Harry giggles so much.  He giggles when you tickle him, he giggles when he does silly things, in fact he giggles about pretty much anything. 
I love to listen to him giggle. 

This picture is a captured giggle, I just had to share it, it makes me smile!

I just had to share this great feature on the Edmonton Journal's Web Site.  No more siting inside waiting for the snow to melt.  This map shows what is happening in Edmonton during the cold winter months. 

I know we will be checking some of them out soon.

Link to the Edmonton Winter Map

I make New Year's resolutions each year and on the whole I do pretty well ticking them off.  I fancy a change this year and rather than make a list of things I want to change about me I am going to list things I want to do this in 2013.  No negatives, just positives;

• Do Project Life for 2013- my kit is already ordered!  Being so far away from family in the UK I like the idea of keeping a record of what we get up to here in Canada and this seems like a good way to do it.  
• Learn about Star Constellations.  We sit in the hot tub looking up at the clear night and always say we wish we knew what we were looking at so in 2013 we are going to learn.
• Sit at the big fancy table and use the good glasses at least once a month.  My Auntie told me once that you should never keep the best glasses, knives and forks for special occasions- why can every day not be a special day, so once a month it will be!
• Drink more water (and gin)- not together of course.  Lets think of that one in terms of daytime drink water and night time drink gin (hubby will be sighing as he reads this, he he!)
• Craft, paint, stick, glue and make mess with the kids more often.
• Cook more with the kids- they love it and I love it, so lots more on the agenda for 2013.
• Do a snow angel and then jump in the hot tub- oh yes, it will be done.......
• Play more board games (and beat hubby- not going to happen, but one can dream)

This is not an absolute list, I intend to keep on adding to it as I go along. 

What is on your list for 2013?

Throughout the year I plan meals to minimise leftovers.  Christmas is the exception to this rule- leftovers are essential! 

There are so many leftover uses for the Christmas dinner but one of my faves is the Bubble and Squeak Cake.  A true British classic making use of leftovers from Sunday lunch and especially Christmas lunch.  There is no exact recipe as it all depends on what you have leftover but as a rule potatoes of some kind are essential as they are the glue that holds it all together.

My Bubble and Squeak cakes for Boxing day included the following cold leftovers:
- roast potatoes
-brussel sprouts with chestnuts and bacon
-gingerbread stuffing
-sweetcorn
-carrots

I simply added everything to a food processor and whizzed till it was all chopped up small- you are not going for baby food consistency.

I added the mix to a large bowl, added an egg and hand mixed and shaped into burger shaped patties.

Heat some butter in a frying pan and fry till they are heated through and you have a wonderful colour on each side.  I also fried some slices of leftover gingerbread stuffing and added the leftover groovy (gravy to anyone else not in the Chatterton house). 

So love your leftovers- they can bring as much joy as the meal they were cooked for! 

Christmas is a time of excess!  Too many bubbles, to much chocolate, too much wrapping paper in the recycling and of course too much turkey! 

The pictures are just a few I snapped on Instagram as uploading my camera seems like too much hard work for Boxing Day.

I have to say that this Christmas lunch was the best I have ever cooked and was really stress free, mainly due to the fact that everything was prepped in advance and even the turkey was pre cooked so just needed heating through on the big day.


Inside the Turkey Wellington, rolling out butter for puff pastry, bacon wrapped sausages, ginger loaf with lemon drizzle, magic reindeer food sprinkles and the Turkey Wellington in all it's glory!

I think one of my biggest triumphs was the puff pastry.  I have never made it before and decided it was worth the extra effort to make it myself.  It was crispy, puffy and so buttery good!  I will certainly make it again and share the recipe, which is easy once you know all of the steps.
 
I will also add that we never got around to cooking our pudding!  The Baked Alaska's will be making an appearance over the next day or so but our day was too busy and our tummies too full! 

I am very pleased to say I have been nominated for the 2012 Ninjamatics Canadian Blog Awards in the Best New Blog and Best Family and Parent category.

