Alright, so I am tossing the idea of a daily blog to the winds. It takes too much time, and sometimes I am really not in the mood to write. So let's try for a weekly blog, okie dokie?
Yesterday! Oh yesterday...
Let's start from the beginning: last week, due to my hormones being unbalanced (maybe.. but I will blame it on that anyways, makes me feel somewhat better to have an excuse for it) I started to get really really sad. Like break out in tears for no reason sad. Nathan was flustered, he kept trying to soothe me, make me laugh, just change my mood for one a bit happier.
This week, it seems now I have a reason. I am homesick. Really homesick. I will admit to really wanting my mommy right now. I am thinking what I really need is a big hug from her, breathe in her mommy scent, and know that everything is a-ok. If I could somehow get (at the very least) a monthly dose of mommy, I would feel so much better. It's the little things. Nathan told me what they do here to celebrate Christmas, and I realized I won't be celebrating with my family. I received a truly amazing cookbook in the mail from my mom with one of her typically lovely notes written inside, which makes me cry everytime I attempt to read it. Or I simply imagine my family home, hanging out with my little brother, cuddling with my mom.. ughh. I cry a lot, to put it plainly.
And what should I do about this? I also miss having a group of friends to go out with, bowl with, argue movies with. I will admit I am making a few friends here, but distant, at best. I get these lonely periods everyday. I realize I don't really open my mouth until more than half the day is gone. Nathan is my anchor, the one who keeps me here. I love him more than I have ever loved someone, and I love him more and more everyday. He tries so hard to make me smile. And more often than not, it works. But it doesn't make up for the half a day everyday that I am alone with my thoughts. And I think too hard. It's a gift of mine. I look too far into things, question everything, think up scenarios in my head. Just think of me as Winnie the Pooh on his thinking log, hard at work, thinking thoughts. It is why I am so creative. I think too hard!
So yesterday, I received that amazing cookbook from my mom. Right after I have finished reading what she had inscribed in the cover she gives me a call. So naturally I swallow my tears, pinch myself, bite my lip, anything to slow the tears as I talk to her. Strangely she had just received my card in the mail. So we talk. I think she knew, I was sad. She is a mother, after all. It's instinct. But I kept my cool, and patted my back for doing so. Then I started madly knitting my scarf (yes, I am back to knitting, and it's doing me some good) to try to take my mind off of everything. Just fall into the rythm. Knit two, purl two. Knit two, purl two...
Nathan arrived to find me with red eyes and a nearly finished scarf (and yes, you will all get to see the finished product, and ask for your own, if you want one.) and decided we were going out to the movies, and then dinner.
The theater was nearly empty, but we were happy to find that they had a special deal on Tuesdays - you get a regular drink and popcorn along with your seat ticket, for the price of admission. Awesome! So I go to use my card... and... not approved. Huh? I tried again... still not approved. What?!? I started to panic, obviously. Nathan tried to calm me, and bought everything that night, promising to remind me to check my banking when we got home. Really what I needed on my mind. More stress. Let's see how much straw Melody's back can take before it breaks..
The movie was excellent, and really helped me escape from reality for a few hours. It was Inglorious Basterds. Although really violent, the story was really well written, the characters enjoyable, and the action fun to watch, if not overly destructive.
We ate at a really nice lounge. I felt spoiled... though we talked some more about my feelings. In the end, I told him I just need some more time to settle into life here. I still feel out of my element, restless. I need some sort of stability here. I think perhaps with a job, I will achieve that. It will keep me busy, get me out, keep me talking, and maybe I will make friends too.. One could hope.
After talking to three representatives on the phone in regards to my card, it turns out that sometime within the last two weeks someone cloned my card and got all my info and went on a short shopping spree, spending 500 dollars before the bank decided that the actions being taken were erratic and froze the card and my money. I now have to get my butt over to a bank today to set up a new card with a new password, and wait a few days before the money is returned to me. Joy.
