Hi everyone! We are under a winter storm watch here. Suppose to get 20cm of snow and at 7pm Saturday night we were at -25c with a windchill of -40; now we are at -32C with a windchill of -47C!! Youch!We are also under a extreme cold advisory! Da do u think? LOL Got a email from my niece last night and she had to take my sister to the hospital. She had a heart attack. Pat had a stroke a few years ago too and has been living with my niece for the past few years. Apparently she had been getting chest pains, but didn't tell Jenny about it until it got very bad. She is in ICU but they won't do tests until Monday to find out how much and where the damage is. So prayers would be appreciated. I had to call mom and carefully tell her about Pat being in hospital, but I think she took it pretty good. Mom has high blood pressure and heart condition, it runs in the family so I was a bit worried. Pat's blood pressure was up over 200 and is still high, but it has come down a bit, hopefully the docs will adjust her meds to bring it down. Pat is doing better and wasn't on oxygen Saturday. her spirits are good! I have been busy baking baking baking. Made over 30 more butter tarts the other day,,,,tonight I made about 7 dozen of mocha chocolate cookies with walnuts in them....sooooooo good. I'm going to wrap some of them up and put them under the tree for son and g/f,,,,just another gift for them to open up. Son is suppose to come over tomorrow to help hubs shovel out the driveway, I asked him yesterday before we got the storm, so I timed that well. *LOL* He is also going to filet a nice big Lake Trout for dinner. He did one a week ago and it was sooooooo good. I can hardly wait! I have 5 more of them in the freezer too. *L* I don't think he will be able to shovel the driveway if it stays this cold,,,,too darn dangerous, but I'm hoping it will warm up! Marcia, yep just a few decorations LOL Here is another one of our livingroom. Here are a couple of Kris Kringles that son and hubs have bought me over the years And stockings we bought when son was about 3 years old. Marcia, have u gotten the floors done? I know that would make u feel so much better if they were done. It was too bad hubs didn't take a pic of that deer,,,wow that sounds so kewl! Do u get deer damage in your garden? That pic u showed of that rose,,,is realllyyy tempting me,,,but I don't have a place for it,,,well not really. And mine seem to get so big! But it sure is tempting, I even told hubs about it, your pic tempted me so much. You can be a very baaaddd person ya know? *LOL* Hi there Tina..... *waving* Glad to see u again! Also glad to hear your basement is finished, u must be so happy! sounds like u will have a great time Christmas too with a little one around! So much excitement for her! I have John Cabot survive for me here. I mistakely gave it to my neighbour and didn't keep a piece of it for myself this summer when I was moving roses around. I thought I had an extra plant for myself, but it wasn't the right one. *sigh* It is a nice red rose and it survived ok for me here so should do ok for you. Hi Gale, good to see u again! Uh oh your gonna try that Morden Sunrise too? U have to watch out for that Marcia girl, she is one tricky lady. *LOL* The trip to Disney Land sounds wonderful and then to get you errr him tickets to the race is great! I know how much u enjoy those races. *S* And Aunty Rudy is coming for Christmas too! How great! You will have a blast! I can see her nose glowing from here. *LOL* Take care everyone and keep warm! Debbie :-)

