ADVENT CALENDAR DAY ELEVEN

My library has a rapid turnover section that you can only borrow for 7 days. Usually, if I like a book, this is plenty of time. Sue Grafton's X was much anticipated, given the wait since her U is for Undertow. But I couldn't do it. I think it is remarkable that she found a fresh take on her usual great character! But, despite overdue fines at a stiff $2/day, I couldn't get through it! Argh! Adult onset ADD is killing me!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER TEN

ADVENT DAY NUMBER NINE

Eating 100 veggies is a lot easier than no candy!

Here are 100 veggies!

Special fried rice

ADVENT DAY NUMBER EIGHT

This is totally doable!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER SEVEN

So my daughter was off to her Dad's for the week, and I packed her chocolate filled advent calendar to go. That left two other calendars with drawers empty, so I thought. Not so. A cinnamon candy in one and instructions for my personal advent in the other. How amazing is that!

Here's what that looked like: (most of the boxes are empty to fill the space or house decorations), but there are two gifts in the right foreground that made one little girl feel a little closer to Christmas! I have packed our Christmas decorations in hat boxes and decorated boxes for years, and just put the empty tins and boxes under the tree until the gifts start stacking up.

I spent quite a bit of time as a kid guessing packages by feel, so it was fun to teach Rebecca to feel and smell and shake the packages to make a guess at the contents inside. It's like winning a lottery ticket, and spending the wins multiple ways. I wonder if putting them out this early will make it too tempting, and that one morning all the tape will be loose! Time will tell!

"Put a gift onder [sic] the tree (for Me)!"

This year, with a one year old cat who likes to eat acrylic trees, we set up in my daughter's bedroom. She is loving the night light!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER SIX

We were supposed to go skating, but a local tournament cancelled the public skate. Despondent, the only thing to do on arriving home, was to eat the best bits off the gingerbread house. Consolation indeed!

Why smarties should never be your choice of shingle!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER FIVE

This was a great day! Christmas activity at the library with inspiration from Christmas carols, and a surprise friend meet-up. McGill Redmen vs Laval Rouge et Dor basketball with my daughter! Great ball, NBA superstar, cheerleaders and giveaways, and an exciting win 82:80! Amelia's pizza bringing back memories of Amelio's. A busy perfect day!

Christmas Lego at the library (inspired by Christmas Carols): From Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer at 9 o'clock clockwise : Let it Snow, Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, Jingle Bells, Santa Claus is Coming to Town (centre)

Amelia's is open! The white pizza aka 5 cheeses pizza is just as good as Amelio's and the salad still rocks!

HOTEL BONAVENTURE FOOD

For the second year in a row, I signed up for the Annual Refresher Course for Family Physicians Annual dinner . Last year featured Eric Speed, the world's fastest violinist, just recovering from a bout of eosinophilic esophagitis. This year was a wine pairing even with sommelier Carl Villeneuve and Genevieve Dagenais. It was a great evening with fun colleagues and great entertainment. The 28 year old award winning sommelier had a nose and palate algorithm that was like watching a magic show. It was great fun!

Fresh Atlantic salmon gravlax, crispy asparagus salad, champagne dressing served with Cava Brut Espana with a fuzzy peach nose and palate. Wonderful!

Creamy artichoke and sun-dried tomato risotto, parsley sauce served with Swartland 2013 white South Africa with an apricot nose. Underwhelming risotto, but great wine.

Roasted milk-fed veal medallion with truffle and coffee mushroom duxelle with Langhe Rosso 2013 from Beni Di Batasiolo, Italy. A very disappointing veal dish after morally avoiding for almost 2 decades. Oops, and the wine smelled to me like a cork!

Chocolate biscuit, light Baileys mouse and glazed chocolate orange mirror  with Banyuls Hors D'age from Domaine de Valcros, France; a fortified wine with prune nose and palate. Amazing dessert and amazing wine!

Butternut squash soup, rice, grilled veggies, edamame and lentil salads. Really great lunch!

Lemon and raspberry marshmallow, and delicious verrines. Always save room for dessert!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER FOUR

After a day of Christmas markets, and a taste of Europe, these ladybugs reminded my Croatian friend of her childhood Christmas. Instead of Santa Claus, a Ladybug Auntie puts ladybugs under the pillow of the kids who are good, and branches under the pillow of the kids who were bad.

