STRESSED? TURN IT AROUND. MAKE DESSERTS!

Betty Crocker’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 c brown sugar, packed
2 eggs (or 2 T ground flax plus 6 T water)
2 tsp vanilla

Stir in 3 cups flour
1 t. soda
1 t salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
optional: 1 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 375 F. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly before removing.

Makes 6 dozen.

Martha Stewart's Cookies - Cornmeal Biscotti
Yield : Makes about 2 dozen

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and mix until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, until well combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture all at once; mix until just combined. Add lemon zest, cranberries, and pistachios and mix until combined.
Transfer dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pat into a log that is roughly 14 by 3 1/2 inches. Bake until firm, lightly browned, and slightly cracked on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.
Transfer log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake cookies, rotating sheet halfway through, until they begin to brown at edges, 15 to 18 minutes.

Rum Balls

allrecipes chocolate rum balls

total times 45 mins makes 48

3 1/4 cups crushed vanilla wafers

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 cup rum

In a large bowl, stir together the crushed vanilla wafers, 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and nuts. Blend in corn syrup and rum.

Shape into 1 inch balls, and roll in additional confectioners' sugar. Store in an airtight container for several days to develop the flavor. Roll again in confectioners' sugar before serving.

Two-Bite Cheesecake
Kraftcanada.com

prep time 15 min total time 3 hr 30 min

makes 24 servings, 1 cheesecake (18 g) each

24 Mini Chips Ahoy! or Nilla wafers

1 pkg. (250 g) Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

24 Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

PLACE 1 cookie, flat-side down, in each of 24 paper-lined mini muffin cups. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add egg; beat on low speed just until blended. Spoon over cookies.

BAKE 13 to 15 min. or until centres are almost set. Immediately top with Buttons.

COOL 1 hour or to room temperature before removing from pan. Refrigerate 2 hours.

kraft kitchens tips

Note: This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.

Substitute 1 bar (100 g) Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate, finely chopped, or 3/4 cup cherry pie filling for the Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons.

Cheesecakes can be refrigerated up to 2 days before serving.

Peppermint Dazzler

1 1/2 c graham crackers (10 rectangles)

3 T sugar

1/3 c margarine, melted

3 eggs *

1/3 c powdered sugar

1/2 c margarine

1 c (6 oz) chocolate chips

2 c Cool Whip

2 c mini marshmallows

15 hard peppermint candies, crushed

*In a heavy saucepan, stir together the eggs and either sugar, water or other liquid from the recipe (at least 1/4 cup sugar, liquid or a combination per egg). Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the egg mixture coats a metal spoon with a thin film or reaches 160° F. Immediately place the saucepan in ice water and stir until the egg mixture is cool. Proceed with the recipe.

Combine crumbs, sugar, and melted margarine and press into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Melt chocolate chips and margarine together. Beat eggs and powdered sugar till light and fluffy, then add chocolate mixture. Spread on crust and freeze till firm (about 20-30 minutes). Fold marshmallows into Cool Whip and spread over chocolate layer. Sprinkle with crushed peppermints and freeze at least 1 hour. Cut inTO 24 squares and serve frozen.

Toblerone Shortbread

1 cup butter, softened (do not use margarine)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1/4 cup cornstarch

2 -3 Toblerone chocolate bars

Cream butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Beat until light and fluffy.

Add flour and cornstarch gradually while beating continuously. Beat until light.

Take one teaspoon of shortbread mixture and slightly flatten between palm of your hands.

Place one triangle of Toblerone in the center of the shortbread and top with another slightly flattened teaspoon of shortbread mixture. Seal edges of cookie perimeter with fingers.

Bake in oven at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 12-14 minutes.

Magic Bars

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a fork.

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature.

Transfer log to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake cookies, rotating sheet halfway through, until they begin to brown at edges, 15 to 18 minutes.

Five Minute Fudge (Carnation)

2/3 cup (small can) evaporated milk

2 T butter

1 2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 cup (16 medium, diced or mini marshmallows)

1 1/2 cup (3 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 t vanilla

1/2 chopped nuts

Mix first 4 ingredients. Add next 4 ingredients. Mix over medium heat in saucepan. Bring to boil 5 mins, stirring continually. Remove from heat. Cool in 8x8” pan.

Sucre à la Crème (Mel, microwave ?watts)

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup 35% cream

1 tsp. butter

opt. chopped nuts - walnut?

Mix the 3 ingredients. Microwave on high for 5 1/2 mins, then stir well. Repeat on high again in 5 1/2 (11 mins total). Let set 6 mins. Add 1 tsp. butter. If you want to add chopped nuts, do it now! Stir until thick (opaque). 

METRO Recipe #5821
Maple Fudge
Preparation: 30 min
30 squares portion(s)

2 cups (500 mL) maple syrup
3 Tbsp. (45 mL) butter
1 cup (250 mL) 35 % cream
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped nuts (optional)
Preparation
Heat the syrup and butter in a casserole and simmer gently for 5 minutes. 
Add cream and let cook until the candy thermometer shows a temperature of 118°C (245°F). 
Add nuts and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes. 
Using an electric beater (or hand mixer) beat the mixture for 10 minutes at maximum speed. 
Pour into a buttered mould and let cool completely in the refrigerator before cutting into pieces.

Butter Tarts

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

2 tbsp butter (melted)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract OR 1/2 nutmeg and salt

1 cup raisins

24 frozen tart shells

Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs and melted butter at low speed until combined. Whip at high speed for 2 minutes. Add vanilla and raisins, and mix thoroughly. Fill tart shells 3/4 to 7/8 full.

Cook at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 F, and cook for 20-22 minutes. 

Company's Coming Rainbow Squares

500g or 1 lb icing sugar

500g or 1 lb unsweetened coconut (short)

1 tin eagle brand condensed milk

pinch of salt

Mix together. Divide into 3 parts. Color one part red and one blue or green. Leave one part white. Press into lightly butter loaf pan 9.5x5 starting with blue, then white, then pink. Refridgerate, at least overnight. Cut small. Freezes well.

Apricot Squares

2/3 cup dried apricots

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup flour

2 egg yolks ?

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

icing

1/4 cup butter

2 cup icing sugar

1 lemon, juice and rind

Preheat oven to 300F. Cut apricots into small pieces and simmer with water in small saucepan for about fifteen mins until water absorbed. Mix butter, sugar and flour and press into 9” square cake pan. Bake for 15 mins. Remove and increase oven temp to 350F. Beat 2 egg yolks, and combine with brown sugar, coconut, flour, salt, baking powder, apricots, and any remaining cooking water. Spread mixture on crust and bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, combine butter, icing sugar and lemon. Spread on cooled squares. Cut in small squares, making about 25.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake III (allrecipes)

prep time 15 mins cook time 40 mins total time 55 mins 18 servings

1 cup butter

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. (Tried: use 9x9?)

