My day today

I woke up this morning around 7. I don't usually rush to get up on Saturdays, but around 7:15 I remembered it is garbage day today (since yesterday was a holiday). Four seconds later I was out of bed on my way to take out the garbage.

After that, I went out to run a couple of errands. I had some stuff to pick up at Rona, so I made a list and packed my old paint in the car, and I took back paint to Rona for recycling. I've repainted since I moved in, and the old paint was still sitting in my basement. I'm glad there was somewhere I could take it.

After that, I went to the grocery store. I got there around 8:30. Now, the thing about Ottawa on Easter weekend is that, well, everyone is in a panic. You see, the stores are closed Friday and Sunday. When I got there at 8:30, the store was busy. Very busy. It took me an hour to get my groceries and get back to the car.

The other thing about this particular store is that it has those annoying carts - you know, the kind that lock if you take them off the parking lot? I understand they don't want them walking away, but I parked off to the side of the store, which is outside the carts' range. I was a little concerned, because I had bought a lot of (heavy) groceries, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to carry them all. However, I was lucky, because my cart was broken! That sounds like a bad thing, but in this case the only thing that was broken was the demobilizer that would have stopped me from taking the cart to my car. I went to my car, unloaded, and then brought the cart back - partly to be nice, and partly to stop them from realizing that the cart was broken. It might come in handy again some day.

On an unrelated topic, yesterday I really wanted broccoli salad. I knew I had had it before, but I couldn't remember where (or who I should be getting the recipe from). After a couple of hours, it occurred to me that I had the salad at Christmas. It's my mom's recipe! I called her, and she suckered my sister into e-mailing the recipe to me. I made the salad this afternoon.

For those who are interested, here's the recipe. We had it as written at Christmas, but today I substituted plain yogurt cheese for the mayonaise. I should know tomorrow whether it's as addictive this way. (Also, it turns out the this broccoli salad has cauliflower in it as well ... but I didn't remember that at all.)

1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets (about 7.5 cups)
1 medium bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
2 cups seedless red grapes
6 green onions with tops, sliced
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 to 1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
leaf lettuce
additional red grapes, optional

In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, broccoli, grapes, onions, and mozzarella cheese. Combine the mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, sugar, and vinegar; pour over vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, stir in bacon. Transfer to a lettuce lined bowl. Garnish with grapes if desired. YIELD: 15-20 servings.