IT'S A LEAP YEAR!

Since my birth in 1969 I have experienced eleven (11) leap years including this one. Other than an extra day tacked onto the end of February during the year it has not been a special day in any way. For me it has just been a day like any other.

According to Wikipedia there is a quite a formula that was discovered/created to figure out our current calendar and the how/why the leap year concept would figure into things. I have provided the links below if you are curious and want to read up about it. You can add to your personal store of less than useful yet interesting knowledge. I did! LOL
.

It is quite an interesting read as it explains something that many of us have just accepted as a fact of life. Not many of us really know why the leap year happens and how it was figured out. Sites like Wikipedia are pretty cool as they can provide the information in a manner that is usually pretty easy to understand. Check it out.

Wikipedia: Leap Year

Wikipedia: List of leap years

Today is also the last Wednesday of the month. Here in Canada the last Wednesday of February is Anti-Bullying Day. The day to wear pink to symbolize that you will stand up with many others to put an end to bullying of any kind.

I had a couple friends on Facebook write comments that made excelent points. My friend Dena wrote something short, sweet and to the point. I agree with it.

The child bullies of today eventually become adult bullies in the workplace. Teach your children respect now, and help them if there is a problem. The world could use a few less assholes.

My friend Kyle wrote this one below and it is great. He shows that he understands. He has been the victim of bullying in the past. I feel that this is extremely well done. 

If anyone feels that Bullying is not a big issue, then:

• Ask someone to push you into the locker about a dozen times!
• Ask someone to throw your books on the floor, into the garbage or into a mud pile!
• Ask someone to call you offensive words repeatedly throughout the day!
• Ask someone to pull your pants down in front of others!
• Ask someone to give you a wedgie!
• Ask someone to text you offensive statements to your phone all day.
• Ask someone to beat you up over and over again, today!
• Ask someone to throw food at you!
• Ask someone to spit in your face over and over again!
• Ask someone to stick bubblegum in your hair!
• Ask someone to post lies and offensive things about you on your Facebook for everyone to see!
• Ask someone to create a "I hate you page!" on Facebook for you about you.

You would not want these things to happen to you, right!? Well, bullied children deal with this type of behavior on a regular basis. Still think Bullying is not an issue? Think again!

Overtime Pt2

OMG! I love my job but this weekend was a killer!

It seems like everyone under the sun was calling in sick. I was being offered overtime left, right and centre! On Friday & Saturday I said no. I wanted to enjoy my evenings at home with my sweetie. Sunday & Monday I was put in the position where I really had no choice as my relief was non-existent.

One of the downsides to health care and the work I do is that we provide care 24/7. There is always nurses and care aides on shift at our facilities. We typically only work 8 hour shifts (7am-3pm, 3pm-11pm, 11pm-7am). At the end of our shifts we expect that there will be someone there to relieve us, usually that is the case.

This weekend with so many calling in sick they were asking us to extend our hours to cover the shifts that they were unable to fill. Both Sunday and Monday were days like that. I ended up extending my shifts to 16hours. On Sunday I worked from 7am to 11pm. Then I came back on Monday and ended up working 3pm to 7am. The only perk that they were able to give me was an extra day off afterwards. That is not too bad. Gives me more time to sleep and recoup.

Overtime is nice. It pads the paycheque when you are short some hours. Of course you pay more taxes on it but it is still nice.

My sweetheart isn't too happy about it all and I understand. I am doing what I have to but not what I want to. This morning when I got home he was very lovey dovey and it was nice to cuddle up with him and the dog before he left for work. Then I went to sleep and slept the day away. I have no idea if it was a good weather day or not. I do know it was windy as I did go out in the wind a bit ago to buy fixings for dinner.

Tomorrow will be a better day that I can enjoy because I am not working it. Yah!!

Flowers in the park.

I was out walking our dog in Summit park today and was wonderfully amazed at the profusion of flowers coming up. Most of them were white and purple crocuses with a few yellow ones thrown in for good measure. I also so saw a fair amount of snow drops still blooming as well. It was nice to see the flowers especially on a sunny day like today.