In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Mix in 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Spread 1/2 of batter in the prepared pan.(This is tough - don’t worry)

Prepare the filling: In a medium bowl mix 1/3 cup flour, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and cinnamon. Sprinkle cake batter with 1/2 the filling. Spread second half of batter over the filling, and top with remaining filling. (This is tougher - don’t worry!)

Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Bakerella's Oreo Mint Chip Ice Cream Cake

Served at PP’s 11 1/2 summer birthday party

Servings: 1 7-inch ice cream cake

30 Mint Oreos (1 package)

2 Tbsp butter, melted

Plastic Wrap

7-inch Springform Pan

1.5 quart container Mint Chip Ice Cream, softened

8 oz. container Cool Whip Topping, thawed

Crush 16 cookies in a food processor. Add melted butter and combine.

Cover bottom section of springform pan with plastic wrap and secure ring in place.

Press cookie crumbs into the bottom of prepared pan. Use the bottom of a glass to press the crumbs firmly in place.

Chill pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Remove and spread a layer of mint chip ice cream over the cookie base. Break seven Oreos into small pieces and place on top. Then layer more ice cream almost to the top edge of the pan. You'll have a little bit left over that you can enjoy straight from the box.

Spread on a layer of whipped topping and place in the freezer for 3 hours. It helps to place your cake and serving plates in the freezer as well to keep the cake cold longer once you remove from the freezer.

When ready to serve, unclasp the ring to remove it from the cake. Separate plastic wrap from bottom of cake and place on serving plate. Top with remaining 7 oreos. Cut into slices and serve right away. You can run a knife under hot water and wipe it dry to cut through the cake easily.

Caramel Popcorn

1 c butter
2 c brown sugar
½ c corn syrup
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
6 quarts (24 cups=2 microwave bags) popped popcorn
Melt butter and stir in sugar and syrup. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add nuts (optional). Boil 5 mins without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour over popped corn and mix well. Spread onto 2 cookie sheets. Bake 1 hour at 250F, stirring q 15 mins. Remove and store in tightly sealed container.

Grandma P’s Oreo Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together in a large bowl:

1 c. margarine (softened for easier blending)
4 eggs
2 boxes Duncan Hines Devil’s Food cake mix
2 tbsp. flour

Roll into balls the size of a walnut. Put on cookie sheet 2-3“ apart, but don’t press down. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes and take off sheet. Cool completely.

Filling:

Cream together:
2 cups icing sugar
1-8 oz. package of cream cheese

Spread on cooled cookies. Put two flat sides together. (Hint – put a blob on one cookie and squish with other cookie)

Makes 24 and freezes well.

Caro's Tomato Soup Cake
Servings: 16

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup raisins

1. Combine the tomato soup and the soda in a bowl, and let it stand.
2. Cream sugar, egg, butter, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix in tomato soup and soda mixture, and then flour. Stir in the raisins, and pour the batter in a greased baking dish (bundt cake mold).
3. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until done. Cool the cake, and top with cream cheese icing if desired.

Mona's 5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake


4 tablespoons flour 
4 tablespoons sugar 
2 tablespoons cocoa 
1 egg 
3 tablespoons milk 
3 tablespoons oil 
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional) 
a small splash of vanilla extract 
1 large coffee mug
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.

Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. 
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug,
but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. 
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe
in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Cranberry Squares
Company's Coming 150 Delicious Squares p. 99

BOTTOM LAYER:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 pinch salt

Measure all ingredients in large bowl. Mix until crumbly. Press in 8x8 inch pan. Bake in 350 F oven for 10 minutes.

TOP LAYER:
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup raisins, chopped a bit
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup cranberry jelly, drained slightly, or 1 1/2 cup fresh/frozen cranberries cooked with 1/4 cup sugar for about ten minutes, or until soft

Beat the eggs in the same bowl. Add the sugar, salt, flour, powder, raisins, coconut, and cranberries. Spread over first layer. Bake in 350F oven for 25-30 minutes until firm in the centre. Cool then refrigerate. Cut when cool into 24 squares. Will be chewy.

ICING
1 1/2 cup icing sugar
3 T margarine or butter
1 T plus 2 tsp water or milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat all together in a small second bowl, adding more liquid if needed for easy spreading. Frost cooled bars.

Almond Roca
READY IN: 50mins
YIELD: 36 candies

1 lb real butter
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
6 tablespoons water
1 cup finely chopped almonds
1 (11 1/2 ounce) bag milk chocolate chips


Over Medium heat, melt butter in a large pot. Add corn syrup, water and sugar to pot and cook until temp reaches 290 degrees OR until the mixture becomes the color of a brown paper bag (about 15-20 minutes) stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (mixture will rise and bubble quite a bit).

Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 of the Almonds. Turn mixture onto a greased cookie sheet WITH EDGES!

While the mixture is cooling, melt the chocolate over low flame until all the chips are gone, and chocolate is smooth.
Score the Almond butter mixture into the shape you desire (I just scored into rectangle shapes).
Pour the hot chocolate over the almond mixture and spread evenly.
Sprinkle with remaining almonds and allow candy to cool completely and chocolate to harden before breaking apart and serving.

Note: I let mine refrigerate over night after breaking the into squares, and they had a better texture this way, we thought.

Chocolate Bark
Prepare your mix-ins: raisin/hazelnut in dark, almond in milk, peppermint in white, pistachio/cranberry in white, candied ginger in dark or milk, peanuts in milk, coconut, potato chip

Melt 12 oz of chocolate (milk, dark or white) buy chopping into small pieces and melting over a double boiler or microwaving 10 seconds at a time until smooth.

Mix-in (reserve some to last step) and flavour. Spread on parchment and cool at 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. You can sprinkle a few more on top to make it pretty.

Once cooled, break or slice. Divide as gifts between 2 and 4 people. Refrigerate to store short term.

Mexican Wedding Cakes
Betty Crocker
Makes 54
Ingredients

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped or ground almonds or pecans
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup powdered sugar, the butter and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in flour, almonds and salt until dough forms.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 1 inch apart.

Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Place 3/4 cup powdered sugar in small bowl. Roll cookies in powdered sugar. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar again. Cookies can be placed in an airtight container and freeze up to 3 weeks. Before serving, thaw the cookies and reroll them in powdered sugar.

Nanaimo bars

36 squares
Company's Coming 150 Delicious Squares p. 38

Layer 1:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional, or almonds)

Layer 2:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder
2 cups icing sugar

Layer 3:
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or 4 (1 ounce) squares baking chocolate
2 teaspoons butter or margarine

In the top of a double boiler, combine 1/2 cup butter, white sugar and cocoa powder. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Beat in the egg, stirring until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in the graham cracker crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9 inch pan.

For the middle layer, cream together 1/2 cup butter, heavy cream and custard powder until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread over the bottom layer in the pan. Chill to set.

While the second layer is chilling, melt the semisweet chocolate and 2 teaspoons butter together over low heat (or in the microwave).  Spread over second layer when cool but still runny. Chill in refrigerator. Use a sharp knife to cut.

Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies

Sally's Baking Addiction

yield: 16-18 COOKIES

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar)
1 large egg, room temperature preferred
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons milk
1 and 1/2 cup Nestlé® Toll House® Dark Chocolate Morsels
16-17 Rolos
coarse sea salt

Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed for about 20 seconds. Add the sugars with the mixer running on medium speed. Cream it all together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
In a separate medium size bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together. Slowly add to the wet ingredients. Stir in the milk, then fold in the dark chocolate morsels. The dough will be thick and very sticky. Chill for at least 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.

Take 2 Tablespoons of chilled dough and split in half and roll each into a ball with your hands. Stick a caramel into 1 ball of dough. Top the caramel with the other ball of dough and seal down the sides so that the caramel is securely stuffed inside. Repeat with the rest of the dough and 18 caramel candies. Sprinkle each with sea salt before putting into the oven.

Bake for 12-13 minutes. Cookies will appear undone and very soft. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies stay fresh and soft in an airtight container up to 7 days.

THE TRIANGLE IS MY NEW FAVORITE SHAPE

I recently spent a week on vacation in Crete. There are many versions of this week I have to tell, but the most suprising for me was the dynamic of travelling with two girlfriends.

The trip was the invitation of a friend and a personal dream for me. Early on, there were permutations that included four of us, but in the end, it was a trio. I felt like I was the odd woman out, every step of the way, but not in a bad way. The other girls booked their flights together. They had time to stay in Paris together after. They met to plan things. But it was nice to be invited, and it was an amazing opportunity to spend more time together with these fantastic women in one week than I had spent with them in our lifetimes. The strangest notion was that we were going to meet up at YUL to travel together, and that was going to be the first time we would have seen each other since last December!

The geometry of a triangle is that there is always 180 degrees between all three angles, and no matter which change you make, the sum of its angles is constant. Similarly, whenever something happened in our trio's dynamic, there was tension related to the mathematical need to maintain the constant proportions between each of us.

When the trip started, the two of us were connected through our mutual friend. But this trip, which I had thought about as an equilateral triangle, changed almost instantly when we arrived. The plan was for our friend to take the basement suite, and the two of us, who knew each other least, to share the main house. Unlike most of my travels, I arrived with just a few ideas, and had thought I would make plans with the girls when we arrived. But as each day passed, I realized that my ideas were only going to take away from what could happen in the group. The triangle would survive the  stretch, but I would be less connected. That was important to one of us. To be alone. The thing that I found most interesting, was that as she pulled away, the two of us left got closer. And when we were together again, we were back to the equilateral triangle again.

Time and time again, we took turns, and the geometry never failed. The tension and laxity between our angles changed a thousand times that week, but we were always connected, and those connections were proportioned in geometric perfection every time.

A GOOD HALLOWEEN

I am not crazy about Halloween. As a kid, I loved the candy as much as anyone, but growing up in church, eschewing evil was a definite detraction from the celebrations. But I stopped trick-or-treating, and saw the costumes increasingly become gorier over time. The era of zombies made the last memories of Halloween distasteful.
Factor in that this was this year princess pirate was at her dad's, and that he didn't even ask whether or not I would like to go. She made plans, so I planned to give out candies. Then there was a sick call at work, and instead of recovering from a night and working the next day, I was recovering and working midnight after Halloween. But after school PP had no homework. She had put together a great Sherlock Holmes outfit, and even though she didn't want to carve a pumpkin at first, I put them out and started on mine. She helped pick out the seeds from the goop, and by the time I had baked them with salt, she was almost done her memoral cat-o-lantern dedicated to Nancy Drew, using my jack-o-lantern's eyes as the inserted cats' ears. My heart was warmed.
I went to shower, and by the time I got out, I had an idea, and when I got out, PP had had one too, and had put out a couple of items. I put on a long Chinese black and red robe from a friend and PP helped me with a turban. Voilà! I was a fortune teller, and had dressed up for the first time in years to give out candy. PP came by early, and I gave her a Tüte full of candies, and then later with friends. I was alone and not lonely, and enjoyed the evening until things died down. I went to bed at 9, later then ideal for a wakeup time of 11, but it was a wholly satisfying evening with a lovely amount of time with my PP.

It wasn't a politically correct decision, but I was driving home from a night shift and only had a few minutes the day of Halloween. The most important factor, beyond what was still at the store, was how much I would like to eat if if I had leftovers. Giving out candy is a variable affair, but despite the rain, the 160 candies went fast 3 at a time, so I was giving them out two at a time by 7, and wishing I had kept more Reese's pumpkins at the end. They were delicious! 

A classic jack-o-lantern.

I have a special girl. She left me a treasure hunt. I lost track and thought I had found all her decorations. Until I woke up the next day, and went to the second bathroom. I had missed the spider hanging on the door!

FANTA BLUE

I used to love pop. Some families would have pizza with salad. We had pizza with coca-cola! For variety I would have a sprite or root beer. When I moved to Montreal, I would always have smoked meat sandwiches with cherry cola.  Occasionally I would have an orange pop.

Now, I rarely drink pop. When I do, I am surprised at how sweet pop is. I drink it for nostalgia, now, but remembered orange pop when I was in Crete, and Fanta was on the menu. I had heard of a Fanta flavour that was Blueberry, so when I saw Fanta blue on the menu in Skepasti. Turns out, it was the sugar free version, and not blue at all.

I looked it up when I got home. Fanta was a German company, named after Fantasie, German:(use your) Imagination, to substitute for Coca-Cola during America's trade embargo of Nazi Germany in 1940. Eventually Fanta was relaunched by Coca-Cola. The orange flavour started in Naples with local oranges. Over 90 flavours have been marketed worldwide. In Canada, we have orange, grape and cream soda.

I may have to wait until I visit New Zealnad to try the Blueberry and Strawberry Sherbet flavours.

AN INTROVERT'S MANIFESTO

I am an introvert. Probably I am a shy introvert. But I have spent my career trying to live as the expected extrovert, and learning some very bad habits.

My job, like many in public service, puts me in contact with a lot of people. Professionalism does not allow me to avoid the very thing that takes my energy. I must talk to patients and staff and families, be interrupted from tasks to communicate and act. Sometimes it takes me days to recover.

But before this was my job, it was more acceptable to be a quiet observer and thinker. I was a student, after all, and spent hours every week in my own head, praised for my conscientiousness and careful work, and given hours of time to process and evaluate per hour of class interaction.

Back then, when I was asked what animal I most identified with, it was a deer. A lot has changed. If you ask me today what animal I most identify with, it is a shark.

So what has happened?

In the last twenty, maybe 30 or 40 or 50 years, our society has become obsessed with efficiency (because this makes things cheaper), and performance is often based on the appearance of efficiency. Those who act are valued over those slow to act. But reacting isn't the best solution long term. You need to create the way the world flows past you, not just be able to swim in the stream. Acting with purpose and forethought is how an introvent best creates a better environment.

