Sunday, May 31, 2026

Sunday Smiles and SITAR

 

Welcome to Sunday Smiles and SITAR!

Here is my wind turbine ACEO (2 1/2"x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil based on this cool fact:


Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles and to Nicole's SITAR.

Saturday, May 30, 2026

Breaded Chicken Breast Sandwiches and colonoscopy

 

I toasted these breaded chicken breast sandwiches in the air fryer and they were so good. I put a slice of swiss cheese and spinach leaves in them after spreading mayonnaise on the bread slices.

I did a routine colonoscopy May 28th, my last one was in 2018 I believe. Purg-Odan was the name of the prescription laxative I was tokd to take. No polyps were found but there is some diverticulitis in one area.  The doctor said to eat more fibre, which I do.  My daughter takes Fibre 4 which is like a tasteless Metamucil she says.  I think I will start taking that daily. It can only help. My next colonoscopy is recommended in 10 years.

Friday, May 29, 2026

Friday Art - Portrait in Yellow


 

Welcome to Friday Art!

Showing a portrait in yellow, canvas in acrylic (3" x 3").

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

Thursday, May 28, 2026

Lupini Beans

 

Daughter L's friend introduced her to these lupini beans from Walmart. She says they are a crunchy delicious snack.  They are brined so she rinses them a bit and eats them as a snack.  She gave us this jar to try.  I found them a bit too crunchy but maybe I can use them in recipes.

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Overnight Oats

 My brother says he has been buying these packets of overnight oats at Sam's Club, we don't have Sam's Club here in Canada anymore but he says they are quite soft tasting and he likes them.

Here is a base recipe that you can make up yourself the night before, store in the fridge and enjoy the next morning.

Monday, May 25, 2026

Western Omelette

 


I do enjoy a western omelette occasionally.  So I decided to make one using this recipe as a guide.  I used 6 eggs here. It is delicious in a sandwich.

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Sunday Smiles and SITAR

 

I did a sunset in acrylic on a reworked old canvas (3 1/2" x 5") for you today.

Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles and to Nicole's SITAR.

Saturday, May 23, 2026

Of how he broke his thumb

 We occasionally have breakfast at this restaurant in the area.  The restaurant manager was telling us the story of how he broke his thumb. He was in his minivan when a delivery truck pulled out of a street and hit him.  The van then hit a garbage truck head on and totally crushed the front of the van.  At which point he went across three lanes of the oncoming traffic and came to a halt.  He smelled smoke at that point and kicked his door open and escaped.  This was last November he said.  When emergency arrived he mentioned he had had heart bypass surgery so they ordered an ambulance and he was taken to the hospital for examination.  His thumb is still not the same, he may have to have further physiotherapy.  However his time had obviously not come.  He may have suffered a bit of a burn on his chest but otherwise he was fine.

Friday, May 22, 2026

Friday Art - Sunflowers

 



Welcome to Friday Art!

I did some sunflowers for you today, acrylic on canvas (3" x 3 ").

Last week, a new artist Sherry linked to Nicole's FFO.  I was blown away by her realistic artwork. You can visit her here.

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


Thursday, May 21, 2026

Carmelized Brussels Sprouts

 

I have been trying for awhile to make good glazed brussels sprouts that I like.  Here is my latest attempt that isn't bad at all.  Here is the recipe I used basically.

These are 2 lbs of brussels Sprouts.  

dressing:

3 tbs olive oil

3 tbs maple syrup

3 tbs balsamic vinegar

3 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

pinch red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 425F

Trim sprouts by cutting the touch edges off, then half them vertically. Mix dressing in and place the halved sprouts face down on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper. Roast 25-30 mins.


Tuesday, May 19, 2026

A freebie

 

I got this free iced tea sample in the mail.  They usually mail a free coupon but it was fun to receive it anyway. It also came with a $2 coupon off a 12 pack carton.

Monday, May 18, 2026

A birthday celebration

 






Daughter L celebrated her birthday near the end of last month.  I made her a chocolate cake and her hubby got her a personal sized strawberry shortcake along with some gourmet chocolates.  We also went out for a nice dinner.  Grandson C was waving at all the waiters and the customers in the restaurant as we walked down the aisles and they waved back!

