Saturday Round Up.

Okay so technically it is Sunday morning but I am still not in bed so I am going with Saturday night. We have had a couple of dinners and some work done around here this weekend so let me catch you up.Friday night I got my pizza on. You can see here in the first photo that the kids were not happy about something. I think there was dissension over which movie should be watched or something along those lines. However, the post pizza politics were much more amicable and the evening went off pretty well. This Mrs and I dined or our classic salami (salsa salami this week) and vegetable pizza. Big chunks of zucchini were the star attraction.

Then this evening we had a plentitude of dishes cooked up for our gustatory pleasure. The first dish below was a noodle soup created by the daughter. We renewed the cook books from last week and she finally got to make something. She was a little disappointed at the lack of heartiness but she didn't fry the onions or mushrooms at the start and we didn't have any soup powder on hand. It was still nice. Very Japanesey in the subtleness of its flavours.

The Mrs. went to town with some panfried salmon in miso. This was a flavour revolution. From the soup to this was like dial up to high speed. Instead of a regular salad we had the family favourite veggies and dip. I am really starting to dig watching the kids with their own bowls of dip just powering down the veggies. The son had big love for the salmon too. The wife also cooked up the last squash from our fall harvest and put on some rice to close the deal. It was outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of it. This is the youngest during preparation. He had had a big day crawling around and investigating things in the house. We are already getting ready for the sadness that the end of his crawling baby phase will bring.
However, life must go on. And on it went this weekend. I managed to get two coats of primer down in the entraceway and bathroom. White is bright. Both areas are so so much lighter than they were previously. And being done with the hideous salmon colour in the bathroom is truly a blessing. I only have to paint the bathroom door tomorrow and then phase two of home improvements will be done. For comparison I have brought back the before pictures. The after pictures are only after one coat of primer so things are looking even better now that we have two on. The question is whether to get a tint in the finishing coat or to just get some white and let the next owners decide on their colours. That is a tough call.

Daily Assorted.

Well we had a sort of dinner mash up this evening. In front we have the salmon brussel sprout and corn stew from a few nights back. At the top we have some pan fried carrots and potatoes. To the left we have a cheese, onion and chicken omellette. I have used my mustard liberally to add a little more yellow to my palette. For dessert we all had a gingerbread cookie. The son and I had the cookies that were covered in jelly beans and smarties. The daughter ate the one she had made as an effigy of herself. The wife had a modestly decorated one. Says a lot about who we all are.

Here below is the family forging on with their feast.
It was a busy day around the homestead. What with calling and singing happy birthday into the phone every ten minutes there was barely time to get anything done. However the bedrooms have been rearranged and now all three kids beds (that includes the crib) are in the small bedroom. And that is it. No toys, no book shelves, no dressers. It is a place of sleep period. There is a comfortable chair for feedings and bed time book readings but that is it. All the toys have been moved down stairs and it really feels like we are gearing up for the big fixer upper/mover outer. Still a long way to go but it feels like it has begun.

Fissues

Well seeing as it was tofuesday we got a little grief for not having the other, other white meat. However since the salmon was scintilating and the rest of the grub was great we managed to get away with it.
The Mrs. found a whole sockeye salmon at the store and decided to cut it up into steaks and fry it teriyaki style. Apparently there was some miso involved in this operation. I was not privy to all the details but the end result was awesome. There are also a lot of leftovers so either I make a pig of myself later tonight or we get a second meal out of it. The salad was lettuce, red pepper, and feta cheese with the red onion vinaigrette. Awesome. The miso soup was made with some special ice cubes the wife had made and had some of the chinese cabbage along side the sea weed. Great and Great. The white rice was a fluffy understated cloud from which the rest of the meal could be properly viewed. In total this meal was so great that I started thinking something. I started thinking we need a notebook and pen in the kitchen. After eating a meal which worked as well as this one I am even more disappointed by last nights mediocre curry. I have to start using the measuring spoon and writing things down so that when I hit on something that works I can remember it and come back and make it again. I really enjoy experimenting but not being able to retrace my steps when I want to is frustrating. A photographic memory sounds pretty good about now but I think I will have to settle for a notebook and one extra step while cooking. If it works out and I do manage to capture some lighting in a bottle (nothing like a cliche to hammer home a point, another one right there) then I plan to share on the blog in full cook book style. The most important word in that last sentence was plan. Don't hold your breath.

In other news I fed the little guy tonight. Mostly ended up on my hand as he is real big on grabbing the spoon and putting it in his mouth himself. Is it just me or is he looking much bigger these days. Hard to tell on a day to day basis but now that its on the blog it feels kind of alarming. Where did our little baby go?

A little help here.

