Sausage Fest

My family loves sausage, and each year before Jason's annual hunting trip, we resolve to learn to make sausage, but have somehow never gotten around to it.

But then a few weeks back, I heard about a free Sausage-Making workshop at Williams Sonoma on Granville. Every Sunday they put on a different cooking demo twice a day (11am & 2pm) - Jason and I opted for the later slot since it seemed like attendance would be much lower, and we were right. It was AWESOME and Dana, the instructor, was chock full of tips that I now use in my everyday cooking. While Carmen was glued to the counter as Dana chopped, fried, ground and seasoned, Keira was not-so-entranced and completely surrounded by expensive, breakable things... So while I wouldn't recommend bringing a feisty 3yr-old, an older kid or a babe in arms would be fine. And did I mention that you get 10% off everything in the store following the free workshop? Fun!

Later that week, Jason arrived at home with a 12lb frozen turkey to turn into sausage - he was so excited! After leaving it to thaw, it dawned on me that we would not be able to refreeze the sausage, and that 12lbs of turkey would make a heck-of-a-lot of sausage! So we decided to turn our normal Friday date night into a sausage-making extravaganza, and use the sausage for our daughters' birthday party the following day. No pressure, right?

I walked to Windsor Meats on Main Street to pick up some sausage casings, bought presoaked for 25 cents a foot - my disclaimer is that sausage-making is not for the faint of heart! If you want to make breakfast-size sausages, you opt for sheep intestines, but we opted for pig intestines for the bratwurst-size sausages. I bought 30 feet. This is what it looks like, washed and soaking - appetizing, no?



Armed with my Kitchenaid and the new grinder & sausage stuffing attachments that I bought for 10% off, we set off to work Friday afternoon. Jason's mad hunting skillz were quickly appreciated when faced with carving a raw and partially-frozen turkey. We opted to put the kidney & heart into the mix, and used both breasts (skin on) but only one leg. The other leg and wings were for dinner on Sunday night! Because we used a high-quality bird, we used the skin to add some fat to the mix (Dana tip), while some people might opt to add pork fat. I know, it sounds gross, but like I said - not for the faint of heart.



The meat grinder worked like a dream, and of course the beer-drinking that accompanied the grinding helped keep a festive date-night atmosphere! Add to that a healthy dose of sausage innuendo...



I opted to fry my mustard seeds and fennel seeds in a bit of butter, before adding some onion to the saute pan. I chopped some fresh thyme and rosemary from the garden, and then finished the seasonings off with dijon mustard and salt & pepper. This needed to cool before we added it to the meat.




One of the invaluable tips we learned in the demo was to mix everything together and then fry up a bit of the sausage mix to make sure it tasted good BEFORE stuffing 30 feet of casings. Makes sense, hey? But I've never thought about applying this to hamburgers, cabbage rolls, etc. Smart cookie, that Dana.



The next tip we learned was to make sure the meat was allowed to rest for 2-3hrs refrigerated before stuffing the casings. This allows the fat to congeal (gross) so everything sticks together, removing the need for any binding ingredients. The same principle can be applied to burgers, etc. Another great tip.

While the meat rested, our awesome teenaged twin babysitters arrived for their usual 2hr date-night stint. We headed out for a workout. Some people might think that is a lame date, but we really like it!

Upon our return, I pulled the Kitchenaid out and fitted the stuffing attachment on, then started setting up the casings after putting a bit of olive oil over the stuffing attachment to make it slippery (another great Dana tip). And yes, I know what it looks like - get your mind out of the gutter!



By about 10:30pm, we had 37 sausages. So not only was this a pretty fun experiment, it was also totally cost-effective! Because we used the whole bird for the stuffing, I think the sausages were also much healthier and better quality than what you would normally buy in the store. I'll admit that it's a two-person job, and still pretty time-consuming... but we still had fun!



And we have it on good word that the sausages were pretty darned tasty. Every single one of them was eaten the next afternoon!

You Say Good-bye, I Say Hello!

In the spirit of Spring Cleaning, here are a few of the things we've said 'good-bye' to in the last little while...

