Susan Dennis Zappos has something new for you
One shoe at a time! Now I just need to know what size each foot is.
I know what they were thinking!
This is especially for spikes_girl, who regularly asks what they were thinking. My favourite food blogger tried it, so now we know.
Hobbes and Me
A friend over on FB introduces me to these short films today. I was utterly charmed and wish there were many more. https://www.google.ca/amp/s/news.avclub.com/hobbes-me-brings-a-beloved-comic-strip-to-stylish-lif-1798246596/amp
The Friday Five on Saturday
Recipes
Summer is here, and with it comes the usual mad challenge of trying to cook “all the things”. My CSA basket is overflowing, so I need to try new things just to keep up. Here is what I did in June:
June 1 - instant pot pulled pork (https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/instant-pot-pulled-pork). Could have been a bit more tender and I like longer shreds, but the flavour was excellent (I used my Kickin’ Barbecue Sauce so of course it was)
June 4 - butter tarts (St Davids Cooks Cookbook?) Too much butter.
June 4 - Switchel - https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_ginger_switchel/, this version was a little easier to make and has a nice flavour
June 6 - rice and asparagus pilaf (https://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/10-minute-asparagus-rice-pilaf/).
June 13 - Wasabi mashed potatoes (from Great Canadian Cuisine), with a salmon and sorrel recipe vaguely inspired by this: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-the-fast-easy-and-tech-free-way-to-sous-vide-salmon-231061b
June 14 - sorrel frittata. I used leftover wasabi mashed potatoes (to which I had added chives) instead of raw potatoes, which is just as well because I forgot the onion. I also used ham instead of prosciutto, and didn’t measure anything carefully. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11013-frittata-with-sorrel-potatoes-and-prosciutto
June 17 - https://www.modernhoney.com/fettuccine-alfredo/. This was supposed to be amazing according to reviews. It was fine. I ate too much. But it wasn’t the best alfredo I have ever eaten.
June 19 - Polish sorrel soup (https://www.polonist.com/polish-sorrel-soup-szczawiowa/ ) this was pretty darned tasty. I didn’t bother using nettles or spinach, or running it through a blender. I used leftover mashed potatoes, sour cream and an egg. The egg really made it!
June 24 - Ungerische Kaesesuppen (from Rumpolt’s Ein New Kochbuch)
June 28 - sourdough tortillas (https://www.growforagecookferment.com/sourdough-tortillas/)
June 29 - https://simply-delicious-food.com/pasta-with-basil-cream-sauce-recipe/. This was disappointing. I was sure it would be from the moment I looked at the picture. There was no way that cream sauce had a cup of roughly chopped basil in it. Also - sage in my pasta? Savoury maybe! It didn’t help that I was using up a bit of whipping cream and had to add milk, that I had to abandon it mid-way because ballet was starting, that I didn’t want to dig out my blender so just used the immersion blender instead (and the mixture was too shallow in my frying pan for the blender to work properly), and I forgot the lemon juice at the end.
As I re-read the list, I see things I had already forgotten and want to try again. My sorrel has completely overrun my garden this year, so I need to make more soup, or the frittata, or both. I have already made the tortillas again
June 1 - instant pot pulled pork (https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/instant-pot-pulled-pork). Could have been a bit more tender and I like longer shreds, but the flavour was excellent (I used my Kickin’ Barbecue Sauce so of course it was)
June 4 - butter tarts (St Davids Cooks Cookbook?) Too much butter.
June 4 - Switchel - https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_ginger_switchel/, this version was a little easier to make and has a nice flavour
June 6 - rice and asparagus pilaf (https://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/10-minute-asparagus-rice-pilaf/).
June 13 - Wasabi mashed potatoes (from Great Canadian Cuisine), with a salmon and sorrel recipe vaguely inspired by this: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-the-fast-easy-and-tech-free-way-to-sous-vide-salmon-231061b
June 14 - sorrel frittata. I used leftover wasabi mashed potatoes (to which I had added chives) instead of raw potatoes, which is just as well because I forgot the onion. I also used ham instead of prosciutto, and didn’t measure anything carefully. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11013-frittata-with-sorrel-potatoes-and-prosciutto
June 17 - https://www.modernhoney.com/fettuccine-alfredo/. This was supposed to be amazing according to reviews. It was fine. I ate too much. But it wasn’t the best alfredo I have ever eaten.
June 19 - Polish sorrel soup (https://www.polonist.com/polish-sorrel-soup-szczawiowa/ ) this was pretty darned tasty. I didn’t bother using nettles or spinach, or running it through a blender. I used leftover mashed potatoes, sour cream and an egg. The egg really made it!
June 24 - Ungerische Kaesesuppen (from Rumpolt’s Ein New Kochbuch)
June 28 - sourdough tortillas (https://www.growforagecookferment.com/sourdough-tortillas/)
June 29 - https://simply-delicious-food.com/pasta-with-basil-cream-sauce-recipe/. This was disappointing. I was sure it would be from the moment I looked at the picture. There was no way that cream sauce had a cup of roughly chopped basil in it. Also - sage in my pasta? Savoury maybe! It didn’t help that I was using up a bit of whipping cream and had to add milk, that I had to abandon it mid-way because ballet was starting, that I didn’t want to dig out my blender so just used the immersion blender instead (and the mixture was too shallow in my frying pan for the blender to work properly), and I forgot the lemon juice at the end.
As I re-read the list, I see things I had already forgotten and want to try again. My sorrel has completely overrun my garden this year, so I need to make more soup, or the frittata, or both. I have already made the tortillas again
Swimming nerds
I feel like I have been super busy (I haven’t, just not sleeping well). As a result, no energy to update. But how about these nerds at the beach? I am jealous that Nadine’s robe has sparkly rickrack just like the costumes on the original series. She calls it her Uhura robe because it is as short as the original women’s costumes (without the hot pants).
(no subject)
I ended up not swimming at all today. The first meeting was too early, but that was okay because there was a swim scheduled for a feted work. It was done long before I signed off for the day :(.
I did manage a lunchtime salad with greens from the planters I front of my house.
My wifi booster arrived today; and I can now sit on my balcony to work. That will be a nice change. I plan to set up my hammock as an alternate work space. I also got a couple of new books to feed my stupid hobbies (yay!).
I have been playing with Margarita recipes tonight. I haven’t got the right mix just yet, but I expect to sleep well.
For those who celebrate: happy Canada Day!
(no subject)
I keep track of new recipes have tried. Do alcoholic recipes count? Because margarita experiments tonight have been « interesting »
I double dipped today
I went swimming at the pond this morning, then “joined” some people for a swim at Lac Leamy this evening. By “joined” I mean that I arrived late, said a quiet hello to a couple of the people, then got in the water as fast as I could and swam across the lake. When I got back, I got changed and left without saying a word as the few people I vaguely recognized from our Zoom zumba class had already left. It was delightful.
I made my workday somewhat more productive by cranking out three pounds of Landjäger sausages at lunch. Once they have been smoke and completely dried, they’ll be perfect for camping - assuming we get to do that again this year.
We had a few minutes of heavy rain and one crack of thunder, but now it’s dry again. I hope it rains more overnight as we sure could use it.
Happy Father’s Day
I took my daughter, sister and sister’s dog to visit my parents for Father’s Day. We picked up a roasted chicken, coleslaw, potato salad and fresh strawberries on the way, and my sister brought along little angel food cakes, we made a quick strawberry sauce for strawberry shortcakes. Dad’s had lots of whipped cream, of course. He has such a sweet tooth!
I managed to catch a sweet moment with Mom and Gracie.
