Fondue and Lebanese Wine

A NEW YEARS EVE TRADITION
Broth Fondue, Hot Pot Style
I think I'm getting the hang of this tradition thing. Below is my variation on what I found on Go Fondue. It starts out as a fondue and finishes as a soup. It's both good and fun. We will definitely be making this again before next New Year's.

Broth
4 C. beef broth
3 green onions, chopped
4 mushrooms, chopped
2 T. cilantro, chopped
1 T. garlic, minced, prepared (found in Chinese food store or aisle)
2 T. ginger, grated, prepared (found in Chinese food store or aisle)
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. sesame oil

Bring Beef Broth to a boil. Add remaining above ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.

Prepare 2 Platters
1 C. broccoli florets
1 C. snow peas
4 bok choy leaves

AND
1/2 lb beef tenderloin, sliced in thin strips
handful of prawns, large
handful of rice noodles

Spear beef strips with fondue forks and cook in broth for 3-5 minutes. Spear vegetable strips and cook until tender. Dip cooked beef and vegetables into prepared sauces such as: teriyaki, hoisin + chili, barbeque, chutney etc

When the meat is finished add the noodles to broth. Add remaining vegetables and prawns and any small meat bits to broth. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve portion to each guest in a bowl. Enjoy!



And because the 31st of December is also our wedding anniversary we decided to share this special bottle of wine which is from Lebanon, bottled in 1999. I know, when you think of good wine, Lebanon generally doesn't come to mind. But that's the year we travelled there. And it so happens to be their best year. A coincidence I'm sure. It was fun to reminisce about our pre-baby times there ... the internet cafes in Beirut, the military checkpoints, skiing among the cedars, the deserted hotels, the anti-aircraft gun shots that made us drop to our knees, the crazy driving, the Roman ruins in Baalbeck with the tallest columns ever erected, the fantastic food, and the best wine you'll find in the Middle East. Á la santé.

UPDATE: The above links used to go to some of our travel stories posted on Rough Guides which has since been shut down. I wish I would have saved them.
: (

Oh! Wait! Update again! Oh wait! My brilliant husband found a link where the stories are being kept until they upgrade their site! Here they are in the meantime.
: )

Foofy Drink Umbrellas ...

... become play house accessories! First the grown-ups play. And then the kids. Everybody's happy. Of course, this is only for three-and-uppers.

Italian Turkey Ravioli Soup

LEFTOVERS
My all-time favourite turkey leftover recipe. Don't even think about omitting the fennel seeds in this one. These little nutty morsels of goodness plump up and really add something special to this recipe.

1 T. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 zucchini, medium, diced
1 small onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 T. dried basil
2 t. fennel seeds
6 C. chicken broth
9-oz fresh cheese mini ravioli (or cheese tortellini)
1 1/2 C. leftover turkey, diced
Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add bell pepper, onion, zucchini, garlic, basil, fennel seeds and sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Increase heat to bring soup to the boil. Add ravioli and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add turkey to warm up, about 1 minute. S and P to taste. Serve in bowls. Top with cheese.

Orange Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 C. butter, softened
1/2 C. white sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. peanut butter, creamy
1 egg
1 t. orange extract
1 1/2 C. wholewheat flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
36 miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped
1/2 C. white chocolate chips

Pre heat oven to 350 F. Combine the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, egg, and orange extract. Mix until fluffy. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Roll dough and divide into 36 1-inch balls and place one in each recess of a non-stick, mini muffin pan.

Bake in oven 8–10 minutes or until lightly browned. When done, remove from oven and immediately top each cookie with a mini peanut butter cup. Cool in fridge for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Repeat until all the dough has been used. When all the cookies are baked, melt the chocolate chips in microwave and drizzle back and forth over the cookies using plastic bag with a slight corner snipped off.

Christmas Eve Tradition

I've never really been much about tradition. Looking back, about half my childhood Christmas's were spent away from home; San Francisco, Montreal, Toronto etc. And as it turns out, as an adult, I generally avoid routine. Even when it doesn't make sense to change it up. If I'm given the option of doing something the same way or a different way, all other things being equal, I usually choose the different way, even if it's more complicated. I even annoy myself in this regard.

After Spud came along though, suddenly, I felt like the keeper of his Christmas traditions. So, I've been practicing the last few years but since he's 3 now and quite aware of the Christmas business, I've made a list of what we're doing on Christmas Eve to keep us on track. I love lists. But I'm not going to lie to you, next Christmas Eve's traditions are anybody's guess. We'll see. My husband has plenty of traditions to draw from. And I pulled one from my own. Oh and the other thing I tend to do is try to put too much into a day ... even on regular days ... so we'll see how this goes.

1. Well the first one would have to be that Spud sleeps in until after 9 am. That is exactly happening right now, for some reason, and the only reason I'm able to write this. Obviously this one is out of my hands as far as traditions go though.


2. Bake cookies for Santa. This year will be Orange Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup cookies. Recipe in next post.