I was taking pictures of the flowers , as I always seem to be doing, and realized that I could not get a full sense of how many flowers there are with just a single frame picture. I decided to try the panoramic option and that is what you see above and below. Unfortunately it doesn't really look like much unless the pictures are enlarged.

If you look closely you can see the light dusting of white along the ground all across each picture. Mixed in with the white you can see some purple. In the bottom picture in the centre you can see a dark lump, that is the dog. I was trying to get him to go play with his stick elsewhere but he wants to be the centre of attention. He ended up being in the centre of the picture!

One of the things I love about Victoria is that there are so many parks and hidden areas that are undeveloped and it allows for all the wildflowers to flourish every year. It is one of the reasons we are referred to as the "Garden City".

I love my city. There are times when I miss my home town and the friends/family that I have in other places in the province. When I stop to think about where I truly want to be I find that I am already there.

That is a good feeling.

Overtime

My original shift today was 0700-1500. It was a good shift. All went well and I enjoyed my work day.
The problem that tends to happen when working in health care is people get tired & worn out and because of the many illnesses that we are exposed to we get sick as well. this leads to many of us being asked to stay longer to fill in for the sick nurse. That is what happened today. I ended up staying for another 8hrs of work.

This weekend has been one of those times where someone is calling in sick for every shift. Yesterday I was asked if I wanted to work a double shift. I said 'No' mainly because I had not slept well the night before and it would be nice if I could have a relaxing evening and get to sleep at a decent time.

Today they had another nurse call in sick and I was asked if I could stay and do overtime. I said 'Yes' this time. I am so tired even though I slept okay last night. Working 16hours makes for a long day. I don't regret saying yes to the overtime. It makes for a nice sized paycheque when payday comes around.

The way things are working here I could do a doubleshift most every other day at work due to others calling in to say they cannot work. Now if I was a single man I would probably say yes to a lot of overtime as I would have no one at home to worry about. Fortunately for me I have a sweetheart and that gives me a great personal excuse to say no 75% of the time to the extras. This also helps me to not burn out so quickly. I still take on the occaisional shift to help fill in the gaps in my schedule. Because I only work part time I do need to pick up extra shifts once in awhile so that I get a good cheque every 2nd week. Gotta pay the bills.

The boyfriend complains often about it but he doesn't have the debts I do. I often tell him it is the nature of the job. If some one gave me enough money to pay off my debts, buy a car and house then I would cut back and work a lot less. Until then I work as I have to and the boyfriend will just have to suck it up!

Besides, he is pretty cute when he pouts! ;-)

Making Schnitzel

I came across a real simple recipe a few weeks ago and thought I would give it a try as I had never made it before. I love doing that!

The recipe was for Pork Schnitzel. The recipe also suggested that I could use other meats like Veal and Chicken. So far I have only used pork. When I made it that time it was a hit. Simple, tasty and inexpensive. I have discovered in my years of watching cooking shows on TV and experimenting on my own that you can take a cheap cut of meat and make it almost gourmet. If no one knows that it started as a cheap cut then you could almost claim gourmet! hehehehe

To make the Schnitzel I started with sliced pork. I went to the store and bought some cheap cut pork cutlets/chops. At home I trimmed off the excess fat and the bone. Then using my meat hammer/tenderizer I pounded them flat. I would soak flattened meat in milk for about an hour. I find that milk is a natural tenderizer, it also gives the meat a mellow buttery like taste and texture when cooked.

Start by heating up a non-stick pan with oil; medium heat to pan fry. Take the meat that has been sitting in the milk and coat it in flour, dip in egg, then coat in bread crumbs. I usually season the bread crumbs with salt/pepper and sometimes garlic powder. As you coat each one in crumbs add them to the hot pan. Don't put more in the pan than it can easily hold (about 2-3 depending on size of pan). Cook on first side for about 2 minutes then flip and cook other side for 1-2 minutes. Once both sides are a nice rich golden color you have a tasty Pork Schnitzel.

This is my Schnitzel

Now I don't like to waste anything so I save the milk that I soaked the meat in and any leftover egg & flour and use them to make a nice sauce for the schnitzel. I find that a mushroom sauce is a rather tasty option.

