Friday, August 28, 2009

Yum!

Supper was delicious last night!

The marinated tofu (soy sauce,garlic,fresh ginger,thyme,sesame oil and some water-you want color not over saltiness) is one of my faves!

It is sitting pretty in a Laurel Pyrex platter. The side dish was delicious as well. I took the recipe from a Flickr friend, it uses the overflow of one's garden. The only thing was that it made a lot of water. I'll have to figure how to fix that!

Here's the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34473213@N02/3826128445/

It was made even more delicious by Pyrex charcoal snowflake Space saver! LOL! just like a Pyrex advertisement!


While I was running errands yesterday I saw this product and I bursted laughing!

ANTI MONKEY BUTT??? It is supposed to prevent and treat chaffing in the you guessed it butt area. But this product was placed in the foot care section. How funny is that?

Gotta run! I have to finish cleaning the house. We leave at dawn tomorrow....Old Orchard Beach here I come!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

The clock is ticking....

Look at that beautiful face!

Since I love vintage soooo much, I decided to bring my Samsonite orange suitcase on vacation. I got it at a garage sale in December for a dollar. I remember finding so tacky (that was like 10 years ago) but now it is soooo FAB!
It needed to aerate, so Yoda didn't waste a second and took a nap in it!
The little piece of pink you she in her coat is the 'little suit'; it's in fact a harness she wears with a long leash when she goes outside. The yard is all fenced in and I can always tell where she is just by looking for the end of the leash.

At 7 this morning I was tending to the pool to make sure everything was in order. I checked the BBQ as well, and yes there is enough gas! I got to make sure all is in order for when the house sitter comes....

You can imagine that by now I'm knee deep in lists! I am, but so far everything is going smoothly. The grass is cut, the blackberry bush is trimmed, the pool backwashed,the backwash pipe repaired(it had a big gash and was spraying water everywhere!!!)....all good!

I have a list of stuff I must bring back....thick cut peppered bacon (doesn't exist here!), smoked mozzarella (if it exists well I can't find it),Paul Prud'home Louisianna seasonning (i put the stuff everywhere! Super delicious on pork chops ans shrimp) and the list goes on....


One thing I'll be looking for is the sugar dish that goes with this creamer....One of the flea markets I plan to visit has a whole wall of clear glassware...Maybe I'll find one!

BOY OH BOY! This girl is very excited now! Just like Xmas morning!

Gotta run! Must marinated tofu for tonite's supper...YUM!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Here it is!


So Sunday was the big ' let's put the meat in the casing' day. I didn't take pictures because this is a family blog after all and it is kind of messy and I didn't want to muck up my camera!
And it was soooooo long, much longer than I remembered! Next time I will use the Kitchenaid with the attachement instead of doing it 'old school'.
We made around forty big sausages that we know what's in them. As Sunday supper they we delicious! I froze the rest.
Now going to the Salvation Army 2 business days in a row is not a good idea. I had bought all the good stuff on Friday....But I was in Montreal yesterday with time to spare, so why not!
There wasn't anything as suspected...But I saw this little guy that has yet to be adopted.
The sad Sunkist juicer. Now don't get me wrong, I want one, but this one has been glued with that 70's glue that turned a yellowish brown. I'm sure you know the one, I sure do it was my mom's favorite....It is 99 cents so if you're in the neighbohrood (Notre Dame street), it definitely needs some love!
I was really tired and laidback after the chiropractor treatment, so nothing struck my fancy. I got some books, but got impatient at the cash and left them there.
I didn't know it but I just lost my camera. A very nice and honest girl came running after me to give it back. I couldn't thank her enough!!!
I finished season one of Nip/Tuck. Those are messed up people! My life is so uncomplicated compared to theirs....But really! LOL
Have a nice day! :)

