Date Night

Back in my single days I worked with a women who told me she and her husband had "Date Nights". After 20 + years of marriage and the children out of the house they felt it was time to get back into dating, each other of course. The premise was that each would take turns planning a once a month date for the pair of them.

Even though B and I are technically still newlyweds, I find it's easy to get into a groove and forget those special evenings together so I proposed we start having date night. It doesn't have to be a fancy, can be as simple as having a nice romantic dinner at home or a concert or a play or dinner and a movie. Anything that has us turning off the TV and computers for the evening and spending some quality couple time.

Share a platter at Boneheads BBQ

Halifax and Dartmouth have so many options when it comes to a night out on the town, even at our age. There are many great restaurants on both sides of the harbour. Every price point and a variety of flavours from locally sourced to the exotic make it easy to find a place for a dinner date. Dinner and a movie is pretty standard but switching things up keeps it “new”. And nowhere is it stated it must be at night, a Saturday or Sunday afternoon can be equally as enjoyable.

Take a walk along the waterfront on a summer day

Halifax/Dartmouth has so much to offer. There's plenty of live entertainment to choose from, local bands to big name entertainers in concert, live theatre, comedy clubs or the Halifax Comedy Fest. Sporting events, skating on the oval, visit a museum or go geocaching. Take a stroll along the waterfront or in Point Pleasant Park. Sit and watch the boats sail by and hold hands. Pretend your a tourist for a day in your own city. Volunteer together for one of many events hosted locally.

Not that I want to encourage gambling but we do enjoy an evening at the casino once in awhile. We view it as a form of entertainment, decide on what we want to spend and once it's gone move on. Of course it's always nice when you come out ahead but we never count on it. We've attended concerts at the casino as well as enjoyed some local bands in the Harbourfront Lounge.

We don't live on a transit route hence going out pretty well requires driving everywhere we want to go, ergo one of us has to be designated driver. That kind of sucks after awhile. I mean it's nice to be able to enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner every now and then. For that reason our date nights sometimes turn into overnight staycations.

Next post I'll tell you about our downtown Halifax home and most recent date night staycation.

Teppanyaki Style

When I typed the title for this post I had the Gangnam Style beat in my head, just in case you didn’t.  Now try to get rid of that earworm the rest of the day.

The first time I experienced teppanyaki was, oddly, a resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. These days we make it at least a couple times a year to the Hamachi Steakhouse on the beautiful Halifax waterfront or closer to home at Hamachi Grill in Dartmouth. Our most recent visit last week to the Dartmouth location was in celebration of V's birthday.

What is teppanyaki you might ask, I call it dinner and a show all wrapped up in one sweet package.  You sit at a U shaped communal table with a grill in the centre where the chef will amaze and delight you while cooking your meal. I assume that teppanyaki chefs all receive the same training so no matter where you’ll dine you will see the same basic show of knife skills, flipping of eggs and onion volcano.

Of course the experience can vary greatly depending upon the chef. Some are more engaging, have better skills, are funnier or encourage audience participation more then others. The food is good in its simplicity. Most of the courses are cooked on the grill with only salt, pepper, butter, soy and/or saki added.

At Hamachi, you can select various types of meat or seafood on it's own or in combinations and the price will depend upon what you choose. All meals start with miso soup and a salad, served from the kitchen. The chef appears and the show begins.  You get steamed rice as part of the basic cost but we always upgrade (extra cost) to the Japanese fried rice, which the chef will prepare on the grill. He then prepares the mixed vegetables (usually onion, mushroom, zucchini and baby corn) and then on to the meat or seafood part of the meal. Each course is prepared separately so eat them up as you get them or your rice will be cold by the time you get your meat course.

Be prepared to spend a couple of hours for this dining experience.  Also, unless you bring your own large group, be prepared to share the table with strangers. You can order appetizers to enjoy before the meal, which I did once. I usually find I’m pretty full with all the food included. And I don’t even know what they offer for dessert because there’s never room.  We did have one in our group who sat with us at the table but ordered off the sushi menu. Also, they are very conscientious about food allergies and will cook Brian’s steak before any seafood so there’s no worry of cross contamination.

