Multigrain Bread

'But I still haven't found what I'm looking for' goes the lyrics of the U2 song. And so it is with my quest for a decent loaf of whole wheat type bread.

This recipe included a cup of whole wheat flour (for one loaf) along with some molasses, sunflower seeds, oat flakes and flax seeds. It looked okay, aside from the deep slice I made down the middle that gave it the look of a two-humped camel. Glenn said, "No, it looks like someone fell face first into the pan." Ha - I had to think about that for a moment.

But the texture was disappointing once again. It was too heavy/ chewy/ mucky - just not what I'm trying to achieve. Back to the drawing board or, in this case, the kneading board.

A rusty ship at Ogden Point, Victoria

Amazed that it didn't rain solid for days as the forecast seemed to indicate, we went for a late afternoon walk to Ogden Point this past Wednesday. It wasn't as cold out as it looks.

Mid October last year this freighter 'Ocean Lady' (or the MV Easwary - whichever name it goes by) showed up in Victoria with 76 Sri Lankan Tamils smuggled on board. The newspaper reported then that moorage costs were $550 per day. Well, nearly $70,000 later, the ship is still sitting there. I never heard what happened to the people on board but the ship will probably have to go by the time the cruise ship season starts.

Flowers & float planes

The springlike weather continued this past weekend in Victoria. More trees are in bloom. So are some forsythia, daffodils and pink rhododendrons

Spring flowers at Government House.

The harbour was full of activity as we walked along the path on the Laurel Point side.

The Earth shakes (a little bit)

Victoria experienced a small earthquake in the wee hours last night. I happened to be up and felt a slight movement & noticed my monitor shudder. According to news reports it was 17 kilometres southeast of Victoria, between Juan de Fuca and Haro straits. It's amazing how unnerving just a small 3.3 magnitude shake can feel.

Squash soup revisited

Our squash soup recipe calls for butternut squash (along with curry power, pear, onions, chicken broth, apple juice and a pinch of salt) but I still wanted to try another type of squash just to see if there would be any difference.

At a farm market we picked up a Hubbard Squash. In the world of squash, this one wouldn't win a beauty contest.

Not only is the skin warty looking, it is tough as nails. Now I know that the hubbard's "extra-hard skin makes it one of the best keeping winter squashes." Cutting into it reminded me of trying to crack into a coconut. With no machete on hand, Glenn used a saw to cut it into 3 chunks. Then we roasted it in the oven in an attempt to soften it up. It smelled horrid while baking.

But the soup turned out surprisingly good, much the same as the butternut. In a blind-folded taste test, I'm not sure I could tell one from the other. (We could make it more soup-like but we like it really thick like this.)

Ambercup / Butternut

Previously we had tried the two types shown above. The butternut squash probably is the logical choice for this soup.

Sticks & loaves

Grissini... sort of... maybe

Following in my friend's footsteps, I decided to try making grissini. I made 3 variations: plain, parmesan, and rosemary & parmesan. This was the first time I've ever used fresh rosemary - sad but true.

Instead of elegant, tall sticks, I wound up with short, stocky ones. So the exercise was not entirely successful. They tasted alright... but I don't care for breadsticks anyway.

Italian bread

I fared better with the Italian bread. Only four ingredients - flour, yeast, water and salt. No added fat! My first result is shown above.

And this was my second. The second batch had a less crispy crust for some reason. I found that putting the bread in plastic bags softens the crust, which must be why baguettes are kept in paper bags. We liked this bread very much, although I have to say, the regular white bread gives off more of that wonderful fresh-baked bread smell.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Beacon Hill Park February 12, 2010

Continuing my walk through town, I headed through Beacon Hill Park...

...where there were sure signs of spring

...and the usual array of ducks and geese.

Victoria - It's almost a ghost town

Friday February 12, 2010

While Vancouver must feel electric while the Olympics are in town (especially on this, the day of the opening ceremonies), Victoria, just across the strait, seems much quieter than usual. Victoria acknowledged the games by putting up these pansy baskets with Canadian flags.

Blossoms February 12, 2010

But one almost doesn't need an indoor garden because spring is happening outside.

The View Street trees are out!

And some others around town, like this tree beside the harbour, are beginning.

Butchart Gardens February 11, 2010

The magnolias are blooming in the indoor garden.

Interesting bark.

Remember the large potted plant labelled Alcanteria Imperialis 'Rubra' (see blog entry Jan. 15), the one from Chile that blooms once in 15 years and then dies? I thought it was blooming before but now it resembles a flower, more or less.

A jaunt to Parksville

Friday February 5, 2010

For no particular reason we took a drive up-island to Parksville and Qualicum Beach, about 150 km north of Victoria. Years ago, when I drove up and down the island to visit my Mom, more often than not it would be sunny at Qualicum Beach. But on this day it wasn't. So back we went to Rathtrevor Beach in Parksville.

It was cold and windy, definitely still winter. The beach is strewn with shells. I stopped to study barnacles on a rock, realizing that it had been some time since I'd looked at such things.

Clouds were blasting across the sky at a fierce rate.

But if you look up - and it amazes me how many people don't - you often see bald eagles in the fir trees.

The $34 pan of Nanaimo bars

That's about what it cost in ingredients I didn't have handy.

I'd never made Nanaimo bars before and probably won't again - this was just a baking exercise. The amount of fat and sugar in these bars is revolting. The centre is pretty much butter and icing sugar, which is why I normally scrape out that part. I'd better enjoy them though - they cost a fortune.

Here's an interesting bit of trivia. According to a Wikipedia article, the Nanaimo bar originated in Ladysmith, which is south of Nanaimo.

"Can boys fly too?"

(Pietenpol)

Less than a year ago we met Glenn - another Glenn - and Michelle who so kindly got Glenn and I up flying in a Fleet Finch (blog entry: July 24, 2009 'Guelph - Antique airplanes!').

After a year of hard work, they and their partners have launched their online magazine for people with a passion for airplanes and flying. "Can boys fly too?" is a question from a little girl to Michelle. It's in her story 'Birdwoman - What's in a Name?' This and some other free content is available at: http://www.whyfly.aero/

We wish them all the best!

Butchart Gardens January 24, 2010

Historical display

This was our second year of visiting the historical display in the former home of the Butcharts, so I didn't take many pictures.

Robert Pim & Jennie Butchart

The story goes that a dead bird prevented the Butcharts (3 of them) from sailing on the Titanic. Mr. Butchart's favourite bird died so their trip home was delayed as he made a trip to Germany instead to get another. Or something to that effect.

This looks like a passport yet it has both their photos in it. Maybe that's the way it was done in 1937 when this was issued.

Photos of a few famous people.

A few of the rooms are open to the public at this time of year. The swimming pool room and bowling alley aren't among them but we were able to have a peek last year.

Naturally I started getting distracted by flowers like this orchid in a pot on a windowsill.

Butchart Gardens January 24, 2010

More of the Spring Prelude display