Author: Widow Badass

What’s On Your Plate Blog Challenge – Mad About Rhubarb Edition

On By Widow BadassIn Adventures in Food, Dragonfly Cottage Garden 2024, What's On Your Plate33 Comments

True confession time: the last time I can recall eating stewed rhubarb was the night before I gave birth to my son. I was 2 days over my due date, it was August in Ontario, Canada (if you know, you know), and I was completely over being a whale a walking refrigerator a weeble pregnant. I thought the rhubarb might get something started, and…my son was born at 930am the next morning. So all hail the power of rhubarb! Actually, my daughter was also born exactly 2 days past my expected date too, and no rhubarb was involved. But let’s give kudos and credit to the all-knowing, all-powerful rhubarb!

Anyhoodle! Flash forward to the present day (almost 39 years later), and I finally have gotten around to stewing my own rhubarb from my own garden again. I can’t explain the long break other than to say I had somehow convinced myself that I didn’t like rhubarb and since I had no pregnancy to push (pardon the pun 😉) to conclusion, there was no need to eat any! Gentle reader, how wrong I was…

This spring I rediscovered this amazing plant (conveniently growing in my backyard) and have been on a bit of a rhubarb tear, ever since.

The first of many batches of stewed rhubarb, from my garden.
Stewed rhubarb in my morning oatmeal and cottage cheese.
Stewed rhubarb over custard.
Stewed rhubarb stirred into Greek yogurt.

I have also discovered the wonder that is a rhubarb crisp.

Rhubarb crisp, put in the oven.
Rhubarb crisp with ice cream. My family helped me empty the dish, in case you were wondering 😉.

Rhubarb is such a tough and amazing plant – you’ll know just how tough it is if you ever try to remove it from your yard, like my son-in-law is trying with his rhubarb patch It’s not that he doesn’t like rhubarb – he just wants to put something else in that prime growing location. Good luck with that, SIL!

How do you feel about the wonderful spring tonic that is rhubarb? How do you use it, if you do?

Please tell all in the Comments! This month my lovely co-host Donna has gone walkies so you just get me and no link party either, as that is her area of expertise. Sorry, eh! 🇨🇦

Rock on,

The WB

The Sunday Schnauzer – Doggy Masseuse

On By Widow BadassIn Adventures with dogs, Bowser the Schnauzer18 Comments

Have I mentioned before that Bowser likes to be petted as he drifts off to sleep? Well, he also enjoys a luxurious massage as he wakes back up. I did not see doggy masseuse on my retirement bingo card, but here we are.

Not quite ready to open those eyes.
Yep, that’s the spot!
That’s another good spot, Oma.
Don’t stop!
I said: DON’T STOP.

We hope you take the time to enjoy life’s little luxuries this weekend.

Rock on,

The WB

The Sunday Schnauzer – May Blooming on the Trail

On By Widow BadassIn Adventures with dogs, Bowser the Schnauzer, Dragonfly Cottage Garden 2024, See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors17 Comments

Our walks this month usually start like this:

Getting pointed looks from an impatient Bowser, as seen through my kitchen window.

Many things in bloom this month on the trail (just as lovely as the wisteria in the garden!).

Native trailing blackberry
Honeysuckle
Western Starflower
Thimbleberry
Pacific Dogwood
Nootka Rose (with Bowsie coming in hot for a treat, in the background!)
Alright, alright! You are on the trail and blooming too, Bowser!
Lupins are just getting started on their bloom time.

No matter how the walk starts or what we see on the trail, it ends pretty much the same way:

End of every walk

We hope you enjoy some nature walks this weekend!

Rock on,

The WB

The Sunday Schnauzer – A West Coast Mother’s Day

On By Widow BadassIn Adventures with dogs, Bowser the Schnauzer, See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors34 Comments

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day in this part of the world, and the family and house guests headed out to Jack Point for the afternoon. Bowser’s daddy and his bestie had gone out early in the morning to set some crab traps in the deeper water. They were hunting Dungeness crabs.

Now the tide was out and it was time to retrieve the traps and hopefully find some male crabs inside that were big enough to keep.

They put the boats in the water in the estuary, and are making their way to the open ocean to retrieve the traps.

Meanwhile, the women (and Bowser) made our way up the trail to find a picnic spot.

Spot found, and Bowser-approved. You may notice Bowser is sporting a new “do” – trimmed quite short for the summer weather to come.
Bowser sees something in the blue camas.
In the Coast Salish calendar, May is known as the Moon of the Blue Camas. Blue Camas bulbs are a traditional food of the first peoples of this area.
Bowser and I kept watch for the guys to return with the traps.
Bowser had lots of fun exploring the area.
Luck! Quite a few legal-sized crabs were in the traps so a fire was built on the beach and the crabs met their end in boiling water. Here are some of the cooked crabs.
Someone thought crab is delicious, and kept trying to snatch mine out of my hands as I was getting it out of the shell. Here’s Bowser’s daddy giving Bowsie his share.
A tummy full of crab makes one sleepy.
After a fabulous lunch of crab, crackers and fresh veggies, the day clouded over and the wind picked up. So we packed up, and headed back home. But not before taking a mother/daughter shot in front of a sign that seemed written directly about ye olde blogge’s main attraction…LOL!

We hope you had a fabulous weekend and Mother’s Day as well.

Rock on,

The WB

P.S. the next day Bowser treated me to an afternoon of very stinky and silent crab farts 💨 😫. Oh well, I still love his smelly ole butt!

What’s On Your Plate Blog Challenge – Wendy’s Dupe Edition

On By Widow BadassIn Adventures in Food, What's On Your Plate29 Comments

When I was still working and if I was running errands at lunch time, I used to pick up a particular salad from the nearby Wendy’s fast food restaurant. I just loved the combination of flavours in this particular salad: the Apple Pecan Chicken Salad. Salad greens, apples, pecans, chicken breast, blue cheese crumbles – with a fruity sweet-sour dressing – delish! I probably ate this salad at least once per week, back then.

Fast forward to now – I’m happily retired and the nearest Wendy’s is a 20 minute drive away, and I have to keep asking myself why I don’t make this salad at home?!?! With a bathroom renovation in progress and a garden full of chores awaiting me, the time is now for this speedy, healthy meal.

Part of my Get Through This Busy Time kit – salad greens, rotisserie chicken and protein drinks! 😉
I didn’t use candied pecans or dried cranberries ala Wendy’s…And I didn’t have the pomegranate dressing either. I used my Blackberry Ginger balsamic vinegar instead.
It’s the little bits of blue cheese that takes this salad to the next level! I know it can be divisive, but I think the world would be a sadder place without blue cheese in it.
More than ready to DIG IN!

How do you get through the busy times in your life? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions, as well as see what’s on your plate in the Comments or by joining up your blog to the Link Party. And head over to my co-host Donna’s blog for another vegetarian mainstay!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Rock on,

The WB

The Sunday Schauzer – New Favourite Toy; Not a Ballie

On By Widow BadassIn Adventures with dogs, Bowser the Schnauzer21 Comments

I pick up a lot of toys at dollar stores and keep them in a box in my entryway for when Bowser is being a complete pain in the ass especially adorable. I usually go with squeaky balls (a proven performer!) but a crinkly stick-type toy caught my eye and ended up in my stash as well. And it looks like it was a hit!

Mine. Mine. MINE.
I dare you to take it from me, Oma!
Yep. That is about how I thought that would go.

We hope you are having fun with your toys, old and new, this weekend.

Rock on,

The WB