Last time I did this I served it with sauteed veggies and some pasta. Typically schnitzel is served with a pasta side dish. Tonight I did it up a little different. Still served the sauteed veggies but this time I made some scalloped cheese potatoes.

Very tasty! It was a hit with the partner and a our dinner guest. Give it a try. You will like it provided you are not a Vegan! :-)

Yummmy! Brownies

I made these yesterday and they were pretty good. I didn't follow the recipe exactly because I didn't have the exact ingredients as listed. I improvised a bit and ended up with a rather tasty  treat that the boyfriend and I enjoyed seconds of!

With my improvisation I ended up with a brownie that was more cake like but still tasty. I figure if you follow the recipe as listed you will have a much denser result that looks like the picture. I will probably do that next time just to see how it turns out.

The only reason that I made this chocolate treat was that I haven't baked any goodies since before I moved to this place in September 2011. My boyfriend also commented that in our two years together I have never baked any kind of treats for him. I cook most nights and he loves my cooking but baking is something of mine that he had yet to experience until yesterday. He was pretty happy about the results!

The original recipe listed below is a from a vegan focused recipe site. As I am not a vegan I decided that I wanted something with a little more to it. When I cook and sometimes when I bake I like to play with the recipe a bit to see what I get. Nine times out of 10 it works out pretty good. That's not too bad.

The only reason I started with this recipe is because it is simple and I had most of the ingredients in one form or the other in the cupboard. (eg. Olive instead of Vegetable oil, brown instead of white sugar) Of course while I was looking to see what was on the shelves I started to get ideas of adjusting the ingredients a bit to make the treat more exciting. Nothing overly fancy but definitely something to 'up the wow factor' and add some richer flavour. Below the original recipe I will list the changes I made. As I said nothing fancy but definitely worthwhile trying.

Brownie recipe (original)
Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in water, vegetable oil and vanilla; mix until well blended. Spread evenly in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Alterations I made that added more flavour and gave me a more cake like texture:

• Brown sugar instead of white sugar. Same amounts. Brown sugar gives a darker color and slightly richer flavour.
• Reduce oil to 1/2 cup and add 2 eggs and wisk well. This what gives it a fluffier texture like cake.
• 1/2 cup shaved milk chocolate

I found that with the eggs I had to bake this mixture an additional 10 minutes to ensure it was thoroughly cooked. For the most part you can bake it for 30-35 minutes or until knife/toothpick comes our clean.

As an added treat and for even MORE flavour I layered some After Eight mints on top. This made them triple chocolatey decadent! Give it a try. You will like it! If not, then make your own changes. I bet you can come up with something!

I REALLY, REALLY appreciate my Chiropractor!

Back in November of 2011 I pulled/tweaked something in my back. When this happens I did what I usually do. I got lots of rest, positioned my body so it was properly aligned as I slept and took some Advil. After 3 days all seems better and I was back to work. Every thing was fine for about a month and then just before Christmas it all went  KABLOOEY....... My back was F*&$#D!

When my back went out the second time it was worse than it had ever been in my life. I went to bed that night feeling fine and fell asleep easily. The next morning I couldn't move. From the waist on down I had no strength and couldn't do anything. I was finally able to roll out of bed onto my feet. With my raised bed frame and pillow top mattress set the top of my bed is almost 3ft off of the floor. Rolling off of my bed onto my feet is a pretty easy thing to do, most days. This particular morning I was having such a hard time moving that I knew something was wrong. Of course the pain was a pretty good indicator too.

Once on my feet I had no ability to stand unaided. If I wasn't supporting my self with my arms on the bed I wouldn't have been able to stay upright. I was able to move around my bed towards the door and used the bed, dresser and door frame to keep myself in a mostly upright state but from the bedroom door to the bathroom door there was nothing to hang on to. I actually had to get down on my hands and knees and crawl to the bathroom, then crawl/climb onto the toilet just so I could do my 'business'. Cleaning myself afterwards was difficult as well.

