Hamburger Soup

I made this about a month ago and I put our left overs in the freezer in ziplock bags. I like putting my left over soup and things in the freezer then I always have them. And when I am lazy I can just take it out and let it thaw. Kind of like today....

Last night we headed up to Ponds Resort to celebrate St. Patricks Day. It was the first time I was up there. Jonathan and I had a great time! But we had a late night and I had an early morning. Cooking today was something I did not want to do. So I grab Hamburger soup out of the freezer and ta da lunch was served. 

You will need:
1 lb. ground round
1 small onion, chopped
1 T. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
i can of condensed tomato soup ( I used heinz)
1 cup of mixed frozen veggies
2 potatoes peeled and chopped
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
14.5 oz. petite diced tomatoes with juice
3 1/2 C. beef broth
1 C. uncooked elbow macaroni 


Directions:
1. Ground beef in a large pot with onion and garlic and salt and pepper. 
2. Once cooked drain out fat and put back in pot. 
3. Then add soup, broth, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce and tomatoes.
4. Let boil for a bit until potatoes are almost cooked then add veggies and macaroni. 
5. let boil until macaroni is cooked. 

My adventurous week

I went on a little work trip this week to Halifax. I have a little confession to make. I have only ever been to Halifax for work. I had an amazing week in Halifax. I went for a Children's Oral Health Refresher Conference at Dalhousie University Faculty of Dentistry. I always wanted to go to Dal so it was nice to come here just for a few days. We got to work in lab that dental students work in.

I arrived at the Lord Nelson Hotel. I was greeted by 2 wonderful door men that opened the doors and immediately made you feel welcome. I walked into the hotel and was in awe of the gorgeous lobby. The Chandeliers and the gold ceiling just blew me away. The staff was just so sweet and so amazing. As you walked through the hotel and met staff they welcomed you and made you feel right at home. I am always so excited to go to my room. I walked in and was taken away. I had a queen size mini suite I think its called. I loved it. The staff went out of their way and left me a sweet little gift. It was so very thoughtful. I loved my room. It was a corner room and no one really came this way and it was quiet. I had an amazing view of the park across the street. Each room had a complimentary bottle of water, Nespresso machine and mini fridge.  I had my breakfast in their dinning room. They had an amazing breakfast buffet. There was even a omelette guy there! The staff at the this hotel bent over backwards for each guest. They know how to make you feel special.

Our first night we went to the Lafrasca Italian Restaurant. What an delicious restaurant. I had started off with the R&R salad. It has a romaine lettuce grilled with cheese and bacon crumbled on top. It had a garlic Caesar dressing on top. It was so good. It was like a warm Caesar salad. Then for my main course I had a Fettuccine Alfredo with grilled sweet onions and bacon crumbled on top. OH MY!! it was the best Fettuccine I have ever eaten. Our waiter was so sweet! He continuously checking on us and brought anything we needed or asked for. I also think he really enjoyed coming to our table he just seemed to always be there and laughing and joking with us. I really wish I would remember his name.

Our second night we went to the Halifax Shopping Centre. I think this was the second time I was there. I was there briefly a few years ago. But this little Miramichier was blown away by 3 storeys of shopping. Sorry 2 storeys and the 3rd was the food court. Either way I was blown away! I went to Ricki's. The staff was amazing there! They were so sweet and helped me in anyway. Even helping pick out jewelry. They really went out of their way to help me. The storm had started so to be safe we went back to the hotel. While we were at the hotel someone told us that our hotel was adjacent to a mall. So we ask the ladies at the front desk and they gave us directions. It was great we didn't even have to leave and there was a mall there! They had a few stores and a movie theater. Most stores were closing because of the storm.

Our third night we ate at Your Fathers Moustache. If you have a never eaten there. I highly recommend it! It was the second or third time I was there. I started off with a Purple Haze drink. I remember drinking many of those in my younger years at the Opera House. It was so good! Just like I remembered. I started off with Potato Skins as my app. Oh my heavens they were good. I thought I was only getting a few but nope I got a whole basket full of them. Then I had the Bacon and Cheeseburger. I am pretty sure its the best burger I have even eaten. My body hurt from eating it. It was so big and so good!! Wednesday night is Rib night you get Ribs 1/2 price. Most people at my table got the ribs and they looked and smelled so good! Next time I am getting the ribs!  Our waitress was Makayla and she definitely had her work cut out for her. We went with a party of about 20 of us. She was treated each and everyone us like we were her only customer.

