Our Domicile

Current kitchen favourites,  on regular repeat:

• Smitten Kitchen’s Broccoli Slaw. Making it sans nuts so the wee one can enjoy it as well. Adding carrots in their place. Arguably not quite as awesome, but still crazy delicious.
• The world’s easiest (and very tasty) Squash and Apple soup: saute one onion in 2 tbsp of neutral oil for 5 min or so, chop one tasty winter squash (butternut is dandy), cut up 3-4 small apples; add squash and apples to onion, and saute for a few more minutes, add a light veggie stock to cover, bring a boil and simmer until soft (about 20 min). Add a dash of salt, freshly ground pepper, some freshly ground nutmeg and a very small pinch of chili flakes; puree. Serve with a dollop of sour yogurt and chopped hazelnuts. Delicious and ready in under 30 minutes with very little active cooking time.
• Elana’s Pantry Protein Bars. Helping me to beat the post-holiday sugar cravings. I make mine without the added salt or the stevia and use half the agave.

I have a bit of a thing for thank you cards. It is probably thanks, in large part, to my mom, who was quite consistent when we were growing up about sending thank you cards for gifts. It has certainly been reinforced by having some particularly thoughtful friends, and an ongoing love of sending and receiving real live mail. It’s for the latter reason that I tend to gravitate towards actual cards or hand-written notes over thank you emails, when possible.

That said, I do feel like the immediacy of email is sometimes the enemy of a hand-written thank you note. I frequently feel like I’m letting people down by taking a week or two to send an actual thank you card, in place of an email. I’ll admit sometimes I do both.

I’m hoping to instill the same habits in little Miss L, and this holiday season was really the first time that she had any real sense that gifts were given to her and that they also came from someone in particular. And so, while this is perhaps verging on the late side of things, this morning was the first time I had time to sit down and set her up to help me with sending thank you cards, which means we’re sadly going to be late according to current Emily Post guidelines for sending thank you’s. Alas.

To involve her, I decided to pick up some blank note cards at the art supply store which she could decorate. I set her up at the kitchen table after breakfast with some paints (she choose red and yellow) and some cookie cutters she usually uses for playdough to use as make-shift stamps. We had a great time. I also invested in a $8 “Thank You” stamp, which I hope to reuse for many years, which I then used to stamp the front of her creations and viola, mama and little girl thank you cards.

The best part? Aside from the process of doing it together, which was great fun, she seems to have perhaps (ok maybe just a little) got the thank you concept, as she’s been happily declaring “thank you cards!” every time she sees the pile ready to go in the mail.

I’m big on stamps and kids art in general these days — beyond giving kids stamps, which is also awesome. My friend Louise mentioned that she picked up a date stamp so that she can easily date her daughter’s artwork as it is produced/comes home (brilliant!), and I’ve been thinking this same principle for making thank you cards could be applied to birthday cards, with the acquisition of a good “Happy Birthday” stamp. I did favourite a bunch of excellent “Thank You” stamps on Esty, if you want to consider the same kind of a project. In the end I picked ours up at Granville Island, but I’m particularly fond of this one. Next up? Perhaps we’ll try making our own stamps!

Sometime a few months after my daughter was born we were robbed. It sucked. All the things you’d expect. Feelings of violation. General yuckiness. Shock. But once that wore off, the loss that really has stuck with me, left me sad, was that of my jewelry. Aside from a few family pieces I was supposed to be custodian of, nothing was of any real value. Everything was of deep sentiment.

We got an insurance settlement (and a safe for future storage), which I’m slowly using to rebuild my jewelry collection. And, in the world of #firstworldproblems, it’s been hard. It’s really hard to take 35 years worth of memories (and I don’t say that lightly as a number were pieces I was given as a baby/before birth) in one shopping spree. So, I’ve had my eyes open and have been picking up a few things here and there. I used to have a truly vast collection of necklaces and earrings, most of which were family heirlooms or pieces made by artisans and craft people and collected by me on journeys around the world. None will ever be truly replaced.

But, a few months ago I happened upon a literal treasure trove of awesome adornments. Hopea came to me the way that much does these days, via Facebook, and in this case via an old high school who was promoting her sister’s new business venture. At the words: mid-century, Scandinavian and jewelry I was sold. So, off I went to check it out and lost a great deal of time pondering over amazing pieces.