It is the Victoria Day long weekend here, enjoy!

Sunday, May 17, 2026

Sunday Smiles and SITAR - Earthrise

 

I have an acrylic on canvas (3" x 3") of earth rising beyond the moon based on a NASA photo of the recent Artemis 2 flyby.

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Chick Pea chocolate chip cookies

 


Daughter L made these delicious chick pea chocolate chip cookies and this is her recipe:

Ingredients


3 cup chickpea flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
5 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp white sugar
1/4 cup no sugar added ED smith syrup
3/4 cup coconut oil (melted in microwave)
3 handfuls choc chips or desired amount

Mix, scoop into tray, 350F for 10 min or until brown on top

Friday, May 15, 2026

Friday Art

 

This is a bighorn sheep ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil.  It showed up on my laptop screensaver and I wanted to draw those magnificent horns.

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Cowboy Caviar

 


With Corn Chips

Nicole posted her Cowboy Caviar recipe recently.  I decided to try it and it is delicious as all Nicole's recipes are.  Thanks Nicole!

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Wednesday Memes

 The flowers are finally blooming, lots of tulips, the cherry trees are blossoming.  It has been a cold spring so far.  Enjoy the memes!







Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Sheet pan Kebabs

 

I started out making hamburgers and then remembered I wanted to try making beef kebabs. The trick is to bake at 400 F for 20 mins, towel off any liquid, then broil for 5 minutes. Cut the kebabs apart as pictured. It was delicious.

2 lbs of lean ground beef

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ginger

3 tbs lemon juice

1 egg

1/4 c milk

1/2 c breadcrumbs

400F

Spread beef mix in a flat layer in a sheet pan

Make cuts horizontally and vertically

Bake 20 min

Pour off fat (or use a paper towel to remove the liquid)

Broil 4-5 min until golden on top

Cut beef along horizontal lines to separate the kebabs


This is the recipe I intended to try: 

It was a blend 

from Kalejunkie (Instagram)

from Shezcooks (Instagram)

Ingredients:

1 kg mincemeat

1 lg onion chopped and squeezed

4-5 garlic cloves

Coriander

Spice mix:

2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp coriander

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ginger

Instructions:

375F

Spread beef mix in a flat layer in a sheet pan

Make cuts horizontally and vertically

Bake 20 min

Pour off fat (or use a paper towel to remove the liquid)

Broil 4-5 min until golden on top

Cut beef along horizontal lines to separate the kebabs

The first recipe seems to be more moist tasting.


Monday, May 11, 2026

A Positive Survival Drama

 I watched a true survival drama  'Society of the Snow' recently and was very impressed with this Netflix movie that has been remade a few times. It is not my favourite type of movie but it appeals to husband M and son K.  This article explains it well.

The plane crashed Oct 13 1972 in the Andes Mountains.

Warning there are spoilers ahead:

 12 died, 33 survived initially.  27 survivors left a week later. They resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. This movie was not made for the shock value, focussing instead on the human condition. There were 2 avalanches on Oct 29.  The survivors said keeping a sense of humour was invaluable.  When the weather began to thaw 2 of the survivors hiked a gruelling 38 miles for 10 days until they found a travelling horseman. They were rescued Dec 22 and 23.  There were 14 survivors still alive today and are in their 70's and 80's.

Is this something you would watch?

Sunday, May 10, 2026

Sunday Smiles and SITAR - Ruby Ring and Happy Mother's Day

 


Today I am showing a Ruby ring ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil and acrylic pen.


Happy Mother's Day!





Saturday, May 9, 2026

Trout and Shrimp lunch

 

I baked some trout and some shrimp the other day.  I paired it with a salad topped with sliced almonds.  It was perfect with rice and my red onion gravy.  I haven't been putting salt in many of our dishes for when Grandson C is over, but I did add salt to the seafood that day.  It did add extra taste to the dishes of course.

Friday, May 8, 2026

Friday Art - Bighorn Sheep

 

Welcome to Friday Art!

This is a Bighorn Sheep ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil.

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



Thursday, May 7, 2026

Some new coasters

 

I printed some coasters using my art.  It was a set of 4 using one of the free offers I got from Shutterfly. It matches my dining table.  It was really to keep my account active as they store many years (decades) of my photos.