Bunchfuck

Well I sure left y'all on a bleak note, but the new news is.....

"WE GON' KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON"

(Imagine me speaking in my Alberta/Southern accent, the only accent I can do)

So ENOUGH about the Jig-Jank, it's good sometimes and bad other times, but thats ok I can deal with it!

This week has been pretty good so far, well the last few days at least, and I even got a suprise prezzy from my husbian.....

MOCCASINS!

I've wanted black moccasins for a while, since I became a slipper person last winter.

Matthew knows me well, so he found these and brought em home to mama!

So I got moccasins, payed and officially registered in the psych program at Atha U, got my very first CREDIT CARD that is MINE, and not my parents or Matt's really!

I won't post a picture of that because only fools would put their Credit card numbers online, I'm not that stupid!

Now don't worry now, I have this Credit card for school mainly, it ain't gonna be cheap to get me an edumakayshins.

Then Matt and I had a delicious lamb slider dinner at my 'rents last night, and went to sleep with a happy wine buzz.

Started my work week today with unusually bright eyes and bushy tail waking up refreshed though I shouldn't have been because I was a night owl last night and stayed up later than I normally do.

That to me says the universe is aligned and I feel in balance and grounded.

New Moccasins help with that.

But like I said, I am tired of hearing myself complain and I am going to move on for the moment and quit m'bitchin', and start this entry off with the best french toast recipe you've never had! Why? Because it's my SECRET recipe!!!

Oh and I haven't shared a recipe in a while, and it would be cruel of me to withhold this recipe from the world!

I rarely feel like eating french toast in the morning, I feel picky and easily nauseated in the morning, not just when I'm hungover!

I think French toast makes a wicked dessert or midnight snack.

I developed a maple syrup fetish while on treatment, I don't really know why but I would sometimes crave it, and when I did it was in the evening.

That's when waffles, pancakes and french toast became my midnight snack choice, and I would just gorge on it until I felt pukey.

I call it

FRENCH FRY BREAD!

(In that accent again)

SO EASY.

YA NEED:

A bowl

A frying pan

1 egg per slice of bread

A fair amount of butter, don't be shy with it now

LOTTA Cinnamon - The most important ingredient! Think four good dustings.

Brown sugar- a good crumbling

Maple syrup of course!

Turn up that element you prefer, everyones got one, for the frying pan I need the back left.

Turn it up to a medium high heat.

High medium heat? Ya know what I mean. Then slap a fattening amount of butter in there and let it melt, it's ok if it burns just a little, makes it more delicious!

Crack your eggs in a bowl and add the cinnamon and brown sugar, sometimes I even add a little melted butter... 

Take a fork and whip the shit out of those eggs, until the yolks are mixed in and there is no lumps.

Dip your bread in that egg slather, which should be brown from the cinnamon, if it's not add more you didn't add enough.

I should mention that thicker slices of bread work best, less likely to fall apart.

Soak the pieces of bread in it, then toss em in the hot butter in the frying pan, giving each side like 3 minutes or so, it's finished when its dark brown and crispy.

Drown those puppies in maple syrup and chow down.

You know Elephant ears you can get at the midway or folk fest, with cinnamon and sugar, that's what these amazing french fry breads taste like, and if yours isn't 

THE BOMB DIGGITY

Then you did it wrong, but come on over here I'll feed you some of my french fry bread!

Lets see that glorious fry bread again:

Yeeeeaaah. 

When the munchies strike, make some fry bread, hot diggity that shit be delicious!

IN OTHER NEWS

This last weekend was a good ol' time with my homey J. Atom, and her entourage of Siamese kitten children.

Jess and I went to high school together, and ever since those years way back everytime I come to her house she shows me weird movies and cartoons, we dig through her old pics and we talk about music, tattoos, girl stuff, crazy cat lady stuff, ect.

She also showed me how to navigate the Athabasca University site and library, and the textbook of the course I am registered in and her meticulous notes and different shades of highlighter.

We drank enough beer to have us drunkenly exchanging "all the shit that bugs us" about whatever, always a great time with J. Atom!

Anyways here's a couple of her cats!

Not the best picture I ever took but this is Grendel the Tonkinese, he is lovely and has the best

MURR

Not quite a meow, a mellow grumble.

I love him!

This is Buster a Lynx point polydactyl, look at his thumbs!

He's precious and handsome and likes warm spots.

Here's Grendel aka Grumbles turning away from the camera, he doesn't like camera flash, what a beautiful meowy though!

