Back to basics.

Well the reli's are all gone home now so it is back to things as normal. If you can call eating protein at every meal and drinking beer and eating chocolate in tandem normal. We had a wonderful two days and I am sure there are other blogs out there with sledding videos and other such things that I did not manage to capture images of, but here is what we have.

Everyone arrived on Christmas Eve day in the afternoon. We broke into the stocked bar fridge right away and had a nice evening.
Mom broke out some tortiere [sic] and the wife laid on a salad and some fried shrimp and veggies. Mmmm good. There were some chocolates out and one of my sisters made these little things called hedge hogs. Now when I picture hedge hogs I picture the little chocolates by Purdys. However, the hedge hogs we, or more likely I, spent the last three days scarfing down were marshmallows dipped in caramel and then rolled in rice crispies. A delightful addition to the sweets table, a tradition that I hope endures for the rest of my Christmases.

Well after eating we watched some movies and then the kids headed off for bed. Actually the movie theme this year was Harry Potter. We watched all five movies over the last week and 3, 4 and 5 were seen by our guests. Kind of a nice nightly ritual.

Anyways Christmas morning I and the wife were woken at 2:30, 5:00 and then for the last time at 6:52. We said we would wait for 7:00 but this was close enough. The daughter wanted me to point out that it was only her that did the waking up. The son slept through. Anyways, Santa had arrived during the night and the little ones were pretty much over the moon about having stockings and gifts.
They were not great about waiting to open the rest of their presents. We are cruel and wait for everyone to wake up and then open in rounds so that each present gets its due time. Lots of books and some toys, it was fabulous. I am dreading as they get older. A cashier I was talking to said her teenage kids were next to impossible to shop for. Santa will have his work cut out for him over the next 15-20 years. Should never have had that third child, well its too late now and I am sure the upside will be huge. Its not like I am going to be able to retire before I am sixty anyways. Might as well eh.

So on with the holiday. The monster, I mean turkey, went in the oven just after 10 and was done by about 6:00. 28 and a half pounds plus a couple more pounds of stuffing. The turkey was excellent even if I do say so myself. I really think brining the bird gives it a juiciness and richness of flavour that can't be beat. I am also thinking that if I never had a bird bigger then 20 pounds again it will be fine with me. 8 hours, give me a break. Fortunately, the wife laid on a pancake and sausage breakfast with fruit salad and even managed to come up with some leftovers for lunch. The kids had a bit of a skate in the afternoon and everyone else got out of the house for a bit, be it a walk or a drive everyone shook off some cobwebs and then we got right back to feasting. Standard family Christmas fare: turkey, sausage stuffing, roast potatoes, mashed turnip, brussel sprouts, gravy, bread sauce, and cranberry sauce. The wife also made a nice green salad. As usual my son was really interested in the drum stick. It was a little out of his league but he seemed to enjoy gnawing on the bone. After the feast we sat down to the gift exchange and another movie. With only six involved in the gift exchange there wasn't much stealing and in the end I believe everyone ended up with the gift they opened. There were some tradesies afterwards but all in all I believe everyone walked away happy.

Boxing day saw us get up, fill up on turkey leftovers and head out for some sledding. We joined up with some other friends of ours who were up from Victoria and had a great time even if it was a little cold. We returned home for some more leftovers, chocolate, beer and a nap before heading to a party at the sledding friend's parent's house. You guessed it, more great food, more beers some lively conversation and by five o'clock we were pooped. We came back home and to my surprise no one had dinner. So we sat down for HP 5 and ate some more chocolates and drank some more beer. That night the sisters had some late night leftovers and then boom. It was 7:30 this morning and the relatives were out the door. It was a whirlwind of eating and drinking and catching up. The sisters who couldn't make it with the spouses were all dearly missed. But that is life I guess. A friend who I was talking to while our kids were sledding before everyone arrived commented on how this was happening with his family. He really hit the nail on the head when he said that we have to start creating the new traditions for our families. We cannot look to our parents anymore. Their our kids so it is our time to step up.

Oh yeah we got a DVD player from some really important people to us and watched a video on it last night. The viewing experience was excellent and we wanted to say a big thank you to them. Love.

