Halloweenies

If loving Halloween is wrong...I never, ever want to be right.

Here is my Halloween goon squad, in all their frippery and finery:

When you go to the trouble of making a bespoke custom tailored jacket for a 2 year old, you better believe that you want to maximize your ROI and re-use it.  The Purple Rain-era Prince costume was just as good the second time around.  You know me and my slavish devotion to all things thematically sound, so I had to make Quincess be 2015-era Prince.  A custom toddler-sized afro wig made from a knit cap and black roving,  a Nehru jacket assist from MHui, and last-minute perfectly matching leggings from my neighbour GT helped me pull it off.  

The Big Yam wanted to be a vampire (zzz).  Could I have bought a cape for $5 from Value Village?  Probably.  Would I ever do that?  Unlikely.  He got a glossy reptile-print black cape with red line and a stand-up collar, because I like to make my life difficult for myself.  

I dropped off the Big Yam at school on Friday in costume - turns out that's not a thing (?!)  I felt kind of foolish for a few seconds before coming to my senses and acknowledging that Halloween is for the children, AND the adults, and if you can't be a goofball when you have kids, then what g-d hope is there for humanity?  People who can't be goofs around their kids make me so sad.

I had a day off on Friday so I spent that day visiting with the Roomie and carving pumpkins and doing last-minute Halloweenie type things.  Saturday was all about final prep and the Dotytron fussing over the $20 worth of dry ice he bought.  You would think that, noted domestic miser that I am, I would have kiboshed the dry ice plans, but when it comes to Halloween...all bets are off.  Really, when you see this:

So worth it, right? 

Trick or treating was fun, but exhausting.  All the kids on my street go together, which means a gaggle of parents follows around kids moving at different speeds, yelling things like, "Remember your manners!" and "Don't run across people's lawns!" from the sidewalk.  I took the twins out to just a few houses on our street and then we dumped  them in the basement to watch a movie.  I went out with the Big Yam and was totally knackered by the end of it.  We had to do a mid-run candy dump back at home, before heading to a street in the 'hood where a local real estate agent pays to close off the street and then pays for a fire eater to do a series of shows.  That street goes ALL OUT.  It is awesome.  There was a house with a giant mechanical spider on the roof that was lit up and moved around.  There was another house where they had rigged up fishing line to make a skull pop out of a pumpkin at the street level.  It was all kinds of awesome.

I went back to form with my pumpkins this year.  The theme was "queens"

Bad girl RiRi

bell hooks

Freddie Mercury

Halloween and Thanksgiving spirit is my favorite kind of spirit.  It's just weirdos being weird and creative!  I love it.  

The next day we had a Dia de los Muertos ceremony at the cemetery for Poppa D.  More correctly, the Dotytron, the Big Yam, Momma D and Emdo did something, while I chased the twins through the cemetery and made sure they didn't desecrate any graves (much).  After that, was a Halloween party my neighbour threw.  It was exhausting!  

Although we did get some cute shots that day:

Lindsay's face in the two family pictures, kills me.  Look at what an innocent little bobbin he looks like!  Nothing like this guy:

 Exhibit A: Bam Bam trying to wrestle something to the ground with sheer force of will

After living with him for 2+ years, I can easily say that Lindsay is the most stubborn and willful of my children, which is kind of saying a lot.  That guy is VERY entitled and self-assured and has been seemingly from birth.

Here's a video of the Quincess conducting.  He LOVES pretend conducting more than even the Big Yam did.  Any time the Big Yam plays piano, Quincess will be quietly conducting in his high chair, transported to another place.  The way he does the little cut at the end!  

Quincess has also been referring to the movie Fantasia as "decoration" which is cute in and of itself, but even cuter when you hear it in his little lisping, Quincess voice.

Two weekends ago we hit the pumpkin patch with our neighbour, which officially means we've hit every item on the fall bucket list.  We ate doughnuts, went through the corn maze, walked on this musical bridge thing, saw a meteor crater (this pumpkin patch had an alien-invasion theme - weirdly), went on a hay ride, picked out our pumpkins, shot corn cobs through these hydraulic gun things...basically all the standard stuff (how weird is it that shooting corn cobs through a hydraulic gun is now de rigeur pumpkin patch fare?):

Starbucks has already brought out their red cups which means I officially want to bring out the barf in my mouth.  

That's all for now!

Fin.

Halloween! (And Sansotei Ramen review) (And Dia de los Muertos!)

