tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77699708146304462172024-03-05T10:54:51.926-05:00Desperately Seeking Sustenance... in just about every way you can think of. Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-75197212900131916592016-10-13T14:45:00.002-04:002016-10-13T14:45:16.328-04:00Starting afresh<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got myself a new address: <a href="http://www.desperatelyseekingsustenance.com/" target="_blank"> www.desperatelyseekingsustenance.com</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm starting anew over there - click the hyperlink above to take a look (it's under construction for the time being, but it'll get better soon, I promise).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-84148359175349027882016-04-22T10:45:00.000-04:002016-04-29T07:58:47.263-04:00Opposites attract<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My son is nearly nine months old. It's hard to be believe, but also not at all. Motherhood is similarly nothing like what I expected, but exactly what I expected. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Baby is a delight and full of personality and quirks. Motherhood however is, by turns, messy and fresh, slow and invigorating, boring and busy. I've never felt as unsure of myself as I have these last nine months, or as certain of purpose. Not the purpose of my entire life, no, it's not my style to pin all my worth on one undertaking, but sure of the reason for getting out of bed every day, the reason why I will continue to work, the reason why I want to create a beautiful life. It's all for my family, our unit of three. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's lonely though, sometimes even with people around. It's isolating and periodically friendless, and there's an overwhelming feeling that everyone around you is judging everything you do. I disliked receiving advice before I became a mother, and now I positively loathe it. It's likely a personality failing, but my experience isn't the same as others, and support is better than advice and opinions, well-meant or not. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next three months will likely be much the same as the last nine, except with the knowledge that I will soon entrust the care of my baby to someone else for eight hours a day, five days a week. That'll be anxiety-ridden and liberating simultaneously - more to add to the list of opposites of which motherhood seems to be made. </span></div>
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-82216771969200560072016-01-29T21:31:00.001-05:002016-01-30T10:24:49.657-05:00An introductionSo, I had a baby six months ago. He's lovely and entirely perfect. I'm a lucky girl.<br />
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-73960523209591160312015-04-27T07:58:00.000-04:002015-04-27T07:58:30.848-04:00User Guides<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husband and I are
from two separate cultural and religious traditions. He’s of Indian Sikh extraction, and I’m of
Irish-Canadian Christian background.
While all that culminated in two kickass weddings that took place about
five years ago, now that we’re having a baby there’s some interesting things to
consider.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love my faith. I
don’t love dogma, because I don’t think that anything can be incontrovertibly
true, nor should anything be so blindly followed as to prevent questioning or
challenging over millenia. Never have,
never will. I actually love the idea
behind all faiths, because I’m fond of the idea that each one is essentially
seeking the same thing – to make our human experience more understandable in
the greater scheme of the universe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husband is probably more culturally Sikh than religiously
so. He keeps his kesh and his turban, but
his leanings are more scientific than spiritual. He, too, abhors dogma and the ignorance that
results from blind adherence to codified sets of rules that don’t adapt to
changing times or attitudes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’ve been asked how we’re going to raise our kid, probably
because people see us, don’t see an obvious outward match, and then get curious
about the myriad possibilities for our plans for our progeny. It’s an interesting question to a lot of
people, and every single person who’s asked has an opinion of their own. They’re sometimes far less interested in our
response than in the opinion that they already hold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This child of ours will grow up knowing a little bit about
every faith, and a fair bit about two in particular. He or she will say grace before dinner, and
will be able to greet older Indian family members with “Sat Sri Akal”. Baby will know the stories of Jesus and the apostles
and prophets, and those of the Gurus and brave sardars and sardarnis who fought
for their place in the world, because baby’s Dad and I will tell him about all
of them. I’ll probably sing hymns to the
baby, and maybe my husband will sing shabads.
No choices regarding religion will be made for this child, because we
believe that being born in a family like ours provides the ultimate in faith
learning environments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We will ensure that our baby grows up equipped with enough knowledge
to be able to find a path. I’m pretty
sure that’s all that parents can ever really do. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-25402051294039268562015-04-22T14:04:00.001-04:002015-04-22T15:19:14.643-04:00All the comforts of home<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you’ve been pregnant before, you’ll know that what was
previously a perfectly serviceable, even comfortable and pleasant home becomes
the Source of All Discontent at some point during the 40 weeks of
gestation. I’m there at the moment, and
can barely stand the sight of anything in our condo. It all infuriates me, from the bed to the
stove to the shower. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What’s funny is I’m not entirely sure why I feel this way
about a place that I heretofore considered to be a solid representation of
whatever home means to me. The world of
pregnancy websites tells me that I’m “nesting”, a term that of course brings to
mind all sorts of birdy imagery. It just
seems as though the magnitude of the clear up and clean out that we need to do
before the baby’s arrival is perhaps a bit too much. Instead of lining a nest carefully and diligently with feathers, I
want to rent a dumpster and throw all of our belongings into it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course we won’t be doing that, and have taken a more
selective approach to making sure that we have the right stuff in the right
places. The baby’s crib has arrived, but
we won’t be setting it up for real until after my parents have gone home (about
two weeks after the baby has made its world debut). I’ve used the image below as my inspiration
for what I’d like the baby’s room to look like eventually – it’s about as
non-baby as you can get, but the colours and general sense of room zen are what
I’m really going for:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: </span><a href="https://abigailahern.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/nate.jpg" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">https://abigailahern.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/nate.jpg</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’re being really choosy about what we buy for the baby, as
we don’t have any extra space at all in our 875 square feet of beautiful downtown Toronto. We’ve
agreed that the only necessary home items are this <a href="http://www.wayfair.com/DaVinci-Highland-4-in-1-Convertible-Crib-with-Toddler-Bed-Conversion-Kit-M3601CTN-DV2068.html">crib</a>,
<a href="http://www.guavafamily.com/products/lotus-bassinet">bassinet</a>, <a href="http://www.dearbornbaby.com/Stokke-R-Steps-TM-Bouncer-in-blue.html">bouncy
seat</a>, and <a href="http://www.dearbornbaby.com/keekaroo-peanut-diaper-changer.html">change
pad</a>. No toys, no random
accoutrements – we just don’t have the space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’ve cleared out our closets and made room for baby
clothes, went through stuff in storage boxes and separated out stuff we think
the baby will enjoy, and hidden stuff that we’d rather never be broken or
misplaced. We’ll clean our soft
furnishings, move a 1930s dresser in from my parents’ place, find actual
bookshelves instead of the makeshift stuff we’ve been using, and maybe then my
nesting instincts will be satisfied.
