Shrimp and Scallops fettuccine Alfredo Family Recipe

I decided to share with you a recipe that my mom taught me back when we were in Nova Scotia. We had rented a cottage in Baddeck, NS. Myself, Paul, Braden, Kailey, mom and dad. It was such a wonderful time. So this little cottage allowed us to cook dinners, my mom is the type of woman that can pull anything together in the kitchen. Regardless of what she cooks its always absolutely delicious. One night she decided to get some fresh shrimp and some Scallops. We had some spaghetti pasta and we had some alfredo sauce. She literally whipped up this dish, and I have been making for my family ever since.

I am sure many of you could modify this recipe and make it your own, add some things. I mean lobster would be amazing in this. Feel free...go ahead try this meal, I promise you'll be making it again ;)

First things first, you have to chop the garlic. I suppose I chopped almost a whole garlic in this batch.

You want to sautee the garlic in some olive oil.

 

Then add your peeled shrimp and scallops. I find when you heat them up there is some juice left in the pan. Drain the juice, return the seafood to the pan and cook until lightly browned.

The flavors from the browning will add so much taste to the Alfredo sauce.

 

This is the Alfredo sauce that I used this evening. I had to use a envelope package of powdered sauce mix. Eeeeeekk...I know that may be frowned upon but when you have a busy day and making homemade Alfredo sauce is out of the question, go the easy way out. So I cheated. But you don't you have too, make your own sauce If that's what you like.

Add your seafood to your sauce, let simmer a bit just too allow the mixture to settle and melt into eachother.

Cook your pasta~

Add your seafood Alfredo sauce over your spaghetti noodles

Oh I forgot to mention Paul and I had went to Di Peitro's on Monday and picked up this loaf of homemade bread. OMG it is sooo good. Managed to save half the loaf so tomorrow we can enjoy it again with some chili.

Finished product, topped with Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

That's it my lovelies, until tomorrow good night and god bless~

100 Things I Want To Teach MY Daughter..#92 How to Throw an Amazing Party~

Throwing a good party can be a easy as a glass of wine and some cheese all the way too a fully decorated home with a catered dinner party..all in which I have done at one time or another. In this post Kail I hope you come away with some pretty important information...everything I say in this post I pray you listen and take notes. Some day girl you'll need it~
 The secret to any well thought out party is a well thought out list. Honestly in your life you will host many wonderful parties. May it be a birthday party for a spouse, or your child. Or simply a girls night in, anything that includes people, drinks and food is considered a "function".
I think one of the most important things to remember is too write everything down at least 4 days before your event. Decorations, party favors, food, drinks, guest list, novelties and even recipes
Write everything down, I recently started using my phone for lists but to be honest i'm still partial too a good ole'fashion paper list.
When I was planning this Halloween party below, I went through my whole house deciding how and what I wanted to decorate. Each idea I wrote down, then searched high and low for the perfect decorations.
.

Pay attention to detail my darling~ sometimes all you need a stunning dining room table, and honestly it doesn't have to cost you much at all. A simple dollarstore, some candles or lights and boom..you've got elegance and class presented perfectly.

 

What I do, something I want to pass down to you is whenever I hosted a function I always have one specialty drink available to my guests. 

  

      (Sangria for mother's day event)














 

(New Years Eve Signature Drink, Cake Martini's)

Whether it be a mojito, margarita or some sort of fruity alcoholic beverage to me its important to have something cold and available when your guests arrive. You know how much this means to me, even at your earliest of birthday parties I would have some sort of fancy drink set aside specifically designed to suit the needs of your peer's. Nothing makes a guest feel more appreciated and accepted as receiving a smile and a drink when they enter your home.

Over the years I would set up a little station in the front hallway where my guests could help themselves after I had already poured and served their first drink of the night. Make it clear that after their first drink its up to them too help themselves. As far as decorations go, in the beginning of my party throwing days I would go all out..I am sure you remember those parties ;) Over the past few years I have come to realize that less is more, my advice would be to pay attention to the small details. Signature Drink recipe's on chalk board painted cards with frames.

I have never tried this serving tray painted with chalk board paint idea, but I do love it and think it would be perfect for a simple wine and cheese.
Details presented in the parting gift, food table and advice or signature books depending on the event.

The above pictures came from a babyshower thrown at my house, I was not in charge of the decorations or the food table. I do however want you too see the details, such cute ideas. This event theme was Dr Seuss and so he was incorporated throughout the shower. SO cute, fancy, fun and fresh.

