goblin soup!

GOBLIN SOUP

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions (1 used 1 large red)
sea salt to taste
3 cups water
1 vegetable bouillon cube
4 cloves garlic
1 head of broccoli

- over medium heat sautee onion in the oil

- when onion is translucent add salt

- add water and bouillon cube, stir well

- add garlic and broccoli, bring to a gentle boil

- reduce to simmer, cover, and simmer until broccoli is tender, approx 15 mins

- puree soup with handheld blender or freestand blender until soup is smooth

- if your gang likes 'spicy', you can season with cayenne pepper and or cracked black pepper (to taste)

- this soup only yields 2 medium bowls, next time I make it I'll triple the above recipe

* to add substance I added freshly cooked brown rice

Happy Hallowe'en!

how two people became a family

Photo credit: Brian Gahan


HIGHWAY ELEVEN

I say
it looks like a big silver salmon.
You are driving
so it takes you longer to make out which cloud I mean
I grow anxious
thinking you will miss the shape.

As we head north
Ontario flashes by in hues:
pre-historic brown of Canadian buffalo
blazing-afternoon-red on a lonely barn
its planks smelling like a sheet of wind,
a mouthful of torn grass and a lifetime of rain.

The blue sky so bright
I wonder if it’s fake.
I focus on solid tree lines,
on watery mirages of highway
and glassy ponds that stretch forward for miles.

No radio just the car humming.

We barely talk
as we inhale
pine
corn
field of blueberries
a choir of midsummer green
our urban eyes grow soft.

A lazy wind slowly surrounds us,
its arms hang like diluted honey,
trees reach in through the windows
a lullaby of rustling leaves grabbing us.

On trips like these
I know I will grow old with you
because you
participate in this stillness.

LOVE

My cookbook is going to include a section on showing love 'the culinary way', so no recipe today, just some sneak peaks at photos which will end up in print.

Next time I'll post details about my upcoming children's cooking workshops.

Happy Tuesday!

double-crust apple pie, a poem

we picked apples at Avalon Orchard
watched wasps dancing in rotting appley flesh

the next morning we awoke and took on a challenge:
bake 'double-crust apple pie' - we baked two!

we served our homebaked love for dessert
the family awed and oozed with adoration for the kid bakers
their Cuban uncle amazed that apples bake 'inside' the pie!

I am 38 and a half, I'm a baker, cook, and lover of apples, yet I was
an apple pie virgin, yep, never ever baked one in my whole life,
it two young assistants, the loves of my life to help me finally bake apple pie, from scratch.



(the recipe, pg 152, Nov '08 issue of Food & Wine is delightfully easy if you are baking with a 2 and a 4 year old by your side. fun times!)


ps the photo was taken Aug 21 of this year, one of the happiest days of my life, thought I'd share a snapshot

mama provi and the pot of rice

Popping in to share the title of our latest favourite library can-not-put-down-must-read-every-night-food-book: Mama Provi and the Pot of Rice by Sylvia Rosa-Casanova and illustrated by Robert Roth.

We love this book because it's about family, food and cooking, community, numbers, huge lesson on sharing/exchanging, huge lesson on the concept of gifts from the heart. You will learn some Spanish words, you will be delighted by the illustrations.

another postcard

Am loving the scenery.
Not sure if I'll return to blog land...
I've truly enjoyed meeting those of you who delurked.
I'll still be checking emails.
Cyber hugs. XO

PS Amy and Natalie your prizes are on their way.

postcard

Long term to do list:
enjoy life
forgive the past
hand pick the weeds


Short term to do list:
complete book
fold laundry
put away laundry
eat more fruit


Lots going on.
Won't bore you with another pizza recipe today.
Happy Summer!

Dane Zane @ Harbourfront

Some scenes from the Dan Zane and Friends concert, part of the Luminat'eau Carnival H2O this past weekend.

Five more days until the Summer Solstice! Have a great week preparing for this magical day.

women's suffragist + bike chic

Love this quote:

S/he who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.
- Frances E. Willard, 1850

Source: Can-Bike brochure


Happy Weekend everyone!

global food crisis

Children like yours and mine are starving to death; yet, everywhere I look there are obese people.


How do you deal with/process stories and photos about starving children?

Cleaning House

Mentally, emotionally, spiritually, energetically, socially, blogally, I'm cleaning house. Here are two important items I need to address:

* I apologize to you dear wonderful Montessori Mama who tagged me on March 17th. The truth is, I do not like memes, but I adore your blog.

* I deleted two of my other blogs, Million Dollar Mama, and Feed Hungry Kids Project. Though both were of interest, somewhat imporant to me, right now, I have to limit my distractions in order to complete my book and life goals.

* I spent almost $11 dollars at Goodwill today. Unbeknownst to me, it was one of those special 50% off days. Thank you Goodwill for the wonderful clothing, shoes and edu fun things I picked up for my family today.

Gotta run, my morning cup of coffee (yes, it's 2:33pm) is getting even colder ;-)

Harbourfront Centre: winter playground

Limited Warranty Politics

A few weeks ago our barely one year old humidifier's motor died. The rest of the unit, the water tank, the base, the motor housing are fine. The 5 Year Limited Warranty states that 'normal wear and tear' are not covered under their warranty.

