A FOODIE POST...SKIP IT IF YOU ARE TIRED OF MY FOOD TALK

 I have found that the older I get, the more prepared food shortcuts I take when executing a company dinner.  But....the planning, and mentally executing recipes, mental lists etc before a company dinner stays the same.  It's pretty amazing, I have found, how much work I can do in my head when I am planning, the key thing there is 'in my head'.  Transcribing that to 'doing' is another thing!

That being said I am planning a lamb dinner for Stan and Antonia tonight.  It is kind of an homage to our Dad.  So of course besides the lamb I am making a plethora of parsnips and simple carrots.  He loved parsnips.  And a simple dessert.

The leg of lamb is big, boneless and from New Zealand, via Costco.  It is beautiful and sitting on my deck ready to warm up and roast.  

Years and years ago,  probably fifty, I found an old beat up roasting tin in the ditch.  At the time I was on welfare, dead poor and in need of a good sized roasting tin.  I took it home, sterilized it, and have royally used it for the last half century, as I am planning to today.

I am going to build a trivet of large rainbow carrots, onions, garlic and rosemary in that roaster for the lamb to rest on as it roasts.  I am going to have to google if you eat leg of lamb blue, rare, medium rare or shoe leather.  I don't have a thermometer.

I am making criss cross potatoes.  I actually bought russets for this.  I never buy russets.  Unless you are baking them, they need peeling.  I don't peel anymore.  There are potatoes made just for me that never need peeling.  Why would you buy peelers?

I cut them in half length wise, score them, butter and season and roast them for an hour.  These are so easy and so good! These potatoes were my kids favourite.

The parsnips I shall steam first.  Then give them a bit of a flattening mash and fry them in the cast iron with gobs of butter and salt.  I remember my dad cooking them that way every time!

And a new try at something tonite is my broccoli cheese casserole.  I read a million broccoli cheese casserole recipes and came up with one with a twist that interested me.  You make the casserole as you would expect, except I will be making my own cheese sauce, and NOT a can of some kind of soup and fresh steamed broccoli, not frozen. When mixed you add reconstituted boxed stuffing and bake it for and hour.  I am looking forward to seeing how that goes over!

I was going to make an apple crisp.  He loved apple crisp.  And even using pie filling I just don't have the time today to make it.  So this morning at eight o'clock I was tooling up and down the aisles of QF behind us and instead of the pie filling I bought a large plastic box of mixed bars, cut into tiny delightful sizes.  Nanaimo bars, tuxedo bars, matrimonial bars and butter tart squares.  So much easier than apple crisp, even using pie filling.  

And of course the obligatory jars of vicious green mint jelly!  I won't be able to eat any of it though.  I am prepping for my A1c next Wednesday.  I have to keep my blood sugar under five for two weeks to get it down to where the doc won't yell at me and insist I go on insulin.  No way.  Anywho for those still reading thank you!  I will always warn from now on when it is a foodie post so those that are not interested can just skip it.  I am going to try to post pics but......have a great day and eat something on my starving behalf!!!!!  TTYL

'The light of the world will illuminate within you when you fast and purify yourself'  Mahatma Gandhi

----Okay Mr. Gandhi, I beg to differ.  Fasting makes me unhappy, starving and very very cranky.

WHAT THE HECK IS WITH THAT SNOW???

HAVE I SAID I EFFING HATE BLOGSPOT?  HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE. CLEARLY THE PICS ARE NOT WORKING....AS USUAL.  SORRY BOUT THAT

I thought winter was over.  I have been making spring plans.  I have been making trip plans.  I have been making garden plans. (bucket list). Jeez!  I had gotten up to use the loo and remembered it was Thursday, garbage day.  Made the mistake of taking the time to stand in my front window scratching my stomach and  Crap!   It was winter again outside.  

So needless to say, it was pitch black and freezing and snowing outside.  Snow.  That is not something we see that often here and it was minus 6.  That is the equivalent to minus 30 anywhere else.