I spent three days in bed after that heavily medicated with Extra Strenght Advil, A535 and Robax Platinum. I mistakenly thought that it was just another flare up of my back muscles protesting their over use. I was at a loss to figure out why it was so bad this time. I have had back issues my whole adult life and little flare ups here and there have happened all the time. A few days rest and taking it easy for the week afterwards has always worked just fine. Never before had a flare up left me with so much pain and debilitated. After about a week or so of this I finally made my way to the chiropractor office. I have tried physiotherapy before and find that it doesn't work for me. Chiropractic therapy have always worked its wonders on my spine.

L4,L5: Belt line/waist line area

After the tests and assessments it was determined that I had/have a compressed disc in my L4,L5 region. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it felt. The chiropractor told me that if I had developed any uncontrollable bowel issues then he would've sent me to emergency for surgery. In the area where I have my compression there are nerves that control your bowels and if they are damaged enough you lose control of them and it is considered an emergency surgery situation. Thankfully I was not at that stage.

So the chiropractor started me off with twice weekly sessions to relieve the pressure to my compressed spinal disc and to help the surrounding muscles to relax back into a more supportive state of being rather than a protective one. From there we progressed into once a week appointments and it has been going well all the time.

After my first appointment back in December my pain has diminished quickly and replaced with stiffness and some subtle aches. It took almost a month before I was walking and standing straight and because of that I really appreciate what my chiropractor has done. The stiffness and aches have diminished as well and only pop up once in awhile.  With my regular appointments and the exercises & stretches he has suggested my back in returning to its normal state. Today I have a good session and all went according to plan. That makes me feel good.

So I started with twice weekly appointments and have progressed to once a week and starting next month it will be once every two weeks which in time will evolve into once a month. By summer time I will have my back the way it needs to be for optimum function. In the meantime I need to take good care of myself. Get good sleep, proper stretches & exercise, decent nutrition and reduced stresses in my life in general. Not too hard to achieve at all!

A nice little moral to this story: NEVER take your back for granted! You cannot stand straight in life without it! So now 'back' to the daily grind!  Heheeh. Had to throw in a little pun.

Nature of my job.

Don't get me wrong. I love my job. It is rewarding and challenges me daily. Unfortunately it is also exhausting, stressful and causes some minor strife in my relationship. With regular time off and good sleep most of my issues with work are relieved.

The relationship strife of course is another matter.

My partner has his own ideas of how my job should be. My job will never be the way he wants it to. As a nurse in health care I work shift work. That means I work days, evenings and graveyards. When the time comes and I have built up enough seniority I will have the opportunity to post into a position that is full time and most likely days only. Until then I work as a casual doing the shifts that come my way.

My partner is fortunate the he has a corporate type job where he works Mon-Fri 0800-1600 every week. He wants me to work the same. Unfortunately Health care doesn't work that way and never has. It is typically a 24/7 job. Because we are there for those that need us we all take our turn doing our shifts so that there is some one around to assist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Patient's needs do not stop once the clock hits 4pm on a Friday and start up again Monday at 8am. 

The biggest reason my boyfriend doesn't like my job is because he feels I deserve better (love him for that) and also because he wants to be able to spend more time with me (love him for that as well). I do my best to pick up shifts that allow us to spend a fair amount of quality time together through the week and to give us as much time to enjoy on the weekend. It isn't an easy thing to organize and still make a decent paycheck. I manage as best as I can and he pouts as usual when he doesn't get what he wants. He will learn in time to accept it. 

He has been the fortunate one who has most always gotten the type of job he wants so he can live the life he has chosen. I have always been the one that has has to make do with what has come my way and adjusted my life to fit the job. It has always worked in the past for me. Unfortunately it is some thing he doesn't understand or accept. He figures I should be fortunate like him (he loves me) and should get what I want right away instead of working my ass off to achieve it (he loves me lots).

In Health Care that is the nature of my job. You have to work to achieve so that you can live your achievement. He disagrees...

36th Annual Flower Count

Victoria, British Columbia

March 1 to March 7, 2012

Every year the residents of this beautiful city phone in and tell the tally man what the blossom count is in their neighbourhood. This light-hearted event was created back in the 1960's as a way to promote our city to other Canadian cities. Through the past decades it has evolved into what we have today.

