vancityrockgirl
skills include drinking, smoking and swearing
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vancityrockgirl
canada day success
remember a few weeks ago when i was talking about lyric tattoos...
and i mentioned that my friend had a totally sweet neil young tattoo?
well, here it is!
and she wrote a really touching story about the making of this tattoo on the blog ink is ink is ink.
check it out here
anyways... a 5am wake up call for me this morning.
my husband called it "punishment for not doing my homework a week ago"
i call it - mean husband.
so i got up bright and fucking early and started my work... done by 7am.
du-oh.
see, i told him that i could sleep in until 8 and still get it done before i have to be at school at noon.
he is a mean mean man.
and he really believes that i should be running on his sleep schedule.
nice thought... but he is dead to the world by 9pm... i rarely fall asleep before 3am.
last night i passed out around 10pm, but then woke up from 3:30-4:30am... and then up at 5am with the alarm. now that sucks.
i've determined that i do my best sleeping between 7am and 11am.
especially when i'm rocking my sleep mask. it's amazing what a difference that makes.
today i have to make a presentation to the "local review board" to stay in my program.
yes, there ARE a lot of hoops to jump through for this, thanks for noticing.
the gist of this is that i have to make a presentation for about 20 minutes in front of this panel and if they deem me worthy, then i continue on and start the seminars on monday.
i'm not worried.
they almost never fail people at this point... and i've got a solid business plan and a business that's already up and running... so it would be totally ridiculous if they didn't put me through.
but i'm not looking forward to presenting this... i don't love presentations. i mean, i've done enough of them, i'm not nervous... i just don't really enjoy them.
so, after today, i have 4 more weeks of classes, monday - friday until the end of july... and then that's it. i "graduate".
i'm obligated to go to some sort of networking thing once a month and file a report on how my business is going monthly for the rest of my year of receiving benefits... and that's all.
good stuff.
alright... moving on to the recipe portion of today's blog.
last night i made a canadian feast...
two beer can chickens - one with achiote and the other with an italian style rub
baby local new potatoes in butter and parsley
baby local carrots in butter with a little nutmeg
local asparagus grilled with olive oil and montreal steak spice.
everything was yummy to the max.
i took a picture of the chickens raw, but forgot to take more pictures.
the one on the left has a rub made of olive oil, rosemary, garlic, chilis, basil, thyme & oregano.
the one on the right is achiote mixed with lime juice and a little olive oil.
both were totally delicious when they were done.
beer can chickens are one of my favourite recipes... you do a spice rub with whatever fancies you... even pepper and sea salt would be fine...
and then you sit it on a half can of beer, i also stuff some other goodies inside, like quarter lemons and cloves of garlic.
put it on the bbq on indirect heat for an hour to an hour 20. keep the temp inside the bbq around 350.
check them by wiggling the joints or with a meat thermometer (to 165 minimum) and then take them off and let them rest tented in tin foil for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
i can not stress the resting part enough.
you MUST rest ALL meat after you cook it.
it makes a massive difference...
no rest = the juices run out allover your plate and leave you with dry meat.
rest = all the juices go back into the meat where they are supposed to and give you a juicy delicious product.
not resting meat is the biggest mistake a cook can make. and the fastest way to wreck a fine cut of meat.
the potatoes were those lovely tiny baby guys that can be boiled whole and popped into your mouth with one bite.
i par-boiled them in water with several sprigs of fresh mint. it adds a lovely subtle complexity to an otherwise simple dish.
after boiling, i tossed them in melted butter with oodles of cracked black pepper, sea salt and chopped fresh parsley.
then i packaged them into 2 tin foil packs and set them aside for later...
carrots were done in a similar fashion... i boiled them for 3 minutes in the potato water just because i wanted them to cook quickly on the bbq later.
then i shocked them in cold water to stop the cooking process and packed them in tin foil with a dab of butter and a sprinkle of nutmeg, pepper and salt.
asparagus get my favourite treatment... a rub down with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of montreal steak spice. and onto the bbq safe grill pan.
after the chickens came off to rest, i slapped my 2 packs of potatoes, my carrots and my asparagus onto the bbq on medium-low heat.
you have to turn the asparagus a few times, they can burn fast... but when they are cooked with a nice little char on them, all the other veg will be done too.
and the chicken should be thoroughly rested.
meal success.
and i mentioned that my friend had a totally sweet neil young tattoo?
well, here it is!
and she wrote a really touching story about the making of this tattoo on the blog ink is ink is ink.
check it out here
anyways... a 5am wake up call for me this morning.
my husband called it "punishment for not doing my homework a week ago"
i call it - mean husband.
so i got up bright and fucking early and started my work... done by 7am.
du-oh.
see, i told him that i could sleep in until 8 and still get it done before i have to be at school at noon.
he is a mean mean man.
and he really believes that i should be running on his sleep schedule.
nice thought... but he is dead to the world by 9pm... i rarely fall asleep before 3am.
last night i passed out around 10pm, but then woke up from 3:30-4:30am... and then up at 5am with the alarm. now that sucks.
i've determined that i do my best sleeping between 7am and 11am.
especially when i'm rocking my sleep mask. it's amazing what a difference that makes.
today i have to make a presentation to the "local review board" to stay in my program.
yes, there ARE a lot of hoops to jump through for this, thanks for noticing.
the gist of this is that i have to make a presentation for about 20 minutes in front of this panel and if they deem me worthy, then i continue on and start the seminars on monday.
i'm not worried.
they almost never fail people at this point... and i've got a solid business plan and a business that's already up and running... so it would be totally ridiculous if they didn't put me through.
but i'm not looking forward to presenting this... i don't love presentations. i mean, i've done enough of them, i'm not nervous... i just don't really enjoy them.
so, after today, i have 4 more weeks of classes, monday - friday until the end of july... and then that's it. i "graduate".
i'm obligated to go to some sort of networking thing once a month and file a report on how my business is going monthly for the rest of my year of receiving benefits... and that's all.
good stuff.
alright... moving on to the recipe portion of today's blog.
last night i made a canadian feast...
two beer can chickens - one with achiote and the other with an italian style rub
baby local new potatoes in butter and parsley
baby local carrots in butter with a little nutmeg
local asparagus grilled with olive oil and montreal steak spice.
everything was yummy to the max.
i took a picture of the chickens raw, but forgot to take more pictures.
the one on the left has a rub made of olive oil, rosemary, garlic, chilis, basil, thyme & oregano.
the one on the right is achiote mixed with lime juice and a little olive oil.
both were totally delicious when they were done.
beer can chickens are one of my favourite recipes... you do a spice rub with whatever fancies you... even pepper and sea salt would be fine...
and then you sit it on a half can of beer, i also stuff some other goodies inside, like quarter lemons and cloves of garlic.
put it on the bbq on indirect heat for an hour to an hour 20. keep the temp inside the bbq around 350.
check them by wiggling the joints or with a meat thermometer (to 165 minimum) and then take them off and let them rest tented in tin foil for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
i can not stress the resting part enough.
you MUST rest ALL meat after you cook it.
it makes a massive difference...
no rest = the juices run out allover your plate and leave you with dry meat.
rest = all the juices go back into the meat where they are supposed to and give you a juicy delicious product.
not resting meat is the biggest mistake a cook can make. and the fastest way to wreck a fine cut of meat.
the potatoes were those lovely tiny baby guys that can be boiled whole and popped into your mouth with one bite.
i par-boiled them in water with several sprigs of fresh mint. it adds a lovely subtle complexity to an otherwise simple dish.
after boiling, i tossed them in melted butter with oodles of cracked black pepper, sea salt and chopped fresh parsley.
then i packaged them into 2 tin foil packs and set them aside for later...
carrots were done in a similar fashion... i boiled them for 3 minutes in the potato water just because i wanted them to cook quickly on the bbq later.
then i shocked them in cold water to stop the cooking process and packed them in tin foil with a dab of butter and a sprinkle of nutmeg, pepper and salt.
asparagus get my favourite treatment... a rub down with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of montreal steak spice. and onto the bbq safe grill pan.
after the chickens came off to rest, i slapped my 2 packs of potatoes, my carrots and my asparagus onto the bbq on medium-low heat.
you have to turn the asparagus a few times, they can burn fast... but when they are cooked with a nice little char on them, all the other veg will be done too.
and the chicken should be thoroughly rested.
meal success.
oh canada.
well canada, happy birthday you beautiful thang.
there's a lot of things to love about canada... and a lot of, shall we say, less than perfect things about you too.
but you're pretty damn good overall... and i like to think you're getting better every day. (recent election results notwithstanding)
and as far as i'm concerned, you're still my top pick.
