Conserving Power

Here is some good advice on unplugging appliances when not in use.

Inspiring Meme

I really liked this one:

Pork Dumplings

These Chinese pork dumplings are sold frozen at the grocery store. My friend S told me to boil them first (from frozen until they float) then pan fry in a bit of oil. They disappeared really fast!  I like them dipped in a bit of hot sauce.

Paint Party Friday - Wedding Carriage

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! I did a wedding card today, a cake in a carriage actually! I did a scanned version and took some photos to try to show the silver and metallic rose colours I used.

Thanks to Eva and Kristin for always hosting!

scanned version

Rain's Thursday Art Date - Mechanical

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art Date, it's 'Mechanical' week! I did a robot on grey textured cardstock (6" x 6") in permanent marker outlined with a PITT fine point marker. I am not in the least bit mechanical so I settled on a simple robot here.

Peruvian Restaurant

My sister was visiting from Florida last week and a friend recommended they try this Paracas Peruvian restaurant.  Here are some photos, the food was  delicious although expensive.  We got a lot of seafood dishes, we were a party of 13.

Paella

latte

Early fall photos

Here are some early fall photos I took last week while I was out walking. This is the pretty part of fall, before the biting cold wind comes.

crabapples

marigold

Banana Cookies

I saw this recipe for banana and sunflower seed cookies in the newspaper and decided to make it because the photo looked so good.  I've never had a banana cookie have you?

I used 3/4 cup of sugar instead of a cup and put sunflower seeds on top of just half of the cookies as I thought son K would prefer them without.  My package of sunflower seeds are roasted and unsalted so they likely didn't need toasting but I did anyway.

They are soft and really good.

Thai Green Curry Chicken and Zucchini soup

Jan of The Low Carb Diabetic posted a delicious recipe the other day and I was not disappointed when I tried it.  It only takes 5 to 10 minutes until cubes of chicken breast are cooked.  You may have to go hunting for the mild Thai green curry paste and the recipe also uses coconut milk and one zucchini.

Shrimp and Okra on the Menu

Frozen shrimp were on sale at the grocery store so that is what I made one day. Fresh okra was also on sale.

Frozen shrimp can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight, or rinsed in cold water for about 20 minutes before use. I sauteed the shrimp in olive oil and fresh minced garlic for about 5 minutes, as I noticed these shrimp already came with salt.

After some googling, I decided the chop the tips off the okra and steam them for 6 minutes. Then I just sauteed them in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, salt and garlic.

Paint Party Friday - Wedding Card

Welcome to Paint Party Friday, kindly hosted by Eva and Kristin. This is a wedding card I made for a recent wedding we attended.  I will often use quotes inside, this is the one I used:

Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Rain's Thursday Art Date - Texture

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art Date, her theme this week is 'texture'. This greeting card attempts to suggest texture in sheaves of wheat, topical for this time of year don't you think?  Thanks for hosting, Rain!

Kid's Meal

Have you seen the kid's meal at Ikea? For $3.49 you can get a small meatball dinner as pictured with a drink and a bag of sliced apples. It is even a perfect snack for an adult who isn't that hungry.

Thai Style Ground Beef with Peppers

I watched Marion Grasby doing a video of Thai Style ground beef. She did hers with eggplant. I had a bunch of peppers so that is what I used.

2 pounds of lean ground beef
3 red peppers cut up
3 tbs fish sauce
3 tbs oyster sauce
2 cloves of garlic
3 tbs canola oil
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp chili powder

Saute the garlic in canola oil, add the ground beef and brown it in bits. Add the fish sauce and oyster sauce, basil and chili powder. Cover and simmer with the peppers for 15 to 20 minutes. This dish is delicious served with rice.

Pork Chops with vinegar and honey

My pork chops have never been very good.  I saw this recipe online and decided to try a version of it.  The key is to use some vinegar and honey in the marinade and saute them in a pan with a bit of oil for approximately 4 minutes per side.  They taste like steaks!

6-8 bone in pork chops (3/4" thick approx)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 tbs canola oil for pan frying, top up as necessary
1/2 can tomato paste
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbs white vinegar ( apple cider vinegar is fine too)
2 tbs honey or maple syrup
1/2 tsp thyme or other herb

Marinate the chops with all the ingredients, overnight  is good but not necessary.  Heat the oil and saute the chops approximately 4 minutes per side.

Important for pollinators

goldenrod

thistle

I spoke last week on the importance of pollinators such as bees and insects. On my walk I saw these goldenrod and thistle plants thriving as weeds in their natural environment. They are a part of the pollinator habitat, essential links to our food chain. I have a new respect for weeds.

