Comfort Food

We live in an interesting little ecosystem here on the Sunshine Coast and the supermarkets play a little game with loss leaders. This week all the planets aligned for bargains for our regular meat cooking sessions. Hot Italian Sausages, Meatloaf, Sirloin tip roast (also used in the stew) and a couple of nice steaks sliced from it to be enjoyed tomorrow. A nice pork roast too. We worked it out, about 25 double meals for less than fifty bucks, all cooked in the same oven over a two hour period. It was stew for tea tonight, sirloin tip instead of stewing beef, melt in the mouth goodness.

White Rock Sunset

White Rock Marathon

Start of a twelve mile walk in White Rock last week. I had all my hair chopped off for the occasion.

Five hours later...

Still smiling, probably the beer kicking in...

Hop Harvesting

We spent the entire day, almost, hop harvesting up at the brew farm. It was a volunteer effort but they rewarded the brave with unlimited beer and pizza, so it would have been foolish to not offer our services.

It really was an amazing, social day, lots of discussion and laughter, a fair bit of beer and food. We're looking forward to the hoppy creations starting off with the Centennial Hops that we picked today.

More of the same, looking down the hill.

Weed Trees

Everything is growing and we have been up on our land in the last few weeks clearing some weed trees, some of which are healthy four inch diameter monsters now. It keeps us occupied and is surprisingly rather rewarding. I know, I know, we've gone daft, liking manual labour...

Blackberry time...

They're just about falling off the bushes now, looks like it's going to be a good crop this year, trouble is, everyone is picking them!

Set it and forget it.

This is the second Whole Wheat bread loaf that we have made with our new Cuisinart convection breadmaker, just to make a note, 1-1/3 cups water plus one tablespoon, four cups of whole wheat flour, three heaped teaspoons of white sugar, one of molasses, two heaped teaspoons of flax, two of bran, a tablespoon of milk, one and a half level teaspoons of salt, two heaped teaspoons of yeast. All ingredients go in with that order, 2 pound loaf, medium crust, press start.

It is delicious stuff and we're looking forward to some experiments.

Water Babies.

On the way over from Fisherman's Wharf to Spinnakers, Oh Spinnakers, we do loves your ales and interesting tales, real ale and real people!

Captain Peacock

Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, Early morning stroll.

Drowning in good Beer

Canoe Brewing, Victoria, happy hour 3.00pm until six, first day on the Island, no time to waste...

All at Sea

On board the Spirit of Vancouver Island, on the trip back from Victoria, a fantastic four days over on the Island.

Anniversary

Peace

Happy and content, just liking this retirement game.

Decade

Ten years can go by in the blink of an eye, but never has an event been so focused to me as seeing my late Dad's car being taken away up Llysfaen Avenue in Kinmel Bay near Rhyl. Dad had been gone for almost four years at that point, but watching his taxi being taken away seemed like a last goodbye.

Two way Street.

If you go over, you have to come back and there's only one way to do that.

I don't know if it was good or bad for Karen, but it was less crowded on the way back.

History repeats itself

Karen was proud to go across the Capilano suspension bridge once, I think she decided that was enough, however, on a recent visit to BC, her mum, Pat, wanted to go across, so brave young Kagz did it all over again.

Inlet Raider in Gibsons

Last time we saw the Inlet Raider we were in a Dragon Boat paddling past it in Sechelt Inlet, Friday, at Gramma's we were quaffing a jug of landing lager and the ship came in to the new float at Gibsons Harbour, with a barge and a couple of huge vehicles in tow, I say in tow, but they were pushing the barge. They docked, loaded some huge concrete doobery and then were off again, past the green lady and out the gap, probably up to the right 25km to the Lehigh Gravel pit in Sechelt.

Thanks to Buddy Boyd for the photo. Stuff like this only happens when we don't have our camera handy.

Where's Weldo...

Answers on a Postcard please...

Thirsty Thursday.

Yes, it is required.

The Guardian of the Feeder

It is mine, I tell you, all mine, none shall approach whilst I breathe...

Another Year

Another Year, the trusty, and not too rusty, Honda lawn mower was trundled out once again, a quick look and once again, it did it's duty. It will be 14 years old in August and besides a little oil, a new spark plug, occasional cleaning and a new blade two years ago, it's looking good.

Oh, and the Sorel's, the boots, they're 23 years old now.

Anna's

Karen has looked in her book and she thinks it is a female Anna's Hummingbird, but she can't say for sure. We should give Bill Oddie a call.

Rufous

Humming Along

The hummingbird feeder is quite busy at the moment and this guy has claimed it for his own, he is a Rufous Hummingbird and he has set up shop. It is amazing to see him protect the feeder from others. At the moment we have both Rufous and Anna's hummingbirds arriving in a crazy flight pattern, fascinating to watch!

Almost Spring, Almost

This photo was taken in the middle of January and the weather has been teasing us since about then. It may look and feel like spring out here, but on occasion, we drop back into a chill. Hopefully, now we're into April, the showers will slow down and we can enjoy the outside world more.

Beans Means....

Last week we broke our duck from a lifetime without a slow cooker, we made a very good beef stew, but, that's not the reason we bought the monster, today, it fulfilled it's destiny.

Recipe : 

Two pounds of dried navy beans, soak overnight. Drain, Rinse. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes in the morning. Drain. Add to slow cooker while still hot, turn on to high. Add 3 cups boiling water. Add 1/2 cup of molasses. Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Add one large can of tomato puree. Add two teaspoons of salt. Add one tablespoon of any hot sauce. Cook on high for two hours, stir. Cook on low for four more hours, check once or twice as sauce thickens, add small amounts of boiling water to prevent it getting too thick.

Cost :

Beans $3.00, Tomato puree, $1.05, Molasses $1.50. Sugar $0.30 Hot sauce $0.20 Total = $6.05 and we know everything that went in. 10 mason jars + two more containers of beans.

Mason Jars are popping as I type. 

Oh, and they smell and taste amazing!

The Monster

We have been tracking the price of beans over the last few years and it appears that the "machine" does not really want to sell us tinned beans any more, which is actually a very good thing. The fact that tinned, processed beans have whatever fructose/glucose that they term sugar nowadays along with the mysterious "tomato" sauce and "natural" flavours, makes us want to announce that 2014 will be the "Year of the Bean" in this household, that is, home, baked beans.

And it all starts here, with this monster :

The Rival Crock-Pot, close to 5 quarts, Ceramic Cooker, soon to be filled with beans, beans, beans.

The cooking of home baked beans will also introduce us to the concept of the mason jar.

Watch this space.