a hippie with a minivan

Cherry-Vanilla jam…

I am finally discovering the world of jam. I have always loved jam but in my memory jam was a labour intensive, long process that needed a whole day to make. I have come to my senses though and I am not afraid. Jam can be so easy to make and the results are so worth it!

I made a small batch, but you can adjust the recipe for whatever quantity because it isn’t really a recipe which is why it is so easy to make.

I forgot to take pics of the process… sorry

For this cherry-vanilla jam you need 4 ingredients. Cherries, lemon, sugar and a vanilla pod. (the vanilla is optional)

First, pit the cherries (I used about 2 lbs of cherries) and put in a heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pan. Roughly chop a bit more than half of them (or use a wand to puree a bit more than half of them to save on mess and time) Start cooking the cherries on medium-high heat. Add the rind and juice of a lemon. (The natural pectin will help gel the jam later and the sour will compliment the sweet)

Cook for about 20 min until the whole cherries are soft and cooked through.

Now, measure what you have and add 3/4ths of the amount of sugar. I had about 4 cups of cooked cherries so I added 3 cups of sugar… (or a little less since I was not preserving the jam and I like it a bit more tart)

Mix the sugar in and let cook until you have the right consistency. The more you cook the thicker it will be. Just before it is ready add the seeds of 1 vanilla pod. (this of course is optional but I love the flavour that vanilla adds to the jam)

Put in clean jars and either process or put in the fridge…

Enjoy…

On the move…

Just over 4 1/2 months old, Wilhelmina is changing so quickly…

It is amazing to think that we will soon have a crawling babe…

Kale chips

I finally got the grocery store near me to have Kale in their inventory. It is the only store around here that has it and I have a feeling that I am the only one that has been buying it, so to make sure that they keep on stocking it, I have been buying a lot and using it often. On Pizza it was great, but Kale chips have become a favourite around here… well… for Colin and I especially.

If you haven’t heard of Kale chips, well you are missing out on something. They are great for snacking on and their crunch is so satisfying. Colin, who at the moment is going through a bit of a picky phase tried them and has fallen in love with them. He cant get enough and has finished off a baking sheet full a few times now.

Of course, not only are they satisfying and delicious, they are also really easy to make.

Preheat oven at 350

To take off the Kale leaves from the stem, run your hand on the stem and pinch while pulling off the leaves, what you can pull off is what is tender enough to eat. Discard the rest.

Tear the larger leaves into bite sized pieces, but not too small, they will shrink while baking.

Wash and dry the leaves and then place in bowl and toss with 2 tbsp of olive oil and about a tsp of salt…

Place on baking sheet in a single layer (I use two sheets) and bake for about 15 min until dry and crisp but not burnt.

Enjoy 🙂

Simple veggie tomato soup…

I have a new toy in my kitchen… a brand new Cuisinart Elite food 12 cup processor. I have had an old cheaper food processor in my kitchen for about 8-9 years now and it was just not working out for me anymore. I was waiting for it to die but it wasn’t, even though it has been struggling through many recipes.

So I was dealing with it while I waited for a Cuisinart to come on special at Canadian Tire. I was still waiting when I decided to go check out Food Processors at “Home Sense” since I had a 100$ gift card for HBC stores. Instead of having the one that I had been looking at they only had the Elite models and I didn’t want to pay 340$ for a food processor even if I have 100$ off. We were heading to the mall anyway, so I decided to go though “The Bay” while we were there and to my luck, the Elite was on special at 249$, so with the 100$ gift card it was a great deal that I couldn’t pass up!

I am having so much fun with my new toy!

Tonight I wandered around in the kitchen wondering what to make for supper. Khéna said he wanted tomato soup so I got a bread in the oven and started on the soup.

I went to the fridge to see what I had on hand…

So in the food processor went 3 carrots (cut into thirds), two stalks of celery, a large onion (quartered), a half of a red pepper that I needed to use up, a full orange pepper (cut into large pieces), a few cloves of garlic, some parsley and a few green onions. I processed it until nearly puréed and then put it in my soup pot with a bit of olive oil and cooked it through.

Then, into the food processor, I added a can of whole tomatoes, a can of diced, and puréed that and then added it to the pot along with two cans of tomato paste, a bit of salt, 2 tsp of sugar, some garlic powder a tsp of powdered broth and a bit of oregano and let it simmer for about 45 min while the bread was baking.

When cooked through, and slightly thickened, I used the wand to make it smoother and it was done… So easy to make and so delicious…

A perfect creamy veggie tomato soup for a cool rainy day.

(served with fresh bread and a drizzle of cream that I had on hand)

Full day…

On Saturday, Simon, Willa and I went to Montreal for the day. Simon had a concert to go to in the evening and the boys wanted to go to the cabin so the two events coincided perfectly. My mom came and got the boys on Friday and Khéna was so excited that for nearly two hours before she got here, he was dressed and waiting in the stairs, ready to go.

She came and then left right after lunch, the boys faced beamed as they headed out. Though rain was on the forecast, I wasn’t worried at all that they would have a blast.

We had a quiet evening on Friday and then got up on Saturday bright and early.

Two weeks ago I had gotten a message on Facebook asking if I might be interested in giving a babywearing workshop at a great new store/café in Montreal called Melons et Clémentines. I called the owners and we arranged to meet on Saturday morning. What a great space that has been set up and what amazing people doing it! I am so happy to be able to get to know them and now I need to get my butt into action and get ready to give workshops on both EC and babywearing. It is not going to become a big source of income but it might bring in a few dollars and it will be a great opportunity to get to know some more amazing like minded moms.

Simon and I then went for lunch and then headed out to the talk on unschooling given by Sandra and Holly Dodd. I have to admit that I didn’t find it that amazing of a talk, I guess it was a bit basic and was a repeat of a lot of things that I had read in the past, but it was fun to see the usual faces in the crowd and be able meet others. I know that I say it often, but it is so refreshing to get together with like minded people. It not only makes us feel what we are doing is “normal” but it is also great to talk and get feedback from people that are living the same challenges, going through similar experiences, dealing with the same comments and internal struggles. It gives me a boost each time.

After the talk I brought Simon to the Metro so that he could head to his show and I headed out to the West Island to pick up Sushi at my favorite place and then brought it back to my friend Gen’s house to eat and hang out with her for the evening and we talked and shared until Simon called to say he was done and then I went and got him and then we headed home, arriving at about 1am…

We got up on Sunday morning, and headed out in the cold and the rain to go pick up the boys at the cabin…

Though we have to admit that it is a lot quieter in the house without them, I was really happy to see them again. Sometimes even just a day away makes me look at them in a different way and realize just how big they are really getting.