Haikus of My Summer So Far

Crap, it's summer break
Too many kids, too much time
September please come now

Crafts, parks, bikes, splash pads
I can do this, it won't beat me
Am I Supermom?

Burgers on the grill
Ketchup, mustard, relish, bun
Cold beer, I need some

Water and sunscreen
Cheese sticks, crackers, apples, lunch
Ferries, Centreville

Summer is fleeting
Precious time with my wee kids
It all goes too fast

Buttery Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
1/3 cup butter
2 tbsp fresh minced rosemary
sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until 3/4 cooked. Drain and set aside. On stove top, melt butter and add rosemary. Heat gently for 3-5 minutes. Toss potatoes with butter mixture and wrap in foil. Place on BBQ on medium/high heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Getting Away

I had the good fortune to be able to get out of town this weekend. Jess' family has a lovely property in Grey County. It's just enough space to feel like you can get a little lost if you want to. Just enough out of earshot that you can't be blamed for not hearing your name being called. The kids love it. There are rabbits hiding around every corner, and adventures to find without my apron strings tugging at their heels.

It always takes me a little while to wind down when we get to the farm. I need to leave my city ways behind and be a little more relaxed about rules. Jess is always trying to convince me that there is a city clean and country clean. I'm not sure I buy that one but sometimes it's a necessity up there. I always seem to think bedtimes should still be imposed. But I'm slowly realizing that maybe seeing a sky full of stars is more important. I don't want my kids growing up thinking there are only 4 stars in the sky come nightfall.

A friend came up last year, and we went to a cow penning competition. His daughter kept asking if the animals were cows. He was mortified. He felt so city, and was convinced the country folk were snickering about his daughters lack of animal identification skills. I'm sure the largely Mennonite crowd barely noticed. Their list of chores is probably so long that they don't have time to ridicule the city folk.

Since we lack refrigeration in our little cabin up North our fare is usually pretty simple. It borders on boring and I have yet to figure out a weekends worth of delicious cooler food. So I will post a curry that I made last weekend at a dinner party in the city. Curry is hard to photograph without it looking like vomit. Please don't let this deter you from trying it. I guarantee it taste better than it looks.

Trinidadian Chicken Curry

6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
juice of 1 lime
3 scotch bonnet peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp curry powder
handful of cilantro
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tbsp canola oil
2 large onions finely chopped
2 sweet potatoes, cubed
4 large tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and chopped
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Marinate the chicken with the lime, chilies, cumin, turmeric, half the curry powder, cilantro and garlic. Coat chicken well, and let stand in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
In a large saucepan saute onions with oil for about 10 minutes. Add remaining curry powder, tomatoes, and stock. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add marinated chicken and sweet potatoes, stir well, and let simmer for 30 to 60 minutes until chicken and potatoes are cooked and sauce has thickened.