Hello Everyone,
We've had a mild winter so far so it was rather refreshing that it came back with some white on the weekend. Jerry had a great time playing in powder at Castle Mountain and I relaxed at home with my to-do list.
Photos of the Phoenix trip are on Facebook.
Have a great day!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
A Nice Valentine's Day
Hello Everyone,
This year, I took the advice of the internet and told Jerry what I wanted for Valentine's Day. I was specific about the meal and how everything should look. And he still made it extra special.
I wanted flowers. Nothing special. Something from the grocery store because florists charge a lot of money for a bouquet on Valentine's Day. So, he went to the grocery store and found me purple orchids. He said he saw them and thought they were perfect. He had no idea that I love orchids. And then he saw some yellow chrysanthemums and remembered I often buy them because they last a long time (2-4 weeks). And he thought they would look nice together. Bless his heart, I wouldn't have put the two together but they actually look nice and he split them into 3 small vases to spread around the apartment.
Next, I wanted chilled red wine. I was happy with Co-Op brand (drinkable and cheap - I didn't want a lot of money spent because of our trip) but he remembered the Chianti we had at an Italian restaurant a couple weeks that I liked. It was a Ruffino and it's a nice all purpose red wine.
And I wanted cheese fondue. Which was delicious. And he also did an oil & meat fondue too. Seasoned pork with tempura batter and homemade meatballs (he was happy to use the meat grinder attachment for the KitchenAid).
For dessert, I wanted something chocolate. So he made chocolate fondue and picked up a Chinese pound cake/jelly roll cake. Very delicious.
And he set the table nice and there were candles and it was all very delicious.
We were both very full after dinner so we went on an evening stroll in the snow. I am a very lucky lady.
Have a good day!
This year, I took the advice of the internet and told Jerry what I wanted for Valentine's Day. I was specific about the meal and how everything should look. And he still made it extra special.
I wanted flowers. Nothing special. Something from the grocery store because florists charge a lot of money for a bouquet on Valentine's Day. So, he went to the grocery store and found me purple orchids. He said he saw them and thought they were perfect. He had no idea that I love orchids. And then he saw some yellow chrysanthemums and remembered I often buy them because they last a long time (2-4 weeks). And he thought they would look nice together. Bless his heart, I wouldn't have put the two together but they actually look nice and he split them into 3 small vases to spread around the apartment.
Next, I wanted chilled red wine. I was happy with Co-Op brand (drinkable and cheap - I didn't want a lot of money spent because of our trip) but he remembered the Chianti we had at an Italian restaurant a couple weeks that I liked. It was a Ruffino and it's a nice all purpose red wine.
And I wanted cheese fondue. Which was delicious. And he also did an oil & meat fondue too. Seasoned pork with tempura batter and homemade meatballs (he was happy to use the meat grinder attachment for the KitchenAid).
For dessert, I wanted something chocolate. So he made chocolate fondue and picked up a Chinese pound cake/jelly roll cake. Very delicious.
And he set the table nice and there were candles and it was all very delicious.
We were both very full after dinner so we went on an evening stroll in the snow. I am a very lucky lady.
Have a good day!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Blender Fiasco
Hello Everyone,
So Saturday turned out more stressful than anticipated. It started out really great. We had lunch in Kensington, stopped in at a couple stores, ate mini Crave cupcakes and then went to The Bay to compare blenders. I had narrowed the choice to two - a Krups and a Breville. Jerry wanted to see both before we got the last thing we wanted from our registry.
They had the Breville but not the Krups and there was only one Bay in Calgary that had it. So, we waited around for the bus and headed up to North Hill. They had both. It was getting to closing time so I found a sales associate and told her I wanted the Breville (I know, which was at the first place but it meant we got to really look at both). There was one left in the store - the floor model. We were told there would be an additional 10% discount and she went to find the box. No box. And they won't sell it to us. To get home from the mall, we caught the bus to the train, and then from the train it was a half hour walk home.
So yesterday while Jerry was tidying the house, I walked downtown, bought the stupid blender, bungee corded it to my pull cart and hauled it up the hill.
But it is quiet and makes yummy watermelon slushes.
Have a good day!
So Saturday turned out more stressful than anticipated. It started out really great. We had lunch in Kensington, stopped in at a couple stores, ate mini Crave cupcakes and then went to The Bay to compare blenders. I had narrowed the choice to two - a Krups and a Breville. Jerry wanted to see both before we got the last thing we wanted from our registry.
They had the Breville but not the Krups and there was only one Bay in Calgary that had it. So, we waited around for the bus and headed up to North Hill. They had both. It was getting to closing time so I found a sales associate and told her I wanted the Breville (I know, which was at the first place but it meant we got to really look at both). There was one left in the store - the floor model. We were told there would be an additional 10% discount and she went to find the box. No box. And they won't sell it to us. To get home from the mall, we caught the bus to the train, and then from the train it was a half hour walk home.
So yesterday while Jerry was tidying the house, I walked downtown, bought the stupid blender, bungee corded it to my pull cart and hauled it up the hill.
But it is quiet and makes yummy watermelon slushes.
