First day of the rest of my life

Yesterday, I finished the final piece of my thesis project- a report and presentation to the organization where I did my research project. With that, I am DONE. 100% done. I've already heard back from Royal Roads that my thesis was accepted and I have been invited to put on a cap and gown at convocation on June 14. It all feels rather surreal. 

From flickr

My view... yesterday

I'll be honest- in order to get the post up in time for readers in the Eastern time zone, I always take the "My View Wednesday" photo the day before, on Tuesday. While I have gone ahead for several months with this deception, I no longer can. I just can't put up a Tuesday photo, pretending it is Wednesday. To solve this ethical dilemma, I'm renaming this Wednesday feature "My View...Yesterday". It feels much better (!).

Yesterday, it snowed. And then the sun came out. I was going to go outside and hunt around for what is blooming in my garden, when it started snowing again. So, I made a chai latte instead. While waiting for the water to boil, I caught a peek of an early Easter bunny hiding on one of my kitchen shelves. This is no doubt, the work of the resident chocoholic. He was quite deflated when I suggested last night we not hunt for (or eat) Easter chocolates until it is actually Easter...

Pineapple cupcakes

As promised, here is the recipe for pineapple cupcakes I made last week. I guess with the coconut, they were actually piña colada cupcakes (minus the rum). 

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups crushed pineapple (drained slightly- reserve juice for icing)

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until slightly thickened and a light cream color (about 2 minutes). Reduce to low speed and add apple sauce, oil and vanilla until blended. Add in the pineapple and sour cream and mix until fully incorporated. Then add the flour mixture and blend until just combined and smooth. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners and fill about 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes at 350*F oven for about 22 minutes.

Ice with your favourite icing. Because we live dairy free, I used this recipe and used the reserved pineapple juice instead of milk (soy in our case - and I cut the cool whip in half). With a few drops of coconut flavouring and yellow food gel, it was down right tropical. 

Bowls

I'm not sure what I would do with all of these bowls but for some reason, they make me smile.

Image from Martha Stewart

Year-round Salad

I am SOOO ready for spring and a change from our winter diet (lots of soups and stews, especially this year with me writing a thesis) to our summer staple of salad or grilled vegetables with some sort of grilled meat. We do eat a lot of salad during the winter as well.... but it's just not the same with imported vegetables. One of my favourite winter salads is this Asian Cabbage Salad- a standard at most church potlucks.

adapted from All Recipes

Serves 10 (although I usually make it in 2 serving batches!)

1 cup  slivered almonds
1 (3 ounce) package ramen noodles, crushed (optional)

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 head napa cabbage, shredded
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3/4 cup vegetable or coconut oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup white sugar
2  Tbsp soy sauce

In a medium skillet over low heat, toast almonds and ramen noodles until they just begin to turn golden brown. Add sesame seeds and continue toasting until almonds are browned. Remove from  heat and cool (I usually make this without the ramen noodles).

In a small saucepan bring vegetable oil, sugar, and vinegar to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for several minutes. Add soy sauce, and mix very well to combine. 

In a large bowl , combine shredded napa cabbage and chopped green onions. Add the toasted nuts and dressing. Toss to coat and serve immediately. 

NOTE- because the dressing will make the almond mixture go soggy, I usually make this salad in as large a serving size as will be consumed. The dressing keeps very well in the fridge for several weeks, and just needs to be shaken well before adding to the salad. Enjoy!

Toward Easter Part 4: Making the old, new

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. For our Sunday music today, we have a worship piece that takes an old Irish tune, Londonderry Air (better known as O Danny Boy), and combines it with new lyrics by Kristyn Getty.  With an updated arrangement and orchestration by Keith Getty, the result is the beautiful "What Grace is Mine".  I love the reinvention of an old, familiar, secular tune into worship music. Brilliant.

Twitter

This is the only way you will find me "tweeting".

A junior member of our small group had a birthday, and I made these pineapple cupcakes to celebrate at our weekly dinner last night. They were a hit- I'll share the recipe next week. 

Celebrating Jubilee : The Accession

Back on February 6, I wrote a little about the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. This year marks Queen Elizabeth's 60th Anniversary on the throne, and official celebrations are scheduled to take place the first weekend in June. In honor of this remarkable milestone, I thought it would be fun to examine different official and personal aspects of our Queen each week leading up to the big celebration.

Photos are courtesy of The Daily Mail, London Telegraph, Getty Images, Corbis, Zimbio and Press Association. 

In 1952, Princess Elizabeth was a 25 year old naval wife with two young children. The young couple had just finished a two year post in Malta where Prince Philip had been stationed in the British Navy, and were transitioning into full-time royal life.

The new Queen with Prince Charles and Princess Anne, summer 1952

On January 31, 1952, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip departed on a Commonwealth tour of Africa, Australia and New Zealand. As this was their first major tour and they were to be away for more than six months, Elizabeth's parents and sister went to the airport to see them off. We now know that the King was not well, but I can't imagine that anyone predicted his death would occur just one week later.

King George, far left, Princess Margaret and the Queen Mum at the airport

Elizabeth and Philip flew to Kenya for the first leg of the trip. The tour was filled with the usual events- hospital visits, speeches, a polo match, garden parties. Film footage of their visit to Nairobi can be seen here. The couple also paid their first visit to Sagana Lodge, which they had received as a wedding gift from the Kenyan Government.

with Sir Philip Mitchell, Governor General of Kenya, at a Garden Party

Watching Prince Philip play polo

Philip and Elizabeth were at Sagana Lodge when news reached them of the King's death. Their plans to sail from Kenya to Australia and New Zealand were cancelled and they immediately returned to Britain. While only a week had passed since Princess Elizabeth left, I think the photos of Queen Elizabeth returning to England show a very different woman. 

Three Queens in mourning (Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother) 

I can't imagine the pressure Queen Elizabeth was under, all while grieving her father's unexpected death. That's one of the rather morbid aspects of royalty, I suppose- having to wait to start your "job" (that  you have trained for your whole life) until one of your parents passes away. In that respect, the Dutch Royal Family, who has a tradition of abdicating the throne at about retirement age and passing it on, are on to something. Elizabeth also had two kids under the age of 3, and a husband who had to give up a successful naval career that he loved. While there are undoubtedly, many perks of being queen, I have a hunch there were still many challenges.

Next, we'll look at the coronation.