1. Jason's Motorbike (wahoo!)
2. The POTTY (double wahoo!)
3. Store-bought cleaning supplies (even the eco-friendly ones)
4. Preschool, kindergarten and childcare-related stress
5. Yelling (me - that's another post entirely)

A few things we've recently said 'hello' to...

1. Triathlon Training
2. A Naturopath (Jason) and a new RMT (both of us)
3. The 3yr-old partially-pieced stash quilt jammed into my sewing drawer!
4. Sunday morning 'date-runs'
5. Cod Liver Oil (blech!)
6. The Grow Lights

What have you said good-bye and hello to?

Lil' Tri Girl Resurrected?

Well, it's certainly been awhile. Nearly six years, actually, since I did my last triathlon - the Squamish Tri in 2005, the official first day of my pregnancy with Carmen! Crazy how time flies when you're procreating. I miss it though - the training and goal-setting, the excitement, biking around soaking wet... it's how I met my man.

OMG - these pictures are so old I actually had to SCAN them in. Geesh. And damnit, I have no idea where my lucky red bandana has gone. This is a bunch of us after the Squamish Tri in 2004 - the race that I trained for with Jason and totally fell in love with him...



And this is Jason and I at the New Balance Half Iron in 2005, right after we got engaged and decided to have babies...



In any event, I decided to sign up for an event, FINALLY. Actually, I meant to sign up for one a while ago, then forgot, then it sold out... yada yada yada, and those are the days of our lives!

And so, for the second time I will be doing the North Shore Sprint Triathlon on the Victoria Day weekend - May 23, Keira's original due date. It seems fitting, no? I did the event way back in 2004 and remember lots of happy, smiling faces on the sidelines cheering me on through the run. I will probably need it a lot more this time through!

My goal is to finish and have fun, decide if I still LIKE triathlon (!) and enjoy the training up until the event. Honestly, my husband talked me down from signing up for an Olympic distance, arguing that I could 'off the couch' the Sprint distance without too much risk of injury, based on my existing 30 mins here and 35 mins there of training time! He's a smart man, and so I agreed to maybe aim for an Olympic (Vancouver Tri) over the Labour Day weekend, so I can have the summer to fit in some longer rides when he is home from school. It also mirrors the baby-steps approach I took to my training in the first place - lots of sprints, a bunch of Olympics and then finally the Half Iron.

And so today I headed to the pool for a straight-up 30 laps to see how it felt (boring!), and secretly compare it to my time in 2004. I think that's going to be the hardest part for me is NOT competing with myself in that way. I used to sit at a desk all day and then literally SPRING into my swim, bike or run. Nowadays, I am fitting my brief spurts of training in after teaching a few classes and keeping up with my kids all day. Who knows - maybe my kids have turned me into a triathlon MACHINE?

Here's hoping. I do want to still love it, and eventually talk my husband into doing it together again...

Friday Morning Trigger

Why do kids always act so differently when they are in the care of others?

And why does it trigger me so badly?

This morning was gymnastics - Carmen does her class by herself, while Keira and I are in the parent-participation class for 2yr olds. I have found trying to juggle the two classes is less than ideal. The upside is that I am in the facility with both girls at the same time, so it fits into our schedule. There are a few downsides though - whenever Keira sees Carmen across the room, she is wont to beeline over and become part of the older kids' class. It's cute, really, that she wants to be with her big sis, even though they spend nearly every waking moment together! But it's also frustrating because it's disruptive to both classes in session. The other downside is that I feel torn between the two. I like to watch what Carmen is doing in class (especially when she turns to see if I'm watching her demonstrate a new skill she's mastered) but I also need to be present for Keira - not just to help her on the trickier stuff and cheer her on, but also to fulfill my obligation as a parent to keep my kid (sort of) in line.

Today was one of those days. I'm sick, I'm tired from lack of sleep and both girls had ingested enough oatmeal at breakfast to power the nation. Keira was EVERYWHERE, and disruptive and crazy. And if I were in a better place, it would probably have been fine... but I wasn't and at one point, I had to take a 'mommy timeout' to prevent a major meltdown on MY part! The instructor, bless her heart, saw me close to losing it and intervened. Gently guiding Keira along the balance beam, congratulating her somersaults.

And Keira? Well, of course Keira was an angel.

