a hippie with a minivan

Zoku Quick Pops…

It is one of the gifts that the kids got for the holidays. It is definitely not a cheap kitchen gadget so I was a bit hesitant that it would not be used much, but it was on their list (they all wrote that they wanted 1/3 of the maker) and I decided to go for it. The Zoku quick pop maker does exactly what it’s name says… It makes popsicle in about 7 minutes. Because the pops are so fun and easy to make we have been using it often and I went ahead and got a few more accessories for it and I am even thinking that I might get the lone pop maker so that we can make 4 at a time…

There is no electricity needed, all you need to put the maker in the freezer for 24 hours and in doing so you will be able to get 9 pops out of it… that easy.

What is so fun about these is that because they freeze so quickly you can make pops with layers, with fruit suspended in them and even pops with one flavour on the outside and another on the inside…

What goes in them… well that is your choice 🙂

The only guidelines are that you make sure that your pops have enough sugar (no artificial sugar in these) so that they will release from the pop maker when done. They also recommend that you don’t use mixes that are too thick or too fatty as they won’t hold the stick well and again, you will have trouble releasing.

(this “super tool” screws on the end of the stick and when you turn it you are able to release the pops with ease)

I was making mostly smoothie pops for a while. Frozen fruit with juice and yogourt and honey or maple syrup.

Then I got the recipe book free with an order of accessories, and the ideas started to flow. (the book is great and is all about the most natural and fresh ingredients)

I had some pumpkin in the fridge I needed to use so this is a pumpkin pie pop: the pumpkin layer is purred pumpkin with a bit of cream, brown sugar and cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and the white is cream and vanilla with a touch of brown sugar.

So good!

The accessories that I got were the storage case so that we can make some pops in advance, extra sticks, and the accessory kit that includes 3 measuring cups, a slanted holder to make zig zag pops, a sort of turkey baster tool to make filled pops, fruit shape cutters and the tool to suspend said shapes in the pop.

The next thing I want is the new chocolate station… (but it doesn’t seem to be available in Canada yet)

I have so many more ideas now… I think my next one is an orange creamsicle: orange on the outside with a creamy vanilla layer on the inside…

or a strawberry shortcake pop… or a brownie pop… or raspberry cheesecake pop…

We’re not going to get tired of this any time soon.

a few draining days…

(My father and grandmother)

Last Friday my aunt e-mailed me in the night and told me that my dad was not well and was still in the hospital. My dad has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) with an extra touch of Bronchiectasis. Around Christmas, he and my grandmother caught the Flu and both of them developed lung infections. My grandmother died as a result and my dad ended up in the hospital, was released and came down with another flu as he left the hospital only to be readmitted the next day. He then spent 3 days in the ICU and then was in isolation and by friday when I got the news he was over the flu but had gained nearly 10 kilo with retained water in his body including his lungs. With the extra water in his body his medications to help get rid of water were upped but the balance was off and his kidneys were failing because they couldn’t keep up with then made his heart work harder. So lungs, kidneys and heart are all making his life quite hard at the moment and with my grandmother’s death and the very likely probability that he would not be strong enough to go to my grandmother’s funeral, his moral was down and it was not looking good.

So, on Friday, I decided to ask Simon to come home and take over here while I headed to the Thoracic Institute in Montreal to see my dad. I got there just as he was being brought out of isolation and being transferred to another room so I was able to help the staff bring his things over and help him place his things where he wanted them. I spent the afternoon with him and tried to bring his morale back up a bit and was taken aback at how weak he actually is at the moment.

I left the hospital but was not ready to head home just yet so I called a friend last-minute and asked her if she wanted to grab supper at a great all-you-can-eat Sushi restaurant. Luckily she jumped at the offer and we had a great evening.

On Saturday, it was my grandmother’s funeral. It was probably the first time in about 20 years that all of my cousins and I were in the same place at the same time. Sad that it is a funeral that brings us together. The service was nice and the priest was quite good and though there was a definite religious tone, he made a point to make it relevant for us non-believers. Tons of memories poured out of my brain while he talked about her. One of my favourites is when I had just met her again when I was about 10 and I would spend a week with her and my dad at her cabin. On rainy days she would cut up old clothes and she would make tiny clothes for my toys all by hand with no pattern. Maybe that is where my passion for sewing comes from.

