Macro Flowers ~ November 25, 2011

I'm digging around my archives to see what macro flowers I can offer up this weekend.

All of the flowers here are gone until the Spring. 

Flowers always make me smile and bring me jOy. 

I am not entirely sure what this flower is called but I believe it is a "wood anenome". 

Please join Tina at Pic Story and Maia at Macro Flowers Saturday.

Skywatch Friday

We've been having storms and very high winds today so I've dug through my archives for today's submission to Skywatch Friday. 

These photos of a June sunrise are taken from my patio.
Isn't the sky beautiful?

I miss summer already :-( 

Join in here for more beautiful skies from around the world.

It's Gonna Be a Loud Weekend

Today the sun came out unexpectedly (to me anyway) and the sky had a beautiful blue that a few clouds could not diminish. In these days of rain and days which begin and end earlier in darkness, it is always a treat to see a blue sky.

Here it what it looked like this afternoon. There are low lying clouds that make the mountains disappear!

The City is preparing for a huge sporting event which will take place here on Friday. I have it on good authority that there was a buzz in the air downtown today much like during the Winter Olympics held in 2010.

Newly refurbished roof on BC place. At night, this big white dome on our city skyline is light up in colour.  My photo isn't that great as I took it quickly as I was walking to my acupuncture appointment.

This year's Grey Cup Festival takes place here in Vancouver from November 24-27, 2011 and the host football team is our very own BC Lions.  Downtown will be alive with free concerts and Festival activities from Friday, November 25 through Sunday, November 27th, and there are many different activities taking place for adults and children alike.  However the big event is obviously the  99th Grey Cup game on Sunday between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the BC Lions.

Photo credit: Grey Cup Festival Website - This is what the stadium looks like when a professional photographer takes a photo from the right location, with the right equipment.BC place is the building that looks like a tiara on the right (beyond the water).

I'll be staying away from downtown. 

Amongst other things, I don't like large and raucous crowds.  But I do hope our City puts on a good and safe event that will be remembered for years to come by those with the courage to head downtown and the funds to spend on those expensive Grey Cup tickets.

Chocolate Goodness

With the cold weather we had over the weekend, I craved hot tea and some sweet goodness. Internet surfing led me to this chocolatey concoction. It was good enough to share.

Ingredients:

Brownies
2/3 cup (125 mL) butter
2/3 cup (150 mL) milk chocolate chips (4oz/125g)
3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup (175 mL) flour (I used a mix of white and whole wheat flour)
3 -4 tbsp (30 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt (I actually omitted this)
2/3 cup (150 mL) milk chocolate chips (4oz/125g) (I omitted this too. I was low on choco chips).
Topping
1 cup (250 mL) miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup (75 mL) milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
2. Melt together butter and chocolate chips. Cool slightly. Whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs, one at a time and then vanilla.
3. Stir in flour, cocoa powder, salt and chocolate chips. (I omitted the salt).
4. Pour  into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until just set (center will still be moist), sprinkle with marshmallows and chocolate chips during last 5 minutes of baking. Cool in pan on rack.

This was VERY tasty; especially good for chocolate lovers.

Notes:  I did not add the 2nd amount of chocolate chips called for. After I mixed up the batter, I realized that the original recipe was not going to produce enough batter my smallest pan. I then increased the egg (by 1), butter (by about 1/2), flour (by about 1/2, sugar (1/4 cup), and added and extra teaspoon of vanilla. The increased amounts are captured in the ingredient list above.

The end result is that the brownies were delicious but they were very soft. After sitting overnight the consistency was perfect.  I overcooked the marshmallows because I wanted to be sure the brownie mixture was fully cooked in the middle. I think next time I would wait for the brownie mixture to finish cooking and add the marshmallows for just long enough to barely melt, yet retain their shape.

A Rainy Monday

It's a pouring, rainy, gray day today. Perfect for the rain to wash the icy snow off of my patio.

See what it was a few days ago. Not a lot of snow perhaps but it was stuck like glue to the patio and it didn't melt.






Monday afternoon it looked like the photo to the left.

This is the view on a clearer day.

The weather is also perfect for a bowl of hot, steaming soup. I am low on my core vegetables today as I haven't bought any in a week.  My soup therefore omits carrots.

Ingredients:

-  brown a pound or so of minced beef (ground beef)
-  chop one large onion into chunks and add to the beef
-  chop two celery stalks and add to the beef and onions
-  add several splashes of soy sauce and brown this mixture all together, stirring occasionally
-  add 1 1/2 cups of brown rice to the browned beef and veggies and cook for a few minutes 
-  add several leaves of chopped kale leaves and continue stirring
-  add about 6 -8 cups of water and boil

Cook this mixture until the rice has softened, then check to see whether you need more water and seasonings. I always find the water has boiled down a lot because my burners only really cook on the highest heat. I like to add more water at this stage and assess the taste of things.

At this point, I added

-  a few shakes (1 tsp. or so) of oregano seasoning
-  a few more splashes of soy sauce (to taste)
-  add 3 medium, chopped potatoes
-  add 1 large, chopped yam
-  add one large can of stewed tomatoes or add several chopped fresh tomatoes.

Simmer together until the rice and potatoes are fully cooked. Keep an eye on things and stir occasionally.

It was delicious!

It is also a perfect day to finish reading my latest book, Assault on Reason by Al Gore, former US President. What an eye opening book! Very informative and fully referenced with resource material for any skeptic among you.  I highly recommend reading this book.

What activities do you like doing on a gray or rainy day?

Click here to see more beautiful places in the world and what people are doing there!

A Baby Is Born

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 

Psalm 127: 3-4

My first great nephew was born 2 weeks ago this Monday, weighing in at 8 pounds and 3 ounces. Quite a large baby for this day and age. I am glad he came into this world strong and robust.

I wanted to buy him something special as he is the first of my great nephews. His father, my nephew is an avid horseman so I've settled on a beautiful Pendleton baby blanket as one of my gifts.

This Pendleton Baby Blanket was manufactured in Pendleton, Oregon at the family's woolen mills. I was fortunate enough to take a trip there many years ago because of my interest in these woolen blankets with Indian motifs. This blanket can be used for the baby and then saved as a keepsake for when he gets older. Alternatively, it can be used by mom and dad as a cover for the lap or to place as a cover over an armchair.  The pattern is printed on both sides.

This little kimono/bunting bag was my first purchase. I thought it was a unique gift as it is made of ultra soft velour to keep the baby's skin from irritation. It is sewn shut at the bottom so no cold air gets in and can be put on baby apres bath or as extra warmth during the winter season which we are going into momentarily.

This little pajama onesie is a traditional baby sleeper with motifs that are appropriate for a baby boy.

The blanket is my Christmas gift to the baby and other two items are to celebrate his birth.

It is a joyous and exciting for me (and the rest of the family) to have a little baby in the family again.

First Snow

We've had our first snow in the city! We had our first snow on the mountains a while ago, but overnight or early this morning, we had our first snow down below. I think the snow is very early this year.

It is coming down heavily right now on the patio but it looks like small balls of hail and not light fluffy snowflakes. Can you see the flakes falling in the photo? If you click the photo you can see the "snowflakes".