Tea and Margaritas in My Garden

I`m a Bad Blogger.......

2009-06-03T20:09:00.001-04:00

Wow....Spring is finally here. An unusually chilly one though.
I`ve been busy working and too tired when I get home to blog really. I think I`ve run out of things to write about. Also any time I`m on the computer it`s doing research looking for specific things and with slow internet....oh boy! Hours wasted LOL
Hubby is making a headboard from a picture for our bed and then later the footboard. When that`s all done and we`re finally able to find some nice wood appliques, I`ll post about it.
For now, here`s Elvis and Tatum for you Judy :) Tat is such a happy little guy and already 7 months old! Off to work soon. This is one of the rare unfortunate days that I`m working in the afternoon. But these days I`m thankful to have a job.
Hope everyone is doing good.

Moving Things Around

2009-03-29T19:17:00.008-04:00

Tatum is 5 months old now! He`s really growing fast and so sweet.

I have a "what do I put of the shelf?" window problem. The plants don`t match at all and I`ve now moved them. I brought the dark pink flowers out from the bedroom for the table for now, until I can think of something else. They are springy anyway and add colour. The chest is from the hall. I wish I had another round picture for the other side of the window. Maybe I can find one sometime. I love that Pears Soap dog. He`s from the kitchen.

This was painted gold before and I decided to make it more garden-like with some acrylic paints and water.

It`s now sitting in the window looking lonely LOL
This mirror went from the bedroom to the kitchen and now the end of the frontroom.

This is another project waiting to be done. I found this heavy Ralph Lauren Khaki stripe online really cheap.

Lots of plants in the kitchen. That stone vase was $15 at a vintage shop downtown Toronto. Picked it up when we went to visit my daughter. It can hold water well for flowers or plants. I stuck an artificial one in for now.

Sunday was my first day off in 13 days and I got a lot done. Removed two cupboard doors and lined them with fabric stapled on. Some jagged lace is what I have in mind for the edges. The under sink cupboards are coming off next and a skirt to replace them when I get the fabric and the energy. I do have the rod already hehe.

I hauled in this old mirror from the spare room and put a print on either side. They need frames yet someday. And moved over a bit. I shoud wait until things are the right way before I post pictures really, but hey, this is real life and I`m decorating "on a dime" or "a dollar" these days. I`m trying for a country style French/Italian/English look LOL Besides, my blogging powers have poorly sunk since I first started out and it`s easier and faster to slap up pictures than use the brain power for Toe Tales or Theodore tsk.

The dog print has now moved above the computer table. I made a skirt and stapled it on around and brought in an old lamp.

Teddy turned 22 this month and though scraggly looking, he`s still got some spunk left in him. I had this crystal hainging in the window and when I changed the curtains it fell on the floor and became a toy.

I`ve saved the best pictures for last :)

Been So Busy Working and Decorating

2009-03-22T16:30:00.002-04:00

I replaced the clock with a poster that is on canvas and fitting over a piece of wood. I don`t dare show you the back because my quickest way to do that was to use hubby`s red tuc tape(chuckle)
I hung it from a cord that is not showing here yet.

Kathleen at http://theinspiredroom.net
The Inspired Room bought some lovely tea towels and made some pillows and they looked so pretty that I decided to search some out. I found these and they fit the bill. I hope she doesn`t mind my using her wonderful idea.
I finally tossed out my broken down lop-sided computer chair and hauled out one of the old bedroom chairs. Being rose it didn`t match, so I threw a throw over it. Threwing a throw worked too hahahe!

Painted the chair dark brown that`s in the front room and wrapped a "one day when I have time, I `ll make a pillow cover" piece of stripe over it.

Been working over time all weekend but Elvis says hi :) May your week be blessed, who reads this and happy week ahead. This dog`s gonna relax for the rest of the night :)

Uncontrollable Pillow Extravagance and Yummy Lemon Chicken

2009-02-07T15:35:00.013-05:00

I didn`t like the green pillows I made. They looked nice in the picture but in real, they just weren`t cutting it.
So spank me please....I went to E-Bay and found what I really wanted instead of making do with any fabric I had.
A set of two Ralph Lauren pillows from the states that with shipping came to errr ummmm....$75.47 Canadian :(
And one beautiful and finely made tapestry dog pillow cover from England for errrr ummmm $52.17 Canadian. Luckily for that one the shipping was cheap!
Here` the back and fronts of the two Ralph Lauren pillows. I adore Ralph Lauren....

And here is the tapestry one that looks like my sweet Ben dog...

In this close up you can see that it isn`t done cheapely...

I`ve bought some walnut coloured paint to eventually paint the wicker chair in front of the window back to it`s original colour again. Then I`ll add a natural coloured cushion.
Lemon Chicken with Egg Noodles

Ingredients (serves 4, but we ate it all!)

