A crown of Jewels: January 2014

Monday, January 13, 2014

An Olive Garden Salad Recipe

When I lived in the big city of Winnipeg, my roomies and I would sometimes treat ourselves to a meal out at the Olive Gardens. With FREE breadsticks and refillable salad or soup, we had it made!

In all honesty, I like to eat salad, but I really really really dislike making it. I don't know why, "it's a struggle" for me! haha.

So after I saw my cousin's 3 year old chowing down on some Peperoncini Peppers, I thought "I must eat Olive Gardens salad!"

After searching the wonderful internet I found this recipe and it is serving me well. The photos are not great and my daughters say "I don't like when people take photos of food", but I need somewhere to keep this recipe so I won't forget it.

Olive Garden Salad and Dressing Recipe

Mixed greens (of your choice) I used Red Leaf and Green Leaf and Iceberg lettuce
Red Onion
Tomato
Peperoncini Peppers (Unico has the canned ones)
Black Olives
Parmesan Cheese

Mix the above for your salad part, some use croutons, some don't.

Olive Garden style Salad Dressing

1/2 cup Mayo
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tsp olive oil (or of your choice)
2 tbsp corn syrup (I want to try some honey next time)
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 tbsp romano cheese ( I didn't have, so I just added more parmesan)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning blend
1/2 tsp parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
sugar (optional)

Mix all together, and keep in a container in the fridge. We used ours up within 10 days.

Monday, January 06, 2014

2013 The Christmas that didn't really happen

Well, despite all our excitement over an approaching holiday season filled with family and friend and good times ~ it didn't really come to pass.

What did come to stay were high fevers, aches, chills, head aches and tummy aches. Yup, the girls started in on it around Mid December, Daddy caught it the day he came home the 18th and then Mommy rounded it off with everyone just before Christmas and into the New Year.

So, we have a few new traditions now. The best is "when we're sick, we order Chinese". Yup, we ordered out Chinese for our Christmas Eve dinner. A brother picked it up in the neighboring town and we tried to enjoy it. Our theme song this year has been Sarah MacLachlan "So this is Christmas" Click HERE for a live performance video. We made up some of our own words, but Sarah's version is much prettier. ha ha.

The dog doesn't look very impressed with his reindeer antlers...

We have decided to have a "Christmas Do Over" in January sometime. When we can actually have our ham with pineapple rings, potatoes, creamed corn, creamy carrots, gravy, pickles and olives and actually enjoy them.

New tradition for Plan B "When sick, order Chinese"

Does this even need explaining?

Our girls were very diligent with their beer can gathering this summer/fall. They purchased a water filter, rabbits, chickens and a blanket for people in Asia with the money earned AND had money for presents for each other. Win Win Win Win Win.

Miss R has been stuck on Paris and the Eiffel tower...so the girls bought her a jewelry hanger of the tower.

Ripping paper is such a chore...at least a nice comfy hoodie was inside!

While we missed all the extended family gatherings, we did get lots of quality bonding family time on the couch. We got the opportunity to introduce our girls to Audrey Hepburn and uh, Barbie Dreamhouse. We discovered some short little TV shows of Barbie and laughed and laughed, just click HERE to see for yourself. Maybe we were delirious with fever, but maybe not.