I crush your head!

Tonight I took a total trip down memory lane as I tuned into CBC to watch the new Kids in the Hall series (the post title is a dated reference to one of my favourite skits of theirs). I was a huge fan of the original KITH show, back when it aired in my highschool years. I used to watch it on a little black and white TV in my bedroom, and before you ask, no, I did not go to highschool in the 1950s. We were just a low technology household.

But back to the Kids.....I alternately loved, and was shocked, by their risque and cutting edge humour, especially when it aimed to draw an audience from a fuddy duddy network like the Ceeb. I can almost quote direct lines from characters like the Chicken Lady, Cabbage Head, Cathy and Kathie, lazy cops, the Head Crusher and of course, Buddy Cole. And who can forget about Monsieur Piedlourde -- arty and hilarious at the same time! I regularly sing "These Are the Daves I Know" and "Terriers", even when unprompted, and could probably hum the entire theme songs from beginning to end. Are you starting to get a picture of how much I crushed on this show?

So as I was watching tonight, I had a flashback of when I actually met one of the Kids here in Ottawa. I came to Ottawa in Grade 12, to be a part of a nerd conference called the Forum for Young Canadians. Picture a gathering of awkward teenagers from across Canada -- real student government types -- who got their kicks from participating in mock elections and getting a backstage tour of the Library of Parliament, and you get a sense of the kind of rowdy crowd we were. (And to any of my Forum Facebook pals who might be reading this, I don't mean you!)

Oh yeah, we also met lots of politicians, including Brian Mulroney, whom I remember to be very, very orange. And also, as it turned out, very corrupt. Perhaps being orange is a side effect of poisonous morals and a highly inflated ego? Hmmm.

Anyway, I came to Ottawa for Forum, and for some reason I can't recall now, I travelled by train to get here. This meant I also had to travel home by train when our wild week, spent debating Trudeau's National Energy Plan, finally wrapped up. It was during this train ride that I spied Mark McKinney, one of the Kids (aka Chicken Lady) ON. MY. TRAIN!!!!!!!

I think I actually first spotted him loitering around the station as we were boarding, and then I was thrilled to see him get on the same train, which was bound for Toronto. I made sure to nab a seat nearby, in spite of the fact that my Forum travelling buddy (who, weird coincidence, would later be a classmate of mine at Queen's in a first-year History course) wanted to sit elsewhere. But I digress.

I probably spent the first hour of the journey in nervous, star-struck silence, sweaty palms and all, debating whether or not to actually say something to Mr. McKinney (I couldn't call him by his first name -- it just seemed wrong). Eventually I worked up the courage to approach him and awkwardly interrupt his book reading. I can't remember our exchange word for word, but I do remember tellling him I was a big fan of the show, that I especially liked Chicken Lady, and that I was surprised to see a big CBC celebrity travelling by train. He actually laughed at me (swoon!) and told me I would likely be surprised at how little CBC celebrities made. He was incredibly polite and gracious, and thanked me profusely for being a fan and for watching the show. I think he even asked me why I was in Ottawa, and I'm not sure if I owned up to the nerd conference or not, but he mentioned that he visited the Capital frequently to see family. Eventually, my nerves got the better of me, so I let him get back to his book. He was nice enough to say goodbye to me when I got off the train in Cobourg, though.

He really made an impression, and our brief encounter was truly the highlight of that week in Ottawa. Suck it Mulroney!

Oh, and what did I think of the reincarnated Kids' show tonight? It was weird, somewhat forced, and slightly uneven. The Kids have aged, and are probably doing the show as much for personal reasons as any kind of creative outlet. If I'm honest, the Brits did the whole "creepy small town" show much better a few years ago, when it was called A League of Gentleman. I have to admit that I would have rather tuned in to see an older, wiser Mr. Cabbage Head, but those days are probably gone for good.

Still, I'm sure some things are the same as they were back in my highschool days. Keep your eyes open on a VIA train for a Kid in the Hall next to you very soon.

