Thrift Item of the Moment

Cocktail umbrellas

Box of 144 for $1.99 at Sally Ann. I think I’m set for life.

Fishy Friday

Since basa (Vietnamese catfish) and prawns were on sale this week at the grocery store, I decided to cook up a cauldron of Cioppino.

It’s a hearty fish stew, similar to bouillabaisse, that originated among the Italian (or possibly Portuguese) fishermen of San Francisco in the late 1800s. There are plenty of recipes online – I use this one as a starting point, altering it to suit my taste and whatever ingredients I have or can get. I didn’t use shiitake mushrooms, kale or scallops, but otherwise I followed the recipe faithfully (more-or-less ), except halving it, because I didn’t need 15 servings.

I know some people are squeamish about squid tentacles, but I love ‘em.

I also made a batch of ginger syrup, to use in dark ‘n stormys.

This served a dual purpose – after straining out the ginger (which I chopped into small pieces rather than grating), I used it in ginger scones.

Christmas fridge magnets