Our Mom has had a tough go of it this winter.  She is waiting out her time for a place at a nursing home, at the Misrecordia Hospital.  Earlier this winter there was a respiratory infection that spread through the ward so they had to put the residents under quarantine to protect any further people in the hospital becoming sick.  The ward is old and Mom’s room is very small and even though friends gather together in the hallways to visit, Mom can’t hear very well and the echoey hallway does not promote a great conversation.  So, as you can imagine she was getting pretty antsy by the time the limitations were lifted, just before Easter.  Mom was supposed to go to Deer Lodge to have some dental work done and when her appointment was postponed, she was so disappointed.  When Sister #3 sympathized with her and said: “I know Mom, it must be frustrating to not be able to get your teeth worked on”.  Mom, replied: “No, my mouth isn’t bothering me, I was just looking forward to getting out of here.”

Sister #3 decided that it was time to make arrangements for an outing.  For as long as we can remember, visiting the flower conservatory at Assiniboine Park has been one of our family Easter traditions.  Sister #3 did some research to ensure that there would be something on the menu at Terrace in the Park for Mom to eat with her dental issues.  The plans were set into motion and I met the wheelchair van at the front of the Pavilion.  We had some time to spare before our reservation, so we took the elevator up to see the Winnie the Pooh Gallery and other enjoyable exhibits.

The day was cold, gray and drizzly but we were cheered by our lovely round table waiting for us.

We were hungry and dived into the bread basket.  This was how the piped butter was presented.  With such attention to detail, we were assured that our lunch would be lovely.

We thought that Mom should be able to tackle the Crab and Pea Risotto.  She found it a little bland and asked for the salt shaker which is quite common with Mom.  But she was absolutely right-when the seasonings of the dish were corrected with a bit of salt, it was rich, creamy and satisfying.  I personally don’t “get” risotto.  I am not sure that all the effort of the constant stirring and adding small amounts of liquid and cheese is worth the pay off.  But, who am I to say?  Others don’t “get” my constant yearning for the perfect French fry; Sister #3 for one.

Sister #3 selected the Beef Tenderloin that was crowned with baby gherkin pickles.  The accompanying fettuccine was particularly buttery and delicious and Mom had a couple of satisfying bites.

The hit of the day was the Pickerel Po Boy.  Haven been to New Orleans and feasted on traditional po boys, I am not exactly sure why this sandwich would be so named.  Authentic po boys are a Lousiana version of a sub sandwich with battered and fried shrimp, oysters, soft-shelled crab or crawfish, placed on a baquette-like New Orleans French bread and usually dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayonnaise.  The Terrace’s fried fish seemed to be the only detail connecting it to a po boy.  This is in the small points department, because although the taste wasn’t authentic, it was none the less, absolutely terrific.  The fish was perfectly prepared, the grilled bread added a salty feature and the slaw provided crunch.  The fries, by the way were equally delicious.  We shared tastes from our three plates amongst us, so everyone was satiated.

The short trek over to the Conservatory was surprisingly brisk for Mom.  We realized later that she hadn’t really been outside for months.  During times like these, you can forget what a chilly wind feels like on your ears.  The journey was worth the trouble, for the flowers were magnificent and we all loved to see the bright dashes of spring colours.

These soft and fluffy flowers were actually tulips, the likes of which we had not seen before.  The afternoon had to draw to a close as Mom was getting sleepy and tired from being in her chair all day. Sister #3 had planned a lovely afternoon.  One that we intend to repeat sometime soon.

Kath’s quote: “Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.”-Al Bernstein

Love-that is all.

This post topic was suggested to me by a friend of mine who is a busy Mom and juggles many responsibilities.  Here’s her Facebook message to me: “Blog idea for you- fast food that is not from a drive through. I had an amazing (not hot) fresh mushroom pizza from Piazza de Nardi today
as I was rushing around, so much better than a greasy burger in the car and cheap at $2.49! I just ran in and grabbed it so it was just as
quick as a drive through, besides I was waiting for a train!!!”  This got me thinking about how we can still make nutritious choices, even when we are in a hurry.