I got my big old snow boots and my big old pink puffer jacket.  I still had my sleep shorts on but what the heck.  I gots tough legs!

So all bundled up and a last minute very full armful of recycling,  which pieces kept dropping out of my insecure load, I struggled with the damn door and managed to get outside into the  SNOW!!!!!  I tromped over to the rolly bins, and I noticed something.  Nobody had put their bins out yet.  What???  It's always a competition to see who gets them out first without breaking a stupid by-law.  I was first for the first time!!!!  I was so excited and smug as hell.  And then it hit me. 

 I had completely forgotten that pick up isn't until tomorrow because of some kind of freaking holiday. Being retired and having no life I am not aware of holidays anymore.  They are completely unimportant and redundant to me now, except to define a blip in my garbage routine.  Awwww poop!  and this time I was pretty sure I was going to be first in the neighbourhood. So I retraced my steps, picking up getaway recycling as I went, head down, rather disheartened.

Suddenly, out of the dark I hear 'Hideleedoodley neighbour!!!'  What?  I felt like I was on the Simpsons for a minute!  But no...it was my neighbour Mr. Flanders stand in Harry.  He is a lovely guy, about my age but he is one person that can actually out talk me.  But he is super nice so I took the time to hang over the fence and chit chat.  Finally I told him my legs were freezing, which they actually weren't, as I said they are tough, but he took a good look at them and wound up the conversation, which still took another ten minutes..kind of like this run on sentence.

Anyhoo, I made it back into the house to my Nespresso I had put on before going out.  Nothing like coming in from the extreme cold to warmth and that oh so awesome aroma of coffee.  I crawled back in bed with my coffee, phone, laptop and remote control and had a fabulous time in bed and it wasn't even six thirty yet!  TTYL

'Coffee is a way of stealing time and should by rights belong to your older self.'  Terry Pratchett

 

HERE WE GO AGAIN...LONG TIME SINCE LAST POST

 Jeez!  I am getting worse and worse.  Nine days!!!  At least taking long times between posts spares you the mind numbing boredom of my life!

We made another trip to Nanaimo.  Monte was picking up his lap top from London Drugs.  I am doing an extremely low carb eating right now, getting ready for my three month a1c.  Grrrr....so no eating on this trip.

But we did make a stop at Costco.  I forgot my mask.  I still forget that dammed thing!  And it was ridiculously crowded.  I managed to pick up a bunch of foods that I can eat right now.  Makes this lifestyle a titch easier.  Also we made another trip, I have lost track.  We took Smooch for her annual check up and she passed with flying colours. And I am going to have to go back soon for shoes at Softmoc.  I decided to not get them delivered.  This way I can try them on and make sure they actually fit.  They are a brand I haven't tried before.

I have a bathroom scale.  I made the mistake of getting a digital one a long time ago.  I hate it.  Slowly but surely, with my eyesight gradually diminishing, I have a real problem reading it.  Can they not make led readings white against black?  No no no...they make that ghastly blue that is hard to see the edges of, against black.  I mean come on!!!  And it is constantly running out of battery power.  And...I just want a simple poundage number...I don't need to have four possible people using it, I don't need my BMI, I don't need to know my body's water content, I don't need to know my four different trajectories.......  I just want a damned weight number.  One that I can read.

So I went on Amazon and found an inexpensive analog scale, one with a huge dial I can read.  It should arrive tomorrow.  I can't wait!!!  The digital one is going out the back door, with force.

I know that this isn't right but I am getting more and more bitter about not being on the dole one way or the other.  I pay huge income tax.  I pay a huge amount of money to an accountant.  I don't think people realize just how much money bleeds out to people that have managed to get onto disability or welfare.  The actual cheque they get every month is just the tip of the iceberg.  They get every service possible for free, they get free dental, they don't have to pay anything for their medical supplies, they get a transportation stipend, Ange just found people that do low income peoples' income taxes for free even though all she has to do is fill in a few blanks...a monkey could do it.

