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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Blog Break

I'll be taking a blog break for a couple of weeks to enjoy some family time.  Wishing you all a Happy New Year when it comes!

This video is too cute!  It's called 'Golden loves guitar', dogs are amazing.

I got this in an email and had fun with it, maybe you will too!

Try this.....
You won’t believe what happens after you draw a stick man!! I wish I knew how this works!!! Even let the kids try its cool!
Have a great day

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Creative Tuesdays - 12 Days of Christmas

Hope you all had a warm and lovely Christmas!

For Creative Tuesdays, the theme this week was 'The 12 Days of Christmas'. I chose to do a 'Partridge in a Pear Tree'. Hope you like it! I'm also including my preliminary pencil sketch. I did that to see if I thought it would work as an acrylic ACEO.

BERJAYA


Here is my pencil sketch:

BERJAYA

Monday, December 26, 2011

Boxing Day 2011

Are you going Boxing Day Shopping?  Fantastic Deals out there, all you need is time and money!  I don't think we will brave the crowds.

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas/Holiday weekend.  On Christmas Eve, we went to my mom and sister's house as usual.  A cousin joined us over there around lunchtime.  We took photos, decided to take some multi-generational shots featuring me, my mom and my daughter.  Then we took some with my sister, her daughter and my mom!  Then came the group shots, so the boys wouldn't feel left out.  It was nice to get together with all the kids around, they are growing up so fast.

I made this jerk trout for my mom as I thought it was healthy and she likes the peppery taste. I didn't add any extra salt and it was fine, so I think I'll stop adding salt to this dish in future. The jerk sauce has some salt already.

BERJAYA
Jerk Trout
We opened gifts Xmas morning and went to M's family gathering in the afternoon. It was fun to see the new babies again, M's great nieces and nephew. His sister's food was delicious, moist succulent turkey and lots of other fine dishes. I took some mini cupcakes from Costco and made a fruit tray. It was enjoyed among other lovely desserts. We caught up with all the family gossip and it was a nice evening, a late night in fact.

Oh, it was a green Christmas, 3C and quite 'balmy' for the time of year.




Saturday, December 24, 2011

Sweet Saturdays - Puppy Christmas

Here's a sweet video to share today on Christmas Eve!  Linking to Diana's Sweet Saturdays!

I won't post tomorrow in honour of Christmas Day! Have a Merry one!

Here are some photos I took the other night when we got my daughter L from the train station.  We went to a lovely Teppanyaki dinner downtown at Benihana's then dessert at The Marche.  And look at some of the pretty lights in a downtown building! 


BERJAYA
Benihana Chef





BERJAYA
Le Marche Mincemeat Tart, Fresh brewed coffee

BERJAYA
Superrmarket Display

BERJAYA
Awesome Lights

BERJAYA
Festive Tree


Friday, December 23, 2011

Paint Party Friday - Grape Ornament

Welcome to Paint Party Friday!  All the best for a wonderful Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa etc!

I saw this pretty ornament in the store the other day and decided to take a photo of it and draw it. It's an acrylic ACEO .


BERJAYA


BERJAYA
Grape Ornament

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Food For Thought Thursdays - No-Yeast Pizza Crust

Linking to Robin's Food for Thought Thursdays.

BERJAYA
Pizza Dough




BERJAYA
Baked Pizza





BERJAYA
Ready to Eat!



I got a hold of this neat recipe from 'The Guelph Student Cookbook'.  The non-profit cookbook was featured months ago in the newspaper and its aim is to help students on a budget eat nutritiously, often with the help of the foodbank located on that particular campus.  (www.csaonline.ca, foodbank@uoguelph.ca)  Fortunately, I managed to get a copy of the cookbook via email, but they don't have a facility in place to market the cookbook.

Anyway, here is this neat and delicious recipe that we enjoyed on the weekend:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain soy milk (I used milk)
1/4 cup oil
1 egg

Makes 1  pizza crust
total time 30 mins

1. Pre-heat oven to 425F(220C) and oil baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper)
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, spices and salt.  Stir in milk, oil. and egg
    until well-mixed
3. Place the dough on a baking sheet and shape to fit sheet (put flour on your hands if it gets sticky)
4. Bake for 5-7 minutes, add toppings, and bake again for 10 minutes.

