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Lazy Cabbage Rolls

Growing up I use to spend hours watching my Mom cook, I was even allowed to help! It didn’t matter what she was whipping up I was enthusiastically welcomed to help. I think she instilled my love of cooking into me at an early age. The kitchen was the one place my Mom was relaxed and at ease.

My Mom made many different meals but one of my personal favorites was always cabbage rolls. Tonight I had a craving for some cabbage rolls but didn’t have the time to make the labour intensive recipe so I did the next best thing! Lazy cabbage rolls, aka unstuffed cabbage rolls, aka cabbage casserole, aka inside out cabbage rolls! Whatever you wish to call them they are tasty, quick, and cost effective!

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef, ground turkey, or veggie ground round
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 cans of tomato soup
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 small cabbage chopped (5/6 cups)
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups water
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
In a large skillet Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add in ground beef and cook until throughly browned.

Once the beef is well browned add in tomatoes, soup, rice, spices and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add in the cabbage and water, stir to combine, cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until cabbage reaches desired consistency.

This dish has a very comfort food feel to me yet is quiet healthy. Mom always serves cabbage rolls with fresh white bread and butter to tone down the health factor 😉

Enjoy!!

Homemade Pesto

Aug18

So my garden has blessed me with an abundance of basil this Summer. In fact I have three varieties! I love basil but Kevin hates it! So tonight after he left for work I decided to whip up a batch of pesto to toss in the freezer for future use.

I like to freeze my pesto in an ice cube tray then transfer to a freezer bag for storage. This method makes it easy for me to pull out as much or as little as I need.

Ingredients
4 cups of fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
Pinch of sea salt
2 cloves of garlic

Method
I like to put the garlic through the food processor first and then add in the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth.

*note* I like to toast the pine nuts before I process them. This can be done in a couple of ways. These are pricey little nuts so be careful not to burn them! I just toast mine in my little non stick fry pan but in the oven would also work.

~As I mentioned pine nuts are very pricey so feel free to use walnuts or any other nut. I’ve made walnut pesto and it to was delicious.

This pesto is fabulous on pasta, chicken, vegetable, etc.

Homemade Tater Tots

Aug17

So as you know I like to try to eat healthy as often as possible. To me eating healthy doesn’t just mean eating lots of fruits and veggies. Eating healthy means cooking at home and knowing what’s in my food. I often cringe when I read labels and realize despite my wide knowledge of health, food, ingredients I often have no idea what the heck some of those unpronounceable additives are!!!

Whenever possible I like to make things from scratch and when hubby said he was craving tater tots I figured why not give home made a try!! These little tater gems of yumminess turned out better then I could have ever hoped for! They are quick, easy , and much healthier then their store bought companions!

Ingredients
3 cups of shredded potatoes (I used simply potatoes but frozen hash brown shreds or hand shredded would be fine)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (any shredded cheese will work)
1/4 finely chopped onion
12 crushed soda crackers
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Method
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. I used my hands to make sure everything was well incorporated.

Spray a mini muffin tin very well with cooking spray and pack a scoop into each muffin hole. This recipe makes 24 exactly. Conveniently that’s how many holes was on my muffin tin 😉

Bake in preheated oven 425 degree oven for 30 minutes.

After removing from the oven I ran a butter knife around each tot to make removal from the pan a little easier.

These little treats are delicious and come out of the oven nice and crispy! I served them for breakfast with egg muffins in place of hash-brown. I think these would make a perfect side dish for any meal!

I promise they are quick and easy, give them a try!

Rustic Camping At Blue Lake Resort

Aug12

Despite popular believe amongst my friends I am in fact a country girl at heart! I grew up on a farm and dirt & mud don’t phase me. Of course I don’t deny enjoying the finer things in life like my Lululemon collection, white tipped gel nails, pedicures, wine, and fancy hotel stays on our vacations! This however doesn’t mean I don’t know how to camp! I can and have stayed in a tent on many adventures. This past weekend Kevin and I decided to sneak away for a little rustic camping experience of our own!!

On Thursday afternoon we packed up Kiana (yes our car has a name, don’t judge) and headed up to Boston Bar BC.

As you can see Muffin and I were very pleased by this!!! After a brief stop at our favorite diner in Hope and a couple hours of driving we arrived at Blue lake resort and checked into their Eco cabin!!!

The Eco cabin doesn’t have a whole lot of visual appeal but what it lacks in that department it makes up for in privacy and amazing mountain views!!

