tales of a freak magnet

Pumpkin Muffins

2012-01-23T04:35:00.000-08:00

OK. Any time I post a recipe now, you can assume it's wheat/egg/sugar free/cow's milk free, made with all organic ingredients, from sustainable and healthy packages. Because that's how I roll now. Whether I want to, or not.

After much experimentation with The Muffin Formula, I have perfected one recipe. Muffins are easy for breakfasts or snacks, and that's why I've missed them.

This makes a moist and spicy muffin that is just sweet enough.

Dry stuff:
1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 cup coconut sap sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 t ground ginger
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg

Wet stuff:

3/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup applesauce (to replace an egg)
1 cup pureed canned pumpkin

Pre-heat your oven to 400. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cups. Mix the dry stuff together in a big bowl. Mix the wet stuff together in a separate bowl and then add it to the bowl with the dry stuff. Mix well and fill the muffin cups a little fuller than you normally would (because these don't rise as much as other muffins). Bake for 20 minutes, or until you can insert a fork in a muffin and have it come out clean.

The muffin formula

2012-01-03T18:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a formula for creating muffin recipes with no wheat, no eggs, no cow's milk, no sugar. Sounds fantastic, right? Welcome to the challenging world of food allergies. I'm trying to learn to enjoy the potential of trying new things and improving my health. But, sometimes, I just want to have a muffin, or some other simple thing everyone gets to have. So, after much searching for a suitable recipe, I remembered a formula for making muffins from The Tightwad Gazette II book by Amy Dacyczyn; Villard Books, New York, 1995. I adapted her formula to make it suitable for someone with my allergies.

To make muffins, combine dry ingredients, and then mix in wet ingredients until just combined; the batter should be lumpy. Grease muffin tin and fill cups two thirds full. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15-25 minutes.

The following ingredients are required:

Grain:
Use 2 to 2 1/2 cups of wheat-free flour. Or substitute oatmeal, cornmeal, buckwheat flour, rye flour, coconut flour, or flake cereal for 1 cup of the wheat free flour. Or substitute 1 cup leftover cooked oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, or cornmeal for 1/2 cup of the flour and decrease liquid to 1/2 cup.

Milk:
1 cup soy, almond, goat or rice milk. You can reduce this amount by substituting 1/2 water.

Fat:
Use 1/4 cup vegetable oil or 4 tbsp. melted dairy-free margarine. Or substitute crunchy or regular peanut butter for part or all of the fat. The fat can be reduced or omitted with fair results if using a "wet addition." I've heard you can eliminate fat by using applesauce as well.

Egg:
Obviously, no eggs! Instead I use 1 heaping tbsp. of soy flour and 1 tbsp. of water. I'm looking into other egg substitutes and will post in the future.

Sweetener:
Use between 2 tbsp. and 1/2 cup coconut sap, honey or pure maple syrup. If using honey or syrup, decrease milk to 3/4 cup. I imagine stevia or xylitol could work here as well as dry sweeteners but experimentation would be required to get the amounts right since they are so much sweeter than sugar.

Baking Powder:
Use 2 tsp. If using whole or cooked grains or more than 1 cup of additions, increase to 3 tsp.

Salt:
Use 1/2 tsp., or omit if you have a salt-restricted diet.

****
The following ingredients are optional. Additions can be used in any combination, up to 1 1/2 cups total. If using more than 1 cup of wet additions, decrease the milk to 1/2 cup. I would also recommend lowering the sweetener to 1/4 cup if you are using sweet additions.

Dry Additions:
Nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut, and so on.

Moist Additions:
Blueberries, chopped apple, freshly shredded zucchini, shredded carrot, and so on.

Wet Additions:
Pumpkin puree; applesauce; mashed, cooked sweet potato (now on my to try list!); mashed banana; mashed, cooked carrot, and so on. If using 1/2 cup drained, canned fruit or thawed shredded zucchini, substitute the syrup or zucchini liquid for all or part of the milk.

Spices:
Use spices that complement the additions, such as 1 tsp. cinnamon with 1/4 tsp nutmeg or cloves. Try 2 tsp. grated orange or lemon peel.

Jellies and Jam:
Fill cups half full with a plain batter. Add 1 tsp. jam or jelly and top with 2 more tbsp. batter.

Topping:
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the batter in the tins.

Non-sweet Combinations: Use only 2 tbsp. sugar and no fruit. Add combinations of the following: 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 3 strips fried and crumbled bacon, 2 tbsp. grated onion, 1/2 cup shredded zucchini, 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese. Spices could include a tsp. of parsley and a pinch of marjoram.

Once you learn the basic combinations, here is your recipe:

2 to 2 1/2 cups grain
1 cup "milk"
Up to 1/4 cup fat
1 "egg"
Up to 1/2 cup sweetener
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Up to 1 1/2 cups additions

Weekly Wonders

2011-11-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

http://99faces.org/
I've been watching the occupy movement with great interest and curiosity. For those of us who have asked "what's the point?", 99 people share their answer.

Window Wonderland
http://www.wintermagic.ca/WindowWonderland
"Rekindle the tradition of strolling through the streets of downtown visiting holiday windows. Ryerson Retail Management students pair up with Downtown Yonge business members to create magical holiday window displays on a budget of $100! This year there are 33 participating locations in Downtown Yonge."

The Mascot
http://www.themascot.ca/home_temp.php
We actually stopped in at the Mascot back in July but have talked about heading back several times since. The Mascot is a cafe and gallery space with a big selection of interesting magazines that you don't find elsewhere. An art exhibition opens tonight, featuring paintings, prints and sculptures by Rocky & Junction Joe, both well known street artists.

So very nice to meet you, Mr. Chagall

2011-11-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in ages. I've been up to all sorts, some of which I'll write about at some point.

I recently made the wise decision to visit the AGO for the Marc Chagall showing. I'd never even heard of Chagall, to be honest, and I absolutely love his work. His paintings have such a lush feeling about them. He uses colour incredibly well and they all seem to have originated in the dreams of the most imaginative dreamer.

In particular, I am enthralled with this painting, and I've gone to see it 4 times now:

This is called Double Portrait with Wine Glass. This image doesn't do it justice. Chagall painted this in 1918 as an homage to his marriage.

There are some interesting things to note about this painting:

This is the first painting in which a Jewish husband is depicted on the shoulders of his wife. Critics consider this pose to be either a reference to the Jewish wedding custom of the bride and groom being carried, or it is a reference to how Chagall considered his wife to be his foundation.
Bella Rosenfeld is apparently sporting purple stockings under her wedding dress, which is just plain cool.
Above the couple, there is an angel, which is thought to be a reference to the couples' daughter.

I'd write more, but I need to go have another look at this painting at the AGO...

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

2011-07-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

I am a reader by heart, but sometimes, something happens to me where I am unable to read more than a short article, here and there. It took me years to understand that there was actually a pattern: every time I'd read something stunning, my mind couldn't let it go. It was as if I could not read anything else for a time, out of respect for the book. I know, I know, it sounds crazy, especially when we're talking about fiction. But, sometimes, there is something about the subject matter, or the brilliance of the writing, that I simply can not let go. I used to be irritated by this, because I'd WANT to read, but couldn't. Later, I came to see this as blessing, because it meant I'd read something really fantastic. When I've been lucky, I've gone for a year, reading only a couple of books, meaning they were all incredible.

The last time this happened to me, I'd read Margaret Atwood's Year of the Flood over Christmas in 2009, and I haven't read much since. Last Tuesday, I walked into a bookstore I'd never been in before, and a store clerk took one look at me, ran up to me holding a book and said "oh my GOD, YOU HAVE to read this book!" He went on to give a summary of the story, and for some reason, it did not feel like a sales pitch. It turns out he was right: I did need to read this book. Having read this story, I can feel that it will occupy my thoughts for some time, and that it will be awhile before I'll step into another book store.

In 1951, a woman Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Without her knowledge and consent, tissue was extracted from the tumor growing on her cervix. To the shock of the researchers in the hospital where she was treated, the cells from this tissue not only lived outside the body, but they thrived, and they reproduced themselves at an astounding rate, never seen before. Bought and sold over time, Henrietta Lacks cells continue to be the dominant cell strain used in all forms of tissue research around the world. Her cells helped develop the polio vaccine, went into space several times, and were instrumental in research which revealed how the HPV virus causes cervical cancer. In this manner, Mrs. Lacks lives on, probably in most of us, 60 years after her death.

The marvel of this story comes to an abrupt end when we consider that no one ever asked Henrietta, or her family, following her death, if they wanted her cells to live on and be utilized in countless experiments. They weren't even TOLD that this was happening, and they found out 20 years later, purely by accident. And certainly no one ever asked if they felt entitled to remuneration resulting from the commercialization of her cells. In fact, the Lacks family continues to face financial challenges in their lives, and can not even afford health insurance. This is but one of many indicators that the modern world was built on the backs of those considered inferior in some way.

Following decades of watching personal details of their mother's life and illness parade across the media, and of being preyed upon by various journalists, and in one case, a con artist, the Lacks family entrusted their story to journalist Rebecca Skloot. Ten years in the making, Skloot's obviously careful and extensive research, as well as the relationships she built with the Lacks family form the foundation of a book that reads like a novel you can't put down, all the while recounting the facts of this incredible story, interwoven with Skloot's reimagining of pivotal points in Henrietta's life which were recounted to her by the family.

You might think a story like this couldn't take place today, because we have laws to protect patient's rights. You would be wrong, as I was. There is no law requiring consent for storing tissues for the purposes of research and/or commercialization. Read that again. This means that whenever you have your tonsils out, get a mole removed or just give blood during your annual physical, it doesn't belong to you anymore. Time and again, the courts have ruled that your tissues can be reserved for any medical purpose, and should your tissues have any commercial value for any purpose, you are not entitled to remuneration. This is at least the case in the United States, and I will research the matter in Canada.

And the reason there is no law? Well, it's not exactly clear, but the biggest arguments of the scientific community seem to be that it might cost them too much, and it might be tough to keep everything organized. The origin of tissue samples is irrelevant to science, and at this time, science is at liberty to do what they will.

I'm glad I learned about Henrietta Lacks. It never once crossed my mind to consider where cell cultures come from, and I never imagined it was basically one person who enabled this whole arm of medical research.

Here's a weird thought: maybe Henrietta Lacks connects us all at the most basic level of our cells...

Learn more about Henrietta Lacks
Visit the fan page for the book on Facebook
Support the Henrietta Lacks Foundation

Oprahfication - 16 things I'm going to stop doing

2011-06-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

I will not magnify negative details, pull them out of context, or filter out the positive aspects of a situation.
I will not perceive everything in extremes.
I will not to come to general conclusions about people or situations based on one or few pieces of evidence.
I will not imagine to know how others feel about me or whatever is happening.
I will not expect disaster or focus on the "what ifs" of a situation.
I will not question my own worth by assuming that things people do and say are a reaction to me, and I will not compare myself to others.
I will not assume responsibility for the pain and happiness of everyone around me
I will not imagine that everyone has the concept of "fairness" as I do.
I will not blame myself for every problem around me or think that I can change it.
I will not think that I do not have a right to assert my needs, say no, or go elsewhere for what I want.
I will not keep a list of rules about how myself and others should act all the time.
I will not believe that whatever negative thing I feel about myself is true.
I will not depend on others for my hopes and happiness.
I will not label myself.
I will not assume that being correct is more important than being caring.
I will not expect that whatever self-sacrifices and self-denials that I choose to make will pay off.

Wash those fruits and veggies

2011-05-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

We've probably all heard about the food poisoning scare with vegetables in parts of Europe, and since the source has not actually been determined, this got me wondering about precautions we can take. Summer is upon us here in Canada, and so, hopefully, we're all eating more raw fruits and vegetables, but I wonder how many of us are being mindful of proper cleaning and handling? We all get educated somewhere along the line about food safety in handling meats, but when is the last time you heard anything about food-borne illness in produce, or something about proper cleaning of fruits and vegetables.

After doing a bit of reading, it seems that raw fruits and vegetables are in fact a serious potential source of food poisoning, especially in countries like Canada where much of our produce is imported from far off places, for much of the year. It also seems that washing them does not necessarily prevent food poisoning because some bacteria can make their way through the skins and leaves. That being said, there is evidence to suggest that washing does reduce the incidence, and this article on About.com makes the icky point that by the time your produce gets to you, it's been handled by many pairs of hands.

So, wash those fruits and veggies, and then wash them again. I am a firm believer in soaking, actually. I have a very big stainless steel bowl that I use for this purpose only. I fill the bowl with cold water and a few drops of vinegar, and then I add the produce. I especially love using this method for spinach, lettuce and all kinds of greens, because while the leaves float, the dirt and grime sinks to the bottom. I soak some things like berries for up to an hour, but most things are soaked for a 5-10 minutes, rinsed in my colander under cold water, and either left in the colander to dry, or dried with paper towel. If you do this with your lettuce, wrap it in paper towel (or keep a dish towel for this purpose only which you wash in hot water and bleach after each use), your lettuce will stay fresh and crisp for over a week. I learned this from Nik Manojlovich on Savoir Faire years ago.

By the way, enjoy local produce while we've got it. Buy lots, buy often, and if you need some inspiration, Foodland Ontario has a wonderful of selection of recipes.

Happy summer!

Hot Docs

2011-05-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

The Hot Docs festival took place earlier this year, and I haven't had a chance to write about it until now. This year we finally made a point to attend; we loved both films, and we're actually thinking of getting a pass next year.

First, we saw Foreign Parts, which was an unexpectedly engrossing and emotional view into the community of Willets Point, a small area behind the New York Mets stadium, where people make a living stripping broken down cars and reselling the parts. It is interesting to see how a community has formed in a geographically unfriendly space, and the residents care for their own.

Second, we saw Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, which didn't do so well in the reviews, but I feel like it was put under a microscope due to the subject matter. There was some criticism which suggested that the film was cold and that the footage didn't feel exclusive. To me, that's partly the point of the film, which was fully intended to be a montage of lost footage, taken 30 years ago by Swedish journalists, who are known for their detailed, factual approach to the subjects they explore. Anyway, we loved it. It was visually stunning and had a great soundtrack. I can't confirm the "exclusivity" of the content, but I have been inspired by Angela Davis all my life, and have seen a great deal of video featuring her speaking, and I have never seen the piece that is included in this film. If you watch this movie for no other reason, you've got to hear Angela Davis answer the question "do you advocate violence?" It takes her a good 10 minutes of verbal brilliance to give the simplest of answers: "you're asking ME about violence?" Anyway, there's a decent review of the movie here: .The Documentary Blog » Sundance Review: Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975

New desktop for May 2011

2011-05-02T12:31:00.001-07:00

Vegetable Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream and Smoky Black Beans

2011-04-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

I came across this recipe in February's O magazine. I don't read this magazine very often these days. Too much reading! Anyway, I cut a few corners, added a vegetable, and this turned out great.

Slice up some radishes, plus a couple of green onions, and mix them with a bag of pre-made coleslaw mix from the grocery store.
Dress this salad with a few splashes of Rice Wine Vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Mash up half a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce* with a fork and then mix it with a small container of light sour cream or plain yoghurt. Set aside.
Mix half a bag of frozen corn, a chopped onion, a couple of chopped green peppers, a chopped Chinese eggplant and a can of rinsed black beans in a pan.
Dress the mixture with the juice from a couple of limes, a good dash of ground cumin, a spoonful of chili sauce and salt and pepper. Roast at 350 for about half an hour.
Warm up a package of whole wheat or corn tortillas, and wrap up the veggies and the coleslaw, topped with the sour cream mixture.

*It's a pretty spicy sauce. You can reduce the heat factor by slitting the peppers and removing the seeds. If you can't find these peppers, or you don't want the heat, you could mix the sour cream with a good salsa instead, and then I'd probably put a couple of dashes of cumin in to get the "smoky" flavour.

Weekly Wonders - April #2

2011-04-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I missed a week of wonders, but if you noticed that my only post last week was about migraines, you get the picture of what my week was like. Here are a few things I've come across this week that I wanted to share. Enjoy, and happy spring.

