Nov 26, 2013

CHRISTMAS AT ROCKAWAY REST HOME

This is the most visited post on my blog ever. Not a week goes by without several people landing here from a Google search. I thought it was time to bring it out again.

'Twas the night before Christmas at Rock-Away Rest,
and all of us seniors were looking our best.
Our glasses, how sparkly, our wrinkles, how merry;
Our punchbowl held prune juice plus three drops of sherry.

A bedsock was taped to each walker, in hope
That Santa would bring us soft candy and soap.
We surely were lucky to be there with friends,
Secure in this residence and in our Depends.

Our grandkids had sent us some Christmasy crafts,
Like angels in snowsuits and penguins on rafts.
The dental assistant had borrowed our teeth,
And from them she'd crafted a holiday wreath.

The bed pans, so shiny, all stood in a row,
Reflecting our candle's magnificent glow.
Our supper so festive -- the joy wouldn't stop --
Was creamy warm oatmeal with sprinkles on top.

Our salad was Jell-O, so jiggly and great,

Then puree of fruitcake was spooned on each plate.
The social director then had us play games,
Like "Where Are You Living?" and "What Are Your Names?"

Old Grandfather Looper was feeling his oats,
Proclaiming that reindeer were nothing but goats.
Our resident wand'rer was tied to her chair,
In hopes that at bedtime she still would be there.

Security lights on the new fallen snow
Made outdoors seem noon to the old folks below.
Then out on the porch there arose quite a clatter
(But we are so deaf that it just didn't matter).

A strange little fellow flew in through the door,
Then tripped on the sill and fell flat on the floor.
'Twas just our director, all togged out in red.
He jiggled and chuckled and patted each head.

We knew from the way that he strutted and jived
Our social- security checks had arrived.
We sang -- how we sang -- in our monotone croak,
Till the clock tinkled out its soft eight-p.m. stroke.

And soon we were snuggling deep in our beds.
While nurses distributed nocturnal meds.
And so ends our Christmas at Rock-Away Rest.
'fore long you'll be with us, We wish you the best!

I tried to find someone to credit for this fun poem and cartoon. If it is yours I am happy to credit you or remove it if you wish.

Nov 24, 2013

JAZMIN’S EMPANADAS

 

My friend Jazmin posted photos of these on Facebook and I knew I had to have the recipe. They made my mouth water.599665_10151866669909620_2041780396_nJazmin says there are many variations from different areas but hers are Chilean because she is from Chile. As with most recipes I post, this is a method and not an exact science. The measures are "to taste" and with experience you will know what you and your family will prefer. This is the mark of a good cook. 564552_10151866677554620_347200239_n

Jazmin's Empanadas
FILLING:

  • 1 kg. (2.2 lbs.) of ground veal (you can use beef of course) or a mix of beef,veal, pork
  • 2 large onions, diced
  • 3 large garlic cloves,grated

Spices are approximately1 teaspoon each of the following to taste:

  • Cumim
  • Pepper
  • Salt
  • Paprika
  • Oregano

The predominant flavour that should come through is the cumin.1474591_10151866673799620_280504597_n

  • 4 eggs, hard boiled
  • 1 can of pitted, black olives
  • 1/2 cup raisins (this is very traditional but if you can't fathom eating raisins with the meat.. Just skip them...but you should try first)
     
    EMPANADA DOUGH:
  • Approximately 6 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • Approximately 3 cups warm liquid (1 cup warm milk – 2 cups warm water

Mix all together in a bowl then turn onto a floured counter and knead until elastic. Make little round balls about the size of a golf ball and roll these out with a rolling pin until nice and round.988364_10151866672094620_510376494_n Fill with meat, add an olive, a piece of sliced egg and a couple of raisins. Dip your finger in some warm water and run it around the rim of the dough. Fold over and press to seal and crimp the edges or use a gadget like in the photo. 946975_10151866671434620_827144406_nFry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Traditionally they are eaten with a little sprinkle of sugar. 1450144_10151866670639620_2044499253_nJazmin says “Must be followed by a glass of Chilean red wine of course. Salud” I like the way you think Jazmin!2639030594_e0bb54c86e_oPhoto free use flickr.com/photos/chrisjohnbeckett

Nov 18, 2013

Tomato Sauce Base

IMG_0092A couple months ago I canned tomato sauce using the large box of tomatoes my BB Guy came home with. This was not the plan as we wanted beefsteak tomatoes for fresh eating but he couldn’t find them at the farm stands he was went past. (we will pretend here that he tried multiple stands but we all know that isn’t likely)

IMG_0083-001When he couldn’t find any he bought regular field tomatoes. We could never eat that many regular tomatoes before they went bad so my next option was to can them. Not the best choice for sauce though as they are very watery. Roma would have been best for making sauce but I would have to go with what I had.

