burfday

scrabble+j.crew shopping trip+pictures+discussion about intelligence+dinner+documentary+peanut butter+ this guy
=
a good day (even if i did turn 30)

the kids are alright

let me tell you what my little bros were like when i left home for university.

josh: (8)

• secretly watched pokemon in the basement (highly inappropriate for an eight year old if you asked his siblings)
• faked whiplash to get out of grade two (and our mother believed him!!!)
• wore a speedo whenever possible.

nathan: (11)

• was in his harry potter glasses phase
• had an italian girlfriend named little linda (we're pretty sure her family were mafia)
• liked to quiz (embarrass) american missionaries on their (spotty) knowledge of US history.
  

they didn't:

• do chores.
• do dishes.
  
• put their fruit snacks wrappers in the garbage.
  
• put their sports equipment, including jockstraps, away after use.
  
• listen to me when i told them to clean up after themselves (possibly most annoying of all).
  

and all these things (combined with an overdose of freshman feminist studies) lead me to the conclusion that my bros (while interesting and smart) were pigs who think that women should clean up after them.

but it turns out ten years changes a lot and the truth is mom your boys are alright and not just because:

• josh does the dishes (without being asked or bribed).
• nathan cooks dinner for the entire family (his fish tacos with kiwi mango salsa were a revelation).
  
• they put their stuff away (more than they did)
• they do what they are told (most important quality in a future spouse)

i don't know what happened in the years i've been away--but whatever it was-- you done good ma!

(whitefam--az 2011--josh's 20th birthday)

Michael Makes Pie

i've been humming tunes from sweeney todd all week. ever since michael told me he wanted to make mincemeat pies for thanksgiving, i can't get "worst pies in london" out of my head (mincemeat really is the WORST kind of pie).

michael had never eaten mincemeat pie before he attempted making it. i am sure if he had, he wouldn't have tried. my first encounter with mincemeat (at age 10) had me running for the washroom as faster than you can say "seconds". indeed so disgusted was i with the idea of mincemeat that the very mention of it made my stomach turn for years.

michael was not to be deterred by the prospect of me loosing my cookies over his creation. he slaved away on his mincemeat for the better part of a week, tasting, tweeking, heating and reheating until he got just what he was looking for.

so in the spirit of sweeny todd:

Ladies and gentlemen
May I have your attention, perlease?
Are your nostrils aquiver and tingling as well
At that delicate, luscious ambrosial smell?
Yes they are, I can tell

michael carey's meat pies.....


and they are pretty good!

what kind of pie did you eat for thanksgiving?

Tour du Plate

we had a lovely canadian thanksgiving and i thought i'd better post about it before american thanksgiving rolls around. i'm going to go out on a limb and say this was the best canadian thanksgiving dinner i have ever made (admittedly not saying much).

the menu included:

chicken
we cooked the whole bird in the crockpot as recommended by julie of dinner with julie fame. it was perfection.
sweet potato fries tossed in truffle oil and parmesan cheese
hazlenut mushroom stuffing
prepared by michaela, the carey family executive chef. if you want to try something new this year TRY THIS!
roasted beet salad with arugula, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese and a red wine vinaigrette.
i am obsessed with beets.romesco dip prepared with roasted sweet red peppers, olive oil, and ground almonds
so easy and so good. we served it with fresh baked multigrain bread (the nutty chewy kind).
jarlesburg and gouda cheese, almond stuffed olives, fresh strawberries

cranberry blueberry sauce infused with lemon and nutmeg
if you use blueberries you need less sugar in the sauce

butter tarts and michael's special pumpkin cheesecake
made without a recipe but this dish is proof that when starting with cream and sugar, it it pretty hard to go wrong

now i am obsessing about what to have for american thanksgiving.

what do you usually have? what new recipe are you going to try? what do you consider your "best" thanksgiving dish? we need some inspiration here!!