Blueberry Cake

 

I wanted to use up some blueberries  lying in the fridge for over a week.  I made a blueberry cake using this recipe.  I used 3/4 c sugar instead and next time I will top the cake with 1 tbs melted butter and 1 tbs sugar instead of using 2 tbs of each.

Friday Art - Portrait

 

This is my take on Mariah Carey for Nicole's Friday Face Off Portrait challenge today.  ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in pencil.  It needs work I agree, but here it is....

Also linking to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Baked squash with feta cranberries nuts and honey

 

I have been seeing this baked squash recipe online and wanted to try it. It is a flavourful side dish although husband M didn't taste it.  He thinks cranberries and honey belong in cakes.

Ingredients:

peeled diced butternut squash ( 1 1/2" cubes)

1/2 c dried cranberries

1/2 c chopped nuts

1/2c crumbled feta cheese

2 tbs honey (or syrup)

1 /2 tsp salt

1/2 pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

3 tbs olive oil

preheat the oven to 400F

Bake the squash seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder on a tray lined with parchment paper 30 mins. Top with feta, crushed nuts, honey, and dried cranberries.

I cheat and microwave my butternut squash for 7 minutes before peeling and cutting into cubes. You can use maple syrup instead of honey.

Wednesday Memes

 

On Household Chores

 

Looking at the positive side of household chores, I don't mind cooking and lately baking is okay for me, how about you? Dusting, ironing and mending are another matter.

Beauty Empties Collection Bin

 

I was at this store looking for a birthday gift and noticed this Collector bin at the front.  It warns that it is not a garbage can, that it collects hard to recycle beauty packaging like tubes, caps, compacts and palettes.  It provides a QR code that you can scan for more information.

Sunday Smiles and Sunday in the Art Room

 

Welcome to Gillena's Sunday Smiles and to Nicole's Sunday in the Art Room!

This is a sunset based on a photo my sister sent from a cruise in the Bahamas recently. It is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in acrylic.  

Roasted Carrots

 

Daughter L suggested I roast carrots for Grandson C the other day.  It was such a success I decided to roast some for us adults!  They are unsalted although this batch is not for Grandson C but they taste fine unsalted.

4-5 medium carrots peeled and cut in half

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano or your favourite herb

3-4 tbs olive oil

 pre heat the oven to 400F

on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper mix the carrots with all the ingredients

bake 40 mins until fork tender.

Friday Art - Baby Porcupine

 

Welcome to Friday Art!  This is a baby porcupine ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil and acrylic.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Denise's Lemon Spaghetti

 

Denise recently posted about her lemon spaghetti dish which is one of her winners.  I decided to make it again and it did not disappoint.  Here is my post from 2020 where I made it the first time!  Wow time flies.

Wednesday Memes

For your information, I deleted my subscribe to this blog button as I couldn't find a free RSS feed to email plan for my 1720 subscribers.   Mailchimp served me well for 5 years and times are changing, profits are important. I didn't even know I had that many subscribers.   

Great Advice for Seniors

 A letter from an orthopedic doctor to all senior citizens (aged 50-100 years and above...)

*I don't recommend determining bone density anymore, because the elderly will definitely suffer from osteoporosis, and with age, the level of osteoporosis will definitely become more serious, and the risk of bone fractures will definitely increase.*

*There is a formula:*
Fracture risk = external damage force / bone density.

*Elderly people tend to fracture because the denominator value (bone density) is getting smaller, so the risk of fracture will definitely increase.*

*Therefore, the most important step for seniors to prevent fractures is to do everything possible to prevent accidental injuries.*

*How to reduce accidental injuries?*

*There are seven secret characters that I summarized, namely:*

"Be careful, be careful, be more careful"!

