International Dinner - Done!

Remember a few weeks ago, I was saying about having the family over?  The whole family.  Or, at least my mom's side of it.  (No? Here.)  I've done family dinner before, but only for Tim's family.  That's a total of 6 people including the two of us.  While it can be some work, it's a little easier than a group of 16.  That requires counting knives and forks.

The initial question is what to make.  Being a potluck, I only had to make a couple of things, clean the house, and provide the plates etc.  The dolmadakia turned out to be fairly easy (although a little fiddly) and tasted great.  I'll put that recipe at the end.  The rest of the food was AWESOME.  Sushi, frikadeller, pad thai, bombolini, citronfromage, ribs, spring rolls... a pretty eclectic meal.

As good as the food was, it was great being able to have my family over and have the space to have dinner, coffee, mingle, and chat.  Simple things like making coffee, sitting down to eat, knowing that I could contribute. My aunt, mother, and grandmother have all had turns at hosting birthday dinners, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc.  It was nice to know that they didn't have to do much and could relax for a change.  It takes some effort to make 16 people comfortable.

Bringing up tables so that 16 people can sit comfortably together, borrowing a few plates and tablecloths.  I hope everyone enjoyed themselves - they seemed to.  There are a few things I know to do for next time though.
1.  Multiple smaller serving dishes down the table.  A table as long as we had for 16 makes it hard to pass the potatoes.
2.  Get more salt shakers. And butter dishes and ketchup bottles and...
3.  Shorten the table - the best part of dinner with family is the conversation.  The friendly ribbings, the funny stories.  The tables we put together meant that we had a lot of room, but it also meant we weren't able to talk as easily.
4.  Potluck for 16 means that you only need to cook for 8-10.  There is always more food than you need.
5.  Keep what you want and package up the rest in little take home bags.  I did that and a lot of those went home for dinner the next day with my aunt, cousins, etc.  This means that people get some of the goodies, they only have to take the ones they want without being obligated to politely decline.  Then they get the same  benefit that you've gotten by hosting.

The clean up afterward takes a while, but it's worth it to have family around and see them enjoying themselves.

Dolmadakia


1 jar vine leaves (about 3 dozen)
3/4 cup raw rice
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 bunch green onions or scallion, finely chopped
1 cup ground pork, browned
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
2 lemons
1 can beef stock + 1 cup
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Remove vine leaves from jar, scald with hot water and drain.  Cut off stems, pat dry and lay out on paper towels, shiny side down.  Saute onions and parsley in 2 tbsp hot olive oil.  Add rice, dill, pine nuts, pork and water.  Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  When mixture is cooled, place 1 teaspoon of rice mixture in the centre of each leaf.  Fold bottom of leaf over rice mixture, then fold both up sides and roll over carefully until a small cylinder is formed.  Arrange in layer in pot; sprinkle each layer with lemon juice and 2 tbsp olive oil.  Pour boullion, 1 cup water, and remaining olive oil over all the leaves.  Place a plate on top to weight them all down.  Simmer over low heat for 40-50 minutes.  Remove, drain, and cool before serving.  Garnish with lemon wedges and serve on platter.

I personally found the olive oil made it VERY oily, so I would decrease that.  If you have an oil spritzer, I would use that to spray the layers.  If you have to increase the boullion and water to cover the rolls, do so keeping the 1:1 ratio.

The Family You Choose

I have friends outside of work.

You might be thinking, "well, DUH!"  But I didn't have that at one time.  I had a 2 or 3 friends I would see very occasionally, maybe get together once or twice a year, but really just sent chain letter joke emails back and forth so we knew each other were still alive.   Other than that, I had work friends.  That was it.  There was a time when I was in high school that I would watch shows like Night Court and think to myself, "how sad is it that their only friends are each other?"  (If you don't know Night Court, check this out.)  

And then I slipped into the same trap.  It's natural to end up friends with people you spend 40 hours a week with.  It's not that they are bad people and it's easy - they are with you all the time.  You don't have to make an effort.  They are my friends and I wouldn't change that, but when your only friends are work-related, you don't have balance.  There is no outlet or other activity to complete your circle.  When I looked at a co-worker yesterday and told her that there was a time I had no friends outside of work, she was surprised and quickly agreed that it wasn't a good thing.

I changed that when I got married and then broadened it when I started running.  When you marry, you almost automatically gain friends.  Whether you choose to keep them or not is your own choice.  There are friends my husband has that I have never met and others that I have met and there is no connection.  Luckily, the majority of his friends are amazing, funny, smart, loyal, adult, and generally great people.  He has known some of them for 30 years.  (I'm a little jealous of that - the oldest friend I've had only goes back about 10 years.)  The same is true of my husband and my friends.  Some are mutual - some are not.  This isn't good or bad, it's simply life.

There is a quote that friends are the family you choose for yourself.  I used to think it was cheesy, but it's really not.  There is some truth to cliches and this one is no different.  If you look around your life and realize that you either haven't been in touch with friends you have outside of work in a long time or you don't have any friends outside of work, you are out of balance.  I'm not saying it doesn't take effort, but once you make the stretch and put work aside for a bit to make time for friends... it's worth it.

