Thirsty Tuesday - Ireland

The oldest pub in Dublin.

Monday's Child - Morocco

Taken many years ago in Morocco from our hotel window.

New Recipes to Try

Greek style potatoes with oregano and lemon from a Toronto blogger.

Garlic Herbed Bread Sticks

Halloumi herb cheese rolls from Not So Humble Pie, hers look so pretty!

From the same blogger  Gobi Manchurian - this is like a vegetarian hot wing. Florets of cauliflower, poached, battered and then fried. Tossed in a fiery sauce.


Chocolate zucchini cake from Heidi's Recipes - one way to get more veggies.



Mini pork pies with bacon jam who wouldn't be intrigued by bacon jam from this Irish blogger?



Wow! a mini cupcake made in the microwave from The Pink Peppercorn!

Toronto Thursday - TIFF

The Toronto International Film Festival is in full stream this week. One thing I certainly noticed as I left the Hyatt and walked in front of the Festival Tower is the amount of cigarette butts! Not something you see a lot of in downtown Toronto, apparently these artsy types really like to smoke.
Here are some ordinary photos around TIFF.

Back of the TIFF Festival Tower which opened on the 12th.

Outside the Hyatt

In the Hyatt lobby

Recipes to Try - Burgers

I found this recipe over at Cinnamon spice and Everything Nice where she rated it 4/4!

Bobby Flay's Arthur Avenue burger

Stuffed-cheese-burgers-with-peppers

Thirsty Tuesday - Sedona

Standing tall at the west end of Sedona sits Coffee Pot Rock, perfectly poised to pour the first cup of morning refreshment for the countless neighbors, us included, living in the shadow of this unique and colourful monument.
Our condo was just below (across the road) from the Coffee Pot. Visible from all over town, Coffee Pot Rock looks like a percolator style pot, complete with spout. The base of Coffee Pot Rock is deep Sedona red, with slight striations of white and pink. The lid of the Coffee Pot is striped beige and orange, further resembling the clear top of the percolator.

And yes, that is snow behind us in the smaller photo. At 5,600 ft Coffee Pot Rock is considereed the highest point in town. At that height it is not surprising to get snow in November.

Recipes to Try - Pasta

Mushroom pasta

Mozzarella stuffed meatballs

Monday Wash Day

Wash Day along the Li River in China.

Books - The Prayer Room

I read the review of The Prayer Room here and all I can say is I don't get it.
I did not really enjoy it at all. I found the characters boring and one dimensional. None of them evoked any sympathy from me.
The following write-up from over at Amazon.com sums up my feelings without me wasting the time.
From Publishers Weekly
In her debut novel, Sekaran indulges in beautiful prose that unfortunately obscures a ponderous narrative. Art history scholar and Englishman George Armitage went to India for the research, but returned with an Indian wife, Viji, so out of sorts she can't even recognize her husband when they get separated at the airport (They all looked like George. Which one had she married?). In short order, they move to Sacramento and Viji gives birth to triplets. As their children wade into adolescence, George blandly flirts with infidelity, and Viji is afflicted with poorly explained midlife ennui. The plot, as it is, involves the arrival of George's widowed father and Viji's solo visit to India at the request of her sister. Lovely writing doesn't make up for Sekaran's vacant characterization; as the characters' problems are never clearly established, readers won't find much satisfaction in the old family secrets and healed wounds meant to resolve them. (Feb.)
 
 

 
 I read this book this week and finished it yesterday sitting on my front porch. I took this picture while sitting there trying to get through the book and finish it.

Next on the reading list is The Privileges by Jonathan Dee.

Autumn Menu Ideas

London near Buckingham Palace October 2009

Megan over at Meganscookin has the perfect Fall menu on her post last fall. Do drop over and check it out.

Saturday Morning - Garden

I just stepped out to get the newspaper and snapped these photos with my Blackberry.

Books - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Set during one of the most difficult times during World War II,in the United States, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a heart rending story of commitment and enduring hope.
In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of the human heart.
In the opening page of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Henry Lee an American Chinese widower, comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II.
As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol which he is sure belonged to his first true love, an American Japanese girl called Keiko.

The hotel referred to is the Panama Hotel in Seattle which still stands. I wish I had been aware of this hotel and its historical significance when I visited Seattle. It is open and many of the belongings are on display.
The Panama was once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It had been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps



This simple act takes Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. To ensure his son is not mistaken as Japanese he makes Henry wear a button stating "I am Chinese".  Henry's father "hates" the Japanese and is livid that his son has befriended Keiko.