It says you can turn this recipe into dinner rolls too.















Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Ground Breaking Vaccines

It's the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year!  I like when the days start to get longer.

Here's a sweet (cheesy?) video about paying it forward.  Anyway, it was trending yesterday.


It's a lovely time of year, Christmas music playing on the radio. I think I'm receiving less cards than last year but I do get the odd newsletter or email wishing us Happy Holidays. Indeed, a good friend came by with cookies and chocolates yesterday. It was cold and sunny but it may be a green Christmas this year.

I got my son K a CAA gift membership (Canadian Automobile Association) for my peace of mind, as he is a new driver.  It provides emergency roadside assistance, etc.

Here are some interesting news articles. They are making such strides in the fight against cancer. I marvel that they are treating it like a virus with various ground-breaking vaccines that teach our immune systems to fight it. I made my kids get the HPV vaccine (Gardasil) as soon as it became available. For girls it helps guard against cervical cancer and other types of cancers for boys.


Canadian researchers close in on vaccine for ovarian cancer

Canadian scientists get green light for trials on groundbreaking HIV vaccine

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Peach Crisp, etc.

BERJAYA
Peach Crisp
I made this delicious peach crisp on the weekend, compliments of  'The Southern Lady'.

My annual trip to the eye specialist went well yesterday and I only had to wait for about an hour!  It seemed strange to be making an appointment for my next checkup all the way into January 2013!

I had been to the gym earlier that morning, had a quick conversation with a lady there that I talk to.  Her 86 year old mom is in hospital waiting to be placed into a senior home.  Did you know the hospital doesn't do the patient's laundry?  It is sent home and I suppose that makes sense.  Anyway, it seems this lady had a call from her aging uncle asking if she could look after him and his wife over Christmas as their regular caretaker is unavailable.   Apparently she is not even particularly close to this uncle however they must not have anyone else to turn to.  This lady herself is an only child and exhausted from seeing to her mom's affairs while she is in hospital.  The problem seems to be solved as she called the caregiver and someone else will be found to do care for her uncle over the weekend.  She determined that she herself didn't want to live that long to get to that stage.

Then I spoke to this other lady and asked her about her Christmas plans.  She will have 30 people to her house this weekend, and over to another family member's house on Christmas Day itself.  She has a child in university, like me, due home for the holidays and we were happy about that.

I'll leave you to ponder on life and not take anything for granted, especially over the Christmas season.





Monday, December 19, 2011

Magical Mondays - Christmas 2012

Linking to Carol's Magical Mondays!

I loved this video Christmas 2012 on Youtube. It's really about how we use technology today. 

Carolyn at A Colourful Journey has the most fabulous Christmas Trees. You simply have to go take a look. She even has an upside down tree!

In keeping with the season, how do you like my fruit plate? I found some delicious kiwis at Costco the other day. I heard kiwis are good for your blood pressure.

BERJAYA

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Sunday Sketches - Festive Grapes

For Sunday Sketches I did an acrylic ACEO of Festive Grapes in gold and silver on a black background.  I have a similar ornament at home.  Please visit the others and join in the fun!

My son told me to go to google and type 'let it snow'...and see what happens, it's so cute.



BERJAYA

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Sweet Saturdays - The clay pot

For Diana's Sweet Saturdays I'd like to show you one of my little Christmas trees.


My sister had given me this little tree in a clay pot years ago. One year I decorated it with berries and garlands and always felt the pot itself was a bit plain.



BERJAYA
Clay Pot Tree



So I decided to paint it a few nights ago and am happy with the way it turned out!   What do you think?


BERJAYA
Painted Clay Pot Tree

Friday, December 16, 2011

Paint Party Friday - Silhouette

For Paint Party Friday I did this one entitled 'Silhouette'. It's an acrylic ACEO. The beauty of acrylic is that it enables you to change the colours quite easily until you are happy with it.

I can't believe how close we are coming to Christmas! Have yourselves a wonderful holiday! And please visit the others and join the fun.


BERJAYA

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Food For Thought Thursdays - Thimble Cookies

Steph at Purple Lotus Heart has the most beautiful post of her recent trip to Bali, lovely photos!

And I'm linking this post to Robin Panzer's Food For Thought Thursdays.  Do stop by and see what everyone else is eating this week.




