So for the 1 or 2 people that might actually be stopping by, we have some new beginnings.
As you may or may not have known, I've been unemployed since falling victim to the economic downturn in January. That's 6 months for those counting.
It's been hard, and money was beginning to be an issue for us. I'd spoken to my real estate agent and discussed putting the condo up for sale, a couple of times, we'd even drawn the papers up but each time I came close to signing I'd have a good job prospect and decide to put off my decision a few days.
Finally with nothing happening, or rather nothing coming of all the opportunities that I'd delayed for, I decided to list the condo. My agent advised that units in our building would usually take a while to sell. She also recommended a price about 20K less then I wanted to list at.
We decided to list but at my price not the amount she wanted to list for. It just so happened that she had an agents meeting the next morning and decided to tie that into an agents open house. During that, 3 agents brought clients to view the place. That evening we have 4 more viewings, 3 the next night and 3 the following night.
This was now Thursday evening. I would leave the unit while the viewings were happening but I did stay around the building (in the garden or the lobby) so I saw how long they stayed. 3 of the viewers had stayed over half an hour. In fact, one woman and her son waited with her agent to speak with me and ask a few questions about the condo - she was in love with the place.
So I suspected we were getting at least one offer.
Now, while this was going on I had an interview on Monday. They liked me and invited me back for a second interview on Friday. That interview (during which I had to do a small presentation) was good, as well.
I suspected I was in but I had not received an offer at this point so I couldn't be sure.
Friday afternoon I got a call from my agent, she had 2 offers and was expecting 1 or 2 others. We had one more viewing Friday evening from a "serious" buyer whom she thought would make an offer. It didn't happen.
I asked my agent if an offer comes in how long do we have to respond and is there anyway to delay until Monday, when I suspected I would find out about the job.
She said no it would be finished Friday evening. She had some info she wasn't telling us.
She is, actually, a pretty good agent and had been playing the competing offers against each other all afternoon. As a result the mother and son that fell in love with the place put in an over asking offer with no conditions.
My choice then was to accept the over asking offer or to decline it, risk not receiving the job offer on the following Monday and then be stuck with a much lower offer (if we got any) since we'd not likely be in a competing offer situation again.
The SU and talked about it briefly and then decided to accept the offer. What else could we do?
So we sold!! At more then asking, in 4 days, in a recession. Go figure!!!
Monday I received a job offer and started Tuesday since I wasn't working and was free to start, I did.
The new job is exactly what I've been looking for, teaching in a class for a private college, it's close to my home (the current one) and as the college is expanding, it's a good opportunity to get in early.
We decided to rent for a year or 2 and to save some money for a townhouse or bungalow. We can find a rental for less then the cost of my mortgage, maintenance fees (HOH fees) and property taxes and will be saving several hundred a month, in fact. We started looking right away (on the Saturday after signing the deal).
Found a place in an older building that we loved the location of, even though it didn't have air, didn't have en suite laundry and was a bit smaller then we're used to but it did have that location that we loved... so we offered on it. And were rejected - they won't say why we don't know why.
As a result we started looking again and at the end of this week we found a nice condo, a bit small, in a low rise condo (4 floors), a ground floor unit which means we have a patio (nice!) and very very convenient to both my work and the SU's job.
We put in a rental app and we're approved.
In the space of 2 short weeks, we sold our home, I started a new job and we've found a place to live.
Raise a glass to new beginnings.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Recipe Sunday
This week's recipe is a very simple loaf cake, provided for us by a good friend's grandmother -- it is Nan's Lemon Loaf.
Nan’s Lemon Loaf
Loaf:
½ Cup of Margarine
1 Cup of white sugar
2 Eggs
1 ½ cups of All Purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely chopped Walnuts
½ cup milk
Topping:
1 Lemon (juiced)
¼ cup of sugar
Mix all ingredients.
Bake in greased loaf pan, lined with wax paper or 2 smaller pans at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes.
Remove from the oven and pour over juice of 1 lemon mixed with ¼ cup of sugar.
