Thursday meanderings of the mind . . .

 

 

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Here in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia we are under a Tropical Storm Watch at the moment, whilst counties South West and South of us are on a Hurricane Watch.  That is what it says on my weather app.  The storm has a moderate severity, with possible threat to life or property with strong tropical winds of 60 gusting to 90 and possibly 100 over exposed areas on Saturday. Hurricane Lee is it's name. 

My mother had a cousin Lee. He lived in Connecticut.  I remember visiting him once.  They had a swimming pool in the back yard and we enjoyed jumping in and out of it.  It was a real novelty.

Anyways, back to the storm. I will fill my buckets, etc. with water, just in case. Have the flash lights ready and batteried.  Get my candles ready.  Have something good to read prepared that isn't on an electronic device.  Should we lose power, it is always best to be prepared.

 

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It might come to naught, but you never know. I have bread and plenty to make sandwiches with or eat. I know how to heat a tin of soup over a flower pot. I have lots to drink and can also boil water over a flower pot for a cup of tea. I will be okay should the worse happen.

My foot lady is coming this morning.  The calm before the storm.  I am not sure when the storm is actually supposed to hit us. It is very calm at the moment and is quite mild out temperature wise. Its not supposed to start raining until this afternoon.  

I am confused.  I am not sure if the storm is coming today or Saturday.  The advisory is quite ambiguous.  Perhaps I should turn on the TV.

I just did and there is another front coming in as well, so the hurricane/tropical storm will be on Saturday and in the  meantime this other front is hovering over us which could bring torrential rains and possible flooding.

So, a nasty stalled front with heavy rain, followed by a tropical storm. So challenging weather conditions Friday, Saturday, Sunday.  I have 24 hours to prepare.

 

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I've been watching this girl on YouTube Vintage Dietitian. She is recreating Vintage Recipes from the 1920's.  Sunday Dinners.  She has a book with 52 Sunday dinners written in the 1920's and she is cooking them.  She might be a dietitian ( and I question that in a way) but she doesn't know how to cook. I find myself cringing while I watch her.  Most of what she is cooking is not turning out and it is not hard to see why.  I find it quite entertaining. 

These old recipes she is using are sadly lacking in details.  Written at a time when it was assumed that most women knew how to cook,  and were taught how to cook at an early age. So no times, pan sizes, temperatures, etc. are given. Instructions are ambiguous at best.  Most recipes are just a list of ingredients and very vague in detail as to how to do anything.  For the novice cook/baker this is a nightmare waiting to happen, which is where the entertainment value comes in here.  She is flying by guess-work and I don't think she is very experienced culinarily speaking.  She will learn as she goes along I assume.

Sometimes with videos like this, the comments are just as entertaining as the actual video.  I give her A+ for courage and tenacity!

 

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As usual, Cindy and I had a very enjoyable time out together yesterday afternoon. First we went to Walmart. I get a lot of my medical/grooming things at Walmart. Tylenol, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.  Their prices are usually cheaper. I also picked up a can of Spam and one of Corned beef.  Vintage recipes you know.

After that we went to Dollarama. I picked up some aluminum foil and parchment paper and a few other bits. Cookies, okay  . . . sigh  . . .  it was these Italian cookies I like that you can get there, and my chocolate covered rice cakes. I had been going to get Halloween Decorations, but did I get any?  Nary a one.

Then we went to Giant Tiger.  I can remember before I came back to Canada, Eileen would say she had shopped at Giant Tiger and I had this mental impression that it was a store filled with cheap and shoddy merchandise and Chinese tat.  I was pleasantly surprised. Yes it does have a lot of cheap and shoddy merchandize and Chinese tat in it, but it also has a lot of other things as well and the prices are usually quite good.  I do find that the local one here however never seems to have much of what is actually on special.  When queried we were told that the goods go to the Giant Tiger in New Minas first and we get what's leftover.

Not sure how true that is.

