Sep 2022 - Yonge St. Toronto ON
We got our couple of Christmas decorations out and moved the winter coats to the front closet.
We gave our cheque for the Christmas staff fund to the office and cash for a few favourites. The office suggests an amount per unit for staff, concierges, valets, cleaning staff, security. We like to gift a few that we deal with the most.
Monday John met with a chiropractor who thinks 4-5 sessions should help.
Tuesday I went boot shopping and was successful. I wanted a shorter pair for city walking. John met a friend for pizza, at 4 PM.
I've been slowly working on our Newfoundland trip video.
Wednesday was a productive day. The cleaning lady wasn't well soshe re-scheduled to Thursday but only after we were up and had tidied up. I ended up cleaning out the fridge, doing some plant maintenance and other general chores.
While cleaning out the freezer/fridge I found enough odds and ends to make a pot of pea soup in anticipation of the "extreme weather alert" for tomorrow.
Hazards:
Snowfall accumulations of 5 to 10 cm. Peak snowfall rates of 1 to 3 cm per hour.
Risk of freezing rain with ice accretion of a few millimeters possible.
Southeasterly wind gusts near 70 km/h. The strongest winds are expected near to the shores of Lake Ontario.
Well, talk about a non-event! But we did get winds and a lot of rain!
Our Christmas liquor delivery came and we found some surprises in our cabinet when putting it away, a bottle of sherry, prosecco and a wine.
A few other deliveries came as well. I had bought some bread bags, water delivery, beeswax food wraps (the others had worn out - or as the package states "reached their end of life".
More Royal York pictures taken when in town.
The Thirsty Elf bar.
Overlooking the lobby.
I walked down a new aisle in Union Station towards the Bay Concourse and discovered that the station has come into the 21st century! There is also another small food court there.
Cannabis and a liquor store!
Sunset
Friday we went to Farm Boy for a few items. I saw these.
“Winter frost” pineberries are hybrid strawberries that have a hint of pineapple taste and smell.
It's the holidays so this elegant eggnog made it into our basket. It is much more yellow than this photo. The glass bottle is much nicer than the carton the generic eggnog comes in.
COOKING
I found this interesting and will try it.
Saturday - Made gluten free bread in breadmaker (I haven't used it in forever), using up some of the coconut milk I opened last week. I am determined to find a good GF bread. I even started a spreadsheet to track results.
Roast pork, roast potatoes, cauliflower and cabbage with onions
Prepared tomorrow's pancake mix finishing the coconut milk, the last banana (replaces egg) and apple.
Sunday chicken tenders and coleslaw, also made a horseradish/ketchup dipping sauce
Monday oven baked haddock and chips
Tuesday John out for pizza, I picked up lobster rolls.
Wednesday made the same bread recipe, different flour, for comparison. I used less honey. I used Robin Hood flour and this wasn't as good as the first one made with Cup4Cup.
I've done some more reading on baking gluten free bread so I have some other things to try.
We had wieners and beans for dinner! Although the wieners were waygu beef!
Thursday BBQ chicken thighs, roast potatoes and carrots.
Friday steak (Farm Boy) peppers and onions.
WATCHING
We watched Tulsa King. The series stars Sylvester Stallone, marking his first leading role in a scripted television series. Stallone plays a Mafia capo who just got out of prison and is sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he tries to set up a criminal organization. It was a fun series, seeing him deal with all the new technology, Uber, apps.
Harry and Meghan - we enjoyed, although there wasn't anything we didn't really already know. We knew from Diana how hard life is for women in the monarchy.
I was amused to see that Camilla lunched with Piers Morgan and Jeremy Clarkson this week, both Meghan haters.
Life on the Line, a 2015 American disaster thriller film The film stars John Travolta, Kate Bosworth, Devon Sawa, Gil Bellows, Julie Benz, Ryan Robbins and Sharon Stone. The film's story follows a crew of electrical linemen who while working to maintain the power grid of their Texas town find themselves in the middle of a deadly storm and have to fight for their lives.
We caught up on Three Pines.
READING
Things We Do in the Dark started off slow for me (almost gave up) but then Drew Malcolm showed in the second part I was engaged in the story. I did not see the ending coming!
Started The Mother's Secret, lots of twists and turns!
Somme areas got hit harder than others. We got a lot out of it.
ReplyDeleteThere are bubble tea shops here everywhere and I don't have a clue what bubble tea is and I am sure I wouldn't like it.
ReplyDeleteOur weather bureau seems to often overstate rain and bad weather.
Noted in case of possible future stays at Royal York, new LCBO closer than the one the other side of the expressway.
Oh, Andrew! If only you had contacted me. There is an LCBO minutes away from the hotel, without even going outside. It is on the lower level of the hotel and a short (and I mean short) walk in the Royal Bank building, There is also another, much smaller, also underground, walk in the Bank of Montreal (FCP) building.
DeleteI don't like the idea of bubble tea either!
DeleteYou make me think ... Bubble tea peaked a few years ago in Ann Arbor -- now there are still shops where it's on the menu, but not the main event. The biggie here now as you say -- cannabis shops of many sorts. They are opening everywhere. I'm sure there will be a shake-out and we'll end up with just a few, probably franchises or chain shops rather than individual shops being run by small entrepreneurs. Some locations in town offer themselves to every passing fad: once they housed a shop for potted plants and hanging plants (that would be the eighties), maybe a coffee shop, now cannabis. More fads in between. Have fun with all the great stuff in Toronto.
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Yes, bubble tea has been around for a few years. We have the same issue with cannabis shops, they open and then close down shortly or are taken over by the franchises.
DeleteWhew. I'm sure even what you'd consider a non-event would be an event to me. I don't have a warm coat to move to the front closet!
ReplyDeleteI'll be making bread today for my dad's wife. Fresh bread with butter is one of her favorite things. I've never tried making gluten-free.
My husband and I are both enjoying Tulsa King too, it's a good fit for Sylvester Stallone. Happy Holidays to you both!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your weekend coffee share. I'm glad the snow storm was a non-event. Happy holidays to you both!
ReplyDeleteAnd Happy holidays to you and yours as well!
DeleteHave a great week and happy holidays.
ReplyDeleteLet me know if the baking sofa trick works please!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a great reading week and a joyous Christmas celebration
I would say that the baking soda did work! Happy holidays to you as well.
DeleteI have still never tried bubble tea. I think there are a few local shops here too. Thanks for the reminder on the gluten free bread! I need to try it camping this summer. I like to bake bread in a dutch oven over the coals. I love those pineberries! Tried growing them once and the squirrels destroyed them. Maybe I'll give it another go this year. We absolutely LOVED the first episode of Tulsa King! LOL Will probably subscribe to Paramount + just for that.. Have a very Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI have never tried it either. I have bad memories of tapioca as a child so it puts me off.
DeleteI haven't tried bubble tea yet either! Maybe one day!
ReplyDeleteLove your cover photo..
Thanks for your support with Weekend Cooking!