although... we did watch a very convincing documentary about denmark and how the people there are the happiest on the planet. seriously, it was like a utopia... they don't even lock up their bikes. and they leave babies in strollers outside coffee shops when they go in for a cup of coffee. full medical/dental etc... a flat tax on all wages...
and there's a government program that will fund any and i mean ANY social club you create. finally, my patio team could be sponsored.
it made a really sexy argument for moving to denmark.
we actually went straight to the computer and started googling how we get citizenship there.
but i digress.
except for maybe denmark... and running away to a beach in jamaica or the turks & caicos, canada, you're my top pick for a place to live.
you give me everything a girl could want... beautiful scenery, unlimited options, security without being all up in my business, the best weed in the world for the cheapest prices in the world, equal and full rights for all, and enough political strife to keep my head in the game. you're a home i can be proud of (most days) and a place that i appreciate coming back to, the more i travel.
so happy birthday you big lug.
don't go changin'
(except ousting the conservative government. that would be a-okay)
so, how am i going to celebrate this most wondrous of holidays?
errr... not so much.
my husband is working today... they're taking the friday off instead of today (which suits us just fine. long weekend is better than a wednesday off... he does not have the kind of job where it's acceptable to come in hungover)
my presentation for school is tomorrow... it has to be about 20 minutes long... presented to a pannel of people that will judge me and my ideas... and i haven't started writing it yet... so i guess i'd better get on it.
i also have promised my husband that today is the day i will do our taxes. i guess that's kinda patriotic, no?
there is apparently a bunch of festivities happening in the park across the street from my house... so i might have to see if i can take a little break this afternoon and check it out.
i can hear the music and crowds already... so it's probably pretty big.
anyways... can't procrastinate any more. the sooner i get this done, the sooner i can enjoy a fabulous canadian beer.
i have 3 bottles of my tin whistle peach cream ale in the fridge for just such an occasion.
there's a lot of things to love about canada... and a lot of, shall we say, less than perfect things about you too.
but you're pretty damn good overall... and i like to think you're getting better every day. (recent election results notwithstanding)
and as far as i'm concerned, you're still my top pick.
although... we did watch a very convincing documentary about denmark and how the people there are the happiest on the planet. seriously, it was like a utopia... they don't even lock up their bikes. and they leave babies in strollers outside coffee shops when they go in for a cup of coffee. full medical/dental etc... a flat tax on all wages...
and there's a government program that will fund any and i mean ANY social club you create. finally, my patio team could be sponsored.
it made a really sexy argument for moving to denmark.
we actually went straight to the computer and started googling how we get citizenship there.
but i digress.
except for maybe denmark... and running away to a beach in jamaica or the turks & caicos, canada, you're my top pick for a place to live.
you give me everything a girl could want... beautiful scenery, unlimited options, security without being all up in my business, the best weed in the world for the cheapest prices in the world, equal and full rights for all, and enough political strife to keep my head in the game. you're a home i can be proud of (most days) and a place that i appreciate coming back to, the more i travel.
so happy birthday you big lug.
don't go changin'
(except ousting the conservative government. that would be a-okay)
so, how am i going to celebrate this most wondrous of holidays?
errr... not so much.
my husband is working today... they're taking the friday off instead of today (which suits us just fine. long weekend is better than a wednesday off... he does not have the kind of job where it's acceptable to come in hungover)
my presentation for school is tomorrow... it has to be about 20 minutes long... presented to a pannel of people that will judge me and my ideas... and i haven't started writing it yet... so i guess i'd better get on it.
i also have promised my husband that today is the day i will do our taxes. i guess that's kinda patriotic, no?
there is apparently a bunch of festivities happening in the park across the street from my house... so i might have to see if i can take a little break this afternoon and check it out.
i can hear the music and crowds already... so it's probably pretty big.
anyways... can't procrastinate any more. the sooner i get this done, the sooner i can enjoy a fabulous canadian beer.
i have 3 bottles of my tin whistle peach cream ale in the fridge for just such an occasion.
mailing it in.
ma brain is moving a little slowly this morning.
and all i can think is ohmygodihavesomuchtodothisweek
and that combination is making it hard for me to get started on projects.
as such, i stole this from huckdoll's blog and will be using it to amuse you today.
1. What is your current obsession?
i'd probably have to answer this in the voice of my 15 year old self and admit that i'm back in love with vampires.
i've always been a vampire lover, back in the day i was (and still am) in love with anne rice books... and now between twilight and true blood... it's back on. yey for vampires.
2. What is your weirdest obsession?
not sure...
and all i can think is ohmygodihavesomuchtodothisweek
and that combination is making it hard for me to get started on projects.
as such, i stole this from huckdoll's blog and will be using it to amuse you today.
1. What is your current obsession?
i'd probably have to answer this in the voice of my 15 year old self and admit that i'm back in love with vampires.
i've always been a vampire lover, back in the day i was (and still am) in love with anne rice books... and now between twilight and true blood... it's back on. yey for vampires.
2. What is your weirdest obsession?
not sure...
3. Recall a fond childhood memory?
when i get up at 5am with my husband on sunny summer mornings, it reminds me of swim practice when i was a kid. it makes me want to ride my bike to the pool and jump in.
4. What’s for dinner?
tonight? i have nooooo idea. i'm thinking that i have some lobster that needs to be eaten and an avocado... so probably some sort of salad. maybe lobster rolls?
to be determined.
5. What would you eat for your last meal?
i would go to vegas and have the chef's tasting menu (with wine pairing or course) from Alize at the Palms. best meal of my life. and coincidentally the most expensive as well.
6. What’s the last thing you bought?
i would say the items i mentioned yesterday from america... but my husband paid for those... so besides groceries, the last thing i bought was at homesense/winners. new capri yoga pants, a cute metal waterbottle and a new canister for my pantry.
7. What are you listening to right now?
the new placebo album. again. seriously. it's sick how much i love this band.
8. What do you think of the person who tagged you?
i done stole this from huckdoll... but she's pretty cool. i enjoy reading her business. and we know some people in common... in fact, we probably know each other, lol. i just can't place her in my memory for some reason.
9. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished, anywhere in the world, where would it be?
the west end of vancouver. i want to live in the giant mansion on davie that used to be the macaroni grill.
10. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
only an hour? ummm... jamaica. i could use a solid hour of beach and ocean.
11. Which language do you want to learn?
french. i wish i had paid attention in school. i feel shame that i can't speak one of my country's official languages. and it makes you feel like a real asshole when you travel out east.
12. What’s your favourite quote (for now)?
"Strange memories on this nervous night in Las Vegas. Has it been fiveyears? Six? It seems like a lifetime, the kind of peak that never comesagain. San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time andplace to be a part of. But no explanation, no mix of words or music ormemories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alivein that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant. There wasmadness in any direction, at any hour. You could strike sparksanywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we weredoing was right, that we were winning. "
13. What is your favourite colour?
black
14. What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
i don't really have a favourite... honestly... probably my purse, lol.
15. What is your dream job?
housewife to my rich rich rich husband.
16. What’s your favourite magazine?
i love my canadian living subscription and the mclean's subscription... but i am susceptible to buying in touch when i go through the check out. i love how so many of my friends laugh at me for buying those, but when they come over, they read through 6 of them, lol. .
17. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
hmmm... that's not much, lol. so in reality it would be groceries or a bill. or i'd put it on my visa to pay for some of the things that i've already bought myself. wait. that's a crap answer.
okay, how about a new basket for my bike and a lens for my new camera. ya. that's it.
18. Describe your personal style?
pseudo-goth. a lot of black with red or pink accents. pretty boring on most days.
if i had the money, i'd dress like dita von teese. vintage goods with a slight rockabilly twist.
19. What are you going to do after this?
make coffee.
20. What are your favourite films?
fear and loathing in las vegas, any movie with johnny depp & helena bonham carter that was directed by tim burton, harry potter movies (all of them), bad movies from snl cast members, south park & team america: world police... and anything featuring las vegas - knocked up, 21, oceans 11 & 13... etc.
ya, that's good enough. i'm not a huge movie person anymore.
21. What’s your favourite fruit?
i love local berries... but when i travel, i am a fiend for tropical fruit. papaya, pineapple, guava, passionfruit, mangos... i love it all.
22. What inspires you?
music. bike rides. books.
23. Your favourite books?
this is a loaded question. i read anything and everything that isn't nailed down. in general, my favourites are from anne rice, hunter s thompson, harry potter books, twilight series (even though they are terribly written, they still suck you in) and the sookie sackhouse books from charlene harris. i also love biographies and political books... naomi klein, michael moore, al frankin, richard dawkins etc.
24. Do you collect anything?
music memorabilia. i have a retarded amount of it. it has to stop. stupid ebay has everything. i just bought 2 new placebo singles from the UK last week. retarded. i don't even own a cd player anymore. i just like collecting things from my favourite bands.