Hopea means silver in Finnish, and is the project of Cosima Friesen, a Montreal based woman with a degree in art history who fell in love, originally, with a collection of Montreal modernist jewelry, a period that was itself heavily influenced by Scandinavian design. She then spent a year collecting and building a collection of Montreal and Scandinavian pieces and now sells them through her site. No one piece is likely to appear there again. Everything is positively elegant. Cosima profiles the makers of the pieces, tries to collect multiples from different influential designers from that period and frankly has an amazing eye for mid-century work that is entirely contemporary and very, very wearable.

I love the earring and necklace set I purchased and wear them almost daily since they arrived by post (that’s them in the photo). I’ve got my eye on a number of rings for my next purchase (how great would this be for the non-diamond loving girl’s engagement ring?) and I get totally paralyzed with decision when browsing through the necklaces. I think Cosima is onto something beautiful and brilliant here. Don’t you agree?

As I write this I’m staring down the last three days of a month off work. A month off work!

A month of work is a pretty rad thing for anyone, but a very rare and strange thing for those of us who run our own businesses. I have never, in the entire near 12  year history of my business had more than 2 weeks off work. That kind of almost includes my mat leave last year, which was either 3 days, 3 weeks or 3 months long depending on how you define “off work”. And, as those of you who’ve had a baby enter your life know, while that may be “time off work” it isn’t anything that resembles time off.

So. A month off.

How do I feel? What did I do? Admittedly, I’ve spent the last few days of my final week here feeling quite grumpy about my time coming to an end. One of those catch-22 emotional quagmires we all get ourselves into that would benefit from being more in the present (still off work!) and less in the worrying about the future. I’m working on letting that go and just enjoying these last 72  hours. What did I do? Lots and not nearly enough.

I had a list, as I’m want to do, of things to do with my time off. I’ve been working on this list for months. It was a Google Doc. I would add to it everytime I saw an inspiring project on Pinterest, a recipe I wanted to try or a project around the house I wanted to complete. There were many things on that list that didn’t get done. Things like “relandscape the front yard” or “paint our bedroom, hallway and livingroom”. There were some that did. Mostly there are things that have been begun and are now in process. And, I’ll admit, part of my grump is that there aren’t as many things on the “done” list and a few too many on the in progress list. That said, here’s a list of things that did happen:

• Lots of yoga. Some of it good. Some of it ok. One class that was completely irritating to me. But, the bigger thing: I got back to yoga. Regularly. And it felt good. So, now I’m hoping to carry with me the habit of doing exercise that feels good more regularly (I really hadn’t done much since my daughter was born 18 months ago).
• Lots of canning. Two types of blueberry jam, many jars of pickles and there are some cherries awaiting processing on my counter. I had higher hopes of canning tomatoes, but frankly the weather did not cooperate this summer (I’ve still only had a handful of ripe tomatoes off my plants). The best part of canning however was twofold. One, I rediscovered that canning in small batches is not nearly as arduous as I always think it will be, and is in fact something that can be done after the wee one is in bed, quite easily. Two, I’m making a serious dent in my canning jar collection. I currently have far fewer empty jars than full ones. That, my friends, is a serious accomplishment.
• Decluttering. I can always do more of this, and I still hold out hopes of a garage sale this Sunday. But. I did a serious purge of clothes, books, baby stuff and passed things on to places where they will have more use/purpose than tucked into my drawers. The upside on this one is going to sound really cheesy, but having spent a lot of time over the last month purging  of things, consigning, donating and regifting things I have a renewed commitment to simply acquiring a lot less. A bit lesson here was when I found the better part of my pre-pregnancy summer wardrobe languishing in a drawer in the basement and realized that I was surviving and enjoying summer without it. Turns out that perfect pair of black peddle pushers may in fact be awesome, but is totally not integral bliss.
• Creating. The biggest number of things on my list were about creating. Sewing. Knitting. Gardening. Painting. Building. Some of those things happened. Some are well on their way. Some I decided against in the sober light of a clear head. That said, I am committed to going back to creating. Even if it’s just for 20 minutes here and there. When I first really got into knitting I loved being able to just pick up my work for 20 minutes when I had that time, and then putting it back down. Sewing felt a lot trickier that way, due to the set up, but having had some more expanses of time to sew now, I’m hooked again on the thrill of the project, so I think I’m more committed to carving out the time.
• Cleaning. Less of it. Having more time off gave me more time to clean. (Doesn’t that sound like something out of a 50s housewife manual). But, with a toddler around there is seriously always cleaning to be done. Multiple dishes from snacks, meals, more snacks and food prep. Toys. Everywhere. Books. Everywhere. Laundry. Laundry. Laundry. Sand coming home from the playground in tiny little pockets and finding its way onto freshly vacuumed floors. Blueberry stains on door frames, kitchen cupboards and on couches. I could go on. And on. And yet, while I spent what felt like a lot of the first two weeks off trying to stay on top of that cleaning, I quickly realized it was a Sisyphean task and that just letting some of it go, really didn’t make any different to my quality of life. So while Martin and I both stay on top of the basics of the kitchen and picking up toys/books every evening, the scrubbing and perfecting I’m less stressed out about.
• Socializing. We had lots of opportunities to have people over. And it was great. With a wee one, both of us working, and in particular with Martin working late during the week and Saturdays during the day, we often don’t make the effort to have people over. But, it’s so great to connect with friends. In many ways I wish we had done even more of this. But, again this is one that can continue.