Nan’s Lemon Loaf
Loaf:
½ Cup of Margarine
1 Cup of white sugar
2 Eggs
1 ½ cups of All Purpose flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely chopped Walnuts
½ cup milk
Topping:
1 Lemon (juiced)
¼ cup of sugar
Mix all ingredients.
Bake in greased loaf pan, lined with wax paper or 2 smaller pans at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes.
Remove from the oven and pour over juice of 1 lemon mixed with ¼ cup of sugar.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Sunday recipe time
It's Sunday again. The hardest thing I have to do each Sunday is decide which recipe to share today. Should it be a side? a main? a dessert?
The SU and I eat so much rice and chicken that many of the dishes we have will sound the same or be variants on the same old same old. It's a challenge.
Today I'm offering up Mini Cheesecakes. I found this recipe, originally in an old cookbook that I have had forever and a day (but lost when we moved from the house to the condo and have not been able to replace it). It was purchased from a street vendor, the ones that come around to your office to sell books and I've never seen it in a store. I'd love to replace it though. It was, I believe, called The Encyclopedia of Cooking. I got some very good recipes out of that book but this was my favourite.
I have made only one small change in the recipe from that book. In the original recipe it calls for cottage cheese that has been allowed to drain over night (so that it is dry) but I don't bother with this, just use the cottage cheese as is.
You will need small muffin tins, and small or med (I usually use med) paper muffin liners.
I have this old set of muffin tins that were my mothers, I love them as they are straight sided, most modern mini pans have angled sides. My mothers tins are probably older then me, show their age and are not pretty but they are perfect for this recipe.
If you have a large food processor this recipe couldn't be simpler but you will wow your friends and it will become a signature dish. I started to make these cheesecakes about 20 years ago and I cannot show up to a family function or friends event without them. I make them as gifts, by request and for parties I'm not even attending.
Mini Cheesecakes
For the cheesecakes
1 8oz package of Cream Cheese
1 cup of Sour cream (250 ml container)
2 cups of Cottage cheese (500 ml container) --Optionally drain overnight
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup of sugar
For the graham crumb crust
1.5 cups of Graham crumbs
3/4 of a stick of melted butter.
Instructions
Melt the butter in a small saucepan (or in the microwave) and pour over the graham crumbs.
Line the muffin tins with the paper and press about a tsp of the graham crumb mix into the bottom of each paper cup. Don't make it to thin. A shot glass is ideal for pressing the crumbs down and firming them up.
Note: This recipe makes 48 mini cheese cakes (if you use small muffin tins - fewer if you use bigger tins). So you may have to make it in batches if you don't have enough tins. I have 16 (2 pans of 8) so I make it in 3 batches.
For the filling. This gets complicated so pay attentions.
Into the bowl of a food processor, place the cottage cheese, sour cream and cream cheese.
Turn on the mixer and allow to mix for about a minute.
Add the eggs, one at a time, while the mixer is running (through the feeder)
Add the vanilla, while the mixer is running (through the feeder)
Add the sugar, while the mixer is running (through the feeder)
Continue to run the mixer for 1 minute until the mix has a consistency of melted ice cream.
Spoon the mix into the lined cups, 2-3 tbsp per liner. In my small cups this fills each cup.
Bake in an oven preheated to 350F for 12 minutes exactly. The surface will dome up and look crusted or slightly firm but will collapse down a bit as they set.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, remove and allow to cool completely. At this point the cupcakes can be frozen in a sealed container, if it's just you and you don't want to eat the whole batch.
Serving suggestions:
The original recipe recommended using 1 can of Blueberry pie filling and topping each cake with a tsp of the filling, chill for 2-3 hours before serving.
I've done this with Blueberry and cherry filling.
Alternately, I've taken the cupcakes plain and set up a topping bar, of prepared and sugared fruits to top the cakes at the event, just setting the toppings in dishes around the cakes with small spoons and let people add their own.
