Occasionally Christine

Baby's first Roller Coaster

2009-07-05T06:57:00.001-04:00

Baby's first Roller Coaster
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

We went to the Canada day celebrations at a nearby park. They had these awesome mini roller coasters that were really just a car on a plastic track. But Charlotte loved it. There was just enough speed to be fun and she was only inches from the ground, so I felt she was safe. Best of both worlds.

Happy Canada Day all.

Botanical Gardens

2009-06-02T20:34:00.001-04:00

In the tunnel
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

We went to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton with some friends on Sunday. Charlotte had a blast, there was lots of room to run and two extra adults to pay attention to her.

They have a discovery garden that had some nice tunnels for kids to play in. Once she figured out that she could go through by herself it was hard to tear her away.

I can't beleive what a big girl she is now.

Charlotte plays with water

2009-05-09T07:34:00.001-04:00

April upload 138
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Charlotte discovered garden hoses this weekend. She spent a long time playing with it and got absolutly soaked.

She also lost a fight with our Rose Bush. Poor thing is all scratched up. Daddy took his big shovel and removed the bush. We are looking to replace it with something softer in case Charlotte gets in a sparring mood in the future.

Car full o'baby!

2008-10-06T20:22:00.001-04:00

Car full o'baby!
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Charlotte and I took the train down to Windsor to visit an old High School friend of mine and her baby. Kennaroo is 6 weeks older than Charlotte.

We had a great time and can't wait to do it again. Charlotte was perfectly behaved on the train and got along well with Kennaroo.

They were both crammed in the back of a hatchback car. There was not a lot of room in there!

But they sure are cute! (Charlotte is the one in the grey)

Juicy baby!

2008-09-12T10:00:00.001-04:00

Juicy baby!
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Grandma and Grandpa brought back this outfit from China.

If you can't dress your baby up like a watermelon when they are small - when can you do it?

Ruh-roh!

2008-07-27T16:17:00.001-04:00

Ruh-roh!
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

I think we are in trouble. She can pull herself up to standing in her crib. We need to get that lowered - STAT!

Rock Glen Falls

2008-07-23T16:13:00.001-04:00

Rock Glen Falls
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Darryl and Bitty and I went cherry picking last week. After all that picking we stopped by Rock Glen Conservation area and took a hike.

It was the perfect way to cool off. The falls were great and we went wading in the creek.

From my garden

2008-07-21T17:29:00.001-04:00

From my garden
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

I am drying som herbs as part of a present for my sister. I love having fresh herbs in the back yard. We have eight kinds at the moment - Parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, sage, dill, basil, oregano and chives. To tell the truth we are a little over run! Any one want some fresh herbs?

Or know a recipe that uses a TON of parsley?

Mmm...Canada

2008-06-28T19:18:00.004-04:00

The main reason I restarted this blog was an invitation from Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict to participate in a Canada Day food blogging event. She invited Canadian bloggers (and honorary Canadians and Ex-Pats) to write about the food that means Canada to them. So here we go.....

What does Canada taste like to me? Difficult question. Canada tastes like lots of things.

Toasted tomato sandwiches taste a lot like Canada to me.

Toasted bread, drippy tomatoes, oozy mayo and a sprinkle of salt. Mmm.

Every summer growing up we had baskets of fresh tomatoes, jars of mayo and the toaster on the table for breakfast. Everyone made their own. More mayo/less mayo, lots of pepper/no pepper, it's up to you. We used the old toaster, the one where you had to flip the toast halfway through because it only did one side at a time.

You could eat as many as you wanted and the tomatoes always tasted like REAL tomatoes. They came from our backyard or the farmers market and dripped red goo everywhere. And we all sat together and licked our fingers and elbows and ate.

That tastes like Canada to me.

Kisses!

2008-06-26T10:52:00.001-04:00

Kisses!
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

We went to the Royal Botanical gardens in Hamilton yesterday. And visited Auntie Cathleen too. The Husband got this shot in her Mom's backyard.

Check out other pics from our day at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pookiefatcat/

Downmarket Vanilla Latte

2008-06-21T13:03:00.000-04:00

I am addicted to the vanilla lattes from Starbucks. Unfortunately they are super expensive and the Maternity money only goes so far. So I taught myself to make a similar version at home to save the bucks for more important things - like diapers! And I don't have a steamer or espresso maker. That would cost money! This uses my kettle and microwave.

Make yourself a small cup of strong coffee. Espresso, drip, whatever. I use instant (told you it was downmarket!).

Add vanilla sugar** and a few drops of vanilla extract. If you are feeling very fancy you could make a simple syrup with a vanilla bean and use that but I am lazy and already have this stuff available in my cupboard.

(coffee, vanilla sugar and milk in a jar)

Put 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of milk in a glass jar that has a tight fitting lid. Skim milk actually works best but you can use what you like. Microwave the milk until very hot but not boiling over. Screw on the lid - tightly - because otherwise hot milk will spray all over your kitchen and that's no fun at all. Shake your jar pretty hard until you can see the foam on top. (use an oven mitt - it's HOT!!) This amuses the baby. Even better if you do a booty shaking dance and sing while you are doing it.

(shake, shake, shake!)

(foamy!!)

Use a spoon to hold back the foam while you pour the hot milk into your coffee. Spoon the foam on top and enjoy!

Mmmm.

Feel like a yuppie as you tell the baby she can't have any of Mommy's Latte.

Total cost? I not sure but it's a lot less than at the shop and I don't have to leave the house!

** If you don't have vanilla sugar, what are you waiting for?? Buy some beans on eBay (much cheaper than anywhere else I have found) and stick them in sugar. It's awesome on strawberries, in coffee, in cookies and cakes and in pretty much anything you would put sugar into.

Thought for the day

2008-06-15T10:11:00.001-04:00

Am I really going to lie here and let my baby kick me in the face while I try and grab those few precious extra moments of sleep?

Yes.

Was it worth it?

Oh, yes.

Wow - it's been a long time

2008-06-12T12:44:00.003-04:00

Just reviving the blog for a few special posts.

Lots has happened.

Mostly this:

This is Charlotte Grace. She keeps me busy.

Stress at work

2007-02-24T11:17:00.000-05:00

Work has been Psychotically busy in the past week. I run and run and run and never seem to catch up. I have about 6 hours of paperwork to catch up on and am working my second job this weekend.

Where O Where is my 649 win?

Mardi Gras!

2007-02-20T18:56:00.001-05:00

Mardi Gras!
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

I don't celebrate Lent. Or Easter (aside from the chocolate!)

But I do celebrate pancakes. Lots of pancakes.

Buttermilk pancakes with bacon and melon. And lots of maple syrup. The real stuff, no imitation syrup here.

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Veggie Burger with Cheese

2007-02-11T19:44:00.001-05:00

Veggie Burger with Cheese
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

This was tonights dinner. I was working on using up all the odds and sods that were hanging out in the fridge.

Lets see.....

I used - onions, scallions, carrots, red pepper and mushrooms - all diced finely. I sauteed those in Olive oil and added salt, pepper and worchestershire sauce. In went a can of chick peas and some cumin.

I blitzed it in batches in my mini food processor and mixed in an egg and some Panko. Then I fried them up and added the Havarti. I served them on whole wheat buns.

These were pretty darn tasty. I think I will tweak the recipe a bit but I will make these again. Mabye more cumin next time.

Low Cost Cooking

2007-02-07T19:28:00.000-05:00

Because of the new house we are a little tight in the money department. (Wait, what gas bill?)

So I am working on adopting a new style of cooking. The low cost style.