So I have realized, after twenty five years of cultural indoctrination, that I have lost my skills as an introvert, but react with the best of them, living in a stress response state like a shark. I am almost never, even at home in my own family environment, acting in an unstressed introverted way. I have lost my skills to listen, consider, and even be conscientious. I am trying to find a way to express myself, and not be a doormat, but often speak up to even the "fairness" of the conversation balance, and find myself unskilled in turning into my words into something practical.

I am trying to rediscover these skills, and give myself time to recouperate. I am trying to be alone without feeling lonely. I am trying to resist the urge to believe my culture that I am not as good as someone who recharges around people and doesn't find themselves in their most stressed state most of the time at work. It's a work in progress; like most everything.

Sometimes I imagine a world where my boss schedules me with a day off every couple of shifts so that I recouperate my energy. Where my colleagues would think twice about interrupting for every single thought they have, considering that I was "thinking", and waiting until they had done their full assessment before asking me what was already documented. I wonder what it would be like if the doctor who led a trauma or a code who was quiet would be listened to, instead of being talked over or pushed aside. I wonder what a band of misfit introverts could do in our system if we had power and control over the budget. Keep dreaming.

A TIPPING POINT (OF TIP DIPPING)

Sometimes what is done for years even decades makes no sense. I might notice. You might notice. But most people don't until one day something happens and it changes everything. Your knowledge didn't make the change. The people didn't make the change. But something happens, and it all changes.

I noticed today at Skate Canada, which I was privileged to attend thanks to a friend's friend's complimentary ticket, a few skaters with ombré hair. They looked nice. For years and years, peers and hairdressers have suggested that I should get highlights. I have always hated them. In my middle age group, it looks too obvious, and within days the roots show even if it was perfectly executed on the day of the hair appointment. I have seen twenty year old women highlight their hair, and look middle aged. I have never seen a highlighted hair that didn't look fake. To me it made no sense. But many many people relied on this. Spent a fortune getting them, and manically tried to maintain them. It never made sense to me.

Enter the recent trend of ombré hair. Back in the 80s men were getting their hair tips done, usually blond. It was laughed at later, but it was never applied to the permed highlight hair of women until the last decade. And it has changed everything. No longer fighting the growing hair, it could grow with the hair. Young women looked sophisticated and their age. Older women didn't have to worry about "growing the highlights out". It was enough to break the trend of highlights, much to my relief. But it came from a tipping point unrelated to sensibility. It was based on aesthetic, and took more than one generation to change it. It wasn't chosen, but it happened nonethless.

So, if something doesn't make sense, and you wish it was otherwise, sometimes it has nothing to do with convincing others to agree with you. Sometimes it just needs a different, hopefully better idea to replace the former one.

VEGETARIAN (NOT SPICY) TOM YUM SOUP

Chicken broth, tofu, carrots and soba noodles was the kid friendly version, and well received. Above made 4 servings.

Very hearty bowl and great day two for leftovers.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH QUICHES

Bought puff pastry, 400 F 15 minutes with 5 minutes oven off, cheddar at the bottom, then squash, then 5 eggs to 1/2 cup milk, 30 mL of flour, salt and pepper. Overfilled, crisp bottoms (most not soggy) but terrible inconsistency! Would not get by the Great Canadian or British Baking judges. Extra balls in  sugar and cinnamon. Butternut squash purée with milk and extra sugar and cinnamon for dessert. Filling and satisfying.

LANTERNS AT THE BOTANICAL GARDENS

La grue= The crane

In Chinese culture, cranes are symbols of good fortune and longevity. They are often depicted as celestial mounts for the Immortals and the Dead. The phoenix and the crane are the favorite birds of Chinese painters. The expression, " A crane among hens", refers to an individual who stands head and shoulders above the crowd, both literally and figuratively. 

It was a night in extreme contrast to the year before. The last time we went, it was also dusk, but the weather was unseasonably warm for September and the masses were incredible! This year, they had the forsight to sell tickets by a time slot, but by 6 pm it was pouring rain. We were well dressed, and had an umbrella and rainboots, but the paths were rivers and the tour was not easy, despite it being nearly deserted. Still, although I didn't take as many pictures, it was an incredible experience to see the sun set and the lanterns glow. The twinning of Shanghai and Montreal remains a great joy to me. My friend from Wu Xi said the stones are from her home town. The Japanese Garden has a twin too. Montreal and Hiroshima share that honor, and the story of the rejuvenation of that city was inspiring. I was able to share the story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes with Princess Pirate. She is Japan's Terry Fox, and the story came out in 1977, with Terry's Marathon of Hope in 1980. Both are legends to my generation, and, I hope, a continued inspiration to my daughter's.

Pumpkin decorating contest never fails to impress

Last day for the lotus seed moon cakes. I feel like I didn't miss the autumn festival after all!

The He Luo You was the centerpiece of the show this year. This creature was born in Inner Mongolia, in a tributary of the Yellow River, and has one head, 10 bodies and barks like a dog. It can turn into a bird, but is terrified, and hides, when it hears thunder. (Unless it is coming from the neighbouring Indigenous gardens!)

Rainbow phoenix, my spirit animal

LA DIPERIE WORKS OF ART

 S'more dip and skor bits

Piña Colada dip and coconut

FORTIES AND FAILING IT

My daughter came home from school today, upset. She had been working hard at a poster project, and her teacher criticized that it was too little in so much time. In 50 minutes she had drawn an oval and two hands. This is not uncommon, but having her teacher call her out on it was. She felt like a failure.
I did my best to re-frame the day. She admitted that it was a pretty great day otherwise. I told her I loved her, and that I had never seen her fail yet, and that the only way she would fail is to give up now. I asked her how she felt when I "failed" the triathlon, placing in the bottom 1% and she had to admit that she was proud.

But tonight, when she said she was ready for bed, I walked through the house to her bedroom and saw everything that I asked her to take care of every day done badly or not at all. Her clothes from tonight and this morning were on the ground. Her bookbag was stuffed with loose crushed papers. Her coat was on the floor instead of the empty hangar. Her shoes were knotted from when she removed them. So instead of being the mom that I wanted to be, I took every careless act as a personal insult, and I felt ashamed. Ashamed that I let others take advantage of me. Ashamed that I let her have playtime after school instead of doing chores, because I think she needs it, but maybe I'm not completely okay with. Ashamed that I can so carefully explain the simple rules I ask to be honoured over and over, and to be completely ignored. So I freaked out, and made her correct all these "failures" before she went to bed.

They say that the forties is when you know who you are, and have the confidence to be who you are. Some of my friends have things organized: menu planning, house routines, time to paint and run 10 k and something of value to teach others. I feel like I am constantly made aware of my failings, but I have never been more disorganized. I can't seem to set a routine and keep it, whether in menu planning, housework, work work. And instead of having an ally of 15 years and share stories of the same timeframe, I am gun shy, anxious, and way oversensitive to shame.

I guess I'll have to listen to my own advice, and try again tomorrow. Here's to hoping that in my fifties, I will finally feel comfortable in my own skin again, and, even before, not overreact so strongly to laundry on the floor, and next time, like the politician's advise, trust but verify.

