Doesn’t matter if its bread, potatoes, rice or pasta-I gotta have my carbs.  I would rather have an extra scoop of noodles than dessert, any single day of the week!  In the same way that people get sweet and chocolate cravings-I have carb attacks, especially salty carbs.  Lucky for me sometimes a handful of wholegrain pretzels can satisfy it.

So on the second day of being snowed in at the Mall of America, we discovered Noodles & Company.  I LOVE this concept-two different noodle bowl sizes done in Asian, Mediterranean or American Style.  I choose from the Asian section and sampled the Pad Thai-a rice noodle stir-fry with scrambled egg, carrots, cabbage, sweet chile, citrus, peanuts, sprouts and cilantro.  I added a chicken breast-yum!

The family also sampled a Chinese Chop Salad (sesame soy tossed mix greens, sprouts, cabbage, red pepper, cucumbers, carrots, crispy wontons and black sesame seeds), Pasta Fresca (penne with balsamic, olive oil, white wine and roasted garlic, red onion, tomato and spinach, Parmesan or feta)  Bangkok Curry (coconut curry, broccoli, carrots, red pepper, onion, mushrooms, rice, noodles, served on cabbage with black sesame seeds) and Pesto Cavatappi (curly pasta, basil pesto, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, wine, cream, Parmesan and Italian parsley.  Alas, we wanted to taste the Wisconsin Mac & Cheese but had no room.  And the best part-lunch for seven: $51!

Kath’s quote: “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”-Federico Fellini

the power of love

I believe in hospitality.  Over the years we’ve tried very hard not to turn down any of the kids’ request to open up our home to their friends.  Once I was woken up by one of those middle of the night calls-it was our son and I was so relieved to hear that he was okay, that when he told me that it was last call and he had told that band at the Zoo that they could crash at our place-I immediately agreed.  (As I fell back to sleep I remembered that my husband was away and wondered if I had done the right thing).  Well besides the fact that they used a lot of water -all having showers and washing their clothes in the middle of the night, I didn’t even know that they had been there.

Daughter #2 and her BF lead a youth group and wanted to treat them to a Christmas banquet.  The menu was traditional Christmas offerings but it really would not have mattered what was served-it was that they were assembled around one table of friendship.  They did want the kids to experience a formal setting and served them in courses. 

I think the evening was a hit based on the hilarity that went on while we were upstairs watching a season finale.  At the dinner table the gang were perfect ladies and gentlemen.

Kath’s quote:  “The ultimate aim of civility and good manners is to please: to please one’s guest or to please one’s host. To this end one uses the rules laid down by tradition: of welcome, generosity, affability, cheerfulness and consideration for others. People entertain warmly and joyously. To persuade a friend to stay for lunch is a triumph and a precious honour. To entertain many together is to honor them all mutually. It is equally an honour to be a guest.”-Claudia Roden

practice radical hospitality

In case you missed my column in this edition of Dish Magazine…..

For me, cozy is being inside but seeing the wind blow the snow around outside.  You can do this and enjoy savoury soups at Terrace 55 in Assiniboine Park or the Provence Bistro at the Niakwa Golf and Country Club. The Peasant Cookery has a couple of snugly booths to enjoy gooey poutine (to add an extra layer of insulation).

Sipping a glass of red wine in front of the fireplace at Buccacino’s or Confusion Corner Bar & Grill can warm up an evening-especially if you are getting caught up with a close friend.  The toss cushions and soft drapery of the Clay Oven on Kenaston is sure to cozy you up and an order of their Vindaloo Shrimp guarantees it (you can decide the fieriness).

The wood burning ovens at Pizzeria Gusto, Civita and Bonfire Bistro are sure to throw some heat.  Doesn’t matter what you order-its all good!  A hot made- from -scratch cocoa at Baked Expectations should increase your cozy quotient.          

If an intimate pub is your cup of tea, head to The Grove or the King’s Head for a pint and fish and chips.  Speaking of tea-special local blends are concocted at Cornelia Bean on Academy and are also served up, down the road at Saucers Cafe.  Isn’t it lovely to warm your hands around a cuppa? 

Somehow just “being” in St. Boniface especially during Festival is a toasty time.  Beaujena’s French Table and Step’n Out make you forget that it’s even winter outside.  Muddy Waters Smokehouse is a fun place to warm up after a skate.  Any of the Osborne Village eateries are good destinations when you stroll down the Riverwalk.  The restaurant business is a tough one after Christmas, so get out there and support Winnipeg’s bevy of cozy establishments. 

Kath’s quote:  “There is a communion of more than our bodies when bread is broken and wine drunk. And that is my answer, when people ask me: Why do you write about hunger, and not wars or love?” –M.F.K. Fisher

love Winnipeg

If freshness is measured by distance to the original product, our favourite fish and chip spot on Isla Mujeres has the freshest food that you will ever eat.    To enter, one must walk across a dock to a platform on the water.  If your dining table is on the west edge of the restaurant, you can watch the filleting process take place.  If fishermen and women pick Bally Hoo as a favourite dining spot-how could the fish not be the best? 

We have enjoyed Bally Hoo many times since our first visit in 2006.  One New Year’s we sat and enjoyed their killer mango margaritas  as we waited for family to return from a tour on the mainland; another year we met half of our gang arriving on Isla and shared lunch even before their suitcases were put away.  One year to celebrate D’s birthday, we made Bally Hoo a stop on a progressive dinner. 

The fish tacos and fish and chips are always made to order and carefully prepared for just the right combination of crispy batter and tender, piping hot fish inside.

The restaurant is perfectly located to catch the breeze off the water or to enjoy the sunset.  The sign over the open kitchen reads “Slow Food”-why would I want to rush?  I am in paradise.

Kath’s quote: “Fish should smell like the ocean. If they smell like fish, it’s too late.”-Unknown

love your neighbours as yourself

To say that our family adventure to Minneapolis this weekend did not go as expected would be a colossal understatement.  The premise was simple enough-head down for a Christmas shopping day on Saturday, go to the spa while the guys were at the Giants/Vikings game on Sunday, drive home Monday. 

We get lots of storms on the prairies but “The Great Storm of 2010” was so surprizing.  When we arrived at about 8:30 on Friday night there was not a trace of snow.  But on Saturday morning we couldn’t see across the little lake that we were staying on and the driveway was completely drifted in and we had to wait to be plowed out.  As we kept our plans of heading to the Mall of America, we thought “we’re hardy folk-how bad can this be?” OMGoodness-visibility was ZERO and that was before the snow froze to our wiper blades and we could not see out the windshield.  D had to skillfully maneuver around cars in the ditch and others parked underneath overpasses trying to clear their views. 

We did a first lap of the Mall and when we rendezvoused at about 2 pm, we let the gang decide where they wanted to eat.  I was a bit surpprized when with almost 40 choices, they picked the familiar- Tony Roma’s.  I guess they could see how stressed out we were and they too wanted something “safe and familiar.”

So we settled in for “stacked” chicken, seafood fettuccine and ribs of course.  The food was pleasant enough but the service was short-handed and distracted.  Little did we know that the city was in chaos and the mall was making arrangements to get staff home safely by closing early.  We’re reasonable people-we understood that we weren’t their priority.

We were all sitting around the same table, enjoying each other’s company and reflecting on our adventure thus far.  We knew that our vehicles had been guided through the storm by angels-we were content.

Kath’s quote: “Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.”-M.F.K. Fisher

Laugh often, love deeply.