Oh...Canada!

Canadians are typically not known for being boastful people. Typically. I say typically only because it's our default state unless we win a hockey game. And I have to say last nights Gold Medal final against our lovely cousins to the south was a night for boasting. To any of my American friends who are hockey fans, I just want to say your team did amazing and Ryan Miller is awesome (can he switch his citizenship by the way?)

I hope that my Canadian sisters and brothers were as gracious as can be. I am super proud of how our country did--14 GOLD MEDALS! Most medals in a winter Olympics by any nation. Now that's something to be proud of. And big congrats to the US for getting the most Olympic medals overall--did we have any doubt in you?

Did anyone watch the closing ceremonies? I just love our tongue in cheek humour--you can poke fun all you want, but truly we have the last laugh. I am proud of our heritage and what we stand for and for all of our differences, remember we are all children of the same God. Now THAT's something to be proud of.

P.S-thanks for putting up with my two-week Olympic watching hiatus. I promise not to leave you again.

Love,
D-Dizzle.

You gotta be there...cause I won't be.

So it's four days and Olympic fever has officially set in. It's been a long time coming for Vancouver since we won the Olympics and I remember thinking to myself "Man, I wonder what 2010 will be like?". Well, it's here and many things have changed in my life since the day we beat out a number of countries to win the honour of hosting such a prestigious event. Unfortunately, while my home is truly west coast, I am living in Central Canada in the glorious province of Ontario while I write my thesis. Some would say that's a good thing and I tend to agree.

Our transportation infrastructure, transit systems, etc are clogged to the max (is that 80s?), for sure! I have friends living in and around the GVRD (that's Greater Vancouver Regional District) who are frustrated beyond belief because their every day routine that includes commuting to and from work, starbucks, hockey games, concerts, bars, pubs and local eateries has been shaken up, stalled, rerouted, due to the excess number of people in town for the Olympics. For those who couldn't give a thumb twiddle about the Olympics are simply fed up already and just want it over. Even those who are into the games are probably getting toward the fed up side. They already started road closures and ski hill closures awhile back. I suppose the most frustrating thing for local residents is that while we (and I mean property owners/business owners/people working in BC) will bear the burden of paying for the $6 billion dollars in upgrades to the city, we do not get the luxury of affording to even attend an event. The costs are ridiculous and some have felt residents should get a break. It's become a political show-off of our beautiful province but we get shafted...we being the people paying for this and putting up with the residual effects of the games. Not to mention a host of other issues regarding local First Nations, our homeless who are being "looked after" and put into housing (temporary albeit) just to clean up our streets. Essentially we're sweeping the dust under the rug so the world doesn't see our "dust" problem.

Vancouver has a huge drug/mental health problem on its hands which became "inconvenient" when hosting the world here. Who knew? Of course we have pretty decent weather all year long so homeless survive out the winters here so we do have a higher number than many other city's per capita. However, this stems back to so many mental health cutbacks. Essentially all the mental health cases have ended up on the streets, turn to drugs and alcohol and we've now created a problem that is hard to fix without upsetting someone somewhere...safe-injection sites? Temporary housing? What do you do? There is no shortage of opinions, let me put it to you this way.

And in the lead-up to the opening ceremonies I don't want this post to put a damper on things; however, it's to serve as a reminder that all is never as it seems and while I wish our athletes the best (as a friend put it yesterday, we've spent more on our athletes in the last 10 years than we've ever paid before so if we don't medal we want our money back!), we should keep in mind that there are real issues and the world doesn't just go "on hold" for 2 weeks. And while Vancouver and the West Coast is the best place on earth to me, it still has its share of problems that will be hidden while the world watches.

And thus I bring you this video. It won't show the problems, of course. No different than when my sister and her husband recently went to Jamaica and landed the day of the earthquake in Haiti--no one at the resort mentioned it to them because guests at a luxury resort don't really want to know, right? The world doesn't want to know.

However, I want you to know that although we have problems, we also live in one of the cleanest, greenest, most stunningly beautiful parts of the world that I am so thankful to hail from. I am so proud of my country, my people, and my home that the thought of returning to it for good, so soon, makes my eyes well up. Between the mountains, the ocean, the valley's, the desert, to the boreal forest, the west coast old growth trees, the rivers, and lakes and the glorious coast line--BC has it all. And I wouldn't give it up for all the money in the world. Or George Clooney. Yes, even him.

So we welcome the world to our beautiful province. If you plan on coming to the city I recommend a few places just comment if you're interested. I love talking about my home.

Canadian Beauty?

