I walked out of my apartment building this morning and it was so beautiful outside. I couldn’t help but notice the snow sparkles.  I had to show my son the sparkling top layer of the snow.  I have been enjoying so much the morning sunrise.  We are so fortunate to see the sunrise on the way to work!  I am driving and I look at the pink sky.  Yes, there is beauty in winter….that’s for sure.  I don’t forget the fact that I have to scrape the windshield, warm up the car, and put layers of clothes, but as I look at the sunrise and listen to some music on the way to work, my attitude changes and I set a nice tone for my day.

I guess I am trying to talk about inspiration.  Isn’t it inspiration that we are all looking for in our day, in our experiences, and interactions with people?  I know I am.  When I read, I want to read something that moves me.  If I listen to music, I want the music to get to me, I want to feel it.  I am referring to experiences that touch me on a deep level.  At the end of the day, these are the experiences which bring meaning to my life.  Sometimes I think that my life is about connections—with family, friends, and people in general.  My interactions would not be meaningful to me unless I felt connected with my loved ones on a deeper level.  At least this is how I am and I am aware that people are different.  And it is all good.

I don’t know about you, but I know that I was never taught to be gentle to myself, to be kind to myself, to be self-compassionate.  I read an article recently addressing self-compassion and it made me think.  I started asking myself “Do I give myself a break sometimes? Do I beat myself up for my faults?”  Read More →

Check out this fantastic little video on the flower by Andrew Zuckerman.  A mesmerizing piece of musical art.

http://vimeo.com/49613978

Here’s a little snippet from his bio on the Vimeo site:

Noted filmmaker and photographer, Andrew Zuckerman, utilizes a multitude of platforms to produce work that is systematically executed, conceptually based, and democratically presented. Minimalist in nature, Zuckerman aims to create atmospheres of clarity and neutrality to facilitate the viewer’s access to the material. His commitment to diversifying the points of entry into his work has garnered a global audience.

As my first foray into the world of blog as the Manager for Health Services, I thought it would be appropriate to address the annual question of why we need a flu shot every year.

I found a short video (Influenza Get the (Antigenic) Drift) on what happens to a flu season type virus and why it is important to get the flu shot every year.

We all play a part in protecting ourselves and each other from Influenza. This is more than  winter or fall colds and sniffles, it is a serious illness.

For those of you who are vegetarian, here is a vegetarian chili which is yummy:

Ingredients:

Makes 8 servings:

1 table spoon of olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon salt

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained

2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles

3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

(#22 bus-loop, Rouge Road)  Steve Jobs once said, “It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.”  I tend to agree. So the thought of extracting at least 40 minutes of it twice a day from now until spring is very satisfying. Every year the first snow pushes me off my 28″ bike and onto a #22 bus for daily commutes, my trusty MacBook on my lap (Mr. Jobs would approve). No windshield scraping, no squinting through that narrow slit above the dash with the wipers and defrost on high until I can finally see beyond the hood. No, as I let Transit Tom do the driving, my precious time is much better spent on other things. Read on.

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As someone born in the early part of fall I’ve always had a soft spot for the transitional months between summer and winter.  The mosquitos disappear, gardens are harvested, and there’s this interesting transition in the landscape when hidden things are unveiled as  the clutter of leaves depart.

Jumpin’ Pumpkins

For the last two summers we’ve had a little pumpkin patch in the yard where these orange beauties get loads of sun and have plenty of room to stretch themselves out. This past summer we witnessed our first ever pumpkin theft by a black bear, but otherwise the pumpkins are generally left alone to get big and bigger as the summer wears on. These five pumpkins were designed by a fairy-band of children under the ages of nine – with only a little bit of help from a knife wielding adult.  I find it hard to pick a favourite amongst them, though the understated one that is second from the left has a deceptive simplicity to it.

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Nursing Instructors Tom Harrigan and Jackie Santiago being awarded the Chili Cup by RRC President Stephanie Forsyth

This years winners of the Third Annual Chili Cup are Nursing instructors Tom Harrigan and Jackie Santiago (Team Caliente) who wowed the critics with their blend of a “traditional hearty chili with the heat of India and Mexico infused”. Congratulations! If you missed out on their chow, head to the Voyaguer caferia this Wednesday for a Chili Day in November – where their chili (or something close to it) will be served for $3.99 with a bun.  A drop off bin for the SA Food Bank will also be there – so bring a tin for the bin

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The cold weather is now upon us and this is the season for colds. We’ve all heard that washing your hands is one of the most effective ways to stave off a cold in the first place. But what if you did everything right and still ended up with a cold? You feel miserable with all the coughing and nose blowing.  Your chest hurts and you feel like the cold will hang on forever. That’s how I usually feel when I get a cold but fortunately, I have not had one for this year … yet.

