Cannonball Coffee

 Linking up at Marg at The Intrepid Reader 

Sunday Salon

Seasons 

Hearth and Soul Link Party

Weekend Coffee Share

Sherry's Pickings

April 2021 - Toronto ON

                                                2020 TORONTO ON

Here we go again! We went into a 30 day lockdown "emergency break" province- wide effective April 3. It really doesn't mean much, we've been locked down in Toronto since end November. Other parts of the province had opened indoor and patio dining a few weeks ago as well as personal care. Toronto had opened patios two weeks ago now those patios have to close again.

We are in a third wave as cases increase.

Last week's Hamilton mural and Tuesday Toronto lanes.

Monday was our movie date with popcorn. The weather was absolutely miserable and it was to be nice on Tuesday and freezing again at the end of the week.

Tuesday John had a couple of appointments and I went OUT!! I took the 9AM bus and then walked to St. Lawrence Market and discovered a great household gadget shop right in the middle. I had walked by it numerous times and didn't realize they had a full shop. I picked up a new cocktail shaker, our old one would leak when shaken. Then onto mussels at a fishmonger and garlic, all required for John's requested birthday meal. 

Macarons from Futures Bakery at the market.

Then to the LCBO for white wine for the mussels. 

A stop in the pharmacy and then Winners! Winners had finally gotten some new stock so there were lots of new things to look at. I ended up getting John some more gifts I hadn't really planned on.

I had a great time being out and about. As I walk along Front St.

VIBE Arts, in partnership with TO Live, presents NExT: The Future of Art Exhibition 2.0, an online and outdoor exhibition celebrating Black Futures, March 22–May 11, 2021.
The Future of Art will run online and outdoors in a window exhibit at the St Lawrence Centre For the Arts (27 Front St. E., Toronto ON), in accordance with local COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

Will get takeout from here soon, they do gluten free.

Looking back, west.

This dive bar was having a chicken pop up.

This block used to have two coffee shops, one a Starbucks, both now gone and the block has three cannabis shops...

John received a birthday gift from his daughter and family in the afternoon.

Wednesday and we celebrated John's birthday in style even if it was just the two of us.

We started with some sparkly and orange juice and he opened one gift, the least inspiring. Well, he said he needed underwear and golf socks...

Our cleaning lady arrived with a bottle of wine for him.

Another gift opened and then a delivery at the front desk.

The balloons were a great hit and he had fun trying to get them into the elevator.

He received many birthday wishes in emails, Facebook, and even a video happy birthday sung by a BIL.

Gifts continued through the day. In keeping with our new Saturday cocktail tradition. 

Check out the Tequila Mockingbird literary concoctions. The Last of the Mojitos to The Old Man and the Seagram’s and Orange Julius Caesar - are some of the drinks on order.

Some golf shirts.

6 month subscription to a whisky of the month.

A friend dropped off some home baked goodies.

Another surprise delivery from K and B! Edible Creations.

YUM and the chocolate covered pineapple was even better. To be healthy, we used some of the fruit for breakfast with yogurt.

We had a birthday cocktail virtual visit with my cousin and family at 6.

We then had video calls with John's son and daughter.

John says thanks for all the wishes!

John received his first vaccine shot on Thursday. It was at the Metro Toronto Convention Hall, a huge venue downtown. No line-up, taken ahead of schedule. I have read that only 33% of 70 and older have had their shots and that there were thousands of appointment spots available that hadn't been booked.

They dropped the age requirement to born before 1961 on Friday so I am now booked for April 6.

We forgot to eat the macarons yesterday!

Friday was Good Friday so we hunkered down and watched movies.

And how is the daily crossword challenge going? Finally my March average is beating John's.

SOPHISTICATED SHAKERS

MUSEUM TAVERN BLOOR ST. WEST TORONTO

Photo taken 2019, restaurants and bars haven't had indoor dining in over a year!!

We will have to check out these drinks.

Thanks to Laurie C for recommending the Negroni for next week.

Vodka cosmopolitan 
While the cocktail is widely perceived to be a more modern creation, there is a recipe for a Cosmopolitan Daisy which appears in Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars 1903-1933, published in 1934.

COCKTAIL CIRCUIT - TO DATE

Mai Tai with orgeat which is new to us

Tequila Sunrise

Rob Roy required bitters which we had never bought

New York Sours 

Gin Fizz

Rusty Nail

Vodka Sidecar

                                                    COOKING

John had mentioned that he would love some black pudding so I found that a local Kensington Market butcher shop, Sanagan's Meat Locker, carried it. I've been in the store a few times and know that they carry excellent products. Not wanting to trek down there in these times I placed an order online. It included black and white pudding, some good pepperoni (not the grocery store kind), cheese curds! and horseradish pickles.

Then I found some items on my list for when I could get to China or Korea Town. This is what happens when you watch Australian and UK cooking shows.

Nước chấm is a common name for a variety of Vietnamese "dipping sauces" that are served quite frequently as condiments. It is commonly a sweet, sour, salty, savoury and/or spicy sauce.

Chili OKAZU is an umami-rich chili, miso, and sesame oil based condiment often eaten with rice in Japan, which can also be used to top chicken, burgers, fish, eggs, potatoes, and more.

XO sauce is a spicy seafood sauce from Hong Kong with an umami flavor.

Saturday we had pizza with the good pepperoni!

Sunday roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, mashed sweet and white potatoes, cauliflower and broccolini with gravy.

Monday leftover roast beef became a stirfry with rice, peppers and onions.

Tuesday chicken legs, mash and cabbage.

Wednesday 🎂🎂🎂 JOHN'S BIRTHDAY and he requested moules et frites, mussels and fries.
I used this recipe for mussels in white wine and it wasn't the best. But the fries in the air fryer are the best!!!

Thursday was pork hocks in the slow cooker with potatoes and cabbage (again) but we love cabbage.

Friday was steak and frites. We pulled out the grill for the steak as the fries were in the air fryer. We won't be going back to using the grill. It smokes and is so messy compared to the air fryer!!!

Working backwards through the Celebrity MasterChef (UK) seasons and found this recipe in Season 14 sea bass and turmeric potatoes in rasam broth from Ottolenghi. The broth sounds divine.

WATCHING

We're still watching the Canadian series Intelligence.

For Tuesday's movie we watched The Silencing.

Since it was Good Friday we decided to watch a movie or two. John had recorded Intrigo: Samaria which we enjoyed very much. And since we found out it was part of a trilogy we found the other two and watched those as well.

Intrigo: Death of an Author starring Ben Kingsley and the first in the series and then the second in the series Intrigo: Dear Agnes. All three were absolutely intriguing.

.
We also watched a great bank heist, one of my favourite types of movies This was like the super good series Money Heist as it was also about the famous Bank of Spain vault that floods. 

The Vault

READING

Browsed on my laptop  Dinner Solved at Laurie C's suggestion.

💡 moment - use tortilla scoops for appetizers! Brie ideas. Deviled eggs, shrimp, guacamole, so many variations! And gluten free!

This might be on the menu in the future prosciutto wrapped haddock piccata.

There are no gluten free options offered.

Binge-read on my tablet Snap by Belinda Bauer and loved it, my kind of thriller.

Also finished The Woman Outside My Door a quick good read set in Dublin.

Started Those People and I know this will be a good domestic drama. If you've ever had, and we did, the neighbours from Hell then you will like this.