As I struggled to once again put my daughter to bed last week I noticed that my brain has become permanently impaired. I was staring at her pj’s and seriously considering changing them because the last time she wore them she was up all night. Was this an omen, was there something about these pj’s she didn’t like? Unfortunately, I have been blessed with a sh*t sleeping baby and it’s taking its toll. Continue Reading »
Monthly Archives: May 2013
Weekly Meal Plan – Change is good
Leave a commentMy sister and I were talking tonight about the challenges of adapting to life with kids, especially if life doesn’t fit into a 9-5 package. It got me thinking of the difficult shift we had to make when Hubbers started working away. It required some serious adaptability and planning to keep on top of things and at times it has felt pretty overwhelming. Thankfully, we are pretty adaptable and I pray that organization is a skill that can be learned at any age.
We were also discussing how easy it is to start eating like crap if you aren’t prepared. Continue Reading »
Sliders with Caramelized Bourbon Onions
Leave a commentI realize this doesn’t sound like typical food served at a three year olds birthday party. Instead of this being a toddler event, we had decided to throw a BBQ for all the people that are a part of my little guy’s life. We’re super fortunate to have a great group of people surrounding us that all adore my son and help out any time I’ve needed it, especially with Huberoo out of town. This was as chance to celebrate one of the best things in my life, my darling son and a celebration of the amazing group we have in our lives. And with any gathering in my home this meant I had to feed these lovely folks some damn good food. Continue Reading »
Asparagus Spring Salad
Leave a commentWhen I decided that I was finally going to start a cooking blog ( late bloomer) I swore I was never going to start a post with shopping at a farmers market and being inspired by local ingredients. Let me be clear, I love inspiring fresh ingredients and I totally support local but there are 50 000 other blog posts that start exactly that way. Continue Reading »
Weekly meal plan – Fortunately, unfortunately
2 CommentsMy mom and I have a game we play and I’m going to share it because I think it’s the best way to describe this last crazy week. It’s called fortunately/unfortunately and it’s played like this…
Fortunately, my mom came to visit me this week… unfortunately, the house was a disaster and the kids were nuts so nobody slept.
Fortunately we both really like tea…
Unfortunately, my son barfed all over the car on an outing… Fortunately, it was only once.
Unfortunately, my washing machine broke so we had to take laundry to my dad’s every second day… Fortunately, my mom was super generous and helped us get a new one.
Unfortunately, it still won’t be here for another 3 days making it 2 weeks without a washer…Fortunately the weather is so amazing I’m just letting the kids run around naked cutting back on laundry.
Fortunately , my stepsister came into town with my niece for a visit…unfortunately, I had to share her so I barely got to see them.
Fortunately, my husband came home a day early this week…unfortunately it’s week three of solo parenting and I was completely pooped so I probably wasn’t there
Fortunately, it was our son’s third birthday party on Sunday and we all had a blast…unfortunately, he was so wired that he was up until 11pm about 2 hours past when we were still functioning. Continue Reading »
Pulled Chicken Sandwich with Mustard BBQ Sauce
2 CommentsIt’s unseasonably warm here so I thought it was the perfect time to share an easy dinner that requires almost no cooking and tastes like BBQ mastery, at least in my humble opinion. I’ve made a quick mustard based BBQ sauce that comes together in 15 minutes and makes anything taste good. Combined it with rotisserie chicken and topped with it all with a Cilantro and Lime Coleslaw, making sandwich heaven.
The sauce is inspired by traditional Carolina pulled pork. I am in awe of their devotion to tasty meat and the amazing sauces that flow out of that area. I will probably never own a smoker, become a pit boss or devote my life to the BBQ cause but I do want to create my own little version. I’m sure they would roll their hickory smoked eyes at me for my short cuts and use of chicken, but this is a damn tasty sandwich that is maybe a little on the healthier side.
I made this while my mom was visiting, she enjoyed every bite and we were divvying up the last delicious mouthfuls. There is a bit of a zing to the sauce so for my son I combined his chicken with a tomato based sauce. He of course ate the mustard sauce proving my extra steps completely unnecessary.
I’ve listed both the recipe for the sauce and the coleslaw in this post because they do go so well together but they would be equally delicious on their own. The slaw is tasty, light and makes a great side and the BBQ sauce could make my shoes edible.
I have made a recent change to the BBQ sauce recipe. I found that without cooking the onions first the sauce needed more time. Since I want this to be quick I’ve added the step of cooking the onions making the sauce yummier faster.
Mustard BBQ Sauce
1Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup mustard
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
3 cloves finely diced garlic
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp soya sauce
salt to taste
In a saucepan over medium heat cook the onions until they have softened and start to become translucent. Add the garlic briefly cooking then combine in all the ingredients. Allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt to taste. The flavours develop more with cooking so if there is time, let it hang out for as long as possible
Cilantro Lime Coleslaw
2 large carrots peeled and grated
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 an avocado
1 tbsp mayo
juice from a small lime
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste
Combine the carrots, cabbage and cilantro in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl mash the avocado getting it as smooth as possible then mix in the remaining ingredients. Toss the dressing and cabbage mixture. Coleslaw to me seems to taste better once it has had a few minutes to mingle with the dressing so I suggest tossing the salad at least 5 minutes before using.
If avocados are unavailable increase the mayo to 3 tbsp and keep the rest of the recipe the same
For the sandwiches combine 4 cups of hand pulled chicken with the sauce. I used leftover chicken from roasted chicken I made. For a quick dinner a rotisserie chicken would work perfectly here. Pile the saucy chicken on your favourite type of bun and top with the coleslaw. Enjoy!!
My Weekly Dish 