Take-out Margaritas

I wouldn't have believed it but now I know you can get anything in Toronto...even take out margaritas. I saw this at the Lone Star Texas Grill near my home in a shopping mall.

I think I will drive up to the door and ask for a margarita to go, just like the sign says!

Jusl like at Tim's!

Christmas Day and after

I got a new camera for Christmas! It is another Canon, it was a total surprise, this one has more megapixels...14.7 of them! I will be able to crop to my heart's content and still have pixels left for a pretty good image. This camera is a Powershot SD990 IS Digital Elph. I love the Elphs, they are small, light and easy to bring everywhere. My camera is always with me.

We had my sons and Grace here for Christmas dinner. Grace loved the table I decorated in blue, and took photos of it...so did I. I used those glassy Christmas trees instead of candles...got them on sale right before Christmas.

This year, I didn't stuff everyone before dinner, served far fewer snacks so they were hungry at dinnertime. No one over ate, we all felt satisfied but comfortable after.

I cooked our turkey, in a bag. I find that the simplest way to cook a turkey, less fuss because you are not basting it all the time. The meat turns out well cooked and moist, never dry. In November I saw Turkey Seasoning Paste, at $10 a jar at William Sonoma. A little extravagant but I wanted to try it. Now that I have tasted it and know the texture of the paste, I will be able to reproduce it for another turkey much more economically. It was a mixture of oil, rosemary, other turkey spices, salt, brown sugar. I rubbed the paste under the skin everywhere, and outside the skin too, then sealed the turkey in the bag. A 14 lb turkey was ready in 3 hours, much quicker in a bag, isn't it.

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We had butternut squash soup with a hint of curry, fluffy mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potato-squash-beet-onion mix, stuffing, baby peas. The wine was Pinot Grigio, Glenn's choice. Plum pudding and liquers for dessert.

Today, I started at the gym. While everyone was out grabbing deals at the Boxing Day sales, I worked out...it was pretty tough, I am so out of shape, but the girls told me it would get better. I managed 20 minutes on the running machine (fast walk really) and another 15 on the eliptical trainer. I wasn't able to do more than that for today--too exhausted. Came home and did my sit ups here, where I wouldn't be so embarrassed and then took a shower.

Christmas Eve, I was in for a fitness evaluation and tomorrow I go for training on how to use 8 machines. I plan to go every night after work, some nights cardio only, 3 nights weights and cardio. I told the girls at the gym I want to look gorgeous in my gown for Glenn and Grace's wedding photos.

We are having left overs for dinner tonight, Craig is going to drop by for more too. Today I made the stock for turkey soup. It is chilling outside now, no room in the fridge. Tomorrow I will take the fat off the top and add veggies and some kind of noodles. I love turkey leftovers. Had a turkey sandwich after the gym today.

What do you do with turkey leftovers?

Christmas Calories

There are more calories around here than I can shake a stick at--more than I dare eat and I don't think anyone else will want to eat them either. Why is Christmas a season of such excess.

I joined a gym today, a new one that has just opened near my home, thought I would get in ahead of the New Year resolution crowd. No membership fee, I just pay as I go, month by month, $40 each month...that is just $10 per week for unlimited use of the gym. All I need to give is 30 days notice when I want to stop. There is an online feature where I can track my progress on the machines, track my weight loss, plan my calories and meals. Tomorrow I have an appointment for a 1 hour fitness evaluation and they will give me a program to follow, show me how to use the machines and check my fitness level again in three months. Not bad for $10 a week, hmm? I am actually looking forward to starting the program...my gym bag is packed and ready!

I will drop most of the goodies off at a food bank...there is a big bin at our local grocery store. How did all these things get into my house? I brought some in myself, some were seasonal gifts. I am a bit sick of it all. I simply have to learn to celebrate without putting food in my mouth.

I love? winter!

I can't believe I am pretty well finished Christmas shopping already; I can actually consider myself done. Why? Because the sales have been fantastic, everything I see is on sale 30%, 40%, 50% and even 60% off. Brand names, winter wear, you name it--it is on sale in Toronto. The dark cloud of economic crisis has silver upside I suppose. The sales are certainly encouraging consumer spending but I do wonder how the stores will make any profit with sales like this.

I was wandering around the mall again on Sunday and had to buy these bathroom towels and soap dispenser for my powder room at 60% off. Friday night the towel had been $20 and soap dispenser had been $29. Aren't they darling? Got some finger towels too.

I love? winter!

I can't believe I am pretty well finished Christmas shopping already; I can actually consider myself done. Why? Because the sales have been fantastic, everything I see is on sale 30%, 40%, 50% and even 60% off. Brand names, winter wear, you name it--it is on sale in Toronto. The dark cloud of economic crisis has silver upside I suppose. The sales are certainly encouraging consumer spending but I do wonder how the stores will make any profit with sales like this.

