Manitoba Spring

Well spring has officially arrived.  You can only realize this by the date, certainly not the weather.  Let me begin with the blizzard we had on March 14.  Al and I had to drive to Winnipeg and the roads were treacherous.

 The visibility was very poor.

 No this is not a mistake!  This was the view from the passenger side.

 The trusty snowplows are always there to the rescue.  The amount of snow this year was record-breaking.  Everyone is worried about flooding this spring.

In spite of the threat of floods, we are very glad when the sun breaks out and we are able to spend time outside.  Earlier, I had promised some wildlife pictures.  This is easier said than done!  We were lucky Al was able to get these shots of a grey owl in our back yard.  I love these beautiful birds.

If you are interested, here is some information on the owl.http://www.naturenorth.com/Gray_Owl/Gray_Owl.html

  Our first lunch in the beautiful sunshine.  

IS IT SPRING YET??????????

Snow and cold continue to be the norm.  We remain determined with our preparations for Peru although I admit I am tired of the relentless cold.  As you can see the snow keeps falling!!!

One way I maintain sanity and motivation is to cook.  I have become a food blog addict and have discovered a vast array of new recipes. 

I loved the food when I visited Portugal and decided to try this recipe I found in a blog called  Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time, posted on February 23. 2011 by The Mom Chef   It was so good I decided to share

it with you.  I will try to get into the habit of taking pictures for you to view. 

Portuguese Chicken 
from Bon Appetit Magazine


1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1 3- to 3 1/4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
12 cipolline onions or 1-inch-diameter pearl onions, blanched 1 minute, peeled
2 large roasted red peppers from jar, halved, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips
6 large garlic cloves, pressed
4 large fresh Italian parsley sprigs
4 large fresh bay leaves, bruised
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup tawny Port
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon paprika, 11/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Add chicken pieces one at a time to the seasoned flour, coating each piece well. Carefully put the chicken, skin side down, in the skillet and sauté until brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

Put chicken pieces in single layer in large ovenproof pot. Pour tomatoes and juice over the chicken, add the prosciutto, onions, roasted red peppers, pressed garlic, parsley, and bay leaves. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon paprika over everything.

Return the skillet to heat and add the wine and Port to it. Bring to boil, and deglaze the skillet, scraping up browned bits. Off heat, whisk in the mustard and tomato paste. Pour the mixture over the chicken and bring the whole thing to boil. Cover and transfer the pot to the oven.

Braise the for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until very tender. Discard bay leaves and parsley. Remove chicken and toppings to a platter. Return the sauce to the stove and heat it over medium heat. If thicker sauce is desired, mash together 1 tablespoon flour and butter in a small bowl until a paste forms. Add flour paste to sauce and whisk to blend. Simmer until sauce thickens to desired consistency, whisking often. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon over chicken and serve.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Training

Time is marching on and we will be in Peru in ten weeks.  You could almost say the countdown has begun and we continue to train six days a week.  Snow on the lake is about 18 inches deep.  Because of the dramatic changes in temperature, ranging from -30 C to 0 , the snow has developed a crusty top which collapses with your weight and the snowshoe sinks into a bed of heavy and at times slushy snow.  It is easy to trip as your foot often catches.  The going is heavy and unforgiving.  We now snowshoe from the beach at Black's Point to Little Grindstone Harbour, a three hour trek.  We then hike back to the cottage via the roads which takes about 1 1/2 hours.  Our goal is to be able to snowshoe back to Black's Point.

Al spent a day in Winnipeg shopping for our gear.  Being a true Winnipegger, he managed to find great a sale on jackets.  We also have day packs, duffel bags and head lights.  We have been trying out everything and are very pleased with everything so far.

We have also done a fair bit of reading about trekking and South America.

This is the site for the company we have signed on with.  The tour we are joining is the Inca Trail and the Amazon  Rainforest.  We are leaving April 16 and returning May 1.

http://www.exodus.co.uk/countries/peru-holidays/inca-trail?DCMP=EMC-Jan11_Episodes


Next is a video from Google Earth covering the area we will be in.


http://www.exodus.co.uk/assets/swf/trips/flash.html?width=610&height=519&nopad=true&code=tpjj


If anyone has interesting information about trekking or Peru we would be interested in hearing from you.

Blizzard Blues

You can't let a winter month go by in Manitoba without a big bad blizzard.  Today was the day and what a day it was!   Al was on the roof shoveling snow and clearing the satellite dish so it would work. He then decided to take a few pictures.

I of course stayed in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine.  I can't wait to go snowshoeing tomorrow.

In the Deep Freeze

This month has been hectic despite the -34 C temperatures with -45 C wind chill.  We have continued to hike 15 miles a day when the temperature is above -20 C, and do our weight, floor and eliptical training when unable to go outdoors.  We are determined to be in good shape for our trek in Peru.

Our daughter and two grandchildren ages 2 1/2 and 3 months visited with us last week.  Although we were unable to do any workouts we certainly got a "workout"!  How quickly we forget how much energy young children have.  I love being a grandmother!

We have developed a comfortable daily routine and the days fly by.  I have not yet found the time to do the reading that I would like, but that seems to have gone down on my list of priorities.  I am looking forward to my friend's visit in a couple of weeks.  She shares our love of snowshoeing and is wonderful company.

This has also been a sad time for us as we hear about illness and death amongst our circle of friends and work colleagues.  To me it is a wake up call to live my life to the fullest.

Wish all a Happy New Year.

SEASONS GREETINGS

Each year we become more disillusioned with the commercial hype around this most beautiful season.  It was a delight to hear this production.  Have a Merry Christmas!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1909243034?bctid=53156488001

Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder

This week-end we completed 3 1/2 hour hikes Saturday and Sunday each carrying the knapsack on alternative days.  This was the first time  for me and my body feels it today!!!  What makes it all worthwhile is the incredible scenery.  I don't think I will ever tire of it.  Here are some incredible shots of the sun highlighting the trees.

We sent two days decorating a tree in our back yard.  Al tried to get a night shot but it is pretty difficult without a tripod.

You can see in these next shots how quickly the lake can freeze and how vast the horizon is.

It seems no matter where you go you will always find someone who insists in putting up lawn ornaments!

Oh well....

Hope all you snowmobilers, skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers and builders of snowmen are happy!!