Slush Recipe

Here is a recipe that I am making for the BBQ. It is a staple among my group of friends during the summer months. Watch out though. It packs a punch.

4 cups of steeped tea (use 2 tea bags)
7 cups of boiling water
2 cups of white sugar
12 oz unsweetened orange juice (don't add water)
12 oz of pink lemonade (don't add water)
2 cups of lemon gin or whatever booze you want
FREEZE

Scoop into glass and pour wink over the slush to taste.

No Rest for the Wicked

I had the day off yeaterday. I usually get every fourth Thursday off when I work Saturdays. If I didn't I would be into O/T and you know how most companies try to avoid that. So I did most of my errands.

I first went to Costco to get a few digital pictures developed. I am way behind in my scrapbooking just because I couldn't drag my ass there and get it done. I am making 3 albums that need to be done before Christmas so I have to hussle.

Next I went to the new Linens 'n Things and spent a $10 coupon that was given to me by my SIL. I didn't see anything I absolutely had to spend it on until I saw a BBQ skillet. It is the type that has the handle and small holes so you can cook things like shrimp, veggies, anything small or cut up. It is cost $11.99 so I only had the pay the $2. Good deal.

Next it was to Marks Work Wearhouse. I normally don't buy anything there but I finally got my uniform allowance and went there to order some. I got the scrubs because they were the cheapest so I can get more for my money. We also get a discount on the ticketed price so I ended up buying 6 pairs! I also have to pay for the embroidering of our logo. So between the $150 allowence and the $20 in gift certificates I got this month for donating plasma (that was a first!) I will only have to pay about $10. Free new clothes!

Off to the mall next door. I am trying to find an outfit to wear to a wedding in two weeks and I couldn't find one thing. Seriously. Everything was either totally hideous (clearing out old stock) or the wrong size or not summery. It was very frustrating to say the least. I heard Sears Outlet had some good stuff recently. I live no where near there so maybe I will go there on my way to work.

I had an hour to kill before the Stampin' Up party I was going to so I grabbed the magazine I hadn't finished yet and went to Chapters and had an iced venti non-fat tazo chai. It was nice to sit and relax.

The party was fun but it was mainly geared to new stampers... which I am not. But I made 2 new cards, chatting with the gang and ate some food. They even served fresh lime margarita's! I was a good girl... I only had one and only ordered $60 worth of stuff. Trust me, that's good for me.

Today is a pretty quiet day but the weekend is going to be a doozey!
I work all day Saturday. Then I have to run to Costco and grab enough hamburgers and buns to feed 30+ people on Sunday. We are hosting, what I hope will be a yearly tradition, a BBQ for all of our friends, families and co-workers. I planned this back at the end of May and this was the only day during the entire summer that we could have it. Seriously. Well there we 2 Saturdays free in June but that was less than a months notice for everyone. There would have been a lot more but a lot are out of town because of the holiday. I think I had originally invited 60+ people. I also have to do some cleaning (inside and out) and also clean out the fridge and freezer as I know I will need more room.
I plan on drinking a few so I will have Monday to recover. ;-)

Coke or Pepsi?

I just added a new section in the sidebar where I have put links to all of the recipes I have previously posted. It will save time scrolling through the archives as some of the recipes were in posts where the recipe wasn't listed in the title. What do you think? I like it but I am thinking about what will happen when I have too many recipes. There must be a way to archive them like regular posts. Anyone have any ideas?

And here is a simple poll for everyone! You can find just under my profile on the left hand side of the page. Each week the poll will be replaced with a new one.
My vote is for Pepsi.

Blueberry Jelly

My final item that I made with the blueberries is blueberry jelly. If I had made jelly before I would have known that you needed a jelly cloth to strain your fruit. If I would have really read the recipe, I would have known that. And since I was almost finished with the cooking process I didn't have time to try and find one. I did have cheeescloth and that worked ok. I needed 3 cups of juice and when I could only get 2 1/2, I had to really strain the blueberries so a little bit of fine pulp got in. But no worries. I am still callling it jelly! I tried some of the finished product when it was cooled and it tasted great and it set perfectly! Next time I will have to remember to find a jelly cloth.

