Cooking Class...

My friend Ruth received a wonderful gift for Christmas from her daughter...
a cooking class for 2 at The London Chef.
When she opened it she knew immediately who she wanted to invite to go with her to class.
Me!
I am so grateful that she chose to take me along...
(thank you Laura and Ruth)

Participants were encouraged to take notes as we observed each step

no recipes were handed out.

The chef cooked without measuring and used terms like "a dollop" of this or a "handful" of that!

The kitchen space is open with a U shaped configuration

with a long harvest table and chairs off to the side.

The chef cooked from this island which was at the front of the room.

All the food has been prepped ahead..

all the measuring, if there was any, was done before we arrived

 making it quick and easy to put the dishes together.

I took note of his set up...

the towel under the chopping board, 

the various prep bowls and containers

the food in a basket off to one side

the utensils sat atop a towel to the right of the pots

The theme was Moroccan and the food was prepared in front of about 20 people who were given step by step instructions on how to make Tagine Chicken, Hummus, Rice Salad, and Baba Ganoush.

The large pot became the "tagine" 

according to the chef, tagines are frighfully expensive and not necessary to get the full flavour of Moroccon dishes.

After sauteing the ingredients he put a round piece of parchment paper on top of the food, cut a small X in the top

 then covered the pot with foil to allow all the flavours to mingle together and cook over low heat.

The chef Dan, was English as one might expect from the school's name...The London Chef.

He was a handsome young fellow with a booming voice and an energy not unlike that of Jamie Oliver.

The session was held at lunchtime and after all the dishes were finished we were all served the meal...

the flavours were amazing!

The dishes were so rich in dimension ~ nuts, dried fruits, spices and herbs together working a little bit of magic.

You could close your eyes and imagine dining in an exotic Moroccan location...

One can buy soups, condiments, chocolates, coffee, tea and spices 

I looked for saffron because it is not easy to find...but they did not have any in stock.

They are open for lunch and the chef also caters events.

Locally made pickles and mustard's...

Soups...

Spices, oils, vinegars, chocolates and tea.

Our delicious lunch!

It was so much fun...and I love to cook and try new recipes so

I'm hoping to take some other classes at The London Chef.

BTW

I have signed up for a cooking class when I am in Paris.

I'm relieved and thankful that the cats are up to their "usual tricks" in The Humble Bungalow.

Chester is enjoying playing with Pepper now that Pepper has recovered from her recent illness.

I am very happy to have our "furry family" well again.

Thank you too for all your kind words.

Hostess

Hanging around...

This week has been quiet and I am grateful that I have not had too many things on my calendar.
It feels like the calm after the storm, a welcome respite, a tonic if you will...

I have been walking and reading and keeping the house tidy.
My friend and I took in a cooking class at The London Chef which was such fun...
so much so that I plan to do a blog post telling you all about it.

I've seen some beautiful and unusual things on my walks this week...

I stopped to capture this image of a tree trunk on Hollywood Crescent.

I love the texture and colours...Mother Nature really knows her stuff!

Gorgeous Earthy tones...

a spot of colour

 LOOK what I saw when I walked along May Street!

not an ordinary tree

imagination and decoration

quirky 

perhaps

it makes a statement

but I am not too sure what it means...

what I thought of was 

"Hang in There"

Thank you to Lizzie who sent us a link to this tree story...watch it here.

I hope you are hanging in there too!

Have a fabulous weekend.

"Meow" Monday's Report...

Just a quick post to thank you all for your comments on the previous two Pepper Posts and to let you know that
Pepper is resting comfortably...

I am guardedly optimistic but I think we have turned the corner...

She must be feeling better as she is lying on her side, 

before she was sitting up with a hunched back and looked uncomfortable.

If you look closely you'll see Pepper's paw is covering her eyes...

we both want to wipe these last few anxious days from our minds...

we've seen and been through enough already!

