August 3, 2013 · 6:48 pm

Wild Rice, Green Lentil, Almond Salad with Lemon Tarragon Dressing

ImageI love Canadian Living.  This one came to me via their app which I now subscribe to. I adjusted this because the original recipe is Indian inspired so it’s flavoured with raisins, cumin and coriander and while I love those flavours I eat a ton of Indian food and I wanted something a little lighter and more summery. So I substituted those flavours with an olive oil, lemon, garlic, honey, tarragon dressing which was fantastic.

So this is super simple. Cook and dice and mix it all up.

The ingredients are:

1 cup wild rice uncooked

1 cup uncooked green lentils

1 cup parsley

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup red onion finely sliced.

Cook the wild rice until done (the same way you cook regular rice except it takes a wee bit longer). Boil lentil until done. Chop everything else up, throw them together in a serving dish and voila you have an awesome hearty summer salad.

I didn’t pour my salad dressing I made into the entire salad but instead dressed my salad with each serving. It keeps the veggies fresher.

Enjoy!

Cook 1 cup of wild rice and 1 cup of

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July 22, 2013 · 3:51 pm

Poem of the Week, by Fady Joudah – Mimesis

 

My daughter
wouldn’t hurt a spider
that had nested
between her bicycle handles
for two weeks
She waited
until it left of its own accord

If you tear down the web I said
it will simply know
this isn’t a place to call home
and you’d get to go biking

She said that’s how others
become refugees isn’t it?

 

* * *

For more information on Fady Joudah, please click here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/fady-joudah

 

Thanks to Alison McGhee for her thoughtful curation of these beautiful poems.

My Facebook page: : http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Alison-McGhee/119862491361265?ref=ts

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July 18, 2013 · 4:58 am

Jane Austen: The Life and Times of the World’s Favourite Author

imagesFor Janeites, The Life and Times of the World’s Favourite Author by Charles Jennings is a quick, easy and delightful read and for a nerdy generalist such as myself and a history major of eons past, I loved this book. I loved it. It was short, to the point, full of information and nicely formatted into four easy sections: Jane’s life, her novels, the time in which she lived and the Jane franchise ie., movies, tv dramas, more books, more films etc.

I loved the essay section that discusses all of her works and its progression from Jane as a young writer to the mature woman. The section about her life was interesting and it reminded me (not that I really needed it) of the intelligence of women and in Jane’s case an unexpected woman, plain, beautiful, thoughtful, observant, funny, master craftswoman who was a meticulous chronicler of her times – although nobody suspected her of knowing anything she brilliantly portrayed the intricacies of 19th century Regency social life with wit and candour. I loved it. Who cares about war and politics!

I also really loved the “life and times” piece which talked about life during Jane’s life time. The discomforts of the barouche, the card games, dinners (sometimes 15 courses) the drinking (lots of it), the muslin dresses, the expectations of women (be entertaining) the roadways (no passenger train until 1823 – good luck), the wild sexuality of a dance such as the waltz and finally the reality of women – either married or unmarried, it’s a world with few choices. What really stands out is her relevance. She still resonates, we want to read Jane, feel and be a part of her world. Why? Partly because she writes about people and we all understand that kind of a story. What  a great summer read. Time to reread a few of my Austen favourites and get Collin Firth queued up for my next Pride and Prejudice marathon viewing.

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July 14, 2013 · 5:12 pm

Too Much Happiness: Alice Munro

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Congratulations Alice Munro on winning the Nobel Prize for Literature!

‘There’s nothing much to write about here except go read Alice Munro – go now – read her . It’s true.  She must be experienced. She kept me up at night well past my bedtime pulling me line by line into each word and sentence, into each complete world she creates in every single one of her stories. Wow. And yet the stories she tells is the stuff of every day life and I have to insert ‘and yet’ in here again because there is an  unexpectedness of where these stories travel and take us to, their breadth, their depth, their ability to capture an entire world and still draw you into some lurking darkness of life’s ordinariness, the incremental blocks that build a life’s arc, a character’s failure or their greatest moment. Wow. Did I say that already? Read “Child’s Play” and see the twists and turns she takes us on or the story of a young woman who sits nude reading poetry for an older man – nothing happens yet everything happens.  Does Alice Munro write with that beautiful turn of phrase that  great literature often seduces with? No, not really. She doesn’t actually have to. She builds her stories more surgically than that – that is her master craft. Have I said ‘wow’ already? Wow, go read Too Much Happiness. Go read any one of her collections.

Not surprisingly this weekend’s Globe and Mail did a story on Alice Munro: 10 Telling Details Behind the Genius of Alice Munro.

