New Site

I've had a huge amount of problems with the blogger formatting recently so I've uphauled and moved the blog to wordpress!

Visit us here: http://haildorothy.wordpress.com

Recipe Wednesday (a day late)

I know, I know, procrastination is like masturbation: it feels good at the time but in the end you're just screwing yourself.
I had a wonderfully lazy day yesterday thus the lateness of this post.
This recipe was adapted from here.

The sweet n spicy roast turkey sandwich

It's simple, tasty and filling.
Makes 2 sandwiches with coleslaw left over for a side dish.

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter
1/8 tsp pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I used the canned variety, take out all of the seeds; then puree them in a food processor and store them in the fridge for a few months.)
1 package brocoli slaw salad mix (or coleslaw salad mix - this is the one of the only short cuts I take in cooking, I prefer to get the pre-mixed salad mixtures for coleslaw for when you have buy a whole red and green cabbage, carrots and lettuce, it just makes more than I'm ever going to use. So I find the pre-mixed salad greens quite handy.)
4 slices rye bread (dark, light or Canadian rye - they all taste good here.)
4 slices sharp cheese (I used a 5 year old cheddar, but any sharp cheese is tasty.)
4 slices of roast turkey (There are two ways to do this: 1. Buy a turkey breast, season it with salt, pepper & paprika, roast it in the oven for 15-20 minutes until thoroughly cooked, cool and slice or 2. Buy nitrate free spiced turkey breast from your local deli. Try to pick the deli meat that actually looks like a turkey breast, then you know it's real.)
3 tbsp Heinz English cream dressing (or mayo mixed with 1 tsp yellow curry powder.)


Mix 2 tbsp of the cream dressing with the package of brocolli slaw mixture. You might need a bit more dressing depending on how you saucy you like your coleslaw. Brush the interior of each slice of bread with the remaining cream dressing. Spread half the chipotle puree on one side of each sandwich. Feel free to use more puree if you like your food to be spicy. Place a small amount of coleslaw on one side of the sandwich. Top with the turkey breast and then the cheese. Close the sandwich. Heat the butter in a small frying pan. Place the sandwiches in the pan. Allow each side to brown and the cheese to melt. Remove from the pan, cut and serve with the remaining coleslaw. Enjoy!

Recipe Wednesday

Cajun Coated Fries

Easy peasy [healthy!] french fries. This recipe I came up with today for a quick lunch idea. I served it with sunny-side up eggs for a simple version of chip & eggs. They're nice in that they have a little bit of a kick to them but salty and sweet enough to keep you wanting more. I found you didn't even need ketchup with them! The cayenne pepper in them gave my version just a hint of spice definitely a mild version as I didn't want the pepper to be too overwhelming.

Serves 2
3 medium red potatoes
1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on your enjoyment of spicy foods)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp smoked paprika (if you can't get this use 1/2 tsp regular paprika)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch, I have an intolerance to corn so I sub arrowroot for everything)
3/4 tbsp coarse salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450˚F (233˚C).
Mix all of the spices together in a medium bowl. Cut the potatoes into french fry sizes, usually 1cmx1cm sticks. Toss the potatoes in the spices until well coated.
Cover a baking/cookie sheet with aluminum foil shiny side down. Coat foil with 1 tbsp oil. Place fries on oiled baking sheet. Drizzle the other tbsp of oil over the fries.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and turn over all of the fries. Bake for another 10 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly and enjoy!

Free money? Yes please!

You've done everything right. You're ready to go when someone says the dreaded word: Tuition. It's a hard pill to swallow when you haven't thought that far into the future. You've heard your high school councilors babble on and on about scholarships and bursaries. "But there are so many to apply for", you might whine. Yes, it's true - there is a sea of scholarships out there.
But not to fear! There is help out there.
"But it's so much time to waste applying for all of those."
Nonsense! There are thousands and thousands of dollars in scholarships that go unclaimed every single year. Simply because people don't apply for them. If you don't apply, you can't win. It's a gamble on yourself and the only thing you have to lose is a little bit of your time. I know, I know, I sound like a broken record from sesame street but it's true. I'm speaking from experience. I was one of those apathetic students: "Oh, it's a waste of time I never win anything." "I don't have the time to write an essay." "It's to much work." All excuses of a lazy, lazy girl. One day I took the time to see my school's options. I ended up being surprised with a few different bursaries - free money. I had money for groceries, entertainment... even new pens. It was a little bit of freedom I hadn't imagined and it was all because no one else applied!
Overwhelmed again? Not to fear! There is are lot of resources out there that can help!

