….thanks to Cee for hosting the Fun Foto Challenge
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – Threes
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Tag Archives: food
I Can’t Believe She Ate the Whole Thing
….it seems that my granddaughter is going through a growth spurt
I was blessed this weekend to have my daughter and granddaughter stay with us for the weekend. On Friday they will be moving to the summer camp that my son-in-law is in charge of and unless I go up there during the summer there’s little chance of seeing them for the next two months. Hopefully I will find the time to drive up and spend a day or two, here and there over the summer months.
So this weekend was very special to me. We started the day with lunch on the deck and Winnie enjoyed a sandwich, juice and strawberries. She discovered that dipping strawberries into almond butter made for a tasty treat.
After lunch Mommy left to visit a friend for a couple of hours so Winnie and I walked up to the Lakeshore where a grilled cheese festival was taking place. Before we got there she was already declaring that she was hungry again so the first thing we did was purchase a grilled cheese sandwich. She didn’t eat it all but she did want to take it home (which she finished later). Then we went to the yarn store and the owner kindly offered both of us a drink of juice with ‘strawberries’ in it. Of course Winnie loved it.
When we left the yarn store Winnie once again said she was hungry so we headed towards the ice-cream store. She ordered a ‘strawberry’ cone and I had a cup of ‘sweet cream’. Her cone had a very generous scoop of ice-cream for a kiddie cone but she had no problem finishing the whole thing.
In between all the treats Winnie bounced around in the Bouncy Castle and played several games where she earned some coupons for a few small prizes. All in all it was a wonderful afternoon that I will always cherish.
All Lined Up
….thanks to Judy for hosting the All Lined Up Photo Challenge
A special shout out to our son-in-law for the last photo of our granddaughter with the line of dipping sauces in front of her.
The Garden is Taking Shape
….unlike other years this one is in before July
When I was working our garden sometimes didn’t get planted until the end of June or later. This year, thanks to a burst of energy, my husband was eager to get the seeds and plants in for his vegetable boxes. I’m in charge of the flowers.
The weather has finally shifted and it’s been comfortable enough to work outside in the garden. The soil is no longer swimming in water and is finally dry enough for planting. The family who cuts our grass also seeded it a few weeks ago and it’s looking very lush and healthy. Two evenings this week it’s been warm enough to eat supper on the deck and I’ve been enjoying my morning coffee outside.
Today’s dinner started with this amazing burrata, roasted peaches, prosciutto, tomato and arugula salad.
The main course was a mussel, shrimp, halibut and chorizo stew.
Happy Victoria Day
….to all my fellow Canadians
As far as long weekends go this one was pretty uneventful. Daughter number two went up to the camp to continue cleaning out their cabin that they’ll be living in this summer but they only stayed one night. The black flies are pretty bad this time of year and it was cold.
On Saturday I got some gardening down and cleaned out part of a flower bed and trimmed back the Rose of Sharon and the ornamental grass. Even though it was warm enough to garden without a jacket it wasn’t warm enough to sit outside without a jacket to enjoy a cup of coffee.
On Sunday daughter number one and our daughter-in-law came over to drop off their dog, Olive so that they could camping in a yurt up in Tobermory. While they were there my husband felt well enough to make a fabulous dinner that he had seen on Jamie Oliver’s show, Dinner in 30 Minutes. This is a photo of the salad he made with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, roasted peaches, olives and salad greens.
Olive seemed to settle in quite nicely and she certainly made herself right at home when her mommies left. Unfortunately night time was a bit rough and I ended up sleeping on the couch with her until 4:30 in the morning and then my husband took over.
Today started out promising but the winds picked up and the temperatures were well below normal. Later in the day I bundled up and took the dogs for two separate walks. Frances would only let me take her around the block but Olive went five times as far. We ended up in Col. Sam Smith Park. The water levels are still high and one of the pathways was completely under water.
No sunburn or tanning this long weekend but the good news is that I walked over 13000 steps today. How was everyone else’s weekend.?
Easter With the Cormiers
….celebrating a day early makes for a nice restful Easter Sunday
On Saturday I got up early to put the turkey in the oven. I made the stuffing the night before so that saved me some time and I hid a few eggs before I retired for the evening. Despite all the advanced prep work I still found myself working right up till the moment the first of my kids arrived but I must admit that it was considerably less stressful than other years. I did manage to get the table set and hide all the Easter eggs.
My daughter and daughter-in-law took over the egg decorating job and my husband started up the BBQ where he cooked all the vegetables.
