I saw this posted by a friend on FB. The article managed to almost capture a conversation that I've had over and over since getting back from our trip. In fact, D and I were discussing this very thing just yesterday over a well-deserved, relaxed and very enjoyable beer. When you go away with kids it is a trip. A trip is not necessarily a vacation. There are times when an event can be both a trip and a vacation... I guess, if that's your thing. I'm beginning to think though that travelling to a place you've never been before and staying in a wonderful new city or town or villa or whatever may never mean that I am having a vacation. If vacation means relax, read endlessly at breakfast with my coffee in hand, not have to think about food for even a second, stare contentedly at my umbrella topped drink, not even once have to read something in a language other than my mother tongue... then yeah, why would I travel somewhere wonderful for that. I can do that at home... mostly. If I'm in a new place then I want to see it and be a part of it. Walking around is my favourite way to do that cause I really do think that on foot you have a chance to take a place in... wander a bit. Weaving through streets and parks and taking turns that you might never consider in a car or be able to get to on a bus.
Nope, we took a trip. With our two kids on an overnight flight (they did better than we did with that), our destination in a 6 hr ahead time zone, got through customs, rented a car and drove about 45 minutes away from the airport to a place we'd never been to before. We stayed for a few days about 45 minutes outside of Amsterdam in a lovely, quiet 'trailer park' - these are not the north american trailer parks... think small cottages (2 bedrooms or more) on a compound and all with boat access to a lake. We travelled to the North Sea for a friends wedding. We hopped on a plane and spent a weekend in London whooping it up with family. Saw as much of downtown London that we could in 3 hours. Hopped on another plane 72 hrs after arriving and found our way back to Amsterdam. Stayed in Amsterdam for another 3 days before plopping onto a big plane and landing back in Toronto.

One of our rare family shots with D's wonderful university buddy on my right... the best host ever!

Just outside the only museum we dragged our kids to.

The small row boat on the left was used to completely embarrass my children when I took them out in it... and rowed terribly of course

It was wonderful. It was exciting. It was not frenetic but it was NOT doing nothing.
We still cooked. We walked through markets. We searched for ice cream. We made sure that a nose piercing happened. We kept kids happy, healthy and entertained (which isn't really much of a chore with our kids) and it was amazing but make no mistake... it's not a vacation. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

One of the few indulgences...

My morning coffee oasis

Did I mention that we threw in a weekend in London... family reunion and all

St Paul's just in case you needed further proof

On one deliciously hot, steamy night with jet lag throwing us all off our game and not really knowing what the hell was in the fridge of the cottage, this is what I found and threw together. Everyone was very happy.


Fridge Pasta 
serves 4 (maybe)

2 cups dry pasta - rotini, spaghetti, fusilli, whatever - boiled to al dente, drained (reserve pasta water) and set aside
1/2 cup onion (or green onion, leek... whatever) diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red pepper, thinly sliced - or green pepper or eggplant or sausage or mushroom or whatever
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken diced - or cooked hamburgers, or hotdog sausages or whatever
1/2 cup tomato, finely diced with juice
1 peach - or nectarine or plum or whatever - peeled, diced and crushed
1/2 cup beer or stock or wine or milk
1/3 cup pasta water
1/4 cup cream
2 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
- optional - pinch of pepper sauce (cause I never leave that)
1 tbsp lemon zest or orange zest or lime zest
1/2-3/4 cup cheese (any cheese) diced
1/2 cup fresh herbs - parsley, chive, oregano, whatever - coarsely chopped

Heat a large skillet over medium heat
Add about 3 tbsp olive oil.
Throw in the onion, garlic, red pepper and zucchini. Cook over med/low heat for about 7-10 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown nicely.
Add in the chicken and heat for another 4 minutes.
Add in the tomato and peach. Mix well
Add in the beer/stock/whatever and pasta water. Stir for two minutes.
Add the cream, salt, pepper, lemon zest and pepper sauce (optional)
Mix well and heat through (about 4 minutes)
Check the taste and adjust if necessary
Turn heat off and add in the pasta. Mix well
Take the whole skillet to the table and sprinkle the diced cheese and the fresh herbs over everything.
Serve.