1 quart fresh OR frozen blueberries
2 cups water
6 cups sugar
1 pouch (3 oz each) liquid fruit pectin

Place blueberries in a large kettle and crush slightly. Add water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
Strain through a jelly bag, reserving 3 cups juice.
Pour juice into a large kettle; gradually stir in sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
Add pectin; bring to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Skim foam. Pour hot into sterilized hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust caps. Process for 5 minutes in a boiling-water bath.
YIELD: 12 - 125mL (1/2 cup) jars.

The original recipe was double the ingredients listed but I didn't have enough fruit so I cut the recipe in half.

Liqueurs

I just wanted to mention that since I started this blog in April, I have had over 1,150 visitors!
Thanks for visiting everyone. And thanks for continuing to visit.


While I was sufing around Jennifer's site, I stumbled upon Alice's blog. It was here that I read her recipe for Raspberry Vodka. I had a basket full of blueberries and I starting searching for other possible alcoholic drinks that I could make. I found exactly what I was looking for. Liqueurs. Very simple and easy to make. I ended up making both Raspberry and Blueberry Liqueurs.

1 lb. (450 g) berries or fruit
3 cups (710 ml) 80-proof vodka (or 1.5 cup pure grain alcohol + 1.5 cup water)
---------------------------------------
1 1/4 cup (300 ml) granulated sugar

Rinse the fruit or berries. Fruit must be cut into small pieces. Place berries or fruit in a container, add vodka. Cap and store in a cool, dark place, stir once a week for 2 - 4 weeks. Strain through metal colander. Transfer the unsweetened liqueur to an ageing container (glass bottle or container with tight cap). To 3 cups (710) ml unsweetened liqueur add 1 1/4 cup (300 ml) granulated sugar. Let age for at least three months. Pour carefully the clear liqueur to a new bottle. Add more sugar if necessary.

The fruit used for liqueur making can be used as desserts: mix with sugar and use with ice-cream.

It is going to be tough to wait the four months until it is ready!
Hmm, peaches will be in season soon. Peach liqueur might be tastey as well.

The last recipe I made will be posted tomorrow. Anyone have any guesses what it could be?

Dill Pickles

So this weekend I found myself doing a lot of canning. I wasn't planning on doing any. Until I went to a local market called Farmer Jack's and saw what beautiful produce they had. I ended up buying 2 pints of raspberries, a small basket of blueberries, large basket of pickling cucumbers and a large bunch of fresh dill.

The first item on the agenda was dill pickles. This is the recipe that I used:

2 tbsp Mixed pickling spices
3 cup White distilled vinegar
3 cup Water
6 tbsp Sugar
6 tbsp Pickling or coarse salt
10 4-inch-long pickling cucumbers
4 Fresh or dried dill seed heads
4 Cloves garlic

In small piece of double-thick cheesecloth, tie pickling spices to form a small bag.
In stainless-steel 3-quart saucepan, heat spice bag, vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to boiling.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer vinegar mixture, or brine, 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare 2 wide-mouth 1-quart canning jars and caps for processing.
Pack lightly into hot jars; place 2 dill seed heads, 2 cloves garlic into each jar.
Discard spice bag from brine.
Ladle simmering brine over cucumbers, leaving ½ inch space at the top of jar.
Keep brine simmering while filling both jars.
Place small knife or metal spatula between cucumbers and inside of jar.
Move knife around jar to release any air bubbles that may exist.
Seal jars with caps.
Place jars on rack in 12-quart canner filled with boiling water (water should cover top of jars by an inch); cover canner and process jars 15 minutes.
Cool jars; label and store in cool, dark place at least 2 months before serving.
Store opened jar of pickles in the refrigerator.

I ened up multipling the recipe x5 to make a large batch as this recipe makes 2 500mL jars. I also like to use brine recipes that calls for pickling spices. I think it adds so much more flavour. There was some extra brine so it used it and made pickled eggs! Yum!

Tomorrow I will talk about the 2 recipes that I used with the wonderful local fruit that I purchased.

Quizzes! A New Blog Feature

56 Questions

Who doesn't like quizzes?
Don't worry. They aren't long or complicated. Some you just choose one answer. Others maybe six or so to determine something about you.
So let's do the longest one first.
A new quiz will be posted weekly (hopefully every Wednesday). Unfortunately most are too wide to fit in the sidebar so they will have to be posted in a post.
Have fun!