There is two more, Melville and Willie not pictured because they were just too fast for my drunk camera maneuvering.

Jess and her man mate Chris, or just X, which I think he should totally go by, I'll have to share that idea with him.... anyways they introduced me to THIS BAND, which I have to say rules and this album is fucking rad. 

EMBRACE THE HEAVINESS OF KVELERTAK!!!

http://youtu.be/sQR7EWxgRW0

If you've ever seen the movie Trollhunter then you may recognize their Norwegian brand of Black n' Roll brutal and melodic hammer in your face metal!

Now WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!

http://youtu.be/r7sIqyoRFiU

So Kvelertak is my band of the moment, if you see me driving by I could have it blaring offensively out of my car, that's the best.

Ok I gotta admit, I've been keeping up with the latest Here Comes Honey Boo boo and it's totally on right now so I gotta close with this:

-E.

Update, Recipe and Sour patch goodies

WOW!!!

I feel amazing. Already I am feeling more like ERIN, with my headaches and malaise gone I feel fabulous. Mentally and physically. Ten days off that poison and I am already much better. Lovin' everyday more and more.

My only complaint- THE BITCH-ITCH!!!

It hasn't gotten any better. Just raging out of control. I have to cover every inch of myself because if I don't I look like Tyrone Biggums, and if you haven't read about me looking like Tyrone Biggums yet here he is:

Always scratchin'.


Mm mm mm.


http://youtu.be/FvOD6HLMbA4




IN OTHER NEWS


I made a delicious dinner this evening, to try and re-vitaminize after a weekend of poor choices as far as food goes.


I haven't posted a recipe in a while, so here goes.


Slammin' salmon, special spinach and meowy mashed. (Couldn't think of a m word that could describe the mash, so we'll just call it meowy mashed.)


SLAMMIN' SALMON


Salmon filet(s)
Salt 
Pepper
Cayenne pepper
Sesame oil


So I just preheat the oven to 400 and grease a pan with the sesame oil. 
Put those babies on there.
Spice em up with salt, pepper, a touch of that cayenne.
Give em half an hour in the oven, maybe 23 minutes, check it after fifteen.


(A tip for cleaning the pan after it's cooled down give it to your meowies and they'll make short work of the fishy oils and salmon skin. Wash it for real after.)


SPECIAL SPINACH


A bundle of spinach
One big leek
Garlic (I like the pureed stuff, it seems more delicious.)
Sesame oil (or vegetable oil, whatever you got, just don't cook it in carcinogenic olive oil!)
Salt and Pepper


Now I know lots of people who don't like cooked spinach, but I think my spinach is pretty damn special. 
Heat a frying pan with the sesame oil and garlic, salt and pepper.
Once it's sizzlin' throw the leek in there, chopped up of course.
Brown the leeks and then throw that washed and chopped (doesn't matter if you chop it, but you can)
and let it cook down, as spinach does.
Five minutes and that's that.


MEOWY MASHED


I believe I've posted these potatoes before but I'll post em again.


Mini yellow potatoes (for easy mashing)
Half a stick of butter (ok, maybe less, like a third)
Sour cream (or a little yogurt) or you can omit both no bigs
Garlic!


I boil the potatoes in garlic (not sure if this makes em garlickier, but I really don't know, I just tell myself it does).
 Boil those taters about 20-25 minutes and they should be mashable.
Mash them up with a healthy dose of that sweet sweet butter, garlic, salt pepper to taste, and the sour cream if you wish. 


So yeah, feeling much better already. 


Here's how you know I got my normal taste buds back.
I bought myself a sour treat.



Terrible shit to be eating but I swear my brother and I got the gummy gene from our father.


Now I gotta go watch four weddings and chat with KT.


-E.

Vampire chicken, a big decision and MONKEYS

So I am making a very simple, but very garlicky dinner. 

If you like garlic this is for you.

Chicken breasts rubbed with garlic and rosemary with crimini mushrooms, yellow mashed potatoes and cooked spinach with garlic and leeks.

You will need:


Chicken breasts
Crimini Mushrooms
Garlic (pureed)
Fresh Rosemary
Pine nuts
Baby yellow skin potatoes
Spinach
Leeks
Butter
White Wine
An oven
Corning ware
Frying pan
Pot for boiling potatoes


VAMPIRE CHICKEN DINNER

Just throw a couple chicken breasts in corning ware and brush on pureed garlic AND LOTS or you won't keep the vampires away- (you can puree it yourself or get it already pureed- the lazy way is fine) and get some fresh rosemary and toss that in too. The more the better if you ask me, and the slice those criminis and toss em in too. Toss in those pine nuts. Pour a half a cup of white wine or water all over those chickens, and give it a healthy shake of pepper.