Maybe. A few extra feathers here
and there won’t hurt I guess. </span></div>
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-2230381048623104802015-04-15T07:37:00.001-04:002015-04-15T07:38:23.258-04:00Apprehending apprehension<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the strangest things that I've noticed about being an expectant mother is that a formerly perfectly rational mind can suddenly, and without warning, become the opposite of perfectly rational. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong - I've always had my moments of utter ridiculousness, but I've noticed that they come far faster now. Take, for example, the events of last week:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Eat more frequently, but still very healthily, all day at work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Have another snack at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Start casually looking at a couple of pregnancy-and-baby-related websites.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Find articles about food-borne pathogens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Read articles with increasing terror, especially lists of symptoms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Become convinced that at least one of the aforementioned food-borne pathogens is circulating in my bloodstream.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. LISTERIA.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. No, wait, TOXOPLASMOSIS.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9. Start reading about other things that can happen during pregnancy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10. Decide it is neither LISTERIA or TOXOPLASMOSIS but instead PRE-PRE-ECLAMPSIA, and I'd better wake my husband up to tell him the prognosis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, I have none of those things, but the high jumps my mind can take are medal-worthy. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm lucky to have so many friends, including my mother, who have been through this process before and can, at the bing of a text message, put my mind at rest. I haven't had to call on them as of yet, but just having them there is a significant comfort.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a toxoplasma cyst in a mouse brain. Not particularly comforting, this.</span><br />
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-29977655817166727012015-03-09T08:05:00.002-04:002015-03-09T11:07:55.620-04:00Now, Ain't That Love?<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a funny thing - in about 5.5 months, my husband and I will be parents. I'm currently in the throes of the second trimester, and things so far have gone extraordinarily well. No nausea, very little pain, no impending sense of doom. I've been very, very fortunate and I hope that continues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course there's lots to do, places to go and stuff to see, but mostly I just want to chill out and enjoy the next few months with my husband. To me, this is our time in which we can wander around and plan and dream and do the things we may not have as much time for when our baby arrives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've told most people now - we chose to announce to our friends and some select family by a card, because I'm not big on telling people in person. It's superstitious of me, but I have a tendency to feel that the more people know, the more chance there is for bad feelings and bad wishes to percolate. We have been lucky to receive lots of good wishes, excitement and happiness for us from others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Announcing this has been a bit bittersweet for me, mostly because of who isn't here to hear our news. Over the last few months I've missed my brother in a really fundamental way - I can't call him to tell him about hearing the baby's heartbeat, or send him emails to let him know what's up, and I certainly can't just call round and see him. Even though it's been nearly five years since Brent died, sometimes it's been hard even to see my husband with his sister, because I don't have that kind of relationship with anyone anymore. My baby will have only great uncles and aunts on my side, which is a challenging thing to try to wrap my head around sometimes. I'm not interested in creating "honourary" uncles, because it seems extremely disrespectful to Brent, who, along with my brother-in-law, my own uncles and my husband's uncles, are the only people whom my kid should call by that honorific. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But despite the bittersweet nature of this particular announcement, and despite all of the warnings of upcoming changes, my husband and I are very, very excited to meet our new daughter or son later this year. We understand that this week it is the size of an onion - a whole onion, just hanging out inside of me - and next week it will be the size of a sweet potato. We hope and pray that baby will continue to grow and develop into a healthy, well-adjusted tiny person and adult, because really hoping for anything else seems pretty greedy at this point. We have, and are, all we need.</span><br />
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-3686644477988453752015-02-21T06:44:00.001-05:002015-02-21T19:26:59.152-05:00Leaving London<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husband and I traveled to London over the holidays this year - left on December 26th and returned (sadly) on January 7th. We were there long enough to do some wandering, visit some of his family, and, at least in my case, actively wish that we lived there full-time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's funny when you have to leave a place that you really love - even arriving there is bittersweet, because that's when </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">you start the countdown for the day that you will, inevitably, return to your point of origin. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During this visit, we found the whole place to be extraordinarily full. Full of people, mostly, but also full of events and happenings and ideas, including our expectations. We hadn't realized that it would be as busy as it was, so we periodically found ourselves disappointed that we wouldn't be able to do whatever it was we had imagined doing, at least not without 10,000 other people who wanted to do the very same thing. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The thing about London, though, is that we know our way around sufficiently well that we can change our mind and our plans in a minute, and wind up somewhere even better than we had planned to be originally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our goal in being there over New Years Eve was to see the fireworks in person - to see what we see every other year on TV in real life. That mission was accomplished, and I'm so happy that we were able to be there. A family member had to buy our tickets for the event, which said we had to be through the gates by 10:00. It was a freezing night, so the two hours between 10:00 and midnight were spent trying to stay warm. The fireworks were incredible though, and hearing 100,000 people singing "Auld Lang Syne" beside the Thames was very cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We stayed in an attic flat in Bloomsbury, which was perfect and made our lives very easy, even with the 85 steps up to the flat itself. If you're looking for London short term apartment rentals, try <a href="http://www.acorn-london.co.uk/accommodation/touristcorporate/">Acorn London</a>, a letting agency. The view was gorgeous too, right beside an old, seldomly-used church.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Staying in Bloomsbury means that you don't have very far to walk to anything, but there's enough distance between you and the intensely touristy places that you can relax a bit more. Lots of buildings with English Heritage blue plaques on them, as well as good pubs and shops. You're very close to several Underground stations there, and also to the British Museum if that's something you're interested in exploring. You're also really close to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://icco.co.uk/">ICCO</a>, a great and inexpensive pizza place</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> on Goodge Street.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We actually ate in the flat a fair bit, given that the busy-ness meant long waits or (understandable) snorts of derision when you said that you didn't have a reservation. We did however have a nice shared plates lunch at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.the-elk-in-the-woods.co.uk/">Elk in the Woods</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in Islington (Angel underground station) - in particular, the beet and horseradish hummus was very tasty. The restaurant is located on </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.camdenpassageislington.co.uk/">Camden Passage</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, which is a great little street filled with shops offering both vintage/antique items and modern fashion. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were there in time to see the Christmas lights - the first photo in this post are those of Carnaby Street, and below is Piccadilly.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While London at Christmas and the New Year proved to be exceptionally busy, far busier than I had anticipated, I think we'll likely head back another year to see a bit more. The lights and the crush of people were incredible (and that's coming from someone who lives in the largest city in her country of origin), and I'm not sure that I'll be able to stay away over the holidays for too many years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-51193119621280791612014-11-01T06:37:00.001-04:002014-11-07T17:09:55.965-05:00Gorging OurselvesNovember has arrived - the clocks have "fallen back" and winter, for all intents and purposes, is upon us here in Toronto. <div><br></div><div>Before winter really settles in and puts its feet up for a long, comfortable visit, we decided to go out to Elora, a small town north of Guelph. Elora itself is a pretty place and worthy of a trip, but we also wanted to go and wander around the Elora Gorge. </div><div><br></div><div>The gorge is operated by the Grand River Conservation Authority. If you're there in the summer, there's tubing on the river - for a fee, you rent your gear (including tube, helmet and life jacket) and then launch yourself onto the river for a ride down the gorge. It's super fun and you should go. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0QGeIeYAbeuwrzi0Mrhut8i-3RMZsM5yOgBlSfo3Lk5vxylL3hNuen_lMc_R2mr3sVb82-e6XPhxRZ5qwPHvoVTSF5oUkMAyQ9baaYEZ_lIcAgbiEm7TgZa4yG69_r4OwKM4BI-ZX8nr/s640/blogger-image--2054729734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0QGeIeYAbeuwrzi0Mrhut8i-3RMZsM5yOgBlSfo3Lk5vxylL3hNuen_lMc_R2mr3sVb82-e6XPhxRZ5qwPHvoVTSF5oUkMAyQ9baaYEZ_lIcAgbiEm7TgZa4yG69_r4OwKM4BI-ZX8nr/s640/blogger-image--2054729734.