Let us hope that today shall be a better day. My thanks to Nathan, though, for making yesterday way better than it could have been!
Miss you all, and now you have a better idea of how much I do...
Melody
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Playing Catch-Up
Okay, okay! So it's harder to maintain a daily blog than I thought. But here I am! I am still alive! And better yet, still writing.
Alright, so since last I wrote in this, my adventure was what passed as Greek food. The next day, my big adventures for the day was discovering the park near our house and making a dish following a recipe! Not that I haven't ever followed a recipe before, mind you, but it was a slow, lazy day.
The park is HUGE and very beautiful. It has a play park and water park for the kids, a public pool, a sports area where a kids football game was going on at the time (with a horribly slow and monotone announcer that would put me to sleep if I was watching the game) a mini-put area, train ride for kids and a gorgeous garden. My love and I explored the garden thoroughly, and my appreciation for the city really sky-rocketed right then. This place beats the parks we have in Montreal by a landslide! It's the little things like this that make me melt for him and this province..
The meal we ended up making was 'Jambon et pommes de terre au gratin', aka 'Ham and Potatoes au gratin' My love and I prepared it together, and he swore it would taste excellent because it was made with LOVE! With this knowledge we placed it in the oven and waited for the magic. Meanwhile, we vegetated on the couch and watched old movies and re-runs... I told you it was a slow, lazy day!
Well the meal came out great, though it stuck to the casserole dish a bit more than I liked (would PAM solve that? Someone with more experience please get back to me on that) and here is the recipe, if you want to live through my adventure for yourself:
4 cups peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
3 cups cooked and cubed ham (omit this for the vegetarian version of adventure)
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup of chopped onions
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
In a large casserole dish, combine potatoes and ham. In saucepan, melt butter, then add the onions and cook, stirring for about 2 min. Then stir in flour. Next, add the milk, sage, salt and pepper. Continue cooking and stirring for about 4 min. or until sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Stir in the cheese, then when well mixed pour this yummy mixture all over the potatoes and ham, stirring it in. Cover and bake in 375 degree oven for 1 and a half hours. It 'should' make 4 servings..
bon appetit!
On Sunday we went to the PNE, the Pacific National Exhibition... for you Montrealers reading, think cultural fair and La Ronde combined. They had musical acts (though that day it was a country star, and I am honestly not interested in that genre too much, though my Love is such a cowboy!) exhibits such as a sandcastle competition (which I thought was really wicked cool, I love seeing people's creativity shine!), logging competitions (in which they all cheated so much, was fun to watch) 'super dogs', petting zoos and motocross to name a few.
I also met Filiz that day, a friend of my Love. She was very sweet and it was nice to get the kiss on two cheeks, it reminded me a bit of back home. She was a riot on the rides, always screaming and clutching at the safety bars for dear life. We even did an old fashioned photo together!
The rides themselves were okay, but I felt a little bit taken. The price was pretty high, and they only had two roller-coasters, and only the wooden one was really worth it. They did have a lot of fun little thrill rides, but roller-coasters are my favorite! Ack I miss the Goliath back in Montreal, that was so much fun!
We got home and my Love realized how exhausted he was, so I made dinner. It turned out great... except I hate peppers, and it was mostly peppers... *grumbles*
Warm Feta Salad.. how I wish you had no peppers in thee!! Here's how to make it:
Block of feta, cut into 4
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp dried rosemary or 5 tbsp of the fresh stuff (I used dried)
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 large red onion, diced
1 package of fresh basil or cilantro, chopped (I cheated and used some dried..)
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lettuce mix
Mix together the rosemary, oil and garlic and pour over the feta and let marinade for at least an hour, or overnight. Heat onion in saucepan for 5 minutes until lightly browned, then add the rest of the ingredients (except the lettuce) and let simmer for half an hour. Arrange lettuce on the plates, then place the feta on the top and coat with the sauce. Makes 4 servings.
