Be a Halloween Crone, not a Menopausal Witch by Margaret Ullrich

A few years ago I wrote essays and stories and read them on the CKUW radio program '2000 & Counting - Older and Wiser'.  Sometimes the essays were about aging.  
This was the essay I wrote for Halloween 2001. 
If I were writing it now, I would have added: 
As Katy Perry sang:





I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire

Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar

Anna Sultana's Stewed Octopus, Maltese Style

Last August I posted Ma's recipe for Stuffat tal-Qarnit.

Qarnit is Maltese for octopus. 

For many the stew recipe was something fun to read.

Octopus just isn't common here on the bald prairies.

Or in most other places, I would imagine.



Octopus is the stuff of legend.

And sometimes the stuff of science fiction.

I hope you've seen It Came from Beneath the Sea.

It's a dandy 1955 Sci-Fi

Spice Blends: From Fish Seasoning to Salads and Noodles - Margaret Ullrich

There are a couple of new commercials about a young woman adding a mix to a pound of ground beef to make a meal.

They are trying to make an honest buck, I guess.

But, really, what's so special about that?



Still there's nothing special about making mixes to add to other ingredients.

You don't need a degree or years of study.

Just a few spices.



This Spice Blend is delicious with fish.

Spice Blends: Tandoori, Curry, Chinese Hot Mustard - Margaret Ullrich

I live in the north end of Winnipeg.

My neighbours are a pretty diverse bunch, ethnically speaking.

One thing we have in common is having to make dinner for the family.



Kids are great at loving to try something different, food-wise, especially if their friends are eating it.

There are worse things they can want to do.



One day when I was getting groceries, a Filipino mom approached me

Spice Blends: Fajita, Chili, Taco Seasoning Mixes - Margaret Ullrich

Years and years ago a local department store named Eaton's had an annual event.

It was meant to bring a bit of warmth to our Winnipeg winters.

They called it Eaton Uncrates The Sun.



Every year, usually in February when we were truly good and sick of winter, the managers would pick a sunny spot and try to recreate it, complete with decorations, food and cooking demonstrations.

One year

Spice Blends: Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, Sugar & Spice - Margaret Ullrich

The holiday baking season is here.

And that means spices.



A couple of years ago spice companies started selling prepackaged spices for recipes.

I don't know if you've seen them in your spice shelves.

Really… a teaspoon of this, a teaspoon of that.

And they charge an awful lot just because they hired someone to go to the trouble of spooning out the spices and put them in little plastic

Anna Sultana's Aljotta - Fish Soup, Maltese Style

It's almost November.

Light salads just aren't going to satisfy anyone's appetite.

It's definitely time to start making soups.



As we've been doing fish recipes, I thought I'd post a fish soup recipe.

This recipe is a bit of a hassle.

Well, the 'removing the bones from the cooked fish part' is.

But the soup is delicious.

So it goes.





Just so you know... Mackerel is nice in this recipe

Anna Sultana's Tuna Pie, Maltese Style

About a week ago I posted Ma's recipe for Baked Tunny.

Looks like it's become a popular recipe.

It's one of the month's top posts.

That's great to see.





That post has some information on big tunny and little tunny. 

Yes, there is such a thing as little tunny.

I'm not making some kind of gangster joke.

Yes, I miss Carmela and the boys, too.



Fresh tunny, big and little, isn't easy to

Four Year Anniversary! by Margaret Ullrich

Happy Fourth Birthday to I'm Turning 60!!

And THANK YOU for visiting, whether you're a daily, weekly or occasional guest.



I started this blog because I was going through some major changes.

In 2009 both my parents and our last dog, Bobo, died.

Funny thing about changes…

As soon as you get used to one change, another comes along.

But, somehow, you can get used to that, too.

So it goes.

Feng Shui and My Least Favourite Room, part 7 by Margaret Ullrich

Tonight is Full Moon number ten for 2013.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving on Monday.

And are still enjoying the leftovers.



The week before Thanksgiving we were enjoying mild weather.

Perfect weather for moving the plants in our yard.

So I did.



I had weeded our yard after we returned from Ottawa over a month ago.

The garden had been put to bed before the first frost.

The tomato plants

Anna Sultana's Baked Tunny, Maltese Style Fish

Looking for more fish recipes?

You're in luck.



Malta's an island and fish is a basic part of the menu.

Of course no one wants fish served the same way every day.



Which brings us to Ma's recipe for baked tunny.

Well, that's what she said sometimes when I asked, "What's for dinner?"



Being an immigrant is sometimes like being the Peter Graves character in Stalag 17.

Graves was the

Coloring a Laser-Art Structure Using Eye Makeup by Margaret Ullrich

If you've been thinking of starting a hobby, but don't want to go to much expense 

(who knows, you may end up hating the hobby), this might give you some ideas.



The following article was recently published both in the United States in The Thousand Lakes Region of the National Model Railroad Association's publication, 'The Fusee', and in Canada in The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's publication

Anna Sultana's Fried Swordfish in Caper Sauce, Maltese Style

Ma's recipe for Grilled Grouper with Mustard Sauce has become very popular.

I'm happy to see that I've posted something you like.

But even a good recipe can become boring.



So, here's another of Ma's recipes for serving fish with a sauce.

This recipe is for swordfish.

Swordfish is in another of Ma's top fish recipes - Grilled Swordfish.

Hope you've tried it, too.



Swordfish is like

Anna Sultana's Cerna Fl-imbjank - Poached Grouper, Maltese Style

Hope you enjoyed Ma's recipe for Grilled Grouper with Mustard Sauce.

But it is getting colder.

The weather… not the grouper.

Time for some recipes to cook indoors.



In the post for Grilled Grouper there was some information on the fish.

A quick refresher…

Groupers are hefty, like a mackerel or tuna.

Their steaks would be large.



This would not work with sole.

But the sole would work

Feng Shui and My Least Favourite Room, part 6 by Margaret Ullrich

Tonight there will be a new moon - number 10 for 2013.

A week from Monday we will be celebrating Thanksgiving here in Canada.

Thanksgiving has always been my favourite holiday.

We have our health, and much more to be thankful for.





I'm also thankful this year to have thrown out two whole, roll out, 

big blue cartloads of recyclable stuff from my least favourite room.

Yes, the big blue