Cozy Comfort Food

One of the things I love most about Fall is cooking yummy, soul satisfying, comfort food for my family. One of our new favorites comes from Ellie Krieger’s new cookbook, Comfort Food Fix. If you have been reading my blog for some time time now, you already know that I am a huge Ellie Krieger fan. Her cookbooks, The Food You Crave (a James Beard Award Winner), So Easy and her latest one, Comfort Food Fix are nothing short of spectacular.

This is a hearty, meatless main dish that comes together in a snap! Great for a busy weeknight meal!

  

Smoky Black Bean Chili

1 TBSP Olive Oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Two 15 ounce cans of low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

Two 15 ounce cans of crushed fire roasted tomatoes with their juices (I use Muir Glen Organic)

3 large roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed and chopped

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ancho chili powder (I use regular chili powder)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté the onions for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve in individual bowls and top with a dollop of low fat sour cream and a sprinkling of reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese and a wedge of cornbread.

Easy Corn Bread

*recipe found on the back of the Quaker Yellow Corn Meal Canister*

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup Quaker Enriched Corn Meal

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup skim milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease a 8 or 9 inch pan (I use a round cake pan). Combine the dry ingredients then stir in the milk, oil and egg. Do not over stir. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. (Mine bakes perfectly in 20 minutes)

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

A Day with Poppy

Since I haven’t posted in what seems like an eternity and these pictures are a special reminder of a wonderful day spent with their Poppy, I figured this was the best post for today. Also, as we speak. the area in the pictures in getting hit by a huge snowstorm at the moment, so it will also serve as a reminder of the forgotten days of summer.

All buckled up and ready to go. Apparently, Olivia is anticipating a wild ride. Judging by the picture, Lauren is wondering if maybe she too should hold on...
We headed down to the waterfront to take the ferry across to Halifax.

It was so incredibly foggy, you could hardly see your hand at the end of your arm. Seriously. It was that thick. Just as the ferry was leaving the dock, it sounded its horn which was extremely loud, then it made a right angle and  traveled parallel to the shore instead of taking its usual diagonal trip across the harbor. Immediately following came a deafening horn sound from another ship, obviously one that was much larger. We couldn’t see it because the fog was so thick, but soon enough, an enormous container ship emerged from the fog and then quickly disappeared. It was really amazing so see how something so large was literally invisible one minute, appeared briefly, and then disappeared the next. Thank goodness for fog horns.

Theodore Tugboat amidst the fog.

   I bet you’ve never seen a tugboat wearing a red baseball cap before. Not unless you are a Nova Scotia native.

I love how the ships seem to be floating in the middle of nowhere.

I love this picture of my niece, Drea, Lauren and Olivia. That is the fog behind them, you can’t see a thing beyond the bench they are on. Normally you would see the harbor and the Dartmouth waterfront behind them if it were a clear day.

  

Walking along the Halifax waterfront on the boardwalk is one of my favorite things to do, no matter what time of the year. Being away from the water is one of things I miss most about not living in Nova Scotia anymore.

 

There is a concrete wave that all the kids love to climb up and slide down. What usually begins with laughter ultimately ends in tears because someone always gets hurt.

   We only get to see Drea once every two years when we go home for a visit so this day was extra special for the girls to be able to spend it with her.

Even on a cloudy, foggy day, it’s still beautiful.  It’s sad how much you take something for granted until you no longer get to look out your window and see it every day.

These girls sure love their Poppy!

Checking out the construction site.

  Kaboom!

So peaceful.  

After a long stroll on the waterfront, we grabbed lunch and then headed further down the boardwalk for some Cows’ ice cream before catching the ferry back home. I think I had just as much fun as the girls did and I know my Dad did too!