I got this from Sylvana's Blog

UNIQUE

1. Nervous habits - laughing, chewing nails
2. Are you double jointed - I wish
3. Can you roll your tongue - No. Everyone in my family can though. I must be adopted.
4. Can you raise one eyebrow at a time - Not really
5. Can you blow spit bubbles - yes
6. Can you cross your eyes - Yes
7. Tattoos - one. On my left shoulder
8. Piercing - ears
9. Do you make your bed daily - no

CLOTHES
10. Which shoe goes on first - usually right first but I never thought about that until now.
11. Speaking of shoes, have you ever thrown one at anyone? - no
12. On the average, how much money do you carry - $20 if that. I usually debit everything
13. What jewelry do you wear 24/7 - diamond stud earrings
14. Favorite piece of clothing - Jeans

FOOD

15. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it - twirl it
16. Have you ever eaten Spam - Yes and ewww!
17. Do you use extra salt on your food - sometimes
18. How many cereals in your cabinet - 5
19. What's your favorite beverage - Ice tea, lemonade or anything alcoholic
20. What's your favorite fast food restaurant - Taco Bell and Subway
21. Do you cook - I love to cook. Just wish I could do it more

GROOMING

22. How often do you brush your teeth - twice a day + whenever they are grossing me out
23. Hair drying method - usually on it's own but I'll blow dry it if I want to look nice
24. Have you ever colored/highlighted your hair - Yes

MANNERS

25. Do you swear - yes. I'll throw out a word out here an there
26. Do you ever spit - no. Yuck!

FAVORITE

27. Animal - dogs
28. Food - sushi
29. Month - May
30. Day - Saturday
31. Cartoon - The Simpsons
32. Shoe brand - Fit and feel is far more important than brand.
33. Subject in school - Biology
34. Color - purple
35. Sport - Nascar to watch, pool to play
36. TV shows - CSI, House, Law and Order, Simpsons
37. Thing to do in the spring - garden
38. Thing to do in the summer - stay cool
39. Thing to do in the autumn - plan garden for next year
40. Thing to do in the winter - stay warm

IN AND AROUND

41. In the CD player - The Perishers
42. Person you talk most on the phone with - my sister and mom
43. Reading - nothing at the moment
44. Do you regularly check yourself out in store windows/mirrors - sometimes
45. What color is your bedroom - beige with white
46. Do you use an alarm clock - no
47. Window seat or aisle - window. I like to take pictures.

DUMB

48. What's your sleeping position - side or stomach
49. Even in hot weather do you use a blanket - just a sheet
50. Do you snore - only if I have a cold
51. Do you sleepwalk - no
52. Do you talk in your sleep - no
53. Do you sleep with stuffed animals - no
54. How about with the light on - no
55. Do you fall asleep with the TV or radio on - I prefer a fan
56. Last interesting person you met - I have no idea. It's been awhile

Say Hello Paige

Here is a photo of my neice Paige that was taken yesterday. She was born 3 weeks early and weighed 6lbs. 3oz. Now look at her. No trouble putting on weight for this girl. She is almost 8 months old. They do grow up so fast! Every time I see her she looks more and more like my dad. Paige is a very good and happy baby and is very content to amuse herself. No wonder why I love babysitting her so much!

Cars Suck

The Man's car is in the shop right now. Has been since Thursday. What is wrong with it? Oh just needs a little part called an ENGINE! Seems that one of the shafts was starting to go and since they said it was cheaper to get a new engine than to fix the currernt one, he had to have the old engine replaced. Now the one he got is used (cheaper) but they are only guarenteed for 90 days. So this set us back about $1000. The car is supposed to be ready today.