Daughter #3 for example loves subs and artisan sandwiches that she picks up at the Safeway deli.  I have also tasted these and they are so much better than Subway’s.  I had not noticed, until I gave up salt recently, how salty tasting Subway is.  My husband picked up a six inch tuna sandwich for me last week and I could hardly eat it for the salt.

Recently a Papa Murphy’s opened in our neighbourhood and D encouraged me to stop in on their opening weekend to save the hassle of cooking when we were on our way up to our beach house for the weekend.  All that is required is a pre-heated oven, remove the plastic wrap and presto, you have made supper!  We chose a large Gourmet Chicken Garlic which was created when a creamy garlic sauce (I would deem that it was close to alfredo) was smeared on their original crust (although the “delite” crust looks very appealing too).  This was covered with roasted chicken pieces, tomatoes, green onions, parmesan and herbs.  It came on its own special pan which ensured a crunchy crust when it was pulled out of the oven.  Best of all, it was ready in ten minutes! Did I mention that it was absolutely delicious-as good as I make, and that is pretty darned good?  Later that evening, D got out a piece as we were watching a movie and declared that it was even tastier cold.  I could not imagine this, so I had to try a piece myself and sure enough….what a great snack.  I thought that they were such a good deal that I purchased three single topping pies at $6 each to have around for our boarder, when we are not home for supper.  Even if he ate the entire pizza, I could never feed him for $6 AND since you bake them at home, there is no provincial sales tax-win, win, win.

This isn’t from The Calabria Market but The Marion Street Eatery

D and I recently met the folks who operate the Calabria Market on Scurffield Blvd.  When I mentioned that I would be teaching in the area this fall, they encouraged me to stop into their deli for an Italian sandwich made of Italian meats and cheese on a Panini.  I plan on doing so.  Although I also have yet to sample their pizza, I have heard their fans claim that it is the best pizza in Winnipeg.

Have you ever tasted a Vietnamese sub?  They are called Binh Mi.  At Saigon Jon’s Vietnamese Kitchen they are made with a fresh baked white or multigrain baguette, pickled daikon/carrot slaw, cucumbers, pickled red onion, fresh cilantro, and choice of jalapeno-kind of like a Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowl but with a bun instead of the noodles.  You will get a choice of Aiolis/Mayo: Thai Basil Aioli, Sriracha Mayo, Roasted Shallot Aioli or Cilantro Lime Mayo.  I think that you would know which I would chose.

Kath’s quote: “Prepared and fast foods have given us the time and freedom to see cooking as an art form – a form of creative expression.”-Jeff Smith

Love-that is all.

From the moment I met Natasha from Treasury Wine Estate, I knew that she was the real deal.  Not only is she drop dead gorgeous with the most beautiful complexion I have seen in a very long time, but she looked fit and healthy in her “Penfold’s red” dress.

She was also upbeat and happy about her work and representing the iconic Australian winery Penfolds.  When you think about it, who wouldn’t want to travel the world, sip exquisite wines, taste fantastic food and then talk about it?  The key for me and my “liking” her is that wine aficionados can be pretentious and stand-offish and Natasha is anything but that.  She uses real language to describe her Penfolds wine passion-words like “pencil shavings”, marshmallow” and “lacy”.  As I pondered what made this woman so appealing, I just came out and asked her where she was from.  The answer? Regina-where the humblest and modest people in the world come from (second to Winnipeg, of course).

As mini tuna tacos and shrimp cocktail were presented by efficient Keg servers, we sipped on a Bin 51 2012 Riesling.  I do love a lusciously sweet Riesling and this was dryer than my taste but I will admit that the hints of lemon and apple were a perfect complement to the seafood appetizers.  The first course was a delectable Lobster & Shrimp salad.  The Keg’s recipe including avocado, cremini mushrooms, black beans and corn is just my cuppa tea.  These distinct flavours were enhanced by the Thomas Hyland Chardonnay.  I especially liked the biscuity notes (another of Natasha’s down to earth descriptors).