500g chicken breast fillets, cut into 5cm pieces
1 tbs soy sauce
1 egg, lightly whisked
35g (1/4 cup) cornstarch
80ml (1/3 cup) olive oil
70g (1/3 cup) white sugar
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 squares of noodles (those long thing sqiggly ones)
couple handful Chinese Cabbage cooked and drained
red pepper chopped
green onions and onion greens chopped
brocoli

Method
***** I used some chicken breast breaded fillets I already had. You can pop them in the oven ahead of time then when cooked, chopped them into thirds and dunp in with the veg mix in a wok or fry pan**** (just make sure the chicken is called breast meat and not called white meat because white meat is just formed chicken.

From Scratch Chicken....

Combine chicken and soy in a bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes to develop the flavours. Combine egg and 2 tbs of cornflour in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Drain chicken and add to batter.
Heat oil to 180°C in a wok over high heat (when oil is ready a cube of bread will turn golden brown in 15 seconds). Add half the chicken and cook for 3 minutes each side or until cooked. Repeat with remaining chicken, reheating oil between batches.

Veg

Place chopped onions, cooked cabbage and red peppers and bits of brocoli in some olive oil and saute, adding cooked chicken pieces to heat them up again.

Lemon Sauce

Combine the remaining cornflour, sugar, stock and lemon juice in a small saucepan and stir until smooth. Cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens.
Cook noodles for approx.4 minutes.
Transfer noodles to serving bowls. Top with chicken and veg and sauce and a slice of lemon.

Couldn`t post without adding sweet Elvis this time!

Have a nice rest of the weekend.
It was actually a lot warmer here today and some of the snow melted. On the news there were a whole whack of starlings that have flown in around this area. Very unnusual so maybe they`re telling us we`ll have an early spring. Fingers crossed.....

Finally Brave Enough for Original Decor Idea....

2009-01-31T11:22:00.015-05:00

If anyone read this blog last year, they will know how I was trying to change my frontroom/livingroom into off white and green. I fell inlove with some brick red floral fabric which was also more practical with pets and everyday sitting on.
My couch was green but the sheeting I used was starting to wear, being so thin. You can see it at the side here on the blog.

Decided to try a slipcover throw I made on the couch and I liked it. After measuring the couch, I bought two size double, thick and textured....and washable bedspreads from Sears,with three king size pillow shams. The pillow shams were big enough to make cushion covers.I decided against actually fitting the spreads other than sewing them together in the middle because this way it`s easier to get them off to wash and also I haven`t ruined two nice bedspreads.

I used an odd sheer to put on the backs.

I then dug out a natural coloured old big throw bedspread and threw it over the armchair. I liked it.

Then I took the only other thing I had half big enough, and near the colour, I put in on the wing chair. The green plaid is still showing and though it isn`t in the colour shade of the other greens, seems to work for now.

I then recovered the pillows in what I had of the greens I liked and then took down the brick floral curtains on the end window.

Today I decided to move the couch back to the spring and summer position. Not quite February yet and I`m dreaming of all this snow and cold being gone. I`ve been thinking of it for a couple of days but though "no...it`s too early yet. The couch is nice in view of the fire." But what the heck, it`s only my own rule I wanted to break lol So I did.....

Tv`s sure spoil the look of things though. I didn`t want to put it in the middle because it takes away from the fire place, so it`s here catty-corner. I would really like to make this corner look better. But I haven`t a clue of what else can be done with using what I have.

I had a problem with where to now stick Elvis` bed. Teddy`s was fine in front of the fireplace as he likes to sleep there.
I stuck it here beside Ted`s....

Elvis seems okay with it.

Hmmmm....

The plain sheers suit better at this end now too. Although you can`t see them for the light coming through the window.....

To chrisen the couch, hubby accidentally spilled a whole lot of red wine on one of the cushions.
Without thinking I whipped it off....tearing all the straight pins out as fast I could because I hadn`t sewn it yet at the time and rinsed it in cold water and dumped some of this in the washer.

It took it all completely out! Whew!

So that`s what I`ve been up to. Not blogging too much but I finally had something to put up.
Hope everyone has a great weekend! We have a birthday party to go to tonight.

Bits and Pieces and Toile

2009-01-24T22:45:00.000-05:00

Well, it`s been awhile since I`ve posted. My excuses are work and slow internet and having nothing really to post. I did go to the chiropractor for the first time. From my neck to my lower back was all seized up he said. Aside from being darn sore anyway all the time, my neck was stiff dor three months and hurt to turn. It felt like he was ripping my head off, but it sure did loosen it up! LOL
We had a lovely Christmas and New Year, as I hope everyone did. Teddy is still doing reall well for turning 22 this March.
The cats got catnip mice for their gift. Izzy was the most excited over it....

Elvis likes to get up on the bed at night if I`m reading. Angus happened to be in his spot, so he pushed him over....

