What smells like a hyacinth but isn't?

 Obviously, Dracaena fragrans, or commonly known as the corn stalk plant. Actually, it isn't that obvious since I had no idea until last year when my plant flowered and was hit with this amazing scent that is reminiscent of hyacinth and stargazer lily.

It produces on long stalk of whitish flowers with many clusters in early February. The flowers are closed during the day and release no scent whatsoever. However, once the sun starts to sink on the horizon the flowers open up and release their strong scent that fills our whole apartment!

 The flowers take about a week to open up and each flower only lasts a couple of days. Since it opens up and releases its scent at night and it native to Africa, it makes me wonder what pollinator it is trying to attract... bats, moths, beetles, some small mammal? Whatever the pollinator is, this plant adds a wonderful atmosphere that evokes images of being in the mountain forests of Africa which in the middle of winter when it looks like this outside is always welcome.

The corn stalk plant is VERY easy to care for. I had the plant for about 2 years before it started to bloom and so far it has bloomed 2 years in a row. It needs moderate to bright but indirect light and moist soil. I had it for the longest time in an East facing window that only gets bright light in the winter because of the giant Norway Maple in our front yard that blocks almost all the light through the summer. It was obviously getting enough light since it was growing and flowering. I just moved it closer to a south facing window because of some furniture re-arranging so we will see how it does there. It can grow up to 6 ft tall and can live up to 10 years or more! It can also be propagated from stem cuttings, so once it reaches the desired height you can cut the top of the cane and root it like a stem cutting! I will soon be cutting mine and potting it with its parent since you can grow 2-3 per pot and cut them at different heights to get a layered effect.

Hiatus OVER!

Obviously, things have been crazy busy for me to ignore you all since September and I have so much to tell you. The most important piece of news is that I AM DONE MY PhD!!

I successfully defended my thesis on Dec 7 at 10 am. The defense is an oral exam where you present your thesis to your committee, supervisor, an external examiner and because it is open to the public...an audience. My presentation lasted 20 minutes and the question period was only an hour!! I have been to defenses where it has lasted 2-3 hours! I was lucky, I had a great committee with interesting and thought provoking questions... it was actually FUN! Not too many people can say that about an oral exam! I also had great support from friends, colleagues and family. There were about 25 people in the audience and even my parents came for the defense and the celebration afterwards! Now we can look forward to even more fun at my convocation in the spring!

The best part of finishing up was my reward. We went to Mexico for 3 weeks over the holidays! We spent most of our time eating and snorkeling in a marine reserve in Puerto Morelos, a small town of only 3 streets parallel to the beach and separated from the main highway by a huge protected mangrove. As Frank Sinatra said it...This is my kind of Town... Every day that we were there we indulged in delicious food, happy hour, family and of course LOTS of snorkeling!

 Who can resist this assortment of sweets brought to your table by vendors that just walk up and down the beach selling their wares from a tray that they carry on their head!

 We had Arracherra, or skirt steak at least 5 times while we were there...if you like beef, this is to DIE FOR!

 

 We went to a restaurant that served authentic cuisine from the Yucatan region and had panuchos (the first of the 3 photos) which are fried tortillas with beans, some type of meat, pickled red onions, avocado and of course salsa. The second photo is of papadzules which are corn tortillas dipped in a pumpkin seed sauce then filled with hardboiled eggs, topped with more pumpkin seed sauce and a bit of tomato based sauce. Lastly, the soup is called sopa de lima. Lima is a type of citrus that is the size of a lemon but greenish and sweeter than either lemon or lime, it is sometimes called sweet lime. The soup has chicken and pieces of fried corn tortillas and is delicious!

We also ate at a lot of street vendors that were recommended by locals...Tacos, chile relleno (stuffed chillies), tamales and all kinds of other amazing street food! If in doubt, ask a taxi driver where he/she eats and you are guaranteed to get something good. When we showed up at one cart in Cancun we were surprised that there was actually two different ones...how did we know which one to eat at? When a truck load of police showed up to eat at the one cart, we knew that was the right one! It was delicious!!

 

The AMAZING thing about a marine reserve is that they actually work to protect large predatory fishes and other sensitive species. There was not a day that we did not see at least 10 or more barracudas that were as large or larger than me!!!! The above photo is of a school of 30!! The smallest one in the school was at least the length of my arm (or about 60 cm long!).

