Exiguously clad....💋

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Total Crock

Aaaand ....here we go with leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner. We did up a 12-pound turkey with a cola-covered ham warmin up slowly on the BBQ for this year's 13 at Dinner in Dashwood. 

Whole lotta fluffy mashed potatoes 'n gravy, baked squash, rich red beets, steamed carrots, stuffing straight out of the bird, and scads of fluffy dinner rolls - I think everyone was happy even the vegetarians seemed stuffed🎃

 

So anyway I have leftover turkey and leftover ham to work with and here's the gist. Me and mine love our ham sandwiches - we go through so much mustard because of it it's crazy- so I'll slice a big chunk of it up for lunches and put together a Split Pea and Ham soup with a bit of it too. So that leaves turkey....

Today I've hauled out my crock pot and jumped full-on into a stew. My good friend and neighbour planted the stew inspiration in my head - she was cookin' up a beef stew for later in her busy week and we were texting about it- so here I go with ......

TURKEY SAUSAGE BEAN STEW

.....for the crock pot or a hefty Dutch oven in a low 'n slow oven

- 2 cups chopped chicken

- 2 cups chopped garlic sausage 

- 4 to 6 peeled chopped potatoes

- 2 to 4 cups of any crunchy veg - chopped

Load up your pot with the above and set aside. 

1 chopped red onion

3 stalks chopped celery

3 cloves chopped fresh garlic

3/4 cup or so leftover dark turkey meat

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large frying pan. Add all ingredients and sauté on med high heat until onion is clear and celery softens. Sprinkle on  2-3 tablespoons flour/cornstarch/Bisto - whatever floats your gravy thickening boat - and continue to sauté and stir. Add your spices here- I used Vancouver Island Salt Co. sea salt, pepper, Old Bay seasoning, paprika and a shot of HP Sauce. 

Stir in a cup or so of white wine, apple juice, beer, stock, water- seriously dont let anyone snob you out about this part of the process. Soda pop works well too. 

Sauté 'til the liquid reduces down to nothin' then transfer the mixture to your crock pot. 

Add one large tin of tomatoes- here I've used peeled Italian style tomatoes- to the crock pot. 

Add extra liquid if need be- depends how  thick y'all like  your stew- here I added a cup of turkey broth over the tomatoes. 

Add one can of beans - I had a can of Italissima Bean Medley on the shelf that's a great example of just a few of the yummy bean choices available. Red kidney, cannellini, borlotti, and chickpea beans - it's a long and delicious list!

Throw in a couple bay leaves and maybe a sprig of thyme or Italian parsley. 

Slow cook on High for about 4-6 hours or in a covered oven-proof pot or Dutch oven at  300 degrees for about 4 hours. 

Serve with sliced bread, dinner buns or Naan bread.

 Now......go do somethin' fun for a few hours 'til dinner is ready and your house smells magical🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🎃

Cookies 'n Cream

Holy Cookie Monster Batman....these cookies rock the joint on a consistent basis. Simple ingredients, kid and grumpy grown-up friendly, leaving the entire house smelling of apple pie and Christmas. Considering I totally suck at making pastry this cookie, this....Snickerdoodle.....is in my baking file as a solid win. 

I love Snickerdoodles. I love saying Snickerdoodles. The word and the cookie make me all smiley 'n shit. 

Although its tough to ignore the cool spin Michael Clark Duncan put on it when he guest starred on 2-1/2 Men back in Charlie's day. Him standing there at the door with that plate of Snickerdoodles ...with his oh-so beautiful arms-gulp zoinks....is another reason to love the frickin' things. Snickerdoodles. You want some. You know you do. You wanna say the word out loud. 

Don't look for these beauties down that hellish cookie aisle I fucking hate almost as much as the cereal aisle. They ain't there and never will be. 

Get yourself some butter, sugar, some damn good vanilla, flour 'n all the rest of the stuff your Googled recipe of choice tells ya to have.....and bake. I've baked these    things in some scary ovens at some scary addresses. They are easy peasy and cheer up any day or lunchbox with their yummy sugarey cinnamon flavour. They warm the place up and make it homey. 