We save teppanyaki for special occasions, it’s a bit on the pricier side but then you are also getting a great show with your meal, well worth the price of admission IMHO.

If you’re just looking for a less eventful meal, both locations have a shushi and grill menu.  I suggest you give the Sumo burger a try.  For only $10.99 you get handcut fries and hands down the best burger I’ve had in the HRM to date.  The meat is the star, perfectly seasoned and juicy, no fancy schmancy gourmet toppings required, just a simple topping of sautéed mushrooms and onions all on a Kaiser roll. Don’t even need condiments on this beauty of a burger.

Hmmm, suddenly I’m feeling a burger craving coming on.

Look out Cake Boss

I guess the Cake Boss doesn't have any worries quite yet.

I've always enjoyed baking but, not having had children, I never had a requirement to strain my artistic flair too much when it came to decorating birthday cakes. Since becoming a Food Network and TLC reality show addict, I have been caught up in the world of buttercream, fondant, molding chocolate and sugar flowers.

B's middle daughter V also has a joy of baking and making cakes.  When I was looking for a wedding cake I was truly amazed at the cost of even the simplest of cakes.  V and I joked maybe we should go into the business. Not that we'll ever get to that point, just for the fun of it we signed up to take the first course, Decorating Basics, offered by Wilton, maker of all things cake & decorating.

The courses are given by a Wilton trained instructor and ours happens to take place in a Michaels store. The course generally costs $45 for four 2 hour sessions and we got it at half price. What you get is the course syllabus and instructor for each session. Course materials are extra.  And man, there is a lot of "extra". 

There's a myriad of decorating bags, tips, couplers, icing, piping gel, colour pastes, cake levelers, turntables, spatulas, flower nails, flavours, powders and pastes. I think I will have to go into business in the end or go broke trying to support my new hobby. Oh, and then the tool box in which to keep all of this "stuff".  Bottom line is though, we're having a blast.

We are 12 in the class, a couple of young teens with their moms to a pastry chef and all points in between. The reasons as well as the skills are as varied as the people, but we are having a few laughs and learning new skills.

The first night we learned the very basics, how to bake a decent cake, different consistencies of icing for different purposes, how to level, fill and ice a cake and finally how to fill and use the decorating bags.

The second session we actually brought in a cake to level and ice then decorate. Pretty basic stuff. Being a perfectionist, I wasn't over the moon with my cake but V's looked like a pretty professional job. The one pictured here is mine. 

This week we decorated cupcakes. The tutorial included using various tips to make the star flower, drop flower, rosette, shell border, pompom flower, leaves and the shaggy mum. We got a chance to practice first and I must say I felt pretty proud at the pretty things I could create.

I had lots of icing and cupcakes leftover so I continued to get creative once I got home after class. 

Now as pretty as all of these are, one must never forget, they consist of mostly sugar and fat. So I take them to work with me the next day and let everyone share in the responsibility of "disposing" of them. Better they each have to eat one then me eating all twelve.

Next week is the final class of the first course. We are to create our own design then decorate a cake with it.  I haven't finalized my design just yet but will try to use as many of the new skills I've learned.  Maybe I'll post the final results, maybe I won't :-)

We've already signed up for course two, Flowers & Cake Design, which we get right into the following week.  Anyone know anywhere that has icing sugar on sale?

Wordless Wednesday

My first wordless wednesday post

Course 1, Lesson three of the Wilton cake decorating class, cupcakes! Look out cake boss.

Podcamp Halifax 2013

I love camp. This weekend I found a new kind of camp. An added bonus, this camp had indoor toilets!

Podcamp Halifax is a free to attend “unconference” for all things social media. What makes it an unconference? The attendees are the presenters and audience participation is encouraged, well that’s the premise at least.  While much of it is geared towards businesses and organizations and how they can best utilize social media for marketing, there were many attendees, like myself, there out of personal interest.

The first session I attended was Andrew Konoff's “How to Build an Enormously Popular and Successful  Blog”. This was the session of most interest to me and Andrew did not disappoint. A great speaker, he presented a formula for success. I felt he stayed most true to the spirit of the unconference of all the sessions I attended, lots of great interaction.