Beauty
Spring is coming and that means we're all fixing ourselves up after a long winter of covering up. Has everyone heard of Shellac manicures? My nail tech talked me into it one day, and I'm so glad I went for it. It is a special kind of polish that is dried and cured with quick stints under a UV light. It's the most amazing thing! The durability and wearability is the same as with acrylic or gel nails, minus the filing down of your own nails, minus mandatory return trips for refills, and minus the time. And unlike a regular manicure, your nails are instantly dry, as opposed to walking around like you're prepping for surgery for 24 hours. Check it out: Say Hello to Shellac - CND

Event
There is nothing I love more at Christmas than a local craft show, and by local, I DO NOT mean One of a Kind. Other than being an alternative to a trip to the mall, there is nothing there of any real interest. Anyway, it's been months since I've gone to a craft show, and it's not exactly spring here yet, so this sounds like a great way to spend an hour or two tomorrow: Creative Heart Collective Spring Craft Show. A $2 donation at the door goes to the Corsage Project, which is a local non-profit which aims to provide no charge formal attire Toronto high school girls who can not afford dresses.

Cooking
Fans of Heidi Watts of 101 Cookbooks are very excited about the publication of her second book, Super Natural Every Day. From the website: "Heidi helps us make nutritionally packed meals part of our daily repertoire by sharing a sumptuous collection of nearly 100 of her go-to recipes." Sounds great to me! She is also offering a PDF sampler of 6 recipes here.

Decorating
I'm still thinking about the colour scheme of the main floor in our home. We need light and bright. After 4 years of reds and golds, we need a makeover. I came across this home featured on Design Sponge, and I absolutely love this palette. Their home is more modern than my own, but I think this scheme works beautifully.

What happens when I get a migraine

2011-04-04T13:56:00.001-07:00

Migraines are different for everyone, and some people refer to a bad headache as a migraine. I grew up watching my mom deal with them, and never understood how she felt until I started getting them when I was around 10. They don't really know what causes them, but there are some common triggers. Some of us are greatly affected by changes in weather, for example. Mine vary in severity, from what I think of as a Level 1, where I have a bit of pain that does not really stop me from doing anything, and does not progress. That is what I thought I had early this morning, so I went to work as per usual. However, what was really happening is that I was getting a Level 3 migraine, and here is what happened to me.

By 10:30 I was having nausea and increasing pain. I had two glasses of cold water, went outside for a minute, and then went back to my desk. At 11:20 I decided to take a Maxalt and I thought I would not get any worse so I went to my meeting. By noon, I had ringing in my ears, reduced speech function, and when I closed my eyes, I would see flashes of light. I really wanted to stay until the end of the meeting, and thankfully, it wrapped up early. I went back to my desk and then it was like my body temperature would shoot way up, and then plummet. The pain was getting much worse and I knew I had to go home.

One problem I have when it is getting bad is poor judgement. I knew enough to put my sunglasses on to block the light, but I took the streetcar home. The noise and motion were just about unbearable.
I got home, got my ice pack out of the freezer, wrapped it around my head, put the hot water bottle at back of my neck and laid in the dark. I fell asleep at some point, and when I awoke, Maxalt had worked it's wonders, and I could function again.

Why am I writing this? I guess I partly want to discredit the idea that a migraine is just a bad headache. I need people to understand that when I actually say that I have a migraine, it's pretty damn bad, because for each time I say something, there were 5 times that I didn't, because I was able handle what was happening. But there are times like today when I can not function at all. I can't think, speak or do anything at all. These are the times when people like my sister, my mother and my myself simply have to retreat. We don't want to, and we worry about what we've missed in work and life, but we really have no choice.

New Desktop for April

2011-03-31T13:06:00.001-07:00

Found Toronto - Yonge Street's music heyday

2011-03-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

We caught this show today and I'm so glad we did: Yonge Street - Toronto Rock n' Roll Stories. I just loved it, and I still have 50 windows open in my browser from looking up all the interesting people who came up in this show.

My dad has made a few references to the Toronto music scene in the 60's but only now do I understand that was happening here at that time was actually quite monumental. The clubs, the music and the people of that time period here in Toronto were key components of the development of a cultural revolution in North America and Britain. In short, they were innovators who informed the construction of R&B and rock as we know it. There was a "Canadian sound," it was influential, and it was respected.

There are a few key things that I learned in this documentary that have further cemented my love of this city:

1. Until now, I thought Ronnie Hawkins was a quaint, local attraction, but not in the least. He had his hands in on some really huge musical undertakings. Bob Dylan's manager sent him here to be inspired by Ronnie Hawkin's band and Dylan actually hired them to play with him at Massey Hall. Hawkins also put together what eventually became The Band, and plus, he orchestrated Janis Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band. I'm sorry, Ronnie! You are The Man, and most of us seriously had no idea.

2. Toronto had an R&B scene? In the 60's? We sure did. John Finley, a white kid from Aurora made his way to Yonge St, sang some James Brown tunes, and suddenly, there was A Scene. I couldn't find a clip on YouTube that does him justice, but here they are doing Shotgun. How cool is that?

3. Jackie Shane was another important part of the development of Canadian R&B. He was Canada's first openly gay and transgendered performer to record a hit song. What a voice. Check out Any Other Way. What a fantastic song. "Tell her I'm happy, tell her I'm gay, tell her I wouldn't have it any other way."

Watching this documentary has made me wonder where music would be today if none of this had happened here, but also, what would would have happened if these and other talented Canadians had the support of the American music industry? I also wonder what it would have been like to actually spend a night on Yonge St., wandering up and down the street through the clubs and hearing great music. I'll have to ask my dad.

Weekly Wonders - March #4

2011-03-25T05:34:00.000-07:00

Radio
I love CBC radio. I've been listening to and enjoying Q on Radio 1 every day this week. Host Jian Ghomeshi provides smart and funny commentary with a variety of guests from the arts, culture and entertainment sphere. His guests this week included Dan Savage and Jean Paul Gaultier, plus a lively discussion of whether the proposed ban on shark fin soup is in fact racist. Q airs from 10 am to 11 am and again at 10 pm here in Toronto.

Article
I didn't know much about Detroit, but have heard bits and peices about how the decline of the auto industry and the mortgage crisis has caused a massive drop in population over the last 10 years. I had no idea that it's actually a 25% drop in population. 25%! This article explains the fallout and gives a glimpse of the future of this interesting city. line.

Events
I've learned that few people know about the great performances put on by U of T. There is a range of theatre, music, dance and lectures which are all very affordable. $15 for a well produced play? You can't argue with that. I saw The Rocky Horror Show here a couple of weeks and it was fantastic. The next big stage production is Rent and I'm hoping to make it. One show has sold out already, so it would seem to be a good idea to grab tickets soon. Noam Chomsky is coming in April, but sadly, this lecture is sold out. There is a full list of events on the U of T Tix web site.

Restaurant
Those of us in the Chinatown area are excited for the opening of Ocho at Spadina and Phoebe. Ocho is a boutique hotel that is providing us with a much needed non-Asian dining for the area, plus a bar, coffee house and a hotel with 12 rooms, which opens in June.

Ocho is a beautiful space which has maintained much of what looks like the original brick interior. Huge windows bring in beautiful light, and the furnishings are all warm woods, some of which has a vintage feel.

Dark Horse's arrival last spring singalled a change in the area, and Ocho is following through by providing a clean, stylish and comfortable space in an area otherwise void of such destinations. As Dark Horse has gained a loyal following, it is often impossible to find seating, so it has unfortunately become an unreliable meeting spot. Ocho is filling the gap with their own Espresso bar and casual atmosphere in the downstairs space. Upstairs is a lovely dining room with a bar at the back. There are small lunch and dinner menus that cover range of tastes and price points. They are open at 7 every day, and they do pastries and coffee on week day mornings, with the addition of a brunch menu on the weekends. And I hope you're sitting down, because there's going to be a patio!

I'm also impressed with Ocho already demonstrating a committment to improving the community by cleaning up that dark, seedy little park that is adjacent to Ogden Public School. Ocho staff clean up the park daily, and they have installed bright lights to deter night time visitors who have concerning intentions.

Please join us in welcoming Ocho to the area by stopping in for at least a coffee.

Weekly Wonders - March #3

2011-03-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

Newsletter
In these days of RSS, Twitter, and the like, newsletters seem so quaint. But I think they still have their place, and there's still lots of good ones around. One that I was undecided about is Ref Desk's Site of the Day, because I felt like I've seen it at all, and have so much coming at me already. However, it's a great little email and one of the few that I read every day. They always remind me of a web site I haven't been to in a long time and there's always something useful to read.

Event
I've mentioned The Moth a couple of times on my blog, but if you're local, you should check out Toronto's monthly MothUp. It's a live event, held at a cute little place called No One Writes To The Colonel at 460 College near Bathurst. Basically, there is a theme each month and people sign up to tell stories on that theme at the event. I have yet to tell a story, but I love listening. I can't say all of them will be "great," but it's always a good time. NOTE: you MUST get there before 7 or you will not get in.

Movie
We saw Another Year yesterday at Carlton Cinema, and I'm still undecided on it. I loved the main characters, but felt depressed by all the others. It's a simple story that revolves around one British couple and a year of their lives, including life events of their friends and family. Ruth Sheen does a lovely job of the Gerri character, and as my husband put it, we could all take relationship lessons from her.

Pub
We visited the Auld Spot Pub last Tuesday, and we both had the fish 'n chips. It is truly the best I've had in a long time.

Weekly Wonders - March #2

2011-03-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I've had a busy week and several migraines, so I didn't have a chance to read or watch much, and I didn't get out at all. Still, here a few things that I came across this week that you might find interesting.

Event
It was International Women's Day this past Tuesday. If you're wondering why we need still need this day, check out this great piece from Shameless Magazine which explains it all. If you're in Toronto, the rally and march are tomorrow. See IWD.org for more info.

Podcast
I listen to This American Life just about every week, and they are all great, but every once in awhile something very interesting pops out at me. I listened to Oh You Shouldn't Have earlier in the week, and enjoyed it greatly. In the first part of the show, there is a segment on This Is Your Life, and I never once considered that the people who were featured on that show might not have wanted to be there. A couple of old segments are discussed in this podcast, and I was amazed to learn that an airing of This Is Your Life was actually the first time a holocaust survivor's story was ever televised.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/428/oh-you-shouldnt-have

Reading
If you've ever had the experience of being sucked in to someone's drama online, whether you did or didn't know the person, this article will speak to you. It will also speak to you if you've ever watched a loved one get sucked in, because chances are, the person doing the pulling pulled your loved one away from you and your life together. I think this whole concept of people enjoying the emotional response they can elicit from people online (including via text and messaging) is worth exploring, not just in the context of faked illness. I myself have been pulled into other kinds of drama, by people I know, online. I also think the people who believe online communication is less personal than real life communication are mistaken.

Sick note: Faking illness online | Münchausen by internet | Life and style | The Guardian

Weekly Wonders - March #1

2011-03-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

Podcast

We had the great pleasure of listening to The Moth podcast this week, which featured Jeff Simmerson telling the hilarious story A Giant Lizard Ate My Pants. Jeff's blog is equally fun, so check it out. There's a link to the podcast in the menu on the right.

Documentary

Have you ever wondered about the bands who played for the likes of Marvin Gaye or The Supremes? Lend your ear to the music itself, and it's amazing work. Well, it turns out, a little known band of highly talented musicians who called themselves The Funk Brothers were the backbone of many Motown greats. We came across their documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown the other night, and I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in the history of great music. There are fantastic performances with Joan Osborne, Chaka Khan and Ben Harper. You can read more about The Funk Brothers, and order a copy of the DVD on the web site.

Movie
Jack Goes Boating is a major hidden gem. It does not have a high rating on IMDB, but the ability of the majority of IMDB voters to judge independent cinema is questionable. As one of two of Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial efforts, this film highlights his talent beautifully. He always excels in playing believable characters himself, and in this movie, he excels in mentoring other actors to do the same.

Decorating

Spring is coming, and spring is when my thoughts turn to decorating. I just love this house. When we moved into our current home, I chose a warm colour scheme, and I totally regret it, because, at the time, I did not gather that the living room (where we spend most of our time) gets very little natural light, so warm, in this case, means dark. So I love how this home's palette is comprised of cool colours. A few of other loves:

1. I haven't yet figured out how to pair clean, modern lines with shapelier furniture. I love how she's placed simple Ikea-esque pieces so well with others that they have warmth.

2. I have been contemplating painting a few furniture pieces, so I love those green and yellow pieces.

3. It has never occurred to me to put two small carpets together to make a larger one. What a great idea.

House Crashing: Stellar (& For Sale!) | Young House Love

Desktops for 2011

2011-03-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

Two quick treats for an unexpected Saturday at home

2011-02-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

We rarely have a Saturday at home. We were supposed to be visiting family up north today, however, we did not make it due to this. High wind! High wind in downtown Toronto. It is truly bizarre. I can't go outside because I have great hair today, which no one will see. Isn't it ironic? I can be really mean sometimes, eh?

I had my bi-annual craving for Cream of Tomato soup earlier but didn't want to go outside, so I made some, in about 10 minutes, and it was excellent. A little while after that, we both had the munchies, and again, neither of us wants to go outside, so I made them. In the microwave. Really. They were great! I thought the microwave might have a fit because it normally only makes popcorn. But not commercial microwave popcorn, because that stuff will kill you. We make this instead.

Quick Cream of Tomato Soup

1 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped clove of garlic
1 bay leaf
1 T of olive oil
1 bottle stewed, strained tomatoes
1 T of butter
1 can of 2% evaporated milk

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a large pot over low heat, just until the onion is soft.
Add the bay leaf and stir the pot for about 2 minutes. You just want the flavour. Then remove the bay leaf. Add the bottle of tomatoes to the pot, and let the pot come to a simmer.
Add the butter and let it melt.
Add the can of milk and stir well.
Optional - give it a whiz with a hand blender. I might not bother next time.
Serve and enjoy.

Microwave Potato Chips

Slice 3 medium potatoes very thinly. I used my mandolin, and it took a bit of time.
Lay the slices in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper that will fit in your microwave.
Sprinkle with salt.
Lay the parchment paper on the bottom of your microwave. I have a turntable and it worked fine.
Microwave on high for 4 minutes, or until brown spots start to appear. You'll need to do a test batch.
Let cool and enjoy.

Rearview Mirror - 2010

2011-01-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

2010, also known by many as Year of Crap. I actually had a pretty good, and productive year, punctuated by a few sad events.

The ups

Put myself back in a classroom, after many years, and it was wonderful.
Started volunteering as a tutor to newcomer kids at the library, and they continue to amaze and entertain me.
Got our darling Mister, and have thoroughly enjoyed having a kitten again.
Did not touch a significant investment for an entire year.
Saw more of our families.
Had my family, including my father, who hates pets, over for dinner.
Refinished our damn stairs, which changed our lives.
Convinced Sweetie that she will not be dog-napped from the backyard.
Ran into an old friend, discovering that she has lived around the corner for years.
Took a break from having a cleaner, did it myself, and greatly improved our finances as a result.
Following various arguments with various doctors, I was finally diagnosed with a health issue, for which I am now medicated, and feeling better than I have in years.
Had the wonderful experience of having a visit from an online friend, who turned out to be just as amazing in person.
Had a long overdue talk about family history with my uncle.
Met up with a childhood friend, and was delighted to find that we still laugh like kids, at the same things we did then.

The downs, with some ups

Now, I can't close 2010 without documenting a few sad events.

G20 - you were nuts, you hit us out of nowhere, and you forever changed how we feel about our city and our country, for the worse. On the upside, we're all a little more aware of how much we value our freedoms.
Rob Ford - we saw you coming, Mr. Mayor, but it still felt like a punch in the stomach when the Greater Toronto Area seemed to give everyone who actually lives in Toronto the finger by voting you in. On the upside, we're all a little more aware of how much we value our lifestyle.
I lost a great boss, and a couple of other fun people at work. I also had to leave the best workspace I've ever had. On the upside, I am starting to think about the future of my career.
We lost our beloved yard for the entire summer, and it felt like such a ripoff. On the upside, I think we got out more.
Finally, and most sadly, we lost grama. Since that night, I have realized there were a lot of conversations we should have had, and things I should have asked her to teach me to do, like knit.

