BBQ Italian Sausage and Vegetable Packet

I love packet dinners! Prepare ahead of time with almost zero cleanup after you eat.

Ingredients:
6 Italian sausages (mild or hot as you like)
3 potatoes, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 apple, unpeeled and sliced
sage, thyme, salt and pepper to taste

Ahead of time fry the sausages just until no pink remains  and then cut them in thirds.

Then on a large greased sheet of aluminum foil layer onions, carrots, potatoes, sausage and apples seasoning between layers...

until everything is stacked up like this.

Put another large sheet of foil on top and seal the edges closed. Use a cookie sheet to transport the packet to the barbecue. Slide the packet off the pan and onto the grill.
BBQ on medium heat approximately 30 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are cooked.

Carefully open the foil and pierce the veggies to see if they are cooked. If not, re-seal and place back on the barbecue for a few more minutes, but not too long...you don't want to dry out the sausages.

Serves 3-4
If you are serving more and want to double the recipe, make 2 packets.

Spicy Pineapple Chicken

I seem to be on a pineapple kick.

Ingredients:

4 chicken legs, split
1 fresh pineapple, cut in spears
1 red onion, sliced

Dry Rub

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika

Glaze

1 cup pineapple juice
1 tsp sriracha sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 tsp cornstarch
salt and pepper

Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Lay sliced onions on the bottom of a baking dish. Mix the rub ingredients together and completely coat the chicken pieces, then lay them on top of the onion.

Place pineapple spears between then cover dish with foil. You can cook right away or leave in fridge a few hours for more penetration of the flavours.

Bake covered at 400F for 30 minutes.

While cooking prepare the glaze. Boil the pineapple juice with sriracha. Mix cornstarch with 1/2 tsp of cold juice or water then whisk into the pineapple juice along with ginger, salt and pepper. Heat until slightly thickened.

Remove foil after 30 minutes. Spoon on some of the glaze and return to the oven uncovered for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Serve topped with onions and more glaze.

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Upcycled Denim Placemats with Matching Table Napkins

Spring cleaning and finding a pile of jeans you don't/can't wear anymore? Deconstruct them into re-useable parts. Once you start snipping away sort into like piles...pockets, seams, waistbands and lengths of material. Iron before sewing.

This isn't a pattern and I'm in no way a seamstress but I'll just show you what I did. I'm sure you can sew better than I.

I cut the useable pieces of material into squares and rectangles then sewed them together, sometimes leaving a hem or seam for interest. Trimmed them to just a bit larger than the size I wanted the placemats to be.

I sewed a pocket on the right-hand side for the cutlery and napkin because I think it's cute. But there was also a practical reason. When my husband sets the table he can never remember where the knife goes, where the fork goes. Now I just say "stick them in the pocket!"

Once that was done I cut some cotton for the backs and I also cut some old towels (I seem to have alot of those!)  the same size as the denim patchwork.

Sewed them together and trimmed the sides. My poor old sewing machine had some trouble here but we got the job done.

I sewed over each seam throughout the placemat to keep the layers together (sort of like quilting I would imagine)

Next, the bias tape edging.
This is where I had the most difficulty...figuring out how to make the corners with the bias tape. This is what I came up with, don't know if it's the correct way but it worked for me.

Then I made the coordinating table napkins.
Using the same material as the backs of the placemats, I cut 18" squares and folded and pressed a 1/4" hem all around.

Then folded 1/4" again and sewed all around.

So, here are the finished placemats and napkins,

A little puckered and pulled but still cute for very casual dining I think 😕

And everyone knows where the cutlery goes!

Here's a use for those denim seams...

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2018/05/recycled-denim-wrap-bracelets.html

Pineapple Spiced Salmon

You found it! That simple and flavourful salmon recipe you've been looking for!

Ingredients:

4 salmon filets
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 tbsps lemon juice
2 tbsps butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp each chili powder, paprika, cumin
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 mango, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
2 fresh pineapple spears, sliced
1 tsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in saucepan to medium and add the garlic. Cook just 1-2 minutes until just softened. Remove from heat and add the pineapple and lemon juices.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place four spoonfuls of the garlic mixture on the pan then lay a filet on each.

