Let is snow, let it snow, let it snow..

For those unfamiliar with this part of Canada, it isn't too often we see this much snow at this time of the year. Actually, we've had years where it only snowed once or twice and typically not a flake around Christmas time. Usually, what we get is rain. Cold rain, during most of winter. Winter rain is normal around what we call the "lower mainland" or the south coast of the province where we live. Temperatures remain relatively mild, or above 0 celsius during the winter months. We've had snow on and off for about a week, but apparently, it will warm up again soon, and it'll all likely melt away. So, woke up today to a cold morning, went out to shovel the snow. Shoveling snow is a way of life for most Canadian men in the winter. Took a couple of photos...still have to brush off the car...when Jeanette first touched snow years ago...her first comment was "It's cold!" :-) And yes, it's still cold today despite global warming.

We tweet you all a Merry Christmas!

Christmas rush is at its peak. Shopping centres, parking lots, all full. Thank goodness, we did our Christmas shopping in July. ;-)

Our family addition, baby Belle tweets you all a merry Christmas! Looks like her santa hat is a little too big....wait 'til next year.

Years ago, we had parrots over the course of a few years. They were all hand-tamed...let's see..there was Tweetie the cockatiel, Sunny and Cleo, two lovebirds, and Charlie the nanday conure. They were all friendly, and loved to be out and about with us. Lovebird Belle is no different. She's almost two months old and when we first got her a few weeks ago, we had to hand feed her baby bird formula. She's been able to eat on her own for the last couple of weeks. Of all the things that she loves to eat, it's ube or purple yam. We're introducing her to other fresh veggies and fruits, but it'll take time for her to learn to eat them. She eats seeds, special parrot goodies, of course, ube, has toys, and a lovely home. She spends her evenings on the couch with us jumping from person to person to snuggle and hide inside the blanket. She sure is spoiled.

Tree is Up

As she does every year, J has put up our Christmas tree. With snow and the tree, well, it sure feels like Christmas time! Plus, lotsa food, too!

At this point, we're waiting for santa to come down the chimney, I've been cooking up a few dishes for him to try.

Goodies for santa

So what goodies are prepared for santa? How about soya sauce chicken, olive bread, stewed Italian sausage, ground pork with tofu, pork adobo spare ribs and baked spaghetti. Of course, all home made. For his nightly snack, I bought a bottle of Jah Jan sauce so he can mix it with some noodles for a great meal. It's from Taiwan. All he'll need is to boil some noodles, yes, spaghetti works, add a tablespoon of sauce, and he's got an instant meal. So, I thought I'd prep a few dishes out to see if he'll like them. Here they are:

Olive Bread - Made with unbleached and whole what flour, salt, with chopped Kalamata olives. Years ago while in Rome, I found a place that served this bread. Decided to bake it myself. It comes out with a wonderfully thick crust, very dense, and flavourful. Can't find this at any supermarket, plus, has no a chemicals. If you love thick dense European bread, let me know and I'll send you the recipe. This is served with stewed Italian sausages, perfect bread for dipping in the sauce!

Spare Ribs Pork Adobo - Ahhh...this came out excellent. Meat was falling off the bone tender, and sauce is delicious with steamed rice. Very easy to make,

Soya Sauce Chicken - Popular in Chinese BBQ places, except better when done at home. Chicken comes out very tender.

Ground pork with pan-fried Tofu - Another concoction I came up with one day. Ground pork, shitake mushrooms, stir fried with Chinese condiments served over tofu. Very, very tasty, with steamed rice.

Baked Spaghetti - Living in Montreal, I frequently had "Spaghetti au Gratin". Basically, spaghetti baked with lots of cheese on top. With left over home made spaghetti, got out the cast iron frying pan, set the oven to 400F, poured a bit of olive oil over the spaghetti noodles, added the meat sauce, then topped with mozzarella cheese. The result is a tantalizingly delicious dish with bits of crispy noodles. The more cheese the better.

So, you think that santa would love these dishes? I know he will. That's why he returns every year. Just wait 'til you see what we'll have for Christmas dinner! In any case, if santa doesn't like 'em, you're all welcome to come and eat!

To all our family and friends around the world, Merry Christmas!

The Spices of Life

Let is snow, let it snow, let it snow..

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