Lunch at Alloy. Dinner in Airdrie.
I got a great email from my mom, who is currently blissfully kayaking and walking on the beach in Costa Rica and thus behind on her internet consumption, including my blog updates. It read:
When dogs get hurt, they have to be kept from licking their wounds and making it worse. People too sometimes. Stop licking or we’ll have to put a cone on your head.
Too bad that wouldn’t fit inside a fortune cookie. It may be my new mantra, posted on my fridge or bathroom mirror: STOP LICKING OR WE’LL PUT A CONE ON YOUR HEAD.
(Which isn’t to say I’m still licking – as you know I’m on to bigger things. But, you know, my Mom knows me pretty well. And I thought it was a great analogy, if a little behind the times.)
There wasn’t much cooking done this weekend as I was more or less attached to my computer, working on Blog Aid. We ate roasted pepper and tomato soup, pizza and chili from the freezer, and C took me for an I-don’t-think-you-suck lunch at Alloy, where we had veggie pakoras with mint chutney (above), wine and burgers with yam fries saddled up beside. We both asked for sides of mayo, because what the hell.
Tonight we went to Mike’s cousin’s for a belated turkey dinner, at which his two stunning teenage daughters sat on either side of W and got him to eat boiled carrots straight up. By merely asking.
They picked me up off the floor in time to witness him eating HALF A BRUSSELS SPROUT. Not even disguised. For real. (You should know that we’ve endured many the hour-long standoff over something that could just possibly be a vegetable.) He was all like, sure ladies - I eat vegetables all the time.
I can see now how his teenage years are going to go.
Speaking of eating your vegetables, C’s new year’s resolution is to come up with more ways to eat beets and lentils. I adore that. It’s important to have achievable goals. I do a lot with lentils but had no beets to experiment with this weekend, and didn’t make it to the market. I’m sure you lot have a wealth of experience when it comes to both. Care to comment?
(Blog Aid update tomorrow – I promise. Exciting things are happening! But I have an article deadline first thing tomorrow morning that I should probably get moving on.)
One Year Ago: Potato Skins and Spinach Pizza
January 17 2010 10:24 pm | eating out
robyn on 17 Jan 2010 at 10:29 pm #
Those yam fries look SO GOOD!
And I absolutely green with envy about the vegetable consuming done by W. I don’t think stunning girls would persuade Leo.
H-woman on 17 Jan 2010 at 11:14 pm #
Your mom sounds like a smart woman! =P
The best beet is a pickled beet. And I apparently need to go check out Alloy. That burger and yam fries looks heavenly!
H =)
Erica B. on 17 Jan 2010 at 11:17 pm #
OoOh lunch at Alloy looks marvelous!
I love beets – I don’t know how C’s been eating them so far but I like them (both red and yellow):
straight-up steamed, or
steamed, sliced and stacked with goat cheese.
baked in foil,
roasted with carrots,
in borscht(sold fresh/frozen Margarita’s at CFM),
as a chip (with a little kosher salt),
cold on a salad with some nuts for extra crunch, and
pickled(makes a colourful & unusual addition to a burger)
Ok that list is longer than I expected…you might say I’m beet crazy
Andrew on 17 Jan 2010 at 11:20 pm #
Dogs that lick their wounds help keep the wounds clean from infection. Yes it may introduce bacteria but its far healthier than not cleaning the wounds…sorry Julie your mom is wrong…keep licking.
JulieVR on 17 Jan 2010 at 11:31 pm #
Interesting! Why the cone then?
robyn on 17 Jan 2010 at 11:39 pm #
So they don’t chew the stitches that are usually associated with the wound.
JulieVR on 17 Jan 2010 at 11:43 pm #
Ah. Well, disregard the above mantra then.
bellini valli on 18 Jan 2010 at 4:17 am #
It has been years since I visited Airdrie. I lived in Calgary up until the late ’80’s so remember the foothills well..I am sure it has all changed by now.
jen on 18 Jan 2010 at 6:20 am #
we went for an Iron Chef dinner last night at Restaurant 27 in Red Deer and it was fabulous! Two chefs competed against each other in a 3 course meal and each diner is given a score card to judge each offering. One of my favorite parts of the meal were the beet mashed potatoes with fresh dill. They tasted great, looked sooo pretty and were not something that i have ever thought of doing.
and julie, you totally don’t suck.