 This is a school of snappers (predatory fishes that are very tasty so on unprotected reefs you almost never see even one and here they were schooling by the hundreds!!!

 We also had the pleasure of seeing at least 2-3 turtles everyday with the largest one being about the size of a smart car!

 Sting rays (top photo) and spotted eagle rays (bottom photo) were VERY common, almost a daily occurrence and on some days more than one at a time!

 We saw a number of lobsters hanging out under coral heads which are very rare outside of marine reserves.

 We saw a lot of coral and the health of the reefs themselves was patchy. Some areas were in great shape while others were covered in algae (bottom photo). The reefs in the Caribbean have taken a beating with hurricanes, eutrophication (high nutrient levels in the water from run off and sewage) due to coastal development and climate change. The high nutrients stimulates algae growth that then either smothers the corals or prevents them from recolonizing and phytoplankton in the water shades the corals and can cause bleaching and loss due to lack of light.

The seagrass pictured here can help to act as a filter by taking up a lot of nutrients but we are putting more than it can handle so there is obviously enough for the algae too. The seagrass beds were extensive and healthy so the eutrophication has not yet started to affect them but more nutrients and the seagrass beds could disappear too since they are also sensitive to light reduction and overgrowth by algae.

 Another very common sigh was this beautiful lionfish. On one day we counted seeing 12. You might think wow, what a great fish to see but in fact, it is not native to the Caribbean. It is from the south Pacific and was likely introduced by people with marine aquariums that no longer wanted them so they released the fish into the ocean. This fish is a voracious predator and is affecting local fish populations because nothing eats them and they eat everything! There is an active bounty on these fish in the Playa del Carmen region of Mexico but sadly it is not enough of an incentive to fish them and since they are underwater, they are out of sight and out of mind. You can read about lionfish control and management measures in the US here. Hopefully this will be a coordinated effort among all Caribbean countries.

Of course we spent a lot of time with family over the tree weeks we were there. We did all of the typical Christmas and New Years traditions with all 30 family members that were visiting this year!! So that is it in a nutshell.

I am looking forward to catching up with all of you!

The Date is Set!

The title of this post makes it sound like our wedding date...although it isn't the date is just as important. My PhD thesis defense date has been set for Dec 6!!! I have one more month of spending all my time outside of teaching on making revisions (there are a few so it will be tight!) and formatting. Then I will have a month while my examining committee reads my thesis to prepare for my presentation and questions afterwards! Then I will have a 2-3 hour oral exam (defense) after which I will have a HUGE party!


See you all on the other side! Okay, maybe in November I'll have some time to catch up on some of the tasty things I have been making and fun things I have been doing. Although there aren't many fun things these days they are keeping me sane! :)

Back to my revisions! Have a great weekend!

Success!

I passed my oral exam and got lots of excellent feedback from my examiners! It was the most productive and enjoyable exam I have ever had. You almost never hear that! Here's to hoping my thesis defense in December will be similar! My supervisor gave me some flowers and champagne to celebrate at the small gathering we had the evening of my exam. It was an excellent night filled with food, friends and laughter. I also want to thank you to all of your kind words or support. Just 4 more months to go!

These lovely flowers on the left were a gift from Diego for my birthday. I love the colour combination and details of the petals! They also smell lovely and have lasted. He sure knows me well. I guess after almost 10 years together I shouldn't be surprised. :)

We have also had a bounty of tomatoes in our garden this year. The potatoes and garlic were small but still tasty. I have not spent much time in the garden this year with working on trying to finish up but I am looking forward to gardening next year! Now I just need to find some tasty ways to get those tomatoes into my belly!

I hope you are all enjoying your long weekend!

Update!

What a busy few months it has been!

Diego's parents arrived for a 2.5 month visit that was kicked off with Diego's convocation. That was a proud day. They loved Halifax in the summer and my parents got to come out and visit with all of us twice! It was a lovely visit. We even took them backcountry camping in Kejimkujik National Park. It was their first ever canoe adventure and we had to paddle two hours to get to our campsite. The site was glorious and the water even better. I spent most of my time swimming...and eating of course! Another highlight was tidal bore rafting along the Shubenacadie river...such fun for the whole family!

This is the wave as it approaches...

Here is is filling the boat up after dousing us in warm sandy water! All we did was laugh the whole time...except of course when the wave hit...even though it looks like it...it doesn't taste like chocolate milk! Highly recommended!

