Linda Hoye's Blog, page 180

Room to Breathe

It’s the second week of the Be Still – Fifty Two class I’m taking with Kim Klassen. I am loving this class and the gentle and quiet images from Kim and all of the students I have the honour of seeing every day.

This week we were photographing something simple and leaving room in the frame…for nothing. This has been a challenge for me. I’ve struggled to find a place of personal quiet and calm and I have snapped many photographs of all manner of things around the house that haven’t quite captured the essence of what I was looking for.

I found that elusive sense of stillness and peace when we were out for a walk on this beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. And this. A single leaf in laying in the sparkling snow–a reminder of the autumn that was; a clear view of the winter that is; and, in my eyes, the promise of spring to come.

Vegetable Stock – Something From Nothing

If I were living on a farm I might feed my veggie peelings to the goats or the hogs. If we didn’t live in bear country, or if it wasn’t the middle of winter, I might toss them in the compost bin. Instead I save my scraps to feed my worms and they, in turn, are kind enough to eat them up and produce vermicompost for my garden. Since I produce more scraps than my worm bin can handle, I often freeze scraps until I have enough to make a pot of vegetable stock.

When I was chopping veggies to make turkey soup a few days ago I noticed that the container I keep scraps in was full. The worm bin production has slow down significantly with the cold weather we’re experiencing so I decided it was time to make some vegetable stock. I’ll be making more soups over the coming months and one can never have too much veggie stock in the pantry.

The vegetable mixture I use to make a batch of stock varies depending on what I’ve been cooking with and, as a result, the flavour of each batch is slightly different. This batch was mostly carrot peels and ends, celery ends, cabbage leaves, onion skins and bits, and rainbow chard pieces. A flavourful mixture to be sure.

I dumped the entire frozen mess into a stock pot, filled it with water, added some salt and pepper, and simmered it for a couple of hours. At one point hubby came upstairs and commented on how good the house was smelling. It’s amazing what a pot of scraps simmering on the stove can contribute to the ambiance of a home!

After a few hours I strained the stock and poured it into clean and hot quart canning jars. I wiped the rims to ensure they were clean, applied lids and rings finger tight, processed in my pressure canner for 35 minutes. The Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving says to process at 10 pounds pressure; for my altitude here in Kamloops I need to process at 11 pounds pressure. You’ll need to check the altitude for your location and adjust accordingly

I ended up with three quarts and one pint of beautiful and delicious vegetable stock made from scraps I might otherwise have thrown in the trash. That makes it pretty much free in my book and not too bad for a day’s work!

Chocolate: Not Just For Desert Anymore

From time to time I may bring you some information about products I use and enjoy–and I love to showcase Canadian companies like this one.  Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link in this post I may receive a nominal compensation that helps support this site.

It’s January and we’re all trying to eat healthier. I don’t know about your but after the food-fest that was December I’m in the mood for salad. Recently I came across a recipe for Strawberry Salad with Chocolate Vinaigrette that almost seems like the best of both worlds.

Salad? With chocolate? Count me in!

I found the recipe on the Purdy’s website. For those of you who may not familiar with Purdy’s let me give you some history. Purdy’s is a Canadian company (I was delighted to learn they were voted one of the Best Employers in Canada by its employees in recent years) that has been making high quality and delicious chocolate since 1907.

When we lived here before, before every Christmas and Easter we had an opportunity to place group orders at work. I purchased my fair share of chocolate to give to others and to enjoy at home over the years (Sweet Georgia Browns and Hedgehogs were my particular favourites) and now that we’re home again, it was inevitable we’d end up at Purdy’s before Christmas to pick up a couple of boxes.

Recently, I was poking around on the Purdy’s website to see what new offerings they had and in addition to the many delectable chocolate offerings, I found a recipe section with an assortment of surprising recipes that include chocolate. Chocolate Baby Back Ribs and Chocolate and Beer BBQ Sauce are just a couple of examples. You can browse through the recipes online or download one of their free eBooks.

What I didn’t know about Purdy’s, and was delighted to learn, is that they are the kind of company I am pleased to support. Their chocolates contain only natural ingredients with no preservatives and they’ve been walking the “green” talk for decades. Perhaps best of all is their commitment to sustainability and the support they provide the farmers and their families who grow the cocoa they use in their chocolates. There’s a lot more about this, and the two pillars of Purdy’s Sustainable Cocoa, on their website. This is a company with integrity.

For now, I invite you to head over to the Purdy’s site and check them out for yourself. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and Easter will be here before you know it–but really, any time is a good time for chocolate right? Purdy’s delivers all across Canada and the United States.

Oh yes, and I’ll be sure to let you know when I make that Strawberry Salad with Chocolate Vinaigrette.