Then there is my car. It is a 7 year old Chev Mailbu LS. Power everything. All the bells and whistles. I love my car. But it is getting up there in years and I do have over 194,000 km on it. There is some rust starting to form. Must have been the 90 minute commutes I used to do each day. And the winter salt doesn't help either. I have only taken it in once for service that wasn't regular maintanence or wear and tear. Until yesterday.
I was driving to my plasma donation when I hear a "ding ding ding" and I look down and I see that my battery light had just come on. I thought that was pretty odd. Then my ABS light comes on. Then my seat belt light. Next thing I know all my dash lights are on. Ok, now I am starting to worry. I start to pull off the main street onto a side street and the radio becomes static. I quickly turn off the car and let it site for a minute. I then try to start it and nothing. I still had a little bit of power as my radio turned on but it wouldn't turn over. I knew it wasn't the starter because that is a whole different sound. I couldn't even get it to slightly turn over. Luckily I had my cell so I called The Man and told him what was happening. Of couse he couldn't come get me as his car is in the shop. He arrived about 10 minutes later with a neighbour. They give me a boost but it died a minute later. I bet it was the altinator. We called CAA and got a tow. Long story short, it was the altinator AND the battery. Seemed that the battery must have been bad for awhile so it made the altinator run constantly, which in turn ended up burning it out. Cost me $450 to fix it. The also asked if I needed it back today. It was after 3pm and I was scheduled for work at 4pm. I said oh yes because if they kept it, we wouldn't have one car! I made it to work just after 5pm. If I have to put any more money into it, I am buying my new SUV earlier.

My FSIL and her husband just bought a new Ford Escape. Nice SUV but I wouldn't buy it. A) it's a Ford. And B) it doesn't have a lot of cargo area. They are impulse buyers and they didn't test drive anything else. They have a 5 year old and always travel with lots of gear so I hope they are happy with it.

Blueberries & Family Reunions

One of my favourite fruits this time of year is blueberries. I have been buying, and eating quite a bit this year. I love eating them just by themselves but they are also wonderful in cereal, mixed with other fruits or made as scones, like I did a few days ago. The recipe I found was not as dense and the scones I was used to but they turned out wonderful and even The Man enjoyed them.




Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Blueberry Scones: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones 1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze: 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted 1 lemon, zest finely grated 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.

Technically you should make this simple lemon glaze in a double boiler (i.e. over a pot of simmering water with a heatproof bowl set on top) but it's even simpler to zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.


Family Reunion

Yesterday was one of The Man's family reuninon (we have 2 this year) that was held in Cambridge. As we drove through the pouring rain, I was hoping that our hosts had a back up plan as it was to be held outside. But when we got there we saw that the rain had not arrived yet. But two hours later it did arrive but it only lasted about an hour. Everything dried quickly outside and then the eating got underway. Of course there was too much food but all the dishes were so good. I was asked to bring a dessert. I was going to bring my rhubarb pie but I haven't seen my parents for a few weeks and since they are my supplier I had to come up with something else. I found this recipe while surfing around. They are not fancy but they are oh so good! A little fiddly to make but so worth the effort. I made an extra pan so between the leftovers from the reunion and the extra pan, I have lots! Looks like my coworkers will be very happy today!

Kit Kat Squares

80 buttery round crackers
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter

Put graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, white sugar, butter and milk into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes being careful not to let it burn!
Put a layer of buttery round crackers in a 9x13 inch pan and pour 1/2 of the graham cracker crumb mixture over it. Put another layer of crackers and pour the remaining mixture. Add last row of crackers.
To Make Topping: Melt over low heat the butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and peanut butter. Melt at low heat and spread over the top. Chill pan in refridgerator.

Car Shopping

I have started car shopping for a new vehicle. I promised myself that I would wait until around spring (or if they have a deal early next year) but the excitement is making me want to buy it now! But I would like a few more months being car payment free and before long winter will be here (shudder) and who want to get their new car dirty and covered in salt? So next year it is.

From what I have seen online and heard from other people, I think for the first time in my life I am going foreign. They have better warranties, come with more standard options, more free maintenance and are built much better. At a better price too. I haven't test drove any yet (maybe within the next few weeks) but from what I have researched online and have seen around, these are my favourite 3 so far:

This is my favourite so far... the Kia Sorento:

















Next is the Kia Sportage:













Then there is the Hyundai Sante Fe:













I know I would like silver or dark grey. And I would be getting either 4x4 or all wheel drive.

Do any of you have one of these vehicles? If so, what are your opinions on them? Or do you know of any friends or families that have had experiences with any of these?

And some good news!
I just paid off one of my credit cards today! Whoohoo! Just 1 more to go and that one should be done in the next few months!

