It was bound to happen. She was 45 in stove years. That's like 99 in human years. My sweet little avocado Admiral stove gave her last hot breath last weekend. We took her a part to see if it was something a trip to the hardware store could fix, but it was her time to go to appliance heaven also known as the scrap yard for $20.
Me and this stove have had some good times and real adventures! My very first roux sauce is the perfect example. Boy did I not know what I was doing... but, she gave me constant even heat and it was a smashing success.
All my baking expeditions my dear Admiral was there for too. My first attempts at bread and pies, and on those long work days when I would rely on her to heat up quickly so I could throw a pizza in. What's that? 375? No problem, give me six minutes. She was a gem.
Hubby and I went to the big ole' department store and bought a shiny new white stove. This new one seems to have some spunk and I have faith that she will deliver. She's got two plugs, self cleans and a timer that works! She arrives at our place on Thursday so there will be lots and lots of cooking going on this weekend.
Thanks for all the great years Admiral. You were a gem and will be missed.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Rhapsody of Paganini
Last night hubby and I had a lovely date night. We went to Kama Classical Indian Restaurant, and I must say this is probably my new official favourite Indian restaurant in Toronto. Few places make me feel like I am eating the real thing, but this place was great! Spice was good, a bit Canadian, but not too bad, and highlight of my night was Indian desserts with no nuts!!!
We had two whole hours to eat our dinner is luxurious relaxed bliss... It was a true treat to not be rushed. The concert began at 8 p.m. and we had a lovely stroll after dinner, headed to the hall and had time to catch the end of the pre show talk. The talk was great, and I think the man speaking was from Classical 96.3 but I'm not sure. He told us all about Rachmaninov and escaping the war, settling in L.A. and composing. It added so much to the show to have this background going in.
Before my old blog was deleted, I used to write of dreams of owning a condo in the city. It was neat to go back and read those blogs now that many of those dreams have been realized. My new dreams include being a member of the COC, TSO, AGO, ROM and ballet.
Hubby got us free tix to the ballet, Seagull on Saturday night so I am very excited about that. The Christmas season is out in full force and I am really enjoying it this year. The condo is currently a mess, but hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get it all cleaned up and sparkling in Christmas glory.
Christmas card and wedding thank you card writing is ahead of me this weekend. I can't wait to use our new family wax stamp on all of them!
Tonight I am visiting my beautiful niece Julia. Can't wait to see her and see how much she has changed. I am starting to feel like having a baby again. Hubby is hoping it will pass like bad gas.
We had two whole hours to eat our dinner is luxurious relaxed bliss... It was a true treat to not be rushed. The concert began at 8 p.m. and we had a lovely stroll after dinner, headed to the hall and had time to catch the end of the pre show talk. The talk was great, and I think the man speaking was from Classical 96.3 but I'm not sure. He told us all about Rachmaninov and escaping the war, settling in L.A. and composing. It added so much to the show to have this background going in.
Before my old blog was deleted, I used to write of dreams of owning a condo in the city. It was neat to go back and read those blogs now that many of those dreams have been realized. My new dreams include being a member of the COC, TSO, AGO, ROM and ballet.
Hubby got us free tix to the ballet, Seagull on Saturday night so I am very excited about that. The Christmas season is out in full force and I am really enjoying it this year. The condo is currently a mess, but hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get it all cleaned up and sparkling in Christmas glory.
Christmas card and wedding thank you card writing is ahead of me this weekend. I can't wait to use our new family wax stamp on all of them!
Tonight I am visiting my beautiful niece Julia. Can't wait to see her and see how much she has changed. I am starting to feel like having a baby again. Hubby is hoping it will pass like bad gas.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Adventures at the Butcher Shop
Realizing for years how bad the things they put in meat are for you, I turned a blind eye because having a food allergy to both nuts and lentils rules vegetarianism as a way of life out of the question for me.
Toying with the idea of organic meat, but never really take the plunge, it lingered in the metal long laundry list in the back of my head. Last weekend I decided to check out my very first butcher shop, and organic butcher shop at that!
