Christmas Eve Cereal

Puffed Wheat and a sprig of mistletoe.

It was late, I was teary-eyed and what lay before my eyes? The ultimate Christmas treat. Okay, so it isn't your conventional Christmas treat, but it did the job.
Puffed Wheat, Unsweetened Soy Milk, a banana and a handful of walnuts (grieving doesn't mean missing out on one's EFAs).
I am a bit of a mess this festive holiday season. A mess to be sure.
Missing Wayne is a bit larger of a parcel than I had been anticipating. It has been under the tree all week, and I have been trying to avoid tearing it open. But I have it now and it fits like the pink sweater I got in 2004 - perfectly, but with a couple of itchies. Where is that pink sweater? Damn to hell all of this moving.

I am reading the most ridiculous novel, an 'alternate history' by H. Turtledove (I think this fellow missed the class on 'creating a pseudonym' in his writing workshop). This novel sees Queen Elizabeth the first imprisoned in the Tower of London; the Spanish Inquisition is in full swing and Catholicism is returned to the people of England. The BEST part of the book is that William Shakespeare is charged with saving the English people via a play. I love it. The language is so silly (as though the entire 'groundling' populace of early modern England spoke with the tongue of Spencer) and I can't get through more than 20 pages without coming across some overdone sex scene. Oh, and the best!!! The gay jokes that Shakespeare keeps hurling at Kit Marlowe...hilarious....the one about Kit being 'yolked' to one of his friends (Kit is enraged when Wil supposes he is a front man) is by far my favourite.

My sister told me a story the other day about the kindest thought ever directed my way ---- I was stupid and missed the entire moment......thank goodness I have my sister around to remind me of what I am missing in life.

To all a good day - Stacey: what are you doing for C dinner???? Please share!!! Oh, and no...there is no one.

Happy Tofu everyone!

Holidays Holidays and The Scandal in Bohemia

I have just had the most ridiculous argument with someone about real irish people having to be under 5 foot 3. Please.

Can amazing nights come from investigating health foods store again for the first time; playing a piano with your feet, all whilst being suspected for shoplifting from a toy store and navigating through a new space with a most interesting person?

I don't have any recipes today. Only recommendations.

1. Eat good food all of the time.
2. Do not eat before cyclefit class when you want to show someone what you are capable of. (barfing will ensue)
3. Leave yourself open to new experiences, even if they may potentially get you fired.
4. Celebrate holiday because you are on holiday, not because the potential for receiving new lu lu lemon outfits go up by about 100%.

5. (and the most important) write at least one love poem in your life, and be sure to receive as many as possible.

I must return to my research. I adore reading all of this sherlock holmes. And I am most excited to report my discovery of the Toronto Public Library's Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Special Collection. It must be christmas.

Oh wait, one more recommendation - check out The Merchantile - a great little gourmet shop on College between grace and...which ever street is the next east. Fantastic treats and great service. Nice little gift baskets and loads of vegan treats.

One more thought - I finally wore the boots. Although they looked much better in C's rendition of Miss Duke a la boots, shorts (can you call fabric that small shorts?) and tank, I think I managed to pull them off.....not bad for a Monday night dinner out.

Ewan and Nicole.....so dreamy.....

I can hear the tinklings of THE best movie of all time...okay, maybe not THE best movie, but pretty close to the highest peak of my stars and moon list of things that make me feel all girlie, silly and bursting with potential tears and other emotional consequences....get ready -

that's right Emily, you guessed: Moulin Rouge.

I don't know what it is. A more cerebral and grad-school part of me knows that they might revoke my degrees if I fess up to being enamored with this film...but honestly, maybe it is the sequins in nicole's dress or the look of longing in good ol' ewan's eyes. Or perhaps it is the medley of madonna, U2 and David Bowie that does it to me. An answer is not what I seek - but to be left to enjoy!!! The entire soundtrack is also a good accompaniment for a long run.

So in honour of Moulin Rogue let's have a little red in tonight's menu.

My cabbage soup will do. I went through it quite quickly - it is so nice and warm, the little hint of curry adds a great depth to the flavour that is often missing with cabbage. Not to mention the kick it gives to the otherwise boring aesthetic.

1/2 of a green cabbage (you can use the red cabbage, but look out -- you end of with a soup that looks like an alien cocktail)
1 large onion (diced)
1 large head of garlic (maybe too much for you? these should be peeled and sliced)
2 zucchini (cut up in 1 inch pieces)
1/2 of a cauliflower (pulled apart into little trees)
1 green pepper (cut and diced)
1 large carrot (shredded)

2 can of tomatoes
3 - 6 cups of water (your choice)
2 tablespoons of curry power
2 tablespoons of black pepper
1 tablespoon of mustard seeds
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

I prefer to avoid the oil in this recipe and I sweat the onions with a little bit of water and some of the juice from the tomatoes. Add the mustard seed once the onion becomes translucent. The mustard seeds will start to pop and you can start to either 1. add the vegetables and let them fry themselves up a bit or 2. add the tomatoes, vinegar and the spices. Let this mixture warm up a wee bit and than feel free to add all of your veggies into the pot. Stir and begin to add the water until you are left with nothing but a pot of simmering soup and a couple of dirty dishes.

