Bathroom unveil

I was ready to unveil our guest bathroom many weeks ago- in fact, it has already been enjoyed by guests. The bright September morning I went down to take photos however, I was met with a puddle of clean water covering the entire floor. This was the final saga in a string of numerous toilet challenges and leaks- one of which ruined the former laminate floor and created the need for the bathroom renovation in the first place. The hunt for a new throne took us a few more weeks than we planned (who knew that toilets came with so many options), and with its installation just before Thanksgiving, we're now ready to show off our new guest bathroom. You can imagine that with a budget of $1000 (and tons of hard work by Jeff and my dad), we are very, very pleased with the final result. We think our guests will be, too.

View of the vanity and toilet before (paying special attention to the barbells):

and the same view after: 

Tub side of the bathroom before during (sorry... we forgot the befores but just imagine a brown tub surrounded by three rows of ivory square tiles): 

and a few afters:

Shady Mile

One of the most popular of holiday traditions in our town doesn't actually happen on the holiday it references. While tricks and treats happen as usual on October 31 each year, there is a larger Nanaimo community Halloween celebration happens during the first few days of November at "The Shady Mile". That probably sounds sinister but don't worry- The Shady Mile is a lovely stretch of twisting, tree-covered country road on the outskirts of town that becomes a gathering place for jack-o-lanterns. 

Local lore tells us a tale that begins about twenty years ago when a local farmer placed a carved pumpkin on the top of each fencepost along his property on Jingle Pot Road (which was beside the Shady Mile Farmer's Market). The legend claims that the next year, a few more carved pumpkins mysteriously showed up to join in. These days, several thousand jack-o-lanterns appear in the days after Halloween, placed along the roadside, in trees and at the forest edge along this wooded mile. Volunteers light the pumpkins each night and many residents (including us, most years) drive by to take a peek. My photo doesn't give the full effect... as you can imagine, it's a striking sight.

Salmon #3: Burgers

Jeff loves burgers.  Whether they are beef (Angus please!), veggie, chicken, black bean or turkey, he simply loves burgers. I have had a few salmon burger recipes saved in my favourites to try but held off, unsure that putting raw salmon through my food processor could yield anything edible. I was SO wrong! Even with just a few ingredients, these burgers hold together beautifully, cook up in a snap and are surprisingly juicy and delicious.

adapted from the NY Times

yield: 4 large burgers

1 1/2 pounds salmon

2 tsp. dijon mustard

2 tsp. honey

1-2 green onions, diced

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Remove skin and bones from salmon. Chop into 2" pieces; place a quarter of the chopped salmon into a food processor. Add dijon and honey and process until the salmon becomes a smooth paste. Stop the machine to scrape down the sides if necessary. Add remaining salmon pieces and pulse until the fish is chopped and mixed well with the puree (these pieces should remain ~1/4 inch in size so be careful not to process too much). Transfer salmon mixture to bowl and add green onions, breadcrumbs and seasoning. Shape into burgers (I use a 2/3 measure to form the burgers) and refrigerate if not cooking immediately.

Fry in a hot pan ~3 minutes per side, checking that burgers are cooked through. Alternately, barbeque at medium heat for 4 minutes on one side; let the burgers firm up on the grill before turning for a final minute on the second side. Like always with fish, be careful not to overcook! I like to serve these burgers with a simple home made tartar sauce, crisp lettuce and sliced red onion on a home made bun. Yum. 

Sharing the view

As I close out what has been a very busy week, here is a view out my kitchen window. Jeff and I are both in the midst of work/school projects that will take us through the weekend- here's hoping yours will be a little more fun!

Harvest

My wonderful in-laws came to help with some fall garden clean-up yesterday afternoon. While trimming several feet off our prolific butterfly bushes, my mum-in-law asked if I had noticed our crop of kiwis. Truthfully, I had noticed them several weeks ago... then promptly forgot. Because they grow under large leaves, these little beauties are easily forgotten. The whole concept of kiwis growing in my garden seems a little surreal. I have to actually pinch myself that I live in a climate warm enough to grow tropical fruit.

Kiwis ripen off the vine and there is a small window of optimum ripeness before they turn mealy and mushy. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them- stay tuned!