It's summer.  I realize that turning on your oven in the middle of the hottest season may not be your thing.  If you have been reading me for a while (say at least as far back as last summer) then you might have gathered that I'm not big on the grilling/bbq thing.  In fact, that is an understatement.  I don't care about it to the point of considering selling my bbq... if it were in decent enough shape to sell that is.  It's not.  There is almost no time that I even consider using my bbq in favour of my stove/oven.  I don't know why.  It's a fault I guess.
It may be one of those nature vs nurture things.  Once the weather got decent enough in southern Ontario, my Dad would unveil the bbq, clean it and get it fired up.  We would bbq on weekly basis for the most part.  Now when it comes to food, my Dad is into simple and honest.  Having said that he's come a long way - he now believes that garlic is something that could conceivably be used in a recipe without wrecking it (I think that he even goes as far as eating garlic bread once in a while), he also has been seen consuming pizza (something that the rest of us had to eat when he had already gone to bed because it was gross) and I have even seen him eat lasagna - stop the presses.  I am told by my Mom (whom I just assume is honest and trustworthy) that Dad ate chicken curry once and although I'm sure it's true I will only fully believe when I see that with my own eyes.  Back then though, Dad was a farmers kid to the bone.  Garlic was something you hang around your neck in case of vampires, pasta may or may not be a real food and only if served with potatoes as well.  BBQ meant meat, on a grill, cooked through (really cooked through) and served... buns optional.  Rubs, sauces and garlic nowhere to be found.  It didn't sell me on grilling and perhaps that is what has stuck through all of these years.  It's a great excuse story and I'm just gonna go with it.
We will fire up the bbq if we are having people over for dinner or a big party or something but it seems like such a bother to do it otherwise.  And we make sauces.  Sauces are essential - D is the sauce man for the most part.  The sauces get put on everything.  Would you like some chicken with your sauce would not be an inappropriate question.  Veggies are also essential.  On a skewer, preferably marinated and when done right might just outshine the burgers and chicken.  It's a production.


No grill was harmed in the making of this recipe. A oven was heated up about it though but unharmed as it turns out.  For those of you who may be hardcore bbq people at this time of year I think that there may be a very good way to make this whole recipe happen on your grill.  You could grill your veggies in the marinade at low heat and then get the grill up just a bit and do the pie itself.
This has nothing to do with anything really but I thought that you all should know that kid #2 has eaten only hotdogs for the last 60 hrs.  Extended 8th birthday celebrations.  I'm not joking... even for breakfast.



Fennel, Pepper and Sausage Crostata
serves 4

Crust:
2 cups flour
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp parmesan cheese, shredded
1/3 cup ice water

Filling:
1 lb sausage of choice - whole and uncooked
1 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced into 1 inch thick strips
1 lg or 2 sm fennel bulbs, washed and cut into 4 or 5 pieces
1 med/small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch strips
salt and pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup mozzarella
1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 300° F
Place all of the cut vegetables on a large baking sheet.  Add the sausage.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle on the brown sugar.
Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Toss everything together and spread out evenly on the baking sheet.
Bake for about 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool for about 15 - 20 minutes

Meanwhile:
Combine the flour, salt, sugar and parmesan together in a large bowl.
Add the cold butter.
Cut in the butter with two knives or a pastry cutter until the butter is no bigger than little peas and everything looks kinda of crumbly.
Add enough of the ice water to keep the dough together in a ball but it shouldn't be too wet.
Cover the dough and let it chill for about 30 minutes (you can let the veggies and sausage cool)

Put it all together:
Preheat oven to 350°F
Line a large baking sheet with parchment, cornmeal or a silicon liner
Slice the cooled sausages into 1 cm thick rounds
Roll out the dough (edges should be rough not even) to about 1 cm thickness and place on the parchment.
Spread the cooled veggies and sliced sausage evenly on the dough leaving about a 3 cm edge around the circumference.
Sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan cheese on the top.
Fold the edges over on to the veggies. Brush the edges with a little olive oil
Bake for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown at the edges.
Cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

