Motion

  I took advantage of the beautiful weather today, and took some 'action' shots of the kids and the dogs. Enjoy!

 And, of course, the baby:

Non-alcoholic Spanish Sangria

 

  I came across this recipe for non-alcoholic sangria recently. Sangria is traditionally from Spain and Portugal. It is made with wine, chopped fruit, and a sweetener. I fell in love with the non-alcoholic version of this drink because the ingredients can be varied according to preference and it is fairly less harsh than most sugary drinks.

Ingredients:
4 cups cranberry or grape juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 lemon, orange, apple, or lime, cut in circles (You can use as many fruit pieces as you like. I chose to use just lemon)
3 cups Sprite or ginger ale

1. Fill a large pitcher about 1/3 full of ice cubes. Pour cranberry or grape juice over the ice, and add lemon juice.

2. Slice fruit of choice and add to the pitcher.

3. Add ginger ale or Sprite. Stir and serve chilled.

Me gusta!

Potato, Vegetable, and Sausage Casserole

  

  Cold, winter weather calls for comfort food. I usually turn to making soups. I like to start in the morning, double the recipe, and let it simmer on the stove until dinner time. 

  While looking for a potato soup recipe (potato soup is my favourite!), I happened across a recipe for a cheesy potato and sausage casserole. It looked heavenly, but a little plain. 

  So, naturally, I fixed that.

Ingredients:

4 cups potatoes, quartered and boiled

1 onion, chopped

1-2 stalks of celery, chopped

5 cloves of garlic

4 carrots

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

2 cups smoked sausage (you can also use ham), sliced

2 cups cheese, shredded and divided (I used orange cheddar and Gouda) 

2 cups milk

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

*Note: you can increase any of the amounts to suit your preferences 

1. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop onion, celery, and garlic. Saute in olive oil in a large saucepan. Cut carrots into rounds and put in a steamer. Add corn. This recipe is extremely versatile, so feel free to add bell peppers, frozen peas, and anything else you have in the fridge! 

 2. Cut the sausage into bite-sized pieces. I had three different sausages left over from Christmas, and I used a little of all three.

3. Add the sausage to the onion mix and increase heat. Place boiled potatoes in a large casserole dish, and add corn and carrots.

4. Once the sausage is lightly browned, add to the casserole dish. Toss lightly with two forks to mix.

5. Now the sauce! Mix milk, flour, and butter in a small pot. Add 1 cup of cheese (I did one cup of Gouda) and stir until the cheese is melted. Pour over the casserole. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.

6. Cook for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted. I found waiting for it to cook was hands down the hardest part. Once it's finished, serve warm.

 

Toffee

  I love toffee.
  And chocolate.
  And candy.
  I have tried to make candy before, using the mixture-in-cold-water. Unfortunately, it isn't as nearly as accurate as a candy thermometer. So, I finally invested in one, and immediately got to work.


 INGREDIENTS
-2 cups slivered almonds
-1 1/2 cups butter
-1 2/3 cups white sugar
-1/4 cup water
-3 tablespoons corn syrup
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-8 ounces milk, semisweet, or dark chocolate (I used chocolate chips)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. While the almonds are cooling, butter a 9 x 13 inch pan.

2. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add sugar, water, and corn syrup, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the mixture begins to boil, stop stirring and clamp on the candy thermometer. The mixture will look a little something like this:

3. It takes about 15 minutes for it to reach hard crack stage (about 300 degrees Fahrenheit). While this boils, take one cup of almonds and chop them roughly. Set aside. Resist the urge to stir it.

While I was waiting for the candy to boil, I tried to take pictures of my dog. She either refused to look at the camera, or wouldn't stay still.

4. When the candy has reached hard crack stage it will look like this: 

Remove from heat immediately. Stir in the chopped almonds and the vanilla. Pour evenly into the buttered pan.

5. Gently sprinkle the chocolate of your choice (I used dark and semisweet) over the toffee. After a few minutes, it will be soft enough to spread. Sprinkle on the remaining almonds.

 You can put the toffee in the refrigerator, or let it harden at room temperature. Once it's hard, attack with a mallet and eat.

 Or, you can break it into uneven pieces and store in an airtight container. It will last about a week at room temperature, or can be frozen for approximately a month.

