Finally, Gardening! Woo!

The weather here, right up until recently, was seriously inconsistent.  It would be really warm for two days, then the temperature would drop and it would rain/hail/generally suck for a few days.
That is basically par for the course for spring in this part of Canada.

Last summer was our first summer in this house, and we didn't do diddly with the backyard.  At one point, you  may have considered looking for lost civilizations in there.  However, toward the end of last summer, we finally got it cleaned up thanks to some help from some family, and we've managed to stay on top of it for the most part.

This has allowed me to actually start to plan out what i want to do back there.  I've ordered two 4'x4' raised planter bed thingys from a major retailer in anticipation of getting started this long weekend, but I have been thwarted!  They were supposed to be here by the 19th at the latest, but nothing has happened since my order confirmation.
I've spoken to some very nice people on the phone, who also have no idea what is going on in their warehouse.

I hope it gets sorted soon because I have vegetables I need to plant!

In the meantime, I've made due by planting some herbs in one of the existing beds which is currently full of hostas & daylillies.  I put in some chives, creeping thyme, and oregano.  In addition, I've got some pots going - one of rosemary & one of greek oregano.

On the upside, at least the front of the house looks nice.  There are purple petunias, yellow begonias and an orange gerber in addition to the peonies, lavender and pink columbine.

I hope those of you who garden managed to get some of your season started this long weekend, because I certainly did not get nearly as much done as I'd hoped!

Presented Without Context: The Shark Song

There was a boy
(hold up one finger and bounce it along to the tune)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

And a girl
(hold up the other finger and bounce it along too)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

And a lake
(make wavy lake motions with your arms)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

And so they swam
(pretend you're swimming!)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

And they swam
(keep swimming!)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

But. There. Were. SHARKS!
(using your entire arms, clap your hands in front of you like your arms are the shark's jaws)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Papa Sharks!
(keep clapping, but do the da na nas in a papa shark voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Mama Sharks!
(bring your elbows together and clap using only the lower part of your arms while using a mama shark voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Baby Sharks!
(put your wrists together and clap only your hands, singing in a high baby shark voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Grampa Sharks!
(fold your fingers under because grampa sharks have no teeth.  Use a deep, rough grampa voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Inbred Sharks!
(flop your hands around like a fish on land.  Say whatever seems most inbred for the da na nas)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

So, they swam faster . . .
(swimming arms again, but speed everything up!)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

They swam faster!
(go faster, there are sharks!)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

But there were SHARKS!
(get your shark arms out again and start clapping)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Papa Sharks!
(keep clapping, but do the da na nas in a papa shark voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Mama Sharks!
(bring your elbows together and clap using only the lower part of your arms while using a mama shark voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Baby Sharks!
(put your wrists together and clap only your hands, singing in a high baby shark voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Grampa Sharks!
(fold your fingers under because grampa sharks have no teeth. Use a deep, rough grampa voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Inbred Sharks!
(flop your hands around like a fish on land. Say whatever seems most inbred for the da na nas)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

(this next part is sung slowly, while swaying your body back & forth)
Now all was red . . .
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na
All was dead
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Except the sharks!
(start your shark clapping!)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Papa Sharks!
(keep clapping, but do the da na nas in a papa shark voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Mama Sharks!
(bring your elbows together and clap using only the lower part of your arms while using a mama shark voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Baby Sharks!
(put your wrists together and clap only your hands, singing in a high baby shark voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Grampa Sharks!
(fold your fingers under because grampa sharks have no teeth. Use a deep, rough grampa voice)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Inbred Sharks!
(flop your hands around like a fish on land. Say whatever seems most inbred for the da na nas)
Da na nuh na, Da na na na na

Branded Balls *Not Those Kind!

WARNING:  I'm going to say the word ball or balls a lot in this post.  Not in a dirty manner, but if you are like me, you'll giggle anyway.  Balls.

Some things that I was vaguely aware of before having a child have come closer into focus for me over the past year and a bit.

One of those things is the ever-present corporate culture in North America.  It made me annoyed before the baby, and it makes me more annoyed now, since I've discovered that there are virtually no controls on advertising to children.  Things that other people see as cute seems overwhelming to me.  It is almost like marketing departments are cowhands, wanting to brand new calves with their ranchers mark as soon as possible.*

Don't get me wrong, sometimes I think knowing a company's product and preferring it over another is fine.  Some companies make pants that fit me better than others.  However, as much as that corporation would like it, I don't want to advertise that fact to the world by having their name or logo across the butt of said pants.
I feel the same about children's wear.  A one-year old does not need a company's logo across the front of their sweat-shirt or on their diapered butt.  They can't even read!  Other companies get around the lack of literacy by putting character likenesses on *everything*.