I`ve always been intrigued with this old home. Woundering what it looked like inside. For Canada, it must be quite old and I bet amazing inside. It`s now for sale and in my dreams, I think I`ll buy it LOL

We went to the movies last night and saw Grand Toreno. I would definately recommend this movie. It is surprisingly profound and moving. Not what you think. It`s about an old grumpy man, messed up from the Vietnam war, who`s just lost his wife and has alienated his grown children. His wife`s last wish was for him to go to confession. He chooses to confess the real truth to someone other than the priest though. When the movie is over you are left remembering all the subtle hints and symbologies and we were quite affected by it all. I can`t say more without spoiling it for anyone wanting to see it. Warning...the language is bad though for children.

One of the stars was at the theatre signing posters. Her name is Ahney Her. He chose mostly first time actors for this movie that he wrote and directed. My thinking is so it would seem very true to life and one wouldn`t get distracted by big name faces.

We still have too much snow and cold here....

I decided to put some curtains up in the kitchen that I had previously made and cover the chair seats with this pretty fabric as well. Put my blur arm chairs in the hall. I love them but they don`t really match anything. I had been hoarding this beautiful green and ivory toile fabric for future use. But the sheers are to patterny for it.

I`ve bought on wide long ivory one to sew up into two.

The same window was too dark when I took the picture and the lighting isn`t so great in this one either, but it looks better...

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-21T15:26:00.002-05:00

Tatum is 8 weeks old now and so adorable.

Sandy comes to visit the animals occasionally and is fascinated with old Ted...

Baby, it`s cold outside!

Elvis waits patiently for the gifts to go under the tree. Especially his.

Just a quick post to say I wish all a very Merry Christmas and the best New Year yet!

Still Here........somewhere.....

2008-12-07T19:35:00.005-05:00

Just stopping in for a minute and I see that by letting my "who visited my blog" thingy lapse, that it has now vanished forever. Sad. It was fun seeing all the different countries. Oh well. I sort of was thinking that it would at least hang in there along the side of the page and just not add any more LOL

I`m still trying to visit blogs. It`s on my "to do" list.....my long "to do" list. With slow dial up connection it makes for a very slow go of loading the pages. But I will get there!
This Saturday was my last over-time for a bit and the next weekends are fairly free except for my hub`s huge family Christmas get together next Saturday. They hold it every year in the church basement in Courtis, a little place near Oshawa. Hopefully our journey there won`t be too snowy!
I won`t bore anyone with snow pictures, but it was a darn cold day,today and it sounds like it will be for awhile.
We finished up the Christmas shopping though :)

Well, I`m off to see if Extreme Makeover House Edition is on. It always makes me cry. Then Desperate Housewives . I know..hehe...but it`s entertaining. Haven`t sat in front of the tv in long while except to catch Coronation Street that is. Can`t miss that one. But tonight I`m going to be a veg head.
Oh yes....decluttering led to plopping a basket down for a few minutes before hiding it away and Angus thought he`d try it out.
And though the world`s in a right muddle at the moment, including our ridiculous government....all the best to everyone.

"I Love My Dummy"

2008-11-14T20:45:00.005-05:00

I`m getting really slack at this blogging business! But isn`t he adorable? LOL

Been so busy with working over-time and family get-togethers and baby.
Elvis doesn`t like the fact that it`s getting cold and drab outside...

He has a bed in the frontroom,pictured here, rather than on the cold floors. Well for when he isn`t on the err umm....real bed. But he`s still bored...

I`m going to plan on not blogging for awhile but will be visiting as many of my favorite blogs as I can manage instead. Slow internet makes it a slow process downloading everything, but I`ll do it bit by bit.
In the meantime stay warm and cozy and have a lovely day, week and month!

Baby Arrives!

2008-10-26T11:10:00.005-04:00

Friday morning at 4:47 my grand baby arrived! He was 9 pounds 5 ounces and mummy had to have an emergency C-Section after 12 hours of labor. The same thing that happened to me with his daddy, except he was 9 pounds 10 ounces and had three chins instead of two hehe.
Everyone is healthy and he is soooooooooooooo beautiful. We`ve been up to see him twice and back again tonight. They come out of the hospital tomorrow. They called him Tatum and he is so chubby and adorable! What a precious little soul he is.

A Waaaaay Too Early Glimpse of Things to Come......

2008-10-19T11:07:00.006-04:00

It`s been awhile since I`ve blogged but I`m still trying to fight a bad case of the flu.
This morning as I walked down the hall, I gasped because this is what I saw outside...

Luckily the sun has since come out and is getting rid of this thick layer of frost.
I can`t believe it showed it`s frozen face so early. Surely we won`t be short-changed our autumn as well as our summer.
Baby boy hasn`t arrived yet. He was due on Friday. I went over to my son`s new place and he offered up some wonderful fruit bounty from the trees in the little backyard.
An Italian couple own the house and it`s evident in the wonderful; use they`ve made of the back garden. Quaint old apple and pear trees and in another fenced off section is a vegetable garden and compost area beside an arbor for grape vines.
My Grandbaby should arrive any minute of the next couple of days I should think :)

I made a cushion for Teddy to sit on by the fire and he loves it.

He still manages...believe it or not...to occasionally jump up onto a beam!