BERJAYA
Thimble Cookies


Laurie over at 'When the Bough Breaks' recently posted her great grandmother's Thimble cookie recipe. I decided to try my own version of it using fresh raspberries I had on hand. It was absolutely delicious! Thanks Laurie!

pre-heat oven to 350F (I have a hot oven)

1 cup butter or margarine
3/4 white cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
fresh raspberries or raspberry jelly (I guess you could use your favourite jam)


Cream the butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in the flour. Drop tablespoons of the mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll into balls. Press the centres down with your thumb (thimble). Fill the indent with a fresh raspberry or can use raspberry jelly.


Bake for approximately 13 minutes until the cookies start to turn brown at the edges. Makes about 30 small cookies.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Easy Cornbread

My son K got his G2 driver's licence yesterday! This means he can drive on his own now with few restrictions. We are so happy for him but this brings new worries of course! A 16 year old boy on the roads with all that adrenaline...hmm. We will have to phase this in.


BERJAYA
Easy Cornbread

Marie at The English Kitchen recently posted her  ex Mother-in-law's Cornbread recipe and it sounded so simple I decided to try it!  My family loves cornbread muffins so I thought they would like this.

It turned out great and you could really taste the cornmeal.  Here's Marie's recipe with just the cup measurements.  And I line my pans with parchment paper instead of greasing and flouring it.

Makes one 9 inch round or square pan,
or 12 small muffins


7/8 cup of  flour
 sugar (1/4 cup)
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal
1  egg, beaten
 milk (1 cup)
 vegetable oil (1/4 cup)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9 inch round or square baking tin with parchment paper. (Or 12 small muffin cups). Set aside.

Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and corn meal into a bowl. Beat together the egg, milk and vegetable oil. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and mix quickly just to combine. Pour into the prepared pan(s). Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen and lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Serve warm, cut into wedges or squares.


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Chocolate Liqueur Truffles


BERJAYA
Chocolate Liqueur Truffles

So far I've had one of the dark chocolate cognac truffles, and one of the dark chocolate eggnog and orange truffles sprinkled with orange peels. Yum.  It's that time of year and the treats are starting to come in!  Help!

I saw the new George Clooney movie 'The Descendants' on the weekend and enjoyed it.  This well-acted drama is set in Hawaii and the scenery is just beautiful.  I think I have to put Hawaii on my bucket list!

And here's an interesting fact for you that I received in an email:

REMEMBER THIS AT CHRISTMAS TIME According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. 
Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring.
Therefore, according to EVERY historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, EVERY single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl. 




Monday, December 12, 2011

A Great Weekend

BERJAYA
Some Sweet Gifts

Hope you all had a great weekend, I know we did.

On Saturday, a good friend of mine came by, we exchanged gifts and went for a cold, sunny walk (-6C). Husband M joined us for lunch afterwards. My poor friend hurt her arm lifting something carelessly the week before to the point where she couldn't even type an email. She was 98% better though. We just have to slow down in middle age!

Son K had gone to an all day course which might prepare him for a job with the town next year. We'll see what comes of that, either way, he'll get a nice certificate of completion. Then he had to rush straight off to tennis. He was exhausted.

Some other friends called, trying to arrange a get together, easier said than done with 3 families. Now we have to consider the schedules of almost grown kids, especially who is in town and when.

That evening I walked to church and picked up new 2012 church envelopes. I noticed everyone following the mass using the provided program sheets with the new responses which are now in effect.  On the walk back home, I had to pause a few times to admire the bright, full moon against a clear, dark sky. I saw a few bright stars. It was a beautiful, cold night.

That same night another long time friend phoned. Every year they drop by and visit their friends, bearing home baked goodies. It was nice to sit  and chat for a little while.  One of their daughters was in town, so it was great to see her too.

It was a full day.  I was even able to make a beef stew for supper!  Whew!

BERJAYA
Beef Stew





Sunday, December 11, 2011

Sunday Sketches - The Reindeer

For Sunday Sketches I did this Reindeer in a seasonal setting.  He's coloured in gold metallic paint. It's an acrylic ACEO, I hope you like it.