I took yesterday off of work to prepare for Halloween and I just BARELY MADE IT.  Seriously, pumpkins were being lit, I was yelling at the Dotytron to throw the Big Yam outside and dinner clean-up still had to happen by the time the first kids started knocking on our door.  I don't know how you do it if you don't take a vacation day.  

These are my pumpkins this year:

Golias from My Big Big Friend.  My one Halloween concession for the Big Yam was this pumpkin.  He was so happy when he saw it!  He also insisted on bringing the wet, slimy, pumpkin-smeared paper template I used to the drop-in centre with him.

Prince because I like to keep things thematically sound.

I was pretty crazy productive yesterday, so that made things worth it.  I banged off a batch of snickerdoodles, made a double recipe of pie pastry for the freezer, made yesterday's dinner and tonight's dinner, made a lemon meringue pie, went to the drop-in centre, carved 2 pumpkins, and squeezed in a trip to Kensington market and back for a (fruitless) search for Day of the Dead decor for dinner tonight.  Oh, and I also made a last-minute batch of pumpkin butterscotch blondies because if there's one guarantee in life, it's that rainy evenings make me yearn for something warm and homebaked.

I took the Big Yam out trick-or-treating.  He didn't really get it.  He was just happy to be outside after dinner for a change.  He walked up to people's houses and when I coached him with, "what do you say?" he said, "please!"  It was pretty cute.  But I can tell you that I wasn't about to go traipsing around all night in the wet and cold so we were out for about 20 minutes and then headed home (20 minutes in toddler trick-or-treating time is like, 5 houses).

On Tuesday I went to see Thomas Keller speak with JJ (the Discerning Coyote's big sister).  Thomas Keller was a bit of a robot.  He's not really a cook anymore - he's a restauranteur, and the interviewer was lobbing really soft questions and he was answering them in a really boring way - it was all standard stuff: "learn from your mistakes" "practice" but delivered in a paternalistic, vaguely patronizing style.  I wasn't a fan, but it was fun to go and get the cookbook, and hang with JJ.

Beforehand, I took advantage of the time in between work and the start of the talk to check out this ramen place that's had Toronto ramen aficionados all abuzz, Sansotei Ramen.  The last time I tried to go with Dr. Rei, they ran out of broth and posted a sign on their window (which is pretty hardcore, in my humble opinion).  There are also frequent line-ups.  I got in around 5:20pm and sat down and looked at their slim menu.  I'm a purist (as everyone who knows me is already aware) so I almost always get a tonkotsu ramen or a shio ramen.  I'm not a fan of Kenzo-style "king of kings" or spicy ramen with corn and stuff.  It's just not for me.  Anyway, this place caters to purists.  Your choices are tonkotsu, tonokotsu shoyu, shio, or miso ramen.  There are 3 or 4 other items.  I ordered the zangi (bits of fried chicken thighs) and the tonkotsu and it was without a doubt the best ramen I've ever had in my life.

The ramen noodles were perfectly cooked, still chewy and al dente.  The egg was divine, with a gorgeous, golden runny yolk.  They serve their ramen with fungus and a tasty piece of rolled pork shoulder.  But the broth - the broth was perfection!  Sweet, milky, creamy with all the rendered goodness of pork bones long simmered.  The pork shoulder was juicy, rich, and ever-so-slightly smoky tasting.  The balance of seasoning was on point - unlike so many other places, it wasn't too salty.  At Kinton, they thwack the extra fat on top, but I didn't notice this here, which means that the broth is less rich, but more tasty for it.  The zangi was crisp, juicy, but a bit paltry for the $4.50 price tag.  I couldn't think of a more satisfying meal on a rainy day.  I also can't wait to go back with the Dotytron in tow.  The flavour of that broth and the juicy, fatty pork haunt me.  I loved the chewiness of the fungus.  With ramen places opening up at the rate of one a week in Toronto, that Japanese font (that Guu brought to TO) is really getting a workout!  

Last night's dinner: wild mushroom barley risotto with a poached egg and bacon.  Salad of fried green tomatoes (properly breaded this time) on dancine lettuce with bacon and buttermilk-chive dressing.

Today is the Day of the Dead!  We are observing this year to remember Poppa and Poppa D and my Kung Kung.  I set up a little altar in the living room with photos and candles.  We will eat posole and I made a lemon meringue pie (Poppa D's favorite).  We will hopefully talk about them and remember them and laugh and hope that their spirits come back for a visit and a nosh.  I love Dia de los Muertos.  I think it's such a wonderful idea - to celebrate and laugh and remember the dead fondly instead of being all super-white person repressed about it and burying our feelings.  The dead do walk among us, and just because they're no longer occupying a flesh-based dimension, doesn't mean that we shouldn't invite them into our homes.  I'm going to get on the ball and order some proper decor for next year.  Sugar skulls and skull candle holders and those beautiful tissue paper cut-outs garlands and the like.  If the weather wasn't so rotten we'd be doing something at Poppa D's grave, but we might save that for this weekend instead.  