So yeah, we went to the lake today for a swim and I have returned home without my wedding ring. You haven't happened to find it have you? We are pretty sure it is somewhere in the middle of the swimming area anywhere from 20 to 120 feet off shore. Yes, we do have plans to go back to the lake tomorrow. Me with snorkle, mask and a t-shirt to wear in the water while I troll around. Fingers crossed and hoping for a miracle. Not holding out much hope however.

As for dinner we had sushi. This is definitely the right meal to have on a hot day after being out and about. The wife whipped up both tuna salad and salmon salad type fillings. Both were great but the kids went nutso on the salmon and it is completely finished off. I also partook of the vegetable offerings. All in all filling and delish. But don't just take my word for it. Below is the daughter expressing her pleasure over having such a fine feast. I know it wasn't vegetarian but with the minimalist fish filling I will give it an almost. Really hoping to get my yoga on tonight and try and vanquish all the bad lost ring thoughts I am having. It is one of those things were the harder I try not to think about it the less I am able to think about anything else. Well shit, welcome anyways.

Finally Fish

But not for dinner. Our daughter felt it necessary to show off Hoi, the Siamese fighting fish. So here are a couple of candid shots. In both he is swimming about his tank enjoying some river water we brought home for him. Whether or not that was a good idea only time will tell. Hello

Fish on the cob.

For my Japanese readers.

Nihon Jin ga kono blog wo yonde imasu. Dare desu ka. Comment ni namae kaitte kudasai.
So it was corn and fish for our evening feed. The fish was lightly battered , (the wife had a rough day and couldn't take it out on the kids) and then pan fried. The corn was very gently boiled (still crunchy but the kids loved it). Also there was a risotto-esque stir fried rice and veggies dish. Not quite as smooth as risotto but definitely a few steps beyond cha-han. I put together another bowl of guacamole. This evening I added in the kids salsa, no yogurt, no vinegar. Currently the daughter is finishing off the dip and the chips while watching Oliver (animated) behind me. In other news the son dropped out of swimming lessons today. He was in the pre school level one and they are learning to blow bubbles and slip into the pool holding the instructors hands. I think he was just super bored because he likes diving for rings and jumping head first into the deep end. I sat with him watching the lesson for about twenty minutes thinking he might crack and want to join but to no avail. So we walked home. The lady from the pool called us up after dinner. After talking to his teacher she offered to put him into the level 5,6,7 class. So if things line up we may give that a shot on Wednesday. However, I am feeling like we might do just as well going and challenging ourselves at public swim. With his sister around he has all the motivation one could ask for. That with the fact he has no fear and really what else do you need. Wait till he's six and sign him up for the swim team.

Bedraggled.

That is how I felt today at by 4:00. My head was nodding at my desk and I need a change. So I came home. But no one was hear. Had I missed them in passing. Was the wife searching for me with contractions only two minutes apart. My mind raced. And then I got over it. I was so ready for a birth this weekend that now that it has passed I have the feeling that its never going to happen. I am resigned to working up to the beginning of spring break. Of course now I am going to be caught unawares with nothing prepared for the next day of school and a pile of marking waiting to be done. But that is neither here nor there. You, careful reader, want to know about dinner.

I mean if you don't want to know about dinner then you may be in the wrong spot. Not that I question why you're here. Okay, dinner.
. When I awoke from my afternoon nap, its a good life sometimes. I found everyone else was fed and messing around post dinner. There were fish and faux chicken (tofu based) sticks in the fry pan and rice in a bowl. The miso soup was still warm and the salad still fresh. I served me up this picture you see in front of you and sat down to tuck in. Then I am hit with a "sorry about dinner," from the wife. She thought chicken and fish sticks was a little paltry for an evening meal. I of course pointed out that rice, miso soup and salad can be accompanied by anything, and I mean anything (examples: apple slices, box of raisons, leftover mac and cheese) and be one heck of a meal. Especially after the wicked boxed lunch I had today. Did I mention my wife is like 8.75 months pregnant. She is a trooper. Well back to marking papers.

Election Night 2008

So we didn't plan a special meal for this evening. I did follow the election with the kids on the internet for about an hour and a half from 7:00. Lots of fun writing down numbers and cheering for the orange guys. Our orange guy was called as elected and after that I kind of lost the kids attention.


The dinner was a fried fish meal. Breaded and pan fried it went well with mustard. I didn't manage to have any of the pan fried yams. I am hoping I get some in lunch tomorrow. The salad was a creamy dill and cucumber concoction over lettuce. The soup was turkey vegetable. It went so well last night with the noodles. It also worked on its own. Well it is time to brush the teeth and get to bed.