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend :)

Cleaning Up, Getting Carried Away, Italian Stuffed Peppers and Big Pet Heads.....

2008-09-21T16:19:00.010-04:00

It was time to clean out the front garden which was full of Virginia Creeper vine roots and taking over everything. A few months ago I ripped the vine down. I love vines on houses but this one was a big mistake!

The fellow was climbing up the wall. Not sure who he is, but he`s clickable to have a closer look....

The top of the "cat jump up and down" thingy broke so we stuck this press board on top, but it`s not sturdy enough. Need to find something else. I made a stone path for the pusses to get to it. The garden is now ready for the cold weather...which, by the way, I`d prefer not to have arrive. I`ll figure out in Spring what to add.

Then I hand sawed the high bush cranberries on either side of the door. They were becoming a nuisance and getting way out of hand. What a job that was. When I was finished I felt like I`d spent a good 5 hours at the gym. I would so love to have windows with window panes in them and a really nice cottagey door. Some climbing ivy to take away from the ugly siding....

I decided to try a recipe that looked delicious, the other night called Stuffed Peppers, Italian Style. I had bought some couscous awhile back and wanted to try it ....

Picked what herbs remained healthy from the pots outside, Italian Oregano and basil...

Boiled the halved peppers in water for a few minutes....

Fried up the mix....

Then added the couscous....

Filled the peppers, topped with cheese and popped them into the oven....

Voila! These were really good and I`ve added the recipe at the end for anyone who wants to try them.

Stuffed Peppers, Italian Style

6oz) ground beef (180 gr mince)
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic ( next time I`ll use a bit more )
1 tbs olive oil
dash of dried hot chili peppers
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano ( I used fresh )
1 tsp dried basil
1/3 cup couscous
1 can whole, peeled tomatoes, 15 oz (450 gr tin)
1/3 - 1/2 cup red wine
2 nicely shaped bell peppers I like to use 3 smallish ones
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella ( next time I would choose some sharp cheese )

Put a large pot of water on high heat and bring to a boil. Cut peppers in half the long way (try to find the best flat sides before cutting so that they will lay nicely) and remove stem end and seeds. When water is boiling drop peppers in and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove (use tongs) and put into a baking dish that will just hold them (if possible).
Finely chop onion and garlic. In non-stick skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add paprika, fennel and chili powder and sauté 1 minute. Add garlic and onion and sauté until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add beef and sauté until cooked through breaking it up as it cooks. Drain tomatoes, reserving juice. Chop and add to pan. Add 2 tbs reserved tomato sauce, herbs, couscous and 1/3 cup red wine to skillet. Stir well. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer until couscous is done, about 5 minutes stirring frequently and adding more wine if necessary. When ready spoon mixture into the pepper halves. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes at 400F (200C). Remove foil, spoon reserved tomato sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and serve. I saved one of mine for the next day and it still tasted yummy.

Teddy will be 22 in March....

And Elvis is still as adorable as ever....

Happy weekend!

My Embarrassing Garden

2008-09-20T11:25:00.004-04:00

It`s been a beautiful weekend so far and tomorrow supposedly is sunny again.
Most of the mosquitoes are off tormenting someone else today I guess. So it was finally time to deal with my drowned and dead veg garden. As you can see, I didn`t even bother to continue digging in the bricks. Just as well because I`ve had to pull them all out while weeding and have stacked them along the sides for now. But the sunflowers though drooping over, are thriving. You can see here the reason why I haven`t taken any garden pictures this year. A hopeless mess.....

This one stands all by itself over by the fence, gazing off over it, wishing it lived it a much nicer garden........

The bees are still loving the sunflowers. If you click on the pic you can see how he`s coated in pollen.....

The other day I rescued two of the four good pepper plants that seem to be still growing. I`m bringing them in each night because sometimes the weather man warns of possible frost. I don`t know if they`ll grow, but it`s worth a try.......

I tied the sunflowers on poles, but they`re now facing upwards! Still some weeds left to get at tomorrow, but the worst is done. The height of those bricks is how much soil we`ll need to bring in next spring, just in case we have rain every darn day again. Not sure if hubby will find time to attach those bricks or not, but that was my original idea. To the far right, the herbs have survived because it didn`t hold the water there as bad. That tree in the garden may come down too. It`s shading it too much and the leaves are making a mess. Never was a pretty tree. Some marigolds and two peppers fill my lovely garden hehe.

It seems the thrill of blogging left me long ago and I`m afraid anything slightly interesting is in my old old posts. I don`t want to quit all together, I`m hanging in there barely, but it does seem to me that I`m getting really boring. I`m definately boring myself....zzzzzzzzz
Have a lovely weekend wherever you may be.
tea
xo

A Nice Dinner and "Catnip Napping"

2008-09-13T21:52:00.004-04:00

It`s been a rainy weekend here with the temperatures unusually warm.
We decided to get out for a nice bite to eat in a near by city to a Bistro called Janet Lynns.

