New Year's Eve 2024

 Enjoy your New Year's Eve!

Cheese Knives

Our Real Estate Friend dropped by with a gift over Christmas. They are nice cheese knives. I looked up what the knife with the holes were for. It is for slicing soft cheeses as per the photo above.

Sunday Smiles - A wonderful Christmas

 It has been a wonderful Christmas.  We celebrated with my sister and her family on the 24th (10 of us), then on the 25th we celebrated with husband M's sister and his extended family.  It was a large party of 38 people.  What made it more joyous was that daughter L and her husband announced her pregnancy and did a gender reveal at both family parties.   She is due June 2nd or thereabouts.  Daughter L made everyone choose pink or blue stickers to affix to their clothing.  Everyone then got champagne shots, chose a cupcake or a cake pop and on the count of 3 bit into their cupcake or cake pop to see what colour icing was inside!  It was so fun and festive.  It is a boy!

We had known about the pregnancy a bit before this.

Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles.

Kit Kat Cookies

 Daughter L made these cookies using leftover kit kat bars.  They are so good.  It was for a cookie exchange party she had hosted.

Friday Art - Seceda Massif South Tyrol Italy

 Welcome to Friday Art!  This the Seceda Massif, South Tyrol, Italy.  It showed up on my laptop screensaver.  I added a sunset face in there if you can see it.  It is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date Cheers! and Salmon Patties on Boxing Day

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date! The theme is 'Cheers'!' and here is my ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").

Cheers!

 For the Dinner Date, I made some salmon patties. They are so good.

2 cans salmon

1 onion diced

2 cloves garlic minced

2 eggs

6 tbs corn meal

6 tbs mayonnaise

1/2 tsp dried oregano

6 tbs whole wheat flour

oil for frying

Combine all ingredients except the oil for frying.  Form into patties and fry for 6 mins per side.

Wednesday Memes and Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas Everyone!

Got this one on dust from Iris.

A lovely gift

 Here we are on Christmas Eve!  A good friend brought over this lovely cranberry bread she baked us.  It is moist and delicious!

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve!  We saw the new movie 'Wicked' a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it.  The music is very uplifting and it is a colourful show.

Three Bean Soup

 I made this 3 Bean soup using this recipe as a guide.  I used kidney beans, pinto beans and chickpeas as that is what I had on hand.  I also added a large potato cut into chunks.  It was very good.

Sunday Smiles - London Trees

 Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles.

Winter Solstice

 It is cheering to think the days are getting longer now until the summer solstice.

Friday Art - Serra da Leba Mountain Range

 Welcome to Friday Art.  This is the Serra da Leba mountain range in Angola.  It showed up on my laptop screensaver.  I added a sunrise face.  ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date Elves and Baked eggplant

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date! The theme is 'Elves'. Here is my ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").

 For the Dinner Date, I baked some eggplant with onions, peppers and tomatoes.  I started adding tomatoes to the mix, it adds a delicious sweetness.

400F

3 long eggplants cut up

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tomato chopped

1 sweet pepper chopped

3-4 tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, mix all ingredients together and bake in a pre heated 400F oven for 20-25 mins until the eggplants are softened.

Wednesday Memes

 

The Squirrel Problem

Squirrel's nest

 We had a squirrel in our garage a few weeks ago.   It was very stressful.  Husband M spread garlic powder, we put a radio on in the garage, tried banging on a pot to make some noise.  We opened the garage door partially learning that they go toward fresh air.  We even set a trap but in hindsight it was on the ground, it would have been better to place it higher up off the ground.  

We decided to call a pest control guy.  He took a video all around the garage, combing the rafters and showed it to us.  The squirrel had left!  He smelled all the garlic powder and thinks that could have driven him off.  But he did advise us to shake down the squirrel's nest in a nearby tree in the spring.  Who knew that was a squirrel's nest!

Anyway now we have peace of mind and think we know what to do if it happens again.  It is also a good idea to keep your garage door closed as much as possible.   In hindsight, we should have waited a bit longer and ensured for ourselves that the squirrel had left before deciding to call the pest control guy as that was not a free service.  

On Beef Stew

 I made a comforting beef stew a few weeks ago.  This post describes my secrets to beef stew. It is all about the cut of beef used.  I also use my pressure cooker, it only takes 15 minutes for it to soften.

Sunday Smiles - On Elephants

 Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles.

Cottage Cheese crackers

 My sister shared this Instagram video with me and we both tried these cheese  'crackers'.  This is her photo as I burned mine, being lazy to check the timing.