Snickerdoodles. Gawd rest 'em and the glorious Michael Clark Duncan too😇

Cozyin' Up to Cream

I take cream with my tea.....not milk. I've come across many tea drinkers who seem somewhat offended by this. And then seem doubly irritated that I'm not in the least bit offended. Like I should give a shite that supposed tea junkies everywhere other than me were ploppin' milk in their 'tay' as any good tea Granny should. 

Cream is for coffee with a lotta people   Thing is I don't drink coffee. I drink tea. With cream. Deal with it grannys. 

Fear 'n Functioning with the King

Diehard Stephen King fans gotta love his 2008 wrist-cracker "Duma Key" . I scored this well-read hard-cover from my local library's sale table for a twoonie - that's 2 bucks eh?- and I was stoked. I love my e-reader no doubt about it - Gone with the Wind in my pocket for a total WIN- but this was my second time reading Duma Key and  I'm glad it's once again a hardcover. It deserves it. Edgar Freemantle deserves it. Never heard of Edgar? Let the King show him to you....and then never look at a painting the same again. Or frogs. Not without peein' a little anyway. 

Read ON 

Two Brothers

Two Brothers

Close your eyes.....listen....breathe.....listen.....oh yeah:)

A little Sarah on a Tuesday.....

Best Brownies....EVER

 Grandma Val's Brownies

 

 

Valentine Eva Urie 1923-2002



What can be said of my mother in-law's famous recipe? Wow...maybe. Or....Mmmmmmm. Her recipe calls for either cocoa powder or baking chocolate squares. I've tried both and find a yummier  brownie...to me anyhow.....comes after using a high quality cocoa powder. Droste has always been my fave with Fry's comin' in a close second but whatever floats your brownie boat .

Some people like chewy brownies while others opt for them being more cake-like. Switch up the walnuts to whatever you and yours like; marshmallows, pecans, Smarties.....fly at 'er.



Fall Fair Blue Ribbon Winner:)



Cool nuts walnuts are......especially if you buy them whole and let the kids experience nut cracking ....a lost art.....great way to show where food comes from too. Walnuts look like brains......tell that to a six year old boy and watch the cool factor go through the roof.

Nuts have history too which is cool for history dorks like me:) Nuts have been collected and consumed since humans were first figuring out tools, wheels, weapons and keepin' warm. Like I said....WAY cool.

These brownies should be iced to be truly drool-worthy. Add your fave icing and ENJOY .

INGREDIENTS 'N STUFF...

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2oz baking chocolate OR 5 tablespoons premium cocoa 
• 2 eggs, beaten 
• 1/2 cup flour 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or....whatevah 
• Hefty splash of vanilla 

1. Melt chocolate if using squares.....let cool. 
2. Melt butter over double boiler - stainless steel bowl over boiling pot of water will do fine. Add chocolate/cocoa, vanilla, mix well. 
3. Add sugar. Whisk well. 
4. Add eggs. 
5. Add flour. 
6. Add nuts. 
7. Mix well. You can't over mix this batter....so let the kids go for it. 
   

Bake in 8x8 square baking pan- spray it, butter it, use parchment paper on bottom- for 25 minutes.

Bake in a 350  oven. Brownies will look slightly under done in centre but that's no problem. Use the cake tester method and a good eye.

 

You can double this recipe...or triple it too I suppose....then bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and get the kids goin' with themed cookie cutters. 

 

Talking Pictures

 "When you see a bit of earth you want,"he said with something of a smile, "take it, child, and make it come alive."

                            The Secret Garden
                                           Frances Hodgson Burnett

 I am the daughter of Earth and

       Water,

  And the nursling of the Sky;

  I pass through the pores of the ocean

     and shores;

  I change, but I cannot die.
                                P.B. Shelley
                                Poet: 1792-1822

To solidify a bond with another person

Takes two willing people. Together....find any bivalve with halves still connected. Use as you would a wishbone... each of you grasping half the shell. Both instill the same thought or feeling into the shell while holding it... concentrating on strengthening the connection between you. When the energy reaches its strong point, pull the halves apart, each retaining half.
Keep the shell near you. If you ever desire the bond to end, take your half to the sea, fill it with feeling, and toss it back into the water.