The novel flips back and forth from the war years to 1986.  We go to school with Henry where he is bullied as the only non-white child on a scholarship until Keiko enrols. As part of their scholarship they work together in the cafeteria at lunch and then clean the classrooms after school.

We learn what the camps were like as Henry goes to visit Keiko and her family.



Father-son relationships are a crucial part of the novel. Henry also struggles with his relationship with his own son Marty who becomes engaged to a Caucasian girl, Samantha.
 
Central to the theme is Henry's friendship with an older Black jazz musician named Sheldon. Their love of jazz binds them to a lifetime friendship.
 
The US has been called a nation of immigrants yet the paranoia in this historical period is mind blogging.
The author does not attempt to address whether the US government was right or wrong to "relocate" Japanese-Americans and other citizens and residents who had emigrated from countries the US was fighting in WWII.
As we turn the pages we hope that the story will come full circle and end on a sweet note.

Thirsty Tuesday - Toronto

Taken after brunch on a Saturday on Queen St. E. Making a delivery of 666 beer.

Books - The Groom To Have Been

I just finished this book, and I was disappointed.
The novel attempts to discuss the feelings of a second generation immigrant, the ability to integrate, the first generation's nostalgia for ‘home’ and then mixed into the plot are the complex reactions of a Muslim Indian community to 9-11.

It asks what is love and how do we decide who to spend the rest of our lives with. It blends new traditions with an older generation's ideas.

It is Saher Alam’s first novel. Coming from the same place as the older generation characters she is sharing her own thoughts and culture with us as we follow the main character a story of love, friendship, family and tradition.

I enjoyed the different customs, the wedding plans and ceremonies. Traditions always interest me and the way the younger generation found ways to blend the old and new into their lifestyle.

But the main protaganist, Nasr never felt like a real person, he is a stiff and slightly annoying character, someone that got on my nerves as I wished he would develop a backbone. You never really get a sense of a genuine personality, or even warmth and substance – this character comes across as  predictable and stereotyped.

Even though he did search for 3 years to find someone he felt he could marry while he continued his westernized lifestyle in New York, I felt he was just procrastinating.
His decision to agree to an arranged marriage doesn’t strike me as him believing in the old-fashioned custom, but rather the need not to make any decisions for himself.
In a love marriage, the desire to commit to someone for life comes after falling in love. In an arranged marriage, the opposite is true: with the commitment of marriage comes love.

From the start the reader can see that his true soul mate is Jameela, right there under his nose and he waits until it is too late! How I wished he'd wake up and realize it and they would run off together!

Monday's Child - Santa Fe

Canyon Road, Santa Fe

Recipes - Chocolate Cheesecake with Sour Cream Icing

I was reading some blogs yesterday and came across this recipes for Chocolate Cheesecake. I quickly checked that I had all the ingredients on hand (everything is closed as it is Labour Day).

I keep my cocoa in the Bailey's jar.

I hopped up and began making it. Using my handy iPad to follow the recipe which is now all set up on the island and even has 233 songs so far loaded on it as of yesterday!

As the site states this is the easiest cheesecake ever to make. I would suggest using a slightly larger pie plate as this ended up being almost filled to overflowing, plus the crust could have been spread a little thinner.
I also never quite use all the sugar they recommend.

Ready for the oven.

Out of the oven and iced - now to set in the fridge

Oh my! Can you spell delicious??? Even before we started dinner DH said can we just skip to dessert?/

Projects to Try

Tote bags

Entry Way Stand I think this is fantastic - wish I'd kept some of my old Ikea bookcases. I think I would cover it with photos from our travels.

Day beds

Laundry Room Sign

http://www.tipjunkie.com/broken-jewelry-letter-craft/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TipJunkie+%28Tip+Junkie+-+Creative+Inspiration%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-make-gift-bags-from-newspaper.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSfusvAP1vw

My Recipe Box - Cabbage Rolls

I have used the same recipe for cabbage rolls for a very long time. It is from the 1978 Betty Crocker printing. I use it loosely, I don't add the mushrooms, use fresh garlic cloves. I love the fact that everything goes into the leaves uncooked.

This time I used a frozen cabbage at the suggestion of a good friend. This was great as you don't need to bother covering them with hot water. Will definitely continue to do them this way!

