Apples Apricots and Walnuts

 “Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.” 
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

 Tis' the season for Stellar Jays .

 And Neighbourhood cats peering in the door. Hello Spencer.

 And the grapes  ripening on the vines.  Almost ready for cider or wine.

 And fall baking. Apples and Walnuts and Apricots.

 APPLE APRICOT WALNUT LOAF easy peasy. Spray a loaf pan with veggie spray. If you want, you can double this recipe. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 1/2 cup soft butter or margarine, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, dash vanilla, 1/3 cup orange juice, (or cranberry juice)

 Grate unpeeled apples. The original recipe says 1 cup,but live a little dangerously do 2 cups!

 2 cups flour ( white or whole wheat), 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, pinch salt, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup chopped apricots. I throw in a hand of raisins or dried cranberries.

 Combine butter, sugar and egg. Beat until you can beat no more.

 “If I were God, it’d be a whole different story, dropping fruit at will. Let them eat apples.”  ― Trebor Healey, A Horse Named Sorrow

 Mix dry ingredients with the fruit. 

 Combine the dry with the wet ingredients. Just till combined. Overmixed will make it tough.

 Scrape into prepared loaf pan.

 Now comes the waiting part. Watch something riveting on tv. for about  60 minutes, give or take.

 Check with sharp knife to see if the centre is dry. If not, then add time.

 "We are born believing. A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Let cool about ten minutes in pan.  then go ahead and remove and sit on a bread board to cool completely.

 A very tender loaf, with a mild delicate apple flavour. the walnuts 
( pecans if you want) give it a great crunch. If you  don't like nuts add raisins or cranberries instead.

 "Don't get fancy. Have you cooked an apple pie? You don't know what you did wrong? Do this: Take two or three apples. Put them on a table. Study them."  - Paul Prudhomme

Morgan's Vegetarian Sushi Rolls

 "In Japanese, sushi does not mean raw fish. It means seasoned rice." - Chef Guy Fieri

 First rainy day. Time to make California Rolls.......

 First thing Morgan did was to make Sushi Rice.  SOOO good on its own as well. I took these pics last week, when Bo was still here. She always liked to watch  food being prepped.I wouldn't recommend a cat on the counter, but in her case we loved having her sit nearby.

 3 cups cooked sushi rice ( in a rice cooker...easier). When it is all done, add 1/3 cup rice vinegar ( we only had red wine vinegar), 2 tbsp sugar, and a pinch of salt. Make sure it is cool before playing with it.

 Morgan made vegetarian fillings: raw veggies like carrots, cukes, squash,  peppers, etc. Whatever was on hand.

 We have one bamboo mat that works for rolling.

 And Seaweed flats. They come in cellophane pkgs in the Import aisle of the grocery store.

 You can add anything you want in the centre of the rice. Meats, Avocadoe, tomatoes, fruit even.

 Lay a sheet of the dried seaweed ( so good....if you don't use it  the roll will NOT be the same), on the mat. 

 Add a layer of rice over the seaweed. Then layer your fillings.

 Roll tightly and let rest.

 "The fine art of preparing sushi is something that you watch and learn." - Nobu Matsuisa

 After you do one roll, start another.  Keep the rice back from the edge so it doesn't spill out.

 Try different fillings with each. Add cooked seafood  or raw, depending on what you like.

 Or stick to vegetarian, like Morgan did. You can add slivers of tofu. Really good. Chick peas even. 

 It's sort of like a grainy tortilla wrap, without the tortilla.

 "One of my favourite things to make is homemade sushi. I know how to make the rolls and it's really fun to do."  
                                    -Carly Rae Jepsen

 These are great as a midnight snack as well. Trust me. Well done,Morgan! Awesome rainy day cooking.

 Easy to do for potlucks and parties. Everyone will go crazy and dive right  into the platter when you bring homemade sushi....And guess what Thanksgiving and Christmas is coming! 

 "With sushi, it is all about balance. Sometimes they cut the fish too thick, sometimes too thin. Often the rice is overcooked or undercooked. Not enough rice vinegar or too much." Nobu Matsuhisa

For Bo

                                                           April 2000-Sept 22-2017

 “What greater gift than the love of a cat.” ― Charles Dickens

Bo started out as a rescue from a Ragdoll breeder who was going out of business. Bo was the last of her litter. Bo was one of a kind. 

 But aren't they all one of a kind?

 She was never a mother, yet she mothered  about 4 or 5  kittens over the years, that we brought into the house. All rescues. All motherless. She took them under her wing.

Bo and Pye

 She chewed on their ears and taught them how to behave. Or , rather how NOT to behave. And they toddled after her. Copying her every move.

Bo and Bunny

 She was all in all, a Show Cat. But was never in a show.

Bo and Smokey

 “Time spent with a cat is never wasted.” -Sigmund Freud

She watched over us , those with two feet and those with four.  In her 17 years she was in our way at all times. And we loved it.

Bunny and Poe

             And then she got sick last year.  Her time was limited. 

 "I have felt cats rubbing their faces against mine and touching my cheek with claws carefully sheathed. These things, to me, are expressions of love. " -James Herriot

 Bo was a lion at heart. 

We always said that she was Ginger from Gilligan's Island. She had "the" walk.

 I kinda thought she was more like Mrs. Howell.....

 "The love we give away is the love we keep." -Elbert Hubbard

 She was my shadow. I look behind to see if she is  there.I feel her ghost in every corner. I can see her  beautiful blue eyes. Watching still. And I am thankful for the years we had together.......

 "Love is the life of the soul. It is the harmony of the universe...."
-W. Ellery Channing

 Photographs 2017