Obviously this is not the first time this has happened, and nor does it really surprise me. But it still doesn't make it any easier. On the plus side, we feel pretty confident that our kids will behave for anyone that is nice enough to take them! Conversely, it's a bit upsetting when you've molded your life around your kids and have spent so much time with them that they know just how to press your buttons!

So now I am going to my RMT appointment while Grandma C watches the girls (and of course they'll be perfect) and hoping to have a better outlook when I get back!

Revamp II - The Way We Play

Recently a few girlfriends and I were talking about the way we 'play' - some people are a bit more free-form and spontaneous, some are a bit more organized and planned. This of course enters into the way we express ourselves creatively. I've been looking at my girls a little closer these days, and more specifically, the way they play. At one time I would have thought that Carmen was the more 'just-so' type, but now I'm noticing that our little Keira is now organizing her toys - in lines, patterns and such.



One of her favourite games right now is lining up all her 'groceries' in a single-file food parade and then me, as the friendly and very hungry mommy dragon, eating them by stuffing them down the neck of my shirt and winding up with a very full belly! Specific dances for certain songs, complete and distinct costumes for different characters... I can't decide if Carmen is influencing her, or if it's coming from me, or if this is just what happens when Jason and I combine gene pools?



Because the way I play? Very organized, planned out, lines, patterns, repetition. It's why I like sports like triathlon, because there is a methodology towards a set goal. And when I quilt or knit? Same thing. So I tried (REALLY TRIED) to break out of my mold and, hold onto your hats, I decided to put a crazy binding on the table runner I made to match the pillow covers.





And because an old dog can learn new tricks, I learned how to mitre my bindings.



And because I had a whack of binding left over afterwards, I made this crazy third pillow cover that I actually really dig. You'll notice I started out with a set pattern in the centre, so hard to let go!



A year ago I started this sweater and got to here before I realized that the neckline is really screwed up when I put it on.



I actually finished it last weekend and wore it in public(!) but haven't taken a good enough picture (hard when I'm holding the camera myself) so that you can see how screwed up it really is...

And I 'messanger-bagged' the bottom of my leather jacket as suggested, but I just didn't have the patience to do a proper job, nor am I planning on trying again. My poor Bernina. In any case, it makes a passable knitting bag!



I've decided I'm really like the 3 & 5yr old thing we have going on in our home right now. The girls are just old enough to hang out and craft along beside me. Really, they are simply content to be allowed to play with sharp things! But sometimes they will spend 1/2hr cutting small ribbons or yarn into shreds while I sew alongside them. Sometimes Keira replaces pins in the pincushion or Carmen helps hand me pieces of material or 'irons' with the cold iron. It's 100% awesomeness, and has totally brought something back to my everyday that I've been missing for years.

In other news - I decided to experiment a bit with winter gardening this year in our unheated greenhouse, inspired by this book by Eliot Coleman. I planted lettuce, spinach, leeks, shallots and green onions in early January and here is what is coming up! Yes, I know - boring dirt with green specks. But I'm not even watering these babies and they are flourishing! So exciting for early spring eating!

New Year Revamp!

January is great for getting the creative juices flowing - at this time of year I always find myself figuring out new ways to use old things, since the credit card bills are usually sky-high and retail therapy is out of the question!

I made a quilt for my brother's wedding waaaay back when and was so in love with the materials that I was hording a stash of leftovers. Bits and pieces have made it into a variety of presents over the years, but I finally got to make something for myself out of them! Behold, new cushion covers! The invisible zippers were a bit of a pain, but after about 4 YouTube videos, I had 'em figured out...



Years ago (like 2002?) an ex-boyfriend bought me this beautiful, and horrifically expensive, DKNY leather jacket. In the past 9 years, I think I've worn it a few dozen times. But each time, I couldn't get past the feeling that I was in 'The Matrix', concealing an automatic weapon! So, a revamp was in order.




Originally I was planning to cut it just below the pockets and have it mid-thigh, but my friend Michelle pointed out that it would be much cuter if I just removed the skirt portion altogether. She was right! This is totally wearable and cute, and although the reseaming I had to do nearly broke my poor Bernina, I'm pretty happy with the result!




