Oatmeal Omelet

photo by Suzzycue Good Morning Foodies: I have a recipe, I cannot get enough of ,that , I want to share with you. I have been trying to only eat my three meals a day and failing miserably until I tried hot oatmeal. Hot oatmeal will help reduce your appetite better than the same amount of cold cereal. The problem was... I really don`t like the taste of oatmeal, made with water, because I cannot digest too much milk. I then came up with this recipe and I love it :) It taste great and I noticed I was not hungry for a longer period of time enabling me to make it until dinner time without caving in. Also adding the egg gives you more protein for your day. #Oatmeal Omelet - I make: 1 cup of quick oatmeal oats( cooks in 1 1/2 minutes in microwave), cover with water in a bowl, dab of butter or olive oil, crack an egg on top, s/p or any spices you like. Then stir it all up making sure the egg yoke is well broken. Put it into the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes take it out stir and back in for one more minute to make sure the egg is cooked. I put parmesan cheese on top and it is Sooo Goood :) Foodies if you love oatmeal , you will love this :) Food TIP: You can put in whatever foods you like examples tomato, mushrooms, onions, and get creative. Let me know what( You invented) so I can try it too :) Have a great day. Here is another interesting omelet to try if you wish

Chistmas In July

We went camping at Windmill Campground. It was Christmas in July and guess who was hogging the out-house. You guess it Santa Claus. He must have been hot it was 30 degrees out over 100 degrees if you are over sixty years old LOL . It was a very fun weekend in a tent. The swimming pool was well received all day and Christmas dinner was awesome at 5$ a plate.

Frugal Planting Tip for Tomato Plants

This is the neatest planting tip, to save your back from breaking, every time you dig a hole for planting your tomato plants, that I have ever seen. It is a four foot threaded rod, with a tin, tomato size can, attached to it, by a bolt. The bottom of the can was removed to allow dirt to enter to create the hole. One third of the top was removed to knock the dirt out when you need to empty it. My neighbor invented this to plant his forty patio, bush tomato plants in no time at all. This device doesn't work right now because our ground is like cement because we have had very little rain where we are in Ontario. To make it work well... you would need to wet the area you were going to plant so as not to bust your new planting device, when you stepped on it with your foot to sink it into the ground. Thanks for reading and DIY, build a tomato planter :)

Walk With Me Lake Victoria Stratford

This is Stratford Ontario at it's best. Come visit and see for yourself . This is a great day tripping vacation. This walk around Lake Victoria (Avon River to me) is not wheelchair accessible so I made this so all Folks can enjoy it. Including the Folks that would be challenged to do this walk. Thanks for watching !

Ice Fan

How many of you have sit in front of a fan to cool off and ended up hotter because the fan is blowing hot air at you? I am in the same boat and I live on a budget that doesn't include too much air conditioning. What I do, is, to place, a plate of ice cubes in front of my fan. Then, the fan blows over the ice cooling the air, before it gets to you. This really works and cost no more than running a fan. When the ice melts, I place the water on my arms and wrists and this will cool you down too. A good trick to this #life-hack, would be to put water in a zip-lock bag or plastic container, freeze those to make a bigger, harder ice block that would melt slower, so, You wouldn't miss your movie filling up your plate with ice cubes all the time. The last trick is to put salt on your ice. It melds the ice- cubes together to last longer. I use salt on my ice when camping and it does make the ice in your cooler last longer :) Thanks for reading and stay cool my friends :)

Tater tots and Egg Breakfast Recipe

Tatter tots were invented in 1953. Tater tots means small potato with February 2nd (ground-hog day to me) is Nation #Tater-tot Day, but, I had left over tater tots from last nights( fish and chips dinner) and needed a hack for them. So I put olive oil in the cast iron frying pan, made a circle with the tots, cracked an egg inside the circle to contain it. When the egg was half done I flipped it all over because I like my eggs that way :) (over-easy)

Then I melted Monterey-Jack cheese with jalapeno on the top. You could use the cheese you like or leave it off. It would be crispy and delicious either way. Give this a try... a real cheap and cheerful Breakfast. If You have a big family give this quick, easy recipe for a lazy Sunday Morning Brunch :) You will love it!

Stratford's Exciting Waterways

This is my second attempt at a nature video. This one is of my hometown... Stratford Ontario's lifestyles on the waterways. Hope You enjoy it :)

Spring in Stratford Ontario Boat House Fishing Derby

Wow I know it is Spring in Stratford, when ,the Fishing Derby is on and the Stratford Boathouse is opening with new paddle boats. The Optimist Club host a fishing derby every Spring by putting lots of trout in lake Victoria( Avon River) to give every Child the right to catch a first fish. This year the Derby was open to kids 16 years and below :) The winner of the Derby usually wins new fishing gear for the coming Fishing season. It is a free time for adults to fish with their children with no fishing licenses. A good out-door activity for all to enjoy :) The Stratford Boathouse hosts BBQ burgers and soft ice-cream cones along with many other choices for lunch to eat on their out doors river side patio. You can go for a slow river side cruise on their scenic pontoon boat, rent a paddle-boat, canoe , or kayak. Lots of fun on this Spring day on the River :)