We arrived around 6:30 on Saturday, having made a reservation ahead of time.
We were luckily able to find one lone parking spot on the street directly in front. Fortunate, seeing as it was pouring rain.

Upon entering we glimpsed several different wine displays under the warm dim lighting and were greeted by a friendly gentleman who led us to our table.

The atmosphere here is quite lovely although we had to chuckle about the flat bread display of on our table. Picture a very large...16 inches perhaps...thin round flat unsalted soda cracker, being held in place by a couple of small pieces of bread on either side.

I proceeded to give this odd prop a chance. I broke off a piece and dipped it into the small companion dish, realizing this was not a dip but rather a bland whipped butter. Liking at least a bit of salt, I found the whole thing quite tasteless. But never mind, things were looking up as we glanced at the wine list.
We had only 6 choices if we wanted a glass rather than a bottle. I chose the Shiraz Cabernet at 7.50 and my husband the Pinot Noir at 9.00

We decided on a Caesar Salad to start. I like to rate this salad in different places. So far the best has been Lily Ruth`s.
This one came looking fine and the waiter offered cracked pepper over top. No cheese.
It had a nice home-made tasting crouton...or should I say two croutons . A bit skimpy. I would have liked four but dear husband wanted his two.
The first bites were good because the pepper had a nice zip to it. But then I found the whole thing quite weak tasting. Watery, yet not enough that one lost the taste all together. I`d give the salad a 5 out of 10.
All the pics today are from my Blackberry so excuse any fogginess........
For our entree, hubs decided on the Rack of Lamb $30

and I ordered the Duck Two Ways for $28.

We didn`t have to wait an enormously long time, which was good...I was starving.

The presentation of the food was tops and the quality and taste fab. There really wasn`t anything either of us could say other than delicious. I have to mention also that our waitress was very very good.

Even though I was stuffed I needed to have a look at the desert menu.
Tempted, I chose the Pecan Tart with Caramel Ice cream, whilst hubby had a Chocolate Sin Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice-cream , drizzled with Creme Anglais. Both nicely presented again and yummy. The ice cream is home made and mine was par to Haagan Daaz I felt. So although I had well over-done myself and felt to the point of bursting, it was a lovely night and an enjoyable experience all in all.

It was excellent service and a lovely atmosphere although I wish I would have thought to discreetly snap a photo of that flat bread!! I popped this review over at hubby's website. RateBistros

Teds shnoozin' in the catnip.....

Than Angus has a turn.....

Elvis and my sister`s pup Sandy.....

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. It`s supposed to rain again today.
xo

T`was a Fun Long Labour Day Weekend

2008-09-02T19:23:00.005-04:00

This past weekend was out Labour Day weekend here in Canada. Three days off work!
We went to the Paris fair...unfortunately not in France. Lovely sunny day for it.
Then we went to the movies at night and saw The Mummy. Not a bad movie. We really wanted to see Mirrors but it wasn`t playing until quite a bit later in the night.
The bees really seem to like the sunflowers.
I haven`t taken many garden pics because most of my flowers have passed their date or didn`t bloom at all. And the garden has an odd tomato, but mostly drowned veggies accept for the herbs. Lots of weeds that I`ve given up on this year due to the heavy amount of mosquitoes this year. So it`s all far too sad and embarrassing to take pictures of. The roses came back but the back garden ones are still in bud. Nor sure if they will bloom. Right now we`re experiencing sun and heat. Something that was lacking largely most of the summer.

Izzy in one of her favorite napping spots....

Teds wanted out....

Sunday we went to the Psychic fair. Neither of us wanted a reading but we decided to get an Aura picture.
Notice the orbs. Interesting. And we`d only just watched "Shutter" Creepy movie, but good! Not really sure if technology can truly pick up auras compared to a trained eye....tricks or true? But it was fun....

And finally, here`s a "just taken" pic of my sweety-pie, Elvis. Couldn`t leave him out!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!
Oh...almost forgot. I found a really interesting blog about Madonna if anyone is interested in her.
http://madonnarevelations.blogspot.com/

A Granny in the Garden and "Sorry Elvis"......

2008-08-21T12:44:00.004-04:00

It`s been a busy time on the weekends lately with a few family reunions and one very special baby shower.
The baby shower was for my son and his girlfriend. Yep....I`m officially going to be a granny. Their having a baby boy in October :)
I think since Nana is my own Mum, I`ll use Nan. I`ve actually even considered Granny LOL

Now my apologies must go out to Elvis for these next two pictures. The other morning while I was getting ready for work, he bashfully walked into the bathroom like this.....

Yes.....caught in action and could not deny trying to put his head into the garbage can again. I brought him out into the kitchen, all the while laughing, and made him pose for pictures of his sins...
Love you Elvis pups xox

Teddy and the Dove

2008-08-04T16:18:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. The weather was very summer-like here for once. Teddy decided to take his nap outside in the catnip.

This dove had been terrorized by Isobell just before it perched here. Poor thing....

It`s quite big, but we thought it must still be young because of it`s feathers...

Have a great week!