I’m also really hoping to blog more again. We’ll see if that happens. I had hoped to do it during my vacation but had to try my best to stay away from the computer when it wasn’t absolutely necessary, otherwise my vacation felt a lot like work. That said, I have a lot of projects in process that, when completed, I’m going to want to share. And, I’ve got an awful lot of fabric I caved and purchased online this last week that will need to turn into projects once it arrives. Blogging has always been a good way of motivating me to the finish line.

So, with that. I’m off to try to let go and enjoy my last few days of summer holiday.

I  just made jam with Pomona’s pectin for the first time and I’m sold. My plan had actually been to use the recipe for Meyer Lemon & Blueberry Marmalade from Canning for a New Generation to make use of some of the 5lbs of fat delicious blueberries I picked up at yesterday’s Farmer’s Market, but after a morning of hunting I had to admit that Meyer lemon season has passed me by and so a back up plan had to be produced. Canning for a New Generation has a recipe for a straight blueberry jam that uses tart apples for pectin and a lower amount of sugar (much of the book uses tart apples in place of store-bought pectins which allows for lower sugar jams), but to be honest I didn’t have the world’s best sleep last night, I’m having my mother in-law over for birthday dinner this evening and had already spent the morning making a cake, and trying out a new recipe that would also involve hunting down a jelly bag just didn’t seem like a relaxing way to spend a Sunday.

That said,  I’ve always disliked overly sweet jam a preference that has only grown stronger with time, so I really didn’t want to fall back on a regular commercial pectin recipe. So, I decided to give Pomona’s a whirl, something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. The recipe I used had only 3/4 cups of sugar for 4 cups of mashed fruit, with 1/4 cup of citrus juice added, so I was hedging my bets it wouldn’t be too sweet.

I just finished making the jam, a process which took about one hour exactly from start to finish (though I haven’t yet washed the dishes), and from what I’ve gingerly licked off the spatula the results are perfection. Warning, this is really not a sweet jam. It is, as the title suggests, in fact so not sweet it’s almost tart, which to me is the best result for preserved fruit. You can taste all of the luscious blueberry goodness without a cloying added sweetness getting the way.

The recipe I used was as follows:

Low Sugar Blueberry + Lime Jam

4 cups of mashed blueberries
3/4 cups of sugar
1/4 cup of lime juice (you can also use lemon, but I had limes in need of using)
2 tsp of calcium mixture (from Pomona’s pectin packet)
2 tsp of pectin

5 1/2 quart jars sterlized and hot, ready for water bath canning

1. Wash and mash blueberries.
2. Mix your sugar and pectin and set aside.
3. Heat in a large and heavy bottomed pot (I use my Le Creuset) with the calcium water and lime juice, bring to a boil stirring to ensure no hot spots/burning on bottom of pan.
4. Add sugar/pectin and stir briskly for 1-2 minutes to dissolve pectin.
5. Return to a boil then remove from heat.

