Edmonton Library Book Sale

This weekend the Edmonton Public Library is having a book sale. This is my kind of treasure hunt. Hardcover books, dvds, and cds are only $1 while paperbacks are 50 cents. For the steal, bring your own box (or take one at the sale) and all book items in the box is $10. You would think that they try to get rid of everything as soon as possible but they make it so easy for us late risers to still find something useful. Not all the books are layed out at once. So tomorrow they will have another batch of material. Throughout the day, more new material will be layed out so once around the tables may not be enough.

You would think it is only old and tattered books but you be amazed at what is there. I really like the Company's Coming series. There are a lot of baking recipes in there so I can't wait to try them out. I am hoping when I go again tomorrow I will find her slow cooker recipe book.


We have a pretty big aquarium already but we are hoping to plant real plants later on and these should come in handy.


Lois Hole and her books makes any enthusiastic novice gardener believe he/she can grow the next Canadian Tulip Festival in the backyard. I have to admit I was one 2 years ago. I have nothing to show for it but I still get a gold star for my effort...no?


I do have to warn possible treasure hunters that the sale in on the 3rd level of the underground parkade. It is dark and dingy and frankly I find it really strange to have a book sale in a parkade.

For you that are really good at treasure hunting, bring a cart or something to pull your finds. When we were crossing the street, there was this lady hauling this box of books. It was kind of funny to watch her race across the street then resting the box on the bike stand and hopefully make it back to her car. She was so cute with her "I got a great deal" smile on her face.

Mme. Chorizo

Time For More Funnies

This week's funny flavor of the week is...RICK MERCER. Either watch him on CBC on Tuesdays or go to his site RickMercer.com. My favorite is to look through the photo challange that he has set up for all you fellow Canadians. You have to be a litte bit computer savy as you would have to cut and paste parts of photos to make one hilarious picture. The whole idea is to take any picture of your choice and attach the faces of your favorite politician(s) to it. Unfortunately I can not show you any of the pictures from his site. Be amazed of what talent lies in your local community.


Mme. Chorizo

It's Like Riding a Bike, You Never Really Forget..Or Do you?

We got out to a near by ski hill tonight as part of a fundraiser for breast cancer. It was the perfect night as it was light out till about 8:00 pm and only a light breeze to cool ourselves. Of course, being the end of ski season, the snow was more like ice in certain parts. Nonetheless, it was fun, fun, fun.

As you can see, I was too good for my ski poles, which didn't matter much cause someone stole them. We had a really nice and patient ski instructor. She really got a good work out since she would ski up the hill to help the next contestant down the bunny hill. Then again, she is a ski instructor.

Right before we all lined up like good little children before the tow rope, some skier came crashing into me. Thankfully he stopped just in time. He was alright, everyone was alright. I kind of avoided him like the plague when I saw him in line for food.

There was a BBQ going on but unfortunately there were only hamburgers. As much as a nice juicy burger fills a hungry stomach, nothing (in my opinion) beats processed meat shaped like a log. Something about how ketchup and mustard (2:1 ratio) complements the mystery meat with a stale bun. I could go on about hot dogs all night long.

Agent Chorizo and I are wanting to get more into skiing next season. As we were roughly adding up how much it would cost for ski equipment, snowboarding was looking more reasonable. I think I will aim to be crowned bunny hill queen next season. All my subjects will be able to feast on delicious hot dogs after my coronation. Wait for your coronation invitation in the mail next year.

Mme. Chorizo

From Dancing Queen to Missing Your Boss at Work to the Future Sophia Coppola

Couldn't sleep the other night so YouTube was keeping me company.

Found this video of a guy marshaling fighter jets on the tarmac who was also practicing for his dance recital.

Obviously it was a slow day at work.

Learn what happens when the boss is away

When the government puts athlete funding support last on the list, you still have find a way to practice

Future Oscar winning director

Love how she directed the cameraman to pan down on the feet so she can emphasize the kittens relieving. And if you find a related video from the same girl, she will summarize for you what WW2 was about.

Mme. Chorizo

The Magic of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

I challenge you to say the scientific name of baking yeast 3 times really fast. As you can guess, I was in the kitchen making a mess and racket trying to perfect my skills as a novice baker. I prefer baking breads and buns but not pies or tarts cause frankly, no one in my family would eat it. Love the smell of fresh baked bread and how nice and warm the kitchen gets when the oven is on.

So tonight, I tried my hand at 2 different types of bread. Cinnamon raisin and feta cheese. I didn't want to make them into loaves cause I wanted the convenience of grab 'n' go on my way to work. So buns it was. I have to admit that I get lazy and don't necessarily measure ingredients to the "T". I'm not too worried since Agent Chorizo seems to like it. The last few times when I baked, the bread would dry up within a day or so. So this time I tried not to add as much flour. I will let you know in a couple of days how this plan worked.

Cinnamon Raisin Buns



Agent Chorizo liked the cinnamon buns better then the feta buns cause they has just enough sweetness to them that they could be eaten without covering it up with some overly sweet jam. He also liked that the cinnamon did not overpower the whole thing.

Feta Cheese Buns



The recipe called for olives and rosemary but I did not have either items. So I scrapped the olives all together and guess what the only spice I found in the pantry, "Mrs. Dash". That's right, the little bottle of spices used as a flavor enhancer for those trying to cut back on their salt intake was my secret ingredient. I figure this was going to a savory bun with the feta cheese so why won't Mrs. Dash work on this bun recipe. I checked the ingredients of Mrs. Dash and it does has some rosemary in it. I liked this bun better then the cinnamon bun cause I thought this would be a perfect pair to a creamy pasta dish. I will have to convince Agent Chorizo that it's his turn to cook tomorrow.


Mme. Chorizo

Eat This Beyonce!

Some people have too much time on their hands but thank goodness cause I need a good laugh. So all you Obama fans this is what happens when pop culture mixes with politics. I wonder what Obama would think if he saw this on his blackberry. Imitation is the best form of flatter.

New Favorite Food Blog

At the hospital cafeteria, there is this amazing spicy Thai chicken coconut rice soup that makes you decide that calories don't count during lunch hours. For the one cup of soup, it is so over priced but so worth the dime and nickel hunting in the staff lounge. Many people have asked where they can purchase the soup but for some reason Campbell's Soup company does not sell that particular soup because it is only sold commercially. C'est la vie.

So I searched the recipe on YouTube.com because I can not cook to save myself but I also don't want to starve. The food Gods must have pity on me cause Chef John had a video of the soup and other great recipes. Chef John also has a blog and an iTunes podcast. He makes a variety of pasta dishes, breads, desserts and give little tutorials on perfecting some common cooking techniques. Did you know the secret to poaching an egg is to add vinegar to the boiling salted water? I sometimes just watch his videos for fun cause his is also funny to boot.

And if you were wondering if I was able to recreate the soup, yes I did. I didn't cut myself in the process nor did I make a beeline to the bathroom. The only blunder was that I added all the rice to the 5-6 serving pot so the next day the soup became a stew. I told you I can't cook.