Food, Glorious Food

As mentioned in my previous post, I am taking on more of the cooking responsibilities at home. Serdic still does the majority of the cooking, but I'm trying to branch out a little bit. I am not a very imaginative cook -- I can follow the recipe and recreate the dish competently, but I'm not good at improvising, or coming up with a meal without a recipe (something at which Serdic excels, by the way). One of my other issues is that I used to be a very picky eater, and while I still am to some extent I have really broadened my horizons in the last few years. A big part of that was when I lived in Denmark I forced myself to eat everything as I didn't want to be rude or difficult (and I am quite proud of myself that the only dish I didn't finish that entire year was the jellied eel), but also in the last few years I have been pushing myself to try new things, including things I didn't think I liked when I was a kid, and while there are of course still things I don't like it's surprising to me just how much is out there that I do like.

I have also realized that when I used to cook for myself before I met Serdic, I would cook very bland meals and rely on the salt shaker to make them taste better. Not exactly the most healthy choice! I realized after a few months of eating Serdic's cooking that I was rarely reaching for the salt anymore, and that was because he cooked much more flavourful meals to begin with. I still like my food salty (and chips remain my biggest weakness, while chocolate can sit on the table for months before it's eaten!) but I rarely add salt after the cooking process anymore. We also have discovered the joys of sea salt, in all its varieties, and use it almost exclusively now. A little pinch of that will do more to flavour a meal than a tablespoon of table salt!

So all that is just the lead in to what I really want to blog about, which is the fantastic meal I cooked (with Serdic's help as sous-chef!) for our dear friends Jay and Dee this past Sunday night. When Serdic left his job in January to go back to school several of his coworkers gave him a going away gift which included a nifty new cookbook: Bite Me. One of the recipes in there seems to have been crafted just for me, given how many of the ingredients are things I have learned to love over the last couple of years -- pasta with spinach, feta, sundried tomatoes, parmesan, and carmelized onions. I made it for us a couple of weeks ago and we loved it, so I decided it would be a good thing for a dinner party. It's not an easy recipe, as it involves a lot of ingredients and several steps, but the end result is worth it. I improvised (!) and added some chicken breasts (just baked in the oven with minimal seasoning as there are so many flavours in play already, then chopped up into bite sized pieces and added to the rest) to up the protein. I did a spinach salad to go with it -- kept it simple (again because I didn't want to add too many flavours) with spinach, dried cranberries (wanted pomegranate seeds, but no pomegranates to be had anywhere in Ottawa this week!) and red onion.

Dessert was planned based on the dishes. As a wedding gift Serdic's Grandma gave us a set of crystal trifle dishes, which are lovely, but not something we use on a daily basis. So I decided to choose a dessert we could serve in said dishes, as they're too pretty to just sit in the cupboard. I settled on chocolate mousse (this recipe, to be exact) and it was DELICIOUS. So yummy. Fresh raspberries and whipped cream to go on top, and had planned to drizzle Bailey's over the whole thing, but Serdic suggested instead mixing a splash of Bailey's into the whipped cream as it was whipping. Divine. Two thumbs up on that idea, let me tell you.

So by the time it was all said and done, I was pretty proud of that meal. The best part, of course, was getting to spend the evening with fantastic friends and having a nice long visit, something we have not been able to do a lot of recently. But the food was pretty damn good, too.

Still alive out there?

So all the cool kids appear to be blogging again, and I am nothing if not a wannabe cool kid. So let's see ...

As usual, I haven't been blogging not because there is nothing to say, but because life moves so quickly these days and when I finally get a chance to stop and take a breath it feels like I've blinked and two months have gone by. So how has 2010 been shaping up so far? I guess the biggest change is that as previously mentioned Serdic has quit his job and gone back to school full time. So far we are coping pretty well on one income with not much adjusting -- there's a little less left over in the bank account at the end of the month, but we're not suffering too much (knock on wood).

We have been making a real attempt to rein in the spending in one area specifically -- we are not eating out very often and making a real attempt to make a weekly meal plan and stick to it. A lot of the time when we ate out or got take out before it was a "so what do you want to do about supper?" "oh, I don't feel like cooking, what do you want?" "let's just get Swiss Chalet" kind of exchange, and now we are challenging ourselves to stick to the meal plan. So far we are doing pretty well, I have to say. Part of that challenge is that I'm taking on more of the responsibility for cooking -- Serdic is such a good cook and I enjoy the food he prepares so much, so it was easy for me to get in the habit of just letting him take care of all the meal prep in our house, and get take out if he didn't want to cook. I have never been an adventurous or gifted cook (I would term myself "adequate" or perhaps "competent") but having been with Serdic for just over three years now (can it be?) I have broadened my horizons quite a bit and discovered a new enjoyment in being in the kitchen. I'm branching out a little bit, exploring some new ingredients and cooking styles, and I have to say that I'm pleased with the results. Serdic isn't complaining, either -- or at least I'm taking the nights he licks his plate clean as a good sign.