I was wandering around the mall again on Sunday and had to buy these bathroom towels and soap dispenser for my powder room at 60% off. Friday night the towel had been $20 and soap dispenser had been $29. Aren't they darling? Got some finger towels too.

My dinner tonight

was 3 large stalks of celery with roasted red pepper cream cheese and a creme brulée without the brulée.  I have been eating a lot of that the past few days.  Whenever I was sick as a young girl my mother would make me custard so it is comfort food now. . . hers was bubbly and a bit lumpy but I liked it because it was dessert and it was such a treat to have dessert for a whole meal.  Mom's was bubbly and lumpy but I liked it.  This one was smooth and creamy, I like it better.  All I needed was the brulée but I am afraid of the torch.

Gifts from Europe

I was glad to have my sister Karen and her daughter Melanie visiting me from Montreal this week. They are driving home today. I will be happy to get my little condo back, things get a bit topsy turvy with all the extra things about, but I will miss their company. We had good fun talking, shopping for things they can't get in Montreal and we got in a few daytrips too.

Karen liked my shortbread mould and found another just like it when I brought her out to the Beaches. I haven't used mine yet and I am not sure how to...maybe someone can tell me. Do you bake the dough in the mould or do you pat it in and flip it out on a tray to bake?

Melanie brought her auntie (me!) gifts from her trip to Europe. She toured a number of countries in 17 days--she had a great time. France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Holland and Switzerland where she says she would love to live. She brought me cheese from Amsterdam and wine from Austria.

The cheese tastes like Gouda. Under the cellophane it is encased in green wax; it has a nice buttery taste and there are herbs in it. You can see the package got a little squashed in Melanies suitcase but that didn't affect the taste. I can almost read the label, Dutch seems to have words that sound similar to English. This cheese is made with raw milk. I am not sure what knoflook or ui is, but there is parsley, curry and pepper in this cheese. Quite enjoyable! I am hoping Gerda will come along and tell me what else is in it.

This white wine was crisp and refreshing, it went nicely with the herby cheese. The bottle came with a glass stopper instead of a cork. I don't know if they use glass stoppers in all the wine in Austria or even Europe. Here we have changed from cork to a kind of plastic. I am going to keep the glass stopper for other bottles. It fits very snugly.

I Got My Thrill On Blueberry Hill

Come early to pick blueberries! That's what they told Bernadette when she called the pick-your-own orchard. She was at my house before 9:30 Saturday morning and we set off. We enjoyed the drive out to Wilmot Orchards in Newcastle, about a 40 minute drive from here.

We brought our containers, me a colander, Bernadette a colander and a plastic bucket. She managed to fill both her containers in the time I filled one but I think I was eating more as we picked.

We "weigh in" the empty containers before picking. If you don't have a container they will sell you one and if you change your mind about picking, they will sell you the blueberries.

They sent us over to pick at Row 23 and 24 but I think we could have easily picked at any other row. They just try to keep people spread out where the blueberries need to be picked. Picking will go on all month as different varieties ripen.

Big beautiful blueberries just fall off in your hands. These are large highbush blueberries, not as sweet as wild blueberries but easy to pick.

Bernadette has found a good area to pick...may as well get comfortable, she will be here a while!

My colander manages to fill as I pick and eat.

Bernadette says, "Oh, LOOK at them all under here!"

Colander fills up.

The colander is getting heavy, I think I am almost done. Maybe I will eat a few more.

Bernadette weighs in...that will be $16.74 please.

Mine are $10.35 Lots of blueberries! What a lovely girl who served us, she was so cheerful. Tomorrow is her birthday...see the sign? God love her!

The Cafe was open. We had a cup of coffee and Bernadette enjoyed the most delicious blueberry scone...so tender, moist and sweet. I had a small bite of it. The bakery here sells blueberry desserts and also shares the recipes if you ask.

If you are in a hurry, you can just buy your blueberries from the fridge.

The tasting counter...today's sample was corn chips and blueberry salsa. I loved it, Bernadette found it a little hot. It wasn't really hot.

We discovered the patio after we had finished our coffee but if we had seen it, would have preferred to eat out here. There is a nice breeze, a good view of the blueberry field and a nice little water fountain. Such a pretty place.

Bernadette looks out over the fields.

Closeup of a hibiscus on the patio.

A blueberry cart. You can wheel this to your row, sit on it, even sit your water bottle on it while you drop blueberries in the hole and then wheel your cart back to the weigh station. That cart would hold blueberries for lots of pies and jams.

Front of the Cafe

Back at my car in the lot we admired this hydrangea. There has been so much rain mixed with sunshine this summer, hydrangeas have never looked as good!

It was another great daytrip!

A new take on an old Italian salad...

Craig always comes hungry and rummaged through my kitchen...spied some fresh tomatoes and brought out the olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. I had no bocconchini cheese so he reluctantly used some shavings of light Jarlsburg over the tomato slices...topped each slice off with fresh chopped basil from the garden...and drizzled the dressing of oil and vinegar.

