Sunday Dinner - Steak, fixins, Creamed Spinach,and Banana Cake with Penuche Frosting

This was a while back, as I've been slacking on the Sunday Dinner posts lately - it's been so hot here and often by the time I get everything to the table I forget to take a photo and then within days I've forgotten what we even ate....... 

We did a nice steak dinner with baked potatos, sauteed mushrooms, salad, a nice classic steakhouse creamed spinach, and a very nice and very rich banana cake with penuche frosting. 

These dinners are why none of my clothes fit. 

Something I Like - El Seven Nite Club featuring Big Sugar

A real gem from the 90's and one of my favorites cd's to this day.  In addition to the great Canadian band Big Sugar, there are beautiful songs by Carl Strygg, Lee Aaron, and the amazing Molly Johnson (the Mister and I saw her play in Calgary before we moved and she was incredible!).

Book Club - Lion by Saroo Brierley

"We looked at each other for a second longer, and I felt a sharp stab of grief that it could take a mother and son even a few moments to simply recognize each other, and then a rush of joy that we now had."

Adult Summer Reading Club -  Adapted From Or Into A Movie

Ploughman's Lunch

My Boo and I treated ourselves to lunch out and hit Ploughman's Lunch on Victoria Street.  It's a sweet little place with delicious food, and I haven't been there in years, mostly because they don't have french fries. 

But I was back, and while the menu isn't huge, it took a long time to decide what to have.

Crepe?  Ploughman's Lunch?  Panini?  Was that my high school gym teacher over there?  And what is she having?

In the end we both went with savory crepes - I had ham and tomato, and she had turkey and swiss.  We enjoyed them a lot.

Got a nice window table too.

I am looking forward to going back for the Ploughman's Lunch platter - perfect summertime fare.

Book Club - Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs

"The air smelled of sun-warmed bark and apple buds raring to blossom and get on with life.  Overhead, a million baby leaves danced in the breeze."

Summer Reading Club 2017 - A Genre You Don't Normally Read

Cashew Almond Coconut Butter

A while back we were at the bulk store and I bought a little dollop of  bulk pumpkin nut butter.  I took it to work the next day and made some toast and spread it on, and nearly spat the mouthful out.  It was so bitter and awful.  I tossed the rest of the spread.  Soon after I was talking to a co-worker while she made her toast for breakfast and was topping it with some almond butter.  I mentioned my bad experience, and she said she makes her own almond butter every weekend, trying different combinations.  That week was a cinnamon almond butter that she was loving and she told me she'd send me some recipes to try.  She didn't, and because I'm so socially awkward that I couldn't remind her of it, I let it go.

And then, one day The Mister was off to the store to pick up a few things, and I asked him to add some cashews to his list.  I meant roasted and salted ones for eating, but he assumed I needed them for baking, so came home with a bulk bag of raw and unsalted cashews.  I thanked him and tossed them in the cupboard until baking inspiration struck.

AND THEN, one day I came across a Buzzfeed article on making your own nut butters, and one was a cashew butter, and I was like - hey!  I have some!  So I saved the article and the next weekend I was in the kitchen ready to make cashew butter.

I made cashew almond coconut butter and it is good!  I used the recipe as more of a guide, and while it didn't turn out as perfectly as the article's, I was happy.  Of course I am the only one in the family that likes it, but that's nothing new.....

Homemade nut butters 4 ways

SOMETHING I FREAKING LOVE: WONDER WOMAN

Oh man, if you haven't seen it yet, you really should.  I loved everything thing about it and cried multiple times.  Kickass movie.  Can't wait to see it again.

Summer Bucket List 2017

Yeah, I know.  Everyone else is whipping theirs out, so why can't I?  My family bucket 

list for the summer, that is.  Get your mind out of the gutter.

