There, that's more like it!

And I, with help from the more computer savvy than myself, 

can upload pictures from my phone to my new iPad via google plus...

Here's the beauty!

I really love the red colour of this cover. 

The price however is quite insulting.

It does have high functionality in terms of its magnetic ingenuity,

stabalizing effects and covers the screen well. 

It does not however cover or protect the back and the ridges where the cover folds to become the stand, leave the screen lined. 

I think there must be other, less expensive options that are also pleasing. 

I'm on the lookout!

...To return to the trials of skin care...

                                 Aveeno Results Are In:

****Exfoliater: not so much for daily use, but weekly for sure. 

This is similar to the Mary Kay microdermabrasion kit, but simpler, 

less expensive and you get way more, and smells lovely. 

This is my favourite product of the lot.   

***Night Moisturizer: I like this quite a lot. 

The smell is very nice and upon waking up my skin feels soft.  

It is however, quite expensive for so little that I ended up

using it much more sparingly than my neck might have liked, so since it's all 

used up I think I'm going to try an option I won't mind using rather liberally next.

**Face Wash: Leaves skin nice and clean feeling without being overly drying, 

however the foaming face wash from the naturganic line at the body shop suits me better, 

as it leaves my skin feeling plumper and more refreshed. 

Check it out here. Too bad it's no longer available solo travel sized!

*Day Moisturizer with Sunblock: A little too greasy without enough moisturizing effect. 

Hard to find a moisturizer that is also a sunscreen... 

I think my regular sunscreen, Hawaiian Tropic, does the job equally as we'll... 

Though it might be too greasy for a moister climate in winter.

Next test will be this

 A small noteable tasty and healthy snack:

I had a whole box of these from costco.  Spicy chocolate is delicious. 
I have no idea how it could have taken me so long,
chocoholic that I am, to have discovered this. 
I'm happy I did!





Back to the Books

Is it possible to say "I'm so happy I'm going to have no fun for the next six weeks!"?

In this case, quite!!!!!!

Well, maybe I should rephrase: no fun = studying only. Most of us would be cleaning the bathroom before getting down to required reading and that includes the neat freak, myself, but since I'm in a hotel I have no excuses! In order to get something you really desire you often have to work really hard for it.  The greater the effort involved just makes the outcome that much sweeter.  And its going to be a very bright light at the end of the tunnel!

Honestly I dont even know how I have arrived here... Yes I know, the good friend, resume, interview and flew by plane... but this feels fantastical, incredible and pretty much unbelievable, yet here I am in Toronto. For real. Smiling :D

Now I just have to get through everything...
Whilst also trying to fend off all the inevitable fiends:
Insomnia
Nervousness
Weight Gain 

My plan was to go to the gym every day even if its only for 20 minutes of cardio... Which is more like every other day... And eat my vegetables and fruit. Oh how I detest eating out! And where is Jugo Juice when you need it and you've forgotten to bring your handy magic bullet? 

Anyway, must study. And take a few relaxing moments. Will check in again soon!
Maybe by then I'll figure out how to load pictures from my iPad.... I do love my new toy but I have a lot to learn ;)

This and That

Some Brazilian Love
Havaianas, Caipirinah (Cachaça), Bikinis, Portuguese, Beaches, Warm Weather...

I am wishing for summer!  Can't it stop snowing already? 

In the mean time I can slip on a pair of flip-flops, mix a strong lime drink, sip and dream...

Just sitting here becoming a brazilnut ;)

After the summer season, Air Canada will be using the 777 strictly on the YYZ-GRU route and it has also been announced that there will be a direct flight Toronto to Rio!  World Cup!

Some foxy art for my phone... 
Care of pinterest, the artist and on-line purchases.  
Check out Society6 for other cool products.


The world needs more art and originality!  
And so does my condo... 
Now that I have a new mustard coloured retro look couch I'm going to have to finish decorating!

Alas the small cranium.  In future no matter how cute other people's patterns look I will just count the stitches, measure, calculate and write my own pattern notes. Nevertheless this picture shows the back where the rounds meet and I'd say it's pretty neat work.

I was feeling under the weather for a while.  Nothing like mac and cheese for comfort.

Yum

Ahi Tuna, Mango, Avocado, Quinoa, Greens

It was a combined effort dinner.  It's so fun to cook with other people!!!

 And finally, I'd really like, no, LOVE!!! to fly this pair of turbofans around the sky!  

Oh my!  I sure hope my dreams and wishes do come true!

This is a 737-800 belonging to Air Berlin which is in the SkyService hanger in Toronto.  

Not only is this airplane big (huge) compared to me here, or the lovely Beech1900, but if you walk underneath the belly and stick your head, actually just walk in it's so spacious... 

to where the cavity in which the gear folds you have a life-sized mechanic's electronic soduku!  Wow!  

