Scenes from Sunday

Easter Sunday turkey dinner went over really well and I 'm confident we're on the road to building another tradition for our family. Here are some photos from the weekend.

And here is how I do my dressing (not stuffing) and it has been adapted in past dinners to be both vegan and gluten-free. You just have to be aware of the type of bread you use, butter/margarine, and stock. First, I fried one onion which has been diced finely until it is translucent. I added one apple and a few mushrooms, both also diced finely. Once the onions are starting to caramelize, I added some (a dash) salt, pepper and thyme as well as a good palm-full of savoury (a Newfoundland tradition).

Then I added this mixture to coarsely chopped (or blitzed in the food processor) stale bread. I added even more savoury (I love the stuff) and then a few tablespoons of vegetable stock along with a little butter. Stir everything together and bake it in the oven, covered for the most part, until golden. The stock and butter help the flavour plus keep the dressing moist. I've had dressing that is like sawdust it's so dry. I just like this kind better. The proportions are vague because I kind of just toss everything together. It always tastes good and I just adjust more or less depending on how much dressing I'm making.
  

We're still having turkey sandwiches and I've had a request for turkey soup with the frame I froze after the meal was enjoyed on Sunday. Waste not, want not. Hope you all had a happy Easter!

Salad improv

Last night we were zonked from work all day so we popped something in the oven from the freezer and picked up a ready-made salad at the supermarket. But just because you're too tired to cook a sensible meal does not mean you cannot eat sensibly. That pre-packaged salad can be something great if you just spruce it up a little.

The salad had mixed greens, strawberries, tomatoes and onions. It cost about $4 and had enough for four side-dish servings. With a little imagination and some help from a well-stocked pantry I added walnuts, dried cranberries and some boxed croutons for crunch. I dumped everything into a big bowl then dressed the salad with a packet of poppy seed dressing, which came with it, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and honey for some zip.

Voila! A custom meal in no time and it was good for us to boot. Good doesn't have to be difficult.

Brown bag note: If you weren't terribly hungry you could easily save un-dressed portions of salad for the next day's lunch.