Soup and a Dip

    Sunny again today but it was pretty chilly walking up to Hendrina's building for tennis at 9:45 this morning. We played for almost two hours and I felt I played better than I have for several weeks. However, my serve is still pretty weak - I will have to work on that before the outdoor season starts up.

   I went straight over to Bridge class (after a quick costume change at home). I took my lunch with me and ate between classes - Conventions finishes at 12:45 and Play of the Hand starts at 1:00. I managed to get a seat at one of the tables and we set up hands and analyzed how we would play them with advice from Frank. Home by 3:15 for a nap and then some light cooking chores.

    I had bought a cauliflower on the weekend and decided to make soup with half of it. The other half I cut into florets and roasted in the oven. It looks tasty but, unfortunately, I left it in too long. I will have to trim off the burned bits! I also made a red pepper dip from some roasted red peppers Judy brought me on the weekend. It was very tasty with some pita bread and veggies - a healthy snack. I made it by processing the peppers with a little garlic, some sour cream and a chunk of cheese.

   Just leftover fish for dinner so it will be an easy cleanup, but I still have to blend the soup with my immersion blender - such a handy gadget!

Sunny But Cool

   Another sunny day but it was a bit on the cool side, around 4C. I spent the morning at home just puttering then went out for Bridge this afternoon. I had one hideous hand where I bid 3 No Trump and went down 5! The other hands were better but nothing spectacular. Pinkie had amazing cards and won most contracts she bid, only going down once. We told her she should get over to the casino and try her luck there!

   A light lunch - an apple and half a sandwich. Tonight is leftover lamb chop and vegetables which I must go and heat up soon. I am heading out for dance group shortly. Right now I am watching tennis from Mexico where it is very hot and humid. Talk about a contrast in climates!

Another Mild Day

    Started off at 7C again this morning but quite a cold wind so I wasn't outdoors too much. The sun shone for most of the morning then clouded over later as the temperature dropped. The snow has completely disappeared but it's likely we will get more before the end of winter.

   I forgot about dance practice this afternoon - hope they didn't miss me! I had it in my calendar which I checked yesterday but then it completely slipped my mind - a rather worrying senior moment! We are supposed to be practicing for a St. Patrick's Day demo in March but I will just have to brush up on the dances by myself.

   Nothing fancy for meals today - just soup, crackers and cheese for lunch and fish, sweet potato fries and peas for dinner, nice easy meals with not too much preparation and cleanup. I have lost a few pounds (maybe 4 or 5) by cutting back on carbs - too bad I like bread so much!

Free Food!

   It was quite Spring like today, 7C this morning with some light rain, then a sunny afternoon and I'm sure the temperature got into the double digits. I went for a walk around 3:00 p.m. and although it was quite windy, I didn't need gloves or boots. The snow is pretty much all gone here in the city although the ski areas are still operating. It has been a poor season for them this year. 

   I cashed in $20 worth of PC Points on my shopping trip this morning - it feels so good to get free food! I stocked up on coffee and marmalade and indulged myself with a couple of avocados, a red pepper and a giant cauliflower - they have all been so expensive this winter.

    Judy dropped by with the grandkids this afternoon - they had been shopping at Fairview Mall for a Lego kit Elliot had saved up for. It has been out of stock since Christmas so it has been a long wait but he managed to keep his money intact. He's not a big spender. I had done some baking before they arrived so they left with a chunk of cake just out of the oven in their hot little hands. It was a fruit cake made with mixed peel and glace cherries left over from the Christmas plum pudding and it turned out quite well. I sliced the rest and stored it in the freezer to have with coffee another day.

   My other culinary attempt today was a lamb shoulder chop (also bought with PC Points) cooked on a bed of vegetables with a liberal dose of Marsala wine mixed with tomato paste. I cooked it in the oven until it was falling-off-the-bone tender and the vegetables were getting slightly crispy. A yummy, one pot, meal! Now there's just the dishes to wash then I can relax for the evening.