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W-ns-om7GaUWA0GNgncaUUCGP9A3VfMBvweBT8PRv8UF5PP597yBOEzrO0xJR3yFedXKAuuMZf_NVJ-3w4dzmO5uUGlR2YxwojzrjY6OxcZsmHLCdUSH1EN8rXotJkWNDgKBgH16OS4-/s640/blogger-image-385779492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W-ns-om7GaUWA0GNgncaUUCGP9A3VfMBvweBT8PRv8UF5PP597yBOEzrO0xJR3yFedXKAuuMZf_NVJ-3w4dzmO5uUGlR2YxwojzrjY6OxcZsmHLCdUSH1EN8rXotJkWNDgKBgH16OS4-/s640/blogger-image-385779492.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKrTWlGxG3tvLUE-LgBgu53GXIuyp20rljIT61sgkGnSKD-AcorjGSGldPbK8ZH7naKfFiPR0rQ3h7Zun98jL-BhvXgFaH293Bouj2H1lWUwuCjILTS4OdrOcYc-_CUTWu02qauSgDJy_/s640/blogger-image-1578869926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKrTWlGxG3tvLUE-LgBgu53GXIuyp20rljIT61sgkGnSKD-AcorjGSGldPbK8ZH7naKfFiPR0rQ3h7Zun98jL-BhvXgFaH293Bouj2H1lWUwuCjILTS4OdrOcYc-_CUTWu02qauSgDJy_/s640/blogger-image-1578869926.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div>Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-15222694701097053022014-10-03T19:05:00.001-04:002014-10-03T19:05:45.178-04:00Beefing Up<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After dalliances with vegetarianism and even "vegan weekdays", I believe I've come to a point of being a conscientious omnivore. I know there's a whole universe out there that doesn't believe that those two words belong together, but I like to think that I can prove them wrong. I eat meat once every two days or so, and I've changed my shopping habits to make sure that I'm getting meat that was responsibly raised and slaughtered. To me, that means cows, pigs and chickens that were raised the way that my great-grandparents would have raised them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this is a recipe for beef stroganoff, which is something that I've loved since I was a little kid. It's Russian in origin, but apparently became immensely popular in the 1970s. It's really, really hard to take an appetizing photo of beef stroganoff, so you'll have to excuse the image below. I find it hard to really get excited about a recipe when there's no photo, so I figured that even a rough photo would be better than none at all. Just rest assured that it tastes way, way better than it looks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beef Stroganoff</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 lb grass fed beef - a good cut, like a ribeye or even tenderloin - sliced thin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 cloves minced garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 or 3 minced shallots (1/3 cup of minced onion will do if you don't have shallots)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 teaspoon of vegetable oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup of butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 tablespoons of flour (if you're gluten free, you can sub in your favourite gluten free flour but you'll only want about 1-2 tablespoons of it - soy flour works for me, or even cornflour)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup of sherry, port or red wine (each will have a different flavour, so my advice is to pick what you'd normally like to drink)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup beef stock</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons butter</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups of sliced cremini mushrooms</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3/4 cup of sour cream</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon of chopped dill</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Salt and pepper to taste</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To serve: egg noodles or rice (this should feed about 3-4 people, so go for about a package of broad egg noodles and 1 to 1.5 cups of basmati or other long grain rice - follow package instructions to cook)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instructions</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First off, make a choice - do you want to use two pans or one to cook the stroganoff? I leave the decision up to you.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heat butter in a pan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook till translucent. Add garlic and cook till it doesn't smell raw anymore. Be careful not to burn. Add flour and stir to combine. Allow to cook - keep stirring - until it starts to smell a little bit like toast. Add in whatever of the three alcohols mentioned makes you happy, and stir to remove lumps. Cook down for a minute or two till it doesn't smell so... alcoholish. Add beef stock. Stir. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're using one pan, take the mixture and empty it into a big bowl now. If you're using two pans, just set this mixture aside and heat the second, larger pan on the stove now. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Melt butter in whatever pan you're using over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for five minutes until they shrink down and look sort of browned. Add sliced beef and stir, allowing the beef to sear/cook/brown, but being careful not to overcook (it's easy to overcook because it's sliced thin). About a minute on its two sides is pretty much good. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Into this pan, add the liquid mixture and stir to combine. Add the sour cream and bring to a simmer. Add the dill. Taste. Add salt and pepper to your taste.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Either combine with noodles, or serve over rice. A side of sauteed green beans is a good veg option. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unappetizing Photo:</span><br />
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-13629601434985595602014-09-20T08:48:00.000-04:002014-09-20T08:48:37.745-04:00Going Rouge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summer is becoming fall very quickly here in Toronto. I'm a low-to-mid twenties kind of girl (degrees celsius, of course), so I'm enjoying the transition. People are layering and canning and putting summer away, sort of bedding down for the winter still to come. Our social calendar goes into overdrive at this time of the year - I guess everyone tries to get all the visits and the dinners and the drinks in before it starts to snow and we're more homebound. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time of year makes me want to go outside; to just go and see trees with leaves and green grass and flowing water, none of which can be seen here past November. This past weekend, we went to <a href="http://www.rougepark.com/index.php">Rouge Park</a>, which is currently run by the Rouge Park Alliance but is on its way to becoming the first National Urban Park in Canada. It's located in both Toronto and York Region, running north-south from Markham through to Rouge Beach on Lake Ontario. We went through only a small section of trail (<a href="http://www.rougepark.com/explore/adventures/orchard.php">Orchard Trail</a>), but it made me want to see more of the massive Park and also to let others know that it exists and is more than worth a visit (or five - it's really, really big). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Links and Photos</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rougepark.com/explore/interest/trail_heads.php">Trail Heads</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rougepark.com/explore/park_map.php">Map</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rougepark.com/about/history.php">History</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While on our walk, we heard the creek and also plenty of birds. We startled a blue heron that was fishing in the creek, which then flew right over our heads on its way to a place with less annoying company. Our walk took about an hour or so, and it wasn't hard hiking or anything - just pleasant mild exertion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You should go. We'll see you there.</span><br />
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-48519787368660348652014-09-14T08:49:00.000-04:002014-09-14T08:49:50.070-04:00Relishing the Moment<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As some of you probably know, Ontario's corn crop has been wonderful this summer. So wonderful that I wanted to preserve it for the whole year ahead, until next year's corn crop arrives. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Corn relish is a golden yellow, vinegary-sweet mixture that is excellent on sandwiches and burgers or as an accompaniment to various roast or grilled meats. It's hard to find good corn relish in grocery stores, so I thought that I may as well try my hand at making my own. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A confession: I've never canned anything before. Not for me the boiling of jars and lids, filling, boiling again, and testing for seals - I wasn't sure that I had the patience necessary for the process. Turns out though that I could manage it, just as long as it was done in a small quantity. It may turn into a yearly thing - we shall see.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But for you, a few photos and a quick lowdown on the canning process. As you can see, I chose tiny jars - the Bernardin 125 mL ones - because I will likely be gifting these, and I don't like to gift a huge amount of something I made just in case it turns out that the recipient isn't as big a fan as I am. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Canned Corn Relish - cooking the relish</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(I'm not going to include a recipe because I used an amalgam of several recipes I found online and adjusted to taste. The main ingredients to have are the kernels of about 9 cobs of peaches and cream corn, about a cup of red pepper, three cloves of minced garlic, a cup of some kind of green pepper which can include jalapenos or spicier varieties if that's what you're into, a couple cups of white or cider vinegar and one cup of water, a half cup of brown sugar, at least a tablespoon of pickling salt, a teaspoon or so of dry mustard, and a tablespoon or more of green Tabasco sauce. You boil all that up together for about half an hour, then you taste and see what might be missing.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Canning Process for Dummies</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Sterilize your jars. If you have a "sterilize" option on your dishwasher, use that. If you don't, set a giant pot of water to boiling, then boil those jars and lids for about 5 minutes. Remove everything.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Even if you have the sterilize option, you will still need to get a big pot of water boiling, so do that now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Put some of the hot water into a bowl, then set the lids into that. The lids need to be hot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Ladle your mixture into the jar while mixture is hot and jar is warm. Leave about a half inch of space from mixture to the top of the jar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Grab a (sterilized) knife and run it through the mixture in the jar to remove any air pockets or bubbles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Put the lids and the rings on fairly snug. Not "snug" as in you will need 3 strong men to remove them, but snug enough that they won't come off in the boiling water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Put the filled jars into the boiling water, and boil for about 15 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. Remove very, very carefully. Don't touch - they're hot. Place on a towel to dry and cool off. Give them about an hour or so, then press gently on each lid. If the lid "gives" when you press down, that means it didn't seal. Set any that don't seal into the fridge to eat right away. The ones that did seal can go into a nice dark cold cellar or cupboard and will keep for about a year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-75935195061690790892014-08-18T13:58:00.002-04:002014-08-18T17:32:50.125-04:00Hot town, anda in the city<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Toronto has a shimmer about it in the summertime.