Without further adieu:

7) Mandatory Sunday dinner with the kids. Even when we are up at the cottage for the weekend, we get back into town early enough to have them over for dinner.  In the summer we enjoy cocktail time in our big backyard while D has something roasting on the rotisserie and then assemble around the table on the deck. 

Chocolate croissants in the expired bread rack at Superstore.  if you have to get out of your cozy bed to get some groceries before your workday begins, I highly recommend this motivator.

9) A supper network set up for Mom’s with newborns by other Moms of newborns.  Imagine not even thinking about what to take out of the freezer for a couple of weeks. 

10) Home cooked foodie gifts: a good friend gave me a gift bag filled with a bottle of their homemade wine which we are serving over Christmas, a red pepper jelly which we have already put out for guests and plan to again and a loaf of banana bread which will be a our Christmas morning treat as we open gifts.

11) We’ve rediscovered Crepes.  The Garden Creperie used to be one of our favourite restaurants.  My choice was always the Crepe St. Jacques in those days.  I hear Kawaii Crepes in the village is absolutely wonderful and very affordable.

12) Breaking Bread with family at Christmas.  My Mom, three brothers, two sisters, three sister-in-laws, one brother-in-law, six nephews (and  their children and significant others), four nieces (and their SOs) all live in Winnipeg.  Two of D’s three brothers are home as well as two of his three sisters.    Along with D’s Mom and husband there are 13 nieces and nephews-7 are here to celebrate with us.

13) sorry I can’t stop….  the joy of giving and serving: fetching a beer, hanging up a coat, fixing a traditional recipe, sweeping a walk, cooking up a fancy breakfast for no special reason, tucking a surprize in a pocket, you take it from here.

I hope that you are surrounded with all of your favourite things this Christmas.  Perhaps you don’t have a list…then take a minute to create one.  It does the heart good to reflect on the blessings in our lives at Christmas.

Kath’s quote: “It is not good for all our wishes to be filled; through sickness we recognize the value of health; through evil, the value of good; through hunger, the value of food; through exertion, the value of rest.”-Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Peace on earth and godwill to all people.

I am “traditionally” built as coined by one of my favourite authors about his fictional character- Precious Ramotswe.  I have found myself a bit too busy these last couple of weeks for my Zumba class and my Stretch and Strengthen class is done until after Christmas.  I was approaching holiday eating with guilt and hesitation when Sister #3 sent me this yesterday:

” This woman is 51.  She is a TV health guruadvocating a holistic approach to nutrition and ill health, promoting exercise, a pescetarian diet high in organic fruits and vegetables. She recommends detox diets, colonic irrigation and supplements, also making statements that yeast is harmful, that the colour of food is nutritionally significant, and about the utility of lingual and fecal examination.

This woman is 50.  She is a TV cook, who eats nothing but meat, butter and desserts, washed down with lots of wine.  So forget eating more celery.  This Christmas, it’s food and red wine all the way.”

PS I had a chocolate croissant for breakfast….. 

Kath’s quote:  “You may feel that you have eaten too much…But this pastry is like feathers – it is like snow. It is in fact good for you, a digestive!”-M.F.K. Fisher

love indulgently

Ellen has her “12 Days of Give-Aways” and Oprah has her “Favourite Things” so I am reflecting on my year with my “12 Favourite Foodie Things” list:

1) the new kettle chip that I found at Shopper’s Drug Mart.  The label is “Simply Food” and they have a couple of flavours but I always get the basic.  You can actually taste the potato and they are not over salted.  The best thing is that almost every chip is folded into a half or even better-a quarter.  When my husband and I are sharing-he eats the flat ones and I get the rest!

2) the poutine at Le Gouter at Albert Beach.  Amazing fries even when “naked” and then topped with exactly the right amount of cheese and gravy.  Only thing that could make them better-real cheese curds like the ones served at The Peasant in the Exchange.

3) anything that I’ve tasted at Segovia!  Finally got to try it for my birthday in the spring and just a couple of times since.  My New Year’s resolution is to dine at Segovia at least once a month in 2011.

4) the Southern Fried Chicken at the Redhead in New York City.  I didn’t even order it but tasted it from Sister #3’s plate. We determined that it was marinated first in buttermilk but haven’t figured out the rest.   I am so blessed to have sisters and friends who are willing to take culinary adventures with me. 

5) Speaking of firsts…my first of what I know will be many visits to the  Mango Cafe on Isla Mujeres.  I’m happy to say that I’ll get that chance in just two months….ah Isla.

6) the tiny cookies that my Son’s new Mom- in- law made for their wedding.  I’ve asked her numerous times for the recipe but perhaps she knows that I will be sharing with you and so has yet to do so.

Stay tuned for the second half…..

Kath’s quote: “I have long believed that good food, good eating is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime ‘associates,’ food, for me, has always been an adventure.”-Anthony Bourdain

love-exciting and new

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