In My World

1 lb (454 g) firm tofu, drained 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tbsp hoisin sauce 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp sesame oil 1/4 Asian chili paste or hot pepper sauce 2 tsp vegetable oil 2 cups sliced shitake mushroom caps or cremini mushrooms 1 green onion, sliced 1 tbsp gingerroot, minced 4 baby bok choy 1 sweet red pepper, diced 1/2 cup vegetable stock 1 pinch salt 1 pinch pepper Place tofu on large plate. Cover with second plate and weigh down with 2 large, heavy cans. Let stand for 10 minutes; drain. Cut in half horizontally. Meanwhile, in shallow baking dish large enough to hold tofu in single layer, whisk together soy and hoisin sauces, garlic, sesame oil and chili paste. Add tofu; turn to coat. (This can be done up to 8 hours in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to complete the meal.) Bake in 350F oven, turning once, until golden, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, brush large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil; heat over medium-high heat. Saute mushrooms...

So many birthday parties in the last weeks of April. I already told you about Austin's 13th birthday. I also went to two parties for Deb's birthday (one was Easter/birthday and the second was at Ladies' Day Out and shared with my little friend Kennedy. Deb wanted to drink but couldn't because of medication so I bought her an orchid and sparkly cider. Kennedy always associates me with green grapes. It's a long story. She was so adorable when I gave her her gift of green gapes. And then we went to Tony Roma's for Taylor's birthday. The beef ribs were fabulous!! Taylor's party is the only one where I didn't get cake. And you know my rule . . . no cake . . . no present. Awwwww I gave him one anyway . . . LOL. I can't believe I didn't get a good photo of Taylor on his birthday.  Bad grandma!!

On our way home from Toronto we picked up our 2 younger grandchildren for a sleepover.  When we woke up in the morning we headed to London for some adventures. First stop . . . Covent Garden Market.  This was the first time Hal and the boys had been here.  I'd only been one other time. We started out with burek which are delicious savoury or sweet pastries. We tried organic sausage, cheese, veggie chips and truffles.  They were all awesome. We had to buy a package of sausage for Cameron and he ate most of it before we got home. We ordered shawarma and stuffed grape leaves and pizza.  The shawarma and pizza were amazing. The stuffed grape leaves were just okay. We tried butterscotch ice cream.  It was amazing.  We also tried spring rolls and chocolate fudge. Next stop . . . Museum London.  It was an unfriendly place and we won't be going back. And finally we headed out for some serious letterboxing....

On Good Friday Tim wanted us to come to Toronto for a visit and I wanted to get back to High Park to find more letterboxes . . . so we compromised . . . We found Edith Prickley while we were waiting for Tim to call to say he was ready.  It was a nice easy find and I love the stamp. We picked up Tim and headed out for brunch.  Tim always seems to know where to find a good breakfast. We headed back to High Park for some more letterboxing.  Our next finds were On the GO in TO Series:  Go Bus and On the GO in TO Series:  Go Train .   We had to wait a while to find the Bus because kids were playing right where we wanted to be.  Hal and Tim got the interesting idea that we could find the Train by NOT following the clues.  They were wrong.  But we found it anyway . . . LOL Our last stop of the day was But They're Starving in Burlington.  It was getting cold and rainy but I'm glad we stopped. We tried to find...

2 servings Preparation 10 minutes Cooking 50 minutes 170 calories per serving 2 carrots, cut into 1 cm rounds 1 leek, cut into 2 cm pieces 2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tbsp ginger root, grated 2 tbsp fresh mint salt and ground pepper to taste Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare the carrots and cut them into rounds about 1 cm thick.  Prepare the leeks, remove about 1/4 of the dark green part, and cut them into 2 cm pieces. Transfer the vegetables to a baking sheet or dish.  Add the oil, minced ginger, salt and pepper.  Mix well to coat thoroughly with oil, then put in the oven and bake about 35 minutes. Finely chop half of the mint leaves then add them to the dish, mix and continue baking for about 15 minutes more.  Garnish with the remaining mint leaves and serve. From www.soscuisine.com

Austin had been having a rather rough time missing out on the end of the basketball season when he broke his arm.  His parents decided to have a surprise party for his 13th birthday to try and cheer him up.   And I finished off a pair of socks . . . 

On April 19th we picked up pizza and 3 grandchildren and headed to Aylmer for a school basketball game.  A young fella from the opposing team walked by and I recognized his last name as belonging to relatives of mine.  So I stopped him and asked him what his first name was.  He looked at me like I had 2 heads but answered.  I introduced myself as his cousin Pam and asked where his parents were.  He pointed them out and we had a lovely visit.  During the game Dalton and Taylor were guarding each other so I snapped a few shots for the family tree album. When I sat back down beside Austin he also looked at me like I had 2 heads.  Apparently he is concerned by my habit of talking to Just Anybody . . . LOL . . . You can see his "concern" all over his face . . . Cameron is used to being in the bleachers for basketball games.  He seems to have no trouble at all making new friends where ever he goes . . . kinda like his Grandma and Gr...

I haven't mentioned it but my doctor's office called and I have to go for another mammogram and an ultrasound.  Friends and family have been quite awesome about making sure I don't worry in the meantime. Thursday afternoon I received a phone call from my daughter-in-law invited me out for dinner.  Of course I accepted.  And of course our destination is a must from all citizens living near Port Stanley . . . at least once a year. Guess where? Guess where we went for dessert when we left Mackie's? Shaw's Ice Cream, of course. Big hugs to Kate and the boys for a lovely afternoon!!!