3/4c cottage cheese

1/2 c shredded cheese

ranch seasoning (I used bagel seasoning which is what I had)

1. Preheat your oven to 375F.
2. Scoop your cottage cheese on a parchment lined baking sheet in 1 tbsp circles.
3. Top with the cheddar, ranch seasoning and bake for 25-30 mins. Take them out, let cool & enjoy!

Friday Art - Hjelledalen Valley near Stryn Norway

 Welcome to Friday Art!  This is Hjelledalen Valley near Stryn Norway, it showed up on my laptop screensaver.  I added a face in the sunrise.  The piece is ( 2 1/2" x 3") not quite ACEO size today.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date Candy Cane along with Cauliflower and Potato Mash

Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date! Here are my Candy Canes for the 'Candy Cane' theme. It is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").

For the Dinner Date, I did a cauliflower and potato mash.

1 cauliflower cut into quarters

5 medium potatoes skin on

5-6 tbs olive oil or butter

1 tsp paprika

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2  milk

1/2 c broth

1/2 c water

Boil quartered cauliflower, skin on potatoes  in a pot of water for 25-30 mins until vegetables 

are tender.  When the potatoes have cooled remove the skins.

saute onions, garlic, oregano in olive oil until tender.

In the pot, add milk, broth, oil, water and cauliflower.  Add the salt, pepper, paprika, onions, garlic, oregano.  I use my immersion blender to blend this mixture.  Mash the skinned potatoes with a potato masher.  Mix in the blended cauliflower.

Enjoy your cauliflower and potato mash!

 

Good as New

 As I was hanging ornaments on the Christmas tree this little old bear ornament fell onto the floor and the little gift and one of the feet fell off.  I decided to use a glue gun to re-attach these pieces and it is good as new (old)!

Wednesday Memes

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip (Snowball) Cookies

 I halved the recipe for these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip (Snowball) Cookies so they made 10 cookies. Then I didn't roll them in icing sugar to decrease the sugar for us.

1/2 c unsalted butter (8 TBS)

4 TBS peanut butter

4 TBS icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 c flour (I used unbleached)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c choc chips (I used white choc chips)

350F

cream peanut butter and sugar. mix in icing sugar, vanilla

add flour, salt, fold in chocolate chips

Form into 1" balls, bake 10-12 min, 1" apart.

Here is the original recipe I found:

"A delightful twist on the classic snowball cookie, these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies combine creamy peanut butter and bursts of chocolate in a soft, powdered-sugar-dusted treat. Perfect for the holidays or any time you need a comforting bite!

Ingredients

Unsalted butter: 1 cup, softened

Creamy peanut butter: 1/2 cup

Powdered sugar: 1/2 cup, plus extra for rolling

Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon

All-purpose flour: 2 cups

Salt: 1/2 teaspoon

Mini chocolate chips: 1 cup

Instructions

Preheat the Oven:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the Butter and Peanut Butter:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and peanut butter together until light and fluffy.

Add the Sweetness and Flavor:

Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until fully combined.

Incorporate the Dry Ingredients:

Gradually add the flour and salt, mixing until the dough comes together. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.

Shape the Cookies:

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake:

Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden. The cookies will firm up as they cool.

Coat in Powdered Sugar:

Once the cookies are cool enough to handle but still warm, roll them in powdered sugar. Let them cool completely, then roll them a second time for a snowy finish."

The tree is up

 Well our Christmas tree went up Nov 29th!  I debated bothering to put it up, it seems like so much effort these days, but it wasn't really and I think husband M and son K noticed.  Each year I put out less decorations too.

This is an ornament I painted awhile back.  I am glad I decided to decorate, the house is full of Christmas spirit!

Sunday Smiles - On Bats

Who knew bats did so much good? 

Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles.

The Lone Christmas Card

 We have a Canada Post mail strike so there are no Christmas cards being mailed.  However I have been enjoying this one dropped off by our newspaper delivery guy.  

I will send Christmas Greetings online this year and maybe it is a good idea in future.

Friday Art - Model

 Welcome to Friday Art.  This is a model in a cute Cloche hat, an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date - Nutcracker and Eggplant Pesto Salad

 Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date!  Here is my Nutcracker Ornament ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in acrylic marker.

For the dinner date, I made this eggplant pesto salad based on this Jamie Oliver recipe that I saw on TV.

It uses mint, pistachios and feta cheese to dress the eggplant salad and is quite good, has a refreshing taste, is how I would describe it.  I have a mortar and pestle which comes in handy for this recipe.  I had bought it long ago because Jamie Oliver always used one and I thought it might be good to have.

Wednesdaty Memes