Ready for mixing

Sauce I used

Ready to go into the oven

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
(Found in the hamburger section of the book)

12 cabbage leaves (To separate leaves from cabbage head, remove core and cover cabbage with cold water. Let stand about 10 minutes; remove leaves.)
1 lb hamburger
1/2 cup uncooked instant rice
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 can (4 oz) mushrooms stems and pieces (Fresh is better)
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water



Cover cabbage leaves with boiling water. Cover and let stand until leaves are limp, about 10 minutes. Remove leaves; drain.

Mix hamburger, rice, onion, mushrooms (with liquid), salt, pepper, garlic salt and 1/2 cup of tomato sauce. (If you use fresh mushrooms, don't worry about adding any liquid to make up the miniscule amount of liquid that comes out of the canned ones) Place about 1/3 cup hamburger mixture at stem end of each leaf. Roll leaf around hamburger mixture, tucking in sides.

Place cabbage rolls, seam side down in ungreased square baking dish, 8x8x2". Mix remaining tomato sauce, sugar and lemon juice; pour over cabbage rolls. Cover and cook in 350 degree oven until hamburger is done; about 45 minutes. I found 45 minutes isn't quite long enough to cook the rice. I leave them around an hour.

Mix cornstarch and 1 tbsp water in saucepan. Stir in liquid from cabbage rolls. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve sauce with cabbage rolls. Garnish with parsley if desired.
 
These also freeze very well.
 
Steamy photo as they came out of the oven.

Saturday Breakfast

We went to check out another breakfast diner last Saturday - Lady Marmalade. It's cute and small with mismatched tables, chairs and dishes.

DH had the daily baked french toast “bread pudding” style w/ fresh fruit & berry coulis at $10.50, which I consider a little pricy. He really enjoyed them so I found a recipe to try them at home.

I had the 2 eggs (poached or scrambled) served w/ toast, potatoes, salad or tomatoes. 7.95

The scrambled eggs very very good, tomato bland and cold considering it is August and the markets are full of good tomoatoes. I didn't enjoy the potatoes at all but that is a personal preference as I do not like spices added to my potoates. I'm just an old-fashioned Irish girl and like my potatoes plain.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give this around a 7. Coffee was lukewarm. I think Okay Okay is better and we've been back there once since I wrote that linked post.

TGIF - Project 365 August 2010

August category was Primary colours. My fave was this even though I have shown this photo several times from Mackinac Island, I still love it.

Toronto Thursday - Billboards

Recipes - Ultimate Chicken Fingers/Tenders - Air Fryer/Gluten Free Options w/Dipping Sauces

UPDATED  

October 2025 dipping sauces

February 2023 gluten free 

September 2010

I made the Ultimate Chicken Fingers using the recipe from which I had posted in my Recipes to Try - Chicken post. I use that post to bookmark recipes I come across in the various blogs I follow that I want to try. This worked out very well, was easy and very delicious. I also added some chilli - garlic sauce.
I think this would be a great appetizer as well for a cocktail party, serve them in small upright glasses. I also made 3 dipping sauces, Curry, spicy horseradish and a third one that was not memorable.

Ingredients:


2/3 cup (150 mL) Bisquick mix OR 2/3 cup GF flour AND 1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp (2 mL) garlic salt, optional
1/2 tsp (2 mL) paprika
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves or chicken thighs, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 tbsp (45 mL) butter or margarine, melted

Method:

•Heat oven to 450ºF. Line baking sheet with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray.

•Mix Bisquick mix, cheese, garlic salt and paprika in large resealable plastic food-storage bag. Dip half the chicken strips into egg; place in bag of Bisquick mixture. Seal bag; shake to coat. Place chicken on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Drizzle butter over chicken.

•Bake 12 to 14 minutes, turning after 6 minutes with pancake turner, until no longer pink in center.

AIR FRYER

INGREDIENTS

8 Chicken thighs boneless skinless
4 Tbsp Butter Melted
1/2 Cup Frank's Sauce
1 Cup Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

Paprika optional
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper
Olive Oil Cooking Spray

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and Frank's sauce and set aside.
In another bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Completely pat the chicken dry - this is necessary to keep the breading on the chicken when eating.
Dip each chicken piece into the sauce mixture then fully coat with the breading and place in the air fryer basket evenly.
Cook for 12-15 minutes in the air fryer at 390*F or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165*F.
Once done, carefully remove and serve with a dipping sauce of choice.

DIPPING SAUCES

Honey Mustard Sauce

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1 TBS liquid honey

Spicy Sauce

1/2 cup (110g) mayonnaise

1/4 cup (61g) sweet chili sauce

1 to 2 TBS Sriracha Sauce

Hot Sauce to taste

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

Curry sauce