In other news, the belt hasn't been tightened all that much, as I will shortly be winging my way across the Atlantic for one last visit with PetDoc and Noise before they leave London for good in June. It's hard to believe that their two years are almost up, but I have to admit that I am thrilled they are coming home ... although losing the free place to stay in London is too bad! (I can't really complain, I have after all been to visit them three times in two years!) But having them home again with us will be even better. I'm really looking forward to this trip as I've done most of the really touristy things in London I want to do, so this time I can just relax and explore a little bit and, most importantly, spend some quality time with two of my favourite people in the world.

So that's a quick update on how things are going at Casa Double S. Life is grand, spring has sprung (knock on wood), and there are lots of good things to look forward to in the next few months. I'll try to keep more on top of the blog as the good things happen.

Ring out the old, ring in the new

The end of the year is always a time for reflection, a time for considering what has been and our hopes for what the new year will bring. The end of this year is particularly poignant for me for a number of reasons. 2009 was one of the best, and certainly most eventful, years of my life, highlighted of course by our wedding and the beginning of the shared adventure that is married life. 2010 brings a lot of changes, some of them scary. Just this morning I said good bye to one of my closest friends at work, a woman who has been a mentor and guide for me for my whole career. She is off to a well deserved retirement, but we will miss her dreadfully and the department will have a huge hole in it that it will be hard for anyone else to fill. Early in the new year Serdic will finish up at his job and become a full time student again. An exciting path for him, to be sure, and one I wholeheartedly support him starting on, but it's a big change for us, and a scary one.

This is also a particularly interesting year to look back, as it is the end of the first decade of the millenium. It is hard to believe that ten years ago tonight we were in the throes of Y2K panic (and what a bust that turned out to be!). The last ten years of my life have taken some interesting twists and turns, and if you had told that 23 year old me then where I would be in ten years, I wouldn't have believed you. I was on the verge of graduating from Queen's (being the class of '00 was kind of fun, I will admit), with no idea where I was going or what I would be doing when I got there. I had no idea I would become a librarian, and certainly not that I would end up in Ottawa working for the most prestigious library in the country. I didn't know I would be in Ottawa at all. I definitely didn't know that ten years after leaving my hometown I would meet and marry a boy from that hometown, and find more happiness with him than I knew was possible. There were so many good things in store, not only for me but for members of my family (living in other countries, Olympic medals, trips and jobs and awards and weddings and all kinds of things) and I'm glad I didn't know they were all coming, but have been able to enjoy the ride and each surprise and celebration as it comes. The last decade has brought some amazing people into my life, not just Serdic and his family, but so many dear friends who have become so special to me.

There was loss and sadness, too. The greatest of these was of course the loss of my beloved Grandad and Grandma, and their absence is felt every day. Pets have died, friends have drifted away or moved. Things have changed and time marches on. Just yesterday I received the news that the father of a friend had died, and I will be part of the group singing at the funeral on Saturday. This is a friend who came and sang for Serdic and me at our wedding two months ago. Life and death, love and loss, happiness and grief ... at the end of the year it is appropriate to reflect on these things, and be thankful for all that we have received, and hopeful for what is to come.

I hope for more adventures for all my friends and family in 2010, and only good things and happiness for us all. Happy New Year, everyone.

2009 wrap up

Last year I did this a couple of weeks before the end of the year, and then Serdic surprised me by proposing on New Year's Eve, changing a lot of my answers to these questions! I'm assuming that this year I'm safe from that kind of surprise. :-)

1) What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? got married, bought a car, visited Spain and Malta
2) Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't really make New Year's resolutions, other than I always resolve to be a better person, lose weight, etc. Sort of ongoing things.
3) Did anyone close to you give birth? No
4) Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully.
5) What countries did you visit? England, France, Spain, Italy, Malta, the United States
6) What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? nothing was lacking ... more money, maybe
7) What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? October 24, 2009 -- the day I married my best friend and love of my life
8) What was your biggest achievement of the year? Planning a kick ass wedding without killing myself or anyone else
9) What was your biggest failure? not losing any weight
10) Did you suffer illness or injury? nothing except the common cold
11) What was the best thing you bought? my car!
12) Whose behavior merited celebration? The many people who did so much to help us make our wedding so beautiful and special
13) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? various public figures
14) Where did most of your money go? wedding and honeymoon, car payments
15) What did you get really, really, really excited about? the wedding
17) Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? happier
- thinner or fatter? about the same
- richer or poorer? about the same
18) What do you wish you'd done more of? weight loss
19) What do you wish you'd done less of? complaining
20) How did you spend Christmas? with the family and Serdic's family
21) Did you fall in love in 2009? over and over again ... always with the same guy!
22) How many one-night stands? none
23) What was your favorite TV program? I didn't really watch a lot of tv this year
24) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Can't think of anyone
25) What was the best book you read? to tell the truth, I can't think of anything. I didn't have a lot of time for reading this year, and I revisisted some old favourites but didn't make any new discoveries
26) What was your greatest musical discovery? I Gotta Feeling, by the Black Eyed Peas
27) What did you want and get? To be loved
28) What did you want and not get? to be independently and fabulously wealthy
29) What was your favorite film of this year? Up
30) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? worked, went out for dinner with Serdic, was showered with love and affection by family and friends; I was 33
31) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Can't think of anything -- it was an incredibly satisfying year
32) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? I'm lucky to make it out the door in the morning with my clothes on right side out and matching socks ... does that count as a fashion concept?
33) What kept you sane? family, friends, love, music, faith ... all the good stuff
34) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Colin Firth, as always
35) What political issue stirred you the most? can't think of anything
36) Who did you miss? my grandma, my grandad, my sister
37) Who was the best new person you met? a great new family of inlaws who are warm and welcoming and fun
38) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009: good things come to those who wait
39) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Come my love, I'll tell you a tale
Of a boy and girl and their love story
And how he loved her oh so much
And all the charms she did possess
My love is like a storybook story
But it's as real as the feelings I feel
My love is like a storybook story
But it's as real as the feelings I feel
It's as real as the feelings I feel