The longer you leave this soup the yummier it gets.

The vegan cookie gifts I received yesterday at the end of characters and culture went ever so nicely with my warm before-bed soy milk. All three varieties!!!

Keeping it simple

I just had the most amazing meal I have had in a long time.
I don't know if it is the glow I have in my cheeks; a stain left by notes and wonderfully thoughtful flowers - or, it my belly and my mind happened to combine in a moment of totally uninspired genius. Perhaps both?

Even though Chris is having a hard time reading the recipes (stacey seems to have no problem) I am going to continue to post my goodies in my own deliciously saucy way.

So, here is all you need for a yummy night of satisfaction (well, maybe not ALL you need...)

5 mushrooms (any variety will do - though, avoid portobello for this dish)
2 tomatoes
1 lemon
1 tspn of soy sauce

Heat a small pot on a medium burner and add the tomatoes - diced.
Squeeze the entire lemon over the t's, and splash in your soysauce.
Add your diced mushrooms and just let it simmer in its own yummy goodness for about 10 minutes.
Oh my......enjoy!

I promise you will.

You know what...sometimes even when it is pouring rain one can still be head over heels in love with the world...even when you are wearing woolie shoes.
ahhh woolie shoes.

Not in a Million Years

I haven't posted in a million years. So sorry.
There is so much to share and so many brilliant pictures to post. Let's see what we can get through in this limited time between writing the last few questions for my students' exam tomorrow and continuing to mark my papers (argh, there are so many this year....why oh why do they have to write papers? Can they not act out their understanding? Can they not write me fiction? Can they not sing me sweet songs about Hills Like White Elephants? It isn't that I don't want to mark them, I just feel that they don't want to do them any more than I want to spend the rest of my days drawing animation (because I can't) so why put them through this...I don't agree).

I have made some final decisions about next year. Toronto - look out.

The recipes I have been dying to add are from a couple of weekends ago actually. The darling Brenda and her love Mike found themselves in Toronto for a dinner with The Sultan - giving me the chance to spend the entire evening with my two favourite ladies: KATE AND SARAH! We started the afternoon with a bowl of fruit left out by their dynamite mom/vet extraordinaire. While enjoying fruit, which was complete with tooth picks, we managed to get through a couple of short stories. The girls have been writing like crazy...and it was great fun. Some about monsters and boys from Kate (I understand that connection) and a great one about Odysseia (a relative of our famous not-so-hero) that Sarah and I have been working on for about a year now....

We than decided that we needed to make some dinner to be followed by cookie baking! Dinner was Frogs and Snakes in Sauce and the cookies were just hilarious. No other word fits them best - they were hilarious. We took a really basic cookie recipe and the girls just 'added'. I managed to find a wet/dry balance but it was mostly them digging through the fridge/cupboards and finding the things that they liked to eat and throwing it all together into one tasty mess of a batter. We even managed to personalize a couple of cookies for their dog Ryker - adding dog food to the top right before the baking.

You will find the recipes below, but the fun and laughter was all ours - we would love to share!!! You will have to join us sometime.

Kids are really the most amazing version of the human species. Their belief in goodness and their cuddle capabilities can make even the worst year in one's life seem filled with a load of sunshine and cookies....After baking we headed for the HUGE bed in M and B's room, where we huddled under the covers and enjoyed Harry Potter (you know Kev, it really wasn't as bad as we had thought...remember that trip home from the theatre last december...it was so cold....thank god for TTC), and the girls past out - one on each side.
Auntie Lyndsay tucked them into bed and headed for the hot tub.

Frogs and Snakes in Sauce

1 box of whole wheat pasta
1 cup of veggie ground round (italian)
1 onion
1 green pepper
tomato sauce (canned if you like - the girls prefer it to my 'fru fru' fancy homemade sauce)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Green food colouring


Add your oil to a warmed up pot (medium sized), and add your onion. The girls aren't crazy about garlic so the onion was just fine. Add your green pepper as soon as the onions are translucent. Give it a stir and let it sit for about three minutes, stirring occasionally. Add your tomato sauce, ground round and a wee bit of pepper. Simmer.

While you are making your sauce be sure to start the pasta water. When you have a rolling bubble going on throw in your noodles. I love my noodles over done - so go to town if you like, otherwise about 7 minutes should do it.
Strain, rinse and add the sauce to the larger noodle pot.
Ask the kids to add the food colouring and you have yourself some snakes/frogs in sauce. They loved it! Screams abounding.

The cookies are another story. Which I might get to tonight, but these exams may just be the death of me. We will see.