Archive for May 5th, 2008

    - Tom Cruise is massaging his ego today with the unveiling of TomCruise.com and another sit down with Oprah dedicated to his 25 years as a big freaking star.  Whoopty do.

    - I make my own baby food for Z.  It's easy.  I've thrown up a video showing you just how easy.. if you have a bebe, try these tips out.

    - New Kids On the Block are back.  They dropped their new single today, Summertime.

    - Impulse grabbing you to buy? Apply the $100 rule and wait 1 day for each $100 the item costs.

    - Want to help the environment? Don't wash your jeans.

    - Who needs a little Chicken Soup for The Soul today?  Check out this story of sportsmanship.

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It’s been a while since I’ve thrown a vlog down for you .. so here’s one live from my kitchen!

Here are the links:

Annabel Karmel’s official website has some test recipes for you to check out. Then head on over and pick up her books at Amazon.

This is the recipe for Bolognese Sauce I use for Z’s spaghetti.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
50g finely chopped onion
20g chopped celery
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1 medium carrot (approx 85g), peeled and grated
100 g lean minced beef
150 ml Passata
100 ml unsalted stock or boiling water
1/4 tsp fresh thyme leaves or a pinch of dried thyme
a pinch of sugar
3 tbsp Annabel Karmel’s Mini Pasta Shells

Method:
Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and celery over a low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the grated carrot and sauté for 4 minutes. In a separate pan, dry fry the minced beef until browned, stirring occasionally. Add to the onion and carrot. Pour over the tomato and basil sauce, boiling water or stock and add the thyme and pinch of sugar. Cover and cook over a low heat for about 12 minutes. Remove from the pan and pulse for a second or two in a blender to make a smoother texture.

Meanwhile, cook the shell pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain and mix with the Bolognese sauce.

Information
Suitable for freezing
From 9 months
MAKES 3 PORTIONS [source]

I don’t use the pasta shells. I make a batch of the sauce and then sprinkle in La Molisana’s Spinagarda pasta. It’s shaped like grains of rice and is the perfect length for Z. I don’t actually cook the pasta, I just toss it in when the sauce is done and it soaks up the extra water and cooks itself.

I use Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats for his oatmeal. Find them in the health section of your grocery.

Make the oatmeal as per the package. In a saucepan sautee the diced apples and pears in 1 1/2c of water. I toss in a pat of butter and a cinnamon stick too. Just sautee and boil the apples and pears until they break down like mashed potatos. Add extra water if you need to.

When they’re done, mash the apples up and mix with the oatmeal. Put in ice cube trays and freeze.

We give Z two or three cubes of oatmeal for breakfast each day mixed with a piece of fresh banana, or some mango or blueberries. It’s the perfect breakfast!

It’s so easy to make your own baby food. Try it!

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Okay, maybe it’s just that I’m starting to push 40 and being nostalgic for the wild and crazy days of my youth is more important than actually going out and being youthful, but where has all the good music gone?

Sure, there are some good hits on the radio every now and again, but where are the big stadium filling music acts?

This morning Nat and Drew announced that Stevie Wonder is coming to town. GM Place on July 12.

The week before that George Michael (Jul 4, GM Place). Also this summer we’ve got concerts from The Cure (May 26, GM Place), Billy Idol (Jul 4-5, River Rock and Boulevard Casinos), Rush (May 29, GM Place), Boy George (Jul 21, Commodore) and Iron Maiden (Jun 3, Coliseum).

Apart from Kanye West and Rihanna the first week of June, there are NO must.see concerts du jour coming to town this summer. It’s all old school.

Even the Pemberton Festival is relying on nostalgia. Sure Jay Z and Coldplay will be there, but so will NIN, Tom Petty and the Tragically Hip.

Do All American Rejects, Simple Plan and Faber Drive (Sep 3, Coliseum) count as a major current must see show? What about KT Tunstall (May 11, Commodore) or Mel C (May 17, Plaza Club)? Those are current stars, but they’re in tiny little clubs.

Radiohead is coming this summer (Aug 19, Thunderbird Stadium) and so is Jack Johnson (Aug 21, Thunderbird Stadium). You could argue whether or not they’re current music stars. And I’d quickly counter with Glass Tiger (Aug 23, PNE), Oasis (Aug 27, GM Place) and Sass Jordan (Aug 22, PNE).

Where are the HUGE stadium acts for today’s kids?

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?