It starts with a bit of menu planning. No more off the cuff meals for us, I am planning out our weeks ahead of time. This helps me to keep our costs down by both making me buy only exactly what we will eat and by making me take advantage of the weekly sales.

It also tends to keep our portions small which is good for the waist.

This week we had Swiss and mushroom burgers on Monday, Catfish with rice and peas on Tuesday and Lamb Shanks tonight. We have Quiche on tap for tomorrow and pizza for Friday.

And all this plus breakfasts and lunches for under 100$ a week! I know to some people that 100$ a week for food probably sounds excessive and I am working on cutting it down to 80$ but it is going to take us a while to adjust.

Cheese Grits!

2007-02-03T16:44:00.001-05:00

Cheese Grits!
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

I woke up this morning with a craving for cheese grits. I used the quick cook grits that Randi brought me from MI.

Melt in some cheese and top with lots of pepper, and Voila!

Ths Husband didn't seem too thrilled. He said it was a texture thing, but I think he is crazy! More for me.

Nigella's Ham and Peas

2007-01-23T15:06:00.001-05:00

Nigella's Ham and Peas
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

We had this for dinner last night. It's from the kids food section of Nigella's "Feast". I decided to make this because we had some left over ham in the fridge. Plus, I have a million cookbooks and never seem to cook out of any of them.

I "grownuped" this a bit with generous lashings of fresh nutmeg and black pepper (neither of which are in the original recipe).

The picture in the cookbook is much more colourful than mine but it certainly tasted good. I would certainly make this again.

Progress!

2007-01-20T18:57:00.000-05:00

The house is coming together more and more each day. We have unpacked some of the book shelves and have them installed in the living room. The mountain of boxes is shrinking! I unpacked about 6 boxes of books last night. And the box of towels. And the one with the extra sheets.

We went and bought a new dining room (table, chairs and china cabinet) as well as a bedroom suite. This is very exciting to me as we have been sleeping on our mattress and box spring on the floor for the past year and a bit. Now we have a grown up bed!

The new stuff is being delivered on Tuesday so we can have our dinner that night at a proper table, intead of on the coffee table in the basement.

Unfortunatly the rechargable batteries are still in a box somewhere and I dont know where. As soon as I find them I can add more photos.

Winter

2007-01-19T11:42:00.000-05:00

A few days ago London had a lot of freezing rain. It coated all the trees and plants in a think layer of ice. Branches and pine nedles looked like they were trapped in glass.

Walking home after work the wind blew through the trees causing tiny tinkles of breaking ice. Then the sun hit at just the right angle causing millions of tiny brilliant refractions.

Every step on the grass crunched as the ice encased blades broke off underfoot.

At home the underside of the patio trellis played host to thousands upon thousands of identical mini icicles.

Winter is here. At last.

I havent cooked in a while

2007-01-11T17:13:00.001-05:00

Peanut Noodles and Chicken Meatballs
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

So this is the first thing I feel good about blogging.

I made some chicken meatballs with panko, and egg, hoisin sauce and green onions. I fried them up and added a bit of Balsamic vinegar at the end for a bit of a bite.

On the side is Chinese cabbage steamed with soy and sesame seeds.

The rice noodles are tossed with peanut sauce (I Cheated and used a premade one.)

Hopefully this marks a return to blogging!

The State of things

2007-01-05T14:57:00.000-05:00

I found the cord for the camera so I can give you an impression of what the house is like.

Boxes...

More Boxes.....

And my pride and Joy!

And some cats just for fun.

Resolutions for the New Year

2006-12-29T15:06:00.000-05:00

10 things I want to accomplish this year.

1. Unpack the House.

2. Get back to cooking - We have been doing take out and easy things for too long. I need a challenge.

3. Plant a vegetable garden - there is already a space for one, we just need to add some manure and go to town!

4. Use what I grow.

5. Swiffer more often.

6. Blog more than once a week - I really fell off the blog wagon these past few months. Now we have 2 computers and I have no excuses.

7. Make the "No Knead Bread" that everyone is raving about.

8. Explore my new neighborhood.

9. Read 12 books for pleasure (and blog about it!)

10. Travel somewhere in Canada I have never been.

Coming together

2006-12-28T19:41:00.000-05:00

The House it starting to look more and more like a home. We have cooked a few times - nothing special, but not takeout. The basement is still a pile of boxes but the Washing machine works and I found the forks.

The cats are adjusting and will go upstairs now and sniff around. Before they were too scared.

We are having the upsairs painted and getting new light fixtures. Home Depot is going to love us.

I will take pictures soon. As soon as I find the cord for the computer.

Oooh I ate too much

2006-12-26T11:02:00.000-05:00

We had bacon and eggs for breakfast, and sausage on a bun and soup at lunch. Goodies and candy all day. Prime rib with potatoes, yorkshire pudding, carrots, coleslaw and mushroom gravy for dinner.

I skipped the jello with marshmallows because - Yuck!- and passed on the coolwhip/fruit cocktail thing.

Dessert was Christmas pudding and more goodies and candy.

Good thing the Husband got me an electric toothbrush for a present!

Hope you and yours had a good day.

Merry Christmas!

Moving day!

2006-12-16T10:53:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow anyways.

We closed on the new house yesterday. It is empty and waiting for us. We have been to visit twice already and have played with the stove and fridge.

The parentals are arriving this afternoon to help with the process.

Tomorrow night I get to sleep in my new House!! It's the bestest Xmas present ever!

Plus the Husband got his new laptop for school so we will have 2 computers. I will be able to blog while he does school work. Sweet! Now we just have to figure out how to set up the wireless network in the new house!

No fun at all

2006-11-18T15:31:00.000-05:00

We went out last night for a drive by of our new house. Then we thought we would go for a drink. We decided to go and try a new place in town called Moxie's.

I have heard different things about that place. Some people at work love it, but Randi hated it. We were willing to give it a shot.

We shouldn't have bothered. The bar was too loud, the service was very slow and the drink I had was terrible.

I tried the sour apple martini. Normally I love sour apple things. And I have had sour apple martinis before that were great. This one just tasted like apple juice. Watered down apple juice. It was weak and boring and too sweet. And they forgot my garnish. /

We won't be going back.

So much going on

2006-11-07T20:43:00.000-05:00

It's starting to freak me out a bit.

We bought a house. That means dealing with the bank, the insurance company, packing, moving, changing our addresses, changing the cable and the phone, lots of money and a pile of headache.

Work is going crazy. I keep thinking it will get better but I think it's getting worse.

On the upside it's my Birthday soon and that means cake and presents!

I will be turning 29 but don't tell anyone. I think I will stay 28 for a while longer. Maybe 3 or 4 years then I will move on to 29.

Worst day

2006-11-01T16:38:00.000-05:00

Today is the worst day.

My Arm is sore from my Flu shot - that I had to get to keep working this winter.
The laundry card is pooched. And it had 25$ on it.
The cable went out.
The morgage company are being pains in the butt.
The elevator is broken at home and it takes a super long time.
The cat knocked over one of my plants and got dirt everywhere.
One of my best friends is mad at me.
The Husband has to work late.
I have a huge pile of work to do.
I have a giant headache.
It's cold.
My feet hurt.

Life stinks.

"Art"

2006-10-15T16:07:00.000-04:00

Some what more close up.
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

I finally figured out how to hang the "art" that I made.
I think it looks pretty good for my first shot at it.

I think I might try again, with different canvas. These are very flat and needed the addition of wood strips on the back to give a place to hang.

I might also make the next one different colours. Maybe white and yellow.

Four letter word

2006-10-12T16:21:00.000-04:00

SNOW!