  I just happen to be surrounded by people on disability in this town and it makes me wonder...what the hell did they do back before all this money flowed freely to them all.  I will say this for Monte, he is claiming every dime he now makes at his job so eventually it gets deducted from his dole.  Do I sound bitter?  WELL I AM!!!!  I am forking out money constantly for this and that and more til I am cash strapped.  All because I worked my ass off with Bill and provided for my retirement. I am not sure it was worth it. 

 I am not checking my blood nearly as often anymore.  The strips are 90 bucks for the little canister of them.  They are free to Monte and Ange.I am not going to a dentist.  It's free for them.  My dentures were five thousand dollars.  Free to them if needed.  

I know it's inappropriate to be this ticked off.  It's just that I am always running on an empty current bank account but because I have an RRSP and some investments I don't get anything for free and they even claw one of my pension cheques (OAS) way back to hand out to....someone on the dole.  Okay enough self pitying whining.  Sorry about the rant. 

It's a beautiful day out today.  If Monte gets up and doesn't have anything work wise to do I think I will see if he wants to go for an outing.  It's a good day for some pics!

I shall close this now before I start another self centred whining complaining rant!  I am hella cranky today!  Take care everyone!!  TTYL

'Never tell your problems to anyone...20% don't care and the other 80% are glad you have them.'  Lou Holt.   hahahahahaha!!!!!  In my face for sure!!!!!!

A RANDOM ROLL OF MY PICS AND I WILL PUT THE FIRST FIVE, NO MATTER WHAT, HERE.

OUR FAVE RESTAURANT IN LAHAINA

GOTTA GET THAT PICTURE

MOLLY AFTER HER SPAYING

BILL AND APRIL AT MAMMA'S FISH HOUSE

A RECENT ONE, I MUST HAVE ENDED UP IN THE FAVOURITE FILE

TIME TOO SLOW?

 Is time moving too slowly?  Do you want to speed time up?  Then I suggest you write a blog!  It always amazes me how much time goes by when I check the date of the last post!  And I have no life.  When, or if, something bloggable happens I write about it pretty quickly.  So you can see how ho hum my life is.

Excuse me for a moment here.  I have to go put some ribs into a low slow oven for dinner tonite.  They were 3.99 a pound over at QF yesterday and I am going to make them to go with my home made beans I made yesterday.  More about that shortly...you lucky people!

Monte and I made another trip to Nanaimo.  We had to pick up Monte's laptop from London Drugs.  I popped into Fairway at the other end of the mall.  Oh what I would give for a Fairway in Port. 

 There used to be one.  Ange worked the deli in it.  But they closed.  So I picked up a few things.  We then went to Longsomethingorother Brew Pub for lunch.  Wow!!!!  If you ever get a chance to go there, DO!!!!  Very delicious higher end but not expensive fare.  I had tempura prawns with the most delicious teriyaki sauce they make.  And a bowl of the best seafood chowder I have ever eaten.  Monte had amazing roast beef sliders with a horseradish cream sauce and blue cheese.  So good.

On the way home we went through Parksville.  The Heritage Inn had burnt down and we stopped, snuck through the fence around the disaster, and took pics.  We had a great time!

I have never successfully made homemade beans.  When I started looking at recipes I was dismayed to find so many of them were for Instant Pots which I just won't use, even though it totally makes sense.  I like to see my food cooking and tweek and correct along the way. Or they used canned beans to start with!!!!  Fer jeez!!!!!!

But I found lots of scratch baked bean recipes and I read a ton of them and got the general idea of ingredients and method, sans pressure cookers.  My bag of beans was two pounds so that was what I made.  And they turned out perfect!  Delicious!!!  I will put a picture of the finished product down below.  Jeez!! I love to cook!

Monte got his first paycheque and he is pretty stoked.  Working really suits him.  But now we need to find him a proper place to work.  His bedroom won't cut it.  It is completely full of his music making stuff and that is so important to him.  So the one room we don't really use much anymore is the dining room.  So we are going to change things up.