Baby Its Cold Outside

Photo by Suzzycue Baby it is cold outside today. I came off my corner, as a crossing guard, walking as if I was a purple popsicle. I was probably breathing icicles with frost on my nostrils today, but I endured the cold. It felt like some sort of accomplishment. More so because I had a tooth pulled on Monday and am still feeling the effects from it. I am glad I didn't work the Christmas break because it was even colder and I don't think I would have made it. It was 28 below zero and today was a warm 14 below. Geewiz. Burrrr :( The good news is only 6 more weeks of winter the ground hog says LOL. So what do we do as Canadians Eh? We carry on and keep a going. I am thawing out now and hope you all drive slower. Enjoy our winter while we still can, it will be melting away soon enough :) Have a good day and Thank you all for reading!

15 Minute hors d'oeuvres Battered Zucchini Sticks

Photo by Suzzycue Did Friends show up unexpected and you need food in a hurry? Try these hord'oeuvres with ranch dipping sauce. There is battered zucchini, battered mushrooms, and buttermilk biscuits with chopped zucchini inside. YUM :) I chopped the zucchini in slim sticks about a 1/4 inch thick and 2 inches long. I had a 1/2 bag of bisquick buttermilk biscuit mix and didn't think it was enough ,to do the job, so I added a cup of cornmeal to the mix. Then I stirred in 1/2 cup of liquids milk, and water together. I always love to add spices to the batter and in went garlic powder S/P and rosemary I crunched up in my hands. You can be very neat with this job but I dropped the zucchini ,in the mixture ,until covered ,than lined them up on a greased cookie sheet. The leftover batter in the bowl, I added small chopped zucchini and put it into my muffin tin for biscuits. Baked everything at the same time, 15 minutes in a pre-heated 450 degree oven and presto, battered veggies that still have a crunch but are cooked entirely through. The biscuits were awesome also. I did try this recipe before without the cornmeal but found with it... it was crunchier, the way I love this dish :) Cooking tip: to reheat these zucchini sticks, paint a little butter on the top and put back in the oven for five minutes.

Battered Mushrooms

Photo by Suzzycue I love battered mushrooms but in the winter time my extra spending money goes to heat my apartment. So I was wondering how to make them as good at home for half the cost. I saw frozen mushrooms in a ten dollar bags at No-Thrills grocery store but I only wanted one order and didn't want the rest to sit in my freezer taking up space. I need the freezer space when other food sales catch my eye :) or my taste buds. I bought a box of fresh mushrooms for $1.47 and a bag of Bisquick (powdered buttermilk biscuits) for a buck. Thinking this might work, I did the directions on the package of Bisquick and dropped the mushrooms in to coat them on all sides. I gently laid the coated mushrooms on a screen rack over a cookie sheet so they could crisp up, on all sides ,without sticking and losing some of the coating when I pulled them off to eat :) I then filled my retro muffin pan up with the leftover batter so as not to waste anything. I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and baked everything for fifteen minutes and what a treat. I loved them. I must admit that the ones at the restarants are a little bit crunchier but the flavor I was looking for, was there, with the bonus of the buttermilk bisuits on the side YUM :)

Crossing Guards

photo by Suzzycue Stratford's Courthouse We have lots of snow in my neck of the woods. How are you doing where you live? No matter, that, they never plowed lots of the streets , I plowed threw the snow with my car to get to my corner as a Crossing Guard. They closed every other city and towns schools in Perth County except for Stratford... Go figure? The kids are real troupers to walk in all that snow. It was two -three feet high in some places because the sidewalks were also not plowed yet. I only started this job but already find it a rewarding experience to keep the kids safe on the streets of Stratford Ontario. So snow or not I will be faithful to my corner twice a day until June :)

DIY Wine Cork Bird Feeder

Photos by Suzzycue Hi, Happy New Year to you all ,this fine, snowy ,first day of 2018. If you are anything like me, I have been hibernating through these two weeks of freezing ,record breaking cold spells, we are in now, in Ontario. Hope you enjoyed your New Years Eve. Stratford had a beer tent with music behind the Grand City Hall this year. I didn't attend this Celebration. The thoughts of going into an outhouse at 28 degrees below zero were not welcoming to me but I bet the younger Generation enjoyed it. I stayed home with my bottle of wine and watched the New Year burst in from the comfort of my electric throw. Since we are now snowed in and my hangover has passed. What do we do with all the wine corks my friends and I saved throughout 2017 from good dinners and great times together. Do you hang on to your corks like a good memory? I do it is something about throwing out a wine cork that isn't in my DNA. :) I made a DIY wine cork bird feeder that is a fun up-cycle project. The birds will love it and I can put it on my balcony now , for the birds to enjoy the New year too. Make yourself a wine cork bird feeder and here is how to do it :)