ADVENT DAY NUMBER THREE

CHANNELING AUSTRIA: SCHNITZEL, SPAETZLE, AND KOHLRABI

Christmas markets across Europe are open, and in my dreams I would fly over to Austria or Germany and visit. So when I went grocery shopping yesterday and found fresh Florida Kohlrabi (never knew that existed, and certainly didn't expect now to be the season), I had a hankering for Austrohungarian fare. I had been introduced at New Year's  in 1996 in Bavaria to a raw dill seasoned kohlrabi salad that was incredible, and only years later tasted the vegetable that my parents' neighbours grew every year. It was too late when I planted my seeds this year, but I hope to try again for my own homegrown kohlrabi next year! I found spaetzle in the pasta aisle, and made a moral exception to a small fillet of tenderized pork that I planned to transform into schnitzel, but when I found that I misplaced my meat tenderizer, they weren't quite thin enough to be called truly schnitzel, but my daughter ate it, kohlrabi and all! The ketchup from St Hubert (actually Premiere Moisson) was an amazing accompaniment, as was a last glass of Ménage à Trois Red wine. 

MY NEW AVATAR

My daughter came from school today and taught me how to pick a cover photo, and background to my google account. This is my new avatar!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER TWO

My mom used to get us to save some of our halloween candy every year to transform into a grand gingerbread house. Now kits abound, and they are sure a lot easier, but even the Wilton one we used this year didn't come with enough decorations! So after 10 mini-boxes of smarties, an assortment of chocolates from Halloween, and coconut shavings, we had a our house. This kit sure made it easy: it even came pre-fabricated. Just ice and decorate! It such fun to see a girl grow up. We watch enough Nerdy Nummies to make her feel confident with an icing bag. She looks like a pro!

9 YEAR OLD GIRLS IN THE KITCHEN EXPERIMENTING

The girls were inspired on a recent playdate to make their own snacks. It was pretty interesting the combinations they came up with. Some even involved tofu! In the end they made oat balls, and then served it to us moms for snack. I liked the enthusiasm and daring for new tastes!

Kitchen whirlwind

The final results

IMPERIAL ROLLS WITH VERMICELLI AND SALAD WITH MANGO BUBBLE TEA

In the basement of the complex on Parc called La Cite, there are a few restaurants. One of them is a vietnamese place called Luo's. The great thing is that it was (mostly - I've never had an imperial vermicelli meal without fish sauce) vegetarian. The imperial rolls were great, with mostly carrots, a little corn and green onion. The noodles and salad were okay, with a grand total of 3 peanuts! The mango bubble tea was great, although I was hoping eating in would end up with a reusable glass, which makes everything taste a little less wasteful!

ADVENT DAY NUMBER ONE

Hanging Christmas stockings

MOVEMBER HURT BY HIPSTER BEARDS

I have been amazed at living long enough to see trends come around. My parents, in my baby pictures, were long haired (mom), bearded (dad) hippies. It is quite remarkable how many guys have been sporting beards again, and there is definitely an association with  hipsters and plaid!

So I was curious how the fundraising went this year, being as I saw very few isolated moustaches, and I heard, for the first time in years, about no events. Here is an article that confirms my theory.

So next year, if you find yourself bearded, why not think about shaving on December 1st?

TEN THINGS BY PAUL BARIBEAU

If you are feeling low, or even just a little slow, take a listen to this frenetic song. It's a great pick-me-up! Here are the lyrics. I heard it at the end of The Last Time You Had Fun.