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not talking about the streets themselves, or the weather... it's more about the people who live here or who come here to visit making things seem really shiny. Everyone and every place seems extra beautiful, extra special, extra real. Whether they're old or young, talking and laughing in a group, or a couple, or a solitary person with somewhere to get to (and fast), they're out and they're on patios or they're in backyards or they're just walking or on the TTC or on their bicycles... being gorgeous.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it's nice. Really nice. I've lived downtown for over seven years now, and each summer has astonished me. This summer has been no exception. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We spent yesterday morning just wandering about the Beach - walked a beach/boardwalk combination from Northern Dancer Boulevard over to Kenilworth Street, then back along Kew Beach Avenue. The beautiful residents and visitors made the already lovely surroundings sparkle, and it was a really excellent way to spend a couple of hours.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To make sure we had energy for such a jaunt, I made breakfast of anda bhurji, an Indian spicy scrambled egg dish (recipe below), and warmed some chapatti. This was first made for me by my mother-in-law, and it was love at first bite. You'll note that I've added corn - I had roasted some Ontario corn the night before, so I had some leftover that I added to the recipe. Corn is not a traditional add-in, so don't worry if you don't have it. It added a nice touch of sweetness to the dish, however.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Anda Bhurji (spicy scrambled eggs)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/3 cup of minced onion</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scant1/3 teaspoon of turmeric powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cloves minced garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.5 inches of ginger root, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon of pureed ginger)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 to 3 small green chillis to your taste, deseeded and minced (alternatively, you can cut a slit down the side of a whole green chilli or two and throw them in like that)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6 eggs (free range, organic - think of the hens, please!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/3 cup of water or milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Half of a tomato, diced small</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon of garam masala (my favourite blend is also included below)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup of cooked or frozen corn</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lots of chopped cilantro - probably about 3 tablespoons' worth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Want it spicy? Add 1/4 teaspoon of Indian red chilli powder (not to be confused with Western chilli powder, which is a blend of spices - Indian chilli powder is just ground up chillis)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heat oil in frying pan on stovetop - medium heat. Add onion and turmeric, and cook until the onions are softened and becoming translucent. Then, add your garlic, ginger, green chilli, and ground cumin and fry for two minutes, till the garlic loses its raw smell. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While onion mixture cooks, beat your eggs in with the water or milk till a little frothy.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add diced tomato, corn, cilantro, garam masala, and optional chilli powder. Stir well. Let cook 1 to 2 minutes. Then, add the egg mixture, and salt and pepper the whole concoction. Keep stirring to scramble the eggs. Once it looks like it could be ready, taste to see if salt is to your taste. Add more if necessary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Serves 4. Eat with chapattis or on its own. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Garam Masala blend</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notes: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. I will unequivocally state that everyone probably has their own preferred taste when it comes to garam masala. This is just what I prefer. It's great to experiment with your own blend.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. You need a coffee grinder that's dedicated solely to grinding spices for this. If you use your regular coffee grinder, it's probably going to make your beans taste like Indian food for at least three grinding sessions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup whole coriander seeds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons of whole cumin seeds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 green cardamom pods</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 black cardamom pods</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 inches of cinnamon stick</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 teaspoon of black peppercorns</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 bay leaves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 teaspoon cloves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 dried red chilli pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pinch of grated nutmeg</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buzz everything up into a powder in your spice-specific coffee grinder. It'll keep in an airtight container for about a month or so. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can also dry roast the spices before grinding them, but that gives a different flavour. I tend to prefer this one for most cooking. </span><br />
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-58839185289855451522014-08-11T13:12:00.001-04:002014-08-11T13:52:28.403-04:00Hanging in Halifax<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husband and I spent an extended long weekend in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) to celebrate his 33rd birthday. We were able to visit with great friends while we were there, and to enjoy all the hospitality Halifax and the surrounding area could offer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following is a bit of an annotated triptych of our time there. Photos were mostly taken with my iPhone, so they're not amazing quality, but they're better than having no photos at all.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 1 - drive to Lunenburg (it's on the <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/ca">UNESCO list of world heritag</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/ca">e sites</a>)</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lobster roll lunch at the <a href="http://saltshakerdeli.com/">Salt Shaker Deli</a> - the lobster was lightly dressed, not overwhelmingly mayonnaise-y, and very tasty. We had mussels in a tomato-sausage broth to start - they have several options for mussels, but they make their own sausage, which made our decision easy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shopping in Lunenberg - <a href="http://dotsandloops.ca/">Dots and Loops</a> for handmade stuff, like housewares and jewelry and accessories; <a href="http://www.amospewter.com/">Amos Pewter</a> for pewter jewelry, housewares and ornaments; <a href="http://luvly.ca/">Luvly </a>for Canadian designed/made women's clothing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dinner at </span><a href="http://www.go2doorsdown.com/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two Doors Down</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in Halifax - we shared kimchi fries and some calamari to start - the fries were great, and the sauce for the calamari was balanced really well between sour and sweet and salty. My main dish was a bowl of scallop and basil pesto spaghetti, which was a wonderful dish with fresh flavour from the basil and the scallops in each bite. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 2 - drive to Annapolis Valley (Grand Pre is on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites, too) and the Bay of Fundy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mussels for lunch at the <a href="http://www.theportpub.com/">Port Pub</a> in Port Williams</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walked the ocean floor at <a href="http://www.burncoathead.com/">Burncoat Head Park</a> during low tide, and watched the tide start to creep back in by marking its progress against a rock. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Views through Grand Pre are incredible (sorry, no photos at the moment) and well worth the drive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drove back in time for dinner at <a href="http://www.cafechianti.com/">Cafe Chianti</a>, an old school Italian place right in Halifax. To start, I ate seared scallops served with a panzanella salad (possibly my new favourite combination), and for main I had beautifully cooked pasta and meatballs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 3 - day in Halifax proper</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shopping and breakfast at the <a href="http://www.halifaxfarmersmarket.com/">Halifax Seaport Farmers Market</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lunch of shared "social plates" at the <a href="http://www.stubborngoat.ca/halifax/">Stubborn Goat</a> - see photo below of our heaped table that included arancini, stuffed meatballs, and house made pickles. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dinner at home of oysters, lobsters, and veg from the farmers market.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watched fireworks for <a href="http://natalday.org/">Natal Day</a> and then managed to sneak in to <a href="http://www.cows.ca/">Cows</a> for ice cream right at closing time before we went home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 4 - last day in Halifax</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breakfast at home with farmers market haul.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wander around the harbourfront, and picked up a chocolate rum cake to bring home to one of my husband's colleagues at <a href="http://rumrunners.ca/">Rum Runners</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lunch of beet salad and poutine at the <a href="http://henryhouse.ca/">Henry House</a> pub. </span></div>