Leading edge flaps, slats, winglets as tall as me, swept wings.  

Mmmm Boeing Love!

 (Thanks Karl for showing me around this awesome bird.)  

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

Top o' the Day!

One last dessert...

...and then I promise I'll consentrate on less edible endeavours.

Ta-da! Poached Pear and Coconut Milk Rice Pudding

This looks so fancy and it's easy!  But you do need to stay in the kitchen or at least nearby.  

In other words I need to get my buzzer working in my building so I don't have to 

wait for my company down stairs.

Begin with the pears.  

Boil one liter water with 1 cup sugar and a stick of cinnamon. Stir to dissolve sugar. 

Add star anise if you have it.  I wish I did, but couldn't find it anywhere!

Lower heat and cook four peeled brown pears for 15-20 minutes. 

Remove pears and keep the liquid reducing on low for 20-25 minutes.  

It will still be very runny, so that this way you can pour it!

Meanwhile and a can of coconut milk to a liter measure and add water to fill to one liter.

Put in a pot with 1 cup Arborio rice and 1/2 cup sugar.  

Boil and then reduce to simmer allowing to cook for 25-30 minutes. 

Serve warm or room temperature, with a sprinkle of cinnamon if you'd like a Greek touch.  

Four servings of Greek won't hurt anyone, but watch out before the Trojan Horse rides in. 

A little birthday cake...

...Is totally fun and cute and thoughtful.  

If you just turned 30, this little cake may have been for you ;)

Happy Birthday!

I know it looks big but it was about 3 inches by 3 inches and about 4 inches tall.

It was sweet but not too sweet because of the glorious whipped cream between layers.

Mmmm... whipped cream!

 I had wanted to make one of Sweetapolita's cakes for two, particularly the blackberry one 

because I love blackberries, but a funny thing happened to me in the morning.

Normally before bed I take my watch off, but instead of leaving it off, 

I put it back on for some reason.  In the morning I woke up thinking I had really slept in.  

Not remembering I was wearing my watch I headed to the kitchen to check the time.  

There had been a power outage and the stove and microwave were blinking a digital uselessness, 

so that's when I actually looked at my wrist.  

My watch read 3pm, and I pretty much flew into panic mode at the speed of light; 

Company at 5pm and a cake to make before that, 

not to mention I need a shower!!!

About two minutes later I realized that if you put your watch on upside down, 

9:30 looks just like 3 o'clock... haha the joke was on me :)

Somehow I never seemed to get out of rush mode though 

and this little 5 layer treat was the outcome.

Cake: Martha Stewart Living, February 2013, slightly less than half the recipe.

Icing: Cocoa adaptaion to Sweetapolita's Vanilla version.  I made the whole recipe but ended up with twice as much as I required.  Then again it will get used and I never had the feeling I'd run out.

Filling: Whipping cream plus stabilizer for those of us without a charged gas dispenser!

A Nice Dinner

Part 1: To Begin

Fresh Warm Pretzels ...mmmm!

Dough:

2 1/4 tsp Yeast

1 1/4 cup Warm Water

2 1/2 cups Flour

2 tbsp Oil

1/2 tsp Salt

Preparation to Bake:

4 cups Water

2 tbsp Baking Soda

1 Egg

Stir yeast into water.  Let sit until it bubbles.  

Add flour, oil and salt, mixing until it holds together and kneed until elastic.  

Let sit an hour to rise.

Boil water.  Cut dough into 12 pieces, roll and twist into pretzel shape.  

Add baking soda to boiling water.  Boil pretzels in water for one minute, separately or a few at a time.  Grease cookie sheet, place pretzels on and brush with beaten egg.  

Sprinkle coarse salt over and bake at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes.  

Enjoy with butter.

I used half white and half whole wheat flour.

Part 2:  Main Course

Basil-Anchovy Butter Steak and Beet Greens

I was very happy about how this tasted, so happy in fact, I made it again last night!

Butter, 50 grams

Olive Oil, 1 tbsp

Basil, 1 tbsp

Anchovy Paste, 1 tsp

Salt and Pepper

1 Clove Roasted Garlic, mashed

One good sized steak

Bunch beets with nice leaves

Potatos (plus butter, cream & salt for mashed)

Boil potatos.  When done, mash.

Make Butter:  Mix first 6 ingredients together until smooth

Trim, Wash and Dry Beet Leaves

Cut Steak into strips

Heat frying pan to just below maximum, 

then add a generous amount of butter, stirring to cover pan.

Add the leaves, flipping to coat in the butter.  Cook until just soft.

(I use chopsticks to do this as I find them much more dexterious than tongs...)

Place leaves on each plate.

Add more butter to the pan, coating well.  Add the meat and cook to your liking.  

In my opinion, just place all the strips into the pan one by one 

and in the same order turn them over.  Now they're done!

