daddy knows his shit

Well, i am aware that i have already put up a blog today. but im putting up another one ok! hahaha. In fact, if im bored enough tonight and tomorrow, i shall post PART ONE of our weekend on the lake. MATT's HALLOWEEN BIRTHDAY BASH!

I decided to post one photo. While at my cottage weeks ago i was on a walk down the road with my mom, aunt, dad and cousin. Now, i had the camera around my neck and i saw this really cool tree stub with an array of fungi all over it. I jumped at it to take a picture and realized... **GASP** i did not have a card in the camera! OH LORD!

It was not until this past weekend that i was sorting through the card i had forgotten, that i found THIS shot of that very fungi family. Apparently my dad beat me to the very shot a week prior!

Good for him!

So without further ado, here is it. My dad's cool ass fungi picture, that i am so jealous is not my shot!

mmmm florets!

Lazy Friday Spicy Cauliflower Soup /W Garlic Toast

Shazam!

I'm feelin pretty lazy right now. I'm at work, and it's very quiet, and it inspires me to do sumn non worky. I know i haven't blogged half as much as i would love to. been a busy woman! I just might blog later this evening, part one of our matt bday halloween weekend at the cottage. The only thing i feel like doing right now, besides trying a new recipe, is BLOGGING ONE!

So hang on to your cheese graters and buckle up your portobellos, cause we're heading on a culinary adventure! ohhh i feel so michael smith!


Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 small heads cauliflower, or 1 large, cut into small bunches of florets
3 ribs celery and leafy tops from the heart of stalk, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk
1 tsp hot pepper flakes, or hot pepper oil.
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves or chives, for garnish
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, for passing at the table

Garlic Toast Dippers:
4 slices thin cut italian Bread
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 garlic clove, cut in half
Grated Parmesan
Paprika

In a large pot, heat up the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter, over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower florets and stir with a wooden spoon. Add celery, onion, red pepper and thyme and cook for 3 minutes.



Push the vegetables to 1 side of the pot. Melt 1 more tablespoon of butter on empty side of pot and add flour to the butter. Cook for 1 minute, stirring the flour in the butter.




Mix in chicken broth and half-and-half. Bring up to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Puree soup using an emersion blender, food processor or blender and return to pot. I like to leave it a little tiny bit chunky. Check seasoning and add a dash of hot sauce, if desired.

Garnish soup with chedder, hot pepper, chopped parsley or chives and serve with garlic toast.

GARLIC TOAST DIPPERS:

5 minutes before serving
Slice the toast, and drizzle the melted butter over lightly
Pop in the toaster oven and cook on LIGHT- until LIGHTLY GOLDEN
**if you have no toaster oven, just broil them in the oven until LIGHTLY golden**
When the toast is done, take out and rub the garlic halve over until coated.
Sprinkle the grated parmesan on the top and pop in the toaster for a quick toast, until parmesan slightly melted and the bread is golden brown.
Dip in your soup and be so happy about it!
YUMM-O!

the midget movie goer's return! the triumphant SQUIDGE REPORT!

SQUIDGE REPORT!

Hello teeny tiny audience of mine! It's after midnight and im not interested in sleep right now. I'm curled up in my big comfy corduroy chair, doing what i like to do when im alone and surfin. I love watching a shit load of trailoes all at once. When I was 18, i went away to college, taking broadcasting, television and film. Two of my dearest friend and I started a night time radio show called 'falling objects'. from 8 to 10 every thursday we sat in our beloved "fish bowl" cracking jokes and more. My special piece of the program was sumn called THE SQUIDGE REPORT. i had a theme song i sang and everything. So... since i have a nostalgic miss broadcasting/film school moment, i am giving you the first online SQUIDGE REPORT!

Recently In theatres:

matt and i last saw school for scoundrels starring jon heder and billy bob thornton. I loveeeeed it. It was funny, it was spicy, and the chemistry between jon heder and his love lead female was really really sweet. I love Jon from Napolean dynamite and benchwarmers, and though he wasnt attractive in napolean, he is attractive in everything else. *CHING CHING* thusly...good movie. good writing. good adventure. good acting. good soundtrack. See it.

SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS TRAILER

NEW BUY:

My mom surpised me by buying this movie off the cheap rack at rogers video. I was pretty excited because i have a thing for all drag movies and men dressed as women, dressed as a man movies alike. That being said...i watched this. found it shot beautifully. Had great feeling, appropriately timed jokes and climax. Loved the soundtrack, beautifully written true story. KINKY BOOTS however, did not sit too right with my friend i forced to watch after my first view. Jeff gave it a thumbs up, Matt gave it a thumbs up but never make me see it again, and katie gave it a couple snoozes on the couch and an msn name that read "kinky boots sucks"... oh well...

KINKY BOOTS TRAILER

UPCOMING MOVIES AND NEWLY RELEASED TRAILERS

The Pursuit Of Happiness

I love will smith. He's hot and a great actor in my opinion. ohh fresh prince.... This movie is coming out soon and i wasnt sure what to expect when i turned the trailer on. When it was over, i wanted to watch it right at that moment. Will smith plays a single father struggling to make due while carting his reallly cute little boy around the city. He plays a really good part, and he had me really into the story. It looks REALLY REALLY GOOD. see the trailer, you will be convinced.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS TRAILER

DREAMGIRLS

This one looks glammy. Yes..ok..beyonce knowles is in it and that could put a girl off seeing this. but she's playing a lead in a singing group, who backs up eddie murphy's character, who is kind of like james brown. It unravels like destiny's child heading the group, all the attention break up friendship dealy...but it walso looks like a really well put together movie...naturally it has a lot of hints at a dark underlying story...but i think beyoncee has a drug problem in it and that would be interesting to see. so see it! hahah (and yes in my show i did demand that my listeners 'See it" if i deemed it seeable!

DREAMGIRLS TRAILER!

PREMONITION

Sandra Bullock is awesome, although i ended up with a life mate who HATESSS HER! arg matt you hate all my favourite leading ladies! cry cry! This is a movie about sanra bullock, who;s husband dies in an accident. Then she wakes up and he is alive...then she falls asleep and he is dead again, and she cant figure out why day to day she goes back and fourth so people on both sides think she is going crazy. It's like a crazy groundhog day. SEE IT! Sandra is crazy cool in this one.

PREMONITION TRAILER

Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny

Jack Black. Kyle Gas. The greatest band in the world...Jack sexy...angie like the fat fats....

enough said...

TENACIOUS D TRAILER

THATS IT IM TIRED!

the complaint department, hear me roar!

I havent talked about anything in 2 weeks.

Since im at work, bored and bewildered, i will complain about something.....

well...i love tea. who doesn't love tea? I love donuts.... who doesn't love donuts (besides the worlds new health freak generation where if you even look at a donut they're like..."mmm..that'll clog your arteries"...just cause you've spoiled food for yourself, don't need to drag me down with you. ANYWAYS!

TIM HORTONS.

the great canadian coffee shop. I have been getting tea, cider, coffee, hot chocolate, donuts, sandwiches blah blah blah my whole life. It wasn't until recently i STOPPED buying any of these items often as...well..how shall i say this...

THEIR STAFF IS SO DUMB AND THEIR CORPORATE BIG HEADEDNESS has gotten in the way of my delicious work tea and donut.

i can't even believe im bitching about an eatery like they owe me a lung.

GRARGH!

i know the donuts are SMALLER, they're not as fresh and delicious as they used to be, there are so many flavours coming and going that half the time their staff doesn't know they dont have the donut you've asked for.
EXAMPLE! the strawberry vanilla dip donut. APPARENTLY they don't make them....but they had them for a over a year.

Today i got the chili and garlic toast they've been advertising so much its overwhelming. GROSS. GROSSSSSSSSSSS. the toast was just their stupid baguette BARELY browned then smothered in some nasty ass 'butter' that is thick and watery and overall upsetting to look at. The chili, lets just say that if my breezy day chili met up with their chili in an alley, their chili would be shanked. BADLY. it was...dog food like.

