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 :)

Portobello Mushroom Burger

Check this out a yummy #portobello mushroom burger with all the tasty drippings of a hamburger with a lot less calories. Taste,is what, I was really after but saving a few calories won't hurt me either :) I didn't even miss the meat. Why did I try this, because two big mushroom caps were on sale for a $1.00 yesterday at walmart's vegetable bargain rack. So I brought them home and cleaned off a bit of soggy bad part, do not wash a portobello mushroom because they will end up a black mess in your hand... I found out the hard way. You can wipe them off with a towel, like you do other mushrooms because if you rinse them with water they become tough.Then you scrap out all the black ribs found on the underside of the mushroom. How to Cook : I fried it skin side up in butter in my cast iron frying pan. Then I tossed in the pan, fresh spinach to wilt, s/p. I flipped the big mushroom cap over and melted old cheddar cheese on the top. I had no buns so I toasted bread. Then I piled on mayo, portobello mushroom cap with cheese and topped it with the wilted spinach. Oh man... if you love mushrooms like I do you need to try this :)