It has been snowing on and off all day today. At the moment it looks like a nice sunny fall day. Half and hour ago we were in the middle of a snow storm and you couldn't see the next building over.

isn't it a little early for snow?

I think I will wear my hat and mitties to work tomorrow.

I am not dead.

2006-10-01T19:46:00.000-04:00

Really, I am not.
I am just finding myself with out much to say.
Plus I used to blog on my breaks at work and I don't do that anymore.
Plus we are looking for a house and that takes up a lot of my time.

Also, if anyone out there wants a G-mail invite. I have some to give away. Leave a comment and you can have one!

Pictures!

2006-09-03T10:35:00.000-04:00

Lots and lots and lots of pictures!

I Love digital photography!

Here they are in all their glory (and occasionaly blurriness)

Ireland!

Irish Breakfast

2006-09-02T18:07:00.000-04:00

Irish Breakfast
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Ooof.

8 days in Ireland.
Too much Money. Not enough Sleep.
Many Beers and Bacon laced breakfasts.
261 digital shots to sort and upload to Flickr.

Glad to be home.

Must sleep now.
Then Laundry.

Mozzarella!

2006-08-16T18:43:00.000-04:00

the Inside of the Mozzarella
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Today I tried my hand at making cheese again. I made a batch of fresh mozzarella using these instructions.

It turned out very well and I can wait to use it in something. I think I will have pizza for lunch tomorrow.

The instructions were easy to follow and the whole process took about 45 minutes.

The only problem is that it takes 4L of milk to get a ball of Mozz and it's not really cost effictive. But fun!

Open Letters

2006-08-10T16:02:00.000-04:00

To the guy in the next lane at the pool,

Doing the front crawl should not result in that much splashing. Seriously, dude. You impressed no one with your speed an annoyed everyone with the excess water being tossed around. Take a stroke class!

Slice, don't flop.
Me.

********
To the small cat.

How nice of you to anticipate my desire to vacuum glass shards out of the carpet at 5:15am today.

Love,
Mommy.
(Do cats Grok sarcasm?)

********
Dear Chin,

Two?? giant zits in the same week? Come on now!

Yours,
Spotty.

********
To the powers that be,

Please let the Husband finish these last two weeks of the semester with his mind intact. I would like to take a sane person with me to Ireland.

Thank you,
Wifely.

********
Dear work,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for approving my vacation time. I will bring you back a present.

Touristy,
Me.

Weekend cat blogging #??

2006-08-05T18:14:00.000-04:00

I have missed so many of these.

But here is Fang defending us from the evil shoes.

See the rest at eatstuff.net.

What have I been up to?

2006-08-03T19:46:00.000-04:00

Wondering where I went this week?

I have been participating in a tag team food blog over at eGullet with my friend Randi. We are doing a week in our food lives. It's a lot of work but fun at the same time.

Pop on over and check it out! No registration required!

Christine and Randi's Blog.

Corn Maze

2006-07-30T07:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the Husband's extended family had "Christmas in July" We went out to an Aunt's house and had lunch as well as presents. And them we went to the corn maze.

A cousin and his wife have made the World's biggest Corn Maze in their feild.

They are both volunteer firemen so this years theme is firefighting. It has been submitted to the Guiness book of world records and should be certified soon. I went inside it with a neice and I did about half. She did the rest. (It was too hot for me!) Now I can say I have walked the worlds biggest maze!

If you are in the London/Glencoe area go check it out!

Weekend away!

2006-07-24T14:44:00.000-04:00

I went away this weekend and met Musicgirl in Kingston. It was a combo weekend, ageneral visit, a birthday visit and a graduation visit! We ate a lot and had a lot of fun.

The most memorable meal for me was the one we ate on the beach. We had gone to Pan Chancho to pick up picnic supplies and I had brought the picnic backpack. Here you can see my wonderful plate all loaded up with goodies.

We had olive foccacia, Greek Salad, Morroccan chick peas, broccoli and walnut salad, fresh tomatoes, cheese curds and I had mango chicken. (She had baked salmon) We ate on the shores of Big Sandy Bay and it was fabulous!

We also went swimming and just laid in the sun. Perfect. It started raining after we were on the way home so our timing couldnt have been better. It was so very relaxing.

Tomorrow I will show you how many martinis we drank.

Even More Cherries

2006-07-16T19:22:00.000-04:00

Even More Cherries
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

The Husband and I went Cherry picking again this year. And once again we got a little carried away. It's so easy! The trees were so full of fruit that it took no time at all.

And I really mean that. The sweet cherry trees were so full of fruit they were leaning over with the weight. You could reach up and grab handfuls of fruit at a time.

We picked 20lbs of pie cherries and 30lbs of sweet. We got all but about 6lbs of the sweet pitted at the orchard. They are all in the freezer now (except for the ones we ate). Lots of cherry pie this year!

Once it cools down that is. Boy is it hot!

My Quilt

2006-07-15T19:19:00.000-04:00

My Quilt and cat
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

I am working on a quilt for Gemgirl's birthday (yes I was in May, Yes I am slow)
It's the first time I have peiced a quilt and the work is chugging along. Some parts are a bit uneven but I think I am doing ok. I laid it out to get a picture and Pooks came and sat on it to "help"

I would say that he is there for scale, but since he is much bigger than the average cat that doesnt help much.

I hope she likes it. I have until the 28th to finish it.

Asparagus and Scapes

2006-07-14T19:16:00.000-04:00

Asparagus and Scapes
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Lots of back log to get through.....

I made this lovely side dish of Asparagus and Garlic scapes that I bought at the farm stand on the way home from work one night. I roasted them with salt, pepper and olive oil. It got all caramelized and yummy.

I love the fresh produce!

What we did this weekend

2006-06-27T21:23:00.000-04:00

Close up of cow
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

We went to visit the farm, saw the cows and the horses, played with the kittens, made BBQ Pizza for my Mother in law, went dancing, got drunk, ate too much, went 4-wheeling, talked a lot, ate some more and got bitten by a lot of Mosquitos.

What did you do?

(this is one of the new cows on the farm. It's going to be shown by one of my neices this year and will produce another cow sometine in January)

Reid's Dairy

2006-06-26T20:06:00.000-04:00

Rum and Raisin and Mint Chip
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

The Husband and I went away this weekend. We headed out to visit the in-laws up in Belleville.

One of the best things about Belleville is Reid's Dairy. It's one of the last independant dairys out there. They have a rocking ice cream parlour next to the processing plant.

These were 1.99$ Each. I had Rum and Raisin and the Husband had Mint Chip. They also offer soft serve and milkshakes and "Tornados" which are like bilzzards but without the trakmark infringment.

Stress

2006-06-21T21:17:00.000-04:00

I have got a new job. Yes, another. This makes 3 in the past 3 years. (5 if you count the times I have gone from Part time to Full time in the same position.)

Many people are angry about the way the last person in this job left so it's an akward situation. I will manage though.

Because of the new job the anticipated trip to Montreal has been cancelled. We are going to visit the Husband's parents in Belleville this weekend instead. Not quite as much fun but there is Reed's Dairy.

I will get back on trak with the blog soon I promise. Just let me get settled in the new job first.

Inari Sushi

2006-06-09T08:31:00.000-04:00

Inari Sushi
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

A very long time ago the Husband and I went to the Japanese grocery store and bought some stuff that we didn't know what to do with. We decided that it would be a nice challenge. 2 years later and some of it was still sitting in the freezer.

This is Inari Sushi. It's sushi rice mixed with sesame seeds, green onions, some seeweed and something else that came in the package that I can't identify and then stuffed into ready made soy protein pockets.

