Living Vicariously

My travelling sister went on a cruise to Morocco and the Canary Islands last month. She sent a few photos and updates so I thought I would live a bit vicariously and show  you some photos of these exotic destinations.  It seems they are bucket list worthy and my list is now that much longer!

Morocco

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

My sister thought it was pretty, safe, clean and affordable in Las Palmas.

Tenerife Canary Islands Sunset

Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal

My sister thought it was pretty and beautiful here in the capital city of Funchal on the island of Madeira.

Malaga, Spain

Paint Party Friday - Mascot

It's time for Paint Party Friday!

I made this shield with patterned duct tape and added a washi tape background.  This piece is on cardstock  (6" x 6").  My sister had mentioned that the Carnegie Mellon University mascot is a Scottie dog and the masking tape design seemed to fit well with this. Maybe she will make a greeting card out of this personalized mascot design as I sent her the image. She has friends with kids at this university.

Pretty Dresses

I saw these pretty spring dresses on display at the mall. We have at least one wedding to attend this summer, it can't hurt to start looking around for something suitable, maybe even for an Easter gathering!

Scribble Picnic - Egg Hunt

Welcome to Michael's Scribble Picnic! This week's theme is 'Egg Hunt'. Here is my interpretation on good quality textured cardstock (6" x 6") with permanent markers, eggs outlined with a PITT fine point marker.  What could be more fun than a springtime hunt through the woods.  The eggs are all laid out, ready for the kids!

Suddenly

Here's my healthy snack today, crunchy sugar snap peas with a roasted red pepper dip.

Focussing on some vegetables at the grocery store the other day, I didn't notice a wet spot on the floor.  Next thing, I  was doing a baseball slide onto the floor, landing on my back.  A grocery clerk and a lady beside me rushed to my assistance but I was able to get up on my own.  My thumb became a bit bruised later that day and my bottom was a bit sore.  Fortunately, I was able to go about my regular activities.  I remember feeling a bit shaken up for a few hours after the accident, maybe I was still also in shock.  It's important to pay attention to where you are stepping especially as you get older. Otherwise you could suddenly slip and fall.  My friend S said I should've filed a formal complaint, I didn't even think to ask them to clean up the spill.  Yet another friend said her cousin fell and broke a leg in her grocery store a few years ago.

In other news, I was able to successfully log into my Instagram account first thing Monday morning so I was happy about that.

Problem Solved

It won't go away

One morning we were surprised to see a note at our front door from our newspaper delivery guy.  He left his phone number and asked if we had future complaints, could we please call him before we report it to the newspaper company itself.  The reason is that he makes $0.19 per paper delivered but they subtract $5.09 for each complaint.  I felt obligated to call him and say that we had not filed any complaint, that there must be some mistake.  He said he would look back at his records and leave the complaint at our front door the next morning.  The next morning he left a paper with an apology, that the complaint had been from another address.  I was happy that the problem was solved!

The only reason I would complain is if we don't receive a paper.  I think these people had complained that their paper was not at left right at the front door.  Either way, newspaper delivery is not as simple or as easy as one would think.  

Instagram Login Problems

Celeriac Mash

I made celeriac mash, and found an easier way to prepare it. It has a very tough skin, similar to butternut squash.  First, I microwaved it for 8 minutes. Then I quartered and peeled it. After dicing it, I boiled it for 15 minutes. It was then ready for mashing with a cube of butter, some salt and pepper. Husband M can have it in place of rice or potatoes with his meal. His sugar readings are excellent with this tasty vegetable.

And you know what?  I decided to put it on top of a shepherd's pie instead of mashed potatoes.  It turned out great.

I've been unable to log into my Instagram account since Friday evening.  We think it's a global hack in certain areas.  Hopefully it gets fixed soon.  Is anyone else impacted?  I heard you should stay logged in just in case you can't get back in.

A New Dish for Me

celeriac

Jan shared her delicious celeriac recipe the other day and I am so happy I tried it! It is delicious and perfect for my diabetic husband. Celeriac is celery root so it has the mild taste of celery and pairs so well with cheese and cream. Here is my version of the recipe:

1 celeriac
1 c of half and half cream
1 c shredded cheese (I had mozzarella on hand)
1/2 tsp italian seasoning (or other herb)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced garlic)

preheat oven to 350F

quarter the celeriac, it is really tough. then peel the skin off. then slice thinly.

line a casserole with parchment paper. layer the celeriac with cream and spices

bake 40 mins add cheese on top and bake for another 5 minutes until browned

Paint Party Friday - Falafel salad

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! I was out at dinner last month and took a photo of this falafel salad I had complete with tahini sauce. This falafel salad became my piece for today. It's an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") permanent marker on canvas. I hope you like it!