Most generally, I will serve about a 1/3 of them plain, 1/3 with blueberry and a 1/3 with the cherry. Many people seem to really prefer these just plain, and actually that is the way I prefer them.
Fat savings: Since you're already only having 1/48th of the recipe (if you stick to only 1 cake) the caloric content of each cake isn't that bad. However you can reduce that further by using low fat cottage cheese, low fat sour cream and low fat cream cheese. I've used all three at the same time and no one had commented on any flavour difference.
The texture of these cakes is lite and not heavy at all, some cheesecakes are so heavy and rich I can't eat them, but these little suckers are so light, it doesn't even feel like you're eating a cheese cake at all.
Enjoy and pass it on.
The SU and I eat so much rice and chicken that many of the dishes we have will sound the same or be variants on the same old same old. It's a challenge.
Today I'm offering up Mini Cheesecakes. I found this recipe, originally in an old cookbook that I have had forever and a day (but lost when we moved from the house to the condo and have not been able to replace it). It was purchased from a street vendor, the ones that come around to your office to sell books and I've never seen it in a store. I'd love to replace it though. It was, I believe, called The Encyclopedia of Cooking. I got some very good recipes out of that book but this was my favourite.
I have made only one small change in the recipe from that book. In the original recipe it calls for cottage cheese that has been allowed to drain over night (so that it is dry) but I don't bother with this, just use the cottage cheese as is.
You will need small muffin tins, and small or med (I usually use med) paper muffin liners.
I have this old set of muffin tins that were my mothers, I love them as they are straight sided, most modern mini pans have angled sides. My mothers tins are probably older then me, show their age and are not pretty but they are perfect for this recipe.
If you have a large food processor this recipe couldn't be simpler but you will wow your friends and it will become a signature dish. I started to make these cheesecakes about 20 years ago and I cannot show up to a family function or friends event without them. I make them as gifts, by request and for parties I'm not even attending.
Mini Cheesecakes
For the cheesecakes
1 8oz package of Cream Cheese
1 cup of Sour cream (250 ml container)
2 cups of Cottage cheese (500 ml container) --Optionally drain overnight
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup of sugar
For the graham crumb crust
1.5 cups of Graham crumbs
3/4 of a stick of melted butter.
Instructions
Melt the butter in a small saucepan (or in the microwave) and pour over the graham crumbs.
Line the muffin tins with the paper and press about a tsp of the graham crumb mix into the bottom of each paper cup. Don't make it to thin. A shot glass is ideal for pressing the crumbs down and firming them up.
Note: This recipe makes 48 mini cheese cakes (if you use small muffin tins - fewer if you use bigger tins). So you may have to make it in batches if you don't have enough tins. I have 16 (2 pans of 8) so I make it in 3 batches.
For the filling. This gets complicated so pay attentions.
Into the bowl of a food processor, place the cottage cheese, sour cream and cream cheese.
Turn on the mixer and allow to mix for about a minute.
Add the eggs, one at a time, while the mixer is running (through the feeder)
Add the vanilla, while the mixer is running (through the feeder)
Add the sugar, while the mixer is running (through the feeder)
Continue to run the mixer for 1 minute until the mix has a consistency of melted ice cream.
Spoon the mix into the lined cups, 2-3 tbsp per liner. In my small cups this fills each cup.
Bake in an oven preheated to 350F for 12 minutes exactly. The surface will dome up and look crusted or slightly firm but will collapse down a bit as they set.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, remove and allow to cool completely. At this point the cupcakes can be frozen in a sealed container, if it's just you and you don't want to eat the whole batch.
Serving suggestions:
The original recipe recommended using 1 can of Blueberry pie filling and topping each cake with a tsp of the filling, chill for 2-3 hours before serving.
I've done this with Blueberry and cherry filling.
Alternately, I've taken the cupcakes plain and set up a topping bar, of prepared and sugared fruits to top the cakes at the event, just setting the toppings in dishes around the cakes with small spoons and let people add their own.