The first week of the next 10 months is squarely behind us all.  Thank Jeebus.  It felt like the starting gun went off and the race is on.  It won't stop now until June 2014.  Long race.  I went to the staff social on Friday after work.  This is newsworthy because I never go.  Nobody noticed because we were all too shell shocked to really converse with each other in any meaningful way.  No amount of alcohol could help us.
Kid #2 has added to his PTSD-inducing-non-stop-talking by way of making movies on my phone.  He sets up the phone on the couch so that it's at precisely the right angle to catch his moves (talking non-stop) and then records himself acting out some sword fight from something or other.  Full sound effects and stage worthy bow at the end.  Who says violent video games don't do damage.  He's done about 12 movies so far.  The only thing that changes is the lighting (afternoon into evening).  I have already deleted 6.
Kid #1 is happily walking into 'teen land' having started at a new school (an arts school which she had to audition for and we're very proud of her for getting accepted into).  We've been inundated with stories of new friends, new teachers (all of whom are epic apparently) and how today's dance class was... oh yeah, and can I take clarinet lessons (god... NO)
Huffington Post classified this piece as 'Weird News' but I don't think that there is anything weird about it.  In fact, I was thankful for the information and appreciated the commitment to education that the artist displays.  Be warned: There is audio that kicks in automatically (which I can't stand Huffington Post... Please make it my choice, Thank You) so if your kids aren't comfortable with the word 'clitoris' then think about volume.


First pay cheque day is not until the middle of the month which means we are still scrounging around and making whatever we can find in cupboards and the freezer.  Beans are my friend.  Orzo is cheap but looks classy.  Fortunately, being the end of summer means that vegetables are plentiful.  Also, fortunate that I haven't used everything in the freezer from last year.  I think that the very last thing will be soup with last years frozen green beans and broccoli along with whatever is dying in the crisper.  I would guess that this dish comes in at well under 10$ in total but don't quote me on that.  If it's not under 10$ then it's awfully damn close which is saying something when it makes that much food.


Corn, Zucchini and Tomato Orzo adapted from Eat to Thrive
serves 6-8

1 generous cup orzo, uncooked
1/2 cup onion
1 med/lg zucchini, thinly sliced
3 cups cremini or button mushroom, stems removed and quartered
1 cup corn kernels
1 can (about 400 ml) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups diced tomato (keep the juice)
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp honey
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Bring about 3 cups of water to a boil.  Add salt and then the orzo.  Cook until al dente (about 8 minutes).  Drain - reserving some liquid - and set aside.
Heat a heavy bottomed dutch oven or large pot over med heat.  Add about 2 tbsp oil.
Add the onion and the zucchini.  Cook for about 6 or 7 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes - turn down the heat a bit if you need to.
Add in the corn kernels and drained black beans.  Mix well
Add the tomato with the juice, vegetable broth, honey, salt, chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder and cardamom.  Mix and simmer at med/low heat for a few minutes.
Turn the heat down to low and add in the cooked orzo - add a little bit of the pasta water - and mix well.
Add the cheddar cheese and mix.  Remove from heat, cover and allow the cheese to melt for about 5 minutes.
Serve.

I have learned a lot this summer.
I have learned that 7 yr olds talk a lot.  A hell of a lot.  I'd forgotten how much they talk.  Twelve year olds talk a lot too but it's mostly about things that make sense so it feels more interactive and less like I'm getting hit over the head with words.
I have learned that both Kid #1 and #2 quite possibly get their 'gift of gab' from me because I have a tendency to talk a lot at inopportune times... like when someone next to me is trying to sleep.
I have learned that there is a way for my bike to get pimped so that I can have two fenders: a front and a back.  This knowledge will not only save me about $700 (I don't need to buy a new bike this year) it has also changed my life.
I have learned that chocolate does not own me and I don't own it.  We can coexist happily and I can eat it if and when I feel like it and it can sit in my cupboard and neither of us are the lesser for it.  In fact, I have learned that my sweet tooth isn't a constant.  This has made for a cooler summer (very little oven activity) and less money for Lindt.  I don't think they're feeling it though.
I have learned that sometimes a vacation with two kids doesn't actually feel like a vacation and that maybe it's worth having them bring a friend next time.  This is problematic because we don't have room  in our car for two friends unless one can fit into a trunk.