25. Any advice that’s come from bitter experience?
ha. um, yes. the problem is that no one on the planet takes advice. humans prefer to learn from their own mistakes as opposed to other people's. but let's try and dispense you a gem... ummm... know that no matter how bad life gets, the world keeps turning and life goes on. nothing is permanent. not the happy times and certainly not the bad times.
26. What makes you follow a blog?
honesty and insight. an author that evolves and changes.
or just someone i know, lol.
weekend: success.
i think weekends are trying to kill me.
or maybe my friends are.
or maybe it's that pesky liquor.
anyways. this weekend was par for the course.
friday night involved a lot of absinthe and white wine.
a combo that i do not necessarily advocate, although it was quite delightful at the time.
i can't even count how much we drank.
we got into the two bottles pictures, and also FINALLY opened the bottle of french absinthe that has been sitting in my bar for over 2 years.
my husband finally came to the conclusion that he doesn't like the taste of absinthe, so he doesn't need to hoard this bottle for future loving anymore.
which, frankly, worked out well for me and my guest.
admittedly, the two bottles of wine after the 5 or so absinthes (not to mention the beer/wine before that) was overkill.
i pulled a move that i haven't done in ages... i was in the washroom and i sat down on the toilet and realized i couldn't get back up due to excessive room spins.
i concentrated my hardest, and pulled it together enough to return to the patio and announce that i was done and going to bed.
where i promptly stumbled to and passed out fully clothed on top of the covers.
but i made it. awesome.
saturday was a hangover of epic proportions. i was up at 8am and it was not good.
finally i puked at around 9:30 and then it was smooth sailing.
i made and ate some kraft dinner and drank a can of coke, and i was ready to rock.
well, maybe not ready to rock... but i was at least feeling human. which is kind of a miracle, given the circumstances.
so to the americas we went.
the border line up was an hour heading down... which sucked.
but there was an ice cream man serving the line up and that helped indeed.
plus we have air conditioning in the car, so it doesn't really bother me to sit and wait in the car. it's a comfy car.
anyways, we hit up some lunch, as it was about 12:30 by the time we crossed and decided on a place that i enjoy.
bob's burgers and brew.
man. that place is a delight.
my husband and i both rocked the same burger because there was just no arguing how awesome it sounded.
it was the chipotle chili burger.
a delicious meaty patty with jalepeno jack cheese, chipotle mayo and a grilled ortega chili on it. and then of course the regular fixings... lettuce, tomato etc. also, they use shredded lettuce here. which for me, is a burger must.
fast facts about ortega chilies - we LOVE them.
so delightful. and americans use them a lot. canadians, not so much. we need to work on that.
whenever we venture to america, if we spy a burger or sandwich with the ortega on it, we get it. it's a deal maker for us.
anyways, we rocked these delicious burgers, i had fries, my man had the homemade potato salad... it was very interesting. they grate their potatoes instead of chopping them, so the salad ends up being really creamy and a totally different, almost fluffy texture. he really liked it.
so that might be an idea for the future...
anyways. burger and two beers... total money spent = $29 USD.
not too shabby.
i love this place. not only are the burgers a delight, but they have an extensive micro brew selection... for $4 a pint.
i had the blue moon hef, which i've had a lot before (mostly in vegas) and i can't remember which one my guy picked... it was the seasonal special though.
anyways, back in the car and down to bellis fair... just because i need to go to target while i'm in america. we did some successful shopping and were especially pleased to see that my camera was $599.99 at target. and we paid $489.99 canadian for it. so we saved a whole ton of money by buying it at costco. and that made us feel real good.
so we took our target wares (vitamin water, blank dvds & cds for burning - there's no audio levy in america, so they're less than half the price there, a nice golf shirt for my husband and some kitchen knick knacks...) and we started the trek home.
a brief stop for the distraction that is baskin robbins... and filling up on gas ($30 USD vs the $55 canadian it would have been at home) and we made a run for the border.
i'd like to tell an exciting story about our return... but in reality we came home, watched tv, ate soup and went to bed at 9pm. because i was a trooper... but still pretty hungover.
sunday sunday sunday!
we celebrated the bday of a friend by hitting up the horse races.
if you've never gone to the races, you're missing out. they are wicked fun.
we started with the famous "beef on a bun" and then drank our faces off in the sunshine.
we saw a lot of this:
and even more of this:
there ended up being... oh gosh... maybe 16 or so people in the group.
it was VERY fun.
i got drunky on cider and we wandered up a hill to smoke a joint...
my husband did some gambling, but we didn't win.
i spent my budget on more cider, so no gambling for me...
i was mostly excited to dress up and wear my big floppy hat and sunglasses.
i even wore heels! crazy, huh?
so i smoked a ton of cigarettes and watched the ponies and laughed and chatted...
my husband suggested we head home around 5pm, and that was fine with me, because my energy was fading.
when i got home i realized why... mega sunburn down my back and arms.
whooops. yesterday was definitely a sunscreen day.
we came home, i got lubed up with aloe vera and drank another cider... ordered some chinese food, ate and passed out.
i woke up this morning at 10am.
a full 14 hours of sleep.
weekend: success.
or maybe my friends are.
or maybe it's that pesky liquor.
anyways. this weekend was par for the course.
friday night involved a lot of absinthe and white wine.
a combo that i do not necessarily advocate, although it was quite delightful at the time.
i can't even count how much we drank.
we got into the two bottles pictures, and also FINALLY opened the bottle of french absinthe that has been sitting in my bar for over 2 years.
my husband finally came to the conclusion that he doesn't like the taste of absinthe, so he doesn't need to hoard this bottle for future loving anymore.
which, frankly, worked out well for me and my guest.
admittedly, the two bottles of wine after the 5 or so absinthes (not to mention the beer/wine before that) was overkill.
i pulled a move that i haven't done in ages... i was in the washroom and i sat down on the toilet and realized i couldn't get back up due to excessive room spins.
i concentrated my hardest, and pulled it together enough to return to the patio and announce that i was done and going to bed.
where i promptly stumbled to and passed out fully clothed on top of the covers.
but i made it. awesome.
saturday was a hangover of epic proportions. i was up at 8am and it was not good.
finally i puked at around 9:30 and then it was smooth sailing.
i made and ate some kraft dinner and drank a can of coke, and i was ready to rock.
well, maybe not ready to rock... but i was at least feeling human. which is kind of a miracle, given the circumstances.
so to the americas we went.
the border line up was an hour heading down... which sucked.
but there was an ice cream man serving the line up and that helped indeed.
plus we have air conditioning in the car, so it doesn't really bother me to sit and wait in the car. it's a comfy car.
anyways, we hit up some lunch, as it was about 12:30 by the time we crossed and decided on a place that i enjoy.
bob's burgers and brew.
man. that place is a delight.
my husband and i both rocked the same burger because there was just no arguing how awesome it sounded.
it was the chipotle chili burger.
a delicious meaty patty with jalepeno jack cheese, chipotle mayo and a grilled ortega chili on it. and then of course the regular fixings... lettuce, tomato etc. also, they use shredded lettuce here. which for me, is a burger must.
fast facts about ortega chilies - we LOVE them.
Ortega Chilies
The ortega is a variety ofAnaheim chili pepper that is 6-7 inches long by about 2 inches wide.Ortegas are ready to be green-picked at about 70 days and red ripe at95 days. Ortegas are good stuffing, grilling, roasting and picklingpeppers. These are the mild green chilies you'll find canned in yourgrocer's condiment aisle. They are excellent on hamburgers or meatlesspatties and, when drained and chopped, add a tasty bite to a fluffyomelet.
so delightful. and americans use them a lot. canadians, not so much. we need to work on that.
whenever we venture to america, if we spy a burger or sandwich with the ortega on it, we get it. it's a deal maker for us.
anyways, we rocked these delicious burgers, i had fries, my man had the homemade potato salad... it was very interesting. they grate their potatoes instead of chopping them, so the salad ends up being really creamy and a totally different, almost fluffy texture. he really liked it.
so that might be an idea for the future...
anyways. burger and two beers... total money spent = $29 USD.
not too shabby.
i love this place. not only are the burgers a delight, but they have an extensive micro brew selection... for $4 a pint.
i had the blue moon hef, which i've had a lot before (mostly in vegas) and i can't remember which one my guy picked... it was the seasonal special though.
anyways, back in the car and down to bellis fair... just because i need to go to target while i'm in america. we did some successful shopping and were especially pleased to see that my camera was $599.99 at target. and we paid $489.99 canadian for it. so we saved a whole ton of money by buying it at costco. and that made us feel real good.
