Is it PC to Give a Mixed Review?

My how the tables have turned. I can't help but revel in the moments of being able to guilt Giz about not posting. Giz - are you still a foodblogger? (said in a teasing, ironic tone)

Yeah...it's THAT annoying when you ask me that question too.

Actually, I should be more appreciative. Somehow I managed to receive a package labelled for Giz. Sweet! In the package was a bag full of products from President's Choice Healthy Insider Report.


I haven't tried everything yet, so I'll just talk about some of the products that I have tried, for now.

First up are the Thin Multigrain Bagels.


They certainly live up to their name in terms of thinness. I was actually surprised that I liked them, at least the first couple that I ate. I think they would be good for a brunch. It's not uncommon for us to have family brunches that include bagels, lox and cream cheese and a bunch of other options. A bagel (or even a half) in those circumstances seems like a big commitment when there are a bunch of options. But, a thin bagel or half would be a nice balance. I definitely didn't have the heavy feeling of having just eaten a bunch of carbs like I would with a traditional bagel.

Also included was a toddler meal of spaghetti in a turkey sauce. I don't have a toddler, so I gave this to a friend. I can't speak to the taste, but her son definitely liked pretending that the container was a steering wheel of a car.


I like the idea of organic meals for toddlers, with hidden vegetables (if your child is a fussy eater). I just wonder whether the amount of packaging used is necessary.

Another item in the package was a peach and mango sparkling fruit juice. Personally, I never buy this kind of stuff. So, I may not be the best person to comment on this. But, I did try one. One word: BLECH! Sorry PC - I don't get it. Do people actually like this stuff? I tasted the peach/mango flavour. But it tasted synthetic. Other than that, there was no flavour. I tried to get R to finish it (he's usually my human garburator). No dice. He didn't like it either. The rest got spilled out and now I have 3 remaining taking up room in my fridge.


Now...to end on a positive note. I quite like the Almond Vanilla Granola.


I've been pretty loyal to a small handful of cereals. But, I have found myself craving this cereal since I first opened it. In fact, I like it more on its own rather than with milk. So far, favourite item of the group.

Tortellini Soup

I took the leap! I decided to graduate from my Canon SD450


to a starter DSLR, a Nikon D3100.

*Note: both pictures were pulled from Google Images.

I'm determined to figure out how to take decent photos in manual mode, but feel like I'm near the bottom of a steep photography learning curve. I took a half day crash course and spent most of the time wide-eyed and overwhelmed. My new challenge is to figure out how to take photos in RAW format and then edit them to look good. Any tips on editing programs to use (ideally open source or not too expensive)?

I definitely notice a difference in the pictures I take with the DSLR. Not necessarily for the better as of yet. So, you'll just have to bare with me and the varied photo quality.

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I recently had a couple of friends over for dinner. I had been thinking about making this soup for a while and since the dinner was taking place on the same day as my photography course, I knew I wouldn't have a lot of preparation time. Annie's Eats is a really delightful foodblog that I've been following for a couple of years now.

Tortellini Soup
Annie's Eats


Yield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
9 oz. tortellini, any variety (fresh or frozen)
3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mix in the oregano and diced tomatoes. Add the broth to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions. One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach. Remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with grated Parmesan as desired.

I highly recommend this soup. It's super easy to make and tastes great. I'd probably add more vegetable broth next time. Go take a look at Annie's version of the soup. It makes a better case for trying the recipe than my photo.

It has been forever since I've shared something with Presto Pasta Night, so I'm going to send this dish over to Chez Cayenne, who is hosting this week's event.

Although the soup could be a meal on its own, I decided to make a spanikopita, a recipe we've posted a couple of time on here.

Eating Well While Camping

Did I mention that Giz is an anxious mother?

Evidence #1: I thought Giz wouldn't have any nervousness about our upcoming trip to Australia and New Zealand (leaving mid-April - SO EXCITED). We finally booked our tickets and I sent the itinerary to Giz. Her response: "...it sounds pretty intense to me. Wouldn't you rather spend the night in LA and then continue on after a good sleep?

Am I crazy or does that make no sense at all? Why would I want to be well-rested in preparation for a 14 hour flight? You'd think it would be the opposite. My current plan is to take some night time cold medicine and sleep for as much of it as possible. Any other recommendations are welcome!

Evidence #2 of Giz's being an anxious mother - here's a recent telephone conversation:

PG : We're going on an overnight xc ski trip this weekend.

Giz: Oh yeah? Where will you stay?

PG: In a yurt, like usual.

Giz: Won't it be cold?

PG: No, it's fine. It's actually really warm in the yurt with the wood oven.

Giz: Are you going to take food?

PG: No. I'd figure we'd just rough it.

Giz: WHAT!?! No. You need to take food.

PG: I'm sure there will be wild animals out there. We can just hunt for our food.

Giz: Are you serious? I really think you should take some food with you.

PG: Seriously mom? Do you think I'm going to go on an overnight trip without food? Have we even met?

Giz: Well... I just wanted to make sure.

Rest assured mom. No one went hungry.


It started with picking up a sandwich from DiRienzo's, a xc ski tradition.


I know I've talked about DiRienzo's on here before. It's an Ottawa institution. You go into this corner store that looks pretty run down on the outside. Quite often the line wraps around the aisle of the store. But, the staff working behind the counter are so fast, you'd think they were moving in fast forward. As you work your way closer to the front counter, you pick up a bun (not my favourite aspect to have to select a bun from a bin that hundreds of people root through). You then select a sandwich number, based on the option posted (I always get #6 -- proscuitto, turkey and havarti cheese). The meat is sliced fresh and you tell the staff your preferred toppings (e.g., lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, pickled eggplant). All of that for $4 (prices increased from $3.50 this year, but it's still well worth it).



After making our way to Gatineau Park, we set off for the yurt (our home for the evening).


This year, we decided to switch it up from the usual hot dogs and salad and make chicken fajitas.

Having everything cut up ahead of time makes this a really quick, convenient and tasty meal to make on a wood stove. Sorry, not a great picture, but it was dark out by the time we ate.

Breakfast was also delicious -- home made hasbrowns and omlettes stuffed with sausage and veggies.



By splitting up the meals between 6 of us, it was really easy to ski in carrying a good variety of food that was more interesting than the usual camping fare.

You can read about a previous ski trip here.