Met a friend for lunch today. Doing a lot of that lately. I have at least one luncheon date each week for the next 3 weeks. This is a good life.
We met at what we thought of as a greasy spoon but will rethink that. As we were leaving, my friend noticed that one of the patrons behind her was having soup. She asked if it was good. Once we were both outside, I had to tell her that it was Rick Mercer. Yes, the Rick Mercer who has the television show. I told some friends who work at a music store that I had just seen Rick Mercer on the Danforth and they said that they would head down to that area more often.
Wonderful who you might see when you least expect it.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
For-profit facilities leave seniors vulnerable!
In July 2008, Ontario's provincial ombudsman launched an investigation after receiving 100 complaints about the quality of the province's long term care. Another 450 complaints came in after the investigation was announced. The report announced in December 2010 revealed that there were "delays, inconsistencies and lack of transparency in the monitoring of long-term care homes". What a surprise!
In most provinces, long-term care is publicly subsidized but service delivery is provided by a mix of government run, non-profit and and private for-profit organization. Unlike hospital care, long-term care is not included under the Canada Health Act, so access to a defined set of services is not universal in Canada.
It took two years to figure this out? I find it baffling that a study had to be done over two years to figure that there are differences in the care provided to seniors. If you can pay, you can get the best and most comprehensive care but if you are needy your care level is vastly different and lacking in services.
The question is now that the government has determined that there are serious differences in the level of care offered, what will it do about this?
To be continued.
In most provinces, long-term care is publicly subsidized but service delivery is provided by a mix of government run, non-profit and and private for-profit organization. Unlike hospital care, long-term care is not included under the Canada Health Act, so access to a defined set of services is not universal in Canada.
It took two years to figure this out? I find it baffling that a study had to be done over two years to figure that there are differences in the care provided to seniors. If you can pay, you can get the best and most comprehensive care but if you are needy your care level is vastly different and lacking in services.
The question is now that the government has determined that there are serious differences in the level of care offered, what will it do about this?
To be continued.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Rhubarb Fool
You guessed it, here is another recipe. Simple but good.
Rhubarb Fool
Inspired by the traditional English Dessert which calls for whipped cream. Our version (Harrowsmith) calls for yogurt for a heal their low-fat spin. See for yourself-it's just as delicious.
2 cups fresh or frozen, chopped rhubarb (490 mL)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (mL)
1/2 cup water (60 mL)
1/2 cup sugar (120 mL)
2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt (480 mL)
Place the rhubarb, lemon juice and water in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the sugar, reduce the heat to medium low and cook-stirring frequently-until most of the juice has evaporated, the mixture has thickened and the rhubarb is soft. Transfer to a bowl. Cool, refrigerated, for 2 hours or until completely chilled.
Alternate layers of rhubarb and yogurt in a dessert glass and swirl the layers slightly with a knife. Garnish with fresh, in-season fruit such as raspberries or strawberries.
Serves 4.
Made February 6, 2011.
From Harrowsmith, June 2008.
Rhubarb Fool
Inspired by the traditional English Dessert which calls for whipped cream. Our version (Harrowsmith) calls for yogurt for a heal their low-fat spin. See for yourself-it's just as delicious.
2 cups fresh or frozen, chopped rhubarb (490 mL)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (mL)
1/2 cup water (60 mL)
1/2 cup sugar (120 mL)
2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt (480 mL)
Place the rhubarb, lemon juice and water in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the sugar, reduce the heat to medium low and cook-stirring frequently-until most of the juice has evaporated, the mixture has thickened and the rhubarb is soft. Transfer to a bowl. Cool, refrigerated, for 2 hours or until completely chilled.
Alternate layers of rhubarb and yogurt in a dessert glass and swirl the layers slightly with a knife. Garnish with fresh, in-season fruit such as raspberries or strawberries.
Serves 4.
Made February 6, 2011.
From Harrowsmith, June 2008.
Apple Rhubarb Muffins
Here it is: the next recipe-Apple Rhubarb Muffins
The topping
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed (80 mL)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (80 mL)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (80 mL)
3/4 tsp cinnamon (3.5 mL)
2 Tbsp butter (30 mL)
For the batter
2 cups all-purpose flour (480 mL)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed (360 mL)
1/4 cup wheat germ (60 mL)
1 tsp baking soda (5 ML)
1/2 tsp salt (2.5 mL)
1 cup fresh or frozen rhubarb, diced (240 mL)
1 large apple, diced peeled and cored
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk (240 mL)
1/2 cup melted butter (120 mL)
1 tsp vanilla (5 mL)
To make the topping
Place the brown sugar, walnuts, flour, cinnamon and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture is well combined and crumbly. Set aside while making the batter.
To make the batter
Pre-heat the oven to 375oF (190oC) . Grease 12 large muffin tins or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, wheat germ, baking soda and salt. Stir until combined. Stir in the rhubarb and apple.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not over mix.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tins and sprinkle with the topping. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins are firm to the touch.
Makes 12 large muffins.
Harrowsmith Country Life (February 2008)
Made the recipe- January 2011.
Enjoy, these are excellent muffins.
The topping
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed (80 mL)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (80 mL)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (80 mL)
3/4 tsp cinnamon (3.5 mL)
2 Tbsp butter (30 mL)
For the batter
2 cups all-purpose flour (480 mL)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed (360 mL)
1/4 cup wheat germ (60 mL)
1 tsp baking soda (5 ML)
1/2 tsp salt (2.5 mL)
1 cup fresh or frozen rhubarb, diced (240 mL)
1 large apple, diced peeled and cored
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk (240 mL)
1/2 cup melted butter (120 mL)
1 tsp vanilla (5 mL)
To make the topping
Place the brown sugar, walnuts, flour, cinnamon and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture is well combined and crumbly. Set aside while making the batter.