SIMPLE SUPPER

A roasted butternut squash has gone a long way. Tonight, it was reheated and mashed with margarine to creamy deliciousness. Spaghetti with leftover PC roasted garlic tomato sauce and Yves (meatless) veggie meatballs. My go-to apple celery salad. A perfect fall meal with little fuss.

GIVING THANKS FROM THANKSGIVINGS PAST

“Gottselig: Blessed of God"

I am so thankful all those years [growing up] to have an ally. He was my encyclopedia, my atlas, my defender, my playmate, and my hero for many years! I am so grateful!”

JALAPENO CHICKEN

Marinated in tirokafteri spread and olive oil. Delicious!

Went over very well!

GRANDPA

1997-08-04 Montreal

My grandpa was a farmer. I got a bit of a skewed view because for as long as I could remember, he and grandma lived in town. But for many of his farming years he lived out on the "old homestead" as my mom and grandma called it. My mom was born out on the farm, in "the old house". It had been abandoned for a number of years and vandals had hastened its decay. To my mother it must have been a tragic sight, to see her home destroyed over the years, without being able to do anything about it. But for me, it was just another site for adventure. The farm was a place of safety and warmth, because it reminded me of my grandpa, and my grandpa was safe and warm.

My grandpa had the best hands. To this day I judge a man by his hands, but never have met up to my grandpa's hands. They were the widest, strongest fingers you ever saw. Almost always they were filthy - stained with oil from the never ending repair of farm equipment or just plain old dirt from the day's work. But they were gentle. They could hold an injured bird with the utmost care. They could brush away a tear, hold you oh so tight, or guide in a polka around the living room floor.

Editor's note:
October 10, 2018
My mom reminded me that she was born in the Regina General Hospital, but that Grandpa had indeed been born in the old house.

I WAS ALWAYS A LOVER OF BEAUTY

18-05-1995 on return from my "dream year"

"I am a lover of beauty. But more than that, I love the wonder that beauty instills. I am thankful that I am simple enough in intellect to be amazed every time I look at the prairie sky or gaze at a familiar mountain range or ponder the intricacies of the human body. I live in wonder...

• Tonight I sleep with my window open for Gerdien. I did situps in Tracy's memory. I say, "Yeah!!" for Fran and "Yup" for Uli. I stare at the face of an acquaintance in wonder as I see another's personality, and marvel at a personality so familiar, yet known in a different habitus. Amazing!

• I long to express this beauty, this wonder but am satisfied with the ability to wonder and to see this beauty.

• I am 23 and still don't know what the purpose of my life should be. Wonderment? Help? Mourning? Which or how much of each?

A HOME

Rummaging through a box of old papers, I found a single lined looseleaf paper with this list. Some are simple. Others are lofty. Not too hard to put together, except maybe the ten foot ceilings, and a piano. I have proved for over 2 decades that I can live without either and still feel at home!😂

This was the exact order:

-couch
-garbage and kleenex in every room
-bathroom deodorizer
-bubble bath, specialty coffee or hot chocolate or russian tea
-alarm clock with snooze
-bedside lamp
-fulllength mirror
-10 foot ceilings if possible
-fireplace
"library" (bookshelves)
-piano
-slippers, blankets and pillows
-plush rugs in the bathroom (bedroom, living room)
-books

FIRST FORAY INTO A MEAL PREPARATION PICKUP: EVOILA5

EVOILA5,  a chain of pickups with : 5 bags, 5 recipes, 5 generous meals

Amazing organization - count A to E

Meal A: Suprising amount of plastic. Not impressed.

Thai Meatballs and cabbage salad. Fabulous flavours! Not used to no carbs though. 3-4 were enough. Added more raisins than provided for a little needed balance.

Meal B: Out of bags. Not vegetarian friendly, but popular with Princess Pirate

Should have covered - remove and cut if goal is anything short of well cooked , and double time or slice  to cook faster

Canned peas was a warning, so I made acorn squash mashed potatoes, as the rice provided was not popular. Heavy but delicious cream cheese sauce. Very filling, and a happy meal with roasted parmesan acorn squash as an appetizer, while waiting for the meal to cook.

PARTY TRICKS I AM PRACTICING

3.14
15 (one more)
92 ( add the first digits and reverse: 1 + 1 = 2, 4 + 5= 9; 29<=>92)
65 (age of retirement norm)
35 (age of last pregnancy)
89 (grad year, Berlin Wall fell)
79 ( -10)
3238 (watch for the mirror)
46 (current age)
26 (-20)
43
3832 (mirror closes)
79 (repeat)
50 (half a century)
28 (the perfect age)
84 (LA Olympics)
1971 (YOB)
69
39 (-30)
93 (mirrors 39)
75 (3/4 of a century)

WINE BOTTLE SIZES AND NOMENCLATURE

THE GREEK ALPHABET

TWO EVENINGS MEALS: TWO DICHOTOMIES

Last night I went out with some colleagues after work that had begun at 7. It was in part to have time with colleagues that I don't usually have a chance to hang out with, and part to check out a Notre-Dame restaurant called Liverpool House for $85. Turns out it wasn't going to be that easy.

First, a few of the group were smoking out front, and then out back, over and over again. Some were greeted with squeals of delight, and others were ignored or greeted tepidly.
Second, while everyone else started with cocktails ( a lot of whisky sours), I was saving my glass of wine for dinner.
Third, the food was diverse and phenomenal.Very carnivorous. Very fat. Steak and f There were two slices of cake to share among the four of us to end it all. It was worth the splurge! Here are a few pictures:

Oysters from the maritimes with seafood sauce, lemon and horseradish

Razorback clams with Romanesco broccoli, mayo and roe. The showstopper!

Fall salad with pepitas, parmesan and the sweetest tenderest greens

Foie gras and skillet cinnamon brioche

Lobster and cod

Fourth, next was a bottle of reisling from Alsace in the longest bottle I had ever seen, and then a red with the fattest squatest bottle. A bottle of cognac was brought out and left. At last minute, a couple people drank a lot of it in short order. I had one glass of white and one of red. The white was cold and the red was oaky.

2007 was the year apparently! The tall bottles of Germany and Alsace are called hock and they contain riesling and gewürztraminer

The culprit: a magnum of Brunello di Montalcino

         
Fifth, we had a good time, laughing and talking shop and reminiscing and looking forward.
Sixth, the price was announced at the end, split among those of us "drinking". This was a record, and at first I thought it was a joke. My splurge went from $85 plus tax, totally worth it, to $380, wait, WHAT?! Someone was taking advantage, and it wasn't me!

It was timely that a colleague was leaving west and offered me a ride home.

Fortunately my shift today started at 9 am, so for the second evening after work, I went out with colleagues.



