Do you have success cooking with a Slow Cooker/Crock Pot?  I never have - ever.  I suspect the reason for this was:  too much liquid?  overcooking?  not enough flavors/seasonings? Probably all of these reasons.
On a recent grocery shopping day, I passed by a Garage Sale and decided to stop by.  Looking at this crock pot (which was quite filthy) a gentleman approached me saying I could have it for $3.00.  I stood there looking at it trying to decide "Should I give it one more try?"  "How many crock pots have I given away"?  Then the gentleman said "Okay, I'll give it to you for $2.00".  Sold!
What sold me on it besides the price, was the high and low cooking times.  I liked the feature of an 8 hour or 10 hour low cooking time.  Maybe now I will get it right?
Once I got the crock pot home, I gave it a good scrub, and disinfected the crock with boiling water.  It came out squeaky clean.
I always think of Pork and Beans as a side dish in the summer, as well as being a great side to any BBQ main dishes.
My favorite Baked Beans dish is a version from Emeril Lagasse's Book:  Emeril At The Grill, so this recipe is a modified version of the original.
This dish is the first tasty Crock Pot Meal I have ever made....there may yet be hope.  Anyone wanting to share your favorite Crock Pot Meals, please do - I would be most happy to feature your recipes with this post. (there will be a link at the bottom of this post) (thanks DH - I do not have a clue on how to set up a link to a blog!)
1 lb. Great Northern Beans, rinsed and soaked overnight (12 hours)
6 slices of bacon, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 large shallot, diced
6 minced garlic cloves
1 cup of coffee (I used de-caf, having recently given up regular coffee)
3/4 cup Homemade Ketchup or Organic store bought Ketchup
1 Tblsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tblsp. dried rosemary, thyme, garlic
fresh cracked pepper (season with salt at the end of cooking time)
2 1/2 cups water
one 5 1/2 oz. can of tomato paste
2 Tblsp. Soy Sauce
2 Tblsp. Balsamic Vinegar  (I added the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar at the end of the cooking time just before serving)
After soaking the beans for 12 hours, drain in a colander, rinse, and set aside.  Brown the bacon on medium heat, then transfer the bacon to a bowl.  Add in the onions, shallot, and garlic, turn down the heat to low, sauteing about 5 minutes.
Then add in the seasonings and continue to saute another 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the beans to the crock pot, with the coffee, ketchup, tomato paste, mustard and water, stirring to combine.  Then add in the bacon and sauted onions and garlic.
Stir well, put the lid on and set to low to cook about 10 hours or until the beans are tender and sauce is thickened. (we also turned this down to warm for another 2 hours, because I had to work later that day)  Add in the Soy Sauce and Balsamic Vinegar, then taste to season with salt and pepper.
Serve with any main dish or as a meal itself.

What's your favorite slow cooker dish, if you would like to share - post here:

I can't believe I am about to say this, but this breakfast was so good, it will be on the table again tomorrow!  Why?  Because it has Tofu in it - yes - Tofu.  I have never been a Tofu fan, unless it is well disguised, majorly flavorful and with lots of texture in the dish.  Seriously, if you do not like Tofu, you may well love this breakfast.
There were leftovers in the fridge from our recent visit with our son Jarrod and his wife Anook - who both cook with Tofu frequently.  I can not bare to throw food away, so this is how this breakfast evolved.  Plus there was also leftover Chili Paste with Sweet Basil (which I love).  A good alternative to this is Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste which is gluten free.
Then to add further flavor and texture, this Tofu Scramble was topped with Fermented Salsa - delicious!  This will easily serve two, or one if you are super hungry like I was.
2 Tblsp. Grape Seed Oil or Coconut Oil
3 crimini mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 green onions, chopped
1 minced garlic clove
1 cup of finely shredded cabbage
1 cup of grated Firm Tofu
2/3 cup of grated cheese or use Daiya Vegan Cheddar Cheese
1 Tblsp. minced Cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Tblsp. Chili Paste or use Thai Red Curry Paste which is gluten free
Heat up a frying pan on medium heat with the Grape Seed oil.  Add in the mushrooms, red and green onions and garlic sauteing to sweat out.  Then add in the cabbage and continue to saute for five minutes.
Add in the grated Tofu, Chili Paste and season with salt and pepper.  Saute until you begin to see some caramelizing.
Scatter in the cheese and Cilantro, stirring just to melt the cheese, then transfer to a plate.
Serve with a generous amount of Salsa and dive in...can't wait for breakfast tomorrow!