I also got to spend some time doing field work in Passamaquoddy Bay, New Brunswick last week for a Masters student I am co-supervising! We were island hoping for 4 days to sample different rockweed beds. The beds there are enormous because of the huge tidal range! (see below) The weather was a mixture of fog, blazing sun and heat and torrential downpour. Mostly it was glorious sun.

Interspersed with all of this I have been working hard to get my thesis done. I finished the last two publishable chapters since February for a total of 4. I have the first of 2 oral exams next Friday! The second one, my thesis defence will be in December. This will give me lots of time to make address any comments from my committee, submit my last 2 chapters for publication and write the bookends (general introduction and discussion) for the actual thesis. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! For now, it is back to getting ready for my exam!

Mexican Recipes and Coconut Cream

We had a deal.

Diego would take over the cooking once he finished his PhD so that I could have more time to spend on mine. It was only fair since I did all the cooking while he was finishing up. Ever since he got back from Mexico he has been cooking AMAZING Authentic Mexican Dishes EVERY DAY! He has been collaborating with his mom on a blog of traditional Mexican recipes...they also had a deal...she would post her recipes and he would cook them and photograph them to finish off the post. The result, delicious food in my belly and a compendium of authentic traditional Mexican recipes called Comida Mexicana! You can use google translate, but some of the instructions get translated a little funny. Some of the recipes are photos of a recipe book from his Great Great Grandmother (dates back to 1850!). Since they are photos they cannot be translated by google so you will need a dictionary. Eventually we will make an English version but in the mean time...if you have any questions about a recipe, leave a comment on the blog!

The only downside to it all...is that I really enjoy cooking so I do miss it. I know it takes up a significant portion of my time and I do appreciate being served and having the extra time to work. However, sometimes I just can't resist baking. Which works out great since we both have a sweet tooth and Diego has been focusing on making savoury dishes. Enter one of my favorite pies...

Coconut Cream

Diego is not a fan of shredded coconut and the only coconut in most coconut cream pie recipes is shredded coconut... so I found (and modified) a recipe that uses coconut milk for the custard and it is divine!!!

Coconut Cream Pie (original recipe)

Custard
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of unrefined sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups of cream
1 1/2 cups of coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 9 to 10 inch pie crust - baked and cooled

Whipped cream
1 1/4 cups of chilled whipping cream
1 tbsp of icing sugar
1 tsp cornstarch (I think I might leave this out next time...)
1/2 tsp of vanilla

In a large saucepan, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Whisk in eggs, cream and coconut milk until very smooth. If lumpy, strain before heating. Heat over medium heat, whisking continuously until custard comes to a boil and thickens. Yous should be able to see the impression of the whisk in the custard when it is done. Remove from, heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour into pre-baked pie shell and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

In a medium bowl, beat whipped cream, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla to stiff peaks and spread onto chilled pie.

If you like shredded coconut, you can add 1 1/4 cups of unsweetened coconut to the custard when you add the vanilla. You can also toast 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut to sprinkle on top. I LOVE coconut so I added the toasted coconut to mine. Diego added coarse cane sugar to his to add a little crunch and sweetness, his tooth is sweeter than mine! The overall consensus...this pie is to DIE for. You want to close your eyes and grunt with pleasure with every bite! Ours lasted 3 days in the fridge and that was only under extreme self control... you have been warned.

New Look and Giveaway!

With a New Year comes some changes. In 2009 I posted about the Most Comforting Things in my Home as part of Sherrie's Comfort Week and who can blame me for picking my fish tanks, which at the time I had 4! I am still comforted by my fish tanks but with a full time job and PhD to finish, I was doing the bare minimum to keep them healthy. So when a co-worker approached me about advice on setting up a tank, I offered to sell her my 50 gallon bedroom tank! So my space went from this...
to this..
It is a lot quieter without the noise of the pumps and feels roomier and brighter. I am happy with the change and I hope our friends will be happy with their new tank! They are coming to pick it up tonight with the bonus of a Mexican feast! I have so many cool recipes to post...Diego made Longaniza (a type of sausage) from scratch and we have some hanging to dry! If only I had more hours in a day... I will post some recipe soon though!

In the mean time check out this valentine soap giveaway that Teresa organized to raise awareness of her sister's shop. What a sweety! I wish she was my sister! :)

Have a great weekend!