Even though there was a lot of detail, time and attention that went into this shower. I must say that some pretty simple techniques were used, even though they may have been as simple as printing out Thing 1 and Thing 2, coloring them and adding it too some desserts. What a difference it makes in appearance. Not to mention its all homemade by family with love. ~Gorgeous~

When throwing a childs birthday party (well of course I will be there to help with that lol) But when you become a mommy and you have a room full of toddlers here's my best advice. They need room and activity to blow off steam, so keep it simple. Maybe a small art activity, toys, out door play and lots of food. I am actually a pretty big believer in home parties. We need to go back to that, and although loot bags today seem to be dying out...I think you just need to be creative. They're important, kids love them. If you really don't want to spend the money on loot bag dollarstore things, then have a craft or activity that they can take home with them as well as even a dairy queen gift certificate for 5 dollars. Be fun, be creative.....
Kids are easy to keep happy, food, cake and games is perfect.

It's always a good idea to have some sort of theme, whether its a certain date like July 1st, or Halloween, birthday party or lastly keep it simple and go with a color theme for a dinner date with friends. KEEP IT SIMPLE...but always elegant.
A small trick I learned when throwing a party with people from different crowds always have things presented in the party area that may be of interesting conversation pieces. 

When we threw last years Halloween party I had my friend Sue make a Zombie cake (the theme of the party was Halloween). This was by far the best topic of conversation for the night. It definitely got people talking and mingling around the food table.   

These little Busy Bee Cake Pops I made for my cousin's baby shower. She had so much wonderful things at her shower, the food was astounding. But these little bee's brought some people together for a cute topic of conversation. Something so simple yet manages to get guests talking, sharing and laughing.

Having something at a party that can WOW your guests helps people break the ice, gives new guests and new acquaintances something to talk about. 

This beauty of cake did just that at Easter this year....

Lastly, music...it has to fit the mood of the crowd, make your playlist early hitting all the essentials. You may want to entice your guests to dance, mingle, laugh, joke and most importantly be comfortable.
 .Dancing is a stress reliever and in the right atmosphere people will let their guards down and let loose. Be careful with your music choices....

Well girl, although throwing parties is something that I LOVE to do, they are exhausting. So always get as much done as you can ahead of time, that way you might get the chance too relax and enjoy yourself at your own party. Accept help from friends and family, but be specific with that. Tell them exactly what you need from them. They will appreciate that.

I could go on and on about Party throwing and get together's but I want to keep this post personal...between you and I.

The last and by far the most important thing you need to always remember is it doesn't matter where you live, how much money you make, what your house looks like, how well you can cook....its not going to matter to those who love you what all those things mean. My girl, its not about the size of your house, the color of your walls or how up to date your decorating is...people enjoy people. They want to be with you, so if in life you find yourself unable to fulfill all the wonderful "themes and designs" you would love too for friends and family. If you answer your door when the first guest arrives with a smile and a hug, there is nothing more comforting than that. Like I said, a nice drink and a few appetizers for guests too nibble...your hosting skills will not go unnoticed. If conversation lags amongst your friends, pull out a game, get them to help you make a new drink for everyone. Pull out some oldies from your child hood, Pokémon cards, Tamagotchi's, pictures, anything that your guests can relate too. I promise you....it will be a hit. You are the reason your guests are at your home...they want to see you,~ Love you Bug xo

Well my lovelies I am off to bed it has been some exhausting days past....until tomorrow good night and god bless~

Strawberry Jam on a Rainy Saturday Afternoon~

This past Saturday was one of the rainiest days I've seen in a long time. So what do you do on a rainy day? You make homemade strawberry jam. Well at least that's what I did. I just followed the no cook freezer jam recipe on the Pectin box.

I took some pictures of jam making adventures.

First off you have to wash the jam jars. Soapy warm water works great, if you make cooked jam you are suppose to sterilize the jars first. But no cook jam you just have to wash the jars

My beautiful strawberries.

You obviously have to wash and take off the stem, then you have to mash the strawberries until you get 2 cups.

Then you add 4 cups of white sugar, mix it well and let stand for 10 minutes.

While the strawberry and sugar mixture set, you can cook the Pectin.

3/4 cup of water in a sauce pan, add the crystles (pectin) Bring to a boil for one minute, stirring constantly.

Mix into your strawberries and stir for 3 minutes.

Jar your jam, let stand sealed for 24 hours. Then enjoy~

 

St Jacobs farmers market

Good morning lovelies, yesterday morning my friend Colleen and I went down to the St Jacobs Farmer Market. It was amazing, they have done a wonderful job rebuilding the market place and vendors after the fire that had devastated the grounds a few years ago.

We got there pretty early in the morning so it wasn't too busy, didn't take too long however and the place was crawling with people.

