A Life, Lived

Time for Winter to go

People are getting rather aggressive about winter . . .

 

Anti Vaxxers . . .

I've been reading a lot lately from parents who are justifying not vaccinating their children. We are in the midst of a few outbreaks here in Canada ad the only thing they have in common is parents who believe pseudo science BS. SIGH

Travel Tuesdays - Norway

A few more shots from my trip to Norway for Travel Tuesdays.

Chicken Noodle Soup

A few weeks back when I was feeling less than 100 % I was craving some comfort. The blog on which this recipe was posted promised:

Sit down, rest yourself a moment, and settle in with a warm bowl of Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup. It won’t demand much from you, just a quick 15 minutes of ingredient prep, and you’ll be rewarded by soul-soothing spoonfuls of nourishing, healthy goodness.

How could I resist?

I discovered that the author was correct. Also that this soup also tastes wonderful leftover. Make it once, and enjoy having a healthy, warming meal on hand whenever you need it. We have gotten into the habit of freezing small containers of leftover soup - the perfect size to tuck into my lunch bag and take to work.

Making this in the Instant Pot means that it is ready in no time.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, thighs, or a mix
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion chopped
1 pound carrots peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices
3 medium stalks celery cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt (plus additional to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
4 low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water — plus additional as needed
2 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat egg noodles — about 3 3/4 ounces
Chopped fresh parsley

Carefully remove the skin from the chicken. If your chicken breasts are very large (more than 1 pound each), use a very sharp knife to carefully slice them in half crosswise through the bone. Set aside.

Turn your Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Add the olive oil and butter.

Once the butter is melted, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion softens and becomes translucent.

Stir in the salt, pepper, and oregano. Place the thyme and bay leaf on top. Pour in the chicken broth and 3 cups water. Gently add the chicken pieces

Close and seal the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure (manual) for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then immediately vent to release any remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid.

Remove the chicken and transfer it to a cutting board. Pick out the thyme stems and bay leaf and discard. Turn the Instant Pot to saute (you will need to press “cancel” first).

Add the noodles. Let cook, uncovered, until noodles are al dente, about 5 to 6 minutes.

While the noodles cook, shred the chicken and discard the bones. Once the noodles are done, turn off the Instant Pot. Stir in the parsley and shredded chicken. If you’d like a more brothy, thinner soup, stir in additional water until your desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Enjoy hot with an extra sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Ginger, Pear Martini

Paul and I haven't been drinking may cocktails lately. In fact, I had purchased the ingredients for this drink in the fall thinking that pear was a nice fall drink. However, in February I was getting a bit sick of this pear juice sitting around and wanted it gone.

I mixed this drink with pear juice, pear vodka, and ginger liqueur. I had some pear bitters in the cellar so that went in as well. All in all the results were amazing.

It would have looked prettier with a nice slice of pear as a garnish but you make do with what you have. :-)

Ginger, Pear Martini

1.5 oz pear vodka
1 oz ginger liqueur
2 oz fresh pear juice
dash pear bitters

Pour all ingredients in a martini shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously.Pour into a martini glass.

Happy Valentine's Day

Travel Tuesdays - Norway

For this episode of Travel Tuesday I am heading back to Norway.

 

Sunday Morning . . .

Coffee, juice, some breakfast, and the New York Times . . . is there a better way to start off the day?

Roll Up the Rim

Roll up the Rim is back at Tim Hortons . . . this prize is about right.

 

Let's Talk Day

Today is Bell Let's Talk Day. Launched in 2011, the annual Bell Let's Talk Day is the most high-profile event in the national Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative. By getting engaged in the mental health conversation across a wide range of communications platforms on Bell Let's Talk Day, you directly drive Bell's donations to Canadian mental health programs all year round.

Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of these interactions on Bell Let's Talk Day at no cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service provider for online or phone access:

• Talk: Every mobile and every long distance call made by Bell wireless and phone customers
• Text: Every text message sent by Bell wireless customers
• Twitter: Every tweet and retweet using #BellLetsTalk, featuring the special Bell Let's Talk emoji, and every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at Twitter.com/Bell_LetsTalk
• Facebook: Every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk and every use of the Bell Let's Talk frame
• Instagram: Every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at Instagram.com/bell_letstalk
• Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let's Talk filter and every Bell Let's Talk Day video view

Total Bell Let's Talk Day interactions since the first event in 2011 stand at 867,449,649 and are expected to exceed 1 billion on January 30. Bell's funding commitment for mental health, including the company's donations based on Bell Let's Talk engagement and its original $50-million donation to launch the initiative, is now $93,423,628.80 and expected to surpass $100 million on January 30.