My garden is exploding with Lambs quarter or as some call it:  a weed, or poor man's spinach.  Whatever you like to call it is okay by me - I love this healthy green. Late May and June are the best months in my region to harvest young fresh Lambs Quarter Greens.  Although having said that, we are at least 5-6 weeks behind this year in the garden, so I suspect there will still be more Lambs Quarter to harvest for at least another 3 weeks. (this is just one small section of the fast growing Lambs Quarter).

If you do not have Lambs quarter, spinach or kale would work nicely in this recipe.  Also, free range ground Turkey or Chicken would be heavenly in this dish (wish I had some!)
If you would like to learn more about Lambs quarter, here is a good site with information on this healthy naturally growing green.
The best way I can describe the flavor of this lovely green is: rich, meaty, ever so slightly salty.  You know how a mushroom takes on a meaty beefy flavor when sauted?  Lambs Quarter has a similar richness.  For me, Lambs Quarter is right up there with fresh local Asparagus.  It makes me a very happy girl! 🙂
I used 5 cups of Lambs quarter in this recipe which was fairly packed down:

1 lb. lean hormone/antibiotic ground beef
3/4 cup white Basmati rice (rinse and drain well)
1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes (squeeze out the juice from the tomatoes slice into chunks and put into a bowl, reserving the liquid)
1 onion diced
5 minced garlic cloves
5 crimini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup beef stock
2 1/4 cups reserved tomato juice
2 rounded Tblsp. fresh Basil - minced
3 tsp. Sweet Basil Chili Paste (or Red Thai Curry Paste) I used this one
2 tsp. dried Oregano
salt and pepper
4-5 cups Lambs quarter or spinach or kale
grated aged cheddar cheese
(at the end of the cooking time for the rice - my mixture looked a bit thick - so I added 1 Tblsp. Tomato paste mixed in 1/2 a cup of water - then I mixed that into the ingredients.)
Heat up a frying pan or dutch oven on low/medium heat.  Add in the ground beef breaking it up, and sauteing until browned.  I did drain off about half of the renderings.
To the pan add in the mushrooms, onions and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper, sauteing to sweat out the onions - 5-7 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, minced fresh basil, chili paste stirring to combine.Pour in the beef stock and reserved tomato juice again stirring to combine.
Then add in the rice, stirring to combine.  Add in the Lambs quarter or spinach stirring well, then cover with a lid.  It will look like too much, but it will cook down.

This is about 5-7 minutes after simmering - the Lambs quarter cooked down quite a bit:
Keep a lid on, and a light simmer for about 20-25 minutes stirring twice during the cooking time.  Mine did look a bit thick so this is where I added 1 Tblsp. of tomato paste mixed with half a cup of water.  Pour over the beef and rice stirring well to combine.  Transfer to a casserole dish.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Add a generous layer of aged Cheddar Cheese over top of the casserole, then cover with aluminum foil.  Bake 30-40 minutes to heat through and melt the cheese.

This was super quick, easy and tasty.  This is one of those meals to make when you don't feel like cooking.  It does help to have some leftover roasted chicken, and SCD cream made  (I always make a big batch, some for sweet whipped cream, and some for savory dishes like this one).  I am really trying to get more organized in the kitchen, especially when I have had a busy work day.  It does not always happen, but once in a while is a good start, right?
1 1/2 cups cooked leftover chicken, shredded
1 pkg. Tinkyada Brown Rice Spaghetti Pasta
Olive oil
1/2 a large onion diced
3 minced garlic cloves
4 minced crimini mushrooms
28 oz. can of whole tomatoes (chopped, and include the juice)
2 tsp. Basil
2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. dried Fennel
salt and pepper
6 Tblsp. SCD cream or regular cream
3 Tblsp. fresh minced Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
Parmesan Cheese
Add a good drizzle of olive oil to a dutch oven, on low medium heat.  Add in the mushrooms, onions, and garlic, sauteing to sweat out, and mushrooms turn golden.
Add in the seasonings - except the fresh Parsley, then pour in the tomatoes with juice.  Bring to a simmer, lid off stirring occasionally until reduced by half.  About 30-40 minutes.
Half way through cooking, put the pasta on to cook, as per directions.
When the sauce is reduced by half, add in the chicken to heat through.
Drain the pasta, and add to the sauce, mixing to combine.  Then add in the cream, fresh parsley and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, tossing to coat.  Serve with extra Parmesan Cheese.  Comfort food after a long busy day! 🙂