To make the batter
Pre-heat the oven to 375oF (190oC) . Grease 12 large muffin tins or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, wheat germ, baking soda and salt. Stir until combined. Stir in the rhubarb and apple.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not over mix.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tins and sprinkle with the topping. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins are firm to the touch.
Makes 12 large muffins.
Harrowsmith Country Life (February 2008)
Made the recipe- January 2011.
Enjoy, these are excellent muffins.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Keep exercising!
I have always worried that aging is associated with declining mental functions, apparently regular exercise can help reverse the atrophy. That is the reason that I will keep playing tennis and trying to walk regularly among other sports.
Neurologists have long known that the our brains get slightly smaller as we grow older and that this shrinkage is associated with a gradual decline in certain mental functions. Previous research has demonstrated that regular exercise can slow the pace of shrinkage and help protect memories and preserve the ability to learn new things.
Now a new study suggests that even starting an exercise program later in life can undo some of the brain shrinkage in seniors who've spent years as a couch potatoes.
"Our results show we can reverse the atrophy that was already taking place," said the lead researcher, Kirk Erickson of the University of Pittsburgh.
For the study, they recruited 120 healthy but sedentary volunteers ranging in age from 60 to 80. (None had been diagnosed with dementia or were suspected of having Alzheimer's disease.)
Half of the seniors were given an aerobic exercise regimen of walking around a track for 40 minutes a day, three days a week.
The other half served as a control group. They were told to do stretching and toning exercises activities that would barely budge their heart rates.
Each participant underwent a series of MRI scans to measure changes in the size of the hippocampus, the brain structure involved in all form of memory formation.
The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed a dramatic difference in the two groups after one year. The walkers experienced increases in the volume of the left and right hippocampus by 2/12 and 1.97 per cent respectively. The same regions of the brain in those who did stretching decreased by 1.40 and 1/43 per cent respectively, which amounts to the normal expected shrinkage.
"You can think of the increase in volume of the hippocampus as turning back the clock by almost two years."explained the senior author of the study, Art Kramer of the University of Illinois.
Furthermore, the bigger brains seemed to work better.
I am convinced, keep exercising.
Neurologists have long known that the our brains get slightly smaller as we grow older and that this shrinkage is associated with a gradual decline in certain mental functions. Previous research has demonstrated that regular exercise can slow the pace of shrinkage and help protect memories and preserve the ability to learn new things.
Now a new study suggests that even starting an exercise program later in life can undo some of the brain shrinkage in seniors who've spent years as a couch potatoes.
"Our results show we can reverse the atrophy that was already taking place," said the lead researcher, Kirk Erickson of the University of Pittsburgh.
For the study, they recruited 120 healthy but sedentary volunteers ranging in age from 60 to 80. (None had been diagnosed with dementia or were suspected of having Alzheimer's disease.)
Half of the seniors were given an aerobic exercise regimen of walking around a track for 40 minutes a day, three days a week.
The other half served as a control group. They were told to do stretching and toning exercises activities that would barely budge their heart rates.
Each participant underwent a series of MRI scans to measure changes in the size of the hippocampus, the brain structure involved in all form of memory formation.
The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed a dramatic difference in the two groups after one year. The walkers experienced increases in the volume of the left and right hippocampus by 2/12 and 1.97 per cent respectively. The same regions of the brain in those who did stretching decreased by 1.40 and 1/43 per cent respectively, which amounts to the normal expected shrinkage.
"You can think of the increase in volume of the hippocampus as turning back the clock by almost two years."explained the senior author of the study, Art Kramer of the University of Illinois.
Furthermore, the bigger brains seemed to work better.
I am convinced, keep exercising.
Keeping up with e-mails
Yesterday, I was baffled. Try as I hard as I could, I could barely keep up with my e-mails. It is not that I am incredibly popular. I know some of you find it hard to believe that I am having trouble keeping up with e-mails but yes that was the problem yesterday. Now that does not mean that I did not go and do some bassoon teaching, took a quick break and then went out for Winterlicious with a friend. We went to Pan which was okay but not one of my favourites. The waiter said that it is the best Greek restaurant on the Danforth. I am not sure about that.
Once I go home, my mission was to keep up with the e-mails. For some reason, as fast as I answered there seemed to be more.
Hopefully none of you have this problem.
I need to answer the last e-mail and hopefully today, I will have time to check e-mails, and actually get the recipe that I made this week on the blog and do some other computing like writing.
Once I go home, my mission was to keep up with the e-mails. For some reason, as fast as I answered there seemed to be more.
Hopefully none of you have this problem.
I need to answer the last e-mail and hopefully today, I will have time to check e-mails, and actually get the recipe that I made this week on the blog and do some other computing like writing.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Storm of the ?
Now that the storm of the ? not sure day, week, month, ? This storm was a dude, yes there was snow but we have had more. Schools were closed! Can you believe it? I was shocked when I realized that I did not miss band practise, school had been closed and I was feeling guilty for nothing.
Now that we are back on track, time to post a new recipe. It will be on later today. I am also going to make a Rhubarb Fool. Fascinating what I am managing to find.
Hope that all of you how are in snow belts have managed to shovel out from underneath the snow.
Now that we are back on track, time to post a new recipe. It will be on later today. I am also going to make a Rhubarb Fool. Fascinating what I am managing to find.
Hope that all of you how are in snow belts have managed to shovel out from underneath the snow.
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