Flin Flon

Well we arrived late yesterday afternoon at Ted & Kim's. We're here for the week to help with the preparations for Michelle and Jeff's wedding on August 1st. This morning Kim and I are making the cabbage rolls for Friday night supper and Sunday lunch.

Meagan got her Graduation present from Kim and Ted last night....a beautiful set of Pearls that once belonged to Kim's mom and grandmother. What a beautiful gift. Meagan was speechless. Brittany received a beautiful gold heart pendant with a Ruby on a gold chain that also had once belonged to Kim's mom and grandmother. So both my girls have a gift from their grandmother of the heart.

Later this evening we are having a girls pampering night with the bridal party!!!!!

Summer Time

This year our weather hasn't been the best. Our winter was colder than normal, our spring was colder and wetter than normal and the start of our summer has been colder than normal. This week is the first week where we seem to have had typical summer temperatures for more than a day or two. One thing the number of forest fires in the province is lower than it was last year. There have even been days where there a no fires burning in the province, something I don't recall happening before. Even the temperatures in the evening haven't been all that warm...so I am hoping that summer has finally arrived.

Upcomimg Holidays

Only 3 1/2 days of work left then I am on holidays for 11 days. We are off to Flin Flon MB on July 27th for the week. We are heading up for Jeff & Michelle's wedding on August 1st. It is going to be an outdoor wedding so hopefully the weather man brings us nice sunny days leading up to and after the Big day. We are going up early to help with any last minute preparations. Brittany is doing nails for the Bridal Party and the mother of the bride that week as well. I am also looking forward to trying out my new camera at the wedding. I hope to get a change go out by the lake and get some nature shots as well. There maybe some photo opportunities on the drive up to Flin Flon, just have to convince my husband to stop and let me take some photos.

I am looking forward to my time in Flin Flon next week...always proves to be relaxing even when we are busy....

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Give Aunt Jemima the day off and try these incredibly easy homemade pancakes. You'll never go back to the box.

1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter
2 cups (500 mL) buttermilk or 2 cups (500 mL) milk plus 2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
2 eggs
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
Butter for cooking
2 peaches, sliced (optional)

Melt butter in the microwave or on the stove. Set aside to cool. Measure out buttermilk, or stir milk with lemon juice then let stand until slightly thickened, at least 5 min. In a large bowl, using a fork, stir flour with sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in centre.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with buttermilk, cooled melted butter and vanilla. Pour into well in flour mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir until just blended. The batter should be a bit lumpy. For fluffy pancakes, mix as little as possible.

Lightly coat a large frying pan with butter and set over medium heat. (Save time by using 2 pans or a large griddle.) Pour 1/3 cup (75 mL) batter into pan. Pancake will be about 6 in. (15 cm) wide. Add 1 or 2 more pancakes. Gently press peach slices into batter.

Cook until bubbles form on the top of each pancake and edges begin to brown, 2 to 4 min. Using a wide spatula, flip and continue cooking until the bottoms of pancakes become golden, 2 to 3 min. Don't press or they will become tough.

Serve right away or place on a plate and keep warm in a low-temperature oven while cooking remaining pancakes. They're delicious drizzled with maple syrup.

Mix it up
WHOLESOME- Sub whole-wheat flour for all-purpose. If batter is thick, add more milk 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, until it's pourable.
BERRY - Pour batter into pan, then sprinkle each pancake with 1 heaping tbsp (22 mL) of blueberries, then gently push in.
CHAI SPICED - Stir 1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon, 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground ginger and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cardamom (optional) into flour mixture before adding egg mixture.

Makes 12 Pancakes

Published by Chatelaine on 8/1/2009

Blueberry Delight

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen blueberries may be used)

SAUCE
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk, well beaten
1/4 cup boiling water
Vanilla, to taste

Cream butter and sugar; stir in eggs. Sift flour and baking powder together. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well. Coat blueberries with small amount of additional flour (to assure even distribution of berries in cake); fold into batter. Pour into lightly greased 8- or 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut into squares. Top with sauce.

TO PREPARE SAUCE
Cream butter and sugar in top of double boiler. Blend in egg yolk and boiling water. Cook over hot water until mixture thickens, stirring frequently. Stir in vanilla. Spoon hot sauce over servings of Blueberry Delight.