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-18536280075211451662014-07-28T12:09:00.001-04:002014-07-29T08:17:20.016-04:00Easy?<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been thinking about the word "easy" lately. It seems to be applied to everything; sometimes in a way that appears dismissive of the time and effort that someone put in to something, and sometimes to try to make an activity seem like it might be more fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also tend to apply it to my own accomplishments or things that I've made, often in an effort to be modest. The thing is, though, most things that I consider to be worthwhile aren't easy. They take time and effort and dedication and creativity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take cooking, for example. I cook for a lot of reasons: to eat healthily, to enjoy new flavours, to gain new experiences, to connect with my culture as well as other cultures, and so on. Whether I'm making a tomato sauce that takes 10 minutes or food for a party of 40, cooking is not easy. It needs my full attention, no matter what it is. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The aim is always to be proud of what I've made and served. That's why it can be quite disappointing or disheartening when someone says something about how easy something is to make. For the time it took for me to make the dish, I was thinking of nothing but the end product, and all the steps it took to get from start to finish - the right way to chop, how often to stir, when to taste, how to season.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We all do this in our everyday lives, at home, at work, with our friends and our families - just because something doesn't seem challenging or interesting to others, we downplay it and our own abilities. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I plan to stop myself from measuring things in terms of easy from here on out. Or, instead of describing something as easy, maybe I'll go with "not too complicated" or say that it "comes together quickly". No more dismissing accomplishments. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Not-Too-Complicated Tomato Sauce</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 clove of minced garlic </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tin of San Marzano tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon of sugar - keep aside in case you want more</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon of sea or kosher salt - keep aside in case you want more</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 torn up fresh basil leaves</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heat a heavy-bottomed pot on the stove at medium-high heat. Add olive oil - swirl to coat. Add garlic and cook till it no longer smells raw - about 1.5 to 2 minutes (don't let the garlic turn brown - golden is okay, but brown is not). Add tin of tomatoes, sugar and salt. Bring to boil, then turn heat down to simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer only 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Add torn up basil leaves. Stir. Taste to see if sugar and salt are correct, according to your preferences. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sauce can even be made into a soup if you puree it and add a little bit of water or stock. Great with a baguette rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil, then grilled, or even a fontina grilled cheese sandwich.</span><br />
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-51532350611259234262014-07-17T14:03:00.002-04:002014-08-18T14:02:37.943-04:00The Chain<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's sort of silly to remark on the length of time that has passed since I last posted on here, given that I don't think anyone reads this. But the reason is that in a lot of ways, I haven't had much to say. I haven't made any major changes or done anything significantly different with my life in the past... oh, let's say two years. Instead, I grew busier and busier at work and allowed that to consume my days and nights. In addition to that, I traveled a little more, I saved a lot more, I took on new responsibilities and pushed off others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I grew fat and tired. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at 32 years old. Made some lifestyle changes, and attempted to say yes more often to fun opportunities, and to say no when I meant it. Took a good long look at myself both as an individual and as part of a family and as part of a community. Tried to be a better spouse, a better daughter, a better friend. Tried to be better to myself, even when I felt like I didn't deserve it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still haven't figured things out, really: what I want from my existence, and what my existence seems to want from me. However, the constant for me throughout all of this was my kitchen, and what I could make with my own two hands. Maybe it's time to chronicle that publicly. Maybe it's not. I think I'll give it a shot and see what happens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-6739529751793234372013-01-27T08:06:00.004-05:002013-01-27T08:06:25.651-05:00Here, fishy fishy fishy<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I'm kind of ambivalent about a lot of things at the moment. I blame it on the winter, on the steady greyness that permeates everything. However, it's nearly February and that means it's going to get brighter every day going forward. </span><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In an effort to eat my way out of apathy (should work, right? right?), I've been trying to incorporate more fish into my diet. Gotta tell you that fish is not my most favourite thing, but I'm learning, and since I count shellfish in this total-fish-eaten tally, it's been pretty good really. Oysters and lobster and mussels and shrimp - to me, those are the most delicious items the ocean has to offer. But for diet-based doses of omega-3s, you have to go for the oily fish, so that means salmon once or twice a week. I like wild Pacific salmon best, but you do you - I'm not going to recommend one ocean over the other.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a super easy recipe. You may not even call it a recipe. But it is tasty.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Mustard-Garlic Salmon </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 425</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons grainy mustard</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 tablespoons olive oil</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Juice of half a lemon</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1-2 minced garlic cloves</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dried chili flakes, to taste (I like to take a half a dry chili pepper and whir it around in my spice grinder - which is actually a coffee grinder - I think they taste better when they don't sit around in flake form)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Salt and pepper</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 teaspoon of dijon mustard if you're really super keen on mustard</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 big salmon filet - like a side of salmon, if you will - skin on one side</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another 2 tablespoons olive oil</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, mix the mustard, the olive oil, the lemon, the chili, and the salt and pepper together to make a paste. Set aside.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next, you can line a baking pan with foil or just leave it foil-less. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil onto the pan/foil where you're going to be placing the fish. I like to paint it into a uniform oil glaze with a pastry brush, but the value of that is debatable. Place the fish skin-side-down onto the pan. Grab the mustard paste and spoon it out onto the salmon. Then, take a pastry brush or whatever you have around and make sure the paste covers the entire fleshy surface of the salmon. An even coating ensures a good end result. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throw the pan into the oven and let the fish cook for about 15 minutes. Fish is finicky so I'm not going to really give a proper time for it. You know it's done if you stick a fork in, rotate it, and the fish flakes readily. Because I like a bit of texture, sometimes I put the broiler on for a couple of minutes at the end to make the coating slightly crisp. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Serve with something green to maximise the benefits of the omega-3s - some sauteed garlic spinach, or asparagus or broccoli or whatever. </span></div>
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-9634819121002505352013-01-20T09:41:00.000-05:002013-01-20T09:41:15.183-05:00Apple Pie and America<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's at times like these that I think of this Conway Twitty song my grandparents used to play... it went "Hello, darling. Nice to see you. It's been a long time..." And yes, it's been a long time. Things got in the way, as I suppose they are wont to do. But the blog name was far too good for me to let go of, so I figured I'd come back and maybe just start posting somewhat randomly.</span><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, I'm putting my recipe for apple pie out into the universe. Reminded of it by my first trip to New York ever, which was last weekend, the recipe has received nothing but rave reviews since I debuted it last fall. It's sort of an amalgam of a number of different apple pie recipes from t'internet, so apologies if this looks familiar to anyone. But here goes. If I may suggest an accompaniment, it would be either whipped cream with a little tiny bit of vanilla whipped in, or vanilla ice cream from Ontario's own Kawartha Dairy.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apple Pie</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(full ingredient list at the end of the recipe)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Get your stand mixer out - it makes pastry-making a joy, honestly. I'm never going to use a food processor again for pastry. Into that stand mixer, measure out:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2.5 cups flour </b>(not self-raising, just regular old flour - i think if you wanted to use whole wheat, you could probably do .5 cups whole wheat to 2 cups all-purpose)</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2.5 tablespoons sugar</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Half a teaspoon of salt</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turn mixer on low (like speed setting one or two), and let those dry ingredients combine. Then, take: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1 cup of the best unsalted butter</b> you can find, straight from the fridge, and cut it into half inch pieces</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Piece by piece, while the stand mixer is still mixing, throw the butter into the mixer. When I say piece by piece, I actually mean it. You want the pastry to get a nice crumbly looking texture. Once you've added each piece of butter, let it mix another 5 seconds, then take</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup ice water</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, very slowly, trickle the water into the bowl of the mixer. This is where you need to be very careful as you only want the pastry to just stick together, no more, no less. You are unlikely to need the full 1/2 cup. The dough should not look sticky or tacky, if it does then you've got too much water in and you're going to have to add more flour or start all over again.