The banks are safe

I didn't rob any banks this weekend. So all the banks are safe. Bar mine, of course, because I went shopping. Yes, I hate shopping but...there were some things at La Senza that I almost got on the gift card go round but didn't. And hey it's still cheaper than buying a ridiculous number of shoes, and WAY better than robbing a bank, yes? Did some of the laundry and all of the baking but things sort of went downhill from there.

My recent lack of sleep (most of which was my fault) and wacky weather (for which I can't be blamed) combined into a perfect storm of a migraine. Ick. But even that had some sweet things to it. Not the migraine itself, of course, but the babies.

When it became obvious that I needed help, I was beyond driving (everything was foggy, and weirdly double. So yeah, not up to driving), so the boy took me to the clinic. And then the drugstore. And then home. And when we got home, he took the laundry bags in and made my bed up - which I'd stripped that morning prior to doing all the laundry - so all I had to do was take my meds and lie down. Then he quietly let himself out the door, assuring me that he'd take care of the rest of the afternoon.

Which he did. Picked up his sister at five, brought her back here. She made her own supper and stayed in, checking up on me every now and again. And without her help - she correctly interpreted "oh bugger not again" as "oh no I'm going to be sick I need a bowl" - things would have been a lot messier. So yeah, it was not great losing time over the weekend, but man I've got me some good kids!

So, not the weekend I'd planned, but not completely a loss either!

The Problem with Routine

The weekend approaches. What are your plans? Mine are laundry. And cooking. And housework. A very typical weekend as it happens. And, generally, there's nothing wrong with routine.

Until the routine-iness of it builds up and up and up until you realize you're on the verge of doing something seriously crazy. Ok, not seriously crazy. I have no intention of ending up in jail, however tempting robbing a bank may be.

Crazy enough to run away, though, that's a possibility. Which is a terrible idea. Christmas is coming, which is wonderful, but expensive. And I don't know if I can take another Saskatchewan winter that isn't broken up by a trip to somewhere hot and beachy, also wonderful and expensive. Yes, I do often break up the winter with a trip to BC, but that's not the kind of break I need. And I suspect I'll want to run to the sun far more in the depths of January than I do today. So I guess I'm staying here. Probably. Maybe.

Choices, choices

Here we are on Tuesday, so I should be posting some sort of baking thing. But really, I think (and it's MY blog) that as long as it is kitchen related it'll do. And this is a kitchen related entry, so my blogging on Tuesday promise has been kept.

I've been happy - and surprised - with the results of the liquor making I've tried so far. Perhaps not the unfortunately coloured creme de menthe, but certainly the oft-repeated vanilla cordial and the solo batch of Milk Liqueur. Christmas is coming, and I think I'd like to make something else. For keeping, giving away or possibly cooking with. I'm undecided on the why front.

I'm also undecided on the what. Two things that interest me are Galliano liquour and Colada cordial. The former because I love licorice and for some reason I like the thought of stuffing roots and berries into a bottle of alcohol and letting it perk away in some dark cupboard corner. Maybe if it works I'll try brewing a love potion or some sort of house repair magic. House cleaning magic? I keep waiting for elves to clean my house overnight whislt I sleep. Hasn't happened yet, but perhaps I'm heading in the right direction.

The colada one appeals because pineapple-coconut anything makes me think of beaches. And all the lovely s words that go with it; sand, sun, sail, sex, surf, seafood, salsa. Sangria? Not sure about that last one, I've never tried it. But seeing as we had the first snow of the season today (a not so nice s word!) day dreaming about swimming in tropical waters is the best idea I've had all morning.

What say you? Suggestions, anyone?

Money SHOULD grow on trees

I get email from Victoria's Secret (yeah, no surprise there, eh?). Which is ok. Most of the time. When isn't it? When I'm paying off a vet bill and braces and VS is sending stuff about a sale...on pink polka dotted things. Polka dots people! My favourite. Argh.

Where are you heading?

What are you aiming for in weight loss? Assuming that you are trying to lose weight, as I’m beginning to think the entire continent is, even those size twos out there. What are they thinking? That if size two is good, size zero is better? Trust me, the only time a size zero is a good idea is if you’re in a coffin.