On our way home of Thursday we stopped at Masstown Market. I love that place. I stop there on my way when I am heading to Truro or Dartmouth or Halifax. I guess anywhere pass there lol
I love getting there assortment of fresh fruit and veggies. Their bakery is to die for. I brought home some apples, tangerines, homemade bread and donuts. I wanted to bring home so much more!! We decided to stop there for breakfast. They serve breakfast sandwiches on English muffins or cheese bagels. If you have never stopped I really encourage you too!

Though I had a great time in Halifax learning new things, seeing new places, and trying new things this girl was ready to come home. I was missing my hubby and my dog. There is no place like home!

Lasagna Roll ups

We love lasagna roll ups. I make them often.They are just a different spin on lasagna. They take a little time and patience but so worth every bite!!

Lasagna Roll Ups

You will need

One box of lasagna noodles cooked

1 lbs ground beef cooked

1 large onion

1 can mushrooms

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1 bag of shredded mozerella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees

Cook noodles as directed on package.

Cook ground beef in a skillet then add onions and mushrooms.

Spay 9x13 pan with cooking spray

Add a little spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the pan

Drain noodles and lay out on counter

Then spread hamburger mixture on them and then add a little of bit of cheese. Then roll them up and place seam side down.

Top with remaining sauce and cheese

Cover and cook for about 30-45 mins until everything is heated through. Uncover for the last 10 mins 

Trisha Yearwood Angel Biscuts.

Repost from January 23rd.

I watch Trisha Yearwood show the other day on the Cooking Channel. These biscuits looked so good that even my hubby said you gotta make these!! Today was a snowday and I thought it was a good day to make biscuits! They turned out so good and so flakey! Also make them in a cast iron pan. They cook much better. 

You will need:
5 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
5 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
3 tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup butter melted
2 cups buttermilk 

Directions:

Preheat oven at 425 Degrees

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 3 tablespoons of the sugar.

In a small bowl, combine the warm water with the yeast and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar; stir until the yeast is dissolved. Let stand until bubbles appear, 2 to 3 minutes.

 Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk and the yeast mixture. Then add melted butter. Gently fold the flour into the wet ingredients. Keep mixing until a ball starts to form, then gently knead, 12 to 15 times, to create a smooth dough. Cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for approximately 1 hour.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and press out to 1- to 1 1/2-inches thick. Fold the dough in half, press again to 1- to 1 1/2-inches thick, and then fold again. Cut the dough using a 2- to 3-inch round biscuit cutter, depending personal preference. Brush the bottom of a cast-iron skillet with some of the melted butter. Place the biscuits in the skillet; brush the tops with melted butter.

Bake until golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes, depending on size. Brush again with melted butter and serve immediately.

Are you planning your summer vacation?

As I look outside and see it snowing for the 4th day in a row I start dreaming about summer!! I see a lot of people are starting to plan their summer vacations now. We are too! I started thinking about our amazing vacation to PEI last year and all the amazing sites we seen. We really just vegged out and enjoyed our time away. We went for 5 days and it was the best.

We went with some friends and their kids but jst my hubby and I went with them. To be honest we really missed the boys but we really needed time away just to relax and mentally get ready for a busy school year. We went from one end of the Island to the other and stopped at every Cows store along the way!

Our first stop was the Moncton Airport to see my mom she had flown in from Alberta and so I had to stop in and see her it was a few months since I had. Then we were on the road! We arrived in PEI and our first stop on the Island was of course at Gateway Village.. and my first of many Cows Ice Cream. I only get to have this stuff once a year and so I make sure I get as much as I possibly can!

We arrived at our cottage we had rented for the week. I am not quite sure who owns it but the house was located in New Haven. Here is the link. It was an amazing spot to stay! It had a huge Master bed room with a bathroom. The living room and kitchen were huge. They had a hot tub and a huge yard off the kitchen. Up stairs there were 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. Then there was a games room with a pull out couch if you wanted to stay in there too. Here is a video I took of the place we stayed. It was in the middle from the Bridge to Charlottetown. We really liked at the end of the road there was a gas station that had a grocery store in it. I am pretty sure we stopped there every time we went buy. And we bought most of our groceries there.