(DO NOT EAT ME!)

my tea, has been abismal since they introduced the "STEEPED" tea. gross. grosssssss. i'm an old fashioned bag in orange pekoe girl (with the occasional delicious earl grey) and i find this new steeped is thick and gross and GRAINY. if i wanted tea that felt like coffee i would order a coffee yes?
So everytime i ask for a 'bag in' tea i get a steep and it drives me nuts.
why? WHY!? they actually charge MOREEEEE for the sludge cause it sits in a pot as tea instead just as water in a pot...this somehow requires a 25$ difference.

Why can't things be like the fraggles? all singing and dancing!

at least i can say this...

they still make a mean hot chocolate and a sinfully delicious breakfast sandwich.

amen.

Wicked is still Wicked!

WOOT! It's tuesday night (well, wednesday morning) and Holly and I just came home from seeing WICKED at the Canon Theatre. I loveeeee Wicked, this was my second time seeing at, and it was even better than the first. love love love it. I listen to it...often....alot...every day...for a year....hahaha.

Soshana Bean was Elphaba, which rocked my socks right off as I have seen her on Martha and think she is stupendis! I have a girl crush on her right now, she's so talented i want to cry. The whole cast was great, (including mr. trick from buffy the vampire slayer playing dr dillamond the goat teacher...will he ever play a live human i ask you?)
Holly loved it so much we listened to the soundtrack the whole way home and then went on you tube and looked up a couple of performances from tv spots etc.
Twas good. So basically, all i'm saying is...

SEE WICKED!

oh summer don't leave me!

Goodbye Summer!

It’s officially fall here. The trees are turned orange, red, and yellow, they’re purrrty though. The air has that crisp feeling and my house has that familiar warm fall haze feeling to it.

So this is my ode to the end of summer, my last summer vacation at the cottage. I spent a healthy percentage of my time in the kitchen trying out some new concoctions (one of which was Rachael rays chicken thai wraps…DELICIOUS!)

Since we were up for this summer baby’s birthday, I got a new present. My QUEEN IN MY KITCHEN chef hat. I wore it the entire weekend, and sometimes I wear it at home. Those who know me, know I love being in the kitchen, but I hate when someone gets in my way! I love a little help, but I get really nervous when people help me out. Don’t ask me why. Thusly, I am the QUEEN of my kitchen! Naturally, Matt has been more and more interested in helping me out in the kitchen and learning new kitchen tricks over the years. He’s the only person who gets to help me, NERVE FREE! (mom doesn’t count).

ONWARD!

We made burgers…yes…boxed burgers. Half of us are in college, the other half are musicians, then theres me. The budget wasn't gigantic enough for more than a package or two of the fresh meat.BUT! They can be delicious when they are President’s Choice Sirloin Burgers, and you juice ‘em up with beer! One reason i love the summer and cooking so much, is that i love sitting out on a deck with friends by candlelight. Especially right on the lake where you can see the shimmer of the moon in the ripples and hear that melodicly soothing crash of the waves. So this year i decided to be outside even more, i would try my hand at ...the BARBECUE. DUN DUN DUN. I’ve never been a big open flame cooker, i make it too hot and i singe everything on the outside and leave it raw on the inside. But i have learnt that high settings are not always my friend and that patience truly is a virtue. EXPECIALLY IN COOKING! This year I really rocked the house with my bbqing. I didn’t only surprise myself, I shocked matt too!

It’s a Watermelon, It’s a Peach, NO! It’s a birthday cake!

I made my own birthday cakes using a betty crocker cake mix…ok I admit it. I’ve never been the best at scratch baking. But I saw this idea for making your cake look like fruit, and I love making things that look ridiculously cute! I made the watermelon cake pretty much by myself with some assistance on the final touches of green. I left the second cake for what I didn’t know. But when I came back into the kitchen that day, my lovely lady friends Holly and Kristin had created their own colorful icing and made me a PEACH! I loveeee peach. Hahaha. So that was fun times all around.

That’s all for today, as boring as this post has been. I’ll find something interesting to say someday in my life. Hahaha. I’m sleeeepy!

BRR! i'm feeling kind of CHILI!

Breezy Day Chili

I took alot of colourful pictures, but alas blogger is being a butt munch again and its not lettingme add more than these two i have already added. CHA!

