Because You Promised …..

Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas, 8″x8″

Our brief flirt with summer like days has all but disappeared now.  We are finally back to seasonal temps but my thoughts are still on summer.

I’m dreaming of warm breezes, sandals, afternoon naps in a hammock and fresh, ripe berries with whipped cream.  But I guess dreaming will be all I can do for the next little while as the long range forecast is predicting cool days.

Speaking of fresh, ripe berries …. I will definitely be making this  Strawberry Cake from The Smitten Kitchen looks ultra yummy!

Oh why oh why didn’t I take a picture of the best broccoli I’ve ever eaten last night?  Instead you’ll just have to see another one of my cloud photos because I was too lazy and hungry to route around for my camera (sigh!)

I’ve always been a major fan of broccoli but lately the steaming method was beginning to become a bit to bland for my tastes.  I mean it tasted fine but I felt it needed to zing my taste buds a little more.  Off to my computer, google broccoli and up popped one of my new favourite foodie sites….

The Amateur Gourmet

This broccoli was touted as being the “best of your life”.  So with a tagline like that I just had to give it a try.  I had all the ingredients and since Holly was making her quesadillas I thought the least I could do was make a side dish.  And you know what?  It was the best broccoli of my life….

The Best Broccoli of Your Life Recipe

Have a great weekend and enjoy!

M

On A Day Like This ….

8″x8″,    Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Not literally of course cause that would just be silly ….. but I have been really busy with new work.

I’m doing some work for a show that will be a fund raiser for the Georgian Bay Hospital.  A few of the artists who will also be showing are,

Sue Miller

John Hartman

Rod Prouse

Peter Adams

Will give more details as the show gets closer.  It is planned for the May long weekend …

About ten years ago I ate this cookie … it was delicious.  So delicious that after downing six of them, one after the other, I asked my friend Amy for the recipe.  These have been my go to cookies ever since.

I like to think of them as the healthy cookie even though we know that no cookie can ever really be healthy but this one comes as close as Ive found.  Whole wheat flour, wheat germ, rolled oats ….even dark chocolate which according to the experts is “heart healthy”.  Maybe not as much as I consume but that’s another story.

Amy has titled these “Oatmeal Raisin or Chocolate Chip” but I figure just throw it all in for a better cookie experience.  I use dark chocolate because I love it but feel free to use semi-sweet or whatever you have on hand.  You could also toss in pecans or walnuts, maybe some shredded coconut .. be creative.

Amy’s Oatmeal Raisin or Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup of butter, softened …. (use butter ..margarine can never make as good a cookie)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 egg .. (I use an extra large)

1 cup of whole wheat flour

1 cup of rolled oats

1/4 cup of wheat germ

1 cup of raisins or chocolate chips .. (I never follow this part and always just throw in whatever I think looks right)

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of baking soda

One note I would make is this:  be sure you measure out your dry ingredients accurately, I may even use just a touch less as if you go over the cookie can be a bit dry.  I always underbake my cookies because I love them best when they are soft and chewy.

Cream butter with sugars, beat in egg.

Combine flour, oats, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder and soda.

Stir into creamed mixture

Stir in raisins, chocolate chips or whatever you’ve got

Bake 350 oven for 10-12 mins….. a bit less if you want a softer cookie

Enjoy .. knowing this is as healthy as it gets when it comes to cookies

I have an entire day stretched in front of me with nothing to do but paint.

No appointments, no schedules, no laundry, no dishes (maybe later or maybe I just won’t eat),  no NOTHING …..

Just me, a good cup of Tazo Tea, a palette full of paints, a canvas and a few brushes.

To me … this is BLISS

Whatever your up to today … I hope it gives you the same joy that painting gives to me

I can feel it in the air these days … most especially yesterday … the breeze was almost warm..  The S word will be here before we know it …

Wont’ be long now.

I won’t even mind seeing these guys pop up ….

And oh, I am going to look forward to my first ride on this …

Oh, and then there is the lake.  A true beauty to behold …

Yes, it will not be long now …

This past weekend, through Rotary International, we hosted a student from the University of Toronto in our house.

It was a life enriching experience!

This was our third year participating in the program along with thirty other families.  We started off taking part because we thought it would be a wonderful experience for the girls to spend time with a student from another country but now as the girls head off on their own lives we have found it is equally important to us.  This year we hosted Xin who was from China.  She was the ultimate houseguest … sweet, generous, kind and she liked my blueberry pancakes.  Hey, you can’t get more Canadiana than blueberry pancakes and maple syrup.  Most of the agenda had already been arranged but we shared breakfast every morning together and listened intently as Xin told us stories about her family and her country.

Saturday night the entire group headed out for dinner and afterwards, which is actually my favourite part of the program … we got to hear the students speak of their lives and their countries.  A young man from Iran spoke of how the media represents his country but doesn’t speak to the beauty of his people.  Another from Pakistan spoke of how the ongoing war between Indian and Pakistan is all that is reported but relayed to us a personal story in which his family was helped by friends in India.  A young woman from Ukraine spoke of the architecture in her country and how it has to be seen to be believed.  A student from Japan spoke to us about he tsunami and how it had impacted her country. And there were humous stories as well …  I alternated between laughing and crying most of the night.  I was inspired and I was moved by the connection I felt to all of these students and to all of the families who were hosting them … but I knew we all felt that.  It was one of those moments that you just know you’ll always carry with you.

Over the years I have kept in touch with various students from these trips … it has been an honour to be a small part of their lives even if only for a weekend.   The world is a big place but with each new person we meet, each new experience we share we come to realize we really are more alike than different.  We all love, we all have hopes and dreams for our futures and we all look to make connections with others to support us on this journey we call life.