Most generally, I will serve about a 1/3 of them plain, 1/3 with blueberry and a 1/3 with the cherry. Many people seem to really prefer these just plain, and actually that is the way I prefer them.
Fat savings: Since you're already only having 1/48th of the recipe (if you stick to only 1 cake) the caloric content of each cake isn't that bad. However you can reduce that further by using low fat cottage cheese, low fat sour cream and low fat cream cheese. I've used all three at the same time and no one had commented on any flavour difference.
The texture of these cakes is lite and not heavy at all, some cheesecakes are so heavy and rich I can't eat them, but these little suckers are so light, it doesn't even feel like you're eating a cheese cake at all.
Enjoy and pass it on.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Job hunting blues
OK it's been 6 months of unemployment. In that time I've sent hundreds of resumes, have had only a few interviews and have blown through most of my savings.
One of the interviews I had was with a provincial government agency that is looking for trainers. I actually had 2 interviews with them. The first was with the HR manager and it seemed that he really liked me, we connected and as result I was advanced onto the second round. I was also told that they were only seeing two individuals and that I was one of the 2.
However, the hiring manager and I did not connect and so I did not get the job. I assumed it had gone to the the other person they were seeing.
A week or so after I received the results, saying thanks but no thanks, I heard from a head hunter about this great job. We talked and discovered it was the same job with that same government agency. I declined to pursue it with him, since I'd already been rejected.
That all was in late February or Early March. It's now June. I've had no less then six head hunters call (2 from the same firm) about my ability to meet the challenges of this job. I'm more then qualified. The second last headhunter tells me they deal with this particular agency regularly and that they are a pain in the ass. To quote him: "They go out of their way to find reasons to reject candidates."
That isn't what is causing my blues, well not that alone though it is part of it. I cannot seem to see what I'm doing wrong or if I'm doing anything wrong. The positions I've been applying for are well within my abilities, the people I've spoken with have all told me my resume is impressive, my qualifications solid, I'm great in interviews and always get good feedback but still nothing. I do realize the economy is in the shits and that the job market is flooded and so employers can pick and choose but still... it boggles the mind.
Last week, a friend of friend told me about a job her friend was hiring for. I have the experience, I have the ability and the desire. She asked for my resume to pass on to her friend. Great I sent it.
He reads it at her place (he happened to be there when I sent it) and tells her he's very impressed and that my resume is solid. Definitely wants to see me. Subsequently, he emails me to ask if I'm available for a phone interview with HR. I answer that I'm available at his convenience. He emails me right back to ask if I could come in on Friday for a in person interview and that HR will contact me about the phone interview, I tell him definitely I'm available. Then silence. Nada, the week goes by. I email to ask about HR no word from them. I get a phone interview invitation from another firm, scheduled for Friday, I email the first guy to say I can still meet Friday but I've booked another appointment, just so he can work his schedule around that. Nada.
Friday comes, I phone him in person - but only get voicemail. I leave him a message asking for either a contact in HR or to hear from him, I'm still interested and would like to meet with him to discuss the role.
Not a peep. So strange, he just dried up or lost interest or who knows. The friend of a friend that put us in contact is puzzled and pissed at him, she says she is going to find out what happened. I thanked her but said that she'd done her part the rest is between him and I. Still if she wants to find out what the hell happened, I'd be thankful.
So this week dons and I'm feeling blue and it just hit me all at once and on Tuesday I really began to feel depressed. I met our real estate agent on Monday to discuss selling the condo.
My phone is completely silent. The job boards are drying up, getting nowhere with cold calls, emails and resume submissions go unanswered. It all just gets to you after a while.
Then just when I'm down, I'm blue and feeling defeated I get a call. The second phone interview, the one from last Friday, well they liked me. As a follow up I had submitted a few questions to them via email. They called to answer my questions and invited me to an in person meet.
