It has been happening gradually over the years that we have decided not to attend the occasional family gatherings. In the past we would hop in the car and get ourselves to whatever Thanksgiving, birthday party or Christmas dinner that was being hosted. Sometimes it was a ten hour drive from New Hampshire, sometimes it was a 30 minute drive from Barrie to Elmvale or Midland. Now it is a 3 hour drive from Waterloo. Sure we missed some due to work or some other reason that prevented us from being available but, by and large, we made the effort. One […]
Farewell & Spring Renewal
I’m very happy to finally say that this will be the final post on BuffyandGeorge.com. Very soon, I will be unveiling my brand spanking new blog and all the ‘Buffy and George’ content will be on there! However much I loved the name ‘Buffy and George’ when I first started blogging several years ago, it does not really convey that it is a food blog. When I first started the blog, I had the intention of talking about the crazy antics of both of my dogs a great deal more but that thought quickly went out the window when I […]
Braised Chicken Thighs in a Mushroom Cream Sauce
I really want to like using a slow cooker but I just don’t. I’ve tried lots of different recipes and there are very few that I don’t mind using the crock pot for. I think the crock pot is great when you have some meatballs you want to keep warm in a bbq sauce for a pot luck and I do like using the crock pot for chili. Chicken breasts come out dry and stringy if they are cooked too long and the braising liquid never really cooks down so you end up with a watery sauce instead of one that […]
Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken with Za’atar and Sumac
Anyone else hate going to the dentist for cleanings even if you know your teeth are just fine? I brush 3 times a day and floss once a day. Ok, I floss most days but that is still better than a lot of people. I tolerate the scraping and even the perverse pleasure the hygienist takes at talking to you and expecting an answer while you lay there, mouth agape. For me the true torment comes when they polish my teeth. The buzzing and that foul gritty stuff they use in conjunction with that spinning tool that makes that high pitching whirring sound in your ear. […]
Spatchcocked Chicken Under a Bacon Blanket
Yep, it sounds a little dirty and I won’t lie; I too giggle a little bit when whenever I hear the word ‘spatchcock’. By spatchcocking the chicken I was able to get a larger surface area to lay the bacon on than if I had roasted the chicken whole. Either way works but more bacon is better. I knew this recipe would be a rousing success in my house and I needed that. Earlier that morning I had an epic fail with a gluten free pie. I have made many gluten free pie crusts with great success but this time […]
Beef, Quinoa, and Root Vegetable Stew
I hope that winter has been kicked to the curb but here is one last hearty recipe as my farewell to my least favourite season. I like winter at Christmas but when that is over it wears out its welcome in a hurry. As part of the swag for the Food Bloggers of Canada Conference, we received a 3 quart Dutch Oven, a Braiser and a Chicken Leg griller. As part of this, the attendees can review the products we received and by doing so we are entered in a draw to win a Grand Prize of lots of other […]
Cottage Pie (Shepherd’s Pie) with Celeriac, Sweet Potato Mash
If there is any meal that can bring Timothy up the stairs from the playroom for dinner then this is it. Aside from boxed macaroni and cheese, this is his favourite meal. While Simon and I love to put HP Sauce on it, Timothy loves anything he can put ketchup on. This is another recipe that uses a large quantity of ground beef, which is why I call it Cottage Pie rather than Shepherd’s Pie – shepherds heard sheep, not cows. In North America it would be very rare to be served Shepherd’s Pie and not have it be made […]
Spaghetti Sauce and Buying Half a Cow
The perils of buying half a steer from an organic farmer, such as Vibrant Farms, are few but the main ones are an inordinate amount of freezer space required and the need for some really good recipes for ground beef. With a small child who has varying degrees of pickyeateritis, which is hereditary, getting the optimal amount of vegetables into the little one is also a concern of ours. This recipe for good old fashion Spaghetti Sauce is perfect for two out of three issue; using a lot of ground beef and getting several servings of vegetables into a picky kid. I […]
Chicken Cacciatore aka Pantry Cooking
My mom would often make chicken cacciatore and she always served it with rice. I have no idea if that is traditional Italian but who cares. I never put it with the rice on my plate back then because I was the kid who didn’t want the different foods touching. It would totally gross me out when my English relatives (and my mom) would mash all the different foods of turkey dinner onto the back of their forks. I have evolved slightly now and I do put the chicken on my rice rather than eat the two separately. It is […]
Braised Beef Short Rib Ragout
I don’t know about you but after Christmas my bank account has a wicked hangover. This means that going out to dinner is just not going to happen. In fact we are usually still in recovering at Valentine’s so we don’t go out, or do presents then either. This recipe is a fair amount of work but when you sit down to something as good as you would get in a restaurant, it is worth it. This is hands down, my favourite dinner. The first time I had short ribs they were on the bone and in a restaurant. They […]