SERVES: 6-8

Blueberry Yogart Muffins

1/4 cup butter (1/2 cube), room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line muffin tins with paper cups.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Add flour, baking power and salt alternately with milk and yogurt. Do not over mix. Carefully fold in blueberries.

Spoon into paper-lined muffin tin. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Treat everyone with politeness,

even those who are rude to you -- not because they are nice,

but because you are.

~Author Unknown

Heavenly White Chocolate Toffee Bars

225 g (1 pkg) white chocolate chips
250 mL (1 cup) sweetened flaked coconut
125 mL (1/2 cup) sliced almonds, toasted
200 g (1 pkg) toffee bits, divided
500 mL (2 cups) graham crumbs
175 mL (3/4 cup) butter, melted
300 mL (1 can) Regular or Low Fat Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a 9” x 13” (3L) baking dish with parchment paper, overlapping the two longer sides for easy removal.
2. Combine white chocolate chips, coconut, almonds and ½ cup (125mL) toffee bits. Reserve.
3. Mix graham cracker crumbs and remaining toffee bits with butter; press evenly into prepared baking dish.
4. Pour Eagle Brand evenly over crumbs.
5. Sprinkle with white chocolate chip mixture; press down firmly.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool thoroughly and cut into bars.

Tips:Substitute white chocolate chips with 1 cup (250mL) semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips.

White on white toppings make these sweet sensations an easy dessert to dress up for a special occasion, or simply for sinfully sumptuous snacking!

Prep Time: 10 minutesServing: 36 bars

Friends!

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our spirit has trouble remembering how to fly!"


"Friends are special treasures of the heart"

Homemade Oreo Cookies

These cookies are absolutely delicious and sinful,
full of calories too...224 calories/cookie

2 (18 ounce) boxes devil's food cake mix
4 eggs, beaten well
2/3 cup oil
1/2 cup margarine
4 ounces cream cheese
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cake mix, eggs and oil together well.
Shape into marble size balls.

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. They are done when the tops looked cracked.

Mix margarine, cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla together.
When cookies are completely cooled, frost the flat side of one cookie and then sandwich with another cookie.

Note: Allow cookies to set on counter for a couple of hours after sandwiching them together with the icing otherwise the tops may slide when putting into cookie jar.

Fun In The Sun

Yesterday our family headed to Sturgeon Lake for the afternoon/evening. We had left the boat docked there the night before. The water was warm and the sun was blazing so it was the perfect day to head to the beach for some swimming and tubing.

Brittany was the first to hit the water on the tub. A little while later she took Rocco for a ride on the tube.

Meagan was next to ride the waves of the lake.

Then it was Mike's turn to ride the waves.


After all that Meagan and Brittany decided to try riding double in the tube. It was as much fun watching them ride as it was for them riding.

After everyone was done tubing for the day, the girls and Rocco headed back home while Al, Mike and I stayed at the lake and fished for a couple of hours. We caught 3 Jack Fish which 2 were released back to the lake as they were too small to keep.

Sturgeon Lake

With not going to Nemeiben Lake for the weekend we decided to head up to Sturgeon Lake for a couple of hours of fishing. They skies had cleared off mid afternoon on Saturday so we had a quick bite to eat and headed off to the lake. Michael, Allan, me and Rocco spent a couple of hours trolling our favorite fishing spot. Well the luck was with Michael that night as he caught two fish that worth while to keep.

Mike's first fish in a couple of years. Yes he was a happy fisherman.

When the fish seemed to stop biting I decided to pick up my camera and try out my new polarizing lens. I am so glad that I invested in that lens as I got some really nice pictures of the sunset.

This picture of my son was taken with the polarizing lens. I love how the sun is reflecting behind him on the water.



I was able to catch the setting sun in these shots. It was absolutely beautiful to watch.




I wish I could have gotten closer to these Pelicans roosting for the night. There was just too many weeds for the boat motor to get through to get any closer.