Now I don't have anything yet but an appointment but I suddenly felt the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. Somebody liked me. Somebody took the time to speak to me. It was exactly what I needed at that moment. The SU says I'm acting like I've got the job already and warns me not to get too excited. And while it is a good job and I would be a good fit for it, I'm not excited in that I think I'm a shoe in or anything. I realize I'll have to fight for this job, give killer interviews and do very well on the skills testing they are giving me and then kick ass in a sample training session. So it's a long haul and I could drop the ball at any of those blocks.
No, what I'm excited about is that I know that there is hope, it's not hopeless. My submissions are being seen and reviewed. I'm not just sending endless emails, faxes and letters out into the empty ether but that they are going to people and some of those people will like me enough to speak to me. And that's all I can ask, beyond that it's up to me to win the role. Whatever role that may end up being.
So, I've been blue, I'm down but I'm not out and I'll comeback stronger and meaner and fitter ready to fight for my life and the life that I want.
One of the interviews I had was with a provincial government agency that is looking for trainers. I actually had 2 interviews with them. The first was with the HR manager and it seemed that he really liked me, we connected and as result I was advanced onto the second round. I was also told that they were only seeing two individuals and that I was one of the 2.
However, the hiring manager and I did not connect and so I did not get the job. I assumed it had gone to the the other person they were seeing.
A week or so after I received the results, saying thanks but no thanks, I heard from a head hunter about this great job. We talked and discovered it was the same job with that same government agency. I declined to pursue it with him, since I'd already been rejected.
That all was in late February or Early March. It's now June. I've had no less then six head hunters call (2 from the same firm) about my ability to meet the challenges of this job. I'm more then qualified. The second last headhunter tells me they deal with this particular agency regularly and that they are a pain in the ass. To quote him: "They go out of their way to find reasons to reject candidates."
That isn't what is causing my blues, well not that alone though it is part of it. I cannot seem to see what I'm doing wrong or if I'm doing anything wrong. The positions I've been applying for are well within my abilities, the people I've spoken with have all told me my resume is impressive, my qualifications solid, I'm great in interviews and always get good feedback but still nothing. I do realize the economy is in the shits and that the job market is flooded and so employers can pick and choose but still... it boggles the mind.
Last week, a friend of friend told me about a job her friend was hiring for. I have the experience, I have the ability and the desire. She asked for my resume to pass on to her friend. Great I sent it.
He reads it at her place (he happened to be there when I sent it) and tells her he's very impressed and that my resume is solid. Definitely wants to see me. Subsequently, he emails me to ask if I'm available for a phone interview with HR. I answer that I'm available at his convenience. He emails me right back to ask if I could come in on Friday for a in person interview and that HR will contact me about the phone interview, I tell him definitely I'm available. Then silence. Nada, the week goes by. I email to ask about HR no word from them. I get a phone interview invitation from another firm, scheduled for Friday, I email the first guy to say I can still meet Friday but I've booked another appointment, just so he can work his schedule around that. Nada.
Friday comes, I phone him in person - but only get voicemail. I leave him a message asking for either a contact in HR or to hear from him, I'm still interested and would like to meet with him to discuss the role.
Not a peep. So strange, he just dried up or lost interest or who knows. The friend of a friend that put us in contact is puzzled and pissed at him, she says she is going to find out what happened. I thanked her but said that she'd done her part the rest is between him and I. Still if she wants to find out what the hell happened, I'd be thankful.
So this week dons and I'm feeling blue and it just hit me all at once and on Tuesday I really began to feel depressed. I met our real estate agent on Monday to discuss selling the condo.
My phone is completely silent. The job boards are drying up, getting nowhere with cold calls, emails and resume submissions go unanswered. It all just gets to you after a while.
Then just when I'm down, I'm blue and feeling defeated I get a call. The second phone interview, the one from last Friday, well they liked me. As a follow up I had submitted a few questions to them via email. They called to answer my questions and invited me to an in person meet.
Now I don't have anything yet but an appointment but I suddenly felt the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. Somebody liked me. Somebody took the time to speak to me. It was exactly what I needed at that moment. The SU says I'm acting like I've got the job already and warns me not to get too excited. And while it is a good job and I would be a good fit for it, I'm not excited in that I think I'm a shoe in or anything. I realize I'll have to fight for this job, give killer interviews and do very well on the skills testing they are giving me and then kick ass in a sample training session. So it's a long haul and I could drop the ball at any of those blocks.