The day after

So there was no post last night. I know. We went out for dinner. We ate at the Collander in Trail. It is a Trail institution. Big spaghetti feed type place. All the pasta you can polish if you order spaghetti. The wife had a Italian chicken dinner. The daughter had the lasagna and the son ate off of my plate. You are allowed to share someones plate until you are four.

Anyways here comes this evenings meal. The wife put together a wicked tofu, rice casserole. It was supposed to contain either salmon or shrimp but all she had was a can of tuna so that was how it was made. Baked cheesy crust over tofu and rice in a white sauce. Seasoned with sea salt and pepper and a ginger, onion, garlic, mushroom sautee. The tuna and some bok choy added a little more flavour and colour. Upon reflection the wife recalls adding some miso. The salad had some of our tomatoes layered over lettuce and carrots. The onion vinegar dressing was awesome as usual. The only problem with this meal was the order in which I ate it. The miso soup was quite muted and though brimming with veggies did not have the flavour explosion. My problem was that I had finished off my salad with that crazy strong dressing.
Anyways, it was a great sunday evening dinner and was followed by some butterscotch ripple ice cream.

On a different note as dinner started the son was on the phone with his aunt. He was going on and on about something and she seemed to enjoy the conversation. This is how he looked while talking.

Colourific

This evenings meal was made that much better by the amazing use of colour. The salad had so many different vibrant colours. The purple cabbage, orange carrots, yellow tomatoes, light green lettuce and dark green spring onions. Set next to this was the stewed squash which was covered in adzuki beans. They start red and then head towards purple as they are cooked. These are the very beans out of which anko is made. This is the filling that fills the toasted bun head of An-Pan man.　Anyways enough links, back to dinner. The fish and koya-dofu were simmered in a sweet ginger and soy sauce mixture and then served over rice. The soup on the side was a freezer find from from a couple of months ago. It was just as good as when we first had it.

We also had our parent teacher interview today with the Grade one teachers. There was a major scheduling kerfuffle (I just checked the spelling) and we had to go back a second time but in the end all was good. The daughter is doing as should be expected. Both teachers noted her above average oral ability. I need to stop pushing on going up to a new level in basic reader. That was about the extent of it. They say by the end of grade one she will be reading and writing on her own. It seems impossible where we are now but I guess that is why they are the professionals and we are the parents. I leave it up to them.

Well that is all for tonight. Oh the response from the hotel lady was, and I quote, "thatissuchabummer..." C'est la vie.

Dueling Salmon

So we had two salmon fillets this evening and we couldn't really decide what to do with them. So we did something different with each. One was salt, pepper, and freshly grated garlic. The other had dill and corriander. Tin foil pouch for each and then slapped on the bbq for 6 mins. The wife had whipped up some really creamy mashed potatoes. She had also stirred up some fried veggies. Nice light fare. We actually didn't need to bbq this evening because the wind storm today kept the temp down. Very pleasant. We walked down to the tasty treat after dinner and all had an ice-cream treat. A wonderful day to spend this the Tenth of July. Now the kids are in bed and soon I will be too. Ah summer.

We missed it.

Okay we had three salads tonight, a green salad from the garden with a sour cream and dill dressing, the left over chick pea and chard salad from last night and the wife whipped up a tuna salad which was eaten by some in sandwiches and by yours truly on top of the previously mentioned green salad. I was in charge of the grilled cheese and grill them I did. You will notice none of these dishes feature in this evenings meal. My son had worked his way through dinner and was onto a post meal snack of carrots and sour cream dill dip. He was also naked. Really cute until he decides today isn't a toilet day. Newman! Well I guess that is what elbow grease and febreeze are for. So the picture of dinner was not the only thing we missed this evening.

On the plus side we went to the Canada Day festivities here in town, had a lazy afternoon, and then went swimming by the river. We almost got blown away by a crazy sudden windstorm which managed to blow down a tree by the river but everyone made it back safely. We watched two videos, skipped bath time and now everyone is going to bed. Teeth are brushed, everything else can be dealt with tomorrow. If Dora reads this, "Look at what your missing. We love you and the phone message was meant in jest." Night all.

Good day.

Yes this was the day when I had excess under control. Did my yoga before lunch. Had a reasonable dinner and then played ultimate in the sun. We had a quick go at dinner as we had to ge to the pitch by 6:30. The salmon was pan fried with garlic, salt and pepper. Can you really go wrong with salmon. I put the big wok lid over it to get the juicy steamed fish feel. So good. Rice and coleslaw were back from last nights dinner. Or was it the night before. With two working days left my mind is actually shutting down. I am trying to remember what else was on my plate as the picture loads... oh here it is. The veggies from the lunch left over veggie platter. A nice accompaniment to a light meal. I am out for dinner tomorrow (colleagues retirement get together) but I have my fingers crossed a picture will be taken of the pork chops.