                                                         Witches' Almanac: Spring 2007 to Spring 2008
                                                                                       from Seashell Charms by Fuschia Robin



A photograph is a secret about a secret.
The more it tells you the less you know.
                          Diane Arbus
                          Photographer, 1923-71

No one can tell me,
Nobody knows,
Where the wind comes from,
Where the wind goes.

                   A.A. Milne
                       Wind on the Hill, 1927

Blast from the Past

On September 11th, 2001 I was living in a two bedroom suite with my then 7 year-old son and two cats. I worked full-time as a server....screw it I was a waitress and a pretty good one too.....and drove a red 1991-Volkswagen Golf that was wicked on gas - 'cause it was a diesel - but a nightmare if something went wrong which it did and often. I still have one of those original two cats wandering around here from that time....he sleeps a lot now at 16....but that car is long since scrap metal.

Anyway my life was little and small and my struggles and complaints entirely inconsequential when I awoke on that Tuesday morning to my alarm, set to CBC Radio because it was the only frickin' station that came in on that dime-store clock, blasting out reports of airplanes flying into the World Trade Centre. 

It was a morning and a day, as were the following days, I will never forget.  Those first images were unbelievable and I will always remember watching them from that old red velvet couch in my 500 sq.ft. home.  Walking our kids to the bus-stop that morning my friend and I noticed a jet  far above our kids' heads yet low enough in the sky for a look to pass between  us.  They were turnin' planes around and bringin' 'em down across the entire sky.  Shit just got real. Should we turn our kids around and hunker down at home or send them to school?

We chose to send them to school. For me I just wanted my son's morning to carry on as it was supposed to when you're in Grade 2 with center time,  inside shoes and library books. With him gone 'til 3 and a day off to myself there was nothing to do but watch, listen and wait.......and write. In 2001 I was still what I would consider a closet writer. It was before I had my  married name, an e-mail address, Facebook timeline or my own crappy little blog.  Whatever I wrote was in a journal, a typewriter or Word Perfect file and whoever I had the guts to actually submit to received it from an envelope with a licked stamp attached to the right-hand corner. I was still in denial that I could even CALL myself a writer....like....a real writer and between work and my son there wasn't a lot of free time to get anything of substance completed anyway.

What came out of me on 9/11 could probably go in a pile of editorial-type ramblings as high as both those fallen towers combined....by me and a kazillion other writers of any and all genres.....but at the time it was written my Letter to the Editor of a local community newspaper felt necessary.  Necessary and having little to do with me and everything to do with the only honest and true words of condolence I could offer to those lost, injured and forever affected by that day.

It's been awhile since I thought of that letter but the news today had me thinkin' about it....especially as parenting FB pages and school counsellors advise us all to keep this crap as far away from our kids as possible, give us tips on how to discuss this issue with them if they hear-tell of what happened, suggestions on how to proceed so our kids stay.....kids.  

Today is Monday, April 15th, 2013 and bombs have gone off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon and the first images coming out from the scene conjure up similar feelings  as that Tuesday morning a dozen years ago when it was just me and my little boy.  That little boy who is now almost 20 and watching the news himself. I don't shield him from this tragedy anymore....that ship has sailed.......I can no longer protect him from finding out the dark deeds of the world. 

There is still innocence to be protected in my home.  Twelve years after my first son's arrival  I gave birth to my second son, with my husband of almost ten years now, and three years after that I gave birth to our youngest, my little girl. 

  

My wee lad attends Grade 1 in the same elementary school as his much-loved older brother.  Often I have a weird Twilight Zone-type mind fart while wandering the halls with my 3 year old as we wait for her brother to finish for the day. Class pictures line the walls as far back as the 80s and my older son's class picture now appears to be showing the different generation they've now settled into to. A generation unaware of how important a 'text' was about to become to their adolesence, unaware how quickly information, music and images would be made available to them before they left high school. 