And now I have this to play with... any ideas? I was in the Net Loft at Granville Island this afternoon and got some cute purse and belt ideas - maybe a foldover smallish purse (to minimize needed stitching) and a basic double-sided sash-style belt? Recommendations welcome!



Lastly, it was inevitable that some drywall dust would have to fly to make it a REAL new year! This entryway has been an eyesore since Day 1, both Jason and I have been griping about it forever. It's usually much, much messier than this, and you can barely open the front door with the wicked mess of puffy jackets on hooks...





Influenced by a recent SouleMama post and a surge of crazy-lady hormones, I somehow convinced my hubby that it had to be fixed NOW! And so a (loosely-budgeted) trip to Ikea and Rona, some drywall patching, some painting, some assembling, LOTS of vacuuming, et voila!




A drawer for keys, lots of room for shoes, and a row of hooks at kid-level to help distribute the puffy-jacket mess. Just need to add some baskets along the top shelf - I'm sure I can scrounge some up from around the house. The best part? Not only is the double rack wide enough to hold Jason's Blundstones, but the girls are actually enjoying putting away their shoes!

Economy Post

Five posts in one! Something for everyone!

Sorry - don't have enough for five separate posts, but still need some feedback...

1. Nighttime potty training, my nemesis. I thought that my crazy laundry days were over when I stopped cloth diapering for two, but I was wrong! For those of you that have kids that nighttime trained right away, I ENVY YOU!! Because this has not been the case for my twosome. We had a long streak (10 days?) of no wetting with my eldest, but now have had a complete reversal and I find myself stripping Carmen's bed EVERY MORNING. It's gotten to the point where I am getting her out of bed at the crack of dawn, putting her on the toilet while she is basically still asleep, and then popping her back in bed! Terrible. And it's only training ME, not her. Right now we have no drinks/food after 7, a pee before bed and then in bed by 8. They sleep right through 'til 8, and HEAVILY at that. We just bought a night-light, as she is in the top bunk, but she never wakes up. Suggestions? Anyone else with nearly-kindergarteners with the same problem?

2. Favorite non-homemade snack? My hubby needs snacks that he can stash in his school drawer for those looooong days. We make nearly everything from scratch, so please don't suggest that I make yet another thing! The snack needs to be nut-free, and somewhat non-perishable... I'm thinking granola-bar-like?

3. Very excited to make these Crash Hot Potatoes tonight, but with a twist. I think I'll boil the potatoes in a double boiler, and steam yams (in thick cross-sections) over top at the same time, then have a yam & a potato 'cookie' for each person at dinner. I think these will make great leftovers, and the girls will have a blast mashing, painting and sprinkling! I'll let you know how it goes...

4. I'm embarrassed to admit how much I spend on facial products (think Spa brands) and am looking for alternatives without building up a stash of unusable products! I hate that. So far I've replaced my cleanser with the London Drugs equivalent of Cetaphil. I also like Aveeno's Daily Scrub to exfoliate, but only every few days. I'm seeking a non-alcohol-based toner that is very gentle. Ideas? A moisturizer would be great too, but I'm a little hesitant to give up my wonderful moisturizer...

5. Epic fail on the weekend making these cotton shirts for the girls. I stole over a dozen from-the-70's patterns from my mom's stash over the holiday - score! I even remember having some of these clothes growing up...



I thought they would be so great with the skirt on the pattern (which I plan to make in the stripes & print with the double ruffle) as well as with the smocks I made them at Christmas. However, from the picture, you can see that they look like clowns in the picture with the smocks!



Poor clowns.

Oh well, at least they are clowns in love!



Hopefully they will look better with the skirts! And yes, I know I should stop dressing my children the same...

Meal Plan

One of my resolutions has been to break out of my normal meal plans. I love the consistency of food that I know everyone loves (or tolerates, in some cases) but am a bit bored - I do like me some variety! So I'm looking for a bit of inspiration from you, fellow FB'ers and bloggers... I'll show you mine, if you show me yours!

