Day One Hundred and Thirty Six - Vol au Vents and Falafel

Dear all

Today my ever-alarming lack of portion control came into full effect on cooking on Vince and Darren even to the point where I didn't even make it to the main course as the boys were full from the aperitifs!

I cooked up many, many things including a cobbler ( this time made from papaya, cantaloupe and blueberries, I am heartily enjoying experimenting with cobbler. As is D). I also whipped up a banana and walnut loaf as there were three bananas on the counter that were looking ever so sad and squishy. I added oats which gave the loaf an interesting texture. Vince described it ( in a positive way) as 'dense'.

The great reveal occurred when I presented the lads with vol-au-vents, filled with an [improvised] recipe of scrambled eggs, mushrooms, onions, sausage and loads of garlic. Also accompanied by a ton of garlic bread and home made falafel ( I really pulled out all the stops this evening)

Below the beginnings of my falafel. I ended up deep frying them which made them a little heavy. I will try to grill them next time. A great [and semi healthy] snackette!

And in other news:
1. Angus and Mac horizontal on the couch.

Day One Hundred and Thirty Five - Island Hopping

Dear all,

The mighty Vince was in town for the start of his holidays and we thought we would mark the occasion by taking the boat out for a quick spin and eating a huge amount of food.

We set out to sea, hurtling across the waves towards Darren's favorite spot: A small island in the middle of Georgian Bay, overlooking the Blue Mountains and Collingwood. We let down the anchor and took a few moments to gaze out over the water and listen to the cacophony of bird song on the island. The amount of birds roosting on the island was incredible and the noise was almost deafening.

It was a fabulous evening but despite the clear skies, it was frightfully chilly dans l'eau... but I managed to retain a stiff upper lip and swim all the way from our boat to the island and even managed to do a little dance when I got there.

The problem [of course] with a venture such as this, is that once you have swum one way, you have to swim back and I must say I was a little chilly when I got back on board. Needless to say, Darren smothered me in towels as soon as I popped back on board and soon we were back in the warmth of our condo ready for the next stage of eating. Hurrah!

Here ye a video of the grand event: Crossing Georgian Bay!

The tube is being modeled here by Vince, also displaying his very proficient skills at the 'quick-step'.

Day One Hundred and Thirty Four - Tempura

Dear all,

Today I was feeling very ambitious and decided to cook up Darren and I a late night snack of Tempura. Despite my very open enthusiasm on starting this challenge, I had a slightly anxious feeling that this wasn't just going to be a case of 'dipping shrimp and/or vegetable pieces into a pan' so with bated breath.. I began with the cooking.

The instructions were really quite specific and I was concerned over their call for 'ice water' and 'fresh water shrimp'. I had already failed on one count having purchased frozen shrimp and scallops from the store rather than fresh, so hoped the sushi-gods were looking down on me favorably as I attempted to whip up the tempura.

So, to start, I blended the tempura flour with the 'ice' cold water and left in a second bowl of ice water to keep chilled. I then heated up a bowl of hot hot hot oil.

I then cut up a load of veggies and with the scallops and shrimp on hand, I dipped each piece leisurely into the batter and then popped them straight in the oil.

I knew we had a problem when the batter immediately fell off the broccoli and formed a thick crust on the bottom of the pan [nb. Darren was working at the time and thankfully not able to see what what happening to his pots]

I managed to cobble together a few 'tempura-ish' pieces and presented them to Darren with great gusto. To be fair, he was very very kind and managed to eat some, but It was a little bit like eating oily veggies that smelt like fish. To redeem myself, I cooked up the rest of my ingredients in a quick fire stir fire ( I am [incidentally] very good at making stir fries)

So all was not lost in the pot of boiling oil.. but at least I gave it a good go. Better luck next time ( or get take out...).

Day One Hundred and Thirty Three - Draining The Hot Tub

Dear all,

Today my task was a practical one and great skill to have in the awe-inspiring world of technology that surrounds us, I helped Chris drain the Hot Tub.

We attached a pump to the bottom of the tub which ran out into the flower beds adjacent.

When asking where the excess water was going to go, Chris responded, 'on your flowers'. I was a little alarmed at this having seen the elaborate cocktail of chlorine-based chemicals that were administered daily to the hot tub water. Needless to say, the plants had an [enforced] good soaking with the stuff, so we shall see if it 'stunts' their growth or not..

Once drained, the hot tub was cleaned, new filters added, new water was put in and we were good to go. All ready for the holiday weekend!