Change of Plans

When I arrived home on Thursday night with my kids my husband tells me the news that my best friend Brenda's dad passed away. This is the friend that has the cabin on Nemeiben Lake where we were headed for the weekend. Brenda and Jack don't have a phone at the cabin so the big discussion was how do we get word to them about her dad's passing. After speaking with member's of Brenda's family we decided that Al and I would drive up to Nemeiben and tell Brenda of her dad's passing. It was the least that we could do as Brenda has been there for me in so many ways over the years. We all felt that it would just be better coming from someone that close to Brenda and Jack than from the RCMP or Conservation Officers. It would be much more personal and compassionate as well and they wouldn't always have that cold memory of the authorities coming to their door. Brenda was so glad and grateful that we were the ones to come and tell her about her dad's passing. I know I appreciated it when I found out about my dad's passing by someone who cares than from a phone call or the authorities knocking on my door.

North

........to Nemeiben Lake

We are off to Nemeiben for a weekend of fishing and fun on the lake. Life jackets are packed, the tube is packed, the dogs are packed, fishing gear is already in the truck. Get to try out some new tackle that I picked up this week. Camera battery is fully charged and ready to.....can't forget my fishing hat either.

Sunday we are heading over to Stanly Mission to go see the Holy Trinity Church, the Ancient Pictographs and Nistowiak Falls. I will post pictures when I get back, hopefully some of my big catch.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Raspberry Bars
Makes 16 bars

Crust
¾ cup white whole-wheat flour (see Note)
½ cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons ice water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Raspberry Filling
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons water
3 cups fresh raspberries, divided
½ cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons nonfat cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons low-fat milk
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

1. To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat an 8-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Place flour, pecans, 2 tablespoons sugar and salt in a food processor; process until the nuts are finely ground. Add butter one piece at a time, pulsing once or twice after each addition, until incorporated. Add ice water and vanilla and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Transfer to the prepared pan. Press evenly and firmly into the pan to form a bottom crust.

3. Bake the crust until it looks set, but not browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

4. To prepare raspberry filling: Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl; let stand, stirring once or twice, while you prepare the rest of the filling.

5. Reserve 16 raspberries. Puree the remaining raspberries in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan and stir in 1/2 cup sugar. Cook over medium heat until bubbling. Stir in the gelatin mixture and cook, stirring, until the gelatin is melted, about 1 minute.

6. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Pour the raspberry mixture into a medium bowl and set it in the bowl of ice water. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of loose jam and is beginning to set around the edges, about 30 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, milk and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.

8. Spread the thickened raspberry filling evenly over the crust. Dollop the cream cheese mixture over the filling. Draw the tip of a sharp knife or skewer through the two fillings to create a swirled effect. Nestle the reserved berries into the filling, evenly spacing them so each bar will be topped with a berry when cut. Refrigerate until the bars are completely set, about 3 hours. Cut into 16 bars, one raspberry per bar.

Raspberry Bars Tips
Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Note: White whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole-wheat. Find it in the baking section of the supermarket or online at bobsredmill.com and kingarthurflour.com.
Raspberry Bars Tips Cont.

Raspberry Bars Nutrition Information
Per bar: 101 calories; 5 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 6 mg cholesterol; 14 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber; 94 mg sodium; 64 mg potassium.1 Carbohydrate ServingExchanges: 1 carbohydrate (other), 1 fat

Blog Candy

Check out the fabulous Blog Candy over at Crissy's Art & Heart . Her blog candy runs from Wednesday July 8th until Wednesday July 15th. The winner's names will be posted on Crissy's Art & Heart Blog on Thursday July 16. Crissy has some amazing cards on her blog for inspiration as well as some good tutorials for those wanting to learn some of her techniques. One bonus is that Crissy has some links to Canadian Scrapbooking and Stamping Online Stores. Don't forget to read the rules for entering for a chance to win some awesome blog candy.

Birthday Cards

Recently I had opportunity to create 2 cards for a cousin's 50th Birthday and a friend's 50th Birthday.

The card that I created for my husband's cousin. I used my favorite Sugar Nellie stamp - Daisy. Skin was colored with Copic Markers and the rest of the card was colored with Prisma Colored Pencils and Mona Lisa. Embellishments used was Prima Flower and a jewelled butterfly from the dollar store.

Front Cover

Inside Cover

Back Cover

For the card that I made for our friend's 50th, I used some of my favorite Magnolia Stamps. This it the first time that I used these stamps. I sprayed the white card with Glimmer Mist in Twilight for the speckled effect on the background. The skin on Tilda was colored with Copic Markers and the remainder of the card was colored with Prisma Colored Pencils and Mona Lisa.

