Rain's Thursday Art Date - Silver and Gold

 Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art Date's 'Silver and Gold theme' for Colourful June.  I did some splatter painting on a small (2 1/2" x 3 1/2 ") art card.  I was inspired to fashion it into a wave.  Then I added a mythical water dragon for more effect!

Wednesday Memes

 

Fresh Herbs

 My friend S dropped off this flat of herbs from her sister's farm.  Lots of oregano and some tarragon.  I also got some fresh asparagus.  They have to be rinsed well.

The perfect gift!

 Daughter L gave me the perfect gift for my birthday last week.  It was a new weeding mat!  It is a perfect replacement for my old one.

Non Alcoholic Beer

 Husband M and I went to a dinner party last week, we took some non-alcoholic beer for me, I like it chilled really cold.  It has about 70 calories without the alcohol, a win.

Life is becoming busy again, as Covid hopefully is going away.  I did like the peaceful days it brought, but it is time to get back to normal.  But it is a bit like dodging a bullet, you never know when you may get infected.

Gorgeous Flower Arrangements

 We attended a beautiful wedding this past weekend.  Daughter L was a bridesmaid.  They had so many gorgeous fresh flower arrangements which would be disposed of afterwards.  We were happy to take these 3 home.  The house looks amazing right now.

The summer is just flying by even though it has just about started.  

Friday Art

 It's time for Friday Art.  My sister in law takes wonderful photos.  I was inspired to paint one of them recently.  It is my niece with a beloved horse.  It is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") on black poster paper using alcohol ink markers and a PITT artist pen.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and Gillena's Art for Fun Friday.

Rain's Thursday Art Date - Purple

 Welcome to Rain's Thursday Art Date's "Colourful June"s "Purple" theme.  I did a purple sunrise ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").

Wednesday Memes

 

Bunny in the Garden

 Had a cute surprise one morning, we saw this bunny in the garden, nibbling on some grass strands, he was so cute.  

It's my birthday today, the longest day of summer.  From here on in, the days get shorter, sigh.

We were invited to a free movie showing of 'Top Gun Maverick' on the weekend.  Our financial advisor was a part sponsor of the customer event which was well attended being one of the first of such gatherings since Covid.  The movie was very good, there were many families there.  We were treated to coffee, doughnuts, popcorn and ice cream.  It was a great time.

Husband M met up with some friends for lunch afterward.  He says the restaurant on Main Street was very busy.  People are so happy to be out.

Roated Cauliflower Steaks - my simplified recipe

 I have posted versions of cauliflower steak recipes in the past.  I decided to simplify the recipe thereby ensuring I will make them more often.

1 whole cauliflower cut into steaks.  

2-3 tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 tbs unsalted butter

1/4c grated parmesan cheese

4 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp dried oregano

On a large tray lined with parchment paper mix all the ingredients.  Bake at 375F for 30 mins or until fork tender.  Turn the steaks over for better colour appearance when serving.

Fair Exchange

 Our neighbour brought over a couple of large fish from his fishing trip the other day.  Husband M fortunately knows how to clean and gut them.  Other friends thought they might be freshwater drum fish.  I ended up baking them whole in the oven.

 Daughter L decided to bake chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing as pictured for his small grandchildren.  They were so excited.  

Fair exchange do you think?

And Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

Spongy Moth Trap

 We have a problem with spongy moths in our province of Ontario.  The city is putting these traps around the trees to catch them as they climb up the trees.  You can see some trapped within the yellow area.  They will be removed to prevent damage to the trees.  They look harmless but are invasive and they also bite.  Some trees are wrapped with burlap.

Friday Art - Zebra Portrait

 Welcome to Friday Art!  I am showing a zebra portrait I did a few years ago and linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and Gillena's Art for Fun Friday. The piece is ( 4 1/4" x 5 1/2") in permanent marker on cardstock.

Rain's Thursday Art Date - Red

 Welcome Rain's Thursday Art Date's 'Colourful June's  - 'Red' theme.  I did a solar eclipse for you today.  It is an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2").  

Wednesday Memes

 

Almond Flour Cake

  There were containers of almond flour clearing at the grocery store so I decided to get one. I decided to make this almond flour cake. I was very happy with how it turned out.  I used this recipe.

Correction - Bengal Cat (not Savannah Cat)

 Apologies this is not a Savannah cat as I had first been informed, it is a Bengal cat. This one belongs to my nephew, her name is Tora. I had asked my nephew your initial questions in the comments below thinking it was a Savannah cat.   

It looks like  a leopard doesn't it?  It is a handsome creature.  According to wikipedia,  'it is a domesticated cat breed created from hybrids of domestic cats'.

Pretty

Oops I accidentally had this posted yesterday, it was meant for today.  Apologies to those who commented already yesterday, as I rescheduled it for today. 

Last week I noticed my purple iris and bachelor's button flowers were in full bloom in my garden!  I guess I had been busy.  Don't you love June?

Grannie Annie posted an interesting fact recently:  'In George Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are 'limbs,' therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the expression, 'Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg.' (Artists know hands and arms are more difficult to paint.)'  Hop over to  see a 'cheaper painting of him'.

My 20 year old niece told me she learned that in middle school.  She likes interesting facts too.

Chives Chives Chives

My neighbour keeps giving me fresh cut Chinese chives from his garden. They are different from garlic chives.  They have a mild taste.  I gave some to a friend but decided to be creative and put the rest to good use as pictured below. It does add flavour to the dishes.  I debated on freezing some, but things tend to stay in the freezer forever as clutter.

Chives from the Neighbour

Scramble Eggs with Chives

Chive Pork Meatballs uncooked

Chive Shrimp

Chive Pork Meatballs with a  Honey Garlic Sauce

 

Even added some chives to my salad

Tuna salad with celery and chives

Chinese Chive and Egg soup

And you will remember I had made these chive chips.

They turned into this roasted chive and egg soup and it was so flavourful and delicious.

As you can see we have a 'no waste' policy!

Friday Art - Mimicry

 

owl moth

This is an interesting wildlife article on Mimicry. "Mimicry is an adaptation that helps wildlife species live longer by trying to mimic or copycat other top predators."

I was inspired to paint an owl mothACEO (2 12" x 3 1/2") which evolved to look like an owl to protect itself from predators.

Linking to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday and Nicole's Friday Face Off.  This is sort of a (mimicked) face isn't it?