Once upon a time, we and our friends would regularly get together for dinner parties--often elaborate dinner parties, with several courses, wine matched to each course, beginning around 7PM and continuing past midnight. Sadly, since we all started having children, the days of leisurely, wine-soaked dining are over.
But it turns out that we miss our foodie friends, and they miss us. So we have begun a new tradition--a monthly brunch. Three couples take turns hosting, and we descend upon each others' homes, toddlers in tow, at 10AM. The festivities usually wrap up around naptime.
We attended one of these lovely get togethers this morning, and while someday (MANY years from now), I look forward to getting back to the leisurely dinner with friends, for now, the brunches are an excellent stand-in. Give it a try with your own group of friends. You just might like it!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Never Thought I'd See the Day
I didn't post a meal plan for this week because I was out of town for two days. I left 'the boys', meaning my husband, D and my dad, who came in to help out while my mom and the baby and I traveled to Edmonton for meetings, to their own devices. I thawed porkchops for them to use one day, suggested they cook the whole frozen fish in the freezer for the day we returned, and otherwise left it up to them.
When we came home last night, the fish was in the oven, and my dad had stuffed it with a rice pilaf, the recipe for which he'd found in Rose Reisman Brings Home Light Cooking. I shouldn't be so surprised by this, but I am, for a couple of reasons. First, I have never seen my dad look up a recipe. Ever. Second, his typical cooking repertoire almost invariably includes an open flame or vat of hot oil (usually heated over an open flame). The few times this is not the case is when he's frying bacon and eggs, boiling macaroni, or offering up Ichiban noodles or 'tube steaks'. To whit, when I mentioned there was fish in the freezer that I thought was a whole Pacific cod (gifted by my friend's dad who fishes in Prince Rupert), he was all set to fillet it, bread it and deep-fry it.
I'm not really giving him enough credit. He CAN cook—he just prefers to deep-fry whenever possible. But last night, he proved he really can cook, and the baked stuffed salmon (which it turned out to be—not cod) was absolutely lovely (and it was endearing to see how much pride he took in his creation). But when we laughingly pointed out that he got the recipe from a "Light" cookbook, he looked quite disgusted. He was about to tell me how he didn't like many of the other books in my cookbook collection, but we didn't get to the details. I'll try to get that from him next time I see him.
When we came home last night, the fish was in the oven, and my dad had stuffed it with a rice pilaf, the recipe for which he'd found in Rose Reisman Brings Home Light Cooking. I shouldn't be so surprised by this, but I am, for a couple of reasons. First, I have never seen my dad look up a recipe. Ever. Second, his typical cooking repertoire almost invariably includes an open flame or vat of hot oil (usually heated over an open flame). The few times this is not the case is when he's frying bacon and eggs, boiling macaroni, or offering up Ichiban noodles or 'tube steaks'. To whit, when I mentioned there was fish in the freezer that I thought was a whole Pacific cod (gifted by my friend's dad who fishes in Prince Rupert), he was all set to fillet it, bread it and deep-fry it.
I'm not really giving him enough credit. He CAN cook—he just prefers to deep-fry whenever possible. But last night, he proved he really can cook, and the baked stuffed salmon (which it turned out to be—not cod) was absolutely lovely (and it was endearing to see how much pride he took in his creation). But when we laughingly pointed out that he got the recipe from a "Light" cookbook, he looked quite disgusted. He was about to tell me how he didn't like many of the other books in my cookbook collection, but we didn't get to the details. I'll try to get that from him next time I see him.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Mediterrasian.com
One of my favourite websites for healthy recipes is www.mediterrasian.com. My two favourite food groups, so to speak, are Mediterranean and Asian--what could be better than a website devoted to both of them together?
Tonight I'm making Baked Feta and Walnut salad for supper, and having it with some of the leftover dips and cheeses from our New Years party. It's gonna be easy. It's gonna be good.
Tonight I'm making Baked Feta and Walnut salad for supper, and having it with some of the leftover dips and cheeses from our New Years party. It's gonna be easy. It's gonna be good.
The Winter Shopping Dilemma
I always dread shopping for food in the winter. Winter in Canada is when the fruits and vegetables start coming from farther and farther away, and I feel acutely the food miles that I am accumulating. And then there are the tough decisions about how much fresh food to buy for my family in spite of the distance it may have traveled. And then there's the local vs. organic dilemma.