*Get off my lawn portion of the rant:* When I was a little kid, which was not forever ago, you could get licensed lunchboxes and backpacks, superhero underoos, and a character shirt if you were lucky enough to visit a themepark.  When I hit my teen years, characters and logos started appearing on more things.
Now, you can't swing your arm without hitting something that is either logo'd or that has a licensed character printed on it, especially if it is aimed at kids.

This rant came about because I wanted to get my child a bouncy ball.  Just a plain old rubber bouncy ball.  It is one of those staple toys that I think every kid should have.

The first issue I had is that regular old rubber balls, for bouncing, that are not a sport specific ball, are really hard to find.  I'm assuming this is because marketing departments have yet to find a way to market them as 'educational' and put some sort of computer in them.  If you don't believe me, go to the Toys R Us website and search for 'ball.'  When I searched today, it pulled up 82 items and none of them were a plain old rubber ball.

I haven't had a lot of luck with other retailers either.

Imagine my surprise when I was picking up supplies from the drugstore yesterday and they had rubber balls, in a size perfect for toddlers, in their seasonal section!  For only two dollars!

Unfortunately, every single ball had a lisenced character on it.  They were also clearly intended to be gendered.  You had your choice of the very pink Barbie ball, the also very pink Hello Kitty ball, the Disney Cars ball (blue & red with only male characters on it) or the Pixar Toy Story ball (blue & green with only Buzz Lightyear & Woody on it).

At this point, I gave up and the baby in my stroller picked the Hello Kitty ball.  She knows a good deal when she sees one.  At least Hello Kitty is not terribly prevalent in North American advertising.

At this point, my kid isn't able to identify common characters.  That day is not far off judging from other kids we know.  And I don't know how capable I am of navigating a world where there is a cartoon character at every corner who wants to sell her things.

Sometimes, a toy ball just needs to be a ball and not a marketing ploy.

*I'm not going to make any excuses for this pun.  I'm not sorry.

Cooking with Fire!

Our new BBQ arrived today! 

The delivery guys showed up right as I was getting home.  They made nice with the baby, brought the BBQ into the backyard for me, got it all set-up and gave a quick demo.

We got a Broil King Crown 20.  It is purty - see?

Bonus: Broil King is a Canadian company, which still manufactures in Canada!  Hooray for supporting the local economy, and for buying a product where I should fairly easily be able to get replacement parts!

After the new grill was all set up, it was time to make dinner!  Partner went on a quick trip to the Portuguese butcher shop around the corner from our home and got himself some steak.  While he was out, I soaked some skewers and chopped & marinated some veggies and then made a salad to accompany our dinner.  We also made roasted red peppers and grilled pineapple rings.

Everything was super-tasty and my belly is very, very full.

Here's the breakdown on the non-steak items:

Roasted Red Peppers:
Wash peppers and leave whole.
Brush with oil and grill until the skins have got blackened grill marks (or longer, depending on how tender you want it).
Put the cooked peppers in a paper bag and fold down (this will allow the peppers to steam themselves, thus loosening the skins for easy removal).  Alternately, you can throw them in a bowl of ice water.
Once cool enough to handle, remove the core, peel and eat!

Veggie Skewers:
The first thing you need to do is soak your wooden skewers in water so that they don't catch fire on the grill.
For today's skewers we used mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, onion and cherry tomatoes since that was what we had on hand.
I chopped them so they were all a similar size, and then put them in a bowl.
I made a quick marinade out of olive oil, red wine vinegar, rosemary, thyme, dill and garlic powder and poured it over the veggies.
We let them soak up the marinade for a bit and then put them on the sticks (much like deep-frying, putting food on sticks somehow makes it tastier). 
Cook until you get grill marks (10 minutes or so).

Grilled Pineapple:
We used a pre-cored pineapple from the grocery store.
Cut into rings, sprinkle with cinnamon, grill (turning once) until it has grill-marks on both sides (5-10 minutes).

The pineapple is my favourite.  We used to do it in the oven occasionally, under the broiler, but doing it over an open flame is tastier.

I'm thinking that next time, we should do portebello mushroom burgers. 

Do you have any favourite BBQ recipes for me to test out on our new grill?

We're Getting a Barbeque!

Partner's birthday is in the summer.  Last year, I did not get him a very good present.  I had a 4 month old baby at that point, and there was no freaking way I was going to the mall.  Finding time to order something good online was a little bit hard to accomplish in between naps at that point as well.

Since I'm now back at work, and the baby is a little bit older, I figured I needed to get partner a good present to make up for last year.  The recent change in weather inspired me as well.

