Occasional musings from a Left-coast Canadian ExPat in Oxford.
One of the culinary frontiers I hadn’t explored until today was shellfish. I don’t mean eating (I’m an old pro at that one), I mean preparing in my own kitchen. I doubt I would’ve made it there, had I not possessed an excess of wine in the fridge that needed to be cooked with. (Wine … Continue reading Mussel Man
I got a lovely wee package in the mail yesterday. TiVo was sharing some love, in the form of an apron! WooHoo!
They sent it because I was supposed to host a TiVo tasting party (they loaded my box with a bunch of content, with the intention of sharing it with my friends), which I never did get around to.
But I sing the praises of the TiVo often enough, and pimp the TiVo love all over town, so I don’t feel guilty accepting the gift anyway.
I’ve already given it an inaugural run, and covered it in spaghetti sauce splatters from tonight’s dinner.
Neil also gave it a trial run while prepping salad. I’ve included that particular photo under the cut. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Continue reading “Cookin’ with TiVo”
In true Vancouver fashion, November has ushered itself in with rain which probably won’t depart until sometime in February, when we’ll be blessed with a week or 10 days of bright, crisp sunshine, to be followed by more rain through April. And not much is better in that kind of weather than curling up with … Continue reading Bookworm
Further proof to add to the already overwhelming collection of evidence that I am O.L.D. I am just so excited about this weekend that I could spit! (Though not until after a quick swirl, deep sniff, and roll-around in the mouth taste.) What on earth am I going on about? THE 2003 BORDEAUXS ARE HERE! … Continue reading Grape Escape
I drove into work today since I had to go visit a client before lunch. New job downside: No more free parking, which means I bus in most days. New job upside? Does not make me want to stab myself in the face daily, or ever. Because I was more mobile than usual, I ventured … Continue reading Use your Noodle
I don’t know where, when, or why the decision was made. But I don’t like it. I feel betrayed. Abandoned. Deceived. I didn’t need to be consulted. But at least a little warning, and perhaps an explanation would be appreciated. How could you just rip something like that away from me without as much as … Continue reading Tragedy
After our Tofino accommodation debacle, Neil and I changed plans abruptly, deciding to make our way down island to the Cowichan Valley and check out some of the wineries that have sprung up in the area over the past decade or so. Late August is a bit of a dodgy time to visit wineries. Their … Continue reading Vacation Lessons #3 – take a chance, make the call
Borrowing a page from Sue, I give you the Readers’ Digest version of what I’ve been up to the past week: Approx. Kilometers Driven: 1200 Ferries Taken: 4 Coasts visited: 3 (mainland west coast, island east coast, island west coast) Minutes waited in line for the Earl’s Cove-Powell River ferry: 4 Nights gone: 6 Hotels … Continue reading Vacation by the Numbers
Heather posted last week about how she’s trying to expand her cooking repertoire. I was going to leave my roast chicken recipe in her comments, but since it turns out so damn tasty, I thought I’d share it with everyone: Rosemary Roast Chicken: Obtain roasting chicken. Check centre cavity for giblets and remove if present. … Continue reading Roasty Toasty
It’s that time again… Tim Horton’s Roll-up the Rim to Win contest is in full swing. And as usual, I’m losing. The official count thus far for this year’s efforts is 0/7. I wrote last year about how I never win unless something catastrophic happens. And I don’t remember (and didn’t post) whether or not … Continue reading Rollin’
Does this mean I’ve been slash-fooded (check the dates)? I suspect the world will never know. Continue reading Copycat
Anyone who knows me, knows I appreciate good food. I do consider myself a bit of a foodie. Perhaps even a food snob. However, were other foodies to find out about some of my guilty pleasures, my status would be immediately cancelled, and I’d be ostracized for crimes against reasonable cuisine. I’m going to risk … Continue reading Food Fetish
Instead of revelling with the Halloween merry makers and hell raisers, I chose a different tactic entirely. I completely avoided the costumes and crowds, and went for dinner last night at Lucy Mae Brown instead. Hot damn was that a good decision! Fifty years ago, an American widow named Lucy Mae Brown ran a bordello … Continue reading Restaurant Review: Lucy Mae Brown
Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It’s been 3 weeks since my last decent meal, and I have ingested the following chemical compounds in place of real food: -Sapporo Ichiban, chicken flavour -Pillsbury Pizza Pops, bacon & pepperoni flavour -Microwave Burritos, bean & cheese flavour -Kraft Dinner -Pub food in many varieies, more commonly … Continue reading Confession