so we took our target wares (vitamin water, blank dvds & cds for burning - there's no audio levy in america, so they're less than half the price there, a nice golf shirt for my husband and some kitchen knick knacks...) and we started the trek home.
a brief stop for the distraction that is baskin robbins... and filling up on gas ($30 USD vs the $55 canadian it would have been at home) and we made a run for the border.
i'd like to tell an exciting story about our return... but in reality we came home, watched tv, ate soup and went to bed at 9pm. because i was a trooper... but still pretty hungover.
sunday sunday sunday!
we celebrated the bday of a friend by hitting up the horse races.
if you've never gone to the races, you're missing out. they are wicked fun.
we started with the famous "beef on a bun" and then drank our faces off in the sunshine.
we saw a lot of this:
and even more of this:
there ended up being... oh gosh... maybe 16 or so people in the group.
it was VERY fun.
i got drunky on cider and we wandered up a hill to smoke a joint...
my husband did some gambling, but we didn't win.
i spent my budget on more cider, so no gambling for me...
i was mostly excited to dress up and wear my big floppy hat and sunglasses.
i even wore heels! crazy, huh?
so i smoked a ton of cigarettes and watched the ponies and laughed and chatted...
my husband suggested we head home around 5pm, and that was fine with me, because my energy was fading.
when i got home i realized why... mega sunburn down my back and arms.
whooops. yesterday was definitely a sunscreen day.
we came home, i got lubed up with aloe vera and drank another cider... ordered some chinese food, ate and passed out.
i woke up this morning at 10am.
a full 14 hours of sleep.
weekend: success.
friday thoughts...
okay. off the top, i'm going to address the two celebrity deaths yesterday.
farrah. cancer sucks. it's a shit way to go and i'm sure you were a wonderful person. i didn't know you... but you had great hair.
however, let this be a lesson to people that go off and seek "alternative treatments" for their illnesses. you run the risk of accelerating your demise, as she did. there's a reason why the "treatments" you had to go to germany to obtain are not legal in north america. because they're unproven and potentially dangerous.
north america has some of the best doctors on the planet and most stringent standards of care.
trust them and follow their advice.
i touched on the edge of this topic a little a few weeks ago in this post... "alternative treatments" are more often than not a giant load of crap.
that being said... some things you're going to die from. we all have to die from something. and in this particular case, she was likely going to die from cancer anyways... although the fact that she responded well enough from the traditional treatments to be given an all-clear only 2 years ago is a pretty strong endorsement for sticking with the doctors you already had... but whatever.
you roll the dice and take a major risk with these alternative treatments. the pay off could be a miracle... but often you end up harming yourself irreparably in the process.
there's a good article about this stuff on abc news, if you want more reading. my favourite quote is this:
as for the celebrity behind door number two... there's many things i have said and could say.
but basically i'll leave it here.
i lose no sleep over dead pedophiles. and neither should anyone else. no matter how much you loved a song they put out 25 years ago.
and now, i move on...
dinner is in the slow cooker.
the recipe of today is pulled pork.
i've shared it before... but it's so easy it can be shared again...
today, it went something like this:
add the following to the slowcooker set to low - 2 cans of coke, a healthy squirt of ketchup (1/4 to 1/2 cup?) and some spices. i used ancho chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
put in your pork... i used a boneless pork shoulder that i got on sale at safeway for $7
let cook all day. when you're ready to eat, remove the pork roast, shred it.
if you'd like, simmer the sauce down until thick in a saucepan and pour on top.
you could also add a sliced onion to the slowcooker... and i have also used canned green chilis in the past too. i just don't have either in my house right now.
serve with tortillas, rice and beans. guacamole and salsa are always welcome at this party.
let's see... what else... what else?
well, this was to be the weekend of the annual samping trip (don't ask, lol)
but because of less than stellar weather on the horizon, it's being postponed.
sucks, because i was totally looking forward to it... but i'd rather reschedule than be up at a lake and be too cold and wet to do anything.
really summer? 17 degree high? rain all day tomorrow?
booo!
so fingers crossed that the rescheduled weekend will be hot as fuck and not a cloud in the sky.
instead i think we're going to do a wee america trip tomorrow.
i have a package to pick up that's been waiting for over a month now... and i need some american items... cystal light and face wash wipes etc. everything is cheaper in america. so it's worth the drive.
i just hope the border lineup isn't balls.
it's been a long time since i crossed on a weekend.
i think we're leaving at 6am... that should take care of most of the problems.
happy weekend!
farrah. cancer sucks. it's a shit way to go and i'm sure you were a wonderful person. i didn't know you... but you had great hair.
however, let this be a lesson to people that go off and seek "alternative treatments" for their illnesses. you run the risk of accelerating your demise, as she did. there's a reason why the "treatments" you had to go to germany to obtain are not legal in north america. because they're unproven and potentially dangerous.
north america has some of the best doctors on the planet and most stringent standards of care.
trust them and follow their advice.
i touched on the edge of this topic a little a few weeks ago in this post... "alternative treatments" are more often than not a giant load of crap.
that being said... some things you're going to die from. we all have to die from something. and in this particular case, she was likely going to die from cancer anyways... although the fact that she responded well enough from the traditional treatments to be given an all-clear only 2 years ago is a pretty strong endorsement for sticking with the doctors you already had... but whatever.
you roll the dice and take a major risk with these alternative treatments. the pay off could be a miracle... but often you end up harming yourself irreparably in the process.
there's a good article about this stuff on abc news, if you want more reading. my favourite quote is this:
"I would [tell a patient considering alternative treatment] that they are signing their own death certificate," said Barrie Cassileth, chief of the Integrative Medicine Department at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. "I would say they are wasting time they could otherwise spend happier and with their families."i hope that her death might teach people something about this sort of practice... but regardless. farrah, it's a real shitty way to go, definitely. but it was no surprise that it happened.
as for the celebrity behind door number two... there's many things i have said and could say.
but basically i'll leave it here.
i lose no sleep over dead pedophiles. and neither should anyone else. no matter how much you loved a song they put out 25 years ago.
and now, i move on...
dinner is in the slow cooker.
the recipe of today is pulled pork.
i've shared it before... but it's so easy it can be shared again...
today, it went something like this:
add the following to the slowcooker set to low - 2 cans of coke, a healthy squirt of ketchup (1/4 to 1/2 cup?) and some spices. i used ancho chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
put in your pork... i used a boneless pork shoulder that i got on sale at safeway for $7
let cook all day. when you're ready to eat, remove the pork roast, shred it.
if you'd like, simmer the sauce down until thick in a saucepan and pour on top.
you could also add a sliced onion to the slowcooker... and i have also used canned green chilis in the past too. i just don't have either in my house right now.
serve with tortillas, rice and beans. guacamole and salsa are always welcome at this party.
let's see... what else... what else?
well, this was to be the weekend of the annual samping trip (don't ask, lol)
but because of less than stellar weather on the horizon, it's being postponed.
sucks, because i was totally looking forward to it... but i'd rather reschedule than be up at a lake and be too cold and wet to do anything.
really summer? 17 degree high? rain all day tomorrow?
booo!
so fingers crossed that the rescheduled weekend will be hot as fuck and not a cloud in the sky.
instead i think we're going to do a wee america trip tomorrow.
i have a package to pick up that's been waiting for over a month now... and i need some american items... cystal light and face wash wipes etc. everything is cheaper in america. so it's worth the drive.
i just hope the border lineup isn't balls.
it's been a long time since i crossed on a weekend.
i think we're leaving at 6am... that should take care of most of the problems.
happy weekend!
how does your garden grow?
the patio garden of 2009 is getting a 7/10 so far.
it's pretty good... but there's room for improvement.
the biggest black marks on my record are the 3 dead cedar trees that are marring the scenery.
but that's not my fault... my mom insisted that i NEEDED to get food spikes for them... so i did.
put the food spikes into the dirt of the 3 healthy trees and within 2 weeks, they were crispy and dead.
so that is totally my mom's fault.
this is my favourite thing currently on my patio.
it's a tree mallow.
and it has beautiful flowers.
it's growing like crazy...
i'm going to need to set up a trellis for it this weekend... it's getting so tall.
i think it came from costco if i'm not mistaken... but it might have been from home depot.
anyways, it was chosen for its lovely flowers, hearty nature (meaning it's hard to kill) and the fact that it's a fast growing climbing plant. which i enjoy because climbing plants can be rigged up on trellises to provide some nice neighbour cover.
this year i went pretty light on the herbs...
i always start out with good intentions regarding the herb gardens, but then they get ravaged by bugs and i never use them.
this year i have chives and parsley so far... and i might leave it there.
the parsley just sprouted a few weeks ago, but it's looking good.
