Friday, September 23, 2016

Piece of Cake

As usual, we chilled out on Saturday, a nice rainy day.

I took this rather odd looking photo as the rain stopped late in the afternoon. We were surprised to see all the wires as I really zoomed this photo, I also took it from our bedroom.




I received the blender/food processor I bought online the other day. Earlier in the spring we had bought an inexpensive blender for our smoothies. It worked well but last week it started to smell like the motor might have been burning out. The internet is amazing

 as I was googling what would be the best to buy up popped an ad from the Hudson Bay (Canadian department store) for a deal on a Cuisinart blender/food processor which I then ordered. That was Tuesday and it was delivered on Friday.




Sunday I strolled out to pick up some vegetables for dinner and snapped a few photos along the way.
Spotted this in the distance and had to walk down to see what it was. Googled it and learned it is called Bubble Football.



So where am I? This photo is from our building. I had just walked down from the store and the kids were playing across the street from the red umbrellas, which is a pub. I stayed on that side of the street to get home and walked on those paths closest to the lake. The sidewalk on that side is usually crowded with cyclists on the weekend.
You can tell by the colour of the grass that we have had very little rain this summer.


I decided to try gluten free baking again this time using an all-purpose gluten free flour from the Bulk Barn. I also added Xanthan gum as the label recommended it, also bought at Bulk Barn. I had lots of blueberries in the freezer and plenty of Greek yogurt. All in all this recipe worked out well.

Lots of goldenrod around.


It was a funny kind of day after yesterday's rain. It felt coolish and overcast when I stepped out but then the wind completely died and the sun came out. City looking pretty hazy.


Monday I went downtown for a haircut, some pizza stuff and also found two pairs of jeans!!


Hockey fever is everywhere.


I came across a recipe that I thought was easy and would use up some stuff in the cupboards. I had a jar of Nutella that we had bought to try and neither of us liked it. Then a jar of peanut butter (I hate the stuff) that John wasn't crazy about so we decided it was good enough for cooking.
This is the recipe for nutella fudge cups, it is not going into my recipe box. I did make some adjustments based on what I had on hand. I mixed the peanut butter with the Nutella as I didn't have enough to make two cups. I didn't like the look of them and thought they were too greasy. John took one bite and valiantly said he would eat them since I made them.  But really, they went in the garbage.



Tuesday John was on a mission to get a pair of jeans so we headed down to his favourite store and salesman who had already picked out several pairs for him.
I loved this display of socks.


Then I met up with my BFF for a good old chin wag over lunch. My fish tacos.


Wednesday I went for a mani pedi and took a couple of photos. So quiet and peaceful on a weekday morning at 9:45.


Decorations for fall at our building, so nice to have someone else do my gardening.




Thursday John had gotten tickets for a new local TV show. It was the first week of taping for The Goods. Was a lot of fun even though the hour long show took about three hours to tape there is always something to keep you entertained, from draws for prizes to contests by the audience.




Check out my new crush, new kid on the CBC block Shahir Massoud, delivering cupcakes around the station.





After a quick lunch of Chinese food we headed home as friends were coming by. I did stop and pick up a Japanese cheesecake that created so much hype last year when they opened up to stupid-long lineups.
From the Globe and Mail:
The first Uncle Tetsu opened 25 years ago in Hakata, Japan. The company’s cheesecakes have become an international phenomenon in the years since; those two-hour lineups aren’t an only-in-Toronto exception, but the rule. Outside Japan, the brand has more than 70 shops across China, as well as in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Cambodia. (Some of those are franchises. In Toronto, it’s owned by the company.)



First bite was a little weird but then it grew on me. It is so light, more like a souffle, it is baked in a water bath. It also tastes more eggy than cheesy. At $10 for a cake it is a good deal as well. Would I line up for it, not likely.


Still on my quest to reduce and use the food in our fridge and freezers! It doesn't seem to be going down.
How did I decide what to make for dinner before Pinterest????
None of the new recipes went into my recipe box this week. The meatloaf and tikka masala were good, but not memorable, even though John enjoyed them both.

Saturday - burgers and fries with a change up in the ketchup to which I added hot sauce and chili sauce to it.
Sunday - used the rest of the ground beef to make this meatloaf with colcannon.
Monday - pizza (GF crust in freezer)
Tuesday - buttery garlic lime salmon (frozen) and salad
Wednesday - chicken breasts (frozen) made into chicken tikka masala
Thursday -  spaghetti with veal meat sauce (frozen)
Friday - steak (frozen) sauteed green peppers, onions and mushrooms with frites.