The sweetness of the balsamic vinegar dressing with the sweet basil, ripe local tomatoes and the nutty cheese were quite yummy. I wish I had had a nice crusty slice of bread to mop up the wonderful juice left on the plate...but I am not eating carbs these days. If you try this...have the bread handy.

Picture Perfect - Zest

P I C T U R E P E R F E C T

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By all means mention your camera and lens used, and if the picture has been altered or enhanced in anyway! Out of the box thinking is encouraged!! Please open your page for viewing for all for that day...and then visit as many others as you can! Try and post a decent size pic on your blog page, so much is lost if the pic is too small or too big.

Good Luck, and have fun out there!!

......

Zest for life? Zest for living? Zestful energy? No.

I can't help it..."zest" only makes me think of food!

Cats, Blueberries and a Recipe

A visit home wouldn't be the same without Karen's cats. Above is Charlie, the homeless fellow who adopted my sister and her family. He is quite content here, but stays clear of Cinder (photo below), their younger wilder kitten. She likes to jump on Charlie's back. But then, I think he gets her back by eating her food.

Cinder is a skittish cat...she is very nervous of new people. It took her two days to come out of hiding after I arrived. I coaxed her with treats.

Mom and I at Karen's for dinner. Mom didn't like any of the pictures I took of her but this one she said was ok. She is 85 years old.

Karen found an old Newfoundland recipe book amongst my mother's things and brought it home. She and Melanie decided to surprise my mom with a blueberry meringue cake--the recipe had a sort of check mark beside it. Mom didn't remember the recipe or having ever eaten a cake like this but she did like the cake.

The cake is plain, the meringue is sweet and holds the blueberries. The recipe follows but Melanie doubled it to get a cake this size. (You can use any all purpose flour) I did not eat any of the cake, I am dieting but I did sample a teaspoon of the meringue...it was very good!

The recipe is called Blueberry Squares, but to me, squares are chewy little things like brownies or coconut gooey sweet things you find at showers and church socials. To me, this is cake. Not layer cake, just good family cake that you serve from the cake pan! So I rename this recipe Blueberry Meringue Cake.

Melanie (my niece) asking her mom (Karen, my sister) if she thought the cake in the oven was done. I miss doing things like that and it is nice to see it again.

Shopping and Dinner

If you want to save money, stay out of the stores! I wandered around the Bay on Friday after work, didn't really need anything but I found these lovely thick towels on sale. They are Egyptian cotton, so soft, I love them! They would look great in my taupe bathroom but I really haven't room in my linen closet for more towels so I will put them away for Grace and Glenn who are getting married next May.

Hea

I am back on Atkins diet again, I do miss the carbs bur for some reason they just make me gain weight. I should make this a lifestyle and stick to it. I have lost 7 pounds and really need to loose 10 more. The diet has its good features...like last night's dinner.

This is a new marinade, for me, I picked it up at Loblaws on Friday. Of course I had to pick up some steak to go with it. I quite like the marinade, it didn't overpower the meat. I just left it sit for a half hour before grilling...and that was enough. Add some vegetable, tomato was quick and on hand. I added a few shavings of Cantenaar cheese to the tomato. This is not exactly a deprivation diet, and it works.

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My Birthday Dinner

A new fine dining estaruant has opened at the marina near my home; Craig, Glenn and Grace took me here for dinner on my birthday.

Our dinners were very enjoyable. Grace chose Asian Chicken with vegetables.

I enjoyed sirloin steak cooked to pink perfecton in a demi glace sauce with sweet little peppercorns and mashed potatoes.

Craig is vegetarian; there was only one selection on the entree list and it did not appeal to him so he chose an appetizer of savoury goat cheese cheesecake topped with tangy cranberries and a side of perfectly done asparagus with bernaise. I had a wee taste of the cheesecake and it was absolutely delicious.

Glenn said his dinner was tasty but just not enough! His selection was Duck Three Ways.. Thirty two dollars for this plate is kind of pricey, don't you think?

Meet my kids! Craig, Glenn and Grace. The flash on Grace's finger is her engagement ring. *s* She and Glenn have set the wedding date, May 30 2009. Plans are underway.

The restaurant opened a few weeks ago in April 2008. Decor is clean and modern, plenty of windows with view of Lake Ontario and the marina on Frenchman's Bay. Very pleasant view.

This restaurant offers hospitality to dogs...outside.

If you serve them, they will come.

We walked on the boardwalk after dinner and met this Chow who loved many pats and lots of attention...we obliged and showered him with it! Isn't he a dear?

There are many geese in the lake and ponds nearby. We noticed a nest in the distance and I zoomed my camera...not a very good shot but the best I could do with this camera. This is the first time I have come across a nest.

I love my kids! Thank you Craig, Glenn and Grace.