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turn the nice, just barely holding together dough out onto your counter and gather it into a ball. Roll it about with your hands to make a nice smooth ball, then divide the ball in half with your hands. Flatten the two halves with your hands into discs. Wrap each disc up individually in saran, then stick them in the fridge to rest for about an hour (yes, this is necessary - pastry is finicky and needs time to just exist before you do anything with it).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, while your pastry is chilling, in a big bowl you can combine:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6-7 Cortland or Northern Spy apples</b>, peeled, cored, and sliced into thin-ish pieces</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1-2 tablespoons cinnamon</b> (whatever your taste is - I usually stay at about 1.5)</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice </span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons dark brown sugar</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons light brown sugar</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 tablespoons white granulated sugar</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon mixed spice or straight nutmeg</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stir everything together - the apples will look somewhat coated. You're going to let this mixture rest as well - it's called macerating - so that the excess juice from the apples will mix together with the sugars and spices and then run off. It takes about a half hour.</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat your oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. </span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grab a strainer and place it over a pot. Empty the apples from the bowl into the strainer and shake vigorously. Lift the strainer and see how much apple-y, sugary liquid there is. Shake it again just to get any more liquid, then you can empty the apples back into that first bowl. Turn your stove burner on medium-high, and then boil the liquid down into a syrup - it takes about five minutes. While it's boiling, mix about</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons cornstarch</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">into the apples in the bowl. Once you've got your syrup, mix that into the apples as well.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flour your work surface and a rolling pin, and get a nice deep glass pie plate out - now's the time to grab 1 disc of the pastry from the fridge. Put it onto the floury surface, and start rolling out. You want to roll it into something approximating a circle, and it needs to be big enough to cover the bottom of that pie plate all the way up to the edges. Place the rolled out dough into the pie plate - you've now got a bottom crust - and then empty the bowl of apples-cornstarch-syrup onto the bottom crust and even them out. Re-flour your surface and your rolling pin, grab the other disc from the fridge, and roll that out too. It needs to cover the top of the pie plate all the way out to the edge of the lip. Place the rolled out dough on top of the apples. Press the edges down using a finger to make a ruffled edge. Cut some slits in the top crust to let the steam out as it bakes. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throw that pie into the oven for 45 minutes. Check on it after about 25 minutes to make sure the edges aren't getting too brown - if they are, you can make a little ring out of tinfoil or parchment paper and cover the edges up with it. At 45 minutes, remove from oven and let cool. You should now have a beautiful pie to share and enjoy. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Ingredient List:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pastry:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2.5 cups flour</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2.5 tablespoons sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1/2 teaspoon of salt</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1 cup of cold butter</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1/2 cup ice water</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Filling:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">6 or 7 Cortland or Northern Spy apples</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><div style="font-family: Times;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1-2 tablespoons cinnamon (whatever your taste is - I usually stay at about 1.5)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons dark brown sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons light brown sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 tablespoons white granulated sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon mixed spice or straight nutmeg</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons cornstarch</span></div>
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Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-61746955091697711812011-08-27T06:52:00.002-04:002011-08-27T07:11:20.254-04:00Such a pest(o)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8PNwLTwXu_Q4jWR3kO3QoVY7tVS-42Ooec2dtHjAoQAqNA2nBNnsPw5uEENW50AWEUO6BK7ynvyFPuPBmxx1NYJDeIDWZtncL_kJS_VHJqYn39xT4E1zB7M9HxGL5XEG0qKeMCKsyIZh/s1600/IMG00443-20110825-1943-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8PNwLTwXu_Q4jWR3kO3QoVY7tVS-42Ooec2dtHjAoQAqNA2nBNnsPw5uEENW50AWEUO6BK7ynvyFPuPBmxx1NYJDeIDWZtncL_kJS_VHJqYn39xT4E1zB7M9HxGL5XEG0qKeMCKsyIZh/s200/IMG00443-20110825-1943-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645491574406601874" /></a>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This summer, I've been really into pasta. Don't really know why or anything, but I am. It may be because most pasta applications are relatively easy, and no one really wants to cook anything super hardcore in the summer because it's hot and you're tired and want to be outside. Pesto trapanese is no exception to this general rule, but its deliciousness fools you into thinking you've really accomplished something by making it.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">So, it's pesto, but it's not what you think of when you think pesto because it has tomatoes.
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<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><b>Pesto Trapanese </b></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><b>
<br /></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1/2 cup almonds, toasted in a pan with some olive oil. Take them out as soon as they start turning a teensy bit brown, because it's a very short trip from there to burnt.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">4 Roma tomatoes (the egg-shaped ones), cut into quarters and de-seeded</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">12-15 basil leaves</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 garlic clove, peeled and halved</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil - you'll know your preference</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1/2 box of linguine (I use dry Barilla pasta - it seems to work well more often than not) for 2 people eating what could be their only meal of the day - if you're having a starter or a dessert, you're not going to want that much.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Now, what you're going to do is pretty much just drop all the ingredients for the pesto into a food processor, and using the "pulse" function, chop it up till it reaches your desired consistency. I've tried chopping the almonds before I do everything else, but I honestly couldn't notice a difference, except that I thought that I preferred chopping everything up together. Oh, and start by putting in a 1/4 cup of olive oil, then check the consistency halfway through the chopping exercise. If you feel like it's too solid, not liquid-y enough, pour in another 1/4 cup of the oil. Use good oil if you have it - you can tell when you do (tried it with not-so-good, and it kind of disappointed). Stop chopping once you feel good about it. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Boil 4-5 cups of water, and salt it liberally. As in, it should taste like the ocean. Drop your linguine in and cook for 6 or 7 minutes. Drain, but reserve a bit of the pasta water. Stir the pesto into the linguine in the pot that the linguine was cooking in. If it looks perhaps a little too solid, stir in some of the cooking water, adding a little bit at a time so you know exactly when it looks right. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I've attached a blackberry photo of this to this post - quality's not that good, but at least you'll get an idea of what it should look like. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">
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<br /></span></div>Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-22967383026645867372011-06-13T16:28:00.004-04:002011-06-13T22:17:46.725-04:00Invictus (Unconquered)<span style="font-family:arial;">It all happened far too quickly. One minute my brother was here, and the next he was gone. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The unexpectedness of the role I now find myself in, that of a bereaved sibling passing through the 1-year anniversary of my younger brother's death, is probably what makes it so difficult to understand, even still. Brent was a (relatively) healthy, bright 26-year-old young man. He had a benign brain tumour for most of his life, with successive surgeries and radiation to try to remove it, but the surgeries and radiation were never totally successful. But Brent had lived with it ever since he could remember, and he wasn't having seizures or feeling sick. In fact, he had a new job in a new city, a partner he loved, and a passion for the wilderness.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">But then there was that day when everything happened. All those years of his living seizure-free finally caught up to him - like the gods had decided that he'd had enough luck, and his time was up. None of us were there, and all we know for certain are the conclusions of the coroner and the police department. Brent had a severe seizure at his place in Ottawa, and while his mind was firing off unconnected electrical charges, disorienting him, he stumbled through the screen door to his balcony. He tripped, then fell 8 storeys, landing on a parked car. He probably died on the way to the hospital.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">No one - not his girlfriend, not his parents - knew about any of this until the police came to knock on doors with the news much later that night. Even later, my own phone rang, with my partner telling me that he and my uncle were at my apartment because they had bad news. I can remember thinking, "please don't let it be my mom and dad," never thinking for a second that something had happened to my brother. And then my uncle told me what happened. And then I was an only child. And then my heart broke irrreparably.