Ladle jam into hot jars and prepare for water bath canning by finger tightening lids. Process for 10 minutes, remove from water and wait for that glorious popping sound as jars seal.

I’ll admit it. I’m a fan of Gwyneth. Not a put up posters of her on my wall all Tiger Beat style fan, or even a “I must see every movie she’s ever made” fan (no plans at all to see Country Strong for example), but ever since Sliding Doors I’ve had an affection for her. And I can’t say I haven’t spent a few moment daydreaming about having a gorgeous London home, personal stylist, regular opportunities to vacation in Spain and personal friendship with designer Stella McCartney… So, I’ll admit it, I was pretty excited to get my hands on her new cookbook, My Father’s Daughter not excited enough to rush out and buy it mind you, I waited for it to come in at the library. And like all things anticipated, I tried to prepare myself for it to be a letdown, but so far, it hasn’t been. In fact, I’m planning on making the investment in my own copy the next time I’m up for a treat.

It’s a good balance of veggie recipes (important to me) with a decent number of kid and family friendly options and, at least on the veggie front, most of the recipes are quick and easy to cook. If I had any complaint, it would be that they’re actually all a little too close to dishes I already use and love. But, it’s nice to get a new twist on an old favourite. In that vein, last night I made her version of a bread salad or panzanella, though I had to adjust it a bit to make it my own.

The basic ingredients are:

• roasted red/yellow bell peppers
• ripe juicy tomatoes
• fresh torn basil leaves
• stale but hearty bread (I used a rye sourdough from our favourite local bakery)
• a tangy vinaigrette dressing

Gwyneth uses a red wine vinegar/anchovy dressing. Not being a big fan of the salty fishes, I used a version of a basil dressing from the Rebar Cookbook that they recommend for their own bread salad. I also added my new favourite easy ingredient beluga lentils. I’ve been cooking up a small batch (like 1/3 -1/2 cup dry) lately and keeping them in the fridge to add to everything from salads to omelettes to pasta. As an added bonus my little girl loves to just pick at them for a snack.

In the end, here’s my version of Gwyneth’s Panzanella, as she says, a great way to use up stale bread and so delicious in the summer when tomatoes and herbs are at their yummiest.

Domicile Panzanella Salad

• 1 pint of fresh and juicy cherry tomatoes cut in half or 3-4 nice firm medium sized tomatoes cut in chunks
• 2 roasted red peppers, skinned and cut into chunks about the same size as the tomatoes
• 1/2 loaf of stale crusty bread cut into cubes/torn into cubes
• 1/3 cup of dried beluga lentils, cooked in approx 1 cup of water
• 2 medium sized balls of fresh mozarella/bocconcini cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup of pitted kalamata olives roughly chopped (optional)
• 1 bunch of fresh basil torn
• your favourite vinaigrette (or the basil dressing listed below)

Cook the lentils ahead of time so they have time to cool. To add extra flavour, I sometimes cook mine with a small clove of peeled garlic tossed in. Just rinse the lentils, pick out any stones, then cook in approximately 3-4 times the volume of water to lentils. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20-25 minutes testing to see if they’re done. Remember if you cook lentils with salt they won’t soften and the age of the lentils will impact how long they take to cook.

Toss all the above ingredients in a large bowl just before serving (or else the bread will get soggy). Add a good crack or three of fresh pepper and a pinch of sea salt.

Rebar Bail Vinaigrette (kind of)
Note, if you use this recipe you don’t need to add fresh basil to the salad and instead can replace with some fresh greens to add colour.

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup of  wine vinegar (I use white or red depending on what I have)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon or grainy mustard
• 1 tsp honey, agave or maple syrup
• 1 large bunch of basil washed
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• salt & pepper

Add all but the oil/salt/pepper to a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly add your oil in a steady stream while the blender runs to make a thick/uniform dressing. Taste and adjust acid/oil to your liking. Add a pinch of salt and crack or two of pepper.

While visiting my beloved friend Inga this weekend, she introduced me to a crazy awesome/delicious salad green mix that I’m itching to share with the world.

