neti pot

How did I get this far in life without knowing about these? It's rather disgusting to talk about how they work, but I need to share that they do actually work! I can breathe. It's so nice.

Coconut Curry Chicken

 

Go to Costco and look for these on the shelves.  Purchase the Coconut Curry.  
Go to Trader Joe's and pick up a can of Coconut Milk.
(If you don't have a Trader Joe's and a Costco nearby, you probably need to relocate.)
You will also need some baby spinach, some roasted peanuts, some plain yogurt, and some white rice.

Go to your favorite purveyor of free-range organic chickens and buy a cut-up one.

Brown the chicken pieces in your cast-iron skillet that you cooked bacon in and didn't drain.

Put the chicken in your crock pot. 

Pour the Coconut Curry over top.

Pour the Coconut Milk over top.

Cook for a couple of hours.

Cook some rice.

Grind up a 1/2 C of peanuts.

Put the rice in a bowl.

Put some baby spinach on top.

Ladle hot Coconut Curry sauce on top.

Put a piece of chicken on top of that.

Add a dollop of yogurt.

Add some ground peanuts.

Eat.

Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson

I usually do not care for short-stories, as they just get going and then end, and I like longer pleasures.  Not so with Kate Atkinson's collection, Not the End of the World, which I thoroughly enjoyed for reasons I shall not reveal, as doing so might diminish the pleasure for you.

a letter from Dad

I don't know how old this is; I found it during the great purging.

Light Rye Egg Bread

I'll try to get a picture of this bread in daylight for you, though we may snarf it all up at breakfast. It's a pretty loaf and slices into thin slices without tearing. I was trying to make a different kind of bread but put in too many eggs and ran out of flour, so I had to tweak it. It's much nicer than the bread I was trying to make.

3/4 C moo
1/3 C hot water
3 eggs
2 T butter, cut up
2 C white flour
1 C rye flour
1 C wheat flour
3 T sugar
1 t salt
1 1/4 t breadmaker yeast

(see previous bread posts for directions)

Vacation Tips for Parksville/Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

We just got back from another great week on Vancouver Island.  We zip over the border, catch a ferry in Tsawwassen, gaze at the beautiful scenery as we cross over to Nanaimo, drive 45 minutes north and enjoy the aptly named city of Parksville.  The first thing we did was drive to French Creek Seafood where we bough fresh salmon, oysters, clams, and scallops.  It's a bit tricksy to find, but worth it if you are ever vacationing in the area.

We enjoyed Kids Fest, a day of Child-Centered activities at the impressive Parksville Community Park.  There's a water-park, a fully tricked out play-ground (zip line even!), a boardwalk, a terrific sandy beach, a skateboard park, and more.  Will Stroet and the Backyard Band kept the kids and the adults entertained with his silly songs and easy manner.  Chickadee transformed into a superhero before our very eyes.

On an other day we drove to Nanaimo (20 minutes) where we took a ferry to Newcastle Island for a day of biking and strolling.  We rented bikes there and had a beautiful ride along pine-needle trails with a view of the seashore.  My kids have never seen me ride a bike.  They kept telling me how its done.  Somehow the bikes didn't make it into the pictures.  Here we are at resting point.

We spent a very nice afternoon at the Milner Gardens where we enjoyed a woodland stroll, a nice gift-shop, an lovely tea shop with scones and devon cream, and a beautiful view of the ocean. I doubt if the gardeners are too thrilled about the deer in the gardens, but we thought this little fawn was darling.

We also had a lovely time at the Little Qualicum Cheeseworks which featured a petting zoo, cheese samples, wine samples, gift shop, ice cream.

We enjoyed Miniature Golf at Riptide Lagoon where Chickadee got two hole-in-ones.  There are two miniature golf centers in Nanaimo.  Both are enjoyable.

And, as we do every year, we visited the Old Country Market aka "Goats on the Roof": import shop, food market for foodies, bakery, deli, cafe, ice cream, and goats.  The goats stroll about on the roof above you as you eat.

New finds this year include:
Springford Farms where we could have bought organic produce, eggs, beef, and chicken if we had found it earlier. 
Bread and Honey: a new lunch stop.  Freshly baked bread, sandwiches, cookies, really yummy soup.  Very friendly proprietresses. 

Note to Self: Next year we want to make sure that we visit Little Qualicum Falls and the Historical Museum.