BOOKS
I didn't include an update last week.
Finished:
A Free Life I gave it 2 stars out of five. Wanted to finish it just to see what happened.
In The Skin of a Lion I was sorry to give this 1 star as it was recommended on last week's lost breweries tour, but I just couldn't get into the main character.
The Grownup Seriously don't even get me started!! What a waste of time! 64 pages, really????
Twisted River 5/5 loved it. Didn't want it to end.
My Name is Lucy Barton 2/5 I so wanted to love this one... but it was just ok.

I started Fates and Furies and enjoying it so far.





Friday Photo Journal


Weekend Cooking hosted by www.BethFishReads.com
Beth hosts Weekend Cooking where you can post anything food related.

26 comments:

  1. Bubble football?? How funny -- I've never heard of it before. Bummer on the baking. I've heard good things about the King Arthur Flour gluten-free blend -- even if you use a different flour, I wonder if their GF recipes are as reliable as their regular ones. Some weeks the recipes are just not inspiring. I had a similar week, though we both liked the low-fat baked mac & cheese I made last night.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've heard amazing things about King Arthur flour, will try to get some when we are in the States next week.

      Delete
  2. Lots of fun stuff...and yes, lots of wires in that one photo.

    Isn't it amazing how the "Internet" seems to read our minds and pop up with ads for what we're looking for? I've had that experience, and it's a little spooky.

    Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I enjoy the wide diversity of your photos, your week. I'm glad you share them with us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What an interesting week! I love the photo. I wouldn't normally think power lines are all that interesting but they definitely look so in the picture. I regularly wonder how we survived without the internet. Not only do I find more options but frequently it helps me with impulse purchases because I can look for something specific instead of wandering around a store and finding all kinds of things that I don't need.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Too bad you had so many low-rated books to read. Maybe you need a new source of suggestions for book titles!

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.co

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Jackie! Have a great week. Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bubble football gets played in Australia too. Highschools have picked it up in particular as a fun way to get all kids playing sport for a while.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've never heard of bubble football before! Good thing Brona knows what's going on down under.... But I do know that Uncle Tetsu's has recently opened in Sydney, but I haven't had the chance to seek it out just yet- it's definitely on my list of things to do.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Those goldenrods look beautiful. I've heard of Bubble Football- but I don't think it's very common in India

    Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So many interesting things in this post. Bubble football! Love those socks! Too bad about the baking. Usually nutella + peanut butter are a good combination.

    ReplyDelete
  11. You all look, like you have lots of fun! I love that bubble football, never saw it before. And did you say Nutella !,,,

    ReplyDelete
  12. Bubble football! I've never heard of such a thing. And so sad about the cupcakes. They look delicious...if a bit on the greasy side...but I've had those moments where the results end up in the trash, too. The fish tacos look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bubble football? Now that is a great find, Jackie! Love the washed out post rain feeling in the first photo.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wonder how it would be to play sports with a bubble around you (hot? restricted in movements?) ...can't be too easy. You remind me I should make use of Pinterest more for recipes:) Thank you for sharing so many goodies in this post for SEASONS! Have a marvelous week!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow, a whole week of journaling and what fun things you do. I love the Bubble Footbass ... lol funny and looks like painless fun. Japanense cheese cake ... hmmmm, not sure that is a turn on, but some of your recipes sound promising. Love the book list. I am reading "The Gold Finch" by Donna Tartt ... long, but beautifully written and interesting :) Enjoyed my visit with you today ...

    Andrea @ From The Sol

    ReplyDelete
  16. The Bubble Football looks amazing, lots of fun!!
    #mmbc

    ReplyDelete
  17. Very interesting post. Lots going on. I enjoyed the bubble football and the colorful row of socks. I hate it when recipe doesn't turn out the way one hopes it would.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Now the bubble football looks interesting!
    I love your week in pictures, and your claim to fame on 'The Goods' :)

    Thanks for linking up to #MMBC Hope you can make it next week x

    ReplyDelete
  19. So many interesting scenes. The bubble football game looks quite challenging. Love the atmospheric, hazy afternoon scene.

    ReplyDelete
  20. That bubble football looks fun! Would like to try it one day!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh wow, that bubble football looks hilarious! I imagine of you got good at it you could roll over on your head/bubble! I would have spent ages laughing at that! Sounds like you've been busy though, lots going on! X

    ReplyDelete

This blog does not allow anonymous comments.