My son’s friend Leah (remember her from the wedding invitations we made…click here to see those) wanted to learn how to can food so she picked up a box of Roma tomatoes and some jars too and we spent many hours working on this. The prep work takes a long time. Since half the tomatoes were field tomatoes we sliced them all and squeezed out the seeds and juice. I know it sounds wasteful but it is just too watery. IMG_0084-001We diced up celery, carrots and onions and started to sweat them off in a couple large pans. Next we added the tomatoes and a lot of garlic, oregano, basil, pepper, parsley and some pepper flakes. IMG_0085You will simmer this for a couple hours, uncovered to reduce the watery liquid as much as possible. This is a good time to have lunch with your friend and share some bubbly Prosecco.IMG_0088-001 Now here is why I call this a base sauce. I don’t add any salt or sugar or any thickeners. This will not taste like your jarred or canned store bought sauce which are usually just full of salt and sugar. It is just a tomato/vegetable sauce that you can add to your other recipes. For instance I just added some to my pot of chili and it took it over the top for flavor, texture and nutrition. You could even add it to your store bought spaghetti sauce to make it healthier, fresher and tastier. Sniff your screen to take in some of that aroma….you didn’t really do it did you?IMG_0090-001Ladle into sterilized canning jars and process according to instructions from the jar company. Admire on your counter along with the corn salsa and peach pies that you made too. IMG_0094-001

 

Oct 27, 2013

IF THEY CAN’T BEHAVE LEAVE THEM AT HOME OR HOW TO RUIN MY BIRTHDAY DINNER

It was my birthday yesterday. Thank you to all of you who wished me well via Facebook. It may seem impersonal but you know what…it really is nice to have so many people wish you well from afar.

I have a couple of Facebook pages and my heart swelled with all the well wishers. Some I know in person. Some I haven’t seen in many years. Some I only know through my blog or other social media connections. Every one of your greetings means something. Thank you.

My BB Guy and I went out for dinner tonight for my birthday dinner to our favourite Italian restaurant. We were lucky to get there when we did because within 5 minutes of our arrival they had people lined up waiting for tables. It is a very small place. thumb2.php

The food was delicious. Mussels appie for my BB Guy. (that is my Big Burly Guy for those who are new to my blog) I ordered Chicken Picata with vegetables and his main course was Spaghetti with Meatballs and sausage. No complaints. A lovely Italian vino to toast with and sip on. So nice. A fairly loud environment due to the small space filled with tables but that is all good. We like it. thumb.php

Then there is the table next to us. A group of women with 2 children aged about 4 and 5.

I swear that if our children ever, EVER, behaved like they did in a restaurant we would have paid our bill and left. It would have been very clear to our children why we left and why they could not come with us the next time. Not ever have we even come close to having to do so.

The 5 year old boy was less of a problem. Mainly he was making demands and ended up under the table. The 4 year old girl on the other hand screamed non stop about everything. She didn’t want to colour. She did want to colour. She didn’t want her food. She did want her food. Of course it was only a matter of time before all the waters on the table were dumped over.

There was nothing to warrant this behaviour. It wasn’t late. There was food on the table so she wasn’t hungry. She was just behaving miserably and ergo the rest of the restaurant of about 45 people were subjected to her bratty behaviour. A_Girl_Screaming_and_Frightening_Her_Cat_Royalty_Free_Clipart_Picture_110416-142433-740053

A couple that came in later with their daughter who was about 6 years old were seated close by. The little girl asked her mom why this child was crying. Mom said she just doesn’t have good manners and stroked her daughter’s head softly. Their little girl cuddled up to her mom and watched with puzzled eyes what was going on at the next table.

I think it is the adults who have terrible manners and I am disgusted that they allowed this to go on. Yes there are times that our children will not be behaving their best but you are the adult. Either make it clear that this will not be tolerated or remove the screaming child from the room.

How dare you subject the other patrons to your spoilt child. If you choose not to discipline your children then keep them at home for dinner.

Our delicious meal in a great restaurant was ruined by your obnoxious, poorly behaved children. You may be used to this sort of behaviour but we are not, nor should we be.

Don’t get me wrong I know that toddlers have a mind of their own. If that is the case you remove them from the room. You take them to the bathroom. You take them to the car. You take them anywhere else than where the action is so they see their behaviour is not welcome. How else do they learn that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable. This girl was not a toddler and this was adult laziness. Adults who spend more time emailing photos of their dinners to someone than dealing with their child. Adults who chatter amongst themselves rather than set the rules and follow up on them.

Well I feel better getting that off my chest. Did I mention how good the food was? I will have half my dinner for lunch at work tomorrow.

 

Oct 16, 2013

PINK PUMPKINS BENEFITTING BREAST CANCER RESEARCH

Time to re-post this one:

When I put my Pink Pumpkin Challenge out there I didn’t know at the time that the Pink Pumpkin growers had partnered with a great foundation.
When I went to the store to pick mine out I saw that they all had stickers on them with the link to the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation.
www.PinkPumpkinPatch.org
This is from their website:
The Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation was created in 2012 to aid in the fight against breast cancer. America’s pumpkin growers have committed to giving a percentage of proceeds from every pink pumpkin sold this year to organizations involved in breast cancer research.
The foundation will oversee the donations, and ensure that the funds go directly to reputable organizations with the highest percentage of dollars spent on actual research. We aim to be transparent, with a board that volunteers its’ time, no paid employees and low administrative costs.
I was thrilled. My fun idea will also have a purpose. Breast cancer research. Won’t you please join in?
So here is my display. IMG_0092A cozy, intimate dinner for two. Not at the dining table but at the cozy couch. A relaxed meal. Time to catch up since the BB Guy had been at the cabin all weekend with our sons. IMG_0104
A little pink in the glass and pink ribbon too.IMG_0099 The pink pumpkins have a whitewashed look to them. A natural antique look. IMG_0098
I think they are so special. Deeply veined and naturally imperfect. Just like we all are. IMG_0101
So won’t you join me? Pink pumpkins or otherwise. Let’s see what wonderful pumpkin portraits you can all come up with. And please stop by the website www.PinkPumpkinPatch.org if you can help at all. 
I am linking to my own party. Come by and join in. Post a link to your own pumpkin decorations HERE

Oct 8, 2013

CALM THAT COUGH

I have a cold. Not a bad cold. Feeling okay. I rarely medicate a cold. It is what it is and I will get over it.