Rebecca on 18 Jan 2010 at 6:44 am #
Whether or not it’s entirely accurate, your mom’s advice is still good!
Sometimes it’s too easy to become preoccupied with something that has hurt us and only a cone can snap us out of it.
Kelly on 18 Jan 2010 at 7:38 am #
This roasted beet and carrot recipe is a staple at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Very pretty, super easy and oh so yummy. http://www.kraftrecipes.com/kf/recipes/roasted-beets-carrots-70436.aspx
I’m not a fan of Catalina dressing, but it totally works here.
Fiona on 18 Jan 2010 at 7:41 am #
There’s licking, and then there’s excessive licking. Hence the cone, I believe. So really, your mom is right, in a sense. No one wants to wear The Cone of Shame.
Re: the beets. My mom makes this fantastic dish with beets and red cabbage. Braised, I think. I have to ask her for the recipe again because I love it so much and she only makes it at holiday dinners.
JulieVR on 18 Jan 2010 at 7:45 am #
The Cone of Shame! Yes, I was going to reference that, but not sure how many would get it…
Elaine on 18 Jan 2010 at 7:56 am #
I like roasting beets, along with carrots, zucchini, and tomatoes, then making them into a sandwich. A little basil/spinach pesto and melted mozzarella on one side, some mayo on the other, and glorious things happen.
Cathy D (Calgary) on 18 Jan 2010 at 7:57 am #
I prefer to think it was a “You are fabulous” rather than a “You don’t suck lunch”. Tee hee.
A side of mayo is a MUST with yam fries!
Erica to answer your question, C (that’d be me) has ZERO experience with beets. So bring it all on.
I am reading all of these suggestions with rapt attention!
Theresa on 18 Jan 2010 at 8:01 am #
“I do not like the cone of shame” ….
JulieVR on 18 Jan 2010 at 8:05 am #
OK, now I’m going to be laughing all day over that! (For anyone not in the loop here: rent UP.
Cathy D (Calgary) on 18 Jan 2010 at 8:15 am #
“The cone of shame”.
LOL.
Melanie on 18 Jan 2010 at 9:18 am #
You have to try the borscht recipe from Kitchen Scraps! I made it for Ukrainian Christmas / New Years last weekend – it was a huge hit. Just remember – borscht needs to age – even 24 hours is better than nothing!
I’m also a big fan of roasted beets – mmm – candy!
I’m interested in figuring out what more to do with lentils that my family will consider eating. We’ve got kids between 11 months and 12 years – how to satisfy them all???
Terri on 18 Jan 2010 at 9:25 am #
I like beets…as long as they are on somebody elses plate!
Sue (London, ON) on 18 Jan 2010 at 10:09 am #
I agree that although perhaps not perfectly acurate, the cone of shame is a great analogy!
And oh my, I love the story about W eating veggies for the girls! I can just picture that! So cute.
Beets – LOVE them but my family hates them (typical!). I found this recipe for beet soup recently and its as delicious as it is beautiful:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/carrot-ginger-beet-soup.html
ilovealbertabeets on 18 Jan 2010 at 11:55 am #
I like making beet fritters (b/c veggies are always better fried, of course..), like latkes with shredded beet and egg etc, but with a bit of ginger added which brings out the sweetness of the beets.
Beverley M on 18 Jan 2010 at 12:44 pm #
“sure ladies – I eat vegetables all the time.”
That made me laugh out loud
Laurie on 18 Jan 2010 at 12:46 pm #
Hi, Julie, your mother is right. There are times when dogs and cats have to wear a cone to prevent them from licking a wound too much. Sometimes there are stitches that must be left alone, sometimes there is medication that has to be left on, sometimes they keep picking at it so that it doesn’t heal (just like small kids picking scabs off). Yes, Andrew is right that dogs and cats licking a wound do help it heal – but not when the wound is surgery, and not past a certain point.
