Potato/Tomato/Spinach Soup for Colds

I got a cold recently and made a great soup. First, fry up some leaks then add some garlic. Use butter or olive oil but I used butter.

 Once they are starting to brown take them out but leave the bits on the bottom of the pot.

 Throw some water and potatoes in then stir to get the yummy bits off the bottom of the pot. Potatoes should be cut in smaller pieces. Boil for 10-15 minutes until soft.

 Add cans of tomatoes to roughly equal the volume of potatoes and water. Get the good cans of tomatoes with lots of vitamins and not the crappy ones. If feeling not so sick, try roasting fresh tomatoes in the oven or on the BBQ for bonus flavor.

 Then using a mixing wand, blend it all up. Throw in the fried leeks and garlic. Also add a large amount of chopped spinach. Let cook on medium for 10 minutes or longer to boil off some of the water.

If you are feeling fancy, add a dollop of butter or olive oil when serving. Can also add brown rice for something more filling when serving.

Postcard of the Interwebs - 19 December 2018

Major Information Site: Cool little site with lots of info from statistical data.

Antibiotic Trojan Horse: The antibiotic binds to Iron then is brought home to the bacteria. Healing ensues!

Water Exoplanets more Common: Research on astronomical data revealing that up to 35% of exo-planets may be made up of predominantly water on the surface.

Why people believe in Conspiracy Theories: In this one small study, schizotypy, dangerous world beliefs, and enhanced receptivity to lies all contributed to acceptance of conspiracies. Go figure!

Harvesting CO2 for useful items: Imagine harvesting CO2 to produce furniture, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other products! Smart people at Rutgers university have.

Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing: A study has shown that when helping someone whom is suffering, its best to just be with them and not agonizing over what to say because it will generally be the wrong thing.

More Accurate Carbon Dating: Two Chinese Stalactites that are 54000 years old have lots of quality carbon ratios (carbon 12 and 14). They are chopping it thinly, analyzing it, and using the results as a benchmark to estimate the age of items going back 54k years!

Haynes - Apollo 11 Owners' Workshop Manual

I recently finished the Haynes Apollo 11 Owner's Workshop manual. Haynes is known for their detailed books on makes of cars for repairing and caring for them. Several years ago they branched out into non-standard vehicles and lifestyle books, and have made them for the Space Shuttle, Millennium Falcon, Star Trek Enterprise, and many more.

There is great written detail and wonderful archival photos of the space program from its beginnings to the Apollo program.

I have one for the Space Shuttle and Millennium Falcon and am looking forward to those ones in 2019.

Tofino - Basic Goodness Pizza

We decided to have a quiet night in for our last meal. This included two pizzas from Basic Goodness and some Tofino Brewing Company beers.

One of them was the Ortelana with tomato, mozzarella, and Island grown vegetables. My wife had a blonde ale.

 The other pizza was the funghi misti with wood fired mushrooms, bianca, smoked provalone, fontina cheese and thyme. I had the kelp stout.

They did not survive the encounter with us. Delicious!

Tofino - Pointe Restaurant

Located in the Wickaninnish Inn, the Pointe is a high end restaurant that never fails to satisfy our culinary tastebuds.

 We both had the tasting menu so the chef sent out an amuse bouche. Fried lichen with a tasty mayonnaise as well as a smoked salmon macron.

 First up was the beet bouquet with miso aioli, shiso, and trout roe.

 Next was the mushroom and foie gras toast with dried cherry puree, foraged mushrooms, and sourdough fried in some fatty goodness.

 Seared halibut was next with confit squash, hazelnut crust, dukkah spice, and sage oil.

 It was followed by herb encrusted beef tenderloin with truffle glazed celeriac, nostrala dauphine potato and jus.

 For dessert they served a mountain rose apple presse with Salt Spring island goat cheese mousse, brown butter, and an oat cookie.

Everything was fantastic.

They also did some changes with the dining area including two new bathrooms under the restaurant. They used the rock rather than tear it all up.

Tofino - Rainforest Trail

The Rainforest trail is a peaceful 2km split trail, one km on the North side of the highway (and the easier walk) and the 1km on the South side (lots of steps up and down). Well worth it.

Tofino - Nuu-chah-nulth Trail

Nuu-chah-nulth trail is a lovely rainforest/bog trail 3.8 km each way that has many raised portions to preserve the ecology underneath. A perfect walk to work off a big breakfast. We started at the Eastern entrance by Florence Bay.

It started off with dense growth on each side of the trail. It was good that it had not rained because there were portions that had dry mud.

 Some of the trees have subsidiary growths forming trees in their own right!

 The boardwalk is in a very good state with few boards that have rotted through.

 After reaching South Beach we walked around and saw varied colored seaweed that we do not see on other beaches.

 We then walked from there to Wickaninnish Beach. Ont he way the foliage on each side had a plethora of lichen.

Wickaninnish beach is one of the longest in Pacific Rim National Park. Many surfers were there taking advantage of the waves.

 We then walked back through the trail for a relaxing reverse of our earlier walk.

Tofino - Chesterman's Beach at Sunset

 These pictures were taken on Chesterman's beach on three separate nights. The colours were gorgeous.

Tofino - Downtown

Tofino not only has great restaurants, art galleries, and shops, but also has fantastic scenery.