Sockeye Salmon Dip Recipe, and a Little of This and That

Last week I posted a rich and decadent recipe that I entitled White Chocolate Strawberry Cream Cake. This weekend I set myself to experiment and come up with a layered chocolate mousse recipe and some chocolate truffle recipes, but lest anyone think that all we eat are sweets, here is an appetizer recipe that was created on the same day as the white chocolate cake. I have written it once again as a Suite101 article, and it can be found here: Sockeye Salmon Dip Recipe.

For anyone who may be wondering how we can put away all of these sweets...No, my husband and I do not exercise, other than the occasional walk and the "garden" and "house-cleaning" work-out. Our problem is that we have a hard time exercising just for the sake of it, and I am ashamed to say that whenever I come up with a regime, I usually only manage to stick to it for about four days before I throw in the towel. I hasten to explain that we always eat brown rice and red rice, stay away from white bread and pasta (unless it's whole-wheat), and almost never eat fast food, donuts, chips or store-bought goodies, and we never drink pop. Sounds fun-less, perhaps, but it leaves us more leeway for home-baked goodies!

One day, I hope to be able to take ballroom-dancing lessons, to combine exercise with fun with learning something I really want to be able to do well. That's the kind of motivation I need, *sighs*

I snapped this adorable photo this morning of our two boys. I think I'm going to call it "Brother Love." It's wonderful to witness how attached our two canine "kids" are. Icewind is superbly gentle with Keani, and is careful to have a "soft mouth" around his little brother. Keani is the typical bratty little brother who adores but torments his older brother.

These are some additional cute pics.

It's been about seven years since I got my BA from the University of Toronto, and now, in exactly three weeks, I will be returning to the hallowed halls of education and learning, albeit at a different university. Almost time to take a deep breath and roll up the proverbial sleeves.

Along that note... for those of you who, like me,  are fans of Dr. Seuss, here is a witty satire of his wonderful book "Oh, the Places You'll Go." I wasn't sure whether to laugh, or feel a bit depressed after reading it, but I enjoyed it enough to share: http://www.collegehumor.com/article:1806240

Adorable Photos of Newborn Foal in his Mother's Lap

I came across these adorable photos this morning. Having so many of my music students take the summer off has big pros and cons, but one of the pros is that I don't have to rush out of the house at 7:20 am on Saturday mornings, giving me a bit of time to relax, read, and stumble across interesting things on the computer.
Check out the photos at this link:  Pix: Nothing like mom’s lap

Happy Saturday!

The Blitz: Part 4 - Reaching for the Finish Line

after over 900 cookies, 150 (or so) muffins, 30 loaves of sweet breads (meaning banana, strawberries, etc...), vats of spaghetti sauce, broccoli cheese soup, ground beef with onions, sliced pork, 8 whole chickens, and various odds and ends (i.e squares, more chicken, another slew of ground beef), the finish line is in sight for "The Blitz." Good thing, too, since school for me starts in about three weeks.

The freezers? (we have two) - bursting. Thankfully, we were able to vacuum-seal everything except the bread, which should do fine in the amount of layers we wrapped them in.

Have I accomplished everything I said I wanted to this summer? Well, no, not quite, perhaps. But, mind you, I did add more to the list, including all those pieces of art that I've done (and four more I hope to do/ finish). I also completed my second writing course, culminating in a 200 or so page manuscript. Not the first manuscript I've completed, but the longest so far.

My goal was originally to finish two or three more outfits, which was made moot by the fact that my sewing machine pedal decided to give out about a month ago. I had almost completed another long swishy-skirt, too, the kind that ripples and flows when the wearer walks, but with the imminent return to school, it seemed pointless to spend money fixing the machine until I had more time to use it.

I also wanted to complete a second YA manuscript, finish editing a middle-grade one, and get started on a few more. I did manage to finish editing the middle-grade one, but the rest will have to wait a bit. After all, summer only comes once a year, so I've taken more time to relax with books, watch movies, and spend time with my human beloved and our canine babies.

Ah, Summer,  Why dost thou flee so quickly?

The Joy of Baking: White Chocolate Strawberry Cream Cake

Finding recipes is something that I take great pleasure in, especially when they turn out to be gems. For the past nine or ten years I have been steadily building up a collection of favorite recipes, as well as favorite places to look for them.

But if finding a great recipe is a joy, then creating one and sharing it is even better. This last weekend I put together a summery (although by no means restricted to that season!) concoction that I have dubbed "White Chocolate Strawberry Cream Cake," the recipe of which I have posted on my Suite 101 page and can be found here: White Chocolate Strawberry Cream Cake. 

If you do decide to create this confection, I hope you enjoy eating it as much as we did!