Walking has been rather wet these past few days...

the air fresh and cool but no wind to speak of, so it makes for a pleasant jaunt along the seafront.

The Fairfield Book Shop had this vintage book on display in the window.

Love the sweet illustration on the cover.

From Publishers Weekly

"First published in 1947, Pookie Puts the World Right by Ivy Wallace follows the titular bunny as he banishes Winter for blowing down trees and leaving several residents of Bluebell Wood homeless."

We could have used Pookie's help...

Chester has been very aware that Pepper has been out of sorts and has been very gentle not to instigate rambunctious play.

Fingers are crossed that we are out of the woods and that we can get back to what we like to think of is "normal"

two cats playing together happily

chasing pet mice around the house

eating cat food

(nothing non edible like string or elastic bands Pepper please!)

snoozing 

purring

keeping the Hostess company 

as she goes about her domestics...

greeting her at the door 

when she comes home from her errands and her walks.

I'll be back soon...

Pepper update...

I've been sticking close to home while nursing Pepper and open my laptop every so often to check in and read your comments...
I am so grateful that there are not just empty chairs out there.
Your kind thoughts and comments have cheered me no end...

We are trying hard to take care of Pepper with TLC,

with visits to the vet, medications and antibiotics.

She looks content here but we are certainly not out of the woods...

we are waiting to see if her digestive system will start working properly again and that the vomiting will cease.

If it does not kick start this weekend we will need to take her back for more X-rays as she may have eaten something that does not show up on an X-ray and is causing a blockage...

it could be a piece of string or an elastic band.

I've resorted to "self medicating with food"...

I know I shouldn't but I am in need of comfort.

Cheese and onion jam on crackers with my afternoon tea.

(I had 5 of these tipping the scales and my WW points!)

I recognize my weakness and know I am "stress eating." 

Seeing as how I need to keep close tabs on Pepper and stay at home most of the day

I have been reading two books at a time...

Louise Penny's The Beautiful Mystery as well as Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon.

Two books deserve two Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates don't they?

My friend and I walked 10K yesterday and it felt so good to get out.

I will try and pop out for a 5K walk at some point today...

I am having trouble leaving her even for a half an hour.

I'm looking down the road

hoping that Pepper will rally and I am trying to visualize in my mind that she will be well.

Pets share our life and have a special, almost divine, place in our family.

They give our days so much JOY...

we share so much grief and sorrow when they are not well 

or no longer with us on this earth anymore.

Thank you again for your comments.

I have read them all and have felt immense support from your kind words.

I will post an update on Pepper as soon as there is a change...

Yesterday...

Some days are better than others,
All we can do is put our best face forward and hope for the best...
yesterday was one of "those days."

Our four year old cat, Pepper is ill...
I spent a few hours at the hospital with her
and I left her there overnight for observation.
She has had X-Rays, tests and blood work...
it appears that something is amiss and so we wait...

If pets could talk and tell us what is wrong we'd be so much better able to diagnose their problem and start the correct treatment.
I wonder if she ate something that she should not have ingested...

She was throwing up...
I know it's gross and I won't mention it again,
except to say that our white coverlet on the bed has been laundered.
(I'm so grateful we own a heavy duty washing machine)

I left dinner in the oven for  MR. HB...
he coaxed Pepper into the kennel cab for me as I hastily wrote out the directions to the hospital from a google map...
I was stressed, scribbling the street names
I'm not proud of it but there was some screaming involved...

I got lost on the way to the hospital...
on a rainy dark night, country roads and unfamiliar territory...
our old Volvo wagon does not have a GPS.

I pulled over to the side of the road and "googled" maps, 

I got a message saying "Do you want to install the Google Map APP now?

NOOOOOO....

I want to get to the vet NOW...

I had to stop at a gas station and call the hospital for directions...
turns out I was two blocks short of their location.

Can you feel my tension
you shouldn't...
I'm just venting.