So, there we have it, a year in 15 points. Let's see what my 2011 list will look like...

Scrapbook

2011-01-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

This is a collection of things I plan to do or make.

Soft Gingersnap Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks

Calendar Envelopes

Agua Fresca

New Year Noodle Soup

Uber List for 2011

2011-01-01T12:52:00.000-08:00

UPDATED: April 4, 2011

I first came across the idea of creating an annual Uberlist when I stumbled on The Knotty Yarn blog. The blog owner told me that she was inspired by The Thrifty Knitter. I think making these lists is a great way to document your ideas, and try to keep yourself on track more throughout the year. I suspect my list will grow over the course of the year, but here's what I'm starting out with:

Cooking - Go through To Cook list, and cook 5 new things
Cooking - Learn to bake a decent cake from scratch
Cooking - Learn to bake a great loaf of bread
Cooking - Make fondue at least once
Culture - Browse at the library - DONE - doing this weekly
Culture - Do a couple of family/friend days at the AGO - 2 down!
Culture - See 4 plays - 1 down!
Culture - See more independent theatre
DIY - Design and sew a simple cotton summer dress
DIY - Learn to make simple sewing patterns - skirt, dress, top
DIY - Make some sort of mat from scraps
DIY - Try to make accessories before buying them
DIY - Try to sew things with fabric I already have, or makeover old clothing, before buying new clothing
Education - Take a class in collage
Education - Read 1 non-fiction book a month
Education - Read 5 business/productivity books
Education - Take 2 remaining BA classes
Education - Take a knitting class - DONE!
Education - Take driving lessons
Education- Write one short peice of fiction.
Entertainment -Watch all The Exorcist movies
Family - Call my mom more
Family - Have a family picnic in the summer
Family - Have a party
Family - Host 3 family events - 1 down!
Family - See both sides of family more - this one was vague, but I think we've improved
Health - Buy only organic makeup - so far, so good
Health - Check out nutritional detox options
Health - Do not consume artificial sweeteners or high-fructose corn syrup - so far, so good
Health - Don't buy makeup unless I'm out of something
Health - Drink more water and green tea
Health - Eat meat only 3 times a week - so far, so good
Health - Eat more beans - so far, so good
Health - Investigate alternative therapies for migraine
Health - Watch the salt
Health - Find a massage therapist
Home - Brush all pets once a week.
Home - Create a project space at home - DONE!
Home - Do the photo wall in the living room. - changed my mind, now looking for art
Home - Finish upstairs rooms
Home - Organize craft and sewing stuff - DONE!
Home - Play wii at least a few times a week
Home - Shred old mail, and figure out something to do with the shredding. Stuffing for something?
Home - Take all the old clothes etc. to Goodwill.
Productivity -Pair down number of email newsletters to only those I truly read regularly
Travel - Plan two weekends away - one planned!
Travel - Take a trip
Work - Create a portfolio of past projects
Work - Do not check work email after hours or on weekends
Work - Learn to market myself more at work
Work - Only answer email a couple of times a day at work and close it the rest of the time - so far, so good
Work - Dedicate one day per week to working - no meetings, no calls - so far, so good
Work - Go through drawer of paper and get rid of things I don't need

Hockey Night In Canada - Project #10 - Icing on the cake

2010-12-31T07:11:00.000-08:00

Before today, I spent about 20 minutes a day looking for jewelery and makeup. 20 minutes a day amounts to 5 days a year. 5 days a year! Wasted. But no more! Because yesterday, I spent about 5 hours sorting myself out.

There are two main projects here: a makeup organizer, and a jewelery organizer. These were both simple projects, and most of my time was actually spent sorting through my things. I threw out almost a whole garbage bag of old makeup, skin and haircare products, and put together a small bag of costume jewelery to take to Goodwill.

Jewelery organizer
This is made from a crappy old bulletin board that has been kicking around since we were kids. I was inspired by this. I spray painted the frame white first, and then I used spray adhesive to mount the fabric. I used one fat quarter from a pile of Amy Butler fat quarters that I bought a couple of years ago from Etsy.com. I foolishly sprayed a coat of adhesive on top of the fabric, thinking it would stick on better, and it did, however, it remained tacky when it was dry, and I could imagine all the pet hair and dust that would get stuck to it over time. So, I stuck on a piece of clear contact paper to make it smooth. Next, I screwed in a whole package of assorted hooks that I got from the dollar store, and hung my jewelery.

Makeup organizer
I have had these Mackis storage drawers from Ikea kicking around for a long time. I have even had my makeup in them, but it was just all thrown in, and I hadn't decorated it at all. Then I saw this on Ikea Hacker. I painted each drawer a different colour, and organized my makeup by type in each drawer. I actually used a Sharpie marker to draw on the vine, and label the drawers. Yes, I wrote my labels in French, because I think things sound nicer in French.

Et voila! I have everything I need to get ready in one place.

Hockey Night In Canada - Project #2-9 - Stairway to Hell

2010-11-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

This project required many hours of serious, back-breaking labour. It's probably the biggest renovation sort of project I've ever done.

When we brought Sweetie home, she immediately decided that our carpeted stairs were her back-up bathroom. She has made huge strides over the last while and her accidents have happened far less often. Up to now, I have spent many an hour cleaning the carpet with a Bissell carpet cleaner. I managed to keep it fairly clean, but over time it became harder because the quality of the carpet was very poor to begin with. Consequently, I feared letting anyone in the house because of the mess of the carpet, and the smell. We did not have anyone over to our house for over a year, and it was probably one of the roughest patches of my whole life.

Anyway, one morning, I got up and decided I was going to rip out all the carpet and paint the stairs. This job took far, far longer than I ever imagined it would, and I have scars on my hands from blisters to prove it. But let me tell you, doing this has truly changed my life. I now spend about 10 minutes a week sweeping and wiping down the stairs, and a welcome by-product of this whole thing is that Sweetie has now decided to pee outside as much as possible. But never mind, if she pees, it gets wiped right up and cleaned right away, as opposed to never really getting the carpet completely clean. It's a miracle.

So, in case you ever decide to take on removing carpet and refinishing the wood underneath, here is what I learned from this experience.

Part 1- Removal

Ripping out the carpet is the fun and easier part. I strongly advise you to wear a mask, glasses, and work gloves. I also advise you to vacuum thoroughly before you begin. There will still be a lot of dust, but the vacuuming will help. If you have a long staircase, you can cut the carpet into several pieces with a utility knife. This will make it easier to roll and put into a garbage bag or take out of the house.

The carpet was probably attached to a narrow strip of wood across the back of each stair, with small nails facing upward that you will want to be careful of, so you don't cut yourself.

Part 2 - Underpad removal

Holy crap, this part was difficult. The underpad will be stapled all over with big staples. If you are lucky, most of it will rip away and roll up easily. Little bits will be left around the staples that you can pull away or just leave it for when you are taking the staples out.

If you are as unlucky as I, you will discover that the underpad fused to surface of the stair, with a combination of pee and carpet cleaning solution having taken the effect of glue. In this case, you will need a metal scraper and serious patience to try to remove as much as possible.

It was during this process that I discovered that what lay under the underpad was nothing but pure evil:

I know, right? I cried. Seriously. But on I soldiered, and after many an hour, I had removed most of the underpaid and lots of the staples, and compared to what we had before, it was looking better already:

Part 3 - Cleaning stained wood

I had the amazing presence of mind to enlist my good old carpet cleaner to clean the wood. I highly recommend this as it worked amazingly well. I can think of no other way that I could have gotten the wood clean enough to paint, because the filth really needed to be sucked right out of the wood. I filled the tank of the carper cleaner with hot water, vinegar, and a little tea tree oil. I probably cleaned each stair about 4 times, and each time, the wood became cleaner. Finally, for the last cleaning, I filled the tank hot water and bleach, and ran the cleaner over each stair once again. At this point, the wood was actually so clean that I contemplated staining the wood, instead of painting it.

Part 4 - Staple removal

This is the part of the job that took the most time. There must have been a hundred staples in every stair. My husband helped with this part, and night after night, we sat on the stairs with pliers, a hammer and a chisel, and pulled out staples. The most heart-breaking part of this job was discovering that the carpet we had was not actually the first carpet that had been laid on the stairs, and we found this out because when the original carpet was laid, no under padding was laid, and the carpet was stapled directly to the wood, with a million, teeny staples, with extra long teeth. When that carpet was taken out, someone took the lazy-ass short-cut of cutting around the staples at the back of each stair, rather than pulling them out. Pulling this out was close to impossible and I very nearly gave in several times:

I could not get a good picture of this mess; those are threads of age-old pink carpet, liberally stapled down.

In the end, we realized that getting the staples out was not going to work because we would ruin the wood. We pulled out as many as we could, and hammered the rest in. Finally, I had the idea to move ahead with painting the wood, and install a strip of trim to cover the remaining staples.

Part 5 - Painting

Again, fun and easy. I took a vacation day for this job. I chose to paint the risers white, and used an earth-friendly semi-gloss in two coats. I did the part you step on (?) in a taupe-y colour, because I figured it would not show every little footprint. I wish I'd done it darker now, but it looks good. I used water-based porch and floor paint for that part, because I wanted it to wear and wash well over time.

Now, a challenge: we have a house full of animals, and no downstairs bathroom. I painted about 3/4 of each step first, leaving myself enough space to walk up and down. I kept the dogs downstairs, but of course they were in utter despair about not being allowed to walk upstairs. During this process, one cat ran through wet paint one time, and that was it. Then, once the paint was dry, I carefully went up and down in my bare feet and painted in the rest of each stair. By the time my husband was home from work, it was dry enough for him to be able to walk up. And voila:

Part 6 - Trim

My mom came up with the idea of using adhesive PVC trim to cover the staples that were left in at the backs of the stairs. This stuff costs $5 a roll at Canadian Tire. It is actually supposed to be for caulking tubs, but it works just fine for this purpose. The only issue is that you need a smooth surface for the adhesive to adhere, and we don't have a smooth surface, so sometimes I find that I have to stick the stuff back on, but it's fine. I could not get a good picture of it, because it's white on white.

I swear, I hear angels singing whenever I look up there now.

Interesting reads

2010-10-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

I'm going to keep a list of interesting things I come across here.

The Cross-Dressing Girls of Afghanistan

"...Afghan families don’t have only daughters and sons. They also might have bacha poshes–literally daughters “dressed up as boys.” A bacha posh enjoys all the freedoms afforded to a boy in Afghan culture, including the right to have a job, to play sports and to travel freely."

Live Freed or Die

"Dolly Freed is my hero. In 1978, at the age of 18, she wrote this smart, funny, and frank manifesto called Possum Living: How to Live Well Without a Job and With (Almost) No Money. In it, she explains how she and her dad (whom she refers to throughout the book as “the Old Fool”) lived on about $700 a year and had a jolly old time not having to answer to the Man."

Prostitutes of God

2010-10-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

Or, how an ancient Goddess gets bastardized over time in order to develop an economy of prostitution in India.

From the website:

In Prostitutes of God, VBS travels deep into the remote villages and towns of Southern India to uncover an ancient system of religious sex slavery dating back to the 6th century. Although the practice was made illegal more than 20 years ago, we discover there are still more than 23,000 women in the state of Karnataka selling their bodies in the name of the mysterious Hindu Goddess Yellamma. They are known as Devadasis, or ‘servants of God’. From city red light districts to rural mud huts, we meet proud brothel madams, HIV positive teenage prostitutes, and gay men in saris. Our intimate exploration into the life of the Devadasi reveals a pseudo-religious system that exploits poverty-stricken families to fuel modern India’s booming sex trade.

http://www.vbs.tv/en-ca/watch/the-vice-guide-to-travel/prostitutes-of-god-full-length-new

Hockey Night In Canada: Project #1 - Dog beds

2010-09-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

My husband is occupied several nights a week, watching hockey. He swears up and down that I used to watch hockey with him, but I think I was just pretending, back when we were dating. I have a lot of boring winter nights during hockey season, so this year, I'm going to find myself a project every week.

I couldn't bring myself to pay $160 for new dog beds. My mom bought the last ones a couple of years ago when she found a great deal on them.

Most dog beds present a few problems:

They are expensive!
They aren't big enough.
They are covered with ugly fabric.
You can't wash the inside part, only the cover, if you're lucky.
They aren't waterproof in any way, in case of wet dogs etc.

So, I decided to make my own damn dog beds!

First, I picked up a roll of thick foam for around $20 and cut it in half. Then, I bought a couple of vinyl table cloths at the dollar store, where I also bought two curtain panels for $15. I wrapped the foam in the vinyl like I was wrapping a gift, and secured it with packing tape. Next, I measured the fabric by wrapping it around the foam and leaving a bit extra. I basically sewed a big pillow case by sewing down one long edge and then sewing both layers together to form a pocket. Then I just slipped the cover over the foam. Easy! It took me about 2 hours total and cost under $30.

Here is Sweetie, refusing to get on her new bed for a photo:

During this project, I lost my one and only bobbin for my sewing machine and had to run back out to the dollar store on the corner. They only had a big package of like 900 pre-threaded bobbins for $1. I love Chinatown. I have no idea how I will ever live without a grocery store and a dollar store in my backyard. I also have no idea when I will use up all those bobbins...

When I went in the store, the lady asked me if I wanted a banana. I swear, this is the third time a stranger has offered me a banana this year.

The Butcher's Daughter

2010-09-25T13:28:00.001-07:00

I am determined to roast a chicken and bake bread this weekend. As we were walking home from brunch, we popped into St. Andrew's Poultry in Kensington Market (lovely and clean, smells like freshly bleached laundry). I spotted free range, hormone-free chickens, two for $18. Wonderful!

And then I see that they still have their feet attached. And I need to lie down.

My husband says "is that what you want?" and I say "let's just get those other ones," and he says "why?" He takes a look and says "oh." Then, brave soul he is, he says to the butcher, "can you cut off their feet for her? Once she didn't eat chicken for a whole year because she saw one with feet in Chinatown." The butcher says "sure, I'll ask Carlos* to do it...do you want their heads?"

Oh for the love of Oprah! No, I don't want their heads! By now, I am near the front of the store, pretending to look at beans. Jason says "I don't think she wants their heads," and Carlos says "ok, no feet, no heads." Perfect. I try to imagine the chickens having happy lives in some sunny barnyard, I mean at least I'm buying chickens who lived like chickens, right? And I go to the cash register.

The other butcher takes our decapitated chickens to the front, and as I'm getting ready to pay, Carlos trots up to the front with a bag and says "here's your heads and feet." I feel myself go pale.

Jason looks at me and says, "it's an animal. So much for The Butcher's Daughter."

I know, I know. I was a vegetarian for several years, primarily to piss off my father ("do you want to put your dad out of a job?"). It was awesome. Most planet-friendly teenage rebellion ever.

*His name is not Carlos, I didn't catch his name. But he looked like a Carlos.

Mounting prints on stretched canvas

2010-08-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

On our first anniversary last year, we bought a calendar in Qubec City, featuring vintage, French olive oil ads. Halfway through the year I knew I couldn't part with these pictures, and wanted to do something with them. I originally had some black and white framed photos on the dining room wall and thought it was rather blah looking. So, I came up with this idea of scanning the pictures, mounting them on stretched canvases and hanging them on the wall. I'm pretty happy with it, and I've thought of a few other ideas I'm going to try.

On to the project! You will need these things:

Computer image editing software - Photoshop or Gimp etc.
Printer and scanner (if not using digital images)
Stretched canvases in a size close to that of the original photos
Package of clear printable lable sheets
Paper trimmer
Scissors
Decorative tape - I used black masking tape
Source of artwork - this could be anything, and it could be digital images

And here's what you need to do:

Scan your pictures if required.
Using the image editor, resize your pictures as close as possible to the size of the stretched canvases. For example, my canvases are 8"X10", so that is the size I made the images. This was a slight adjustment, so I did not need to worry about distortion of the pictures.
Print the images on the clear lable sheets and LET THEM DRY for a few minutes.
Carefully peel off the paper backing and stick the label to the canvas.

Optional - finish the edges to your liking. I used decorative tape.