Good Books and Spring Greens Cannelloni

2008-07-27T12:23:00.004-04:00

It`s not raining today!I got a wonderful surprise in the post from Julie over at Celtic Lady http://celticanamcara.blogspot.com/
I won the book called "Magus of Stonewylde" and she sent along this lovely herb book with it! Thanks so much Julie. I`m posting a few pages that can be clicked on to read...

I made some Spring Greens Cannelloni the other day and wanted to post the recipe because it is so easy to make. You use crepes rather than pasta. Because of this, it re-heats superbly for a lunch left-over. The only thing I would do differently is add a lot more spice and garlic because it seem a touch bland to me. Recipe will follow below.
First I made the crepes....

Chopped some green onions....

Mixed the cheese and spinach mix together....

Placed it on each crepe....

While the tomato sauce was simmering....

I rolled them up.....

Layed them in a dish and covered them with the sauce....

Viola! They stayed together really well and presented themselves great.

Spring Greens Cannelloni

Crespelle:

3 eggs
1 cup/20ml milk
1/2 cup/125ml wter
2 tbsp/30ml extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
1 cup all purpose flour

Filling:

1 bag spinach
1 egg
1 tub (475 g) rictta cheese drained
salt

Tomato Sauce:

bunch of green onions
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
1 1/2 cups strained tomatoes
1 clove garlic
(remember to spice this up in whatever way if you like some pizzazz)

For Crepes:
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, water, oil, then add flour.
Cover and let stand for 30 mimutes.

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Then add 1/2 cup of batter. Flip in 30 second approx. and cook until set. Repeat with the ramaining batter. Layer crepes in wax paper and set aside.

Filling:
Cook soinach in boiling water and rinse and squeeze out liquid. Chop. In a large bowl, beat egg into ricotta, stir in spinach.

Tomato Sauce:

Thinly slice green onions, and set aside the dark greens for later. In oil, fry onions and garlic until tender, then stir in tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Simmer.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of sauce in bottom of baking dish.
Spoon gernerous amounts of cheese mixture into middle of each crepe and roll up. Place in the lightly greased and tomatoed baking dish, seam side down.
Cover with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle onion greens on top and pop into a 350 oven with dish covered in tin foil for about 30 minutes.

Happy weekend!!

They All Fall Down................

2008-07-20T14:44:00.003-04:00

The rain through the night and this morning wasn`t too kind to my Delphiniums. They were all flopped over on the ground. Luckily I was able to stand them back up. I trimmed a lot of lower leaves that had turned yellow from too much rain and the rest are going in that direction too it seems.

We saw The Dark Knight last night. Heath Ledger was superb. It`s so sad that he isn`t with us anymore.

I just had to buy this book! Loved it and found it basically as I imagined her to be with lots of interesting stories thrown in.

It was a rare and sunny day yesterday and Angus was flopped down in his new favorite spot, or should I say pot? hehe

An early morning picture I took in the rain. The sunflowers don`t seem to mind all the wet. That`s not a droopy plant there, it`s a pot of picked weeds. I got tired of pulling them out and having nothing to collect them in. It sits there waiting for me to finish the job.

This isn`t a very complimentary picture of either of us, but I thought it was silly enough to add. Looks like we have just eaten something that tasted bad. Actually I was about to blow in Elvis` face to get him to stick his tongue out.

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend and that the sun is shining somewhere out there.
I`m making "Spring Greens Cannelloni" for supper tonight and you make crepes instead of using pasta. Looks yummy. Hope it tastes good. I`ll post it sometime this week.
See ya :)

Who Spat on the Plant?

2008-07-12T09:15:00.005-04:00

We`ve been naughtily neglecting our blog..........

This kept appearing all over the Mallow plant before it bloomed...

Blooming now and not minding all the heavy rains...

The tomatoes and peppers are not happy with all the wet though.....

One single Delphinium has turned into this in it`s third year.

It was a sunny morning and then it began to pour heavy rain again. Teds was left outside and I had to run out and get the old slow poke inside.

A typical nap spot on a rainy day.....

Well, thankfully the heavy down-pour only lasted a few minutes. Enough to re-drown the veg though. It`s July and not supposed to be raining still so much.
Yesterday we had the most amount of rain since the 1930`s. I don`t like these extreme weather changes at all. Whatever next? Surely it won`t snow before it`s time!!
Oh well. Hope everyone is having a nice weekend. Last Saturday, a rare and hot sunny day, we went to Toronto and met up with my daughter and her boyfriend. Then we walked around Queen Street area and did a bit of shopping. The camera was low on batteries so we were only able to snap these pictures. Interesting idea though. Two Mimes...one a soldier and the other an angel.
The meaning was self explanatory...

Rain Rain Go Away and Old Men Like to Get High....

2008-06-29T11:37:00.006-04:00

It`s been raining almost every day this month and the tomato plants aren`t too happy. Hopefully they survive because it will be disappointing without some lovely garden tomatoes. There`s nothing like them.It wouldn`t be so bad if it were sun showers, but it`s mostly hazy or down right dark skies. Today so far it hasn`t rained and the sun is peeping through a bit. Elvis poses in a break from the rain.