The event is sponsored/organized by the local chambers of commerce, local businesses and tourism groups. The overall goal of the flower count is to bolster community pride in having the mildest climate in Canada. It also helps to increase awareness on the national and international fronts showcasing Victoria as a great place to visit during the winter and early spring months. After all, when our spring arrives most others are still stuck in the midst of winter.

Each municipality with in Greater Victoria is encouraged to challenge one another to see who becomes the "Bloomingest Community" in the area. Each area will have a total attributed to their community. The areas of Sidney, Victoria, Saanich, Esquimalt, Colwood, Langford, Sooke, Metchosin, Highlands and View Royal are all expected to take part in the Challenge.

The Blossom Count for 2011 came in at a whopping 260, 457, 579.

"The annual flower count is a great reminder that Victoria really is the City of Gardens. Even with the recent blast of winter cold, our brave blossoms came peaking through to win the day." A quote from the Mayor of Victoria.

As far as I am aware it is the only city in BC and Canada that does this. Just another thing that makes Victoria special.

Here is a link to the flower count webpage that will give some more details if you are interested. After the count is over in March I will give you an update as to what the count was this year.

Victoria Flower Count

Pictures from a local park.

graf·fi·ti

 [gruh-fee-tee]

noun

(used with a plural verb) marking, as initials, slogans, or drawings, written, spray-painted, or sketched on a sidewalk, wall or a building or public restroom, or the like: These graffiti are evidence of the neighbourhood's decline.

I really don't get graffiti. I understand what graffiti IS, just truly not the WHY of it. I have heard the reasons from people who do it but I still don't get it. I freely admit that some of it has artistic merit and is often referred to as "Street Art" and/or "Urban Art". Some of our local 'artists' are pretty good at it and do their best to make it appealing. When it fits in the realm of true art then I appreciate it.

There is a bakery downtown that hires out to local artists to have a couple of the outside walls redone in some pretty awesome graffiti art every few months. It is something the bakery has become known for and it shows in a small way their support for the local people and community. That is one thing that does make some of the graffiti cool.

Unfortunately I find that most of this 'art' is pointless. You see it all over the place. In the pictures here you can see some of the graffiti in a local park. In a park setting that is more untamed than tamed you don't really want to see stuff like this. We go to this park (and a few others) to relax and have a brief moment or two where we can escape the sights and sounds of the city. It is much harder to do that when wherever you look you see graffiti. The natural landscape is spoiled.

It is on the rocks, the trees, the paths, the safety barrier, building walls; pretty much everywhere. It is annoying and sad. It is especially sad when someone has done a nice mural on a wall and it has been ruined by graffiti. Even the bakery wall where the graffiti is encouraged others have come along and ruined it from time to time.

In my mind it is a sign of no respect for your environment or for your fellow human being. I don't like it.

Today my heart hurts...Pt2

After several phone calls and a lot of talking back and forth with his family, my boyfriend finally got the okay to go and visit his dying grandmother today; It was a good visit.

Yesterday was a day full of heartrending agony for my boyfriend. This is the only grandparent he has left. His Nana is also very special to him as she was a major influence during his childhood. She was one of the very few shining stars during the difficult years he went through. When she does die he will be devastated. I can understand. I only have one grandparent left as well and my grandma is special to me as well. I will feel the same when it happens to me. 

We drove upisland to Qualicum Beach where she lives. Dan spent about an hour previous trying to find some beautiful flowers to bring her. Finding a florist shop open on a Sunday in a small community is very difficult. Dan is also picky so he wasn't just gonna bring her just any flowers. Plus he wanted a plant, something that would live on for several weeks or months depending on how long she lives for. He eventually found something that he would be satisfied with. When we arrived she loved the plants. She loved the colors of the flowers; they brought a smile to her face. We got her a pink azalea that had a tonne of blooms on it plus a gorgeous deep purple orchid. 