BERJAYA

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Sweet Saturdays - A Nice Surprise

For Sweet Saturdays, I'd like to share a nice surprise I had this week! Fortunately I was home during the day when the doorbell rang. The courier delivered this package! Who doesn't love to receive any kind of gift? I was delighted not even knowing what it was. It was a gift from our financial advisor. They used to send Gingerbread House kits but the kids are grown now.

BERJAYA


It was an evergreen wreath complete with decorations and instructions on how to decorate it. It smelled so good too.

BERJAYA

And here is the finished product!  Warning, these do shed needles every day, but they are real, you know!


BERJAYA

Friday, December 9, 2011

Paint Party Fridays - Rudolph

It's time for Paint Party Fridays!  Please visit the others and join in the fun!

This acrylic ACEO is called 'Rudolph'...getting right into the season!

BERJAYA


Thursday, December 8, 2011

Food For Thought Thursdays - Salmon Vegetable Chowder

BERJAYA

I'm doing this for Food For Thought Thursdays!  Please join us.

I made this Salmon Vegetable Chowder this week, a favourite of mine. Wouldn't you know I seem to have lost the recipe. This must be the devastating result of de-cluttering and tidying up! Luckily the recipe is fresh in my mind as I made it so recently. I had posted it awhile back but the link seems to also be gone now.  I think it was from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Here it is from memory:

1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or can use a couple of fresh cloves, minced)
1c mixed vegetables (I use frozen)
1c chopped potatoes
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
salt to taste

1c low sodium chicken broth
1 salmon fillet cut into chunks (I've used canned salmon too)
1 tbs olive or canola oil
1c shredded cheese
2c milk

Saute onion, garlic until soft. Add basil, thyme, pepper. Add broth, mixed vegetables, potatoes and simmer until
cooked. Add milk, salmon, do not boil. When salmon is cooked add cheese. Enjoy!

Cute

BERJAYA

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Advanced Style

I have a bunch of interesting links for you today:

Kay gave a wonderful review of the new George Clooney movie called 'The Descendants' and now I have to see it. And Gloria featured this wonderful video called 'Advanced Style' about stylish New York older ladies and I loved it, wonder if you will too.

Jenn had this lovely post of a 95 year old senior and her poems, I hope you will stop by to check it out.

The Southern Lady posted this delicious recipe for Sour Cream Banana Muffins and I finally
got around to making them!  Yum.

BERJAYA

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Creative Tuesdays - Mistletoe

Welcome to Creative Tuesdays where the theme today is 'Mistletoe'. Thanks to MMm for hosting. I hope you are all getting into the Christmas spirit! Please stop by the others and join in the fun!

For those of you unfamiliar with the mistletoe custom, this is how Wikipedia describes it:

According to ancient Christmas custom, a man and a woman who meet under a hanging of mistletoe were obliged to kiss. The custom may be of Scandinavian origin. It was described in 1820 by American author Washington Irving in his "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon":

"The mistletoe is still hung up in farm-houses and kitchens at Christmas, and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases."



Today, a sprig may be hung under a door at a party and if you are noticed under it, the person can kiss you! All in good fun.



BERJAYA

Monday, December 5, 2011

Magical Mondays - Kwiat Diamond Waterdrop Bracelet

Welcome to Carol's Magical Mondays!

I noticed this beautiful bracelet in a news article. It's a Kwiat Diamond Waterdrop Bracelet and all the profits go to Charity Water. It's about $100.  I love it, isn't it gorgeous?  Here is the Kwiat website.

BERJAYA


Here is the $11,000 one

BERJAYA

And here is another link to the site.

My sister says it's too simple for her taste as she likes gaudy jewellery with lots of bling.

We went out to a Greek restaurant with friends last night as Xmas celebrations begin.  We exchanged gifts and enjoyed the food and conversation.  It was raining and the weather was mild.  We skyped with L afterwards.  I was happy to hear they played board games instead of the usual drinking parties on the weekend.  Exams are coming up and it's easier to study the next morning apparently if you are not hung over.






Sunday, December 4, 2011

Sunday Sketches - Winter Walk

Welcome to Sophia's Sunday Sketches!   Please stop by the others and join in the fun!

This acrylic ACEO is called 'Winter Walk'.  It really looks like this around here on snowy days, although we haven't been having too much of those considering the time of year.  I'm not really complaining!