I did a whole bunch of internet research, and have ordered a Broil King Crown 20 barbeque grill!

Seeing as how our current barbeque is a camping stove, this is very exciting.  Partner is already planning on getting himself some steaks, and I'm thinking of ways to make tasty vegetarian things to cook on the new grill when it arrives.

If you have any suggestions or links for tasty vegetarian barbeque recipes, feel free to share them!

Eggplant Aftermath

This week was alright.  I got to see a good friend who I haven't had a visit with in a while (and some other ladies who live closer to home who I haven't seen in a bit either!).  I made it out to a yoga class, which is something I haven't managed to do in months. 
The class was a little bit odd - the instructors style didn't really make sense to me, so I think I'm going to look around for another one to try out (although this class seems to switch out instructors every few months, so I may give it another shot then).

My other major accomplishment this week was attempting an eggplant parmesan for the first time ever!  It was delicious! And quick!  Then I wondered why I'd never made one before!

I based my attempt on the recipe found in the classic Better Homes & Gardens binder-style cookbook (an older edition of this one).

Basically, you bread and fry some eggplant slices, then smother them in tomato sauce & cheese and bake it in the oven until the cheese is melty.  Simple right?

Here's how I did it!

I started by putting together a quick tomato sauce:  I threw some diced onion, garlic, carrots, celery and mushrooms in a small saucepan, let them soften a bit and then poured over some jarred strained tomatoes.  I added basil, oregano and some diced roasted red pepper and put the lid on it and let it simmer.

While the tomato sauce was cooking away, I heated some oil in the frying pan.  While the oil was heating, I cut my eggplant into 1/2 inch slices (because I had a very fat eggplant, I then cut my slices in half, but if you have a skinnier one, that won't be necessary).
I dipped the slices into an egg wash (1 egg beaten with a little bit of water) and then in some whole wheat flour (breadcrumbs would also work) to coat.  The coated eggplant went into the pan and cooked for about 4-6 minutes total.  I flipped them halfway through so they were browned on both sides.
I drained them on some paper towels so the dish wouldn't be too greasy in the end.  I then placed them in the bottom of a lasagna pan (you could use a casserole dish too!) and sprinkled some parmesan cheese over them.  Pour over your tomato sauce, sprinkle some shredded cheese on top (I had white cheddar in the house, so that's what I used, but mozzarella would work as well) and then bake, uncovered, in a 400F oven for 10-12 minutes.

While it was baking, I threw together a quick green salad with apples, walnuts and avocado and a homemade creamy honey-mustard dressing.  Then we ate!
I don't have any photos of the process, but I do have a photo of some of the aftermath:

Did I mention it was delicious?

Banana Berry Muffins

I've had a really productive weekend! 

A lot of cleaning and laundry got done, although I still haven't gotten around to the bathtub.  We cleaned up and organized the nursery after months of it being the random dumping ground for stuff we didn't immediately have a place for.  The books are now on their bookshelf!
I'm now working on plans on how to finally decorate the nursery properly (currently we have some elephant & giraffe wall decals from the dollar store).
Between that, my desire to paint the kitchen and finally sorting out the garden for this upcoming season, I think I'll be busy in the next few months.

I also spent some time in the kitchen this weekend. 
I used the breadmaker to make pizza dough, which I then divided and put in the freezer for easy meals later on.  I just have to remember to take some dough out to defrost either the night before or the morning of so that we can have pizza or calzones for dinner.
Dinner tonight was pretty tasty.  I made oven-baked tilapia fish fingers for the baby and partner.  We also had steamed broccoli, green cauliflower and carrots, and partner made roasted baby and sweet potatoes.

Right before dinner, I decided that it was time to make some muffins.  Since we had several bananas & a bag of frozen mixed berries in the freezer, Banana Berry Muffins were the obvious choice.

Don't they look good?

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3 large bananas, mashed
1 egg
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter or margarine (if using margarine, omit the salt)
1 cup mixed berries (either frozen or fresh is fine)

Preheat your oven to 350F
In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.  In another, smaller bowl, mix together the bananas, egg & butter and then combine with the dry ingredients.  Add the berries, give it a gentle stir so they are evenly mixed in, then pour into your prepared muffin tin. 
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

You now should have delicious muffins, perfect for breakfast or snacks.  The great thing about this recipe is that if you omit the berries and up the sugar by a 1/4 cup, you have plain banana muffins.  If you want something a little nutty, you can replace the berries with walnut pieces (or add a 1/2 cup to 1 full cup of nuts or seeds in addition to the berries).  
I hope your own muffins turn out delicious!