Book Club - The Bear by Clare Cameron

From the introduction to the book: "Identifying fault can comfort us because it provides a way to isolate the circumstances of an incident from our own situation, ensuring that what happened to these people will not happen to us."

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I unearthed my old Kobo from the bottom of a drawer a month ago.  I knew I had a few unread books on there and thought it would be nice to have it to do some reading at breaks at work or kid activities.

I bought this one because it was so popular.  I had trouble with the narrative and ended up more skimming it than reading it.  And also, the idea of bear attacks always makes me nervous.

Easter Sunday Dinner - Scalloped Potatos and NIgella's Chocolate Cake and Sad Bread

We had a lovely delicious ham this Easter will all the trimmings. Busted out some special mustards, made some (mediocre, sadly) bread, and put on our elastic waist pants for the feast.

I made scalloped potatos from scratch which, frankly, I do not do often.  I quite like the box mix and I am not ashamed.  But we had a ton of potatos to use up and so my box scalloped mix sits on the shelf for another day.  

We made an enormous pan of potatos from Gimme Some Oven and they were very tasty.

For dessert I made Nigella's Easter Egg Nest Cake which is just a flourless chocolate cake covered in Easter candy.  I skipped topping the cake with chocolate whipped cream and candy, and we just scooped large dollops of cream on our slices on our plates.  It ain't a pretty cake, but it was so delicious I was forced to eat leftovers for breakfast a few days later.

I made the Milk Bread from 100 Breads and it didn't turn out super well. 

I think part of the problem was I didn't get my timing right and the dough wasn't ready to be baked before I needed the oven for the ham and potatos, and so I baked it in the toaster oven.  

Our toaster oven sucks.

It did have a nice flavor, it was just small and sad.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

I made these based on Chocolate Sprinkle Crinkle Cookes from Joy the Baker.  I don't like sprinkles much so I was going to skip the step of rolling the cookies in them anyway, and when I pulled my box of baking supplies off the shelf to grab the chocolate chips I found a bag of peanut butter chips too and that sounded fun.

These cookies were easy to make and I liked that they used oil instead of butter especially since I didn't have butter that day.

I really need to get myself a cookie scoop or two.  Gotta have the right tools, you know?

Snapshot - Canucks Flyer

My Dad unearthed this from a box of treasures in the basement.

Ticket prices have slightly changed over the years.

This is a thing that I have, and also, book sale!

I recently read about tsundoku and laughed.  

Finally I can put a name to what I have been doing for years!  

I have been trying to get back to reading more but lately I've struggled with some of my 

choices and slowed right down, while at the same time receiving and using gift cards 

to the book store and moving books from the bookshelf in the basement to my room to read "soon" and this is what it looks like.

In related news, the Kamloops Symphony held their Spring Book Sale and we went.  Everyone got some books, and the Symphony got some of our money.

I got 5 books; a Thai cookbook, a novel and 3 memoirs.  

I tried to read Eat Pray Love years ago when it came out and I didn't like it and didn't finish it, but now that I'm old(er) I thought I would try again.  

I have had Pema Chodron's name on my list of authors to read for a couple of years, so I was excited to see one of her books.

I am currently struggling through a non fiction book that is interesting but a tough read, and a fiction book that I really don't like much.  I can't give up on either one, so I've got to just find some time and get them done so I can move on. 

Kids Book Club - Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

This came in a set of "Classics for kids" that we ordered from Scholastic.

The Girl and I read this, when I asked her what her favorite part was, she said "Pippi!"

I remember loving Pippi Longstocking when I was a kid but frankly I found her annoying as we read this book.  I am a tired mom.

Sunday Dinner - Irish Beef Stew

For St. Patrick's Day weekend I wanted to make a stew for Sunday dinner and I tried a new recipe - Irish Beef and Guinness Stew.

I try to avoid cooking with alcohol, so I subbed out the Guiness in the recipe with beef and mushroom broth.  It was a very very delicious stew.

I served the stew with mashed potatos and Ciabatta bread, perfect for dunking.

easy ciabatta bread

I dusted off my copy of Paul Hollywood's 100 Great Breads a couple of weekends ago.  I feel like I always say the same thing, but this book is so great!

I wanted to make bread on a Sunday but I'd started late and didn't have a lot of time, so the Ciabatta bread was a perfect recipe to make to go with dinner that night - less than 2 hours of rising and baking time!

It made 4 beautiful little loaves that not only went well with our stew, but also made delicious sandwiches.

The recipe on the Paul Hollywood website differs slightly than the book; longer rising times, less yeast, but I am sure both will make delicious bread.


So far I have made 11 recipes from the book -
Crusty Cob
Cheese and Onion Soda Bread
Batch Bread
Cottage Loaf
Pain de Campagne
The Ciabatta dough, which we used the pizza dough
Ciabatta
Onion Fougasse
Mince Pies
Farl 
Mixed Rolls

I won't make all of the recipes in the book but there are so many more I want to try.  And I found a list tucked into the book from my dad - recipes he wants me to make for him.  So I better get cracking!
  