It was really easy to make - I only had to cook the rice, mix it with the seasoning packs that were included with the soy pockets and stuff away. I have a bit of rice leftover that I will make a salad with for tomorrow.

I have some wasabi and pickled ginger in a small tuooerware, and a bit of soy sauce too. This is going to be my lunch for today. I hope they taste as good as they look.

Healthy Breakfast

2006-05-28T15:10:00.000-04:00

waffles 002
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

(Okay it was more a brunch, but still...)

The Husband whipped up some waffles and I sliced the strawberries. We were out of syrup so Ice Cream seemed the logical choice.

Mmmmmm, SInful!

Cheddar-Green Chile Corn Muffin

2006-05-19T07:15:00.000-04:00

Cheddar-Green Chile Corn Muffin
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

I made these up to accompany some BBQ pork Chops and roasted asparagus. I had bought a box of JIFFY mix the last time I went to the states with Randi.

I love the combo of chile and cheese and corn. It feels very southwest to me. And also extremely yummy. The recipe made six. We each had two at dinner and I ate the rest for breakfast the next day. (Which made the Husband made because I didn't save him one)

I think I will make these again but from scratch next time. You never know exactly whats in a mix.

Squirrel in the House!

2006-05-18T07:18:00.000-04:00

Squirrel in the House!
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Not even 5 minutes after the Husband left for work this morning I was woken up by cats thundering around the house. Not an unusual occurrence but this time there was a difference.

This little guy had somehow gotten in the house. How? I have no idea - we live on the 8th floor and there are no trees near us. He must have climbed the walls. I don't know why he chose to come in to our place when there are cats here.

Both cats were swiftly ensconced in the bathroom so I could get him out of here. (But not before grabbing the camera!) In the picture he is hiding in our curtains. I took a towel and chased him out the patio door and he tried to hide in the potted plants. I didn't let the cats out until I knew he was gone.

Both boys are busy looking around and sniffing and wondering where that really! great! toy! went.

Newspaper

2006-05-11T09:12:00.000-04:00

newspaper
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Hee Hee Hee!!!

You can make one too!

Clickey.

Thai Dinner

2006-05-10T19:43:00.000-04:00

Tonight for Dinner I made us a Thai-style feast. (I say Thai-Style because it's probably not even close to authentic.) I did up a Green Curry with Chicken and assorted vegetables. I topped it with green onion and chopped peanuts.

I also made a Green Mango Salad with some mango slivers, finely sliced red onion and red pepper, a bunch of cilantro and a handful of toasted cashews. The dressing was lime juice, sugar and fish sauce. This was my favorite part of the meal. It was tangy and sweet and yummy. I can't wait to make it again.

I fried up some shrimp chips. These really look like styrofoam but they have a nice crisp texture and a vague shrimp taste. I also made a bit of peanut sauce for dipping.

There was rice too but we have all seen rice and I didn't take a picture.

I thought I had made way too much food but we ate almost all of it. I was really, really impressed with everything. I am certainly going to be doing this again soon. YUM!

Corporate Buzzword Bingo

2006-05-05T18:40:00.000-04:00

Today I went to a conference held by my "Professional Association" It was the first time since I joined that I have been able to attend. Usually it is in some far off province and there is no way I can go. So, Yay! I was only able to attend 1 day of the events but it was fun.

We got our bags of swag, including a black back with hand sanitizer, cereal, water, a pen and a mini battery operated fan. I also won a cook book in the door prize drawings. We were fed breakfast and lunch and had a mini trade show with lots of samples.

I also attended two training seminars. One was on stress management where I discovered that now that I don't work the crazy 65 hours weeks anymore I am remarkably un-stressed. I also have a well balanced life. Whee!! It may have something to do with the fact that I only have to work 3 days next week and one of those days is another training day where I just have to sit and listen.

The other training seminar was spectacularly useless to me except for the playing of buzzword bingo.
We got:
Benchmark
Paradigm Shift
Strategic Partnership
Transparency
And a whole bunch more.

In all not a bad day considering. I have some semi-useful swag and I got a day away from work with pay. We should do that more often!

People Suck!

2006-05-03T16:38:00.000-04:00

Havent been doing much cooking lately, it's only been a day or two since I have felt fully recovered from the sick. But we did go out to lunch and for a hike today.

Lunch first; we went to a new Japanese place here in town, the Ichiban Sushi House. We both had Bento boxes for lunch with california rolls, tempura, salad, soup, rice, a potato croquetty thingummy and teriaki. (I had chicken the Husband had beef) Lunch we pretty good and the restaurant was very pretty. I think we will go back for dinner and check out some of the other offerings.

Afterwards we went for a hike at Westminister Ponds. It was a great day for hiking but I couldnt believe the amount of trash in there. I found an empty plastic bag and we filled it with bottles, food wrappers and Tim Hortons cups. We emptied it into a garbage can and filled it up again. And again. And boy, there was still a lot more we could have taken out of there. Why do people feel compelled to ruin a beautiful place like that with their trash? It's not like that empty water bottle is so heavy you can't carry it out with you. It makes me really mad!

On the positive side, we did see some Blue Jays, some Cardinals, a bunch of Robins and three Woodpeckers. Oh and a squirrel (whoo) and some magpies. Karma Baby.

Sick

2006-04-29T20:28:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering where I have been..... I have been sick as a dog for the past few days. It all started with the Husband. He woke up in the middle of the night on Wednesday with lovely GI issues. It took him 24 hours to get over them and to pass them on to me.

My Dad also got hit, he was here Monday and Tuesday night. This thing is pretty virulent so Mom should be next. (Sorry Mom!)

At first we thought it was Food Posioning because of the symptoms but a lot of people at the Husband's work place have it too and I didnt eat anything in common with them and Dad sure didn't either.

Today I went up to Exeter to visit Randi. We made some stuffed shells for dinner and I had 3 and a peice of bread. The biggest meal I have had in 3 days! (Unless you count Breakfast on Thursday but I don't because it didn't stay down for very long.)

I missed going to the Willie Nelson concert because of this and I still don't feel 100% percent. I think I am going back to the couch with a blankie and the remote and as many cats as I can find.

Blech.

The Husband Cooks!

2006-04-25T10:11:00.000-04:00

The Husband Cooks!
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

This is a rare occaision in this house. The Husband is a cook so by the time he gets home the last thing he wants to do is cook more food. I do most of the cooking in our house. (Not that I mind!)

But yesterday he had the day off and made me dinner. Yum, Fajitas! We had all the fixins: Tortilla, salsa, sourcream, cheese, lettuce, onions, red peppers, sriracha and both beef and chicken. That man knows how to spoil me.

Baby,you can cook for me anytime!

Mango and Amaretto Ice Cream

2006-04-21T22:11:00.000-04:00

Mango and Amaretto Ice Cream
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Welcome to SHF 18! This time around the event is hosted by Lick the Spoon, and the Theme is Liquor! (Something I can REALLY get behind.)

I raided the liquor basket (we have no cabinet so all the booze lives in a basket.) and looked for inspiration. Grasshopper pie? Kahlua cheesecake?
No, Ice Cream...... Amaretto Ice Cream!!

Originally I had wanted to use peaches in this recipe but since it's April no ripe peaches are to be found. But Mango! Mango can be located!

Mango and Amaretto Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups Half and Half
1 cup 35% cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean split and scraped
Flesh from 1 mango, diced
1/4 cup Amaretto

Place the first 4 ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the fridge, preferably overnight.

Stir in the Mango and Amaretto and pour into an ice cream maker. Process according to your machines instructions.

Eat! Eat! Eat!

