Stuff I've Been Meaning to Tell You

Oh my gosh you guys.  How in the world is it Mid-November?  I feel like since I've been back from Montréal I've had either been sitting at the computer or standing in the kitchen.  It's all cookbook, all the time now, and guess what?  I'm already on the 100th page of my manuscript.  Holy cow.  It took awhile to figure out what the hell I'm doing, but I've managed to find my rhythm and figure out a system that seems to be working well.  I'll write for a couple of days in a row, then bake for a couple of days in a row.  And breathe, and take breaks and get plenty of sleep.  And drink lots of tea.  I'm so excited with what I've written so far.  Goosebumps, I tell you.  So yes, it's busy as all heck, and my tiny kitchen is feeling it.  Some days I'm amazed that I'm birthing a cookbook out of such a small space, with no dishwasher and about 3 feet of counter space.  God bless these organizational skills o' mine.  And the quiet chaos.  

Good Times: Pizza Party

You know it's going to be a good night when your whole entire kitchen counter is covered in pizza.  That was the scene just last night, as five of my friends and I tried out Panago Pizza's six  new/featured fall pizzas.  It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.  Don't get me wrong - there are a couple of places in the city where I love popping in for their thin-crust, wood-fired artisanal pizzas, but every now and again I want to stay home, wear my pyjamas and have food come to my door.  Preferably pizza. 

Saucy Spiced Beef & Lentil Meatballs with Linguine

I've unpacked my luggage (thankful a bottle of wine didn't break!), done the laundry, resumed my routine and yet my 7 day excursion to Montréal still is at the forefront of my mind, and will be for a long time, I imagine.  There's so much to tell, I don't really know where to begin.  This could be a long post, so go make a cup of tea and grab a snack (leftover Halloween candy maybe?) and curl up with me for a bit.   I suppose I should begin at that moment when I first saw the city I left so long ago.  We descended over soccer fields and rows of brick houses; trees with amber leaves still clinging.  A friend met me at the airport - I hadn't seen her since 1998, when I was a nanny for her small children - now grown young men.  What a way to age oneself - seeing kids you once used to read Goodnight Moon to now in University writing essays and all that fun stuff.  That afternoon and the next we walked and walked, me finding the rhythm in my step I once had when I was a fresh-faced young art student living away from home for the first time.  I saw some old haunts (my first apartment!), and ate all the good stuff you eat while in Montréal - almond croissants, bagels (oh the bagels!) and smoked meat sandwiches.  It was totally glutinous, but I figured since I was walking so much, the calories didn't count.  Logical thinking, yes?