Salmon #2: Niçoise Salad

While it sounds fancy, a Niçoise Salad (pronounced nee-SWAZ) is actually a simple mix of chopped vegetables topped off with anchovies and tuna. Sound good? No.... not to me, either. When I came across a recipe for a variation on a Niçoise with lettuce (a no-no for French purists) and leftover cooked salmon and potatoes, it seemed much more palatable. Trying this recipe was not only a great way to make leftovers more interesting, but made me experiment using a protein other than chicken to turn a side salad into a main meal.

Using leftover Maple Salmon from recipe #1, Jeff and I enjoyed this for dinner last night. The verdict? Pretty good to eat, and very nice to look at. With a few additions to the dressing next time (maybe some chopped chives or parsley), we are certainly game to have it again.

adapted from Martha Stewart

yields 2 large main-meal salads

The assembled salad, without vinaigrette

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp dijon mustard

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

~1/4 tsp sugar (optional)

Boston or green leaf lettuce
*2 small pieces cooked salmon, skin removed and chopped into small pieces 

*3 small cooked potatoes 

* green beans  (steamed and cooled if not previously cooked)

plum tomatoes

3 hard boiled eggs

red onion

1/2 cup pitted Kalmata or black olives

In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice and dijon mustard until smooth. In a steady stream, add the olive oil, whisking constantly until mixture is thick and creamy. Add salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Set aside. Tear lettuce into large pieces and arrange on individual plates. Arrange salmon, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, eggs, onions and olives around the lettuce. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve. 

* Salmon, potatoes and green beans need to be cooked and cooled before assembling this salad.

What to do?

On Saturday night, Jeff and I went to see a play at the Chemainus Theatre. The performance was very well done and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves... except for a chatty woman sitting behind us. She was quiet during the first act but apparently felt compelled to offer running commentary of the second act to her friends.

cover of a book from the Mr. Men children's series

This sort of thing drives me absolutely nuts.  I tried to concentrate on the play but when her chatter made that impossible, I turned around and looked at her with my best "please be quiet and watch the performance" face. That did not do the trick so five minutes later, I turned around a second time and put my index fingers to my lips (in a silent SSSSHHH!). She huffed at me, said something about young people not admonishing their elders and gave me a nasty stink eye. While I clearly ticked her off, I gladly accepted the stink eye because she finally stopped talking. 

I left the theatre wondering if the conflict could have been resolved without this lady and I both getting angry (as underneath my pleasant smile, I was seething).  Jeff suggested that next time, it might be more effective to skip staring and silence a pesky talker behind me at the theatre by simply putting on a large hat. My fear is that such an action would simply give the chatterbox more to discuss.

I once went to a movie with a friend where a group of teenage girls talked animatedly through the first five minutes.  In one of the bolder moves of my life, I calmly got up, walked over to them and announced that, as I saw it, they had two options- to either continue their conversation outside the theatre or to be quiet. I then asked what option they were going to choose and stood waiting for what seemed like an eternity, until one of them gave me an answer. It worked like a charm... although it took my friend a few minutes to calm the horrified giggles she suffered in shock of what I had done.

That probably wasn't my finest moment... and makes me return to the original question. In these types of situations, what is the best thing to be done?   

Salmon #1: Maple Salmon

While the first recipe of my 2011-12 Salmon Challenge is one I have made for a few years, it is sentimental for us and therefore had to be number one. The first time I ever cooked for Jeff when we were dating, I made this .... and the rest is history.  It's also so simple, quick, and delicious that it remains one of our favourites.

adapted from All Recipes
serves ~3

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound salmon fillet

salt & black pepper

In glass measure or small bowl, combine maple syrup, soy sauce and garlic.   Grease a small glass baking dish, place the fish in it and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle maple soy mixture over the salmon; cover and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes. Do not marinate the fish for longer than 30 minutes as the flesh will begin to break down. During the last few minutes of marinating, heat oven to 400 degrees. Uncover the fish and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the fish flakes with a fork.

I usually serve this with brown rice or roasted potatoes and fresh green vegetable. Enjoy!