And a chain letter joke email doesn't count.

Rainy Days - Waylaid Plans or a Blessing in Disguise?

I had SO MUCH planned to get done today.  Yard work, little bit of upkeep on the brickwork and windows.  Just little bits that I've been putting off for other things.  And now it's raining.  *sigh*  The leaves are falling and getting soaked as well.  That will make them so much easier to rake up later.  (That was sarcasm - notice the "sarcasm font".)

Now what do I do with my day?  My bookkeeping is up to date, bills are pretty much paid except for a couple.  I've got a single phone call to make and that's it.  I could brush Dodger, scrub litterboxes, find something to bake.

But perhaps Mother Nature is trying to tell me something.  I've been working a fair bit before my holidays last week and I was pretty productive even on holidays.  Nothing crazy, but maybe slightly more than average.  This could be her way of saying, "slow down, you silly fool."  Maybe I should watch a Law & Order marathon since I've got some recorded.  Maybe it's time for a tea with Dodger on the porch.  (Although I'm not sure if he even likes a lap out there with a sudoku book.)  Sitting under a covered porch in the rain is awesome.

Rainy days are good for quieting the mind.  Giving you pause when you possibly need it most.  Sometimes giving you motivation for the indoor things you've been ignoring or passing over.  The best rainy days are spent with a good movie, some chips and dip, and comfy PJs.  Nothing to worry about or get done.  It can wait.  You have an excuse.  You couldn't get that fence fixed - it was raining.  The lawn looks awful, but you had to wait until it stopped raining.  God knows the deck needs staining, but you can't do it until the wood dries out.

So I'll take the hint, Mother Nature.  The kettle is boiling as I type this and Dodger is busily cleaning his paws.  Hopefully he's getting ready for a lap session.  The abundance of cuddles in this house has decreased greatly since the Noisy One is gone.  It's high time he stepped up.

A Few People I Run With (sort of)

Chae.   Chae is one of those people that has those sweet spirits that truly doesn't know how special and beautiful she is.  She is a "new friend" so I don't know her well, but I have learned this much: she has gone from smoker to non-smoker, non-athlete to runner, and she is very artistic.  She knits some beautiful things that she is hoping to sell online.  For me as a runner, seeing her in the marathon clinic was the first time I actually thought, "if she can do it..."  Why Chae?  Because she isn't hardcore.  Because she isn't in your face and confident.  She has her self-doubt like the rest of us and she does it anyway.  She seems to be genuinely surprised when she finds people like her despite the fact that she is funny, smart, and lovely.  She is running her first marathon this weekend.  She will conquer her fear and doubt and I am so very proud of her.  

Susan.  I met Susan through running just as I met Chae, but I've known her longer.  Like Chae, she is artistic with a good eye for style, a good runner and above all, she is funny.  Not just mildly amusing, funny.  And brave.  About a year after I met her, I still didn't know her well, but I learned that she made a decision that would not only change her life, but take her in a completely different direction.  Susan would tell you herself it was one of the hardest things she's ever done, but she left a life she couldn't live any longer, took her sons, and left her husband.   She has kept every promise to herself since then.  Everything she has done, she has done for the health of her boys and herself.  She has created a circle of loving, supportive friends and family, and eliminated or distanced herself from those that aren't.  She is running the Scotia Half Marathon the same day I am.  I am slightly jealous that "Skinny Butt" (as I like to call her) gets to run with Monick that day.  I'd like to say I'll be with her, but she'll be ahead of me all the way.  

 Sarah and Colin.  These two are probably two of the most loving people ever.  They are completely adorable and completely devoted to each other and their family.  Similar interests but enough of a separate life that they are able to be their own people.  Posts on Facebook are routinely about making breakfast for each other and how they love their three children.  If I hadn't met them in person, I would probably think they are the cheesiest couple on Earth.  (They are, but I love them for it.)  Food, fun, friends... everyone is welcome at their house and they will gladly cook you breakfast if you knock on the door.  Most of the time at least one of them is smiling and I have to say, their positive personalities are infectious and my world is all the better for it.

Bev and Pete.  I know the picture only features Bev (she's gonna kill me if she ever sees this!) but I couldn't for the life of me find a decent picture of Pete.  There are pictures out there, but they just don't really capture him.  So Pete will remain the enigma for now.  Kind of fitting, really.  I think he likes it that way.  Their combined running knowledge is awesome and I have learned more about running from Pete while running than I could gather from anywhere else.  They are two sides of the same coin in that they have similar interests with two fairly different personalities.  Fun-loving Bev, with her highly social personality and fabulous hugs, contrasts nicely with home-body Pete that seems to prefer one-on-one time with friends in a laidback, more conversational way.  Sometimes I think if Bev and I had been born closer together, we would have been awesome friends in high school.  She taught my Learn To Run clinic when I first started and it was one of the best things I have ever done.  One day I will run with them again.  I have yet to run a race with either one and I'll have to wait a little longer for the privilege.  Bev's nursing an injury and Pete has been sucked back into the real world for the time being.  But Bev will heal (as she always does) and the real world will eventually let go of Pete.  The Dark Side is strong, but I hope he sees the light soon.