soon i'll be able to harvest some for eatin'
speaking of harvesting for eating... the lettuce is in need of a harvest.
it's getting big. like, maybe too big to be considered "baby lettuce" anymore, lol.
this was my newest "big idea" for the summer.
growing a "lettuce bowl" to make salads quick and easy.
the first attempt ended badly... my lettuce sprouted and then died within a week.
i think the weather wasn't right yet...
but this batch is growing like stink.
i'd say that is just screaming to be doused with a delicious dressing.
i've actually taken to snacking on it a bit... just pulling off a leaf here or there to test the quality.
and it's tasty.
i'm also growing some peppers for the salad effort
but those will need another few weeks before they are ripe for the picking.
ditto for the tomatoes... they are still just flowers, so i probably won't see my yellow heirloom tomatoes until late july i'm thinking...
also in my garden of fun is my morning glory.
it's pretty new too, just starting to climb... but soon it will be a dense forest of greenery and flowers.
i love gardening...
and also, my new camera.
i just wish it was sunny out, so i could get even better pictures.
it's pretty good... but there's room for improvement.
the biggest black marks on my record are the 3 dead cedar trees that are marring the scenery.
but that's not my fault... my mom insisted that i NEEDED to get food spikes for them... so i did.
put the food spikes into the dirt of the 3 healthy trees and within 2 weeks, they were crispy and dead.
so that is totally my mom's fault.
this is my favourite thing currently on my patio.
it's a tree mallow.
and it has beautiful flowers.
it's growing like crazy...
i'm going to need to set up a trellis for it this weekend... it's getting so tall.
i think it came from costco if i'm not mistaken... but it might have been from home depot.
anyways, it was chosen for its lovely flowers, hearty nature (meaning it's hard to kill) and the fact that it's a fast growing climbing plant. which i enjoy because climbing plants can be rigged up on trellises to provide some nice neighbour cover.
this year i went pretty light on the herbs...
i always start out with good intentions regarding the herb gardens, but then they get ravaged by bugs and i never use them.
this year i have chives and parsley so far... and i might leave it there.
the parsley just sprouted a few weeks ago, but it's looking good.
soon i'll be able to harvest some for eatin'
speaking of harvesting for eating... the lettuce is in need of a harvest.
it's getting big. like, maybe too big to be considered "baby lettuce" anymore, lol.
this was my newest "big idea" for the summer.
growing a "lettuce bowl" to make salads quick and easy.
the first attempt ended badly... my lettuce sprouted and then died within a week.
i think the weather wasn't right yet...
but this batch is growing like stink.
i'd say that is just screaming to be doused with a delicious dressing.
i've actually taken to snacking on it a bit... just pulling off a leaf here or there to test the quality.
and it's tasty.
i'm also growing some peppers for the salad effort
but those will need another few weeks before they are ripe for the picking.
ditto for the tomatoes... they are still just flowers, so i probably won't see my yellow heirloom tomatoes until late july i'm thinking...
also in my garden of fun is my morning glory.
it's pretty new too, just starting to climb... but soon it will be a dense forest of greenery and flowers.
i love gardening...
and also, my new camera.
i just wish it was sunny out, so i could get even better pictures.
changing what i put in my mouth
first things first. last night's casserole was a ridiculous success.
like so freaking good, it surprised me.
my husband hoovered 3/4 of it. in about 6 minutes.
so, note to the masses, this recipe really only makes enough for two people.
so, here's the adapted recipe as it came out of my kitchen yesterday.
i also took pictures for you.
the raw goods pre-oven
and then it gets covered with tin foil and makes sweet love to the oven for about 45 minutes....
resulting in this:
so you sprinkle a little cheese on it and send it back into the oven uncovered, and behold, you end up with this:
now normally i'd stick something like this in on broil and let the cheese get nice and brown and bubbly...
but this cheese pictured is one of those low-fat 2% milk cheeses, and i've found that while it tastes the same as regular cheese, it doesn't melt or brown the same way.
so i only gave it the semi-melt to keep the texture happy.
i know this might not look like much... and it's certainly not gourmet... but it really was fucking tasty.
the rice was perfectly cooked, no crunchy or mushy bits, i think that using basmati rice instead of regular rice was a good idea... although i don't buy regular rice, all i use is basmati... but anyways... and the chicken was tender and nicely flavoured.
i think next time i'd give the chicken more of a spice rub. i just sprinkled a little salt, pepper and chili powder on top, but it needed a little more of a kick for me.
so recipe success.
proving that a classic becomes a classic for a good reason.
now today... i have no idea what to make.
i think that i've figured out something about my digestive system...
something that i probably knew a long time ago, but have been ignoring...
i think i'm allergic to wheat.
i have always had a "bad stomach". diagnosed with IBS at age 12, had my gallbladder removed last year... heartburn is a daily occurrence... and i can tell you where every toilet in every city i've ever visited is.
it's not pretty, but i've generally done an ace job of ignoring things... or just making due.
meaning, locating toilets in advance and being prepared.
but as time went on, i've seen some patterns.
dairy is one. dairy generally sets off my stomach within minutes of consumption. and the higher the fat content, the faster things work. non fat milk in my coffee... probably okay. cream in my coffee... i won't even finish the cup before i have to make a speedy departure.
cheesecake is the biggest nemesis. i get about 3 forkfuls in before i'm running from the room.
however, this has not been a hard and fast rule... this is the case abut 85% of the time... but sometimes, nothing happens. sometimes i can eat an entire piece of cheesecake and have nothing happen.
it's strange and i've struggled to see the pattern... what did i eat before that? after? what was i drinking?
it all seems random.
lately, wheat has emerged as a serious probable culprit.
and i have the suspicion that it always has been... it was just usually in the company of dairy, and so i may have passed the blame over to dairy.
really, it could be both. i don't know.
but the idea of wheat making me sick is scaring the shit out of me.
i am a carb-a-holic.
ilove LOVE bread and pasta.
my ideal meal is a loaf of garlic bread and a giant plate of pasta with butter and cheese on it.
i had to stop buying bread for the house because i have no self control.
i will eat an entire loaf of bread if you leave it with me.
now i only buy enough single buns for my husband's sandwiches for work. not one extra, because i'll eat it.
the bread basket comes in the restaurant and i'll eat at least 4 pieces.
i LOVE bread.
also, i love beer. aaaaand beer has wheat in it.
i've already figured it out that beer makes me sick... i just didn't care.
after the first beer, i get sick and by the end of the second one, i'm generally okay.
and then the next day is brutal because my system is filled with gas and bloating and pain... but damnit that beer was delicious.
over the past couple weeks, wheat has been affecting me worse than ever.
to the point where i really can't ignore things any longer.
so, i did a little self test.
one day i ate no wheat. limited dairy as i usually do...
no problems.
the next day, i ate two white buns.
sick within the hour and for the rest of the night.
the day after, no wheat and heavier on the dairy...
still no problems.
the next day, no wheat in food, but a few beers.
sick.
and last night's meal... no wheat, but a fair amount of dairy...
no problems.
i can't really ignore this reality any longer... i think i have to stop eating wheat.
or at the very least, seriously cut down on it.
this might just be the saddest day of my life.
as i'm getting older, my body is less resilient to this stuff... and things i could just ignore in years past, are now affecting me very harshly.
i've been getting these brutal chest pains, kind of like phantom gallbladder attacks. it's not fun.
but here's another random thing to throw into the mix... popcorn has been making me sick too.
it gives me crazy chest pains and bloating and gas.
but eating corn on the cob, or frozen corn, even canned corn is no problem. it's weird.
so for the next little while at least, rice is my new friend.
i do like rice... i just don't love it hardcore like i do bread and pasta.
but rice doesn't make me sick. so it wins.
so today is marking day one of the no-wheat agenda.
dinner tonight is homemade caesar salad (with no croûtons for me apparently) and.... ummm...
shit. it was going to be accompanied by a frozen pizza, 'cause i was going to kinda mail in dinner tonight...
but i guess that won't work for me now.
soooo... ummmmm.... pizza for my husband and a bowl of rice for me? lol.
shit. this is probably going to require some thought, planning and some grocery shopping on my part.
not to mention the fact that it doesn't leave me much to eat for breakfast/lunch...
shit. shit. shit.
okay, this may be bad timing for this revelation, since i'm in the middle of a cleaning out the fridge/cupboards/pantry cycle.
i'm going to have to do some serious meal macgyvering... otherwise i'm going to end up with stir fry every day... and that will make me want to slit my wrists.
like so freaking good, it surprised me.
my husband hoovered 3/4 of it. in about 6 minutes.
so, note to the masses, this recipe really only makes enough for two people.
so, here's the adapted recipe as it came out of my kitchen yesterday.
as i said yesterday, most of my substitutions are born purely out of whats available in my pantry and fridge... so it ain't gospel... it's just what *i* did.Ingredients
1 can (284 mL) CAMPBELL'S Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup1 cup (250 mL) water- 1 cup (250 mL)
uncooked basmati rice herbs & spices to taste - chopped fresh cilantro, dried mexican oregano, dried chipotle peppers,
garlic powder, salt & pepper2 cups (500 mL) fresh (cut-up) or frozen vegetable mixture - frozen corn and fresh green beans6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs1/2 cup shredded low fat 2% milk cheddar cheesemixDirections
- 1.Mix soup, water, rice and spices in shallow 2 qt (2L) baking dish. Stir in vegetables
- 2. Top with chicken. Sprinkle chicken with additional pepper, if desired. Cover.