Next I went to hear Ross Simmonds and “The Recipe for Social Media Success”. Ross’s presentation was fast paced and fun, full of great statistics and information on ways to utilize various social media to increase sales and leads. So much packed into 45 minutes that there was no time for questions before I had to head on to the next session.

My third session choice for the morning was “Adventures in Pinterest: A Halifax Story”, presented by Andrea Young and Brigid McWhirter of Destination Halifax.  Being a big fan of Halifax staycations and new to Pinterest, I found it cool to hear how these ladies went from Pintrest newbies to running a successful contest on this. Lots of great advice on what pitfalls to avoid and how thinking ahead is important when using this medium.

Suddenly it was time for lunch and a bit of networking. Picked up my nutritious and tasty bag lunch and chatted between bites. I finally re-connected with Lynette of My Wee View. She was carrying the youngest Podcamp participant, her five week old daughter, she of the voracious appetite, surprising for such a tiny little thing.  We discovered we only had one degree of separation as she had met my cousin in Toronto long before she and I met in Halifax, a small, small world indeed.

And then it was time for the next and what I felt was the most revealing of the sessions “5^th Annual State of Social Media in Atlantic Canada” with Giles Crouch of Badger Media. Wow, some great stats for those who wonder just how much of an effect social media has on just about everything. Surprising and yet not surprising, that most men prefer pictures & video over text when it comes to social media.,that that 19% of pics uploaded to social media is of food and what shouldn’t be new to any of us, there is no privacy on the internet.

There were two more session to finish off the afternoon but suddenly I found myself exhausted and with a severe case of information overload.  So off home I went, head spinning with formulas and facts, new names and faces.

Being my first time attending, I have nothing to which I can compare the event. I’m sure it’s an evolving thing and I suppose if I have any suggestions for future events it might bethe following: cut the number of sessions to five, give more time per session so there’s more time for questions. Decrease the time for lunch and give the extra time between sessions for networking. Have a session run more than once during the day, there were a couple running concurrently I wanted to see and had a hard time making a choice. Avoid using the smaller rooms, gets like an oven in there. For the presenters, I know you have lots of good info but please leave time for questions & interaction. I also liked that Andrew Konoff had his presentation available online, maybe others could do something similar in future.

Overall I consider my time at Podcamp well spent and look forward to next year’s unconference. Maybe we could have a session on macaroni crafts next year!

Fresh Baked Cookies Anytime

Most people will agree, cookies are best eaten within a few hours of being baked. Cookie recipes will make at least a couple of dozen. I'm thinking there are a few of us that have, at least once, suddenly realized we've eaten the whole batch in one day. 

Yes, you can freeze most of the batch and have cookies left for future cravings. However, you lose that fresh baked flavour and consistency. I began to wonder how you could get that fresh baked taste any time the craving hit or visitors drop in and resist the temptation to eat the whole batch. After a bit of Googling, I found the idea of freezing the raw cookie dough. Eureka! Why hadn't I thought of that?  

It's quite simple. Make your favourite cookie dough recipe, divide into cookie size balls, place them on a cookie sheet and set in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Place the frozen balls of dough in a freezer bag and into the freezer.  

When you are ready for some fresh baked yumminess, take a few out and place on a cookie sheet. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. By the time the oven is at temperature, the cookies are probably thawed enough to cook. I usually press the cookies a little or a lot, depending on the type of cookie, a little for a drop cookie, a lot for a pressed cookie. 

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until done to recipe instructions. I find it may take a little longer because they are so cold out of the freezer. Cool on the pan for a couple minutes before moving to cooling racks.

Not all doughs lend themselves to this procedure so you may have to try some of your favourites to see what works best. I have 3 different types of cookies in the freezer just so I can mix and match if I choose. I found these three work great; from top to bottom there is oatmeal molasses, chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate chip.

Something I've recently learned after all these years of baking is that the white sugar gives cookies the crispiness, the brown sugar the chewiness.  So if you're making chocolate chip cookies and you're out of brown sugar, forget it, you're not going to get that nice chewy interior with the crispy exterior.