After struggling with all of this for several years, I have come up with the following list of rules that help me make those decisions:
• Local AND organic if possible
• If local is available (meaning, during the winter, grown somewhere in Canada), choose over organics grown in the U.S. or farther afield
• Opt for frozen foods if necessary (a good way to keep Canadian grown peas, beans, and berries in your diet)
• Say adios to certain foods til spring--I don't buy non-organic grapes for example. Too many pesticides on a soft-skinned and therefore absorbant fruit. Not to mention that during the winter months they come from super-far-off places like Chile and South Africa.
It's a good thing I like root vegetables. In the meantime, I'll grit my teeth at the grocery store and take solace in seed catalogues. Next summer I'll make up for it by growing my own veggies.
Good luck with your own shopping adventures! I'd love to hear other readers' own strategies for keeping up variety while keeping down food miles during winter months.
After struggling with all of this for several years, I have come up with the following list of rules that help me make those decisions:
• Local AND organic if possible
• If local is available (meaning, during the winter, grown somewhere in Canada), choose over organics grown in the U.S. or farther afield
• Opt for frozen foods if necessary (a good way to keep Canadian grown peas, beans, and berries in your diet)
• Say adios to certain foods til spring--I don't buy non-organic grapes for example. Too many pesticides on a soft-skinned and therefore absorbant fruit. Not to mention that during the winter months they come from super-far-off places like Chile and South Africa.
It's a good thing I like root vegetables. In the meantime, I'll grit my teeth at the grocery store and take solace in seed catalogues. Next summer I'll make up for it by growing my own veggies.
Good luck with your own shopping adventures! I'd love to hear other readers' own strategies for keeping up variety while keeping down food miles during winter months.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Party Fine Print
ACK! I just double checked the invitation to a Christmas party tonight, to discover that it is potluck! These are important things to pay attention to when it comes to limited time availability. Ah well, I had pulled that butter out to soften once again in an effort to kick start my stalled Christmas baking, but before I get to the peppernut cookie dough, I guess I'll be making something for the potluck.
I decided quite quickly on a simple, comforting and festive dessert, a la Canadian Living: pear gingerbread pudding. Gotta love those websites with all the recipes!! I've been wanting to make it for dessert for one of our own meals, and I have all the ingredients (and the pears are getting tired of waiting for me to get around to making it), so it seems like the right choice.
I decided quite quickly on a simple, comforting and festive dessert, a la Canadian Living: pear gingerbread pudding. Gotta love those websites with all the recipes!! I've been wanting to make it for dessert for one of our own meals, and I have all the ingredients (and the pears are getting tired of waiting for me to get around to making it), so it seems like the right choice.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Cold Season + Christmas Season
I have now officially softened the same pound of butter three times, in an effort to prepare for baking that I just don't have the energy to do. I was the last of my family to catch the nasty cold that's been going around. Top that with two busy work weeks full of meetings and deadlines, and I haven't had much time/energy to write. I can say I've been leaning heavily on Mark Bittman's Food Matters cookbook, having made pasta with asparagus, bacon and eggs, mushroom stew with beef chunks and roasted butternut squash chowder in the past few days. All excellent. I have reconfirmed celery root as one of my favourite vegetables, finding some after a lengthy search at the Co-op Marketplace. Christmas baking was supposed to get a boost this week with help from some friends, but since we're all sick, we've rescheduled for next week (Thursday). More on that soon!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Curry No-go
Well, I really enjoyed the curried coconut rice that we had for supper last night, but I'm afraid curry is still food non grata with two year-old D. At least he's old enough now to try it and say, "No, it's too spicy. I want some water," instead of just spitting it out.
The vegetarian chef's salad that we had tonight, on the other hand, was more popular. He's going through a protein phase these days, so he was all over the chickpeas and hard-boiled eggs. Avocado is always a hit, as well. I think I'd rather have a veggie chef's salad than the original recipe, since I've never understood the logic behind piling a bunch of cold cuts on lettuce, drenching it with mayonnaise, and calling it salad.
The vegetarian chef's salad that we had tonight, on the other hand, was more popular. He's going through a protein phase these days, so he was all over the chickpeas and hard-boiled eggs. Avocado is always a hit, as well. I think I'd rather have a veggie chef's salad than the original recipe, since I've never understood the logic behind piling a bunch of cold cuts on lettuce, drenching it with mayonnaise, and calling it salad.
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