers and an easy way to contact them. Imagine a registry of Canada First consumers, how about it? Every grocery store would have a local section with all the products kept together to make it easier for the consumer to find the products. If the demand is there the retailer will participate.
So while I wait for one million “Canada First” consumers to sign up on my blog I will try to live as Canadian as I can for the next month.
I will only listen to Canadian music which shouldn’t be difficult as I have all of Leonard Cohen’s music on my i-pod. I also love Jann Arden and Paul Brandt and there is a long list of Canadian artists like Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Sarah McLachlan.
Canadian Television is harder to find but I love HGTV and there are several Canadian hosts like Mike Holmes and Debbie Travis. I can watch Canadian news, cooking shows with Michael Smith and Linda Olson, Rick Mercer Report and of course there is my beloved CBC Radio.
Canadian authors are plentiful and maybe I will discover new authors just because they are local.
I have already sourced lots of local food and I can get red and white wine from Creston, BC. There is lots of local beer in Calgary and I especially love Wild Rose Brewery and they have great food too.
First challenge will be tires for my car – are there any still made in Canada?
Definition of a locavore: “Someone who exclusively (or at least primarily) eats foods from their local or regional foodshed or a determined radius from their home (commonly either 100 or 250 miles, depending on location). By eating locally, most locavores hope to create a greater connection between themselves and their food sources, resist industrialized and processed foods, and support their local economy. The majority of locavores do not give themselves a strict radius from which to eat, but instead buy as much of their food as they can from farmers, growers, and sellers with whom they have a relationship or whose growing or producing practices appeal they want to support.
Many locavores give themselves several exceptions to their local diet. Commonly excluded items include coffee, chocolate, salt, and/or spices - although locavores tend to try and find local coffee roasters, chocolate producers, and spice importers when they can”.
That is the starting point of thoughtful consumption – to buy local when I can.
I chose local food for freshness reasons but I also shop locally because it sustains the town I live in. I have been reading about Darren Barefoot who is spending a year living Canadian – he buys, eats and consume only Canadian products and services which I think is fascinating as I can see the potential for developing more Canadian products. Thoughtful Consumption means thinking of the origin of the product before buying it and trying to source a local item instead.
What if we had a pool of one million people who were committed to buying Canadian products first? Maybe more companies would be interested in trying to develop and launch products if there was a ready and willing pool of customers and an easy way to contact them. Imagine a registry of Canada First consumers, how about it? Every grocery store would have a local section with all the products kept together to make it easier for the consumer to find the products. If the demand is there the retailer will participate.
So while I wait for one million “Canada First” consumers to sign up on my blog I will try to live as Canadian as I can for the next month.
I will only listen to Canadian music which shouldn’t be difficult as I have all of Leonard Cohen’s music on my i-pod. I also love Jann Arden and Paul Brandt and there is a long list of Canadian artists like Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Sarah McLachlan.
Canadian Television is harder to find but I love HGTV and there are several Canadian hosts like Mike Holmes and Debbie Travis. I can watch Canadian news, cooking shows with Michael Smith and Linda Olson, Rick Mercer Report and of course there is my beloved CBC Radio.
Canadian authors are plentiful and maybe I will discover new authors just because they are local.
I have already sourced lots of local food and I can get red and white wine from Creston, BC. There is lots of local beer in Calgary and I especially love Wild Rose Brewery and they have great food too.
First challenge will be tires for my car – are there any still made in Canada?
Sunday, 2 October 2011
The Wealthy Barber Returns
I read David Chilton’s first book “The Wealthy Barber” several years ago and I loved his story with the simple message that you must pay yourself first. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST SAVE 10% OF WHAT YOU EARN - it must be a priority and be the first thing you do when you get paid.