And in other news:
1. I got to work with the weed whacker today: the one piece of garden machinery that can make a massive impact ( if used correctly - it can also be devastating) to any border. Below two of my greater gardening accomplishments this year: The wall of sunflowers lining the barn and the brand new border of perennials next to Home Farm.



2. Our little feathered 'eating machines' are getting plump. Bring on the BBQ!!



3. Today, Rich was guest quiz master at Trivia with the inspired theme of 'Hide and Seek'. It was a brilliant night starting with a fabulous Italian dinner at Anna's. Trivia saw us assemble a stellar team of Anna, Dale, Darren and I and D bought home the beer round with the ingenious answer of 69 to ' how many subway stations are there in Toronto?'!! Pictured here below ( far right) just before his triumph! We didn't win Trivia but it was an awesome night. Thank you Rich!

Day One Hundred and Thirty Two - Epsom Salts

Dear all,

I realized today that my feet ( as a result of wearing cheap flip flops all day, every day) resembled something out of a horror film. I got to work immediately in finding a solution and after a brief consultation with google, I decided on a good, old fashioned foot bath of epsom salts.


Epsom salts (also known as a rather more distinguished sounding, magnesium sulphate) are comprised of the chemical compound MgSO₄ and in their hydrated form, the pH is around 6.0. It is often encountered as the heptahydrate ( I know, wikipedia sometimes gets ahead of itself), MgSO₄·7H₂O, but is more commonly ( and slightly less intimidatingly) known Epsom salts.


I sought the healing properties of Dr Teal and (using a saucepan) gave me feet a good 30 minute soaking in water thick with the medicinal salt solution.

I have gotta say, my feet felt fabulous afterward and I am determined to keep up the ritual in order to try and get my feet in some sort of presentable shape and not be glaringly obvious that I run around horse fields with virtually nothing on my feet ( sorry mum).

And in other news:
1. A blissful evening with Karla and Jenny beside Karla's pool. Karla even has a beach bar! Heavenly.


2. Mac has had a hair cut! He now resembles a miniature lion.

Day One Hundred and Thirty One - Dry Cleaning

Dear all,

Today I found myself climbing ever closer to my goal of becoming the ultimate domestic goddess: I took one of Darren's duvets to be 'dry-cleaned'.

This is literally a miracle for me. As many will know, I am an old hippy at heart and therefore everything I own comes pre-wrinkled or attached to a label that states it must be 'hand-washed' only. 'Hand washed' means ' washing machine washed' to me and therefore everything I own is a 'little' bit too small and very bobbly.

This was therefore a big moment for me and for everyone I have told about it, quite astounding. What have I been doing all this time???? Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing or solvent that uses a chemical solvent rather than water. The solvent used typically is tetrachloroethylene (nothing like a good wholesome name beginning with the prefix: tetrachloro)

I wrapped up the duvet and whizzed around to the Dry Cleaners opposite our favorite Tim Hortons on First Street in Collingwood. I was a little apprehensive about what to ask for but the lady seemed to understand that I was a newby and took the duvet, scribbled what looked like 'dry-cleaning' code on a sheet of paper and told me to come back on Thursday.

I am excited for Thursday! Clean duvet and a deep sense of [domestic goddess style] satisfaction!

Day One Hundred and Thirty - Gerry's Margarita

Dear all,

After a long day, I popped into Connie and Gerry's for a quick hello. Gerry [brilliantly] asked me if I was 'running or partying'. As I had just run 15 km, my immediate response was of course 'partying'.

Gerry decided rather than the usual fine wine, he would whip up one of his famous Margaritas for my delectation. This was a great honor and I was most excited.

Gerry's 'Special' Margarita Recipe:

1. Blue Curacoa - 1 splash

2. Cointreau - 1 splash

3. Tequila - 1 splash

4. Margarita mix - 1 big splash

Shake it up with a few cubes of ice in a cocktail shaker, pour into glass, dip in salt and voila: The perfect summer cocktail!

Below, their Inukshuk in all its glory. Now finished, with Connie giving the final touches to the surrounding gardens. Just fabulous.

And in other news:
1. My award winning sunflower in full bloom

2. Little Rimba grows and grows!

Day One Hundred and Twenty Nine - Deidre's 40th Birthday!

Dear all,

Today was a a glorious day. After work, Darren and I set forth on a glorious drive down to Toronto to celebrate Deidre's 40th birthday!