3. Make Clove oranges ... this smell IS Christmas to me




4. Make paper snowflakes




5. Go on a quick Christmas light tour of a nearby neighbourhood




6. Sing Christmas carols


7. Have an easy buffet dinner. This year the menu will include a cucumber salad, olive-tomato salad, paté, brie, salami, smoked salmon, pickles, and a baguette. The big deal dinner is tomorrow.


8. Open one present. This will help blow off some of that built up Christmas steam. We have a Cranium game under the tree that we can play with him a little before bedtime.

That is a full day! Other things that will no doubt creep in are TV such as Grinch or Rudolf. A bath. And about 3 loads of laundry and vacuuming [spud said yesterday "Mama, I think we need to vaccuum so there aren't so many crumbs on my feet". To which I cheekily replied "that's what slippers are for, sir". But he does have a point.).

Instead of Just Stuff

5 SITES TO CHECK OUT FOR LAST-MINUTE GIVING
THAT ISN'T JUST A BUNCH OF STUFF
· KIVA "Loans that change lives"
This one is a little different from the following list because it's not a charity. No tax receipt for this one. You lend money to an entrepreneur in a developing country, and they pay you back. There's no guarantee of course that you will see your money again but they have a pretty good track record. And the fun part is you can give someone a gift certificate whereby they, themselves, can go to the site and choose which people they want to lend money to.


· WWF "Give the gift that makes a difference"
Adopt a polar bear for $40. This site takes awhile to load up but it's nicely done and worth the wait.


· OXFAM "Let them know the camels in the mail (sort of)"
The mildly irreverent tone of this site really caught my attention. Forty-five bucks can buy a family a sheep and a mere 18 bucks can buy a farmer a can of worms to improve his fields. And this can all be done with an e-card to your loved one!


· UNICEF "Gifts of Magic"
For 20 dollars you can buy a child "Art in a Box" and for $35 you can buy a child the Gift of Play which includes puppets, a soccer ball and other things. Check out other areas of the site for more traditional gifts of water, education etc.


· PLAN CANADA "ways for you to make a lasting difference"
Thirty bucks can buy 10 Mamma Kits ("A safe welcome into the world for newborns"), 60 bucks can buy Portable Gardens for One Farmer in Kenya ("Nourishing food and the potential for income") and a 100 can buy a solar powered well. You can arrange an "e-acknowledgement" (I'm not sure how I feel about that word) or a printable version of the card to present to your loved one.

Happy Giving!

Mountain Babe

I've really missed going to the mountains and snowshoeing through the trails. I don't think we made it up once last year. Spud was just at an awkward age, I think. He was too big for the baby carrier, at a cool 40 lbs. And also too small to be expected to strap on some shoes and go for a hike.

This year, we invested in a plastic sled big enough to carry gear too. There is a wide range of types of sleds. And we saw all kinds of contraptions on the hill. In the end we spent 13 bucks on this bright orange beauty and hope that it will last this year and next at least.

The little guy wanted to have a little sleep on the sled about half way through our trek. It got a little too cold for him though. He was dressed warm enough but I think that lying that close to the snow just makes it chilly. Next time we'll line the bottom with a piece of foam and see if that helps.

Free Audio Books

On a road trip or in the restaurant waiting for the food to arrive, a little Peter Rabbit can go a long way. I love Storynory for a nice variety of tales to download. Natasha on Storynory does a great job telling the stories, and in a charming English accent. And now my son does the same.

I've also subscribed to the podcasts on iTunes and found some other free ones to subscribe to. So far I haven't found any as good as Storynory. But nonetheless, these little ditties are a great alternative to TV and perfect for long road trips.

Walkie-Talkies and Baby Monitor

TRAVEL GEAR
The Motorola T9500 2-way radios seem perfect for use on vacation and in places where cell phones won't work. Motorola claims they have a 40km range (25miles) and we are going to try the voice activation feature as a sort of baby monitor.

I wish we had this on our previous travels with baby. Now I look forward to spending some humid Cuban evenings with my husband on our balcony while wee guy saws logs in the hotel room. We can also use them to keep in touch with each other when we're out-and-about ... the resort, in town, the market etc. I'll let you know how it goes.

Breakfast in Vancouver

A very good friend of mine reviews all kinds of breakfast spots in Vancouver right here. Check it out. It's full of good ideas for the visitor and the local alike.

A Case of Apples

THREE OF MY FAVOURITE APPLE RECIPES



A friend of a friend has an apple orchard and we acquired a huge lot of Pippins the other day. I made apple crisp last night. And I slow cooked apple oatmeal for this morning's breaky. This has barely made a dent in our stash. What are your favourite apple recipes?

APPLE CRISP
1/3 C. wholewheat flour
1 1/3 C. oats
1 1/3 C. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
3/4 C. butter, cut into bits
8 apples peeled, cored, and sliced

In a small bowl blend the flour, the brown sugar, the salt, and the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Peel, core, and slice the apples thin and in a 9 x 13" glass dish toss. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the apples and bake in a preheated 400°F. oven for 25 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is golden.