- 3.Bake at 375°F (190°C) until chicken is cooked through and rice istender – about 45 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over chicken and return to oven to melt - uncovered. Remove chickenand stir rice before serving.
i also took pictures for you.
the raw goods pre-oven
and then it gets covered with tin foil and makes sweet love to the oven for about 45 minutes....
resulting in this:
so you sprinkle a little cheese on it and send it back into the oven uncovered, and behold, you end up with this:
now normally i'd stick something like this in on broil and let the cheese get nice and brown and bubbly...
but this cheese pictured is one of those low-fat 2% milk cheeses, and i've found that while it tastes the same as regular cheese, it doesn't melt or brown the same way.
so i only gave it the semi-melt to keep the texture happy.
i know this might not look like much... and it's certainly not gourmet... but it really was fucking tasty.
the rice was perfectly cooked, no crunchy or mushy bits, i think that using basmati rice instead of regular rice was a good idea... although i don't buy regular rice, all i use is basmati... but anyways... and the chicken was tender and nicely flavoured.
i think next time i'd give the chicken more of a spice rub. i just sprinkled a little salt, pepper and chili powder on top, but it needed a little more of a kick for me.
so recipe success.
proving that a classic becomes a classic for a good reason.
now today... i have no idea what to make.
i think that i've figured out something about my digestive system...
something that i probably knew a long time ago, but have been ignoring...
i think i'm allergic to wheat.
i have always had a "bad stomach". diagnosed with IBS at age 12, had my gallbladder removed last year... heartburn is a daily occurrence... and i can tell you where every toilet in every city i've ever visited is.
it's not pretty, but i've generally done an ace job of ignoring things... or just making due.
meaning, locating toilets in advance and being prepared.
but as time went on, i've seen some patterns.
dairy is one. dairy generally sets off my stomach within minutes of consumption. and the higher the fat content, the faster things work. non fat milk in my coffee... probably okay. cream in my coffee... i won't even finish the cup before i have to make a speedy departure.
cheesecake is the biggest nemesis. i get about 3 forkfuls in before i'm running from the room.
however, this has not been a hard and fast rule... this is the case abut 85% of the time... but sometimes, nothing happens. sometimes i can eat an entire piece of cheesecake and have nothing happen.
it's strange and i've struggled to see the pattern... what did i eat before that? after? what was i drinking?
it all seems random.
lately, wheat has emerged as a serious probable culprit.
and i have the suspicion that it always has been... it was just usually in the company of dairy, and so i may have passed the blame over to dairy.
really, it could be both. i don't know.
but the idea of wheat making me sick is scaring the shit out of me.
i am a carb-a-holic.
i
my ideal meal is a loaf of garlic bread and a giant plate of pasta with butter and cheese on it.
i had to stop buying bread for the house because i have no self control.
i will eat an entire loaf of bread if you leave it with me.
now i only buy enough single buns for my husband's sandwiches for work. not one extra, because i'll eat it.
the bread basket comes in the restaurant and i'll eat at least 4 pieces.
i LOVE bread.
also, i love beer. aaaaand beer has wheat in it.
i've already figured it out that beer makes me sick... i just didn't care.
after the first beer, i get sick and by the end of the second one, i'm generally okay.
and then the next day is brutal because my system is filled with gas and bloating and pain... but damnit that beer was delicious.
over the past couple weeks, wheat has been affecting me worse than ever.
to the point where i really can't ignore things any longer.
so, i did a little self test.
one day i ate no wheat. limited dairy as i usually do...
no problems.
the next day, i ate two white buns.
sick within the hour and for the rest of the night.
the day after, no wheat and heavier on the dairy...
still no problems.
the next day, no wheat in food, but a few beers.
sick.
and last night's meal... no wheat, but a fair amount of dairy...
no problems.
i can't really ignore this reality any longer... i think i have to stop eating wheat.
or at the very least, seriously cut down on it.
this might just be the saddest day of my life.
as i'm getting older, my body is less resilient to this stuff... and things i could just ignore in years past, are now affecting me very harshly.
i've been getting these brutal chest pains, kind of like phantom gallbladder attacks. it's not fun.
but here's another random thing to throw into the mix... popcorn has been making me sick too.
it gives me crazy chest pains and bloating and gas.
but eating corn on the cob, or frozen corn, even canned corn is no problem. it's weird.
so for the next little while at least, rice is my new friend.
i do like rice... i just don't love it hardcore like i do bread and pasta.
but rice doesn't make me sick. so it wins.
so today is marking day one of the no-wheat agenda.
dinner tonight is homemade caesar salad (with no croûtons for me apparently) and.... ummm...
shit. it was going to be accompanied by a frozen pizza, 'cause i was going to kinda mail in dinner tonight...
but i guess that won't work for me now.
soooo... ummmmm.... pizza for my husband and a bowl of rice for me? lol.
shit. this is probably going to require some thought, planning and some grocery shopping on my part.
not to mention the fact that it doesn't leave me much to eat for breakfast/lunch...
shit. shit. shit.
okay, this may be bad timing for this revelation, since i'm in the middle of a cleaning out the fridge/cupboards/pantry cycle.
i'm going to have to do some serious meal macgyvering... otherwise i'm going to end up with stir fry every day... and that will make me want to slit my wrists.
recipe of the day: chicken & rice casserole
we have a problem in my house.
empty fridge and packed full freezer.
combine with cold miserable weather outside today, and that means its casserole time.
you've probably seen, heard about or eaten this casserole...
it's a classic campbells soup recipe.
and pretty healthy and balanced.
according to the website, it has a full serving of vegetables, is high in calcium and very high in protein.
but this is a serious mom staple kinda recipe.
i dig it.
but in my house, i need to change things up a bit.
both to suit the ingredients i have on hand... and to suit our tastes.
the cream of chicken soup is to be replaced by cream of mushroom. because that's all i have.
onion powder will be joined by fresh garlic and something spicy... i'm thinking maybe of ancho or chipotle powder. and likely a hit of hot sauce
i also have some salsa verde that i need to use... so that will go in too. making this casserole a tad on the mexican side of life.
and so my stash of mexican oregano (very different from mediterranean oregano) might have to make an appearance too.
for vegetables, i've got plenty of frozen options... so i'm thinking corn for sure... and some sliced fresh green beans that i bought at the market yesterday... maybe even some spinach? hmmm...
we have chicken thighs, not breasts... and the cheese i have on hand is probably only half of what they call for, so it'll be a little less cheesy.
however, since it's mexican now, we have fresh made guacamole and salsa for serving.
i think it shall be a great success.
this is the beauty of a simple bare bones recipe like this one...
your options for playing around are pretty endless.
as long as you keep the liquid to rice ratio in check, anything is open for substitution.
i'm going to serve it with a romaine salad with my chipotle balsamic vinigarette.
nom nom nom
empty fridge and packed full freezer.
combine with cold miserable weather outside today, and that means its casserole time.
you've probably seen, heard about or eaten this casserole...
it's a classic campbells soup recipe.
it's easy as shit... one pan...Ingredients
1 can (284 mL) CAMPBELL'S Condensed Low Fat Cream of Chicken Soup1 cup (250 mL) water3/4 cup (175 mL) uncooked regular long-grain white rice1/2 tsp (3 mL) onion powder1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground black pepper2 cups (500 mL) fresh (cut-up) or frozen vegetable mixture4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves1 cup (250 mL) shredded cheddar cheeseDirections
- 1. Mix soup, water, rice, onion powder and black pepper in shallow 2 qt (2 L) baking dish. Stir in vegetables (if frozen, thawed under running water).
- 2. Top with chicken. Sprinkle chicken with additional pepper, if desired. Cover.
- 3. Bake at 375°F (190°C) until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender – about 45 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over chicken. Remove chicken and stir rice before serving.
and pretty healthy and balanced.
according to the website, it has a full serving of vegetables, is high in calcium and very high in protein.
