June 6, 2013

• Fireworks!

  

  1) fireworks rehearsal last night at 2215hrs in preparation for Canada Day Celebrations, July 1st … taken from our balcony. The lights up on the right hand corner are the lights on Grouse Mountain ski runs. That is Canada Place Pier in the foreground
  

  G and I are early-to-bed; early-to-rise lads – we are usually in bed reading by 2130hrs and certainly well on our way to lala land by 2200hrs (usually rising around 0500hrs). Despite the fact that up here it stays light at this time of year till 2200hrs easily, we were awoken last night with fireworks! Out in Burrard Inlet they were doing a rehearsal of the Canada Day fireworks. Very cool!
  

  

  2) so pretty; 3) and here is the last remnants of the sun going down over Harbour Centre

  

  4) Close up of Harbour Centre … there is revolving restaurant up there that we’ve yet to try
  

  

  5) from sunsets … to sunrises … here’s the view of the sun rising around 0500hrs on Tuesday this week looking northeast up Burrard Inlet
  

  We love living on the water and I must admit I am obsessive about watching the ships come in and out of port. Fortunately, there is a wonderfully obsessive iPad app (and website) called Marine Traffic that allows you to track in real time every ship globally – and, in my case – in the port of Vancouver. It’s crazy fun and so reminiscent to my teenage years when I used to cycle to Pearson International Airport and spend hours and hours and hours watching the planes land and take off and record every plane.
  

  Meanwhile on the cooking front, I made a batch of roasted beets (I love beets) Moroccan-style for a summery salad appetizer that included avocado cream and pumpkin salsa. Following this we served a sous vide chicken with baby carrots, zucchinis and potatoes along with microgreens and a cilantro oil G prepared. Delicious!
  

  
  

  6) ingredients for the appetizer; 7) the secret is roasting the beets in water with a mixture of these spices – cardamon, anise, peppercorns, cumin and cardomain seeds

  

  8 & 9) for the salsa, grind roasted pumpkin seeds, panko, lemon zest
  

  

  10) drizzle in olive oil and season; 11) for the avocado cream, blend an avocado, salt & pepper and creme fresh with a touch of lemon juice

  

  12) the result is oh-so-heavenly

   

  13) the appetizer pulled together and plated with sea salt

  

  14) the main course – such a summery plate!; 15) we also made halibut cakes to serve with the left over beets and a salad on Monday

  

  16) last night I sous vided (is that a word?) beef tenderloin for an hour at 57.5 Celsius and then G used the torch to finish it; 17) the result with a quick jus that G whipped up
  

   

   18) back in July 2002, after finishing my first half Ironman race, I cruised to Alaska. In Juneau I bought G this wee ivory owl that now graces the Irish moss and boxwood out on the patio of the condo. My guess is that I shouldn’t have this piece of art outdoors nor in a garden but …. oh well!

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  • 11:17 pm
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