The Trouble With Retirement...

"The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off"- Abe Lemons

In April, two of my favorite people retired from work. They made my transition to an ICU setting as a new nurse a simplified as it could be. They gave me important advice over the years, taught me skills one would never have dreamed of in nursing school and they were constant providers of encouragement. I don't think I would be the nurse I am today without these two, cool cats. I also don't think I would own a house or have an appreciation for as much different music without them. Can you tell I cherish their friendship?

A week ago I had a little retirement soiree for them at the house. One of the best parts of owning a house is having people over! You can stay up late, play your music loud and not have to worry about the people living above you or below you. We had a wine and cheese, which is always fun and I sort of over shot it just a bit. I had about six liters of wine left over (Gasp! Not to worry...I will drink it sooner than later) and far too much cheese (my co-workers must think I have a cheese fetish cause I keep bringing in a different kind each shift!). It is better to be over prepared than under prepared right?! So here are my tips for throwing a shin-dig of sorts and a tutorial on the perfect cheese board!

"Perfect" cheese board 101

Cheese boards can be pricey and it's always nice to have one big enough to serve a variety of cheeses. If you are a DIY kind or person and you love a deal like me then drive, bus or walk yourself to home depot and bomb straight to the tile isle. Look for a dark ceramic or if you want to get fancy, a slate tile (I picked ceramic that looks like slate..best of both worlds). Grab a couple then walk, drive or bus yourself to a local dollar store...get some chalk and furniture pads. For $8 TOTAL(!!) I made three of these bad boys (see pic below!).



Party Throwing Tips

1) Make sure people know about it a while in advance
2) Try to get an idea of numbers...so you don't have six liter of wine left...or worse not have enough!
3) Make simple apps and prepare as much as you can the day before. Less stress is good stress!
4) Don`t go overboard with decor, people came for the social aspect and to have a good time, less is more!
5) Try to buy local...all of the wine I provided was made in Nova Scotia (blah blah..I know it can be hard to find decent local wine but I have a couple of ringers up my sleeve).
6) If you have furry friends and it is April and they are shedding, ship 'em off a day or two before so you can dust and sweep and suck up all of their little tumble weeds. This way your guests won't find fur in the apps...mine went to my sisters for the week!
7) RENT wine glasses....cheap as hell and easy peasy!
8) Get creative and have fun!

If I Were Thin...

"If I were thin, I would never say I am powerless over fudge"- Camryn Manheim

I have been known to bake for the fun of it. I find it relaxing and love to challenge myself in the kitchen (when my time, my patience and Kenmore allow me to). I don't however, baulk at a simple, straight-forward, never-fail-me-now, even-a monkey-could-do-it recipe. Often I find that the simple no-fuss recipes are the most well loved and most requested. Easy peanut butter cookies (off the back of the jar) are one of those recipes, as is a basic rolled shortbread. While stumbling through the blog-o-sphere this week, I came upon one that seemed so simple I thought it was a joke! Peanut butter fudge, with one spoon, one pot and a total of four ingredients. No candy thermometer required. With my lovely co-workers and their late afternoon break in mind, I got to it after finishing the dinner dishes. Four minutes later, my fudge was cooling in the fridge and the dishes were drying. It's melt in your mouth good and sweet enough that is croons for a glass of cold milk or a cup of steaming hot coffee! Happy baking!
-m
ps. check out my getting fancy with the pictures!


In A Snap Fudge
(for last minute showers, parties or guests!)

In a sauce pan, combine 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup of milk (I used skim and it was perfect!). Heat on medium and bring to a boil while stirring. Let boil for precisely 2.5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 3/4 cup of smooth peanut butter. Stir well and immediately pour into ungreased 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan. Transfer to fridge and cut before fully set (keep things easy!). Wash your spoon and pan, then pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

A Woman Without A Man...

"A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle."- Gloria Steinem

Fish cakes, for some reason I LOVE fishcakes. I gravitate towards them on menus and am always positively thrilled with the chutneys, sauces and pickles that can be found in their accompaniment. The day my door was being fixed, I decided I would try my hand at good old fashioned fish cakes. I looked at dozens of recipes and hmmed and hawwwed. There were so many varieties it was almost overwhelming!

What did I do? I winged it. I combined bits and pieces of all the recipes I had viewed and whipped up what was to probably be a holy mess of fish cakes. It turned out one of the carpenters working on my door was a fish cakes connoisseur, or at least that is both what him and his son told me, so he gave me a little bit of advice. I ended up sending him home with half a dozen! I was pleasantly surprised at what my little kitchen turned out and would make them exactly the same way again. For a modern take on a classic item, find my recipe  and pictures below.
-m


Mich's Everything-But-Kitchen-Sink Fish Cakes

You will need:

-500g fresh haddock (3-5 fillets, depending on size!)
-300g fresh salmon
- A bottle of beer, or a glass of white wine...whatever you got goin'
-5-6 medium potatoes
-A bunch of green onions, chopped
-A small bunch or cilantro or parsley (I am partial to parsley as cilantro is the devil to my taste buds!) chopped
-Juice of a lime
-Juice of half an orange
-Zest of that same orange!
-Good sprinkle of salt and pepper
-Dash or four of your fav. hot sauce
-Dollop of olive oil
-bread crumbs of choice

Turn your Kenmore on to 350 and let it preheat. In a baking dish, place raw fish and pour wine or beer over top (I used beer cause I am more of a red wine gal). Add the dollop of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 min, you don't want to over cook your fish! Next up peel and boil your potatoes, when soft mash em up...if they are too dry add a bit of oil. Be sure to allow your fish and potatoes to cool for 10-15 minutes. In that time chop up your greens, zest your orange and prep the rest of the ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add 2.5 cups of potatoes, your drained and broken up fish (if should be tender and fall apart), your green onions, parsley/ cilantro, citrus juices, hot sauce and zest. Mix with your hands and add more potato if the texture requires it and then salt and pepper to taste. Form little patties in your hands, about 2 inches in diameter, and lay both sides in bread crumbs. In a large pan, heat some oil and cook fish cakes a few at a time on med heat. 2-3 min on the first side should do it then carefully flip them (you don't want them to fall apart) and cook for 2-3 minutes on the second side. I served mine with a dollop of Greek yogurt that I added some lime juice, lime zest and some hot sauce to! Delicious!