Feast on This!

It’s getting close to Thanksgiving (2^nd Monday in October) which means it's time to talk about gratitude. Even in a year that held mixed blessings, there's lots to be thankful for. Along with great health and a loving family, I give thanks for things in my life that are simple yet profound.

Something that's easy to take for granted in my part of the world is an abundance of clean drinking water. In Vancouver we have some of the best-tasting water in the world. It’s my favourite drink; in fact our family rarely buys juice, soda or other beverages. Water is a healthier approach to hydration, saves a ton of money and I don’t have to schlepp heavy things home from the store. As access to fresh drinking water becomes politicized and people spend more and more on water they want to drink, I appreciate how lucky I am to have the luxury of inexpensive access to clean drinking water.

I give thanks for fresh fruit. It’s amazing stuff; healthy, gorgeous and flavourful. I’m always amazed by how ready for the day I feel after a breakfast of fruit, yogurt and eggs.

As you know, I love love love soup. Rainy days here can be bone-chilling. Whether it’s congee, stew, or clear broth soup, hot savoury liquids warm from the inside out. Soup warms my body and soul. (Plus it's fast and really easy to make!)

And baking, of course. It's a favourite activity on rainy winter days. I enjoy baking with my family; whether we pore over recipes or grab the first one off the internet (cookies, and hurry!). It may sound corny, but when my kids take something I've baked in their lunch, it feels like I’m able to give them an extra hug while they're at school. It satisfies my mommy-ing needs without embarrassing them in public.

I invite you consider what makes you wealthy—love, friendship, fresh fruit, a healthy appetite—and give thanks, today and every day.

Backyard Harvest

One of my favorite flavours is just-picked tomatoes, still warm from the sun. It's a childhood memory that's been reawakened now that we're growing our own once again. (Previous attempts at my old house were less than fruitful due to insufficient sun, but my present back yard is sunny and well drained.)


Homegrown food has become a luxury but I'm remembering how easy it is to add a few plants. The hard part is remembering to water them! Being able to wander outside, snacking on fresh warm miracles is one of life's treats that beats anything a restaurant has to offer. If you plant from seed, a whole backyard's worth of plants would probably cost less than one fancy restaurant meal. And you can eat in your pyjamas!

This year we had almost no rain for two months. The lavender, tomatoes, rosemary and sunflowers love it. They're abundantly productive, and the tomatoes are deliciously sweet. The alpine strawberries are even sweeter—little flavour bombs so strong you'd swear they were artificially flavour-boosted.

My carrots also came up in bunches, probably because I planted them too close (: Let's call it an experiment in plant sculpturing... yea, that's it. I'll invoke my creative license.

So here's to local food and my one-yard diet. I'll be outside snacking if anyone needs me.

Thanks!

Today is International Appreciation Day. Not sure if such a day exists, but it does in my house. Much of my appreciation this morning is centered around food. Maybe it’s because I just came back from a run, but let’s be honest: I’m obsessed with food.

Thing I’m grateful for Number One – Onions

Especially sautéed onions. Life doesn’t get much better than the smell of onions cooking, and the taste of browned sweet onions. Maybe that’s part of the reason fancy restaurants are wasted on me – I’m so delighted with such simple tastes as sautéed onions that some sauces and reductions are over the top for me. I love simple.

Thing I’m grateful for Number Two – Homemade Soup

Some foods are so incredibly different between store-bought iterations and homemade, that it’s almost not worth buying the store-bought. I’ve discovered this holds true with soup and pasta. I’ve never made my own pasta; I got the good stuff the easy way – by being the manga-cake girlfriend of an Italian guy. I hadn’t had real pasta before then, so eating Mama’s homemade ravioli was a religious experience for me. Up to that point in my life the only pasta I’d had was dried spaghetti and Chef Boyardee.

Happiness

One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.

Iris Murdoch