Steamy soup ...

It's a doozy day today. The last thing I am up for today is writing. I hate to admit it, but it's true. I'm not up for much other than a warm cozy blanket and some refuge. Some days trickle in like this but I have yet to get used to them. So I curl up and I imagine that someone with a warm smile is bringing me steamy soup, caressing my cheek, moving my hair from my face and gently tucking it behind my ear, opening the window to let in a soft breeze and reminding me that these murky moments pass. Sometimes we don't always have said warm someone around at exactly the moment we need them. So, we must do it for ourselves. Off I go, to put on my tiny smile, caress and tuck, to open a window and let in a soft breeze and to have this steamy soup.

For those sometimes murky moments, something easy, beautiful and heartwarming.

Give yourself a hug. And open a window. It does wonders.

Time to dish.

Steamy squash soup with cream, thyme and toasted almonds

Here is what you need:

• One lovely squash. Butternut or pumpkin will do. All cut up into one inch cubes.
• One head of garlic. Bulbs out but skin on.
• One large onion cut into one inch cubes.
• Glug of olive oil.
• A little over a cup of thick organic cream at room temperature
• Thyme sprigs.
• Toasted sliced almonds.
• Cracked pepper.
• Crusty bread.
• A hot cup of tea.

Here is what to do:

1. Preheat the oven, 400 will do. Combine your quash, onion, garlic and thyme in your pan and drizzle with olive oil and roast until sweet, tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Then take out the thyme sprigs and pop out the garlic heads from their skins and transfer the roasted veggies to a blender with your cream. Blend until smooth. That's it kids. Put it in your best bowl and serve hot with the almonds, pepper and crusty bread.
2. Also have a hot cup of tea to go with.
3. Then get under the covers and have a snooze. Zzzzzz.....

So I thought about it a little ...

Something strange happens to me every spring dear readers. A feeling overcomes me. It is the first year I have been able to figure out what is going on even though it has been happening to me for many years now. I guess I can say that it's because it is the first year that I am really paying attention. Though, I've always felt I've paid attention... A funny thing, that is ...

Every spring, I feel anxiety. A fear comes over me. A certain ... uneasiness. My stomach turns, I feel slightly dizzy... I know, it's weird right? That's what I thought too. And it's only this year that I have been able to give the feeling a name. I found it very odd. And it just kind of crept upon me, as these things tend to do. There I was siting in the sun, feeling its welcome heat on my face, lounging about and wiggling my happy, free toes, enjoying a beautiful salad with Napa lazily lounging beside me keeping one eye on an ant and one eye on her squirrel arch nemesis, and what was I feeling? Slightly uneasy. A little more than slightly, if truth be told. I couldn't believe it. 

So I thought about it a little... 

I thought and thought, gave Napa a pet and thought some more and then it hit me, as these things tend to do. It all made sense. I was the recipient of a big, old fashioned, sensory, wallop. For me, after the great hibernation of winter - where everything slows down, the sun traveling low in the sky, the light caressing soft and low, me snuggled under countless blankets with countless hot teas and tons of fatty food and the bareness and the urban sounds somewhat muffled by blankets of snow -  the sheer aliveness of spring is totally shocking. It freaks me out people. Destabilizes me. Makes me go whoa.

In spring the skies blaze and light glimmers, people swarm the streets, dust kept in check by winter's soft blanket of snow now swirls and blows all around, the smell of soil - moist and supple - permeates the air and invades your nostrils, seeds that have been waiting, dormant, literally burst out and through the dense cover of earth, birds fly back home by the hundreds in large communal v's, bugs are back buzzing and scuttling about in abundance. All at once. Everything living, breathing, bursting, moving, transforming, growing, changing, needing to be cleaned... It totally wallops me. Knocks my senses about for a bit and, makes me anxious. And another thing, one thing that I had not noticed before, is that for a little while, the moon leaves us. There is a time when it is only visible during the day here, alongside the sun, and I realize I miss the moon and her light at night... 

So that's it. All the stuff you just read. Makes me anxious. Makes me appreciate every moment. Fills me with awe.

You know, sometimes I wish I could just sit and eat a salad. You remember the salad I was eating when all this hit? I guess sometimes I can. Just not this time.

Happy Spring dear readers. And happy whatever it is that you celebrate this weekend. Enjoy it, and enjoy one another. One love.

A gathering ...

Alright dear readers, round three of mad snapfest to close the loop. Now ...ummm... these are kind of semi all over the place so don't look for reason. Just ride with. Go with flow. Eeeaasy does it. A visual road trip. You get my drift. There is a health show, a park, a hallway, my kitchen counter and my local tea obsession (bottled soon- the tea, not the obsession... although ...). Also of course, random veg and food shots. This morning's breakfast and one portrait. Here we go ...

The health expo part: Colors here at this cool venue ...

Sprouts at the Montreal health expo that recently celebrated its 15th anniversary! It was my first time and was much more than I had expected. Totally cool.

Veg basket at same expo by these guys. They grow it on a rooftop in Montreal. How cool is that.