Something I like - what i'm watching

For a few years I didn't watch much TV other than kids shows and the occasional movie if I could stay up long enough after the kids went to bed on a Saturday night.

Now that The Girl sleeps a little better I am getting back to some tv watching (not sure that is a good thing) at night and when I am attempting to work out in the mornings.

Here's what I'm watching in no particular order -

On "regular" TV

Last Man on Earth - this show is so weird and I love it.  We laugh every episode.

Full Frontal- I am super behind in this one but this one is hard to binge watch because it gets too depressing.  Samantha Bee is the best.

Will and Grace- I would watch Jack and Karen forever.

Over on Netflix

Riverdale - I started watching this at nights on my phone when I couldn't sleep when my mom died.  Sure I roll my eyes now and then, but I like it.  Bughead forever.

Queer Eye - Heart emoji, crying emoji.  I was a big fan of the original show and I love this one too.   Espech Johnathan and Tan. Cried through most of the episodes.  My only quibble  - and I know I am sounding like an old mom - is that I wish it was a bit more PG rated with the language so I could have watched it with my kids.  I would love for them to see this show and the love and friendship and acceptance. 


My Next Guest Needs No Introduction - I have always liked David Letterman and I really like this new show.  The Barack Obama episode made me cry and buy one of his books. 

Somebody Feed Phil - Stumbled across this one while looking for a background show while the kids were still up.  This is a fun show.  This is a happy show.  This is a show that makes me wish I had money to travel

Love Your Garden - another good one to watch with the kids.  People helping people, beautiful gardens and me fretting about if everyone can keep all those plants alive.  Netflix, please release more seasons asap!

Book Club - Midnight at the Dragon Cafe by Judy Fong Bates

"But with it there is my mother's fierce defense of me and the soft weight of her arm across my shoulders: one of the last moments in my childhood when my mother made everything right." 

 "She looked at me, her expression a mixture of wonder and horror. "The Gods have overlooked you."

 "I might have thrown our secret in the open, but nothing had changed. We returned to living in silence."

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This is another one from the book swap at my work. I had picked it out for my Mom to read in the hospital, but she didn't.

Sunday DInner and Thursday Dinner

A while back my Dad and I went through some of my mom's recipes and I brought some home, including her lasagna, cheesecake and caramel corn. I made the lasagna for Sunday dinner, along with some salad and cheese buns. 

Her lasagna is ridiculously delicious and quite simple.  We love it.

For dessert I made a recipe I ripped out of a Bon Appetit magazine more than a decade ago - Eva Marie Saint's Apple Pie.  This is easy and super delicious.  My Mother In Law requested a copy of the recipe to take home and to my knowledge, she is not a regular baker.

The following Thursday I made Asian Style Chicken Bunwiches with Ginger Sauce from The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook.  They were super good and the ginger sauce was amazing.

We had raw veggies and fries and saved some room for a delicious dessert - Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Spice Cake.  It was a big hit, especially with my Dad, who would have taken the whole cake home if I'd let him.

Book Club - Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

"Welcome to Singapore, Rachael - where arguing about food is the national pastime"

"This isn't a palace.  It's just a big house."

"They sailed past Lantau Island, Charlie bowing respectfully to the giant Buddha at its peak, and skirted past tiny picturesque islands like Aizhou and Sanmen,with their rugged outcroppings and hiddlen inlets."

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Why - I saw this on a list of books to read before the movie comes out.  There are 2 sequels and I am looking forward to seeing the movie. 

2 Hour Buns

I have been getting back into bread baking.  Had some triumphs and also some....not failures, but not triumphs either.   These buns are definitely a winner. I found the recipe over at Dinner with Julie, and it made me think of a recipe from an old friend that I need to see if it survived my recipe purge  but I do not know where my stack of saved recipes currently is.

So these are easy,  and you get really nice buns in......2 hours......as promised in the title of the recipe.

 

Fresh baked bread is pretty much the only thing I can count on my Fam to inhale when I make it.  The aren't always enthused about my cookies and squares (weirdos) but they do love homemade bread.  These disappear fast in our house.

I've been marking up some new recipes to try - a soda bread, a no knead bread, potato bread, maybe some savory doughnuts or hush puppies - or both!  The Fam will be pleased.

Journalling - take 3 (or 74)

I am trying journalling again to keep organized, and well, it's sort of working? A little? Mostly, I just get more anxious that I am not getting anything I have listed down actually done. So that's fun.

I am using a (new since last time) dollar store notebook, and doing  a calendar page for each month to note things happening, a to-do page for each month, where nothing gets crossed off....and then pages for lists I need in the month.  Like this list for a potluck in December.

Each month I start a new set of calendar pages and a new to do list, and transfer all the undone to do's to the new list.  And then close the book and run away.

I also have some pages set aside for books I want to read, things to research, recipes to try.  I tried menu planning in the notebook as well, but that didn't work for me.

I fell off the wagon the past couple of months, but am trying to get back to it.  It is pretty satisfying to cross things off the to-do list page, I must say.