I had my first ever Kuerig coffee...which btw was delicious.

The "reception" at the hospital was warm and welcoming

the patient and caring staff took care of me as well as Pepper.

Let's take a break/diversion shall we?

Yes the red shoes walked with me to French Class...

they were accompanied by my favourite French made Union Jack tote.

Perhaps it is a weird "statement"

 to carry that tote to class 

but both the textbooks

the French English dictionary

  homework and papers

pencils and pens

and

a bottle of Perrier

fit 

perfectly.

C'est la vie.

I passed by a popular flower stall

brimming with colour...

a market with fresh produce...

I wore classic pearls and diamonds...

with my natural tinsel "highlights"

I'll be 60 in a few weeks so I think I have "earned the right to embrace the grey"

(have you noticed how many women "of a certain age" are blogging about going grey ?)

 Joni Mitchell and Joan Didion have been hired as representatives as the "new faces" for fashion houses.

Boomers, are quite possibly, becoming the IT generation!

I spied these gorgeous Hunter Boots in a shop window

and if I had not been running late for class

I would have rushed in 

and tried them on...

I did just buy some cute and comfy Harvest Tomato Lands' End Bianca ballet flats...

and it was not raining...

 look was hanging out in the same shop window as the Hunter Boots.

Last weekend I left this vest in "the Red Store"

(aka Target)

after conferring with my personal fashion advisor

who has never steered me wrong...

(thanks darling...it does add bulk and I am way too short to carry it off!)

so before I close...

Pepper's picture on her file at the vet clinic...

belly up!

I took it when she helped me "fold the laundry" Mr. HB's Socks!

Pepper was an adorable kitten ...

your little buddy Chester is waiting for you Pepper...

he was asleep when I took this...

Pepper snoozing onboard our Sea Ray last summer....

I'm going to phone the hospital soon and see what kind of night she had...

in the meantime...

I feel a wee bit better having written this all down and sharing it.

Who knows if anyone is out there reading these words?

there might just be an audience of empty chairs...

Seeing red...

The past weekend is a bit of a blur...

We went out on Friday night to The Oak Bay Beach Hotel pub for a quick bite and stayed up late watching the TV so we slept in on Saturday morning and had a lazy start to the day.
I went to browse the local Target store...aka "the RED STORE" as Isla calls it...
sadly they are closing all the Canadian stores and I am so very disappointed.
I have shopped there more than any other retailer since they opened. I purchased all kinds of things from...toys, bedding, clothes for the grandchildren, kitchen tools, linens, pillows, candles, home decor items to cards and books.

Sunday we had the grandchildren over for a visit and served up some comforting tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with ketchup...
Henry and Isla both love to chase the cats around our bungalow and they laugh and squeal with delight...
the cats are not used to this pace and got wise to the game and made a hasty retreat downstairs and stayed there until they left.
Grammy and Grampa had a super fun time!

I made a pot roast for dinner...

It's the easiest recipe ever...

I served it with parsnips, carrots, peas and "gravy" made from the cooking stock thickened with a bit of cornstarch mixed with water.

It was just the two of us for dinner but we lit the candles and sat at the dining room table...

not quite Downton Abbey but civilized nevertheless!

OOTD

Lands' End tunic in black and white stripes

Nygaard ponte knit pants

Mee Too black ballet flats

I have wanted to find red shoes to add some pizazz to my small shoe collection

so when I ordered the Thermacore capris from Lands' End I ordered some red ballet flats.

Harvest Tomato is the name of the shade of the Bianca flats...

They look nice with our kitchen rug...

In the style of the iconic Repetto's from France...

and as a bonus they are currently on sale so they are "budget friendly."

I'm wearing them to French class 

OOTD

 g21 denim skinny jeans

Dex grey bulky knit sweater 

 Burberry scarf.

I'm feeling more energetic and incredibly optimistic today

and Hooray for the sunshine!

Hope your week is off to a great start!