For all those who enjoy peppers, bon appetit!
Yesterday (Tuesday) was a lot of fun! I spent the morning with June, my Love's mom! We went to a place called De Dutch for breakfast, and got to know each other better. June is an amazing person and gives really excellent hugs! I told her about my biggest dilemma in the house - no toaster! She seems to like me (which works well, since I like her too) and also enjoys reading this blog! She told me I should go into writing.. I would, but writing is by no means a lucrative career, so I will continue writing for the joy of it and for the joy of your responces.
We had my Love's brother and sister-in-law over for dinner, and so I planned a feast! Soup and salad to start with pasta as the main course. It went over very well, they seemed to like it and left fairly full. His brother amused me by bringing a huge loaf of bread, when we had asked them to bring a nice bread to compliment the dinner. His mother, June made me nearly fall over laughing when she had him bring a toaster over as a gift for me! So thoughtful! I feel so loved!
The pasta sauce I made was from a website online claiming it was the best sauce, though after my Love tasted it he felt it was missing something so started tossing in spices left and right, so I won't copy it here simply because I haven't clue what went in. The soup, though, was something I had picked out of my Food Network Cookbook I brought with me! It was really yummy. Sorry, no vegetarian alternative to this one.. at least not in my head.
Chicken, Spinach and Gnocchi Soup
Kosher salt
2 cups prepared gnocchi
4 cups chicken broth, low sodium, canned
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
pinch of sugar
3 cups cleaned baby spinach leaves
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used the leftovers of a rotisserie chicken I had bought)
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese
Bring a medium saucepan of cold water to boil over high heat, then salt it generously. Add the gnocchi and cook, stirring occasionally, until they rise to the top. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, put 1/4 cup of the broth, garlic, butter and sugar in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, bring it to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and let it wilt for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining broth and chicken and bring it to a simmer.. Stir in gnocchi and bring to full boil. Taste and season with with and generous amounts of pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and shower with cheese.
Bon appetit!
My Love's brother and sister-in-law are going to have us over on Friday! I wonder what they will serve up? Until then, I am a bit tired of all the typing, so... toodles!
Melody
Alright, so since last I wrote in this, my adventure was what passed as Greek food. The next day, my big adventures for the day was discovering the park near our house and making a dish following a recipe! Not that I haven't ever followed a recipe before, mind you, but it was a slow, lazy day.
The park is HUGE and very beautiful. It has a play park and water park for the kids, a public pool, a sports area where a kids football game was going on at the time (with a horribly slow and monotone announcer that would put me to sleep if I was watching the game) a mini-put area, train ride for kids and a gorgeous garden. My love and I explored the garden thoroughly, and my appreciation for the city really sky-rocketed right then. This place beats the parks we have in Montreal by a landslide! It's the little things like this that make me melt for him and this province..
The meal we ended up making was 'Jambon et pommes de terre au gratin', aka 'Ham and Potatoes au gratin' My love and I prepared it together, and he swore it would taste excellent because it was made with LOVE! With this knowledge we placed it in the oven and waited for the magic. Meanwhile, we vegetated on the couch and watched old movies and re-runs... I told you it was a slow, lazy day!
Well the meal came out great, though it stuck to the casserole dish a bit more than I liked (would PAM solve that? Someone with more experience please get back to me on that) and here is the recipe, if you want to live through my adventure for yourself:
4 cups peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
3 cups cooked and cubed ham (omit this for the vegetarian version of adventure)
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup of chopped onions
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
In a large casserole dish, combine potatoes and ham. In saucepan, melt butter, then add the onions and cook, stirring for about 2 min. Then stir in flour. Next, add the milk, sage, salt and pepper. Continue cooking and stirring for about 4 min. or until sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Stir in the cheese, then when well mixed pour this yummy mixture all over the potatoes and ham, stirring it in. Cover and bake in 375 degree oven for 1 and a half hours. It 'should' make 4 servings..
bon appetit!