And yet again, at said expo, was this place. Which I visit way too often. And have way too many macarons. And sorbets. And ice cream. And that's Julien. Who doesn't sleep. Because he's busy making and selling the greatest ice cream. 'Till 11pm. For those of us who "need" that late night ice cream. Damn him.

The hall part: Hanging cotton and a flower ball in the hall ...

The park part: A teeny pine with sap oozing out...

Names and flowers in the sand ...

The local tea obsession part: Canadian grown, cascading labrador tea. Soon to be in my hands, and jars.

Lemon balm that grew in our garden, dried, picked and jarred. Happy day.

Spruce tea. That's right. Soon to be part of the tree tea obsession...I mean ... collection ... collection!

The random veg part: Grape tomatoes off the vine at Birri Brothers. Yes, they are out now.

The wild card: Cocoa and my all star toe...

The random food pic part: Andrea's apple crumble...hurry up and get a website woman so I can link up to you!

Andrea's salade d'amour ...

This mornings breakfast:  ...

Random portrait: Tristan.

 The end.

And now, for the collection. I call it a collection because it is a gathering ... a gathering of beautiful ingredients, on a beautiful plate, that amounted to an amazingly beautiful meal, made by this amazing lady. Thank you my dear Sandy (and Jean!).

Time to dish.

Sandy and Jean's Calf's liver with grilled red peppers & green beans.

Here is what you need:

• Two or four (or however many you are) organic veal calf liver's
• Two large red peppers
• A bunch of green beans
• One shallot, finely minced
• one teaspoon dijon
• 1/4 teaspoon grated garlic
• Splash of wine vinegar
• Juice of half a lemon
• Amazing olive oil
• Sea salt

Here is what to do:

1. Simply oil your red peppers, add a little sea salt and put them on the barbeque until charred and soft. Be careful not to burn them too much because we are not peeling here...Take off the grill, drizzle with a little more olive oil and set aside. Now do the same for your calf's liver. Liver tends to cook quite quickly so keep an eye on it...about 7-10 minutes total should do, depending on how pink you like it. Once done, take off the heat, wrap in aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Meanwhile steam your green beans in a double boiler or bamboo steamer until cooked but still crunchy. Once done set aside (no need to blanch if you are steaming). For the green bean dressing, in a jar add olive oil, sea salt, shallots, garlic, white wine vinegar, lemon juice and dijon. Shake shake shake, and then pour all over your green beans.
3. Then, gather all your lovely darlings onto one plate, eat, enjoy.

One must start out in herculean fashion ...

Dear readers, round two. Second batch of photos. So I spent the entire day cleaning our backyard and preparing the plants (yey!) for spring (so exciting, do not even ask me what temperature it is right now, I. am. in. denial.). The kind of cleaning that has you sweeping and scrubbing, moving things and sweeping and scrubbing under said moved things, flooding decks with scalding water sole purpose being to assassinate any germ bold enough to hang on after initial mad sweepscrubmovesweepscrub. That has you on your hands and knees cleaning in between cracks with a metal spatula in your hands and a farash ready for any dirt that pops up.  That has you scrubbing your beloved barbeque until your hands are slightly raw. That has you hammering in shelves so that your candles can have a lovely landing space outside (okay so this is more construction less cleaning but whatever). That has you scrubbing white brick walls and then deciding after one wall that this was a job to be finished the next day because after eleven hours of work, it might be a little much. The kind that has Napa curling up at your feet, at the end of the evening because she was outside with you all day inspecting your work (and maybe rolling around in a little dirt). That leaves you with puffy feet, dirty clothes, dirty hair, sore muscles...The kind, that leaves you utterly, completely, content.

A corner in the beginning ...you see that dirt there ...its time is numbered ...

A moment of sunshine ....

Chives! Look at them in their green beautiful beautifulness!

The Idon'trememberwhattheyarecalledrightnow's! The are so perfect. I love them. Ouff. 

The peony plant made it! I gave it a little kiss. 

Swollen, puffy, dirty, happy, tired feet...

A cup of hot, dark cocoa at the end of a hard day's work ...you can spike yours with Barbancourt ...if you wish, of course ...

A little softness and romance ...

A little more ... notice the scrubbed white walls ...

It's been a long day inspecting and rolling ...

Now, to be able to actually survive such a day, one must start out in herculean fashion with a breakfast of ... well ... herculean proportions.

Time to dish.

Hercules porridge, oh yeah.

Here is what you need:

• 1 cup of oatmeal
• A tiny handful of cranberries, diced black mission figs, dried apricots also diced, beautiful golden raisins and diced dried prunes
• A pinch of sea salt (only salt, you don't need sugar because the dried fruits will take care of the sweetness for you)
• To garnish, if you have it available (I didn't in the moment but it makes an awesome difference) fresh lemon balm, fresh mint

Here is what to do:

1. Add a cup of water and a pinch of salt to your oatmeal and cook to desired consistency. Depending on the type of oatmeal you have this can be anywhere from 10-45 minutes. Choose your oat and follow the instructions :). When almost done add all of your dried fruits and warm through, stirring, for about 3 or 4 minutes. Plate, add your chopped fresh herbs, have a seat, inhale the amazing aroma and chow down darlings. Then get to work. Or back to bed. Whichever you prefer.