Fast Fry Strip Loin Steaks

I got these clearance thinly sliced fast fry steaks the other day. From googling, I found out they only take 30 seconds on each side to pan fry in a bit of oil. It works beautifully!

Paint Party Friday - Another Wedding Gown

Welome to Paint Party Friday! This is a wedding gown greeting card in permanent marker outlined with a PITT fine point marker.

Rain's Thursday Art Date - Harvest

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art Date! I had done this 'Harvest' piece 3 years ago and thought I would show it again today. It was done in watercolour pencils.

Thanks Rain, for hosting.

Lest we Forget

Lest we forget the terror attacks of September 11th 2001.  It has been 18 years, do you remember what you were doing that morning?  I had just dropped my kids off at their elementary school and was on the way to an exercise class when I heard the news on the car radio.  It was just after 9 am.  The story was more confusing at the beginning.  I pondered potential rescue scenarios.

On to my regular post, my neighbour dropped by with this fuzzy squash from his garden. I was told to peel the hard skin off prior to cooking it. It was good stir fried in garlic.

Chewy mint chocolate cookies

I found this recipe for chewy mint chocolate cookies, they are so delicious. I did use just a cup of sugar, and real butter makes all the difference. I replaced the chocolate chips with chopped mint chocolates.

These are a fine substitute for the Girl Guide mint chocolate cookies I was trying to imitate.

Night Out with Friends

We had a night out with friends on the night of the Women's Final of the US Open.  We passed by this sports bar on the Danforth at the time the game was going on and I caught the tail end of some of the cheering with this video.  Andreescsu is the first Canadian to win a major tournament title.  Toronto was very happy that night.

We ate at the Astoria Restaurant, it was one of the first restaurants on the Danforth and is still very popular for Greek food.  We ate delicious chicken and pork souvlaki.

On the way home, I saw this sign in a subway car.  It says 'Mary's family can't afford a computer.If she has three essays to write, and the library closes in one hour, how much higher will the crime rate be in 2050?

Zucchini garlic stir fry

Congrats to Bianca Andreescu on her US Open win!

My friend S told me she simply stir-frys her zucchini in a hot fire with garlic. I tried it for 5 minutes, stirring constantly and it is delicious, nothing else was needed!  She couldn't tell me how long she does it for she just said 'when it's cooked'.  I decided to stop when I saw the zucchini turn a bright green colour.

On the importance of pollinator gardens

LGBTQ were protesting yesterday on the grand opening of Chick-Fil-A in downtown Toronto yesterday.

One of my sisters who lives in California sent me this poster on the need for pollinator gardens. I thought I would share this valuable information with you. We need pollinators such as birds, bees, bats, beetles and other insects. One in every three bites of our food is due to pollinators, they are essential links to our food chain. Pollinators need habitat to survive, they are in decline. They need specific native plants to survive, not non native shrubs and trees.

Over the years I have learned to plant native shrubs and trees as they need less care. They thrive naturally in their environment and the pollinators are alive and well here!

Paint Party Friday - Wedding Gown

This is a greeting card I did of Heidi Klum in her wedding gown which I saw in the newspaper recently. I thought the gown was lovely as is she.  Happy Paint Party Friday!

Rain's Thursday Art Date - History

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art Date! The theme is 'history'. I put my thinking cap on for this one and came up with an antique crank phone. They are about a hundred years old, even before rotary phones. I understand that an operator would pick up when they heard a ring tone and somehow connect you to your party. The cranking may have been to power the phone somehow. We have come such a long way in that time.

My piece is done in permanent markers outlined with a PITT finepoint marker (6" x 6") textured cardstock.

Community Comedy Night

Inuit Art at the gallery

catered refreshments

Husband M and I attended a community comedy night at the local art gallery recently. It was hosted by high school students and featured comedians with disabilities. The first young comedian had a high functioning autism, he told intelligent and funny jokes. Then we were invited to complimentary refreshments followed by the second comedian's act. He stuttered in a controlled manner and was also very funny. He said he does not stutter when he sings, interestingly.

The event only accepted donations but was sold out of tickets, it had such a good response from the community. It was a pleasant night out for husband and me.  Except that I almost got sprayed by a skunk as we walked home that night!  Fortunately M noticed him and told me to back away and cross the road.  

Caulflower burgers

Rain gave me the idea to make cauliflower burgers and they were delicious! Thanks Rain!

Even More Farm Fresh Vegetables

The days are getting shorter now, I have noticed it is a lot darker in the mornings.  It is also cooler outside in the mornings.

My friend S brought me some more lovely vegetables from her sister's farm. I have cooked them all, nothing has gone to waste. I made a soup with the squash and stuffed the zucchini for the second time.

Welcome to September 2019

I am sharing my September calendar page with you today to welcome September! It says 'Carpe Diem'.