So Google thinks I am a NUT!!

Just 'cos my Nana called me Peanut but I guess if you act like one ..... doesn't Google know I am a human being with very human tendancies ... no macademia nuts for me .... just lots of nutrition from mummy and if I could just get this umbilical cord out of the way, my thumb would taste so GREAT!!!! Ten tiny fingers, ten tiny toes and knobbly knees to boot, I think I will be a great mogul skier ..... just like dad xxxxx

So this is PEANUT!!

Hi, I am 3 months gestation .... and 3 1/2 inches tall. I am very happy here in mummy's tummy. Leave me a little while longer .... I like it xxxx

On the First Day of Spring

Because today in Montreal is very sunny ..... but very cold -15C with the wind chill factor; I wanted you all to know that very soon the days will be just as in the photograph. Today won't let you forget to take advantage of the halcyon days to come. Some Spring thoughts:

March roars in like a lion so fierce, the wind so cold, it seems to pierce. The month rolls on and Spring draws near, and March goes out like a lamb so dear.

There is no foliage to compare with youngsters' sun-kissed, tousled hair: Spring's greatest joy beyond a doubt is when it brings the children out.

FOOD PORN!!! Chocolate-covered Strawberries - serve with the heart-shaped shortbread (below)

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, 12 long-stemmed strawberries:
Melt the chocolate and cream together in a bowl set over simmering water until just melted. Stir and remove from the heat. Dip each strawberry in the chocolate and set aside on waxed or parchment paper to dry.

For the One you Love: Shortbread Hearts

3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature, 1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 3 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt; then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and roll shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter. Place the hearts on an ungreased sheet pan and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Note: The edges of the shortbread are ever so slightly sharper if you chill the cookies before baking them. You can cut out the cookies days ahead and bake them the day you serve them.

A Butterfly Birthday

A dear friend amongst the orchids!! Happy pre-Birthday Donna!

Butterflies at the Montreal Botanical Gardens

Stimulating, exciting and privileged exhibit at the Montreal Botanical Gardens. Do go if you are in Montreal (until end April). More than worth the visit as it makes everyone happy to be part of the beauty of nature.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Six retired Irishmen were playing poker in O'Leary's apartment when Paddy Murphy loses $500 on a single hand, clutches his chest and drops dead at the table.

Showing respect for their fallen brother, the other five continue playing standing up. Michael O'Conner looks around and asks, "Oh, me boys, someone got's to tell Paddy's wife. Who will it be?" They draw straws. Paul Gallagher picks the short one. They tell him to be discreet, be gentle and don't make a bad situation any worse. "Discreet??? I'm the most discreet Irishman you'll ever meet. Discretion is me middle name. Leave it to me." says Gallagher.

He goes over to Murphy's house and knocks on the door. Mrs. Murphy answers and asks what he wants. Gallagher declares: "Your husband just lost $500 and is afraid to come home." "Tell him to drop dead!", says Murphy's wife. "I'll go tell him." says Gallagher.

THE SUNDAY READ .... OR THE WALK-TO-WIN WRITING WORKSHOP CHALLENGE cont/d from 3 March

To recap: This party for more than a thousand guests was totally business. Why else would you be in their company. A total disaster by his usual standards of working the room. His traditional schmoozing had been non-existent and subsequently showed no signs of baiting the next client. He could handle that. After all, everyone has off-days. And now for the next episode:

Through the haze of too many sub-standard glasses of Merlot, he wondered if he was developing a conscience. This terrified him. He tried to focus on finding her; she just may have the answer. God knows he didn’t. Off days. It seemed that just lately most of his days were off. He realized that his colleagues were staring at him. Had he spoken out loud?

The next morning as he lay recounting the events of the night before, her image took on the only meaning to the whole evening and yet he had not even spoken to her. Did he only imagine that she recognized him? Surely not. That small glimpse of recognition from her was what he clung to. He knew she certainly didn’t altogether look the same. Time can change so much but not the understanding of what they had had together.

By the time the hot water had rolled over his body, steamed up the bathroom mirror and was followed by the ritual of shaving at his hazy reflection, he knew he wasn’t going mad. In fact, it was altogether a dream. It was better she stayed in his mind. Something he could control. This new Susan was someone he did not know. And, more importantly he preferred that he didn’t know.

The close proximity of fellow passengers on a rush-hour bus into the city mingled with the bright, low-lying sun of what promised to be a warm and welcome Spring day eradicated all uneasiness of the previous evening. Similarly, the familiar tensions and jockeying-for-position humour of the work day cozied him into a recognizable pattern.

He arrived home later than usual that evening but his equilibrium had been reinstated. Comfortable he felt, back home. He cracked open a beer and turned on the CD he'd been playing that morning. It was then he noticed the flashing red button on the answering machine. On recollection, it was strange that he immediately sensed apprehension .... it could have been anyone ..... but it was her. ....... to be continued .....

A Real Fishy Story

I know I said the second episode of the "Sunday Read" would be posted yesterday ........ but the "muse" did not make an appearance. Likely, fishy story you say ..... but it's mine and I'm sticking to it!! Only one addition to the story .... so I will respect that the muse is not showing herself to any of us!!