On Sunday we went to the PNE, the Pacific National Exhibition... for you Montrealers reading, think cultural fair and La Ronde combined. They had musical acts (though that day it was a country star, and I am honestly not interested in that genre too much, though my Love is such a cowboy!) exhibits such as a sandcastle competition (which I thought was really wicked cool, I love seeing people's creativity shine!), logging competitions (in which they all cheated so much, was fun to watch) 'super dogs', petting zoos and motocross to name a few.
I also met Filiz that day, a friend of my Love. She was very sweet and it was nice to get the kiss on two cheeks, it reminded me a bit of back home. She was a riot on the rides, always screaming and clutching at the safety bars for dear life. We even did an old fashioned photo together!
The rides themselves were okay, but I felt a little bit taken. The price was pretty high, and they only had two roller-coasters, and only the wooden one was really worth it. They did have a lot of fun little thrill rides, but roller-coasters are my favorite! Ack I miss the Goliath back in Montreal, that was so much fun!
We got home and my Love realized how exhausted he was, so I made dinner. It turned out great... except I hate peppers, and it was mostly peppers... *grumbles*
Warm Feta Salad.. how I wish you had no peppers in thee!! Here's how to make it:
Block of feta, cut into 4
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp dried rosemary or 5 tbsp of the fresh stuff (I used dried)
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 large red onion, diced
1 package of fresh basil or cilantro, chopped (I cheated and used some dried..)
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lettuce mix
Mix together the rosemary, oil and garlic and pour over the feta and let marinade for at least an hour, or overnight. Heat onion in saucepan for 5 minutes until lightly browned, then add the rest of the ingredients (except the lettuce) and let simmer for half an hour. Arrange lettuce on the plates, then place the feta on the top and coat with the sauce. Makes 4 servings.
For all those who enjoy peppers, bon appetit!
Yesterday (Tuesday) was a lot of fun! I spent the morning with June, my Love's mom! We went to a place called De Dutch for breakfast, and got to know each other better. June is an amazing person and gives really excellent hugs! I told her about my biggest dilemma in the house - no toaster! She seems to like me (which works well, since I like her too) and also enjoys reading this blog! She told me I should go into writing.. I would, but writing is by no means a lucrative career, so I will continue writing for the joy of it and for the joy of your responces.
We had my Love's brother and sister-in-law over for dinner, and so I planned a feast! Soup and salad to start with pasta as the main course. It went over very well, they seemed to like it and left fairly full. His brother amused me by bringing a huge loaf of bread, when we had asked them to bring a nice bread to compliment the dinner. His mother, June made me nearly fall over laughing when she had him bring a toaster over as a gift for me! So thoughtful! I feel so loved!
The pasta sauce I made was from a website online claiming it was the best sauce, though after my Love tasted it he felt it was missing something so started tossing in spices left and right, so I won't copy it here simply because I haven't clue what went in. The soup, though, was something I had picked out of my Food Network Cookbook I brought with me! It was really yummy. Sorry, no vegetarian alternative to this one.. at least not in my head.
Chicken, Spinach and Gnocchi Soup
Kosher salt
2 cups prepared gnocchi
4 cups chicken broth, low sodium, canned
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
pinch of sugar
3 cups cleaned baby spinach leaves
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used the leftovers of a rotisserie chicken I had bought)
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese
Bring a medium saucepan of cold water to boil over high heat, then salt it generously. Add the gnocchi and cook, stirring occasionally, until they rise to the top. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, put 1/4 cup of the broth, garlic, butter and sugar in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, bring it to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and let it wilt for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining broth and chicken and bring it to a simmer.. Stir in gnocchi and bring to full boil. Taste and season with with and generous amounts of pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and shower with cheese.
Bon appetit!
My Love's brother and sister-in-law are going to have us over on Friday! I wonder what they will serve up? Until then, I am a bit tired of all the typing, so... toodles!
Melody
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