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 […]
Friends and a Birthday Giveaway!
A funny thing has been happening to me lately; I seem to have developed a social life without really realizing that it is happening. Growing up I spent a lot of time at home watching tv or reading all weekend while my sister when out or had her friends over. I was generally ok with this, although when I got older I wanted to go to parties. When I actually went to some parties in high school, I found that I didn’t like them and I didn’t really have a good time. Same thing goes for going out to bars […]
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 […]
Buckwheat Crepes with Caramelized Pears and Whipped Cream
One of the great things about being an adult is that nobody will give you shit for eating crepes with sugary pears and whipped cream for dinner. I have been known to also have a bowl of cereal for dinner or, like today, for lunch. Sure, there is some self recrimination that may happen but if you have homemade crepes, or my personal favourite, waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, self recrimination will be easily usurped by great satisfaction. I have been making these crepes a lot lately. Sometimes I’ve served them as dessert with different fruit and lots of […]
Turkey Stock to Waste Not, Want Not
I don’t bother with New Year’s Resolutions and from the fodder that is cluttering up my Facebook and Twitter feeds, nor do most people. It leads me to think that nobody actually makes New Year’s resolutions. They are as much a myth as a really great New Year’s Eve Party. What did you do on New Year’s Eve? I stayed home, made an inelegant beef stew for dinner (which was delicious) and drank wine with my husband while watching ‘Rome’ on DVD. Kind of a raunchy choice but I do love that series. Sure, there is a lot of gruesome […]
Gingerbread Madeleines
I have a confession that will make the true bakers among you cringe. I very seldom use unsalted butter when I bake. I know people go on and on about how important it is to use unsalted butter when baking but, frankly, I don’t think it really matters that much. Perhaps because when not creating recipes for the blog I am usually a little sloppy when measuring ingredients and the results work out just find. I have a stubborn streak that doesn’t like being told what to do so I balk against the pedantry many people espouse regarding baking. Of […]
Deep Dish Apple Pie
For my addition to Pie Week with my blogging friends, the Theme Weavers, I humbly submit my very rustic looking apple pie. Everyone needs to stop worrying about making a ‘perfect’ pie crust. I am always hearing that people are scared of making pies because the pastry is just too hard to do. TV chefs and bloggers alike warn about ‘over-working the dough’ as though you are going to end up with a ball of gluten if you knead the dough together a few extra times. Pastry isn’t the easiest of things to make but please stop being intimidated by […]
Oven Roasted Tomato Ketchup
There are many times when my aspirations heavily outweigh my inspiration. It is times like these that I end up with 25 lbs of tomatoes that I wanted to wish away. They did not, however, turn themselves into the ketchup they were purchased to become nor did they disappear. They continued to ripen and I did not want to throw money away. I made the ketchup using a new technique that I figured out because the recipes I followed last year were, frankly, a pain in the ass. Taste wise they were fine but it was really annoying to try […]
Spiced Plum Chutney
Ordering 10 pounds of plums seemed like a really good idea at the time. When I lifted up that bag and felt the heft of what 10 pounds of plums really is my shoulders slumped with the weight and dread of the work I’d laid out for myself. I look around my and I see boxes, clutter, piles of unsorted papers, dust bunnies in the corners, unhung pictures, and yet I keep giving myself more projects. Hence, Project Plums. Next week is Project Tomatoes (25 lbs local organic San Marzanos have been ordered). I had thought I’d make a simple […]