Dreaming of better times ahead

It has been over a year of Covid headlines. 

Rob didn't know what was ahead and retired just a week after the first lockdown started. Who knew things would drag on the way they have?

I'm still reluctant to set my own retirement date. Work is relatively stress free; I know the job quite well and there are no undue expectations. Realizing I'll be leaving within the year does put things into perspective! I might as well be earning if all I can do is sit at home.

Things I can do under stay at home orders: yoga, gardening, walks, reading, Hot Docs, ukulele, book clubs, Epitourists, MasterClass courses, yoga intensives, take out from great restaurants, cooking classes, streaming concerts, Netflix...

I think in June we should be back in the Grey Zone again. Launch!  Sailing! Although the sailing season will probably have restrictions like last summer, with limited reciprocals along the lake and no access to ports in the U.S. 

Overall, summer should be much better, and most of our friends and family will have been vaccinated. We can have small get togethers and family dinners. Outdoor cafes will open. Inter-city travel will be possible again.

In the fall we'll be on the road to a 'new normal.' Koerner Hall and theatres may open at reduced capacity, which would be fantastic! We'll probably be wearing masks in most public indoor spaces. Hopefully deaths and hospitalizations due to Covid will be a thing of the past due to vaccinations, but there will likely be a lot of people getting sick, either from Covid variants or other flus and colds. I know I will probably avoid large crowds and gatherings for many, many months to come.

I'm wondering about international flights... I'd love to take a trip. Costa Rica, Greece, New Zealand, Ireland, Japan are all on the list. Given the air quality on planes and the need to wear masks,  long flights to Japan or Australia probably aren't likely. But who knows? Probably not until January 2022, and even then, with some kind of Covid passport, surtaxes, additional health insurance, restricted access and inflated prices.

If the US/Canadian border opens up by the fall, maybe a driving vacation along the East Coast in September/October. We've wanted to do that for quite some time. However, pent up demand may make the route far too travelled. Maybe a Canadian road trip is in order.

Won't that be fine. 

Full Moon April 2021

How could I not love a cheese called Le Pleine Lune? This was shared at our April Epitourist feast. So delicious! 

I do remember as a kid the saying that the moon was made of cheese. The phrase is centuries old and likely originated around 1545, when The Proverbs of John Heywood claimed "the moon is made of a greene cheese." A common variation at that time was "to make one believe the Moon is made of green cheese" (i.e., to hoax).

This cheese was more grey than green. And this month's moon is Pink. No hoax here.

Thanks Caro for  finding this gem!

LE PLEINE LUNE
Made from pasteurized milk and cream, this soft cheese has a bloomy rind covered in vegetable ash. It smells like fresh mushrooms and has a peppery finish to its taste. The cheese ripens slowly from the outside in to develop a perfect creamy texture. When young, the chalky interior has a neutral flavour, with only a hint of tartness. With time, the cheese develops a distinct aroma, and its black-and-white rind turns grey, giving the cheese flavours of butter and hot milk.

AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS

• 2016 World Cheese Awards Major Winner as Best Canadian Cheese as well as gold medal winner in the Brie Made From Pasteurized Milk class.
• 2016 Sélection Caseus competition 1st prize winner in the Bloomy Rind Cheese class.
• 2016 British Empire Cheese Show 3rd prize winner, Soft Rind Cheese class.

A taste of travel

Stuck at home for over a year now, I have missed heading out to a restaurant for a nice meal. 

Food for me is a way to travel and explore other cultures without heading too far from home. We have such great menus here in Toronto, and we're able to sample cuisines from all over the world in restaurants all over the city. But Covid has hit the industry hard and many have closed their doors permanently.

Lake Inez, a local restaurant, is one of the establishments that is hanging in and getting creative.  

Takeout is offered once a week through pre-orders and curb side pick up on Saturday night. The menu changes each week and typically offers five courses, complete with preparation instructions, a playlist to complement the menu, an original love letter, and "seven years good luck." 

I couldn't resist, especially when I checked out the menu and it was Tex-Mex themed. Rob and I hadn't properly celebrated our anniversary earlier in the month, and this was perfect, as a nod to our wedding in Mexico (37 years ago!).

The playlist included artists who were born in Texas, died in Texas, or who reminded the chef of Texas... It was a great mix of tunes and created ambience for the meal; another layer of enjoyment. "We made a playlist so you don't have to have that same domestic quibble about choosing the music and settling for the same fucking album you always settle for and no, it doesn't mean things are getting stale you've just shifted your energy to more important stuff..."

The love letter was an original short story, shared with the request not to reprint it for reasons of copyright. It was long enough to entertain Rob and I as we read it aloud through three courses.

A taste of travel to Texas in the menu, music, and story. 

Saved the wine that came with the meal for another occasion, and sipped a Cabo Reposado along with the courses.

I realized that I will often be inspired by restaurant meals to try something similar at home... this experience made doing that easy.

Such a great break from the routine. A bit of a twist on going out, by staying in.