Not sure if I have a favorite - probably New England Clam Chowder, but I never make that. Yesterday I made minestrone, and here is the recipe I used: Minestrone Soup Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup minced white onion (about 1/2 small onion) 1/3 cup minced celery (about 1 stalk) 2 chopped zucchinis, chopped 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2-3 cloves) 2 cups water or vegetable broth 2 tsp vegetable soup base (if broth is not used - dissolve in the 2 cups water) 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (or whole tomatoes pur�ed in can) 1/4 cup carrots, shredded 2-4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1 to 1 1/2 cups water or vegetable soup base 1 to 1-1/2 tsp vegetable soup base (dissolved in the water, if broth not used) 2/3 cup small shell pasta (orzo, or similar) 1-3/4 cups cooked red kidney beans, drained* 1-3/4 cups cooked small white beans or great northern beans, drained* 2 cups fresh baby spinach (optional) 2 tbsp tomato paste or 1 tbsp tomato powder salt, to taste, if soup base is not used Directions: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Saut� onion and celery in the oil for 4-5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent. Add the zucchini and garlic and saute a couple of minutes more. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus tomatoes, carrot, and spices. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Add additional 1 cup hot water/vegetable broth (more, if needed), pasta, beans, spinach leaves (if desired), and tomato paste, and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency. Less water will be needed if the spinach is used. Add salt to taste, if you are not using soup base. I use Better Than Bouillon brand vegetable soup base or one that I get from a restaurant supply store. Use more parsley if you are not adding spinach. *Note: I use 7/8 cup of each dried bean to yield the amount needed and cook the beans earlier in the day or the day before in plain water with a couple of bay leaves. I simmer them in the same pan. Alternatively, canned beans can be used (14 oz can each), drained and rinsed. Another favorite is Posole: Lars' Posole I recommend that you soak more hominy than you need, and you can freeze the leftover for later use. It is best to use hominy that is in pieces rather than whole kernals. Ingredients 3/4 cup dried white hominy corn (maiz trillado blanco) - about 2-1/2 to 3 cups when soaked - rinsed canned hominy can be substituted 2 tbsp canola oil 2 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 6-7 cloves garlic, minced, or finely chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 green bell pepper (or 2 Anaheim chilies), chopped 4 serrano peppers, finely chopped, some seeds removed 1 tbsp cumin 2 tbsp chili powder (I use Ancho) 1 10 oz can of Rotel tomatoes (or tomatoes with chilies) 4-5 bouillon cubes (vegetable flavor) 2 cups water (or reserved liquid from soaking) Cilantro, for garnish Grated cheddar cheese (optional) Directions To quick soak the hominy, place it in a pan and cover with triple depth of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from heat. Allow to soak for about 2-3 hours, and then drain the water. You may need to check periodically to make sure there is enough water covering the hominy. Save the soaking water if you want to use it as a thickener for this or another dish. While the hominy is soaking (or almost ready), you can begin the rest of the process, starting with chopping all the vegetables. The pieces should be fairly small, but not minced, except for the garlic and serrano peppers. Heat the oils in a large saucepan (Mine is 4" deep) and add the chopped onion, peppers, and garlic. Saute for a few minutes, or until the onion becomes a bit translucent - it does not need to cook thoroughly, and you do not want to make the vegetables too soft. Turn off the heat, and stir in the cumin and chili powder. Add the canned tomatoes, bouillon cubes, water, and drained hominy. Bring to a boil, and cook covered for about 20 minutes. Serve in individual soup bowls with chopped cilantro, stirred in at the last minute. You can also add grated cheese if desired. Some people add lime juice, but I prefer to leave it out. It is traditional to serve this with shredded cabbage and fresh lime juice, but I did not know this when I made up this recipe. Mine is vegetarian, but it is usually made with pork in Mexico. Lars

I can't see the pictures here at work, I've got to remember to check them tonight at home. The dinner sounds delicious and I'm sure will look every bit as good as it sounds. Congratulations on a job well done. So SWMBO was suitably surprised and good for the daughter, to allow that the soup wasn't totally "icky", LOL. Annie

I've got a pot of Zuppa Tuscano on the stove..but it's Thursday so breakfast for the crew. Bacon, cinnamon sugar scones and sausage and cheese scrambled eggs. I might put an apple crisp in the oven too.. I've started picking apples..and a few pears. Dug potatoes...weeded the baby green onions.. 2 loads of wash and swept the house.. Yep all after a full day of work..oh and a 5.2 mile bike ride in my bedroom. I still have laundry to fold...but...I can do that after my shower while watching TV.