Plantain Chips and Winner of the Giveaway

Slowly I am back in my kitchen.  I am cleaning, cleaning windows, unpacking boxes and stocking the pantry.  I bought a plantain last week.  The amazing thing is that I could never find a ripe plantain in Calgary and the green ones would never soften.  I have always wanted to make plantain chips.  So this is my first cooking and blogging in my new kitchen.  Dusting with hot paprika is optional but I like the sweet and hot flavours.

Oh, and I almost forgot!  The winner of the CSN $50 giveaway is....Marjie at Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet.  Congratulations, Marjie!  Thank you everyone for stopping by and posting.

Plantain Chips

1 plantain
fleur de sel
hot paprika
grapeseed oil

Peal the plantain.  Slice very thinly, on the diagonal, until the entire plantain is in thin slices.  Try to keep the thickness the same on all the pieces.  Use a small, deep saucepan and fill to about 1 inch with grapeseed oil.  Heat to 375F.  In small batches deep fry the slices until browned.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.  Sprinkle with fleur de sel and, if you wish, with hot paprika.

A Giveaway!

No, it is not a free trip to Paris but I have been fortunate to have been offered a giveaway by CSN Stores.  I think they are on a real promotional program right now!  $50 gift certificate for anything you want to buy.  They have a catalog of everything you could possibly want.      Google CSN and you will find it right away.  Check out the swingsets!

I will announce a winner at the end of the month.  Just leave a message and to put your name in again, become a follower and leave a message that you have become a follower.  Please note that CSN only ships within the United States and Canada.

Because I cannot cook until my kitchen is finished, I thought I would share some pictures from my trip to Paris.  The L'Opera  Garnier was beyond words in the North American way.  I was so happy to attend a dance performance here.

The building is absolutely exquisite.

Can you not imagine champagne at  L'Opera Garnier?

Peek Preview of my New Kitchen

It has been so long since I have posted.  And it has been even longer since I have had a refrigerator!  My renovation is coming to an end and I am slowly moving back into the main floor from my basement.

I am having the tile backsplash and tub surround done right now.  Then just a couple of details and it is ...ta da... DONE!

Is this not a gorgeous stove!  I can hardly wait to start using it.  It is a professional model Kitchenaid with steam assist.  Kitchenaid had a sale on last July that gave me 10% off on two or more appliances, so I bought everything from them.

I can hardly wait to have a dishwasher again!

My refrigerator is just a refrigerator but I really like the look of it.  Right beside the refrigerator is where my stand mixer will be located.

The cabinet installer thought I was making a mistake choosing a flat panel cabinet.  He had actually never installed them before but he did a masterful job.

The guys who come and do the work love everything from the colours to the pot lights to the flat panel cabinets.  They can now see the way it all works together.

 This is the main light in the kitchen and then I have pot lights and will have under cabinet lighting.  The matching lights are in my foyer, hallway and bathroom.

Thanks for visiting!  I will have a better showing when I am fully moved in and decorated.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Chipotle Crockpot Chicken

 

Spicy Crockpot Chicken With Chipotle Marmalade Sauce

I used one of my wonderful Hutterite chickens.  I cut it into pieces leaving the legs and thighs with the bone in and skin on and the breasts both boneless and skinless.  Cut into serving size pieces.  Reserve the bones for chicken stock.  After cooking, I removed the skin from the thighs and legs.

I also had tried making my own chipotles in adobo sauce from a recipe on Mangio da Sola.  They worked great.  I also had my own clementine marmalade and chopped it a little finer.  You can make a lot of substitutions with this recipe and it will turn out great.

What I like about this recipe is that you do not have to pre-brown the chicken pieces.  That saves a bit of kitchen cleanup.

• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• 1/3 cup sweet clementine marmalade
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Dash pepper
• Dash salt
• 1 chicken, cut into serving size pieces
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Combine the chipotle with adobo sauce, marmalade, chili powder, garlic powder, vinegar, honey, chicken broth, and oil. Wash chicken and pat dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken pieces in the slow cooker; pour marmalade mixer over all. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.  Do not overcook.
In the last hour of the cooking, combine the cornstarch with cold water until smooth; stir into the sauce and continue cooking. Serve the chicken with steamed rice and vegetables of your choice.
Serves 4.

Winter Again

We were spoiled for a couple of weeks there with weather just around freezing.  It was beautiful.  But old man winter has returned with a vengeance and today it is -16C.  Since I am not cooking at the moment, I thought I would share this list for a winter driving kit.  It is a huge list but considering where you might be driving, most of these items would be useful, if not necessary.

AMA Winter Driving Kit
▶   shovel
▶   tow cable
▶   traction aids
▶   jumper cables
▶   window ice scraper

▶   antifreeze
▶   firewood (kindling and starter)
▶   snacks
▶   distress sign
▶   cell phone
▶   flares
▶   flashlight and batteries
▶   first aid kit
▶   survival candle
▶   matches
▶   blankets
▶   extra footwear
▶   hat and mitts

I have a long way to go to complete my kit but it will be my summer project this year to collect as many of these things together as I can.  Safe driving!



Canadian trivia - this building is a hockey rink  with an attached curling rink in a village.  It is no longer in use because the costs to maintain it are too high.  This is a common sight in villages and small towns on the prairies.

Drive in the Country #7

I have one more light fixture sitting at my sister's house in Regina.  And I need to apply for a new passport.  So after waiting for good weather, I decided to set out this weekend for a quick trip to the Queen City.

No trip into Regina is complete without a drive down Albert Street.  I love the bridge.  I have always love the wonderful hand crafted spindles.  And then to see the Parliament Building is always emotional for me.  I cannot visit without driving past.

We had a great home dinner.  Smoked pork chops, stuffed pork tenderloin, whipped potatoes camouflaging carrots and an Oreo cake.  It was a great family dinner with my sister, her husband, step daughter, son and daugher-in-law, and grand son.

After a rather quick interview at the passport office and an even faster visit to Fanny's Fabrics looking for drapery fabric, Pete and I had Tim's breakfast.

The drive back to Swift Current was more true winter driving.  The roads were slick and vehicles in the ditch along the way.  Even though my eyes were on the road, it was lovely to see the winter landscape.

I love the yellows of harvested grain fields covered in snow.  I love the blues and whites in the sky.  There are pinks in the sky at all times of the day.  Sometimes there is bright sunlight and other times it is dull.  The wind blown snow forms beautiful waves along the highway that seem like a surfers paradise.  The folds of snow reveal all shades of white and blue.  It is truly amazing.

Today I was fortunate to see some wild life.  The one lone coyote was in a field.  It made me wonder how he will find tonights supper.  And on the other side of the road were some deer grazing in the snow covered field.