*Specific measures include:*

1. Never stand on a chair or stool to pick something up, even if the stool is low.

2. Try to avoid going out on rainy days.

3. Be careful when showering or using the toilet, to avoid slipping.

4. Most important, especially for women - do not put on underwear in the bathroom, lean against the wall or other objects, which is the most common cause of slips and hip fractures... After showering, go back to your changing room.. Sit comfortably either in a chair or on your bed and then put on your underwear..

5. While going to the toilet, make sure the bathroom floor is dry and not slippery.. Use only a sitting toilet.. and at the same time, put a hand support to hold on while standing up from the toilet seat... the same goes for taking a shower while sitting on shower bench

6. Be sure to clean the mess on the floor before going to bed, and be doubly careful when the floor is wet...

7. When waking up in the middle of the night, sit on the bed for 3-4 minutes before standing up; make sure to turn on the lights first, and then get up.

8. At least at night or even during the day (if possible), please, please do not close the toilet door from the inside.. If possible, install an emergency bell in the toilet, and press it to call for help from family members etc. in case of emergency...

9. The elderly must sit on a chair or bed to put on pants etc.

10. In case of falling, you must reach out to get support from the floor. It is better to fracture the forearm and wrist than to fracture the femoral neck in the hip joint.

11. I highly recommend exercise, at least walking, as much as you can..

12. Especially for women.. very, very serious to maintain weight within permissible limits... Dietary control is the most important key... Eating leftovers, common behavior of women... just avoid it... give food waste to street cattle... keeping your weight under control is in your head and mind, "it's always better to stop eating with a half full stomach, than to eat until the stomach is completely full.

13. Regarding the increase in bone mass, I also recommend food supplements (dairy products, soy products and foods, especially bananas, which are high in calcium) rather than drug supplements.

14. Another is to do outdoor activities properly, because exposure to sunlight (under UV rays) converts cholesterol in the skin into vitamin D.

It is beneficial to promote intestinal calcium absorption and osteoblast activity has the effect of delaying osteoporosis.

Pay close attention to non-slip bathroom floors. When climbing stairs, use handrails and do not fall. Everyone, take care.

*Therefore, the elderly must pay attention to anti-slip and anti-fall measures.*

*One fall will cost ten years of life. Because all bones and muscles are damaged. So, be careful.*

*Avoid standing for too long*

*This message may seem long, but it is worth reading especially for the elderly, and those who care for the elderly.*

Dr. Shrujal Shah
Orthopedic Specialist and Joint Replacement Specialist

*Please post in other senior groups too*

Banana Cake

 

I had some overripe bananas and decided to make a banana cake using this recipe.  I have made it before and it did not disappoint!  I used 4 bananas and 3/4 c of sugar instead  of the 1 1/2 c in the recipe. I also didn't frost the cake.

Sunday Smiles and Sunday in the Art Room - Artichoke Flower

 

For Sunday Smiles I am featuring the artichoke flower and an interesting fact on them.

Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles.

For Sunday in the Art Room (SITAR as Nicole says) I drew an artichoke flower for you ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in acrylic and watercolour pencil.  I have Nicole's new SITAR banner up in my sidebar!

Also sharing a few photos of my art supplies and where I do my art which is in my living room.  I have no art room but the living room is sort of my 'area' where I spend the most time in my house besides the kitchen.  You can see my trusty laptop. 

watercolour pencils and acrylic paint pens

paint palette and paintbrush

The office is nearby in another room where I store some other art stuff.

craft acrylic paints

I have good quality acrylic paints but these craft paints are always so handy.

ten years of ACEOs lie in these boxes

Linking to Nicole's Sunday in the Art Room.

Pork Loin Half Centre and Sirloin

My back has recovered from its muscle pull a week ago thanks for all your well wishes. In fact I shovelled a small path (maybe 3 feet) to our community mailbox yesterday as there was a foot of snow blocking my way.