I could go on but I will spare you the mind blowing details.  Needless to say, all of this learning has left me feeling a little empty on the inside.  A couple of days ago I was so embedded in the couch (which is a new couch so it makes sense) that it took me ten minutes to talk myself into getting up to eat something.  I didn't even want to think - it took effort.  How does one make food in such a state.  Can one cook from the couch (food is off limits on my couch BTW... in fact, it's not even allowed within a foot of the couch).  It began to get critical by about day 4 of toast.  Finally what I did was wrench myself from the loving arms of the couch, take a look at what we had left in the fridge or hanging around it and then did a google search for those items.  This is what I came up with.

Please note the wrinkling, shrivelling tomato

I would say that the potatoes and zucchini are essential here but everything else is up for grabs.  You could add or subtract at will.  I almost added corn because it's in my freezer but decided to save it for soup later because I'll need to go through this process again in about 36 hrs.


Summer Vegetable Gratin Mess adapted from Yum and More
serves 4 as a main course

4 med/sm potatoes, thinly sliced (peeled optional)
1 med/lg zucchini, thinly sliced
1 med tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (1 sm) onion, diced
3 small cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 lbs (about 3 - 4) sausage (mild italian or honey garlic are nice) casings removed [sausages are optional]
1 cup cheese (gruyere, aged cheddar), shredded
1 1/2 cups cream or half and half
3/4 goat cheese or cream cheese (I used goat cheese which has more tang and less sweet)
1 tsp dijon
1 tsp pepper sauce (optional)
1/2 cup wine (optional - use more cream or veg stock)
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp herb mix (dash each of basil, oregano, thyme)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
drizzle of honey

Preheat oven to 375°F
Butter or grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
Heat a heavy bottomed pan or sauté dish over med heat.  Add the sausage and the onion together (if not using sausage then add a little oil to the pan first).  Cook together over medium heat until the onion is beginning to soften and the meat is just beginning to brown.  Add the crushed garlic and continue to cook over medium heat for about a minute.  Add the wine and pepper sauce (if using) and cook down until the mixture is almost dry (about 8 minutes over med/low heat).  Drain off excess fat and set aside.

Whisk together the cream, goat cheese and dijon until the cheese has mixed into the cream.  Set aside.


Begin to lay slices of the potato and zucchini alternately and overlapping in rows on the baking sheet.  Intersperse with a slice of tomato every once in a while.  Once the veggies have been placed on the baking dish then sprinkle the veggies with the salt, the herb mix and the nutmeg.  Drizzle with a tbsp or so of honey over everything.  Sprinkle the sausage mixture over the veggies and cheese mixture.  Pour the cream mixture over everything.
Cover with foil and bake for about 50 minutes.
Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Bake for another 15 - 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and brown.
Cool for about 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

Have you ever had this happen to you...
1.  You've just made something that you are mildly happy with,  like fish tacos or beef stroganoff or anything involving eggplant,  and within a few hours you happen across the perfect recipe for the exact thing that you just made.  I hate it when that happens.
What about this one?
2.  You know that your bike light is always attached to your backpack so you don't have to make sure it's there ahead of time.  You're ready to leave because if you don't go now you're gonna be late and low and behold your bike light is not where it should be and ten minutes later you still can't find your bike light... you run around swearing under your breath (maybe) and blaming any and everyone... and then you find it in your pocket... that totally sucks.
3.  And then there's the bathroom thing.  You know - you go just before you leave but because you had tea (or maybe a beer) about 15 minutes before that you have to go again once you're about 10 minutes down the road... frustrating.