Protecting my little boy from the tragedy of Newton this past December  was SO important to both my husband and myself but, of course, it was technology that snuck in to bite us in the ass.  I had PVR'd a show for my little guy.....a Wild Kratts or some other animal show he loves......and unfortunately it wasn't on Treehouse or Disney Kids so the news cut in showing little kids being escorted out of the school building by armed policemen.  I caught it quickly but my little son is quicker.....like the rest of his generation....and so with a total screen time of about 10 seconds he got the entire gist.  And my husband and I had an entire night of questions to answer as age-appropriately and honestly as possible.

So do I have words of wisdom to share on this sad, sad day when those waiting at the finish line of what is said to be one of the most joyous marathon experiences on the planet are changed forever by bomb blasts?  Maybe....maybe not.  That's for whomever happens to land on this blog to decide.  

All I DO know for sure is the only thing I know how to do in troubling times......to help me get my head and heart through a horror such as this.....is....write ON.

Blessings, love and healing to the city of Boston.

Collared Calm

"We might also discover that depression has its own angel, a guiding spirit whose job it is to carry the soul away to its remote places where it finds unique insight and enjoys a special vision......Hiding the dark places results in a loss of soul; speaking for them and from them offers a way toward genuine community and intimacy. "

"Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life" by Thomas Moore

Diagnosis: Depression

Placed around my neck like the bell-tingling collar on a feline with an instinctive need for a game of cat 'n mouse.....or cat 'n bird.  Can the cat continue to truly be a cat with that bell around his neck? Or is the joy of forever stalking the prey taken from his kitty soul with one clip of a pretty sounding collar? 

His purr slightly altered from here on in, his contented stretch from a slumber on a sunny step missing something vital to what it means to be a cat, the jingle-jangle of the bell following him with every step he makes.  The silence that cats are known for jingle-jangled away with every move he makes.  Rendering him.....a little less cat. Slightly off. A wee bit left of centre. Affected.

Yes....there it is.....affected.  How will depression affect the familiarity of what I think is ......ME.  

The question since D-Day.......Diagnosis Day.......days, months, now years ago.   When a million questions were asked of me requiring not a straight 'yes' or 'no' answer but a rating in numbers as to how often I find myself ruminating and lost in the darkness of my head, heart and soul. A final tally revealing me to be......depressed. 

Like a handprint in the sand or a curve in the natural grain.....this is how I arrived I suppose. Then as childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, sex, drugs, rock 'n roll and the rest of the combined ingredients of my life up to now played out I got lost. Scared. Confused. Alone. Angry. Ashamed. Silent. Affected. So sad it was palpable, hanging thick in the air, like mist.

CIPRALEX ( escitalopram)

Take the pill

You're mentally ill

So afraid it will eventually kill

Words put to paper

that might give y'all a chill.

                                             Then again maybe it will

                                             Prove I'm merely run of the mill

                                             As a writer, a wife, a mother so shrill.

                                             An ordinary swill of a life without will.

                                             A passion-less sadness

                                             Turning a day's work to nil.

                                             Stare at the pill

                                             Wonder if this pitiful pain

                                              is only a drill.

                                             True self is in there

                                              waiting patiently 'til

                                             My blues find the will

                                             to show my soul a new thrill.

                                             Not this darkness leaving others footin' the bill

                                             Living life with a woman

                                             Who needs saved by a pill.

                                                                       S.E.U  ~July 2008










  Livin' with someone who's livin' with depression?

Remember this....it just might help.

"When you're depressed....there ARE no molehills"
                                                             Randall Jarrell: 1914-1965
                                                             American Poet




S. E.U.



 

Dynamite Banana Bread.....no Foolin'....

