Cooling Off

   We have had a few hot days but yesterday and today have been both cooler and fresher.

   Grandkids on Monday for a swim, tennis on Tuesday - I was "0n the board" that is organizing the sets using our name tags and a board with hooks, I will post a photo of it next week. So I didn't play until almost noon and it was really too hot to be enjoyable.

   Wednesday was catching up on chores and I did achieve quite a lot. First a trip to the mall for a few errands including picking up yeast. I  had gone to make bread last week only to find there was no yeast in the house, so had to make do with soda bread. This time I was out of bulgar so had to substitute oat bran and porridge oats. It actually was an improvement, came out very light and tasty, so I may do that again. Of course the temptation of newly baked bread was too powerful to resist so the loaf was half gone before I got it sliced and in the freezer!

   I also made a batch of strawberry rhubarb jam with some berries from the freezer and the last of the rhubarb. The berries were very soft and mushy when defrosted but I gave the jam an extra long boil and it seems to have set perfectly. I will know when I finally get around to eating it. I am still using up my 2012 jam, if you can believe it!

    Thursday and today tennis in the morning (nice cool fresh conditions) and then a bit of gardening in the afternoons - digging out the violets again. I thought I had got rid of them last year but they're back with a vengeance. The nights have been great for sleeping with the windows open and a cool breeze. long may it continue!

Last of the jam making for this summer - strawberry rhubarb.

Can't remember the name and it only lasts for one day, but it is magnificent!

Nothing better than picking a ripe tomato for your lunch - and then eating it still warm from the sun.

My one and only red pepper - will it ripen and be picked before the rabbits/squirrels/raccoons get it?

  

Rogers Orientation

   I was up early this morning to head over to Yorkdale Mall for the Orientation meeting for volunteers at the Rogers Cup which is coming up in a couple of weeks. It was an 8:30 start in the cinema auditorium for all of us, then breaking off into our different committees. Sandy had laid on a nice breakfast spread and we munched happily as she went through the handbook. We have quite a few "newbies" this year.

    I had time to do my weekly grocery shop once I got home but didn't bother with lunch as I was still stuffed. The afternoon was rainy so I pottered in the kitchen, making some roasted red peppers and a batch of mango chutney. I got two small jars from one mango, one apple, some raisins, a garlic clove and half an onion. Not too shabby!

   Tonight is leftover Tuscan chicken but I made a delicious fish dish yesterday. It was supposed to be just a pan-fried basa fillet but at the last minute I topped it with an artichoke dip I had made previously. It was very tasty!

Amazing what can be concocted from an over-ripe mango!

Pickling

   Up early this morning as I wanted to get the shallots pickled before I headed out to the tennis courts. First they needed to be rinsed and dried as they had been soaking in salt overnight. Then it was a quick process of boiling up some vinegar, sugar and spices, bottling them and filling the jars with the vinegar. I was done by 8:30 a.m. but now have to wait a couple of weeks before trying them.

Two jars each of pickled onions and beetroot - should keep me going well into the fall.


 

     I got to tennis quite quickly as the traffic was relatively light for once or maybe because I was a little later, everyone else was already at work. I had three good sets with reasonable breaks in between but it got quite hot and humid as the morning progressed. Jasmine had organized a lunch outing so I needed a shower and fresh clothes after I got off the court. Once we had cooled off we gathered at "Joey's" for a very convivial meal - all 17 of us.  It was fun to end the morning thusly - we should do it more often!

   A light dinner tonight - fish, quinoa  and a few vegetables - and definitely no dessert!

The Fruits of my Garden

   A lovely set of tennis at Bridlewood this morning - blue sky but not humid, very pleasant. Only 6 of us there, it seems such a waste that more people don't attend, but all the more court time for us! A father and his 3 kids arrived around 10 a.m. but we weren't using the third court anyway. It's supposed to be adults only on Thursday mornings.

   The grandkids were over for a swim yesterday and I needed the heater on all morning to get the water warm enough. The nights have been quite cool this week (lovely for sleeping) but it has meant the water is always low 70's  in the morning. Natalie doesn't mind the cool water but the boys are more picky. However, they did go in after lunch for quite a long swim. Neither Judy nor I got in, just too chilly!

   Cooking up a nice dinner - Tuscan chicken. I use chicken thighs and after browning them add onions, artichoke hearts, chick peas, sun-dried tomatoes and, for a change, a small Italian eggplant. All it requires to make it absolutely delicious is some red wine but when I don't have an open bottle I use Marsala and it's a good substitute. So that's what I did today.

   Yesterday I lifted all my shallots - I got nearly 2 lbs. They are presently soaking in salt and tomorrow I will finish pickling them. Last week I made some pickled beetroot which should last me a couple of months so I will be all set for tasty pickles well into the fall!

This year's batch of Strawberry Jam - I still have several jars of last year's to finish even though I gave some away as gifts.