Here is my meal plan for this week:

S: Turkey Canelloni (from the Christmas freezer stash)
M: Roast Chicken a la Crock Pot with roasted Yams, Carrots, Potatoes & Mushrooms
T: Tortilla Soup - canned tomatoes/onion/garlic, last night's stock & leftover chicken, black beans, rice, avocado (splurge!), cheddar, cilantro, stale tortillas!
W: Prawn Pad Thai & spinach salad
T: Whole wheat Linguine with Buffalo Bolognese
F: Leftover PIZZA!
S: Wildcard - not sure yet!

What I look for? One crock pot meal, at least one meal of planned-overs, variety in my grains... I try for one seafood meal and one veggie meal a week. Always pizza on Friday to get rid of any deli meat left in the fridge!

What do your weekly meals look like?

No More Treats

Typically, our family is not a 'treat' family - the kids are expected to eat their dinner (or at least try everything) without reward of dessert for clearing their plate. However, with holiday events abound, the girls got into the habit of asking for treats for finishing their dinner, and with different people around to help facilitate the treat-giving... well, it's just gotten out of hand. It was cute the first few times, but now they are literally asking what they are going to get as a treat if they finish their meal, right as they are sitting down to dinner! Totally unacceptable.

So my family resolution is to introduce the concept of a 'chore board' - in fact, I'm sick of a bunch of other things too (like picking up My Little Ponies from every corner of the house 10x a day), and so I'm hoping to kill a few birds with this stone. I think the following 'tasks' are realistic for both girls, and have a range of things they both like and dislike:

Meals
Clean-ups
Baths
Making Beds
Special Helper - helping with cooking, cleaning, baking, walking the dog, etc.

Each time my girls accomplish one of these tasks, they get to put a marker on their board. At the end of the week, if they've got X markers (haven't decided how many yet), we're going to have a special outing... a Girl's Date at the new cafe around the corner? Going to the Aquarium? I dunno yet, but I just can't stomach bribing my kids with things or junkfood.

I actually constructed a glass wall calendar well over a year ago, and have received so many compliments on it that I decided to make a bunch for Christmas this year - I am posting these how-to's now that all of the recipients have them unwrapped! I decided to extend the idea to construct the chore board, since I find that most of the store-bought ones are kinda ugly, or paper, or make a mess, or are too rigid in the 'tasks', etc. Mostly, I'm picky! I wanted something customizable, so I can change the tasks to be more advanced as the kids get older. I also have a major hate-on for stickers, so having the kids use colourful washable inkpads and various cute stamps as markers is much more appealing to me!

The calendar I made is fully erasable on the front, and I use a non-toxic washable marker to write the dates, month, appts, etc. You could use one of those whiteboard markers, but they stink, are usually toxic, and I hate having that stuff on my fingers afterwards. I use indelible marker on the back of the glass to mark the calendar grid, the placeholders for the dates, and then placeholders for lists down the side - some examples, below - leaving room for a few clips for the Garbage/Recycling Schedule, coupons, etc:

Weekly Meal Plan
Shopping List (from the meal plan, and as things come up)
Highlights for the Next Month
Telephone Messages
Important Numbers (for the babysitter, etc)

The end result looks like this!





First, go to Ikea and buy one of these ($24.99):



I would recommend getting all the hardware installed on your wall before you start mucking around with the actual painting of the glass.

Then go and buy one of these indelible Oil fine-tip Sharpies ($3.99 at Opus). They are toxic and stinky, but I have yet to find an indelible marker that isn't! You only use it once, when you create the calendar template:



For the squares that you write the number on, some coloured inkpads with a 1" square stamp - pick to suit your wall colour and decor:



Set your glass up with the frosted side UP - putting it on an Olfa grid is a great way to keep your measurements consistent and your lines STRAIGHT! Before you start, figure out your plan - you could even trace your lines with pencil if you're feeling gunshy!



Use a straight edge. Work top to bottom and make sure your lines are dry before you move your straight edge over them! Remember if you want any writing, you have to do it backwards, so use a stencil or do some practice runs. I have a really hard time with backwards N's and S's! Try not to worry if your printing sucks, just get in touch with your inner typewriter. Have fun!

Our calendar is fundamental in the orchestration of our household. I'm hoping that the chore board will also help things run a bit more smoothly... anyone else have any advice or tips on how to make this work?