A New Blackberry

My Cloud Photo


L got a new Blackberry cell phone much to K's envy. It seems the price of these have come down quite a bit and it will cost pretty much the same as her old cell phone plan. A lot of kids have these now and they enjoy the unlimited texting between blackberries (for those that don't pay otherwise for unlimited texting) and you can check your email and have other internet capabilities wherever you go.

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Spicy Tomato Fish Chowder

I found this recipe on the Best Health website and it's on my list to try as it sounds quick and healthy:

Spicy Tomato Fish Chowder

This spicy tomato fish chowder recipe makes a speedy main dish that is hearty and healthy.
Ingredients 4 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium tomatoes (about 1 pound), peeled, cored, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1/2 pound cod or other white fish fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Directions

1. In a heavy saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, tomatoes, basil, oregano, cayenne pepper, and wine, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
2. Add 3 cups water, bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer. Mix in cod and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Ladle tomato fish chowder into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4

The Ultimate Soup Cookbook, Reader's Digest

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Kleptomaniac

A friend sent me this classic routine that is still funny today.




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Senior Coffee

It was supposed to rain yesterday, but it's warm this week and the sun's shining. There were a few blackbirds on the lawn, one of them them was huge. They're not my favourite birds.

I just found out you can get a cup of coffee at McDonald's for 93 cents if you're a senior. You have to order a 'senior coffee'. Otherwise it's $1.22 plus tax.

A friend sent me this 'International Dance Day Flash Mob at the Toronto Eaton Centre, Official Video' "Canadas National Ballet Schools community members celebrate the Schools 50th anniversary on International Dance Day, April 29, 2010 at the Toronto Eaton Centre." Her daughter's in it but I had to look very carefully and still haven't found her! Anyway, it looks like it was fun.


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Baked Chicken Paprika

A friend sent me this easy baked chicken recipe and I decided to make it with a few variations for yesterday's dinner along with Pete's purple avatar rice. I'd say dinner was a success.


Baked Chicken Paprika:

6 chicken legs, back attached, skin on

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbs paprika
2-3 chopped garlic
1 onion chopped
some extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat oven 350F.
Line baking tray with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients with the chicken and bake for about 40 minutes.

The chicken was moist, I think because of the olive oil.

The Age of Majority

L turned 18 last week! It means she can vote and buy lottery tickets but in Ontario cannot drink until she's 19. When I googled 'age of majority' I discovered that in Iran, it's 9 years old for girls and 15 years old for boys, can you believe that?

L left for Montreal on her birthday due to a school art trip and reports having the time of her life. The restaurant meals (complete with cocktails) were reportedly incredible and they were allowed to go clubbing afterwards. The nightlife there is very lively and they had an exciting time. Oh, and they shopped.

Educationally, they painted a live, nude model (an older woman), attended a Notre Dame Cathedral light show at night and saw a play in English. L also had lots of opportunities to practice her French and found she's quite fluent. Quite a lot of people there only speak French so it's quite useful to know the language.

The only unfortunate thing was that she lost her cell phone somehow, so we have to get her another one.

L said one night, they stepped out of a restaurant and the streets were flooded with people. It seems the Montreal Canadiens Hockey team had won an important series against the Chicago Capitals and there was unbelievable excitement on the streets. All the businesses had to close early and cops were out in full force. She loved it, especially all the noise.

What a great way to come of age.


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Marmite

L told me the other day she wanted to try 'Marmite' or 'Vegemite' as she's been learning about it in one of her classes at school. It turns out they actually sell it in our local grocery store, who knew? I found it in the baking section beside the yeast. So we had a taste of it, spread lightly on toast. But we didn't really like it. We even ended up melting some cheese on top. It has a salty taste, sort of like soy sauce. Well, it was worth a try.


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