Saturday, December 18, 2021

Harbord St Toronto ON

I can't believe I got an e-mail from a store with this title Don't miss our PRE-BOXING DAY SALE!!

Seriously?

We have had very mild (record-breaking) temperatures this week but the winds have been incredible.

Covid numbers are climbing again leading some restaurants make the decision to cease indoor dining for a while.

Then this late Friday afternoon!

BREAKING: The Ontario government has announced new restrictions in response to the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

A 50% capacity limit will be instituted as of Sunday on bars, restaurants, barbers, salons, retailers, and shopping malls. Bars and restaurants to close at 11 PM. Sale of alcohol stopped at 10 PM. No food or drink allowed to be sold at sports events, or movie theatres. Fully vaccinated now means 3 shots.

'Now is not the time': Federal government warns against travel abroad as Omicron spreads

Monday John used the golf simulator. I had planned on going shopping, but then waited online to book my booster shot (Jan 4) and then spoke to the plumber again.

I decided to go out early Tuesday instead based on the climbing numbers.

I got into a baking frenzy and I made cranberry jam for another batch of gluten-free thumbprint cookies.

Also baked the easiest GF lemon cookies.

Tuesday I went downtown.

Royal York Hotel

An unusual sight outside old city hall.

The Bay Santa's workshop.

The displays are animated. I thought I had taken a video, but...

I walked back underground and the food courts were deserted. I used to work in this building. As I got closer to the big bank towers it was a lot busier.

Skating rink at Union Station.

Wednesday, rainy, I had a hair cut appointment at 11 then I headed to the Eaton Centre which was remarkably empty for this time of year.

Dori just opened at the Toronto Eaton Centre so I wanted to check it out. The employee-less store carries all kinds of products, including candles, fresh macarons and "cheesecake sticks," "candy sushi," cocktail kits, soaps and teas.

Canada's tallest Christmas tree.

Läderach is your destination for fresh chocolate from Switzerland - not cheap!

This is their first North American outlet.

Back at Union, the Bay concourse food court has opened and has about 5 outlets so far.

Grand Tacos Taqueria
Mikey’s Smash Burgers
Union Chicken
Mean Bao
Butter Chicken Roti

These are popping up everywhere. FH itself has 19 in Toronto. They will do a booming business as everyone is running around trying to find the phantom free RATs or rapid antigen test kits that DOFO promised would be
widely" available.

John had his eye appointment in the afternoon.

We had thought about going to the Distillery District to see the holiday village. I couldn't get any dinner reservations so we planned on something easy for dinner after. But it continued to rain and we decided against going.

Thursday we expected the bar door installer between noon and two, nope, arrived at 4, however it didn't take him very long, and finally the bar is finished.

I even put Christmas lights on our "tree".

Friday we had planned on lunch out with friends. But with all the Omicron doom and gloom (we, the women) decided to cancel until the new year.

But we did have a zoom cocktail visit with John's son and DIL in Montreal.

COOKING

Saturday coconut shrimp (air fryer) (coconut flour, egg, coconut), salad and Irish soda bread

Sunday roast turkey breast, roast potatoes, carrots and gravy

Monday hot turkey sandwiches and peas

Tuesday chicken curry

Wednesday burgers and chips (crisps)

Thursday leftover curry and onion bahjis which I baked in a muffin tin. I also made homemade tamarind dipping sauce. I need to find a better recipe.

Friday steak frites.

WATCHING

Watched Blitz, a 2011 British action thriller film starring Jason Statham, Paddy Considine, Aidan Gillen and David Morrissey. It was based on a book by Ken Bruen, a favourite author of mine.

The 80s 90s 00s movie stations are open at the moment so we are rewatching some oldies. Pulp Fiction and St. Elmo's Fire.

We also watched an In Bruges is a 2008 black comedy crime film written and directed by Martin McDonagh in his feature-length debut. The film stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two Irish hitmen in hiding, with Ralph Fiennes as their enraged boss. Funny.

READING

I finished Perfect Remains and am loving the series so I started Perfect Prey

Friday, December 17, 2021

Weekend Roundup

Welcome to The Weekend Roundup...hosted by Tom The Back Roads Traveler

1. Starts with "Y"
2. A Favorite
3.Yellow- chosen by Tom

Starts with "Y"

YELLOWSTONE National Park

FAVOURITE

YUMA AZ

YELLOW

Ballyvaughan Ireland

Déjà Brew

A catchall for leftover beer, coffee, food, motels and whatever catches my fancy!

Mazatlan Mexico

Thursday, December 16, 2021

My Recipe Box - Easiest Lemon Cookies

Toronto ON

Don't you love a recipe that doesn't require the mixer? Mixes in one bowl! And are healthy!

My oven is finicky so I find that I need these to bake for at least 20 minutes, you be the judge.

This recipe only makes 12 cookies so I usually double or triple, it's so easy, why not? I mean, a dozen little cookies can disappear in a flash.

I said they were small and they are, but in this case the Meyer lemons we had were huge.

3 Ingredient Lemon Cookies

Ingredients:
1 lemon - have it juiced and zested
1/4 cup maple syrup - Canadian, of course
1 cup almond flour

Instructions:
Zest and juice 1 lemon.
Combine almond flour, lemon juice/zest, and maple syrup in a bowl and stir by hand until well-incorporated.
Form dough into a ball and wrap in cling film, freeze dough for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Scoop dough into about 12 small balls.
Dip a fork lightly in water and press a criss-cross pattern into each cookie.
Bake for 9-12 minutes.
Let cookies stand on the baking sheet until very cool.

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Signs

Joining Tom at Signs2.

Random-osity

Wordless Wednesday Wordless Be There 2day

Toronto ON

I've been collecting the social distancing signs/stickers around town during Covid.

I posted some last week.

Dog area Grange Park

Optician Queen St. W

Tuesday Treasures

Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme.

Travel Tuesday

Our World Tuesday

Image-in-ing
My Corner of the World

Postcards

Toronto ON

Kensington Market is a unique area of Toronto that is slowly being eaten up by gentrification. Click on Kensington Market in the tags/labels below this post to explore more.

Alice (1925-2012) was born in Quebec in 1925 and Dan (or Don) in Manitoba in 1925. They met while members of the Student Christian Movement and married in Montreal in 1950. They moved to Toronto shortly thereafter and Dan became a worker-priest and was later elected a Toronto City Councillor (1972 to 1981) and then New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Trinity–Spadina (1981 to 1993).

Alice steadfastly organized for many social justice and international solidarity causes, and participated in the co-op housing movement. The Heap home at 29 Wales Avenue was a centre for political activism where the door was always open to people needing shelter.

Click here for a lovely story about the couple.

He and Alice raised seven children, including son Danny Heap, a computer science lecturer at the University of Toronto.

In 1965, Heap marched with Martin Luther King Jr. on his Selma to Montgomery marches while the rest of his family participated in a solidarity sit-in in Toronto. The family also opened their home to Americans resisting the Vietnam War, youth involved with the SCM and other activists.