No votes needed as it is a jury based competition but I just wanted to say how pleased I am to have been nominated. 

This little blog makes me very happy! 

 

As you know my card sending skills at Christmas are poor to say the least!  Having explored the internet for some funky eCards I stumbled upon Punchbowl and just had to share;

Click here

They say that to become a tradition something has to be repeated three years in a row so I guess you could say that Turkey Wellington is my families Christmas tradition.

I asked my hubby the other day what he wanted to see on the Christmas lunch table this year and his answer was the same as it has been since I first cooked Christmas lunch for us! I have to admit I would have cooked all of what he suggested anyway without asking him. They are our traditions and Christmas just wouldnt be the same with out them.

So here is what I will be cooking this festive feast day with links to the recipes I will be using if anything takes your festive fancy too;

BREAKFAST- Gingerbread Muffins & Homemade Croissants- I have never made croissants before opting to buy them but I am giving them a go at home this year!

Pink Mimosa- you can drink alcohol at breakfast at Christmas- it's the law (not really, but it is in my book!)

LUNCH- Turkey Wellington- I have always used this Gary Rhodes recipe before but this year I am trying Jamie Oliver's recipe and as you can see from the picture you can see why- how good does that look!  Promise I will take a piccy of mine for comparison.


Sprouts with Chestnut, bacon and parsley courtesy of Nigella Lawson's recipe
Roast Potatoes- I think that if I did not cook Roast Potatoes my hubby may not speak to me for the whole year!
Buttered carrots and peas- you have just got to have carrots and peas- FACT!
Bacon wrapped sausages
Gingerbread Stuffing- May sound odd but it is amazing, trust Nigella and make it!

And to finish the meal off in style we have a festive Baked Alaska! After I set fire to the table one Christmas pouring the firey alcohol over the Christmas pudding I decided it was safer to find another tradition that did not require the Fire Deparment!

Lets get something straight, this is not proper fudge.  It tastes like amazing chocolate fudge studded with Christmas cheer courtesy of the cranberries but it's not a traditional made fudge.  There are no sugar thermometers required so if fudge making scared you before, read on and let me convince you to give it a go.......

Ingredients

• 350 grams chocolate (chopped (minimum 70% cocoa solids))
• 350ml tin of sweetened condensed milk
• 30 grams unsalted butter
• 1 pinch of salt
• 150 grams chopped, dried cranberries 
• OPTIONAL- red and green decorating sugar for sprinkling on the top

Method

It's Christmas so you have to have cranberries. Why not try this make ahead Cranberry Relish, which you can serve on the big day or smear on leftover turkey for the best turkey butty (if you unfamiliar with the term butty, that would be a sandwich)

Ingredients

• 1 large orange or 4 clementines
• thumb size piece ginger , finely shredded into matchsticks 
• 100g sugar 
• 500g cranberries
• splash of port (optional)

Method

1. Zest the orange and set aside with the ginger.
2. Halve and juice the orange.
3. Tip the orange juice and sugar into a shallow saucepan and boil gently until you get an amber-orange caramel. Scatter the zest and ginger into the caramel, cook for 1 min, then tip in the cranberries and Port, if using.
4. Cook everything on a high heat for 5 mins until the cranberries are starting to split but still have texture.
5. Leave to cool and serve with the turkey or place in sterilised jars to give as gifts.

I have always been a great lover of Sloe Gin.  My Nan made it every year and it's thick, medicine like sweetness makes me feel warm inside without actually drinking any!

I myself have made Sloe Gin and never added as much sugar as my Nan but still the labour of love that is picking them, cleaning them, fishing stray leaves, steeping, then turning the mix daily and then patiently leaving for 6 months until you get the rich coloured, deep flavoured drink is worth the work every time.

I don't have any Sloes but I did have a stash of Saskatoon berries in my freezer. I decided a little experiment was in order. I didn't have the time to wait to make the sugared syrup like liquor that is Sloe Gin but a flavoured vodka is easier and quicker so with a bottle of vod in hand I steeped Saskatoon berries and some frozen raspberries.