Here is a photo of those butterscotch pumpkin blondies.  I made them to rid my fridge of a tupperware of leftover pumpkin puree from Thanksgiving pie making.  I tinkered with the recipe a bit and came up with something I really enjoyed.  It's quite light, and not dense like a brownie/blondie is.  I added an extra egg and doubled the amount of pumpkin and changed the chip type from my base recipe.  It's like a soft, mushy (but in a good way!!!) pumpkin square with warm, spicy, toffee notes.  I think my messing with the recipe resulted in a lack of that crackly top that you usually get with blondies/brownies, but I've been getting rave reviews for this, so I've attached the recipe below.

Happy Dia de los Muertos, everyone!

Fin.

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Pumpkin Butterscotch Blondies
makes 20 squares

1 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. white sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 c. flour
1 t. salt
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. cloves
1 c. butterscotch chips

- melt the butter in a small saucepan and cook until the milk solids are caramelized and the butter smells nutty and toasty (do not burn!)*
- whisk the butter with the two sugars until well combined.
- stir in the eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla.
- add the dry ingredients.
- fold in the chips.
- pour into an 8" square baking pan lined with two strips of parchment paper laid crosswise with overhang.
- bake in a 350F oven for about 35-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- let the blondies cool for 15 minutes, lift out of the pan with the help of your parchment overhang and cut into 20 squares.

*note: the original recipe called for browning the butter.  I didn't notice that I could taste the browned butter so I think you could easily omit this extra step.  

halloween 2008 - gearing up

subtitle: the final, thrashing throes of the fat little weirdo chronicles.  my friend M had to stay at work last night so she bailed on our dinner plans.  since my old supervisor T had brought in tonnes of sweets and I had been working on the presupposition that i was going to be eating fatty wings and crispy fries and cool dill dipping sauce for dinner, i may have helped myself to a diabetes-sized portion or ten of her two (!) kinds of fudge (peanut butter and skor) and the cranberry nut bars with pretzel crust.  faced with the thwarting of my gleeful descent into saturated fat depravity and having already banished the inclination to cook anything, i ended up eating a panzerotto AGAIN last night.  that makes like, 4 in less than week.  that's SICK.  but i felt like hell afterwards and won't be doing that again (anytime soon, and by "soon" i mean - in the next week.  hold me to this!  for the good of my cholesterol count!!!).  

i started my day off with a big bowl of steel cut oats and i had a bowl of spicy beef kimchi soup for lunch.  tonight for dinner we're having mushroom barley risotto with pecorino  romano and some braised collard greens with bacon.  

last night i spent 2 hours carving this little guy:  

(jacques derrida)

i messed up his left eye (the eye on the right if you're facing him, but technically, HIS left eye if you're a pumpkin version of jacques derrida.)  i'm not completely happy with it, but after letting it settle in overnight, i think i did a pretty good job of capturing his likeness.  tonight will be more pumpkin carving...i'd like to do 2 more if i can squeeze it in...we'll see.

my starters aren't doing so well.  the grape one, after showing amazing amounts of activity on days 2 and 3 has barely any life to it and all and is giving off a very sharp, fermenty smell with zero bubbles.  as well, there's a later of starter "hooch" on top...i'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.  *edit* just researched hooch...it's fine...doesn't mean my starter is dead...just needs to be stirred...will probably start feeding it twice a day*  

other one is kind of sluggish.

i'm going to give the grape one until saturday.  if it doesn't perk up, i'm going to start another grape one (last one for all time).  i'm going to skip waiting for the proscribed 6 days before feeding though, and just start a feeding schedule when it looks all bubbly and active on day 2 (assuming it comes to life like this one did).  *edit: did some reading on starters...it looks like my grape one is doing okay...but needs to be fed more regularly...that's why it's making hooch.  phew.  in other news: i'm a bad mom.*

i'm also going to start another starter using the guide from breadtopia that A used...his is looking hella lively!  

*i'll update with pics of my dinner, the pumpkin from tonight, and my s****y starters tonight when i get home and finish doing all my stuff!

dinner shot:

i carved a pumpkin in dr. dre's likeness tonight. i think it turned out pretty effin' awesome:

fin.