I am going to sell the dining suite that is there now.  It is just too big.  It would be okay if we didn't need the room, but we do.  So I shall empty the buffet, take the tv off the extra leaf we are using under it and take some pics and get them onto fb marketplace.  The hardest part is figuring out what to ask for it.  They weren't overly expensive at Wayfair.

Monte has decided to get himself a standing desk. It will go where the buffet is.  Then we will put in a small, and I mean quite small table.  And it is possible, but only maybe, we will bring Monte's organ that is stored in the laundry room, upstairs and put it on the opposite side from the desk.  That organ has an amazing sound.  I would love to play it too.  I just wish we could put a giant wall with a barn door in the big opening between the living room and the dining room.  But we will maybe have to sell the house down the road and that would not be conducive to a healthy sale.

To complete the project I may pick up a few tv tables to use in the living room.  I always have those two or three Costco tables I can throw up if by some wonderful miracle I have a few people for a sit down dinner.  A pretty tablecloth and napkins can turn a Costco table into something wonderful!!!

Well this is getting too long.  Take care and I hope I won't be too late with the next post!  TTYL

'My room is so small the mice are hunchbacked.'  Henny Youngman

MY BAKED BEANS

GOOD FRIEND, BABY AND DOG.....

My title sounds like a Heart song!  But yesterday I busted out of the house, went to Eithne's in Nanaimo and had a fantastic day!

Eithne is an amazing visitor!!!  I was there from about ten thirty to four thirty.  Thats a full six hours and we did not run out of anything to talk about!  We talked babies, births, public nurses, nursing babies, dogs, friends...and on and on.  I absolutely loved the day.  It was wonderful also to be around a delightful baby and an old old gorgeous dog that would NOT leave me alone.  Pet pet pet pet!!!  Never enough!!!

And Monte and I had a fantastic trip down to Nanaimo.  More visiting.  He was pretty stoked and feeling proud to have a paying contract job.  Finally! It is doing wonders for his self esteem.  He has wanted work for a long long time but it needs to be the right environment etc...and this job is it.

After he picked me up from Eithne's we met Levi, Austin's brother and Monte's boss at Costco.  It was really good to see him. He is one amazing guy.  And he is an acclaimed artist!  His folks, lovely people, are in Spain for a spell of time and he is leaving next week for a month in Spain with them so it was good to see him.  Their grandmother died recently.  She had lived in her house in Kelowna and now Austin, Levi's brother and occasional house guest here,  has set up his home there for now.

We were home by six and pretty exhausted.  Monte spent the next three hours working, getting his computer set up and I dozed in my chair.

On Friday Ange and I made another big batch of apple butter.  This time we used a lot of MacIntosh apples.  This morning we did the blender part and I tell ya, this batch is amazing!!!  Macs always make apple things better! We ended up with about ten cups of jam.  It was a crock pot full.

Today I am pooped.  Doesn't take much to wear me out these days.  I can't wait until it isn't raining and I can get back to going outside and walking.  I miss it. But I don't see all that well as it is and when my glasses get covered with rain I am basically blind.  And there is no solution to that.  I have to wear my glasses and there is no way to keep the rain off of them.

So here I sit in my comfy chair, watching hoarders on tv and eating the last of my homemade beef barley soup.  We are having a release over head of an atmospheric river.  I can't wait for spring.

Take care people, stay kind and give a boot to toxic people!  LOL!!!!  TTYL

'Some of the jam we thought was for tomorrow, we've already eaten.'  Tony Benn....(boy ain't that the truth!!!)

MONTE AND HIS TRUE LOVE

HAVE BABY, WILL SLEEP, ANYWHERE, ESPECIALLY ON MAMA'S LAP

IN THE MEANTIME IN KAMLOOPS, STIRLING, AINSLEY, AND GRANDDAD MAKE PANCAKES

CUDDLE TIME!