What is not okay is that I always end up with a scratchy cough. Just a tickle in my throat that makes me cough long and hard. Not a welcome thing at the office I assure you. Also makes it hard to sleep. orange wedge

There is relief for this cough however. A non-medicinal trick to stop that cough. Don’t ask me how or why it works. IT JUST DOES!

Cut up an orange or grapefruit into wedges. Now just like when you were a kid you place it in your mouth in front of your teeth to make the giant smiley face. You remember that right?

Do not suck on the wedge or eat it. Just let it sit there and it will release its juice ever so slightly into your throat. For the most part you will stop coughing.

Seriously for real.

I even do this in bed to stop my cough in the night. You won’t choke. It is a big wedge. grapefruit wedge

I can find nothing to say why this works but it works instantly. Is it the way it opens up your airway when your mouth is stretched over the wedge of fruit? Is it the citrus vapour from the orange or grapefruit?

I don’t know. Just do it….and go look in the mirror to see how cute you look with a fruit wedge for a smile.

Oct 5, 2013

PULLED PORK FOR MY PEEPS

I was having a get together for people I work with on Friday night. The usual discussion came up about the food. Should it be a pot luck, ordering in pizza, or as one person requests over and over, my chicken fajitas which she asks me to make every time? IMG_0111

Someone suggested pulled pork and we went with that. I have cooked pork butts a few times and have come to realize that less is more. Not less pork but less fuss. It is, as usual a method and not a recipe.

Follow along. The key to tender fall apart pork is the cut of meat, cooking time and internal meat temperature. All the goodies in the world that you add to the pan will do little more than smell good as it will barely penetrate the meat.

Lets start with the cut of meat. Do not use pork loins. They are too lean and are not meant for this sort of cooking. You need pork butt which is actually pork shoulder. It has quite a lot of fat in it which is key to your long cooking time. If you only have a tiny one from your grocer it will not need to cook as long but due to the high fat content you will end up with very little meat and would be better off buying it precooked from a good vendor. IMG_0109

If you do not get your pork to an internal temperature of between 190 – 200 degrees the collagen in the meat will hold tight and you will have stringy, tough pork.

The pork butt will reach about 150 degrees at some point and then it will stop climbing in temperature for quite a while as the internal moisture makes it way out of the meat and to the surface. This is known as “the stall”. The temperature stalls for quite some time and cannot be predicted which is why you have to make sure you are cooking it long enough to get past  the stall and into the sweet spot of an internal temperature of 190 – 200 degrees.

So what do I put on my meat and in the pan? Any mixture of herbs and spices that you like can be used. I mixed together chili spice, cumin, fennel, pepper and cinnamon. Don’t put too much cinnamon though as it does tend to overpower all the other spices. It is a great ingredient for the aroma and you can smell it more than taste it in the meat. IMG_0110

Sprinkle your meat with a bit of olive oil and rub in your mix of herbs and spices on all sides. I use latex gloves for this step just because of the semi permanent aroma and reddish tinge that will follow you around all day if you don’t.

Put the meat in a big roasting pan, cover tightly with some heavy duty tin foil and put it in a 300 degree oven. Now go on vacation, or to work or back to bed. Leave this undisturbed for about 8 hours. Longer is fine if you oversleep.

You will take it out and let it rest for about half an hour and then uncover it. It will almost shred itself. Throw out all the fat and you will be left with the tender, juicy pork which you will PULL APART. Voila, you will have PULLED PORK. Who knew it was so easy.

Serve this up on soft buns with whatever kind of sauce you like. Barbeque, mustard, maybe a cider vinegar squirt. Top with a scoop of coleslaw and dig in.

Sep 14, 2013

NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON’T

I have been in the blogging world since around February 2009. My introduction to this crazy, but fabulous world came through a recipe that I found on the Pioneer Woman’s blog.

I was making food for our yearly December Boxing Day party and was deep into the internet recipes when one site kept coming up over and over.

I noticed how these recipes had comments on them, in her case hundreds of them. Then I saw there were links in some of the comments. I clicked on them and they brought me to the blogs of those who had left a comment for Ree Drummond.

I was hooked. One blog led me to another and within a couple of weeks I knew had to figure out how to do this for myself.

Nobody I knew ever spoke of blogs. I decided to get a book on the subject and bought the Blogging For Dummies book. I don’t think I am dumb but these books are great at step by step instructions and great diagrams. Turned out that one of the authors of this particular one is co-written by a local Vancouver man, Shane Birley. Good thing for me because I needed his help at one point. bfd_bookSo you come up with a name for your blog. You decorate your new space. You start over and change everything, twice. You add gadgets and widgets and decorations and photos. You learn some basic html code and it blows your mind. Templates come and go like a train in the station. We are creative and we need to change things.

You pat yourself on the back because you now know what a gadget, a widget and html are. You can now throw out these words at parties to the amazement of those who have not yet entered the blog world. They have no idea what you do. note paperYour audience gathers around you as you tell them about the widget you added to your blog that you had to edit the html code to match the colors of your template. They think you are Bill Gates, not for the money part but for the techno brilliance you now exude. Actually their eyes glaze over and they excuse themselves to use the washroom.

Then you have to write. You have to actually post on this blog of yours. You have to find your niche.

Are you a Mom Blogger, a Food Blogger, a Travel Blogger, a Technology Blogger. Are you like me? An amalgamation of all of the above. I will call us Renaissance Bloggers (a person who has wide interests and is expert in several areas). We blog about all kinds of things that interest us and that we do.