The interior of cabin is much less rustic and I was intrigued to know that all the building materials in this cabin were reused from other projects! Of course there is no power or running water, so city girls need not apply! Inside the cabin was a cozy bed, dining table, futon, wood stove and dishes for two!! Oh and a composting toilet on the covered deck! Very handy if you want to avoid the 1/3 km walk to get to the actual bathroom at the general store and the 1/3 km walk back to the cabin!!!

Once we unpacked and set up our temporary weekend home we trekked down to the lake. The lake is gorgeous and was the perfect temperature for swimming and relaxing on hot summer days. Apparently the fishing is decent as well.

After our walk we headed back to the cabin to make dinner and watch the sunset. The view off the cabin deck was priceless. The stars were plentiful and Kevin and I sat out there for hours talking. Unfortunately the area is under a campfire ban but we found other ways to pass the time!!

I will be honest with you and tell you the Eco cabin isn’t for the faint of heart! It is located at the opposite end of the resort from everything else. Privacy aplenty! Meaning more wildlife, more darkness, and more unidentifiable noises!! Oh and bats!!! The whole weekend was insanely hot and I spent a good portion of the time in a bra or bathing suit. I learned quickly that if you sport your super sexy headlamp bats will swoop at you on the deck to catch the Mosquitos the light attracts! This in turn leads to panic.

I should also tell you that the abundant wildlife includes a super cute pack rat that likes to work all night as soon as the lights go down! By work I mean make a lot of noise running through the walls and roof of the cabin. I was in panic mode for a few hours thinking there were critters inside with us but I learned thanks to my spy skills the cabin was in fact wildlife free. Well unless you count Muffin as ferocious wildlife.

But seriously I can tell you nothing except a few bees got inside the cabin with us. I can tell you this because I left a snack out for any visitors and it wasn’t touched all weekend!! Our covered deck was another story!! Of course it is doorless so it’s pretty much free territory! We had a lizard visit us while we ate lunch and later in the evening the worlds biggest beetle.

It was indeed an adventure!

The resort boasts some amazing walks and hikes. We took in the sights of the beautiful waterfall hike and the other easier trails before conquering the big mountain hike!

On our first hike we discovered the area is home to millions of tiny frogs and snakes. The frogs amused me for hours.

My favorite adventure of the trip was the hike up to the lookout point high above the lake. The hike itself is fairly intense and quite an elevation gain but well worth it. It proved to be a great workout in the midday heat. The view at the top is rewarding and stunning. It really puts into perspective how small and insignificant we are in comparison to the vastness of the mountains.

Once we were back on flat ground we spent most of our day in the lake. The swim out docks provided hours of tanning and relaxation. The lake was amazing. The views were breath taking and the quiet time alone with my husband was perfection. I was thankful for every minute.

In all it was a fantastic weekend. The resort itself has many other less rustic cabins and a large lodge, all of which looked appealing on the outside. They also have many camper/ tenting sites. They offer boat rentals, have shower/ laundry facilities and a well stocked store incase you forget something. The resort has a few areas that could use some TLC but it is a work in progress and I’d definitely return! The staff were all very friendly and helpful. That atmosphere among the campers was upbeat and everyone seemed happy to interact with everyone else.
It isn’t a five star hotel my friends but it is a great little resort with a homey feeling and lots to see and do!

I can honestly tell you I have really realized a lot about who I am and about my life since I’ve gotten sick and watched my brothers health fail. I think what’s hit me the most is the realization that if you can do it now, do it now because tomorrow you might not have that luxury!!! Whether its staying in a rustic cabin, conquering a fear, swimming halfway across a lake or hiking up a mountain… Do it while you can in case the day comes you can’t.

Peach Blueberry Crumble

Jul15

One of my favorite parts of Summer is the availability of local fresh fruit! On Saturday Kevin and I headed out to Lepp Farm Market in abottsford and stocked up on amazing local products including local organic blueberries and Okanagan peaches!

I decided to throw together a quick fruit crisp with my purchases. This blueberry peach crisp comes together quickly and easily and rewards you with a relatively healthy treat!

Ingredients
6 large peaches peeled and sliced
3/4 cup Blueberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 cup oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Method
Spray baking dish with non stick cooking spray and layer sliced peaches and blueberries in dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour. Toss gently with hands to coat.

In a separate bowl combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and cut in butter. Work with hands until mixture resembles course crumbs.

Sprinkle oat mixture over fruit, covering evenly.

Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Allow to cool slightly on a rack if serving warm.

I like to serve my crumble with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream for a yummy summer treat!