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">And then the world continued turning and the media started calling and the newspapers featured stories and photos of my brother, who was mine, not theirs, to tell stories about.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I know as much as I ever will about his death. But the suddenness and the apparent callousness of it still takes my breath away. There were so many coincidences that had to be in place for this to happen the way that it did, that it makes me question the nature of the world and whatever power may govern it from on high. And that doesn't really signify, because no matter what my level of understanding is of life, the universe, and everything, I won't ever have a brother ever again.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">In life, Brent was unconquerable. He was governed by an impeccable set of morals. He was opinionated and stubborn. Since he had that tumour for most of his life, he learned to compensate for whatever inabilities he had - he couldn't make choices when faced with too many options, so he eliminated the options by whatever means necessary. He didn't have a lot of short term memory, so he used discussion as a way by which he could remember important things. His language was plain and to the point - why use 3 words when 1 could do just fine? He had great friends - mostly the same group of young men that he'd hung out with since they were all in grade 1. Brent wasn't afraid of anything - not death, and certainly not life. He was admirable, inspiring, and able to look things in the eye and call them by their right name.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">After one particularly invasive surgery, my brother lost the ability to walk and was partially blind. I stayed close by his room at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, going in whenever he wanted me but mostly just listening to the therapists come in to help him try to remember how to stand on two feet. He went to rehabilitation, and gained back the ability to walk while helping other kids with brain injuries study and feel better. Brent did everything his doctors told him that he probably wouldn't be able to - even dying in the way that he did was wholly unanticipated by any of his medical team. I tell myself that he died the only way anyone could have killed him.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Most people ask me about my parents. They get by the best they can, but I know now that when you lose a kid, even if there's another one left, you're never going to be really happy again. I try to fill their lives, just as I try to fill my own. I got married - they visit us often. They travel - I send them lists of things to do in the places they're going. They are my best friends. I work and I work and I work, because if I don't do something with my thoughts, they go immediately to that day that he died. I need a lot of solitude. And I know that one day maybe I won't need to work or be alone, but right now it's still so new, despite it being a year since he died. Our friends and family, as well as Brent's own friends, visit and help my parents and I feel like we're part of a community of memory, or at least that we're not alone in our grief. We thank all of you as we attempt to continue on with our lives and plans. Brent is gone, and our world will never be as good, or as hopeful, or as interesting.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I know now that the last movie Brent watched was "Invictus". Since I found that out, I turn frequently to the poem of the same name by Henley, because the words are just so close to how Brent chose to exist. I'd like to put, "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul," somewhere that he would see it, somewhere that he would know that we remember how he lived and what he believed, but that's not possible anymore. Instead, I plan to use the indelible ink of memory, and of love, to try to live that way myself.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Invictus (William Henley)</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Out of the night that covers me,</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Black as the pit from pole to pole,</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I thank whatever gods may be</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">For my unconquerable soul.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">In the fell clutch of circumstance</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I have not winced or cried aloud.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Under the bludgeonings of chance</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">My head is bloody, but unbowed.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Beyond this place of wrath and tears</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Looms but the horror of the shade</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">And yet the menace of the years</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Finds and shall find me unafraid.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">It matters not how strait the gate,</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">How charged with punishments the scroll,</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I am the master of my fate;</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I am the captain of my soul.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-34418167308552400712010-11-16T07:49:00.003-05:002010-11-17T18:03:10.426-05:00Squashed<span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My mom showed up at my place last weekend carrying an acorn squash. She said that she had found it at the Oshawa farmers' market and figured I should have one. I thanked her in a noncommital way, as I've never been particularly fond of squash, mostly due to the effort it takes to extract it from its skin. I then let it sit on my counter for a week while I considered what to do with it.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dear readers, I roasted it.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And then I made soup.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Roasted squash is exactly 1 billion times easier to work with than a raw squash. And it imparts that beautiful smooth roasty flavour to anything you put it into, like this acorn squash and apple soup.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Acorn Squash and Apple Soup</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">First:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 acorn squash, cut in half with seedy inside scooped out and discarded</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Lay squash halves cut side down on parchment. Put in oven and roast for 40 minutes or thereabouts.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Remove from oven. Flip squash halves over and use a spoon to scoop out the edible squash - you're scooping it away from the skin. Put edible stuff into a container and reserve. Throw away the skin - you won't need it anymore. Not like you ever did, to be honest. It just got in the way.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1-2 onions, cut up</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 tablespoons of butter (or ghee - I used ghee because I had it at hand)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 1/2 cups of chicken stock/broth/whatever liquid you like</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 cup white wine</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 apple, peeled and cored and cut into cubes</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 thyme sprig</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">all that reserved roasted squash</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 tiny pinch of cinnamon</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">couple shakes of Tabasco sauce</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">kosher salt and fresh black pepper</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 tablespoons heavy cream </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Melt butter/ghee in deep pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook slowly until translucent. Add apple. Stir. Add white wine - allow alcohol to simmer off, then add the chicken stock and thyme sprig. Allow all this to simmer for around 12 minutes or until apple pieces are tender. Add squash - stir till smooth-ish. Drop that tiny pinch of cinnamon in, along with the Tabasco. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 12 minutes or so. Remove from heat.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(seriously, remove from heat. I taking the next step while it was still on the heat, and I couldn't figure out why I was getting boiling hot soup bubbling up at me while blending. Sometimes I'm not very quick.)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Using an immersion blender if you have one, blend soup until very smooth. It'll be really, really orange. Add the cream and stir. It'll be less orange now. Serve with whatever soup accoutrements you wish - a design of cream, a dollop of sour cream, whatever you like really. It's quite mild-tasting, and makes a good starter or a pleasant lunch.</span></span>Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-4791624288906474932010-11-01T18:58:00.008-04:002010-11-15T17:17:31.868-05:00Chicken Soup for the... whatever.<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was going to go there, but then I changed my mind.<br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chicken soup rocks. I even like the neon-yellow, skinny noodle Lipton "chicken noodle soup" packets. However, I had an epiphany this weekend when I made chicken noodle soup from a whole chicken and a bag of frozen bones. Sounds delicious, right? Right?</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chicken Noodle Soup Like You Mean It</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 whole chicken breast (bone in)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 chicken carcass (yeah, it's gross. but delicious. just save the carcass when you make a roast chicken. or go to your butcher and ask for a bag of chicken bones.)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">5 carrots</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4 celery stalks</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4 cooking onions</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4 stalks fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves, 6 black peppercorns, 2 smashed garlic cloves, 3 parsley sprigs</span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Enough water/chicken stock (whatever your preference) to cover the chicken - probably about 2 or 3 litres</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Put the chicken + bones + everything listed above into a really big pot. Make sure the chicken is covered by the water/stock by a good half inch. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about an hour to an hour-and-a-half. You may need to skim the surface (it's weird, but it's just protein) a few times. Once chicken is done, remove it from the pot and put it on a plate or a cutting board. Remove the vegetables and the sprigs and the bones from the pot and throw them out - this will result in a nice clear chicken broth. Shred or chop the chicken and set aside.