After James left yesterday, I quickly changed and headed over to the liquor store for a cooking demonstration - accompanied by well-matched wines. I had no idea mushrooms could be used in so many delicious ways!
First course was an appetizer of pesto-stuffed mushrooms wrapped in phyllo pastry. Some tips on handling this tricky Greek pastry were very helpful and the actual tasty bite was fairly easy to assemble, although Chef used prepared pesto which is really cheating. Next came a mushroom gratin - fairly straightforward, except for the addition of white wine to the mushrooms. Next came a chicken breast with leek and mushroom sauce made with crème fraiche - brandy in this dish gave it its unique flavour. Finally Panini stuffed with sautéed mushrooms, caramalized onions (I can never get them to caramalize so I watched closely) and gruyere cheese then toasted - in effect an extra fancy grilled cheese sandwich. To finish off the meal we had chocolate truffles, since true truffles are related to mushrooms. However, these were all chocolate and cream and absolutely delicious!
Today was the first day of the Thursday social at Bridlewood TC. Not a great turnout (7) but it was rather on the cool side. I plan to keep track of the numbers this year as we don't seem to be attracting many new members, which was the purpose of having this weekly event.
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Tennis Season Begins
First day for Kaffeeklatch - this is our Tuesday and Friday morning socials at Don Mills TC. A very good turnout - all courts filled - and it was a spectacularly good day, weather-wise. Sunny but still on the cool side although I did get out of my track suit and exposed my pale limbs to the sun.
I had a busy afternoon. First the duct cleaner with his noisy vacuum spent an hour cleaning years of dust and grime from the ducts. I'm ashamed to say this has never been done since I moved here nearly 16 years ago! He says I'm good for another 5 years, unless I'm in the old folks home before then. Next came a team of guys from the city to replace the water meter. It came with an electronic reader so I don't have to phone in the reading every other month.
Lastly Judy came by to pick up James' sand table and kitchen centre which she has managed to sell. Now that we can get outside and to the park, we don't spend as much time playing in the basement, so it's time for them to go. They fit nicely in her van and I am glad to be reclaiming the space they took up. I am planning a garage sale next month so have started filling boxes with other items that I neither use nor want any more. I may not make much money but I will feel much less cluttered.
Dinner tonight is chicken thighs cooked in a tomato sauce with veggies. I plan to have bruschetta as a starter to use up the savoury bread I made for Easter that didn't rise properly. It will be fine toasted and topped with tomatoes, garlic and parmesan.
I had a busy afternoon. First the duct cleaner with his noisy vacuum spent an hour cleaning years of dust and grime from the ducts. I'm ashamed to say this has never been done since I moved here nearly 16 years ago! He says I'm good for another 5 years, unless I'm in the old folks home before then. Next came a team of guys from the city to replace the water meter. It came with an electronic reader so I don't have to phone in the reading every other month.
Lastly Judy came by to pick up James' sand table and kitchen centre which she has managed to sell. Now that we can get outside and to the park, we don't spend as much time playing in the basement, so it's time for them to go. They fit nicely in her van and I am glad to be reclaiming the space they took up. I am planning a garage sale next month so have started filling boxes with other items that I neither use nor want any more. I may not make much money but I will feel much less cluttered.
Dinner tonight is chicken thighs cooked in a tomato sauce with veggies. I plan to have bruschetta as a starter to use up the savoury bread I made for Easter that didn't rise properly. It will be fine toasted and topped with tomatoes, garlic and parmesan.
Friday, 2 May 2014
Furnace Install
Up bright and early on Thursday to receive the installers. They were right on time and worked diligently all day, finishing around 5:30 p.m. So now I have central air as well as heating (my previous air conditioner was installed in the attic, prey to squirrels and other rodents and almost impossible to access for repair). Now I can switch back and forth from heat to cool from the main thermostat. Much more convenient!
I had a problem when it came time to pay, using my credit card. I had managed to get the credit limit raised on one card (still not high enough to pay the whole bill) but neglected to check what the limit was on my other card. Surprise, surprise, it was declined! So I still owe a portion of the bill. However, I have arranged to pay the balance with a cheque next week, once I have transferred some money from my savings account to my chequing account. That will take a couple of days.
