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January, 2012

  1. Paradise Is A State Of Mind

    January 31, 2012 by Gail

    Palais Royale

    Palais Royale

    I actually said it to someone this evening, but I truly believe it. I don’t think of paradise as a place, because everywhere I’d seen that I considered paradise wasn’t enough in the end. A door opened, it was an experience of paradise, then I wanted to go through another door to see what was on the other side.

    For some people one door is enough, for the rest of us there are other doors. Call it restlessness, call it curiosity, call it whatever you like. I don’t think paradise can be found, it’s a creation.

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  2. Goat Cheese, Walnut & Rosemary Savoury Cocktail Cookies

    January 30, 2012 by Gail

    Goat Cheese, Walnut & Rosemary Savoury Cocktail Cookies

    I actually made the cookie dough on Saturday, but I’ve only been baking it in batches because I like cookies fresh out of the oven. Also, this was the first time I tried this recipe and it didn’t turn out well…

    I made a double batch, and WHOA! THE GARLIC! Can you see the amount down below? A tablespoon of fresh garlic in a single batch? I followed that part a bit dubiously, doubling it for the double batch, and the garlic ended up being overpowering. I love garlic, but man, the fresh garlic was beyond pungent.

    The other problem was that I skimmed the lines too quickly and read a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon of rosemary. WHOA ROSEMARY! I chopped up two tablespoons — again, rather dubiously — but didn’t check it over and the cookies had a second overwhelming flavour.

    It’s not a complete loss, however. I didn’t throw the dough away because the goat cheese was expensive and I wondered if letting the dough sit for a couple of days would make a difference. It sort of did — tonight’s third and final batch wasn’t nearly the garlic-and-rosemary-fest that batch one and two were, but still, I would probably either tweak this recipe or try another before I take these cookies anywhere.

    Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2013380803_xmascheesecookies10.html

    Makes about 40 cookies

    1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) fresh goat cheese (chèvre)
    1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
    1 tablespoon minced lemon zest
    1 teaspoon very finely minced fresh rosemary
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
    1/4 cup salted butter, softened
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    3/4 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) chopped walnuts
    Garnish: 2 tablespoons additional goat cheese

    1. With an electric mixer, cream 1/2 cup cheese, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix in well. Add the flour and mix the dough for about 30 seconds. Add the nuts and mix until ingredients are just evenly combined.
    2. Divide the dough in half and shape into logs, about 6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, twisting the ends, to help firm the dough. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or in the freezer for about 30 minutes to further firm the dough. (The dough can be kept frozen for up to one month; remove from the freezer to temper overnight in the refrigerator before slicing.)
    3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees at least 20 minutes before baking.
    4. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray pans with cooking spray.
    5. Cut the dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Divide additional goat cheese, crumbled among cookie tops. Bake until lightly golden at the edges, about 14 to 16 minutes. Cool on the pan.

    Copyright 2010 by Kathy Casey Food Studios® Liquid Kitchen™ (www.kathycasey.com)

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  3. The Weather We Are NOT Having

    January 29, 2012 by Gail

    Haliburton cottage trip

    Haliburton cottage trip

    … or maybe I shouldn’t speak so soon, since we may very well get it. Did I just jinx us?

    This photo is from the Christmas cottage trip to the Haliburton region at the end of 2008. This looks more like the weather we get the end of January around here than what we have now, but I’m not complaining! This is just fine. I’ve been wearing rubber boots to walk home more often than not because of the mud. It’s not even winter slushy, it’s just muck. But I’ll take it — I don’t have to shovel it or scrape it off my car.

    Today was even warm enough that I could do some car maintenance without freezing my fingers off. I was supposed to volunteer for The Brides’ Project at the National Bridal Show this afternoon but they had enough volunteers, so I took the opportunity of daylight to replace my headlight that had blown out last night when the roads suddenly became icy. (Last night was a MESS — cars sliding everywhere, buses couldn’t make it up hills, and there were some people at the Chinese New Year party who were stuck in traffic because vehicles had skidded and blocked entire lanes.)