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Look what I found|


Friday, after the dentist...Oh how I hate going to the dentist! I decided to reward myself with a trip to the Salvation Army....
Of course I made a prayer to the thrifting gods and to the Pyrex gods (I'm pretty sure they're 2 different entities!) to open my eyes and make me find something good and pink please!
So I'm pushing my cart, minding my own business....and seeing stuff I rejected the week before...Like the Sunkist milkglass juicer broken and reglued....Or those Glasbake divided dishes all dishwasher worn... And I see this grimmy pink Pyrex casserole that is quietly calling my name...Hey psssst! Yeah you with the swollen face (dentist), come over here! Take me home! I'm cheap! And I kept thinking that I had this one at home. But I put it in the cart anyways...
Because you all know the NUMBER ONE THRIFTING RULE (Drumroll please!) IF YOU LIKE SOMETHING PICK IT UP, then you can look it over and decide. I learned that one the hard way in Maine a couple of years ago, just as I was starting the early stages of Pyrexia. I saw a Butterprint casserole I liked and decided to go around the antique mall once before I picked it up. BIG MISTAKE!!!
First thing I knew an old broad bought it and ran away with MY casserole.
So I'm still checking stuff at the SA and once in a while I'm looking at the casserole and thinking : But I already have a pink one at home....I think mine is darker than that, could it be? How many shades of pink Pyrex exists? Half an hour later, I'm still tortured! I'm going trough the cart- what I'm buying, what I'm putting back on the shelves...I had the casserole in my hand to put it back, but I finally decided to bring it home to meet the other casseroles....
Well I was right to do it, because I didn't have that one! The one I had is flamingo! Which makes me wonder again...How many shades of Pink did they make??? You have Pink and Flamingo and Desert something (Desert Dawn). Oh My! Same thing with yellow!
So I guess the moral of this story is: Always trust your instincts!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Happy B-Day to me.....


Well this is it! Today I turn the big 44! EEEEEWWWWWW! What a stupid number!
LOL! I don't feel older- Maybe a bit gassier (kidding). Went to the chinese buffet on Thursday night...nom nom nom those fried shrimp drive me MAD! And the chicken Soo Guy....To die for!
Had some black forest cake....from The Swiss Vienna (Pointe Claire) they certainly know their way around a cake....Got some cool gifts!
A subscription to Country Living , a BBQ cover with kitty faces on it-I'll have to take some pics. Some U.S. spending money (for the vacation-less than a week...), a birthday stocking (instead of a xmas one!), some beautiful fair trade earrings, a gift card and of course this wonderful laptop i'm writing on (Thanks Dad! You're a life saver!)
So I was spoiled as usual! So today was pretty calm. We watched the construction guy remove the cement from the walk and put in some stone dust....then went to the butcher to buy sausage casing (i kinda freaked when the guy who answered me didn't know what I was talking about), and watched Nip/Tuck on Megavideo. A supper of pulled pork, homemade coleslaw and french bread...It doesn't really get better than this!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Italian Sausage!

My oh my! I have been fascinated by the notion of making sausages for a very,very long time...

In my work place I would meet italians who actually made their own sausages and it always was a big production I.E : making them on a full moon, making them in the winter...you get the picture I'm sure...

A couple of years ago I saw this italian guy making sausages on tv and even if it looked like a lot of work, it looked fairly easy as well.

So that was it for me, I started making my own! First with a hand cranked meat grinder (OUCH!) then with the grinder attachement on my Kitchenaid. I make some maybe once a year when I can find a sale on pork butt.

Pork butt is pretty hard to find around here. I guess Quebecers don't cook with it....I myself bought 3... A smaller one to make pulled pork in the crock pot and 2 to cut in pieces and grind up!


Second pic: Here is the whole set up. Kitchenaid with the meat grinder attachement, the cubes of pork in a xmas Gladware (lol) and the ground meat in the big Delphite (Pyrex) bowl.

The time before, it didn't go so well with the Kitchenaid, the attachement kept coming out and I broke a big screw that held everything in place ((*&?%$/!"() !

With the help of a very very friendly sales rep at ARES (kitchen nirvana) on the 40 west near Pointe-Claire, I got a new screw and everything is A-ok! Grinding the meat was soooo easy, it melt like butter. It was AWESOME!

I was in the sausage zone big time, like I did this full time, not freaking out,not breaking a sweat!



