Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Barney's Version
Saw the movie Barney's Version tonight. Wow, it was really, really good!!!
Paul Giamatti plays Barney and deserves an Oscar. Dustin Hoffman plays his father and was excellent too!
It is based on the novel of the same name by Canadian author Mordecai Richler.
It tells the life story of Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti). He is an ordinary man, he drinks too much, smokes cigars, likes hockey, and was married 3 times. In his later years he is the subject of a book that implicates him in the murder of his best friend who mysteriously disappeared years earlier. So this is his opportunity to tell his "version." Through flashbacks we discover the highs and lows of his life - his marriages, his one true love, his mistakes, his regrets and finally, we discover the truth about what happened to his friend.
Mom's Crunchy Granola
My Mom has been making this granola for over 40 years. There are lots of optional ingredients. In fact you can add just about anything you want. In recent years I have adapted it a bit further by adding ground flax seed (good for your cholesterol) and pumpkin seeds (to boost metabolism). Head to the bulk food store and pick ingredients to suit your own tastes!
I gave jars of this to friends last Christmas and the recipe was requested, so, here it is! The batch I gave as gifts had the main recipe plus apples, cinnamon, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, dried blueberries and dried cherries.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
6 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped nuts - walnuts, almonds or pecans
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (shelled)
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup (scant) liquid honey
Directions:
Stir dry ingredients in a large bowl until evenly mixed.
Whisk oil, water, and honey together and add to dry ingredients. Stir well to ensure dry ingredients are evenly coated.
Spread out on two cookie sheets and bake (stirring occasionally) at 200 F for 1 3/4 to 2 hours until golden brown and slightly crispy.
Cool and then salt to taste (don't skip this it really does need a bit of salt).
Keep in a sealed container (in the fridge if it lasts that long).
Variations
1. Add 1 cup peeled chopped apple and 1 tsp. cinnamon before baking.
2. Add 1/2 cup each of raw sunflower seeds and sesame seeds before baking.
3. Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips when completely cool.
4. Add 1/2 cup raisins when cool.
5. Add 1 cup dried fruit after baking (apricots, currants, cranberries, blueberries, or cherries).
Friday, February 11, 2011
Dramatic Rabbit Rescue ;)
Never a dull moment in my life...
Tonight my dog Tilly chased a rabbit across the yard. The poor little rabbit tried to escape by going through a link in the chain link fence. IT GOT STUCK! So there was Tilly with her nose up this bunny's arse and the poor thing couldn't get away.
Thankfully Tilly was gentle with it and seemed only interested in playing not eating the little guy. It was probably stuck for about 10 minutes before I noticed my other dog Tess barking excitedly.
In order to get to it I had to climb a 5ft snowbank of snow cleared from my back patio and then make my way through the overgrown raspberry canes to get to the fence-line. Tess is too old and couldn't manage the climb back to the fence but Tilly was back there with the Rabbit. I was struggling to hold her back from the rabbit while working to get its hind legs through the fence. I tried for about 15 minutes to get it free. Finally I left it and Tilly for a minute, climbed back through the raspberry canes and over the snowbank and ran to my neighbour's house to ask for assistance.
Steve came out with wire cutters and we had to cut the fence in order to get the rabbit free. Instead of going forward through the fence the rabbit turned back & scrambled behind my legs and hid there. As he hid behind my legs from the dog, I had some sort of "one with nature" moment! Eventually he took off and made his get away!
Tilly and I are pretty scratched up from the raspberry canes. Steve says he can fix the fence. The rabbit seemed unharmed, though it shed an awful lot of fur during the struggle. I think his pride was the only thing injured.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Unbelievable snow day blooper!
Apparently this Toronto news reporter had to learn the hard way that he shouldn't stand at the bottom of a toboggan hill on a snow day.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/kea_-8oZIBw