My mom has been making this chili recipe since as far back as i can remember. I hated chili my whole life until a couple years ago when i aquired a taste for kind of spicy foods and amazingly started enjoying kidney beans. The first time i made it, i didnt think it turned out very well. Now i don't think im an amazing cook, but i also don't think i lack culinary skill of..sort. But this chili, i want to be just like hers. So now we make it together so that i can do it exactly how she does, step by step. Eventually i won't need my floaties anymore!

after months of begging for chili through heat waves, my mom finally caved and decided it had cooled off enough for her to make it. So here it is, the D****** girls chilly day well, chili!




Breezy day Chili:

1.5 lbs ground beef (turkey or chicken cool)
1 large yellow or white onion, diced
1 yellow bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1 large tin diced tomatoes, unseasoned
1 tin red kidney beans (or 3 bean medley)
Chilli Powder
1 1/5 Tsp Cayenne pepper.Salt And Pepper To taste

On medium high, brown the meat in a large saucepan, breaking into small pieces. Once meat is brown, mix in the onions and turn heat up to medium high, stirring occasionally until onions are translucentt, (about 5-8 minutes).

Add the peppers, kidney beans, and spices.

Using an immersion blender, puree the tomatoes until it is only a little chunky, and liquidy. Add to the pot. Stir together, and bring to a boil. Once Boiling, cover and set to medium low (2-3) for about one hour.
Chili is ready when sauce thickens and liquids have reduced.
Serve with rice and sour cream, or any other tasty treats you prefer!

Tasty Eats @ sunset grill.

We were recently in the Muskoka Area for labour day weekend and to support a friend in the big battle of the bands at KEE TO BALA, on a group camping trip. We ate lots of goodies...and meat...oh GOD did we eat LOTS of meat. It was a great weekend and our hungover selves decided on the way home that we would stop somewhere on the way back and get some breakfast. We stopped here, the sunset grill. It was in a really cute location, on the lakeshore. A few shops sit in the same plaza, such as a native ware shop and a cozy tea post and bakery. There was a big eatery boat floating by the shore, and looking very busy. Perhaps we will check it out next summer during our triumphant return!
ANYWAYS!
So we ate at sunset, it was cottagy inside, and a little loud, but the food was pretty decent and the menu was not very big, offering mostly breakfast, a couple sandwiches and fruit and yogurt bowls. It made it easy for all of us starving children to narrow down our choices. We all had the same dish i recall, 3 eggs with either bacon or sausage with pancakes, home fries and toast. it was just right for that way back.
I would suggest checking it out...but i dont know where on the road we got off to eat!
wahahahah

TATTOO FROM HELL!

Hmm, i think it's working now....

I've always had a sweet spot in my heart for One Specific Video Game. Super Mario Brothers. All the old stuff brings me that warm and nostalgic feelings. I have 3 tattoos, all of which will get posted over time. My most recent is what you see here, The super Nintendo Mario Star. I had it done last september and i thought it looked awesome. However once it healed i realized it was A) uneven and B) The black outline didn't take on the bottom. So i went back for my free touchup last week, now a year from when i had it done. I thought it looked awesomeeeee. I added red, i sharpened the colour. The outer "crust" came off a couple days ago and....im mad. Im not very happy. The same spot i went to touch up is still toot hin, and doesnt have the same look as the other 4 corners. The yellow barelyyyyyyy took and now it's PEACHY PEACHY. It's supposed to be bright yellow. I'm going to wait one more week to see what happens before I call them and demand another touch up. Because I have had 2 other tattoos at a different parlour and they were perfect from the start. I don't get what the deal is with this new place that is supposed to have this great reputation, and why my tattoo is turning out to look like a flesh wound.

So here is my before and after, sans flesh wound looking pictures.

Side Note: I am the first to admit that these pictures are shit.

blog from hell

WOW!

It took me 3 days to get this blog to upload a picture!

I bet it won't work again now.

Anyways, this is a picture i took following a butterfly on the road.

A priss, a softy and a trailor park rebel

Ok... i didn't cook anything today but pasta and it was with leftover homemade sauce. If im gonna post pasta it's gonna be from the beginning to end. So here is a post about the pets matt, my sister and I have!

LILLIX!