BERJAYA


Saturday, December 3, 2011

Sweet Saturdays - Pet Sofa

Welcome to Diana's Sweet Saturdays!  Please stop by the other participants and join in the fun!

Okay, now I've seen it all...this is a pet sofa I saw for sale in a store! Do you think your pet would like one? Lol.

BERJAYA
Pet Sofa

BERJAYA
Pet Sofa - Closer View

Friday, December 2, 2011

Paint Party Friday - Seasonal Green

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! Thanks to Kristin and Eva for hosting. Please stop by some of the others and join in the fun!

I was doing a 'Mistletoe' theme for Creative Tuesdays, due Dec 6th and squeezed too much green paint from the tube. I thought 'how wasteful of me' and decided to use it as a background for today's acrylic ACEO. I had been thinking of doing some evergreen trees and reindeer, so this painting evolved. The final touch was adding a bit of snow and I'm happy with the result. What do you think?

BERJAYA

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Xmas Tree and a Jerk Seasoning Recipe

BERJAYA
Our Xmas Tree

Welcome to December!  Are you in the holiday spirit?  This is a photo of our Xmas tree, it doesn't change too much from year to year, I have a different tree topper this year although it's not really new.

According to Kathy, shopping at the malls will be light for this week before it starts to get crowded.  As a matter of fact, I was at the mall yesterday morning (we had snow flurries and it was cold!)   L wants a hairdryer for Christmas.  There were at least 6 different varieties at Walmart, who knew this could be so difficult.  They come with various attachments and settings.  She wanted lots of speeds and a cold air feature.  I think (hope) I chose a good one for a reasonable price.  It has ionic technology that helps reduce static and I even saw a 'turbo' button on it!  I think mine only has a 'low' and 'high' setting, lol.

According to wikipedia

Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. Jerk seasoning is traditionally applied to pork and chicken. Modern recipes also apply jerk spice mixes to fish, shrimp, shellfish, beef, sausage, and tofu. Jerk seasoning principally relies upon two items: allspice (called "pimento" in Jamaica) and Scotch bonnet peppers (among the hottest peppers on the Scoville scale). Other ingredients include cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, garlic, and salt.

I found this recipe in a cookbook I have and wanted to share it with some of you who might be  interested in trying to make Jamaican Jerk Seasoning.  It's good on meat or fish.  I would not use that many Scotch Bonnet Peppers as they are fiery hot (maybe just one).

1 lb Scotch Bonnet Peppers (fiery hot)
1 small onion chopped
3 stalls escallion chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme chopped
3 tbsp salt
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp whole pimento (allspice) berries
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce


In a food processor or blender puree all ingredients until sauce is coarse yet pourable
makes about 4 to 5 cups

Pottinger, Lily,Pottinger, Ed.The Real Jerk: New Caribbean Cuisine.Vancouver, BC:Arsenal Pulp Press,2002.Print.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Smart Marketing

Well, I gave my first Christmas gift yesterday, to my hairdresser!  I won't see him again until probably the New Year so I gave him a bottle of nice Merlot wine.

I use a non-hydrogenated margarine, often this Becel brand. Recently they started making Becel Buttery which has a more buttery taste due to the addition of some buttermilk. So I've been buying this kind. However, the other night I compared the original Becel with the new Buttery kind and was surprised at the smart marketing. It seemed to me the Becel Buttery was in a larger size because it is a taller bucket. Not so! They both cost the same, but Becel Buttery is 680 g (1.5 lb) and Becel Original is 907 g (2 lb).   Does the taller container seem bigger to you too? 



BERJAYA

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Brain Hurter

Here is a some of my Xmas decoration, when K was little, he would walk by and mess the boxes all up!

BERJAYA
Xmas Decoration



I got this from a friend, it's a real brain hurter! Think you'll give it a try?  It took me a day in between whatever else I was doing to finally figure it out!


Einstein's Intelligence Quiz BERJAYA
Einstein wrote this quiz last century. He said that 98% of the people in the world cannot solve the quiz.

