Earth Hour 2009

Another notice about the upcoming Earth Hour came to me today. We are supposed to tell ten of our friends to to to the site and sign up...it doesn't cost anything, well just a little commitment. You can sign up here if you haven't already. http://www.earthhour.org/signup/ March 28 we will all sit in the dark for an hour...I sure hope the weather is nice that evening so I can go for a walk--an hour passes slowly when you are sitting in the dark. I hope everyone is going to participate, turn the lights out and sit in the dark with me!

Flowers and Hockey

I received this lovely bouquet of flowers last Friday at the office from my boss who was away at our National Sales Meeting in Mexico. It was a thank you for work I did on the meeting...a kind gesture but gee...next time it would be even nicer if he would bring me along to the meeting! Since it was Friday afternoon I brought them home to enjoy over the weekend.

I spent the week catching up on everything I had thrown aside to work on the meeting. Oh yes, I also came in late a couple of mornings and took one long lunch.

Mid week I attended a hockey game at our executive suite at the Air Canada Centre. Is that ever a nice way to watch the game! Catering supplied pizza for the kids, steak sandwiches, caesar salad, sushi, beer and wine for the adults. Huge warm from the oven chocolate chip cookies came later along with popsicles (for the children) and Haagen Dazs ice cream for everyone.

Mmmm, what a treat!

And this was a treat too!

The food was better than the game. Leafs and Rangers were tied 1:1 at the end of the third period--very little scoring = very little excitement. We didn't want to stay later just to see them blow it (as they usually do, they are the worst team in the NHL) and it was a long walk to the car so we left. I learned next day that the Leafs won! C'est la vie!

This young fellow in our suite certainly enjoyed the game!

The light show on the ice was pretty.

Above and below, singing of the national anthems.

The Leafs are a terrible team but fans keep coming out to see them anyway. The Air Canada Center was full! They have won a few games since last week but that is not a good thing; it is just enough to move them up a wee bit in the standings so they will loose first draft choice and boy do they need that!

Home again

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day, dinner at a nice restaurant and then saw The Colour Purple. I loved the show, although my companion did not. There were a few times my eyes welled up with tears, it was wonderful! I didn't take my camera out during dinner but did manage to catch a shot of desert...the lighting was poor in this restaurant. I used a 3200 ISO setting and brightened it with Picassa...still struggling with Photoshop and probably always will. That little flat spoon is a sweet crisp cookie! The sorbet was intense and refreshing...mango, raspberry and something I didn't recognize.

I drove to Montreal next day, saw my mom again, took her out for lunch, we had my favourite Montreal smoked meat sandwiches at my favourite deli. She told me next time she would prefer clam chowder and good bread like we had last time in that lovely restaurant with the view of the pool. I will be happy to oblige...next time. Her mind is clear sometimes and other times she is in a heavy fog and quite confused. This visit, she was pretty good.

Valentine's Day

I am going out for dinner tonight and then to see The Colour Purple. It is a musical but I am not familiar with the music however, looking forward to it all.

We have reservations at a Portuguese restaurant. A private alcove table and one of my favourite dishes is on the menu--all very special. I love their Grilled Squid, they char it nicely but it leave it tender and add a squeeze of lemon or maybe lime.

Sunday I am going to Montreal and I'll drive home Monday afternoon. The weather promises to stay clear so that is a relief for the long drive. Monday is a holiday here in Ontario, Family Day. It is nice to have the holiday to break up the month of February but I think and extra holiday in June or July would be nicer!

Craig's Birthday

Yesterday was my oldest son Craig's birthday. I can't believe I have a 32 year old son! His younger brother and fiancee came for dinner. Craig is usually uncooperative about having his picture taken but I got a few shots. I served roast beef done to a perfect pink, with lemon horseradish roast potatoes and broccoli. I made peppercorn gravy with a good splash of cabernet saugivnon added. Craig is vegetarian so I made a pan of rolled crepes stuffed with ricotta, mushrooms and spinach, covered with alfredo sauce, for his main dish and we each had a little of that too. As a shortcut I used 6 inch whole wheat tortillas and they stood up under all that sauce very well. Mmm, delicious, I will make it again. Craig made off with all the leftovers.

I had 3 avocados that became ripe all at once so used them in a starter with warm roasted tomatoes, bacon, goat cheese fresh basil and capers. We drizzled a basil parmesan vinagrette over this salad.

Instead of a birthday card I gave him a 6/49 ticket, the draw was for 43 Million last night, hope he remembers to be good to his mom if he wins!

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?