Place potato and meat around the leaves.

Part 3:  Dessert

Chocolate Mousse from Scratch

Next time, when my pockets are feeling more flush, I will be making this with grand marnier... 

It is a perfect dessert for my mother, who doesn't eat gluten, 

and who loves chocolate and orange together... 

Or just for anyone who likes really delicious desserts, chiefly made of chocolate.  

Or if necessary a substitute for a Valentine on Valentine's day...

(Thank you Donna Hay, June/July 2011, for rescuing me!)

I used unsweetened pure chocolate which is not terribly sweet, but tasted glorious used here.

Ingredients: 

200 grams dark chocolate, chopped or broken up

3 eggs, separated

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 whipping cream

Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or gently in microwave.  Let cool somewhat.

Beat the egg whites with whisk attachment until soft peaks form.  Add sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form and the mixture is soft and glossy.

Whisk 1/4 cup of the cream, the yolks and chocolate until well combined.  

Gently, fold egg white mixture through the chocolate half at a time.  

Be rather gentle and use the folding motion (no stiring!) in order to achieve a very airy texture.

Whip remaining 1 cup cream until soft peaks form.  

Again gently, fold this through the egg-chocolate mixture.  

Spoon into cups... four is fine but five or six might gaurentee you can finish it in one sitting.  

Quite rich, just the way I like men... ahem... chocolate mousse.

Just for fun!

Recent and Notable Entertainment:

If you haven't seen a sweet, honest, romantic journey with a twist recently, I suggest you watch Moonrise Kingdom.  

You'll end up loving it, I'm sure, and want to have a dress just like Suzy's... 

I think I might have to invest in saddle shoes, too... 

"No, I said what kind of bird are you?",  will make sense to you, 

and really, who shouldn't have the following essentials: binoculars, woven bag, tam, lantern

Plus Love.  Love is necessary.

Lionel Richie is currently filling my home with a sultry, motown mood.

 "Love is just a word, until someone gives it meaning"

Valentine's Day Cards

Mmmmm...Love...Muuuuha

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Since when do large movie theaters play foreign films?  I thought in general they didn't.  But I'm always open to good surprises.  I think I'll be checking out Singh vs Kaur tonight!

Meat Pies

Perhaps I had London and England on my mind because I am reading "At Home", by Bill Bryson, which is about how many of the things that either make up our home or are in our homes today came by way of rather obscure and interesting histories... An compelling read for certain.

In any case, I chose to make some mini meat pies.  

The recipe is from Donna Hay June/July 2011, and somewhat tailored to what I felt like.  

She included ham and cooked her leek in butter, where as I did not and cooked 

with olive oil because I used only one quantity of hot water pastry for my pies 

and made the rest of the meat filling into gluten and dairy free 'sausages' in a mini muffin tin.

Mine aren't as perfectly rolled out and lovely as the picture in the magazine, 

which has something to do with skill of course, but I would, should I try these pies again, 

use the pastry immediately rather than storing in the fridge before using and 

I'd make sure my edges were sealed to keep the juices from escaping!

This made 8 muffin sized pies, plus 6 'sausages'.

 

Hot Water Pastry:

150 grams Butter

2/3 cup Water

2 1/2 cups Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

*Plus one Egg for the Egg wash

Meat Filling:

1 Leek, chopped

3 cloves minced Garlic

2 tbsp Tarragon

500 grams minced Chicken

500 grams minced Pork

Salt and Pepper

How I Did It:

Make the hot water pastry first as it needs some time to cool:  

Melt butter in water in a pot over the stove.  

When melted stir in flour and salt.  

Stir with wooden spoon until you can pick it up and transfer to counter. 

Kneed until smooth.  Set aside.  

Cook one chopped leek in a pan of oil or butter along with garlic and tarragon, until soft.  

Grind the meat and mix with leek mixture; season with salt and pepper.  

Roll and cut pastry to your liking and stuff pies with meat mixture.  

Give an egg wash to the tops.  

Bake about an hour at 350 degrees F.

I've heard stories about bakers of meat pies visiting mortuaries for ingredients... 

Rough times... perhaps? Or just moments of devious ingenuity!? 

“Why, there they are both, baked in that pie;
 Whereof their mother daintily hath fed,
Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred.”

(Titus Andronicus) 

Thanks for that Shakespeare!!! 

And while we're on the trivia topic, the book mentioned above, 

gives the history of recipes written in the format we know and love, 

which was created by one Eliza Acton in her book, 

"Modern Cookery for Private Families".  

Perhaps because she was originally a poet we have these verse like lists and instructions.  

Well I like to think so!  

Her originality was though, was exact measurements of ingredients

 and lengths of time for cooking or baking.  

We have been carefully measuring since 1845, thanks to Miss Eliza.