No, what I'm excited about is that I know that there is hope, it's not hopeless. My submissions are being seen and reviewed. I'm not just sending endless emails, faxes and letters out into the empty ether but that they are going to people and some of those people will like me enough to speak to me. And that's all I can ask, beyond that it's up to me to win the role. Whatever role that may end up being.
So, I've been blue, I'm down but I'm not out and I'll comeback stronger and meaner and fitter ready to fight for my life and the life that I want.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Recipe Sunday errrr Monday
We had a great weekend, went camping with my sister and her husband. Not a lot of sleep and I came home smelling strongly of campfire.
Everything, including me, went right into a wash.
As a result I could not post a recipe for Sunday, so I'm posting one today.
Meatloaf
This is my mother's meat loaf. We like it, it's comfort food and it's pretty good.
1 lb of lean ground beef
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 hard boiled eggs, shelled
1-2 drops of Sesame oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optionally - Add 1 tbsp of Cayenne or Chili Pepper
1 can of Campbells Tomato soup.
Mix the meat, bread crumbs, the raw egg, Sesame Oil, Garlic and herbs, the green pepper and Onions in a bowl. Optionally add in the Cayenne or Chili Pepper and Salt and Pepper to your liking.
Add half of the can of Tomato Soup into the mix. Reserve the remaining soup for later.
You will want the meat to be somewhat wet but dry enough to hold a shape when formed into a loaf. Add additional bread crumbs if it's too wet, but not too much or your loaf will be dry.
Form the meat mix into a loaf shape and place the shaped loaf into a bread pan (or rectangular baking dish).
Push the boiled eggs into the body of the loaf, until they are completely covered by the meat mix, in a strainght line so that the eggs form a line through the meat mix. Reshape the top as needed in the pan.
Take the remaining tomato soup and spread evenly across the top of the meat loaf. Sometimes my mother would wait and do this last step until the meat was almost cooked but mostly it was just added at the beginning of the cooking process.
Place the loaf pan on the centre rack of an oven that has preheated to 350F. Cook for 30-45 minutes until the meat is done.
Serve with mashed potatoes, and freshly steamed vegetables.
There is nothing like good old fashioned comfort food on a cold cold June 1st. This past weekend has been exceptionally cold for the end of May and Early June and so I've been thinking of these old comfort foods.
Enjoy.
Everything, including me, went right into a wash.
As a result I could not post a recipe for Sunday, so I'm posting one today.
Meatloaf
This is my mother's meat loaf. We like it, it's comfort food and it's pretty good.
1 lb of lean ground beef
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 hard boiled eggs, shelled
1-2 drops of Sesame oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optionally - Add 1 tbsp of Cayenne or Chili Pepper
1 can of Campbells Tomato soup.
Mix the meat, bread crumbs, the raw egg, Sesame Oil, Garlic and herbs, the green pepper and Onions in a bowl. Optionally add in the Cayenne or Chili Pepper and Salt and Pepper to your liking.
Add half of the can of Tomato Soup into the mix. Reserve the remaining soup for later.
You will want the meat to be somewhat wet but dry enough to hold a shape when formed into a loaf. Add additional bread crumbs if it's too wet, but not too much or your loaf will be dry.
Form the meat mix into a loaf shape and place the shaped loaf into a bread pan (or rectangular baking dish).
Push the boiled eggs into the body of the loaf, until they are completely covered by the meat mix, in a strainght line so that the eggs form a line through the meat mix. Reshape the top as needed in the pan.
Take the remaining tomato soup and spread evenly across the top of the meat loaf. Sometimes my mother would wait and do this last step until the meat was almost cooked but mostly it was just added at the beginning of the cooking process.
Place the loaf pan on the centre rack of an oven that has preheated to 350F. Cook for 30-45 minutes until the meat is done.
