Where Has The Time Gone?

   Hard as it is to believe, another year is in the books. And what a year 2014 was! I won't bother listing the top news stories of the year on this platform, there were simply too many locally, nationally and internationally.
   For me, 2014 was a year of settling in to my new surroundings, job and home. Once again, I'll not list details, just suffice it to say 2014 was better for me personally and professionally than 2013 was.
   So, what will 2015 bring? If I had an accurate crystal ball (and was a gambler) I might have a prognostication or 2. I don't have a crystal ball, and I'm not a gambler, so I can't begin to tell what the year ahead holds.
   What I can do is say whatever challenges and opportunities the New Year brings, I'm ready for them!
   Have a safe and Happy New Year everyone!

TTFN

It's Brutal Outside

   And, of course, it had to happen on my first day back from Christmas Holidays. As of 6:00 this morning, it was -31 C, with the windchill -41 C. In fact, there was an extreme cold warning issued for most of the southern prairies, including our region.
   This is not unexpected by any means. It's late December, and bitterly cold weather is pretty normal for this time of year. In fact, we've actually had it fairly easy so far this winter, and even had highs on the plus side earlier in the month.
   We've even managed to escape the "polar vortexes" we seemed to have an endless amount of last year. Which is not a bad thing.
   But it was still a shock to the system yesterday going out to the car, having to scrape both inside and outside, and them having the power steering fluid in it turn to a gel, basically meaning it's back to "arm-strong" steering. It's do-able, but not fun at all.
   These are the kind of days I like to call plane days. You know, plane to Hawaii, plane to Florida, plane to the Dominican. You get the picture!
   Stay warm.

TTFN

Gone For The Holidays

   I will be away all next week, and not returning to the office until the 29th. Because of that, there will be no blog entries for the next 10 days. So I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all the best of the festive and holiday season!
   From my house to yours, Merry Christmas.

TTFN

So Much Good Food

   Yesterday was the annual staff "pot luck" lunch. Everyone was asked with bringing in something, and a lot of us did, myself included. We ended up with 3 long tables full of very good food, everything from perogies to turkey to salads and desserts. It was scrumptious, and I didn't feel the need to have dinner later yesterday.
   My dish was jambalaya, a favourite in my family for more than 20 years. GX94 mid-day host Tonya Cherry is always sharing recipe's on her blog, and since I had a few requests for my jambalaya, I thought "what the hell". So, here it is. I hope you try it some time. And feel free to tinker and adjust the ingredient size to meet your needs. That's how I came up with this:

Craig's jambalaya recipe. Feel free to tweak it to your own tastes. I know I did from the original. I cook this in a huge stock pot that has a thick base (restaurant grade)

3-4 green peppers (depending on size)...
2 medium onions
2 bunches of celery stalks
Dice all the above small, and put half aside.
2 to 3 ham steaks, diced small
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut small.
5/8 ounce margarine or butter
2 large 28 ounce cans (and one small 14 ounce one) tomato sauce

1 box chicken stock plus a can of condensed stock
1 900 gram box converted rice (do not use minute rice)

Spices:
3-4 whole bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Louisiana hot sauce
1 to 1 1/2 tsp Worchester sauce

Melt butter/margarine and add half the veggies, the ham steak, spices, hot sauce and Worchester sauce. Cook on high heat until the onions turn at least translucent to brown (about 20 minutes) stirring constantly. Add the remaining half of the veggies. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato sauce and simmer for at least 5 minutes, stirring constantly. You want to get all the browned spice mix incorporated. Add chicken and cook over medium to high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in rice, mixing well, and simmer for 12 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until rice is tender, but firm. Enjoy!

Again, this is the recipe I use. Add or subtract items and spices to suit your taste. You can always add more, but you can't take it out once it's in the mix. This freezes quite well, especially if you have a vacuum bag system, and can be microwaved to re-heat.

Try adding things like shrimp or Andouille sausage for a slightly different taste.

TTFN

A Tragic 2 Days

   In Australia, a 16 hour stand-off at a cafe in Sydney ended with police storming in after hearing gunshots. When it was all over, 2 hostages had been killed, along with the alleged hostage taker, a radical, self-proclaimed Muslim cleric.
   Allegedly, the suspect faced dozens of assault and sexual assault related charges against at least 6 women.
   And in Pakistan, at least 141 are dead, mostly children and teens, after the Taliban attacked a military run school in Peshawar.
   Apparently, the group in question is trying to overthrow the government. There's been no word (at this writing) on what happened to the 7 attackers, who wore explosive vests, although it's extremely likely they died when government forces stormed in and regained control.
   Sad tidings.

TTFN

41 Years Later, It's Still Selling

   Good music will be around forever. Need proof? 41 years after it was released, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" is back on the Billboard top 200 album list. It's at #13 (thanks to cheap pricing on Google Play).
   Since it was originally released in 1973, the album has spent a total of 889 weeks on the charts. That's 17 YEARS in total. Not bad!
   Dark Side is and has been one of my favorite all-time albums. I've bought 3 copies since it originally came out. 2 on vinyl (I played the first copy until there wasn't much left but scratches) and on CD. And, yes, I still listen to it, fake heartbeat and all. It is a timeless classic, much as the Beatles Sgt Peppers or the Eagles Hotel California
   And I still like the closing line: "There is no dark side of the moon. As a matter of fact, it's all dark".

TTFN

Are You Ready?

   As hard as it is to believe, Christmas is just 10 days away. That means the last "mad dash" to the stores is going full steam ahead as people try and find that perfect something for their perfect someone.
   This year, like so many in years past, we got a great head-start on our shopping, picking up something for one of our (now fully grown) kids way back in September. The rest was a doddle. We got the rest of the shopping done for both our "kids" by early November.
   The only problem I face is what to get my wife? I've asked her on several occasions "what do you want for Christmas", only to get the response "nothing". Which is NOT an option. She's not into "bling", so getting her something shiny is out of the question. I know she's in to "Downton Abbey", and has watched endlessly the shows available on Netflix. But since there's only 3 seasons available, I might get her the dvd of season 4. Other than that, I'm flummoxed.
   As for me, I'm easy to buy for. I want and need nothing this year, even though my kids have been asking what I want. I've given them some suggestions, but if they can't find anything, no big loss for me.
   The main thing is they'll both be coming up for Christmas Day (weather and roads permitting), and that's a big enough gift for my wife and myself.

TTFN