Still need the heat on today, but at a cheaper rate (hopefully) as the new furnace is high-efficiency. Quite overcast all day, and windy, but no rain. This morning I had a crown replaced, my final visit to the dentist for 6 months, thank goodness. As the visit was just to replace the temporary crown, no freezing was required and I was in and out in under half-an-hour, payment made and, hopefully, money back from the insurance company in the next few days.
I have a busy day tomorrow - tennis club opening in the morning, including lunch, and then a quick run over to the west end for Gala Day, an afternoon of dance followed by high tea. Shouldn't need any dinner after that. So today was running errands that I usually do on Saturday. Only problem may be the weather, rain is forecast. Off to fix chicken drumsticks for dinner and mashed sweet potato and green beans.
I had a problem when it came time to pay, using my credit card. I had managed to get the credit limit raised on one card (still not high enough to pay the whole bill) but neglected to check what the limit was on my other card. Surprise, surprise, it was declined! So I still owe a portion of the bill. However, I have arranged to pay the balance with a cheque next week, once I have transferred some money from my savings account to my chequing account. That will take a couple of days.
Still need the heat on today, but at a cheaper rate (hopefully) as the new furnace is high-efficiency. Quite overcast all day, and windy, but no rain. This morning I had a crown replaced, my final visit to the dentist for 6 months, thank goodness. As the visit was just to replace the temporary crown, no freezing was required and I was in and out in under half-an-hour, payment made and, hopefully, money back from the insurance company in the next few days.
I have a busy day tomorrow - tennis club opening in the morning, including lunch, and then a quick run over to the west end for Gala Day, an afternoon of dance followed by high tea. Shouldn't need any dinner after that. So today was running errands that I usually do on Saturday. Only problem may be the weather, rain is forecast. Off to fix chicken drumsticks for dinner and mashed sweet potato and green beans.
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Rain and More Rain
They say, "April showers bring May flowers", and we have had plenty of the former today. The back yard is just one giant puddle due to the fact that the downspout from the roof runs directly into it. I really need to get a rain barrel. Trees still bare but there are big velvety buds on the Mountain Ash, so leaves should appear soon. Even the Forsythia is still bare.
Since I was stuck inside I tackled an indoor job, removing some ceiling tiles in the basement so the vent for the air conditioner can be installed on Thursday. I got two down but the third is a two person job so I will have to leave it to the installers. They suggested I do it myself in case they damage the tiles but, what the heck, it's not like they are irreplaceable! I also removed the insulation which was a much easier job.
Rain finally stopped around 4:00 p.m. and I walked down to the mailbox to post my tax return. I owe money as usual which is why I waited until the last moment, but it is on its way and the money will be out of my account before I know it. That is one of my least favourite jobs; I am always glad when it is done.
Off to fix dinner. Tonight it's a fish pie (of sorts, more like Shepherd's pie with a potato crust) and a broccoli casserole. I scored a huge piece of Parmigiano Reggiano at Longo's last week which had been incorrectly priced - entered as cream cheese so was half the price (is that dishonest?), so I have been putting it on everything!
Since I was stuck inside I tackled an indoor job, removing some ceiling tiles in the basement so the vent for the air conditioner can be installed on Thursday. I got two down but the third is a two person job so I will have to leave it to the installers. They suggested I do it myself in case they damage the tiles but, what the heck, it's not like they are irreplaceable! I also removed the insulation which was a much easier job.
Rain finally stopped around 4:00 p.m. and I walked down to the mailbox to post my tax return. I owe money as usual which is why I waited until the last moment, but it is on its way and the money will be out of my account before I know it. That is one of my least favourite jobs; I am always glad when it is done.
Off to fix dinner. Tonight it's a fish pie (of sorts, more like Shepherd's pie with a potato crust) and a broccoli casserole. I scored a huge piece of Parmigiano Reggiano at Longo's last week which had been incorrectly priced - entered as cream cheese so was half the price (is that dishonest?), so I have been putting it on everything!
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