Your mother’s comment is hilarious, and so apt for when something goes wrong. “Stop licking your wounds or I’ll put a cone over your head” will make my adult children and my friends and my teenage grandchildren laugh, which is the best way to help someone overcome a hurt.
Thank you and thank your mother not only for today’s chuckle, but also for many potential chuckles to come
Brigid on 18 Jan 2010 at 1:18 pm #
I “heart” your mom.
Lana on 18 Jan 2010 at 1:33 pm #
I “heart” your Mom, too, and will keep that one in my mother-database for later use..
I love beets roasted with some olive oil and fresh ginger, or just picked from my garden, grated raw in a little mound on the side of a beautiful salad..with grated carrots in another mound, blueberries, pecans, goat cheese and some sweet vinaigrette. SUMMER!
Barb on 18 Jan 2010 at 2:53 pm #
I think I know where you get your sense of humor from!
Many years ago I was at a friend’s for lunch in early summer and she went out to the garden for a beet that she washed up and sliced raw into a salad. It was delicious and so pretty! It was one of those that have whitish stripes in it. I think that is about the only serving suggestion that has been missed.
Dahlia on 18 Jan 2010 at 3:06 pm #
I LOVE beets wrapped in foil and roasted whole. They keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge that way, and you’ll have something on hand for a last minute lunch or dinner. They’re great on their own with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, with goat cheese and a nut oil, with citrus slivers… And I could go on!
I also like raw beets in a slaw, or puréed with cream.
eroica on 18 Jan 2010 at 6:32 pm #
Try the New york Times recipe for red lentil soup and be sure to serve it with more lemon wedges. Yum! http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/dining/091arex.html
Then try “Lemony Lentil Soup” in Whitewater Cooks –it’s completely different but equally wonderful. Also
“Lentils Ole” from one of Jane Brody’s books is a south of the border take on lentil soup.
Shelley on 18 Jan 2010 at 7:06 pm #
lmao…cone of shame… I fostered a dog who had to wear the cone of shame but still licked and so the vet upped the ante to a muzzle that looked like something hannibal lector would wear – too funny on the goofiest, nicest dog you could imagine…your mom is very insightful…late or not.
Speaking of lentils I’m chowing down on your recent lentil recipe…yum!!
lovetocook on 18 Jan 2010 at 7:25 pm #
Beets, roasted of course. I make a traditional Mexican Christmas Eve buffet salad (often with only some of the components): sliced beets, orange sections, apple slices, banana slices, pineapple chunks, on a bed of lettuce, sprinkled with toasted peanuts, pomegranate seeds and a vinaigrette. (from a Nitty Gritty Cook Book 1971).
I love your mother and her advice, and you for getting on with something more important.
Check out the U of C Press (www.uofcpress.com) for printing the cook book.
Cory Lievers on 18 Jan 2010 at 7:29 pm #
I looooooove yam fries.
Donna on 18 Jan 2010 at 11:42 pm #
U of c Press website looks like it has strict submission guidelines and rules. It wants scholarly works. I don’t think it would have a quick enough turn around for the blogaid cookbook. ( I might be mistaken)
(Our Calgary Rose Society checked it out last year for a work in progress)
jenn in niagara on 19 Jan 2010 at 8:22 am #
beets, rock! i love them roasted and plated with some goats cheese and leafy greens! very yummy! and of course a bit of balsamic vinegar!
great advise from yer ma!
jenn
Bev on 19 Jan 2010 at 1:05 pm #
If you are checking out restaurants around Calgary, have a meal at Divine in Okotoks. You won’t be sorry.
Vincci on 19 Jan 2010 at 7:41 pm #
Raw beet and carrot salad – http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2008/03/grated_carrots_and_beets.php
Though I like mine sweet with a grated apple, dried fruit and nuts and a “honey mustard” vinaigrette.