MMMM MMM Breakfast Muffins

I was never much of a breakfast eater, I know, my bad.  For the longest time I’d just grab a large double double and a muffin or bagel at the drive through on my way to work.  When I couldn’t get a consistently decent cup of coffee at the drive through anymore, I started making my once-a-day coffee at home. So then I had to start making my own muffins. That was when it hit home as to how much fat was in those muffins I bought.

Thus began my search for a healthier muffin, something with a little less fat and a little more fibre.  Now I’m not claiming this is a replacement for a healthy breakfast but you’ll get some omega 3 fat, some antioxidants, they are filling and pretty darn tasty too. I can adjust the type of berries and seeds according to what I have on hand. I’ve been known to throw in some chocolate chips or switch our raisins for the cranberries.

Breakfast Muffins

• 
  

  ·         1 egg

  ·         1 cup unsweetened applesauce

  ·         2/3 cup fat free plain yogurt

  ·         2 Tbsp vegetable oil

  ·         1 tsp vanilla extract

  ·         1/3 cup packed brown sugar

  ·         1/4 cup molasses
• 
  

  ·         1 cup wheat bran

  ·         1 cup all-purpose flour

  ·         1/2 cup oat bran

  ·         1/2 cup ground flax seed

  ·         1 tsp baking soda

  ·         1 tsp ground cinnamon

  ·         1 tsp table salt

  
  Optional
  
  

  ·         1/2 cup dried cranberries

  ·         1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

  ·         ¼ cup sunflower seeds (shells removed)

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Grease muffin tin or line with paper liners.
3. Mix together egg, applesauce, yogurt, brown sugar, molasses, oil & vanilla.
4. In another bowl mix dry ingredients.
5. Add dry  ingredients to wet and stir until just blended.
6. Fold in cranberries, blueberries and seeds.
7. Fill muffin cups til not quite full and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Makes 12 – 15 large muffins.

Just Say No

My cousin proudly announced today on social media that she “…said no to something”. Kudos to you Marcy, most of us know how difficult that can be.

Never having kids nor owning a house until recently, I never had to deny myself much, my money and time outside work was always my own.  I never had to drive anyone to games or get lunches ready, never had to forego the mani/pedi for piano lessons. Basically I never felt I had a good enough reason to say no.

I don’t know how many things I did or got involved in because I couldn’t say no. Friendships with people I didn’t even like, dates with guys with whom I had no chemistry. Heck I even got involved with a new age religion because I didn’t have the heart to say no to a friend when asked to come along to meetings.

I was a Girl Guide leader for over 20 years.  I first became involved as a way to give back to an organization I was part of as a child and to get involved in my local community as a volunteer.  I enjoyed working with the girls, the activities and the many good friends I made along the way.  A few years ago a survey was done to see if they could find out how they could recruit and keep adults in the organization. They asked me why I became a leader, the answer was easy. Then I was asked why I was still a leader, my first response was “guilt”. I stayed because there was no one else who would take over and I couldn’t say no.  I knew then it was time to leave so I left my unit and joined provincial council because they asked. It still took me moving to another province before I cut the strings entirely.

There are many reasons we don’t say no. Most simply boil down to the fact we think we’ll hurt, offend or get talked into it anyway. Why is it a simple “No, thanks” won’t do?  The requestor feels they must pry and cajole and coerce you into a yes. I once suggested to someone they should get involved with Girl Guides, I thought they’d be a good leader, she told me she didn’t do well with kids, it surprised me and I was going to protest but realized, true or not, it was her polite way of saying no and left it at that.

If I can offer a word of advice when saying no, please don’t use “I’m too busy”.  That one used to get my blood boiling.  Try “I wouldn’t be able to give the job the attention it requires” or “I wouldn’t be the right person for the job." or "I don’t work well with _________.” 

Oh, and if you’re turning someone down for a date, be up front, make it clear there is no chance of it ever happening,  he/she may be too dense to get the hint “I’m washing my hair that night” and keep trying for a night you’re free.

My suggestion as a first response would be a polite “No, but thanks for thinking of me.” And leave it at that. Unless pressed for a reason that should do. If pressed, have your arsenal of polite turn downs at the ready.