I used to add raspberries to my Sloe Gin too as they leech their colour into the alcohol giving an amazing ruby colour without affecting the overall flavour you are aiming for. Raspberries just seem to make any berry taste more berry like!



Once my Vodka had steeped for 2 weeks I sterilised small jars and decanted ready to be handed to some good friends for a Christmas tipple courtesy of the Chattertons!

TIP 6- GET INSPIRED WHEN YOU HAVE MORE TIME
And last but not least flick through cookery books or spend some time on the Internet when you have some free time. Last minute panic planning can be exciting but having an idea of things you would like to cook for people can help. I put post it notes in books for things I would like to cook one day and when I need ideas my post it notes guide me to things I have already picked out. If you don't own any books the Internet can be a great resource for food planning. There are many web sites but I strongly recommend the BBC Good Food web site. You can search by ingredient, cook time, prep time, course, country and skill level. They have great features for seasonal ideas and even special diets.

Happy planning, cooking and eating!

TIP 5- GET AHEAD
When planning a menu for a group I always pick food that can be prepped and ready so all it needs is to be uncovered, dished up or thrown in the oven at the last minute.  Nobody wants to be slaving away chopping, frying, stirring and generally rushing around in the kitchen whilst your guests sip drinks and party without you. 

Even if your guests gather around you in the kitchen you don't want to be so busy you look more frazzled than calm party host.  I love risotto but I would never make it for a crowd.  It has to be made there and then and requires you to stand over a hot pan, stirring for at least 20 minutes, which is OK for a couple of you but not a huge pan of the stuff for ten! 

A perfect party food is pizza.  Here are my get ahead pizza tricks:
You can ready roll the bases and place on oiled tin foil.  Oil both sides of the foil and you can stack the bases on each other in the fridge until you need them.  Have the cheese grated, sauce cooked and cooled and the toppings ready cut and placed on a large plate.  Get your guests to add their own toppings to make personal pizza's.  Just place the pizza on its tin foil straight into the oven.  The added bonus is you just throw the foil away once your pizza is cooked- no washing up wins in my house! 
And don't forget if you can't get ahead and there is last minute work to be done, buy some nibbles like sushi or a good dip.  If people are nibbling there are less hungry eyes on you watching you do the final prep work in the kitchen.  Less hungry guest pressure is better for everyone! 

TIP 4- SHOP SMART
When it comes to shopping I love a good list. I always hit the supermarket armed with a list. Without one, I forget half of what I needed and buy 10 things I already have! When planning a meal I always look at what I already have and what needs using up. If you have a jar of tahini in the fridge already you only need a can of chickpeas and some lemon and you have a quick hummus starter to keep guests happy whilst you cook the main meal.

Work with what you have already and you will save money and not waste as much food.

TIP 3- ITS ALL ABOUT TIME!
How much time do you have to prep, cook and shop? If you are planning on feeding a crowd after work you may be shopping on your lunch break and starting cooking the moment you walk through the door. A slow cook dish with 2 hours of prep is not going to work. 

Forget a starter and stick to a main and a pudding to keep prep time short.  Good ice cream is all you need for a pudding in a hurry so don't feel you need to apologise if you didn't spend hours making it!   

When planning pick books that cater for feeding people fast.

My favourites are
Dinner in a Dash: 50 Dinners for 6 in 60 Minutes by Lyndsay Bareham
Jamie Olivers, 30 minute meals. 

The BBC Good Food Web site is a go to site for me.  You can search by prep and cook time which can be very useful when time is tight!

TIP 2- SET YOUR BUDGET
How much do you want to spend? You can feed a crowd on a budget, so feel free to set one and stick to it. Good beef mince can be transformed into so many great dishes to feed a crowd. If you choose beef tenderloin or rack of lamb your costs will be significantly higher, but that's OK as long as you are prepared to spend more to feed your guests. 

