Tea Time In Canada we have officially reached summer. I can smell the roses blooming and the frogs croaking away all night. The local weather warning statements have started coming out calling for 'sudden and severe thunder storms' in response to the very high moisture in the air. Today we've reached fish tank humidity levels. Cottages are opened up, boats dropped in the water and beaches rediscovered for most of the population. What better time could I ask for to experiment with cocktails? I’ll be all set for the summer. I've always preferred iced tea over pop which is why I…
Category: Delicious Stuff
Cheesy Goodness My sister and I have this cheesy potato recipe from our Dad from many moons ago. We make it all the time and bring it to dinners and potlucks. It's the perfect dish to travel with and if you can make it ahead of time, you only need to heat it up right before serving. Highly sought after, this dish is super easy to make. But I must warn you, if you make it once, you'll have to make it many more times. It's very easy though so you won't mind. A sure winner at all dinners and get togethers. …
In case you are wondering, a "smorgasbord" is a Swedish buffet. Growing up we used to refer to a large quantity of yummy food as a smorgasbord and now it's a pretty good way to refer to these smoothie recipes. Do you eat all the fruits and veggies you are suppose to every day? I know I don't. As a matter of fact, I feel like I'm in so much of a hurry most days that getting the good stuff in my diet is not very realistic. According to the Canada Food Guide, If you are a woman between the ages of 19 to 50 years of age…
I've just had the pleasure of watching an auditorium full of high school kids turn into Agents of Change. These future leaders came together with their teachers and school administration to donate a couple of dollars each for the pleasure of watching a movie together. Each kid in that audience learned that there are more than 36,000 kids in their region who rely on nutrition programs to eat at school or in community centres daily. toonies4tummies In this post I'm going to give you the chance to donate to this program online three times. This is the first time - click…
I am about to show you how to make the most delicious shortbread cookies you will ever try. This recipe is being posted early so we have time to prepare for any parties or cravings that might sneak up. I'm making them in anticipation of a repeat of last year when I found out the same day that my daughter needed some for school and if they don't end up going there we'll enjoy them at home - they are DELICIOUS. My favourite shortbread recipe can be found on the back of the Canada Corn Starch box. I've made this so many times…
It has happened - we are engaged. By engaged I mean committed. And by committed I mean to an act of craziness that might just save my life completely - medically and psychologically. I found out last fall that I needed to make some major changes in my life "or else". Keeping an open mind for a solution this is what I found: The Whole Life Fitness Manifesto, or WLFM, is an approach to improving one's life in many ways and it only takes 2% of your entire day to be involved. 15 minutes of intentional movement, 5 minutes of personal…
Magical Lights and Sounds Recently we had one of our favourite experiences in Kingston - the Lumina Borealis at Fort Henry. It runs until February 4th Thursdays to Sundays and you have to go to see it! https://youtu.be/Mcz8cH1D2jo Fort Henry is a World Heritage site where the St. Lawrence River meets Lake Ontario. We have enjoyed visiting it a few times since my son started going to school in Kingston last year and if you'd like to see more, you can find a few more details about those visits here. "Hearts warmed through frost and snow, will be the ones to see and…
This is a neat little treat with any size of pretzels that you can make with every seasonal colour. Today we are going to use Christmas colours. My very good friend Micheline Kerswell, ( owner of the now famous classy consignment store in Port Hope, Ontario - My Sister's Closet and the Men's Den, ) taught me how to make these. We used to get the kids together at Christmas break to do up hundreds of these pretzels - when they were younger. Micheline is from a traditional French Canadian family and they have some amazing recipes. I've been fortunate enough…
Stress? Me? It is the time of the year I usually want to stick my head in the sand, cocoon in my house, or stay in bed. To say I find the holiday times stressful is an understatement. And they seem to be coming earlier every year - have you noticed that? Not to mention the time change and less sun during the day - it came so fast this year. If only I could nap every day around 2pm. stress Usually I charge ahead being super human in November and December and on my first day off I crash like a dropped puppet -…
Happy I read a fantastic post a couple of years ago by Jennifer Powell about celebrating something when YOU want to - not when the calendar says you HAVE to. (Moveable Feast) I really feel like I can do this now without feeling guilty. Happy My husband and I have rescheduled celebrations in the past because we haven't had a choice and always felt it was a let down to people. Not to mention the resentment it has generated. But, as this blogger points out, the purpose of the celebrations, or special meals, is to celebrate THE PEOPLE. I'm a flexible person and I don't care when…
Watertown, NY Before you start your engines to head down to Niagara, New York, consider going the other way first. That's what my daughter and I did recently when we were hunting down awesome deals on clothing, shoes, gift items and also looking for some exploring. I can only imagine how amazing it would be in Watertown, NY for their Black Friday sales. We live on the eastern edge of the GTA so it's about equal distance for us to Niagara or Watertown. But here is one of the best parts of going to Watertown - it took us 3 minutes to get…
My very good friend and incredible baker Maria Jose Condesa recently visited me. She was determined to help me deal with the apple surplus I had from my tree this year. It seemed to be an excellent year for my fruit trees. They have grown so high! Not so good for tomatoes though. This apple cake is very delicious warm out of the oven, cooled down or re-heated. As I watched her prepare and bake this cake I realized how lucky I am to have: An apple tree in my backyard; A country to live in that has ever changing…
I love puff pastry. I think you can put just about anything in puff pastry and it tastes great. I've heard these called handpies, pastry pockets and turnovers. Whatever you call them, they are delicious, and flakey, and wonderful. Years ago, "pre-kids", I used to make spanakopita from scratch. I'd take dozens of large cumbersome layers of pastry, brush them gently with melted butter, and stack them up layer by layer. This was a time consuming process but always worth it. Now I have discovered pre-buttered puff pastry and I'm so excited. It's only $2.99 for a pack of two sheets. I've…
A Good Long Time #24years I can't believe it's been 24 years since I met the man of my dreams. Ironically we grew up within a dozen blocks of each other in Toronto, Ontario but never met until we went out of town to celebrate Oktoberfest in Kitchener that fateful night. It seems only fitting that this anniversary be celebrated with beer – it being a 2-4 and all. We were invited by Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island to explore the area and enjoy some of their excellent selection of fall delights including canoeing, beer, great food and culture. This area is rich…
My husband and I recently returned from an amazing trip up in the Muskoka Region in Whitney, Ontario. The Scenario This was one crazy insane summer. My husband had two jobs, I had two jobs, both our kids had a job each. Very different schedules and hours with no public transportation and only two cars that both ended up dying half way through the summer. To say it was stressful would be a terrific understatement. I love my husband and having been with him for 24 years this month it’s pretty obvious I like him too. But things had been alternately…