Number one happens to me a lot.  I guess that it goes with the territory being a food person and all [can I just say out loud once that I have a problem with the term 'foodie']  That's kinda the bad news.  In my case, I usually find about 4 recipes that are 'PERFECT' and/or 'Make. This. Now. Or. Else.'  and/or 'This will seriously change your life' and inevitably I find them right after I've pulled something relatively mediocre but edible from the oven.  The good news is that this is not one of those recipes.  It's pretty good and I am pretty happy with it.  Except it got a little burnt which sucks because then you can't see the colours as much (burnt food = darkish brown colour).  Fortunately it still tasted good to everyone except Kid #2 who is making me a little Cra-Cra with the veggie thing.  He declared that the vegetables tastes sour and spent 1 1/2 hrs getting through half of his piece.  I stomp.  I fume.  I leave the room to cool off.  I come back and fume some more.  I tell him he'll never get cheesy noodles (our name for that crap that comes in a box) again and that maybe I'll never teach him how to bike on a two-wheeler.  I stomp some more.  He's gagged his way through two bites.  I mentally run through my list of reasons why my parenting is a failure.  I refrain from crying.  He gags through another piece or maybe two.  We finally go outside to continue learning to bike on a two-wheeler because the cheesy noodle ban I can live but the two-wheeler biking ban was always just a desperate and manipulative lie (add another thing to my 'Parent Failure' list).  We sit down at the end of the day and talk about how important eating good food is and how we want him to grow up big, strong and smart and he claims that he understands and promises to try harder.


Kid #1 ate her piece quietly and washed the dishes (apparently I was a successful parent with one of them)


Right now I'm in Vermont, on vacation.  Sitting outside in the middle of a sunny, beautiful afternoon hearing nothing but wind blowing through trees and a cold beer beside me, I feel like I'm an ok parent and can laugh (weakly) about the incident.  None of this changes the fact that this recipe is in fact a slightly-better-than-nice way to deal with the bounty of summer.  If you are so inclined, serve each piece with a drizzle of good olive oil and some torn basil.


Grilled Summer Vegetable Crostada adapted from Camilla Styles
serves 6
makes 1 large pie

1 med. eggplant, seme-peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick long slices
2 med/small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick long slices
1 lg red pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch wide strips
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 - 4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
sprinkling of salt
600 g (about a cup) fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/3 cup parmesan, freshly grated

Crust:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat or red fife flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

*Make the crust the night before or morning of*
For Crust:
Combine the flours, baking powder, salt and cubed butter.  Use a couple of knives or a pastry cutter (or apparently you can throw it all in a food processor - check the original recipe) and cut it all together until it forms a crumbly texture and none of the flour is still dry.  Add enough sour cream or yogurt to allow the mixture to form a ball that stays together easily.
Cover in a left over bag or plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hrs or overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8th of an inch thickness.
Place on a lined cookie sheet - there should be between 1 1/2 and 2 inches hanging over all of the edges.
For the vegetables:
Place the eggplant, zucchini and peppers in a large bowl.
Add the garlic, olive oil, worcestershire, balsamic vinegar and salt.  Coat the veggies completely and let them marinate for about a half hour.
Heat the grill to about 500°.  Turn the heat on the grill down to about medium.  Place the eggplant and zucchini on the grill and grill each side for about 5 minutes.  Remove from the grill.  Place the red pepper on the grill skin side down.  Grill until the skins are burnt.  Remove the peppers to a bowl (or paper bag) and cover with plastic wrap for a few minutes.  Meanwhile, place the grilled eggplant and zucchini on the prepared pie crust.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Add about half of the sliced mozzarella around the veggies and sprinkle with a little salt and parmesan.
Remove the plastic wrap from the peppers and remove the skin (should just about fall off).  Arrange the peppers around the other veggies.  Add the rest of the mozzarella, another sprinkling of salt and the rest of the parmesan.
Fold the edges of the crust over the veggies.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the veggies aren't burnt.
Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

