Thursday, July 15, 2010

Vacation Break

Well, it's time to finish packing for our upcoming vacation. We've been looking at the optional excursions with our tour (more $$). I tend to like the scenic ones as opposed to all the historical sites, how about you? It looks like early 7 am departure-type mornings, eeps. As we are going with 2 other families it will be interesting to see what optionals they choose, if any. The days are busy with K at summer school and with getting L ready for university. We received the tuition statement as soon as she registered for courses! The challenge is to squeeze some regular exercise into my days. I should be able to start posting again in early August! Bye for now.

Oh, here's a recipe for Grill-Roasted Clam Linguine that I found. It says 'Clams cooked in the shell pop open on the grill, just like they do when steamed. And there's a bonus for the cook: No big, heavy pot is needed.' I never knew you could grill clams.

And here's a funny video where this 'comedian owns heckler, wins back crowd'.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Jeanne Robertson Comedy

A friend sent me a couple of humourous videos that might appeal to some of you:

JEANNE ROBERTSON VIDEO! Don't Bungee Jump Naked!

Jeanne Robertson "Don't send a man to the grocery store!

Sooner or later, I'm going to have to get a smart phone (blackberry, iphone, android, whatever). It seems you need one to 'read' this billboard:
Calvin Klein Jeans Replaces Racy Billboards with QR Codes

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Mango in Motion

Here is a quick healthy recipe I found from
the 'Your Healthy Weight' website.

'A very nutritious drink ready in less than 5 minutes!'


2 serving(s)

Ingredients

1 cup (250 ml) cold milk

2 tbsp (30 ml) frozen mango-orange 100% juice concentrate

1/2 cup (125 ml) vanilla yogurt

Preparation

Add all ingredients to a tall glass. Stir until the juice concentrate dissolves. That’s it!

Option: replace the vanilla yogurt with fruit yogurt and the mango-orange with any of your other favourite frozen 100% juice concentrates. Yum!


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12 Clever Social Media-Friendly Business Cards

Monday, July 12, 2010

Smart Marketing IQ Test

This is fun -- give this a try -- be sure your sound is on!

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Facebook Will Add a “Panic Button” for UK Teens

5 Handy YouTube Channels for DIY and Home Improvement

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Free Hugs in Sondrio, Italy

This video is heartwarming and worth sharing, I think.

A few nights ago, we ate out with some friends at a Northern Persian restaurant. We enjoyed the food very much. L and I ordered succulent, flavourful lambchops on beds of basmati rice. K enjoyed his chicken kabobs and M had a beef sirloin kabob with pomegranate sauce. One of our friends had a chicken 'stew' with pomegranate sauce. I had a taste and it was very good. We sipped on cardamom scented tea and some Persian pastries afterward.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Sony 3D TV demo

L and I were at the mall yesterday and tried out the new Sony 3D TV's on display in Centre Court. The 3D glasses cost $150 and the TV's cost about $4500 (Canadian dollars). They come with a 3D transmitter that sits on top of the TV monitor. 3D looks REALLY good, the polar bears looked so real swimming around on the TV screen. Then the attendant switched to a world cup soccer match. It was so realistic, and even if you turn the 3D feature off to rest your eyes, the picture is still incredibly clear.

Here's a recipe I received from Life Made Delicious - General Mills Canada. It's on my list to try.



Asparagus And Swiss Bake

Succulent asparagus and savoury Swiss cheese pair up in an easy and tasty egg bake.
Prep Time: 15 Mins | Total Time: 55 Mins | Makes: 12

Ingredients:

2 cups (500 mL) cut (1-inch/2.5 cm) asparagus spears
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped red pepper
1/2 cup (125 mL) sliced green onion
2 cups (500 mL) shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 cup (175 mL) BISQUICK* mix
11/2 cups (375 mL) milk
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon-pepper seasoning salt
3 eggs

Method:

* Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray 8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In medium saucepan, heat 1-inch (2.5 cm) water to boiling. Add asparagus; cook uncovered 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
* In baking dish, mix asparagus, red pepper and onions. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) of the cheese. In medium bowl, stir the remaining ingredients until blended; pour into baking dish.
* Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes, sprinkling with remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) cheese for last 5 minutes of baking, until knife inserted between centre and edge comes out clean.


For this recipe you'll need Bisquick* Variety Baking Mix
Bisquick* Variety Baking Mix
Tip
Kitchen Tip: If you don't have fresh asparagus on hand, use frozen asparagus cuts, thawed and drained. Don't cook the asparagus in boiling water; just add it to the casserole.