Lillix is 'our' cat, and just turned 3. I never liked cats growing up but decided they are cheaper and easier than dogs. Thusly, i found my kitten at a niagara falls seedy mall at the sweet price of $19.99. I decided to buy from here cause its a not so nice store and it felt like i was saving an animal rather than supporting a mill (which these days you never know). I fell totally in love with her and she had been my best furry friend since. The first night home she cuddled up to me and i slept with my arms around her. She's my baby! She lives with me and i pay for everything but she is our cat because she was made a family member a month after we started dating, and has been with us our entire relationship.

This cat is...naughty? bad? She cries alll the time. If her food is more than half a day old, if there's one 'entry' in her litter box, if you arent picking her up lalala. She has a nasty thing with eating any developed pictures we leave lying around and gets onto EVERY TABLE and EVERY COUNTER we have. She sleeps ONLY on your chest and butt and between your knees. She purrs louder then a jet engine and loves to do it right in your ear at 4am. But we love her cause cry baby or not she's got nothing but love to give. Has no bad tempers, and 1001 noises, some that sound likes barks and hello's! she plays FETCH! FETCH! and TAG!
She likes to play acrobat on the top edges of my loft banisters and dodges through them side to side 15 feet in the air! I have a heart attack every time.
She drives my whole family crazy but they cant help but look at that face and melt! her nick names are lilli, lix, lillykin, likkyboo, lillybitch and shut up im trying to sleep.


MIKE!

Mike is matt's family dog, whome we believe to be a SCHNOODLE, a schnauzer poodle mix. They rescued him through Paws Of Georgina 4 or 5 years ago. It's sad because he was a battered dog, and you can't touch his nose or he pulls away from you. HOWEVER, matt's family has taken such good care of him, and he has such a gentle dispostion, that all he does is cuddle!

He doesn't bark, doesn't bite, doesn't scratch or growl. He only barks at the doorbell but that is a recent thing we encouraged him to do and he still only does it half the time.

He will jump on you, in your lap, however he needs you to get himself some pets. When you stop he paws at you with both hands. Sometimes he does it WHILE you are petting him so that you will pet him better! He is very quiet, and calm and only gets hyper when he realizes there is a walk coming or that you are willing to chase him from room to room jumping onto beds with him. (if you don't jump on the bed with him he wont run to the next one! seriously)
...you think im kidding but im not!
Mike is one of the best dogs you could ask for and i wish he could come with us when we move in together! We know what kind of dog to look for when we get our own ;) The only nickname he has is obscene and gives matts last name away so sorry:)

SOCA!

Soca has belonged to 4 of us. Matt and I were working at Paramount Canada's Wonderland 2 years ago when matt learned 5 kittens had been abandoned under a trailor behind the concert hall. We decided to save some but by the time i got there, 4 had been happily adopted by 4 other employees. Only one was left! After 4 hours of trying to catch her someone else caught her and put her in my cage. We took her home and she was matts new baby whom lillix was less than amused to meet. She stayed at matt's until his brother got so sick from her his throat was abismal and almost closed. We were all very sad to have to let her go but THANKFULLY! My sister and my brother in law decided they would like to have her. WOO! So Soca stayed in the family, and her and lillix are now cousins as opposed to sisters. But Lillix is the priss from hicktown and soca is the carnie trailor park rebel.

Soca is not much for the loving unless it is on her own terms or she sees or hears treats. That lasts a few seconds until she gets sick of waiting and digs her claws into your ass. She once jumped up on me and dug both hands and both feet into me, paws in my ass, me screaming and flailing the treats around. She's always up at the cottage, and always disappears, emergin later covers in cob webs and dust. She's trash i told you! Im glad she didnt end up as our cat cause i like a cat who i can pick up and carry around. Im happy shes still around and glad my sister will never ever want to part with her. Her nick names are sophi, sokey, soca-sue and as i like to call her, psyko treat monger


There. did i bore you? me too!

STUPID BLOG!

ok...i GIVE UP!

I have tried EVERYTHING to get images posted on here. I tried for 3 hours last night. My recipe post took me 5 hours. I worked on 3 different computers. I enabled, disabled, lalalalala cookies all over. NOTHING!
i give upppppppppppp
im tres sad. Cant post with pictures and i dont want to without them! I can't understand it. Is anyone else having this problem out there?