Give that about 45-60 mins on 400, depending on the size and amount of chicken. 

Then for the potatoes, I just boil mini potatoes in half broth, half water, and a spoonful of that delicious garlic puree. About half an hour and you can mash em, put about half a stick of butter and you are done.


Then I take a pan and put a little vegetable oil- or toasted sesame oil if you have it- MORE garlic puree and  throw the spinach with chopped leeks in it at a medium/high heat for about 5 minutes.


That's that. Very satisfying.

So there's tomorrow nights dinner for you and your, husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, cat, bird, mom, or just you. Whatevs.


IN OTHER NEWS


I am getting my hair chopped to my chin on Saturday night.


I haven't talked much about my hair on this blog, it has been a sensitive subject for me.
My hair has been long and healthy for years, not the thickest but still enough to look full and bouncy. I would never go shorter than my shoulders, and prefer my hair longer because of the waves I have.


When I first started intron-a, I read that hair loss can occur. I was devastated. My hair was like my safety blanket, if I like my hair then I feel pretty.


I went to my doctor in a panic and asked him about this and he goes "Oh no, only 5% experience significant hair loss during treatment. It may thin, but you won't notice much of a difference."


I am like ok, this isn't too bad.
I made a deal with Lucifer (or Zombie Jesus, whoever was listening) to let me keep my hair until my wedding at least. I was getting married in July and didn't wanna have to wear a wig or whatnot.


My hair was fine until one week after the wedding.
I wake up, take a shower, wash my hair and clogged the drain with all the hair that came out. It felt lighter right away. I cried. It continued steadily for months, chunks falling out in the shower, hair line slowly falling out of my scalp and the ends breaking off. Now it seems like it comes in spurts, and I lost so much hair in the front of my head, which is especially upsetting. I haven't photographed myself with my real hair in quite sometime, I have invested in lots of clip in pieces to make my hair long and full again, but every time I look at my real hair that looks like it was mangled by a large cat, I think it looks disgusting.


So that's it, I give in to the deal I made and accept my hair loss.
I know there is nothing I can do and this was to be expected, there are worse things.
At least I still have some hair.


So it is getting cut on Saturday night, my buddy John has a hairstylist sister, she told me she'll do it as long as I don't cry.
I told her I wouldn't, at least not in front of her.
Maybe in her bathroom.


I am actually excited to have a cute little bob.
It will give my hair a chance to grow back nicely, in a blunt cut to make it look thicker.


This is what I am hoping I look like after.

So expect pictures by Sunday!


Eeeeeeeeep!!!


So there you go all you long thick haired and pretty girls, tanning will lead to some pretty horrible things that have to do with your vanity, and cancer isn't pretty, it is very ugly.  Stop now before you have to face surgery and chemotherapy.
(my anti-tanning rant for the day.)


NOW ON TO THE MONKEYS!

Spider monkeys. I have decided that all manners of monkey scare me, these little guys have sharp little teeth and are way to fast. They could potentially give you an infectious disease. They are fun to watch, but I don't want to try and touch one.

This guy is super cute and melts my heart. But the truth of the matter is these guys are VICIOUS. They will beat you to death, eat your eyeballs, and kill you in the most brutal manner. They frighten me.

I guess this guy just likes smoking herb. That's cool I guess.
Still, quick with sharp teeth. Not cute.


http://youtu.be/dIdpZXC8840

This guy is just a lazy fat pothead.


What's with these weed smoking simians?






-E.

Chicken for a cold Canadian winter

'Tis a cold winters eve!

The low tonight is supposed to be minus 47, and I am happily warm wearing my pi's with my warm blanket and cup of tea on my couch! 

Tonight I made an easy winter dish.

Chicken for a cold day

You will need

Chicken thighs, breasts or drumsticks, 4-6

All purpose flour

10-30 cloves of garlic

Rosemary

Paprika

Pepper

Balsamic vinegar

Chicken stock

Mini potatoes

Crimini mushrooms

Corning ware

Preheat the oven to 400

I start by mixing the flour on a plate with the Rosemary, paprika, and pepper, about a tablespoon of each, I add more rosemary- and coating the chicken with the mixture.

Then I braise (brown) the chicken in a frying pan with a small amount of vegetable oil on medium to high heat. Just brown each side and take off the pan.