Never assume that just because it cost more it will taste better......

Check out these mince marvels:
MINCED BEEF WELLINGTON
CHILLI CON CARNE
AUTHENTIC RAGU BOLOGNAISE

As the festive season gallops towards us I have decided to share some of my tips for planning food for parties and groups of people.  Each day this week I will give you a pearl of wisdom that I hope will help you become the coolest party cook going! 

One thing I love to do is read cookery books.  Hubby says I have too many cookery books.  Hubby is wrong, there is no such thing as too many cookery books, gin or chocolate! 

When my Mum came to visit us we made a meal for a group of our friends.  We were busy prepping the meal and she said:
"What would you have done without me, you would have never got all of this done on your own"
To which I replied:
"Correct, but I would not have made this meal if I was on my own!"


TIP 1- BE HONEST ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN AND WANT TO PUT IN
For me it's all about what are you willing to put in?  This includes money, time and effort. 
There is nothing wrong with buying good ingredients that need little or no prep work.  It will cost you more money but other than snipping a few packets you can feed a crowd with no work other than the shopping.  Think good bread, amazing olives, thinly sliced ham and chunks of cheese spread over a table for your guests to attack.  There is also nothing wrong with spending a week preparing food and extravagant items for your guests.  It's up to you and you should not feel better or worse for being able to make everything or buy everything! 

It's your party, plan it your way and dont feel guilty! 

Both my kids love to help me in the kitchen.  If you want a giggle just ask Alfie to crack an egg.  He cracks it, but not in any style I have seen before and you may have some shell fishing to do afterwards! 

As a quick after school bake we decided to make Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Fast and easy- perfect!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

100g soft butter or margarine
50g soft brown sugar
1 egg (cracked by a 3 year old if possible, please!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g All purpose/Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
80g chocolate chips (We use semi sweet)

Preheat Oven to 375 F/190 C


1. Cream together the butter and sugar- we use the KitchenAid with the K Beater
2. Add all other ingredients and mix well.  It will form a stiff dough. 
3. Divide the mix into little balls using good guess work or like us a tablespoon measuring spoon
4. Roll into neat balls then place spaced apart on a baking sheet and flatten each one with the palm of your hand
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes and transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

Review

I tried to ask Harry what he though but he was too busy shovelling 4 cookies in his mouth one after the other to answer.  I will take that as a thumbs up!

I am very proud to be a part of a new company in Edmonton who's aim is to teach people what they want to learn about food.  Real learning, hands on learning, learning about everything you ever needed or wanted to know about food.  It's very cool and very exciting! 

An excellent piece was written in Vue Weekly about Shovel & Fork, here is a snippet:

With an abundance of grocery stores, restaurants and convenient ways to get food besides cooking it yourself, it may be hard to imagine butchering an entire side of beef, harvesting fruit or foraging in the woods, but the team at Shovel and Fork wants to change that.

The crew is commanded by Chad Moss, a professional chef and head instructor of all things culinary-related, and Kevin Kossowan, who spends time documenting the food scene in Alberta on his web series KevinTV and knows a thing or two about growing food and wielding a butcher knife. Teaching alongside Moss and Kossowan are Jeff Senger, part owner of Sangudo Custom Meat Packers and Elyse Chatterton, an expert butcher schooled in a repertoire of Old World cuts. However, the crew is expanding to bring even more food craft skills to the masses.

Check out the full article here

*Gangnam Style is played over and over and even when it's not your child rides an imaginary horse from his bedroom to the bathroom

*You can do a load of washing that contains at least 30 t-shirts

*You have cheese strings in your fridge- aka. evil, plastic sticks of doom!

*Your iPad battery is flat and your children post notifications on your Twitter account about how far their dog ran in "Off the Leash"

*You are woken up at 5.30am on the weekend (yes, there are two 5.30's in a weekend, who knew!)