I’ll be honest, as we wandered through the produce section of her food co-op I thought it that our evening salad was going to be one of those “it’s good for you” not “it’s so darned tasty” affairs, but boy howdy was I wrong. I should have had more faith as every time Inga and I have the occasion to cook together, extreme yumminess always prevails. Anyway, if, like me, you’re suspicious of this mix: get over it quick. Instead, embrace this mix as your new friend in delicious healthy eating and get chopping.

Inga’s Salad Greens of Maximum Health & Deliciousness
Makes enough for one week or so of salads and will keep that long in the fridge.

• one bunch Kale (variety of your choice, I personally love Lacinto)
• one bunch of Swiss Chard
• one bunch of cilantro*
• one bunch of parsley
• one lemon
• pinch o’sea salt

Thoroughly wash and dry all greens. This can take a while. The good news is that this salad mix will keep in your fridge for a week, so you don’t have to do this every time you want salad. My suggestion is to just fill the sink with cold water and dunk the greens entirely. Then dry.

De-stem your kale, taking off all the hard woody stem parts, however high up the kale this needs to be. Ditto for your chard. Pick through your cilantro and parsley and take off some of the larger stems, but don’t worry too much about de-stemming as the stems are tasty too.

Now start chopping. Chop your kale quite finely on a large cutting board. You want to err on the side of chopping the kale quite fine as it will be easier to digest that way. Transfer to a large bowl or container with lid. Now do the same for the chard, though you can be a bit rougher with your chop here. And now the same for the herbs, including the stems. Add them all to the bowl.

Juice one half to a full lemon (after you’ve done this once or twice you may alter your preference based on how lemon-y you like things). Toss lemon juice with greens. Add a pinch of sea salt and toss. Now cover and you can keep it in the fridge for a week or so. (Due to the acid in the lemon, best to not store in a plastic container).

When making salad, simply take out what you want to use and add the rest of your ingredients, including more dressing if you wish (we added chopped tomatoes to ours and a balsamic/sesame dressing, but I’d use them just like regular lettuce in pretty much any salad recipe). You can also use these greens to add to stir fries, soups, omelettes or what have you while you’re cooking over the week. As I said, it does take a bit of time, say 20 min from start to finish, to get this prepped but then that’s your main salad work done for the week and with those tasty greens in the fridge you’re sure to eat more of them.

*If you’re one of those people who hates cilantro with a fiery passion, feel free to leave it out, don’t pass up the whole recipe for one hang up.

Miss L is well into her finger food/feeding herself phase and pancakes/patties have been one of our most reliable and easy food staples. For breakfast I tend to switch between buckwheat pancakes and these very simple oat flour pancakes, which can be tossed together and served in about 10 minutes from start to finish even on days when she’s off to daycare and I’m off to work.

I make enough to have pancakes for 2-3 days in the fridge, which I then reheat in the toaster. The recipe which follows is actually a half recipe from what I used to make, but I found if I made too many they got kind of gummy after 3+ days. They don’t contain any sugar (but are sweet from the fruit and cinnamon), flour (or gluten), eggs (so good for younger than 1 year) and can easily be made without dairy. We don’t have Miss L on a wheat or dairy free diet, but I try to limit both as allergies run  in our family and exposing her to different grains/food sources is generally a good idea.

The big trick to these is to keep oat flour on hand. In this case, the oat flour I use is just instant oatmeal pre-ground in a food processor, which I then keep in a jar in the fridge. With that on hand, this is very easy to whip up.

Oatmeal & Fruit Pancakes, Apple version

1/2 cup oat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or less, to taste)
1/4 tsp cardamom (or less, to taste)
1 tbsp ground flax (optional, but if like me you add flax to everything, add it here)
1/2 cup milk (cow, goat, oat, soy, rice, etc)
1/2 tbsp oil/melted butter (I use organic canola)

1/2 small apple cut into fine dice (I leave peel on)

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the wet in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add wet to dry along with the apples. Mix well to incorporate all ingredients and let sit for 3-5 minutes while the oats absorb some of the liquid.