I was surprised, but more than appreciative when a Bin 2 Shiraz Mouvedre 2009 was served with the second course of the Keg’s Creole Chicken.  I skipped the chicken (trying to pace myself) but loved the shrimp and scallops with the spicy and earthy shiraz.  Natasha thought of it as an alluring “lady” wine with tastes of rosemary, thyme, lavender and cinnamon.

My favourite food taste of the evening was the perfectly prepared Mustard Salmon served with another 2009 wine, this time Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon.  This was when Natasha’s description of pencil shavings came in and she was exactly correct.  The suggestions of blackberry and back cherry were another surprise with how well they magnified the mustard sauce and the salmon.

The best was yet to come when another Shiraz (St. Henri) arrived for us to savour with Beef Tenderloin Medallions accompanied by drizzles of béarnaise and whiskey peppercorn sauces.  Natasha declared that the wine was veiled, perfumed, velvety with aromas reminiscent of Easter Lilies.  I simply took her word for it, not having as sophisticated palate as she, but knowing it was likely the finest Shiraz I have ever tasted.

Grandfather Port, aged 30 years, was lovely to sip with the Dessert course of Chocolate Cake and fresh raspberries but even better when I followed the lead of one of our table companions, who poured his port right over his cake.  He is Sicilian and since we have travelled there, we know that Sicilians know how to eat, so I wasn’t going to challenge his decision.  He was right, the decadent richness of the cake was  put over the top with the baptism of port.

The room and our table were beautiful, as were the guests whom we dined with.  The value offered by both Penfolds and The Keg was nothing short of astounding, with a ticket cost of a mere $100.  A friend in the lobby remarked that he would have happily paid double that amount. Best of all, was that all monies raised went to Special Olympics Manitoba.  In all, one of those memorable evenings that will stay with us for a very long time.

Kath’s quote: “Wine is bottled poetry.”-Robert Louis Stevenson

Love-that is all.

Guess how we started our day?

When our family is with us, we spend a lot of time in Centro but as soon as they depart, we find ourselves drawn to the Colonias for long walks through the neighbourhoods.  On this day, we actually walked into Colonias twice-once to reacquaint ourselves with the exact locale of Deysi & Raul’s and the next time to actually dine there.

I have fun on these walks using different filters and settings on my camera.

Some photos, though, just speak for themselves.

No wonder Isla was dubbed one of the most colourful towns on earth.

I love the sun through the trees and am fascinated by shadows on the island.

These vintage tiles were re-used for a kind of sidewalk.

Aren’t the reflections in the glass fascinating?

These are only half of the photos that I took on this day.  Some have to be reformatted as they are too large.  So, I will post these for now and continue with part two after I do some more work.

In the mean time…..

Kath’s quote: “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand-and melting like a snowflake…” Francis Bacon Sr.

Can you see the hearts in this sun rise-not one but two to doubly bless our day?

Love that is all.

At the advice of my doctor, I have started taking a medication to reduce my cholesterol.  Subsequently, my dose has been reduced by half as I have been suffering from one of the known side effects-that of muscle pain.  In the mean time, I have stepped up my efforts to reduce my cholesterol naturally through diet.  The first step was eliminating the foods that may be harmful to my levels and making a list of those foods that are known cholesterol fighters.  In addition to kidney beans, pears, grapes, citrus fruits, blueberries, tomatoes, eggplant, nuts, halibut and flaxseed, I found that oatmeal, oat bran, apples, almonds and canola oil were on the list of healthy foods.

I clearly remember when I was a little girl and my Mom would make what she called Browned Betty (apple crisp) for dessert, she would allow me to have some with warmed milk the next day for breakfast. I loved the treat, especially the oatmeal topping and thought that if I could find a way to duplicate that taste, eating oatmeal everyday would not be such a bad thing.

So I have formulated this delicious pseudo “Brown Betty” recipe that incorporates oatmeal, oat bran, apples, almonds and canola oil into one healthy little breakfast bowl.  Once a batch is made up, I keep it in the freezer.  When it is breakfast time (usually about 10 am for me), I put a healthy handful into a bowl with some milk and mic it for 45 seconds or so.

Kath’s quote: “You have to eat oatmeal or you’ll dry up. Anybody knows that.”-Kay Thompson, author of ‘Eloise’

Love-that is all.