*You have breakfast cereal in the cupboard that contains fluorescent colours

*You love them dearly but are counting down the hours till their bedtime

*Your iPad has a streak of jam across the screen

Also if you would like to know what "BUSTED" looks like see photo below.  Alfie was caught in the act, stealing the bottom row of chocolates from the advent calendar!

We love our children, we really do, but all I can say is thank goodness for gin o clock!

I was invited to butcher a deer, shot by a colleague from my husbands workplace.  As a thank you for my help I now have a freezer full of half of the deer.  I don't have a huge experience of butchering deer or cooking it so now that it's cut and in my freezer I figure it's time for some experiments with the meat.


Venison and Bacon Burgers

1 clove of garlic, minced or chopped finely

I know that if you ask most people from Edmonton what they think of the snow they will pull a grumpy face and tell you they don't like it!  They plan hot weather trips to escape the cold and refuse to drive any slower or more cautiously by way of protest. 

The novelty has not yet worn off for us.  We love the snow!

Sunday saw us hosting some friends for lunch followed by some sledging and ice hockey. 


All was good until Harry took a puck to the nose and lip!  We had blood and tears but he was excited to be able to tell his buddies at school about his hockey injuries.  Ice hockey is sooo cool for kids here and Harry feels he is part of the crew now!  Bless him and his shiney red nose! 

I decided it was about time this little blog got it's own Facebook page!

If you would like to follow me on Facebook head on over.....

Tonight we are having a little pre-advent calendar putting up party- pretty weak excuse, I know, but I have an excited 3 and 7 year old and any reference to Christmas is a winner!

We are going to drink Hot Chocolate, watch a festive film and play a scavenger hunt to find all of the Christmas decorations the naughty Christmas elves hid around the house and place them on our real tree, for which I must dash soon to go and buy!

I love advent calendars.  I loved them as a kid and I love them now.  Each day can be started with chocolate, which is good on its own but the anticipation builds each day with every little door that opens. 

Advent calendars are not just for kids, check out a few of my faves:

In 3rd Place- Wine A Day Calendar- this is not an actual advent calendar but a table decoration idea for a wedding, but it would make a pretty good advent calendar!

Perhaps best not to start the day with this advent calendar!

In 2nd Place- Hotel Chocolat 40% milk chocolate Calendar
I LOVE Hotel Chocolat and miss my very often trips into their stores in the UK.  I bought this calendar for myself a few years ago.  I ate it all, each day, no sharing, no children, all MINE! 

Just so pretty and damn tasty!

In 1st Place- Ginvent Calendar
Behind each of the 24 doors is a different 3cl sample of the very best gin! There are some superb spirits inside, from the market-leaders, to the rarer, artisanal brands!  

I don't need to say anymore, I am in advent calendar heaven!  It will be mine one Christmas countdown- oh yes it will! 

Festive Gin O Clock anyone?

I ventured into Michael's the other day to buy a Christmas Tree.  We decided on a fake one upstairs and a real one downstairs.  I managed to grab the last one that was on sale, but it was the display model and I had to wait for a gentleman to pack it neatly back in its box.  So I stood in the fake tree aisle which unfortunately for me was next to the scented pine cone aisle.  I have a few questions on this very smelly issue:

1. Why do you need to chemically taint a cone with extra smell?
2. Why does is smell as chemically nasty as a bleach factory?
3. Why does it have to smell so strong its induces headaches?
4. Have the makers of said smell ever actually caught a whiff of real cinnamon?  I can only assume, NO!

So if you wish for your house to smell like a toilet and like your eyes to water due to chemical exposure and enjoy smell induced headaches, by all means adorn your house with cinnamon scented pine cones- they are just great!

On Friday I was sat at a bar, sipping a gin and tonic eating delicious food.  It was a good night. 

Chatting away (as I do!), a fellow patron mentioned how much she liked my accent.  It is true I stick out like a sore thumb in Canada with my broad UK tones but I do wonder what people here think of how I sound. 