Mr. Chilton’s second book “The Wealthy Barber Returns” is now out and I just finished reading it and it is very good. I found it very informative and I love the humor he injects into this serious financial subject. He starts out by saying that the reason it is so difficult to save is because no one really wants you to which is very true. Almost everyone wants you to spend as much as possible. Your kids, your friends who have weddings in Mexico (remember when everyone’s reception was in a community hall?)” and even real estate agents and mortgage brokers will always ask you how much you qualify for, as if that should determine how much house you buy.
One of the biggest threats to our financial well being is the easy access to lines of credit which are secured by our homes. It undermines our finances as we continue to spend and will never get our home paid off. This becomes an issue later when we start to contemplate working less which we won’t be able to afford, as we now have to pay off the line of credit when we sell the house.
He continues to say that “we want what we already have” but now newer, bigger and fancier which means we will never be satisfied – think houses, cars, appliances, televisions.
Keeping up with the Joneses used to mean that everyone in the same neighborhood wanted the same things. Nowadays friendships are less likely to be anchored in neighborhoods as your friends come from a larger circle like the gym, work, kids school etc. We’re now exposed to the spending habits of people across a much wider income range. We hitch rides in their fancy cars, we marvel at their exotic vacations and are in awe of their son's new $500 hockey stick. It’s hard to overstate the impact that our ‘reference group’ have on our spending decisions. Their lifestyles intoxicate us and with easy credit available it leads us to act richer than we are.
Mr. Chilton suggests that “it’s cheaper to drag your friends down to your level than for you to raise to theirs”. Try saying “I can’t afford it” more often and you might find your friends quickly agreeing that they can’t either!
Mr. Chilton’s second book “The Wealthy Barber Returns” is now out and I just finished reading it and it is very good. I found it very informative and I love the humor he injects into this serious financial subject. He starts out by saying that the reason it is so difficult to save is because no one really wants you to which is very true. Almost everyone wants you to spend as much as possible. Your kids, your friends who have weddings in Mexico (remember when everyone’s reception was in a community hall?)” and even real estate agents and mortgage brokers will always ask you how much you qualify for, as if that should determine how much house you buy.
One of the biggest threats to our financial well being is the easy access to lines of credit which are secured by our homes. It undermines our finances as we continue to spend and will never get our home paid off. This becomes an issue later when we start to contemplate working less which we won’t be able to afford, as we now have to pay off the line of credit when we sell the house.
He continues to say that “we want what we already have” but now newer, bigger and fancier which means we will never be satisfied – think houses, cars, appliances, televisions.
Keeping up with the Joneses used to mean that everyone in the same neighborhood wanted the same things. Nowadays friendships are less likely to be anchored in neighborhoods as your friends come from a larger circle like the gym, work, kids school etc. We’re now exposed to the spending habits of people across a much wider income range. We hitch rides in their fancy cars, we marvel at their exotic vacations and are in awe of their son's new $500 hockey stick. It’s hard to overstate the impact that our ‘reference group’ have on our spending decisions. Their lifestyles intoxicate us and with easy credit available it leads us to act richer than we are.
Mr. Chilton suggests that “it’s cheaper to drag your friends down to your level than for you to raise to theirs”. Try saying “I can’t afford it” more often and you might find your friends quickly agreeing that they can’t either!
Monday, 26 September 2011
The Humble Apple
There’s apples everywhere right now and since my freezer is full of apple sauce I have to use them in other ways. I spent a few minutes on the internet researching the health benefits of apples and there is lots of information available.
Apples are the cheapest among fruits and the healthiest too and are available all year long. Eating apples helps prevent several kinds of cancer, lowers cholesterol, aids in weight loss and is packed full of vitamins. A Danish article states the apple is a vitamin bomb and suggests that “eating three apples a day will keep the weight away”.
I bought a large bag of beautiful Gala apples from BC and since I am not a big fan of apple pie I found many other great ways of using apples. The Apple & cinnamon upside-down pancake is a mouth watering dish to make on a week-end morning. The smell of baked apples and cinnamon will have everyone sitting at your table waiting for the cake to come out of the oven.