Wishful Thinking

Stephen Hawking the renowned theoretical physicist died on March 14.  There was a good article about him in the newspaper that day.  In it, 'Hawking said belief in a God who intervenes in the universe “to make sure the good guys win or get rewarded in the next life” was wishful thinking.'
So we may as well just be ourselves and hope we can live with enough character and integrity to do the right thing anyway!  It shouldn't be about winning or getting rewarded.  So much for Karma, what do you think?

Then again Hawking was an atheist which explains his thinking.

Scribble Picnic - Creams

Welcome to Scribble Picnic's 'Creams' theme. I did an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in permanent marker on canvas, outlined with a PITT artist pen. It is a vanilla cream pie. I guess 'creams' could also mean a variety of colours, wonder how everyone else interpreted this one?

Avocado, chicken and pita

We made these avocado and chicken on whole wheat pita bread sandwiches one day as we had some leftover baked chicken. The avocado was used in place of mayonnaise as a healthy alternative.

Strawberry Yogurt Pudding Cake

This is daughter L's easy original recipe for this delicious yogurt pudding cake she made the other day.  It was so good.

1 2/3 cup of flavoured yogurt (Strawberry is recommended)*
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine eggs, yogurt, oil - add sugar - stir until smooth. Fold in flour, and baking powder. Add extracts, stir until blended.

Pour into lined 8" cake pan, bake at 350F about 30 min or until golden brown on top and the toothpick tester comes out clean.

My favourite flavour

My favourite flavour is back at Baskin Robbins ice cream this season, I was very pleased to have this junior scoop. If you click on the 2nd photo you can see the nutritional breakdown of this 'Maui Brownie Madness' frozen yogurt.

Cooking Poultry

Instant Read Thermometer

165F 

Perfect!

I unearthed my instant read thermometer which I don't use very often. I decided to try it on some split chicken breasts that I was baking. So you insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast once it is removed from the oven. When it reads 165F you can be assured it is perfectly cooked. Do you use a meat thermometer at all?  There are some that you leave inserted while baking.

Rare steak is 135F, medium rare is 145F approximately.

Paint Party Friday - Sunset over the Barn

Welcome to Paint Party Friday! This piece is called 'Sunset over the Barn', Acrylic on cardstock
(4" x 6").

The Train Incident

Daffodils at the grocery store

Welcome to the Ides of March, the date Julius Caesar was assassinated.

Daughter L was on the train downtown last week when she reported that a man of about 30 - 35 years of age started screaming on her train 'can someone please help me, I just need $62, I just came out of hospital you know, why won't anyone help me'. He had his hands in his pockets which made the situation even more scary. Eventually he moved on to another train where security apprehended him. I felt compassion for this mentally ill man, that he was not getting the mental support he needed. Happily daughter made it to her destination safely.

Scribble Picnic - Across the Universe

Welcome to Scribble Picnic's 'Across the Universe' theme. My piece is an ACEO acrylic on canvas (2 1/2" x 3 1/2"). I did our milky way. Of course we can't see our entire galaxy from our position in it, but they have gathered that it is a miraculous, beautiful spiral in space. And of course our universe is thought to be infinite, consisting of billions of other galaxies. Surely there must be other life forms out there, what do you think?

This theme is perfectly timed to commemorate the death of Stephen Hawking the renowned physicist early this morning.

Calla Lilies

I liked the colour of these calla lilies in the grocery store, very springlike although it's still cold outside.  The elementary and high school kids are out on March break this week.

We saw the popular Black Panther movie on the weekend.  It was very good, lots of action (ugh) but uplifting.  

Flank Steak

scored meat

chimichurri sauce

cut across the grain

There was some flank steak clearing at Walmart the other day and I decided to try cooking it. Daughter L thought it would go perfectly with some chimichurri sauce so she set about making some.  I scored the meat and I had a grill pan, so I cooked the first steak for 5 minutes per side. It came out medium, so I think between 3 to 5 minutes per side is all this less tender cut will take, depending on how you like yours.

Plantain Chips

We brought back a few bags of these plantain chips (or strips as the bag says) from Florida. I love them. We actually put them in our suitcase, but they survived unsmashed.