In the interim, I will leave you with a "thought for today"

Moral Excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temporate by doing temporate acts, brave by doing brave acts. Artistotle

In Vino Veritas

Moderate drinkers have consistently been shown to have lower death rates than non-drinkers
It appears that moderate drinking protects against heart disease.
How it works is still in dispute. The chemicals in wine have antioxidant properties, and alcohol dilates small blood vessels and inhibits clotting.
A 2003 study suggested that wine also decreased the risk of peptic ulcers.
A study of nurses at Harvard School of Public Health concluded that moderate drinking by women cut the risk of diabetes by 58 per cent.
So here is to that "cozy-up-to" bottle of Merlot .... do everything you can my friends to stay healthy: exercise, travel, read and broaden your mind .... but in case, some of those days you don't feel like "putting out"; always remember the Merlot!!

YES, it's official and published!!!

Two friends dedicated to finding the cure for breast cancer. Training every day so that in August they will be able to walk 60K in the second annual Weekend to End Breast Cancer in Montreal planned for August 25th-27th, 2006.

Kudos to you TWO: Terri and Donna:

Visit their HOPE CHEST:
http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR?team_id=6093&pg=team&fr_id=1101
And, please help in whatever way you can, no matter how large or small. Each contribution is for all our friends, colleagues, sisters, daughters and granddaughters. We will find a way!

YOUR SUNDAY MORNING READ or The Walk-to-Win Writing Workshop Challenge

His face had paled at the sight of her. For so long a part of his dreams and subconscious that this reality was total disbelief. It had been years and she was not altogether the person his memory had encapsulated. Time had made changes to her face, her hair, her body but above all, there remained her. Looking directly into her eyes, time evaporated and all the recollections of being together came thundering forward in his brain. A lifetime, or so it seemed, had halted in a moment. Yet, here she was in flesh and blood bringing the sense of old connections without understanding of this new veneer of change.

Cemented in time, he could do nothing else but stand mouth agape. She acknowledged him with the slightest flicker of recognition. So slight, that only he saw. Was it in his imagination? Regaining reality, he managed an answer to the colleague standing at his side. An answer, he knew had no bearing on the question but was accepted nonetheless. The whole evening took on a surreal quality of friends talking about topical events, food and drinks being handed around, laughter and quasi-intelligentsia. He spent the time searching for her amidst half-drunk colleagues, completely drunk friends, a throng of acquaintances and unknown faces, and at the same time, attempting to give credence to why he was here in the first place. But he never stopped looking for her. Once or twice he caught a glimpse; the top of her head or the back of her edging to a doorway. His attempts to be close to her were always thwarted by five-line deep, free food-and-drinks hangers-on.

This party for more than a thousand guests was totally business. Why else would you be in their company. A total disaster by his usual standards of working the room. His traditional schmoozing had been non-existent and subsequently showed no signs of baiting the next client. He could handle that. After all, everyone has off-days. TO BE CONTINUED NEXT SUNDAY OR PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IN THE COMMENT. IF IT FITS INTO THE STORYLINE, I'LL POST IT NEXT SUNDAY......... ALSO, BEAR IN MIND THAT THE FIRST LETTER OF EACH SUNDAY READ WILL BE A QUIZ ..... AND THE WINNER (WHO CAN CORRECTLY PROVIDE THE ANSWER) WILL BE THE PROUD OWNER OF A PERFECT PAIR!!

A Little Coffee Talk

TGIF!! and wanted to wish you a great weekend but also to give you a great, very cheap recipe. Cheap that is if you have no cash flow and very little in your cupboards but your liquor cabinet is full!!! It will undoubtedly create romantic feelings on a shoestring (I think I could call this the maritime provinces cheap and cheerful way of getting laid --- no offense -- we're all looking for ways). Yer gonna luv it boy!!: Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to pan. Add 2 cloves of garlic and 2 of minced shallots. Gently saute for 6 mins. Add 1 cup of vodka (heady stuff) and reduce by half (will take 2 or 3 mins). You can stand by the pan inhaling the fumes for these 3 mins so as not to waste the alcohol because after 3 mins, it will have evaporated!! Add 1 cup of chicken stock, 1 can (32 oz) of crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 10 mins. In the meantime, cook your pasta (linguini) to al dente. Just before serving sauce, add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and fresh basil to the sauce. Bring back to simmer. Taste and check for seasonings. Serve with the pasta. Hope your Friday night is nutritious, romantic and fulfilling!!

Untitled and Unfinished

For Anne: a month in Florence!! Or a work in progress. Being annal retentive, my chair is tucked neatly under the table. Yours is where your a...se left it .... your off to see the view (with a room) and just a chardonnay xxxx

Mean, Lean, Bean Chili with MAGIC INGREDIENT (no it's not mushrooms but something more delectable)

This chili calls for turkey meat but can be substituted with lean ground beef (but pour off any fat from cooked beef). Of course, this recipe can be doubled, quadrupled, etc. depending on how popular you are!!!
Cook 2 strips of chopped bacon until crisp (about 6 mins). Add 1 1/2 lbs ground dark-meat turkey and cook on med. high, stirrring until no longer pink. Add 2 cups chopped onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1 med. minced jalapeno (with membrane and seeds if you like heat). Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder, 2 teaspoons of ground cumin and now for the VERY SECRET INGREDIENT -- add 1 1/2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. Cook 5 mins. approx. on med. heat, stirring occasionally. Add 1 (28 oz) can of whole tomatoes in puree, breaking up with your hands or spoon. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of molasses. Add 1 cup of water and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 30 mins. partially covered. Add 1 or 2 cans of pinto beans (or your favourites, black, kidney, etc.) drained and rinsed. Simmer for another 30 mins (total cooking time 60 mins). Serve with cilantro leaves, pickled chilis, reduced fat sour cream and grated cheddar cheese (all optional). Great for freezing, better fresh and eaten with friends .... but best of all shared with friends after skiing or training for the WALK TO END BREAST CANCER!!