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Friday, July 9, 2010

Lighthearted Caesar salad and Everyday Vinaigrette

I got this one from a Heart and Stroke foundation newsletter:

Lighthearted Caesar salad

Lighthearted Caesar saladMakes 5 servings

Here’s a version of this very popular salad with less oil than usual and without the egg — without sacrificing flavour.

Ingredients

* 2 slices bread (preferably whole wheat)
* 1 large clove garlic, halved
* 1 large head romaine lettuce
* 50 mL (3 tbsp) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Dressing

* 25 mL (2 tbsp) fresh lemon juice
* 25 mL (2 tbsp) olive oil
* 15 mL (1 tbsp) water
* 15 mL (1 tbsp) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 5 mL (1 tsp) Dijon mustard
* 5 mL (1 tsp) Worcestershire sauce
* 1 anchovy fillet, minced, (or 5 mL/1 tsp anchovy paste)
* 0.5 mL or less (1⁄8 tsp or less) salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Toast bread until browned and crisp.
2. Rub cut side of garlic over both sides of bread.
3. Cut bread into cubes.
4. Mince garlic to use in dressing.
5. In small bowl, combine garlic, lemon juice, oil, water, Parmesan, mustard, Worcestershire, anchovy, and salt and pepper; whisk to mix well.
6. Just before serving, tear romaine into small pieces and place in salad bowl.
7. Pour dressing over and toss to mix. Add croutons and cheese; toss again. Serve immediately.

Make ahead:

Wash lettuce; dry in salad spinner or between paper towels or tea towels. Wrap in paper towels or tea towels and place in a plastic bag; refrigerate for up to 1 day. Prepare dressing up to 1 day in advance. Store, covered, in the refrigerator; whisk again just before using. Prepare croutons up to 1 day in advance; store in airtight container.

Nutrition information per serving

* Calories: 119
* Protein: 5 g
* Total fat: 8 g
* 5 g protein, 8 g total fat,
* 2 g saturated fat: 2 g
* Cholesterol: 5 mg
* Carbohydrate: 9 g
* Fibre: 3 g
* Sodium: 272 mg
* Potassium: 350 mg

From Anne Lindsay’s Lighthearted at Home ©2010.

How about this one:

Everyday vinaigrette (five variations)

Everyday vinaigretteMakes 90 mL (6 tbsp)

Ingredients

* 25 mL (2 tbsp) olive or canola oil
* 25 mL (2 tbsp) fresh lemon juice, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
* 25 mL (2 tbsp) water
* 1 small clove garlic, minced
* 5 mL (1 tsp) Dijon mustard
* Pinch each salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. In small measuring cup or bowl, or jar with screw top, combine oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper
2. Mix well.

Variations

Add one of the following to the dressing:

* 5 mL (1 tsp) sesame oil
* 1 mL (1∕4 tsp) ground cumin
* 15 mL (1 tbsp) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Herb Dressing
Add 25 mL (2 tbsp) chopped fresh herbs (basil, dill or parsley or a combination).

Poppy Seed Dressing
Omit mustard and garlic. Add 15 mL (1 tbsp) poppy seeds and 5 mL (1 tsp) granulated sugar.

Ginger-Garlic Dressing
Use 15 mL (1 tbsp) each of canola oil and sesame oil; add 5 mL (1 tsp) finely minced gingerroot. Omit mustard. Note: This vinaigrette has half the fat of a traditional vinaigrette. However, if you are wanting a really low-fat dressing, add 2 to 3 tbsp (25 to 50 mL) water to this Vinaigrette.

Nutrition information per serving
(15 mL/1 tbsp)

* Calories: 43 calories
* Protein: 0 g
* Total fat: 5 g
* Saturated fat: 1 g
* Cholesterol: 0 mg
* Carbohydrate: 1 g
* Fibre: 0 g
* Sodium: 21 mg
* Potassium: 9 mg

From Anne Lindsay’s Lighthearted at Home ©2010.

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Roots unveils Douglas Coupland line - His designs look awesome and he sounds like a most talented, brilliant person (author/artist/thinker).

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Thursday, July 8, 2010

A recipe and some nice videos

My Kitchen Snippets posted this recipe for Baked Jam Filled donuts and I hope we can try this soon, it looks sooo delicious.

This video is called '32 songs in 8 minutes', it's cute.

Here's another nice video called 'Michael Jackson Medley'.