Per Serving: 420 Calories, 13g Fat, 7g Saturated Fat, 100mg Cholesterol, 610mg Sodium, 540mg Potassium, 37g Carbohydrate, 2g Dietary Fibre, 28g Protein, 25% DV Calciumother variations of this recipe call for sliced mushrooms only instead of mixed vegetables... my mom always used to make it with broccoli only and mix breadcrumbs with the cheddar cheese on top...
but this is a serious mom staple kinda recipe.
i dig it.
but in my house, i need to change things up a bit.
both to suit the ingredients i have on hand... and to suit our tastes.
the cream of chicken soup is to be replaced by cream of mushroom. because that's all i have.
onion powder will be joined by fresh garlic and something spicy... i'm thinking maybe of ancho or chipotle powder. and likely a hit of hot sauce
i also have some salsa verde that i need to use... so that will go in too. making this casserole a tad on the mexican side of life.
and so my stash of mexican oregano (very different from mediterranean oregano) might have to make an appearance too.
for vegetables, i've got plenty of frozen options... so i'm thinking corn for sure... and some sliced fresh green beans that i bought at the market yesterday... maybe even some spinach? hmmm...
we have chicken thighs, not breasts... and the cheese i have on hand is probably only half of what they call for, so it'll be a little less cheesy.
however, since it's mexican now, we have fresh made guacamole and salsa for serving.
i think it shall be a great success.
this is the beauty of a simple bare bones recipe like this one...
your options for playing around are pretty endless.
as long as you keep the liquid to rice ratio in check, anything is open for substitution.
i'm going to serve it with a romaine salad with my chipotle balsamic vinigarette.
nom nom nom
what's the use of autonomy when a button does it all?
is the sun shining out of my ass, or did i sit on stan's flashlight?
(mega nerd/loser/vancity indie points if you know where that came from... zoeyjane might get it)
but seriously.
i am in love.
with my husband. my patio. my camera. my bicycle.... amoung other things...
and now added to the pile, my new shaw box and digital cable.
it fucking kicks ass.
i received this little treat for free about 3 weeks ago... but wasn't really motivated to set it up.
so it sat collecting dust for no particular reason other than the fact that i don't watch tv that much in the summer... so i didn't really care. or so i thought.
last night we hooked it up, and it was like a unicorn barfed rainbows everywhere.
that awesome.
we get alllllll the channels that i envy, including HBO canada (hello true blood! yaaaaa!) and all those fancy movie channels, including the independent film channel and documentary channel... and then those pay per view channels...
hockey is ALWAYS at our house from now on. not only can we get pay per view games, but we get all the specialty NHL channels to watch out of market games too.
kick. ass.
did i mention that we get porn too? seriously... at least 5 different channels of porn. although some of them cost extra.
and we get all those music channels too. which i enjoy.
especially the "jammin'" channel. which is all reggae.
and no commercials and no djs on these... which makes for perfect party/patio music.
so shaw and the strata of our building... thank you.
all this magic costs us NOTHING EXTRA.
as cable is paid in our strata fees. and our strata fees can not be increased for at least another year.
i am a happy happy girl.
because getting something for nothing is one of the best things in life as far as i'm concerned.
soooo... moving on...
i've been meaning to give a little "book review" of a book my cousin lent me.
i know it came out like 4 years ago... but to be honest, i never really cared about reading it.
but my cousin owned it and brought it over for me to read because he wanted my opinion...
so i read "scar tissue" by anthony keidis and some other dude that probably did most of the actual writing.
i give it 4/10
maybe i could be talked into as high as 6/10 if you LOVE anthony keidis... but certainly no higher.
now, my feelings on the "subject" are as such... i used to love RHCP when i was young. in fact, blood sugar sex magik was the first cd i ever bought. i had mother's milk on cassette tape in grade 6.
i loved them.
until about... ohhhh... 1998 or so when they started putting out seriously shitty music.
since then i haven't cared about them at all... and they're now one of those bands that i instantly turn off when they come on the radio.
i hate all the songs from the last 10 years... and anything older, i've played to death, so i don't want to hear them anyways.
i saw them back in 2003, and made it through about 2/3 of the show before i left.
2 years ago when they played gm place, i left after 3 songs.
i can't wrap my head around how a band used to be so fucking cool and then became so fucking terrible.
anyways, so i read the book...
and it was really pathetic.
basically it goes like this... i did a lot of drugs, started a band, did more drugs, met a girl, got clean, broke up with her, did more drugs, went to rehab, got clean, went on tour, started doing drugs again, met another girl, did more drugs, went to rehab, broke up with girl, went back on drugs.... etc etc.
seriously, it's like that for the entire book.
we get it.
you're a dirty junkie.
but really? that's your entire existence?
why even bother to write a book about it?
it was painful to read at points... the repetition and just pathetic aura of his life was just brutal.
and things like this prove there's no karma.
how is it fair that some disgusting junkie that shoots coke and snorts heroin and can barely sing makes millions of dollars and sells millions of albums.
its fucked.
that dude should be dead in a ditch 20 years ago.
anyways, life judgments aside, it's a pretty boring read.
love stories about how awesome shooting coke feels don't really interest me...
and the cycle of being wasted, then clean and rehabbed, then wasted again gets old pretty quickly.
i think he describes over 10 times entering rehab over 20 years... it's just cycles and repetition.
that dude is an addict for life... so when he dies, don't be surprised.
the book actually talks very little about the band, it's more about drugs... and i was waiting to hear some cool stories about tours and shows and stuff... but they were mostly just about how high everyone was and who was on what drugs etc...
and the thing is that i actually usually like drug books. fuck, HST is my favourite author... but at least his drug books have a plot line and things that happen.
this book was really only about drugs. and how much he loves them / hates them.
so, i'd give it a miss.
i've read many other band/artist biographies that are far better... marilyn manson's is really good... also, i have a good carol pope one and a hendrix one that i enjoy.
my point is, don't waste your time unless you're a huge RHCP fan and NEED to read it... or if you just really love stories about shooting coke and snorting heroin. (which, for the record, confused me a bit. i always thought you snorted coke and shot heroin... but what do i know?)
i have another book from my cousin called "fish"
it's interesting so far... about a 17 year old kid that was sent to prison for 5 years for pretending to rob a fotomat with a toy gun. he was joking around, but the judge did not think so... so he went to jail. adult jail.
it's pretty graphic so far... in terms of the ass sex and rape.
and the subplot is that this guy is actually gay, but isn't too sure at 17... and so it talks abut how getting owned by men in prison and forced to suck dick and be plowed in the ass is further confusing to his sexual identity.
anyways, not unlike the previously mentioned book, this book is so far kind of a one trick pony. instead of being all about drugs, it seems to be all about ass sex.
but i'm only about 100 pages in, so i'm going to see where it goes.
either way, note to self, never ever end up in an american prison.
yikes.
(mega nerd/loser/vancity indie points if you know where that came from... zoeyjane might get it)
but seriously.
i am in love.
with my husband. my patio. my camera. my bicycle.... amoung other things...
and now added to the pile, my new shaw box and digital cable.
it fucking kicks ass.
i received this little treat for free about 3 weeks ago... but wasn't really motivated to set it up.
so it sat collecting dust for no particular reason other than the fact that i don't watch tv that much in the summer... so i didn't really care. or so i thought.
last night we hooked it up, and it was like a unicorn barfed rainbows everywhere.
that awesome.
we get alllllll the channels that i envy, including HBO canada (hello true blood! yaaaaa!) and all those fancy movie channels, including the independent film channel and documentary channel... and then those pay per view channels...
hockey is ALWAYS at our house from now on. not only can we get pay per view games, but we get all the specialty NHL channels to watch out of market games too.
kick. ass.
did i mention that we get porn too? seriously... at least 5 different channels of porn. although some of them cost extra.
and we get all those music channels too. which i enjoy.
especially the "jammin'" channel. which is all reggae.
and no commercials and no djs on these... which makes for perfect party/patio music.
so shaw and the strata of our building... thank you.
all this magic costs us NOTHING EXTRA.
as cable is paid in our strata fees. and our strata fees can not be increased for at least another year.
i am a happy happy girl.
because getting something for nothing is one of the best things in life as far as i'm concerned.
soooo... moving on...
i've been meaning to give a little "book review" of a book my cousin lent me.
i know it came out like 4 years ago... but to be honest, i never really cared about reading it.
but my cousin owned it and brought it over for me to read because he wanted my opinion...
so i read "scar tissue" by anthony keidis and some other dude that probably did most of the actual writing.
i give it 4/10
maybe i could be talked into as high as 6/10 if you LOVE anthony keidis... but certainly no higher.
now, my feelings on the "subject" are as such... i used to love RHCP when i was young. in fact, blood sugar sex magik was the first cd i ever bought. i had mother's milk on cassette tape in grade 6.
i loved them.
until about... ohhhh... 1998 or so when they started putting out seriously shitty music.
since then i haven't cared about them at all... and they're now one of those bands that i instantly turn off when they come on the radio.
i hate all the songs from the last 10 years... and anything older, i've played to death, so i don't want to hear them anyways.
i saw them back in 2003, and made it through about 2/3 of the show before i left.