No less than 3 times over the past week and a half have I found myself intimately discussing women's bodies.  It wasn't the good kind of discussing unfortunately.  It made me sad.  It reminded me that for women body image hasn't changed much since the late fifties.  Very sad.  It reminded me that as a woman body image is going to be an uphill challenge for the rest of my life.
One conversation was regarding the royal pregnancy (which, can I just reiterate here - I don't care much about at all beyond 'it's nice they had a baby') and more specifically the royal post pregnancy body.  Now this I care about.  I am absolutely incensed that Kate is being maligned for having a post pregnancy belly not two days after giving birth.  I must give kuddo's where kuddo's are due.  Since most celebrities either don't show their post-birth bodies until they've lost all of the weight or they have surgery immediately after the birth, I must applaud Kate for what must have been a very gutsy and honest decision... to walk out of that hospital.  Guess what.  That's what most women look like after giving birth.  It's beautiful - she and her beautiful belly are powerful and gorgeous.
Another conversation was about a woman's legs and booty.  A performer was wearing a wonderful pair of shorts which beautifully showed off her ample thighs and booty.  She wasn't skinny.  She had cellulite (OMG).  She was gorgeous.  Not just her face but all of her... absolutely gorgeous.  My friend thought that, although this woman had a beautiful face, she needed to keep that thigh stuff under wraps... clothing more specifically.  Allow me to clarify that the performer was not wearing anything obscene.  To clarify further, I don't believe that cellulite is obscene.
A third conversation was about not wearing shorts... for many years because of insecurity and fear of judgment.  By the third conversation I was starting to feel frustrated, angry and even militant.

This weeks food box contents - for those interested.

So now I start thinking out loud.  Just rambling really because I can't even quite put together what is most upsetting for me about this whole body image thing.
Cellulite, jiggling, flat stomach, ripped abs, stretch marks, arm flab... hell, even grey hair.  Everything must be altered according to.. to what?  Social convention?  I don't even know but it feels like we are never good enough unless we've changed stuff about how we look and therefor we are constantly working on changing it so that it better matches what we see on a page or on a screen 'cause sure as shit our mirrors don't reflect those images back at us.  I wonder:

Why do we judge each other's bodies with such damning severity?
After all of these years, is Twiggy still the only benchmark for body beauty?
Is my daughters generation as obsessed with body image as my generation is/was?
Who cares if people think I'm fat?  I'm not hiding.

I've been reading this blogger quite a bit over the past few months.  I especially loved what she said about running and really exercise in general.  She has given me hope that there are a growing number of women out there not constantly judging themselves and others against this extremely rigid model of beauty or so-called normal.

I love what this photographer is promoting.  Sometimes I feel like I'm going to cry when I look at the pictures.

When I think about the crazy that surrounds weight loss on this continent it makes my head spin.  Keeping us  - most especially women - unhappy with their bodies means that a lot of people make a lot of money.  A lot.  Quite frankly, none of us can keep up with all of the diets and 'good' advice.


To conclude my not-so-well-put-together rant:  I don't believe that skinny is beautiful.  I don't believe that fat is beautiful.  I believe that being a woman is beautiful... whatever her shape and size.  I'm so tired of fighting against the machine that my insides hurt.  I believe that I am beautiful because I am.

Here is a recipe of food that tasted good.  Eat and love yourself.


Roasted Summer Vegetables with Sausage and Rotini
serves 6

2 fennel heads, cut into 1 inch thick slices
2 red pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch thick lengths
2 yellow or green zucchini, halved and cut into 1 inch thick slices
4 italian sausages (about 1 - 1 1/2 lbs), halved
5 - 6 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
4 cups rotini pasta, cooked al dente (as per the package instruction time)
juice from half a lemon
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup (approx. - think a generous sprinkling) parmesan cheese, grated
drizzle more of olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place all of the vegetables on a big baking sheet or cookie sheet.  Add the olive oil and toss the veggies to coat everything.  Spread the veggies out evenly on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add the pieces of sausage to the top.
Roast for about 25 - 30 minutes or just until the veggies have browned nicely at the edges.
(Meanwhile - cook the pasta if you need to)
Remove the baking sheet and cool slightly.  Sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg.
Combine the veggies and pasta together in a large bowl and toss well.
Add the lemon juice and toss.
Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and toss.
Drizzle with a little more olive oil if you like.