Overall we spent about 3-4 hours visiting and had a good time. Nana was in a great mood, looked better than expected and was extremely happy to see her only grandson. She was happy to see me as well; she likes me! Dan made plans with his dad to come a visit again next weekend. There is no guarantee that she will live that long but everyone is hoping for the best. Dan is happier than he was yesterday. He has said his goodbyes, shared his love and given/received hugs 'n' kisses from his Nana. Anything else after this is "icing on the cake"; a bonus. My heart hurts a little still because I know that his will be shattered in the near future.

For now his broken heart is mended. 

Today my heart hurts...

I found out this morning some sad news from a couple of my friends. One friend found out that a cherished member of his family passed away in the wee hours of the morning. The really unfortunate part is that he is on the West Coast and she was/is on the East Coast. Because of this situation he will most likely not be able to go to the funeral. He is understandably upset about this as well. He is fortunate that he is surrounded by friends and family who understand and support him; we encourage him to remember all the good times and to always cherish the wonderful memories.

Another friend called me this AM to tell me that he and his partner split up today. It is a sad situation for both of them. My friend is in the military and his boyfriend found it hard to handle the extended periods of time when he was gone and the possibility that he wouldn't return due to the war like situations he would be going to. On the other side of the coin I think that the boyfriend wasn't ready to settle down. He talked about wanting to travel the world after he finishes college and moving to the mainland as he is tired of living here. My friend is pretty settled here in Victoria and doesn't want to move as it is one of the major naval bases in Canada. It sounds like a relationship that was never going to work unless some compromises happened and unfortunately neither of them were willing or able to make the necessary concessions.

And for the third one that breaks my heart, these tend to always come in threes, my boyfriend's Nana is dying and he is desperate to go see her before she passes. She has what seems like days/weeks to live and it appears as if his aunts and father are telling him that he cannot go because she doesn't want him to see her in the state she is in. She is dying from pancreatic cancer. Dan doesn't care. He wants the opportunity to see her one last time to say his goodbyes, share his love and give her one last hug 'n' kiss. It is just hard for him as the other family members, and supposedly his Nana, do not want to give him that last chance. All morning he has bounced back and forth between anger and sorrow as he dwells on it. It has been hard for me as he throws this all in my face. I know that it isn't because of me but it is still hard as I do not like to see him hurting and I don't like the negativity sent my way. I do my best to keep him calmer and let him know I understand as I have lost my grandparents as well. I give him my love and support.

I had a talk with one of his aunts on the phone and listened to what she had to say. I understand where they are coming from even though I am not in agreement with it. During the phone call I did my best to advocate for Dan to see his Nana again. I just hope that it works out.

My heart hurts when those I care about are hurting. My pain is my own but it helps me to understand theirs.

Took my Sweetheart out for dinner

The restaurant for our evening out.

Took my Sweetheart out for our belated Valentine's dinner this evening. We both decided that we would avoid going out on Valentine's and just stay in together. That was a great decision as it was insane out there. The original plan was to do our dinner out the night before but he was not feeling well and it was rescheduled for tonight, Friday.

Several weeks previous I had gone out with 3 friends to have a nice dinner at a great restaurant. We all dressed up in ties 'n' shirts and went to this french bistro that I had never been to before. I must say the food was amazing. The decor was good; nothing special. The service was pretty decent, worthy of a nice gratuity. It wasn't overly packed so the noise level was appreciated. It allowed for really nice dinner conversations.

For Valentine's Day I wanted to treat Dan to a nice meal out where the food was worthwhile. Because I had such a great meal at this Bistro I felt it would be the special place for us to go.

Man oh man! Dan can sometimes be a pain. After all the scheduling and rescheduling I went through to book this time for the two of us he says when he got home this afternoon that he didn't really feel like going out.Was he sick again? No. Did he have a long tiring day at work? Not really. Did he have a terrible sleep last night? No again. So I asked what was the deal. It turns out that since he bought a new surround sound stereo equip this week and just got the amp today he wants to stay home and play with it all. I said No! Dinner plans are gonna happen and he can play with his electronic equipment later. He will have all weekend to play with it. His follow up excuse was the crappy weather and I put the kibosh on that too. Weather was irrelevant when going to a sit down place. The food was good as usual. Dan found it a bit too upscale for him. That will be the only time I take him there as it is not his kind of place. He prefers places like Red Robin, Earls, etc.