SHF 18

Picnic - More Hiking

2006-04-20T18:52:00.000-04:00

Picnic Sandwich
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Today we went out to Fanshawe Conservation area for another hike. This time we took out lunch with us and had a picnic in the woods on a rock.

This was our main course; Roast beef and Swiss on a kaiser with Honey Mustard and Asiago and Artichoke spread. Mmmmmm.

We also had some spicy california rolls, thick cut olive oil chips, some drinks and a bowl of cut up strawberries and pineapple. Very nice!

What we saw - spring walk

2006-04-18T18:58:00.000-04:00

What we saw - spring walk 017
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

The Husband and I headed out to Komoka Provincial Park last week for an early spring walk. After the longs winter it's really nice to see some signs of life creeping back.

We saw this frog at the edge of a small pond. There were lots of others too, but this was the only one to hold still for a photo.

You can see the rest of the shots if you view the whole set HERE.

We plan to go out again many times this summer. I love hiking!

Good Friday Breakfast

2006-04-14T10:40:00.000-04:00

Good Friday Breakfast
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Today I got up early and made a nice breakfast for myself and the Husband. I love making breakfast. A nice morning feast can make or break your day.

Today we had thick cut bacon, scrambled eggs with sourcream, toasted Hot cross buns, Skim milk cappuchinos and a fruit cup with kiwi and blood orange. Decadent!

I don't consider myself a Christian so the religious bits of today are kind of lost on me. But Hot cross buns are delicious as well as traditional so I will partake when they are available.

Now I am all wired from the coffee. I don't usually drink caffeinated drinks so when I do it doesnt take many of them to make me hyper.

Pooks and new Friend

2006-04-10T20:46:00.000-04:00

Pooks and new Friend
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Ever since The Husband managed to fix my sewing machine I have been doing a lot of sewing. I made a pair of PJ pants - but I made them too big. I call them my giant pants.

With the leftover material I wanted to make a stuffed toy. This is my first attempt. It's not perfect but I think it's pretty cute. I am going to try again and make a bigger one with arms.

I think he needs a name though; any suggestions?

Wedding cake top

2006-04-09T21:11:00.000-04:00

Wedding cake top
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

The very top layer of your wedding cake is supposed to go in the freezer and you are (traditionally) supposed to eat it on your first anniversary, or your first child.

We didn't do that; it stayed in our freezer all through our first anniversary, through our second and our second and a half. We kept thinking we wanted to save it for something really special - something really important.

So when we finally broke into it today what was the special occasion?

The freezer Broke.
And it wouldn't fit in the smaller one.

Bummer.
But, the cake was good!

Desk visitor

2006-04-08T12:37:00.000-04:00

Desk visitor
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Found this guy (girl?) on my desk. No need to kill it. The Fang will take care of it soon enough.

Spiders don't bother me. Mosquitos on the other hand......

Birthday Cake

2006-04-06T20:24:00.000-04:00

Birthday Cake
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

One of the ladies at work had a Birthday today. I was in charge of the cake.

I wanted to do something nice, not just a boxed mix or a cake from the store. So I made a sour cream chocolate cake from "Feast" By Nigella Lawson and frosted it with marshmallow-y fluffy icing. Some people call it boiled icing, some call it fluff. I call it yum!!

2 Egg whites
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of Salt
1 tsp Vanilla

Whip the first 5 ingredients in a bowl set over boiling water until they are light and fluffy. (You need a beater for this, a whisk just wont cut it.)

Remove from the heat and continue to beat, mixing in the vanilla. This frosts a 2 layer 8 or 9 inch cake with a bit left over. It sets up well and holds it's shape well.

Plus it looks cool! I added the sprinkles just because I had them, and they are fun and celebratory.

The cake was devoured. Now they want me to make another for next week!

Parts of a Whole

2006-03-29T23:11:00.000-05:00

Pooks, Sleeping.
(When he is awake he insists on sniffing the camera)

4lbs of Mushrooms

2006-03-28T17:57:00.000-05:00

At the grocery store yesterday I found these wonderful mushrooms on the clearance rack. They look fine to me and they were 99cents a bag! I weighed them when I got home and it was 4lbs of mushrooms. Since mushrooms are usually 1.99$ - 2.99$ a Lb I figure I got a good deal.

But what to do with them? I certainly couldn't make enough omelets and pasta sauce and fried mushrooms to use them all before they go bad. So I decided to make Duxelles.

I chopped 3.5 lbs of the mushrooms and sauteed them with some onion and some thyme. I added some white wine and let it simmer for a few hours. Once it was reduced I used the immersion blender to chop most of the mushrooms into a puree, but I left a few for texture.

This is the finished product. I froze it in ziplocs so we can use it whenever we want.

It goes great in pasta sauce, or omelets or sauces or over a steak or under the skin of a roasting chicken or mixed with butter or used as a vegetarian pate.

So if you ever get lucky on the mushroom front........

Bad Jokes

2006-03-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

Too atoms are walking down the street.
One says to the other ..."I think I just lost an electron!"
The other one asks..."Are you sure??"
The First one replies...."I'm Positive!"

Two goldfish are in a tank. One says to the other..."Do you know how to drive this thing?"

Two goldfish are swimming along in a river. They run headfirst into a wall. One of them shouts out! " DAM!"

What do you get when you drop a piano down a mineshaft? ----- A flat Miner!

And so on.....

Weekend Cat Blogging 42

2006-03-25T21:04:00.000-05:00

It's Weekend Cat Blogging time again! Go visit the list at eatstuff.net.

I think that sleeping is just about all they do, when they arent begging for food that is........

Bhudda Dog!

2006-03-21T20:55:00.000-05:00

While we were in Picton for the weekend #1 Neice took us into town to pick up last minute party supplies. (she is #1 neice simply by virtue of being oldest) We also stopped off at Bhudda Dog for a mini lunch before the feasting.

Bhudda dog is a small restaurant that sells only hotdogs. But not just any hotdogs - oh no! These are mini dogs, made from organic leash-walked beef. They come on really cute buns with a range of gourmet toppings.

The back wall has a big map of the county as well as the menu written in chalk.

This was our lunch.

We each had two dogs and could have eaten a lot more if we werent saving ourselves for later. On the left are two dogs with brie and hot pepper jelly, in the middle are three "dogs of the day" with maple cheddar and chipotle aioli and the last one on the right is jalapeno mozzarella with guacamole.

All the cheeses are from a local maker, Black River Cheese. As many of the other ingredients are from local suppliers as well. (but obviously not the avocado in the Guac. I somehow don't think there is a local grower for that.)

Yum!

Birthday Buffet

2006-03-20T08:51:00.000-05:00

Birthday Buffet
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

The Husband's oldest sister turned 40 this weekend. So off we went to Picton to celebrate. We get out of most of the prep work because we live so far away, but I did have to go visit the Hungarian Granmother in law to pick up the cabbage rolls. (and pickles and cake and pastries and tomato juice. She won't let you leave until you eat something.)

In the first shot you can see most of what was served, The cake, the rolls, the various assorted salads, the roast beef and the two remaining cabbage rolls. There was also the many nibbiles the dips and the veggie platters. And the other cake.

It was nice to see everyone, and I don't think I need to eat for a week.

Blood Orange Sherbet

2006-03-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

Blood Orange Sherbet
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

I bought 4 beautiful Blood Oranges at the Grocery store last week. 'Tis the Season for gorgeous citrus and I couldnt resist. I wanted to make something fun with they but something that was not too complicated. (I swear, I have LESS energy now that I don't work as much)

For the Sorbet:
Juice of 4 Blood oranges (it came to about 1.5 cups)
Juice of 1/2 lime (I used this to cut the sweetness a little, Plus I had it left over.)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water

I boiled the water and sugar together in the microwave with some large peices of the orange zest. I wanted to get the flavour from them without having the zest in the finished product.