And here they are on the wall:

Radio caca

2010-07-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

Someone! Please! Remind me to never tune in to mainstream radio again. Check out the lyrics from this little gem that I just heard on WGAC Crap Radio or whatever I was listening to:

Just gonna stand there
And watch me burn
But that's alright
Because I like
The way it hurts
Just gonna stand there
And hear me cry
But that's alright
Because I love
The way you lie

Holy crap! It's from Eminem's Love The Way You Lie. Who likes the way something hurts? Who likes how someone lies? A doormat, that's who. I know, I know, it's just a song, right? So where does it come from, exactly? Where do the internalized messages and the self-loathing come from? What exactly is fueling the many girls and women in my life who continue to engage in brainless, damaging drama in their relationships?

Make no mistake: songs like these, and all pop-culture signposts like these, for that matter, are a key component of the steady junk food diet that continues to be fed to the brains of girls and women by the establishment. This diet ensures that the majority of those girls and women continue to allow themselves to be lied to and abused, and thereby crippled from reaching their full potential.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's fun!"
"It's part of the attraction!"
"I can change them."
"I just want to be pretty."

These are my top four favorite lines that have been spoken to me and by me at various times in my life, in regards to relationships with difficult people at best, and abusive people at worst. Notice I said "people" and not "men," because I continue to be astounded by the abuse that women loving women allow in their relationships.

What can you do? You can shift your mindset, you can look for people who treat you well and walk away quickly from people who don't. It's really quite simple. Do not pretend to enjoy how someone lies to you or burns you because you are lonely or think it's normal. Don't let anyone push you into raising your limit for bullshit, don't dish out bullshit yourself, and we will all be just fine.

Crockpot gyros!

2010-07-26T14:09:00.001-07:00

Inspired by an old friend, I've had the idea for making my own gyros on my mind for sometime. I was saving the idea for summer, when I could do the final stretch of cooking on the grill. When we learned we would be backyard-less for the best weeks of summer, this was one of the many things I lamented.

Until I stumbled on this! It's crockpot gyros!

http://rainydaygal.com/?p=323

I made a few minor adjustments:

1. I did not use lamb, only because I could not find it on my way home. I used 2 pounds of lean ground beef.

2. I figured my gyros might be lacking in flavour due to having no lamb, so I put the onion and garlic in the meat in the food processor. I also added a good bit of crushed red chili pepper and rosemary.

3. I did not put onion and garlic in the bottom of the crockpot because I knew we would not eat it.

4. I put one egg in to help it all mix together.

Also, when we ate it, we had it with green salad, tomato, cucumber, tabouli salad and tzaziki on our plates, instead of having it as a sandwich.

It was delicious and I highly recommend crockpot gyros for indoor summer cooking. No oven required, no hotter house.

6 inspirations for summer eating - no BBQ required

2010-07-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

Some of us don't have, or want a BBQ. Some of us live in apartments, some of us don't eat meat, some of us don't like the idea of cooking over a fire with any regularity. In any case, we still gotta eat all summer! And the magazines, cooking shows and blogs are all chock full of ideas that most often require a grill. Here are some sources of inspiration for summer eating - no BBQ required.

Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less

This list was published in 2007, and I return to it again and again, whether it's summer, or not. There are plenty of no-grill ideas on this list. Check out numbers 17 and 40 for two of my favourites. See number 41 for a simple idea for what to do with all that zucchini.

Summer Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake

Now, is that not the prettiest and easiest summer dessert you've ever seen? I bet you have a box of graham crackers in the back of your cupboard. Go for it. I also bet this would be yummy with semi-melted ice cream instead of the whipped cream, and then re-frozen.

Double Broccoli Quinoa Recipe
Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks has been a little lacking in new summery ideas this year. I guess she's busy! Here's a recipe for a Quinoa bowl that I have modified in many ways. Sometimes I use a regular pesto and zucchini, sometimes I omit the pesto and use a chili sauce with other vegetables. You can do it cold as the base of a pasta-esque salad too.

Top summer salad recipes

There is nothing too original on this list of summer salads on Canadian Living, but it's sure to remind you of something you forgot about it. I forgot about chick pea salad!

Spanish Omelette

Try an omelette and a salad for dinner. Better yet, try this lovely Spanish Omelette, and check out the other recipes on Spain Recipes.

Picnic Sandwich Recipes

Martha has a nice collection of summer sandwich ideas. Radishes on a sandwich got me pretty excited. Some do have grilled meats, but you could easily sub in deli meats or poached chicken where it calls for grilled.

On the road again

2010-07-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

Strange guy in rubber pants*: "Hey, do you have 19 cents? I really need to get home. I just f'd up big time and the cops are after me."

Me: "No, sorry."

Guy: "Well, how about $10?"

*They might have been pants for diving? Or perhaps a flood? It's 40 degrees out. I can't wear pants at all. Well, due to the heat and fact I have a really flat butt, but that's another story all together.

Day 1 of G20 week

2010-06-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

Nothing very exciting happened today. I thought I saw some protestors, but it turned out they were girls giving out samples of a new conditioner.

I said "oh, I thought you were protestors," and one of them said "no, sorry...do you want some conditioner?" Given that my hair has been standing in a candy-floss like halo around my head since the humidity rolled in last week, I said "I would think the answer to that question is obvious."

Two step skinny chocolate milkshake

2010-06-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

This kills my cravings for sweets and/or chocolate without no fat, no sugar, and great taste.

1 ripe banana
1 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons good cocoa powder

1. Mash the banana with a fork and freeze it for about a half an hour.
2. Place all the ingredients into your blender and whiz away.

5 great spring sewing projects on my to-do list

2010-05-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

1. Hooded baby towel and washcloth set - isn't this the sweetest thing? Our friends are expecting and I'm going to sew one of these for their pending baby girl.

2. Spring ruffle top - love this, and no pattern required.

3. Duvet cover - I can't find anything I like, and I want something very light and bright for the bedroom for summer. This tutorial looks really simple.

4. Bolero from t-shirt - I can never have enough of these things. They are great for putting over sleeveless tops at work and for heading out at night when it might cool down. What a great idea to make one from a t-shirt!

5. Make a custom a-line skirt pattern for yourself - great idea! I've tried this before and never got the line right. I love how this tutorial tells you how to translate your measurements into the perfect skirt.

Desktops

2010-05-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

Since I don't get to use Photoshop in my job as much as I would like, I am creating a new desktop for myself every month and posting them here. Feel free to use these on your own computer.

To set these desktops on your Windows-based computer:

Click the image of the desired desktop below. The web page containing the desktop is displayed.
Click the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner of the image to expand it to full size.
Right-click on the expanded image and select Set as desktop background from the pop-up menu.
Enjoy!

From December 2010

From November 2010

From October 2010

From September 2010

From August 2010

From July 2010

From June 2010

From May 2010

From April 2010

Gorilla School

2010-05-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

Kleenex required! This video shows the touching reunion of Damian Aspinall with adult male gorilla, Kwibi, whom he hadn't seen in over 5 years. Damian raised Kwibi at Howletts Wild Animal Park in England and then released him into the wild in Africa when he was 5 years old.

>>Watch the video on You Tube

>>Visit the Gorilla School web site

None of us know what we're doing

2010-05-22T19:04:00.001-07:00

“Because, that’s the thing about love, really. No one will love you how you want to be loved, they’ll love you in the only ways they know how. Life throws everyone down drastically different paths so how can we expect everyone to love in the same way? The person you’ll spend your lifetime with will love you in their way and you’ll love in yours, and maybe you’ll meet in the middle and it’ll last. None of us know what we’re doing, you see, we’re just fumbling for matches in the dark. If you’re lucky, you might eventually just strike the right one.”

http://www.goodmorningandgoodnight.com/?p=984

Italian Flag Lasagna

2010-04-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

OK, get ready to eat the best lasgana you've had in a long time, without all the work, and without feeling guilty! You heard me! This is vegetarian, low-fat, and low GI, but it tastes like the meatiest, cheesiest lasagna you've ever had. Trust me.

I've tried a few recipes for vegetarian lasagna and I've never been happy with them. They all lacked flavour, most had too much cheese to be healthy, and those that didn't were dry. Not to mention, none had any significant source of protein. This recipe uses whole wheat lasagna noodles as a lower-GI option, and it features white beans for protein. The cheese is low-fat and significantly cut down from what you normally use in lasagna. This idea has been brewing in my mind for awhile, and I finally tried it out today. I love it, my man loves it, and I'll be making it again.

Ingredients:

RED LAYER
1 cup white beans, cooked and mashed
1 cup good pre-made tomato sauce
1 finely chopped green pepper

WHITE LAYER
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed

GREEN LAYER

2 cups Bechamel sauce*
1 small head broccoli, steamed or boiled until very soft, mashed
3 T pre-made pesto sauce

OTHER
1 package whole wheat fresh lasagna noodles - no cooking, and one fits covers the pan!
1 additional cup of good pre-made tomato sauce
1 cup shredded white cheese of your choice

1. Mix each layer separately.
2. Spoon 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on to the bottom of the pan, top with a layer of noodles, top with the red layer.
3. Add one layer of noodles, top with the white layer.
4. Add another layer of noodles, topped with the green layer, topped with another layer of noodles.
5. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and the grated cheese.

Bake on 400 degrees for half an hour, let stand for 10 minutes, cut, serve and enjoy.

* Make a Bechamel sauce with:

3 T butter
1/4 c whole wheat flour
2 c skim milk

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and whisk together for about 2 minutes. Slowly stir in the milk and bring to a simmer.

8 healthy changes to make in your home

2010-03-27T21:15:00.001-07:00

I started this post in January, but never got around to finishing it. At that time, I was thinking about how New Years is a mental motivator for change for many of us, and how I'd been making changes in our home around that time. Here is what I've been working on this year.

1. Remove as much plastic as possible from our home and replace it with glass or certified BPA-free plastic, because of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A. Also limit our consumption of canned foods, because the linings of the cans produced by most companies presently contain BPA. I've been looking for canned foods that state that the linings do not contain BPA. I have not found any safe stewed tomato products in cans, so I've switched to bottled.

2. I'm making my own salad dressing, because bottled salad dressings most often use soy oil, which causes all sorts of problems - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy#Health_risks, and because they can contain a lot of a sugar.

3. I've been reading the labels of all processed foods closely (including bread and cheese!) and avoiding foods containing soy (often identified as "vegetable oil," or "soy lethicin," because of this: http://www.utne.com/2007-07-01/Science-Technology/The-Dark-Side-of-Soy.aspx

4. I have ditched our Teflon or otherwise chemically coated pans because of this: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=124363. I've replaced our pans with good old cast iron pans, and I've seasoned them well http://www.wikihow.com/Season-Cast-Iron-Cookware, and I'm told that over time they will become the best non-stick surfaces ever. As a bonus, I read that small amounts of the iron from your pans will leech into your food, and improve iron levels in your body: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cast-iron_cookware#Health_effects

5. I know use only earth friendly cleaners in our home. Not only are they cheaper and better for the planet, there are a large number of chemicals included in air fresheners and cleaning products that are suspected of causing human health problems - http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/household/indoor_air_poll.htm.

6. We have drastically reduced the amount of wheat products in our diet, and when we eat wheat, it is whole grain only. Learn about the ugly truths of white flour here: http://www.womenfitness.net/ugly_truths.htm

7. I am happy and proud to report that I no longer drink bottled water. I have swtiched myself to tap water, which we keep in a pitcher in the fridge, there is a water cooler at work, and I avoid buying bottled drinks when I am out. Here's a report on the effects of buying bottled water: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2007/02/01/suzuki-water.html

8. We are working on switching to hormone-free meats and dairy. Farm animals are often treated with hormones to make them grow faster and produce more milk. Hormone additives in the foods we eat can cause endocrine disorders, such as Type II Diabetes, and are suspected risk factors in the development of various types of cancer. As an important bonus, most farms that do not use hormones also raise their animals humanely. For more information, visit: http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=9076b2c9-0730-4f1a-b6fa-5a462bb0a011&chunkiid=90869

Freaky Friday - "Obviously, you've never been a secretary."

2010-03-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

You know, I go on about my business from week to week and then suddenly, it happens. It's not always on a Friday, but I just love that movie. I mean the original, with Jodie Foster as her androgynous little self. But I digress...

I walked out the front door this morning and there was a wino sleeping on the stoop across the street. Nothing unusual about that. But then the guy yelled "DID YOU FORGET YOUR WEDDING RING? YOUR HUSBAND WILL THINK YOU HAVING AN AFFAIR!" He didn't open his eyes so I'm not sure he was even talking to me, but you know what? I DID forget my wedding ring! I went back in the house to put it on, because, frankly, we have no shortage of misunderstandings in this house ("I thought you said hot dog buns?" "No, I said hot CROSS buns, but only if they are really fresh, and if they are stale, I want raisin bread, but only if it has cinnamon." You can figure out who is who is this scenario yourself.)

My work day was pretty uneventful, which I enjoy, because that means I get a lot of work done. When I left the office, I saw that first, blue-lipped, overly optimistic girl wearing shorts, with a sweater and rain boots. If any outfit says "hi, I live in Canada, where we can experience all 4 seasons in a single afternoon," it's an outfit like that.

Anyway, as I crossed the street, I saw a homeless guy sitting on the sidewalk on the other side of the street, so I got a Loonie* out of my pocket to give him. As I approached he said "oh you look real nice, you must have some kind of nice job, like a secretary or something." I said "well, obviously you have never been a secretary, because it's not always nice." And he started laughing. A man came up behind me and gave the homeless guy some change, and he said "you ever been a secretary, man? It's not that great!" And the man said "ok..." and kept walking.

So that's that, another Freaky Friday. Or is it? It's only 4:30...

*Two notes on that point:

1. For my international audience, a Loonie is $1. Ha! My international audience...I kill me.
2. We keep a can of change at home for the express purpose of giving it to street folks. We feel that it is part of living downtown. There are a lot of people scattered around who are down on their luck. Is $1 going to change my life? Not unless I win the lottery with it! But it might make someone's day a little easier. And no, I don't care if they are saving change to buy drugs or alcohol. Whatever gets you through a night on the street, you know?

Dear new dad from the doctor's office

2010-02-23T16:44:00.000-08:00

Dear sir,

I didn't know what was going to entertain me when I arrived at my doctor's appointment a full half hour early by accident today. But there you were, you and your bewildered wife and newborn, with a seemingly endless selection of baby clothing, snacks, diapers, toys and small appliances, all packed into a stroller that is in fact the same size as my sister's car.

I assumed you had just gotten to the office and were waiting for your appointment, but then I realized that you had actually finished your appointment, and were preparing to leave. I tried to pretend I was texting but I could not tear my eyes away as you unpacked your stroller. I was particularly impressed when you pulled out an electric bottle warmer, and proceeded to unplug some sort of medical-looking monitor-type machine, to plug your bottle warmer in.

When the bottle was warm, after you and your wife took turns testing the temperature on your wrists, I'm sorry the baby only wanted approximately 0.0001 ml of milk before he began screaming again.

Having no children myself, I'm sure it's all very confusing so I understand how you and your wife needed to loudly debate whether the baby had farted or pooped for close to 15 minutes. When your wife finally convinced you that he'd pooped, I think you were right when you told her that changing him on the seat of one of the chairs in the office would be "too germy" for him, and that putting a blanket over the magazines on the coffee table was a much better idea.

I think everyone was sorry when you announced that you had to leave for work. By the way, did you know that you emptied the water from the bottle warmer into the pot of an artificial plant? Let's just be thankful that you didn't get any on those twinkle lights they had on the plant!

I got called in for my appointment shortly after that, but when I returned, your wife was still there, packing up. When I left, she was trying to figure out how to hook the detachable car seat thing back onto the stroller. I asked her if she wanted some help but she said "no thanks" in a voice that indicated that she really wasn't very happy.

I hope your wife got out of the office and on her way soon after that, and that you had a great afternoon at work. Maybe I'll see you guys when I go back for my follow-up appointment!

Fast-forward bread

2010-01-31T12:05:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have gotten excited about some articles that were floating around a few years back for no-knead bread. I read this one on the lovely Amateur Gourmet Blog and was pretty nuts about the idea. Not nuts enough to actually do it at the time mind you, so I filed it in my mental archive for one fine day when I'd feel like making bread. Well, today is the day!