Johnson Lake BC

Jul10

Simply stunning!

Kevin and I spent last week in paradise. No cell phone, no Internet, no worries. I have travelled all through Canada from coast to coast and a good portion of the USA and I can whole heartedly tell you Johnson lake is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. The blue green lakes took my breath away.

We stayed at Johnson lake Resort and couldn’t be more pleased with our cabins. Jim and Barb, the owners of the resort along with Leslie the caretaker are simply amazing hosts. They made sure we had everything we could need for a stress free, fun, relaxing week.

We spent the first night in a tiny, charming rustic cabin. Very much “roughing it” for me. I giggle because even this rustic cabin wasn’t roughing it in this gorgeous, well laid out resort.

For the first night Kevin got to play outdoors man and walk me to the bathhouse in the dark and make sure the lantern was near by so I could sleep soundly. He barbecued us some burgers while I made salads and we enjoyed our meal on our little deck.

After dinner we went for a walk and I spent some time feeding my new chipmunk friends before heading to the communal campfire.

One of the features of the resort is the communal campfire for the cabins. It was a neat feature and a fun way to get to know your temporary vacation neighbors! It worked as expected because Kevin and I came home from our week with a handful of new local friends and actually plan on Vacationing with them next summer!!!

After our night in the rustic cabin we moved into what was jokingly referred to as the “chateau” for the remainder of our trip.

Even the owners teased us about the two of us taking the biggest cabin at the resort. I have needs folks ;). Apparently I need enough space for eight people. It was worth every penny. The cabin was amazing. I could have happily lived there!! It had two bedrooms, full kitchen, bathroom, living room area, dining area, fire place and a covered patio. Plus the view of the lake was gorgeous!! We also had our own fire pit which made Kevin happy!

Once we got moved into our castle cabin we really felt vacation mode take over. The week was spent swimming, hiking, reading, relaxing, hanging out with new friends and generally soaking up the perfection we were surrounded with.

The weather was perfect and thankfully not as hot as the forecast had called for! The only part I didn’t care for where how much the Mosquitos liked me!! As you may have noticed in the photo above, I was dinner! Anyways, We kept ourself well fed with very gourmet meals considering we were “camping”. Kevin made me a s’more every night on the fire and I loved every bite. I’m sure I would have indulged more if it wasn’t for the sugar interance issue.

The water in both Big Johnson and Little Johnson lake is crystal clear making the underwater shoals easy to see. The water was chilly but made for great swimming. I wandered out in the lake for sometime enjoying the sand between my toes while Kev finally got a chance to play photographer with his new DSLR. The color and clarity of the water mesmerized me, watching the fish while sitting on the dock was so fun. We had our new friends over one night for card games and drinks aka camping chsos!! We even had a camping movie night! Kevin made us popcorn and we watched a movie on my Tablet while cuddled under blankets! Perfection.

We did some hiking, enjoyed some amazing views.

The resort is about an hour and a half outside Kamloops, near Barrier BC. The road I to the resort is well maintained and accessible by car, truck, RV, etc. I highly suggest checkin out this amazing hidden jewel in the BC Interior!!

Johnson Lake Resort ~The Caribbean Of The North

PS don’t forget to ask Jim to tell you the Johnson lake fishing tale and to keep and eye out for the bones 😉

Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

Jun9

So I woke up this morning to a dreary rainy day. I wasn’t feeling up to running in the rain so I ventured into the kitchen. Upon inspection of my fridge I decided blueberry buttermilk muffins were in order! They are Kevin’s favorite, I’m such a good wife 😉

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup oil or butter (melted)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 tablespoon flour for dusting berries

Method
In one bowl sift together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and powder, salt, sugar)

In another bowl whisk together milk, butter or oil, vanilla, eggs, lemon zest. My photos show three eggs because I have super tiny organic farm eggs this week from chickens that just started laying!!!

In a third bowl toss blueberries with the tablespoon of flour.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in liquid ingredients.

Mix until combine but do not over mix.

Fold in blueberries.

Divide mixture into greased muffin tins. I did 6 jumbo muffins and six regular muffins. If you want all regular size I normally get 18 muffins out of a batch.

Bake in preheated oven (350 degrees) for 18-20 minutes for regular size muffins and 24-26 minutes for jumbo muffins. They are done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove from pan and allow to cool on wire rack.

These muffins are not perfectly sweet without being to sweet. They are great on their own or warm with butter or lemon curd. I know it’s not quite blueberry season yet but I can’t help myself from buying the organic ones to snack on and to bake with!