The humidifier has been sitting in the hallway waiting for me to make the next move; I've been mentally debating offering the parts on freecycle or packaging it up and putting it on our front steps with a 'free parts' note.

I've been stalling based on a landfill experience from last year when our coffee bean grinder's motor died. Village Papa tried fixing it but didn't have the right miniature tools. Then I went to three repair shops who all told me to throw out the unit and buy another one; no one wanted to repair it, 'too expensive to repair' was the excuse. Throwing that grinder in the trash made me feel terrible; I felt paralyzed from my inability to repair/reuse, and mostly reduce our family's contribution to the landfill.

Imagining our humidifier's next incarnation as landfill mass provoked me to call the Consumer Service Centre. They have said they WILL replace it with a brand new one. I should be elated, but
I have no idea what they'll do with the one I send them. They couldn't tell me that because they haven't seen the unit.

So here I am grateful for the new humidifier we are going to get (the one that keeps nose bleeds at bay), but I feel guilty that the motor I send them may just end up in the landfill anyway. Anyone have any cheerful warranty/repair/non landfill ending stories to cheer me up?

Upper Beach adventure - on the rocks!

With the windchill it was about -15 today; add the garbage cans & compost bins; add hard lumpy ice; add lack of sun; add on-and-off flurries and you've got the perfect recipe for yet another cabin fevered wintry Tuesday in Toronto.

We bundled up and headed on an outdoor adventure (read: errands and the promise of chocolate treats).

Sometimes the choices I make leave me feeling lonely. Like today, as I was trudging up a steep incline pushing about 100 pounds of flesh and metal. I was thinking 'does it really matter to mother earth that I chose to be a car free parent? will any of this matter to my kids?' Sometimes I feel like the choices I make cause me so much work; so much exhaustion. Sometimes I honestly wish I didn't care. I wish everything wasn't so fu#%*N political. But of course, I have been blessed with angels crossing my paths, and always, always, they leave me feeling like I'm part of a community. Part of the world, the world that needs me to keep doing what I'm doing.

Today the angel was a woman, early 60's, walking down the path I was struggling up. She smiled at me and her body language told me she was going to stop to let me by. Somehow the sidewalk opened up and there was room for both our caravans. She was pulling a wooden wagon stacked with cardboard boxes from which peeked out signs of groceries. She said 'wow, this must be so hard for you', and I said 'and you too'. We both laughed and got into a great conversation about the merits of walking and fresh air being free therapy etc etc.

We said goodbye, wished each other a nice day and my angel was gone. Leaving me with a silly humongous smile. I thought 'there goes the woman I'd love to be in 20 years'.

After all our errands got done the kids and I collapsed indoors, so happy to be inside our beautiful warm home. jr cookie monster literally kissed the side of the fire place and said 'hi home, we missed you'. I said 'wow, that was a great,' and he interrupted me and said 'adventure', and I said 'yes, adventure'!

Rambling on to say that I'm grateful that the winter helped us meet an angel today.

A Wednesday, 7 Years Ago

we vowed love, unconditionally,
said si to one another - simpre

thank you
for the strength with which you always hold my hands
my heart,
my dreams,
my sorrow
my joy
our children

siempre

!feliz anniversario!

xo

They Say it's Your Birthday...

1 delightful-sexy-going-strong 7 year marriage
+
2 amazing children
+
4 marathons (42.2km in YVR, LGA, ORD & YYZ)
+
many moments of wanderlust (Brazil, Cuba, Guatemala, California...)
+
loving family
+
fulfilling many life goals, including working for the United Nations
+
wonderful life long friends, near and far (love ya Ms.C D Selsley, UK)
+
very special mama friends
+
excellent health
+
amazing babysitter (bakes a wicked pan of blondies!)
+
abundant life galore
+
village papa and the tribe's laughter, creativity and love
+
so, much, much more
= me today, 38

Thankful

Thankful for blogging. My links section is a work in progress, but definitely check out some of what inspires me daily.

Thankful for the creativity expressed on a local sandwich board - its strength put my latte factor at $2. That belly warmin' Americano was worth every single penny.

Thankful for creative brainstorms with my children.

Thankful that we have a warm, comfortable home, child-stuff strewn home.

Thankful for my children's health.

Thankful for mother nature's bountiful playground.

Thankful for the oversized trucks that bring squeals from jr cookie monster.

Thankful for many wonderful mama friends and their children.

Thankful that friends call to share joyful news of first time and second time pregnancies. Yay Mama K and yay soon to be Mama S!!

Thankful for our now almost vintage, 5-CD player from which the kids and I blare music all day long. This week's five were: Cold Play, Ray Lamontagne, Dave Matthews, Dave Matthews Live, and live Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds.

Village Papa went out dor dinner with a client last night. I was at home, exhausted from a week of too many interrupted sleeps and still having to juggle a delightfully hyper and wide awake toddler (who I'm trying to wean) and her high fevered, sadly delirious brother. So, so, so thankful for the delicious, mouthwatering Italian cuisine take-out village papa brought home. Yes, he ordered from the menu, especially for me. His tenderness is always expressed in bountiful gestures like this.

Thankful for surfing in Tofino.

Thankful, grateful, amazed, delighted, can say with all honesty, almost being married to village papa for seven years (anniv Feb 14) is a real manifestation of magic.