Today I am participating in Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" Friday. Today is all about beauty, beauty tips, etc.

Tips

1. Always moisturize your elbows, neck, and decolletage. These places will droop and/or dry out as you get older.

2. Always spend money on good make-up and skin-care. You wouldn't eat McDonald's every day, would you? So why put the equivalent on your face?

3. Eat antioxidant-rich foods such as berries. These will do wonders for your skin!

4. Exfoliate exfoliate exfoliate...did I mention exfoliate? Without removing the dead skin cells from your face/body, creams and other moisturizers simply sit on the surface and do not absorb. If you don't exfoliate, think of your skin like a dry, cracked side-walk and a downpouring of rain.

5. Sleep! Often! This is the time when your body's cells regenerate and your DNA duplicates. If you don't sleep, your body will fail to perform these vital functions effectively.

Products I Use

I happen to love a particular line of cosmetics called Benefit. Here are a few specific products I like from their line:

Thank the heavens for this Erase Paste! I have huge/dark circles under my eyes that I inherited from some family member and if I ever find them I will....anyway...BEST product I have ever used. From one 'bag' lady to another, I beg you to try this!


BADgal mascara. What can I say? Everyone wants to be a BAD girl...with BADass lashes. I have naturally long eyelashes, however, they are sparse. This is the ONLY mascara I have found that lengthens, thickens AND doesn't clump!


Now who doesn't want Big Beautiful Eyes? I have small eyes and I find this trio of beautiful, sparkly eye shadows does the trick in making my eyes look bootiful and big. Note: It also comes with handy dandy instructions for the cosmetic illiterate--literally telling you where to put each shade to achieve maximumally (is that a word?) big and beautiful peepers. I couldn't live without it. If the earth flooded tomorrow and I could escape with three things, one of those would be this eye shadow. Beauty is survival isn't it?

Skincare. I am not going to lie, I spend a mint on skin-care products. Not literally a mint, but you know what I mean. At least it's a mint to a starving student. However, I believe I will benefit from its use in years to come and the cost of it might balance out in the future when I can keep my job longer because I still look younger. ;) haha!

There are two products I use for my skin. They are formulated specially for sensitive, dry skin which is what I inherited from my lovely mother. I shall not complain though as I was never afflicted with acne and for this I am thankful. Let it be known that these two lines can be purchased at your local Shoppers Drug Mart/Walgreens/Walmart, etc.

Avene.

Avene Light Hydrance Cream. Did I mention you should moisturize? Oh, I did? Well let me tell you again. This 45mL bottle is nothing to shake a fist at. It's...well, moisturizing! Without being heavy. It's a light daily moisturizer perfect for post-cleanse.


Avene Gentle Purifying Scrub. Did I mention to exfoliate? I have dry, sensitive skin that reacts to absolutely nothing. It's like a young teenager who freaks out at the slightest thing. It's like that, seriously. I get out of the shower and it's like someone gave me numerous hickey's all over my face and neck and chest. Alas, my life isn't that exciting. This stuff gets rid of the dead skin without irritating my sensitive skin that likes too much drama in its life.


Vichy. I absolutely LOVE Vichy's line for sensitive, dry skin. Here are a few of their products I use.

Vichy Hydra Soothing Detoxifying Toner. I cannot stress enough the importance of a good toner suited to your skin type. This works in tandem with the antioxidant-rich foods to pull out all of the free radicals/dirt/oil from your skin. It's like a magnet that reaches into your pores to get the guck out. We don't like guck 'round these parts.


Vichy Detoxifying Cleansing Milk. I have been a happy woman since this product entered my life. It's like spring cleaning every day for your face. It rebalances, reorganizes, and gets rid of the crap. It's also non-drying and non-irritating--how I like my sisters. It's creamy and cooling and a beautiful thing. Get it. Get it now.

And one last item that I die for. It's by Bath & Body Works.
My favourite Lip Balm. It's made with shea butters which are ultra-moisturizing. What I love about this lip balm is it gives moisture and shine without being goopy or sticky. Nothing kills me more than when my hair gets blown into my lips and stays there. Ick.

And there you have it folks! Just a few products that I would sell my soul for. If I had one. Kidding. Really.

Take care and have a wonderful weekend! I'll be writing a thesis.

Chars <^><

Dawn

Grace

*Disclaimer: Some of these photos are of a graphic nature.

Grace Like Rain

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.- Ephesians 2:8

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding -Proverbs 3:5

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. -Matthew 11:28

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - Ephesians 2:10.