Anyway, I’m not really asking you about what you’re aiming for, it’s just that I’ve found myself wondering what I’m aiming for. Not entirely a specific weight to get to, although I suppose since I had a specific number of pounds that I wanted to lose, and I know what I weighed when I started then in a sense there is a specific weight. But it isn’t the main thing. If I don’t get there, I don’t get there and that’s ok.

It’s also not really about a specific dress size, although I have to say having more and more things fit that haven’t for years has been like getting a new wardrobe for free Again, though, there isn’t a size in my head that has me thinking “That size. When I’m size _____, then I’ll have reached my goal”. So it isn’t about size. Although, should I reach size ________ I am buying two things: button fly Levi’s and that dress from the Betty Page store. But that’s more like a reward for a significant accomplishment than aiming for a specific size.

I think what I personally am aiming for is something inside. Feeling “yeah, I can do that” more often than feeling “I’ll never be able to do that”. Camping holidays where I look forward to the hiking part as much as the relaxing in front of the campfire part. Kayaking in the ocean, not Wascana Lake. Saying yes when The Boy suggests a bike ride, without wondering how far or how fast we may be going.

Death be not proud

Or at the very least be not on my window.

A bird died flying into one of my office windows. Suicide? Maybe. Not likely murder, as I can't imagine what some other bird with evil intent could make it fly with such force into a window. Because my goodness, there was a lot of force. The thing left a mark.

I'm sure you're thinking "big baby, so it left a smudge on your window". You're not getting the picture. It was, actually, almost a picture instead of a mere smudge. The greasy outlines of not just body, but outspread wings. You could even see a beak mark on the head bit. This dude - birdman - must have hit it at a pretty high speed. Drunk flying?

Due to a week of frustration, when the sun today cast a bird shaped shadow onto my desk I lost my mind. Or my ability to cope with things, at any rate. Wierd orange cleaner in one hand and non-absorbent paper towels in the other (you know the kind, the ones they're always putting in bathroom paper towel dispensers that never actually dry anything) I went out and washed it off myself. Should have done it last week, but what can I say? I kept hoping someone else would do it. It was all just a little creepy.

You know what I'm not doing? Removing the carcass. The weird thing is, to me at least. lawn-mowing guy was here on Monday and he didn't do anything either. He cut the grass, of course, and with a leave blower made sure there wasn't a speck of cut grass or dried leaf anywhere on the lawn. I guess bloated rotting bird carcass is ok as decoration, 'cause he left it right where it was.

Petit dejeuner, mademoiselle?

You know what makes a day start out really well? A lot of things would, now that I think about it, but I’m talking about something that is more or less obtainable. And that works for me. Because I’m willing to admit that what made my morning start well may not work for everyone.

Why not? Because not everyone loves making breakfast as much as I do, right? I think it may even be my favourite meal of the day to prepare. Perhaps breakfast making is a tie with bread making. They both have the same sort of dreamy quality to them, they both fall firmly into the comfort food category and they both make the house smell delicious. I discovered long ago that a great way to get kids up in the morning was to bake cinnamon buns. Granted, they would appear in the kitchen like pajama-ed zombies (if zombies wanted buns, not brains) but still, they’d be up.

Don’t get alarmed here; breakfast is frequently cold, out of a box, and seriously you have legs get up and get it yourself. But eventually my burning need to make breakfast for someone gets the better of me and things get baked.

I think the longest breakfast making break I ever took was when I made raisin scones, and when I took one to The Boy he asked if it was fresh, or a leftover from the day before. Yeah, that was my reaction too. Cold cereal or a whole lot of nothing was the breakfast menu for months after that!

Today was going to be Madeleine’s.

But they really don’t look very shell like if they don’t chill for a decent amount of time. And I was already up, and wanting to bake. If I’d thought of it the night before I would have been up earlier, but I didn’t. Then I thought about langue du chats,

but really they’re more of an afternoon tea and coffee thing. I thought that I should get some sort of fruit into whatever I was making. Not that fruit makes anything healthy, but it would make me feel less guilty about not whipping up an egg white omelette or hemp and fruit smoothie.

In the end I went for raisin scones. Until I remembered that The Girl doesn’t like raisins. Aha! She does, however, love cherries. And scrabbling in the tub of add-ins (raisins, chocolate, fruit, nuts, nut paste etc) I found dried Bing cherries. Perfect! So cherry scones it would be. I did think about using coconut milk or cream instead of yogurt or buttermilk, but if I did that I’d probably add toasted coconut too, and then things would quickly get out of hand. So I stuck to nutmeg and cherries.