This may well be my most FAVORITE white fish recipe ever...so so good.  So delicious, I would love to make it at least once a week.  However, after reading this information, we discovered Cod is on the endangered species list.
I received an education this week about our Canadian Coastal Cod.  Naturally it is wild, I did know that.  However, I thought there were two kinds of Cod - Gray Cod and Ling Cod.  Ling Cod is not my favorite fish, but Gray Cod is divine.  This fish here is called Pacific Cod - a whole other species....who knew?  And I might add - delicious, tender, moist - a great white fish for many recipes.
This is a fish we can get almost year round, as well as the other ingredients in this recipe.  Now that I know it is on the endangered species list, sadly, I must reconsider.
I have wanted to have at least one fresh fish dinner each week.  We do eat canned Salmon and Tuna, but fresh wild seafood is always better.  DH is not a seafood lover.  He likes Halibut, Sole, Salmon, Cod and Snapper fillets.  I love all of these, except my body does not agree with Halibut or Sole - how sad is that???  Plus, as previously mentioned in other posts, my DH will not eat shell fish of any kind.  I LOVE shellfish.
However, on that note, I recently discovered I can not eat Mussels (trying not to cry here). If I do eat mussels my hands and face swell up to very scary proportions...remember the movie Alien?  Well, I do look like some kind of Alien freak, to say the least.  Okayyyy... enough said about that!
I also learned most Mussels in Canada are now farmed.  Interesting...as a child I had no problem with Mussels...but back then farmed seafood was unheard of.  (Why do we always have to interfere with nature? Over fishing, fish and seafood farming, depleting our natural resources...it is maddening)  Interfering with nature seems to have some extreme results which I have personally experienced, but what about globally, environmentally?  A question worth considering.
Can we not all go back to what Nature naturally intends?
Okay...back to Pacific Cod.  It is a very neutral tasting white fish which lends itself to all kinds of flavor destinations. We both agree this is a most tasty lovely fish....we want to include this beautiful fish in our diets each week, but now will give consideration to a moderate amount in our diets.
Now onto the recipe:
The sauce can be prepared ahead of time which makes this dinner quick and easy!
2 Wild Pacific Cod fillets - about 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. (Halibut would be tasty too)
3 Tblsp. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Fennel Bulb, cored, cut in half then slice again
1 large Shallot, sliced
3 minced garlic cloves
16 Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
Salt and fresh cracked Pepper
1/2 glass of dry White Wine - I always cook with a Sauvignon Blanc
2 Tblsp. Tomato Paste
and handful of finely chopped Fresh Basil
TOMATO BASIL FENNEL SAUCE:
Heat up a frying pan on low medium heat with the Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  To the pan add the shallots and saute for 3-4 minutes.  Then add in the garlic, Old Bay seasoning, sliced Cherry tomatoes, sauteing for another 5 minutes.  Then add in the sliced fennel.
Continue to saute for another 10 minutes, then pour in the white wine and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Simmer for 5 more minutes, then add in the tomato paste, stirring to incorporate.
Remove from the heat and add in the minced fresh Basil.  Preheat the oven to 425 degress.  Meanwhile, rinse the Cod Fillets in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.  Remove any bones with needle-nose pliers.  Lay the Cod Fillets in a casserole dish and season with salt and pepper.
Spread the tomato fennel sauce around the fish.
Then cover with the remaining tomato basil fennel sauce.
Cover the casserole dish tightly in aluminum foil, and bake about 20 minutes, or until the fish is tender.
Serve alongside rice or steamed baby potatoes and steamed fresh vegetables.
We were in heaven...enjoy!  🙂

