Happy Thanksgiving Canada

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….celebrating with a Southern flair

This year we substituted turkey and stuffing with deep fried chicken, BBQ ribs and macaroni and cheese. We started the meal with curried pumpkin soup, served in the pumpkin shell and freshly baked corn bread. Our daughter hosted the meal and because there were 14 of us we decided to share the work with a pot luck meal. I brought the soup and bread and plum cake. Gaelan and Brendan cooked the meats and the mac and cheese. Other contributions included roasted potatoes, pasta salad, coleslaw, wine and meat and cheese platters as appetizers.

As you can see from the photos our granddaughter loved the pumpkin but she loved the soup just as much. Even my Dad who normally dislikes pumpkin pie enjoyed this soup.

The recipe came from a cookbook that my friend Janice gave me as a gift last Christmas. Her church, St. Philip’s Lutheran Church, collected soup recipes from friends and members of the church and created the book It All Begins With Soup and sold the cookbook as a fundraiser. This recipe is dead simple.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

1 large can of pumpkin puree

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic

3 cups of chicken broth

1 Tbsp curry paste (more if you like spicy)

1/4 tsp. coriander, salt and pepper (adjust seasoning to your taste)

3/4 cup coconut milk (1/4 cup for swirls in the serving bowls)

Saute the onions and garlic in the coconut oil. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, paste and seasonings. Stir and cook until boiling. Cover and continue to boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pumpkin puree and coconut milk. Whisk until smooth. Cook for a final 5 minutes before you puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Serve warm with a swirl of coconut milk in a bowl.

if you are vegan you can substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth
I doubled the recipe to serve 14 people – the bowls were small but some people had seconds
my pumpkin was way to big – the soup filled just over half the pumpkin

Happy Birthday, Dad – 91 Years Young

Posted on October 7, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….birthdays are a big deal for my Dad

It’s Saturday morning, October 7th, and we’re sitting around waiting for friends and family to call Dad and send him birthday wishes. These phone calls mean the world to him as do birthday cards. He was so disappointed yesterday that no cards came in the mail. My sister in Calgary never forgets but this year she was away, moving her son to B.C. and it completely slipped her mind. I’m sure more cards will arrive after the long weekend.

This afternoon we’re going to take his iPad over to Apple and see if we can get it fixed, otherwise, he’ll be buying himself a new one for his birthday. For dinner he requested that we go to Mamma Martino’s for his birthday dinner so he can order spaghetti and meatballs. Kevin and I always call that restaurant one of our ‘cheap and cheerful’ places to go.

Well I think we’ve waited long enough for phone calls. I’m sure more will come in this afternoon. So far he’s received seven calls. Three from old friends and four from family.

His one request for his birthday was for a German plum cake with streusel. I’ve got the plums. I just need to find the time to make it now. Wish me luck!

WPC – Pedestrian

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….how would you interpret this week’s WPC theme of pedestrian

pe·des·tri·an

[pəˈdestrēən]

NOUN

a person walking along a road or in a developed area.

synonyms: walker · person on foot · foot traffic

ADJECTIVE

lacking inspiration or excitement; dull:

“disenchantment with their present, pedestrian lives”

synonyms:dull · boring · tedious · monotonous · uneventful ·

[more]

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Letter F – Fun

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Cee for hosting the Fun Foto Challenge

What’s more fun for a toddler than to play in water on a hot day.

Share Your World – Sept. 25, 2017

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….thanks Cee for more thought provoking question on Share Your World

What is your favorite outdoor activity?

I think that it would have to be walking where ever I happen to be, with or without my dog, but always with my camera or iPhone close by. Here are some photos I took on this morning’s walk.

In a car would you rather drive or be a passenger?

It really depends on who’s driving and where I’m going. When I’m with my 90 year old father I’d rather be driving because he’s too distracted when there’s someone else in the car. When I’m with my husband and on a long trip I like it when he drives but I don’t mind taking turns.

If you could have three wishes granted for you alone, what would they be?

#1 – I’d like to take off my excess weight and maintain that loss (is that 2 wishes?). I’ve been on a roller coaster diet all my life. I feel much better when I’m thinner, my clothes look better on me and I want to be able to enjoy my walks and time with my granddaughter without feeling the aches and pains in my feet and joints.

#2 – I’d like to have enough money to finish some projects around the house and still be able to take at least one trip a year overseas or across the country without worrying about how the bills are going to be paid.

#3 – I’d like to have more grandchildren but I guess that’s not really up to me.

What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

These past two weeks I appreciated spending time with friends in the middle of the week. When I was working this would have been out of the question. Two Tuesdays ago I went to the AGO (art gallery) with my life-long friend, Arlene. She’s been patiently waiting for me to retire so we could do this. The show we saw was called Every. Now. Then. Reframing Nationhood. In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, it explores three urgent questions through the eyes of some of the country’s best emerging and established artists: where has Canada come from, what it is now, and where is it going?

Last Tuesday I spent the day with my daughter and granddaughter. We went to the mall together, had lunch and just hung out. I finished a hat for Winnie while I was there and apparently she didn’t take it off for two days. My daughter had to hide it from her. We’ve been experiencing a heat wave here and a wool cap is the last thing she needs on her head.