I also made tea. The Girl bought so much tea on a vacation that we’re drowning in it. That would never happen if it was black tea – a weakness of mine – but the majority of it is herbal, and what isn’t is flavoured black tea. Sacrilege! If I wanted my tea to taste like chocolate, I’d dip a chocolate bar into hot black tea. Which is yummy, but the way but I digress. Since there was tea, and hot scones I decided that the whole thing deserved a tray, with tea cup and saucer and matching plate. Had there been any flowers left in the garden, I would have put a vase on the tray too. Sigh. I love breakfast! And the rest of the scones, what happened to them, you ask? I brought them to the office, of course, on a pretty tray. With some butter on the side. Ooh, I wish I had an espresso machine. I would have made coffee too. Oh well, no big deal, people were pretty happy with just the pastry. It didn’t hurt that there was a meeting going on when I arrived. All meetings go better with baking.

The scone recipe I use is one that has sold well for me (the scones, not the recipe!). It has even been shall we say…appropriated?...by a local coffee shop. Ah well, perhaps that is as famous as I’ll ever get.

Has all this scone discussion made you think about making some scones? If you’re interested in trying it out, I’m including it. In the original form, with raisins.

Raisin Scones

Preheat oven to 375

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup of raisins
½ cup butter
½ tsp nutmeg (I use fresh ground, and I don’t measure. Half a teaspoon, whole teaspoon doesn’t really matter. I like the taste. Keep in mind that fresh is more intense than store bought ground)
¾ cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
2 eggs (separate them. The yolks go in the dough, the whites are for the topping)
extra sugar for sprinkling on top

Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until it looks like peas in flour. Toss the raisins with the flour. Whisk the buttermilk together with the egg yolks. Stir into the flour-butter-raisin mixture. Knead gently, just until it comes together. Over working it will make them tough. Divide in half. Roll into two six inch circles. Cut each circle into quarters. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Things I changed: I used the cherries instead of raisins, as mentioned. I also patted the dough into a rectangle and used a pretty little wavy-edge biscuit cutter to make small rectangular scones. Mainly because I had been wanting to use the cutter for ages, but also because small scones means that more people are likely to try one. When they’re big triangles they’re great for selling, or for a more filling snack, but if you work with weight conscious people small bites are better. They don’t really need butter but don’t hold back if you do!

Not Naive. Literal.

When I was a kid, I heard can remember listening to the song "Happy Together". The Nylons version, not The Turtles (I'm not THAT old!). If you know the song at all, you may recall that the first line of the chorus (as sung by the Nylons, that is) is "I can't see me loving nobody but you for all of my life".

So how did I interpret that? Well, logically, of course. He knows he loves her, but doesn't see himself loving just her. Not for his whole life, at least. There'll be others, right?

Sigh. At least it wasn't because I was a jaded kid. I just took things exactly as stated. So there.

Tuesday Baking

I know, I missed again. But to be fair to me, the only thing I consumed on Tuesday was cough medicine. And I figured there was nothing interesting in that, so I didn't post. Next week, then, ok?

Please remain calm

This may not seem like the biggest thing to you, but this is hugely exciting for me. Tomorrow night, for supper, I am having...a cheese dog! There is, finally, a local (Saskatchewan) source of nitrite/nitrate free hot dogs. And other things, too. I am incredibly happy. Over a dog!

Clear Creek Organics, located in Pangman, Saskatchewan, are now offering more than just their delicious organic beef. According to the pamphlet, they now have:
Speciality House Smokies
Speciality House Smokies with cheese
Spicy Beef Sticks
All Beef Spiced Franks
Speciality All Beef Jerky
Breakfast and Dinner Sausages
Farmer Sausages

I had a taste (and then bought some) of the spiced hot dogs, or Franks as the case may be. Delish! I asked about the cheese smokies. They'll be in tomorrow. And so will I. My only decision is do I buy them all, and freeze them, or leave some for other people?

No ham, and it looks like they have no plans for ham in the near future. So I may still have to bring some stuff back from BC. But not as much! So go buy stuff. And tell them I sent you. Because I want them to keep making hot dogs, for as long as I feel I need them.

It's just for halloween. Honest.

Halloween is coming and consequently The Girl wants to take extra time to look at costumes in any store we happen to be in that carries them. Shopper’s Drug Mart, Wal-Mart, anywhere. So I was not surprised when she wanted to detour into a store that was nothing but Halloween stuff.