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 1/2 tablespoons butter</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 onions, chopped</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 chopped carrots</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 stalks celery, chopped</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4 sprigs chopped parsley</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Shredded chicken</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1-2 cups wide egg noodles</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 cup frozen peas</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Salt and pepper to taste</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook until the onions are see-through, stirring frequently. Add the vegetables to the pot with the clear broth in it. Add the chicken. Stir and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Once boiling, add the egg noodles and cook for 2 minutes. Add the frozen peas. Taste. Season to your own specifications with salt and pepper. Add the parsley. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Serve, and feel better immediately</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div>Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-1868000396073556282010-05-02T19:08:00.002-04:002010-05-02T19:31:10.346-04:00Malai'n around<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Best intentions aside, I have yet again neglected this blog. Gah. However, I have an awesome update to it, so hopefully that will make up for my negligence:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Chicken Malai</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Chicken malai is a creamy, yellowy curry-type dish. It is North Indian in origin, from what I've been told. It doesn't have to be spicy but it certainly can be - the recipe below can be ramped up with extra fresh or dried chillies. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2 cups or so of chicken - I used chicken breasts, but the curry is more flavourful if you use chicken that has bones</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 onion, ground into a paste</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 teaspoon of garlic paste</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 teaspoon of ginger paste (you can buy these two pastes mixed together - if you use that, use 2 teaspoons)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 cup of coconut milk (make sure you stir it up)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2 tablespoons oil or ghee</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">6 whole cloves</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 green chilli pepper (I used Thai birdseye)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 dried red chilli pepper</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 teaspoon each of cumin powder, coriander powder, and ground mustard powder (another option is using garam masala, but only do it if you (a) have made some recently, and (b) are okay with using it when the powders listed above are just as good</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1-2 teaspoons of dried methi (fenugreek) leaves</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 teaspoon kosher salt</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1/4 cup of whipping cream (not whipped! not whipped! just the cream!)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Heat a kadai or a heavy wok-type or frying pan over medium heat. Pour oil or ghee in and warm. Add cloves and fry till you can smell them. Take the pan off the heat and then add garlic and ginger paste(s) - I take it off to avoid the spitting of the oil. Put back on the heat and fry for a minute or thereabouts. Add the onions - stir. Add the fresh and dried chilli peppers - stir. Finally, add the spice mixture (turmeric, cumin, coriander, ground mustard) - stir. Fry this mixture until the onion turns brown - 2 or 3 minutes usually, but sometimes more. Then, add the chicken and stir to combine. Add the coconut milk, the methi leaves, and then the salt - mix until smooth. Allow to bubble away, cooking for around 10 minutes until chicken is done. If your chicken pieces have bones, it'll take longer - probably about 20 minutes or more. Taste and season accordingly. Serve over basmati rice or with hot roti. Can also serve with Indian-style pickles - carrot, mango, etc. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Remember, if you want this spicier add either another fresh chilli or another dried chilli (or two) during the cooking process. I prefer it spicy but didn't want to scare anyone off by making this recipe crazy hot initially! </span></div>Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-64751088056940470772010-02-22T11:29:00.003-05:002010-02-22T12:47:11.163-05:00Happiness makes one forget...about things like blogs and keeping track of what's been cooked or enjoyed in the past few months. Blame it on finally finding a great job, or on the processes involved with planning a wedding, but whatever the case is I've been truly lax.<br /><br />Something rather easy that is also super delicious is a roasted eggplant. I like it best as a side dish to something fish-like (panko-coated halibut or grilled shrimp or 1000 other options), or as a starter to spread on toast that's been rubbed with a garlic clove. It's so easy I am a bit embarrassed to post it here, but I had a hell of a time trying to figure out how to cook it so this represents a small victory in my life.<br /><br />Roasted Eggplant<br /><br />2 or 3 small Italian eggplants<br />2 teaspoons of kosher salt<br />6 or 8 teaspoons of good olive oil<br />2 or 3 sprigs of thyme<br /><br />Slice eggplants in half, then score each half like you were crosshatching it (kind of like a tic-tac-toe board). Press on the skin side of the eggplant to open up the scoremarks a bit, then sprinkle a half a teaspoon of salt into the eggplant (try to get some salt into each of the scoremarks). Leave the salted eggplants out on the counter for 20 minutes. At the end of this time, squeeze the eggplants gently over the sink to get rid of excess moisture.<br /><br />Preheat oven to 400.<br /><br />Cover a cookie tray with aluminum foil. Pour a teaspoon of olive oil onto each cut side of the eggplant halves. Arrange thyme sprigs on cookie sheet, then place cut sides of eggplant down on top of the thyme sprigs. Put cookie sheet in oven and roast for 45 minutes or thereabouts.<br /><br />Let cool a little bit before you eat this or spread it on garlic toast - it's going to be super hot. Enjoyable, but super hot.Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7769970814630446217.post-1279716169361665722009-08-16T08:34:00.004-04:002009-08-16T08:52:31.910-04:00"You Can't Win Friends With Salad"<span style="font-family:arial;">Or can you?</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">That line is from one of my favourite Simpsons episodes ever - the one where Homer barbecues a pig and irritates Lisa the vegetarian. She brings a salad to the barbecue, and Homer and Bart start a conga line singing, "You can't win friends with salad, you can't win friends with salad". </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I made a salad last night for my friend's housewarming party that garnered some pretty decent reviews, so I thought I'd put it here in my first salad-related post.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Baby Greens with Beets, Goat Cheese, and Candied Pecans</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Candied Pecans</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/4 cup of butter</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2 tablespoons brown or golden sugar</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 tablespoon dark corn syrup</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 cup of plain pecans</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In a frying pan, melt the butter. As it bubbles, add the sugar and syrup. Stir to combine. Allow to bubble again for about a minute. Add the pecans. Combine well. Empty the frying pan onto a cookie or baking sheet (line it with tinfoil - saves a lot of effort) and spread the mixture out into a single layer. Put in hot oven for 5 minutes or so. Take pan out of oven and stir the mixture around again. Place back in oven for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven. Select one of the pecans with a spoon, allow it to cool, and then test it to see if it has that toasty, sugary flavour. If yes, they're done. If no, put back in oven for another 2 minutes - just don't let it burn. Remove from pan and put on a dish or piece of waxed paper to cool. They're great to snack on, too. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Dressing</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 cup olive oil</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/4 cup white wine vinegar</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">juice of 1 squeezed lemon, or a scant tablespoon of bottled lemon juice</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 scant teaspoon kosher salt</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">ground black pepper, to taste</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 teaspoon dijon mustard or dry mustard</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence (optional)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">sugar to taste (some like dressing more sour, others more sweet - start with a scant teaspoon and keep tasting/adding)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Get your whisk out. Combine olive oil, salt, pepper, mustard, and optional Herbes. Stir. Add lemon juice. Stir. Slowly pour the white wine vinegar into the mixture, whisking the whole time. Whisk until you've fully emulsified the vinegar with the oil. It will look smooth and a bit shiny. Taste it to see if it's sweet or sour enough for your taste. If too sour, add a bit more sugar. If too sweet, add a bit more vinegar or salt. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Salad</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 box organic baby greens mix (also goes under the name of Spring Mix)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 cup of beets (you can either roast and peel them yourself, or get a can - either are good options, but canned is obviously faster/less likely to stain your clothes or kitchen)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/3 cup of sliced or diced red onion</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 small log of goat cheese</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/4 cup dried cherries</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3/4 cup candied pecans</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3/4 cup dressing</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Combine it all and serve.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Feeds about 4 as a main (add some chicken or shrimp to balance it out), or 8 as a starter or side dish.</span>Devynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09291432497379261010noreply@blogger.com1