Saturday, November 9, 2019

Jam Session

November 2019 - Toronto ON

2017 - Manitoba 


Saturday I used this recipe for quiche, it was good but then I checked my tried and true recipe and found that it was about the same and I had gluten-freed my own with GF flour.

I spent the day playing around with photo art websites and changed our Mexican photo gallery in our bedroom.
I've been "shopping" at home and rearranging things as well. Definitely in a nesting mode.





Sunday saw mundane chores done like laundry and cleaning out the fridge.

I had so many leftovers languishing in the fridge including a large pot of homemade beef stock. I decided to make "clean out the fridge" soup and half the beef stock went into a pot along with half a baked potato (leftover from Friday's steak dinner), mashed potatoes and carrots, hamburger stew, homemade tomato rice soup (lunch earlier in the week), shredded cabbage mix (from our lamb sausage pitas) and some fresh spices and celery. It was delicious!
The other half of the stock went into the freezer.

It got me wondering what others call this type of soup.
My favourite is witch's soup.
 I found the name musgo, meaning it all must go.
Desperation soup
Army soup


We didn't really do anything exciting this week.

I made more soup for lunches, we both had lunch out with friends. I made fried chicken, lamb chops, steak, and ham for dinners.

I got a haircut and checked out the new Hershey's Kitchens, which opened downtown this week.


The pop-up, the first of its kind in Canada, offers takeaway seasonal sweets like stuffed cookies, hot chocolate, cookie cupcakes and more. It also allows cookie lovers to customize their own baked goods.



Sunset comes early, at 4:30 with the changing of the clocks this week.


On Wednesday we went to the Distillery District for dinner and theatre. They are gearing up for their winter market.


We chose a new restaurant, Madrina, touted as a Spanish tapas venue. The interior is inviting, if crowded, especially when outer winter clothing requires its own chair.
Decor is very "Picasso".
Connor, our server was professional and friendly. He was the highlight of the dinner.



Portions are small and expensive. If you are looking for a true Barcelona experience this is not the place for you.
Jamon -$18
Manchego cheese 2 pieces $12
Tomato bread - $7


This was the patatas bravas $8, two small deep fried servings with way too much tomato sauce on top.
Click here to see patatas bravas from another Toronto restaurant.

Or even better, several examples when we were in Barcelona in May. 




Even the tortilla $9 was unpleasant due to its overly eggy taste. John mentioned this to the server.


Crema Catalana was my favourite dessert and I ate many in Spain, in May and November.
Click here to see a crema Catalana from Madrid in November.

This was like a bowl of whipped cream $8.

In all, a very disappointing and expensive meal. We won't be back.


Conor did give us complimentary shots of sherry as compensation.



We walked over to the Young Theatre for the Soulpepper presentation of Riverboat.

Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Murray McLauchlan, and Neil Young -before they were icons, they all played The Riverboat. Opened in 1964 in the basement of a Victorian row house, the Riverboat Coffee House was the launching pad for Canadian singer-songwriters. Soulpepper’s sold-out concert returns with Mike Ross directing a celebration of the stories and songs that made Yorkville the place to be in the free loving sixties.




Click here to see the list of songs and hear a sample.


Clip below is an interview.

Thursday my BFF and I went poking in a couple of stores and bought some things. I got some silicon baking pans as my metal ones were looking a little worse for wear.
More ugly Christmas sweaters.



I had overwintered my geranium and then put it outside this summer where it wasn't very happy. It is back inside and seems much happier and even bloomed this week.



Found this new facility in an office building on my way to Longo's.


Spotted while picking up cheeses. No, I didn't buy it.



I binged watched the end of The Affair before I met up with a friend who wanted to talk about the flash mob dance.






BOOK ENDS





The Bad Daughter read like a bad Hallmark TV movie. A gossipy predictable read. Not recommended.
Mind you, I do prefer to read British authors...

Whistle in the Dark was an exasperating read, I wanted to shake both mother and daughter. There is a lot of repetitiveness in the writing and a better job could have been done dealing with mental illness. The ending was flat.

I started He Said She Said, Erin Kelly, an author I quite like. I can feel the secrets about to explode!

LINKING UP WITH
Beth hosts Weekend Cooking where you can post anything food related.
Sunday Salon
Seasons
Say Cheese
Monday Walks
Monday Morning Blog Club


12 comments:

  1. ...it will be time to buy a new geranium next spring!

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  2. I call the clean out the fridge soup = Whatever I have in the fridge soup-
    I like your photo arrangement .. Have a good week

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  3. Why do I think Connor was nice looking? It is a shame when staff are great but everything else isn't. They must feel bad.

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    Replies
    1. Not bad looking. He had an Irish accent so I had to ask where he was from. The West coast but his parents moved to Dublin when he was 12. So we did the whereabouts in Dublin. He had worked in Barcelona before coming to Canada and experiencing his first Canadian winter last year.
      They had a large male waitstaff, with some very good looking guys.

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  4. We call it Stone Soup - you can google that for the folktale it’s based on.

    Have a great week

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  5. wow, so much to share. my first time visiting and i sure enjoyed it. and the ugly sweaters....i need to find one. love the flamingo lol
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  6. Oh I love your gallery wall Mrs! Very nice.
    Such a shame your meal wasn't up to standard. Least you know now not to go back.
    Hope you've had a great weekend. x

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  7. Bah humpug sums up my regard for the season

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  8. I'm sorry that the tapas restaurant was a disappointment. If you ever visit NYC, be sure to go to Boqueria or Mercado in Hudson Yards, both are wonderful.

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    Replies
    1. We do have other favourite Spanish restaurants.
      Boqueria,named after the market in Barcelona!

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  9. What you consider a slow week and what I consider a slow week are very different. I'd say you were crazy busy last week.

    Your soup recipe is the only one my dad knew. Unfortunately he added everything in the fridge to the pot without tasting it or really contemplating how it might go together. We dreaded my dad's cooking.

    The Hershey's Kitchen sounds like great fun. I am imagining that there will be changes each season there. Fun!

    Have a great week!

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  10. What a disappointing expensive meal. Ugh. Gorgeous skies this week. I love making pantry soup at the end of the week ... it's a great way to use up the veggies.

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