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble and oppressed." - James 4:6

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. - Romans 8:14

Blessed are those who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. -James 1:12

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all peoples. - Titus 2:11

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:31

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. - Romans 8:26

Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.
- Isaiah 41:10

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. - John 15:13

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. -1 John 4:7

This ain't sea world, this is real as it gets!

There are few things in this world that make this Canadian backwoods girl happy. One of those is cheesecake. The other is Bass Pro Shops. I also love boats. Hence my love affair with this weekend.

Sorry, while I shed a few tears. RB and I went to the Toronto International Boat Show this weekend, as the company that he works for offered him free tickets. Let me tell you, it was a drool fest. RB used to sail lots as a kid and up until he was nearly twenty. He loves to sailboat. Me? I love two things about boating: Speed and fishing. If I can combine the two, then hallelujah!

We first went and took a few shots of some motors. I felt a bit like Tim the Tool Man Taylor and forgot temporarily about my estrogen.

Aw-yeah, baby! A 40hp Big Foot! RB is over 6' so you can see how big this motor is.

Well hello, beautiful. May I say you're looking rather "fly", all shiny and new with your beloved 60hp. This is the newer Mercury 60Hp Flyway.

After we had our fill of boats, we decided en route home to stop one of only TWO Bass Pro Shops in all of Canada. The other is in Calgary. What more can a girl ask for but to be greated by a great big Bass hanging in mid-air? Inside were mounted fish and game galore. In particular I enjoyed the "home decor" aspect. I quickly called my mama and said in the most southern accent a Canadian girl can concoct "Mama! I'm inna Bass Pro Shop and I've died 'n gone 'ta heaven!"..to which my ma replied, "Dawn, do NOT make your house look like a trailer park!". I'm sorry, but that glass coffee table whose base was constructed from a set of deer antlers was a beaut! And heck yes I WILL have those moose-decor lamp shades.

I digress, I did not purchase these. However, RB was nice enough to purchase me a ball cap I had been admiring and a brand new...skillet! Life is good my friends, life is good. We eyed up some fly rods and reels. RB gasped at some of the prices, but I know that sometimes you have to spend a little extra dough to get quality goods.

I don't know if RB was impressed I wanted to take his photo with the duck, or not. Regardless, I thought he looked kinda cute next to the fake ducks.

sigh, what a wonderful sea of rods, reels, nets and tackle. A girl could live here forever, except that if I lived here forever I'd never actually get to fish.

In the end it was a glorious day of outdoor-ness. It was a nice break from the winter cold to think about the warm summer ahead where I get to "get outside" and find my chi or my chee or whatever it is it's called. Find myself? I don't know. I just want to hook somethin' and fry it up for dinner.

What are you looking forward to doing in summer?

Perfecting the perfect cookie

Alright, another recipe. I decided after cleaning my kitchen, to mess it up again. It just looked "too" clean. I have been trying to learn how to perfect a perfect cookie. I don't like it when cookies spread out too much on the pan, get crunchy and flat. Crunchy does not a good cookie make. At least in my opinion.

So I set out into the world wide interweb in search of not a recipe, oh no, but some timeless information on how cookies work with specific ingredients.

Here is what I learned. You can get the full info from here.

Fats Cookies are made primarily with butter, margarine or shortening. Fats play a major role in the spread of a cookie--whether a cookie keeps its shape or flattens in the oven. Shortening and margarine are stable, and will help cookies keep their original unbaked shapes. Butter melts at a much lower temperature than other solid fats--it melts at body temperature, resulting in a “melt-in-your-mouth” burst of flavor. Cookies made with butter tend to spread out. Butter is essential in certain cookies, such as shortbreads; if they don’t hold their shape, consider lowering the amount of butter, sugar, or baking soda in the recipe. The amount of fat also affects the cookies: in general, more fat equals flat, crispy cookies while less fat equals puffier, cake-like cookies. Whipped spreads are not suitable for baking: use solid sticks of margarine instead.

Flour Flour also affects how cookies behave. Most cookie recipes call for all-purpose or pastry flour. Both bread flour, with its high protein content, and cake flour, which is high in starch, produce cookies that tend to spread less. (The gluten in the bread flour and the absorbant starch in cake flour are responsible for the similar results.) Higher flour-to-liquid ratios are needed in shortbread and crumbly-textured cookies.

Baking Powder and Baking Soda Baking powder and baking soda are the two most common leaveners in cookies. Baking soda is simply bicarbonate of soda, while baking powder is a combination of bicarbonate of soda plus cream of tartar, an acidic ingredient. Baking soda neutralizes the acidity of the dough, allowing the cookies to brown in the oven. Since baking powder already contains its own acid, it will not reduce the acidity in the dough, and the resulting cookies will be puffier and lighter in color.