    I noticed it just north of Bloor: I was a few hundred metres past the intersection when I tried to brake at a crosswalk and my car kept sliding. I was going slow enough that I didn’t rear-end the taxi in front of me, and luckily there was an empty lane beside me, so I just turned the wheel to slide over to the next lane and came to a slow stop. Others weren’t so lucky; there were cars all over the place.

    Anyway, I replaced the headlight bulb, the windshield wipers, and put in winter windshield fluid (Rain-X, because we seem to be getting more rain than snow these days). If this were a regular winter, I would’ve had to tackle those things one item at a time and duck into my car in between to get the feeling back in my fingers.

    I wonder what February will be like?

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  4. The Year Of The Mini-Dragon

    January 28, 2012 by Gail

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    fortune cookie: now is the time to try something new

    We ushered in the Year of the Dragon with homemade bao and other Chinese food, mini-dragons, and setting money on fire. A typical Saturday night at Marin’s :)

    More on Chinese New Year:
    http://www.herongyang.com/chinese/festivals/chinese_new_year_spring_festival.html

    Food gets the limelight as per usual at Gail At Large:

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    tea eggs

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    go bao or go home

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    another yummy veggie dish

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    rice and noodles featured prominently

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    yeah yeah, we know okonomiyaki isn't Chinese (it's Japanese) -- we'll still eat it!

    Burning money:

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    the burn

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    one way to warm up in the winter

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    And the aforementioned mini-dragons:

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    enter the mini-dragon

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    fierce mini-dragon

    Happy Year of the Dragon!

    this dragon even plays the tambourine!

    The photo album is best viewed as a full-screen Flickr slideshow, or you can view all in the smaller slideshow below:

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  5. Nightlights… And The Merits Of Being A Pedestrian

    January 27, 2012 by Gail

    King Street West (1)

    King Street West

    I draw some curiosity on the street when I use my camera phone to take pictures. I do this often walking home and people stop and try to figure out what I’m taking photos of, if it’s something picture-worthy. What might not be readily apparent to a stranger is that it takes very little to draw me in for a photo. However, I am always delighted when someone asks me why I’m taking a photo because it gives me the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for the tiny (and free) things in life that give me pleasure, eg. nightlights, the inherent freedom in walking and the freedom to discover while walking.

    King Street West (2)

    King Street West

    I am a detail-oriented person by nature, but noticing things can be practiced as well. Walking 28kms a week will make you notice things every day, especially if the route and weather changes often, and there’s a picture-taking device in your hand. It really does not matter what that device is — it can be your phone, a point-and-shoot, or a DSLR.

    King Street West (3)

    King Street West

    Trails of light can provide infinite photographic possibilities if you can hold very still — a real challenge in stiff wind. A light reflected in a puddle suddenly becomes interesting.

    King Street West (4)

    King Street West

    You experience so much more as a pedestrian than a driver. When you’re driving, distraction can be dangerous. Aside from intersections, pedestrians can be happily distracted and not endanger themselves.

    King Street West (5)

    King Street West

    I drive recreationally and to photo shoots, but there is no routine. If I had to commute by car every day, I think I would go bonkers. I’ll pay more to live in the city just so I can get to places on foot and not turn into a Point A-to-B-to-A automaton in a car.

    King Street West (6)

    King Street West

    Public transit is never perfect, but I’m all for improving the transit system as much we spend on improving roads.

    King Street West (7)

    King Street West

    King Street West (8)

    King Street West

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  6. Left Out

    January 26, 2012 by Gail

    sad doggie

    sad doggie

    I have to work really early tomorrow morning, so I’m just posting an unseen pic from my Vancouver trip last month while I continue to bulldoze through my mountain of photo editing and then hit the sack.

    Poor Darcy looks so sad and left out of all the fun. Sad doggie needs some attention, stat!

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  7. Bacalhau à Brás: The Canadian Edition

    January 25, 2012 by Gail

    GEF_9499

    bacalhau à brás - take 1

    Paulo introduced me to bacalhau à brás back in June when I stayed with him in Portugal, and I’m only just NOW getting around to making it like I said I would. I asked him about the ingredients and he gave me an instructional refresher over the phone while I grocery shopped near the end of my walk home. The main ingredients are below… (I skipped shooting the onions and the egg)

    GEF_9490

    salted cod was easier to find than I thought

    GEF_9492

    salted cod bits sounds a bit dirty, doesn't it?