When will I learn?  Every time I buy a flank steak, they are always 1 1/2 - 2 lb. in size.  That is way way too much steak for two people.  It finally dawned on me tonight....Dawwww....to cut the steak in half and freeze the other half, dang!
I made a dry rubbed flank steak, which we had for dinner the other night with my Chimichurri Sauce.  There was more than half of it left.
By the way, this dry rub spice mix would be wonderful with chicken or pork too!
So I decided to make these Chimichurri Steak Wraps.  They were mighty tasty, but there is still 1/4 of a steak left.  More leftovers tomorrow....
Dry Rub Mix:
1 1/2 lbs. Flank Steak, Chicken or Pork
Spice Rub:
3/4 Tblsp. Chili Powder
1 rounded tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Corriander
1/2 tsp. Smoked Paprika
Salt and Pepper
Mix the dry rub in a bowl and then sprinkle evenly on both sides of the flank steak, rubbing into the meat evenly. Wrap up or seal in an air tight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Remove from the refrigerator 1/2 an hour before putting into the oven.
Preheat the oven to broil.  Place the steak onto a baking sheet and bake about 6-7 minutes on the first side, then flip the steak and bake for another 7-8 minutes for medium rare.  Place onto a platter and cover to rest about 10 minutes.  Slice the steak on a diagonal and serve with Chimichurri Sauce.
For a pork steak follow the same directions adding about 5 minutes longer cooking time depending on the thickness of the pork steak.  For chicken, I would bake at a 350 degree oven for one hour.
LEFTOVER CHIMICHURRI STEAK WRAP:
(for two, although, DH said he could have 2 on his own!)
2 Brown Rice Tortilla Wraps - I used Food For Life
6-8 Tblsp. Chimichurri Sauce - or to taste
Grated Aged Cheddar Cheese
Shredded Lettuce
Salsa
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Slice up the steak, and then slice in half again.
Add a generous helping of Chimichurri Sauce spreading out evenly over the rice flour tortillas.
Then lay down the slices of beef and a generous layer of grated cheddar cheese.
Bake in the oven for 4-5 minutes - just to melt the cheese and heat through.
Add shredded lettuce, and Salsa - this is my favorite Salsa:
Roll up, slice in half and dive in.  So yummy....think we are having these again tomorrow for lunch. 🙂

Well - this year it will certainly be a different year in the garden.  May and June so far have proven to be not the best we have ever seen, that is for sure.  Looking at the garden I would say we are 5-6 weeks behind.
This lovely big bowl of salad greens is this years first pickings.  And, my very first ever grown strawberry!  There are a few strawberry plants in the garden that are coming along, but it looks like next years crop should be better.
In this raised bed we planted beets, lettuce, cabbage and green beans.  As you can see there is also Calendula and Rhudebecia growing.  Each year this raised bed get less light due to the ever growing fir trees in our neighborhood - so I think we will just leave the flowers be.

Here is a second raised bed:

We planted zucchini, strawberries, collar greens and swiss chard.  Hope the heat arrives soon for our poor zucchini's.
Here in the third raised bed there is cauliflower, lambs quarter, and a few carrots - not sure how they will do.  These last three years have not been too successful in the garden.  I no longer plant any of the winter squashes - our summers are not warm enough lately.  We also cut back on tomato plants - we just did five this year.
The flowers continue to do well at least:
These Oriental Poppies seem to thrive - and they self seed which I do not mind at all. (behind these poppies lies homegrown mint....help!  It is turning into a jungle!)
Pink Poppies always give a good show:
This African Daisy overwintered in our little green house:
This plant is called Soap-wort - I wonder if you can actually make soap from it?  It does give a nice ground cover:
As well as this small Geranium species - which self seeds as well:
Soon the Lavender will be in full bloom, as well as the Rhudebekia, Echchinaca, Black Eyed Susans.  We can't wait for summer to arrive!

We, like many parts of the world, are still waiting for summer.  So, to clean out the freezer I decided to use up any frozen vegetables we had...maybe that will bring the fresh summer vegetables sooner?  (I can dream yes?)
I do not use a lot of frozen vegetables - lima beans, corn, and peas, mostly used for stews and soups.  But this came together in a tasty way, a recipe I will remember for the fall and winter months.  Great along side grilled meat or fish too.
4 Tblsp. butter (bacon renderings would be way better)
1 large minced shallot
3 minced garlic cloves
5 minced crimini mushrooms
1 cup of frozen corn,
1 cup frozen lima beans
3/4 cup frozen peas
2 cups chicken stock, divided
1 tsp. Dried Thyme
2 tsp. Dried Basil
2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. dried mustard
3 Tblsp. Sweet Rice Flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
Heat up a frying pan with the butter on low medium heat.
Meanwhile add the corn and lima beans to 1 cup of chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, lid on, then turn down to a simmer for 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add in the frozen peas, tossing to mix, put on the lid and set aside.

To the heated pan, add in the shallot, garlic and saute for 5 minutes.  Then add in the mushrooms, and saute another 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are golden.  Add in the seasonings, stirring to combine.
To the pan add in the Sweet Rice Flour, mixing well.  It will be clumpy, and look awful but don't worry, it will come together.
Saute, stirring then let sit a minute or so then stir some more for a total of 5 minutes, so the flour can get a bit golden in color - you should be able to smell a slight caramelizing happening . Pour in 1 cup of chicken stock, whisking well.  By now it should be quite thick.  Pour in the vegetables with the chicken stock, keep stirring until a nice consistency is achieved.  You may need a tad more chicken stock to get the consistency you like.
Check for seasonings and serve along side any main dish.