Scribble Picnic - Spicy

Welcome to Scribble Picnic's 'Spicy' theme. My piece is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") acrylic on canvas outlined with a black PITT artist pen.  I can't think of anything more spicy than a hot pepper!

Wow we are at month end!

Infused Maple Syrup

Daughter L received some assorted infused maple syrup bottles as a Christmas gift.  She tried the Chipotle and Lemongrass infused Maple Syrup flavour with some cauliflower puree and baked salmon, she said it was delicious.  Some of the other flavours were cinnamon with nutmeg and cloves, and  ginger with apple cider vinegar.  Those were good with pancakes.

Heard on the Radio

We got these goodies in the mail recently, they arrive monthly, a mail order gift from good friends.  This time there was a peanut butter cookie sandwich, a buttercrunch biscuit, a sugar cookie, a fudge blondie bar, and some macaroons.  Each delivery features bakers from all over our province.

I heard this on the radio the other morning and thought I would share.
Subtract your age from 77.  Add 40.  Did you get your birth year?  I did, and I tried it with my family's dates and it worked for them too!

Salmon Cakes

I made some salmon cakes the other day with a large 418g can of pink salmon. It came together very quickly and I thought you might be interested in my recipe.  I actually crush 4 gluten free crackers to be used in place of breadcrumbs, it's great if anyone is gluten sensitive.

Ingredients

418g can of pink salmon
1 egg whisked
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 c milk
1/4 c breadcrumbs
3 tbs canola oil

Mix all ingredients together, except for the canola oil, to form 4 patties. Pan fry in the canola oil for approximately 4 minutes per side.

Comforting winter foods

I was watching the Weather Network earlier this week as we were under threat of freezing rain one day.  I noticed they had a lot of advertisements to warm, sunny vacation destinations such as Mexico and Jamaica.  Then they talked about the most comforting winter foods, the results of some survey.  So number one was Spaghetti and Meatballs, homemade of course.  Then it was hot chocolate smothered with whipped cream and marshmallows.  Number three was a grilled cheese sandwich, number four was comforting macaroni and cheese and finally chicken soup!  I was snuggled into my warmest winter socks that day.  Do  you have any other favourite warm winter foods to add to that list?

Paint Party Friday - Cinderella

My piece for Paint Party Friday is an ACEO permanent marker on canvas (2 1/2" x 3 1/2"), featuring Cinderella.  She is a favourite fictional character of mine, simply pretty in a fabulous ball gown.

Microgreen update

arugula microgreens

Well I planted our bag of arugula microgreens and am working on keeping the soil, which was included in the bag, wet.

I was at my hairdresser on a cold morning last week, thankfully no snow that day although it was grey out, with no sunshine.  The assistant told me that business has been dismal in January.  I hope they can stay in business.  

Scribble Picnic - Tablecloth

Welcome to Scribble Picnic's 'Tablecloth' theme. My piece is an ACEO acrylic on canvas (21/2" x 3 1/2"). It's outlined with a black PITT artist pen.

Daughter bonding time

Daughter L persuaded me to do a couple of workout videos she found on youtube.  This first one is a 4 minute workout that replaces one hour in the gym.

This video is a 5 minute workout that replaces  high intensity cardio.  I found doing the planks to be quite high intensity cardio albeit for just 5 exhausting minutes.

I found the first video to be less strenuous for me.  Both videos have their own timers so you can just follow along.  They recommend doing the program for 30 days.

At the very least, it is daughter bonding time!

Mobile Ordering

McDonald's has a promotion on to kickstart their new mobile ordering system. I was planning to meet a friend for coffee and she asked if I had the McDonald's app loaded onto my phone. She said we could take advantage of their $1 egg McMuffin offer with our phones. When I got there she helped me process the order so that it would be delivered to our table, number 2. She noticed they even had the number on the table plate in Braille, although the characters barely seemed raised up.  But the order worked and was delivered to our table number 2, kind of neat.  The offer can be used once a week until a certain date.  You can even get a big Mac for a $1.

Chocolate Cake from Scratch

One of my sisters shared this Ruth Reichl chocolate cake recipe with me. I decided to try it although I am quite happy with making chocolate cake from a mix and lately adding some pudding mix to it. Well, this cake from scratch is darn good! I highly recommend it. You may have to halve the recipe as it makes two 9x13" cakes. When I halved it, it just made one 9 inch cake, go figure.

My diabetic husband M preferred the cake mix version saying it was light and moist as opposed to this more dense cake.  Daughter L and I like them both.