Here are my ten things:

I wanna do - learn how to use twitter,  run ten km again, reno the bathrooms/kitchen, restyle, first tracks, swim outdoors when it's snowing, show someone special the best view of the city, finish novel, entertain at home, kayak, ride horse

places I wanna be - St. Petersburg, Cinque Terre, London, Ireland, Philadelphia, San Diego, Haida Gwai, Traversée de Charlesvoix, Dalmatia (Plitvice, Split), Melk Abbey

books - Is Everyone Hanging out without me and Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling, Unbroken by Hillebrand, The Art of Persuasion, Frankenstein, Huckleberry Finn, Alias Grace, East of Eden, The Adventures of Pinocchio,  The Time Machine

songs - Demons  and Radioactive by Imagine Dragons, Legendary Lovers, Firework, and Roar by Katy Perry, Shake It Off by Taylor Swift, Happy by Pharrell Williams, Hey Brother by Avicii, I Gotta Feeling by Black-eyed Peas, Just Dance by Lady Gaga, Party Rock by LMFAO

wrong with your life to fix - lack of self-acceptance, new friends, clothing/house style, fitness, teaching readiness, meals in advance, too much fat, laziness, confidence, judgement

things I love about my life - my daughter, friends, nature, art, beauty, a good story, travel, restaurants, walk to the water, laughter

things that hold me back - netflix, junk food, bad people, laziness, lack of schedule, idealism, not being ready, anger, disorganization, despondency

mistakes i made - blaming others, transference, confusing selfishness for self-acceptance, compromise, not staying fit, not doing what I love, losing confidence, conformity, lack of risk taking, accepting okay instead of choosing great

reasons why i don't want to die - my daughter friends, nature, art, beauty, restaurants, travel, love, hiking, writing, too much left to do

why its good to be alive - kindness, kids, nature, happiness, art, writing, beauty, a good story, animals, travel, food, love

"FIRST DAY" BY CRAIG SKINNER

 I loved this painting instantly, and, although its inspired by the 1950s,  It makes me think of the Art Deco 1920s in NYC, and I imagine she is commuting across the Hudson to Manhattan Island.

A PERFECT PERSIMMON

Sometimes I avoid fruits from tropical countries because they don't often travel well. This persimmon was, therefore, a risky purchase! The last time I had one was in south China, Yunnan province, ( a long time ago) and it was stellar! This one looked so pretty, and somehow I managed to open it on the day of optimal ripeness. It was a risk worth taking!

SHORT ORDER COOK - SPINACH CHEDDAR OMELETTE FOR TWO

Last night was a Sunday, and it felt like a simple supper was in order. My daughter loves these spinach squares that I make, but was gonna take the better part of an hour and we were pretty hungry already. Despite protestations that she was gonna hate it if it didn't come in a square, the logic of identical ingredients, and the promise of a boardgame allowed me to prove her wrong. With a couple of pieces of buttered toast, this bad boy disappeared with no complaining. Makes me wonder why I bother with the squares, when all you need are 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of thawed spinach, some grated Balderson's 2 year old aged cheese, and a hot saucepan!  

Just in case you want the long version, here is the recipe:

Serves 24 squares

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 tsp baking powder

4 cups raw baby spinach, cooked or 300g frozen, thawed

2 cups cheddar cheese or equivalent, shredded (about 200-300g)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 9x13 baking pan (pyrex with top is perfect).

In a large bowl, whisk eggs well. Add flour, milk and baking powder, and continue whisking until smooth. Add spinach, cheese, salt and pepper, and stir until combined. Pour mixture (OK to be lumpy) into prepared pan, smooth the top and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until top is golden and the dish is slightly puffed. Let cool slightly before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

HAKATA RAMEN

My dear friend is a brilliant planner and, so when we found a common day off, we took the commuter train downtown with plans to see the newest exhibit at the Montreal Fine Arts Museum, and my friend suggested a little Japanese place on Stanley called Hakata Ramen. I don't know how this compares to an official Japanese Ramen house, or even if they make their own noodles, but the service was incredibly fast, and with no hassle at all, they were kind enough to change their lunch menu to make mine vegetarian. The tempura zucchini  and the fried noodles were delicious, and the fixed menu with salad is a great value! Next time, I hope they have the Mochi ice cream in house, and that I have room! I might even pace myself and get a "smoothie" (bubble tea)! Let's go again faithful friend!

WILTON EASY LAYERS!

Wilton makes the coolest kit with five small cake pans that allows you to use one cake mix and stack it in five easy layers. My daughter and I had a lot of fun making this cake!

Into the oven they go. Robin's egg blue is becoming a theme!

One cake mix, and a rainbow of colour choices. Stacks beautifully.

Definitely a homemade cake!

Not bad open! Popular because it looks so pretty!