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June 29, 2013 · 8:24 pm

iWorry – Say NO to Ivory

Stop-Ivory-FB-banner-iworryI was listening to an interview with Bill Maher the other day and  he said something that felt true for me as well. I care about a lot of things but the thing that gives me a visceral, deep in my heart feeling of abject sorrow is the fate of animals and how vulnerable they are. Their utter dependence on human beings for their welfare makes happy when it works and extremely miserable when it  doesn’t. It burns  me.

I don’t usually use my blog as  a platform for my views but time is short it’s important to speak out. And because life is non-sensical my deep empathy goes for this particular cause. The hunting of elephants for their tusks. No need to go into details, but if we don’t actually voice our collective opinions the elephant population will be have been hunted to extinction in a handful of years.

The iWorry campaign was launched byKristin Davis, patron of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, won the Human Society’s prestigious Wyler Award in 2011 in recognition of the media attention she had brought to the plight of elephants and the threat of the illegal ivory trade. On Friday 28th September, she launched the brand new DSWT campaign iWorry at the charity’s first ever gala dinner in London.

Kristin introduced the campaign to the 220 guests attending the prestigious event, and encouraged everyone to join her in standing up to elephants and saying NO to the ivory trade in order to help protect wild elephants for future generations.

Kristin Davis shared her passion for conserving wildlife and her speech raised awareness of the escalating problem of ivory poaching. She encouraged everyone to add their voice to the DSWT iWorry campaign, to help encourage the UK’s DEFRA representatives to CITES to vote against any movement to allow the legal sale of ivory stockpiles at any time.

IT IS EASY TO RAISE YOUR VOICE AND CONCERN: there are a variety of things you can do but raising awareness is critical. If you go to this page you can find out how to get involved. They have prepared a letter you can send to the chinese ambassador in your country. All you do is COPY, PASTE, to the ambassador and SEND. Tell your friends and ask people to follow through.

Please share this blog post, the iWorry link or tell this story to your animal loving friends.

Thanks,

Tessa

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June 23, 2013 · 5:53 pm

Poem of the Week: If Found, Drop In Any Mail Box. Owner Will Pay Postage by Jeanne Murray Walker

(via Alison McGhee)

I’m grading papers in the motel room,
the teacher in me watching as my students
fumble with their keys in the lock of the world.

I crack down on the one who misspells
the minuet amount of imagination a person needs
to live well. And I give a C to the one I suspect

of telling me whatever I want: that summer is a newspaper
printed with no alphabet but pleasure. But I confess,
I feel a twinge for the one who postures,

as if he can’t imagine anyone loving him for himself.
And I admit, I cheat on the good side to help the one
who writes that he and his girl are one cell,

sliced apart by the scalpel of her parents.
When I get to the one who says
that he’s a lonely space ship flying between stars,

I put my red pen down. I could go under the knife
with him, I think, knowing that I won’t.
But let’s say this. It surprises me to find out I love them.

I’d like to tell someone, the woman in the next room, maybe,
like to spread this sweetness, to bring about some
minor good. Can I offer you this pale translation

of my students’ essays? Nothing special.
The sound of their keys turning in the lock of the world.
I drop it as I close the door, in case you need it.

–

A very big thanks to Alison McGhee for her thoughtful curation of these beautiful poems.
For more information on Jeanne Murray Walker, please click here: http://www.jeannemurraywalker.com/poems.php

My Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Alison-McGhee/119862491361265?ref=ts

 
 

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Aside

Crazy Dancing Guy and the First Follower – We have one right here!

I actually created this post for another blog where I write or report on sustainability issues. This post came as a result of a bunch of folks at the office being shy, reticent, uncomfortable, un-eager to change one small behaviour in order to reduce waste. Until of course….our hero appeared! I’m so thrilled to see one small example of social change that I’m re-posting here! There’s HOPE FOR HUMANITY!

Perhaps some of you have seen this video – the first brave dancing guy who goes out and dances like a wild man who is then followed by the first lone follower and the two of them are  followed by a multitude of crazy dancers because the first two have paved the way for the others! Well at the BBOT we have our own First Crazy Dancer and are currently looking for the BBOT’s Lone Follower.

We decided we wanted to reduce styrofoam waste and to do this we would bring our own containers from home to take to Crystal Mall. But as it turned out most of us were a bit shy. Except for Eugene Chang who said “l’ll do it. I have no problem with this. I have a container with me today. Let’s go. ” So off we went to Crystal Mall and to document this historic moment I went along for the ride and took pictures of our intrepid Account Executive. Here for your viewing pleasure is the BBOT’s very own social change agent Eugene Chang:

Eugene – Ready to Make the Trek to Crystal Mall with his container.On his way Eugene

Awesome Malaysian RestaurantAwesome Malaysian Restaurant

Nice container full of delicious Bami Goreng.

Full Container

Eugene on the way back to the office carrying his lunch in a recyclable bag!

Eugene Carrying his lunch back to the office

Eugene back at the office enjoying  his lunch! Happy Eugene, happy planet:) Now who is our next lone intrepid follower?

