Pocketful of Memory Cards

Yesterday my beloved country turned 145 years old.  The weather forecast was for thunderstorms which did not bode well for the traditional downtown and lakefront celebrations.  I was very grateful when the sun came out mid morning and warmed things up for the rest of the day.  Even the evening was clear for the fireworks at Waterfront Park. Since Canada Day fell on a Sunday we get today off,  and on this holiday Gratitude Monday I am feeling extremely blessed to live in the true north strong and free .  Inspired by Mrs. Pear Tree's Canada Day post my gratitude list includes all of the things I am grateful for in this great country of ours. I'm grateful for: universal health care freedom of speech maple leaves (no, not the hockey team) faerie trees the discovery of insulin gun control Canadians (again, not the hockey team) picking strawberries on Canada day farmers Ryan Gosling Uclulet and Tofino halibut pickerel Americans (Despite t...

I was planning on posting this next week but since this "What to do..." has an option that can only be done on a Wednesday, I thought I'd give you a chance to plan ahead. Last night, what started out as a chore (albeit a pleasant one) turned into a great Wednesday night date.  We planned to hit the 5:00 pick at Benvoulin Road Strawberries but when we arrived at 5:07 there wasn't a parking spot to be had.  We decided since we were already half way there, we should grab an early dinner at Poppadom's , my personal favourite for Indian food in Kelowna.   June 23rd, just had to add this terrific video just posted on their fb page. The announcement of their new  menu  turned up in my email box earlier this week and I was keen to see what they had to offer.  The good news is they're still committed to sharing traditional flavours from all corners of India using fresh foods and healthy cooking methods, but the focus is now on local ingredients. ...

BEFORE AFTER I'm not the greatest baker, but I do enjoy making pie.   My mom was hands down the best pastry maker around, and I'm confident anyone who ever had a piece of pie she made would agree.   It's not something you can teach really and for me it's hit and miss, but I always try.  Here's the first strawberry rhubarb pie of the season.  Probably the only strawberry rhubarb pie of the season.  I did also make a strawberry pie with a regular crust and stuck it in the freezer uncooked for another time.   For all you strawberry lovers in Kelowna, there were quite a few strawberries left on the bushes at Benvoulin Strawberries when we picked last night.  She figures ten more days, so get out there and load up while you still can!

Hello you people who arrived here in search of info about the Benvoulin strawberry patch.  The phone number is in the bottom paragraph.  Happy picking! So there I was at the Benvoulin strawberry patc h at 7:30 this morning about to take a photo of those endless rows of green bushes and shiny red strawberries in that magical morning light, only to discover my battery was dead.  On Sunday I went to take a photo of a brilliant orange Chevy at the Father's Day Show and Shine and was disappointed to see I had arrived sans memory card.  I think I'm getting to the age where I need check list before I leave the house, at least as far as photography is concerned.   I did however remember to bring my own bucket to my first visit to the patch this year and I will be back so don't worry, you'll be seeing more strawberries in the future.  This first batch will be just for eating as God intended and making into strawberry shortcake...which I suspect God had...

I really enjoyed the Food Network on the flight back yesterday afternoon, particularly the Mexican Made Easy and French Food at Home programs.  Tonight I made most of the French meal that Laura Calder made for her family reunion which was appropriate since Nicole came for dinner.  I skipped the Risotto but I'll definitely try it another day.  We had the aperitif platter, the Ratatouille (without the meat as Nicole is Vegetarian) on Red Thai Rice, and the Strawberry Galette shown here.  I'm usually a disaster when it comes to baking, but I'm proud to say this one worked out so I had to have proof.  Do give it a try!