Then it happens. Someone comments on your blog post. You are giddy with excitement. Oh. Wait. It is just spam but you remain hopeful and you finally build up a following for your blog. You get comments and you reply to them. Etiquette requires that you visit that person’s blog as well to reciprocate.  commentsWhen I started blogging I was at home full time . I had the time to go and see many interesting places, shops, gardens and the like. I had lots of time to cook and to photograph the process for the blog. My garden beds were beautiful. I had time to paint and to do give-a-ways on my blog. I could decorate my home and join in memes. (note: add the word meme to my new blogging words. I had never heard of one before) I tablescaped on Thursdays and I posted food on Foody Fridays. I could post my metamorphosis on Metamorphosis Mondays with the rest of the uber creative bloggers.

Then it happened. I went back into the work force…full time. For 40 hours a week. There is little time nor energy left for the interesting things I used to have time to do. office worker

There is little time left for visiting the bloggers who I have come to know well over the past 4 years. It is for this I feel the most disappointment. You guys know who you are. I used to visit you at least every other day. We laughed and chatted and left witty comments on each others blogs. We appreciated the hard work that went into each post. We shared our heartbreaks and losses as well as our triumphs and delights.

I am not going to quit blogging but I just wanted to explain why I post so little now and why I don’t get around to your blogs for visits. I am not burnt out I am just kinda boring now LOL.

How many of you are in the same boat? How do you squeeze it in?

 

Aug 25, 2013

I FOUGHT THE SPRINKLERS AND THE SPRINKLERS WON

As I write this I sit here wet, dirty and defeated. Over the years I have fought the sprinkler battle and I have finally admitted defeat. The sprinkler gods have won. They can stop laughing at me from their sprinkler cloud and move on to a new victim.

My lot is a quarter acre with many different garden beds and a large deck in the back yard. It is hard to place a sprinkler in a position to water what you want and not what you don’t.

I started like the rest of you with the oscillating sprinkler. You know the one. Green of course to look more natural on our green lawns….that is green if you can get a sprinkler to work.

images

It is pretty simple. It goes back and forth, back and forth in a path as wide as you choose by adjusting the little dials. These tend to get stuck in one position and you can hear the click, click, click of the oscillator trying to go back in the other direction in vain. These are all or nothing sprinklers hitting everything in their path with no adjustments for avoiding areas. For some smaller areas where the sprinkler had trouble reaching I tried a plain little Gardena model with adjustable spray pattern.

The downside of this is I would need to run 2 hoses, in both the front and back yards, to water the areas in my allotted watering times. This would cut down on the amount of water to the main sprinkler and I would have to move it partway through to reach the rest of the area. 6918A_4

Not to mention the stupid little connectors that break and leak all over. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Okay let’s get a little more high end and adjustable and look at the Gilmour brand. More expensive for sure but this one was pretty good….for a while….gilmour2

For getting into the nooks and crannies without soaking my doors, windows or my deck this one worked great albeit with a lot of adjustments. That is fine if you put it in the same spot every single time but since I have to move it to cover the whole yard  this became tedious. I had to have one for the front yard and one for the back and had to move and re-adjust both of them twice per watering session.

There is an orange ring in the middle and it has little tabs under it which you push up to different levels to set how far you want the spray to go at that point much like an automatic timer for your lights. There are many of them and it is quite effective but unfortunately the spray part of this one gave up the ghost and the water is just spewing out the end. Moving on.pulsating-sprinkler-m

I like quality and try not to buy crap that will break right away. Next investment was in the Rainbird metal sprinkler. It too says it is very adjustable….not so much. I could get it to go in either a complete circle or it would go most of the way around and then back the other way…. when it felt like it. Most times it would reach the stop point and instead of turning back it would just stop there and soak that spot. I tried using it yesterday again and had quite a time getting it going back and forth but finally did….for a while. I looked out the window later and saw it spinning at a high speed in a complete circle soaking my driveway. Sigh…I just left it. This morning I tried again in a different spot and it worked just fine, again long enough for me to turn my back and go in the house. When I checked on it about 10 minutes later it was stuck in one spot soaking a hydrangea that quite frankly was happy for the attention.

At the beginning of this summer I tried yet again to find something that could water a large enough area so that I didn’t have to move the sprinkler several times per session. Again I have to buy two.  gilmour

The orange dials on the left allow you to set the span of watering area in either direction. Good so far. The large tabs with the white lines allow you to bend the spray head to spray in a wider path. Okay. That should be good. Ya…..no…..

This one for some reason, even with full water pressure, and I have really good water pressure, doesn’t cover a big enough area. I have to move them 3 or 4 times to water the whole yard and that is front and back. Then of course the inevitable happened and the oscillator screws up and the adjustment won’t hold. It reaches the end and then drops in two more increments until it is stuck spraying almost level with the ground soaking in one spot. I go out and reset it and it works a couple more rounds, fanning back and forth, and then it drops again.

Every time I go through this process I get wet. I get grass all over my feet. I sometimes get sprayed right in the face. images2

I am ready to let everything die and pave it all. Or maybe I will just get a couple of these and call it a day.AAAACyh9prcAAAAAAMY9mA

Aug 1, 2013

DINNER AT THE BOATHOUSE

We had a lovely dinner out for our 31st. anniversary.