An eclectic neighbourhood place

Afterwards we went to the James Bay Coffee Co. across the street from the Thriftys grocery to hear a friend perform. There were a few different local talents playing and we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere after the tasty meal. My friend was one of the last performers and he was pretty damn good. He played a song just for Dan and that was greatly appreciated. It was a nice wrap up to a good evening. Just a night out with my Sweetheart!

Happy Belated Valentine's to Us!

Spring is coming!

Snowdrops

So according to the groundhogs we are going to have an early Spring in 2012. I love that idea. As much as I enjoy snow I do not enjoy the cold very much.

So based on the groundhogs of Canada not seeing their shadows our Spring will be here soon. We will not have to worry about another 6 weeks of cold damp Winter weather.

Here in Victoria our Spring arrives earlier than most. By Valentine's Day we had flowers poking out of the ground and some of them already in bloom. In the picture above you can see one of the most common early Spring flowers we get in our area. These little flowers pop up everywhere. Their early Spring friends the Crocus are pushing their way up through the soil as well adding some wonderful colour.

Spring is such a beautiful time of  year. Typically it is the time when the browns, greys and blah colours of Winter are giving over to the multicoloured hues of Spring. I love the colours of the flowering season. It brings smiles to my face all the time. The only difference here in Victoria is that our Winter is a green one so when Spring comes around the green just becomes brighter and more vibrant.

I like taking picture of flowers and greenery around my gorgeous city. I will have to post some pictures along the way to show you our natural beauty as it unfolds. For now you can enjoy this little picture of the Snowdrops I took today on my walk.

If you love Bacon...

A little while ago I went to a birthday potluck for a dear friend. We all contributed some pretty taste food. The company was great as always. The birthday boy got lots of Hugs 'N' Love from all his friends. As a treat the hostess made him a speciality cake that was shaped like something that most any gay man would love! Yes THAT shape.  ;-) It was Yummy!!!

Well for my gift to him I made the rather delicious recipe listed below. Why? The birthday boy loves bacon! So I thought I would cater to his love of this particular food. I found the recipe on a website some time ago.  A mutual friend of the birthday boy and I had posted something on her FB page about Bacon Jam. Now it sounds weird and probably not too tasty sounding for some but it is really something worth trying. I was looking at the recipe and decided that it was a little too involved as I didn't have a lot of time to spare to make it. So I decided I would try the less time consuming and weird sounding Bacon Pate.

O.M.G. Was it ever decadent! Savoury and rich and to die for! The recipe doesn't make a whole lot (enough to fill a small jam jar) but then with something this rich tasting you do not want to over do it. A small amount is just right. 

Although the recipe uses a whole package of bacon it is not greasy at all. But I must warn you it is slightly fattening. But then when isn't the best tasting stuff not so eh!?

With prep and cook time it took me about an hour to make. Less time than the jam version. Give it a try. I guarantee that if you love bacon then you will love this recipe.

Bacon Pâté

Makes 1 cup

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 300g/10.6ozs. bacon, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 TB minced fresh chives
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme (or 1/3 tsp dried thyme)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp soy sauce (or tamari)
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add bacon and cook until crispy (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside for now.

2. Turn heat down to low and to the same pot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, carrot, and bay leaf; cook until the veggies are softened (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add garlic, chives, and thyme and cook another 2 minutes. Cool slightly, remove bay leaf, then transfer the bacon and veggies to a food processor along with 1/2 c water; puree until smooth, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. Or just use a stick blender like I did (I used my Braun cordless stick blender which I am completely in love with).

3. Transfer the puree back into the pot and add vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, and pepper; bring up to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer until it forms a smooth, thick paste (about 25-30 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Darkly delicious after just 30 minutes!

Here is the original link for both recipes. Both come from a site called "Not quite Nigella". Her site is worth checking out too.

Bacon Pate

Bacon Jam