  Chocolate Chunky Monkey Banana Muffins



Top 'o the muffin top.....mmmmm



Bringin' home the Blue



As with any good quick bread recipe start with two bowls....one for the wet ingredients and one for the dry.  This is a stellar recipe and can be used for loaves, mini-loaves, muffins, mini-muffins, birthday and Bundt cakes.  It's all about the moist factor with this recipe so use quality ingredients - especially in the wet. 

It's also award winning in most of its previously mentioned forms at both the Coombs Fall Fair and the Lighthouse Country Fall Fair.  Not that I'm braggin' or anything.....actually I am so if y'all can't hack it too bad:) 

 

This is a doubled recipe that I use to produce one loaf, a dozen large muffins and 24 mini-muffins.

Don't ever underestimate the power of the nasty black banana. I freeze 'em when they get to the stage where nobody's touching them then remove then from the freezer for a few minutes.  Peel 'em, mash 'em and give 'em a shot of vanilla before I let 'em sit for a bit either in the fridge for a few days or on the counter while you're preparing the rest of the ingredients. 

You can also peel over-ripe bananas first, mash 'em up with that shot of vanilla then transfer into ziploc bags and freeze flat. I use this method for our travel trailer. I made killer muffins at Strathcona Beach a few summers back and the response was outta sight. Kids loved them and the smell in the campground had everyone runnin'......good way to meet your neighbours that for sure!

 

WET

2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas

2 cups granulated sugar - choose your poison here and substitute accordingly

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sour cream/yogurt/buttermilk

3 large eggs, beaten

Shot of good Mexican vanilla

In large bowl combine bananas, sugar, oil, sour cream, eggs and vanilla.  Mix thoroughly. Set aside.

DRY

3 cups flour - however your family is rollin' when it comes to flour go for it

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Optional:  chocolate chips, chopped dark baking chocolate, nuts, seeds, dried fruit

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. If you're adding chips/nuts/fruit you can add them now. 

For Chocolate Chunky Monkey Banana Muffins I added 3/4 of a cup of roughly chopped fine, dark Swiss chocolate to the remaining batter after filling my loaf pan.  Everyone's happy:)

Add to banana mixture - mixing just until combined.  Seriously......don't beat the crap out of this batter it just won't turn out the way you want it.  

Pour into loaf pan and muffin tins.   You can grease 'n flour if that's your thing or use the spray or maybe your pans don't require anything.  I use muffin liners for my muffins and my loaf pan is given a bit of butter greasing then a slab of parchment paper for an easy transfer from pan to cooling rack.  

Bake in 325 oven about an hour for the loaf, 15-20 minutes for regular muffins and about 12 minutes for mini-muffins.  Loaves need some TLC those last few minutes.....keep an eye on the centre of the loaf to ensure it's baked all the way through and for the love of all that is baked goodness use a frickin' tester.  If it comes out clean you're all good. 

Cool in pans for about 5-10  minutes before turning out onto rack to cool completely. 



Muffins and Tea for you and me....



Now that's a chunky monkey!





Tea 'n Toast 'n stuff....



The moor I see...

 It's morning and already I'm thinkin' about dinner. What to make, what to defrost, what to remember to defrost, what not to repeat for the third time in as many days.

The loud, rolling boil of the kettle sets my thoughts right-side up again and reminds me I haven't even had my first cup of tea of the day.  Dinner is hours away and with a wee bit 'o sleep still in my eyes I'm off to steep the tea and fire up the toaster.
Soundtrack anyone?

http://youtu.be/UyyDQvJO1E4 

Pound Cake French Toast

 French toast is the culinary breakfast frickin' bomb in my house. It's bread, it's egg, it's a shot of vanilla, it's warm syrup and a sprinkling of icing sugar.

It's toast but so much more than toast. It's so many variations on one glorious theme.  Quality Foods used to have the best French loaf for the job but these last few years it's really a crapshoot as to whether they hit the specific fluff factor the perfect French loaf requires for the perfect French Toast.

