Ebates and some new recipes

I decided to  join the Ebates community after reading about it in  Moneysense magazine to which I subscribe. According to Moneysense, it works as it says it does, you shop online at stores on their site and every quarter they mail you a cheque, a certain percentage of what you bought.  They have just launched in Canada after being in the US for 13 years.

Having said that, I'm not a big online shopper, but I've noticed the young people do a lot of that these days. I read in the newspaper that online shopping is on the rise in Canada, it may be a trend, something that is being embraced for the convenience of it! At any rate, I'm a member of Ebates now. This is their US website. 

I tried some simple recipes on the weekend that I found on Pinterest and quite enjoyed them.  The first is an egg drop soup .  Here is my interpretation of the recipe:

1 inch of fresh ginger, sliced
1 stalk of green onion thinly sliced
1 tsp corn starch
2 eggs
4 cups of low sodium chicken broth

In a small bowl combine cornstarch with 1/4 cup of broth.
In a large saucepan bring remaining broth, ginger to a boil.
Slowly drizzle 2 whisked eggs into the broth. It will cook instantly. Whisk cornstarch into the mixture.  Now depending on how 'low sodium' your brand of broth is, you may have to add salt to taste.

Makes about 4 servings


I also tried potatoes roasted in chicken broth and garlic from Kayotic Kitchen. The potatoes have a soft, yet roasted taste.  I marinated the peeled, whole medium potatoes in olive oil, garlic salt, thyme, onion powder and a squirt of lime juice.  Then I put them in a small baking dish, covered with an inch of low sodium chicken broth and baked uncovered at 350F for 45 minutes.

I might add that it's dangerous to go looking through the food section on Pinterest, you end up making and eating too much!

Free online university courses

I was reading Moneysense magazine of which I am a current subscriber.  It mentioned that there are a number of respected universities (University of Toronto, Stanford, Princeton) offering free online courses.  I've heard about this before, but judging from this 6 month old article, it is VERY popular.  The internet is providing the world with all sorts of wonderful possibilities.  Were you aware of this new trend?

According to the article, the internet is changing education.  A generation of students have grown up online.  This kind of education will also appeal to older learners and retirees.  They are already figuring out how to administer exams and connect to job opportunities.  Wow, it's a brave new world!


An interesting fact I have to share is that No Name generic low sodium chicken broth has about 10 percent more sodium than Campbell's low sodium chicken broth. I discovered this by accident, you really have to check your nutrition labels.

Good for her

My husband M said he saw this senior lady on the subway the other day, over 60 years old.  She had her Samsung Galaxy smart phone in hand, dug out her tablet, attached her earphones, got some biscuits out and started playing a movie.  Before long she was smiling and enjoying herself, and people thought it was so cute!  Good for her!

I made a beef outside round roast recently using a recipe for roasting less tender cuts. I just season the meat with my favourite spices (onion, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, ketchup, worcestershire sauce) then I add beef or chicken stock to a depth of about 1" and roast at 325F for 1.5 to 2 hours.  I don't even bother with browning the meat first and I add my seasonings right into the baking pan lined with parchment paper. It was delicious with some mushroom gravy made from a pack of mushrooms and the drippings.  Less tender cuts of beef tend to be leaner, and healthier.

World's Happiest Countries

One freezing morning last week K and I heard a radio contest where a contestant has to decide to keep going through different vaults in order to win money.  The maximum pot of winnings is
$10, 000.  At the 5th vault the woman had climbed up to over $2000.  It was getting so exciting.  It went to about 9 vaults and she ended up winning the $10,000!  It doesn't happen often but we couldn't help but admire her sense of adventure and pure courage to keep going on, gambling at its finest!  I would've given up at $2000.  What an uplifting way to start the morning!  Then they started playing one of my favourite songs on the radio by Bon Jovi, (who says you can't go home? )  Do you have days like that which start off on the right note?

A friend sent me this article on the world's happiest countries,  I'd love to visit them all. Well, Canada's on the list and I've been to Switzerland.  What countries are on your bucket list?

My son K sent me this pretty instagram photo he took on the beach when we were in Jamaica.

Sunday Sketches - My Framed Art

For Sunday Sketches, I'd like to share some of my recent art that I framed.  They will be housewarming gifts to a friend. They have a similar colour scheme so I thought they would make a nice set.

Kitchen Witch

Borrowing from Wikipedia, I printed this card to go with the good witch:

 Here is the other painting:

Winter Sunset

A beef blade roast

I made a blade roast in the oven the other day.  I usually make more tender cuts of beef in the oven, but I decided to try this cut of blade roast I bought.   I knew it had to be simmered in stock somehow and I found a simple recipe on the internet.  After roasting at a low temperature (325F) for a couple of hours, there it was, tender and juicy.  I made a gravy with the leftover broth in the pan.  The leftovers were also good for sandwiches the next day.  If you are a meat eater, have you tried roasting less tender cuts of meat?

My son K sent me this pretty instagram photo he took on the beach while we were on a trip to Jamaica.

Paint Party Friday - Another Kitchen Witch

Last week at Sunday Sketches, I had a watercolour sketch which I refined into this version. I put her against a sunset background, acrylic on cardstock (6.5" x 4.5").

According to Wikipedia, So that those unfamiliar with the kitchen witch can understand its meaning, sometimes a note will be hung around the witch's neck stating something similar to:

"The Legendary Secret of Goof-Proof Cooking: The Famous Kitchen Witch
For centuries, Norwegians have hung this good witch in their kitchen. They believe she has the power to keep roasts from burning, pots from boiling over, and sauces from spilling."

Linking to Paint Party Friday.