But guess what? That recipe says the bread needs to rise overnight, plus another 2 hours! It was 3:00 pm when I read the recipe closely, so time was not on my side!

Then I had a flashback of some sturdy lady yelling at us in some high school home ec class or another:

"There are two things that make yeast excited, ladies: sugar and warmth!"

That's when I noticed the New York Times recipe did not have sugar, did not call for warm water, and did not tell you to keep your dough warm while rising. And since I'm a betting woman, I bet those are the reasons you'd have to let that dough rise for 12+2 hours.

So now guess what? With a few adjustments, you don't need to let the dough rise for 12 + 2 hours at all. I just added sugar, and only let mine rise for an hour, plus a bit while my oven heated up, and the bread was excellent. I probably lost something in flavour or texture, and I will try the overnight method when I have more time, but this bread was fantastic.

We had it with this wonderful Yellow Split Pea Soup from Heidi Swanson's beloved 101
Cookbooks blog.

And away we go!

1. Turn on your oven and let it get warm while you complete step 2.

2. Mix the following things together in a bowl and stir well with a fork:

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (I used brown)

3. Turn the oven off! Add 1 5/8 cups water to the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, put it in the warm oven and go do something else for an hour, or as much time as you have.

5. After at least an hour, take the bowl out of the oven and shape the dough into a ball. Put it back in the bowl and cover it.

6. Turn the oven back on to preheat it to 450 degrees, and put the pan you plan to use in the oven to heat it.

6. When the oven is heated, carefully take the pan out of the oven, put the dough in it, put a lid on it, and bake it for half an hour. Then take the lid off and bake for another 20 minutes or so.

And presto! You have yourself a really lovely loaf of bread that tastes like it came from some fancy bakery in some quaint European neigbourhood.

4 step healthy Asian inspired soups for one - to go

2010-01-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

I have been constructing lovely soups for one, just made one for tomorrow, and I thought I'd share. This is a great idea for when there are no leftovers to take for a lunch, but it works perfectly well to make on the spot and eat on a chilly night when you're home alone.

I was inspired by this recipe, and came up with this version that is simple to make and take to work with me. Basically, it is miso paste, assorted vegetables, a source of protein and noodles.

I love red miso paste, and I buy organic paste, but any kind will do. Any kind of vegetables cut small, raw, frozen or cooked work just fine. For speed and nutrition, you really can't beat frozen vegetables. For protein, I have made this with shrimp as I did here, cooked leftover chicken or other meat, little cubes of tofu, and frozen meatballs. I love dried buckwheat soba noodles for taste and nutrition, but any kind of noodles will work. If you are using long, dried noodles, break them in half to fit your bowl and also so that they will cook more quickly when you prepare your
soup.

As for storing this soup before I eat, these are my rules:

all frozen items = no fridge needed

some frozen items + non-frozen items = no fridge needed

all vegetables with or without tofu = no fridge needed

cooked items that are not frozen = fridge needed

You will need a large-ish bowl with a fitted lid. The bowl I use is 4 cups. Note that you will be adding boiling water to this bowl, so you should not be using plastic unless you are certain it is BPA free. There is some debate about whether heating plastic releases chemicals into food that may have various, serious health consequences.

Here we go:

1. Place your vegetables and proteins in your bowl until it is half full. Top with a bit of chili flakes and about 1.5 tablespoons of miso paste, which you are welcome to adjust to your taste. I have used frozen shrimp, frozen broccoli, frozen spinach and fresh green onions here:

2. Place the noodles on top as shown below. I have a theory that doing this makes sure the boiling water hits them first and makes them cook faster.

3. Cover your bowl and go on about your merry way. Store as required by the contents of your soup.

4. When you are ready eat, boil a kettle of water, pour it in your soup just below the rim of the bowl, cover your bowl, wait 5 minutes and enjoy. Theoretically you could also fill your bowl with cold water and microwave it until hot and let stand.

How to make a giant storage bag from grocery store recyclable bags

2010-01-17T09:40:00.000-08:00

If you're like us, you buy more of those recyclable bags from grocery stores than you actually need, and have amassed an impressive collection of them. This idea came to me when I was figuring out how to store a Christmas tree we were given. Last year, it lived in a giant TV box that took up most of the floor space in our storage room. I wanted something that would take up less space and be easier to carry. Thus, the giant storage bag was born! I plan on making a couple more of these to hold other bulky items that need to be stored, like off-season clothes and bedding.

Time required: 2 hours
Level of difficulty: easy

You will need:

6 large recyclable shopping bags that are close to the same size
Scissors
Sewing machine
Thread - this is a good time to use a spool that you don't need/like/want

To do:

1. Cut down one side seam and cut the bottoms off of all the bags. Leave the handles on two bags, and cut the handles off all the other bags*. You will end up with big rectangles that look like this:

2. Thread your machine and set the stitch width to a wide stitch. Take the two bags with the handles still attached and sew them together along one side.

3. Take two of the other bags and sew them together along one side. Repeat for the last set of two bags. You will now have three big rectangles, made of two bags each. The one with the handles is the top of the bag.

4. Sew the big rectangles together along one long edge of each bag. You will then have one big rectangle that looks like this:

5. Fold your big rectangle in half and sew the front and back together along the two remaining edges. You will have a big bag that looks like this:

And here it is, neatly holding our Christmas tree:

Yes, that's a cat butt in the bottom right hand corner.

How to get 3 days of meals from one chicken

2010-01-03T16:40:00.001-08:00

Buying and roasting a chicken is one of the simplest, most frugal things that I do. I buy a 4 pound, organic, free-range roasting chicken for $12 using my grocery service. This chicken forms the basis of 3 dinners for my husband and I, 2 lunches for me, and a greatly appreciated dog treat for our 2 girls.

The chicken

1. Thaw the chicken either in the fridge or in a bowl of ice water.
2. Soak the chicken for 2 hours in salted water with lemon juice and vinegar.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
4. Place the chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan. Salt and season as desired. Sometimes I put lemon halves and/or whole peeled onions inside the cavity.
5. Roast the chicken with the lid on for 1.5 hours. Take the lid off and roast for another half an hour.

That's it! You can use the drippings to make gravy if you wish.

Day 1

I serve the chicken with a starch and 2 or 3 vegetables. My husband prefers rice and I prefer to experiment with grains such as Quinoa. Sometimes I will do a simple pesto pasta and we'll share that.

I package 2 small containers for lunches for myself, and I put together plates or bowls for the next night's meals. I also package a small amount of chicken to be used in dinner on day 3.

As I am carving the chicken, I will put aside the odd bits of meat and skin for our dogs.

Day 2

I have leftovers for lunch and we both have leftovers for dinner. I might cook different vegetables or have salad instead.

Day 3

I have leftovers again for lunch. Sometimes I will decide to only have some chicken with salad. For dinner, I will use the small package of leftover chicken as the basis for a simple meal. Some things I have tried are: tacos, pizza, quick soup and stir fry.

This makes for a very easy week of cooking for me. I did this today actually, because I know I'm going to be pooped this week, while I get back into the groove after being off work for 2 weeks.

My Dinner Plan

2010-01-03T15:56:00.001-08:00

Background
I know people who become frantic about what they are going to eat for dinner every day. I have been that way myself, and it has nearly driven me mad. This is why I have developed a Dinner Plan.

Since my husband and I moved in together, I have handled the shopping and cooking. I think I do both well and I enjoy both tasks. I only really handle dinners, because my husband prefers to buy breakfast and lunch at work. I eat simple breakfasts at home, and usually take dinner leftovers or salads for lunch.

Before this, I had a room-mate who loved to cook, and taking over this responsibility for two people, plus working full-time, has been a challenge in planning and time management for me. Over the last few years, I have developed a plan that seems to work really well. I don't have to worry so much after work, I have a couple of easy nights during the week, and I have time to do other things.

Advantages

This is not an approach for those who are interested in frugality. My husband purchases two meals a day, I do not cook every day, we order in once a week and we eat out twice a week. This is the lifestyle we want to have, we can afford it, and this is partly why we live downtown. We have plenty of high-quality takeout options, and many wonderful restaurants close to home. Also, I pass two good, small grocery stores on my way home. I can be in and out in 10 minutes at both of them, and both are well-priced.

All that said, now that I'm planning, we actually spend way less on food than we did previously. There was a time when we'd order in or go out up to 4 nights a week, because we didn't have a properly stocked kitchen and/or I was just too tired.

Anyway, here is my Dinner Plan. Maybe this will help you organize a plan of your own, and cut down on your stress.

The Plan

Sunday - We handle our own breakfasts and lunch, and I cook something big for dinner that will serve us for two nights. I put my lunch and the next night's meals together. I do this because I have time, and because I am usually very tired on Mondays.

Monday - I tend to shop for fruits and veggies on my way home. We have leftovers, plus salad or soup to stretch out the meal if needed. I usually make a salad for my lunch.

Tuesday - I either cook something for two days, or part of the meal for the next day. For instance, if I'm cooking beans or meat, I will double up on the batch and create something else with it for Wednesday. On Tuesdays, I feel like I am back on track more, and I have the energy to shop and cook as needed. I package leftovers for my lunch for the following day.

Wednesday - I make something simple using ingredients from the previous night's dinner. I tend to do dinner salads, cold plates or pastas. I might even do a quick soup and serve it with salad. Again, I package leftovers or make a salad for my lunch for the following day.

Thursday - We order in. I requested one week night where I do not have to think about dinner, and my husband decided that this means he orders in. Every other week this is also the day my cleaner comes, and we have a grocery order delivered that evening. On the last Thursday of the month, I get a manicure and pedicure, so once a month I have a major treat on a Thursday. I don't even need to pack a lunch for Friday, because my Friday treat is going out for lunch.

Friday - Fun Dinner Day. This day has recently migrated over from Wednesday. Growing up, my dad worked late every Wednesday night, and this gave my mom a chance to cook something not classified as a "proper dinner" by my father. This was the day we got things like tacos and grilled cheese sandwiches. My husband I had Fun Dinner Day on Wednesday for many years. We did not eat together on Fridays because one or both of us often went out on our own with friends, or else, one of us was exhausted and didn't feel like eating much at all. These days, both of us tend to be home on Friday. Since I'm usually feeling tired, I have switched Fun Dinner Day to this day, because fun dinners can be pulled together in a flash.

Saturday - We go out for brunch and possibly dinner, or else we order dinner in. This is generally organized, with my input, by my husband. About once a month or so, I actually feel like cooking on a Saturday.

So there you have it! This is the plan that gets me through the week without much stress around what we're going to eat.

Creole Turkey Jambalaya

2009-12-28T10:27:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays! If you cooked a turkey, here is a tasty recipe for using up some leftovers.

As I understand it, there are two kinds of Jambalaya: Creole and Cajun. It seems the main difference is that the Creole version contains tomatoes and the rice and stock are added near the end. The Cajun version does not have tomatoes, and I believe the rice and stock are added at the beginning and simmered for longer.

Traditional recipes call for fresh tomatoes, but in my neck of the woods, it is nearly impossible to find good fresh tomatoes in the winter. There are some good hydroponic tomatoes grown in Ontario now, however, I have yet to find them in Chinatown. If fresh tomatoes are available, by all means, use them! Add them before you deglaze the pan and saute them until they are browned. This will add a whole other dimension of flavour to your dish as it brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes.

Feel free to use other meats and seafood. I've done this with ham instead of sausage and it was fantastic. I've also used soaked, salt cod instead of the shrimp. It had a stronger fish flavour and it was delicious. I don't cook much shellfish, but I imagine that any kind would be great.

If you wanted to make this a dish that is cooked longer, such as something you do in your crockpot for the day, be sure to add the shrimp in the last bit of cooking because it will become rubbery otherwise.

I do this dish in my big cast iron pan for maximum browning and flavour. I have used my electric skillet previously and I did not feel that the flavour had enough depth.

Ingredients:

1 cup cubed, cooked turkey (or chicken)
1 cup cubed smoked sausage (kielbasa is perfect and easy to find)
Few handfuls of cooked shrimp (still frozen shrimp is perfectly find)
1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large cooking onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 small can of diced, stewed tomatoes
4 cups of good chicken broth (purchased boxed broth is perfect here)
3 cups of uncooked, parboiled rice (or rice of your choosing, I have not tried this with brown rice)
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste

1. Saute your meats and veggies together until the veggies are soft and the meats are slightly browned.
2. Deglaze the pan with about half of the stock. Be sure to scrape all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the tomatoes, seasonings, rice and the rest of the stock. Stir well to combine. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Test for seasoning, but avoid taking rice during your test as it will not be cooked. Adjust seasonings as needed.
5. Add the shrimp, cover and simmer for another 10 or 15 minutes until the rice is cooked all the way through.

Serve and enjoy!

If you feel like being bad, make this candy

2009-12-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

1 cup brown sugar
1 stick of real butter
9 saltine crackers
handful of chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 8 X 8 pan with parchment paper or foil. Arrange the crackers in the pan.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the sugar and bring it to the boil. Let boil for 3 minutes.
4. Pour the butter and sugar mixture over the crackers.
5. Bake for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. When melted, spread them evenly over the top.

Let cool or place in freezer for 15 minutes if you can not wait. Delicious. It tastes like something complicated that took a really long time and everyone will be impressed.

Scottish Shortbread

2009-12-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

Easy, traditional, delicious cookies for the holidays.

3 cups of flour
1/2 lb butter
1 cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 325.
Cream the butter and sugar. The easiest way to do this is with a hand mixer.
Add the flour and mix well. Knead with your hands briefly until the dough becomes smooth.
Roll out the dough until it is approximately 1/2 thick. Either cut out with cookie cutters or cut into strips.
Place on an ungreased cookie sheets and and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

15 minute Asian Beef Soup

2009-12-10T09:26:00.000-08:00

This is fast, cheap and tasty.

1. Brown a pound of ground beef. Add a couple of chopped green onions, a handful of fresh corriander (or any herb, really), some grated fresh ginger or a dallop of bottled grated ginger, and a clove or two of garlic.

2. Heat a can of chicken broth mixed with two can fulls of water.

3. Add the meat, one thinly sliced pepper, dried chili flakes to taste, a handful of thin rice noodles, a handful of thinly sliced cabbage (could even used packaged coleslaw mix here). You could also add any veggies, chopped small, a this stage.

4. Bring to the boil for a few minutes, then let simmer for as long as you have and serve.

The problem with relationships

2009-12-04T04:20:00.000-08:00

The problem with relationships is that you never really know who you are dealing with until you live with them. People can be all kinds of things in their public lives, and be someone completely different in their private life. The problem is that by the time you get to know someone for who they are privately, you are likely well down the path of forming a life around that person. You may have reorganized many aspects of your life to fit that person in, and various people have all sorts of expectations of you and this relationship. Things might have been rolling along just fine between you and surprise! You learn that your partner is going to spend a lot of time looking at internet porn, or expects to have control of the thermostat at all times, or that they hate to go grocery shopping and you're going to be doing it by yourself. These seem like small things, but they are not. These are the things that can make or break your life together. These are the things that can make daily life a living hell.

Earlier in Western culture, marriage was permanent. Most people got married, and stayed that way because leaving was not a socially acceptable or legally readily available option. That is how marriages kept people together. I am not suggesting that I think everyone has to get married, or that they should have to stay in relationships that are damaging in some way. I'm just saying that the idea of leaving was not there in the way it is now, looming over every aspect of your relationship as the ultimate solution to whatever problem you have in front of you.

I think this is why couples have a hard time solving problems in their relationships, at least in western society. You don't really have to solve relationship problems now. You don't really have to negotiate about anything. Not going to do what I want? No problem! I'm leaving. I've actually conducted an informal peer survey around this. I asked people how often one or both partners suggest or say outright that they are leaving during an argument. Every single person I talked to said that this happens in most if not all of their arguments. Leaving may not actually happen, but the words are still there, hovering over the relationship, like a permanent thought-bubble in a comic strip that otherwise proceeds.

I also think there is a link between this mentality and consumerist culture. Consumerism trains us to think that we can always have what we want, and if the thing we have now is not what we want, we can throw it out and get a new one.

