Antipasto with Joan - October 2014

Antipasto With Joan

Our good friend, Joan Beck, invited me to her and Art's home in Gibsons to spend the day making antipasto.  I jumped at the opportunity.  I hadn't made antipasto in 6 years.  Jeremy was the biggest fan of my antipasto and my heart just wasn't in it.  But time has passed and Joan, with 3 new recipes to try, was game to try my one and only favorite for all time.  And darn, we were so busy, I forgot to take photo's of the process.  

Joan has the perfect kitchen set up for a day of chopping.  And if you want organized.  She is the gal.  I know, I know, most people think I'm 'Ms Organizer extraordinaire' but I don't hold a candle to Joan's talents.  Besides being a gourmet in the kitchen (she is writing a cook book), she is charming and fun.  We had a delightful day.

And the day, I couldn't believe what we accomplished in 5 hours.  78 jars of 4 varieties of antipasto.  Joan's trick was to pour the hot antipasto in hot jars from the oven,   No processing.  I have always put tuna fish and sometimes shrimp in my antipasto which would not bode well if it were processed.  So for this batch I forego the seafood ingredient, knowing I can add it fresh when serving.

Roasted Vegetable Anitpasto:  Yummm, this recipe had capers in it.  Roasting the vegetables gave it that full smokey flavour.  A bit saucey.

Old Italian:  Straight forward 

Calebres:  Wow, this had horseradish, artichokes, worchestershire sauce and even pizza sauce.  Very nice with bite.

And ofcourse, there was my 'go to' forever Antipasto.  See recipe below. 

Nadine's Antipasto

Ingredients

1 lb. pickling onions

1 lb. cauliflower

1 lb. green peppers

1 lb. red peppers

1 lb. celery

1 lb. green beans

1 qt. dill pickles

4 tins sliced mushrooms

3 tins black olives

3 jars stuffed green olives

80 oz. Ketchup

1 large chili sauce

1 cup Olive Oil

1 cup white vinegar

4 tins solid white tuna

Method

Cut all vegetables into bite size pieces and add all other ingredients but fish.  Stir constantly until full boil is reached and add tuna.  Boil for another 10 minutes and seal in clean, sterilized jars.  Process for 25 minutes (after water starts to boil). 

Having the exact quantities is not important.  If you have more celery than green peppers, if you like more olives, be creative.  The sauce for the quantity is important.  Make sure there is plenty of sauce to cover everything.  Antipasto is a lot of chopping.  I've been known to prepare one day and can the next but then I double and sometimes triple the recipe.  Good luck.

31 Years of Wedded Bliss

Owen's card read:

It's our Anniversary

our 31st as you can see

so many more will surely come our way.

The years of bliss were meant to last

so many things have come to pass

we reflect upon them on this very day.

We've been together for so long

with our commitment staying strong

we'll keep going right through 'til the end.

And with our vows from old John Quirk

we took it on and made it work

my wife, my lover and my dearest friend.

A day of Art and Entertainment

On April 5th, Vivian, Lynne, Jan and I started our afternoon off by attending Marleen Vermeulen's Gallery Showing Open House at GPG.  It was packed but we did get to view her beautiful work, have a couple of nibblies, and chat and schmooz with lots of people.  See Marleen on FB or on her web site.

Then off we went to the Ruby Slipper Fund Event.  Another packed house with 250 women and a sprinkling of men.  The silent auction had hundreds of items from new and lightly used shoes, handbags, scarfs and jewelry to lots and lots of items donated by local businesses.  I bought the $60 ticket package and began my rounds of putting tickets into the bags of the items I most wanted.  The biggest being the Michael Buble tickets in the Coca Cola box at GM Place.  I did not win it but I did not go away empty handed either.

Wish now that I had taken a photo before I ripped open my winning prize.  It was a large cello wrapped basket donated by Flemming and Sombrowski.  #26. The Ladies Party Package - A basket of assorted liquors.  Good time guaranteed - valued at $250.  I am not a huge drinker but no complaints.  With the 65th birthday pending, it will come in handy.

Grand Marnier

Baileys

Rum

Amaretto

Sambucca

Cointreau

Long Island Ice Tea

Skinning Girl Cranberry Cosmo (what is that?)

Baja Rose (what is that?)

Shooters

Ciders

and a few Breezers

Yep, it was quite a haul.  I needed someone to carry it to the car.  And Dave and Owen helped get it inside.  They also were on hand as I opened it up and lightened the load!

Funny how these things happen.  I must have put a dozen tickets in the MB concert bag and a couple for an IPad, and maybe a couple somewhere else and I vaguely remember putting 1 ticket in the Ladies Party Package.  They say it only takes one ticket and here is proof.

