T.Kettle

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February 2023 - Toronto ON

January 2023 - Front St. W Toronto

According to Clutterbug 

John has developed arthritis in his neck (x-ray this week and doctor confirmed) so he bought this. Snailax Cordless Neck Back Massager - Shiatsu Neck and Shoulder Massager with Heat, Portable Massagers for Neck and Back, Lumbar, Foot Electric Massage Pillow

John used the golf simulator twice this week.

We received the drawings for the kitchen, gave the contractor some money and got the breakdown of costs.

The opposite wall stays the same except the counter will be replaced to match the other side.

This is where I do most of my cooking and baking. I put my laptop on the end to watch shows, recorded or streamed.

I am rearranging my cupboards to accommodate the growing number of gluten free flours as well as in anticipation of having to empty the cupboards for the kitchen reno.

I moved the slow cooker from the far cupboard above to the other side of the room and left the bread maker there, as I use it on this counter. I plan to take the most used flours from here to beside the bread maker above. The C4C flour is on the counter because I don't have room here for it.

BTW all that mirrored backsplash will be replaced with stone. Also my counter isn't usually that messy!

I went downtown to do some errands on Tuesday. I had to get cash for the contractor and mailed a surprise package to a blogger friend. Then I met my BFF for lunch at our usual spot, Wvrst. This time I tried their smash burger and it was good.

Took this as I was walking to meet her, it was a very cold brisk day but bright.

John was downtown on Wednesday, also getting cash and going to the post office to return some contacts to Clearly, he ran into my cousin's wife! Big hugs!!

I finished the blanket, I do have some finishing touches to do but the knitting is over.

Thursday John took some stuff to the charity store and had a golf club regripped.

I went to get some groceries on what felt like to me, the coldest day this winter, it certainly felt like it walking into the wind.

I took this from the bus as I went downtown.

Well, I thought it was cold until I saw Friday's forecast.

Wiarton Willie may be predicting an early spring in Ontario, but for now, it will stay bitterly cold, with a strong emphasis on Friday’s intense drop that will see temperatures feeling more like -30 C (-22F) in the morning.

Friday

Well, for once the weather forecast was correct, here is one twitter:

It's Frigid Friday , where Fahrenheit and Celsius meet! Extreme Cold Warning in effect!

The only good thing about the current weather forecast is I won’t have to convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit for my U.S. friends. Expect a high of -13C or -25F! Windchill values will be in the -36 to -40 (C and F) range! Stay indoors. If outdoors, cover exposed skin, wear multiple layers, limit exposure.

 Celsius and Fahrenheit scale coincide at -40 degrees. Note: The difference between both scales is the base measurement. The Celsius scale has a melting point of ice as 0 degrees and Fahrenheit scale has 32 degrees.

Sure am glad I picked up what we needed yesterday!

The contractor stopped by to check out some kitchen stuff but really to pick up his cash! Now to do the condo paper work for approval.

I made this sign for the door. Last week John was catching the bus downtown and forgot his wallet, the bus driver waited while he ran back up for it. This week he forgot his phone going to Purolator to return something to Amazon, he needed the QR code (on his phone).

John and his son had a zoom call while they sipped their Friday night beer.

AND IN OTHER NEWS...

Ontario had its own category on Jeopardy this week and the clues were good!

Fans of The Last of Us in and around Boston noticed that the depiction '10 miles west' of their city looked a whole lot like Alberta's Rockies.

And one Canadian province (you won't be surprised by this one) was just ranked as one of the most welcoming places on earth.

COOKING

Saturday roast pork, potatoes, carrots and broccoli. It was the other half of last week's pork, but with the bone and really only made one meal.

Sunday ham and broccoli quiche with beets and pickles.

I made a gluten free bread in the bread maker, using Cup4Cup flour. This turned out really well! Definitely a keeper as it doesn't take much time or effort to make.

Monday I made guacamole for lunch. Dinner - pork chops, mashed cauli potatoes and corn.

Tuesday leftover quiche and kale salad. This piece of ham went far. We had two meals, then two meals of quiche, and a lunch of quiche as well as ham salad sandwiches for another lunch.

Wednesday air fryer chicken thighs these were juicy and crispy, a definite keeper. I used fine bread crumbs, I might use panko instead next time, although John said not to change anything. The recipe says to cook to at least 165F internal temperature, I took them to 170 as normally recommended and they were perfect. In fact in the video with the recipe it shows the thermometer at 169F.

BTW the bread crumbs and flour were gluten free. Served with kale salad.

Thursday pork meatballs with apricot glaze with Greek salad.

Friday steak and sauteed green peppers, mushrooms and onions along with garlic toasted baguette. 

WATCHING

I decided I needed to use the library app for movies, Hoopla. I got settled with my knitting and watched The Help (2011), no, I had neither read the book or watched the movie. And I balled my eyes out!

Then I started the series London Kills Season one.

I like how they interweave an ongoing story through the episodes.

I can only borrow eight items in a month...

I had recorded a British comedy series called The Indian Doctor, a British television comedy drama, set in the 1960s. It is a period comedy drama starring Sanjeev Bhaskar as an Indian doctor who finds work in a South Wales mining village.
The series is based on a true story of culture clash. On a BBC blog site, Sanjeev Bhaskar describes preparing for the role by talking with relatives who lived during the 1960s, but also by having discussions with a doctor, Prem Subberwal, who emigrated from India with his wife Kamini to work as an NHS doctor in a Welsh village. Subberwal explained that one of the major difficulties he had was in understanding and being understood, not because of any difficulty with the English language, but due to the Welsh accent and various colloquialisms that the people used which he, having learned a more formally structured version of English, could not follow.

This week's episode of The Last of Us was just so good!

The third installment of HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama, aptly titled “Long, Long Time” for the pivotal role that Ronstadt’s hit ballad plays in the episode, tells the story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) and the life they lived together. Their relationship, according to “The Last of Us” co-creator and executive producer Craig Mazin, is “ultimately … the skeleton key to unlock all of this show.”
After the episode aired on Sunday, Spotify announced that streams of Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time” increased by over 4,900% from the week before.

OSCARS 2023

We are going to try and watch as many of the Oscar nominations as we can before the awards, it makes it a lot more fun.

But this week we didn't watch any!

We have already seen:

Elvis

Banshees of Inisherin

Top Gun - Maverick

Blonde

Everything Everywhere All At Once

READING

I'm done with The Palace Papers, I can't read it anymore.

But I started The Midnight Man, and I am hooked. It is a long time since I would say I found a book scary! There are a lot of interesting characters and storylines. I've also had a few "I didn't see that coming" moments. Caroline Mitchell is a new author to me, but I will be reading more!

John and I both got caught on the NYT crossword this week on this word. 

Canadians prefer the spelling grey, although gray is also correct. Grey is the preferred spelling in Britain, while gray is favoured in the United States.

COOKBOOKS

Cook's Illustrated Baking Book by America's Test Kitchen was pretty basic, not many photos. Most recipes I have seen elsewhere. I expected more of a guide to baking techniques.

I revisited Gluten Free and Vegan Bread that I disliked a few weeks ago. I tried it again since I had bought additional flours. Nope, her book wants even more flours! 

The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook was a very educational and interesting book as she covers the history of tortillas. Did you know that tortillas outsell hamburger and hot dog buns since 2010? Many of her recipes are gluten free.

I love gorditas when we are in Mexico. Here is her gluten free recipe.

A copy cat version of her brown rice (GF) tortillas. She uses any vegetable oil.