Somehow, we have to get back to understanding that people (and all things, really) are not disposable. We have to get back to thinking that once we have committed to someone, we are there for life, come what may. We have to get back to problem solving. We have to accept that we may have to take a step forward into territory we hadn't planned on entering, and that we might have to accept something that we do not want. We have to get back to valuing the happiness and contentment of our partners. And the bigger trick seems to be that BOTH people have to do this. One person can try to make this leap, but if their partner is not there with them, both people are going end up angry and bitter.

I have no idea how to get there. These are just some things I've been thinking about, as I've been learning about being married, and as I've been watching some relationships end in the lives of people around me.

"Frosted" windows

2009-11-27T04:49:00.001-08:00

I have a fairly large wreath on our front door all year round, which I redecorate with the seasons and holidays. When I hung the wreath I made last night, I realized that the window in our door was quite exposed, due to the new wreath being smaller. So, as if stringing 118 Christmas ornaments onto a coat hanger wasn't enough craftiness for one night, I "frosted" the window using clear Contact paper.

It was challenging to take a picture of the window and this was the best I could get.

I have seen this idea on someone's blog but I can not find the link. The woman created some lovely designs for her windows and even used this method on her daughter's bedroom window.

This is a very simple project. About the Contact paper, they do make ones that are labelled "frosted" but they have a design on them. The clear paper is concealing enough when you put it on the glass. I bought mine at Canadian Tire for around $4.

I wanted to leave some clear spaces in the design because we do actually need to see out the window to see who is at the door.All I did was measure the width of the window, less half an inch (to get the empty space at the sides), and then I cut bands of the Contact paper in different widths. I cleaned the window and stuck the paper on, and that was it. It took me about 15 minutes.

You could do any kind of design and could use this to decorate a mirror as well. Big circles in different sizes on a window would be cool, as would any shape. It would also be interesting to cut a piece of paper the full size of the window, and cut little shapes into it. I have a vague idea for decorating our bathroom window this way.

Christmas wreath

2009-11-27T04:29:00.000-08:00

I borrowed Eddie Ross' idea for a Christmas wreath: http://www.eddieross.com/eddie_ross/2008/12/no-wire-hangers-well-maybe-just-one.html

And made this:

I did a few things differently:

1. I purchased all the ornaments because I wanted them to be the same size and colour. Now that I am finished the project I can see that I might like it more if the ornaments were different sizes.

2. My ornaments are actually plastic. I thought this would be better, given that the wreath is hanging on the front door.

3. I used very small ornaments and there are 118 of them on this wreath. It is smaller than I would have liked, and can now see the value in using bigger ornaments.

2. I had to cut the coat hanger near the top, below the hook. The problem was that I could not get the metal straightened enough for the hook part of the ornament to slip past.

4. Due to cutting off the hook, I made two hooks on either end of the wire and hooked them together to keep the wreath closed.

Tips:

Try to shape your circle as much as possible before putting on the ornaments. I did not do this, and you can see that one side is misshaped.
When you first start putting the ornaments on it looks very strange. Just keep going, keep the hook part of the ornaments as close together as possible on the wire (mine are actually all touching) and they will shape themselves. It's pretty fancy!

Anyway, I'm happy with it overall and it's hanging on our front door now.

Quick Chick Pea Stir Fry

2009-11-24T04:21:00.000-08:00

This takes about 15 minutes and it's delicious. I like to make it while I'm getting ready for work, so that I have a great lunch. You could this vegan by leaving out the feta, or you could always throw in a handful of cubed tofu to give it another hit of protein along with the chick peas. This also makes a nice side dish for any meat or fish.

1 large potato
1 can chick peas
1/2 package frozen spinach
1 small onion
1 small clove garlic
small handful of crumbled feta cheese
your choice of dried herbs
olive oil

1. Wash and pierce the potato with a fork a few times. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Let cool, then dice into small pieces.
2. Microwave the spinach on high for 1 minute.
3. Chop the onion and garlic.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet, put everything in the skillet and saute until the onion is cooked through and the potatoes are slightly crisp.
5. Sprinkle with feta and serve. Also packs and reheats nicely for later use.

Sunday Recipe - Jerked Up Brisket

2009-11-15T11:45:00.000-08:00

This is one of my attempts to cook something that is familiar and comforting to both my husband and myself. You'll need to be around the house for at least 4 hours for this one, so it's something I do on a Sunday usually.

Why I know about cooking Jewish-style brisket

Both my parents' families have been living in the Toronto area for at least 4 generations. My father was a butcher, and so was my grandfather. My grandfather died when I was 2 years old, so I didn't know him. I'm told he was very interested in what other cultures ate, that he loved to cook, and that he was a fantastic cook. My mom tells me that my grandfather cooked massive spreads of food every Sunday, and there was a standing invitation to family and friends to eat at their house. As I understand it, at the time my dad was growing up in Toronto, his neighbours were Jewish and Italian, and my grandfather's interest in their cooking influenced his own. Jewish and Italian foods are two of my dad's favourites, and this is why I am familiar with the cooking of both these cultures.

When I first started living with my husband, I spent some time with his mom talking about cooking and she gave me some Jamaican recipes. These days she gives me the magazine Jamaican Eats whenever there is a new issue. Over time, I've developed a pretty good understanding of Jamaican cooking, and it has influenced everything I cook.

OK! Let's get going here!

Jerked Up Brisket

You will need:

1 6lb flat cut brisket
3 T of Walker's Woods Jerk Seasoning mixed with 2 T olive oil
10 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped
1 large or 2 small onions, coarsely chopped
2 T butter
2 cups of broth*
seasoning salt and pepper

Special equipment: a large roasting pan with a lid, or if you have no lid, tin foil will do it. You will also need a large skillet, and I highly recommend using a cast iron skillet.

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Soak the roast in cold water with a few dashes of vinegar in the fridge for as long as you please. Soaking meat before cooking it is something I've picked up from my Jamaican family. My own family washes meat well, but I have to say I prefer soaking meat, and I can tell when I am eating meat that has not been soaked. Afterward, rinse and dry the brisket. Rub the surface with one clove of garlic, then slather it with jerk seasoning. Put the meat in a pan, cover it with foil, and stash it in the fridge over night.

COOKING DAY

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Put the butter in the skillet and get the skillet super hot.
Sear the brisket until well-browned on all sides. It might get smokey in the house, so open a window first.
Rest the brisket on a plate.
Add the onions to the pan and saute until brown.
Add 1 cup of broth to the pan and scrape as much browning off the skillet as possible.
Place the onions and garlic on the bottom of the roasting pan and place the brisket on top.
Add the cup of broth from the pan plus the remaining cup to the roasting pan.
Cover the pan and cook for 2 hours. Return to the pan, flip the meat and cook for another 2 hours.

During the last half hour or so, you can throw in potatoes and carrots or whatever. I also cook a pot of rice for my husband during this time.

The meat should be thinly sliced before serving. The gravy is fine as is for serving with vegetables and rice, or you can thicken it with 1 tablespoon of flour mixed in 1 cup of water. Add this to the pan and stir.

*A few words on broth: you can make your own broth easily enough, or you can use a carton of store-bought broth or you can use boullion cubes and boiling water to make your own. I like the last option, and I use three different flavours of cubes to get lots of flavour. Mushroom, onion and miso are my favourites for this dish.

Freaky Friday - One Liners

2009-11-13T19:46:00.001-08:00

Every Friday, I'm going to post a round-up of all the odd things that people say and do in my vicinity that week.

Guy on the street talking to his buddy: "I can only drop my pants for so many women."
Guy in the park, to me: "I say no to drugs, but they don't listen."
Guy on Twitter: "OMG! Kayne West just burst into our kitchen and blew out the candles on my daughter's cake while we were singing happy birthday to her!"
Woman on streetcar, to no one in particular: "Those people are high! On drugs!"
Woman to her toddler: "You're short, and your mother dresses you funny."
Little kid, to my dog: "Quack! Quack!"

"That's all folks!", said the pig in the top hat. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

"I've got a right to be hostile, man."

2009-11-11T06:54:00.000-08:00

This article just irritated the crap out of me.

Read point 10. I get it, but I resent it.

It suggests that women DO NOT have to walk around on tip-toe all day at work and that we might be tired of exercising self-control by the time we get home. And it's certainly not acceptable for women to "go off" on men.

To me, this article does little more than perpetuate male entitlement to anger and aggression.

Thai Peanut Noodles

2009-10-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how "Thai" this is. It's my first attempt at cooking with these flavours, which are commonly found in Thai cooking. I adapted this recipe from a few, including one in Nigella Lawson's latest book - Nigella Express. Anyway, this turned out great and I'll be making it again. It'll be especially nice in the summer when I'm avoiding the stove.

Dressing:
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp peanut butter - I used all natural
Juice of one lime
Few dashes of hot sauce - optional

Salad:
1 package pre-cooked noodles e.g. chow mein
2 handfuls blanched snow peas*
Half of one red pepper, seeded and cut into short, thin strips
4 green onions, chopped
2 handfuls of bean sprouts, carefully washed

1. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Add the salad ingredients.
3. Mix well.

Notes for next time:
-Try other vegetables, like maybe blanched green beans
-Top with crushed peanuts or maybe toasted sesame seeds
-Add a little honey to the dressing

*Blanching - immerse in boiling water just until the vegetables colour and strain under a cold running tap

From the vault - Cocoa

2009-10-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

I wrote this in October 2008, shortly after we lost our dog.

Cocoa had cancer. I figure it started back in July when she had a weird "virus," and I actually had a feeling then. We had her back and forth to the vet at least 5 times. About two weeks ago she was hardly eating and was quickly and visibly dropping weight. I took her to the vet that Friday and again they sent us home with new medication and new food. They thought she had Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome. Nothing changed by last Tuesday so we told them to do an ultrasound to see if they could see anything inside. They saw that she had some lesions on her liver and thought she might have liver cancer, however, tests for that came back normal on Friday so we still had some hope over the weekend. We were waiting to hear back on some fluid they took from her abdomen, but it still looked like she might have a chance.

Friday morning was her last good little walk down the street. Friday at lunch was the last time she ate. I'd cooked her some ground beef and she ate a little handful. I'm really glad I did that. On Saturday she stopped drinking and was obviously dehydrated. I didn't know what to do, but was still feeling hopeful, and we needed to get her medication in her, so I started giving her Pedialyte with a syringe. I gave her a half a cup every half hour, with her pills disolved in it every 6 hours, and by midnight she was perking up. On Sunday I gave her a jar of watered down babyfood with the syringe over the course of the day and she seemed to enjoy it. She was lifting her head and trying to bite the syringe a bit. She even went for a short walk to take the garbage out with Jason. I realize now that she was probably dying, and maybe I extended it, and maybe I shouldn't have done what I did. Jason feels I made her I more comfortable and gave her another day.

She was bad on Sunday night again, she just kept vomitting and once she actually fell over. But I still had some hope. I was really expecting them to call on Monday and say "it's nothing, we can give her steroids" and she'd come back. But that is not what the vet had to say. On Monday they said the fluid revealed cancer. They figure it was in her bile duct and pancreas.

At first we thought about giving her chemo.They said it would cost $4000-$6000, which would have been the last of our wedding money, but we would have done it, and put the wedding off. We've already spent our honeymoon money. But the vet and oncologist said she had little chance of survival. And that's when we knew we needed to help her go.

I am lost right now. That dog could read my thoughts. She knew exactly what I wanted and I needed her to do at all times. She also gave me a lot of freedom because she was there to protect me. We live in a strange area, and because of her, I felt perfectly safe going for a walk night or sitting in the yard. If we were in the yard together and Jason went in, she would not go in the house, even if he asked her to go in, she would not leave me. I was fine at home alone if Jason went out, and he felt fine leaving us. She'd lay in the downstairs hall and keep her eye on both doors, and I could go to sleep. She watched me constantly. If I got up in the night she'd get up too. I could run down to the laundry room at night with her, or leave the door unlocked while I ran out for something because I knew she'd watch the house.

I think the hardest part for me right now is walking. Sweetie always walked with Jason in front and Cocoa and I behind. We did it this way because Sweetie is just so nervous, she needed Jason to handle her and have us behind her. They also walk a lot faster than Cocoa and I did, we liked to take our time, and Cocoa liked to smell everything. Now I am alone and it feels terrible. Sweetie is doubly nervous now.

Jason and I and the dogs worked like a well-oiled machine. And now a very important part is missing.

The Low Road - Marge Piercey

2009-10-31T17:16:00.001-07:00

What can they do
to you? Whatever they want.
They can set you up, they can
bust you, they can break
your fingers, they can
burn your brain with electricity,
blur you with drugs till you
can t walk, can’t remember, they can
take your child, wall up
your lover. They can do anything
you can’t blame them
from doing. How can you stop
them? Alone, you can fight,
you can refuse, you can
take what revenge you can
but they roll over you.

But two people fighting
back to back can cut through
a mob, a snake-dancing file
can break a cordon, an army
can meet an army.

Two people can keep each other
sane, can give support, conviction,
love, massage, hope, sex.
Three people are a delegation,
a committee, a wedge. With four
you can play bridge and start
an organisation. With six
you can rent a whole house,
eat pie for dinner with no
seconds, and hold a fund raising party.
A dozen make a demonstration.
A hundred fill a hall.
A thousand have solidarity and your own newsletter;
ten thousand, power and your own paper;
a hundred thousand, your own media;
ten million, your own country.

It goes on one at a time,
it starts when you care
to act, it starts when you do
it again after they said no,
it starts when you say We
and know who you mean, and each
day you mean one more.

http://www.margepiercy.com/sampling/The_Low_Road.htm

15 Minute Dinner - Pasta Puttanesca

2009-10-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

This dish has been much-discussed throughout it's history. There a few stories about it's origins, one of which is that the name comes from the Italian word for whore - puttana, and it is thought that this dish born in the brothels of Italy, cheaply and quickly prepared by prostitutes between customers. You can read more theories of it's origins here on Wikipedia.

Regardless of where it came from, it's quick and inexpensive pasta dish that can be prepared in a myriad of ways. Read on for my quick take on this delicious dinner. For some thoughts on the ingredients in this meal, check out this post.

2 cups of high-quality short, cooked pasta - I used Vita Sana Cavatoni
1 can of high-quality tuna - packed in olive oil - I used Callipo Solid Light Tuna in Olive Oil
Handful of capers
2 chopped tomatoes
Handful of chopped olives - I used some black and some green
2 big handfuls of washed spinach
1 handful of crumbled goat cheese
1 finely chopped clove of garlic

Cook your pasta, drain it, put it back in the pot, and while it's still good and hot, throw everything in, mix and serve. Yep, that's it! Enjoy!

Sewing Challenge

2009-10-22T04:24:00.000-07:00

Alison over at http://www.prime-number.com has a wonderful blog where she writes about her personal challenge to make everything she can. I greatly admire this approach to life, and I'm going to head in that direction myself. First off, she's inspired me to work through my stack of fabric, which she is doing herself. To begin, I'm going to make a skirt for work and a weekend skirt. I will post my results here.

The art of Yellena James

2009-10-22T04:18:00.000-07:00

I just need to say that I am in love with this woman's art: http://yellena.com/

I was immediately attracted to her drawings, and at first, I thought I'd never seen anything like it, but I have: my own drawings. I've been drawing the same series of shapes for years, and never once considered them to have more potential than for doodling on scrap paper. When we were kids, our uncle would sometimes entertain us by having us draw some random lines on a piece of paper, which he would then turn into the most beautiful designs. I've carried that idea around for along time, and have developed a system of drawing abstract botanical images using the concept of starting from random lines. Now that I see Yellena's work, I am inspired to draw more, and to take some of my "doodles" to a whole new level. When I have some drawings that I'm happy with, I will post them here.

Why we hate to help

2009-10-22T04:04:00.000-07:00

I've often wondered about why so many people have an adverse reaction to people, or animals for that matter, who need help. I've been paying attention to people's reactions to the misfortunes of others for a long time. What fascinates me the most is blame. Everyone seems to do it, including me. See, my friend has recently lost her job and her home. While I feel terrible for her, I can admit that I have wondered what she has done wrong to deserve this situation. I think these kinds of thoughts are related to the idea of independence in our culture. We are all supposed to be independent, and never need each other's help. I think this idea is related to consumerism, because, after all, if I'm sharing my stuff, the person I'm sharing with doesn't need to buy any themselves.