Pork Sirloin

Pork Loin

It's been awhile since I made Pork Sirloin and Pork Loin.  The Pork Loin half centre and Sirloin goes on sale sometimes for maybe $1.99 per pound.  So an 8 pound roast is very economical.  So you separate the 2 cuts of meat and cook them separately.  Pork Loin is roasted and the Sirloin end is braised.  In fact, I braised the sirloin in my pressure cooker this time for about 15 minutes and it was delicious!  I made a jerk pork loin using this recipe on my blog.

Pork Sirloin Braise Recipe:

4 lbs pork sirloin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 tbs dark soy sauce

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tbs Worcestershire sauce

onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tomato chopped

carrots chopped

celery chopped

1 c  port wine

1 bouillon cube dissolved in a bit of water

2 c water to just cover the roast and ingredients

Mix together all ingredients and cook in your pressure cooker for 15 minutes.

Friday Art - Trumpet Vine Faces

 Welcome to Friday Art!  These are my trumpet vines Friday 'Faces' ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").  It is done in watercolour pencil.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Bean Sprout stir fry with Cubanelle Peppers

 

I made this bean sprout stir fry with cubanelle peppers.  It did not last long!

Did I mention Grandson C just started crawling?  Scream!  Think it was Jan 11th.  I haven't seen him do it in person yet.

Wednesday Memes and subscription service

 I think I will be cancelling my subscription service on my blog before Feb 17th as Mailchimp reduced their free plan limits and I wanted something free.  I may look for another free subscription service.

Meatloaf for Baby

 

I made these meatloaves for Grandson C inspired by an Instagram video.  I used ground up rice crackers instead of breadcrumbs although breadcrumbs are probably fine for him  now.  Wait for the meatloaves to cool before removing from the baking tray sprayed with (Pam floured baking spray) else they might break up.

1 carrot grated

1/2 lb lean ground beef

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning 

1 egg

1/4 c formula

4 rice crackers ground up in a mortar and pestle

Mix all ingredients and fill a mini loaf pan sprayed with Pam floured spray.

Bake in a pre heated 350F oven for 25-30 mins.  When cooled, removed the loaves.  Serve in breadstick sized (finger sized) portions.

Egg White Omelette with feta and mozzarella

 

I made these egg white omelettes and they were quite good.

2/3 c of a box of liquid egg whites is equivalent to 4 egg whites. So I used 1 1/3c cups.

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt, pepper

handful of shredded mozzarella cheese

handful of crumbled feta cheese

1 tbs unsalted butter olive oil or both

Add seasonings, whisk egg white mixture with a fork until fluffy. Heat butter and/or olive oil pour in the whisked egg white mix.  When almost cooked, top on half with cheeses, flip the other half over top and you are done.  They are great on  toasted buttered bagels.

Sunday Smiles and Sunday in the Art Room

 

I did some wild mushrooms and ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in acrylic. Ananka inspired this piece recently with her own mushroom post .

Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles and to Nicole's Sunday in the Art Room, her new art challenge where it is all about art.

Well I stepped out of the shower on Friday and pulled a muscle in my back while putting my underwear on. I hope I recover in a week sheesh. It is laughable and yet not funny at the same time. I can still function, it just slowed me down considerably.

Fancy Cocktail picks

 

Daughter L her husband and son K went to a NewYear's Eve party and brought home some leftovers.  We thought her friends cocktail picks were so cute and fancy.  It added a nice touch to the hors d'oeuvres. You would just have to be careful not to eat them!

Husband M and I babysat Grandson C.  He was very good except when it came to bedtime and he was expecting mama to put him to bed like she always does.  It is interesting they know so much at that age already.

Friday Art - Dog Portrait

 

Welcome to Friday Art!  This is my dog portrait based on a photo of a friend's dog. ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in pencil. She is a Goldendoodle.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Beet salad

 

I made this beet salad using a recipe I saw on Instagram.  The dressing is parsley, olive oil, salt, lemon juice mixed in with cooked diced beets and crumbled feta cheese.  I boil the beets for about 45 minutes.

Wednesday Memes