THEY SAY MONTREALERS LOVE TO                   COMPLAIN ABOUT THE WEATHER,
Well, it could be more like we like to complain about la Ville de Montreal andpitifully poor lack of snow removal even though Montreal prides itself on having the most up to dayte as well as the best snow removal equipment in the world.  If so why don't they get down and do it???

Hello there, I'm having a time of it trying to swallow the lack of snow removal pill in my neighbourhood in the burough of Ville Marie in Montreal, Canada.

Bike path on the left.  Looking good!

I'm not in denial of winter, just the absurdity of how this city functions.  I live on a major artery that provides one of the few north south access entries to the downtown core.  One would think that it would be  a priority to have the streets cleaned and preened before  many residential streets after a mega snowstorm.  Not Montreal. One week later only the bike path has been ploughed and of course there's NO PARKING let alone STOPPING on that side of the street!!

Is it worth the trouble?

 The signs go up on both sides of the streets and stay up for days and days before the snow removal operation  finally comes in all its glory to swallow up the tons of snow in its path.  Last week they actually took down the signs after several days without touching so much as a flake of snow.

Hint:  The Snow Removal /Towing signs are the Orange one's
 added to the regular parking signs. 

The black car on the left side of the street is parked!!!

In my frustration I wrote to the mayor  and am further venting here.  Thank you and the internet for that.  The worst thing is that snow removal signs are put up as early as 5 days before the actual removal and on both sides of the streets in the area.  On the side street where I usually park the signs were taken down after almost a week and the snow had not been dealt with.  GRRRR......and why on earth would the bike path be the priority!?!?!

Enough bitching and on to more important matters:           

                          !!   FOOD   !!      

To appease my frustration and despair I took to baking which is definitely not my forte.  But being bold and attempting to impress last week's dinner guests I took a crack at making one of my childhood favourites.  Mariannes.  I called mom and she gave me the basics, white cake batter poured into an uncooked pastry shell with a dollop of jam at the bottom of each tart. Toss them into the oven ant 350 for a half an hour or so and ice when cool.   Sounds easy enough doesn't it?  Well, I who usually pride myself on being able to whip up a  a perfect pie crust, flubbed it totally.  The crust was as hard as rock and was in total contrast to the cake batter which I borrowed from Aunt Carmen.  Now that was the most light and delicate cake I've ever made, so I guess it was only half a disaster.  I did have another chance on Sunday. It being my sweetheart's birthday I decided to bake the cake again and forget about Marianne.  I have to admit the second time around the cake was even better.  If you're interested here's the dope on the most delightful sponge cake I've come across.

                                     Carmen's Egg  Cake:

6 eggs  room temperature

1 cup of sugar (I like to use raw cane sugar)

1 cup of flour

1 T cold water

1 T lemon or lime juice (I only had lime and it was sublime)

Beat eggs separately, whites should be medium stiff. Add 1/2 of the sugar to each. Then fold the whites into the yellows.  

Add the water and lime juice.  Fold the flour in 1 Tablespoon at a time.

Butter and flour an Angel cake mold or if you don't have one of those but have a metal bowl, place a buttered, floured conical glass in the center of the bowl and pour in the batter.  

Bake at 350 for  35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool.  Ice with a simple butter icing:

1/4 cup of butter. 

About 1 cup of icing sugar

1t vanilla

1T or so milk

Cream the butter and icing sugar until you have a creamy thick paste.  Mix in vanilla and milk and stir until you have the desired consistency.  I like it to be thick yet fluffy. 

My daughter, Lyra then iced and decorated the cake with Amethyst coloured icing, cinnamon and red sugar!!  Et voila!!

         HOW CAN I FORGET MY PRECIOUS         
                               HIBISCII

ONE MORE THING:
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN EGYPT FEEL TODAY AFTER MUBARAK'S DECISION TO NOT STEP DOWN.  WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO END THE OPPRESSION?!?!
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Anti-Mubarak-Protest-Crowds-Swell-Across-Egypt--115904149.html

       !!!OMG!!!  Can this be possible....
Mubarak appears to have reconsidered
although, how can he still  have the power to appoint the army!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/feb/11/egypt-hosni-mubarak-left-cairo


http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/11/2648029/egyptian-president-mubarak-steps.html

Here we go.  I think I'm somehow managing to get this blog online.  I still don't quite know how but I have finally had luck in uploading images Yay!! Cause to celebrate.

It's been a few years since I've had a show.  Work and Momming have taken up most of my precious time.

Amazing Grace
B Haarsma 2010

I love gardening and flowers. Last fall my grifter neighbours moved suddenly abandonning this beatuiful Hibiscus tree on the balcony.  We rescued it and though trough out the late fall and early winter it lost all of it's leaves, it continued to flower up until Christmas.  I'll feature a few of my fave Hibiscus photos with each post.

How I love this photo
B Haarsma 2010

B Haarsma 2010

       
Drawing from the model:

I get together once a week with a handful of artists for a life drawing session. The studio is in the old RCA building in a depressed part of town.  The west wall is window from the waist up, which allows for great light but they are single paned and tend to frost up seriously in the winter even with a fan propulsed heater.  I personally love the amazing brush strokes of Jack Frost and  his ever changing work as the sunlight hits the windows and evens up the temp indoors and out.  

Here are a few drawings from before the end of last year.

We're priveleged to have such amazing models.  Some are artists or dancers or writers and all have years of experience.





Janice
B Haarsma 2010

 



Janice

B Haarsma 2010





Stella

B Haarsma 2010





Stella

B Haarsma 2010





  



                                                                         I love this shot

                           I have to admit this was a drive by shooting  just before winter.



The Angel
c Beth Haarsma 2010





This has been a real experience for me.



I beileve that like good wine this blog will only get better with time.





Citrus and Garlic

 summer 2010 beth haarsma



My fave Recipe of the month is:

Scallops with Limebutter.  (I tried to link to the we love seafood site but the recipe appears not to exist any longer) I've also tweeked it to my taste.

12 or more scallops

Finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of one lime

2 T fesh chopped parlsey or green onion

2T olive oil

5T softened butter

Flour Salt and Pepper t taste

Combine lime zest, 1/2 of the butter, 1/2 of the lime juice and salt.  Mix well.

Season scallops with salt and pepper.  Dredge scallops in flour.

In a large frying pan, heat oil ant rest of butter.  Sautee scallops, 2-3 mnutes each side or until lightly browned.

Remove pan from heat, distribute the butter mixture and the rest of the lime juice over the scallops.  Cover the pan and set aside for 2-3 minutes until the butter is melted.

Add green onions or parlsley to the butter in the pan , mix well and drizzle over scallops and sreve.

Enjoy!!