So last pic the meat is all ground up (all 9 pounds of it) I added the spices, salt,fennel seeds,white wine and some paprika for color. And back to the fridge it went. I need now to go to the butcher shop and buy some casing....

To be continued.....Have a nice day!

I found a funny blog...http://onegalstrash.blogspot.com/

One Gal's Trash

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Do you remember?


Do you remember the tomoto plant I saved from the garbage? Here it is...with 2 beautiful, nearly ripe tomatoes!
I'm so glad I saved it. I can't wait to dig in! With fresh basil and some bocconcini....Lip Smacking!
Second pic is the edamame (soy bean). I feel in love with edamame after eating some at a sushi place.
Last year the seed was sold out. I was lucky to get some this year. I get most of my seeds from www.westcoastseeds.com
I know it's far from my home (It's in BC!) but it's one of the rare places where they sell organic and unusual veggie seeds and so far so good I haven't had any problems with the seeds.
Soy is strange..The plant doesn't flower! And for the time being the pods are flat...to be continued.



Uncle Ben's....That was not a good idea,ok? I got this pouch of Uncle Ben's Bistro Express as a free sample. I love free food...not this one!
Roasted chicken and wild rice...pppppllllleeeaaassseee!
In the entire pouch i had 4 pieces of chicken! it tasted ok.
The rice was overcooked. It's supposed to be a complete meal (with veggies). It had shredded carrot in it. That's it. The taste was nothing to write home about....Am I spoiled?Probably since I cook most everything from scratch, but I would do the same when I was working.
I know it's being marketed for busy people but they could do better, I'm sure! So that is a 2 thumbs down!








Last but not least a pic of the super delicious supper I cooked last night....Grilled Japanese Steak Salad.
If you have a favorite teriyaki sauce by all means use it. I made sauce from scratch following this recipe. http://www.recipezaar.com/Teriyaki-Sauce-55859
I'm sure it would be amazing on chicken, pork chops,tofu.....And it makes enough that you can keep it in the fridge to use in other recipes
I gotta hop on my super bike (I named her Alice) to do the grocery shopping....I got big plans for the weekend....

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Thrifty finds

What do you get for a quarter?

Well that's simple! You get this super nice colander and these new aluminium individual loaf pans (4). I already see myself using the colander for canning activities and baking some cranberry orange loaves or meat loaves. Double YUM!!!

Of course today being Wednesday, it was church basement day. The ususal vonlunteers are back from their vacation. The one working in front (I call her the Pink Lady) charges rock bottom prices. I missed you Pink Lady!


I also wanted to share with you one of my prized possessions. The thrifting change purse!

My friend Ann (and ex-coworker extraordinaire) brought it back from Puerto Rico for me. It is made by Dooney & Bourke, in all weather leather. It's always with me, in my purse, ready from a thrift shop or a garage sale. I put some of my extra change in it and sometimes a fiver.

I knew a bit of the company. I just checked their website....wow their stuff is expensive! Thank you girl! lol

If ever I show signs of becoming a suburb farmer don't let me get pigs! Ok? They seem to be a full time job and dumpster diving (even if it can be fun once in a while...) is not my forte!

From what I gather they can be stinky as well, I so don't need that! At this time of year the neighboring farmers are spreading manure and the smell crosses the river and can be pretty intense at times....I call this THE WALL OF SHIT, because that's what it feels like! You're outside entertaining having a drink, chatting and KAPOW!!! There's the smell. All over, you can't escape it....So no pigs for me, ok?

But I dread the time (today for sure) when I will read the last word of Farm City. I will feel sad, I will feel empty....But I will start scheming for next spring and I will plant corn for sure!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Farm City and Beau's