Weekend Reading – January 16, 2015

It still looks like winter outside but the days are gradually growing longer and I’ve got garden fever. The white and snowy landscape is doing nothing to deter me from dreaming of getting some seeds in the ground.

Speaking of gardens, check out the beautiful gardens of Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten. I love her TV show, along with great recipes and cooking techniques, she has such a calm demeanor about her that I find soothing.

Here’s a post about starting seeds that illustrates the use of newspaper pots. I’ve done this and, when it’s time to put the plants outside, the whole pot goes in the ground. I wrote about my experience with newspaper pots here and here.

With a nod to Old Man Winter who is still hanging on, here’s a look at a Norwegian folding ice cabin. One word: Brrr!

This post over at The Art of Doing Stuff inspired me to buy some bins and organize my freezer more efficiently this week.

I’ve been all over the web reading about essential oils and experimenting with a few of them this week. I had a little incident with the top element in my oven and a single drop of lavender oil took the pain away immediately. I’ve used it a few times and I’m amazed at how quickly it’s healing. Here’s a few more things that lavender essential oil can be used for.

Happy Friday. Happy weekend.

Granola

When we moved into our new home last year we were blessed to have my husband’s brother and his wife come and help us. Andrea, I learned, is a kitchen organizer extraordinaire and I think of her often when I reach for something in one of my kitchen cabinets or drawers that is stored in a place that is so logical–and that I would never have thought of.

Knowing how chaotic moving can be, Andrea brought us supper for the first night and breakfast for the next morning. We really enjoyed the granola. It wasn’t sickly sweet like some granola’s are and so I wanted to make some for myself. The recipe that follows is Andrea’s; I don’t know where she originally got it from. It’s a basic recipe you can tweak as desired depending on your unique likes and dislikes.



PrintGranola

Yield: Gerry and I eat yogurt and granola most mornings for breakfast and a batch usually lasts us for two months. Of course your yield will depend on serving size and how often you eat it.

Ingredients

6 cups large flake oatmeal
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup flax seeds
1 cup oat bran
1 cup pumpkin seeds
Chopped nuts - as much as you like. I use chopped almonds.

Instructions

Warm honey and maple syrup in microwave. I use 1/4 cup of honey only.
Pour honey over other ingredients and mix well. I use my large roaster for this.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Stir well.
Bake another 20 minutes.
Stir well.
Bake another 20 minutes.
Stir well.
Depending on how toasty you like it you may want to bake for another 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Add dried fruit to taste--raisins, cranberries, whatever. I use dried cherries and blueberries that I dehydrated in the summer.3.0http://lindahoye.com/granola/

2014 Top Ten

I’ve been seeing a lot of Top Ten lists highlighting the year’s top posts on various blogs this week and thought I’d follow trend by sharing mine. As I review them I find snapshot of what the first year of retirement has been like.

It’s interesting to me that the top two posts that were read last year were written quite some time ago. Over the years they’ve consistently shown up at the top of what’s being read; I assume it’s because they’re showing up on Google Searches. I’m going to omit them from this list but reveal them at the end of this post.

So, in order of popularity, here are the top posts from 2014.

Kitchen Update
My Writing Process Tour
Last Friday (This is one of my favourites too! Check it out, if you missed it, and you’ll see why.)
Canning Sungold Tomato Jam
Happy Anniversary, Gerry
Canning – Coleslaw
Washing Dishes
A Disturbing Trend
Happy Hair Appointment
A Day In Retiree Life

And the two posts that consistently rank at the top of the most read posts are A Canada Goose (from 2011) and Keypunch Operator (from 2009).

It’s kind of interesting to take a look back at all that happened over the past year, isn’t it? Here’s to the second year of retirement and the new adventures it will bring! Join me on the journey, won’t you?

 

Snow Days and Weekend Reading

We’ve had record snowfall here in Kamloops and we, like many others, have literally been snowed in. City workers were unable to keep up with the volume of snow that fell in such a short period of time and many people found themselves housebound waiting for roads to be cleared. Flights in and out of the airport were cancelled and for the first time in 37 years schools were closed.

And the snow kept falling.

It was pretty to look at from the warmth and safety of home. Not so pleasant for those (like my hubby) who spent a lot of time outside clearing snow from their own, and neighbours, driveways.

To be honest, I enjoyed the snow days. It seemed like the quiet days of the holiday season were extended a bit and I appreciated it. The fact that we’ve got a pantry filled with all manner of canned goods, and a freezer likewise filled with food, meant that we could hunker down pretty comfortably. A few days when I have a legitimate reason not to leave the house? Count me in!

Here’s a few interesting tidbits I picked up this week with all the extra time I had for reading and learning new things. I hope you find them interesting.

