I don't know if anyone ever swings by here, but I just wanted to mention that I'm on good ole Facebook most of the time now. I post all my pics there and any updates.
For those that were interested in any cooking posts I did, I now have a cooking blog that I post to.
stayed home sick today so decided to try a new recipe that was stewing in my brain. i think i will add a bit more hot sauce to it next time. give it more of a kick. but i like spicy hehe
i think my newest favourite FoodTV show is Chucks Day Off. Lots of simple, yet tasty ideas. the last couple i've tried have been awesome (the cream corn is devine). so when i saw this i knew i had to try it.
i couldn't find all the mushrooms i wanted to try (lobster mushroom?! MMM!), but the ones i used tasted just fine :D
so had some salmon to use up from last nights dinner. and since this mornings breakfast of bc shrimp n' eggs left me with still a good bunch of shrimp, i decided to make shrimp n' salmon cakes for supper. served with a chipotle lemon aoili.
have to say that we've never had such good shrimp. incredibly fresh and sweet. having something right off the boat makes all the difference. i can't wait to try the tuna loin we got. i still can't believe the prices. :P
today we went to the seaside town of Steveston today. Its known for the fish boats and all the fresh fish they put out for sale. todays loot included:
a giant bag of fresh shrimp (5 lbs?) for $10 one big chum salmon (15lbs?) for $15 a snapper big enough to feed 4 for $14 and albacore tuna loin for $17 - we could have gotten a whole tuna, at $3.75/lb, but its a bit much for us hehe
tonights dinner i made a ginger soy salmon, using only about 1/3 of the fish. the rest is in the freezer. chum salmon is supposed to be the least favourable of the salmon. because its least salmon'y tasting. which i didn't mind at all. it actually tasted very like tuna.
wow its been a long time since i made a photo post. i post my pics straight to facebook nowadays since i can do it so easily from my phone. :/
there is a park near us and part of it is a swampy area. there are giant 1' tall lilies out there. i didn't get a pic of the bunch of them, but found a solitary one nearby that i could take pictures of. :)
moss grows everywhere, trees, posts, rooftops, if it doesn't move it has moss. even the grass is like the grass in scotland. half moss, half grass.
i thought i should post something for those who actually read this journal lol
basically i'm now moved to the coast (Vancouver area). it started with a meet and greet back during the week of February 6. we had to head to Victoria for a funeral and stopped in Vancouver for both of us to do interviews. i walked out of mine with a tentative start date and waiting to see how much they would offer.
then a week later i had the papers signed and an official start date of March 19. which meant packing our house in a hurry. we got a couple movers quotes and we were off and running. thankfully i had a couple sisters come for 2 days to come help power-pack and shove crap into boxes, because otherwise there was no way that we could have done it. i left last Sunday on a flight to the coast with the furkids. there another sister picked me up and we headed off the to place we'd found to rent at the last minute.
thankfully the place is new, very nice with cherry wood floors, marble countertops, stainless steel appliances. unfortunately its also smaller than the upper floor of our house. which means alot of downsizing and having to rent a storage suite. we're renting for a year then will look to buy a townhouse/house. we want to make sure we like the area first before shelling out the big bucks.
the area is beautiful and i can see mountains and there are parks all over to take Maggie to. there are big box stores 5 minutes away and smaller ones 5 blocks away. lots of restaurants and cheap cheap sushi ;D
oh and there is no snow. and there is green grass, stubby palm trees, giant rubber trees, with about half of the trees waiting to sprout their leaves. i walk around in a hoodie and the supposed day after day of rain hasn't shown its face yet. only 1 day of rain so far.
downsides: i miss my hubby terribly and he has had to stay behind to finish packing, being there for the movers and cleaners, renting a garbage bin, doing the touch-ups on the house. not to mention that he's waiting for final word on his job offer. we are rarely apart and the handful of times we were, were for only a couple days at a time. this week, or possibly two or more, is horrid. :(
another downside is waiting in an empty place for the furniture to arrive. which won't be until the 14th! thankfully one of my sisters out here gave me a blowup bed and some survival pieces - lawnchair, dishes, towels, hehe. but its odd... i need things but don't want to buy anything as its coming. just need to be patient. so in the meantime doing lots of running around, exploring, getting lost, trying restaurants, shopping for things like cat litter and orange juice.
i do have internet at the moment, but its only until the landlord has his account transferred to his other residence. so could be cut off at any time. i do have lots of movies to watch and there are quite a few starbucks around. ;)
i am finding that i'm posting less and less here. and with not being able to cook or bake anything for the next couple weeks, it'll be even less. i do post quite a bit on facebook, so if you are interested in short blurbs, pics of the furkids and whats going on, let me know and i can add you. i generally load pics to facebook over to loading here as its a lot quicker from my phone to do it that way. ;)
these turned out wonderfully. the almond hint in the cake worked great for the base of a lemon bar. and the filling was tangy and sweet and lemon heaven.
all in all, a great cupcake for not being chocolate. ;D
so tried a new local wine... and wow its um,... pickley. i don't know why but it packs a punch. it has amazing taste, a nice tart, yet juicey rhubarb taste, but holy crap it has me wobbling in my chair after a glass. its 12%, not overly wild, but .. it must be the rhubarb + booze combo that has me feelin' no pain. and thats with a full belly
literally. my back is killing me. correction. my back WAS killing me. teehee.
anyhoos, a definitely recommended wine for its dry yet awesome flavour.
sorry folks, i've had 2 glasses and that's as eloquent as it gets beyond a thumbs up and goofy grin.
tonights supper turned out quite yummy. tried out a jamie oliver recipe for paella, but it ended up being a bit too liquidy and more like gumbo. to sop up the juices, i made a batch of garlic knots :)
