Homemade Meatballs

We made spaghetti & meatballs the other night & it was so good, I wanted to share.  Usually we just add ground beef to Prego sauce & call it good, but I wanted to try meatballs for a change.  I found this recipe  Cooks.com - Recipe - Parmesan Beef Balls online.  I only used the meatball recipe, used bread as we didn't have crackers, and browned them in a skillet, then baked them at 350 for 20 min. or so.  I also used Paul Newman's Garlic & Basil (or something like that) tomato sauce, because it was on sale.  We threw in zucchini & mushrooms to the sauce; I think the zucchini is what really added great flavor!   We have spaghetti often, as I also did growing up, since it's cheap, easy, and fast.  The veggies add a bit of variety and increased our vegetable intake. 

Hey?

Before our move, a lot of people would say “moving to Canada, eh?”  Pat & Audra even had a party with a cake that said "Good Luck, eh?"  We have heard a few ehs here & there but, to our surprise, Saskatonians generally follow their sentences with hey? Vs. eh?. Interesting, hey?   I kind of like it.  But, no, we have not picked it up.  Although, I think I've  occasionally added a huh? for a long time.  I tend to think we fit right in for the most part with our accent, figuring I was asked weekly at work in Champaign if I was from Canada.  But a waitress has said to us “I can’t help but notice your American accent.”  Another store clerk has said, “you're American, that’s awesome!”  So I guess not all people hate Americans.  :) The phrases “Right on” (vs. “ok”) & “No worries” (vs. “it’s alright”) are commonly used, which were also used a lot in New Zealand.  Maybe part of the Queen’s casual English?   

Some pronunciation has made us laugh a bit….process using a long “o,” which you’ve probably heard on the Canadian home shows.  A strong “hawkey” vs. hockey. The Ma in Mazda is like the Ma in mass as opposed to the ma in Mazatlan. Spelling colour, favourite, cheque, tonnes, & I’m sure many others incorrectly may tip us off as non-Canadians.  Other things to get used to…..Celsius, km, and deli items weighed in grams vs lbs.  (I panicked a minute the first time at the deli & just said “I’ll take what you have cut there”).   

It’s also fun that a lot of the food products have English & French labels, some have both & others have one or the other.  I’m actually quite surprised the U.S. doesn’t have both English & Spanish on the labels.  Maybe they do in the states closest to Mexico.

Note the French translation of a German word.

 

Visitors from Wisconsin

Mini pizzas on the grill and Spotted Cow

Earlier this month Eric's aunt and uncle, Mary and Wendall, traveled up from Barron, WI on their way to Alaska.  We golfed, toured campus, and ate supper at a great outdoor restaurant downtown near the river.  This past week, my parents and sister made the 18 hr. trek up here & spent the week relaxing, visiting, and checking out the city.

Chelsea, Mom, and I soaking our feet before at-home pedicures!

Mom & Dad at The Berry Barn. Beautiful flowers, cute shop, & Saskatoon berry pie.

Cheers!

The weir at the Saskatchewan River.  No pelicans at our visit, but I've heard they gather here.

After eating McDonald's at a park, Dad & Eric played catch.

Hail storm.  We've had 3 hail storms since we've moved here.  We got pretty excited about this size hail.....get a picture!  But then......

it got a bit larger...

Then even larger....at this point we were very thankful to be indoors & have our car and mom & dad's car in the garage!

It added some excitement to our evening.

Frisbee at the park. Hadn't done that in years!

The bridge behind us is pedestrian-only and has a beautiful view of the river and city. 

During the week we had a good mix of eating out for lunch, one night out for dinner, and a few grilling nights.  Eric worked during most days, but the rest of us shopped a bit downtown & the Broadway area's unique shops.  We relaxed in the mornings, took walks, and watched a few movies in the evenings.  Oh----& we saw a jack rabbit in the park right by our place!  Wow, that thing really was something...huge & fast.  Mom, Dad, & Chels----thank you for coming to see our new place & spent the week with us!