I have finally experienced a true winter and it was not fun! I like being able to walk outside and not have a foot of snow over night… I think it would suffice to say my computer was frozen for the winter?
In celebration of Spring and non-frozen ground. I made a simple pasta dish with steamed asparagus and a poached egg it was worth the wait!
S
It has been a while since I have put a post up, bread and desserts have been my beat these days. Now that there is a new year and a fresh start I made a small goal to make a new soup every week. What is better then a hot bowl of soup, a sliver or two of fresh baked bread, and a large tool to slurp it all down with? I can’t think any better words to describe such a simple dish other than tantalizing, I feel like that sums up a soup experience.
The snow that sparkles outside has been coxing me to start my soup project, so sit tight and sometime this week I will serve up soup number one! Green means go!
S
Though I do not rely on the caffeine jolt that most coffee drinkers need as they start their day, I see it purely as a refreshing drink of art. Though I do not drink coffee on a regular basis I do have specifications for my beverage of choice. And no it’s not a iced single vente, 7 pump peppermint, caramel sauce top and bottom, light ice, no whip, mocha, hold the straw. No I just like my coffee in its purest most natural state and by golly I have found the best coffee bar that specializes in just that. Museo: http://www.museocoffee.com/
While traveling and spending lots of time in coffee shops with my best friend T who is an avid coffee coinsure I have gotten the gist of the coffee world and I now know what to look for. Here at Mueso there aren’t any artificial flavourings or any crazy flavour combinations. The presentation is clean cut and simple and the only thing you have to think about is how amazing your beverage tastes.
My drink of choice is an iced latte which is prepared martini style, shaken not stirred. Honestly the aeration that occurs when the espresso, ice and milk are shaken completely changes the dynamics of the drink, it’s more sweet in its own way and of course has the best factor, the foam (that recedes quite fast and requires your utmost full attention a for half a minute.)
So there you have it, my favorite coffee beverage, shaken not stirred… these baristas these days have a lot to learn if they want to please the coffee drinking crowed that is becoming more educated and dare I say- spoiled?
S
In the midst of being extremely busy I finally had to tell myself NO you can’t leave the house until you bake what you want to bake. This ended up being a half day full of deliciousness! I baked peanut butter cookies with chia seeds and classic chocolate chip cookies that I will be sending to my friend in California. But the highlight of my day was my cherry clafoutis, in my backyard there are two trees full of tart cherries so I couldn’t help myself! I was very impressed with the outcome, and I am now on a hunt for an ice cream maker, or I will have to resort to the old school way of throwing a jar around… It’s tempting I must say.
S
I feel as though this has been way over due, when I opened the cupboard door to only be greeted by a gaggle of lemons, when removed from their location I could only think of one convenient, delicious beverage to make… LEMON AID! I am a huge fan of this ever so refreshing “swill” if you will. It’s quite versatile, any sort of herbs can be added from your garden or alternative fruits may be added to spunk it up a bit, and it’s an easy fix!
Lemon AID:
1 ½ cups sugar
3 cups of water
12 lemons
S
I have come to the realization that one speeds right through a day without giving peripheral vision a chance or even taking the time to notice what is going on the opposing side of the bubble we call life.
I believe that if we care enough, we can have the power to invest our time in a useful, relaxing and invigorating day. I have entered into a world of hectic, long days, and a constant buzz to always be on the go… which is hard to shake off when you get home from work. BUT I have a solution, this week I have been practicing taking time out of my day even if I am in the car, to shut the radio off roll down the window and absorb in the partials of life on the other side of the translucent bubble of life, to only find small incandescent joys. For instance, the rain, it has been raining non stop for over two weeks now, which I believe is amazing and I can’t get enough of it. Something just as simple as rain can deliver instant peace. Many people view it as a damper on their commute to work or another day of frizzy hair. There are positives to everything (right?), the rain is telling you to slow down… breathe and just soak up the rain drops, let them dance across your face and look around you for once and who cares if you have frizzy hair!
So I took my frizzy hair outside and went to smell flowers, something just that simple filled me with gratitude and a warm fuzzy feeling inside. What is it that will make you stop and reflect?
The bread baking is coming along… trying to get faster and the running is excellent, I think I will be able to make my 10k in 9 days! As for the garden, it’s a small pond for the local duckies… is that a good thing? More fertilizer!! I plan to get a few seeds going shortly if Mother Nature allows it!
S
It seems as though the weather man was correct, it has been raining for two weeks, not that I am complaining because I love the rain… but I didn’t get to plant any of my seeds or go for a single run this week. On a very positive note, I think we have the greenest grass in all of Canada, I have never seen grass this green in my life!! I may just have to suck it up and go frolic about in the rain and get a good run in.
On the flip side of the rainy weather I have been staying indoors… of establishments that I never thought existed here in Saskatoon, thankfully I was pleasantly surprised. I went on a food tour of Saskatoon where I had the most amazing Tom Ka Kai soup (coconut milk, lemon grass, scallions, sautéed mushrooms). At the next stop I had a roasted chicken and red pepper panini from Souleio, a French inspired café with an amazing assortment of high quality cheese, cured meats and a selection of pastry items. My favorite part about this café was the chalk board, it is a massive almost piece of art that catches your attention and provokes your senses to order a drink and try something new!
I have discovered my hide away for the winter time… when the first snow falls (of the winter) I will be heading over for a cup of coconut rum goodness! In the mean time I saw the weather forecast had some sun in it for the weekend, so I hope to get these little seeds in!
S
The weather has been odd lately so over the long weekend I wasn’t able to even think about going out to the garden. Yet this coming weekend I will be planting my first seeds and getting this whole vegetable gardening going.
I am still aiming on running this race that is coming up here shortly; I went for a nice brisk 7 mile run today, so I seem to be making a little bit of progress!! Keep your fingers crossed!
So this week is all about stepping up to the challenge and going for it!
S
As another grueling week has passed, I will write in bullet formation to save my tiered hands.
- The two garden boxes are built
- We loaded 14 wheelbarrows full of soil across the property into half of one box
- We are devising a plating plan for possibly next weekend
- I got to eat my uncles organic asparagus… and it was fantastic
- The 1948 Chevy truck that is used for moving things about to and from town is back… I am in love with the truck
- The weekend brought 80 degree weather and my body is happily warm and sore!
- Next weekend I hope to get some little seeds planted!
S
Yes, it is true a garden consumes ones life, but for the best… and I believe it’s a path in life that has plenty rewards. I have hiked up my skirt, put on my digging’ clothes and started to get my hands dirty.
Step one: admitting a garden is a lot of work… after sawing my own wood, digging holes and staking out ground my Uncle (my inspiration) finally got it into my head. But as determined as I am, I know I can do this! My Aunt and I marked off out two raised beds, shoveled and situated all the bricks- for drainage and started moving lumber to finish off the boxes. Next weekend we hammer and formulate the perfect soil!
In the midst of all of this, I have been trying to stay on top of my running, which hasn’t been that easy, so I am slowly climbing the mountain and I am of course making bread!
