Saturday Market

Every Saturday we have a marvelous Farmer's Market here in Halifax. It starts early in the morning and continues until just after lunch. I visited with my daughter and some of her friends.

It is held in the old Keith's Brewery, a bright and airy space with warrens of rooms and corridors underneath, stuffed with vendors selling everything imaginable.

The Halifax Farmers Market is slated to move next fall. The are relocating to a new venue on the waterfront next to Pier 21. I think the new name will be Halifax Seaport Farmers Market. Using wind turbines and solar panels to generate power. Here is a video with a bit of info, impressive. They start building it this month.

I sat in a chair in this hallway, eating my warm, fresh from the oven, cinnamon bun and sipping an Americano coffee. I was serenaded by this young local Busker and had fun watching all the people coming and going. Actually I took this picture from my comfy perch, sitting a few stairs up from him. I did tip him as I left.:)

Happy Mother's Day

I spied these beauties at the farmer's market yesterday.
Taking my mom out to lunch today:)

Fajita Casserole

One of the layers before cooking in a delicious casserole recipe sent to me by Gillian! It was yummy and originally came from Clean Eating Magazine. Healthy and low fat:)
I exchanged the whole wheat tortillas for corn tortillas, and used chicken. I also added 1/2 cup of water to the chicken pepper mixture as it was cooking to add a bit of moisture and added a dash of salsa. ( Actually I used some precooked chicken meat from a Rotisserie chicken I had and just warmed it up with the pepper mixture)
Recipe:
1 large red onion, halved, sliced lengthwise
½ red bell pepper, sliced into 1 ½ inch strips
½ green bell pepper, sliced into 1 ½ inch strips
2 tsp canola oil
1 lb boneless skinless turkey breast or 1 lb lean pork cutlet, sliced into 2 inch strips or chicken
3 large cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbsp cumin
2 ½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground black pepper
3 medium low-fat whole-wheat or corn tortillas,divided
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
2 tomatoes, chopped, divided
1 cup baby spinach, divided
1/2 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
½ avocado (alligator pear!), diced
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large skillet, sauté onion and bell peppers in oil for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.Add meat, garlic and seasonings. Cook for 8 minutes.Add a bit of water if too dry.
Prepare casserole: In an 8x8 inch clear glass dish, begin to layer ingredients. Place 1 tortilla on bottom and add ¼ of turkey/vegetable mixture, 5 oz of black beans, ¼ cup of tomatoes, and ¼ cup spinach. Continue with second tortilla, following the same order of ingredients and amounts. Bake for 20 or so min until top is bubbly. Let cool for 5 to 10 min.
When serving, top each casserole piece with 2 tsp chopped avocado.Best enjoyed within 4 to 5 days; store in fridge in airtight container. (Top with plain yogurt too if you like sour cream on these kinds of dishes. It tastes wonderful.)

Spring Fever

Spring Fever up for grabs on eBay

I had to post again:) I just finished this wee cat and love it! Soon I am off to Costco once more to get the tires taken off and summer ones put on. It was freezing up there this morning waiting to make an appointment. Crazy system. The good part is that I always meet interesting folk in the lineup to talk to, makes the time fly by.
As I wait for my tires to be replaced I will be having lunch with a friend! She's meeting me there and we will dine on Costco's finest fast food. Actually I'm not sure what they have there now but it will be fun.

Friday

Daisy Lane, original on eBay

7am...I'm off to Costco to wait in line to make an appointment to have my Winter tires taken off. Crazy I know but it is so much cheaper than anywhere else!

new find

Fashion model in dolphin tank at Marineworld, Florida, 1939

I've just discovered a new photographer today...Toni Frissell. She was born in 1907 in New York as Antoinette but took photos under the name Toni. She worked with many famous photographers of the day, as an apprentice to Cecil Beaton, with advice from Edward Steichan. Her initial job, as a fashion photographer for Vogue in 1931, was due to Conde Montrose Nast personally. She later took photographs for the Red Cross during the war, visiting the front line and photographing all the men and women who were part of the war effort. She went on to do informal portraits. Fashion photos, even of evening gowns and such, were often notable for their outdoor settings, emphasizing active women. She was the first woman on the staff of Sports Illustrated in 1953. I am surprised that I have never heard of her. Her work is lovely! Here is a link to her Library of Congress page

Woman fishing at the tidal basin, Washington Dc. 1957. I can feel the sun and how the air feels on her feet. Love this! I imagine they had a wee chat as Toni snapped and the lady sat and fished away.

Abandoned boy with teddy, London 1945, after bombing.

Victoria Station, 1951 for Harpars Bazaar

The Kennedys 1953, Jackie's wedding:)

Also....if you are still here:) I am today's featured reader on the CBC Canada Reads... The Book Club site! Pop over and read the interview:))

Tuesday

Wee Gypsy border, 8" x 3" $22 eBay
Sometimes just what you need is a small painting to tuck into an unexpected spot. I love art in quirky places.
This has been a quiet few days. Ive been cleaning and painting and reading and not doing much that might be interesting to you at all. Hmmm. The grass is getting greener:)
As you may know,I have been feeding the birds all winter and the busy wee creatures have left a big mess of sunflower shells and stray seeds under the feeder at the edge of my deck. I went to tidy it up yesterday and saw that there are dozens of sunflowers sprouting as well as other mystery plants! I think I will just leave them and see what happens.
Have a great day.

Sunshine Cottage

original on eBay
Ah.... these days are not far away now:)

We watched Wall-E last night. I loved it, gosh they know how to make characters tug at the old heartstrings. Nice message too.
Just finishing a salad with this incredible salad dressing on it. Yum!!! I thin it with a bit of nonfat yogurt to make it less caloric. This stuff is wonderful!! Bacon and Blue Cheese, really pungent but I love that:) I've liked all the varieties I've tried so far. This is what the jar looks like so you can find it in your grocery's cooler.
Next on the agenda today is dipping my nose into the latest John Grisham book, The Associate, thanks to my local library. It is a fast read and entertaining, good mental bubblegum:) I am about halfway through.

Saturday

A quiet day planned:) Books and painting and sorting and maybe a bit of exercise but first I am settling in to watch Wall-E with daughter, I've never seen it.
The fire is under control and almost out thanks to the rain. I think 8 homes were lost completely and 7 damaged. What a terrible and sudden event that was.
Thanks for all your '"ant" suggestions. I am going to try the cinnamon first and then move on to the others if that does not work.
Last night I went to see Earth with my daughter. It was wonderful. Seeing our beautiful planet in all it's fragility and spectacular complicated rhythms, makes me want to try harder to do my bit in keeping it healthy. There were parts I could not watch. I had my eyes closed and was silently lalalaaing.....I know it is all part of the reality of wild creatures and life in the outdoor world, but still hard to watch. Not the killing for food, but the unfortunate ends of some of the animals :(

Sun looks like it is trying to peep out.

Fire

Halifax is in flames. There is a huge fire that has been burning out of control on the outskirts. Yesterday my daughter and I were doing some errands and noticed the dark billowing clouds in the sky. Ominous. We found out soon enough what it was.
Gorgeous forest is gone as well as homes:( No reports of injuries, thank goodness. It is raging still. You can smell woodsmoke in the air. We have just had a hot dry spell and our forests are full of dry tinder left behind when Hurricane Juan downed many trees. The winds are high, fanning it on. People were literally running from it with whatever possesions they had the presence of mind to grab. Such a shock. Here is an article from our local paper with more info and a link to an extraordinary picture of the fire There is rain in our forecast today.....I hope it starts sooner rather than later.
UPDATE: It is raining! Hooray:)