Apple & cinnamon upside-down pancake
I made this for breakfast on Sunday morning and served it with crisp bacon.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
2/3 cup flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
½ cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large apples – I used Gala
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
3 tbsp. butter
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9 inch non stick cake pan.
Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl, stirring well. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Mix into the dry ingredients until just combined. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and core the apples and cut into wedges. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the apples.
Add the cinnamon to the sugar and mix well. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples, stirring to coat them well.
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a medium sized non-stick frying pan. Arrange the apples over the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle any leftover sugar mixture over the apples. Cook the apples until the sugar has melted and the liquid becomes a little syrupy, about 3 minutes.
Arrange the apple wedges decoratively around the bottom of the buttered cake pan. Pour any remaining syrup in the frying pan over the apples. Spoon the batter over the apples and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the top is just beginning to turn golden and the centre is firm to the touch.
Immediately run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto a plate . Carefully remove the cake pan from the plate using a knife to replace any fruit that is stuck to the bottom.
Serve with maple syrup or vanilla ice cream.
Apples are the cheapest among fruits and the healthiest too and are available all year long. Eating apples helps prevent several kinds of cancer, lowers cholesterol, aids in weight loss and is packed full of vitamins. A Danish article states the apple is a vitamin bomb and suggests that “eating three apples a day will keep the weight away”.
I bought a large bag of beautiful Gala apples from BC and since I am not a big fan of apple pie I found many other great ways of using apples. The Apple & cinnamon upside-down pancake is a mouth watering dish to make on a week-end morning. The smell of baked apples and cinnamon will have everyone sitting at your table waiting for the cake to come out of the oven.
Apple & cinnamon upside-down pancake
I made this for breakfast on Sunday morning and served it with crisp bacon.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
2/3 cup flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
½ cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large apples – I used Gala
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
3 tbsp. butter
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9 inch non stick cake pan.
Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl, stirring well. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Mix into the dry ingredients until just combined. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and core the apples and cut into wedges. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the apples.
Add the cinnamon to the sugar and mix well. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples, stirring to coat them well.
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a medium sized non-stick frying pan. Arrange the apples over the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle any leftover sugar mixture over the apples. Cook the apples until the sugar has melted and the liquid becomes a little syrupy, about 3 minutes.
Arrange the apple wedges decoratively around the bottom of the buttered cake pan. Pour any remaining syrup in the frying pan over the apples. Spoon the batter over the apples and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the top is just beginning to turn golden and the centre is firm to the touch.
Immediately run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto a plate . Carefully remove the cake pan from the plate using a knife to replace any fruit that is stuck to the bottom.
Serve with maple syrup or vanilla ice cream.
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
‘Thrift’ is not a dirty word
While wrapping a birthday present in the colored comics I save from the Sunday newspaper, a friend called me thrifty and I said “thank you”. It really didn’t sound like a compliment but I took it as one as I take pride in spending less, saving more and wasting less.
The definition of thrift is “the careful management of money” and it does not mean that I am cheap, it just means that I think carefully about what I buy and I make sure I get value for my money. It also means that if I save more I can decide where to spend more and for me being able to take a trip every year is worth being thrifty the rest of the time.
The reason I wrap presents in comics is not that I don’t have money for proper gift wrap or that I am cheap (or stingy or miserly) I just dislike buying something that is immediately thrown out once the gift if unwrapped. Sometimes I attach a $5 bill to a gift instead of a Hallmark card. When the kids were younger we had them make cards which worked well but since I have no talents in that regard I stick with cash.
When it comes to food, there is often a relationship between value and healthier choices – buying raw materials are cheaper than pre-packaged food and are usually lower in calories, fat and salt. GST is also an indication of how you spend your money in the grocery store as tax only applies to processed foods. There is no tax on vegetables, fruit, milk, bread and meat.