I was reading a blog article yesterday, written by a Ukrainian woman, with a unique perspective on the Western notion of independence. I can not find it for the life of me now! I really value what she wrote. Basically, she says that we all need to identify people in our lives who are really there for us and ask for help. I do consider myself a helper, but I have noticed that my offers to help can sometimes be met with suspicion. I think each of us needs to look at what we can offer to the people in our lives, because I don't think the real issue is that people can't ask for help, I think it's that people refuse to give it, and look for reasons to explain why they should not have to help. This goes back to what I was saying above. If a person has does something to somehow "deserve" misfortune, then I'm off the hook for having to help, aren't I?

Overall, I think there needs to be a collective mental shift around the ideas of helping and being helped, and I'm going to look at this in my own life.

Live downtown? Stop grocery shopping! You heard me.

2009-10-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

I'm sure this is mainly possible due to where we live, but we've basically stopped grocery shopping. Once a week, when we're together, we pick up pet food and other bigger items, such as a bag of rice and such. I do keep some staples on hand. But as for what we eat every day, we usually decide each day and I pick up the requirements on my way home from work. I pass 3 small grocery stores on my way. Here in Chinatown, fruits and vegetables are ridiculously cheap, and surprisingly, over the last year, I am seeing more organic items in this area.

I think this is approach helping the planet because:

we are not using electricity to refrigerate a lot of food in our home,
we are supporting local, smaller businesses rather than big corporations,
we are walking rather than taking transit or a taxi to pick up food, and,
we throw away considerably less spoiled or unwanted food.

I think this approach is helping us because:

we eat at home more,
we use our own bags every time,
we're walking more, and,
we are saving money on wasting less food.

If you can, give it a shot. Even if you don't live in an urban area, you might work in one, and perhaps you could pick up your daily foods on your lunch or after work before heading home.

By the way, this morning I woke up at 8:12 and was at my desk at the office by 8:58. Yes, I showered, dressed, and walked to work. Someone remind me why living downtown is a bad idea?

"Don't be afraid of blouses!"

2009-10-03T17:12:00.001-07:00

I stopped in a major department store downtown to shop for some fall basics. As I was approaching the women's wear department I heard an incredibly enthusiastic announcer saying something like this:

Welcome ladies! This afternoon we're going to take a look at mixing pieces you already have in your closet with a few new investment pieces. So join us in the centre aisle in a few moments and we'll get started!

As I approached I saw the announcer. He was decked out in a slim-fitting, light grey suit and had bleached blonde hair. He was just a little wisp of a thing but wow, did he have some energy. He was practically bouncing as he spoke.

I went off and looked at sweaters. I could hear the host with the most chattering on about the importance of feminine details and vests this fall. He wrapped it up and headed into the clothing racks, with a gaggle of ladies behind him, and he proceeded to help them pick things out. I started to head to the dressing room and that's when he spotted me, and yelled:

"Don't be afraid of blouses!"

He took a few steps towards me and I said "I'm not afraid of blouses..." He replied, "I don't see a single blouse in your hand and you need to consider a couple of great blouses for fall! You can take them right from the office and off for a special occasion with friends!" I said "oh...ok...thanks." I don't think I have that many special occasions with friends that require wearing a blouse, but needless to say, I went and picked out a couple of blouses, because at that point, it didn't seem like I had a choice!

I found a couple, and made my way back to the dressing room where Mr. Fashion Angel was waiting outside the door to judge outfits that women were trying on. He said "do you want me to wait to see your blouses? I'm waiting for these other ladies." I answered, "no, it's ok, but thanks." And I hurried in to lock myself into the dressing room.

While he may have been over-bearing, this man sure knows what he's doing. I bet I'm not the only woman with two new blouses hanging in her closet!

Altered book project intro

2009-09-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

I came across the idea of Altered books when I stumbled on to http://www.gomakesomething.com. I was immediately intrigued and loved the idea of working on a book with others.

If you don't know what an Altered book is, check out the Wikipedia definition.

I've started a "round robin" with 5 other people. This means we are all going to work on beautifying the same book with our artwork. We will each work on our own pages, and then mail the book to the next person for them to work.

I selected an old university chemistry textbook that was bought used 10 years ago. It had pages missing at that time, and the cover had seen better days. Since I finished that course, it has been lying around in my parents' damp basement. If I don't do something with it, it will end up going into the recycling bin, or sit there for who knows how long.

I started by removing nearly half of the pages. I did this on the advice I read on http://www.gomakesomething.com. The artist raised an important point about the artwork increasing the bulk of the book to the point where at least the book will not lie flat, and at worst, it may fall apart. I removed the pages using an Xacto knife, leaving about 1 cm of the page along the spine. I am working on a solution for hiding these little bits of pages.

I have an idea of what I am going to do for a couple of my pages. I am determined to use materials I have on hand already. I may have to purchase a thing or two though!

So far I have created an interesting background on part of two pages. I haven't seen this technique anywhere online, I just thought of it myself. I will put the technique into a separate post shortly.

Thanks for reading, and stop back over the next while for updates on our project.

Keep your voice down

2009-09-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

I have become progressively irritated by yelling, and being yelled at. There is yelling all over: on TV, in movies, in the street, at work, in relationships. There really is no need for it, and so I am working on not raising my voice. Ever. I'm not talking about shouting because someone is far away and can't hear you, or raising your voice to speak to a hearing impaired person. I am talking about yelling because you think you need to emphasize, or give more power to, what you are saying.

I have realized that you can say the exact same words, in a normal tone of voice, and be heard, as well, if not better, than you would have been heard if you yelled.

I have a couple of theories on why people hear you better when you're not yelling:

1. Yelling is an act of aggression, and expression of anger. In the face of anger, we all fight, or we flee. Many of us mentally flee, that is, run away without actually going anywhere. We do this by blocking out the yelling.

2. Angry people are not in control, and if you are not in control, I am going to disregard what you are saying, or, rather, I am not really going to hear you.

I'm going to do some reading on this, but I think I probably picked up these ideas from Cesar Millan. Yep, the dog guy. When we got a dog, the first thing I heard him say was "be calm and assertive." It took me ages to master this, but now I do it instinctively and more often with the dogs. Now, I'm trying the approach in the rest of my life, and surprise! Various people are hearing me now.

Try it. Next time you feel like yelling about something, figure out what you want to say, and then say the exact same thing in your normal tone, or even a nicer tone, and see what happens. For your next test, wait until someone yells at you, and repeat the above. You just may find that you end up having a rational, healthy conversation about whatever was happening, rather than a yelling match, where one, or both of you, stops hearing.

Homemade croutons

2009-09-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

Making your own croutons offers a few advantages over buying them pre-made:

You can make them from whole grain breads
You control the oil and salt
They taste much better!

I like to cut stale breads, buns and bagels into cubes and store them in a freezer bag in my freezer. When you need croutons for a soup or salad, take out as many of the bread cubes as you need and place them on a baking sheet. Then toss them with olive oil, dried herbs of your choice, salt and pepper. Bake at 400 F for about 10 minutes, or until the cubes are firm and slightly toasted. You can also bake them more quickly in your toaster oven.

Mini Sundried Tomato and Spinach Stratta

2009-09-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

I've seen few recipes around for mini fritatta. I had a bunch of homemade croutons leftover from a salad I made yesterday, and I was trying to think up some new healthy breakfast ideas. So, here we have Mini Strattas.

If you're not familiar with Stratta, it is essentially a baked egg dish, with the addition of strips or cubes of bread and other ingredients bake in, such as spinach and cheese.

You can place a couple of these in a sandwich bag and microwave them quickly in the morning for a great, healthy breakfast.

1 dozen large, or 2 dozen small homemade croutons
4 eggs,beaten
1/2 cup chopped, softened sundried tomatoes
1/2 cup thawed frozen spinach
1 T dried chives

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Line a muffin pan with liners, or grease it using your preferred method.
3. Place 1 or 2 croutons in each muffin cup.
4. Fill cups 3/4 full with egg mixture and let sit for as long as you can. You could also do this the night before, store the pan in the fridge and bake the next morning.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until egg is set and slightly browned on top.
6. Let cool slightly and serve, or let cool completely and store.

Make your own sugar-free ginger ale

2009-08-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

There are a few recipes out there online that are really complicated, some of them involving yeast. This is my no-nonsense version. It is quick and easy, and tastes really special. I like to keep this syrup in a squeeze bottle in my fridge. I mix it with a carbonated mineral water such as Perrier. You could also use club soda, and if you are concerned about the sodium, look for low-sodium club soda.

2 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
2 cups boiling water
2 packets of Splenda

1. Place the Splenda and the ginger into a container that you can easily pour from, such as a measuring cup.
2. Cover with boiling water and let steep for a few hours, then strain into a container.
3. Pour a small amount of syrup into a glass with ice and top with carbonated water.

Street Freaks - Hey, Catherine!

2009-08-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

I had just stepped out of the World's Biggest Bookstore, and a homeless man yelled to me "HEY! CATHERINE! Where's that smile?" I just smiled at him. What else could I do?

Sister Freaks - Dog Sitting

2009-08-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

My sister looked after our dogs while we were on vacation. By merely staying in our home, she experienced two freaks in our neighbourhood, while walking the dogs.

1. A homeless kid asked her "can you get me a drink of water?," to which she replied "sorry, I don't live around here." He said "where do you live?" She said "far away." And he said "do they have people there?"

2. When she had just left the house, a woman yelled to her "are you Portugese?" and she said "no..." and the woman said, "oh...ok..."

Concert Freak

2009-08-25T10:12:00.001-07:00

I was sitting on cement stairs at the northwest end of Molson Amphitheatre, during the Pearl Jam concert. You foolishly ran down the stairs, missed the bottom two, and fell on your behind. You jumped up and said "that was _______ awesome!" Then you did a little dance, ran over to the nearest wall, kicked it, and ran away. You seriously made my night.

Garlic Rainbow Swiss Chard

2009-08-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

I bought Swiss Chard at the Farmer's Market, I've never had it, and it's delicious. I did some reading, and it looks like buying it at a Farmer's Market is the best choice, because the flavour is best when it is as freshly picked as possible.

1 large rainbow Swiss Chard

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Wash leaves at least twice in cold water. I recommend filling your sink, piling on the leaves and moving them around in the water. This allows the dirt to sink to the bottom.

Remove the leaves from the stems, slice the stems into 1/2" pieces and roughly chop leaves.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat then sauté some of the garlic in oil until it is slightly brown, and then remove it. This step just flavours the oil a bit.

Add the chopped stems to the skillet,cover and cook over medium heat until tender. This takes about 5 minutes.

Add the leaves and sauté until they are just starting to wilt. This takes about 1 minute.

Add the remaining garlic, salt and pepper.

Turn off heat and let sit for 2 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy!

Quick tomato sauce

2009-07-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

This sauce takes no more time and effort than opening a jar of something store bought, and it is much more flavourful. It tastes like something that has cooked for hours. It is great served plain with pasta. You can also add cooked ground beef, or simmer mushrooms in it until soft. Makes a great pizza sauce too.

1 large can crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 olive oil
1 t oregano
1 t sugar or honey
1/2 t salt

1. Cook the garlic in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook just until soft, do not let it brown.
2. Add everything else.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer and let it rest there for 5 minutes.

Quick pizza dough

2009-07-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

This dough uses baking soda instead of yeast as the leavening agent, so no waiting! It is a fast alternative to dough that requires extensive kneading and rising. When baked, this is a more bread-like dough, which I love, and it's perfect for things like stuffed pizza or calzones. I found this recipe online somewhere years ago and I've been using it ever since.

2 1/2 c. flour
2 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 - 1 c. water

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add 3/4 cup water and oil. Stir with fork until blended and forms a soft ball. If dough is too stiff, add more water, a tablespoon at a time. It should be soft, but not sticky. Knead about 3 minutes on lightly floured surface until smooth.

Stuffed pizza

2009-07-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

I was imagining something healthier than one of Pizza Hut's stuffed pizzas here. It came out pretty nicely. I'd like it to slip out of the pan once cooled, and this did not happen. I will experiment with sprinkling cornmeal on the bottom of the pan next time, as this works well for ordinary pizza, and also gives the crust a nice, extra bit of crunch.

1 batch Quick Pizza Dough (or a store-bought, whole wheat pizza dough)
1 cup Quick Tomato Sauce (or whatever you like)
2 cups toppings, see below for ideas
1 cup grated cheese of your choice
olive oil

Pre-heat your oven to 400.

1. Cut 1/4 of the dough from the ball and put it aside.
2. Roll the other piece of dough as thin as you can and drape it over a well oiled pie plate, leaving some to hang over the edges.
3. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the dough and put your toppings, and 3/4 of the grated cheese on top.
4. Roll the other piece of dough thinly and place on top of your pie.
5. Pinch the bottom piece of dough and the top piece of dough together, as you would a pie crust.
6. Cut a couple of small slits in the top of the pie.
7. Spread a thin layer of sauce on top of the pie, followed by the rest of the cheese.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes.

The possibilities for fillings are endless. Just be sure to cut everything small. I used the first idea last night:

Roasted vegetables such as peppers, zucchini and onion, goat cheese.
Crumbled, cooked sausage, artichoke hearts, provolone cheese.
Chopped spinach, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, feta cheese.
Cooked, herbed ground beef, chopped tomatoes, sliced olives, mozzerella cheese.

The best way to cook quiona

2009-07-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

To make enough quinoa to serve 4 people as a side, or to make a large salad:

1. Choose a large-ish pot with a tight fitting lid.
2. Place 2 cups of quinoa into the pot.
3. Cover with 3 cups of water.
4. Add about 1 T of boullion* powder, or 1 or 2 cubes to the pot.
5. Bring the pot to a rolling boil, cover with the lid, turn the heat off and leave it for a 20 minutes.

Quinoa is cooked when the grains have sort of a little "tail" and it still has a bit of bite to it.

*I have used vegan vegetable and vegan onion boullion for this, and both are excellent. You can find vegan boullion at most health food stores.

5 ideas for quinoa

2009-07-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

1. Serve in place of rice with soups, stews or stir fry.
2. Use in place of bulghar wheat in tabouli salad.
3. Mix with good pesto sauce while still hot, throw in a handful of nuts and goat cheese.
4. Mix with roasted vegetables and a few splashes of good Italian salad dressing.
5. Throw in a few handfuls of herbs and use it for a stuffing for peppers, tomatoes, chicken or fish, and cook as you normally would.

Quinoa with sundried tomatos, spinach and feta cheese

2009-07-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

I started using Quinoa about a year ago when I became interested in ancient grains as alternatives to wheat. I have since found that I actually prefer it to rice, and will serve it plain with stews or thick soups. I also put together this kind of side dish, which you can change in many ways. You can also serve this as cold as a salad for lunch.

1.5 cups of quinoa
2 cups water
2 t vegetable boullion or 1 cube vegetable boullion
2 T olive oil
3 T chopped sundried tomatoes, packed in oil
2 handfuls of chopped fresh spinach or other greens
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

1. Add the quinoa to a pot and cover with the water. Stir in the boullion.
2. Let the pot come to a strong boil, cover tightly, turn off the heat, and let stand for about 20 minutes. Quinoa is cooked when the grains have a little "tail" and they still have a bit of bite.
3. While the quinoa is still hot, stir in the olive oil, sundried tomatoes and spinach.
4. If serving hot, serve now and crumble the feta on top. If serving later cold, let cool and crumble the feta on top when serving.

2 for the road

2009-07-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

Strange things also happen on our street.

1. Yesterday, a kid was standing outside our dining room window, talking to our cat. 10 minutes after that, a woman was standing outside our dining room window, blowing kisses to another cat. Sometimes it feels like we're living in a pet store here.

2. I went into a hardware/housewares store just up the street. Immediately after I stepped in the door, a man with an African-sounding accent said to me: "I don't understand why these microwaves are more expensive than Wal Mart." I said "well, I'm sorry to hear that..."