After that it was simply a matter of mixing the juice and the simple syrup and letting the mixture shill in the fridge for a while. I froze it in my Ice Cream maker for about 20 minutes and popped it into the freezer in a tupperware.

We had it for dessert and the Husband raved. I liked it a lot too.

I now have a bag of Key Limes in the fruit bowl awaiting a similar fate.

WCB 40

2006-03-11T19:02:00.000-05:00

Holding paws
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

I have managed to miss Weekend Cat Blogging for the past two weeks but I am sneaking in this week.

I came across this scene one afternoon. They are holding paws! Awwwww.

For those here for the first time, Pooks is the fat grey one. Fang is the little orange one.

WCB is Hosted by Clair of EatStuff.
Go Check it out!

Dulche de Leche Cheesecake

2006-03-10T18:42:00.000-05:00

Dulche de Leche Cheesecake
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Here we are again - it's time for SHF! This month it's hosted by Spitoonextra and our theme is Dairy.

I made this lovely cheesecake with some cream cheese, some homemade yogurt cheese (I love my yogurt maker!!) and the Dulche de Leche that I made last week. I think that fufils the dairy requirments!

I started with some Graham Cracker Crumbs and added some sugar and some butter. (more dairy!). This was the only part of the cheesecake that was baked. I whipped the cream cheese and yogurt cheese together so that they were light and fluffy. I poured in some of the caramel to sweeten the cheese and poured it over the crust.

Once the cheese set a bit I poured even more of the caramel over the top. It dripped a bit when we cut into it but boy was it good!

Doesnt it look scrumptious?

SHF 17

Duck Noodle Soup

2006-03-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

Duck Noodle Soup
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Last night for dinner we had a roast chicken. Nothing special but today we still had the bones. I decided to make some stock.

The chicken bones, some carrot and celery simmered away for a few hours. And then I was inspired. I added some of the frozen turkey stock that I had, some ginger, peppercorns and a small stick of cinnamon.

Once everything had a good simmer I chopped some cabbage, broccoli and green onions. I cooked some noodles in the stock and popped them in the bowls. The veggies went in next and finally the slices of duck. I just wanted to warm those, not cook them.

And Voila!

(I guess you could really call this Poulty Noodle soup as there is chicken, turkey and Duck in there.)

Dulce de Leche

2006-03-06T22:32:00.000-05:00

The other night I made the Cheaters version of Dulce de Leche. The one where you boil the can of sweetened condensed milk for a few hours and it goes all brown and gooey. I was afraid the whole time that it was going to explode and leave my kitchen coated in milky caramel-ey goo. I spent the whole time as far away from the kitchen as I could get.

But it didn’t explode. Although it came out a little chunky-er than I expected. It tasted great though. The extreme cloying sweetness of the condensed milk now had a really great caramel note to it. I decided to try whipping it in the mixer with a little water to see if I could get it to the texture I wanted.
Here are the results.

Oooey and Gooey and Smoooooooth. I confess to eating several spoonfulls and licking the mixer.

I am making this as part of my master plan for the next installment of SHF (dairy!) I won’t tell the rest. It’s a secret!

It's back!

2006-03-06T10:33:00.000-05:00

We picked up the 'Puter this morning! I can post again! I promise to have some of the back log up by tonight.

If not one then the other

2006-02-28T11:13:00.000-05:00

ARRRGH!!
Our Conputer Died!! It's in the shop right now, but it means that I am posting from the Library. (thank you Library!) I have all kinds of things and Photos to put up but no way to do it. They frown on people hooking up their cameras to the public computers.

Yesterday was my Mother's Birthday. She is 29 with 30 years experience. Go Mom! I sent her flowers, and I am going up there this weekend to visit. I havent been to their place in almost a year. They keep coming down here and I have been working like a maniac. I need to figure out what to make for her Birthday dessert. Any suggestions?

On the other hand I am having a very depressed day. It started with bad dreams of people killing and eating endangered eagles, (yes I am weird) and got worse with the breakfast table discussion of how we are not only causing global warming with Carbon Dioxide emmisions, we are changing the Ph levels of the ocean and will cause a complete die-off of all aquatic life. Fun.

Now I can't stop thinking about how we are all doomed and whats the point and why bother. And definatly why have kids when you are just dooming them to a life where there is no world left. It makes me cry and I can't stop.

What we ate - Ottawa Pt 2.

2006-02-21T09:56:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning we went out for Breakfast to Cora’s. It’s a chain that specializes in breakfasts and it’s hugely popular. We waited about 15 minutes to be seated but it was worth it. I had Eggs Benedict which were very good, they came with potatoes and a huge amount of fruit. The Husband had the Cora’s special which is eggs sausage, bacon, ham and pancake. And toast. And potatoes. ( he was full)
Of Course I forgot to take a picture.

We also had maple taffy at the Winterlude celebration as well as Hot chocolate.
Maple taffy is maple syrup that has been further reduced and is poured onto clean snow to set up.
Huge Sugar Rush!

Since we had a late and huge breakfast we skipped lunch and went straight to dinner. We had decided to cook to save money. The Husband and I planned a menu of Tossed Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, Garlic Bread, Pasta with Roast Chicken and Pine Nuts and finished up with Chocolate Cake with Bitter Sweet Chocolate Ganache. (It was a Birthday Celebration!) Groceries only cost 50$ and with 6 helpers we had the whole meal on the table in 30 minutes. It helped that we put the cake on the porch to cool. Because of the weather it was stone cold in 10 minutes. I was so busy eating and cooking and laughing that I forgot to take and pictures. (again!)

The next morning we went for Dim Sum. Yummm…. I don’t remember all of what we had But I know we went from this…….

To this.....

In about 15 minutes.

We also had Beavertails as an afternoon snack.

Mmmmm Deep-fried Dough with cinnamon Sugar.

I need to go on a diet now.

What we did - Ottawa Pt 1.

2006-02-20T19:36:00.000-05:00

Ice Sofas!

Friday night we left from London to go pick up our friends in Toronto. The Husband had picked up our rental van that afternoon and we did a quick stop at Wendy’s for dinner before we hit the road. In Toronto we made two stops to gather all the people. It was crowded in the van but better than the plane! (These were the people that we met in Cuba, so it was strange to go from Bikinis and towels to long johns and mittens.) We had a DVD player in the car so we could watch movies. It was so big though that we named it “the Beast” We made it to Ottawa about 3:30am with one quick stop at the Flying J to fuel up, both the car and our selves. Road trips just require bad-for-you snack foods.

We all slept in late the next day. We went out for Breakfast and then walked downtown to see the ice sculptures. It was a frigid -20C and we were all bundled up. We say the ice carvers, took lots of pictures and played in the snow. We also walked around the Byward Market. We headed back to the house and all fell asleep.

We had decided not to go out for dinner in the interest of saving money so we went to the grocery store instead. More about dinner in the next post.

We also stayed in and drank a lot and played Slapjack. That’s a really easy card game to learn, not so easy to win.

The next morning we went for Dim Sum and walked around some more.

We were taking a cat back to Toronto for the sister of one of our friends. It was a really quick trip but lots of fun.

We are already planning the next one!

Dog Sitting

2006-02-16T08:47:00.000-05:00

At the Moment I am in Exeter dog sitting for Randi. They went away for a few days and don't want to leave the puppies all alone. I am too darn nice.