The picture below is inside the main barn, just filled with food vendors on the bottom floor. Homemade treats, meat, cheese, breads and pastries. On the top floor where Colleen and I are here they have sellers who make homemade sweaters, socks, scarfs, soaps..etc etc. So much too look at, it was a great time.

Out doors pretty much mirrors the same as the indoor establishments. You can see much of the Mennonite community brings in their homemade jam's, maple syrup, fruits and vegetables, pies and not to mention all the beautiful quilts.

The picture taken below was a quick snapshot before many got there.

OH I also bought some Macaroons, one in every color. I think the pink one was my favorite.

 

Well friends, I am off we have a busy day today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, I may post something if I get the chance. Enjoy the weather, spend time with family, relax and love life.

Cheers~

Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispy's~

Well you will thank me for sharing this recipe with you! Its so easy..yet so delicious.

I did find this on Pinterest, honestly all I do is check out simple recipes and try them on my family. I made this one last week.

All you do is make Rice Krispy squares, I added more marshmellows to the recipe. I really like marshmellows..lol who wouldn't love more fluff?! Anyways, its 6 cups of marshmellows, 1/4 cup of margarine, and 6 cups of rice Krispy's.

Easy peasy, I also added 1/4 cup of peanut butter to the mix once the rice Krispy's are stirred into the melted marshmellows.

All the ingrediants you need up top...Reece's Peanut Butter cups, marshmellows, Krispy's, margarine and 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract.

So melt the butter and marshmellows over medium heat, add the vanilla.

Mix in the Krispy's, and add the peanut butter. Spread half the krispy mixture into a greased 9"x11" dish. Then top with Reece's Peanut Butter Cups.

Spread the remaining krispy mixture over the Peanut Butter cups.

I forgot to mention the chocolate chips..melt some chips in the microwave then spread over Krispy's.

Voila...you've got some pretty awesome sweet snacks~

You can see below the Reece's peanut butter cups are smack dab in the middle, deliciousness right there my friends!

Well my lovelies, kinda tired tonight. I had to make some pasta shells today for hubby and friends. He is having a guys weekend at the cottage this weekend and I really do like to send him with some food. Bunch of guys drinking all weekend, playing games,..they're gonna get hungry. So today I did that, and I also bought a lot of Strawberries, I am hoping to make some jam this weekend. Its been busy...not to mention hubby got home and wanted to go out tonight, so we did that! lol, I am off now, good night friends and god bless~

 

 

Happy Father's Day to three of my favorite men~

Although Fathers Day was a few days ago, I still want to blog about it. What a great day we had, we invited both our dad's this year. Paul's dad and his wife Suzanne came over for dinner, along with my parents. I ordered pizza for dinner, that way there was no cooking and I could enjoy the whole visit and give my attention to the conversations being had around the table.

 

Because I am spoiled ;) Suzanne and my father in law brought me this lovely arrangement of flowers. I have them on my dining room table, they are just so pretty. The flowers also came with a beautiful vase...I needed another one too, so that worked out great for me!

Thank you Suzanne and dad for the flowers, it was a wonderful surprise~

Here are my three favorite dad's in the world. I love each of them with all my heart, each of them for different reasons. My Dad is obviously the man who raised me, kept me safe, taught me boundaries and provided me with a wonderful childhood. As he and I both got older, he actually became very much a support system, he is very wise and seems to be the strength in our family.

My dad did not have it easy as a youngster, and at a very young age he became a father (to me.). He was only 18 years old and had to hold down a job to support his wife and young daughter. There wasn't much guidance in parenting from his parents, although I have to say he did get some pretty important qualities from both his parents. His mother had a wonderful sense of humor, and thankfully my dad inherited that from her. Thankfully he brought that into our childhoods, and both my brother and I developed some pretty funny coping skills. Humor is the key to surviving any pain, and I am so blessed to have acquired the ability to laugh. My grandmother was also a lover, she loved her family and made sure each one of us knew that. She had the best way of showing her children and her grandkids just how special each one of us was. My dad is the same, he has always in his own way showed us the love we needed to feel safe and secure in our home.

My dad also inherited a "no bullshit" attitude which I believe he got from his father. Growing up in our home we had rules, and god help us If we broke them. My dad never allowed drama in our home, he kept it out and never allowed us to run the house. I use to get so  upset with the rules, but now that I am an adult I understand the importance of that. We always felt safe, we knew if dad was around no one would ever get away with any bullshit. Thank you dad, I do feel the reason my family is a happy, well rounded, hard working group Is because Paul and I have been very careful with what and who we allow to influence our family life.