//// six courses /////

{{1st course}} jalapeño poppers w pimento cheese, bacon bitz (or tempeh bitz for veggies) , cilantro, texas toast crumb
.
{{2nd course}} tortilla wedge salad - gem, iceberg, red cabbage & radish w queso fresco, creamy lime ranch dress, pumpkin seed and avocado
.
{{3rd course}} bbq chicken guajillo rojo soup w ancho and chipotle pepper, burnt orange, wild garlic, hominy, mexican oregano, crema, lime, red onion (or bbq corn w cob n husk broth for veggies)
.
{{4th course}} mixed grill enchilada verde w flour tortillas, refried beans, tomatillo and serrano sauce, monterrey jack and white cheddar, pickled onions and festive rice (mixed grilled mushrooms for veggies)
.
{{bonus 5th course}} alphonso mango (the toast of our neighbourhood, the toast of spring) bites w sweet & spicy bbq rub sprinkle, guajillo pepper, tajin and brown sugar
.
{{6th course}} rhubarb, guava and hibiscus cobbler w ice cold dulce de leche

April snow showers

Snow day! Not a light dusting either. Stayed on the ground for a couple of days, heavy and wet. The cold temperatures kept me mostly indoors, admiring the view. Spring is still in the air, floating in petals above the white and green.

Busy bees

Little nubs of the blood root were poking through the earth in early April. By the 9th they were poised to burst, standing at the ready. White petals rose on stems, looking as though they were almost cradled by their leaves in an embrace.  Then the bees came to enjoy their harvest. 

So much goes on this time of year, transformations one day to the next. It won't be long before the petals drop and bees depart, but the beautiful foliage will remain through summer.

the leaves' protective embrace (April 14)

Busy bees April 18

 

Ashaya yoga

Years ago I spent a weekend with Todd Norian at the Yoga Conference - back then he was teaching Anasura. Norian has now branched off on his own to develop Ashaya yoga, which ties together the study of yoga, chakras, and the five elements.

Having studied under the Iyengar method I am more used to thinking of the bandhas; and with yin yoga, the idea of chi and meridians.

Five sessions were offered online for free, and I signed up, curious to learn how chakras could be applied to a yoga practice.

I found the classes to be an intoxicating blend of chanting, asana, meditation and pranayama; blended with sound and flow and philosophy.

Five sessions curated for each of the five chakras. 

• 
  Muladhara, base of spine, earth 
• Svadhisthana, sacral region, water
• Manipura, navel, fire
• Anahata, heart, air
• Vishuddha, throat, sky
• Ajna, brow (third eye), light 'om'
• Sahasrara, crown, consciousness

Some of what Todd was saying sounded like poetry.

"We come from the stars and heavens...We are spiritual beings having a human experience."

"Breath is the medium between our humanity and divinity." 

The middle chakra, located in the heart region, lies between the two triangles of humanity and divinity."

I really appreciated the thought that had gone into sequencing. 

I wasn't particularly smitten with the asana portion and found some of the postural alignment could be outright dangerous to people without an existing yoga practice. Still, the poses were chosen to suit the chakra and bring focus and awareness to the energy within. 

Overall happy with my experience and impressed with the level of thought and design in each session.

Todd has written a memoir in which he describes his spiritual journey, including betrayals by two gurus (John Friend of Anasura and Amrit Desai of Kripalu); as well as a spiritual break that landed him in a psych ward.  Ashaya yoga is a blend of teachings he has learned and applied along the way.

Eat Your Veg!

I may never buy pickles again. It was so much fun to layer the different vegetable's colours and shapes in jars as I prepared for the Epitourists April lunch. Such a pretty result! The brine was simple: 200 grams sugar; 400 grams water; 200 grams white wine vinegar; thyme sprigs; mustard seeds.

The recipe was from Thomas Keller's Masterclass, the theme for the Epitourists this month.

Keller is such a pro, which is easy to spot in his technique and approach. Not a lot of high drama here; the man exudes such an easy confidence. Simple and straightforward explanations shared from decades of experience.

I was totally inspired by the care he took in his demonstrations as he prepared vegetables: raw, roast, boil, glaze, braise, puree, pickle.... 

For my Epi course I chose roasted beets, boiled asparagus, pickled veg and hard boiled eggs.  Too simple?

Done right, vegetables do take time to prepare, but the effort is well worth the prize. Amazing colour, fresh taste, endless variety. 

Keller had assigned a salt tasting for homework. From my cupboard I grabbed some sea salt, Himalayan, maldon, and iodized. I also prepped some cumin sea salt, stealing notes from Alice Waters' Masterclass: it's just two tablespoons of sea salt and one tablespoon of cumin (you just toast the cumin seeds lightly in a cast iron pan and then when they're cool, grind them together with a bit of salt). 

After one or two dabs of my finger in salt, truthfully I couldn't taste much difference, aside from the cumin-flavoured. However, I noted that the finer grinds of salt were easily absorbed into the vegetable. The finishing salt, Maldon, added extra crunch and visual interest.

Exotic beauties

Earth is thawing and spring is working its wonders. Out walking in a park, I spotted a bog filled with tiny exotic beauties. They looked like pitcher plants at first, but on closer inspection, and with the help of google image look up, we were able to identify them as skunk cabbage. I was sorely tempted to dig one up and take it home, but luckily didn't have a trowel with me. My backyard isn't boggy enough, and I think one specimen would be lonely all on it's own. What a little miracle of a plant - when the ground is still frozen, it gives off enough heat to melt its way through. How fantastic is that?

skunk cabbage

skunk cabbage bog

Toronto Botanical Gardens was bursting into flower. Tulips and daffodils and magnolia buds, and tender pink flowers on viburnum.

Viburnum at Toronto Botanical Gardens

When the scilla were coming up in our own backyard, Rob and I went to check out the spot in Rosedale Valley where they've naturalized into a corner of blue. Years previous, we have anticipated their brief appearance and dramatic hue on our morning commute. This year it became the destination rather than a drive-by.

Scilla at the Rosedale corner