Company is coming again this weekend, so it is time to open up extra bedrooms, dust corners and shine taps and mirrors. We went to town yesterday to stock up on food for the weekend and go to Tim’s for lunch. Yum! It was a bright sunny day, so we had a nice trip there and back: clear dry roads all the way.
Since Anvilcloud retired, he does most of the cooking so, he is in charge of the kitchen, and I tend to the rest of the chores to get ready for company. He is always trying some new recipe, and our guests look forward to what delicious culinary delight he will present them with. Me too!
Last night, he made scrumptious sweet potato soup to serve for lunch on Saturday. It is sooooooo good: made with roasted sweet potatoes and jazzed up with orange zest, fresh ginger and other secret spices. It is yummy indeed.
Today he will make his pasta-less lasagna to have for dinner on Saturday. It is a labour-intensive dish but oh so good. He uses zucchini instead of pasta, and the zucchini has to be sliced thin, salted, and dried before it can be layered with the cheeses and tomato sauce. It is quite a production, let me tell you. He has salted zucchini slices drying on paper towels all over the kitchen when he prepares this dish, and I stay far away when he is in the middle of that mess.
He usually whistles the whole time he is working in the kitchen, so that is a sure sign he is having a good time. When the whistling stops and the muttering begins, I go to the door and ask if I can help. Two cooks in the same kitchen just don’t work out, so I stay clear of his workspace unless he asks for help. I am happy to be out of the kitchen after 30 years of fussin’ in there, wondering what in the world to make for dinner. I give him my blessing and let him go to it in what was once my domain.
He tries things that I wouldn’t have looked twice at because of all the work involved, and they are delicious. He says he enjoys the “zen” of peeling vegetables, grating cheese or slicing zucchini and likes to do it slowly and methodically in his own way. Not me! When I was in the kitchen, I just wanted to get it done and in the oven as quickly as possible so I could get on to other things. The faster the better was my motto. I didn’t mind baking, but cooking dinners never did turn my crank.
I remember a time many years ago when Anvilcloud turned to me and said in a rather nostalgic tone of voice. “You know, daughter #1 is getting to be so much like you.”
“Really” I said “how?”
“Well, I came home from work the other day, and she was wearing your pink housecoat and was bustling about in the kitchen, and I thought it was you. It took me a couple of seconds to realise it wasn’t you and was surprised when she turned to me and said …”
Here, I expected him to say something like “…turned to me and said Hi, how was your day?” or some other such greeting.
No, he finished the sentence with “… can we go out for dinner?!” Yikes.
We both burst out laughing and continue to laugh about that to this day. When he retired, I gladly handed over the reigns of the kitchen to him, and he eagerly took them. Probably self-preservation. We joke that now he is King of the kitchen but that I am still Queen of the leftovers. I can whip up a tasty treat out of almost nothing in a matter of minutes, and he stands amazed at that feat. We are quite the team.
Over the years I missed out on a lot of delicious meals because I was too busy doing other things to take the time to try a new labour-intensive recipe. I had to finish with one day to get on to the next. Busy, busy, busy. Do as much as you can in a twenty-four hour period. Rush from one task to the next; that is the important thing. Right? Wrong!!
I have learned, or am still learning, not to settle for just a hasty dish of “leftovers” each day as I travel along this path. What a joy to slow down, live in the moment, and let it melt in your mouth like chocolate instead of gulping it down like medicine.
Life is what’s happening while we’re busy making other plans.
John Lennon
Pop of piece of life into your mouth this weekend, and let it melt slowly as you savour each delicious flavour it has to offer. MMMMM good.
My old laptop will gather dust again this weekend while I spend time visiting with my sister and her husband. I will be back on Monday; talk to you all later.
2 comments:
Oh how I miss my Timmy Ho’s coffee! I try and limit my caffeine intake to about a cup a day now that I am pregnant, but Tim Hortons coffee is second to none!
I think I remember reading about Anvilcloud’s Sweet Potato soup in a previous blog. I’m tempted to ask for his recipes!. The zucchini lasagne sounds absolutely mouth-watering. I have to wonder if I would have the patience or skill to whip up such a delightful meal.
You’re words about always being busy, busy, busy ring so true. I often reflect on my days wondering what we’re always so busy doing. I’ve even been told that it appears as though my husband and I are living our lives in fast forward. Part of me struggles with that comment because on one hand, I have always felt great about where our lives are heading. We have ambitious goals and dreams that we are achieving or well on our way to achieving, yet another part of me can’t help but wonder if there is a fine line of balance we aren’t realizing.
I think that is why I enjoy your blogs so much. You always have a way of bringing a fresh perspective to a situation, and provide interesting quotes or comments that get your mind thinking.
I hope you have a lovely weekend.
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