Alheiras Mirandela

Alheiras Mirandela

Ingredients

with onions

I am becoming notorious for raiding the 30% off products I come across at the grocery store. They can't sell it if it has gone bad after all. So I can either freeze the product or make it right away. This time I got this Alheiras Mirandela Portuguese sausage. The ingredients surprised me at home when it said it contained 'chicken, turkey, rabbit'. Then I went online and found an interesting story from Wikipedia behind this sausage.

In 1497, the Jews of Portugal were forced to either convert to Christianity or be forced to leave the country. They secretly avoided eating forbidden pork by hanging these sausages to avoid attracting the attention of the Portuguese Inquisition. Christians would hang pork sausages, so they would be noticed if they did not hang sausages.

Paint Party Friday - Cardinal

Jenn posted a lovely photo of a cardinal in a tree on her blog the other day and I painted it as an ACEO, permanent marker on canvas (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").  Happy Paint Party Friday!

Another Banana Bread Pudding

I had some tiny banana bread muffins and didn't feel like eating them or wasting them for that matter. Then I remembered I had made a banana bread pudding last summer.  It was quick and easy to whip up and tasted moist and delicious.  This time I used one less egg in the recipe.

First, you cube the banana bread and place them into a 9" x 13" pan lined with parchment paper.  Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Then you  whisk together 3 cups of milk, 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon of sugar (I used brown sugar), finally 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Pour it onto the cubes and bake for 30 minutes.

Scribble Picnic - Hot Chocolate

Welcome to Scribble Picnic's 'Hot Chocolate' theme, graciously hosted by Michael! Here is my piece, it's an ACEO, permanent marker on canvas (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").  I read a fun fact the other day that hot chocolate is more appealing in an orange mug so what do you think?  Better still, do you own an orange mug?

Spaghetti Squash with Italian Sausage

Wanda inspired me to make spaghetti squash with Italian sausages in a recent post. She did hers in a slow cooker. I am impatient and decided to make my sausages on the stove top and my squash in the microwave. It was all very delicious as pictured above.

To make spaghetti squash in the microwave you puncture the squash in several spots with a knife then microwave for 15 minutes. Cut it in half, scoop the seeds out and use a fork to separate the squash into spaghetti like strands.

To cook the sausages on the stove top, you put them in a saute pan, cover with 1/4 cup of water and steam for 10 minutes.  When the water has evaporated, fry them on both sides for 5 minutes per side.

Finally cut the sausages into small pieces and heat them with a jar of your favourite spaghetti sauce.  Your squash and sausage meal is ready!  It's hard to stop at one bowl.

Chocolate Cake

I got a hold of this moist chocolate cake recipe and the secret is to add half a packet of pudding mix to a box of cake mix if you can believe it. Then follow the cake mix directions.  It is really moist and delicious, not to mention that I love chocolate cake.

Great Pyrenees

cat grass

In the photo above, my sister is growing cat grass for her cat. I thought that was cute.

For another animal story, daughter L has a friend whose family owns a Pyrenean Mountain Dog, a very large breed of dog. It is 9 years old now, quite old. The friend's mother decided to get a baby Pyrenee last year, thinking ahead to the time when the older dog will pass. The younger dog bounces around all over the place and stresses the older dog. In fact the older dog had an ACL tear trying to keep up with the younger dog. Aren't they just like people trying to get along with each other?

Gift of Green

Daughter L was gifted this packet of 'grow your own arugula'. The instructions seem quite simple, you just cut the bag open, plant the seeds in the soil and water it regularly. Then we will have fresh arugula. I think I will try it.

Paint Party Friday - Some Fiction Art

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! Scribble Picnic did a 'favourite fiction character' theme this week and I decided to carry it over to Paint Party Friday, thinking of some fiction art.  To be honest, I am more of a non-fiction reader but Laura Ingalls Wilder came to mind and I did a 'Little House on the Prairie' piece. It's done with permanent blendable markers.

Christine's Beef Stew with Coffee Salt

beef stew

coffee salt

There was interest in how I would use the coffee salt that I was gifted over Christmas. So I wanted to share my new Beef Stew recipe with you. I noticed that the coffee salt contained shallots, garlic and rosemary in addition to the coffee. So I added extra dried rosemary, fresh garlic and onions. It smelled so good while it was cooking and the result was delicious.  I should say I didn't really taste the coffee perhaps the flavour is just an enhancement, adding complexity to the taste of the dish.

half of 900 ml box of low sodium beef broth (noname is fine)
1 c port wine
2 c water
large pkg beef stew
3 chayote squash quartered peeled
1 large carrot in 1 inch chunks
1 1/2 tbs coffee salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbs butter
1 can lima beans (to thicken)
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tomato chopped

1/2c ketchup or half can tomato paste

Pressure cook all the ingredients on medium heat for 15 minutes. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can cover and simmer for an hour.