This started off as a project for The Boy to work on his printing, but now it's our 

official guide to the summer.  Here's what The Boy came up with:

Go fishing
Go to Sun Peaks
Spend the day outside
Go on a nature walk
Have some family days
Have a no electronics day
Go to Penticton
Have a picnic
Join the library Summer Reading Challenge
Do some art projects
Have a pillow fight
Sleep outside
Go to Davidson Orchards
Go to the museum
Go to the movies
=====================
Added by me -
Go to Music in the Park
Make ice cream

Book Club - Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

"If my body was cold in the night mist, I didn't feel it.  If the sea roared in my ears, I didn't hear it.  If the rock I sat on was sharp and jagged, I hardly noticed.  Everything outside the two of us was a distraction."

"The darkness closed around us."

Grocery Shop - June 16

Ketchup, apple juice, taco kit, peanuts, fruit bars, ginger ale, beef broth, soup, fruit snacks, ice tea, butter, eggs, sour cream, margarine, granola, potato chips, avocados, mushrooms, butternut squash, snap peas, hot dogs, bread, tortillas.

$99

I didn't realize how long it's been since I did a "Grocery Shop" but with small children around you just want to get everything put away as quickly as you can.

Giant Cookie

It was school fundraiser time again, and so in addition to my annual lazy daisy cake

I also made some mini brownies and a giant cookie.  

I made one of these cookies for a Sunday dinner, and as we ate it, we all discussed the upcoming fundraiser and me doing some baking, and what could I make?  Would you like more cookie?  Here you are.  Hmmm, what to make?  Yes, the cookie is very good, isn't it!  But - back to the topic at hand - what to make for the bake sale?  

Luckily someone finally clued in that we were eating the perfect treat!  

I wanted to jazz the cookie up a bit, so I drizzled it with some milk and white chocolate.  I think it came out pretty nice, if I say so.

Giant Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookie

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350'

Lightly mist a pizza pan (12") with spray.

Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy.  Add the salt, vanilla and egg and mix again.

Add the flour and baking soda and mix until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate and coconut.

Press -into the pan, going all the way to the edges, and smoothing the top.

Bake 18-20 minutes, and cool on a rack.

LNF 2017 Reading Challenge - Completed

January-May

A book you chose because of the cover Shrill
A book you've previously started but never finished Long Way Down
A book by an author you already love Tiny Beautiful Things
A book that everyone is raving about The Mare
A book recommended by your partner or a friend Trans-Sister Radio
A book to expand your horizons The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F8CK
A book considered to be a classic Heidi
A book published in 2017 Every Body Yoga
A book by an author you've never read Not That Kind of Girl
A book you've been meaning to read Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar
A book set in a city you want to travel to As Always, Julia
A book that has been turned into a movie Nocturnal Animals

Adult Summer Reading Club 2017

I know, a lot of book stuff lately.
And more to come - the list is up for the TNRD Summer Reading Club - visit here for details - Adult Summer Reading Club.

Last year there were 18 books, this year only 10 -
Autobiography or Memoir
Graphic Novel or Comic Book
Young Adult/Juvenile
Banned or Challenged Book
Published in the Decade You Were Born
By An Author of a Different Gender
Adapted From or Into a Movie
A Genre You Don't Normally Read
Something You Read During Adolescence
Originally Published Outside North America


Club starts today and runs through August 31.

Book Club - The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F8ck by Mark Manson

"One of those realizations was this: that life itself is a form of suffering.  The rich suffer because of their riches.  The poor suffer because of their poverty.  People without a family suffer because they have no family.  People with a family suffer because of their family."

" 'Don't hope for a life without problems,' the panda said.  'There's no such thing.  Instead, hope for a life full of good problems.'  And with that, he set his glass down, adjusted his sombrero, and sauntered off into the sunset."

"Action isn't just the effect of motivation; it's also the cause of it."

_______________________________________________

Whoooo!  Another reading challenge done.  I finished this one just before the end of May- 12 books in 5 months.  I'd have a really hard time picking a favorite out of the bunch - Shrill was so great, as was Every Body Yoga and Tiny Beautiful Things.  I really liked |Trans Sister Radio a lot, and Nocturnal Animals too.  The Mare was my least favorite; there was just something about it that I didn't love, however I gave it to my Mom to read after I was done and she loved it, so it was obviously me.  

I'm biding my time until the Adult Summer Reading Challenge is announced, hopefully tomorrow....

