Tricia's Musings

Random Thoughts about life in general, living in the big city of Toronto



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Drinking just got healthier

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strawberry-daiquiri.jpgI was watching the news the other day and I heard something interesting that I think anyone who enjoys a strawberry daiquiri or any kind of red berry fruit based alcohol containing drink will be happy to hear.

The news story said that it’s been found that combining alcohol with red fruit berries like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or cherries helps to release more of the antioxidants in the fruit making these types of drinks a healthier choice for those that want a refreshing berry based cocktail. Considering the fact that it’s also known that a moderate amount of alcohol (1 drink a day) can reduce the chance of heart and stroke disease this is great news.

I went to the Global news site to see if I could find the actual story, but short of watching the full newscast online I couldn’t find a write up. Perhaps they’ll put it up shortly.

The story was done on the patio and inside a restaurant not too far from here. The restaurant, Jawny Bakers, makes great ribs! I love going there. Chris and I, and many of our friends and co-workers from the hospital, used to go there quite often for after work get togethers, and occasionally even work related parties. It wouldn’t be uncommon to find a few of my friends from the ER department enjoying a meal and a drink on the patio from this time of year onward pretty much any day of the week. I didn’t see any of them as the camera panned the patio in the news story though.

Hmmm I guess you could say that eating at Jawny Bakers might be a healthy choice too since there’s often medical personnel hanging around.

One of the first posts that I did on this blog was about my brand new Magic Bullet blender. I’ve had it for over a year now and the number one thing that we use our Magic Bullet for is to make fruit smoothies. Between my stomach problems and the pain medications I’m on I don’t tolerate alcohol very well these days, but it’s not uncommon for us to add some vodka or rum to some of the fruit smoothies that we make. At least I know now that when we do make a fruit smoothie that’s been enhanced with a bit of alcohol that it’s a healthy drink.

Don’t know how to make a strawberry daiquiri, or want some more great recipes for cool drinks? Check out my niece and her husbands website What2drink.com. It’s full of great drink recipes and ideas. Some of my creations are listed there too!





Shopping spree

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The other day after my doctors appointment my husband and went shopping. Chris always has Mondays off. It’s great for him. We always have a long weekend, plus if either of us needs to make appointments his having Mondays off is quite convenient.

I went on a shopping spree!

I’ve needed to get some new clothes for a while. Since I’m mostly at home I didn’t need to get anything fancy. I just wanted a couple pairs of pants and I wanted to get a new pair of pajamas … well ok a T-shirt nightie. Comfy stuff.

So we went to the shopping mecca called Walmart. They’ve built a new super store close to where the previous Walmart had been. It’s huge!

I ended up getting two pairs of pants, a few t-shirts, three nighties and uh a bra. I needed that stuff!

We also picked up some groceries. I’ve never minded picking up dried goods – cereals and packaged foods like that, or canned and bottled items, but this store is more like a grocery store now. The old Walmart had a freezer section along with the rows of packaged food items, but it didn’t sell fresh food. This one does.

This last time and the time before I didn’t hesitate to get some fruit, veggies and salad makings. They were in good shape, and the price was right. I have however been hesitant to purchase fresh meat from Walmart. You know there’s some stores that you just don’t buy fresh goods from. For me, one of them is a grocery store called Food Basics here in Canada. They have great prices but their meat sucks. It seems to be off a lower grade than in other grocery stores.

So … does anyone purchase fresh meats at Walmart?

I did notice that they had some name brands – possibly some those of you from the US and other countries might not be familiar with like Maple Leaf which a good brand maker of meat products. The prices were reasonable and the chicken, beef and pork looked fresh and of good quality. I was tempted, but hesitated. I thought it might be best to ask my readers opinion first. I hate to waste money.

Who buys meat at Walmart? Is it good? Have you been happy with the quality?

the Ultimate Chopper

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Ok, you know how I was talking about my addiction to kitchen appliances yesterday? Well I’ve gone and found an interesting product that I know would make preparing meals so much easier! It’s the Ultimate Chopper . I actually had a chopper similar to this a long time ago, but the Ultimate Chopper looks like it’s a bit bigger. It chops, grates, minces, crushes, grinds, whips and purees all with 750 mega-watts of power! The site is also offering a free blender attachment too.

Kitchen appliance guide

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I’ve known for at least the last decade, perhaps longer, that I’m a kitchen gadget and appliance junkie. I also love interesting pottery dishes – hand crafted plates and bowls. However, if I indulged in all of the nifty products that catch my eye I’d soon be in trouble.

Actually, on Monday when my husband and I were out I managed to purchase a microwave omelet cooker, a new set of cookie sheets and a brown sugar saver (made of clay, soak it in water then put it in your brown sugar to keep it from hardening). So, while I rarely purchase anything for the kitchen these days, the desire is still there.

I came across a site today that might have me buying more kitchen appliances soon. That will be a real problem because I don’t have any more room in my kitchen for more gadgets, at least I don’t think I do. Anyway, the site that I found is the Kitchen Appliance Guide. This site might actually be safe for someone like me, because it doesn’t really sell the appliances, although it has a number of links to places where you can buy them.

The Kitchen Appliance guide discusses the various types of appliances that are commonly used in the kitchen. Products like smoothie makers, food processors, hand mixers and blenders, juicers and so on. the site also discusses popular brands, helps you choose the kitchen appliance that’s right for you, and rates a number of products.

I’m definitely bookmarking this site for future browsing.

How about you people? Are any of you kitchen appliance junkies?

Thai Curry Stir Fry

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Thirteen Things about Tonights Dinner

1…. This is such a fantastic dinner I thought I’d give you the recipe.

2…. Start with 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut up into small pieces.

3…. Add 1 tbsp Canola oil to a large pan or wok, heat on low until oil is hot and then add the chicken to the pan, stirring occasionally until the meat looks cooked.

4…. Add one can of Thai Green Curry sauce. Most grocery stores seem to carry this these days, just look in the aisle where rice is sold, or where products to make Chinese, Mexican and Indian foods are sold.

5…. The Thai curry sauce is hot, so I often add a half can of Coconut milk to it to tone it down. Works beautifully.

6…. Once the sauce, coconut milk and chicken has simmered on low for 5 minutes I add the rest of the ingredients.

7…. I was lazy this evening. I added two cups of frozen veggies consisting of cauliflower, carrot, broccoli. I also had some pre-chopped frozen peppers and zucchini in the freezer that I added to the mix.

8…. 1 can of sliced water chestnuts

9…. 1 cup snow peas (you know the green pea shells)

10…. Let this mix simmer for another 15 minutes on low heat.

11…. While the above ingredients were cooking I got out another pot and heated water in it. I then added a package of Rice Vermicelli noodles to the water and let the noodles sit in the warm water for 5 minutes to soften up.

12…. When the Thai curry stir fry looks and smells (mmmmm) done (approximately 20 to 25 minutes from the start of cooking) toss in the vermacelli noodles and serve. This curry can also be served over a bed of rice, which is the way we usually have it.

13…. Now I just need someone to feed. It’s almost 8 p.m. and our border hasn’t come home yet. He hasn’t even called to say he would be late. I’m ticked because he does this all the time. I think it’s just rude and disrespectful. Don’t you? My husband won’t be home until after 10 p.m. because he’s working an evening shift. He can, and will, enjoy the meal when he comes home.

Well, maybe my roomie Noi will enjoy this meal with me. She has her own Thursday Thirteen up now too, so go see her!

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