    GEF_9496

    Italian parsley

    I know what you’re thinking: that’s it? So what’s the Canadian part? It looks pretty straightforward.

    However, the second main ingredient in this Portuguese dish (home cooking; their version of our mac and cheese) is something we don’t quite have: potato sticks. The closest thing we have to their potato sticks is hickory sticks, which Paulo had to look up because I couldn’t describe hickory (can anyone?).

    GEF_9493

    hickory smoked bacalhau?

    I thought I’d try it, anyway. Hopefully the hickory won’t overpower the dish.

    The bulk of the labour and time in preparing bacalhau à brás is preparing the cod: shredding it, de-salting it, and picking out the bones. That’s most of the work right there. I could’ve let it soak longer, but I was impatient and more than a little hungry. While the cod was boiling I had to guess how much of the salt I’d gotten rid of in the process and guess how much saltier the hickory sticks would make of it. The other difference is the version I made in Portugal had olives in it, but I couldn’t find any where I went to get the rest of the ingredients so I left those out.

    Once the bacalhau à brás was finished, I could taste the hickory. But the flavour blended in soon after that and now it’s barely noticeable, but I’ll have to get an independent opinion. For now, I am happily surprised it turned out so well!

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  8. On Creativity

    January 25, 2012 by Gail

    English Bay

    English Bay, Vancouver (Pentax K-1000 film scan)

    Creativity is paradoxical. To create, a person must have knowledge but forget the knowledge, must see unexpected connections in things but not have a mental disorder, must work hard but spend time doing nothing as information incubates, must create many ideas yet most of them are useless, must look at the same thing as everyone else, yet see something different, must desire success but embrace failure, must be persistent but not stubborn, and must listen to experts but know how to disregard them.
    – Michael Michalko

    reflections on neglect

    maintenance building - Central Park, NYC (Pentax K-1000 film scan)

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  9. Time Marches On

    January 24, 2012 by Gail

    Glasgow 1999 with Joe

    Glasgow, August 1999 with Joe (film scan)

    After digging out my scanner to lend to someone and testing it to make sure it still worked, I decided to scan a few photos while it was plugged in to my computer. I do not recommend doing something like this when you’ve got lots of worked piled up, because it’s an inevitable time-sink. The ultimate distraction. You get sucked into looking at old photos and the next you know, hours have passed. Yikes! But I can think of much worse ways to spend time.

    Anyway, the photo above was taken in Glasgow in the summer of 1999. (That trip was legendary — oh, the stories! In fact, it came up again when I was in England in November. Remind me to tell you in person one day, I can’t write about it on the internet.) My godson Joe was a year old in this picture, and this is him now, more than a dozen years later…

    GEF_6172

    England, November 2011

    One thing I noticed while looking at my old point-and-shoot photos is how terrible they are in so many ways: bad composition, poor lighting, out-of-focus, no focal point, colours washed out, the list goes on. Most of them are not even worth scanning, I just like to look at them. But that’s the reason why I let my clients pick the photos they want to print — because people choose photos for emotional value not for technical value, while a photographer can’t help but see the technical merits or mistakes (unless it’s their own photos, in which case the emotional values kick in).

    It’s also interesting to see how time marches on for technology, since digital cameras weren’t around when my godson was a baby — everyone was shooting with film cameras. Now everyone is shooting with digital cameras and film is getting rare to the point of near extinction.

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  10. One Of A Kind Dinner: Dragons & Fairies (Part 2)

    January 23, 2012 by Gail

    Dragons + Fairies Dinner

    eyelash glue works wonders

    Lisa LOOOOOOVES to dress up, and she insists on everyone attending the One Of A Kind Dinners to dress for the theme, too, including the musicians. We had guitars and wind instruments this time, and Todd even did double-duty: helping Clint in the kitchen AND playing guitar. I didn’t shoot any video this time, but Jeremy played an impressive array of instruments — from what I can recall, the harmonica, saxophone, and a Chinese wind instrument that he plans to import.

    Time to link to the whole photo set, which is best viewed as a full-screen slideshow, or watch a smaller version autoplay below:

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