Phishing

A friend sent me a screen shot of this scary phishing email she recently received. If you receive any of these fraudulent scams please don't click on anything, just delete immediately. Just reading it makes me feel vulnerable. The best thing would be to go to your bank website, log in and check from there if you are concerned.

Here is the definition of 'phishing' - 'the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.'

The clocks roll forward tonight, don't forget!

Paint Party Friday - 7th Birthday Party

It is Paint Party Friday's 7th Birthday Party! We cannot thank Kristin and Eva enough for running this art co-op all these wonderful years. My piece today is a greeting card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") in permanent marker, outlined with a PITT fine point marker. It's a celebration drip cake of course!  Happy Birthday PPF!

Meat Rolls

I bought some puff pastry from the grocery store and was inspired to make these meat rolls as pictured above. They were a success! Maybe one day I will make my own puff pastry, maybe not.

Scribble Picnic - Opera

Welcome to Michael's Scribble Picnic. This week's theme is 'Opera'. Here's my piece on red cardstock (6" x 6") in acrylic with pencil shading on the mask, outlined with a PITT artist pen. I was inspired by 'Phantom of the Opera'. I did see it many many years ago, although that may be more musical theatre as opposed to true opera.

Some Honey

My sister from California gifted me some honey they make from their own been hives on their property. We have been enjoying it as pictured above!

At the Eye Doctor

I was at the eye doctor last week for my annual checkup.  There is a small cataract in my right eye that he monitors.  I had sensed some cloudiness in the eye last year shortly after I had seen him then I adjusted to it.  He could see no difference from last year so that was good enough for me.  He told me that if/when I become uncomfortable with my vision I can have the surgery done.   They would replace my lens and I wouldn't need glasses after that.  However they would have to do my other eye shortly after so that my eyes wouldn't be strained, with the difference in vision.  My plan is to postpone any surgery for as long as possible.

The office was really busy that day.  A lady sitting beside me mentioned that she used the wheel-trans service to get there.  They provide transportation for people with disabilities.  I noticed she was able to walk around, and seemed fine but she told me she had heart and back issues.  Apparently you have to apply and interview for this free transportation service.  It turned out that she had no family living in the country.  At her last eye surgery she had to ask a friend to take time off work to check her out of the hospital.  She was worried about being able to find someone to help her  with her next surgery.  It was easier to answer another lady who just wanted directions to the washroom.

Funny Girl

Key West beach

Coming home from our recent trip to Florida, there was this cute little, very blonde girl on plane in front of us, she was about 5 years old.  At one point we heard her ask one of the men sitting in her row  ‘excuse me sir, is that your husband?’  The surprised man said ‘uh no’.  ‘Then why are you sitting together like that?’  Her mom quickly explained that the plane has so many seats in a row and you just have to sit together like that.

Then when we were getting ready to unboard the plane we heard her ask this older man who was already standing in the aisle  ‘how did you get out (of your seat)?’  She was still stuck in her seat waiting to get into the aisle.

Life must be interesting at her house!

On World Travel

Key West beach

My 17 year old nephew was able to attend our recent family reunion in Miami, Florida last week.  He had been on a semester at sea world cruise last fall as part of a university program.  He has just started his first year.  I asked him of his impressions of his trip.  He said when he was in Ghana, he noticed how happy the people were living such a simple life, they wanted nothing and weren't aware of how little they had compared to life in developed countries.  He thought if only we could spend money helping others instead of spending it on things that didn't matter.  I thought it was very intelligent and mature of him to say these things.

He said many of the students on his trip didn't seem to be taking in much other than getting drunk and partying.  Some were from very wealthy families, some weren't.  Others were trying to get the most from the experience.  It's what you would expect from this age group I suppose.

Paint Party Friday - Snow on the Fence

Welcome to Paint Party Friday, thanks to Kristin and Eva for always hosting. My piece is done in my sketchbook (9" x 12") in watercolour pencil and acrylic. It was inspired by the way the snow fell on the fence in my back yard a couple of weeks ago, I thought it made a pretty picture.

And welcome to March!

Reunion

My family and I just returned from a 5 day family reunion in Miami Florida. The excuse was to celebrate my sister's 55th birthday party. She decided to have a big celebration and everyone was supposed to wear outfits with the colour blue. It was a lovely time away, a break from the daily routine.

The photo above is of a beach in Key West, we were able to go there for a day.

And welcome to the month of March!