Have a good day!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Relaxing Saturday Morning
Hello Everyone,
No plans for the day. We slept in until 9. The coffee is lovely. Mike & Whiskers had their showers. And I'm feeling lazy.
I think we'll treat ourselves to lunch in Kensington and then do stuff around the apartment.
Life is good.
Have a great day!
No plans for the day. We slept in until 9. The coffee is lovely. Mike & Whiskers had their showers. And I'm feeling lazy.
I think we'll treat ourselves to lunch in Kensington and then do stuff around the apartment.
Life is good.
Have a great day!
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
new cell phone
Hello Everyone,
I've joined the 21st century and now have a smart phone. It's a Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant and it's with Virgin. I've been with Rogers for over a dozen years now and I haven't been happy with their phone prices or their plans. So, I'm giving them a shot.
So far, I've been able to make a phone call (by fumbling on the screen until I saw a green phone) to Jerry and was able to add him to my contacts. This will be a big transition for me as I didn't use the features on my old phone and this is my first touch screen phone.
The new phone number is 403-827-7179.
I think her name is Sammy.
Have a good day!
I've joined the 21st century and now have a smart phone. It's a Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant and it's with Virgin. I've been with Rogers for over a dozen years now and I haven't been happy with their phone prices or their plans. So, I'm giving them a shot.
So far, I've been able to make a phone call (by fumbling on the screen until I saw a green phone) to Jerry and was able to add him to my contacts. This will be a big transition for me as I didn't use the features on my old phone and this is my first touch screen phone.
The new phone number is 403-827-7179.
I think her name is Sammy.
Have a good day!
Friday, February 03, 2012
Surprisingly yummy recipe
Hello Everyone,
On my week off, I ended up watching part of Rachael Ray's show. The recipe sounded easy and we tried it last night. We did a couple substitutes - no parsnip, napa cabbage instead of savoy, apple juice instead of cider and steak spice rather than the seasoning. I used super grainy mustard, which I prefer because the blended stuff is too vinegary. It turned out very tasty. Too bad so many of our friends don't eat pork. It's also very cheap to make.
Roast Pork Tenderloins with Roasted Carrot, Parsnip, Potato and Warm Apple and Savoy Cabbage Slaw
This perfect pork dinner with roasted veggies and sweet and sour cabbage slaw is a winning winter meal.
by Rachael Ray | on 01/23/12
Ingredients
2 pork tenderloin fillets, trimmed of silver skin
Kosher salt and pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fennel seed
3 carrots, sliced on an angle
2 parsnips, sliced on an angle
1 large Russet potato, scrubbed well, skin left on, thinly sliced
About 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), to coat
3 tablespoons butter
2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and chopped
1 small head of Savoy cabbage, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Serves 4
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper, sprinkle evenly with granulated onion and garlic, and slather each tenderloin with mustard. Sprinkle the fennel seed over top.
On a rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow roasting pan, toss the carrots, parsnips and potato with EVOO to coat, then season with salt and pepper. Push the veggies off to each side of the pan and set the tenderloins down in the middle. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 145°F. Let the meat stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
For the slaw, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the apples and sauté to light golden, 5 minutes. Wilt in the cabbage in handfuls; season with salt and pepper. When the cabbage has wilted into the pan, douse with the cider, vinegar and sugar and cook for 5 minutes more at a simmer.
Serve the sliced pork with the roasted carrots and parsnips, and the slaw alongside.
On my week off, I ended up watching part of Rachael Ray's show. The recipe sounded easy and we tried it last night. We did a couple substitutes - no parsnip, napa cabbage instead of savoy, apple juice instead of cider and steak spice rather than the seasoning. I used super grainy mustard, which I prefer because the blended stuff is too vinegary. It turned out very tasty. Too bad so many of our friends don't eat pork. It's also very cheap to make.
Roast Pork Tenderloins with Roasted Carrot, Parsnip, Potato and Warm Apple and Savoy Cabbage Slaw
This perfect pork dinner with roasted veggies and sweet and sour cabbage slaw is a winning winter meal.
by Rachael Ray | on 01/23/12
Ingredients
2 pork tenderloin fillets, trimmed of silver skin
Kosher salt and pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fennel seed
3 carrots, sliced on an angle
2 parsnips, sliced on an angle
1 large Russet potato, scrubbed well, skin left on, thinly sliced
About 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), to coat
3 tablespoons butter
2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and chopped
1 small head of Savoy cabbage, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Serves 4
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper, sprinkle evenly with granulated onion and garlic, and slather each tenderloin with mustard. Sprinkle the fennel seed over top.
On a rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow roasting pan, toss the carrots, parsnips and potato with EVOO to coat, then season with salt and pepper. Push the veggies off to each side of the pan and set the tenderloins down in the middle. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 145°F. Let the meat stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
For the slaw, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the apples and sauté to light golden, 5 minutes. Wilt in the cabbage in handfuls; season with salt and pepper. When the cabbage has wilted into the pan, douse with the cider, vinegar and sugar and cook for 5 minutes more at a simmer.
Serve the sliced pork with the roasted carrots and parsnips, and the slaw alongside.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