Buzz Buzz Buzz

Jun3

Did you know Honey bees pollinate 80% of the flowering crops we use as food sources?!? That means they are responsible for 1/3 of everything we eat! If the bees die out so does our varied diet. Just some food for thought.

Kevin and I recently visited The Honey Bee Center near our home in Surrey BC.

As I’ve mentioned many times I like to eat local as often as possible. We’ve visited The Honey Bee Center on a number of occasions but this visit I made sure to snap a few photos to share with you all.

We didn’t take the tour but it looked like a neat thing to do with kids. The tour covers topics like pollination, life cycle, etc. They involve lots of hands on learning and of course you get to see the bees up close! The Bees and Bugs lab looks like something any little learner would love to explore!

Our visit was more based on need! I was out of honey and Kevin wanted to ask about local honey and bee pollen as an allergy fighting method. The staff, as always were friendly and helpful. We tasted some new to us products and learned in fact consuming local honey and bee pollen is thought to ward off seasonal allergies. We figured we would give it a go and bought both the local wildflower honey and the bee pollen. I was skeptical at first but after only a week of consuming the bee pollen my eyes have stopped itching! Good enough for me! I’m sold on the idea! Plus the other health benefits of honey are nothing to sneeze at.

Aside from the wildflower honey and bee pollen we had the opportunity to sample many other flavors. I enjoyed them all but stuck to my favorite, creamed clover honey and Kevin got some cinnamon honey. If you’ve never heard of the health benefits of combining cinnamon and honey you’ve got some research to do!! I swear by cinnamon and honey to ward of colds and throat infections. Back on topic! The store offers all sorts of honey, honey related products, as well as cute gift items. I’m a sucker for the honey in the little bear bottle!!

While we were there we checked out The Tea Hive Cafe which I was instantly drawn to because of its pond!

It is a peaceful setting to enjoy a cup of tea and chat with a friend or just enjoy the quiet calm sounds of the waterfall. Quiet, calm is something I’m really learning to enjoy recently in my life.

The Tea room offers all sorts of yummy treats for purchase, like fresh baked scones. As well they offer a variety of loose leaf teas. Yum!

I am always impressed by the helpfulness of the staff at the Honeybee Center, and by the variety of products they offer. If you are local or traveling to the area be sure to check out this neat little interactive bee kingdom! And don’t forget to high five the honey bear out front!

Hope everyone’s Monday was productive and stress free! I promise to post some recipes soon! I’ve been busy the last few weekends with cupcake orders and catering an event but things are back to normal now!

They Want To Pave Paradise & Put Up A Racing Spot

May27

Protect Campbell Valley Regional Park!!!

I am writing my blog post today out of concern. Concern for our local piece of forested heaven. I grew up in Langley BC Canada and lived there for 24 years until I moved a short distance away into Cloverdale. Over the years I’ve seen Langley change dramatically from a rural farm area with fields of cows to a densely populated bustling city.

My concern is for our local park, Campbell valley park. I’ve posted many pictures of Muffin and I’s walks through this beautiful serene, peaceful park. Yesterday while on one of these walks I learned that the local racing society is lobbying to have stock car racing return to this nature park. Racing came to an end in the park almost 30 years ago and since then the 1/4 mile track has been nothing more the a QUIET,peaceful walking track and a large field in a quiet corner of a 535 hectare (1400 acres) forested nature park.

The racing came to an end almost 30 years ago for a number of reasons. Mainly noise concerns from locals and the fact the racing venue didn’t fit into the future vision of the park as a nature area. The area was set aside in 1979 as a nature park.

Campbell valley park is home to many types of birds, animals, frogs, fish, owls, deer, etc. Not to mention eco sensitive at risk species such as the red-legged frog and western toad! The park itself contains 29 kilometers of walking trails and 14 kilometers of equestrian trails, as well as cycling trails. The park attracts visitors from all aspects of life from picnicking families to marathon runners training for their next big race. Elementary school students frequent the park on field trips to learn about nature, see the turtles, and hand feed the chickadees. I personally visit the park weekly and view it as an escape from the congestion and over population the Lower Mainland of British Columbia is currently experiencing.

The society trying to reinstate stock car racing in the park is claiming it won’t cause any environmental damage to the park. I wholeheartedly disagree with this based on the fact the sheer amount of reconstruction that would need to occur to even bring the track up to racing standard. Not to mention the area currently lacks proper lighting, proper sanitation, proper parking, etc to house such a venue.