 

THROUGH AND TROUGH

 The English language is so ridiculous sometimes.  No two words could be almost spelt the same but sound completely different.  Throo and troff.  Oooo and offff.  Sure.

Well dinner turned out pretty good.  The chicken was delicious.  I just ate a scrawny little wing but it was delish.  But those onions and peppers underneath were heaven.  The cornbread was a bust.  It didn't have the soft almost gooey centre.  It was really course and believe it or not...kind of dry.  The creamed corn was out of this world.  I added a small amount of green salsa which perked it up some.  When I make my own I usually add lemon but I used salsa this time.  And the greens were.....greens.  It sounds like making dinner is an event.  I actually make dinner for the three of us pretty much every night!

You know how over the years we have made jokes that you should never leave a couple of hangers alone in a closet...they propagate into huge numbers. Well I think we can say the same about containers.  Holy Jeez!!! And today was sort it all out and lid everything.  What doesn't get lidded get tossed.

I hauled out my huge rubbermaid, I say so easily, from the bottom of the pantry cupboard...Graeme will know what I am talking about. It is full to the overflow with a mish mash of plasticness. Do any of you remember that old old radio story about that cupboard, Magillvary's (that only sounds like the name, can't spell it) cupboard, that when they opened it, which they did on every show, there would be the sound of things, all kinds of things, falling for a good minute?  Well thats what pulling that rubbermaid out caused, on my head.

Every time I do this project I swear I am going to keep things lidded before they go back into that rubbermaid.  Yeah well, like that didn't happen.  And there will be twenty square lids, at least twenty square bottoms, and not one lid fits any of them. How the hell does that happen anyway?

  So, tomorrow, now that I have it all rounded up ready to go, I will sit in my red rolly kitchen chair and sort frigging plastic containers.  These are the little 'housewife' jobs (if you don't have kids around that would probably enjoy the task) that Erma Bombek, the ultimate author of 'housewife' lives, never wrote about.

I am on a ton of pills, keeping me alive after living a lovely long self indulgent life.  I am grateful for them.

  I decided to do a deep google dive into them and have discovered why at least 80 percent of the food that goes into my mouth tastes different and unpleasant compared to years ago.  Five of those pills are the top contenders that cause this side effect!  So Monte has to stop getting impatient with me when I don't like something...which happens all the time. 

The latest?  This morning.  I drove up to Canadian Tire to pick up Monte who was leaving his van up there.  Needs a new thermometer.  Anyway, Canadian Tire is right beside Wendy's so we decided to go there to get some breakfast.

  I ordered the French toast.  I LOVE French toast and almost never have it.  I started to eat it and stopped.  It simply didn't taste right.  Neither did the coffee.  This gets kind of depressing once in a while.  It's so prevalent. And you would think I would lose weight but whilst studying all this I also found out two of the meds keep you from losing and in fact cause weight gain.  So fat I am and fat I stay.  At 70 who cares what you look like and the damage isn't continuing by me but by the drugs.  Hahaha!!!! Win win!!!

Well it's time to go pluck my chin.  This is def NOT my fave pastime.  I have a magnifying mirror. You would think it would be quick and easy.  NOT!!!  I have wonky eyes and it takes a good three minutes or more to pluck here and pluck there, chasing a very visible little critter.  I finally give up and throw my mirror and tweezer across the room.  It is so frustrating not being able to pin it down.  I think I am going to buy that smelly cream that burns it off.  You aren't supposed to use it on your face but it's either that or grow a lopsided beard.  (they only show up on the left side of my face.)

Have a great day and TTYL

'Women with whiskers, it's a bummer.'  Phil Robertson

Well screw off Phil!

BEFORE....SPATCHCOCKED

AFTER ROASTING

I SHOULD HAVE UNCOVERED THE CORNBREAD

THE WHOLE DEAL.....COLESLAW, CORNBREAD, GREENS, CREAM CORN, CHICKEN