Then we met Dad and Hazel for supper at the Oaken Barrel. I am not sure that I was all that impressed. It was very dark inside and quite noisy. Our Waitress was very attentive though. I could not fault her in the least.  But I don't think the food was all that good. The batter on my fish was greasy and soggy and the fish overcooked.  The chips were good and hot however. The coleslaw was . . .  hmmm . . .  pickled red cabbage.  Not quite coleslaw in my books. 

It wasn't about the food however, it was about being together with my dad and with Cindy.  Hazel also enjoys our company. As my father can't hear very well, he's not the best conversationalist. 

I was panicking a bit when I got home because I could not find Cinnamon anywhere.  Usually, along with Nutmeg, she comes right out to greet me. I even got the treat box out and was shaking it and no Cinnamon.  I was ready to call  my sister and say "I can't find Cinnamon."

I decided to hang my coat up in the closet and lo and behold, there was Cinnamon. I had gotten some peanuts out for the chipmunk just prior to leaving and she must have run in while my back was turned. She had spend the whole time locked in the closet.  Whew!  I was relieved that was all it was.

You should have seen how attentive Nutmeg was to her when she came out. He was so happy to see her.  It did my heart good to see how close they are to each other.

 

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Now that's my kind of kitchen. Nice and airy and bright, with lots of nooks and crannies to stick your stuff out of sight.  Except for the ceiling beams. I hate ceiling beams.  They had those in the kitchen at the manor and they were a nightmare to keep clean and dusted.  Too many rough bits to snag your cloth or duster on.  Not a fan. So not a fan.

But I do like everything else.  Especially what I can see of the cooking range to the left.  And the light. I so love the lighting.

My friend Jackie lives in a seniors place like I do, but hers is much newer and filled with light. There are only two bungalows in each unit where she lives and so three sides of each unit has windows to let in the light. Mind, hers is at least 100 dollars more a month, is right on the main highway, has no trees in the yard and no front porch and her rent goes up every year. Apparently mine only goes up when the next person moves in.  

All I need to do is to find a better source of light for my food photography. The way it stands now, I have to transport everything to a tiny tv tray in the living room by my front window.  Not exactly ideal, but I manage. I miss the wonderful natural light I had in the UK.  Mind you, I have never been that great at taking food pictures I don't think. It is hit and  miss with me.

Speaking of food photography and food blogging. Someone left this comment on my latest Vintage Menu post:

"Hi, I'm English and you've some interesting recipes here, but what you in the USA call 'biscuits' are actually scones and the plain ones are served with jam and clotted cream- - an old Cornish type of delicious cream. There are also scones with dried fruit and also cheese scones, either usually served with butter. Fillings are inside a split scone. We done have 'gravy' with them because that is something you'd have with a meat dish for example, but there are beef, chicken, veggie gravy too. It is a savoury sauce. The 'gravy' I read about on US websites is actually a sweet white sauce. A sweetened bechamel. People, try your scones the proper way, much nicer. Biscuits are what you call 'cookies'. Hope you find this interesting and helpful. Sarah"

However well meant, I was a bit annoyed by it.  I actually think it reads a bit passive aggressive and condescending.  She has some things right, British food wise, but is totally uninformed when it comes to North American food/cookery.   Also, if she had actually cooked a North American Biscuit, she would know that they are totally different flavor and texture-wise to scones. Scones are crumbly, biscuits are flaky. Scones are usually a lot sweeter.

I do not mind constructive criticism.  This doesn't feel or read like that. 

It takes all kinds.   

And with that, I think I will go make myself a sweet white gravy/sauce to pour over my steak as we do in North America and then I think I'll dunk my head in a cup of tea, and bemoan the fact I don't have a "proper" biscuit to dunk in it. 😉 

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛Sadness is•。★★ 。* 。

but a wall between two gardens.

~Kahil Gibran•。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today, Best-Ever Muffins.  (with five variations) A simple muffin from an old cookbook. Meant to be a quick bread and not a mini cake/oversized cupcake. 

I hope you have a lovely day. Be safe and happy.  Be blessed. Don't forget!

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And I do too!