Lunch and Dinner

Well today I thought I would share a picture of my lunch. I really think the cute Japanese Bento box makes the meal. I was fortunate enough to have leftovers, meatballs, some of the lovely soup stew from Sunday night on one side and home made onigiri, with a green salad on the other. I truly relish these lunches. I feel like a king while I eat them. I especially like my lunch on the days when I go to the staff room and get heckled. The hecklers are always green with envy so I just smile and wave. Life is good.Do to staff meeting feed (I promised my self I would not consume to much but then I was over served, I mean five slices of pizza, get a grip) I was not in on this evenings meal but they managed to have ebi furai and age dashi tofu. I am actually shaking my head in disbelief at the amazingness of my wife, hold on while I go and give her a kiss on the forehead (she is currently having a bath with the kids)... She is great to kiss too.
So other than that it is Tuesday night and there are only four weeks of school before the winter break. If I keep my head down I am pretty sure I can make it through. Just gotta keep the head down.

A working stiff (Monday August, 25th)

So it was back to the factory again for me on Monday, and I enjoyed it. So nice to see familiar faces and get back into my comfortable digs. The anticipation of a new year and all that lies ahead. The awe at the amount of work that needs to get done. Well lets not worry about that right now. Lets talk about dinner.
Once again I was treated to a feast. I managed to borrow the Matrix trilogy (having not seen most of the second and all of the third) and we sat down to watch them yesterday afternoon. Dinner was served during the first movie and between mouthfuls I did my best to explain what is actually quite a confusing plot. Not really a six year old movie thought she did seem to enjoy it. Dinner consisted of some lovely ni-mono along with ebi-furai and some potato salad. Living la vida loca is the best way I can describe it. By the way not being at all fluent in Spanish my fingers are crossed that that saying is a positive one describing the good life. The ni-mono had daikon, kelp knots, shitake mushrooms and tofu. So so good. The ebi furai were accompanied by battered and deep fried yams. I only had one (and a half) helping of dinner and was quite proud of my ability to keep the gluttony away. That said I didn't go for a run yesterday and the lethargy of life here in lotus land is sinking its hooks into me. Today, today will be the day. But maybe after a nap.

The picture here is the one we toted back from Japan. It wasn't that big of a pain but in the process we managed to crack part of the frame so now I have to remember to ask the wood shop guy about borrowing some clamps and the best gluing techniques. Everything is bubbling here and lets just hope nothing boils over.

Don't know who took this shot of the son but he always seems to be playing with camera. Maybe it is a self portrait. I still think there is some genius at work.

July 27th, its not fresh

... unless you just pulled it out of the ocean yourself. Well that is exactly what happened with this saba or mackarel sushi. It was caught, cleaned, sliced and served by a husband and wife team that a few of you know. And I ain't talking about myself and the Mrs. The inlaws continue to serve it up in grand style. Tonight was ebi fry, age dashi tofu, saba sushi, grean salad, saba cooked in a miso soup and some fried potatoes. We all sat down to another fabulous meal in Injuin this evening. I think I am starting to acclimatize as I am no longer covered in sweat all day. Just from 9 to 7 when I am not in an air conditioned car, shop, or the back bedroom. It is summer in full force here in the Kag. The children being much smarter than myself managed to find a fountain to play in and really took a break from the heat. We also went to the swimming pool but unfortunately did not take the camera with us. I think I have also missed at least one meal, possibly three. I have lost track of time and no longer know how long we have been here. This last shot is of nephew who speaks no English and Son who will not produce any Japanese. The son is really cute when he is with the almost two year old neice. He is pushy, bossy, and constantly feeling like he is being hard done by. He tries to stop her from doing pretty much everything saying things like, "that's not his" (he doesn't get gendered language). Gotta love finally being older than someone. Well that is all for this internet cafe session. Hope to be back in a few days. Keep the faith.

ts

Ebi furai.

Or deep fried shrimp for those playing in Canada. This dish is made with Japanese panko (translation: bread crumb). I am willing to concede that there is a distinct difference between the Japanese and the North American version. It is noticeable in the wonderful way my wife makes this dish. There was pasta salad teaming with vegetables, lightly bathed in salt, pepper, vinegar and oil. The chives came from our garden. These hearty chives are getting big and green despite winters best effort to stick around. In the bowl you see nimono with some shitake mushrooms and tofu. It sure looks delicious doesn't it.

Unfortunately for me, this evening I was also shut out on eating with the troops as I had another late night Professional Development meeting at school. Don't get me wrong there are perks to being a teacher. They are just a little hard to see when you are right up against it.