First, when our chosen restaurant for the best Indian food was closed for a water main closure, my friend came to pick us up and we drove the second best restaurant called Indian Curry House in the city together. We greeted each other in equal enthusiasm, and laughed from the beginning to end.
Second, we all poured each other water in goblets from a generous pitcher and passed on alcohol all evening. It was perfect!
Third, the food was diverse and phenomenal! My friends allowed me to chose a palak paneer, then ordered the tester butter chicken, and we balanced it out with aloo gobi and the showstopper lamb korma. There was no time to take pictures!
Fourth, we all had a naan, and a lentil soup and rice, and still had leftovers.
Fifth, we had a good time, laughing and talking shop and reminescing and looking forward.
Sixth, the bill came and my friends both tried to pay for it. A even took all three cards and transparently tried to line up to pay by lying that he would split it for us. Of course he couldn't, and we called his bluff, and we split the bill 3 ways. With tax and tip, it came to $23.30. No one took advantage, and I wished I had more time with these two men I am proud to call friends in our perfectly MAD little club.

I vow to avoid people like the former and eat more with the latter. Eat within my budget. Eat with my friends. Eat more vegetables. Drink a glass of wine, but next time only when I know the price!

Editor's note:
I asked the cohort what was up with the bill after the fact, and a colleague offered to pay $300 of my bill. That made the evening a whole lot nicer. He apparently adored the wine a lot!I initially declined, because I still don't see why someone didn't own up to the mistake, but he was adament that he felt it was fair, and I was happy to be reimbursed!

FALL COOKING MEANS ROASTING SQUASH AND MAKING SOUPS

It's been a week since the temperature dropped and it has officially turned fall. The house has been warm at 20-21 degrees but this doesn't seem warm anymore, and I am in the mood for cooking soups and baking again. That means when I go grocery shopping, I come home with squashes and fat unique looking sweet potatoes that beg to be roasted and transformed.

I have made from perfect onions, carrots and celery a mirepoux and my favourite lentil soup. I have been considering what to do with an acorn squash when I realized that it was labelled a pepper squash. I can't tell the difference, but it did inspire a couple of searches and some really great leads to recipe blogs that I am having a hard time leaving to get on with the business of life today! Wikipedia confirmed I am right. Acorn squash is pepper squash which is also known as Des Moines squash. Ironically, I only think of them in the fall and winter, but they are actually from the family of summer squashes!

Martha's roasting of acorn squash is perfection. 425 degree oven. Cut in half, seed,  and  trim flat to sit open for serving, but roast face down on buttered baking sheet (silpat ideal) , 20-25 minutes. Turn up and season, baking another 25-30 minutes until tender and golden. 1 T butter and 1 T brown sugar, or 1 T butter and 1 T parmesan, or bake two and make dinner and dessert!

Caroline's blog is beautiful and inspired by travel. Her recipes are organized by her inspirations, and many I share with her, so I am in love!

Another lead is 20 Acorn Squash Recipes from Country Living. Both of these sites have a lot of distracting ads, so this is the ad-free jist of it if you don't like the link:

1. Stuffed with spiced mexican beef (garlic, onion, cumin, cayenned pepper), rice and beans. Garnish with cilantro, fresh tomato, grated cheese and green onion.  Serve with avocado, tomato, or green salad.
2. Bake sweet: maple butter and pecans (blue cheese sparingly if desired).
3. Roast in crescents (Microwave whole squash 4 minutes to make easier to cut, then half and cut 1/2 inch slices and bake, brushed with oil, at 375F for 20-25 minutes), and serve with cranberries, goat cheese and a balsamic glaze (reduce 1/2 cup vinegar to 1 T glaze). Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Curried coconut squash soup. Saute 1 onion and 1 carrot. Add 1roasted squash, half a diced apple, 1 t ginger, 1 t turmeric, 14 oz of coconut milk, 1 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
5. Stuffed with wild rice, sausage and cranberry and served as "boats"! Prepare rice and sausage, and add to sautéd onion and garlic. Mix in dried cranberries, pecans and parsley, and season to taste. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes until heated through.
6. As another vehicle, this time for spinach parmesan artichoke dip.
7. Drizzled with maple-bacon and rosemary.
8. Stuffing on your choice. (In this case: leek, Swiss chard, garlic, breadcrumbs, raisins, pine nuts and feta.) Buttery spiced brussel sprout dressing or turnip carrot bake works too!
9. Puree with pear, ginger, sage, allspice and cream,  and serve with sugar and butter glazed almonds.
10. Make it paleo: onion, garlic, sausage, coconut oil, apple, spinach, rosemary and thyme.
11. Roast as a crescent snacks with parmesan and garlic salt.
12. Gratiné: Brown sausage with onions and red peppers, and bake covered in shredded cheese.
13. Filled with cranberry walnut quinoa stuffing. I don't think I'd bake this, but just serve warm. Make quinoa in broth, sauté with onion, garlic, and finely chopped mushrooms. Season with sage and thyme, salt and pepper.
14. Breakfast food!(?) Fill with granola, yogurt and sprinkle with dried fruit and seeds.
15. Roast in patatas bravas size with rosemary and garlic, and serve like home fries. Stongly suggest, as with potatoes, to boil briefly, then roast for best results. 475F 10-20 minutes until golden.
16. Lasagne!
17. Mushroom and quinoa stuffing with pomegranate and fresh basil and balsamic vinegar garnish!
18. Roasted apple onion acorn soup. Roast even chunks in a pan at 400 F 30-40 minutes. Blend with 2 cups stock. Quick and easy!
19. Gnocchi! This gets my daughter's vote today on Election Day and led me to Caroline's cooking.  1 lb of potato=1 lb of squash, 1 egg, 1 cup flour. Roll and boil or flash freeze separately.
20. Molasses cookies

I'd better go make some lunch now! Turning on the oven to roast that squash!

MNEMOSYNE

Today I was in a paper store called Note Bene, on Park Avenue. There was a lot of choice. My friend was admiring the pens, but I liked seeing notebooks from France (Clairefontaine), Germany (Leuchtsturm) and Moleskin. I saw a series of notebooks called Mnemosyne, and found myself googling the name that was so familiar, and likely a root to mnemonic.

Mnemosyne was the mother of the 9 muses with Zeus (his dwelling place is Mount Parnassus). She was the Titan goddess of memory and remembrance. She and Zeus created the goddesses of arts, literature and science. Each had a domaine, and are identifiable by their attributes seen in paintings and sculptures from the second to the twentieth century.

In alphabetical order, the nine muses (all minor goddesses) and their domains and attributes, in Greek mythology were:

Calliope (the superior muse, inspiring Homer to write the Iliad and the Odyssey- Epic Poetry, rhetoric, music, writing - Writing Tablet, also laurels in one hand and two Homeric poems in the other
Clio - History - Scrolls, also book in left hand and clarion (trumpet) in her right
Erato - Lyric (love) Poetry - Cithara (Lyre family) and love arrows with bow.
Euterpe - Song and elegiac (death, love and war) poetry - Aulos (flute-like)
Melpomene - Tragedy - Tragic Mask
Polyhymnia - Hymns, Geometry, Grammar - Veil, looks to the heavens
Terpsichore - Dance, Harp, Education - Lyre, wreath of laurels on her head, dances
Thalia - Comedy - Comic Mask
Urania - Astronomy -  Compass, Stars, Celestial Sphere


Pope Julius II commissioned four frescoes to represent the four areas of human knowledge for the Palace of the Vatican. Parnassus, with Apollo, the nine muses, and 18 poets, represent Poetry. The other three frescoes represent philosophy, religion and law.