Musical musings

The morning of my wedding, as we were getting ready at our parents' house, PetDoc and Noise decided on a "theme song" for the day, and put the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" on a loop on the laptop. They and Jay sang and danced around the living room, and we must have listened to the song a dozen times over the course of the morning. Later, at the reception, Noise requested the song from the DJ and I got to dance to the song not only with my sister and brother-in-law and dear friend, but with the love of my life and all of our nearest and dearest, on the happiest day of my life. As Serdic and I toured Europe on our honeymoon we heard the song everywhere we went, up to and including in the taxi on our way home from the airport when we finally got back to Ottawa. I have since found out that this is because that song is, like, the #1 song of the year (I hardly ever listen to the radio or contemporary music, so my knowledge in this area is sadly lacking), but for me it will always be "my" song, and the minute I hear the opening phrase I think of that day, and those people, who are so, so dear to me. I know PetDoc and Noise didn't set out to give me the song as a gift, but in a way that's exactly what they did, and it was one of the best gifts I received that day, because the memories and associations it evokes will always be there, and it will always make me think of them, and that day, and the happiness and excitement and anticipation and love and celebration and all those great and beautiful things that were part of that day. It's amazing how a song can do that, isn't it? There's a lot of music that I associate with our wedding now, music that I always knew I wanted to be part of the day -- the song I came down the aisle to, our first dance, etc. -- but I never expected this one!

On another musical note (no pun intended!), I attended the annual Come Sing Messiah! on Friday night. I went last year for the first time, and swore to myself then that I would never miss it again. What an incredible evening of music. The more familiar I get with Messiah, the more I become convinced that there has never been and never will be a work written to equal it. I've sung major sections of it several times now, and I never fail to be moved by the power and beauty of the story it tells, and the glorious, glorious music. I have not been looking forward to Christmas this year, finding it more of a burden than something to be excited about, which is really upsetting to me as Christmas has always been my favourite time of year. This year I think it's just the post-wedding let down and trying to get life back on an even keel, plus we've been dealing with a number of changes since we got back to real life, and I don't handle change well (who does?). But after singing Messiah Friday night I am feeling much more in the spirit of the season, and reminded of what is important and the reason for the season, to break out an overused and worn out phrase.

Of all the things in the world that give life beauty and grace, I think the one I am most grateful for is music.

Slow down!

Ok, so, from ten weeks to ten days in the blink of an eye. Hard to believe the big day is almost here. This blog has been shamefully neglected in the last two months, but so has everything else in my life not related to the wedding. The "to do" list has been lengthy, but it seems to be under control at the moment, and everything is on track for the Best. Wedding. Ever. Gifts and cards have been pouring in, and starting on Saturday the guests will begin to arrive (yay for PetDoc and Noise!).

Things are good. Life is good. We are exceedingly blessed. Watch this space for photos and updates.

Another year older and deeper in debt

Thanks to all who sent birthday wishes in various ways yesterday. They were very much appreciated. I had a fairly low key birthday, which is not surprising given the hoopla surrounding other events this summer. Serdic took me to a lovely restaurant for dinner and we had a fantastic evening, and I was showered with love and good wishes from friends and family. We're heading to Hometown this weekend and will do some celebrating with family then as well.

Speaking of being showered with love and good wishes, we were the grateful and overwhelmed guests of honour at a wedding shower hosted by three of my dearest friends last weekend. It was really great to have so many of our friends gathered together in one place, wanting to celebrate with us, and we received some very beautiful and generous gifts. I know I say this often, but it's something that should be said often and never taken for granted -- we have wonderful friends and they are such a blessing in our lives. This is a very happy time for us, and we are really lucky to have so many people who want to share it and are happy for us.

It's been a fun week, wedding wise, in general, as the response cards are starting to arrive. Every day this week there's been a little treat in the mailbox ... it feels kind of like Christmas, when there are cards in the mail every day instead of the usual junk and bills. It's the little things, sometimes, that really brighten the day.

So the invitations are out and the countdown is really truly on. The next 10 weeks are going to be a whirlwind, but everything is falling into place and it's going to be perfect. Knock on wood.