Teddy had a few nibbles of the catnip.

I think he may have forgotten where he was because he sat in it for a half an hour.

We went to the horse races last weekend and had a fun time. Harness, not jockey. I`d love to go to the Thoroughbreds sometime though. It must be very stressful not to crash these funny little carts into each other.

Hair salon yesterday to get my hair styled and coloured back to my original colour.
It`s a bit darker than I wanted, but hopefully I`ll get used to it. I guess I should really have wigs. Cheaper and easier on the hair.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend! It`s Canada Day on Tuesday here, but I`ve got Monday off instead.

In the Garden Braving the Mosquitoes with Some Tequila Help and an Absolutely Incredible Hot Fudge Sauce

2008-06-14T08:46:00.012-04:00

"Yes, I`m going in for a few sniffs and nibbles. Isn`t that why it`s here?" I`ve added 3 more plants so far.

I decided to go with flowers in the pots this year. Chose some African Daisies and they looked very bare so I dug up some sweet woodruff and also bought a couple of spikes for the middle. In the samll pots are some Thai Basil and Lavender

I had two of these boxwood on either side of the arch but one never made it. I decided to dig the surviving one out and had slapped it in this pot until I could find somewhere to plant it.

To the far left is where I`ve pulled out the surviving Boxwood and planted another Mallow to match the other side. I`m going to have to do some heavy duty transplanting eventually because the small perrenial plants aren`t going to fit once they start to grow alongside the big ones.

I swear every year that this is dead.

But, the Trumpet Vine has again amazingly come to life.

Teds ventures out into the weed filled garden. Some of the bits are luckily only from the tree and can be swept away.

He ventures into the herb patch. I`ve only planted perennials here this year except for the arugula. Notice all the bits that have fallen from the tree. Thankfully they`re not weeds too.

I miss Saint Francis in front of the back door but Elvis was using the space here to get onto the lawn and flattening my plants so he`s been moved over a bit.

I put the annual herbs in pots this year. Purple Basil, Regular Basil and Rosemary.
I`m going to bring them in after summer and see what survives for cooking.

Teddy as well as the other two just love walking on the bricks. I still need to dig most of them in yet. For now they`re just sitting on top of the dirt.

It will eventually look nice once I get my butt out there and start digging.

Shocking mess, all the weeds, but Angus doesn`t seem to mind....

"Let me in"

Time to get serious and at least partially weed the garden.
First off, some Margarita fortification. Forget bringing out the proper glass, I wanted a nice big one, mind you, I`ve half drank it already. Goes down very well even on a not so hot day.

Out came the mosquito jacket for the bloody mosquitoes that are out on this overcast day. It only takes one bite near my eye and it swells closed.

Some areas have seedlings still sprouting so I don`t dare touch them yet, although the weeds are a mess.

DARK CHOCOLATE HOT FUDGE SAUCE

This is so good! Beware though because it`s very enticing to just eat it by the spoonful!

Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge

from The Gourmet Cookbook

1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 ounces good bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped

2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, cup into 1/2 Tablespoons

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together cocoa powder, brown sugar, corn syrup, cream, salt and half of the chopped chocolate in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until chocolate is melted. Cook mixture at a low boil, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until it thickens. Keep refrigerated and re-heat for sauce or eat by the spoonful cold and fudgey from the fridge :)

I`m going to serve it tonight for the boys over vanilla ice cream after our BBQ of hot Italian Sausages and sliced potatoes done up in tin foil with onions, mushrooms, corn and butter.

Fun and Busy Busy.....

2008-06-12T11:45:00.010-04:00

It was a very busy weekend last.
First, Friday night was girl`s night out to go and see "Sex and the City" and then to a pub. The movie was great and the whole night was fun.

It was our Anniversary 2 Monday`s ago and I recieved 14 beautiful roses. The boys were here so instead, this past Saturday we shopped for plants and went out for dinner and stopped at a gourmet ice cream parlor later on after visiting Chapters.
I`ll show all the plants I bought later. It`s all mucky outside right now and I need to weed if ever there`s a dry day that I`m free on.
A really nice day! A fantastic whole weekend.
I re-painted the kitchen cupboards. I hadn`t used a base coat the first time so they were chipping.

Angus was fizzled one bit by all the wallpapering. ....

Then I got the bedroom curtains done as well as the bed covers and Angus checked it out.

But he enjoyed the bed best when it was finished. I did buy gauzy curtains as shown in my dream bed pic, but had to pick this net canopy up and hang it because of the f%$#*#& mosquitoes that sneek in. It was $49 but when I got up to the till she said it was on sale. So I got it for $17! It feels a bit claustrophobic when closed but it will do for now.