“Thrift is the proper stewardship of all resources. Time, money, goods and the earth’s finite bounty” as per Jane MacDougall
The definition of thrift is “the careful management of money” and it does not mean that I am cheap, it just means that I think carefully about what I buy and I make sure I get value for my money. It also means that if I save more I can decide where to spend more and for me being able to take a trip every year is worth being thrifty the rest of the time.
The reason I wrap presents in comics is not that I don’t have money for proper gift wrap or that I am cheap (or stingy or miserly) I just dislike buying something that is immediately thrown out once the gift if unwrapped. Sometimes I attach a $5 bill to a gift instead of a Hallmark card. When the kids were younger we had them make cards which worked well but since I have no talents in that regard I stick with cash.
When it comes to food, there is often a relationship between value and healthier choices – buying raw materials are cheaper than pre-packaged food and are usually lower in calories, fat and salt. GST is also an indication of how you spend your money in the grocery store as tax only applies to processed foods. There is no tax on vegetables, fruit, milk, bread and meat.
“Thrift is the proper stewardship of all resources. Time, money, goods and the earth’s finite bounty” as per Jane MacDougall
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Fallen Fruit Rescue Society
I read with great interest in the Calgary Herald about Adrian Buckley who started the Fallen Fruit Rescue Society after he noticed all the fallen fruit left unused in yards this time of year. He came up with a great idea of contacting the homeowners who obviously didn’t want the fruit and asked permission to come harvest the fruit. The Calgary Urban Harvest Project now has 700 homes registered in Calgary and volunteers go and harvest the fruit. One third goes to the home owner (if they want it), one third to the Food Bank and one third to the volunteers. What a great idea and this can be done anywhere.
Mr. Buckley says “I am dedicating my life to a society where things don’t get wasted” and I certainly recognize this desire as I have been trying very hard to cut down on our waste. Reading the book “American Wasteland” by Jonathan Bloom pointed out how terribly wasteful our society is and how we need to think about what we throw out.
So if you don’t have a garden find someone who does and offer to help in exchange for fresh produce. I found several apples trees and I have been making apple sauce every day last week and is now definitely going to have to buy a small freezer to store all the fresh fruit I now have.
I have perfected apple sauce during the last two weeks. I quickly rinse and de-stem the fruit and throw about 8 pounds in a large pot with 3 cups of water and 2 cinnamon sticks. Let it simmer for an hour, stirring frequently and enjoy the wonderful smell of apples and cinnamon which will fill your house. Add 5 table spoons of sugar and mash it through a sieve, pack 3 cups in a freezer bag and store flattened in your freezer.
I use apple sauce in porridge, warmed up on pancakes and serve it with pork dishes. Apple sauce is also a great snack with a couple of table spoons of vanilla yogurt.
If you have any comments or questions, contact me at ullameredith@gmail.com
Mr. Buckley says “I am dedicating my life to a society where things don’t get wasted” and I certainly recognize this desire as I have been trying very hard to cut down on our waste. Reading the book “American Wasteland” by Jonathan Bloom pointed out how terribly wasteful our society is and how we need to think about what we throw out.
So if you don’t have a garden find someone who does and offer to help in exchange for fresh produce. I found several apples trees and I have been making apple sauce every day last week and is now definitely going to have to buy a small freezer to store all the fresh fruit I now have.
I have perfected apple sauce during the last two weeks. I quickly rinse and de-stem the fruit and throw about 8 pounds in a large pot with 3 cups of water and 2 cinnamon sticks. Let it simmer for an hour, stirring frequently and enjoy the wonderful smell of apples and cinnamon which will fill your house. Add 5 table spoons of sugar and mash it through a sieve, pack 3 cups in a freezer bag and store flattened in your freezer.
I use apple sauce in porridge, warmed up on pancakes and serve it with pork dishes. Apple sauce is also a great snack with a couple of table spoons of vanilla yogurt.
If you have any comments or questions, contact me at ullameredith@gmail.com
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