Have you heard the term ‘Decision Fatigue’? I can identify with how, faced with a plethora of decisions every day, one can become overwhelmed. Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt. In fact, you might be surprised at how often I wear the same t-shirt when I’m enjoying days at home. I liked this post about The Science of Simplicity: Why Successful People Wear the Same Thing Every Day.

I’ve been reading about a new trend toward minimalism that interests me. While I don’t make resolutions for the new year this is a trend I plan to embrace at some level. Check out Why “Minimalism” Should Be Your 2015 Resolution.

Here’s a great article about making homemade pasta. I dipped my toe in the pasta-making practice a couple of years ago and look forward to doing it more this year. Yes, there will be future posts about my pasta-making adventures.  The Science of the Best Fresh Pasta.

I loved, loved, loved this post called Give Me Gratitude Or Give Me Debt by Glennon Doyle Melton on her Momastery blog. Check out her kitchen reveal. Perfect.

Okay that’s it for this week. Enjoy your day and enjoy your weekend.

Photo Friday…on Wednesday

What to do, what to do? Since I plan to share a link to some of my favourite online during the week on Fridays as a new Weekend Reading post, I’ve created a conflict with the Photo Friday posts I like to do from time to time.

I hope to do regular weekly photography posts as I’m excited to be starting a class from Canadian photographer, Kim Klassen, soon called Be Still – Fifty Two which will have weekly lessons. Might have to link up with Kim’s Texture Tuesday posts instead. We’ll see.

Anyway, for this week, I thought I’d share an image of my standard morning fare: homemade yogurt, homemade granola, and an extra dash of the cherries I dehydrated last summer. Simple, healthy, and oh-so-delicious.

I’ll be sharing the recipe I use for granola next week and perhaps a bit more detail about the process I use for making yogurt. Do you know we eat yogurt almost daily and I haven’t purchased store-bought yogurt since last March?

Ice Balls

A few years ago, when we were still living in the Pacific Northwest, I saw this cool idea somewhere.

Fill balloons with coloured water, freeze them, and place the resulting coloured orbs of ice along a snowy sidewalk. I thought it was such a neat idea and tucked it away in the back of my mind to do when we returned to Canada. This year, with all the kids coming for Christmas, I thought it would be neat to put the coloured ice balls out before they arrived.

In mid-December I bought some balloons, filled them up with water, coloured them red or green, and set them on my deck to freeze. Then I waited.

And waited.

The December temperature remained above freezing and the snow all melted. Some of the balloons sprung a leak and my deck took on a reddish tinge.

A couple of days before Christmas I brought the balloons inside and put them in the freezer thinking I could set them outside and they would survive for a short while anyway.

Christmas came and went, a good time was had by all, and I didn’t get a chance to put the ice balls outside.

Then it finally snowed again and we were plummeted into freezing temperatures.

So yes, I know it’s January, and I’ve just put frozen orbs of red and green ice balls in my yard. That’s just how we roll in the unpredictable Canadian winter.

Weekend Reading

I don’t know about you but I find it a relief to have the holidays behind us. I’m not one to make resolutions but with the turning of the calendar to a brand new year of possibilities it’s hard not to feel a sense of anticipation.

My mind is often on my 2015 garden these days. I’m moving to a bigger plot in the community garden and I can’t wait to get started. It’s time to start browsing seed catalogs and enjoying this planning phase of gardening.

It’s also a time when we can return to the simple way of life I’ve come to cherish. I love the sense of inhabiting my home, being the CEO in my kitchen as I plan and prepare meals, taking note of what’s in my pantry and freezer, and making plans for the 2015 canning season.

I’ve taken some time during the past week to think about this blog and where I want to take it. I’m thinking of making a few changes in 2015 as I focus more on things that interest me (and hopefully you!) and share some of what I’m learning in this new phase of my life. More about that to come.

Over the past few months I’ve acquired a habit of waking in the middle of the night and reading for an hour or so. Sometimes, I lose myself in a novel I’ve got on the go; other times I hop around cyberspace via the Flipboard app on my iPad or catch up on favourite blogs with my Feedly app reading about things that I find interesting and that pertain to this simple, green life I’m trying to live.

I thought it might be good to share some of the things I learn about in my meanderings around the web and so I’m going to start a series called Weekend Reading where I share links to some of these good things. I’m thinking I’ll do this weekly. Perhaps not. We’ll just see how it goes.

Take a peek at this week’s list and let me know what you think.

30 Insanely Easy Ways To Improve Your Kitchen

Cranberry Mustard – Turkey sandwiches just got so much sweeter!

Couple Build 704 Sq. Ft. Cabin That ‘Fits Like a Glove’

Why we should revive the art of saving seeds

Want rich, crumbly compost the easy way? Become a worm listener.

I hope you’ve enjoyed your holiday season, whatever it looked like for you, and that this brand new year brings surprises, fulfillment, and joy.