On Wednesday I drove to St. Catharines with my friend Diane to visit her father at the retirement home. We met her sister there and went for lunch at a great place close by. After that we got back in the car and drove to Niagara-on-the-Lake where we took in an afternoon show at the Old Courthouse. Walking through this town is always such a visual treat for me.

This week I was also inspired to finally reorganize my room so that I can start doing art again. Two of my friends gave me a timeline (end of September) to get my stuff sorted so that I can start putting shelves, a desk and a filing cabinet in my space. Hopefully I’ll really be able to organize my supplies and then get down to doing some serious art. At least now I’m not embarrassed when people go up to my bedroom. I can get to my bed now without stepping over stuff or having to worry about tripping on something in the dark. I’ll post photos when I have more ‘after’ shots.

Cheers!

SuperDogs and the Midway

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….more fun from the CNE

All those years at the CNE and I never once managed to find the time to see the SuperDogs show. This year my daughters and I made it a priority and we weren’t disappointed. The show is free and the stands always fill up quickly. This show is fun and not meant to be taken seriously.

The CNE would not be the same for me or my girls if we didn’t walk through the midway. We’re not big on the rides but we like to look at them. We do, however, enjoy playing some of the games. At $5.00 a pop, Whack a Mole didn’t hold our attention for too long. We each tried it once but there was always someone with faster reflexes than us. We also liked playing the water guns but seat #12 always seemed to come in first. The Birthday Games also didn’t bring us any prizes this year.

After the girls and I parted ways I couldn’t help myself and I went back to the water gun booth and sat on chair 12. Success!

Dinosaur Park and a Pioneer Garden

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….the park surrounding Dundurn Castle in Hamilton

My granddaughter loves parks and the park surrounding the castle is one of her favourites. She calls it the dinosaur park because the climber has pictures of dinosaurs on it. She’s a great climber and loves the slides and swings. She made sure that her Papa got on a swing as well.

In the far corner of the grounds at Dundurn Castle there lies a large, old fashion garden with flowers, fruit trees and vegetables. Some of the produce is used in the kitchen at the castle and the rest is donated to the city food bank. Much of the produce is true to what was grown in the 19th century. The gardeners were very knowledgeable and wonderful to talk to. I learned a great deal.

Share Your World – September 11, 2017

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Mama Cormier

…..thank you Cee for bringing me back to Share Your World

Would you want $200,000 right now or $250,000 in a year? It’s safe to assume all money is tax free.

I would want the smaller amount and invest it now. Who knows where I’ll be in a year? If I’m gone at least my family can enjoy the money.

Is it more important to love or be loved?

I think they go hand in hand. If you love others chances are you’ll be loved back and if you are loved you can’t help but give back that love. Having one without the other would be very disappointing or very frustrating.

List things that represent abundance to you.

Time with loved ones

Solitary days at the cottage

Freedom to paint

Reading a good book

A beautiful garden to relax in

Good food and drink with family and friends

Exploring new destinations, short and long trips

What inspired you this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

This past week I was inspired by the opening of a new store in my neighbourhood. It’s a wool shop with a lovely sitting area where customers are encouraged to bring their knitting and sit and share their knitting experiences and challenges. I’m very excited about this new store and wish them good success. I’ve been inspired to pick up my knitting needles and I purchased some beautiful yarn for a sweater for my granddaughter. The store is called Spin Me a Yarn. Check it out.

www.spinmeayarn

Fun at the Military Museum

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….who knew?

Last Friday when we went to Dundurn Castle in Hamilton we never dreamt that the Military Museum would hold the attention of our almost two year old granddaughter.

The staff at the ticket office encouraged us to go to the museum because there were a lot of hands-on artefacts that Winnie would enjoy. We were somewhat sceptical but admission was very reasonable so I bought the tickets and we started to walk towards our destination. Unfortunately we ended up going in a circle and I went back inside to get directions again. We went right when we should have gone left.

When we got to the small museum we were greeted by a very nice young woman who reassured us that the museum was definitely hands-on. In the first room there were military costumes and hats to try on. I think the adults had more fun in this room.

The second floor definitely was a big hit with Winnie. In fact my daughter, Gaelan thought that this floor was better than the Children’s Museum (also in Hamilton). Winnie immediately went to the musical instruments and then entertained herself by emptying the cook pot of it artificial food and then filling it up again. She also enjoyed exploring the tent with her Papa.

When we had exhausted the novelty of this interesting place the rain had stopped and we headed back outside where Winnie headed for her favourite part of the park, the ‘dinosaur’ playground. More about that in a day or so.

Cheers!

Food at the C.N.E.

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Mama Cormier

….every year the C.N.E. features some wildly delicious food

The food vendors get very creative every year at the Canadian National Exhibition. This year was no exception. The crazier the better just to get to get your food dollars. If you only attend the C.N.E. once you have to pick and choose carefully or you’ll end up with a massive tummy ache.

The first thing that my daughter, daughter-in-law and I did was venture into the Food building and make our menu choices. The girls had decided ahead of time to check out the Japanese Street Food booth. An order of Dirty Fries and a Samurai burger didn’t disappoint.

If there was one common and unusual ingredient this year it had to be activated charcoal. I chose a slice of pizza called Carbone. The crust was light and airy and delicious.

For dessert the girls lead me through the midway to find the vendor that sold a soft ice-cream made from grape and charcoal and served on a slice of watermelon; also very delicious.