So this line came to me in the esprit du lescalier. "Thanks for the guilt trip. I haven't been on one for a while." You know when someone just loads it on you. From now on, if I am keen enough to react I plan on using this line. I mean what the hell. Do I really need someone else pushing my guilt buttons. Grow up and run your own life but leave my shit alone. I will make my own decisions and live with them. This was a work issue and I am trying to let it go. Deep breath in, pause, deep breath out. Time for bed.

Oh the heat.

Recommendation: Do not do your first 11 k run of the season in 30 degree heat. Man that last two k was just killing me. But its done now and I can rest.

Recommendation 2: Relax. I am way overly psyched about Ultimate on Wednesday. Got all six of our disks laid out. Organized to borrow the cones for the field from the school. Talking to everyone I know. Hey if you are reading this, Wednesday, 6:30 - 8:00 on the high school field. Newbies and pros, everyone is welcome.

Okay lets talk about dinner. We had the home made fishcakes for the second time and they were even better. The mixture of potato and salmon is just fabulous. Dill and chives are thrown into the mix and there are some other subtler tastes in there but I do not have the chef handy so you will have to take my word. The salad had some of our neighbours radishes and the dijon vinagrette dressing. The pasta salad was a creamy garlic option. After the run I was famished so in total I probably had three generous helpings over the course of four trips to the kitchen. Yes it was that good. Summer is definitely here. Hey, do you ever look at your neighbours yard and wonder why their grass looks so much better. I figured it out. From the side you see a greater cross section of blades of grass so it naturally looks better. Your own yard you are looking straight down. Its like tall men. They never go bald because no one can see past their outer defences. Short men. Everyone can see it. So that is my rationalization for my crummy lawn there. Hope you liked it.

Fish cakes with Kick

Post 6 year-old birthday party and with Harry Potter number two twirling in the VCR I vaguely see through the afternoon almost nap my wife busily baking bread and whipping up home made fish cakes. Upon coming to an hour later there are four enormous fluffy loaves and a frying pan of home made fish cakes ready in the kitchen. So for dinner we had fish cake sandwiches. The bread was still warm and oh so fluffy, forcing us to cut thicker than usual slabs. The fish cakes, a mixture of mashed potato, salmon, lemon, chives and dill were a flavour explosion. I was caught completely off guard and even made the unfortunate mistake of trying to add a condiment that shall remain nameless. The lemon did not come with a full frontal assault but rather attacked from all directions once my defenses were down and it was safely in my mouth. The fish cake sandwich was also overwhelming with the fresh warm bread complimenting the fish cake. The sliced tomato and cheese covered cauliflower played the role of the garnish this evening. They played their parts well but they were definitely supporting players. The black covering on the fish cake you can see in the picture is sesame seed. It added a distinct variation but the strength of the seeds somewhat diminished the impact of the lemon. Nice but not quite as good as the original. Looking forward to lunch tomorrow.

Not quite chicken fingers

Well instead of chicken fingers we went with fish sticks. The potatoes were fried with garlic, broccoli, cauliflower and cheese. The miso soup was full of yam, squash and broccoli hearts. The rice was unadorned and though I had already had my Thursday afternoon beer did not seem too overwhelming in the carbohydrate department. I am a big believer in ketchup. Not surprisingly, my kids are following right in my foot steps. That whole sins of the father thing really does happen. Or perhaps it is just the apple not falling that far from the tree. In any case if you look closely enough you can see yourself in your children. I may need to step back and squint for a while.

Tomorrow: Koroke, Japanese croquets.

Paper Fish

This evenings recipe was a blatant sales ploy by overwaitea. It worked. We saw the add for buy one get one free fish fillets (sole perchance) and beside it was a recipe for pesto baked fish. We we had the pesto we bought two weeks ago for the pasta so instead of making our pesto from scratch we opened the jar and pesto, there it was. Tonight's nimono was squash, yam and spinach. Fabulous as usual. The cauliflower and broccoli were lightly steamed and then the wife made a vinegar based dressing for them. The miso soup was teaming with tofu and dried Japanese radish (daikon). There was also rice of course. I was stuffed. I had a sister point out that the previous five plate dinner we attempted was insanity seeing as we don't have a dish washer. I hope she notices that we only used three dishes this evening even though it could have fit on five. Up tomorrow. Parent teacher interviews. So I will not be eating with the crew. It sounds like a toss up between home made chicken nuggets and yaki soba (fried noddles). I am looking forward to finding out which it is almost as much as you.