Favourite Recipes: #1 Mushroom Risotto

This is one of my favourite side dishes to make, it’s not very heavy on oil or any fat and since I am lactose intolerant it is nice to have the creamy flavour without the actual cream. You want to cut up your mushrooms ahead of time it just makes things a lot easier as you cook. As to what mushroom you choose you can pretty much pick and add any variety you might like.

Cooking time: ~30 minutes

2 tsp of vegetable oil/coconut oil  

1 cup of Arborio rice

½ onion finely chopped

¼ cup of White wine (pick your favourite)

~2 cups of reduced sodium chicken broth (can use veggie broth as well)

1 portobello mushroom

1 small bunch of oyster mushrooms

2 cremini mushrooms

1 king oyster mushroom

1 bunch of enoki mushrooms

½ cup Parmesan

Pinch of pepper

1.       To start heat the chicken (or veggie) broth until it starts to steam but don’t boil it, at the same time put 1 tsp of oil in a non-stick frying pan heat on medium heat and add your mushrooms. Saute your mushrooms until mostly cooked, remove from heat and reserve any liquid.

2.       In a heavy skillet add 1 tsp of oil heat on medium-low and add your onions cook for about 2 minutes or until the onions start to look more translucent. Turn up the heat to medium.

3.       Add rice and white wine to skillet let the rice absorb the liquid before you start ladling in your hot broth.

4.       While stirring constantly add a ladle full of broth to your rice mixture wait until it has fully absorbed before adding more. Continue to slowly add broth for about 20 minutes or until rice is fully cooked.

5.       Heat you mushrooms if they have cooled and add to the rice mixture, also add any reserved liquid.

6.       Add about ½ cup of Parmesan and a pinch of pepper; mix everything thoroughly.

7.       Serve while hot with your main dish of choice, my favourite is some herbed baked chicken breast.

8.       Enjoy!

Please comment and let me know how you liked the recipe. Are there any changes you would recommend? 

Battle of the Bulge

I have decided to change a little bit of what this blog is about, I recently decided that for my own health I need to get in better shape. So I've been working on changing my diet and exercise routine to include healthier food, and being honest to start some kind of activity since these days really all I do is work and watch TV which cannot be healthy. About a month ago I was weighing in at 232lbs down from an all-time high of about 245lbs last summer. Today I weigh in at 228lbs; I want to lose the weight permanently so I’m not looking for a quick fix to drop 60lbs in a couple of months. I want to make lasting changes to my lifestyle that will hopefully make this weight loss a long term success.

My goal is to get back to the same weight I was when I graduated high school, I’m only 25 so that was not so long ago. Back then I weighed in at around 170lbs which is by no means skinny, but that is not my goal anyway, I felt way better back then I had way more energy and was much happier with myself.

So here I will track my weight weekly and I will keep a food journal and exercise log, and hopefully keep track of what works and what doesn't. And then hopefully I can reach my goal to a healthier lifestyle.

If anyone is still reading at all, it would be great if you can share your stories so hopefully I can stay motivated to keep doing this. It’s not the first time I have tried to battle my food demons, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

All Grown Up...Sort Of

So I started this blog with the intention of doing some awesome crafting, but then I graduated school and real life and being a responsible adult took over. I have a real job now that may even lead to a career! Where did the time go I swear to go I just started high school yesterday until I remember I graduated in 2007, can you believe I think 2007 was yesterday? Me neither do I still forget that it’s almost 2013 and I’m a university educated responsible adult? Yes, yes I do partly because I don’t feel any different than I did in high school. Here are my 3 reasons why.

#1 I still live in my parents basement. I am 23 and employed and living with my parents and thus having to follow their rules. It’s difficult to feel all grown up when your mom’s nagging at you to clean your room every 10 minutes or so.

#2 Even though I am gainfully employed I still have trouble saving money. No I don’t go on ridiculous shopping sprees, but have you ever tried figuring out how much a down payment on your first condo/house will be? It is ridiculous to try and save that money while still paying my bills. I do have still have those even though I live in my parent’s basement.

#3 My room looks the same it did 7 years ago minus some minor re-arranging of furniture and I still share it with my almost 22-year old sister, like I have been for the past 20 or so years.

There was no great transition and sense of independence moving from adolescence to adulthood. I should be able to afford my own place right? I do make almost as much as my dad does, I do have a boyfriend who makes a good income, we should be able to move out. Yes we should, but we both want to buy a property that we can both be comfortable in without having to live for our mortgage payment. I live in Toronto and the rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in my preferred neighbourhood starts at $1300 please excuse me if I’d rather be paying a mortgage and earning some equity for that much money.

Having your own place is great, but when all you can afford is to pay your bills it’s not all that fun. Now people will probably assume that I am a spoiled brat who would very much like everything just handed to her “I want it right now! ” *insert childish pout here*. On the contrary I’ve been working since the age of 16 I put myself through school, I pay for my own phone I pay for my car. Basically everything I have I’ve paid for myself. I’ve worked hard to get where I am these past 7 years and pardon me if I seem like I want to have all the good stuff my parents worked years for right now, I’ve worked for years too, not so many years, but still do I not deserve something by now?

And so my dilemma continues, I am all grown up a responsible adult, still living like a teenager in my parents basement. Anyone else feel like they’re stuck in a rut?

Photos

This is my blanket being modelled by my then 3 year old brother.

This is some examples of jewellery I attempted to make last summer.

And I'm back

So I've been gone for months yes mostly due to the majority of my time being taken up by work and then my general laziness to do anything once I got home. I'm still knitting and went on a major binge buying more yarns forgetting I already have a whole box stashed under my bed. I have thought of what to make with them, but I'm trying to start one at a time. My current project is a vest made of Red Heart Foxy Yarn in Sterling. I love how fuzzy the yarn is and I'm hoping to turn it into a vest for my sister. I will definitely be posting an update on how this adventure goes.

Other than the super fuzzy yarn I bought some Bernat Satin/Sparkle in various colours as well as Manos Maxima Merino Wool. I have 2 skeins of red and 3 skeins of green. I find myself going for contrasting colour combinations lately though I have no idea if I'll actually use them together.

I'm back to knitting and less jewellery making since I've managed to accumulate a very large yarn stash and now have to actually make something out of all of it. I know I promised pictures and they are coming just have to actually upload them since they are still sitting on my camera.

I may have some big news to announce soon thought I'm not exactly sure how soon.

And now anybody else buy yarn without having any idea what to do with it? How do you figure out how to use it?