It was amazing! It was one of those things in life when you think to yourself, "why on earth did I wait this long?" It was like discovering that if I really did take my purple puffer everyday I would be able to run and breath. It was that feeling that people with kids tell me they have after they look into their little ones eyes for the first time... but on that one I will just have to take their word on it for quite some time thank you.
I did the usual, two pounds of ground beef, two pounds of chicken wing drumets that I usually like to have handy, but then I asked one of the staff for his opinion on what type of sausage I should put in a soup that I was going to make.
A few weeks earlier I had been down at St. Lawrence Market, and the sausage lady gave me some fabulous sausage, but do you think I could remember the name?
Well, the butcher looked at me and then smiled. With the look in his eye and the smile on his face I knew in a heart beat that we are on the same page and I was about to learn something very very tasty...
He said, do you really want to know what I would suggest, prolonging the anticipation that was already building inside of me. I said, "what's that?" He then pointed to a blackened piece of something that use to belong to a very unlucky pig. I could not help but let out a "oh!"
He patiently explained to me that what I was looking at was something very beautiful indeed, it was a 12 hour smoked ham hock. So I'm thinking, burnt pig foot? He saw my hesitation and showed me to the sausage, and as he explained the different types I thought to myself, "Isn't this why you are here? To take chances, try something new? Did you really take two buses and a subway to come to a specialty butcher to buy ground beef and chicken??"
With that, I interrupted him and said, "Do you have a smaller hock?" He smiled and said, "Let me take a look."
I left with my burned (or badly singed at the least) pig foot, pick up some local veggies on the way home and set out to make some soup. Or should I say, create ... some soup.
It was a hit!! Oh my goodness! Based on this soup alone, I am now a butcher fan/groupie/junkie whatever label you want to slap on. This soup raised the bar on what I am capable of doing in the kitchen. Needless to say that I had a very happy hubby who said to me with the cutest glimmer in his eye, "Lunch tomorrow is going to be good!"
These are the moments when the sore feet from my concrete kitchen floor make it all worth while.
Toying with the idea of organic meat, but never really take the plunge, it lingered in the metal long laundry list in the back of my head. Last weekend I decided to check out my very first butcher shop, and organic butcher shop at that!
It was amazing! It was one of those things in life when you think to yourself, "why on earth did I wait this long?" It was like discovering that if I really did take my purple puffer everyday I would be able to run and breath. It was that feeling that people with kids tell me they have after they look into their little ones eyes for the first time... but on that one I will just have to take their word on it for quite some time thank you.
I did the usual, two pounds of ground beef, two pounds of chicken wing drumets that I usually like to have handy, but then I asked one of the staff for his opinion on what type of sausage I should put in a soup that I was going to make.
A few weeks earlier I had been down at St. Lawrence Market, and the sausage lady gave me some fabulous sausage, but do you think I could remember the name?
Well, the butcher looked at me and then smiled. With the look in his eye and the smile on his face I knew in a heart beat that we are on the same page and I was about to learn something very very tasty...
He said, do you really want to know what I would suggest, prolonging the anticipation that was already building inside of me. I said, "what's that?" He then pointed to a blackened piece of something that use to belong to a very unlucky pig. I could not help but let out a "oh!"
He patiently explained to me that what I was looking at was something very beautiful indeed, it was a 12 hour smoked ham hock. So I'm thinking, burnt pig foot? He saw my hesitation and showed me to the sausage, and as he explained the different types I thought to myself, "Isn't this why you are here? To take chances, try something new? Did you really take two buses and a subway to come to a specialty butcher to buy ground beef and chicken??"
With that, I interrupted him and said, "Do you have a smaller hock?" He smiled and said, "Let me take a look."
I left with my burned (or badly singed at the least) pig foot, pick up some local veggies on the way home and set out to make some soup. Or should I say, create ... some soup.
It was a hit!! Oh my goodness! Based on this soup alone, I am now a butcher fan/groupie/junkie whatever label you want to slap on. This soup raised the bar on what I am capable of doing in the kitchen. Needless to say that I had a very happy hubby who said to me with the cutest glimmer in his eye, "Lunch tomorrow is going to be good!"
These are the moments when the sore feet from my concrete kitchen floor make it all worth while.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)