This is what the track looked like 30 years ago…

(Note I do not own the above photo…it showed up in various locations online and in newsprint if you have it copyrighted and want it removed please email me)

And this is what it looks like today…

As you can see the track itself is the only portion remaining and has been in fact claimed a heritage site in Langley. It however is nowhere near racing shape ready! The hillside that once housed seating is now nothing more then a hillside of trees and a sole staircase. The hillside seating, start towers, fencing, most guard rails and buildings, etc have long since been removed from the location.

The hillside this spring faced the wrath of Mother Nature and was victim to a slide.

Now I’m not an environmental engineer or anything but I do have a sound knowledge of how erosion works and I know it’s safe to say that removing those trees for seating would render that hillside insanely unstable! Costing a fortune in environmental safety studies and even more to properly secure the hillside. Have I mentioned the society claims there won’t be any environmental consequences?!?

If the environmental conditions are not enough the track is neighbored very closely by Pacific Riding For Developing Abilities, a non profit society that offers therapeutic horseback riding for those with cognitive, developmental, psychical and emotional disabilities. This facility is located on the end of a narrow dead end rural road and lies in very close proximity to the racing track. As common sense may tell you horse back riding and loud car engines do not mix! Having been a volunteer at PRDA in the past I can tell you a calm quiet environment is needed for a safe execution of the amazing work they do at the facility. The last thing anyone wants is a rider being tossed from a spooked horse. Loud car racing noises spook horses. Doesn’t matter how well trained an animal sudden loud/sharp noises are startling, just as they are to humans.

This issue is near and dear to my heart because I have watched so much of Langley’s pristine land be gobbled up by development and I sincerely hope Campbell Valley park doesn’t become the next cemented piece of paradise in this community!

Please make your voice heard no matter where you are from and call the East area office at 6045304983 and express your opposition to The Langley Speedway being reopened to racing regardless of number of yearly race days! Campbell valley park is a nature park and needs to remain this way!

Krause Berry Farms

May26

Krause Berry Farms has to be one of my favorite places to visit locally. Every summer we go to pick plump red strawberries fresh from the fields and enjoy the tastes, sounds, and sights of this beautiful family owned farm! Yesterday my husband and I were lucky enough to be invited to the friends and family event they held to show case their brand new Estate winery.

Our visit started out with an amazing helicopter flight over Langley. Sky Helicopters took us on an amazing fight, I’d never been in a helicopter before and I have to admit it was amazing. Our pilot Matt was great, He had a fun sense of humor and made me feel very comfortable. It was a neat way to see the farmlands at Krause, the views of Langley and the Fraser river were spectacular!

Sky Helicopters will apparently be offering flights out of Krause berry farm some weekends this summer for a low cost. I suggest you check it out if you get the chance. It truly is a spectacular experience.

Once we were back on the ground we headed inside to start our sampling! First we were greeted with fresh baked apple pie, homemade donuts with strawberry or blueberry frosting, tea, coffee, and juice!

Krause is a sweet tooth haven. They make and serve an amazing assortment of sweet treats, from fudge, pies and cookies to fresh berry milkshakes. They also sell fresh baked buns and breads as well as an assortment of jams, sauces, cheese, eggs and of course in season berries! They have a huge market on premises with all sorts of amazing offerings and gift items.

If sweets aren’t your thing you can also order many lunch items including, soup and corn pizza on the Porch and enjoy a farm fresh lunch on a real working farm.

After our donuts were down we headed over to the winery for the real reason we were there! Fruit wine!!! I am a huge advocate of eating locally and eating healthy… I guess now is a good time for me to admit my love if local wines as well.

The new winery is amazing. It is absolutely gorgeous. They have gone with a western theme and nothing was over looked in the design. If you visit be sure to look up because the ceiling is very pretty.

The wine we tasted is all made on site from their own or locally sourced fruit. The apple wine was my favorite, but the raspberry, blueberry, and sparkling wines all tasted delicious as well. We came home with a bottle of Raspberry wine and of course a bottle of the Apple. I will be back for the sparkling wine once it’s available for sale.

Once our tasting was completed I chatted with Alf, the owner of the farm briefly and then retreated to the beautiful patio to nibble on some snacks and of course sip another glass of wine.

The farm is absolutely beautiful. The fruit when in season is so much fun to venture into the fields and pick yourself. It is the perfect place to take kids, complete with play area. Lots to see and do for sure. The new winery just offers that much more to an already great place.

Life With The McGavins

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