Me gusta! Enjoy :)

                             
  

Size

  Photographs showing size are, by far, my favourite. Small objects look shockingly large, and architectural wonders are reduced to look smaller than a human hand.
  Here is my attempt to show size, using regular household objects, and younger siblings.

                                                         LOST IN TIME
               Lost in Time is one of two dozen photographs featured in the collection Miniature World. The photos show ordinary household items in un-ordinary settings.  It will be on display for the rest of the month at the Artist's Bazaar. 

                                                   TREE TOPPING
  Blake Busby, age 5, does his best to touch the top of a tree in Copley Park. The recent warm weather has brought out scores of people. The weather is expected to continue for the rest of the week.

                                               TEA TIME
   An England-made sugar bowl sits next to a traditional Japanese tea implement. The Oceanside Hotel held a formal, traditional tea last weekend. It was designed to bring together various cultures from all over the world under a common theme: tea time.


                                       

Cut Lines

I have chosen five photographs (three previous and two new ones) and have written cut-lines for them. Some are fictional, while others are my attempt to make the ordinary seem news-worthy. 

                                          TRUE LOVE LASTS FOREVER
 The ring pictured is apart of a touring museum exhibit titled 'The Last Great Warriors'. The ring was discovered in a Viking burial ground nearly a decade ago, and is one of several pieces of fine jewelry. They are believed to belong to a king's wife, and are all handcrafted by the king. The jewelry is still in mint condition, and are truly stunning. The exhibit will continue touring for the remainder of the year.

                                        BEACH-COMBING IN STYLE
    Nicole Busby, age 9, takes advantage of this weekend's glorious weather to explore the tide pools on Newcastle Island with her brother Peter and family (not pictured).

                                                         GAME OVER
          A football lies abandoned in a leaf-littered park. The fierce storms this past week have resulted in power-outages, and have left residents cold and without light. Rains have flooded water ditches, and are leaving streets flooded. Many residents have barricaded themselves behind sandbag barriers and are waiting out the storms.

                                         SIMPLISTIC VIEWS 
         'Lipstick on Purple' is one of nearly three dozen pictures on display at the Modern Art Gallery this month. The exhibit is titled 'Simple', and features the works of photographers all over North America. Every photograph captures something we would consider ordinary and shows it in a new and exciting light. Based on the popularity of this exhibit, it may become a permanent part of the Modern Art Gallery.

                                                HAUNTED REMAINS
       The view, above, from an abandoned bridge in the Foothills. The Foothills was designed to be a luxury, ocean-view housing development in the Upper Lantzville area. Construction began nearly two years ago, with dynamite crews blasting through rock, and trees were cut down by the dozens. The company behind the Foothills' creation went bankrupt in March of last year. Now, all that remains are lot numbers, cleared roads, and bridges.
                      

Jell-O Oranges

         
 
   It's probably safe to say that you never outgrow Jell-O. I mean, it comes in a wide array of colours and flavours, and couldn't be any easier to prepare.
  Besides being aesthetically pleasing and appropriate for every age range, Jell-O is a fairly 'safe' dessert: it contains no dairy or gluten.
  I found the recipe for Jell-O oranges while browsing the internet one day. I couldn't believe how easy and cool it looked.  Naturally, I had to try it
  The pictures, unfortunately, aren't taken with as much love as they often are. I had to serve these to guests only a couple hours after they were ready.



  Ingredients:
  1 box of Jell-O powder (I chose three different colours)
  3 large oranges (one box of Jell-O could easily fill six halves)

  Directions:
  1. Cut the oranges in half and scoop out the inside. I cut around the perimeter to make it easier. Just be careful you don't puncture the orange peel.

   2. Prepare the Jell-O according to the box directions. Some boxes have the recipe for Jell-O Jigglers, which results in a firmer Jell-O. However, mind that it takes longer for the Jigglers version to firm. Use whichever one works best for you; both are equally good.

  3. Pour the liquid Jell-O mix into the orange halves. I put my halves in a large muffin tin just to be on the safe side. They are able to stand on their own.

 4. Put the tin in the refrigerator until firm. It takes about an hour and a half (I spent that time periodically checking them. No patience here!). 

  You can serve them as they are (very creative dessert bowls) or slice them. I did both. Unfortunately, the purple Jell-O oranges did not survive to be photographed. Can you guess what my favourite Jell-O flavour is?