Spoon the rest of the mixture on top then add the combined spices, salt and pepper.

Take a large piece of foil and cover the pan, crimping the edges tightly to seal.

Bake at 375F for 14-15 minutes.

While the fish is in the oven combine the red pepper, mango, avocado, pineapple, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Carefully open the foil releasing the steam and check for doneness.

Finally broil 3 minutes and top with fruit and veg mixture.

I wish I had taken a pic of the flaked fish but it looked so good I just snapped a few quick ones then ate!

Serves 4

Recycled Denim Wrap Bracelets

Deconstruct a couple of old jeans and turn the seams into these funky bracelets...

All you need, besides the old jeans, is some memory wire. That is a wire that will hold it's shape. It can be found at craft stores, but I found mine on my husband's workbench ; )

So you need:

old jeans
memory wire
beads (to fit the wire)
needle nose pliers
wire snips
lace (optional)

On this particular one I sewed lace on one edge before feeding the wire through the seam. Remember, if you are sewing anything onto the jeans leave the path for the wire opened.

Once the wire is through snip it off leaving about 1  1/2" of wire sticking out on both ends for the curl, more if you want more beads on the ends.

Feed beads onto the end then with the needle nose pliers curl the end up, making sure to turn the end in so it doesn't catch on anything when wearing the bracelet.

As you can see in the above pic, sometimes you can use shorter lengths of seam. Just add some beads along the wire and keep feeding another piece of seam on.

Once the ends are secured take something cylindrical, like a glass, and wrap the bracelet around it. Then place it on your arm and adjust to the size you like.

So easy to make, these were done in about 1 hour. The hardest part is cutting up the jeans!

Here's another denim creative reuse...

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2018/05/upcycled-denim-placemats-with-matching.html

Beet, Radish and Carrot Salad

Think you don't like the humble beet? This salad will change your mind! Not only is it pretty but it's sweet and just a little bit peppery. Hold the lettuce and give it a try!

Ingredients:

4 multi coloured beets
3 radishes
1 carrot
radish greens

1  1/2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
3 tbsps olive oil
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt (pink Himalayan salt if you have it)
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp dried thyme
pinch of sugar (optional)

First off cook the beets. Some beet salads call for raw beets but I find them too earthy when raw and if you're on the fence about the taste of beets cooked is better, either roasted or boiled. Also, the golden beets are sweeter than red.  

I boiled my beets for 30-35 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and cover with cold water a few minutes.

Peel off the skin and slice very thinly, along with the radishes and carrot. 

Mix the dressing ingredients together and have a little taste. You may want to add more salt, or in my case I added the pinch of sugar.

You could toss everything together but I opted for plating the veggies and drizzling the dressing.

Either way you're gonna love this salad. Oh, and the radish greens add a nice peppery flavour!

Serves 2-4

Bara Brith or Welsh Tea Bread

Since my husband's background is Welsh and because this type of cake looked interesting I thought I'd try one. It's pretty good...a cross between loaf cake and fruitcake.

Heads up, this needs to be started the night before.

Ingredients:

2 cups raisins and chopped candied cherries, or any dried fruit
1 teabag
1 cup sugar
1  1/4 cups boiling water
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 egg 
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp orange juice
zest of 1 orange
3  1/4 cups flour
5 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice

Pour the boiling water over the teabag and steep for 4 minutes. Place the dried fruit in a bowl, remove the teabag from the boiling water and pour over fruit. Stir in sugar and let sit overnight.

The next day add carrot, egg, honey, orange juice and zest to the fruit and tea.

Sift flour, baking powder and spices together and mix into the wet ingredients.

Grease a 9 X 5" loaf pan and line with parchment (at least on the bottom) a pour the batter in.

Bake at 320F for 1  1/2 hours, cover loosely with foil if it starts to get too dark before the end of the baking time.

Cool on rack 10-15 minutes then remove from loaf pan with the help of the parchment paper and cool completely on rack before slicing.

Excellent with a cup of tea!