A Little Burned, A Little Bitten

We got back Sunday afternoon from our camping trip a little tired, a little burned,
a little bitten but so relaxed and rejuvenated.

We arrived at our site around 8:30pm, set up and stayed up until about midnight. I bought one of those portable beds and Canadian Tire on Thursday and what a great thing! The collapsible frame is about 2 feet off the ground and comes with the air mattress which slides over the bedskirt and under the mattress cover. We had an electrical site so in no time flat our bed was ready with the electrical pump that came with it. I made the bed with regular queen sheets and a blanket and it was ready to go. We brought a lamp so we decided to read in bed before bed. I know, not really roughing it but I just can't sleep on the ground anymore. I must be getting old.

Our camping buddies arrived around 11am. By then we had cleaned up from breakfast (cereal and eggs) and I had already had my shower. After they set up and we chatted for a bit, we had a quick lunch then we decided to check out the beach. Dogs were not allowed on the beach and I was still feeling sick from the head cold I got Friday, so I just went for the walk. I dropped them off then came back to the site where I read for a few hours under the shade of a tree. I had a drink, a comfy chair, a good book and a nice breeze. It was perfect. And relaxing.

We had a great supper that night. Steak and potatoes cooked over the fire along with onions, mushrooms and broccoli in their own foil packet. It tasted wonderful being cooked over the fire. After clean-up, we got the fire rolling and got out the drinks. As the night wore on, we had our pie irons, s'mores and chips... usual standard camping fare.

Our breakfast Sunday morning was probably the best I had ever had while camping. We had scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and leftover steak an potatoes. Amazing. After an efficient clean up, our camping buddies left and we did shortly after. The Man wanted one last swim before we left so I took him to one access point where I knew I could be close to the water with the dog but not be on the beach. He had a quick swim then it was the hour drive home. That trip is exactly what we needed.

I booked the day off today so I could go out for dinner with friends to The Verandah Cafe. Unfortunately both friends had to cancel. This place is hard to get reservations for and I really wanted to go so I managed to find two others to go with me at the last moment. I have never been but have heard it is fabulous. It is run by two men who are gay and the restaurant is right over the top. And they provide bits of entertainment. I am sure it will be a hilarous night!

Food & Camping

So on the spur of the moment, The Man and I are going camping this weekend. We had nothing planned for the weekend and I am working days on Friday (which never happens) so we though some time away would be just what we need.

I drove to Rondeau Provincial Park yesterday to check out the park and it is beautiful. I first went to Ontario Parks to what what was available around here and there wasn't that much. We left our planning a little too late. But Rondeau did have a few sites left and with the online booking system down, I decided to take the 1 hour drive and have a look. After booking the two night stay, I had a drive around the park and took a walk to the beach. The sandy beach had 9 access points and is 8km long. We also thought it would be fun to see if we could get one or two more couples to join us and it worked out that another couple will be joining us Saturday morning.

We are planning a large group meal Saturday night and it looks like it will be BBQ'ed steaks, my famous campfire potatoes and maybe some roasted corn on the cob. Yummy! We will also we taking the staples of hot dogs, fruit, granola bars and the makings for a big Sunday breakfast: bacon, eggs, cereal and toast. We also can't forget pie irons! For those of you unfamiliar with pie irons they are like a portable sandwich maker. You first butter 1 slice of bread and place it in the iron. You then add your filling such as the makings for a pizza, or a dessert one with pie filling, or cheese slices, or our favourite: cheese slices with sliced onion. Yum! You then butter another slice of bread, put the buttered sides against the iron, close it and then place it in the fire. You turn the iron often and check occasionly to make it it hasn't burned. When it's ready, you open up the iron and eat your toasted pie! They also have irons for hot dogs but those are hard to find. And of course, you can't forget a camping signature snack, smores! We always take too much food but my thinking is it is better to have too much and a good variety, then not enough.

I am offf work today so I am planning on doing the shopping and packing so we will be ready to go when I get home from work tomorrow. The phone rang this morning and I had a thought that it was work so I didn't answer it. Sure enough it was and they want me to come in today. If they didn't hear from me by noon, they would try someone else. I will call them back around 2pm. ;-) I just have too much to do today.