 

Thoughts on American Idol

I haven’t watched American Idol since I think about Season 3 when the performer I thought was the obvious winner was kicked off way too soon.  Since then I have, on occasion, watched some of the audition episodes for a laugh. I tuned in last night to see what was up this season and OMG, what is with Nicki Minaj? Keith is easy on the eyes, Mariah I can take in small doses and Randy, well he’s just there to give everyone props dog.  Every time I flipped to the show, there was Nicki flappin’ her gums with a voice akin to nails on a chalkboard. Scratch my eyes out and poke my ears with a pencil I couldn’t even try to watch that girl for a second. What is her talent? Wait, I don’t care. Big mistake American Idol, very big mistake, should have just said NO to that one.

Coupons: How They've Changed How We Shop

I will never be an extreme couponer but I do love a bargain. In fact, over the last decade or two, I have become trained by big box stores to never buy anything from them at “regular price”, and I rarely do.  

From what I understand, regulations on the use of coupons differs between the U.S. and Canada so we don’t get the kind of bottom line deals (i.e. $500 worth of product for $2.00) that we see on the reality shows from the U.S.  

I have a love/hate relationship with coupons and sales. The main reason being I have been forced into using coupons and clearance racks because some regular prices have become so artificially inflated to accommodate this burgeoning phenomenon. Another reason, I hate buying something only to have the price later reduced and I’ve paid more than I had to. Yes I could take it back and get the better price but takes up my time and patience.

I don’t know when it happened but one day I noticed that processed cheese slices were something like 6.99 for a package of 24, say what?!  So now I search for coupons and wait for a sale before I’ll consider buying them.  One store I shop at has reduced me to buying one item at a time as I use the 40% off any one regular priced item coupon I get with each purchase. 

I assume coupons began and continue to be a way for brands to encourage consumers to try new products or new to them products.  What they have become is smoke and mirrors through which the consumer has to spend way too much time finding their way to affordable living. 

We prefer to cook from scratch and grow some of our own food. We don’t have a whole lot of use for prepackaged and processed food products so we don’t get to make use of many of the coupons I find. Yes, I confess, you will find some cans and boxes in our cupboard but prefer fresh given the choice and time. Neither do we have room to hoard shelves full of toilet tissue, dish washing liquid and shampoo.

There is a proliferation of websites, blogs, Twitter feeds and Facebook pages devoted to coupons and free samples. I have a few favourites.  I “follow” and “like” a few brands that I buy regularly hoping they’ll throw a morsel my way. I check out store flyers and comparison shop as much as I can but I have a full time job and don’t want to spend my free time devoted to full on research into every single purchase I make. Hmmm maybe I’ve found a new job for Brian.

On a positive note, I’ve found some pretty darn good bargains, like the “regularly priced” at $600 cashmere & wool coat I got for $99. All this research to ensure I’m getting the best price also gives me time to pause and rethink some purchases.  This has occasionally resulted in some big savings as I decide I don’t really need a certain product or I don’t need it “right now”.

Don’t get me started on loyalty cards and points. Yes I use them because, frankly, I’m paying for all those “free” rewards one way or another so I might as well take ‘em.

This is one instance I’d like to see a return to the old days. A time when store owners paid the producer a fair price for their product, marked it up enough that they could make a decent living, charged the consumer a price they can afford every day and when a sale was something used to get rid of merchandise that wasn’t moving.  And a time when loyalty was earned with good customer service and quality product. Can I get an Amen!

Dinner for Two

Lemon Chicken with Pasta Alfredo for Two

We love food, love growing it, cooking it, baking, eating in, eating out. I even enjoy shopping for food, especially at our wonderful Farmers Markets.

Brian does the majority of the weekday dinner prep. He's a meat and potatoes kind of guy. He does great roasts, a wonderful yorkshire pudding, a wicked meatloaf and he bakes bread, from scratch, with no bread machine.

I, on the other hand like to stray from the usual standard fare. use more herbs, spices, and sauces. I've got him to try some new things, some have stuck, some have not.