About a decade ago, I had a very bad cold and after 5 weeks of coughing which seemed to get worse at night, my father finally told me to do what I used to do as a child (or what my parents used to make me do as a child). He reminded me of the tea that we drank when we had a cold (mostly because medical care was prohibitive and many elders relied on herbal remedies which always worked). Here is the all-natural recipe and here is why it works:

•  1 cup hot (not boiling) water
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• ¼ – ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. honey

Put the hot water in a mug, preferably a thermos type. Add the other ingredients and blend until everything is dissolved. Drink this mixture throughout the day for as long as you are still coughing. You’ll start noticing that when you blow your nose or cough, there will be a lot of mucous (I know… this sounds gross) but try to blow your nose or cough it out. Within a few days, you should start noticing a significant difference in the severity of your cough.

Turmeric: there are numerous health benefits including its anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties. It helps to alleviate the pain in your chest.

Ginger: Also helps to relieve pain and inflammation especially in the chest.

Black pepper: Eating/drinking this will help clear up your nasal passages (sometimes a nuisance but it gets rid of the cold)

Honey: Soothes your throat which is probably raw from all the coughing; anti-bacterial boosts your immune system

I have shared this recipe with many family and friends and it really does work. Since it is all natural, there are no side effects. Try it and if it works, pass it on to someone who may benefit.

It’s that time again. The third annual Chili Cup is today (November 14th) at noon in the Selkirk Lounge (NDC Campus).

There are nine competitors vying for this year’s prize in the Culinary Smack Down of the year.

• Tammy Kowerko is back to defend her title, with Tammy’s Smack Down Chili with Attitude. Chef Tammy describes her chili as a sensational blend of color, flavor, & wholesome goodness. At its absolute best the hint of heat explosion will leave you craving for so much more.
• Louise Cure and her Civil Engineering Technology colleagues are making Chile Auténtico in memory of their colleague Gary Giesbrecht who recently passed away. Gary participated in each of the previous Chili Cups, and is greatly missed by those who knew and worked with him.
• Guy Dugas and his Applied Chili Education (ACE) team will be making the Chilitarian Capsheaf –A subtle occidental blend of oriental aromatic herbs, spices, and surprise sweet and savoury ingredients that will leave you exclaiming, “Is this legal?”
• The RRC Students’ Association and their team SA’ll Good is back (with an attitude) serving up their Redneck Chili. Enjoy our legendary chili, filled with lean ground beef, finely chopped green sweet pepper, and hot sauce to kick it up a notch.
• The Lifers are out on a day pass, serving up their chili Be’an Surprised a delectable sweet heat of chili awesomeness.
• Big Bubba and the Chilitas are cooking up Big Bubba’s Chili which is guaranteed to cleanse the competition (as well as congested nasal passages)
• Los Scorpiones is back with Bite of the Scorpion – Our non-traditional looking chili is deceptively innocent in its appearance but with that first taste, you’ll feel like you are in a tropical paradise and feeling the bite of the scorpion!
• Team Caliente is serving the deceptive BRS chili (???) – a blend of traditional hearty chili with the heat of India and Mexico infused.
• And finally, the Mysterious Dr. Inferno is back again with his vegetarian Chili – Make Lava, Not War.  Peace out, and pass the beans.

There you have it – nine fantastic chilis for the low prices of $3 for a sample of each – all proceeds from the event go to the Students’ Association Food Bank – just in time for the holidays! The room gets packed in a hurry – so come out a bit before noon to ensure you can participate.

And if Green Chili is your thing – bring your own “bowl and spoon” and be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to Prairie Lights! Think sustainability + Help us cut Waste!

The winning Chili will be served in the Voyageur Cafeteria the following week (21st), in an event we call a Chili Day in November.

Since our Chili cup event is coming up, I decided to collect some tips on how to enhance your chili experience at home.

1. If you chili is too thick, don’t use water to think it out.  Use broth instead.  Water deludes the flavors but the broth add to the flavors.

2.  If your chili is too thin, you could add some tomato paste to thicken it.  If this doens’t work, the next step is to add corn starch or corn meal.

3.  Most folks use green jalapenos which are sold at the grocery store to give the chili its hotness.  Apparently, there are many types of chiles with different names like: Anaheim, Poblano, Serrano, Santa Fe Chiles, etc.  Basically, we can experiment and have fun with the whole process by trying different chiles.  It is possible to use a combination of chiles as well.

4.  The first step we take is to cook the meat.  You need to brown the meat before you add the liquids to the recipe.

5.  The better the quality of the meat, the better the chili.  If you get meat that is less tender, make sure you cook the meat longer to soften it up and consider using a meat tenderizer.

6.  Use fresh vegetables, not canned.  There is a major difference.  (This makes sense!)

7.  Cook the chili the day before you plan to eat it.  This way you give all the flavors in your chili time to blend. If you don’t have enough time to cook it the night before, prepare it in the morning and let it simmer all day.

8.  Use your own mix of spices, herbs and chiles  instead of using a prepackages mix.  Prepackaged mixes have a lot of salt and preservatives which can change the taste of the chili.  The batch of chili spices you make can be stored in your freezer for up to one year.

9.  Don’t use old spices for your chili (or for any other cooking….for that matter).  If you happen to have old spices, make sure they have been on the shelf for less than a year.  After one year, spices loose flavor.

10.  Have fun!  Making chili takes time, but it can be a lot of fun as well.