Put the chicken in the corning ware and fill 1/4 way up with chicken stock. Add about two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Slice the mushrooms and potatoes and put the garlic in where you can, I put in all around the chicken. make sure you get the broth on it.  

I know you're thinking, 10-30 garlic cloves? Unsliced, unpeeled?

That's right. This dish isn't the same without the whole cloves of garlic. You can squeeze out the garlicky goodness on the chicken, it makes the dish completely.

Put the lid on and cook for an hour and about twenty minutes.

This will keep you and your man (or woman) warm, full and happy. I make extra so Matt can take it to work for lunch.

Today I spent five hours cleaning up my apartment. Geez, it was getting messy. I'm still working on laundry so I gotta go to fold a load. 

Stay tuned for more adventures this week!

-E.

Turkey Burgers and Sweet potato fries!

So tonight I made an easy and healthy dinner of Turkey burgers and sweet potato fries. I grill my burgers on a countertop grill, but you can do them in a frying pan or on a BBQ.

Burgers

About 2 lbs of ground turkey meat

Soy sauce or Tamari or Teriyaki

Crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Salt and Pepper

1 Egg or Bread crumbs (To hold them together)

Toppings

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Onions

Cheese- Tonight I used white chedda

Avacado (Not everyone like avocado on it, my husband thinks it's mushy and gross, I love it)

Bunslappers (Pickles)

Sauce of your choice I'd recommend BBQ or ranch

Whatever else you wanna put on the burger

Combine the ground turkey, egg, salt pepper, tamari or teriyaki or soy sauce or whatever you decided to put in, I also recommend Jerk paste. Crumble goat cheese and throw it on in. Squish it all together. Preheat the frying pan or grill to medium high heat and form "balls" with the turkey, then flatten them and you have a burger. Grill for about 12 minutes a side. Once the centre isn't pink anymore you have some burgers ready to go!

Sweet potato fries

2-3 yams

Canola or sunflower oil (I used to use olive oil but when heated it becomes carcinogenic and I am trying to stay cancer free thank you very much so I have switched for this recipe)

Salt & pepper

Any spice you fancy. I have tried montreal steak spice and believe me it's good. I like em best with just salt and pepper on em.

Cut up the yams into fries.

Heat oven to 425

Blanch the fries in water for 30 mins (All that means is to put em in water and de-starch them so they don't fall apart)

After blanching toss the yams in oil and spices and spread on a cookie sheet and put in oven, turning them every ten minutes for about 35 mins.

SUPA E-Z YUM YUM!!!

You can dip em in ranch or mayo, I don't like mayo - BLECH!

Try this easy recipe out- it's actually healthy too and I promise the husband will love it.

-E.

Sacred Stew

So, last night I made beef stew for ten people. Ten of the very best people I know. These lucky folks got to get "stewed", it is was delicious. This is a Joy of cooking recipe, and I've been making it for a few years now in the winter, I have copied the Joy of cooking recipe, but added my own notes in red because I've added things and taken things out over the years. Great for warming you up, and perfect to give the hubby in his lunch bag. This recipe makes 6-8 servings, but you can adjust it to make less or more.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs. boneless stewing beef, cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon dried herbs (thyme, marjoram, savory, oregano, and/or basil) (I recommend lots of oregano, and use fresh basil at the end before you serve it.)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/4 cup chopped carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped leeks (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic (optional) (Put the garlic in. I do four cloves.)
• 2 bay leaves (Personally, I am not a huge fan of the flavour of the bay leaf in this stew. If you know you like the taste of bay leaf, but if you don't cook with them all the time I wouldn't recommend using them.)
• 2 to 3 cups beef or chicken stock, dry red or white wine or beer ( I do it with half stock of choice, and half wine. Make sure it's a dry red wine, a cheap Cabernet Sauvignon will do just fine.)
• 2 to 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 3 or 4 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks...( I have never put turnips in this stew, turnips are yucky. But put em in if you fancy a turnip.)
• I have added yams into this recipe. I find that they give the stew that really delicious flavour where people say, What is that taste? I would put two yams sliced thin so they turn to mush and become a part of the broth. It thickens up the stew and makes it ultra "stewy".
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks ( I sometimes omit the parsnips, but I like their sweet flavour. If you are gonna add them I'd cut down the carrots, that way the stew doesn't get too sweet.)

Green beans! I always add them in the last ten minutes. Throw a handful of those on in that stew now ya heard!

DIRECTIONS

• 1
  Pat the meat dry and season with 1/2 of the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour and shake off any excess.

