Playing around in the kitchen

If you are one of the oodles of diabetics in the world, you consciously plan meals and shopping so that you are not adding carbohydrates to your diet, and you already know that it can be found in the most oddball places. When it comes to things that we add to our food, like sauces and condiments, many of them are on the no-no list. As a result, I like to come up with blends and concoctions that add lots of flavour without adding sugar.

The other night my daughter and I were watching TV and saw a beautiful steak that was done with a rub, and so she Googled a couple of recipes and we tweaked it to our liking. Last night, I rubbed it onto the steak about a half hour before cooking, just to let the flavours soak in a bit. I’m sharing the recipe here with you, because good food is best when shared.

In case you are wondering, the steaks browned very nicely in a non-stick frying pan, finished to a beautiful colour on both sides, and cooked to medium rare. Tonight I used the same rub recipe on a pork roast and it was really divine!

Find yourself an empty spice bottle, and keep this handy for the next time you want something with a little flavour!

1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Dash turmeric
Dash coriander

Mix all the ingredients together. Sprinkle generously on both sides of the steak, rub it in a little, then cook (barbecue, fry, broil) your meat the way you like it.

To your health!

Winter Wonderland - Oh Canada!

I’ve been in Moncton, NB, about 2 ½ hours from home since yesterday. Normally a road trip is exciting, Moncton a fine place, and the chance to hang out with colleagues outside of work is something I really enjoy. These are great folks!

Tonight – and through tomorrow – will be time to make some decisions, and they are not all mine to make. As I sit in my comfortable hotel room, the snow plows are doing their best to keep up with a Nor’easter that is blowing through and depositing 30 cms of snow on the highway between here and Halifax. The Cobequid Pass is part of our journey home, and we have two people to deliver safely to the Halifax Airport so they can fly on to Newfoundland, so there is pressure to get there on time for that flight provided the airport is open. In fair weather, the drive is fine. In snow or pressing wind, the journey can be harrowing, particularly through that pass. We’ve rented a 4WD; we’re travelling with winter gear, because we live in a winter climate and know that we must be prepared for this kind of thing at this time of year. The team will have to decide tomorrow whether we journey out, or stay an extra day. I am heading to bed praying for clear skies and a steady parade of snowplows. And I am perfectly happy staying here for an extra day. I packed extra socks and stuff, just in case.

What Kind of Traveller Are You?

The trouble with being in a hotel room starts when you are in one of the Big Chains and their wireless internet is painfully slow (11 Mbps). I am just not used to this, and so I called down to the front desk to ask if it would be quicker if I plugged in, and to find out where to actually plug in. Apparently that was funny, and so the clerk said “No ma’am,” politely, although I could hear laughter there. “Don’t other people call you about a faster connection?” I asked.

“No,” he replied trying to get serious, “they really don’t anymore. They used to be more demanding, but now it’s included in the room charge, we really don’t get that much.”

What kind of service do you demand and expect when you travel? Are you wanting more? What does that look like?

I do not think of myself as a demanding traveller. I am not a complainer when it comes to things as long as they work, are clean and quiet. I did stay in a room in Bangor, Maine one time where the bathroom door was hanging off one hinge. There were no other rooms in the inn that night, and no one to come fix it. I have stayed in cigarette stinky rooms because that was the punishment for travelling with my dog. Here in Moncton, the room is clean, the food passable. The bed linens are really nice; a 500 thread count or so. There are loads of pillows, which I like, and the shower head is one of those rain ones, which is nice. But the internet connection leaves something to be desired since I am one of those folks who works with lots open at the same time and puts heavy demand on my little ‘puter.

Speaking of ‘puter, I need to ask Whafor your help. I’ve entered my blog into a contest for a free overhaul and setting me up on Wordpress. If you’d be a sweetie, dear reader, and visit this site, you could vote for my blog. Right now it’s neck and neck for last place, and I’d like to come in first to take advantage of the upgrade.
http://bit.ly/soaP

Thanks a million. For being a part of this little community, and for voting.