From the vault - Meet Bob*

2009-06-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

Years ago, a friend and I were heading to a house-warming party for our friend Sally*. Before the party, Sally instructed us both: "you are going to be meeting Bob*, and whatever you do, don't stare at his eczema because he gets upset." Well, I, for one, having the social graces of a 7 year-old, really appreciated this warning, otherwise I'd have been staring all the while, and may have asked Bob a lot of embarrassing questions...

At the time, Sally was really into "Community Living" and she had invited quite a houseful of interesting characters. I didn't know this was supposed to be a "dry" party and showed up with Sangria, which everyone immediately slurped up, much to Sally's dismay. The night wore on and I became increasingly restless while trying to connect with other guests, as we all yelled to hear each other over Sally's horrific guitar playing.

Then, Bob arrived, and Bob was about 7 and a half feet tall. He was a pale-skinned man and yes, he had some eczema on his face, however, it was barely visible in the shadow of his giant cowboy hat. Bob also had the longest feet I have ever seen, and he was sporting a pair of those mesh slip-on shoes in navy blue, with no socks. In addition, Bob had a cast on his left arm, which he was eager to explain to each person he met. When Sally introduced us, he told me excitedly "I got hit by a car yesterday!" I said "wow, that's awful!" and he said "TOTALLY!" and continued his way around the room to meet everyone else.

Now, the thing that killed me about all of this is that Sally only cautioned us about staring at Bob's eczema. No "oh yeah, he's like 8 feet tall" or "he might be wearing his oversized, novelty cowboy hat." Nothing. Just no staring at his eczema. "Whatever you do, DO NOT stare at Bob's eczema." And we didn't...

*Names changed to protect the innocent.

Purple reign

2009-06-10T13:47:00.001-07:00

This story is better told in person, with actions. I can't possibly do this young man's persona justice in words, but I will do my best.

I was walking down Queen St. to go meet my husband and friends for drinks on a Friday night, and I decided to stop into one of the many fabric stores along the way. This particular shop specializes in ribbons and trims, and I've had it in mind to put some trim along our bedroom drapes.

Anyway, I went into the store and right away a voice calls from the back:

"Thank GOD you are here! Can you please help me?"

I walked a few steps toward the back and there was this lovely, lovely young black man, thin as a rail, poker-straight hair to his shoulders, fully made up, tiny red shorts, green crop-top.

I said "me?" and he said "YES! These women are not taking me seriously!" and he gestured to two annoyed-looking Asian ladies.

I said "well...I'll try."

So, he holds one of these in pink up to his face and and says: "well, which is it? The pink?" And then he pulls out a silver one says "or is pink too much and should I go with silver? Which one looks more natural?"

I wasn't sure how to answer this question at first and then I said "well, what colour is your outfit?" and he said "purple," so I said "well then you need a purple one."

And he said "thank GOD you came in here today, you have saved my life!"

I looked around the store, but of course I only liked the $26.99 a metre trim, and I have no plans to spend that much on drapes that only the two of us really see. When I left the store my friend had the two ladies sorting through boxes, looking for a purple one.

I told my husband this story later that night and he said, "let me guess, he's your new best friend?"

Curry Beef

2009-06-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

You don't see this very often, but it's great. I serve this with parboiled rice or, for a low carb / high fibre option, cooked quinoa.

1 lb stewing beef
1 small can coconut milk
4 T of your favourite curry powder
1 large onion
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 med. sized new potatos, peeled and chopped
1 can chick peas (optional - good option for stretching the meal)
3 cups water

1. Brown the stewing beef in a large skillet coated with olive oil.
2. Saute the onion until soft.
3. Add the curry powder, stir until the colour changes slightly.
4. Add the water and coconut milk and stir. Bring to boil.
5. Add carrots, potatoes and chick peas if using. Reduce heat to low and cover.
6. Cook as long as you long, not less than half an hour. The more time you have, the better it will be.

Mixed greens with raspberries

2009-05-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

I made this lovely salad for lunch today.

2 cups of mixed salad greens, cleaned and dried
1 handful of fresh raspberries, rinsed and dried
1 handful of toasted walnuts
1 handful of crumbled blue cheese
3 T balsamic dressing

1. Place your greens in a bowl and top with raspberries.
2. Toast the walnuts briefly in a hot pan with a 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle over the salad.
3. Top salad with blue cheese and dressing.

Chili Garlic Bok Choy with Bacon

2009-05-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

Two things happened on my way home from work yesterday:

I bought a giant bag of baby Bok Choy in Chinatown for $1.
I remembered a bacon of great looking bacon defrosting in the fridge.
I realized I had no plans for either Bok Choy or the bacon.

First, I decided to chop up and fry the bacon, and stick it in the freezer for some later purpose, such as a caesar salad. After I removed the cooked bacon and most of the fat I thought there would be a lot of flavour left in the pan, so I threw in the Bok Choy, which I'd already cleaned and chopped. With a few more ingredients, this dish was born. We both loved it and I will definitely make this again.

10-12 heads of baby Bok Choy, cleaned and chopped
3 strips of chopped bacon
3 T chopped chives
2 T chili garlic paste

Fry the bacon until crisp and drain on paper towel.
Remove most of the fat from the pan and discard.
Reduce heat to medium and pile in the Bok Choy. Stir fry until slightly softened.
Add the chives, chili garlic paste and stir.
Let stand for a few minutes and serve.

Ingredients

2009-05-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

Browning - This is a thick liquid that you can use to add wonderful colour to meat and meat dishes. It is also used in making fruit cake to give it a deep brown colour. It is slightly sweet, and go easy on it until you get to know how much you actually need for your dish. I have been using Grace brand as long as I've been using it.

Chili Garlic Paste - I love this stuff and it ends up in most things I cook. It lends a nice amount of heat and good garlic flavour, without being over-powering on either front. You can find it in the Asian foods section of most grocery stores.

Jerk - Jerk is an amazingly flavourful mixture of spices that is especially good with chicken and other meats. You can buy Jerk seasoning in two forms, one is a paste and one is dry. The pastes tend to have more heat, and do not think of it as a marinade. If you use the paste, you can create a marinade by pairing it with olive oil and lime juice. I also tend to add more garlic and thyme. The dry seasoning can also be used to create a marinade, but I've found I like to use it in lots of dishes to add a flavour boost and it is nice sprinkled on meat that you are going to roast. Recommendations - Mr. Goudas for dry, Walker's Woods for paste.

Newman's Own Dressings - I use these dressings because they are lighter on soy oil, and some varieties have none at all. If you want to read about some of the concerns with eating a lot of soy, check out this article. Furthermore, there are several organic options, and all of the profits from sales of these dressings go to charity. Yes, I know I can easily make my own dressings, and sometimes I do, but sometimes, a bottled dressing is just easier.

Pasta - We're all concerned about processed carbohydrates. What you don't hear too often is that pasta is actually takes a long time to break down in your body, and therefor, it does not cause a huge spike in blood sugar the way we're often told by The Diet People. Now, I'm talking about good pasta here. If you're going to eat it, spend a little more on it and steer yourself to brands like Barilla and Vita Sana. These pastas are made from high-quality wheat flour and water, and that's about it.

Tuna - Some of us have concerns about eating tuna, due to some information they've gathered about the mercury content. As I understand it, Skipjack Tuna has the lowest mercury content, and also, tuna caught in European waters. You can read more about this issue, and also check out how much tuna you can "safely" eat here, and while you're at it, check out some of the great information offered on this web site.

Jamaican Slush

2009-05-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

My grandmother often made something she called "slush." It was simply ground beef and chopped onions with lots of black pepper, with a bit of flour and water mixed together for a gravy. She served it with boiled potatoes and it was one of my favourite dishes of hers. In fact, whenever I smell ground beef and onions cooking together, I think of her.

I have also encountered something similar in east coast homes called "hamburger stew." It is basically the same nana's slush, with the addition of chopped carrot, potato and sometimes peas or corn.

When I first got know Jamaican spices and seasonings, and was trying to figure out what to cook for my husband, I made something that is a cross between slush and hamburger stew, with the addition of dry jerk seasoning. I make a big batch of this at least once a month and it does us for a few days. I usually serve it with rice and peas.

2lbs extra lean ground beef
2-3 new potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 tablespoons dry Jerk seasoning
2 tablespoons browning
2 cups water
3 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper

1. Brown the ground beef. Add the onions and fry until translucent.
2. Mix flour and water and add to pan.
3. Add carrot, potato, garlic and Jerk seasoning.
4. Cook on medium heat until vegetables are soft.
5. Stir in browning and let simmer for about a half an hour.

Seeing green

2009-05-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, I took the bus from Union Station up to Newmarket for a visit. As I was walking through the station I saw a man dressed as what I assume was a leprechaun. He was a middle-aged man, about 5 feet tall, with red hair a full beard. He was wearing emerald green shoes, socks, pants and shirt. He even wore an emerald green hat with a big yellow buckle on it. When I told mIy husband "I just saw a man dressed as a leprechaun he said "of course you did."
Later, while I was waiting for the bus, this man passed by, this time with a gigantic suitcase in tow, and this time, he winked at me. When I told my husband, he said "of course he did."

Maybe this man will one day read my blog, so just in case, here is a note for him.

Dear Mr. Leprechaun Man,

First, let me compliment you on your striking ensemble. Were it nearer to St. Patrick's Day you would be dismissed as simply another holiday reveller, but this far into spring, one can only assume you are, in fact, a leprechaun. I considered asking for a photo but I am not that familiar with leprechaun ettiquette and thought you may have found me rude. I'd like to say that I'm surprised to learn that leprchauns do not have faster, more convenient transportation options than the GO bus. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying your trip, which must be lengthy, given the size of your luggage. And thanks for the wink. You keep on winking, Mr. Leprechaun Man.

White Bean Crostini (aka Beans on Toast)

2009-05-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

We took our mom to High Park on Sunday for Mother's Day. There is a cute little organic Farmer's Market there, where I scored with a basket of Canadian, organic tomatoes for $1. I also bought a planter already planted with various herb plants for the patio. That evening, I fell and sprained my ankle, thus kicking off what is proving to be a boring and challenging few days on the sofa. I have been trying to come up with a few fast, healthy meals that don't require a lot of standing. Think of this one as a Mediterranean nod to good 'ol beans on toast.

A quick note on beans: I used a can of Eden Foods white beans. Eden Foods does not line cans with plastic containing BPA, and the beans are organically grown. Hence, I keep an eye out for Eden Foods products, which are starting to show up in the organic grocery aisles of major grocery stores.

1 can white beans
4 med. sized tomatoes, chopped
1 small white onion
2 cloves garlic
handful of chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano, parsley and basil)
1 loaf of crusty French bread
olive oil
firm feta cheese, crumbled

1. Saute the onion in olive oil until it just starts to become translucent.
2. Add tomatoes, garlic, beans and another slurp of olive oil to the pan. Cook until the tomatoes start to soften.
3. Add the garlic and herbs to the pan and cook until the herbs start to wilt.
4. Slice 4 pieces of bread, sprinkle both sides with olive oil and toast. I did this in the toaster oven but you could also to it under the broiler in your oven.
5. Spread the beans on the toast and sprinkle on the feta cheese on top.

I had 2 pieces with a simple salad and it was a great dinner.

Cold soba with broccoli

2009-05-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

I read that soba noodles are made from buckwheat and have more protein and fibre than many noodles. I wasn't exactly sure what to do with soba, so I just put something together and it was a nice surprise.

1 small package of soba noodles
1 head of broccoli, chopped small and lightly steamed*
2 chopped green onions
1 handful of chopped toasted walnuts

Sauce:
2 T soy sauce
1 t bottled grated ginger
1 T sesame oil
2 T olive oil
2 T lime juice

1. Cook the noodles in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Drain and run under cold running water.
2. Whisk sauce together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add broccoli and noodles to the bowl, stir and serve.

*To quickly steam broccoli in the microwave, place it in a bowl with a small amount of water and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Pierce the wrap a couple of times with a fork, and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Let sit covered for about 2 more minutes.

From the vault: - Dancing Queen

2009-05-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

I was looking at hand cream in Essence of Life Organics in Kensington Market when a woman came up to me and said "do you like to wear combs in your hair when you dance?" I said "when I dance?" and she said "you know, like...around..." And I said "no, not really." She said "cool" and walked away.

Sardine fritter cakes

2009-05-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

This recipe is partly based on my mother-in-law's recipe for sardine fritters. Traditionally, fritters are made with salt cod, however, my husband doesn't like salt fish, so my mother-in-law started using canned sardines instead. The recipe is also based on Maritime-style cod cakes, which I've cooked and eaten with a few people in my life. They seem to be quite common across the east coast in Canada, as I've come across them in families from Newfoundland, Cape Breton and PEI. Again, cod cakes are made with salt cod, and with the addition of mashed potato, and otherwise they are quite similar. In Jamaican homes, they seem to be eaten as more of an appetizer or snack, while in the Maritimes you will likely see them as the main part of meal, often served with fried potatos and onions.

1 can sardines packed in water
1.5 cups flour*
1 egg
1 cup mashed potato*
1 small chopped onion or 2-3 chopped spring onion (I always use spring onion)
1 TBSP chili garlic paste*
2 TBSP lime juice
salt and pepper

1. Drain the sardines and mash with a fork in a mixing bowl.
2. Mix in the egg, lime juice and chili garlic paste if using.
3. Mix in the flour and potato.
4. Heat about 1" of oil in a large frying pan.
5. Drop mixture by the spoonful* into the oil and flatten slightly with a fork.
6. Fry until browned plus a minute or two, flip and do the same on the other side.
7. Blot on paper towel and serve.

*Notes

Flour - I've been using Robin Hood Nutri-Blend, which is white flour mixed with wheat bran. It tastes and behaves like white flour, with twice the fibre.

Mashed potato - if you don't have any leftovers, you can steam a potato in the microwave for about 5 minutes and mash it with a fork

Chili Garlic Sauce - this goes into 80% of my cooking, it adds a nice spice and garlic flavour to your dishes, you can find it in the Chinese foods section of most grocery stores

Spooning - I like to use an ice cream scoop to spoon out batter. It works well for things like pancakes, and also for baking things like muffins. It keeps each one a uniform size so they are all ready at the same time.

In a Toronto minute

2009-04-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

While coming home from grocery shopping in a taxi today, the following events took place, within about two minutes time.

Background: we live in Chinatown on an odd little street, known by few. Accessing our street by car is a complicated production. One entry point is a narrow laneway that meets Dundas street, situated between two banks, and it's a favourite spot to hang around in your car to wait for shopping friends and family, perhaps read the paper or even to take a nap.

So, my taxi pulls up the corner to make the turn into the laneway and of course, there is a minivan sitting there. The taxi driver honks, we wait, and the driver honks again.

Then, two twenty-something guys, who were obviously high, come up to the taxi and one of them starts to open my door. I say "hi!" through my window and one guy says "hi!" And this conversation ensues:

Me: "What are you doing?"

Stoned guy #1: "We're going to the Eaton Centre!"

Me: "Well I am going home with my groceries!"

Driver: "This is a customer!"

Stoned guy #1: "Oh...."

And he finally closes the door.

Meanwhile, the minivan is still sitting in the laneway, so we continue to wait. After a momment the driver honks his horn and OF COURSE the stoned guys think he is honking at them, they return to the car and try to open my door again. I say "NOT YOU!" and one of them says "oh..."

I ask the driver "can you unlock my door please?" and he asks "where are you going madam?" "I am going to move the minivan," I answer.

I exit the car and at this time the driver of the minivan unrolls his window so I call to him, "sir, you can not sit here, this is the only way to access a street."

And he yells, "I AM GOING OUT!"

So I yell back, "THEN GO OUT!"

He yells, "I CAN'T! IT IS TOO BUSY!"

(Oh, side notes: it is raining, and by this time my hair has reverted back to it's preferred bushy-poodle-in-a-hurricane-like state. Also, it is always busy in Chinatown.)

I am at his window now and I say, "then you have to back up."

And he yells, in my face, "WHY SHOULD I BACK UP FOR YOU?"

So I say, in a tone that could freeze hell, "because I &*!$^*#$ing said so."

And he replies "oh..."

I return to my taxi, and Mr. Mad Minivan turns out into the street.

My taxi driver says "otherwise, it's been a very quiet day."

When I told this story to my husband he said (you guessed it), "you need a blog."