Everything is a Photo Opportunity #26

Our friends, Brendan and Colleen, are doing a really amazing art project to decorate one of the rooms in their house. They are painting cats. All kinds. And lots of them. And they are getting willing participants to paint cats too. A few of us went over last weekend for 'cat painting night' and it was so much fun. I love adult creative play, and it made me so happy that we got together to make some art. We got really into it, too, and there were moments when the six of us were painting in silence, as we were all so focused on our cats. It was a pretty awesome way to spend a Saturday night.

At last count B and C had 54 cat paintings on the wall they are trying to fill. I'm not sure what number they want to get to, but I am really looking forward to painting another cat if they need it.

Below is the cat I painted on Saturday. I called him 'Hipster Cat' as he has a cool scarf and a neat hat. And hipster glasses, obviously.

'Easy As Pumpkin Pie' Sweet Potato Pie

Last month I tried making sweet potato pie for the first time. One bite and I was in love. It had the consistency and flavour of pumpkin pie, but with its own unique sweetness.

The recipe I used for the sweet potato pie was excellent, but it had a lot more steps than my usual pumpkin pie. The thing I love most about a pumpkin pie is just how easy it is to make. Whisk the few ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into a pie shell. Done.

I wondered if sweet potato pie could be just as easy.

So I did an experiment where I made my usual easy pumpkin pie recipe, but used sweet potato puree instead of pumpkin puree. I really hoped that it would bake and taste the same, as sweet potatoes are cheap and available year round. If it tasted awesome, I would never have to buy canned pumpkin puree again.

Not only did this substitution work, it worked awesome! The pie was easy to make, tasted great, and because the sweet potatoes are a little sweeter than pumpkin, no whipped cream was needed for the top. Just completely perfect on its own. Rad. So from now on, all pumpkin pies will be sweet potato pie.

'Easy as Pumpkin Pie' Sweet Potato Pie, recipe slightly adapted from Eagle Brand.

2 cups sweet potato puree (about 3 small sweet potatoes or 1.5lbs)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 unbaked pie crust (9 inch)

To make sweet potato puree, steam sweet potatoes until soft. Cool slightly, then add to food processor and puree until smooth.

In a large bowl, add sweet potato puree, spices, sweetened condensed milk, and eggs. Mix with a whisk until blended.

Pour into pie crust.

Bake for 15 minutes in 425°F oven. Turn oven down to 350°F and continue baking for 35-40 minutes. Pie is done when knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean.

Turkey Dinner with Bacon #FoodPicFriday

I was not a big fan of January or February so I wanted to celebrate them finally being over with a big, yummy meal. March has already shown warmer temperatures and way more outdoor time for me, so I am overjoyed that we are finally getting out of this winter. Also, any excuse to make a turkey is kind of how I roll.

We just picked up some old fashioned bacon and John suggested we put some over the breast of the bird while it roasted. I gave it a shot and the turkey and gravy tasted great. It didn't really taste like bacon, but I think it basted the bird with awesomeness. I even got some crispy snackin' bacon while the turkey was settling on the counter. Mmmmm...snackin' bacon.

Salmon Dinner

Something we love to eat but don't buy very often is fresh salmon. It can be more expensive than other main dishes, so if we ever do buy it, it's usually on sale and frozen. Recently we had some grocery store points saved up and decided to spend them a nice salmon dinner. We were so happy we did.

John prepared our salmon with some garlic and lemon pieces, adding an infusion of flavour.

He also added various spices (dill, chives) to make our mouths water even more.

I prepared whipped potatoes with butter and chives, and we had an explosion of awesome tastes on our plate.

Yum! Sometimes there really is nothing better than a wonderful home cooked meal.

My New Hangout

So this winter has forced me to accept a new reality when it comes to what I believe to be cold. Since we have had so many days that were -20°C or below, my body has come to think of warmer temperatures (-5°C or above) as actually warm.

This winter has also led me to believe that spring/summer aren't actually coming. We just live in Westeros now, winter came, it's going to last years, and we all need to suck it up and move on. So this is me moving on.

This is my -5°C or higher "day at the beach" zone. The backyard still has 3 feet of snow in it, so this is my drive-way hangout. I've got books, hot chocolate, my sunnies, and a few layers of winter outerwear. Reading with mitts on isn't the best, but seriously, I'm taking what I can get at the moment.