HALF-MARATHON COMPLETED!

 Seventeen years ago I ran the longest distance I had ever run, and that is true even today. I was twenty-nine years old, and truly loved to run an hour at a time. I always thought I would run another marathon in my thirties, especially when I discovered that I had run the Saskatoon marathon in four hours and one minute. That time really stuck in my craw for a long time, and for a while I imagined I would run another marathon in under four hours, even if it was by one second. But my thirties went by and I really didn't run. I didn't run for a long time after the marathon. I married a guy who couldn't run a block without stoppping because he was too itchy. I got lazy. I had a torn meniscus. I lost my identity as a runner, but I never really felt good about it.

So a few years ago, I started running again. I learned to run in all weather and for the first time over the winter. I broke my toe and suffered from plantar fasciitis, but I kept running. I had to run smarter, with cushioned shoes, on trails, not pavement, I learned to shorten my stride and run more upright to lessen the impact on my joints. I was running in forests and down to the waterfront. I ran with my daughter and with a friend, but mostly alone, when I could find time. Like swimming, my daughter encouraged me to suit up and ran when she had french tutoring over the summer. She was proud of me, and held me accountable. Much like signing up for the triathlon, I was lulled into the belief that I could run a half marathon early in the spring, and the price was attractive, so I registered. As the summer progressed, and was the hottest summer of memory, with five months of hot weather, training was a real challenge. But just like anything, you can acclimatize with practice, and although runs were shorter than planned, I was able to run throughout, and even learned to run without much water.

Then the triathlon came, and the running portion was the least pleasant run I remember ever completing. I didn't know how much rest to take, but it was only two weekends to the marathon and I still had not run more than 10 km. So whether my body needed it or not, my confidence needed to prove that I could run at least a little more. So 3 days later, I went for a fatiguing 11 km run with a friend who was decidedly more peppy, and then a week ago, I managed to run a solid 14 km and felt like my old self.

Just like recovery post, there is an idea not to overdue it before. Unfortunately I was PMSing also, so I was not running and I was eating too much as my only activities this week until today. So I was a little nervous, and woke up in nightmares at 4 am today, and tried to sleep until 5:30 when my alarm went off. For the first run in almost half a year, I was faced with a choice of clothing that was going to be wrong for some part of the day. I chose to only wear shorts and t-shirt with 9 degree weather, and it was perfect for the run, but I had gloves to wear before and after, and was only borderline comfortable. 7:30 am, and the races started. I was in the 9th wave and we both burst into grins as we crossed the start line. Two kilometres in, the gloves came off and I was a comfortable temperature until after we finished.

I am proud to say that I never stopped running. I ran 14 km with my friend and we kept the pace to the end. I finally found an opportunity to use an empty portapotty around 16 km and regretted not going early. I reached 17 km easily, and then it was all down hill from there (figuratively, not literally!). The last 4.1 km were the hardest, but none were as bad as the five at the last leg of the triathlon. The crowds were encouraging and I found my friend quickly after.

So this morning I ran for 2 hours and 21 minutes and 11 seconds, and I am proud of that! I feel like I might have put this milestone behind me. Nursing an sore ankle, I have discovered that 10 km keeps a lot of pain away, but more than that can make subtle gait asymmetries exaggerate. I also proved that I am not interested, and maybe don't even find it possible to run a faster marathon at this point.

For today, though, I proved I can run longer than I was certain I could, faster than I thought. It is good to prove things to yourself, especially if you are not sure you can do them. It's good to try things that you are likely to be bad at, especially if you try them with faster and younger and fitter people. It's a good mix of pride and humility you need to balance in these activities, that really is a mindset fitting for general life.

MESOPOTAMIAN LANGUAGES

URDU-HINDU-PERSIAN ORIGINS

PRINCE PHILIP'S SPEECH ON MARRIAGE

While watching The Crown with the girls, I was touched by the observations in an anniversary speech given by Prince Philip. I think his insight about ourselves and others is bang on. We will never be able to see ourselves as fully as others may observe. But how lovely is that, in knowing his wife, Queen Elizabeth, that he sees the whole of her and has the grace to praise her treasure. Here is the script:

“Ten years has taught me, the secret of a successful marriage is actually to have different interests.
Well, different interests, not entirely different interests. It’s a funny business.

One sees the whole of the other person. You see even that part of them that they don’t see themselves.
And presumably, they see that hidden part of you.
One ends up knowing more about one’s partner than they know about themselves.
And it can be pretty tough to keep quiet about it.
So you have to come to an accommodation, an arrangement, a deal if you like.
To take the rough with the smooth.
But the extraordinary thing is down there in the rough, in the long reeds of difficulty and pain,
that is where you find the treasure. 

So I would like to propose a toast in the name of love, in the name of our beloved country, in the name of steadfastness, in the name of another ten marvelous years.
I give you mon petit chou, Lilibet, Elizabeth, The Queen.”

CLEANING UP MY SAFARI SEARCHES

My battery life is shorter than ever, so I looked to see what I could alter to improve things. I have over 250 pages open. So here is the great brain dump of a year's worth of searches in hopes that I can keep the contrast up enough to read.

Sultan vs maharaja Arabic (religious) ruler vs Sanskrit ruler or king
Sultana is the feminine version.

Map of the trip in Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days

 Movie recommended to me in German class Frantz

Opium

Poetry makes you happier

Cozumel Palace, Mexico

Quebec mortar companies Triage de Joints

Mini Science 2018 Female scientists public lecture series February

German Zoos

The Cuban Ballet I missed: Don Quixote

homelessness-step-by-step

France Quebec junior magazine

Asphalt vs Concrete driveway

list-of-english-words-of-german-origin

Olympics Salt lake City and view from the airport

Sun Valley, Idaho

Chattanooga Choo Choo

Morse Code

Prometheus-Greek-god

Olympic Flame

Home Away 

inflatable easter bunny origami

Buddha's Brain

Maple Fudge

isometrics energy transfer

Art Nouveau Germany

St. Sauveur Ski Museum

Tape residue removal

Poppy Seed Mass

Milky Way Galaxy Tastes like Raspberry

the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time

Keith Haring artist

The Brain that Changes itself

Wellness Adventures New Zealand

Eco homemade sanitary pads

Northwestern State Educational Tour (Derek recommends Steve Sanders)

Mulligatawny Soup

divorced dad opines

Vikings in Europe

Why Do Earthworms Surface After Rain

subsist

Dr. Holly Woman of Distinction

ELLA, GURU OF THE CLEAN FOOD MOVEMENT

I recently watched a documentary looking for clarity on the clean eating movement. In it, I was introduced to a British woman who was presented as the start of the movement named Ella. She spoke to the backlash that has followed her idea. Turns out all good ideas can be taken too far. Her complaint was that the use of the term "clean" with eating implies that now there is food we eat that is "dirty".