Serve with mashed potatoes, and freshly steamed vegetables.
There is nothing like good old fashioned comfort food on a cold cold June 1st. This past weekend has been exceptionally cold for the end of May and Early June and so I've been thinking of these old comfort foods.
Enjoy.
Friday, May 29, 2009
It's the weekend
The weekend is here. Not that it makes that much difference to my daily routine as I'm not getting up and going to work Monday to Friday but still the weekend is here.
The SU and I are going up north a bit this weekend to spend some time with my sister and her husband at Lake Simcoe (huge lake about 45 minutes north of Toronto). If we decide to stay overnight the only issue I have is that we'll be sleeping on the screen porch, attached to the cottage with screens on 3 sides instead of windows/walls, so it's pretty much outside just bug free.
The forecast for the temperature is not good. Cool and cooler. So we may just be making a day trip. Still 45 minutes each way isn't too bad, we'll see. If we have a wobbly pop or two we may just decide to stay and not change a drive home.
Internally here at casa condo we planted our herb garden. We did this the first year we were here but not since then. This year we decided to do it again and, as a result, we have pots out the wazoo. I haven't taken pics of the various plants yet but when they're up a bit more (they're all up now except the Rosemary - we started them all from seeds rather then seedlings) I'll take some pics and do a garden post.
Also, Monday I have my real estate agent coming to give me estimate of the price we'd get for casa condo if we were to sell. However, on the job front my phone has been ringing off the hook this week. So who knows I may have something and not need to sell after all. Time and good interview skills will tell.
Hope your weekend is good and that you have fun.
The SU and I are going up north a bit this weekend to spend some time with my sister and her husband at Lake Simcoe (huge lake about 45 minutes north of Toronto). If we decide to stay overnight the only issue I have is that we'll be sleeping on the screen porch, attached to the cottage with screens on 3 sides instead of windows/walls, so it's pretty much outside just bug free.
The forecast for the temperature is not good. Cool and cooler. So we may just be making a day trip. Still 45 minutes each way isn't too bad, we'll see. If we have a wobbly pop or two we may just decide to stay and not change a drive home.
Internally here at casa condo we planted our herb garden. We did this the first year we were here but not since then. This year we decided to do it again and, as a result, we have pots out the wazoo. I haven't taken pics of the various plants yet but when they're up a bit more (they're all up now except the Rosemary - we started them all from seeds rather then seedlings) I'll take some pics and do a garden post.
Also, Monday I have my real estate agent coming to give me estimate of the price we'd get for casa condo if we were to sell. However, on the job front my phone has been ringing off the hook this week. So who knows I may have something and not need to sell after all. Time and good interview skills will tell.
Hope your weekend is good and that you have fun.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Kabobs
What is a kabob? In North American when we hear about Shish Kabob we think of meat on a skewer or veggies and meat mixed on skewer, grilled on BBQ. Nothing wrong with that.
But what the SU's family calls a Kabob is very different from what I called a Kabob. His version (and his families) may or may not be indicative of other regions of the middle east but what I'm giving you today is the version we make.
So what does the SU's family call a Kabob - well basically it's a grilled meat ball. We've been to Arabian restaurants and street fairs (they have an Arabian street fair in Toronto each year in the Arabian neighbourhood). How they would make them there is to take the meat and form the ball around a skewer and cook them on a grill, the meat in this form is thin, and form a long tube around the skewer - so in that respect they are like the Shish Kabob that some of us may have grown up with.
At home, we live in a condo so we don't have a grill (no balcony and our building does not provide or allow for BBQ on site). So we have a cast iron grilling pan and we make them in that. We don't bother with the skewer but just form the balls and grill them that way.
If you wanted to use skewers be sure to soak them in water before using them so that they will not burn on your grill.
Also we use a spice blend to make the kabobs that we purchase at the Arabian market, it's called, funnily enough, Kabob spice. If you can find that use that with salt and pepper to taste. If not the recipe below is how the SU and I will make it without the Kabob spice blend.
