Cooking – little siddall studios

Posted on January 31, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean — 2 Comments

what to do on valentines day when it falls on a thursday.

when valentine’s day falls on a week day, i can hear the sigh of relief coming from partners who loathe the holiday. who loathe it even more when it falls during the weekend, because well, it’s the weekend, so to us romantics it means an entire weekend full of lovely doveyness. you’re off the hook this year. next year though – be ready. you have been warned. valentine’s day is on a friday and a weekend gateway to a cozy bed and breakfast might be expected.

me? i like to celebrate all the people i love on valentine’s day. i like homemade cards and cookies decorated with red and pink and white. i don’t want or expect anything elaborate from my significant other. mohawk knows this, but still always gets me flowers and chocolate – and i love him for that. classic.

so – what to do on a thursday evening?

1. make dinner together. if you drink – pop open a bottle of wine. if you don’t drink, pizzaz up your favourite juice with fizzy water and frozen pieces of fruit.

photo by scarlet o'neill — photo by scarlet o’neill

VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL: there are two things you can do to avoid fighting while in the kitchen together.

one needs to have a plan – take on the role of the chef (you don’t need to admit that this is the case to said other as to not hurt their ego.)
one needs to be the helper (or in my case, the strong man who can open lids that i can’t and chop those vegetables that are so tedious.) also, make it easy! dinner doesn’t have to be a 6 hour labour intensive process to be delicious and yummy. taste your food and trust your taste buds.

2. take a bubble bath.

or if you think cramming into a tiny bathtub together could be uncomfortable – have a really hot shower and rub each other down with big loofah sponges full of scented puffy soap suds. if that doesn’t get you in a lovey mood – you’re not putting that loofah in the right places. (gasp!)

3. watch a movie.

a scary one or romantic one. romantic-comedies are my favourite. they are cheesy and awesome. don’t deny it. declare a snuggle fest and settle in for the night.

alone on valentine’s day? no problem. you can still do everything i just listed here. you can. trust me.

have a happy valentines day lovers – wherever you are.

Posted on August 30, 2012September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean — 2 Comments

learn by doing – popcorn in a brown paper bag.

WELL GOSH DARN IT!

IT WORKED! IT ACTUALLY WORKED!

i have to admit that my jaw did drop. more than a little. same with mohawk. same with the friend i had over.

it just seemed a little… to simple to actually work. i mean, have you seen those microwave bags you get at the grocery store? i would need scissors to break into it at times if those handle side pull tabs didn’t work so well.

and the butter. lots of it.

or fake butter.

even if it says real butter… we know.

there’s just WAY TO MUCH OF IT! let’s cut down a little on all the fake crap shall we?

– SO –

the paper bags. (forget how much they cost, not much) the plain popcorn kernels. (3.99, at my local sobeys)

i carefully opened up the blog post in which i originally saw this. the lovely kerry k. taylor over at squawk fox has taught me many a good trick. this one seemed too good to be true. but i went for it. How to Microwave Gourmet Popcorn in a Brown Paper Bag.

just as kerry laid out ever so carefully step by step – wouldn’t you believe it – i had the same results! (my paper bag did start standing up like hers did, by the end of the microwaving it had fallen on its side, no big deal)

only thing i may change next time would be to splurge and see if the orville kernels taste better than grocery store brand kernels.

i urge you – go do it now. or don’t forget to leave yourself a little reminder for the next time you’re in the grocery store.

now you can have whatever flavour you want! and you can recycle the bag afterwards! how much did i put into the bag you ask? a half a cup! that’s it, that’s all!

my greatest do-it-yourself popcorn go-to seasoning is

– butter
– honey
– salt & pepper

mix and pour over popcorn – yum yum yum!!!!!! salty and sweet! so good!

thanks kerry k taylor over at squawkfox! i will never buy packaged popcorn again! go check out her blog, she has other yummy flavour topping ideas.

Posted on July 15, 2012September 8, 2020 by Becky Gean — Leave a comment

a little bbq – and a pic of my cat.

– i’m becoming a little obsessed with the fact that i have access to a barbecue. it’s wonderful. Josh and i made a feast… for just the two of us. it was delicious. not 20 min before we went to the rooftop it was pouring rain. we were lucky enough to have the rain stop for just the right amount of time to bbq, no umbrella required.

– aside from barbecuing, i’ve been itching to bake something in my new-to-me kitchen. specifically, this delectable looking strawberry rhubarb pie from smitten kitchen. but after carefully reading through the recipe, i think i’ll take Deb’s advice and try the improved version – one of the many reasons to love smitten kitchen. go check it out. you’ll fall in love too.

– had women (special awesome ones) over for refreshing cocktails and grilled veggies on the bbq. YUM! again, with the barbecue – i know.

– tut had friends over this weekend! two little munchkins, or rather, two tea-cup pomeranians – weezer and carmen are their names. can you guess who is who? Josh’s mother came down to visit and brought them with her. it was a relaxing weekend for me. for tut – not so much. the little ones kept him on his toes until they left. at which point he crashed and had a long needed nap.

happy sunday – wherever you are.