Our granddaughter and her parents and other grandmother were the last to arrive and little Winnie didn’t waste any time looking for the treats that the Easter Bunny hid around the house.
After dinner most of us decided we needed to get some fresh air and walk off some of the calories that we had consumed. Our son-in-law made us some wonderful cocktails to start the meal, Gaelan prepared a delicious cheesy cauliflower bake and Andrea and Josie made a decadent chocolate panna cotta for dessert. On top of the turkey and the rice stuffing I also made gluten free spring pasta salad. Luckily the rain had stopped so we headed to the park and continued to the playground a few blocks over.
I hope all of you had as wonderful day as I did. Happy Easter everyone!
Fun Family Day
….last weekend was a long weekend here in Ontario to celebrate Family Day
Family Day has become a tradition in our family where food takes centre stage. This year my husband and youngest daughter thought it would be fun to have a soup exchange. So in three households three different soups were prepared and ladled into containers for sharing.
Four of us drove to Hamilton where Gaelan had a lovely lunch of roast chicken, mashed sweet potatoes and broccoli ready to serve. Andrea and Josie brought a yummy salad and my husband volunteered to pick up the gourmet donuts from San Remo.
Winnie and I were the only two that won a prize in the Tim Horton’s Roll up the Rim contest. We both won a cup of coffee which we handed over to our hostess.
London – Day Three – Part 2
…..after Highgate Cemetery
Down the hill from Highgate Cemetery we were directed to look for a pub that came highly recommended. Unfortunately when we got there the pub was being completely renovated and wasn’t open for business. We didn’t have to walk far before we found another place with a lovely patio. It was a little chilly to be sitting outside so we opted to go inside The Vine. Only one other table was occupied but the bartender greeted us and directed us to a table for four and handed us menus.
Normally an empty pub doesn’t bode well for good service or food but in this case it was completely the opposite. Our waiter was delightful and the food was delicious.
After a pint of larger or cider and a few sharing plates we headed off towards Camden Market.
With hundreds of stalls selling clothing, crafts, and food, Camden Market is one of Europe’s largest markets. It is divided into different markets. We started in the Camden Lock Market which is on the street level and next to the locks. There were lots of food vendors here and a variety of stalls selling anything from books, music and flowers to vintage clothes.
At first glance I thought the market was actually quite small but then we walked through a hole in the brick wall and we experienced a whole new world. There are literally hundreds of vendors in the Stables Market.
The Stables Market is located in historic former stables and the Grade II horse hospital which served the horses pulling Pickford’s distribution vans and barges along the canal. Many of the stalls and shops are set in large arches in railway viaducts.
It is very easy to get lost in this place. If you like this kind of market give yourself a couple of hours to really see this place and check out all the vendors.
London – Day 2 (Part 2)
….Day 2 was jam packed with activity
We ended our site seeing day at Liberty London where we admired the beautiful fabrics that Liberty is so famous for and went upstairs to the Christmas Department. Yes, Christmas. October is the beginning of the Christmas season in England. I couldn’t help myself but I had to purchase a little Christmas gnome for our granddaughter’s Christmas tree. I wish I had taken a photo. Sorry about that.
One of my daughter-in-law’s must do items for this trip was to experience a Sunday roast. Our son booked a table at the pub where he and his wife celebrated their marriage after the civil ceremony over two years ago. Since none of us were at their party (we celebrated with a Persian wedding a month later with all the families in Italy) Brendan really wanted us to see the place and he pre-ordered a traditional Sunday roast for six.
Share Your World – July 23, 2018
…thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World
In regards to puzzle what’s your choice: jigsaw, crossword, word search, mazes, logic or numeric puzzles, something else, or nothing?
My favourite puzzle is Sudoku.
List at least five favorite treats and it doesn’t necessarily have to be food.
I like to treat myself to the following:
A premium ice-cream in a cup
A manicure and pedicure
A good movie
An evening out with friends
A nice glass of wine with my husband
A piece of torte with my father (he loves his cake)
A slice of freshly baked bread slathered with butter
What is your favorite type of dog? (can be anything from a specific breed, a stuffed animal or character in a movie)
My favourite dog is hands down a golden retriever. I’ve owned two in my lifetime. We now have a mutt who is definitely my husband’s dog. He’s always said that the goldens were my dogs and Frances is his. (Scully is 15 years old in this photo and Frances is going on 12)
What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
This was a very special week because my son was visiting from London, England. There was a lot of eating and drinking, touring museums and art galleries, visiting his sister in Hamilton and attending a rugby game.
At the AGO
At the ROM
Family
A Week of Food
At the Rugby Game
Mama Cormier 