Kabobs:
1/2 pound of lean ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (more or less depending on how dry you like them)
1 tbsp cumin
1tbsp Garam marasala
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp Dill seed
1 tsp Anise Seed (optional)
1-2 tbsp of Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, best to use your hands (use rubber gloves if you don't like the idea of touching the raw meat with your hands).
Form the whole in a ball and cover the bowl, set in the refrigerator to chill and to allow the spices to blend - how long is up to you, minimum of 1 hour though.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator and allow to stand for 10-15 minutes, then either using 2 spoons or just your hands form the meat in to 12 kabobs (roughly egg shaped and roughly triangular on the sides).
While forming the balls, set the grilling pan on the stove top with the heat set to medium and allow the pan to heat. Add a splash of cooking oil or vegetable spray the pan to prevent the meat from sticking.
When the pan is hot, place the kabobs on the pan and allow them to cook on all sides (about 5-7 minutes per side).
When the meat is thoroughly cooked remove from the heat and set aside to rest a few minutes before serving.
Serve with grilled veggies and yogurt/cucumber salad.
To make the yogurt salad:
1 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (fat free if you want to save calories)
1/4 of an English cucumber, chopped fairly fine
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 tbsp of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped and pasted (or use 1 tsp of garlic powder if you are afraid of getting a chunk of raw garlic)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix the all ingredients in a small bowl until well blended, set on the table and use as either a dip or a sauce to pour over the kabobs.
But what the SU's family calls a Kabob is very different from what I called a Kabob. His version (and his families) may or may not be indicative of other regions of the middle east but what I'm giving you today is the version we make.
So what does the SU's family call a Kabob - well basically it's a grilled meat ball. We've been to Arabian restaurants and street fairs (they have an Arabian street fair in Toronto each year in the Arabian neighbourhood). How they would make them there is to take the meat and form the ball around a skewer and cook them on a grill, the meat in this form is thin, and form a long tube around the skewer - so in that respect they are like the Shish Kabob that some of us may have grown up with.
At home, we live in a condo so we don't have a grill (no balcony and our building does not provide or allow for BBQ on site). So we have a cast iron grilling pan and we make them in that. We don't bother with the skewer but just form the balls and grill them that way.
If you wanted to use skewers be sure to soak them in water before using them so that they will not burn on your grill.
Also we use a spice blend to make the kabobs that we purchase at the Arabian market, it's called, funnily enough, Kabob spice. If you can find that use that with salt and pepper to taste. If not the recipe below is how the SU and I will make it without the Kabob spice blend.
Kabobs:
1/2 pound of lean ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (more or less depending on how dry you like them)
1 tbsp cumin
1tbsp Garam marasala
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp Dill seed
1 tsp Anise Seed (optional)
1-2 tbsp of Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, best to use your hands (use rubber gloves if you don't like the idea of touching the raw meat with your hands).
Form the whole in a ball and cover the bowl, set in the refrigerator to chill and to allow the spices to blend - how long is up to you, minimum of 1 hour though.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator and allow to stand for 10-15 minutes, then either using 2 spoons or just your hands form the meat in to 12 kabobs (roughly egg shaped and roughly triangular on the sides).
While forming the balls, set the grilling pan on the stove top with the heat set to medium and allow the pan to heat. Add a splash of cooking oil or vegetable spray the pan to prevent the meat from sticking.
When the pan is hot, place the kabobs on the pan and allow them to cook on all sides (about 5-7 minutes per side).
When the meat is thoroughly cooked remove from the heat and set aside to rest a few minutes before serving.
Serve with grilled veggies and yogurt/cucumber salad.
To make the yogurt salad:
1 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (fat free if you want to save calories)
1/4 of an English cucumber, chopped fairly fine
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 tbsp of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped and pasted (or use 1 tsp of garlic powder if you are afraid of getting a chunk of raw garlic)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix the all ingredients in a small bowl until well blended, set on the table and use as either a dip or a sauce to pour over the kabobs.
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