  • There are 5 houses in 5 different colors
  • In each house lives a person with a different nationality
  • These 5 owners drink a certain type of beverage, smoke a certain brand of cigar, and keep a certain pet
  • No owners have the same pet, smoke the same brand of cigar or drink the same drink.
Here's the question: Who owns the fish?
  1. The Brit lives in a red house
  2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets
  3. The Dane drinks tea
  4. The green house is on the left of the white house
  5. The green house owner drinks coffee
  6. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds
  7. The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill
  8. The man living in the house right in the middle drinks milk
  9. The Norwegian lives in the first house
  10. The man who smokes Blend lives next door to the one who keeps cats.
  11. The man who keeps horses lives next door to the man who smokes Dunhill
  12. The owner who smokes Blue Master drinks beer
  13. The German smokes Prince
  14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house
  15. The man who smokes Blend has a neighbor who drinks water
With these 15 clues the problem is solvable.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Magical Mondays - Miraculous Wheelchair Recovery

It's time for Carol's Magical Monday Blog Hop! Please join in the fun!

I love this story I read in the weekend newspaper, so inspiring and indeed magical:


Former Paralympian makes miraculous recovery to become pro cyclist


“I’ve had many bad situations in my life and it’s not fun, but every time you learn from it and you get stronger because you have to make the decision to fight to get out of it,” she said. “There’s always an end as long as you keep fighting. You get stronger from the things you learned in life. And I learned the hard way.”

And in other news, my Xmas decorations including the tree are all up!  I was inspired by Diana Evans.



BERJAYA

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Sunday Sketches - Sailboat Sunset

Hello and welcome to Sophia's Sunday Sketches!  Please stop by the others to see what they did today.

I did a 9x12 inch acrylic 'Sailboat Sunset' and had fun with the bright colours.  It's on 140 lb acrylic paper.  I actually have a white wooden model sailboat in my living room that I used as a guide for this painting.



BERJAYA


Saturday, November 26, 2011

Sweet Saturdays - Pretty Painting

Welcome to Diana's Sweet Saturdays!  Please stop by the others to see what they found sweet today!

Last week, I went to a local Country Decorating and Collectible Holiday Event. A lady in the line told me she had accidentally left her debit card in the machine at the grocery store, but went back there and was able to retrieve it. The cashier showed her a stack of cards belonging to other people who had done the same thing! In Canada, they've implemented these new chip cards where you have to enter a pin into the machine yourself. It seems people are forgetting to remove their cards from the machine afterward! It almost happened to me once.

Anyway, I was determined not to buy any cookies, or buttercrunch, etc etc at this event. Then this painting caught my eye and I found myself purchasing it. Now I don't need any art, but do you like it?


BERJAYA

Friday, November 25, 2011

Paint Party Friday - Every Obstacle

It's time for Paint Party Friday!  Thanks to Eva and Kristin for hosting.  Please stop by the other participants and join in the fun.  Have a great Friday!

This acrylic ACEO was inspired by a quote I received in an email recently.  I liked the spirit of the message. 

'Every Obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition' - Unknown Author

BERJAYA




Thursday, November 24, 2011

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Some of you may know I'm Jamaican (of Chinese descent) although I've lived most of my life in Canada. To this end, I'd like to share my easy jerk chicken recipe. (I don't make the sauce from scratch).  I'll post a jerk seasoning recipe in a future post.

According to wikipedia

Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. Jerk seasoning is traditionally applied to pork and chicken. Modern recipes also apply jerk spice mixes to fish, shrimp, shellfish, beef, sausage, and tofu. Jerk seasoning principally relies upon two items: allspice (called "pimento" in Jamaica) and Scotch bonnet peppers (among the hottest peppers on the Scoville scale). Other ingredients include cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, garlic, and salt.

I baked some jerk chicken for supper the other day. You can buy a jar of jerk seasoning in most grocery stores here and hopefully you can find a milder version if you are not used to spicy food, as the jerk seasoning can be fiery. Here's how I make mine (measurements are approximate and to taste):

1 onion, chopped
sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tbs dark soy sauce (really just a couple of splashes)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp jerk seasoning (or to taste)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 chicken legs and thighs (or you can use chicken breasts)

Preheat oven to 350 F
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, mix all the ingredients together with the chicken
Bake 35 - 45 minutes

Enjoy!


BERJAYA
Add Spices



BERJAYA
Mix Together



BERJAYA
Jerk Chicken