No matter. I'm not afraid to experiment when it comes to breakfast and sure as hell ain't afraid to shop around. The Old Country Market has a Best Ever White loaf that plumps up nicely post-egg dip, and they have Sourdough French hybrid that has a pretty tasty twang to it as well.  I make this stellar Eggnog Pound Cake at Christmas and last year I tried it out on the skillet and it was outta sight.  Especially as I added chocolate chips to the cake so the French Toasted version blew the doors off any leftover Wunderbread version.

Just remember if you use a pound cake for French Toast make sure you slice it not too thick and not too thin. And don't let it sit in the eggwash mixture or you'll get goop....just a one-two dippity-dip and get it on a hot pan before it turns to a soggy, sorry sight.

The better butter....

 


Raisin Bread from the Cumberland Bakery with a generous slather of black market Cookie Butter. 

If you toast it.....they will come.

Luck of the Irish Pie


 Tea, toast, French toast and the morning sun.  And I've just remembered the leftover Donegal Pie in the fridge.  Leftovers.  That'll certainly do for a weekday meal alongside chopped veggies and warmed brown beans. 

A layer of herbed, mashed potato followed by a layer of sliced, hard-boiled eggs and chopped rashers of bacon folllowed by the rest of the mashed taters then covered up with a thick, buttery pastry crust. 

About 35 minutes in a 350 F oven, cover it with foil after ten minutes or it'll be as dry as tinder, and serve with HP Sauce or a sinful brown gravy.

....now off into the day 'til dinner:)

Daughters and Suns



From where I sit...

From where I sit the weather is fine. Cool, damp on the ground from weeks of coastal rain, branches torn from trees following new year wind storms, the moisture permanently in the air here hanging differently with the arrival of a March sun.

From where I sit the armrests are crowded, covered with rocks from the driveway's edge, first-stage Inukshuk-style leavings showing whoever comes upon them that people were here. Little people in this case. Each rock placed there by a 3 year old and a 6 year old for no other reason than because........it was fun.

From where I sit fun is relative. Relative to the amount of fresh, indigenous, outside air being pushed through your lungs and pumped into your heart. Start 'em young on the good stuff.....be it the back forty, the back four or the back window......crank open the latch and breathe in the wind blowin' through, the sun shining in, the rain pounding down, the fog rolling in, the snow falling softly or whirling crazily.  Get addicted to a daily dose of fresh air no matter the weather.

Seein' it in the sun to be so... 

Sunshine and a garden hose. Kinda like buckets and shovels, perfectly sharpened pencils and connect-the-dots, an untouched sheet of bubble wrap. You can't steer clear of it, see no need to ignore the impulse to uncoil a few feet of its snakey-green shape, choose from the tuthree favorites; jet, cone, shower.....before hittin' pay dirt with 'mist' and see the rays of the sun shining through a Bigleaf maple tree.

The camera misses the rainbows the kids discover they can make, I miss that perfect parenting magazine feature  shot of giggly, euphoric children dancing in the grass with nature. One garden hose between two kids is no hands-free, one eye on a screen. kinda mama bear task. So the rainbows are seen yet captured only in my memory where they will hover precariously I the shadow of  the shots I DID get.

The rainbow seen in the sun to be so.

Hauled away day....

My little girl plays in the rocks with her brother's Tonka truck....actually that truck is her big, BIG brother's truck so that makes that thing almost 20 years old.....and I hear her making noises to match the play. No vroom-vroom-vroom like her brothers before her but just as cute.

"Now YOU go here....and you go HERE",she tells each rock placed into the truck bucket from the wicker basket she's used to collect them.
Those rocks have feelings I guess and the truck's movements need no soundtrack apparently. It's all about dialogue with this girl. I respect that and wonder if I should be concerned she's not playing with her dollhouse or pretty pink plastic pony. The gender specific thought process tarnishing what should be simple joy at her act of merely playing.

The sun shines on her little quarry and it occurs to me there's no rock quarry Foreman Barbie. What up with THAT? Although Barbie would seriously need to think about bulking up some. In her current form she might snap like a twig with what the average kick-ass girl would put her through  in the backyard.

Sunshine,garden hoses, rocks, Barbie and Tonka trucks.
From where I sit all seems well.