One place that we found by accident the year before was Pizza Delight in Charlottetown. It was in an old jail house. We really loved the atmosphere there. The staff were amazing and went out of their way to help us. This was our 3rd visit there in the last year.

On our first full day on the Island my hubby and I decided just to take off. There were so many places we wanted to see and check out. Our first stop was Victoria by the Sea. What a gorgeous spot. Its a little town and you walk through it and almost every house is a business. There were little restaurants, gift shops, you can go kayaking. So much to do. Check out the website here

After visiting this sweet little village I made the suggestion to go to Summerside it had been awhile since I had been there. As we were driving to Summerside my husband mentioned that he heard that there was a light house at the end of the Island. So we just decided to keep going. Along the way there were lots of little places to stop. I found most of the little villages and towns were Acadian. We did stop at this one little town I forget where and we went into the gas station and they had pop in glass bottles. I remember growing up and heading to PEI and they always had pop in glass bottles. Now you don't find that as much. Plus we are not huge pop drinkers but something felt like we should be drinking pop in bottles when in PEI. 

After driving for a while and almost ending up in the woods in PEI we finally arrived to North Cape Lighthouse. Its the furthest point west you can get in PEI. If you got in a boat and went west you would end up in NB. It was such a gorgeous site to see. There is also a windmill farm there. If you go into the interpretive centre there you can learn all about the windmills and go into pieces of one. It was sooo cool! It is quite the drive from Summerside but worth it and there are lots of little places to stop and see. 

So since we had accomplished all that by lunch time. We thought hey why not go to the other part of the Island. So we headed to the other side of the Island. There was something cool we found along the way. It was called the Singing the sand. We headed to Basin Head PEI. They have a provincial park there with a beach. And unlike the rest of the Sand in PEI this sand was white. And when you walked on it.. it sang or squeaked! It was the coolest thing ever! Click on this link and it will take you to the Basin Head website

That was just day one! There is just so much to see in PEI. We had 5 jammed packed days! 

On day 2 we headed to the fabulous Charlottetown. It was crazy busy. But you see this year Canada celebrated their 150th Birthday and thats where Canada started. So everyone wanted to go there. We did some sight seeing. We went to Cows of course, the Freak Lunchbox and Cool as a Moose. I loved the Freak Lunchbox because they had every candy that you could think of!! Even candy from when we were kids. 

Then we finished the day off with another favorite spot... Boom Burger!Its my favorite burger spot in PEI. I love that they use local beef, cheese and butter are from Cows and the fries are fresh cut PEI Potatoes. Its in Charolottetown at the Cows Creamery. I love that you can choose what you want on your burger! It tastes so good.. my mouth is already watering!! 

We always love taking a day and heading to Kensington. We go in the summer but we love going to the Haunted House at Halloween. We have gone the last 2 Halloweens. The first time I went I was a little scared I am not going to lie. But they do an amazing job setting things up. My favorite part is in the backyard in the garden. I also love that they have a small farm, amusement rides, and a train that goes around the property. The difference between going in the summer and the fall is that they have real people acting. One year we got chased by a clown. When you enter the house there is a the "Inn Keeper" that meets you and sets the stage for how your visit will go. Each room and each floor has a different theme. Go in the summer or the fall either way you will have a great time!

another cool place that I have driven by many times when I was little and even when I was an adult. But I never stopped in This the Car Life Museum in Bonshaw. . This year we did. I am so glad we did. It was so cool to see one of the first cars ever made and how cars and transportation has changed over the years. We had a great time learning about so many old cars and seeing cars from different times. There is even Elvis' Pink Cadillac there. It was a really cool spot and if you are a car lover that is the place for you to go! 

Of course we took one day and went to Cavendish. You can't go to PEI without heading to Cavendish!! Our favorite spot of course is the Boardwalk. We took sometime there and checked out a few shops. Of course I had to go Cows Ice Cream ( I told you I stopped at every one!) and I even had a Beaver tale. Those are so good! While in Cavendish we headed to Avonlea Village I remember going there a few years ago and it was right out the Anne of Green Gables books but now its a bunch of little shops.  There was a donuts shop, a baked potatoes place (you go in and order a baked potatoe with a bunch of different toppings) and a place called MOO MOO Cheese (you choose different grilled cheese sandwiches made from cows cheese and butter)  We ate at Moo Moo Cheese. I had a turkey dinner grilled cheese and my hubby had pulled pork and mac and cheese. I can't wait to go back to this place! There were a few other little shops too that we checked out. 