Over the weekend I started reading Farm City the education of an urban farmer by Novella Carpenter.
I had heard from that book from Rianna's These days in French life blog (her sister) and her Flickr photostream
I urge you to read this very interesting blog
http://frenchtoastfrance.blogspot.com/
This is a captivating book. So far I'm enjoying it very very much. Novella writes in such a way that I feel I'm weeding side by side with her. I can smell those flowers in Ghost Town farm. Her style of homesteading is definitely not for the faint of heart!!! Raising farm (meat) animals is all consuming and you do have to kill them in the end. I can say this is not for me.
She has a very interisting blog as well http://ghosttownfarm.wordpress.com/
I know, I know I might be seen as a hypocrit because I eat meat and I don't really want to know where it comes from... We have grown so far from raising animals that it makes it very difficult. Gordon Ramsay wanted to teach his 4 kids where meat came from, so he bought 2 piglets that he raised in his backyard (the kids grew attached. Is that a surprise?) . And then he took them to the slaughterhouse and stayed while they met their maker. I cried when I saw this on tv and I can testify that this was difficult for Gordon as well. Some of his kids didn't want to eat the meat.
So killing your own animals, not for everybody. But I am definitely in favor of better conditions and more humane conditions.

Next subject! I love that people break out from the mold and do their own thing. In Vankleek Hill Ontario (Near the Quebec border) you can find Beau's All Natural beer. Made in small batches by dedicated folks, it is a family business. They brew the Lug Thread and a rotation of seasonal beer. I bought a bottle, but I'm keeping it for a special occasion...I fell in love the the design-No way I'm returning that baby!
Check out their web site http://www.beaus.ca/
Tours of the brewery are also offered! A great destination for a day trip! Vankleek Hill is a charming village!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Heavenly weekend




For close to 10 days we have been having a whopper of a heat wave...So this means...wait for it....NO RAIN!!!
Isn't that fantastic?
Well it depends...the summer so far has been sooo crappy that I'm not adjusted to the heat at all! I'm just like a big puddle of water. Everything makes me sweat, including brushing my teeth! The AC is doing his best...but you know!


The garden is growing like crazy. You blink and everything is bigger.
I'm really excited about the first pic! It's an ancho chile (at least I hope it is...). Remember when the names on the markers had disappeared? If it's an ancho, it's so cool 'coz I've been trying to make some grow without succes for 3 years (They wouldn't even sprout)
Second pic is a pepperoncino, I'm sure because I grew some last year. Those are really tasty peppers, tons of flavor no heat, and last but certainly not least the butternut squash. How I love thee! If all goes well, I should have between 5 and 10. It is difficult to tell because the squashes have taken over! I can't walk between the raised beds, I might squash a squash!
I'm so witty I kill myself. Ok now to the heavenly part....We had no plans, no social,no visit and no thrifting (Yes too hot to thrift!), so we just vegged out, read, and floated in the pool. I felt totally rejuvanated this morning!
For my readers in a heat wave keep cool! For those who have minivans with diapers (you know who you are!) stay dry....

Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Nerve!


As all the Mad Men fans know season 3 starts tonight....
Well not for us Canadians! While reading yesterday's newspaper I learned that it hadn't been picked up by a network here.
WHAT????
I also learned that if I wanted to watch it I could, but I had to pay 2.49$ to 3.49$ (HD) canadian on Itunes for each episode!....Any excuse to make us spend money!
I sure hope I will find some place on the web where I can watch it for free....Meanwhile I haven't finished season 2, so that should keep me a couple of days...Until I find a series I want to watch.
Do any of you have suggestions? Big Love? Nip/Tuck?
Let me know!

Friday, August 14, 2009

The Bike


My bike is now officially vintage! It's a 1989 model that I got second hand in 1995. When we moved to the island.
I found the basket in the trash a long time ago and it has proved really useful.
Last year after I was laid off, I declared that I would bike everyday, life was beautiful blablablablabla!
It ran real bad, I took my bike out 3 times last year and it took all my energy to pedal...even if I put air in the tires! I even got into an accident- I nearly got run over by a distracted mom in her minivan. I remember her daughter screaming at her to stop! That was close!
Dan's didn't run any better, some part was stuck and it made a real squiky noise. I don't know nothing about bikes...so that was it for the bikes....