2 years ago when they played gm place, i left after 3 songs.
i can't wrap my head around how a band used to be so fucking cool and then became so fucking terrible.
anyways, so i read the book...
and it was really pathetic.
basically it goes like this... i did a lot of drugs, started a band, did more drugs, met a girl, got clean, broke up with her, did more drugs, went to rehab, got clean, went on tour, started doing drugs again, met another girl, did more drugs, went to rehab, broke up with girl, went back on drugs.... etc etc.
seriously, it's like that for the entire book.
we get it.
you're a dirty junkie.
but really? that's your entire existence?
why even bother to write a book about it?
it was painful to read at points... the repetition and just pathetic aura of his life was just brutal.
and things like this prove there's no karma.
how is it fair that some disgusting junkie that shoots coke and snorts heroin and can barely sing makes millions of dollars and sells millions of albums.
its fucked.
that dude should be dead in a ditch 20 years ago.
anyways, life judgments aside, it's a pretty boring read.
love stories about how awesome shooting coke feels don't really interest me...
and the cycle of being wasted, then clean and rehabbed, then wasted again gets old pretty quickly.
i think he describes over 10 times entering rehab over 20 years... it's just cycles and repetition.
that dude is an addict for life... so when he dies, don't be surprised.
the book actually talks very little about the band, it's more about drugs... and i was waiting to hear some cool stories about tours and shows and stuff... but they were mostly just about how high everyone was and who was on what drugs etc...
and the thing is that i actually usually like drug books. fuck, HST is my favourite author... but at least his drug books have a plot line and things that happen.
this book was really only about drugs. and how much he loves them / hates them.
so, i'd give it a miss.
i've read many other band/artist biographies that are far better... marilyn manson's is really good... also, i have a good carol pope one and a hendrix one that i enjoy.
my point is, don't waste your time unless you're a huge RHCP fan and NEED to read it... or if you just really love stories about shooting coke and snorting heroin. (which, for the record, confused me a bit. i always thought you snorted coke and shot heroin... but what do i know?)
i have another book from my cousin called "fish"
it's interesting so far... about a 17 year old kid that was sent to prison for 5 years for pretending to rob a fotomat with a toy gun. he was joking around, but the judge did not think so... so he went to jail. adult jail.
it's pretty graphic so far... in terms of the ass sex and rape.
and the subplot is that this guy is actually gay, but isn't too sure at 17... and so it talks abut how getting owned by men in prison and forced to suck dick and be plowed in the ass is further confusing to his sexual identity.
anyways, not unlike the previously mentioned book, this book is so far kind of a one trick pony. instead of being all about drugs, it seems to be all about ass sex.
but i'm only about 100 pages in, so i'm going to see where it goes.
either way, note to self, never ever end up in an american prison.
yikes.
it's time i got back to the good life
as a follow up to yesterday, i did indeed purchase (and by *i*, i clearly mean my husband) the canon eos rebel xs
and now i have the bestest camera EVER!
sadly, i didn't have much time to play with it last night... the battery needed to be charged and we had dinner plans.
but when we got home around 9pm, i absorbed myself in the manual and played for about an hour.
there is a lot to learn on this bad boy.
the manual is 195 pages of english only fine print.
no jokes.
it's a freaking novel.
which means that it will take me a decent while to discover all the ins and outs and secrets about using it.
...which makes it a super fun project!
today i'd like to head out and take some pictures just to get some practice.
i might even take my bicycle.
yesterday my husband and i headed to my mom's house for dinner.
and since it's not that far away, we decided to take the bikes.
a good and bad idea.
okay... just a good idea. but i'm lazy and that's where the bad comes in, lol.
it's 4.1km from our house to hers... the ride there was awesome.
there's a bike lane on the road almost the entire way...
only one minor hill and a lot of coasting. we made it easily in under 20 minutes at a fairly relaxing pace. likely closer to 15 minutes actually...
the way home... not so great.
first of all, it was several beers, smokes and doobs later.
not to mention the giant fillet mignon steak dinner in my belly...
and the biggest, hardest hill is right at the start of the ride.
ugh.
i made it okay... it took us about 25 minutes... and that was with a brief stop.
my quads were screaming for mercy after the hill...
the problem is that the uphill is followed by a downhill... and my bike breaks with the foot pedals, so you have to keep tension in your legs to moniter the speed. so there's no reprieve for sore muscles.
anyways... it was a workout for my very out of shape legs.
so i went another km or so and then we had to take a 30 second pit stop so i could straighten out my legs for a rest.
the rest of the ride was pretty good. mostly flat and we made good time.
it was totally one of those things where i know that in a few weeks, if we keep doing this ride, it won't hurt me anymore. because it's really not *that* hard.
so this will be a nice tangible test of my strength.
in my defense though, i will say this... cruiser bikes are not meant for anything except flat cement rides.
my bike is a steel frame and heavy as fuck... and it only has 3 gears.
so ridding this bike on hills is a greater challenge than regular bikes.
just sayin'...
it's kinda too bad too, because there's a lot of really nice trails around my house... but there's no way my bike can do them.
this is certainly not built for off roading, lol.
it is, however, perfect for taking a leisure cruise to the grocery store or around the neighbourhood.
so i just have to use it for what it was made for.
and i think today my bike and camera and i will have an adventure together.
and i deserve it... because i've done some actual work today already...
as of this morning, my business is officially registered and legal.
i am the boss. of myself.
and i'm pretty damn happy about it.
i registered my name, got my tax number and my business license.
i am ready to rock.
now i just need some more clients.
anyone? anyone?
parties? weddings? receptions? showers? stags/stagettes?
i'm affordable and kickass.
and now i have the bestest camera EVER!
sadly, i didn't have much time to play with it last night... the battery needed to be charged and we had dinner plans.
but when we got home around 9pm, i absorbed myself in the manual and played for about an hour.
there is a lot to learn on this bad boy.
the manual is 195 pages of english only fine print.
no jokes.
it's a freaking novel.
which means that it will take me a decent while to discover all the ins and outs and secrets about using it.
...which makes it a super fun project!
today i'd like to head out and take some pictures just to get some practice.
i might even take my bicycle.
yesterday my husband and i headed to my mom's house for dinner.
and since it's not that far away, we decided to take the bikes.
a good and bad idea.
okay... just a good idea. but i'm lazy and that's where the bad comes in, lol.
it's 4.1km from our house to hers... the ride there was awesome.
there's a bike lane on the road almost the entire way...
only one minor hill and a lot of coasting. we made it easily in under 20 minutes at a fairly relaxing pace. likely closer to 15 minutes actually...
the way home... not so great.
first of all, it was several beers, smokes and doobs later.
not to mention the giant fillet mignon steak dinner in my belly...
and the biggest, hardest hill is right at the start of the ride.
ugh.
i made it okay... it took us about 25 minutes... and that was with a brief stop.
my quads were screaming for mercy after the hill...
the problem is that the uphill is followed by a downhill... and my bike breaks with the foot pedals, so you have to keep tension in your legs to moniter the speed. so there's no reprieve for sore muscles.
anyways... it was a workout for my very out of shape legs.
so i went another km or so and then we had to take a 30 second pit stop so i could straighten out my legs for a rest.
the rest of the ride was pretty good. mostly flat and we made good time.
it was totally one of those things where i know that in a few weeks, if we keep doing this ride, it won't hurt me anymore. because it's really not *that* hard.
so this will be a nice tangible test of my strength.
in my defense though, i will say this... cruiser bikes are not meant for anything except flat cement rides.
my bike is a steel frame and heavy as fuck... and it only has 3 gears.
so ridding this bike on hills is a greater challenge than regular bikes.
just sayin'...
it's kinda too bad too, because there's a lot of really nice trails around my house... but there's no way my bike can do them.
this is certainly not built for off roading, lol.
it is, however, perfect for taking a leisure cruise to the grocery store or around the neighbourhood.
so i just have to use it for what it was made for.
and i think today my bike and camera and i will have an adventure together.
and i deserve it... because i've done some actual work today already...
as of this morning, my business is officially registered and legal.
i am the boss. of myself.
and i'm pretty damn happy about it.
i registered my name, got my tax number and my business license.
i am ready to rock.
now i just need some more clients.
anyone? anyone?
parties? weddings? receptions? showers? stags/stagettes?
i'm affordable and kickass.