Sugars Like fats, sugars liquefy in the oven. The type and amount of sugar used play a big role in cookie performance. White sugar makes a crisper cookie than brown sugar or honey. Cookies made from brown sugar will absorb moisture after baking, helping to ensure that they stay chewy. Most chocolate chip cookie recipes contain both brown and white sugars. If you lower the amount of sugar called for in a cookie recipe, the final baked cookie will be puffier than its high-sugar counterpart.

Eggs and Liquids Eggs are a binding agent. Liquids can either cause cookies to puff up or spread. If egg is the liquid, it will create a puffy, cake-like texture. Just a tablespoon or two of water or other liquid will help your cookies spread into flatter and crisper rounds. Egg yolks bind the dough and add richness but allow a crisp texture after baking, whereas egg whites tend to make cookies dry and cakey. To make up for the drying effect of the egg whites, extra sugar is often added. This is why cookies made with just egg whites tend to be so sweet--think of macaroons.

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So with this in mind I decided to create my own recipe based on this information to see what I could come up with.

Dawn's OC to the power of 5 cookies (I hope you get that or I'll look like an idiot)

Prep time: 10-15 minutes Bake time: 15-18 minutes. Yields: About 2 dozen.

Ingredients

1 c. shortening (I used Crisco just because I trust the brand)

1/2 c. white sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar (light coloured)

2 eggs (bring them out right away to bring them to room-temperature)

2 tsp. vanilla extract (please please please for the love of all things Holy, use PURE)

2 1/2-ish c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Whatcha do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees f, pull out your eggs to sit.

2. In your mixing bowl whip your shortening and sugars together just until fluffy, then beat in each egg separately until well incorporated. Next, add your vanilla extract, but just stir it in gently.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt, and add little bits at a time to the liquids, blending until combined but do not over mix. We don't want air in here. Air does not a good cookie make.

4. Stop mixing. You're done! Just add your chocolate chips and fold them in until well distributed. Not that I have a problem biting into 5 gooey chocolate chips. No sir.

5. Make rounded tablespoon drops onto a cookie sheet. I like to use parchment paper but you can do whatever floats your boat. I just don't like cleaning cookie sheets.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes depending on your oven and the size of your cookie drops. For heaven's sake just watch them!

7. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes at least before you put them on the cooling racks or begin smacking your significant other's hand to get away. This is why I make them when RB's at work.

TA-DAH! The perfected perfect cookie. I hope ya learned somethin' today. Lemme know how you like 'em.

Cornbread

I'd like to prepare some cornbread tonight to go with our chicken and rice and veggies. I'm pretty excited about it, too because I've not yet tried cornbread but I hear it's delish by my fellows down south.

Fact is: I don't own a cast iron skillet as of yet. It's either something I'll pick up soon or put on the wedding gift registry. Though I happen to think registries are for things like china and knick-knacks, but that's just me and I'm not always in my right mind as many will attest. If you speak with some, the only real way to make cornbread is in a cast iron pan and that's it. I don't own one yet so this will have to do.


So, simple easy cornbread recipe I picked up goes as follows:

Ingredients
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil (I'm assuming canola or vegetable but it's not specific)
2 whole eggs, beaten.
1 cup milk (some recipes I've seen call for a buttermilk-milk mixture--prob just a personal taste thing)
1-1/2 cup Flour (again, I've seen some recipes say self-rising flour but maybe that's an American thing?)
1 Tbsp Baking Powder.
1/8 tsp salt (regular table salt, not the chunky sea variety of course)
1-1/2 c. Yellow cornmeal (though I've also seen white cornmeal stated. Not sure what the difference is...bleached, perhaps? Any of my American readers know this?)

To prepare:
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until moist. Bake in a greased 9" pan at 400F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Note: You can probably play around with the amount of sugar you use, and or add things like onion, garlic, bacon, broccoli, jalapenos, cheese. I've seen it all...just never tried it. For now, though I will just try the basic recipe.

Post-cooking note: It turned out EXCELLENT! I actually ended up serving some marinated pork instead of chicken breasts and what I really loved was how the cornbread added a little sweetness to the savory of the pork marinade. It also picks up a lot of the flavours like most breads would do. RB is slowly devouring the pan of it. Oh, and instead of the square pan I decided to use a round cake pan which would have it turn out similar to using the skillet. A+ for this stuff!