Happy Full Eugene

About styrofoam containers:

Where to recycle styrofoam containers

What is styrofoam?

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June 19, 2013 · 5:11 pm
June 8, 2013 · 5:10 pm

The Altar of Love

I love that we can love. That we bow to the altar of love in a million and one ways every single moment of every day- that we have this immense capacity to connect and be filled with love for all the small things and big things in life – to our friends,  lovers and family, to things (like the bear I keep on my bed that was abandoned), to the way the sun hits the mountains just so on a given day, the smell of spring grass growing, those waves of memories of childhood. It feels so rich. And I love how it transforms you. Every connection offers the possibility of reinvention – I remember falling in love for the first time when I was 18. I didn’t know at the time that this would happen again and again until I was reinvented and transformed to receive and want the right kind of love. But every moment along the way was transformational.It feels like being re-born into a better version of yourself. I sometimes feel disappointed with people, with humanity and the craziness we create and inflict on each other and creatures and I need to remind myself of what I love about what it is to be human. That’s all.

 

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May 28, 2013 · 9:53 pm

Poem of the Week: The Neighborhood of Make-Believe by Thomas Lux

It is elsewhere, elsewhere, the neighborhood you seek.
The neighborhood you long for,
where the gentle trolley –ding, ding– passes
through, where the adults are kind
and, better, sane,
that neighborhood is gone, no, never
existed, though it should have
and had a chance once
in the hearts of women, men (farmers dreamed
this place, and teachers, book writers, oh thousands
of workers, mothers prayed for it, hunchbacks,
nurses, blind men, maybe most of all soldiers,
even a few generals, millions
through the millennia…), some of whom,
despite anvils on their chests,
despite taking blow after blow across shoulders and necks,
despite derision and scorn,
some of whom still, still
stand up everyday against ditches swollen with blood,
against ignorance, still dreaming,
full-fledged adults, still fighting,
trying to build a door to that place,
trying to pry open the ugly,
bullet-pocked, and swollen gate
to the other side,
the neighborhood of make-believe.

Thanks to Alison Mcghee for her generous curation of these beautiful poems!
–
For more information on Thomas Lux, please click here:http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/thomas-lux
–
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Alison-McGhee/119862491361265?ref=ts

 

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May 25, 2013 · 6:44 pm

Vanilla Bean Caramel Corn with Pecans & Macadamia Nuts Rivals Most Dangerous Rum Balls as Most Fabulous Treat

Vanilla Bean Caramel CornMy friend Lorraine  had a bunch of us girls over for a fantastic dinner a while ago and  sent us all home with goodie bags. What happened to be in these goodie bags was her and her sister’s homemade caramel corn. Call me crazy but I have never (ever) had caramel corn in my life.  Having no idea how much work this took, I asked Captain Kirk if I could pay her to cook me up a batch for Dave’s birthday.

So Lorraine generously obliged and I ended up coming home with the first birthday present that wasn’t returned. Last night we polished off the last few morsels  and in some ways I feel relieved, even thankful because I have obsessed steadily for the last week about C. Kirk’s CC. I think about it all day at work and when I come home I think about how I shouldn’t eat all of Dave’s birthday corn, but then I eat some more anyways, trying desperately all the while not to eat all the best bits (but I do anyways) like the candied pecans and macadamia nuts. So I’m just saying, this treat does come with a stern warning – it is equally as dangerous as the Dangerous Rumballs.

So make this at your own peril! I haven’t actually made this yet – the version I received used pecans instead of almonds and macadamia nuts instead of something else. I think you can use whatever nut you fancy. Go ahead and try this fabulous recipe. When we’ve recovered from this lot we’re making our first batch! Let me know how it goes. And now without further ado your key to caramel corn fabulousness.

And thank you Lorraine for sharing this great recipe – which came from the Globe & Mail.

1/3 cup natural popcorn kernels (about 12 cups popped)

1 cup unsalted almonds

1 cup unsalted cashews

1 vanilla pod

1-teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

fleur de sel

Method

Preheat oven to 250 F. Pop 1/3 cup natural popcorn kernels (about 12 cups popped). Set aside in a large bowl and stir in 1 cup unsalted almonds and 1 cup unsalted cashews.

Scrape the beans out of 1 vanilla pod and mix into 1-teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Set aside.

In a large heavy bottomed pot melt 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1/2 tsp salt. Allow it to come to a boil over med-high heat and leave for 5 minutes without stirring. Pull off the heat and add 1 teaspoon baking soda and the vanilla mixture. (The mixture will be extremely hot so be careful.) Pour over the popcorn and stir quickly to coat everything. Divide onto 2 to 3 parchment line cookie sheets, sprinkle with fleur de sel and put in the oven for 1 hour. Stir occasionally to further coat the popcorn evenly with caramel. Remove, allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

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