Hoarse Horse?

One of us can barely talk, but all-in-all it was a successful weekend 'away'. The horses got some treats and so did we. Cider anyone?

cookbooks...

Librarygirl asked how many cookbooks we have so I counted - 27. This number is reduced a bit because for a while we had some books for professional cooks that were very heavy and had recipes for 20 loaves of bread etc. They had some lovely photos but we finally got rid of them. I think. Of course they could be in the attic...

Of the 27 that remain, I refer to about 4 seen in this photo.  From top left, Bon Appetit, Martha Storey's 500 Treasured Country Recipes, the old Joy of Cooking and a small vegan zine from Montreal called Ripe. I don't think it's published anymore - maybe she has a blog now? I should check.
**I did check - it's by Jae Steele and she now has two books and a blog, Domestic Affair - I shoulda knowed that!**

I refer to this one most (actually #28) which is a notebook from chinatown filled with recipes handwritten and cut out of magazines, some tried and some just copied for future reference. There are also pages with magazine pictures pasted over yucky recipes that I've given up on. I started this when I lived in Vancouver in 1988.

These are the rest of the books. There are some very beautiful ones, a couple of church lady style fundraising ones, one I bought when I started university (Cooking 101) and some found at thrift shops and bought purely for the covers.

This is the one that my aunt and uncle gave me for my birthday in 1973. It may be my favourite, although I don't think I've ever made anything from it -- I just look at the pictures, which are lurid and oddly compelling. The recipes have ingredients like "1 box brownie mix" and "1 4-ounce package of potato chips" and instructions such as "Ask Mother to help you heat shortening in skillet." There is a photo of s'mores that is burned on my retina. I've tried for 37 years to roast marshmallows like that with varying degrees of success.



Here are a couple of other treats from the 70s. Mmmmm.

Dust Collectors

I thought I would do a very brief post with photos of my second biggest collection--dust. I've been working on some aspects of this since we moved here almost eight years ago. It's quite possible that part of this collection came with us from our wee home in the big smoke. This cannot be confirmed definitively. To the right is a photo of my best example from this collection. It is artistically arranged atop our wedding junk shadow box and a 10 year (!) anniversary card (closeup above). Also in the picture is our wedding party invitation and another anniversary card. Enjoy! (Or gloat if you like!)

Official Diagnosis: Winkleitis

Ok, so I walked past a whole box 

of Kathy Winkles at the St. V. de P. the other day, knowing that my cupboards look like this:

But I thought about it all night. I've never seen the pattern San Tropez.

I don't have the pattern. I rationalized that I could buy the box and only keep a few, re-donate the rest. 

So this morning, I borrowed $5 from my daughter (how pathetic is that!) and rushed over - they were still there. Phew. So now I have a whole box of dinner plates, side plates, bowls, cups, saucers and a cream and sugar. Eek. 

And my sweet husband didn't even blink. 

Happy Birth Day

Today is my husband's birthday. He doesn't look a day over 47. Tomorrow he will... The house is smelling delicious right now because I am waiting for his birthday brownies to bake. Chocolate is definitely a theme on his birthday. His Special Birthday Cereal is usually some chocolately thing - today it's Nesquick - little brown balls that make the milk into real chocolate milk. They aren't bad: sweet and salty at the same time. Ok, they are really bad for you but don't taste bad. This is why in our house you only get that kind of cereal on your birthday... oh, and someone else's birthday because we all eat it until we can't eat any more!

The brownies are done - they are a favourite here for birthdays. The kids aren't big fans of cake so birthday desserts have been brownies, chocolate chip zucchini bread, apple pie, lemon cake with whipped cream, coffee cake. These brownies are the Fry's cocoa type but with  a cup of butter and two cups of sugar and FOUR eggs you don't miss the melted chocolate.


Time to go to work. I have to say I am loving these lazy mornings. Hubby has been working off-site for two weeks at an office and walking the kids to school so I've had really nice mornings. Tuesday I met friends for coffee, last week went out for bacon and eggs, a short trip to VV one morning where I found some AMAZING boots. And today, baking brownies. How civilized. (And a nice man at work was worried that he was seeing me there too much for part time. I soon put his mind at ease by assuring him that I am out of the building by 3:15 at the latest. Sometimes I stand around for five minutes just so I don't leave before 3. Then people would really hate me.)


I used Babelfish to translate the Taurus birthday horrorscope for J. and a couple of friends with May birthdays. Here is your 'scope for the day (by way of English, French, Dutch and back to English):

YOU must treat a fight to are possible which your job lives or to the house shakes also uncomfortable qu' she is, you' ; concerning the only person who can put a judgment. The things tomorrow must calm down itself.


I think these are definitely words to live by: "The things tomorrow must calm down itself."


My amazing dotter made this little claymation for her dad. I love how the letters crawl across the table before forming...