Most film actors from the UK speak a posh sort of mix of London South with a hint of regal pronunciation.  Think Huge Grant, Prince William and James Bond all mixed together.  I sound nothing like that!  I am a Northerner from the UK and a broad one at that.  I come from a farming background where we actually have our own words for things that even other people from the UK would not understand! 

For those who have never visited the UK I give this shocking example of what I sound like.  This is a group from not very far from where I grew up in the beautiful location that is Lancashire. 

Listen and make your own mind up about how I sound to the blisfully unaware Canadians! 

This is also an educational video.  If you knew nothing about the battle of Hastings before, this is all you need to know!

I have been testing out lots of different waffle recipes and so far I have not tried a yeasted batter.  I decided that it was about time I did.  Good job as well, as so far it's my favourite waffle.  I will add it's a little scary if like me you keep the batter in the fridge for a couple of days and just keep dipping into it.  This stuff has a life of it's own.  No matter how big the bowl it rises up over the top each time I look.  It's like mutant batter and the boys think its from Outer Space or something (Harry's own words!)

Fact of the day: In Belgium, there are a number of different types of waffle, including the Brussels waffle, the Liège waffle and the stroopwafel, though no waffles are known as a 'Belgian waffle'

I can't wait to try and make a stroopwafel- I love food with wacky names! 

Brussels Waffles
Ingredients
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups warm milk, divided use
3 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
1/3 cup white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
1) In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm milk. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of reserved warm milk and melted butter.
3) Stir in yeast mixture, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir in remaining 2 1/2 cups milk alternately with flour, ending with the flour.
4) Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks; fold into batter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Brussels Waffles sandwiched with Marble Slab Snikerdoodle Ice Cream, topped with strawberries, chocolate sauce and powdered sugar!

After my birthday I always change gear and head happily towards Christmas. 

I have done some Christmas shopping.

I have been researching tree's and thinking about decorations I plan to make.

But I am just not feeling festive yet and I am not really sure why?

I think Birthdays and Christmas drive home how much I miss my family and friends in the UK and certain traditions and festive rituals I used to look forward to in the UK are missing in Canada.  The lack of Marks and Spencer's trimmed up for Christmas with it's over the top tins of biscuits with snowy scenes on them, festive TV ad's and the Radio Times (such an important part of my childhood, planning what would go on with VHS tapes) and annual shopping trips with my Mum to Harrogate were all a big part of the build up to Christmas. 

I shopped in Walmart today and their attempt at festivities included wrapping the checkout lights in cheap wrapping paper and it just dosnt really inspire me to put up the fairy lights in my own home yet! 

So this weekend I plan to whip up a batch of mulled cider and watch a Christmas film, possibly eating a mince pie and singing jingle bells.  Ho Ho Ho!

And for all you lovers of all things festive here is possibly the best advert for Christmas I have ever seen- I am not ashamed to admit I shed a little happy tear!   John Lewis you hit the nail on the head with this one!

This weekend has been a jam packed birthday madness weekend!  Harry's birthday on Saturday (along with my Grandad's in the UK, 88 years young) and mine on Sunday! 

Here is a little taste of what we got up to:

• Had pancakes with strawberries, marshmallows, chocolate, honey, syrup and bananas washed down with some morning mocktails

• Ate Boston Cream Donut inspired birthday cake (custard butter cream on the inside covered in chocolate glaze)

• Realised we had no matches and had to light birthday candles from the BBQ

• Ate fab burgers at Fat Burger
• Ate too much ice cream birthday cake- Snikerdoodle from Marble Slab Creamery

• Spread the entire contents of the Lego box on the floor

• Went Skiing- first time this season- yeah!
• Drank Champagne

 

• Ate huge, amazing grass fed, organic T-Bone Steaks- cooked to perfection by the hubby
• Fell asleep watching Formula One (We are just so rock and roll!)
• Watched the dog eat, tear up and go mental with wrapping paper and balloons
• Skyped and Face timed lots of family

It's been a bloody brilliant weekend!