Keeping the Castle

An Interview with Chef Michael Smith

Karen Weideman — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:18:47 +0000

Chef Michael Smith was a 1991 honors graduate from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York. He has been cooking professionally for over twenty years. His career has included stints in a Michelin three-star restaurant in London, some of Manhattan’s finest kitchens, South America, the Caribbean and throughout North America. Michael is known for support of young Canadian chefs and the growing Canadian Cuisine movement. He has devoted his career to helping Canadian families create simple, practical nutritious food.

Host of Chef Abroad, Chef at Home, Chef at Large and The Inn Chef, Chef Michael Smith can be seen in more than 65 countries. He is an award winning cookbook author, newspaper columnist, roving Canadian cuisine ambassador, and home cook.

Last week, I had the privilege of interviewing Chef Michael Smith. He shared some of his tips and favorite dishes that he prepares from locally grown food in Prince Edward Island. You can watch the video interview below.

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12 Fun Patriotic Craft Ideas for Kids

Karen Weideman — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:12:28 +0000

Better Homes and Gardens has some patriotic craft ideas for kids. You kids might enjoy making one of these:

patriotic windsocks
custom koozies to insulate beverages
fireworks art
a bubble wrap hopscotch course
pride pins
a patriotic candy display
a candy flag
loyalty rings
star-spangled bubble wands
a flag necklace
patriotic paperweights
all-American sweatshirts or t-shirts

Which craft project do you plan to try?

image from bhg

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Free 4th of July Crafts and Recipe Book

Karen Weideman — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:55:56 +0000

FaveCrafts.com has put together a collection of patriotic craft projects to decorate your home or to wear. Some of the craft projects include sewing, crocheting, or making things from paper. There are some 4th of July craft projects for kids. The free eBook also includes a 4th of July recipe collection to help you create a great spread.

Get your free 4th of July Crafts and Recipe book.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom.

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Helpful Links for This Week

Karen Weideman — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:26:44 +0000

I’m been surfing around the web and here are some articles that I’m enjoying or might be helpful to you.

Easy Patriotic Dessert Recipes

Too Many T-Shirts? Transform Them!

Recycle Your Old Books

5 Ways to Save Money on Kids’ Party Decorations

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Pork & Veggies Kabobs

A Simple Raspberry Sauce

How to Freeze Blueberries

Southwestern Style Potato Salad

Deep Fried Mash Potatoes

How to Make Paper Floofs for Your Party

How to Make a French Fry Cake

Enjoy!

Do you have any links to add?

image from kraft

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May Highlights at Keeping the Castle

Karen Weideman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:52:49 +0000

When I visit blogs, one thing that is time consuming is looking through the older posts. I’ve decided that to make things easier for my readers, I will make a post with links to articles that have been written that month. This will serve as an easy way to read the information that you feel could be useful to you. Since June is not over just yet, I’ll go ahead and wrap up May for us.

Cleaning Your Gas Grill

Kitchen Must-Have: Pyrex Portable

Betty Crocker Brownie Recipes

Gardening with Volunteer Plants

Primal Grill with Steve Raichlen

7-Day Menu Planner

Thankful for Those Who Served

27 Patriotic Crafts from Martha Stewart

Kitchen Must-Have: Kitchen Shears

Laundry Must-Have: Tide BraBag

Links I’m Enjoying

Food for Grieving Families

Fresh Homemade Lemonade

Ridiculously Easy Cobbler

Clark Howard and the Smart Shoppers

Cute Food Treats from Bright Delights

10 Ways You Can Enjoy Your Yard This Summer

Chicken Fajita Recipe

Taco Soup Recipe

Black Beans & Rice Recipe

Pico de Gallo Recipe

Goya Adobo Seasoning

Amish Friendship Bread

Thrifty Green Gardening

Which articles are your favorites?

image (c) Karen Weideman

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A Tip for Painting Your Home

Karen Weideman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:16:38 +0000

It was just a few years ago that we painted our living room. I remember the excitement of owning my own home and finally being able to paint walls whatever color I wanted.

My husband and I chose to paint our living room oatmeal. We had looked at so many paint swatches and we knew we wanted the living room to be sort of a taupe color. We were so glad to be rid of the cold white walls and to bring some warmth into our home with the inexpensive new look of paint.

We gave one side of the room a first and second coat and then went on to other walls. We were on our last wall when we had to open another container of paint. That was the “whoops” moment. Although we had both containers mixed at the same time, the second container was just a touch off from the first one. Thankfully, it wasn’t so badly off that we would repaint the whole room, but it was noticeable to me.

Lesson learned. From that moment on, we decided that when we buy more than one gallon of paint, we will mix the gallons together before using them. We now have an extra bucket and lid in the shed that we use before we paint a room. No more mismatched paint.

Has this sort of paint mix-up happened to you?

image (c) Karen Weideman

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The Low Down on McDonald’s Iced Coffee

Karen Weideman — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:05:45 +0000

Do you enjoy McDonald’s iced coffee? Do you find it’s an inexpensive treat in which to indulge? Before your next coffee, you might want to read some interesting information about the ingredients in a McDonald’s iced coffee. Rachel from Small Notebook gives us some food for thought.

I’ve been working on a recipe to make my own iced coffee and frappuccinos at home. Reading this article is a good reminder of the preservatives and chemicals in the food we eat. It seems almost impossible to get away from it.

Do you drink McDonald’s iced coffee?

image from sxc.hu

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An Interview with Chef Michael Smith

Karen Weideman — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:45:32 +0000

I just finished an interview with Chef Michael Smith. He has been cooking professionally for more than 20 years. Host of Chef Abroad, Chef at Home, Chef at Large, and The Inn Chef, Chef Michael Smith can be seen in more than 65 countries.

I spoke with Chef Michael today about savory summer dinner ideas, his favorite family dishes, and ways to find more recipes and tips for summertime cooking. His ideas are inspired by culinary delights of Canada’s Prince Edward Island (PEI).

Stay tuned as I will be sharing more of this interview with you next week.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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What is the Temperature of Your House?

Karen Weideman — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:57:03 +0000

I’m sitting here under a blanket trying to keep warm. The air around me is cool and there is also a breeze from the ceiling fan.

As I lie here, I’m wondering how many of you have the same issue as me. My husband and I differ on what temperature we like our home to be. We have disagreed on this for years. He is very hot natured and although I wouldn’t consider myself cold natured, I certainly don’t want the air conditioning at 69F. Brrrr.

I guess it’s easier for someone who is cold natured to put on layers of clothing whereas the other person would be extremely uncomfortable, restless, and irritable. Still, it is a difficult compromise to find sometimes.

You may be wondering what temperature my husband likes to be. Honestly I have no idea, but for the most part when he is gone to work during the day I keep the air conditioning on 73-74. When he comes home, I usually turn it down to 71-72. Then at night, it goes on 69. He just doesn’t sleep well if it’s too hot in the house. Besides, I can put extra blankets on the bed and be ok.

At what temperature do you keep your thermostat? Do you and your spouse disagree in this matter or do you both enjoy like temperatures?

image from sxc.hu

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Cucumber Salad Recipe

Karen Weideman — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:58:32 +0000

My neighbor brought some cucumbers over to me a few days ago. I was excited because I enjoy making cucumber salad each year. It’s a refreshing treat in the summer and is very easy to do.

3 large cucumbers, peeled, thinly sliced
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
dash of ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients except the cucumber and cook it until the sugar melts. Pour the warm mixture over the cucumbers. Store covered in the refrigerator.

This tastes better if you allow it to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving it.

Enjoy!

image (c) Karen Weideman

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