Because my dad was not there, I took a picture of my grandmother before they closed the casket so that I could show him when I went and brought his some things… she was actually very beautiful and looked so much younger but she wasn’t the grandmother I remember, she was too perfect.

After the service I headed to the restaurant with the family. I sat next to my brother and talked with my cousins and it was strange as we have never done such a thing as adults. It was nice that my family was actually together, though sad because it was grandmothers wish that we would do it, however, we only did it after she was no longer there.

After the restaurant, I brought my aunt home and picked up some things for my father to bring to him at the hospital. Because of the funeral, his day had been packed with guests so he was feeling better of the moral front, but still sick and weak. I didn’t have long to stay, and I knew he was tired so I wondered what I could do for him before I left. I know that he hates being in a room of four and to make matters worse they had placed him in a corner away from the window. The bed by the window had been occupied the day before when he was transferred but it was now free. So I found the head nurse and explained politely and with a big smile and with almost no hesitation she asked for transfer and I helped move all of his belongings and them him to a bed next to the window. He will even be able to see the fireworks that there often are in the old port. Afterwards, I gave out some “guardian angel” pins that the funeral home had given me to bring to my father. It was a small gesture to say thank you but it was well received.

I left the hospital after he was settled in and headed out for supper with another friend. This time I went to ChuChai… one of my Montreal favourites and then went out for coffee to finish the evening.

On Sunday, I was tired. My days were not too busy, but they were emotionally draining.

My dad is not soon to be done his hospital stay. He as least another two weeks depending on how he recovers. I’ll go back on Saturday after my workshops and see him again and hopefully he will be feeling better…

I am looking forward to my next 2 day weekend that I can use just for us.

We need it.

A new year…

The holidays are over and a new year is beginning.

On the 31st of December, my grandmother died.

(Willa with her great-grandmother)

She was 92 and had Alzheimer’s and though she could still remember some, she was declining. At Christmas, she got the flu and a lung infection. My father got sick at the same time and as he already has lung disease, he went into the hospital within days of getting sick. My grandmother got better but then became sick again and died two days later.

The same day she died I went to a friend’s for a new years party. I felt conflicted but it was exactly what I needed. We had a great evening and great conversations into the night. I met new people and made new friendships with people I already knew. We slept over and continued our conversations until we left mid afternoon. With my grandmother’s death I felt the need to visit my dad and my other grandmother who was bringing in the new year with a few other family members. Spending new years with my family is something I haven’t done in years but I headed to Montreal with an open mind. It turned out to be a very nice visit with my uncles, aunt, my cousin and my mom. And, of course, my grandmother was so happy to have the family there.

We got home and spend the next two days relaxing and just having family time and doing some basic cleaning.

Simon went back to work today and the kids are playing and I just went over our budget and then entered my breakfast in my food log and I have a feeling this is going to be a good year.

We are still planning on putting the house up for sale this year and slowly our decluttering efforts are changing the way our house looks and runs. During the holidays I decluttered our room. Now, all the clothes I have are ones that fit and that I will and do wear. Doing the closet left enough space for us to move Simon’s dresser into the closet which meant that we could move Wilhelmina’s bed into our room. Not only does it make the room more functional but even if we have one more piece of furniture in the room, it actually looks bigger and even less cluttered.

I don’t make resolutions with the new year but something has clicked in the last few days. Though I have recording our expenses and “budgeting” for years, I realized I was making mistakes. But now, I recognize those mistakes… and when you know better, you do better. With a new view on finances and a big goals for the year I am starting the year off fresh and with plans and I am feeling inspired.

Sucre à la Crème

Like the recipe for Pouding Chomeur that I shared a few years ago, Sucre à la Crème is a traditional Québecois dessert. Unlike the Pouding Chomeur which is more of an everyday dessert, Sucre à la Crème is traditionally served around the holidays.

