February 15, 2012 – the grapefruit orange
15 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
It tastes exactly like you think it will.
Muddling Through Life.
15 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Doing Good, Mental Diarrhea, Personal, Uncategorized
Really, what do we all do but muddle through life to the best of our abilities? Here and there we pick up something new – a pine cone, a new skill, a shiny bit of ribbon, a half-cobbled together something we can use, and we try to make that a part of us, so we can be a little bit better, and do more cool things.
How can I use this crumpled bit of tin? Oh hey! I can do _______ with it – that’s neat!
You need to do _________ ? Well, I can help you do ____ and _____ and ______ … not perfect, but sort of!
Yes I have a _________ … do you need it?
But it’s not perfect. There’s only so much I’ve acquired, only so much I can do with what I have. I try to do as much as I can, but the resources are asked to do more than they’re supposed to know how. Overclocked. Off-label. Which is pretty cool. But not perfect.
So when I make mistakes, forget, screw up, disappoint, forget…
Forgive me.
Corn Grits / Polenta for Breakfast in Canada?
22 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: bob's red mill, breakfast, Canada, cooking, donald's market, grits, polenta, Vancouver, vegan, vegetarian
So occasionally I hear about GRITS, and occasionally I hear about POLENTA. It never occured to me that they could be almost the same thing. Either way, being who I am, neither growing up in either the American South, nor having an Italian grandmother to show me what it’s all about, I had never tried to make my own grits until today.
This is the brand I bought from Donald’s Market in New Westminster Quay’s River Market: Bob’s Red Mill Corn Grits / Polenta:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/corn-grits_polenta.html
The only other place I’ve ever had grits is at Denny’s Restaurants. They just don’t sell anything labeled “GRITS” in Vancouver at grocery stores. It’s like grits don’t exist here in Canada. Nobody I know eats grits around here. It’s just not done.
Anyway, I was pretty excited to find a package labeled GRITS/POLENTA at Donald’s Market. The contents look like really coarse cornmeal, but still finer than bulghur wheat. The contents are yellow. This confused me, as Denny’s grits are white. I read the reviews on the Bob’s Red Mill site, and apparently lots of people are used to white grits too, but they’re white only because they’re made from bleached corn. So I guess Bob’s corn is not bleached.
Today’s Breakfast Grits:
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup grits
- 1/2 tsp salt
- soy milk
Bring water and salt to a boil. Add grits and simmer 5 minutes. That’s it! The recipe makes 4 portions.
Um, DELICIOUS!
It’s like porridge – different than oatmeal and WAY better than cream of wheat, because it’s got a really nice texture – gritty (but not sandy) and a little bit gelatinous or something. I can see why they like this stuff so much in the south. I added more salt and a bit of soy milk in my bowl to taste. Apparently it’s good sweet or salty, or fried or with cheese or any number of other variations. Apparently people often add lots of heavy cream and butter to grits too but hey without it they wouldn’t be so fat, so cut it out. Still super tasty.
My caucasian Canadian husband says he’s never had grits either, so it’s probably not that I grew up all ethnic and slant eyed and oblivious to local cultures and customs (*pfffttttyouracistyou!!!*), never having tasted a grit except at Denny’s…
So…grits in Canada? YEAH. BRING IT ON. 
Hope in a Time of Unknowing
22 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” - Jack Layton
2k Erg Test – August 4, 2011
07 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in Exercise, Rowing, Simon Fraser University, Uncategorized Tags: 2011, Burnaby Lake, exercise, health, rowing, SFU, Simon Fraser University
Goal: 190 Watts / 2:02.6 split = 8:11 total
Actual: 198.5 Watts / 2:00.8 split = 8:03.4 total.
HUZZAH!
Getting ever so close to that 203 Watts / 8:00 minute mark. Perhaps on the next 2k test in a couple weeks. eep!
History of 2k tests:
August 2011: 8:03.4, 2:00.8/500m, 198.5 watts
April 2011: 165 watts (was still really sick – almost 4 months of being sick!)
February 2011: 8:14, 2:03.5/500m, 185.8 watts (@WCIRC 2011 – Sr. A Lightweight Women)
January 2011: 8:23.7, 2:05.9/500m
July 2010: 8:24.5, 2:06.1/500m
April 2010: 8:35.2, 2:08.8/500m
Feb 2010: 8:35 (@WCIRC 2010 – Novice women)
September 2009: 9:33!!! (First 2k for novice tryouts)
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