Weekend cooking bonanza!

I was a very busy bee in the kitchen this weekend. You'd think I didn't have anything to do to prepare to move house in under two weeks. Yikes! But actually, I worked my kitchen time around cleaning out my closets and organizing papers etc. How have I managed to accumulate so much stuff in my life? Ugh. So far I've made two trips to Value Village (to their Diabetes Association drop off box anyway) with six massive garbage bags full of clothes, shoes and purses, and have empited my shredder twice working through the myriad of paper on my desk. The poor thing is in danger of overheating, so now I'm resorting to fill up grocery bags with shreddables and taking them into work, where a nice man will come and shred my six-year-old pay stubs for me (I don't know why I kept them either).

Anyhoo, back to the food. Yesterday I cooked a chicken to make broth, and managed to get two big soup recipes from it. I plan to freeze a bunch of it, based on the thinking that I'll be quite busy in the next little while, and it will be good to have some meals at the ready.

One of the soups I made was this sausage, lentil and kale concoction. It's from the latest Everyday Food and I'll definitely be making it again. (The other soup was plain ol' chicken noodle.)

Stat off by browning the sausage meat. I used some pork/garlic ones from Aubreys.

Then stiir in the celery and onion to soften.

Next go the stock and lentils. Cook until everthing's cooked.

Meanwhile, chop and de-stalk the kale. Healthy or what?

And here's the finished bowl. Yum, yum!

Sausage and Kale Soup (from Everyday Food)

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 celery stalks (with leafy tops), thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced medium
1/2 cup dried lentils
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or homemade)
1 bunch (about 1/2 pound) kale, preferably Tuscan, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

1.In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add celery and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add lentils, broth, and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook until lentils and vegetables are tender, 25 minutes.

2.Add kale and season with salt. Return soup to a rapid simmer, cover, and cook until kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Remove soup from heat, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

A sweet start.....

....to the new year. These molasses cookies will satisfy a sweet tooth, but there's also a hint of spice that's quite nice as well. They're the kind of cookies that remind me of bakery treats -- crispy on the outside, and chewy and flavourful inside. Plus, they've solved the mystery for me of how to get that crackled, almost broken top on a cookie. I think it's the rolling in sugar before baking that does it, but don't quote me (I'm the daughter of a biology teacher after all, not chemistry!).

I amped up the ginger quotient when I made these by throwing in a handful of chopped, candied ginger. A nice addition, if I do say so myself. Are you listening, Martha?

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies (recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cookie Book)
Makes about 36

Ingredients:
-2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
-1 large egg
-1/4 cup molasses

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar; set aside. (*note: I found I needed less than 1/4 cup)

2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms. Put dough in the fridge and chill it for at least an hour.

3. Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.

4. Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges of cookies are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes (cookies can be baked two sheets at a time, but they will not crackle uniformly). Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.

These go well with a latte, regular cup of coffee, or even a cold glass of milk. Happy dunking!

Snack time!

Ah holidays. One of the best things about being off work is just how relaxed and lazy your daily schedule can be. There's lots of time with that second cup of coffee and the paper in the morning, and oodles of the afternoon for a nap. Plus, you get to savour some rituals that might normally get ignored -- like snack time!

This is what I enjoyed yesterday. It's pretty simple really: a piece of toast using good bread (in my case, the raisin chai from True Loaf), a good smear of Greek yoghurt, topped off with some salty pistachios and a drizzle of yummy honey. Okay, I admit I stole the idea from the latest issue of Martha's Everyday Food, but it doesn't mean it's still not great!

Fix yourself a snack this afternoon. You won't be sorry you did.

Happy new year!

Happy first day of 2010! Last year I travelled to five different countries, took three wine courses, taught one English class and ate too much good food to count.

Next year promises to be full of change because I bought a house. It's mine in 15 days!

Happy new year!