We had a great little table on the patio with a view of the inlet and mountains. 5We live in one of the most beautiful places around and watching the sun drop down behind the hillside…fabulous.1

Jul 30, 2013

31 YEARS AND COUNTING

Happy Anniversary to my BB Guy!
Married for 31 years, together for 38.
We haven’t changed a bit in all that time…except for my apparent loss of my grip on reality!!! LOL. 
ps_2011_08_20___10_30_58
We plan a simple dinner out. Last year was the big celebration you can read about here for Part 1 and here for Part 2. 

Jul 27, 2013

A SULTRY MORNING

She slowly holds the steaming mug of strong, black coffee to her nose and breathes in deeply taking in the rich aroma. She tips the mug slightly and the dark liquid seeps between her lips and into her mouth. As the warmth slides down her throat she begins to awaken.
Either that or I am just going to slurp this coffee back until I feel like a human being again.

Jul 22, 2013

GRAND-DOGGY ON THE RUN

We have a grand-doggy named Jada.

She came to live with our son a few months ago when she was 5 years old. She had been through 2 homes previously. Left the first one due to too many kids and dogs and someone had to go. Second one due to a breakup and no home for her.
This isn’t her but this is what she looks like.dogue-brasileiro-04 
This is where our son stepped in and took her in having already known her.
We doggy-sit sometimes. She is here for 2 nights while her daddy is out of town. I take her with me into the guest room and shut the door at bedtime and she sleeps on the floor beside the bed.

She is not a relaxed dog. She adores our eldest son but is not happy with anyone else except me at our home. She will back out of a room rather than go near our other son …who loves her and tries so hard to be her friend and my BB Guy. BB Guy tried for 2 days to get her to come to him and tonight she finally did…for a minute….even though she has been to the cabin with him and she has been here many times.

So today, at work, my cell phone rang and it was our younger son. No one calls me at work unless it is critical because I cannot have my cell phone out at work for security reasons. Of course I grabbed the phone and went into the lunch room.

Younger Son had taken her outside into our fully fenced yard to play but she wouldn’t play with him. He went into the house for a minute and when he came back out she was gone. She pushed her way through the fence boards and took off. He was frantic. He couldn’t see her anywhere.

I work for great people and they understood completely when I said I had to go help find her. Luckily I work 2 minutes from home and picked up my son very quickly. We drove around randomly as we had no idea which way she went. We stopped every person walking and asked if they had seen her.

Finally after we changed directions we started to get sightings. She had gone to a local school some blocks from us that has a big park attached to it. Aha…it was making sense. That is where her “daddy” takes her to run and play when they are near our house. She was looking for him and that is where she figured he would have gone.

We didn’t see her so I dropped him off at the park and I drove around a few blocks when my phone rang again….quick…she is on the road by the mail box……hufff….pufff…. running to catch up with her.

I zipped around in the car and found our son running up the street on the other side of the park. She wouldn’t come to him at all and was running up and down driveway after driveway sniffing and searching.

As soon as I pulled over, got out of the car and called to her she came running over to me and I clipped her leash onto her collar. Led her back to the car and took her home.

She knew she had done bad. She just couldn’t help herself.

She has had her little heart broken twice already and now she cannot open it up to everyone for fear of being hurt again. She can only love us one at a time. Eldest son above all. Then me when she is at our house and he isn’t here. After that she can’t even think about who she can love and trust.

I am so glad we found her safe and I was back at work within 40 minutes. No more being out back alone although the fenced yard kept our lab in for 14 years with no problems.

So have any of you ever lost your grandchildren? Am I going to be the worst grandma ever one day?

Jul 17, 2013

WASTING AWAY– DO YOU USE ALL YOUR PRODUCE?

There was a study done (don’t you love studies) on how much each province spends on fresh produce each week.
IMG_0410

I am ashamed to say British Columbia tops the list  of produce purchasers we also top the list of produce wasters. We spend on average $43.90 a week on fresh fruits and vegetables and we toss about 11% of them.

The most frequently wasted items are lettuce, bananas, tomatoes, grapes and celery.

I am guilty. I buy lettuce and don’t use it all. Cilantro is another big one for me. I love it and buy it often but only end up using a bit and the rest is composted. IMG_0227Lemons and limes bought by the large bag at Costco are cheaper than buying 4 or 5 at the grocery store but I often can’t use 20 lemons up. I have since heard about freezing them whole and then just grating them to get what you need for a recipe.

Bananas of course can be frozen and used for baking or smoothies. Who doesn’t have a stash of these blackened beauties in their freezers?IMG_0318I do have an issue with onions. The onions used to last for months in my bin staying firm and clean. We eat them every day in some form and buy them by the large bag. A week later they are often all soft and rotten inside and they just don’t keep. It must be the varieties that growers are using now. This one isn’t my fault!IMG_0509Same with the strawberries….not my fault. They barely last 24 hours even in the fridge. IMG_0319Here is a list of tips from the Vancouver Sun newspaper on storage of produce. My big tip for vegetables though is to make a pot of soup with all the vegetables left over at the end of the week.  If I can save just one potato then my work here is done!

1. Buy only what you need and will eat. Don’t get sucked in by sales. (Will you really eat three watermelons?) Shop more frequently and plan meals.

2. Eat the most delicate produce first: leafy greens before longer-lasting zucchini.

3. Lots of fruits and vegetables are big emitters of ethylene gas, which speeds up ripening in nearby produce unless stored separately in plastic bags or containers. Apples, oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew, for instance, kept unwrapped near spinach and kale, will ruin the greens within days.

4. Some industrial fridges feature ethylene gas absorbers that slow ripening. Small household ethylene absorbers are available in many produce sections. They are generally a plastic ball or egg containing a packet that soaks up ethylene over a period of months before it has to be replaced.