What did surprise me was that is was more like a store for bedroom role-play. Don’t get me wrong, if that’s what you’re into, fine. I don’t want to hear about it but fine. At least I know where to go if I want to buy scarlet Mary Jane’s with six inch heels and a platform sole. Which I might just do, actually.

The thing is, along with all the mummy costumes and skeleton costume and wigs and holiday paraphernalia (and things like furry hand-cuffs) they had a wide array of naughty___________ costumes. Why the blank? Because you could fill in the blank with just about anything. Some of the things I saw waiting for the girl to try on a dinosaur outfit were naughty:
Nurse
Doctor
Flight attendant
Pilot
Co-pilot
Cop
Milk-maid
Catholic school girl
Almost every fantasy creature you’d want, including blue Avatar costumes (elf, sprite, pixie, fairy, brownie, gnome)
Assorted super heroes
Movie characters
Disney characters (really? You honestly want to dress up as a tarty Snow White? Isn’t that a contraction in terms?)
Teacher
Fire fighter
EMS tech
Many different styles of slutty witches
Harem girl (ok, maybe that outfit kinda has to be naughty)
Cheerleader (yeah, same as above I’m thinking. Is there such thing as an overly clad cheerleader?)
An amazing array of pirate costumes. Because there is, in costume land, a big difference between being a Corsair-tart and a Barbary-tart
Baker
Very possible a butcher and a candlestick maker too, but I didn’t see any
Butterfly
Geisha
Marie Antoinette (who would likely be exceedingly surprised to see her likeness in a micro-mini and fishnets.)
Nun
Various “historical” costumes. Any one of which would have you arrested in a flash if you thought you could use them when time traveling.

Such was the overwhelming feeling of the store that when we left and I said I’d be blogging about it, The Girl said “you mean how everything was designed for hookers?” Yes, that’s what I mean. ‘Cept the shoes. They were kinda awesome.

Chicken with Orange and Scallions

The journey to improving my cooking skills is still in its first steps, but already I feel that I’ve made great strides. Strides that are taking me away from the rut of cooking the same twenty things over and over again. We’ve had some hits and some misses but we’re eating better – balance wise – than we used to, and with fresher ingredients. I find myself going to the grocery store more often, but it isn’t such a chore when you’re just picking up one or two fresh ingredients for a new dish you’re trying out.

Last night was one of the hits. We made Orange Chicken with Scallions from Fine Cooking's third annual. Very simple dish, with only one complaint from the diners. And even then the problem that caused the complaint would be a simple fix; there wasn’t enough sauce to go on the rice. The chicken itself was the best stir-fry chicken I’ve ever had, let alone made; tender, flavourful and really juicy without being underdone.

Turns out there is a simple secret to this. Figures! Prior to stir frying, the chicken – skinless breast meat, cut into one inch cubes – was tossed in a cornstarch batter. Not really a batter, they way we think of it, it was actually more of a bath. Two egg whites, a pinch of salt and 1/3 of a cup of cornstarch mixed together. I used my Magic Bullet, so it was really well mixed. Toss the chicken in this, and then using tongs put the pieces into the wok to stir fry.

We cooked half the chicken in one batch and put it aside, and then we did the other half and took it out too. Orange peel from a navel orange – cut in wide strips - cooked in the wok for about 30 seconds. Then the sauce went in (juice from the orange, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, same of rice vinegar, two teaspoons brown sugar and a pinch of chili flakes) for ten seconds before returning the chicken to the pan along with the white part of four to six green onions (save the greens for garnish).

Cook until the chicken is cooked through, which turned out to be two minutes for us. Serve over rice, garnish with slices of the green part of the onions or scallions, whichever you happen to be using. We don't get scallions here so I always use spring onions. There's more of a shape difference between the two than a taste difference anyway!

That’s the actual recipe. We’re having it again, but next time…twice the sauce. At least!

Both Sides of the Story

If someone told you that on Tuesday morning they were highly entertained by some woman with cartwheeling arms falling in the middle of the Broad Street and Victoria Avenue intersection - a woman who eventually gave up trying to keep both shoes on and hopping like some lunatic took both shoes off, holding up traffic until she succeeded in walking barefoot out of the way - you can now safely say that you happen to know who that woman is.