APPLE OATMEAL
1 1/2 C. oats
1/2 C. wheat berries (or brown rice)
2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. vanilla
3 1/2 C. water
1 C. apple juice

Combine above ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or overnight. Serve warm in a bowl with milk.
Optional toppings: brown sugar, toasted nuts, wheat germ.


PUMPKIN-APPLE MUFFINS
1 1/2 C. whole wheat flour
1 C. all purpose flour
1 T. of the following in any combination: allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, anise
1 1/4 t. baking powder
2 C. sugar
1 C. pumpkin, pureed [or from a can]
1/2 C. vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 C. apples, peeled cored chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 12-cup muffin tin. Sift dry ingredients into medium bowl. Stir pumpkin, oil and eggs in large bowl until well mixed. Mix in dry ingredients and apples. Distribute evenly into prepared muffin tin. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25–30 minutes. Makes 12.

E-mailing Santa

And he answers ... or at least one of his elves does.

We just wrote Santa to tell him about the really cool bike we saw today. We should get a response in a few days. The site also has some good games and other activities.

UPDATE
The response came in and it's very sweet. Santa does a good job of keeping us up date on what's going on at the North Pole. I'll read it to the boy tomorrow over breakfast.

Day 15 ... and counting

ADVENT CALENDARS



I grew up with advent calendars. Usually the ones with the little chocolates behind each door. I also remember one that we reused for a couple of years that had nice xmassy illustrations behind each door. It was always so exciting ... everyday getting that much closer to the big day.

Our wee guy has 2 this year. That's right 2! It just worked out that way [probably because he's an only child and an only grandchild].The first one, with 24 drawers, is customized [by his Grandee] so that every morning he enjoys a little treat/sticker/toy combo.


The second one, Playmobil, has 24 boxes each with a new addition to the "Christmas in the Park" scene. I love playing with this one as much as Spud does.


If we didn't already have two, and we had a nice big mantle, I would consider this sock idea from Martha.

What I love about all these ideas is that they can be used over and over each year. I've heard that Lego has come out with one too. Any other genius advent calendar ideas out there?

Modeling/Doodling

My wee guy just doesn't like to draw and I think I pushed him too much when he was really wee. I really wanted him to draw. Since then, I've decided to lay off though. He doesn't like the pressure. Or need it. Instead, I model. "What are you doing mama?" he probes as I sit on the couch doodling away. He's curious. And a little more open to putting crayon in hand.

He still prefers white crayons on white paper or yellow on yellow though. It makes me wonder if he's just shy about what he's creating. Or if he has a bit of an eye ... one that appreciates the subtleties and power of tone-on-tone.

Ferry Trip to the Island

MAKE-SHIFT TOYS, ON THE ROAD
We forgot the toys in the car. Sure, we could've gone down to get them. But these common items found in the ferry's cafeteria did the trick nicely.

Wee Free Games

Some of my wee guy's favourite sites for games ...
· CBC
· Little Einsteins
· Charlie and Lola
· Toopy and Binoo
· Curious George
· Up to Ten
· This is Daniel Cook
· This is Emily Yeung
· Kaboose

Tasty Tuna Patties

1 C. bread crumbs or crushed crackers
1/2 C. hot water
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 eggs, beaten
1 can tuna, drained
2 T. butter, melted
1/4 C milk
1 T. parsley, dried
1/2 T. oregano, dried
3 T. olive oil

Combine all ingredients except oil. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Place a 2 tablespoon scoop of mixture into pan. Press down each scoop with back of spoon to form patties. Cook about 4 minutes on each side.

Comforting Tuna Casserole

IT'S COMFORT FOOD TIME
This one of those simple, warm, cozy stand-bys, that my mom recently reminded me of. This particular recipe is one she remembers my nana making for her and my aunt, sans chips. And in turn my mom made this for me, also sans chips. So chips are optional too. But really, what's more comforting than some salty/crunchy goodness on top of a creamy warm casserole? I'm in.

2 - 3 cups cooked rice
1 can tuna
1 can mushroom soup plus 1/2 can milk
1 C frozen peas (optional)
1/2 large bag potato chips crushed

Add drained tuna, peas and mushroom soup to rice. Stir to combine. Place in casserole and top with finely crushed potato chips. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until hot.

What's your twist on this warm, winter staple?

Black Beans for Baby

A FAVOURITE BABY RECIPE THAT TRAVELS WELL
2 t. Olive oil
1/2 C. green onion, chopped
1/2 C. orange/mango juice
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 mango, diced
Black beans, 15 oz can rinsed/drained or
rehydrated black bean flakes

Combine above ingredients and whiz in blender until the right consistency for your baby.

NOTES
Dried black bean flakes, found in bulk, are excellent for travelling ... they are light and you just add hot water! If you don't have access to a blender then try leaving out the green onion and red pepper. The remaining ingredients can be mashed nicely with a fork.

Mums in Snow

It's official. Winter is here.

A Bunch of Buttons and Sticks

Oh, and a lot of hot glue. Ta da! Tree ornaments.