5. Washing fruit and vegetables — particularly fragile berries or greens — hastens spoilage. Wash them just before you use them. But putting a damp cloth or paper towel in a bag of greens can help keep it fresh.

6. Don’t store bananas, onions, baking potatoes, tomatoes or garlic in the fridge. Put them in a cool, dark cupboard instead. For stone fruits, like nectarines and apricots, store them in the fridge if they’re ripe but on the counter if they’re still hard.

7. Store herbs like parsley and cilantro upright with the stalks in a container of water.

8. Reduce waste by freezing produce before it spoils. Fruit can be used in smoothies. Make sauces from vegetables.

9. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says food can be eaten after its “best before” date, which indicates the amount of time an unopened package will maintain its optimum quality. “Best before” dates are not indicators of food safety, either before nor after the date, according to CFIA’s website.

pineapple

Labels

911 (1) ABBY STOKES (1) ABORIGINAL (1) ACCOMPLISHMENTS (1) ADS (10) AFRICA (1) AGASSIZ (1) AGE (1) AGING (7) ALL ABOUT YOU LISTS (add your list too) (1) ALLERGIES (2) ALVIN (1) ALZHEIMERS (1) ANIMALS (6) ANNIVERSARY (8) ANTIOXIDANTS (1) Antique (1) ANTIQUES (4) APOLOGY (1) APPLE PIE (1) APPLIANCES (1) APPRECIATION (1) APPS (2) ARCHITECHTURE (1) ARCHIVES (1) ARIZONA (1) ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS (29) ARTISTS (4) ASPARAGUS (1) ATTA GIRL (16) AUCTIONS (1) AUTISM (1) AUTUMN (3) AWARDS (31) BABIES (1) BABY SHOWERS (2) BABYSITTING (1) BACK PORCH ANTIQUES (1) BACON (1) BAD BEHAVIOR (1) BAD IDEAS (4) BAD LUCK (1) BAKERY (1) BAKING (1) BALSAMIC VINEGAR (1) BARBECUE (3) BARN HOUSE ANTIQUES (1) BARNYARD BASH (1) BASKETBALL (2) Battle of Princeton (1) BB GUY (9) BEANS (1) BEARS (6) BEEF (15) BERRIES (1) BIG FEAST BISTRO (1) BILL OLIVER (1) BILLS (2) Bird (1) BIRD HOUSE (1) BIRDS (4) BIRTHDAY (9) Blog (4) BLOG BUDDIES (5) Blog problems. (2) BLOGGERS (4) BLOGGIE AWARDS (3) BLOGGING (6) BLOGS (56) BLUEBERRIES (2) BODIES (2) BONSAI (1) BOOKS (2) BOXING DAY (2) BOYAN SLAT (1) BRAGFEST (1) BREAKFAST (2) BREAST CANCER (1) BRITISH COLUMBIA (9) BUCKET LIST (1) BULLYING (1) BURGERS (1) BUTCHART GARDENS (2) CABBAGE ROLLS (1) CABIN (15) CABIN STORIES (25) CALENDAR (1) CALL CENTRES (1) CANADA (5) CANADA DAY (5) CANCER (5) CANDY (1) CANNING (3) CANUCKS (2) CARNIVAL OF GENEALGOY (2) CARS (5) Cat (1) CATS (6) CATTLE (1) CELEBRATIONS (1) CENTENARIANS (1) CHANGING TIMES (1) CHARITY (3) CHEESE (2) CHEESECAKE (2) CHERNOBYL (1) CHERRY TREES (1) CHICKEN (11) CHILDHOOD (1) CHILDREN (4) CHLORIDE (1) CHOCOLATE (2) CHRISTMAS (26) CINCO DE MAYO (1) CLARK LITTLE PHOTOGRAPHY (2) CLEANING (1) CLOTHING (2) COALMONT (1) COCKTAILS (1) Coffee (2) COFFEE GROUP (22) COINCIDENCE (1) COLDS (2) COLLECTIONS (48) COMMENTS (10) COMMERCIALS (3) COMMETS (1) COMMON SENSE (1) COMMUNICATION (1) COMMUTE (1) COMPUTER LESSONS (5) COMPUTERS (30) CONCERTS (2) CONTESTS (12) COOKING (56) COPING WITH CHRISTMAS (1) COPYRIGHT (1) CORNUCOPIA (1) COUGHING (1) COUNTRY (1) Crafts (2) CRANBERRY SAUCE (1) CRIME (1) CROSS STITCH (1) CRUELTY (1) CUPCAKES (2) CURRY (1) CUSTOMER SERVICE (1) DANCING (5) DANGEROUS (2) DARVONDA NURSERIES (1) DARWIN AWARDS (1) DAYLIGHT SAVING (1) DAYLILY (3) DEATHS (3) DECORATING (6) Decorative Painting (1) DEER (1) DENNIS HOPPER (1) DESSERTS (6) DIAPER CAKE (4) DIAPER MOTORCYCLE (1) DINNER (5) DISSATISFIED (1) DOCTORS (2) DOCUMENTARY (1) DOGS (16) Dogue Brasileiro (1) DOING WHAT IS RIGHT (2) DOMAINS (1) DR. OZ (1) DREAMS (1) DRINKS (3) DRIVING (3) DRUNKENESS (1) DUNCAN (2) E COLI (1) EARTHQUAKE (1) EASTER (1) ECOLOGY (2) EMAIL (3) EMPANADAS (1) ENDERBY (1) ENOUGH (1) Eric Burdon (1) ETHICS (1) EXHAUSTED (1) F-BOMB FRIDAY (2) FACEBOOK (6) FACEBOOK BUSINESS MANAGER (1) FAERIES (2) FAIRS (1) FALL (8) Family (7) FAMILY BIBLES (1) Family tree (1) FAMILY. (10) FARMER'S MARKET (3) FARMING (1) FATHER'S DAY (1) FAUJA SINGH (1) FAVORITE (1) FEATURED ARTISTS (1) FERRIES (1) FERTILIZER FRIDAY (1) FETA CHEESE (1) FIREPLACE (1) FIREWORKS (1) FIRST NATIONS (1) FISH (4) FLAGS (1) FLORIST (1) FLOWERS (7) FOG (1) FOLLOWERS (1) FOOD LOVE (1) FOOD POISONING (1) FOOD STORAGE (1) FOOD. (8) FOODIE FRIDAY (34) FOREST FIRES (2) Fourth of July (1) FRIDAY (1) FRIDAY FUNNY (3) FRIENDS (22) FRIGIDAIRE (1) FRUIT (8) FRUSTRATION (2) FUN (4) FUNDRAISER (7) FUNKY JUNK (1) FURNITURE (1) GADGETS (3) GARAGE SALES (2) GARDEN (9) GARDENS (28) GARLIC (1) GARLIC BREAD (1) GENEALOGY (39) GEORGE CLOONEY (1) George Washington (1) GIFTS. (7) GIFTSTORES (1) GIFTWRAP (2) GIVEAWAYS (17) GLAMOUR (3) GOING WITH THE FLOW (1) GOOGLE (1) GOOGLE READER (1) GREAT GATSBY (1) GREEN MEN (1) GREEN TEA (1) GUACAMOLE (1) GUEST WRITER (4) GUITARS (2) GUNS (1) HACKERS (1) HAIKU (2) HAIR (3) HAIR JEWELRY (1) Halibut (2) HALLELUJAH (1) HALLOWEEN (2) HAM RADIO (1) HANGOVERS (1) HAPPY (2) HAPPY 101 (1) HARRIS' STEAKHOUSE (1) HATERS (1) HEALTH (20) HERBS (2) HIGHWAYS (1) HINTS (2) HISTORY (6) HOCKEY (4) HOLIDAYS (3) HOLLYWOOD (1) HOME AND GARDEN (36) HOME BUYING (1) HOME OFFICE (1) HOME. (6) HORSES (3) HOT ITALIAN SAUSAGES (1) HOUSE DAMAGE (1) HOUSEHOLD TIPS (2) http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifOUTDOOR WEDNESDAY (1) HUDSON RIVER SLOOP (1) Hummingbird (2) Humor (26) HUMOR. (81) HUMOUR (93) I SAY HMMMM (1) ICE FISHING (1) INSECTS (2) INSPIRATION (4) INSURANCE (1) INTEREST (1) INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY (1) INTERNET (3) INVENTIONS (3) IPHONES (1) IRONY (1) ISSUES (2) ITALY (3) JAM (2) JANUARY (1) JAPAN (1) JAZMIN (1) JELLY (1) JEWELRY (1) JOBS (1) JOHNNY DEPP (1) JOKES (1) JOSH JENKINS (2) JOURNEY (1) JOY (1) KARL MALONE (1) KATZIE BAND (1) KEEPING IN TOUCH (1) KIDS (5) KINDNESS (2) KOBO READER (1) KREATIVE BLOGGER (1) LAKE SUPERIOR (1) Langley (1) LASAGNE (1) LAUNDRY (2) LAW (2) LAWYERS (1) LEAKY PIPE (3) LEFTOVER WINE (1) LEMIRE (1) LEPP FARM (1) Library and Archives Canada (1) LIFE (98) LIMBERT FARMS (1) LINDA GUMMER (1) LITTERING (1) LIVING (1) LOTTERY (2) LOUIS HEBERT (3) LOVELY BLOG AWARD (1) LUNCH (4) MAGAZINE (3) MAMMOGRAMS (1) MANSIONS (1) MANTLE (2) MARIE ROLLET (1) MARIJUANA (1) MARKET (3) MARKETING (1) MARRIAGE (2) MASSAGE (1) MATH (1) MATTHEW WATT (1) MAXINE (7) ME EITHER (22) MEDICINE (2) MELLOW YELLOW MONDAYS (4) MEMES (180) MEMORIES (5) MEN (5) MENTAL ILLNESS (1) Mesothelioma (1) METABOLISM (1) METAMORPHOSIS MONDAY (15) Metis (1) METIS. VETERANS (1) MEXICO (1) MICE (1) MIGRAINES (1) MILITARY (1) MOANS (1) MOLES (1) MOM (2) MONEY (1) MONIQUE LUM (1) MONSANTO (1) MOOSE (1) MOSAIC MONDAY (23) MOSAICS (2) Mothers (1) MOTHERS LINE (5) MOTIFAKE (1) MOTORCYCLES (1) MOURNING JEWELRY (1) MOVIES (3) MOVING (8) MOZEY-ON-INN (1) MR. ROGERS (1) Music (4) MUSIC. (4) MY GUITAR PAL (1) MYSTERY PERSON (1) NAMES (1) NATURE (9) NEIGHBOURS (1) NESTING (1) New France (1) NEW YEARS (2) NEW YEAS EVE (6) NEWPAPERS (1) NEWS (4) NICK BRANDT (1) NIGHT SKY (1) NOTE TO SELF (4) OCEANS (2) OLD AGE (1) OLD PHOTOS (1) OLYMPICS (3) ONLINE SECURITY (1) ORANGES (1) ORGANIZATION (1) OSTEOPOROSIS (1) OUTDOOORS (1) OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY (32) p (1) PACKAGING (1) PAJAMAS (1) PARADES (1) Parenting (3) PARTY (2) PASTA (1) Patio/Deck (1) Pets (1) PHOTOGRAPHS (10) PHOTOGRAPHY (9) PILOTS (2) PINK PUMPKINS (1) PINTEREST (1) PIZZA (3) PLAGIARISM (1) PLASTIC SURGERY (1) PLAYING FOR CHANGE (1) POACHING (1) POEM (1) POISON (1) POLICE (2) POLLS (1) POLLUTION (1) POND (1) POPPIES (1) PORK (10) PORTLAND (3) POSITIVE MESSAGE (1) POSTCARDS (1) POWER OUTAGE (1) PPS FILE (21) PRIDE (1) PRIME RIB (1) PRIVACY (1) PROBLEMS (2) PRODUCT REVIEW (2) PRODUCTS (1) PROTEST (1) PULLED PORK (1) PUMPKIN (1) PUMPKINS (5) QUARANTINE (1) Quebec (2) RACCOONS (1) RAIN (1) RANDOM (77) RANT (9) RATS (1) RCMP (2) READING (1) REAL ESTATE (1) RECALL (1) RECIPES (26) RECOMMENDATIONS (2) RELATIONSHIPS (1) RELAXING (1) REMEDIES (1) REMEMBRANCE DAY (2) REMINDERS (1) REPEAT POST (7) REPORTING (1) REPOST (3) RESEARCH (1) RESOLUTIONS (1) RESTAURANTS (8) RETIREMENT (1) RIBS (1) RICE (1) ROAD TRIP (8) RoadTrip (1) ROCK AND ROLL (2) ROCKAWAY REST HOME (1) ROCKS (1) ROMANIAN (1) ROOSTERS (3) ROSA'S CUCINA (1) ROSES (1) ROYALTY (1) SAD (2) SAFETY (1) SAISON (1) SALAD (5) SALSA (2) SAN FRANCISCO (4) SANTA (61) SAUCES (2) SAUSAGES (1) SAVINGS (1) SCAMS (2) SCHOOL (2) SCIENCE (3) SCRAPBOOKING (3) SEAFOOD (1) SEARS (1) SEASONS (1) SERENDIPITY (3) SEWERS (1) SHAME (1) Shopping (10) Sidney British Columbia (1) SILLY SUNDAY (2) SINGING (1) SISTERS (5) SIXTIES (1) SKY (1) SKYTRAIN (1) SLEEP (6) SLEEPOVER (1) SMALL TALK SIX (3) SMOKED MEAT (1) SMOKERS (1) SNORING (1) SNOW (3) SNOWMOBILES (2) SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (2) SOCIAL MEDIA (5) SONS OF ARTHRITIS (1) SOUP (1) SOUPS (4) SPAM (3) SPINAL CORD INJURY (1) SPORTS (3) SPRING (5) SPRINKLERS (1) STAINED GLASS (2) STARS (1) START UP (1) STATS (2) STEALING (1) STORIES OF MY ANCESTORS (2) STORMS (3) STOVE (1) STRESS (1) STUFFING (2) STUPID PEOPLE (2) SUBSCRIPTIONS (2) SUCCESS (1) SUFFRAGIST (1) SUMMER (4) SUMMER SUNDAYS (1) SUNDAY FAVORITES (41) SUNSET (2) SUNSHINE AWARD (1) SUPERIOR SCRIBBLER (1) SUPERSTITIONS (1) SURPRISES (1) SUSHI (1) SWANS (1) Swartz Bay British Columbia (1) TABLESCAPE THURSDAY (9) TAG (2) TAILGATING (1) TANDOORI (1) TARA JEAN POPOWICH (2) TATTOOS (1) TEACHERS (3) TECHNOLOGY (4) TEENS (1) TEETHING (1) TEMPLATES (1) TGIF (1) THANKS (1) THANKSGIVING (5) THE CAMINO (1) THE VOICE (1) THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GIGGLE THURSDAY (1) THINKING ABOUT YOU (1) Thomas Cadwalader (1) THREE OR MORE TUESDAY (3) THREE OR MORE TUESDAYS (23) TOLE PAINTING (15) TOMATO SAUCE BASE (1) TOMATOES (1) TOTEMS (2) TRAGEDY (1) TRANSIT (1) TRAVEL (9) TREAT YOURSELF THURSDAY (5) TULIPS (1) TURKEY (2) TV (1) TWITTER (1) USA (2) VACATION (4) VALENTINE'S DAY (2) VANCOUVER (4) Vancouver Island (8) VEGETABLES (12) VIDEO (3) VINTAGE (7) VIRUSES (4) w (1) WALL WEDNESDAYS (2) WAR (1) WATERCOLOR (1) WATERY WEDNESDAY (4) WEATHER (7) WEDDINGS (3) WEDNESDAY WORDS (3) WEEDS (1) WEEKENDS (1) WELLNESS (1) Whale watching (1) WHALES (1) Wii ADD ONS (1) WILDLIFE (3) WIND (1) WINE (15) WINE JELLY (1) WINNER (1) WINTER (4) WISDOM (1) WOMEN (8) WOOLWORTH (1) WORK (14) WORLD (1) WORLD TRADE CENTER (1) WREATH (1) WRITER'S CHALLENGE (19) YANN ARTHUS-BERTRAND PHOTOGRAPHY (1)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...