A perfect slice

IF YOU ARE HAVING A BAD DAY...

watch this! These girls, Riki Lindhom and Kate Micucci, have some pretty funny stuff and a show called Garfunkel and Oates. Here are the lyrics I like: "You are such a loser. Good for you!"
Have a great day failing! Good for you for trying!

INSPIRATION FOR PAST PASSIONS

Tonight I was talking to a colleague who got back from "kite"-ing in Brasil on his time off and I realized I was way out of that league, but I wish I could be in it. So I remember earlier times: I ran a marathon, spent weeks hiking and weekends mountain climbing. These are things I can do again. It is not yet too late, but one day it may be. Therefore I must, soon. I want to learn to kayak, and dance, and sail. I want to hike more, rock climb more, travel more, ride a horse again. I want to be in bathing suit shape and able to run in game of anything - pickup soccer, tag football, Ultimate. I want to be strong enough to kayak and waterski. I want to walk a cold beach and fly a tiny kite again. I want to rollarblade the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. I want to watch more asteroid showers in the open, be wowed by more Northern Lights, watch more whales, climb more mountains, and ski first tracks in the Rockies.

BOSTON CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION CENTRE

Octopus art

Stir-fry from the Market. Happy to have more than one veggie choice. The bean burrito was better, and reminiscent  of Chipotle. Both were easy and time-saving to allow for keeping up with the busy conference schedule. 

Connects to the Silver Line at World Trade centre, and a free ride in to town.

Boston skyline

A view of the ventilation system (another mystery solved!) with the smokestacks to the left of the picture.

Walking in towards the BCEC

TWITTERPATED

I was talking to a friend recently about falling in love, and the expression that came immediately to mind was in french, "coup de foudre". I tried to translate its meaning, but I wasn't sure that love at first sight was capturing what I meant. Lovestruck was closer, but I decided that the best translation was smitten. Then my friend offered me a word I thought I had never heard before: "twitterpated". This was explained as a spring phenomenon to Bambi in Disney's famous film. I think its a pretty cute underused verb and I thought I'd share with you!

HOW TO BUILD A MIND PALACE

Many of my favourite free access videos are from the California based TED (Technology Entertainment and Design). I always found the combination a little strange, but maybe it is brilliant to join the "two brains" together. The motto: Ideas worth spreading. So here I am sharing with you what has been shared with me.

Joshua Foer, a science journalist, gives a talk called "Feats of memory anyone can do". It's an amusing story of a logic guy getting obsessed. He witnesses a contest of memory, and one year later, after much research and practice, he wins! He, and if his testimony is true, and other contestants are humble about their talents.

The story I didn't remember hearing before (yes, I need to hear this lecture) explains the origin of the mind palace. It started with a Greek poet named Simonides escaping a massive tragedy by leaving a banquet hall just before it collapsed and killed most guests. He was asked to identify their bodies by where they sat, and there began the idea of the "method of loci", LOCI meaning places in latin, which was a memory system whereby things are remembered by moving room to room, also known as the Journey Method, or the Roman Room method.

This is the basis of a mnemonic Joshua elaborates in the talk, taking us from the front porch into the house, maximizing the "hooks" needed to retrieve the memory, with each room filled with the strangest, most visual image that links the memory to the thing being remembered.

I embrace "out-sourcing" my memory to notes, and the Great Google, but Joshua reminds us that training our memory in this era of technology is essential, anyways. So memorize a poem, challenge yourself to a memory game, find a mnemonic and walk through your mind palace today!

ANGKOR EXPRESS

I have an update on this Pointe-Claire Village restaurant, after a recent visit with a friend; this time for lunch. I had a stirfry with tofu, and I have to say that I need to serve my next rice dish in a bowl mould (it's just so much nicer presentation). It was good after a brisk walk, but not spectacular. The kind of meal you could make at home. That being said, I realized from the elaborate and colourful paintings of the famous temple, that Angkor had nothing to do with Thailand, but sat squarely in the middle of Cambodia. Indeed, my mistake began with a friend mentioning the place as a Thai one. But on review of the menu, it was clear that it was Cambodian first. 

It was a lovely lunch with a dear friend by a warm fall window (I got to wear my new progressive sunglasses) with good solid food at a decent price. I will be back, but I will in future properly refer to it as a Cambodian restaurant.