Rhubarb crumble - from Canada this time.

 One of my greatest delights is being a Grandmother.  We've been visiting our son Justin, his wife Courtney and their almost one year old daughter Anabel. They live in Calgary, Alberta Canada. 

We also had the blessing of going to the beautiful town of Banff.  What  majestic mountains, forest, lakes and rivers.

One of the joys I have while visiting my children is cooking up a storm.  One of the many dishes I've made while here is Rhubarb crumble.   I love the sweet/sour delight.  You could hear me saying  "mmm....oh this is yummy"  This dish reminds me of my own grandmother........from many years ago.

 Chop the washed Rhubarb into 1 inch chunks.

Mix 1/4 c flour, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 c sugar into the rhubarb in a large baking dish.

For the topping mix:

1/2 c brown sugar

4 Tbsp butter

 2 c oats

Recipe

Heat oven to 375 oF

6 c chopped rhubarb
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c flour
Mix together in a large baking dish.

Topping
2 c oats
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 c brown sugar
Mix in a food processor, or rub together with your hands.

Bake for 45 mins.

Shrimp tacos

Shrimp tacos represent Baja California to me in every way. My friend Patti Lee requested this recipe from me on facebook today, so here it is.  This is what we had for dinner last night.
Toss some pre cooked or raw shrimp in fresh lemon or lime juice, salt, pepper and 1/4 tsp cumin.
Grill until pink, about 2 mins.  If the shrimp is already cooked, then just heat through, very quickly in a pan with a little oil.

                                Chop some cilantro, avocado, cabbage and green onions.

                                        Heat corn tortillas in a little oil.

 Mango salsa goes great with shrimp tacos.  Ingredients are mango, cilantro, green onion, jalapeno, red bell pepper (orange segments and pineapple also work well if you don't have mango) and lime or lemon juice, salt and pepper.

                   This can also be served on flour tortillas if you can't buy fresh corn tortillas.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

One of my great joys is having a garden.  Right now my lettuce is in abundance and I'm loving not having to buy any in the store. I'm getting ready to go to Canada for a couple of weeks, so I'm thinking of lots of ways to use my lettuce before it goes to waste.  So this was the inspiration for today's meal of Asian Lettuce Wraps.  Its very low in calories, is super healthy and has all those yummy Asian inspired flavors that I adore.

 ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 c carrot, shredded
• 6 - 8 mushrooms, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
• 1 generous pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dark sesame oil
• 12 butter lettuce leaves, washed and separated.

directions

Heat a large frying pan with the oil.

Add the onions, carrots, mushrooms and bell peppers and saute until tender for about 5 mins.

Add the ground turkey and stir for another 5 mins until cooked. Add the garlic, ginger, honey, fish sauce, lemon, sesame oil and pepper flakes and simmer for 1 min until bubbly. Turn off the heat.

Prepare the lettuce and serve with your favorite dipping sauce, such as oyster sauce, sweet chili sauce, or my own recipe for cilantro sauce.

Story about my Mother's Morris (car) and a close call with a cemetary.

 My mother Joy is legendary for her love of speed........she loves to drive fast, loved to go up in small airplanes, ride motor bikes and ride in speed boats.  This Morris was the type of car she had when I was a small child. 

 I was at a park in Perth Australia a few years ago and discovered a showing of these antiques, and got a few pictures.

The speed limit in my neighborhood in Hillsborough was about 30 mph.  That was the trial of my mothers life.  I think I was only three years old when I accidentally opened the car door while we were going  along and hung on for dear life as I swung out into the street.  I let go and rolled into the gutter. No seat belts  or child safety seats in those days.

 This was right in front of the local cemetery.  A nice man ran over to me and picked me up, while my mother had to drive away a bit to turn around and come back for me.  I skinned my hands and knees but recovered just fine.  However I scared the heck out of my poor Mom.

 This cemetery is on a hillside overlooking the harbor.  Its a very popular spot to take photos.

 My life long friend Su' lives right across the street from this memorable spot to this day, and whenever I'm in Auckland I always go back there.

  One of the favorite childhood breakfasts in New Zealand involved baked beans.  Usually served  heated up a bit, right from the can on  buttered toast.

 You'll find lots of British cultures serve beans as part of the breakfast plate.

However my current favorite way to have baked beans is the BBQ version that have been truly baked in the oven, with a rich deep flavor that can't even compare to the straight from the can version.

Here's my recipe:

• 2 cans of baked beans, drained and rinsed clean.
• 1 c ketchup
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/4 c prepared mustard
• 6 pieces of cooked bacon crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 oF

Combine the rinsed off beans with the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and bacon in a large baking dish.

Bake for 30 mins until bubbly and top is caramelized.

These go great with fresh sweet corn on the cob, BBQ steak, chicken or hamburgers and a green salad.  Now we're talking  the traditional American way to have these beans.  I will still eat  them the  British way whenever I'm served the traditional breakfast.  But to my friends in New Zealand if you're reading this, give this American way a try too.