~Scholarships Canada > this is an encredibley useful website! It narrows down what scholarships and bursaries you qualify for, helps you apply to them and gives you helpful tips on what to look for.

~Student Awards > another helpful website with a little bit of a broader spectrum.

~ Go to the University and talk to student services. They have so many first year student scholarships and bursaries that go unclaimed; all because students are too apathetic to really think about it. At most Universities you will fill out one form and they'll do the rest of the work! It's so easy - there's no excuse for it.

~Check out what the government might be handing out! I know if you're in an apprenticeship field there is the incentive grant just for finishing your full apprenticeship. It's $2000! That's a lot of money to a student.

~Broken record time again! Talk to students at the University! It's quite common for current students to have discovered scholarships that no one else knows about. Insider knowledge in this case is a good thing.

When it doubt, Google it out! The internet has opened up a wealth of possibilities. There are companies that hand out money for leadership, outstanding moral fiber, frankly there's so many scholarships out there that it seems like they're handing them out just for being a breathing human being! Take the time to look, it's worth your while. I mean free money? Yes, please!

*As a sub-note, I recently found out that the money given out by scholarships, grants, bursaries is only technically free. The Government of Canada actually charges taxes on them. They consider them to be part of "income". Luckily, most students are so poor that we don't get charged taxes - we make to little and our tuition can be written off against our taxes. So not to fret! It's free-ish.

Applications

It's that time of year when students the world over begin to consider and research what post secondary school to attend. It's a difficult time: having to quantify your dreams and desires; deciding to forgo childhood dreams for a career that pleases the parental units or deciding to pursue a life long dream, no matter the consequence; choosing to leave home or stay close by; still being trapped and yet yearning for the independence that accompanies post secondary education. A difficult time for those transitioning from one career to another, those who have decided after year or years that it is finally time to get back in the student seat and pursue something of value and those who have, after year(s) of working, finally scraped together the money for their dream of a post secondary education.

Where to start? It can be unbelievably overwhelming. Even if you think your chosen career path is black and white like "teaching" the questions begin to swamp you: "What grades do you ultimately want to teach?", "Where do you want to be a teacher?", "Do you want to teach more than one language?", "Do you want to specialize in special needs or disabilities?", "What options do you want to take to amplify your portfolio?", "What will make you stand out as a teacher?"
Universities want to you consider your entire schooling when you first apply: all 4 (or more) years of your degree when all you want to do is just apply to the school. It can be brutal to first timers and ninth timers. The application process doesn't always ask you the right questions either.

Luckily, right now, you're sitting there and you know what you want to do: Teach. [Or insert whatever it is you'd like to do here. :)] That right there is a saving grace. Knowing what you want is a gigantic first step. Not to fret, if you have no clue but are determined to attend post secondary this will help you as well! Somethings to consider are:

~Talk to someone in the field you're thinking about - or someone you know that had no clue to begin with - they'll be able to set you in the right direction on what to look for in your application/registration. There are academic councilors available at each post secondary school as well. I, unfortunately, had a terrible experience with the academic councilors. They sent me down the wrong path and I ended up, what I felt like, wasting 2 years and many dollars pursuing the wrong field. That's why I recommend talking to someone who is IN the field you're interested in. They'll be able to regale you with their experiences and impart you with knowledge that a generic councilor may not.

~Research what jobs your degree might lead to. For example, if you decide to do a double degree with physical education and elementary education that will most likely lead to teaching elementary students phys ed. There are unlimited amounts of combinations for majors & minors. Use your imagination and follow your heart.

~Research schools. It may sound cliche but it's worth doing. Look at schools from different points of view. What do you want from a school? Do you want it close to home? Far from home? Do you want small class sizes? A good student to teacher ratio? Good bang for your buck? Each year, in Canada at least, Macleans magazine publishes an issue that ranks all of the Universities based on different options. (Click here for this year's!)

~Visit the school you're considering. This might be a harder option if your school is far away from you, but most schools offer the chance to shadow a student for a day. It really gives you an idea as to what to expect from the school, teachers and everyday student life. Spending a day in the shoes of an actual student really gives you a great impression. Even if you just take a quick trip and visit the campus it can give you a better idea of what to expect when you're accepted.

~Talk to students at the school you're thinking about. They can give you a real idea of the campus life. Students attending the school or even recent graduates know all the ins and outs of the University. Recent grads can tell you about the graduation process and how their entire experience was. They're a good resource for potential students - able to tell you any problems they may have encountered, what teachers are great, what classes to consider, etc.

More than anything trust your instincts. It's the most important thing when you're applying for a new school. If something seems too good to be true - it, sadly, probably is. Happy school hunting!