It's a long drive to work, but not too bad. I get to girl-out here because Randi has every lotion and potion known to man. (or Woman)

I am only here for 2 nights, and Friday night we are driving to Toronto to pick up the people we met in Cuba. We are going to Ottawa for the weekend. Should be a good trip.

So there on't be any exciting food posts for a while. I will take a picture of the Beaver tails, I promise!

Rosti

2006-02-13T10:46:00.000-05:00

Rosti
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

I first learend how to make these when I worked at the Movenpick Marche in Toronto. They are really easy but very good.

For two:
3 medium potatoes
Butter
Sourcream
Green onions
Salt and Pepper

Boil the potatoes whole and let them cool completely. (I do this part the night before) Peel and grate the cooled potatoes. Season the potato threads with salt and pepper.

Heat two pans with butter over medium heat. Add the potato and shape into pancakes. You need to press the potato together to compact it so it wont fall apart. Cook until the bottoms of the pancakes are golden brown and crispy. This takes a lot longer than you would think.

Now you get to flip. With years of practice I can do the wrist flip and have them end up in one peice. Of course you can slide them out onto a plate and flip the plate. It's easier but leaves you with another plate to wash. If any bits have come loose just push them back.

You might want to add a bit more butter to make the edges really crispy. Cook until it's all golden and crispy.

We had these the simple way with just sourcream and green onions. But they go well with bacon or eggs or sausage and they have a particular affinity for smoked salmon.

Weekend Cat Blogging #36

2006-02-11T18:28:00.000-05:00

Fang.

The Pooks.

It's Nappy Time!

Weekend Cat blogging is exactly what it sounds like. People taking pictures of their cats and posting them on weekends. It's Hosted by Clare over at eatstuff.net.

Go check it out!

Raspberry Pavlova - SHF 16# Recipe for Love

2006-02-10T12:08:00.000-05:00

Raspberry Pav
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Taste Everything Once is hosting Sugar High Friday this month, with the theme A Recipe for Love, asking us to make a fabulous Valentines Dessert. I chose A Raspberry Pav..

4 Egg Whites
250g Sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp cornstarch
dash of vanilla

1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar
Raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350C
Whip the egg whites with the pinch of salt. Add the sugar and mix until stiff peaks form. Stir in the vanilla, vinegar and cornstarch, being careful not to deflate the egg. Pile the whipped egg white on a baking tray lined with parchment. Try and keep the eggs even so one part doesnt dry out too much. Place in the oven and immediatly turn the oven down to 300C. Bake for 1 hour and turn off the oven. Leave over night.

The next day whip the cream with the sugar and pile on the cooled pavlova. Top with the raspberries. (Fresh would be great but because it's February - I used frozen.) Eat with sticky fingers and one you love.

I chose pavlova for several reasons. First because whipped cream has immediate connotations of love and well..... It's fluffy and sweet and you get to lick your fingers and sometimes it gets on noses and necks and whee!! And Raspberries have that bright crimson colour that makes me think of passion. The sticky, marshmallowy, sweet meringue is just a bonus!

Second because the Husband loves a good Pav and I hardly ever make them.

Third, I happened to have 4 egg whites just waiting for me.

SHF 16

Drinking age

2006-02-10T09:28:00.000-05:00

I was having a chat with Musicgirl the other day and the conversation drifted around to the drinking age. Here in Ontario you can't legally drink until you are 19. In Quebec it's 18.

We had a few ideas come up. One was to switch the drinking and driving ages. Make it legal to drink at 16 and drive at 19. That would give people a few years to drink and get it out of their system. It would prevent a lot of drinking and driving and kids could learn their limits. There would also be more drinking at home because it was legal and parents could supervise.

I ended up talking to the Husband about it too. Legally you are an adult at 18. You can marry, join the army, vote and enter into legally binding contracts. But you can't buy a beer. It's worse in the states. There you have to wait 3 years after the age of majority to drink.

What this does effectivly is create two classes of adults. Adults who are fully adult with all rights and freedoms. And adults who are trusted with guns and contracts but not with alcohol. So are you an adult at 18 or not? If you are then that should be the effective age for ALL Adult rights. If being 18 doesnt make you and adult then the age for ALL adult rights whould be raised to 19.

Having a disparity between Legal Adulthuud and the Drinking age is just silly.

Fresh mozzarella and ricotta and.....

2006-02-07T09:14:00.000-05:00

Pizza
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Mushrooms and pancetta and spinach and roasted red peppers and parmesan Pizza.

Gemgirl and I made this pizza on Saturday night. We cheated and used a thin crust from the store. It turned out really well and I will definatly make it again.

Saffron-Vanilla-Pear ice cream

2006-02-05T08:38:00.000-05:00

Saffron-Vanilla-Pear ice cream
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

4 Egg Yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
Large pinch of Saffron
1/2 vanilla bean
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 diced pear

Beat the Egg yolks and Sugar together until light and fluffy. Place the milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat with the saffron and vanilla. Pour the hot milk slowly into the beaten eggs so you don't scramble the yolks. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook until the custard thickens. Strain the Custard to remove the vanilla bean and saffrom strands. Stir in the cream and the diced pear. Allow the custard to chill for several hours. Freeze according to the instructions for your ice cream maker.

Gemgirl and I adapted this recipe from an IceCream cookbook I had. We both Loved the flavour but the Husband was less then enamoured. The colour was amazing, what with the yolks and saffron.

Makes 4 servings.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2006-02-03T18:28:00.000-05:00

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

1 Cup of Butter
2/3 cup each white and Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Large Pinch of Salt
Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Add in the dry ingredients and combine. At the end add the chocolate chips. Bake until browned on the edges. (approx 10 minutes)

I got to use my homemade vanilla extract for these so I was very excited. Gemgirl is coming this weekend and I wanted to have some baking in the house for her.

The recipe for these comes from the Credition Cook Book - a book my Grandmother's church put out back in the very early 80's. The baking bits are great. I just avoid the ones for Jell-o salads.

Cuba Pt 2

2006-01-28T20:30:00.000-05:00

We pretty much spent the rest of the week hanging out on the beach, playing volleyball with our new friends and taking long walks. One night got really cold (8C!) and we all stayed in the most sheltered parts of the hotel drinking rum for warmth and playing Euchre.

Side Note: Euchre really is the Great Canadian Game. Almost every Canadian at the resort had a pack of cards and they ALL know how to play. We also learned how to play Slapjack which is a very violent game, very painful but very fun.

Now the important part. The Food. How to describe the food? Horrible? Terrible? Complete Pap? Yes I think those just about cover it. It was bland. It was over cooked. And it was the same thing every single meal. Lunch was indistinguishable from Dinner. Breakfast was the exact same thing every day. The bread was bad, the eggs over cooked, the bacon not cooked enough. Now I understand that in a Communist Country like Cuba they don't have the same access to foods that we have. But I like to think that I know food. And I know that the food could have been great. They had a pretty good variety of ingredients they just need a lot of cooking lessons.

But tell me, is this the face of a happy woman?

By the end of the week we were both happy and sad to leave. Happy because - well, my own bed and fridge and the boys.

Sad because we had to leave this:

The flight back was longer than the trip down because we had to go pick up some people in another part of Cuba. We got another good meal that we forgot to take a picture of. It was Lasagna Florentine. The Flight attendants joked that it was good food because it was one of the few meals that they would eat. I am sure that I would think it was bad if I got it in a restaurant but after a week of blech it tasted great.

Customs were easy with no lines and we got our luggage pretty quickly. There was a bit of Drama when two guys started a fist fight at baggage Claim but Airport Security busted that up pretty quick. Our shuttle was at the airport within minutes of being called and we were on the road home. The Husband drove and I slept. I had to work in the morning and he didn't. (lucky guy!)