Card Front

Inside Cover

HouseBoat Trip

Over the weekend my husband and I took a trip on a house boat on Tobin Lake by Nipawin with friends of ours Danny and Sandra and their family. The houseboat was rented from Twin Marine located in the Nipawin Regional Park. Thursday night we were able to board the house boat, get settled in and spend the night at the dock. Friday morning after a short orientation we set sail with Steve at the wheel.

The moon beam's reflection off the water on Thursday night was absolutely beautiful.

Above: Al enjoying the sites as we leave the dock for the weekend.
Below: Danny and Sandra seem to be enjoying the sites as well as we leave dock.

We stopped here and there to try our hand at fishing but without towing a fishing boat behind us it wasn't the easiest task as you are really limited on the space on both the front and back docks. Also it is really hard to get the houseboat over the shelves where the fish like to hang out. We did however catch a few small fish. Jeremy did catch the first fish which was released back into the lake so it could grow and a little while later he did catch a fish that would have been a keeper. I was waiting on the back deck by the motor with the net in hand to scoop it up, when it took one look at the boat did a flip and snapped the line. My guess it was about an 8 or 9 lb Walleye.

THE FIRST CATCH

The next afternoon Scott and I were fishing off the front deck when something caught my hook and took off with it. I have never had anything that big on my line in all my years of fishing. Scott was quick to grab the net to be ready to bring it in. At first I thought I might be snapped on a long or some weeds but weeds and logs don't pull more of your line out and zip and zag around in the water. I fought with it for 10 - 15 minutes, we were even chasing with the boat. I had 20lb test line on my rod an it ended up snapping it. My arms were sore from fighting to land this fish in the boat. It was a rush just fighting with him I can only imagine what it would be like if I landed him into the boat.

Some Pictures from our weekend

The smallest waterfall in Saskatchewan.

THE LAST CATCH

On our way back to Twin Marine, Al decided to do a bit of tolling. Well he definitely won the prize for the smallest catch. For anyone that is wondering Al caught a tiny clam on his last cast.

Potato Gnocchi

2 lbs Medium Potatoes (about 4)
1 Tbsp Butter or Maragarine
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1 - 1 1/2 cups flour

In covered pot cook potatoes until tender. Drain. In mixing bowl beat hot potatoes, butter and salt until smooth. Add egg yolk and 1/4 cup of flour. Beat until smooth. By hand stir in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough (I used my kitchen add to stir in the flour). Turn onto floured surface, knead for 4 - 5 minutes with generously floured hands. Shape into balls using about 1 Tbsp dough for each ball. Crease the centre with the handle of a wooden spoon. Cook several at a time in a large amount of salted water for 8 - 10 minutes. Remove, drain. Serve with desired sauce, butter with Salt & Pepper and cheese.

Tip: Epicure Selections Cheddar, Bacon & Chives Dip mix goes really well on top with a bit of butter, salt and pepper.

Note: I know I used more than 1 1/2 cups of flour about 2 cups. I relied on the texture of the dough so that it wasn't too sticky.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

1/4 cup oil
1 broiler or fryer, cut up, or chicken pieces
Flour to coat chicken pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, mashed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Pour 1/4 cup oil into 9x13x2-inch pyrex baking dish. Flour and salt chicken pieces and place the pieces, skin side down, in a single layer. Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn chicken and pour sauce over chicken. To make sauce, use the 1/4 cup olive oil and add all other ingredients to it. Bake another 30 minutes.

SERVES: 4 - 6

HAPPY CANADA DAY

This year we celebrate the 142nd Anniversary of Confederation.

On June 20, 1868, a proclamation signed by the Governor General, Lord Monck called upon all Her Majesty's loving subjects throughout Canada to join in the celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada on July 1st.

The July 1st holiday was established by statute in 1879, under the name Dominion Day. It wasn't unitl October 27, 1982 when July 1st which was known as "Dominion Day" became "Canada Day".

However you celebrate Canada Day, whether you join in some organized activities in your community or you do something on your own have a great time and enjoy the day!

Happy Canada Day!