The closet ones still need hemming. Made the bedspread and wallpapered the room. The bed that I wanted to make...hmmmm. I`m rethinking that because this doesn`t look too bad as is and I fear it will be too much for such a small room. I don`t know yet. It really would be fun to try and put together. The bed cover wasn`t totally sewn or ironed in this picture, although I did hem and iron it all last night and it looks much crisper. The quilt would do better on the dream bed. This is my "what does it look like picture" It`s rather girly I`m afraid. But I did have a Raymond Waites type harem style a few years ago. I really loved it but we live in a cottage and it was too dark, so what can I say?

Angus came in the other night with something in his mouth that suddenly jumped away. It was a frog. I was afraid it may have been hurt so I got my husband to come and help. I normally don`t mind picking up frogs and toads, but not bleeding ones if I have someone else to :) Happily, he wasn`t harmed and we took him outside by the pond.

I decided to de-junk so I took down the two wall bookshelves and lugged all the books into the spare room. What a mess.
Now I need to sort them. Some to put up at the end of the driveway in a box to sell 4 for $1.00 and some to take to work to leave for whomever wants them. Then the keepers will have to stay in the spare room somewhere on the shelves...

We`ve had some huge storms and poor Elvis hates them. This is the only time we allow him up on the couch. It can be tricky sleeping too with preventing a large dog from trying to get behind a little bed table or removing him from one`s head. We have the herbal concoction from the vet and it may work a bit, but not enough to stop his worrying. I feel so bad when I think of all the animals that have been through hurricanes etc. People too!

New Catnip, A Cute Visitor and Other Things.....

2008-05-31T13:51:00.009-04:00

My Mum called me yesterday to come over with my camera and see the visitor in their bird tree....

You can click to make these bigger. He`s so gorgeous!

Isn`t he adorable? His eyes are lit up due to the angle I had to take the picture. He almost looks like a toy.

He eventually decided to climb up the tree away from the annoying person snapping his picture...
Teds stands by while I take the pictures of the racoon...

Angus doesn`t seem to look half as big as he did in real here. He just looked so huge and comical, I had to snap him. The pots are back outside but that mint has to go and be replaced by something nicer. Maybe next weekend we`ll take a trip to a garden centre. Need some more basil because I killed all 5 of the 6 I ordered. Left them outside and it was unnusually cold.

My Dad brought me a larger catnip because the cats totaled the small one. It only has stems left on it.

The bricks are just layed unevenly here at the moment by the veg garden. Need leveling and sand.

Oh for petes sakes! Is it worth trying to get these to grow bigger? Yes. If only to see the antics of cats catching a buzz. "Why don`t I plant it in the garden?" you might ask.
Because of this next picture. And it`s only parsley!
I`ve never heard of Red Kew Lavender but it looked so pretty that I ordered it from my Richters catalogue. If you click on the picture you can see the flowers much better. I put it in a pot because I might like to bring it inside later after the summer, but I may just put it in the ground instead to spread about in this sheltered spot near the regular lavender that seems to have survived the nasty winter well.

My Dad planted some Japenese Willow bushes along the back
fence near my own garden....

Here`s a close up...

I love the smell of Lily of the Valley bath and perfumes so I decided it was about time I had some plants. There was tons along the woods-line so I stuck a few in the veg garden under the tree. Most of the bricks are still waiting for me to dig them in but too many mosquitoes out there today as well as on and off rain and thunder-bangers..

Time to pull the grass out of the Ajuga. Its a pretty plant but a mad insane spreader...

The Clematis is doing great this year. Sweet Woodruff seems slightly out of hand surrounding other things that hopefully will still do okay. It sure makes a good weed stomper.

My gardens are a real mess still. Need to weed badly as you may notice. I chopped down the killer rose bush today in front, that gave me such grief when I had a long term thorn stuck in my finger. Tetanus shots, poultice, antibiotics etc. It was one of the first posts I did. The bush never did well, yet had the best and most vicious thorns of every size you could imagine. From tiny minute needles to massive honkin big thick 1 1/2 inch suckers. It actually had two different kinds of roses on it but they never seemed very healthy. It looks bare at the moment but I hated that nasty thing. I`ll either leave it like this and see what comes back up or did the whole darn thing out and plant something nice.

I had a wack of beautiful lilacs but they have died, so I just grabbed some Sweet Woodruff from the masses I have growing outside (another great ground cover and spreader and very easy to pull out and move) as well as a branch of Honeysuckle to set on the table........

Hope everyone has a great weekend! There seems so much more to blog about without the darn winter!!

Lets Demolish the Catnip and Elvis Has a Bath

2008-05-23T17:23:00.006-04:00

These speak for themselves..........

So far the catnip is holding up fairly good all considering, but I think I really should have bought more.

I don`t know what Elvis has been into, but he smelled unbearable. Hubby put him in the tub. Poor Elvis LOL...

Lots of dirty water and mucky splashes and ring around the tub! Massive scrub and clean duty for me afterwards.

Good boy, Elvis. Here`s a nice chew bone....

All nice and fluffy and smelling much better....

Still working on the garden. Did some planting and need to finish burying the bricks yet....