Also last summer the guys wanted to go to some sort of races event. So they googles this event and well we ended up in this pit. There was races cars of every shape an form everywhere. Suddenly I felt like I was at Mudfest only it was dry!! This happens every labour day weekend. We are already planning to go this year. Check out this link  You have to watch the link to check it out. 

There are so many wonderful places to check out in PEI. These are just a few different places that we found along the way. If you are going to PEI def check out the PEI Tourism packages. They have some awesome packages available for families. We are excited to be heading back in Summer of 2018 with the Kids. We have so much we want to show them!

Hellmans Mayo Chicken

First I have to admit I am NOT a Hellmans Mayo Fan. I am a Kraft Miracle Whip kinda girl. But I may have just switched over just for chicken.

I know you have all seen the Hellman's Mayo commercial with the 4 step chicken. I have been thinking about trying for awhile. I just have been on the fence... because I am a Miracle Whip girl! Today is going to be a busy day for me I have some editing to get caught up on, a house to clean and packing to do for my upcoming trip to Halifax. So I wanted something quick and easy to cook today. This is exactly what I was looking for. So super easy and surprising enough delish! I served it with some potatoes and veggies and it was the perfect meal I was looking for.

Hellman's Mayo Chicken


You will need:
4 chicken breasts
1 cup of Hellman's Mayo
1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven at 350
In a bowl mix Parmesan cheese and mayo.
On a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil spray with some cooking spray
Place chicken on cookie sheet and spread Parmesan cheese and mayo mix over the top
Then sprinkle with bread crumbs
Bake in oven for about 20-30 mins until golden brown


That's it.. that easy!
** This is not a sponsored post. These are my own thoughts and ideas**

Sweet and Sour Meatballs and Rice

urgg... I am very  impatiently waiting for winter to be over. Its been snowing since Thursday morning.. it is now Saturday night. The only good thing.. Time goes ahead tonight. That is always a clear sign that spring is on its way. I have been dreaming of summer days and summer nights since December lol.

Today was such a lazy day in our house. We just lazed around. I didn't even shower until like 7pm. And would you believe that we ate kraft dinner and hot dogs for lunch lol Thats what kind of day it was. But for supper I knew that I needed to bring out the big guns. I decided to make sweet and sour meatballs and my Aunt Donna's rice.

I really dont think my Aunt Donna came up with this rice but growing up she always made it. Then when I looked in my Grammy Hambrooks recipe books thats what it said "Donna's Rice" so I kept the tradition. As for the meatballs I was watching Rachael Ray one day and she was making burgers and she said to grate the onion and garlic into the burgers. My hubby loved that so I started doing that. Trust me it makes a difference.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

For the meatballs:
1 package of ground beef
1 onion grated
2 cloves of garlic grated
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1 egg mixed up

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Put everything in bowl and mixed it all together. Then roll into little balls and place on a cookie sheet. I sprinkle salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil over top. Then place in the oven for about 20-30 mins. While they are cooking get sauce ready.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
** I call this whatever you can find that might taste good in it sauce**
1 cup of ketchup
1 tbsp mustard
mix these 2 together first
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp pancake syrup
2 tbsp bbq sauce
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup of brown sugar

you can also add maple syrup, left over sweet and sour sauce or honey garlic, apple juice, pineapples and pineapple juice. Whatever you got in the fridge lol

Then I add 1/4 cup of cornstarch with a little water and the put that in the sauce to thicken it.
Then I put everything in the slowcooker and cook on high for about 1-2 hours until sauce is cooked.




Aunt Donna's Rice

You will need:
1 pkg Onion Soup Mix
2 cups long grain rice (not minute rice)
3 cups water
1/3 cup soya sauce
1/3 cup vegtable oil

Veggies of your choice: onions, green pepprs, mushrooms, celery
Meat of your choice: (which youdont have to add) chicken, ground beef, porkchops

Mix all together in a dish 

Bake at 350 for 1hr to 1 hr 30 mins