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Generosity influences health and happiness

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

It will be an adjustment

Well, our Turkey and Greek Islands vacation is coming up in only a couple of weeks. Last night I was refreshing my knowledge of converters/transformers and adapters for the various appliances. It doesn't look too bad.

We recently made a visit to L's new university and she is all registered for her first year courses (which are filling up really fast). Kids today are lucky...all the parents wanted to enroll.... nice
facilities. They even have laundry tutorials in residence, lol.

Some interesting facts we learned:

80% of students change programs in first year

Average grades drop 13%

If the kids are coming home too often, it's a sign they may not be adjusting well

The university is not liable to contact you for much beyond life or
death situations. They
have to respect the student's privacy as an adult.

Alcohol is the number 1 issue, especially in residence

It will be an adjustment for us. Some friends of friends...their son just
checked out of university and
with all the tuition money too! Don't know how they found out.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Bolero de Ravel

A friend of mine just returned from Spain on vacation and was inspired to send me this video 'Bolero de Ravel'. It's different but I like it, lovely music at the very least.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Bring on the learning revolution

A friend of mine sent me this inspiring 18 minute video by Sir Ken Robinson - 'Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning -- creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish.' I think we can all learn something from this, he speaks with humour about having a passion for what we do and trying to discover what our true talents are because some of us never do.


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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Children writing about the ocean

1 ) - This is a picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles.
(Kelly, age 6)

2) - Oysters' balls are called pearls.
(Jerry, age 6)

3) - If you are surrounded by ocean, you are an island. If you don't have ocean all round you, you are incontinent.
(Alex, age 7)

4) - Sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily Richardson. She's not my friend any more.
(Kylie, age 6)

5) - A dolphin breaths through an asshole on the top of its head..
(Billy, age 8)

6) My uncle goes out in his boat with 2 other men and a woman and pots and comes back with crabs.
(Millie, age 6)

7) When ships had sails, they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes when the wind didn't blow the sailors would whistle to make the wind come. My brother said they would have been better off eating beans..
(William, age 7)

8) - Mermaids live in the ocean. I like mermaids. They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails, but how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? Like, really?
(Helen, age 6)

9) I'm not going to write about the ocean. My baby brother is always crying, my Dad keeps yelling at my Mom, and my big sister just got pregnant, so I can't think what to write.
(Amy, age 6)

10) Some fish are dangerous. Jelly fish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers.
(Christopher, age 7)

11) When you go swimming in the ocean, it is very cold, and it makes my willy small.
(Kevin, age 6)

12) Divers have to be safe when they go under the water.
Divers can't go down alone, so they have to go down on each other.
(Becky, age 8)

13) On vacation my Mom went water skiing. She fell off when she was going very fast. She says she won't do it again because water fired right up her big fat ass.
(Julie, age 7)

14) The ocean is made up of water and fish. Why the fish don't drown I don't know.
(Bobby, age 6)

15) My dad was a sailor on the ocean. He knows all about the ocean. What he doesn't know is why he quit being a sailor and married my mom.
(James, age 7)

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Grissol Rustic Flatbreads

Image

At the grocery store, I recently tasted a sample of this pictured flatbread. They spread some cream cheese and some hummus on it, and I loved the texture and taste of it, especially with cream cheese. The box says they're baked in a nut free facility for those with allergies. It comes in other flavours such as 'tomato and oregano' which I haven't tried. Being a lover of white bread, I was happy to find a healthy whole wheat product that I really liked, not to mention with whole grains and seeds.

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Friday, July 2, 2010

Isn't it great to be 18?

L has been having a busy start to summer. In addition to her part time job, there has been a party (or 2) almost every day.

The other day she drove her friend to a sports bar to meet some friends. The same night she drove K to the movies to meet up with some other friends. The next day she worked, then it was off to a party and sleepover. Next day, friends drop by, they went out to dinner, hung around at home for a bit, then went off to check out another party. There is another party today. This is the life of a teenager. Isn't it great to be 18? (except for getting some proper rest!)

I just have to ensure that she takes the time to figure out her university courses for first year, which she assures me she has.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Happy Canada Day

That would be today! It's a public holiday. I'm sure a lot of people will be taking Friday off and making a long weekend out of it.

It's a big birthday for M, the big 50! He's excited and we will celebrate with his family and friends at a restaurant.


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Top 10 reasons to love Canada now!

Method for calculating peak heart rate altered

Antibiotic plus common heart drugs can be dangerous