I have heard some non-Quebec Anglophones call it “maple fudge” but I don’t like that term.. traditionally it doesn’t have any maple syrup and the texture is not fudge. It is dense and sweet and creamy but slightly granular without at all being grainy. It is simply Sucre à la Crème… but if you had to translate it I would call it an addictive pan of creamed sugar…

For years I have been looking for the perfect recipe and have failed at many attempts. The biggest problem in that most recipes are no longer traditional. They are made in the microwave and have evaporated milk instead of cream. Other recipes don’t have the steps written out well and the results are either too hard or too soft.

There is nothing complicated about the ingredients but not being a seasoned candy maker, using a glass of water to determine is it is at a “soft ball” stage doesn’t help me in the end… maybe one day I will be there, but I am not there yet…

What you need:

1 cup of sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup of cream (I use 10%)

2 tbsp butter (30 grams)
1 tsp vanilla

(I double everything and make a double batch because a single batch just wouldn’t be enough for this family…)

First in a heavy bottomed pot (large pot because it will boil up) mix together the cream and two sugars and place over medium-high heat. Stir a few times and then when you start to see it boil around the edges, place your candy thermometer on the edge careful to not touch the bottom and then don’t touch the spoon again.

Boil until the temperature hits exactly 236F (113 C) and then take off the heat…

Still not touching the mixture… add the butter and vanilla… reject the impulse to stir!!

Now.. let the mixture cool until the temp hits 110F (43C)… if you let it sit it on the stove it will take about 45 min, but you can speed up by placing the pot in a sink with cold water.

While you are letting it cool, prepare a pan by buttering it and set aside. (I use a 8X8 square pan for a double batch but you can use a loaf pan for a single)

Once it hits 110F it is the crucial part… take your wooden spoon and stir, stir, stir until the mixture starts loosing its lustre (basically around the time that you feel like you will lose your arm if you keep on stirring) and then quickly pour into the prepared pan.

Timing is really crucial here. Don’t stir long enough it will be too soft and won’t hold together. Stir a few seconds too long it will start hardening right in the pan and will be impossible to spread out.

Smooth out the top of the Sucre à la Crème and then let cool and cut into small pieces.

Enjoy this rich, sugary, creamy perfection…

I hope you make it and taste a bit of the holidays here in Québec!

Xmas 2011

Just a few pictures…

On the eve…

No pictures of the rest of the evening… but we went on to have a great Fondue Supper with my mom and her boyfriend… The boys ate first and then went to bed around their normal times and when they were asleep we had supper and talked into the evening.. Wilhelmina had fallen asleep late for a nap so she woke up as the others were heading to bed and stayed up with us until around 1am…

The presents appeared under the tree in the night and the boys were wide awake bright and early Xmas morning… but it wasn’t too early so all was good…

Ready for gifts….

They were all excited and couldn’t wait to open their gifts…

Wilhelmina got a book, a new doll and a stroller…

She had so much fun opening the gifts though she did it very carefully…

Xavier got a few books, a transformer, a robotic arm, a Zelda game and a Physics Solar workshop

Colin got books, a transformer, a Kre-o transformer set, a play d’oh kit, a crayon maker and Paper

Khéna got a book, a Playmobil Crane, A play d’oh kit with play d’oh and a Hexbug habitat.

The family got a Zoku quick pop maker which is a hit and will definitely be fun for a long time to come…

Simon got a book and a bottle of vodka shaped as a skull,

I got chocolates, a Perplexus Epic and reusable hand warmers…

After my mom left on Xmas morning, she called to say that my uncle had once again been brought to the hospital and was in the ICU because of his diabetes. Is three years in a row considered a tradition? It sure feels like it…. Luckily, it is not as bad as last year when he was in a coma and we almost lost him… but it is not the kind of tradition we wish to have… I am not too worried, so it’s good, I just wish he would choose to control his illness more effectively.

Simon is working two days this week and we have plans for his next few days off but nothing that we don’t want to do… We’re having quiet family time, spending time together and enjoying the holidays. I am loving the lights and the newly fallen snow and the warmth of the house… it feels complete and that is a great feeling to have…

From my family to yours, I hope your holidays have equally been filled with love and joyful….