Today a friend told me about her also, and encouraged me to check out her new podcast, just starting last month. Deliciously Ella is the name of her book, and podcast. Ella and her husband opened two delis in Westend London and the idea is a healthy vegetarian diet. I like the idea of delicious recipes from simple food. Her honesty is refreshing. Now what is left is to try her food!

GOURMET LEFTOVERS

Sometimes I think that I am the furthest thing from a gourmet girl. In the last years, it is a rare event for me to truly present a gourmet event. But what I am good at is making a simple meal from leftover ingredients. Often it's just for one, and it often doesn't qualify for eating first with your eyes. But sometimes it is a triumph of imagination! Today is one of those days.

Working around the fact that my daughter needed the two leftover slices of bread for her last breakfast before school tomorrow, I had a ripe banana, and open peanut butter jar, and a whole wheat tortilla for breakfast. Not my usual, but I was out of granola and soy milk!

After driving to Lasalle to run with a friend for the first time since the marathon (10.6, felt my lungs more than my legs surprising), my nausea turned to hunger on my return. My daughter had an avocado wrap for lunch, so I had half an avocado turning in the fridge. I took a tortilla, smashed the avocado half in the middle, a spoon of sundried tomatoes paste, and a handful of salad from a giant container of San Marino greens. It was tasty, pretty and delicious. Not quite enough, though, even with 3 glasses of water. One bigger handful of salad, 25g of Danish blue cheese crumbled, the rest of the rejected shriveled up edamame from supper last night (already leftover once before), a few dried cranberries and my go-to Kraft sesame dressing. It was a great salad, and just maybe a little gourmet, practical style!

THREE KEYS TO FITNESS

STRENGTH
CARDIORESPIRATORY
FLEXIBILITY

I AM A TRIATHLETE!

Well, I did it! I honestly had no certainty that I would, but I finished! Goal number one met! Not finishing last? Check! Less than 2 1/2 hours? A mere 1:54:26 race time! I still can't believe it! My ego keeps reminding me that I was in the bottom 6 percent, ranking 1050/1107. But I swam 800 m in 23:55 minutes ( I wasn't sure I could beat 30!), I biked 20k in 46:58 minutes, and I ran 5.2 k in 34:09 for a blistering pace of 6:36/km, even though it felt like I was slow as molasses! Two transitions of 5:40 and 3:44 minutes, where I stopped to dry off, dress up, only to realize I hadn't eaten or put on my sports bra! With a new bike, a plastic bucket for supplies and a better plan, maybe I can do better next time! 8 or 9th percentile! Or just let one or two 60 year olds outrun me, not three (starting 15 minutes after, by the way!)

Just to be clear, because there are quite a few variations, I swam 750m, biked 20k,  and ran 5k, or finished the 25.75 k race or sprint, as my real triathlete friends say! Not an Ironman, nor even the Olympic distance, but not the tri-a-tri neither!

So what did I learn about my first triathlon?

Number one: The Montreal Triathlon Sprint really is made to have fun! The volunteers were numerous, and helpful and the fans enthusiastic, even for strangers! From marking our legs and arms with our bib numbers and age, making sure we were going the right direction, to giving away gatorade, to singing and cheering, they made the race fun!

Number two: Just because you like to run, don't assume that it'll be easy once you get to the third stage of the race. It's gonna be harder each event you make, just because it's after something else. For me, the swim tired me out, but it was a dream compared to the bike, and the bike compared to the run!

Number three: When they say put your tracker on last, they really mean it! Turns out there is a whole line of portapotties in the transition zone, which is the place to circle back to just before you swim, bike, and run, and then after you finish. Outside of the transition zone, near the Olympic Basin at Jean Drapeau Park, there was only one bathroom, shared with the general public, that I was standing in line in front of just before the race. I barely made the start on the beach because the turnover was so slow, but I am grateful to a gentleman spectator that noticed those of us with green caps were next up, and let me go before he did!

Number four: Your best opportunity to eat a bite is in the transition zone, but even when every one has left, eat before you start to exit. Once you have your bike moving, eating and drinking are dangerous! I have a scab and hematoma on my right shin to prove it. Take a few seconds to put a bite in your mouth, then leave. But eat a couple bites. Once you start biking you can digest. It's your only opportunity, and you will need the energy for the run!

Number five: Flags mean something but not everything! Green means go; red means stop, but with two precisions. First, when you leave the transition for the bike section, don't get on the bike until the green flag. Lastly, when you are finishing, the red flag may be followed by an inflated gate. Run past the flag and under the gate for your best time!

Number six: You really just can show up with a swimsuit, goggles, running/biking shorts and a bike. I liked this article as most helpful, even though I only found it after! 10 Tips For First Time Triathletes

Number seven: The two smartest things I did that helped in the race was sign up with a friend and practice in the open swim the day before. It was the first time either of us had swum that distance outside of the pool (25 meters at a time) and with all the bodies stirring up the water, we both had a chance to panic and then calm down. We had a 275m loop that we both freaked out doing the first time, but we did it again and the second time was just fine. I still can't believe that I had never done the front crawl for more than 25-50 m at a time, often too breathless to continue. Once I hit the water in the race, however (trailing behind the group intentionally), I found a pace that I had never found before, and managed to swim the distance, mind you lopsided, one in two breaths per stroke, in front crawl with my face in the water. 21.5 degrees Celsius is the perfect water temperature on a sunny day!

Number eight: I probably ran, swan and then biked in order of time during my training. This wasn't a terrible choice, and I didn't feel totally confident nor incompetent when I thought about the race. Swimming felt the least prepared, but after the race, I wish I had biked more. Probably, training more frequently in general would have been better, but I am glad, like with many things, I started before I was totally prepared. I have no regrets on being on my way and still finding the race day upon me.

BONUS REEL: TRIATHLON BY BLUNDERS

REFRESHING PERSPECTIVE ON GETTING OLD

An elderly lady was asked by a child if she were young or old. "My dear," she replied, "I have been young a very long time."

credit to the compilation  P.S. I Love You by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

DREAM TRIP: CANARY ISLANDS

North Americans head south to the Caribbean for the sun. Europeans head to the Spanish Canary Islands. There are 28 Caribbean Nations and over 7000 islands. There is only one nation for the Islas Canarias, or Islands of the Dogs and 7 major islands and 4 of Spain's 13 National Parks.

Located off the Western Coast of Algeria, the island that caught my eye was Tenerife. Not that I know any details of these islands, but I remember Agatha Christie mentioned the name. Actually, I had always thought it was a place she visited near her home in England, but now I realize that it was in the Canary Islands. I confirmed this by a blog entry at the top of my google search. This has solidified my dream to visit this corner of the world in the future, and re-read Agatha Christie's autobiography.