While the mixture sits, heat a large pan and add a drop of oil or small amount of butter to the pan. When the pancake batter has thickened, add roughly a 1/4 cup of the batter to the pan to make “silver dollar” pancakes. Allow to cook until the edges become dry and a bit bubbly and the centre is drying out as well. Flip, cook for another 2 minutes.

Allow to cool and then cut into small pieces or pancake “soldiers” or “lady fingers” as we do at our house and give to your wee one. The recipe makes 4-5 small pancakes. Miss L will usually eat one along with some goat yogurt and apple sauce, when going through a growth spurt she’ll eat two.

Oatmeal & Fruit Pancakes, Banana version

1/2 cup oat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or less, to taste)
1/4 tsp cardamom (or less, to taste)
1 tbsp ground flax (optional, but if like me you add flax to everything, add it here)
1/2 cup milk (cow, goat, oat, soy, rice, etc)
1/2 small ripe banana

Mix the dry ingredients as above in one bowl. Mash the banana really well in a small bowl, then add about half of the milk to the banana and mash it a bit more. Mix the mush with all of the milk and then add to the dry ingredients. Oil/butter don’t seem to be necessary to add to this mixture, but you can add a bit if you’d like.

Follow remaining instructions as above.

We’re a little bit protein challenged in our house. I’m a vegetarian. Martin is allergic to soy and peanuts. And due to some early sensitivity testing with Miss L, I too am avoiding both soy and peanuts while breastfeeding. At the same time, I’m having trouble getting enough calories (with the exception of cookies) while breastfeeding. So. I’m constantly on the hunt for good protein rich recipes to fill our bellies.

This one is a hybrid of an old pot pie recipe I used to make, with modifications along the way including the addition of quinoa as a base instead of using a full pie shell. It’s pretty tasty, very cozy and not too challenging to make. Like most things I make these days, I always made extra and freeze it.

Veggie & Quinoa Pot Pie

Preheat the oven to 400F and you will need either one large (like deep pie plate sized) or two smaller (6-8″) casserole dishes.

Quinoa
1 cup + 2 cups water

Pastry
1 1/2 cups flour (I use 1 cup regular and 1 cup whole wheat)
1/2 cup butter
pinch of salt
3-4 Tbsp ice water

Pie Filling
2-3 bell peppers (I never use green, but that’s my preference)
2 medium sized potatoes
1 medium sized zucchini
3-4 carrots
1 small head of broccoli chopped small including some stem
about a cup of corn
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp fresh thyme (about 6 branches from my somewhat spindly plant)
3 tbsp flour
2 cups milk (or non-dairy milk if you prefer)
salt & plenty of pepper

To begin I start the quinoa going. Cook according to package directions or your preference. If you’ve never cooked it before it’s a lot like cooking rice. You must rinse it will as otherwise it is bitter. Then put it in a pot with the 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling turn down the heat and let simmer for 20 min or so until all the water is gone.

While that’s cooking I make the pastry. I always do mine in a food processor these days. So I cut my chilled butter into squares. Add it with a pinch of salt and the flour to the processor and pulse until the butter is in small pea sized chunks distributed in the flour. Then let the processor go while you add your 3-4 Tbsp of ice water until the dough just starts to turn into one big clump. Then remove, form into a flatish round and wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

While that’s chilling you can wash, peel and chop your veggies. Now I’ve suggested veggies that were in my produce store at this time of year and in decent shape. You could very easily mix this up to suit your preference and the season. Using mostly root veggies like carrot, parsnips and turnips, with potato would be great, in that case you may want to add a bit of sage to the flavouring. I prefer my veggies all diced fairly small, but if you want things chunkier go for it, you just may need to cook things a bit longer.