This spring I had the stroke of genius to ask my neighbor if he could perform tune-ups on them. Not the same neighbor that coplains about my blackberry bush... He's retired and an avid cyclist. And of course we would pay him!
The bikes run better then ever now and he never wanted to take a cent! Now that is a great neighbor or what?
I now like to take by bike out nearly everyday and pick up veggies at the farm stand! You do need to balance the weight well in the basket....
Tomorrow we're supposed to go swimsuit and underwear shopping- That's always fun....
Have a great one!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Wednesday Thrifting


I had to go downtown yesterday (oh no!) for my annual lung doctor appointment.

But I had some free time…free time you say? Why don’t I go to the Salvation Army?

Thrifting is not always about what you find but also what you see…Like this little guy…the kitty cat napkin ring for exemple…I could swear it came from my house! I had a pair and tried to sell them on ebay, didn’t happen…I was sick of looking at them and I gave them to a charity, not the Salvation Army. I think the other charity dumped some stuff to the SA!

What about this one? The Atlantic City wooden salt shaker kitty! I would have bought it but it missed the other shaker.

I found a really cute McCoy planter, a FireKing milkglass fridgie (lid missing), a Better Homes and Garden Meat Cookbook, a Xmas finger tip towel and a small Pyrex carafe.

Speaking of the carafe, I didn’t notice right away but the SA employee who wrote the price on it, wrote it on the metal band and it DOESN’T COME OFF!!!
So I can’t sell it, I have to re-give it, probably to the church basement….

It was soooo hot in Montreal yesterday, I swear I saw a car melt! I hate it when I sweat from the knee caps!

You probably know by now that I do bid on Ebay occasionally…So this is my latest acquisition! The charcoal 043 minty fresh from Alberta…reasonable shipping too!

Also I am totally addicted to Mad Men….Those characters are out of this world! I absolutely love the sets, and costumes. Peggy is something else!








Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Vintage linens


I have been finding interesting linens in my thrifting adventures lately....
The pink and fuschia towels are from Fieldcrest, and from experience, if you don't use them to put out a fire they will last forever!
My mom bought some in the early 80's and they are still in circulation somewhere. I still have the fingertip towels- Those were very chic!
I should know I worked in a bed and bath store in Montreal for 2 years (84-86) and those fringy towels were a MUST HAVE, for the women in the know....LOL
I toyed with the idea to keep them, but finaly decided to part with them.
The tablecloth with the apples came from a church thrift store. I was fascinated with the ton of apples as well as with the fringe on the bottom. I can't get over the fact that something from the 50's-60's is still in good condition!


The other day I saw this gem with the roosters. I just had to get it! It's pure linen and those roosters are just too cute!
I love the mid-century colors that are so in fashion today, turquoise,olive green and dark brown. You can't get better than this!





Over the weekend I caught Bob taking a nap with his hind paw resting on my keyboard....awwww! So adorable! He stayed there for hours! He wouldn't budge!
So after finally watching all the Damages episodes on the web....damn you Patty Hewes! lol
I watched all available Rescue Me episodes. Man oh man these people drink alot! LOL
I started watching Mad Men yesterday. After one episode I can't really form an opinion. I like the retro look of the show, and what I noticed most was all that cigarette smoke-cough,cough,cough Let's not forget the booze, all day long....was it really like that? I remember everyone smoked back then, but only one uncle had a bar with hard liquor. From the Pyrex Love Flickr group I know that there is quite a bit of Pyrex to be seen, so I'm looking forward to that for sure!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Getting Ready!


The big timer in the sky is slowly ticking and I'm getting ready for my week by the seaside...
I'm making lists! What to bring (for the condo), what clothes to bring, what to visit, what to buy....
I have a small notebook full of lists....I even have a list of Pyrex I wish to find....Pink fridgie set, anyone??? LOL
I have a list of flea markets to explore, some old standbys as well as new ones.
I have a list of where to eat (we always go to the same places...hehehe)
And one of the big questions is always where to have breakfast on the way down....We would try to find a Friendly's but our lasts experiences were too greasy....We had found one local place but their breakfasts were disgusting...Last year ,well we weren't going to the seaside so we stopped at a totally different place in Saratoga Springs called The Country Corner...Man oh man that was a good breakfast place!
So after a bit of web search I found a place in NH.... I'll have to get back to you on that one!
So to be sure to please the thrifting gods, I changed my Pyrex display in the kitchen. I brought out some of my pink....I hope it works!!!
Aaaaahhhh! A nice week at the beach....a whole week!
Last year we had 3 days in Brimfield, MA (the humongous antique show) and 4 days at the beach. As much as I loved the antiques, 4 days was way too short to enjoy fully the sea breeze and I had a sprained ankle! Ouch!
I must get back to the Flea Market list so I don't miss one! Have a nice day! :)

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Firsts


After weeks and what seems like months waiting (remember the tree guy?) I'm starting to see the first veggies!