 

Tilford Sebion

July 28, 1927 – December 8, 2013

Tilford “Til” Sebion died Dec. 8, 2013. The Master came for Til, obediently he complied.

Tilford was the youngest and only son of Thore and Mabel (Nerison) Sebion. Sadly, both parents died before he reached the age of four, creating a huge void. Needless to say, life’s tasks were taken on with the determination of a self-made man.

At 15, he worked at a gas station while attending Westby High School. World War II had him enlisting before finishing high school. He was a paratrooper in the 505th out of the 82nd Airborne under General Gavin.

Til was discharged in Montana; he had various jobs, telegramer in an isolated railroad outpost, formidable driver at the Kalispell race tracks and operator end loader in construction.

Rainy season found him seeking work in Wisconsin. The RADFORD Co. hired Til as a driver. He found a major piece of his life puzzle in a waitress at a truck stop.

Survived by his wife of 42 short years; children and their families; and sisters, Adeline and Lorraine and their families. Also the numerous friends he made along his life’s path.

 

 

It was with great sorrow that I heard last Friday of my stepdad’s passing.  I know he is missed.  Tilford was the man that was there for me during my impressionable years (3 – 18) and the man I called Dad.   I am so grateful for the many lessons he taught me.  I loved his sense of humour and the laugh lines around his eyes.  It took me a while to learn what a generous and difficult task he had when he took on my mother and her two children.  I remember riding with him in his ‘big truck’ on one of his short hauls, I remember helping him put up the siding on the new addition of the house we grew up in, I remember him teaching me how to drive (and that couldn’t have been an easy task), I remember the family dinners with Lorraine, Adeline, Harriet and Lawrence, and the cousins.  I remember the farm, the fields, and the garden.  I remember sledding in the winter and freezing cold feet at the ski jump hill in Westby.  And ofcourse, there are the memories of the worry and heartache that I put him through during my teen years.  But mostly I remember my last visits with Dad.  The sharing of stories and good things.

Dad, I love you and I miss you.

2003 Introduction to the blog group Belle Papier

Forever young at 54 I live on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia with my wonderful DH of 20 years, a view of the ocean and cedar trees that sway in the wind in our yard.  Our 30 year old son lives in Vancouver (a 35 minute ferry ride away) and works in the movie industry.  And the good news is I am approaching early retirement next May (YAHOO!!!)  we broke ground on July 15, 2003 for my new studio.  From this 600 sq. ft. addition I will be able to pursue my passion.  Making and teaching book arts.  I have "created" in some form of art all of my life - weaving, spinning, dying was an earlier passion.  I've dabbled in fimo, sculpting, painting, always creating in various forms of paper art.  I have made it, painted it, pasted it, stamped it, folded it, scultpted it, cut it, printed it and collaged it.  And for the last few years I have been making books.  I love making books, altered books and recycled books.  I teach book arts and travel to workshops and classes where I learn and share and gather inspiration.  I include found objects and collage in my pieces.

 

Vancouver Art Gallery

Every child has their '1st' visit to an Art Gallery.  Luke had his.  I'm not too sure he was as impressed with the work of Lawren Harris (Group of Seven) as we were but he covered the first two floors before he let us know it was time for a break and a breath of sunshine.

 

What have I been doing since I was diagnosed. Well lets see....

Family 

                                                   

   

Spending Time with Little Luke (20 months)

Drinking Smoothies

Knitting 

Special time with Chloe and Sage

Spent lots of time back in the studio

Missed the Aquababes in the Desert

Radiation has begun

I started my radiation treatments on March 26th.  It will all be over on Wednesday, April 16th.  Yep, that's my 65th birthday.  16 treatments - I have 6 to go.  I haven't documented much about this journey.  It's been a long winter here in British Columbia.  There have been medical exams, xrays, specialist appointments, surgery's (2), tatooing, and a lot of waiting.  It's been frustrating but it's almost over.  I've maintained a positive attitude.  What better diagnoses than to have a small lump, found early in my right breast - called insitu.  Ofcourse there is a lot of medical jargon that goes with that, but let's keep it simple.  I'm going to post some photo's and maybe a little story here and there - maybe not.  But I've been away from my Blog for way too long so this might be a 'beginning'.

And it snowed!!!!

24 hours of big, wet sloppy snow flakes.  Quiet and calm continued throughout the day.  It's been beautiful.  Treacherous on the road but warm and cuddly by the fire.  No power for a couple of hours.  Enough time to heat up dinner on top of the wood stove and dine by candle light.  Lovely.  What will tomorrow bring?

My Valentine's Day card from Owen.

How perfect is this?