Once we had navigated our way downtown using D's marvelous GPS we encountered the ever-frustrating problem with driving in cities: Parking.

Darren unleashed his inner warrior and after displaying some impressive improvised navigational skills, we found a cheeky car park just around the corner from the bar with an hourly charge that didn't involve more than 2 zeros.

The day previously, I had been feeling rather raunchy and had bought myself some significantly sized stilettos for the party. Walking was therefore an interesting venture especially in a town where there are numerous 'vents' and 'grates' that could easily cause great distress/ embarrasment if you were to get your heel trapped mid stride.

I have gotta say, the venue was fabulous! A gorgeous oasis in the heart of the Toronto financial district. As per the website and so, so true: 'The restaurant you would have built'.

http://www.southoftemperance.com/

It had an expansive outdoor seating area that was beautifully decorated and almost felt like we were in an expensive resort on a remote island. They even allowed smoking on the terrace ( smoking in bars is now somewhat of an 'urban legend').

But the main event was gorgeous Deidre and it was FABULOUS! Vince ( Deidre's amazing fiance) put on a BRILLIANT party, it was so fab. There was food, drinks, gorgeous people and beautiful Deidre floating around looking like the happiest girl in the world.

We had such a lovely evening, it was so much fun. Vince was brilliant in every way and always making sure every last person was happy and having a great time. He was the perfect host.

Come midnight, a fabulous cake arrived as if by magic through the busy bar and we all sang and cheered Deidre, the gorgeous birthday girl.

It was wonderful and once again, Happy 40th Birthday Deidre!

And in other news:

1. Another big day on the birthday calender! Huge Birthday congratulations today for Big Paul: 60 today!!!!

Day One Hundred and Twenty Eight - Coffee Beer

Dear all,

Today, two of my favorite things united in blissful harmony to create something so worthy of the blog it should come accompanied by a trumpet fair:

Beer made from Coffee!

The fabulous Vince and Kerry invited us up for an evening of summer fun in Owen Sound and on arrival, Vince handed me an ice cold bottle of beer with the line ' you will like this'. 'Coffee flavored beer?' you might ask... however, it tasted sublime; like a medium Belgium lager with a rich after taste and lovely body. VERY drinkable.

And it has won a ton of awards: http://millstreetbrewery.com/

If it is ever a sign if a great evening, the strike of midnight saw us signing along to Bruce Springsteen and strumming hard of our respective air guitars. Awesome! Another brilliant night with Vince and Kerry!

And in other news:

1. Whilst sitting on Vince and Kerry's veranda, we noticed a young man randomly dragging a tree down the highway. Most bizarre.

Day One Hundred and Twenty Seven - Atlantic Salmon

Dear all,

On a quest for 'key lime juice' this afternoon ( more on this to follow...), I popped into the glorious Sobeys and ended up ( as always) coming out with a bag of goodies that I really had no intention of getting on entering the store.

Needless to say, one must always eat and I had a gastronomic treat waiting for D when he came home from work. I had purchased on very high recommendation, two Atlantic Salmon Steaks from the nice man on the fish counter. He said despite the buck difference in price, I should absolutely go 'Altantic'. So I did. FYI: for all 'fish' enthusiasts out there, a brief description of the Atlantic 'Salmo'.

Atlantic Ocean species

Atlantic salmon

The Atlantic ocean has only one species of salmon, in the genus Salmo:

• Atlantic salmon, or salmon, (Salmo salar), which reproduces in northern rivers on both coasts of the ocean. Yet there are also
  • Land-locked salmon (Salmo salar m. sebago), which live in a number of lakes in eastern North America and in Northern Europe, for instance in lakes Onega,Ladoga, Saimaa and Vänern. They are not a different species from the Atlantic salmon, but have independently evolved a non-migratory life style, which they maintain, even when access to the sea is not barred.

I also bought some shrimp and marinated everything in a self-devised marinade including teriyaki sauce, peppers, garlic, onion and chillis. I get the cedar plank soaking and popped the labyrinth on whilst I got stuck into a 'green' nude ( My latest artistic experiment)

Just off the stove and steaming: fresh broccoli - great with salmon!

Once Darren was back from a long day at the office, we got the steaks straight on the BBQ and within about 10 minutes they were done; juicy, succulent and covered in lashings of marinade.

It was a triumph! And finished off the evening watching 'Bronson' a docu-film about the most violent criminal in history [played by Tom Hardy, also in Inception and a star in the making I am sure of it]. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0362766/