Another wagon I fell off of hard is the fitness/healthy weight wagon, and that one has been verrrrrry difficult to get back on track.  (Spoiler alert - I am not back on track.)  I wondered if some sort of exercise/healthy habit tracking page might help?
I found a recent layout for tracking health/mental health that I have just started to try.
It's too early to say if it's having a positive impact, but we'll see. 

Anyone out there  got some good inspiration for health tracker layouts for journals - or any inspiration at all - let me know!

Last weeks menu plan - what we ate

 Still lots of snow up in Aberdeen on the Highlands Trail!  

Sunday - I made my mom's lasagna recipe which is THE BEST.  Salad and bread too.  Apple pie and ice cream for dessert.
Monday - my sweet, sweet Boo made us a batch of Brown Stew Chicken, a Jamaican dish that is totally amazing.
Tuesday - Met The Fam at Costco after work.  Hot dogs and fries after shopping.
Wednesday -  Leftover night.  The Fam ate the last of the lasagne, I had old pizza.
Thursday -  The Grandfather came over for dinner and I made chicken sandwiches and more cake. 
Friday - We had to go shoe shopping so we hit the mall after work.  Got each kid a new pair of shoes, used my last book store gift card to buy everyone a book, and ate at the food court.  The kids shared a plate from the chinese food place, the parents had Opa.
Saturday -Tried a new casserole recipe - Ham and Cheese Hashbrown Casserole to use up some ham and browns in the freezer.  I didn't have as much potato as called for in the recipe, so I cut back on the amount of soup, and I don't think it was as creamy as the original, but it was tasty.  The kids were pretty meh on it, which is and isn't a surprise, as they do love ham and cheese and hash browns, but they also pretty much dislike anything we make them and how annoying is that.  The Mister loved it - LOVED IT - and stood in the kitchen picking at the (big) dish of leftovers, saying "I can't stop eating this." which is good because he will be eating it all week for lunch.

Grocery Shop March 17

Pizza Goldfish crackers (blech), ketchup, canned tomatos, corn, cream of mushroom soup, cream of potato soup (makin casseroles!), tomato paste, rice vinegar, sour cream, tater tots, eggos, grapes, thyme, cucumbers, asparagus, brussel sprouts, stew meat, ground beef, taco seasoning, clamato, ice tea

$96

Book Club - Artemis by Andy Weir

"That's the thing about crying yourself to sleep.  When you wake up, the problems are still there."

"The sky is not the limit."

"I forgive you, buddy.  For everything.  Goodbye."

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I bought this one because I really liked The Martian.  I liked this one too, but man, he goes heavy on the technical details. That is not a criticism though.  He puts a lot into his books.

I gave this one to my dad when I was done, but no word on if he's read it yet.

Meatball Bake

I think this one might have been a Buzzfeed recipe too (the chances are good) - meatballs tossed with sauce and cut pieces of baguette, covered with cheese and baked.  I fancy-pantsed it a little by tossing the bread cubes with melted butter and garlic and toasting them before mixing them with the rest of the ingredients and baking.

Can't go wrong with garlic bread in any form, am I right?

Ingredients-

Meatballs - already cooked, thawed if frozen

Pasta sauce

Baguette

Butter

Garlic

Salt and Pepper

Cheese - mozza or parm or both

Heat your oven to broil and mix some melted butter and chopped garlic with a bit of S&P.  Toss the chunked baguette with the butter, spread out on a pan and broil until toasted, turning once or twice.

Remove the garlic toast chunks from the oven and lower the heat to 400'.

In a large bowl mix the meatballs and sauce together, add in the bread.  Make it as saucy as you like.

Pour into a baking dish, arrange balls and bread to get a good ratio all over the pan if necessary.

Top with shredded cheese, and bake until heated through and the cheese is melty and lovely.

Gratitude more often

A few years back at a rough time in my life my Boo gave me a Gratitude jar - slips of paper to write things I am grateful for on, with a pen (to write with!) and a pretty glass jar to keep the notes in.  It was hard some days, to think of something to be grateful for.  But if you think about it, there is always something.

It can be hard to look past the big things (losing my mom ) that there is nothing grateful in, and the not so big things that seem big (will this freaking winter never ever end????) that there is nothing grateful in, but I found some stuff this week.

I am always grateful for The Mister, and our babies, and my dad.
I am grateful that The Mother In Law came out for a visit - the kids were wild to see her.
I am grateful to have My Boo - a truly wonderful friend is a real gift.
I am grateful that I reconnected with some family members.  Our family is cuckoo sometimes (whose isn't?) but family is family and life is short and if you keep putting things off there is a good chance they won't happen.
I am grateful for the blue skies that appeared this past weekend.  I feel like a little bit of stress and sadness has lifted along with the clouds.
I am grateful for the work we've done the past few months cleaning junk out of our house.  We've taken countess loads of stuff to various thrift shops and donation centers, and broken stuff to the dump.  The house looks infinitely better, and we've still got some work to do.
I am grateful for all the people who tell me I look like my mom.

Book Club - One Kick by Chelsea Cain

"Smile and wave."

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I picked this one from the book exchange at my work.  

Not my usual genre, I don't enjoy crime/detective books very much.