I exhale and realize that slowly, steadily, each time I exhale this week I will unwind just a little more.  It's a wonderful thought.  By this time next week I will have gotten through planning choirs for all of the remaining weddings for the summer, gotten all of the emails ready for those weddings, taken a group of 33 boys to sing the anthems at a Jays game honouring Carlos Delgado (the name means very little to me, a non-baseball fan, but I'm sure that you all are duly impressed), gotten through a lot of birthdays (I forgot to count this time around) and... well... I can't think of anything else.  Maybe there is nothing else.
I pulled the cookie sheet out of the cupboard today and tried to think of the last time I made cookies.  I can't recall it.  My mind is blanking and it's been happening a lot - I'm not worried though.  Sometimes the thought that I might not remember things is kind of comforting.  KT, knowing my gift anxiety and challenges, requested oatmeal cookies for her birthday.  I didn't make them while it was 2 billion degrees in the kitchen so they're a couple of days late but the were very cute and hopefully very yummy and now they are gone... some into her belly and some into her freezer.  Plain oatmeal cookies.

These are not plain, oatmeal cookies.

A royal baby was born.  Thank jeebus.  I'm not a monarchist in the least.  I somewhat resent the institution.  I definitely resent the imperial and colonial history that the institution represents and I certainly think that today we could find much better places to spend tax dollars (for Brits anyway).  However, the hoopla is going to be there whether I like it or not and I for one am glad that the child is with us... so we can have some peace.  I am also a little uneasy about the public spectacle of that extremely private event.  We didn't ask to see their wedding night sheets, did we?  It feels a little weird.


I met a guy who is just starting to train for a body building show.  He's already built but it will take another 18 weeks to get him show ready.  The diet changes have started and he's gradually ramping up his workouts.  By the time he's ready to show he'll be working out multiple hours a day and eating god knows how few calories to stay in his weight class.  Plus - no drinking.  The whole thing sounds scary to me.  The spray tan alone would decide things for me... no spray tan.

These super hero's have been watching my every move today.

KT was asking about my next tattoo and I'm really really ready to get one but the summer is realistically not the time.  I'm living on fumes (no paycheques in the summer) and you have to keep that new ink out of the sun for a short period of time.  A short period of time is pretty much what we call the season of 'summer' around here so if I have to keep a non-private-parts part of my body out of the sun then it could miss the whole summer.  Like hell.  I'll do it when I get back to work - with paycheques and work clothes.  I got it alllll planned though.


I thought that this parenting article pretty much covered me all around.  Cue sigh of relief and Wanda out.  The kids are out with two friends (who also happen to be brother and sister) having a play date which is why I'm sitting here writing this post in the first place.

This was my lunch and I thought you might care... I still might eat more.  It wasn't as filling as I thought it would be.

And finally, muffins made of stuff that isn't all salt, sugar, fat (a book that I'm just finishing up BTdub) but a little salt, sugar, fat.  Zucchini  - definitely in the clear.  Banana - yeah, it gets a pass.  Chocolate - I used good quality, organic, fair, righteous, humble and courageous - ok, we'll let it through.  I even threw some whole wheat flour in their just to make you feel that this was probably one of the best uses for that zucchini wilting in your fridge and that banana freezing in your freezer.  Kid #1 and #2 didn't even realize that it contained zucchini just in case your looking for a way to get something like that into your kids digestion system.

Please note super hero trio in the upper right corner... creepy.