So have a good weekend everyone and I will be back Sunday night.

The Ultimate Banana Bread Recipe

While I was baking my peanut butter cookies the other day, I decided to make a batch of my famous banana bread. I had noticed that I had two overripe bananas and what a better way to use them up.
This recipe is another one of More Gram's. My family has had this recipe for as long as I can remember and it is one of my favourites to make. Just like my Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe, I was making this when I first started to cook. My family is quite small and close so whenever I would bake a pie, or a batch of bread, Grandma and More Gram always got some. It was one of their favourites too.
Whenever I take a pie or banana bread into work, it is gone the same day. I always give More Gram the credit.
Now there is one ingredient listed that when you look at it, I am sure you will say "WTF" to yourself, but it really makes the recipe. Trust me. You can also use this recipe for muffins too. Just adjust the time accordingly.

More Gram's Banana Bread

2 overripe bananas
1 egg
3/4 cup of sugar
1 cup Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
dash of vanilla

Mix all of the above throughly then add the following:

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients well and pour into loaf pan and bake at 350* for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Or pour into muffin tins and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
The Miracle Whip make the bread moist and adds a subtle flavour.

*As a treat, I sometimes add 1/2 - 3/4 cup chocolate chips*

Baking Up a Storm

So I was feeling the itch so do a little baking yesterday. Something I haven't made for awhile. And then it hit me... peanut butter cookies. Both The Man and I like them with a firm and slightly crumbly outside with a soft inside. I found my recipe that I always use and got to work. When The Man saw the recipe that I was making he got excited and stood beside the oven and watched the cookies while they baked. I actually had to shoo him away at one point so I could get in and out of the oven. When he got a still warm cookie you would have thought he died and went to heaven.
So here is the recipe that I always use. Once I found this one, I never experiemnted. Why mess with perfection? These are not for someone who is one a diet as they contain butter and shortening but it is the shortening that gives them that perfect soft centre.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt


Cream the butter, butter flavored shortening, and sugars. Add eggs and blend. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until well blended.

Measure out tablespoonfuls of dough and roll into balls. Place 3 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Make criss-cross pattern with fork.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) 8-10 minutes until set, but not hard. Do not overbake. Leave on sheets for 2 minutes before removing. Cool, and store in covered container.

Tomorrow is More Gram's recipe for banana bread.

Lazy Coworkers

Well the long weekend is over (well it wasn't really a long weekend for me as I had to work on Saturday) and it is the start of another new week.
Usually Saturdays at work are quite calm and uneventful. There are usually two of us working, a technician and a technologist (me) and in the summer I am usually finished around 3pm. On holiday weekends, just the technologist works as the workload is severely decreased. On Fridays (or in this case Thursday) some cleaning is done and since there was no technician on Saturday, they usually do some of their Saturday duties the night before. It was the end of the month as well so there was other things that needed to be done such as filing, creating new files, changing sign off sheets, etc.
Well I walk in there Satuday morning and not one thing was done the night before! Not one! Not one did a thing! Which makes more work for me. The whole point of doing these things the day before is that the Saturday person has enough to do without doing mindless cleaning and filing. I have 3 analyzers to set up for the and run so I have enough to do already. It only took me an extra 90 minutes or so but the point I am angry about is that they didn't do a thing. Oh I left for notes for everyone that day.
See what happenes when I have my first Friday night off ever? It goes to pot.

Canada Day- The Red and the White

Well today is the day. Happy Canada Day everyone! It has been a sea of red and white for the last few days, even at work. If we wore red and white yesterday we could wear jeans or shorts. On special days we get to wear jeans or shorts but me being up at 7am and being on days all week (which I never am) I totally forgot and just threw on my usual scrubs. Too bad, I even had a few fun hats I could have worn.

Today is also The Man's nephew's birthday. And he was born in 2000. A July 1 millenium baby. The sister in law is throwing the usual Canada Day/Spencer's birthday party day which is always fun. The pool is open and the drinks will be a-flowin'. We might head over to some fireworks later as there are some close by to them. I am working tomorrow so no late night, no being drunk for me.
Sunday is our day off. We will probably just hang out around here, get some outside work done and be lazy after our chores are done.

Enjoy the long weekend!