Sugar High Friday (Sugar Low Friday!) #15

2006-01-27T13:17:00.000-05:00

Sugar High Friday was first conceived by Jennifer our own Canadian DomesticGoddess. This month's SHF is hosted by Sam over at Becks and Posh.

This months challenge was to make a low sugar dessert. I decided to make pancakes! These are just a basic Pancake with no added sugar. You can use which ever recipe you prefer.

While the Pancakes were cooking I dropped sliced strawberries on the raw batter. When they are flipped over the berries get cooked and caramelized. Yummy!

I served mine with home made yogurt and more fresh sliced strawberries, but Maple syrup, jam or apple sauce would work well too. They are also pretty good plain. We had some leftover so they will go in Ziploc baggies and be frozen for future breakfasts.

It's good to be back!

Tagged with: SHF # 15 + Low Sugar

Trip Recap Pt 1.

2006-01-25T22:02:00.000-05:00

We left for Toronto on a Monday night. We had made reservations at the Carlingview Airport Hotel. When we got there they were full so we got bumped up to a suite! We were very pleased. They also provided a parking space for the week and a shuttle to the airport.

Here I am waiting for the plane.

On the flight we received what was to be one of the two best meals of the whole trip.

Yes, Airplane food was the best meal of the trip.

The airport was quick in getting us through and we got onto out bus and to the Resort quickly. They had us already checked in so we didn't have to do that. We got our rooms keys on the bus. Once we got to the resort we changed into summery clothes and hit the bar and snack bar.

The next day we spent on the beach swimming and lying about doing nothing. We met some really nice people from Toronto and drank with them and watched the nightly entertainment.

Our room was ok, we had twin beds that couldnt be pushed together because there was a shelf fastened to the wall inbetween them. But that was really ok because it was too sweaty to sleep snuggled up. We had and A/C in the room but it was incredibly loud. Everyday the maids would make us a different towel animal.
Once we got an Elephant.

On Friday we went into the nearby town with our new friends. We took a taxi and it was 4 pesos (about 5$) each way. We wandered around town and looked at the Handicrafts market and the twon square, went into a museum and climbed the tower and went to a cigar store. The Huband was asked about 75 times if he wanted to buy cigars from all the men on the street. Since we don't smoke and you are warned by the Govt that street cigars are probably fakes we abstained.

Here is the main church.

This is the courtyard of the Museum.

And the view from the Tower.

We also took a sailboat trip out for Snorkeling and a seafood lunch on a reef island. We thought it was a Catamaran trip and were dissapointed when it was smaller boats. The reef was amazing though and I wished I had an underwater camera to show you. You can see the crabs and the Iguana and the little bird in a previous post.

That's all for now because it's late and I am tired. More soon!

Good Pizza, Bad Service

2006-01-22T01:10:00.000-05:00

Tonight the Husband and I went out for some Pizza. We wanted to try Tony's Pizza on Dundas Street East because we had heard really good things about it.

We were seated in the semi-busy dining room, given menus and promptly ignored for close to 15 minutes. At one point our server did say she would be right with us......... nope. When she did get to us we ordered a med "super duper" pizza and two Brios. She told us that the Brios were free because she took so long. Ok, forgivable.

The pizza took about a year and a half to arrive (okay maybe not, but it seemed like it). When we got the pie it looked great. Gooey melting cheese, lots of toppings very, very yummy.

No one came back to see how everything was and I had to hunt down the server to get our bill. And when we got it our supposedly "free" Brios were on there too.

Conclusion. Good Pizza, Horrible Service. Get take out or Delivery.

Or go to Muldoons!

My First Meme!

2006-01-20T09:12:00.000-05:00

A few days ago Randi tagged me for the Too-Much-Information Meme. It's the first time I have been tagged for anything so I am pretty excited!

For this one, I list 10 things people don't know about me and then tag someone else to continue.

1. I prefer Granny panties to all other forms of Underwear. I am very particular about my underwear. Jockey Hicut Briefs are all I will wear.

2. I taught children's Cooking classes for Loblaws. I was one of the original instructors for the Loblaws Cooking school. I left because of in-fighting and am not sorry to be gone.

3. Hard Salami is my favourite food in the world. I can eat pounds of the stuff at a sitting and have to have the sausage taken away from me before I will stop.

4. I watch children's TV programs. Arthur is a particular favorite. I would rather watch kids shows than something like CSI.

5. I faked liking Sushi the first time I ate it, just to impress someone. I love it now.

6. I hate having my picture taken. I always look terrible.

7. I have never had a cavity. I live in fear that the dentist will whip out his drill and yell out "it's Drillin' Time!"

8. People keep giving me fancy little knickknacks, like crystal swans and light up angels. I say thank you and donate them to GoodWill.

9. I can't stand Nail Polish on my fingers. I start picking it off right away. It feels greasy and wrong to me. I don't mind it on my toes.

10. I love to pop zits. My own, the Husbands - it doesn't matter. Chances are that if you have a zit, I am thinking about popping it. (I can restrain myself. Except when it comes to the Husband. He has to put up with me.)

Sunsets and Palmtrees

2006-01-18T19:26:00.000-05:00

Sunset:

Palmtree:

Sunset:

Palmtree:

Wildlife

2006-01-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

Starting the mega photo innundation with some Cuban Critters.

We went on a sailboat to a reef island where we had a lunch of seafood and rice. This guy showed up for the leftovers. He really didn't mind posing for a few shots.

The island was also covered in hundred and hundreds of Hermit Crabs. It looked like the rocks were moving around. They were easy to pick up with the shells.

This little guy didn't want dinner but he was more than willing to share dessert.

In town there were little doggies everywhere. This one was taking a nap in the main square.

We picked this up on the beach right outside our Hotel. It stuck to my hand quite well. I could turn it upside down and it didn't fall off. We put it right back where we found it when we were done.

Tomorrow is sunsets and palm trees. Stay tuned!

Teaser

2006-01-12T08:41:00.000-05:00

Teaser
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Just a hint of the things to come. All sorts of photos from our trip, and lots of other fun stuff. Plus I may actually have some free time to cook soon!

We are outta here!

2006-01-03T11:02:00.000-05:00

We are leaving in about 3 hours for a weeks vacation on a sunny beach. There will be drinking and sleeping in and NO WORKING!

I will have pictures when I get back.

Why Yes, we do have a new camera!

2005-12-31T09:45:00.000-05:00

Catses
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

For Xmas the Husband and I got ourselves a new camera. It takes much better pictures than what we were using before.

Sometimes we used the webcam if we needed a shot right away. But that really crappy resolution.

Or we used the film camera, but then we had to wait and get it developped.

So now we have a nice digital. And it takes good shots too. Check out this one of the boys in their favorite place. On the extended foot rest of our recliner. Fang is all grown up now.

Roasted Red pepper dip

2005-12-29T09:14:00.000-05:00

Roasted Red pepper dip
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

This is the Husbands signature dish.

Take a couple of red peppers and dice them. Cook them Veeeery slowly in a lot of oil along with some red pepper flakes. After a very long time (read -several hours over low heat) Blitz them in a food processor with a sizable chunk of Feta cheese.

It was so good we forgot to take a picture until it was mostly gone.

Cooky Tray

2005-12-28T09:20:00.000-05:00

Cooky Tray
Originally uploaded by Pookiefatcat.

Starting at the top left:

Monster cooky (made by the husband), rocky road chocolate coins, mocha bites, one lonely date square, Orange and nutmeg shortbread, the rest of the date squares and home made fruit cake.