My sister introduced me to a meal of lemon chicken with a ginger linguine side that I made myself for years. I started making it for Brian and it became one of our frequent favourites.  Parmigiano Reggioano is a staple in our kitchen so we switched out the ginger linguine for the Alfredo pasta.  We did start out making the Alfredo sauce the traditional way with butter & cream. In the interest of health, we skinnied it down a bit.

Lighter Alfredo Sauce

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup 1% milk
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 4 oz pasta (We like fusilli as is holds on to the sauce nicely)

1. Cook pasta in boiling water.
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, and saute for a minute.
3. Add flour to butter & garlic, whisk together and let cook for a minute.
4. Gradually add milk and whisk til everything combines.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue to cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thick.
6. Just before you are ready to serve, stir in Parmesan cheese until melted and sauce is smooth.
7. Drain the pasta transfer to a large bowl and toss with sauce. Alternatively spoon desired amount of sauce over individual servings of pasta.

Lemon Chicken

• 1 large or 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 cup chicken stock or broth
• 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp dried parsley

1. Heat oil in large fry pan on medium high.
2. Pound chicken til about 1/2" thick.
3. Dredge chicken in flour til coated on both sides.
4. Place chicken in heated pan and cook till a nice golden brown on each side.
5. Turn temperature down to medium low and add chicken stock, lemon juice and parsley.
6. Simmer chicken until cooked through and liquid has reduced to a nice sauce (about 15 minutes)
7. Serve hot, spoon pan sauce over chicken.

Introducing...Me

Welcome 2013, a new year, a new blog.

I can’t remember the last time I made a New Year’s resolution. New Year’s Eve is kind of a non-event for me. Having spent many a New Year’s Eve single, most were spent on my own, with family or a few friends. Now that I’m married, that hasn’t changed a whole lot, except the “on my own” part.  I can never seem to justify paying the jacked up prices many places charge.  We’ll get some Chinese food and either rent or go to a movie.  Until recently, I never knew that was a Maritime thing, Chinese food on New Year’s Eve I mean. Is it? 

Rather than making resolutions at the beginning of each new year, I use my own timeline and life changing moments to gather the resolve to make them. For example, at 40, having spent 10 years in a travel desert, I resolved to not wait to meet someone with whom I could travel the world. So I started my solo travels with the biggest trip on my bucket list, Australia. 

In July 2005, after a night in emerg hooked up to heart monitors, I resolved to quit smoking and haven’t had even a puff since. 

Last year, I resolved to lose weight for my wedding so I could recognize myself in my wedding photos. I did lose 30 pounds before the big day following Weight Watchers Online, alas about 20 of them have crept back on since then.  My aging body is really feeling the effects of the extra weight so there will be a re-affirmation of that resolution coming soon.

There have many other resolutions, or goals I’ve made and I may or may not share them here. After saying all of that, this year I did make a New Year’s resolution - to start blogging.  I have been toying with the idea for some time now. I’m not sure what it was that gave me the nudge to carry through with the idea. I’ve always had a love of words, love reading them, love writing them. I even got a diploma in Journalism and while I never did work in the field directly, I have drawn on the skills I learned in the varied jobs I’ve held over the years.  

At onetime I fancied I’d write a great novel or even a daily journal, neither of those came to fruition. I’ve been using the internet since I got my first home computer back in 1997 and not until the last few years have I caught up with social media in its current forms.  First I caved and created a Facebook profile, though it was a couple years before I checked it more than annually.  Then it was Twitter.  Then I noticed this blogging thing.

It seems just about every blogger I’ve come across starts their Bio with “Mom”. Now don't get me wrong, I love moms, where would we be without them? Technically I'm a step mom but really, my husband's three adult daughers have a perfectly good mom so I consider my relationship with them as their father's wife. I just try to offer some objective advice and support when asked. 

Some of what moms are blogging about is pertinent to me but there’s a lot of stuff that isn’t.  I went in search of non mom blogs and didn’t find many, but how do you search for such a thing?  I'll likely be blogging about some of the same things as moms, cooking, baking, crafts, opinions and reviews, just from a different perspective. I hope I can offer a somewhat unique voice and somebody will want to read my words.