That is sooooo cool! The squash is a mystery vegetable: during the winter I just throw my veggie cuttings directly in the garden and I have surprises the next summer! I think it's an acorn.
Even if I start my plants from seed, I always cheat and buy a couple of tomato plants, this is a pink one. I didn't want to buy any this year because I had a lot of tomato seedlings. Unfortunatly I broke 2 when I transplanted them, the stem just snapped (Bummer!).
I'm also starting to haevest ground cherries. I have a secret ground cherry fantasy. I want to have enough so I can make jam...Not going to happen this year!
I am by no means a really serious gardner, I do this for fun and if I can get veggies out of it, then I'm sooo proud of myself. But for now I try to weed a little bit everyday...I can't do it all at one I will go BONKERS!
'til next time....:)

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Roadtrip!

Monday morning the sun was shining (quite an event!) and we decided to go west...to Ontario! But farther than usual...to Morrisburg, which is about 25-30 min west from Cornwall.



During a pit stop at Tim Horton's I remembered that it was a Civic Holiday (Bummer! everything was going to be closed!)


Morrisburg is lovely. It has beautiful houses by the water, it must have been a very prosperous town at one point.

The thrifting gods were smilling upon us because we saw quite a few garage sales. It didn't feel right to take pics of people things on their lawns and I was too excited to think of it!

I found a paper back, a vintage cooking mag (better homes and gardens) and a nice pair of S&P shakers. I got confirmaton that Dan is a Vintage Lamp Addict (VLA) as explained in the Thrift Shop Romantic blog...First thing I knew we had not one but 2 lamps in the car, one is a small mid century table lamp and the other a brass floor lamp (both for 11$). In that garage sale it was plain to see that the seller was a Vintage Lamp Addict as well...that garage contained more than 30 lamps easy!!! LOL















We were able to hit 2 flea markets as well. Both are on the heritage highway.


That is where we saw that DYN-O-MITE red vintage lamp with the horse...too expensive for us but delicious nevertheless!
I saw a couple of Pyrex pieces but I already had them.....Well these things happen!
By the way I love all glassware and anything vintage so I was real happy there!
The afternoon was capped with a nice DQ cone and a dip in the pool...You can get any better than this! I love thrifting in Ontario :)

Sunday, August 2, 2009

It's Guy Fieri's fault!


It's Guy Feri's fault that when I think about BBQ, I think of all those fantastic looking pulled pork sandwiches and briskets and melt in your mouth ribs


My idea of BBQ is what I see on triple D. Most Quebecers have no idea what BBQ is. We throw stuff on the grill and that's it.

Now a chain of BBQ restaurants have opened in the Montreal region. Bofinger barbeque smokehouse.

I had the pulled pork with Texas sauce and fries, Dan had the brisket sandwich with Texas sauce and fries.

The pulled pork was dry, OMG DRY!!! And the brisket was all shredded….Obviously the owners do not watch Diners,Drive-ins and Dives!!!

I will toot my own horn and say that my pulled pork is WAY better, juicy ,melt in your mouth and all saucy! I would post my recipe here, but I lost it in the great computer fry up of 2009!

On to the good things! The bread was good, the portions generous and the French fries really good (not frozen). Toothpicks are available (on your table) in huge quantities and you have both a roll of paper towels and moist towelettes.


The price is fair too. For about 8.50 U.S. you get the sandwhich, a side and a beverage. I couldn’t finish my sandwhich nor my fries.

But please, please,please….Bofinger people watch triple D and learn how to make BBQ the proper way!