Dinner at Gui Korean BBQ

A new restaurant has popped up in Aberdeen, where the 5 Guys burgers was - Gui Korean BBQ restaurant. The Mister and I were excited to go - we have never been to a Korean BBQ place before. Coincidentally, there was a birthday in the family, so the 6 of us trooped out for dinner and had a mighty fine time. 

There is a lot to choose from on the menu, but we went with the Combo B - short ribs, beef bulgogi, pork belly, and chicken.  It comes with a bunch of sides - soup, rice, pickled veggies, salad, sweet and sour chicken, and a seafood pancake.

We also ordered some steamed dumplings and Jap Chae - sweet potato noodles with veggies.

Right after I took the picture above, a couple sat at the table and had the most gorgeous looking bowls of soup - I definitely want to try that.

The crispy chicken (below) was one of my favorites. 

The seafood and veggies pancakes were very good - the seafood one had enormous pieces of seafood in it.  Just massive.  

There was SO MUCH FOOD.  4 adults and 2 kids and we took home a lot of leftovers.

The cooking is done on a small surface using infrared or induction cooking (sorry, I'm sure I'm wrong!) which means there is no actual flames at the table - the cooking surface is placed on a certain spot on the table where it then heats up quickly to cook the food.  The lovely staff did some of the cooking for us, and put The Mister in charge of some too.

We had a lot of fun and the staff was nice and helpful and answered all our questions.  

Check them out!

Webiste - Gui BBQ

Book Club - Heidi by Johanna Spyri

"For the first time in a very long while, he saw the goodness in other people."

"but can a heart forget its sorrow and be happy, even here?"

Monkey Bread

This recipe is from the Best of the Best Cookbook Recipes that I wrote about on Instagram.  I really wanted to make it as I've never made a monkey bread before, but I knew it wouldn't be the sort of thing I'd make at home (too big), so I made it for a treat for my co-workers.
Those people are lucky to have me.

The recipe can be made in advance and refrigerated, but I didn't read that part of the recipe until 9pm the night before, so I made it all in the morning.  You need a few hours; the dough has its first rise, then you form the balls, dunk them in butter and then sugar and cinnamon, put them in the pan and they rise again before baking.

I had major anxiety about making this at work - I hate it when recipes don't work 

out when I'm cooking for people. 

It turned out amazingly perfect - the dough was tender and the little buns were sweet but not too sweet.  It was easy and fun and a definite keeper.

I am watching out for a savory version to try - got any suggestions?

Book Club - Every Body Yoga by Jessamyn Stanley

"Ultimately, yoga has made me realize that happiness doesn't come when we magically become better people.  The practice is a reminder that we deserve to be happy today, in this exact moment, because we are already absolutely perfect."

"So instead of asking 'How do I look?' when practicing yoga, always ask yourself, 'How do I feel?' "

"Embrace the process, accept the gift of slow progress, and revel in an opportunity to truly see the world from another angle."

Something I Like - The Skrapr

Oh look, there's my feet.

If you have kids, or even if you don't, you get.....stuff stuck to your floors.  Food stuff, outside 

stuff.  Hopefully somewhat identifiable stuff.  Stuff, you know?  And you try to get it while 

it's new, but you always miss some, and it gets old and stuck tight to the floor and I hate 

having to use my fingernails to scratch it off. 

A while back I saw a post on some website about this little scraper tool you could buy, but I couldn't find it in Canada, and to ship it from the states cost more than 10 of the scrapers itself.  I kept my eyes open around here, and I was finally rewarded at Canadian Tire when I found The Skrapr.  It's a heavy duty tool with a sharp no-scratch blade that will get the stuck on gunk off your floors, stove, counters, what have you.  I love it and we use it all the time.

Website - The Skrapr

Book Club - Nocturnal Animals by Austin Wright

'But not yet, first there was only this.  Only their heads were above the surface, laughing

 and encouraging him, as he moved gingerly in the bitter-cold water step by step 

towards them.  It was hard to move, while they waited with such generosity and welcome he 

could hardly bear his happiness.'