 

 My father in law is the most kind hearted man I have ever known. He is a caregiver, he loves his family fiercely and everything he does he does with passion. He taught my husband to be a hardworker and a loyal family man. My father in law is one of the most interesting people to sit down and talk too, his stories I could sit and listen too forever.

 I have always admired the dedication he has to his whole family (and its a big family). He has raised 6 wonderful adults, with his wife and provided a stable, loving family home. I always have adored how much he loves his wife(s). He was an incredible caring and compassionate man to his first wife and mother to his children. My father in law supported her daily, encouraging her and guiding her gently with a steady hand while she recovered from a brain aneurism.

After she passed, he met Suzanne. She brought something new into his life, and he once again found the love and companionship he so deserved. Still today he is the pillar of stability that she needs, his unconditional love is admirable. Every man could learn from him~  

My hubby is too me the best man ever, and I was blessed to have met him and had two beautiful children. He is the perfect mix of both my dad and my father in law. They say you marry your father, or that you marry a man similar to you dad. It has taken me some time to see that, but for sure my husband shadows my dad in many ways. But the things he has taken from his father is why I love him. Paul has been my protector, my rock, my soft spot and my world. He has dedicated his own life to make mine better, he is selfless, and works harder than any other man I know. Although I have witnessed much tragedy in my life, I have to say the best thing that ever happen to me was meeting my man. I wouldn't be where I am today without him.

So to each of these special men who I am blessed to have in my life, I want to say thank you for being you. Thank you for being the amazing men, husbands and fathers you could be. I love you~ 

Oh and this dessert was absolutely delightful. It is the old Knotty Pine Buttered Almond cake. which I bought from Pioneer BBQ in Kitchener. SO GOOD!!

Paul and his dad with Suzanne in the background, we had gotten Paul's dad a gift card to Home Hardware, He seemed pretty happy with that!

So, my dad and Paul play Corn hole non-stop for 3 years, they absolutely love this game. My dad is always talking about who the Cornhole king is, sometimes its my dad and sometimes its Paul. I had the idea to have some shirts made for them. Above Paul is holding up his shirt which says "Boss of the Toss" and below my dad has his shirt which says "King of Corn Hole"...I think they liked them. I know they will wear them the next time they are at the cottage and have the chance to play. They need to get Leonard down there to play and show them both how its done :)

Overall my friends this fathers day was a great success. I was so pleased to have all three men around my table. I hope to do it again next year~

Well my lovelies, unitl tomorrow good night and god bless xo

What a wonderful weekend~

This weekend was filled with family, my favorite kind of weekends. On Saturday Kailey and I had a bridal shower for my nephew Josh's fiancé. Ana and Josh have been together for 5 years and they are perfect for one another. They are the nicest couple, so kind to their families and friends and that showed at the shower. Everyone who was in attendance had nothing but wonderful things to say about Josh and Ana. Such a lovely couple :)

Ana's mom threw the party at her home. I believe it was Ana's sister and cousin who hosted it. They did such a beautiful job. The atmosphere was perfect, they have a gorgeous backyard which allowed all the guests to sit comfortably amongst one another and visit. The food was amazing, Ana's family is Romanian so some of the goodies were Romanian. Deliciousness~

Me, Sue, Kailey, Ana & Josh

Bride and Groom to be~

This is my niece Jessica, Josh's sister. She presented a speech welcoming Ana into the Goulet family. Jess spoke so eloquently, she did a great job. Actually brought tears to my eyes.

 

This is Ana and her sister, they had a game in which Josh was asked a bunch of questions. The questions were focused around himself, so naturally Ana was asked the same questions, and if she didn't get them correct she would have to eat a piece of gum. That was cute, cause Josh answered the questions with some humor. Leaving Ana putting lots of gum in her mouth. Great game, we had lots of laughs.

This is my niece Michelle and her gorgeous lil'man Sydney. He is just the cutest, and so well behaved. It was nice to see them both.

They had a mini bar set up, and Josh tended to it. He had taken care of all the ladies drinks and did a great job. Everyone had their glasses full with delicious refreshing beverages.

Here's a snap shot of some of the family, far left is Kailey, then my sister in law Charlotte, her granddaughter (my great niece) Leah, whom actually flown in from Scotland that morning. Poor girl must have been so tired. Good thing she's young :) she can handle it. Jessica is beside Leah, then Michelle and baby Syd.

Just one of the many appetizers we had the  privilege of tasting.

Does this not just look like something from a magazine! So beautifully presented, it was wonderful.

 

 

Well my lovelies, that is it. Congratulations to Josh and Ana, looking so forward to the wedding and witnessing the two of you start your life together as a married couple. Love to you both~

Until tomorrow good night and god bless~