Zucchini, Banana, Chocolate Muffins adapted from Martha Stewart
makes 12 lg muffins

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup red fife or whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups (scant) grated zucchini
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup mashed banana (about 1 banana)
3/4 cup (or so) chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F
Line a muffin tin with about 12 muffin liners.
Combine both flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg together in a bowl.  Add the grated zucchini and mix until the zucchini is well incorporated and completely coated with the flour mixture.  Mix well and set aside.
In another bowl mix together the milk and egg.  Whisk to mix.
Add the mashed banana and mix well.
Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and whisk together only until everything is wet.
Add the chopped chocolate and mix until the chocolate is evenly distributed.
Spoon into the muffin cups.  I filled mine just barely to the top edge.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes clean out of the middle muffin cup.
Cool before eating.

It's getting to that time again.
Cool nights.  School meetings.  Dance class registration.  Pens and Pencils.  Getting the lunch kits ready for use.  Earlier evenings. The freezer is getting more and more full - green beans, pesto, corn, peas.  The fruit is frozen and waiting for me to turn it into perfect little jars of jam.  And tomatoes... that's how I really know.  The tomatoes.  I've got 3 bushels ready to go.  I feel a little scared each year that I do it but it's so worth it afterwards.  In the middle of the winter when I'm pulling out a jar of my own sauce or my own diced tomatoes... it's so worth it.  So, fall is upon us.


With everything else going on in the kitchen right now I'm finding myself a little uninspired about getting meals together.  The lovely thing about fresh summer veg is that it does so well on it's own.  It doesn't ask to be fiddled too much with to taste fantastic.  We've had our fair share of meals consisting of corn cobs and mashed potatoes. Doused in butter and sprinkled lightly with salt it's hard to imagine anything better.  You can only get along with just corn for so long before the troops start to protest.  Fortunately for the all of us my hand was forced.  I had to use up some meat.


Derek has this terrible habit of taking meat out of the freezer and then not using it.  Granted, he does it with the best of intentions.  He just gets busy and then the next thing he knows it's 4 days later and the meat hasn't been cooked and has gone bad.  We've had to keep a stricter eye on things since we are spending more on meat to get good quality, grass fed stuff.  So the meat that he took out had to get used up and this dish was born.


It's kind of a throw-in-whatever-you've-got-kind-of-thing.  It's one of those things where the finished product is much much better than the sum of it's parts.  It's very forgiving but some small details will make all the difference.  The roasting is nice so using vegetables that you can roast it will taste infinitely better.  If I had even more time (or inclination) then I would have grilled the veggies - that would be the best.  Either way, the corn is crunchy and sweet, the pork is perfect and the tomato is divine.  I used a cheese that contained black peppercorns and it definitely added a nice kick.


Corn, Roasted Tomato and Zucchini Pasta (I made this one up... I swear)
serves 6

1 med. leek (or 1/2 cup onion), thinly sliced
1 med. zucchini, thickly sliced
2 1/2 cups (or about 3 med sized) tomato, thickly sliced
1 ears of fresh corn or about 2 cups of kernels
1 lb ground pork or 5 about slices of bacon finely chopped
1/4 cup mixed herbs, chopped
1 veggie boullion cube
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 cup semi soft cheese (brie, brick etc), cubed
4 cups penne pasta cooked to al dente

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon liner.
Place the sliced zucchini and tomato onto the baking sheet.  Brush lightly with oil or fat.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and roast for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the zucchini is looking soft and well browned.
Meanwhile in a wok or large pan heat a little oil and add in the sliced leeks.  Cook for about 3 minutes or so.  Add in the corn kernels and cook together for about 8 - 9 minutes.  Add a little more oil or fat if necessary.
Add in the ground pork.  Cook together and stir regularly.  After the meat browns add in the veggie boullion, Worcestershire Sauce, honey and salt.  Continue to cook for another few minutes.  Add in the roasted zucchini and tomato.  Toss together.
Add in the cooked pasta and toss to combine.
Top with the cubed cheese.
Serve warm or at room temperature.