Scribble Picnic - Favourite Fictional Character

Welcome to Scribble Picnic! This week's theme revolves around our favourite fictional character. I chose to do 'The Flying Nun' based on an old TV series in the 60's. According to wikipedia 'Sister Bertrille could be relied upon to solve any problem that came her way by her ability to catch a passing breeze and fly. This was generally attributed to her weighing under 90 pounds (41 kilograms), high winds at the Convent high on the ocean bluffs, and the large, heavily starched cornette that was the headpiece for her habit.'

Being under 10 years old at the time, I was convinced I would be able to fly just like her, after all, I did weigh under 90 pounds. In fact, I remember testing this by jumping off my swing set only to land straight on the ground, fortunately unhurt! Childhood was fun.

Uh Oh

Well, the New Year didn't get off to a good start.  We ordered two gaming controllers for son K via Ebay only to receive notification a couple of days later from Ebay that our seller was fraudulent.  Unfortunately, we were unable to cancel our payment on Paypal but our credit card bank may almost certainly be able to reimburse us the US$29.98.  It seems they are very familiar with these cases.  Fortunately, it was not a very large amount.  We will have to wait for the transaction to be processed on our credit card then contact the credit card's fraud department with our case.  The lesson might be that if the price seems too good to be true, it is.

It occurred to me that as we get older we have to be even more vigilant of fraud as senior people become vulnerable targets.  Is it that we get more trusting, similar to when we were children?

An update:

After all that I am pleased to say that Paypal was able to cancel our transaction after we did some more calling around, it was still pending.  They say we should have the refund in about 3 days.

Lost Car

apple pie

My friend S gave me this frozen homemade apple pie and we baked it for dessert on Christmas Eve. It had the most delicious crust.

I was in my grocery store parking lot the other day and saw this older lady pass by.  When I got to the other end of the parking lot, I met her again.  Then I noticed she was pressing the alert button on her car key fob.  Eventually she located her car when it beeped.  I can see this happening to me one of these days.

LaVazza Italian Coffee

They sell these 2 versions of Lavazza Italian fine grind coffee at the grocery store. The first one is packed in a blue container labelled 'crema' and the other is packed in a red container. They obviously have different flavour profiles as we much prefer the blue 'creamy full bodied' kind.  I'm glad I decided to try the blue kind.

Crema

Flavour Profile

The Restaurant Business

Coffee Salt

We received this coffee salt marinade as part of a gift basket for Christmas. I am interested in trying it out, something different.

Last weekend, husband M, son K and I went to a restaurant at the mall for a breakfast brunch.  It was bone chilling cold and snowed a bit.  The waiter told us the restaurant had been very busy over Christmas but  business slowed down considerably after that.  He mentioned that it is pretty dead in January.  The restaurant business must be tough.

Paint Party Friday - Sunrise over the Mountains

It's time for Paint Party Friday! Let's welcome the New Year with a 'Sunrise over the Mountains'. It is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") acrylic on canvas.

RIP Mom

Today marks the first anniversary of my mom's passing. RIP mom, you are in a better place now.

Scribble Picnic - New Year

Welcome to 2018, Happy New Year! How fitting that this week's Scribble Picnic theme is 'New Year'. My piece is an ACEO acrylic on canvas (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") entitled 'Winter Sunrise'. I think the sunrise theme represents a hopeful piece with best wishes to everyone for a beautiful year to come.

A Thoughtful Gift

Daughter L located a store that sells diabetic friendly foods. Her dad is diabetic and loves to snack, so she found a whole range of products for him as pictured below. It was the perfect gift and he is enjoying them.

Supermoon 2018

Daughter L gave me these lovely Crabtree and Evelyn lotions for Christmas. My skin gets really dry in the winter and I love Crabtree and Evelyn products.  It came with this lovely carrying case:

Happy New Year 2018!  I am filled with hope for a good year, let's fill it with positivity and I heard another good word last night, 'respect'.

Will you be watching the first supermoon of 2018 tonight?  I am thinking it might be too cold for me to venture outside!  Many New Year's Eve activities were cancelled yesterday due to the extreme cold weather (-22C or -7.6F).