Heat some oil or butter in a medium sized pot (big enough to hold all the veggies with spare room) and add your slower cooking veggies to the pot (in this case carrots and potatoes) to the pot with the garlic at a medium heat. Saute for 5 minutes stirring frequently to prevent browning. Then add the other veggies and continue to saute for another 4-5 minutes. At this point things should be softening but not mushy. Now add your thyme (or other herbs). Sprinkle in 3 Tbsp of flour and stir to incorporate it amongst all the veggies in there. Then add the 2 cups of milk about a half cup at a time, stirring all the while to prevent lumps. Now, this is a culinary no no, but I don’t bother to heat the milk and things still work out fine in the thickening department with no lumps. I used to heat the milk, but when you’re on a tight baby distraction schedule it seems like extra work/time/dishes. If you want to be more particular than me, heat your milk first so it is warm. Let the veggies, which are now in a thickening white sauce cook at a low/medium heat for another 10 minutes or so until the potatoes/carrots are more or less cooked. (If you cut your veggies bigger you’ll need to do this for longer). You’ll need to check in and stir here to make sure that things don’t stick/burn. Things should be a bit soupy so that you have extra sauce which will sink into the quinoa base when you assemble thing.

Now take your pastry out of the fridge and roll it out. If making two smaller casseroles, I divide the pastry into two and roll out two smaller rounds.

Assemble your pot pies by lightly buttering your casserole dish(es), put the quinoa in as a base (divide in two if  using two dishes), then add your veggies with the white sauce (again in half if doing two), then put your pastry on top. If you wish you can brush the pastry with milk/egg, that’s mostly a cosmetic touch and with the baby timer ticking down, I also typically don’t bother with that step. Slice a few vents in the pastry top and pop in the oven. If, like me, you just made two casseroles, slide one in a large freezer bag unbaked and freeze now. To cook it later, let the casserole dish itself come to room temperature but don’t defrost it all the way of the pastry will get pasty (the dish however may crack or shatter if it goes into the oven too cold). You’ll need to cook the frozen one for longer, probably 45 minutes. The fresh one you’re making now can cook for 20-25 minutes in a 400F oven.

Tip: Put a cookie sheet under your casserole in the oven or on the rack below as this sometimes bubbles over and makes a mess of your oven.

Serve with a big green salad. Nummy.

I’ve always categorized knitting as yet another hobby that I simply do not have time to partake in. With a serious stash of unsewn fabric already languishing on the shelves, I’ve actually seen my resistance to take up knitting as a kind of virtue, knowing full well that it will likely only lead to more unfinished projects and yarn stashes. I’ve also always been a bit concerned about flaring up repetitive strain injuries that my work life puts me at risk of.

But.

Since entering my new life with babe, and the arrival of two fabulous knitting stores in my midst (one in my neighbourhood and the other owned by a friend and full of inspiring organic yarny delights), I’m done with resisting. The final push towards knitting is coming as I’m finally getting moments of independence and respite as little Miss L is better as amusing herself for small stretches and naps (somewhat) more regularly. Add that to a new going to bed ritual that involves Martin more than me, and I’m finding myself with moments snatched here and there that I’m aching to fill with some kind of project. While, I could in theory sew in these moments, the set up of the sewing room (in the basement) and the kinds of projects I like to take on, I really need stretches of time that are not yet abundant in my life. But, knitting. Well knitting (or so I fantasize) can happen while she plays on the floor in the livingroom, or in the 45 minutes or so of energy I have once the baby is in bed and the adults are fed.

And so, I have begun. In my dream world I was going to take an intro class. But, life isn’t quite predictable enough for me to sign-up for and commit to a class yet. So, last night, with some yarn I’ve had on the dresser for a few weeks now and a pattern I’m aspiring to follow in hand, I set down with the internet, youtube videos of the incomparable knitting goddess Vickie Howell, and taught myself to cast on. And, after five or six attempts and redos I think I’ve got that part down. (It did require one phone call to a dear friend in Portland to get some guidance to help me reduce my tension). Now I’m working on trying to knit up a gauge square, which is… well with a bit more googling and youtube, not doing too badly? I think? We’ll see.

The whole knitting up a sample square thing seems to be akin to the “sew a muslin first” of sewing. One of those slow and steady wins the race things, where it’s worth investing the time up-front but I must admit I’m itching to get to the real goods. I’m also, of course, itching to move beyond my initially selected project to something more challenging/exciting. Like this awesome totoro hat (!) or this gorgeous little knit dress kit for wee girls at Plum Studio.

But, for now. I’ll stick to my square. Which is so far, not measuring up as it were. But I’m just going to keep going and get the hang of things. Tomorrow I’m hoping to attend a friends crafting gathering and hopefully can get some tips there to help me make some more progress.