  
  

  

  
  
• 2
  Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the meat in batches and brown on all sides, being careful not to crowd the pan or scorch the meat. Remove with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan (add more if needed). (I really don't think I even know what a dutch oven is, but I just use one of my Henkel pots!)

  
  

  

  
  

  
  
• 3
  Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring often, over medium heat until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.

  
  

  

  
  
• 4
  Add the bay leaves, remaining dried herbs, salt, pepper, cooked meat and enough stock to cover the meat at least halfway.

  
  
• 5
  Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer over low heat until the meat is fork-tneder, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• 6
  Add the chunked carrots, potatoes, yams, turnips and parsnips. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and skim off any fat from the surface. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

  
  

  

  
  

  I also like to add green beans ten minutes before it's done, slap those beans on in there!
  

  

  I usually thicken it up at the end by adding a little cold water to corn starch and cold water, then turning it up to high and pouring a little in there. Stir for five to ten mins and you are ready to serve your STEW!!! By this time, you would have made your guests sit for three hours and they are drunk and hungry, some are angry. (KT) I suggest serving it with buns in case someone wants a stew sandwich or two ( Mike) . YUM YUM YOU BET!!!

Source: Joy of Cooking

So follow my delicious recipe and I promise you will one day have your own stew party! Lots of happy folks full of stew!!!

 A Strange dark pic of Charlen, KT and her zombie lover Mike.

 Slim approving stew, his lovely lady Elaine and my husband who dislikes being photographed. They came for STEWWWW

Lucas rode in on his horse for STEW!!!

So I stopped taking pics at this point cause I was balls deep in stew and after stew I was too tired from stew, I just need time to be warm and stewy for a while.
I suggest you get stewy too!!!

 Feel free to email me if you have questions about the sacred stew.
e.welshie@gmail.com

-E.

Rockabilly Riot, Chicken and CATS CATS CATS!

So! I went to Brian Setzer (Stray Cats) tonight with Hubby, Charlen, Oakland and Charlen's brother Markus. It was amazing to see legends on stage, and see my husband so happy. I would have taken photos but they confiscate cameras at Reds. Bastards!

Opening was a band called Cousin Harley, with a guy named Paul Pigat who's fingers move like lightning on the Git-tar. That's how you have to say it in Rockabilly music, GIT- Tar. My lovely husband is actually quite the musician himself, and while we were watching Cousin Harley's set he told me about all the licks and riffs he had taught Paul Pigat. That's my man. He rules on the GIT-Tar. There was crazy painted stand up basses and dudes slapping the shit out of em. I personally enjoy the bass in rockabilly the most, the music would be boring without that slappin'! I was the designated driver so I didn't partake in the boozin' which is actually a good thing cause you miss half the show when you're drunk and going for a million drinks. Even my usually lush hubby only had a couple, but a good time was had by all.

HERE'S A RECIPE! YUM YUM YOU BET!!!

BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN

This is a random recipe I made up when I had a bunch of chicken breast, but limited ingredients. You can make this when you're poor but very hungry, and it will make you smile and say- See, I can eat delicious healthy food for cheap! No more microwave dinners! HUZZAHH!

3-5 chicken breasts 

4 roma tomatoes (or so. You can add more or less, it's whatevs.)

5-10 cloves of garlic, depending on how romantic you wanna get later

3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup of olive oil, extra virgin or slutty

fresh basil if ya got it

or parsley, that's good too

Slap everything in the blender (except the chicken) and set it to a low chop. Place chicken breasts in a deep corning ware- I find this works best- and bake with the lid on on 375 for half an hour, and you can turn it over for another 30 mins or so, I sometimes get paranoid that it won't get cooked and I'll poison myself, so sometimes I'll give it another ten minutes. That's ok cause they are sitting in the liquid, I'd turn the oven up to 400 for the last twenty minutes or so. 

I'd serve this deliciousness up with a few roasted garlic cloves and a glass of wine, and you are good to go. 

BOOYAH!

CAT MADNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SABBIE!!!!!! Don't you just love her milk mustache?! This is an XCU from last year sometime. MEOW!

 SALEM! What a prince. He loves me and cuddles the shit outta me. He cuddles hardcore. He also loves his chow. Especially wet chow.

 KITTY TRAIN!!!!

 My yellow eyed boy! Eeeeee I love him!

Katie's cat Miso (also known as demon cat)

Well I am up past my bedtime! I need to sleep so that I can be dynamic and productive at work tomorrow.

heheheheh.

-E.