May Long Weekend

There was a bunch of stuff that happened this weekend, all of it was pretty awesome!!! =D Well, I guess except for the weather on Monday... But that's petty lol. So here's some picture highlights!

Friday: Brandy and Liam came for a sleepover! =D

Once the Liam-raptor was down, I began teaching Bran how to cross-stitch. It was interesting to see what it's like for a beginner... A little bit frustrating for me, because I wanted to teach her all the little shortcuts I've learned over the years, but knowing she just needs to learn basics to start, I left it alone. But it was good! She got the hang of it, and was able to follow the pattern herself, and changing her threads, and even changing her colour on her own, way to go B! =D

Saturday: I just did laundry in the morning, then Liam went down for a nap just after noon, but by the time he woke up, Logan had come over, and we were all going to the Forks for the afternoon, woot!

Side story: right before Liam woke up, my elderly neighbour came to my door completely in tears, and immediately I went into panic mode, because I know she has a sister living a few floors below us and I thought something had happened to her. But it turned out that my neighbour had locked herself out of her apartment when she went to the laundry room, and her niece was supposed to be calling her to come visit, and our landlady wasn't home. Her sister was also moving out this weekend, which was stressing my neighbour out like crazy. But all was well, I helped her make some phone calls, and got a hold of our landlady so she could get into her place.

So, back to the Forks. I was supposed to be volunteering in the soup van handing out refreshments at the Jam for Dignity under the canopy, but it was raining so they moved the event indoors, so they didn't need the soup van, so I didn't need to volunteer, so I was able to just hang out =)

There was a HUGE puddle under the canopy. Seriously. And I, being a puddle jumper, had to go play in it, of course =)

I also bought myself a new sweater! =D It's super warm, pretty thick, and nice and soft inside =)

In the evening, Alisha and I went outside to enjoy the beautiful weather some more! We had some fun on the swings, and we had also brought out our tea, and I had my cross-stitching.

Then as we were heading inside (cuz it was getting dark and there were a few bugs coming out...), we were surprised by some fireworks going off at the Forks! I figured it would've been Monday night, but I guess not!

Sunday: Went to Weston, went shopping with my mom, and bought some new shorts and a skirt! =D Sorry, no pics yet...

Monday: Chillaxed all morning, then went for a walk around the neighbourhood with Alisha just to explore! It was pretty chilly though, so we didn't get too much area covered. But we are planning to take walks every weekend when she's over =)

So here's some stuff we found!
A dandelion on the bus bench:

A tree that only half blossomed...?

A secret hidden spot behind the front steps of La maison des artistes visuels francophones!

A field up Tache so full of dandelions it almost looked like a field of canola!

A view of the river:

A memorial park! There were plaques all around about Goulet, his work in forming Manitoba, and about his death. He was being chased by a mob on the now-downtown side of the river, and he was trying to swim across to St. Boniface for safety, but the mob threw rocks, and one hit him in the head, knocked him unconscious, and he drowned. Another plaque explains how this park's rolling "hills" represent the waves of the river, the rocks haphazardly placed around represent the rocks thrown, and the white infinity symbol sidewalk represents the symbol of the Métis. Very interesting indeed!

Then we got to the railroad tracks:

And I found these plants growing, and I'm unsure of what they are... But the second one almost looks like an herb or something... Prolly just weeds lol...

Then we found this tower! Turned out to be a part of a waterworks booster pumping system, but it was cool nonetheless!

Then there was this wooden tower thing, that turned out to be a part of a wall climbing club, pretty sweet!

THEN we found a GIANT ice slide!!! Why have I never been on this before?!?!?!? And no, it's not the one at Festival du voyageur, cuz we found that one too, and it's NOTHING compared to this one!

Then my camera battery died, and we were both pretty cold, so we headed back to my place for hot chocolate =) Then Alisha left about 3:30 so she could be home to watch Oprah's show. So I made dinner!

Ready for this???

"An adventurous take on steak."

Another recipe from the Metro newspaper, yay! =D Marinated Steak with Gorgonzola Sauce. Except I didn't have Gorgonzola cheese, but since it's a crumble cheese, I subbed it for Feta. Add a side of steamed green beans and a side of mushrooms and red onions cooked in butter, and there's my dinner! It was DELICIOUS!!!!! As you can see, I put some sauce on my beans too, and I'm pretty sure it tasted better on them than on the steak, so I'll be keeping that in mind! I'll put the recipe at the bottom.

And because my friend Alison posted pictures of her newly reorganised spice cupboard, and I commented about my own spices, here's the pictures:

And while I'm at it Alison, here's my Post-It note recipes! =P

Steak Strips with Gorgonzola Sauce
Keep in mind that I was only cooking for myself, so I quartered the recipe.
Marinade:
2 cups beef broth (I had veggie broth)
1 cups dry red wine (I subbed red wine vinegar)
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 NY strip steaks, each 10-12 oz and about 1" thick, trimmed of excess fat (I just had a sirloin, still tasted awesome!)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt (I just used sea salt)
Ground black pepper

In a large glass baking dish combine the marinade ingredients. Whisk to dissolve the tomato paste. Submerge the steaks in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450-550F).

(Note: I live in an apartment without a balcony, so I just cooked my steak in a frying pan on the stove.)

Lift the steaks from the dish and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade. Lightly brush the steaks with oil and season evenly with salt and pepper. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before grilling. Meanwhile, make the sauce.

Sauce:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp minced shallot
1 cup sour cream
4 oz (1 cup) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (As I said, I used Feta)
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives (optional)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallot and cook until tender, about 2 minutes, stirring often. Mix in the sour cream and cheese and cook until the sauce begins to simmer and the cheese has melted, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, add 1/4 tsp pepper, and cover to keep warm.

Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the steaks over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until cooked to your desired doneness, 6-8 minutes for medium rare, turning once or twice (if flare-ups occur, move steaks temporarily over indirect heat). Remove from the grill and let rest 3-5 minutes. Serve warm with the sauce. Garnish with chives, if desired.