Food Parties

There are a lot of things that I am passionate about... if you haven't noticed.

One of these things is cooking/baking.

Ever since I was 18, I would host these parties at my place - be it a basement suite in my parent's former home, an apartment in a new city, our first single-family-home, and even in other people's homes on occasion.
They began as passion parties when I was young, then they would turn into birthdays or backyard bbq's, then Valentine's Day shindigs for all my single girlfriends (where everything was pink or red), and then holiday parties.

I usually prepare my menu at least a month or two beforehand, I plan it out meticulously, and then I always make 10x more than I need to.
I cook and bake for a portion of the day usually for 3-4 days straight, I have signature dishes and punches that are almost always served, there is always at least one new recipe, and the night is spent with friends. We socialize, play board games and video games and charades.
The entire thing.
I look forward to every Food Party as much as I look forward to Christmas or my birthday.

I have always wanted to host a Hallowe'en Food Party, but this is the first year that we are doing this. Costumes, themed food, the whole experience.

Of course, after these food parties, my body usually requires a good two weeks or more to recover.
It is a lot of stress on my body. Which is why it now only happens once a year.
Last year was particularly busy (you know, getting married and all), so I opted for a potluck food party. It was a different experience but SO AMAZING.

This year I am going all out.
I have over 20 dishes and 2 punches I am hoping to make, and a friend is bringing his city-wide famous chili. (It may be more famous than that).
I will have lots of gluten-free options, vegetarian options, even a couple of vegan options. I am busy downloading music to play, we are getting our games sorted out for people to choose from, and we are planning the decorations already.
It's a big deal.

This is one of the only nights during the year when I power through every inch of pain. This is the one night I pretend to be a 100% normal hostess. Behind the scenes, I always need a lot of extra help and I usually require quite a bit more medication to get through it, but it is one of my all-time favourite nights. Well, the whole week, really, when you consider getting the groceries, cooking, baking, packaging, assembling, displaying, etc....
It's a week about nothing but food and games.
And it is glorious.

I cannot do this kind of thing often. To be able to throw myself into an event is rare. The recuperation time alone is staggering. It takes a huge toll on my body and there have even been instances where I have ended up in the ER with a throat swell or to my GI's office because of an insane flare-up. It is absolutely a once-a-year event that takes so much out of me I could not physically do it more often.
However, it is worth every single second.

Passions and hobbies like these ones are part of the reason I can stay so happy. Always looking forward to something, feeling accomplished and proud of what I create, and being able to see friends I don't get to see as often. This is what it means to "do something for myself".

These interests and hobbies are good for the soul.... and when illness invades every second of your life, soul food becomes a necessity.

After the party I will share pictures and recipes for anyone who is interested. For now, here are some photos of dishes from previous parties, and some of my favourite new recipes that I have tried: 

Red Velvet Cookies with Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling

Pumpkin Spice Trifle

Food Party Menu 2018

Individual Apple Crisps

Mango Curry Skewers

Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Garlic Biscuits

Peppermint Meringue Kisses

Strawberry Lemonade French Macarons

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Roulade

Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Potato Skins

Strawberry Lemonade Rice Krispies Squares

These are just a few examples.

I love love LOVE when we get to host parties like these. 

The Lighter Side of: Strict Diets

Due to my ever complicated Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, I have had to try a shocking number of really strict diets.
All of them made it difficult to eat out, many were restrictive of using herbs and spices, but they were all informative.
I always give each diet a minimum of 3 months, but usually for 6+ months - no cheat days, no stretching the limits, no wavering.
Many of these diets taught me about foods that really do impact me negatively, which foods I should continue to eat, and which foods I simply do not need. Most of the latter foods were either far too expensive compared to the benefit or that food just did not make a difference.

The most notable Lighter Side of Strict Diets is that it encouraged me to learn how to cook.

When eating out is difficult (this was at a time where most people had never heard the term 'gluten-free' and 'vegan' was such a minute part of the population it was essentially unheard of), or when modifying meals out is too much of a hassle, the best choice is to cook at home for yourself.
So I learned.
I learned, I practiced, I watched cooking shows, and I even dated a couple of Sous Chefs at one time or another.

I am no chef, by any means, but I still love cooking. I love hosting food parties. I love trying new recipes and learning new cooking techniques. I even thought, once, of going to a culinary school!

So even though strict diets can be daunting and may change how you go about having a social life, it can also direct you towards some new life skills.

Chicken!

Intestinal diseases usually require a change in diet.
While every person has a different experience, one basic truth is that our intestines essentially dictate what we can and cannot eat on a regular basis.

Dietary restrictions for diseases like Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Coeliac Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, will often result in a boring diet.

Overall, the best foods for my system are chicken, fish, rice, potatoes, and rye bread. I have been lucky the past few years and my diet has expanded quite a bit, but on days when I don't feel quite right, those 5 foods are my failsafe (along with Boost and apple sauce). Especially the chicken.
So so so much chicken.

With how much I eat chicken, you would think it would get tiresome... but chicken is one of the most versatile proteins! There are so many different ways to cook it and so many flavour combinations simply from spices - it is easy to make something bland become exciting. I have had far more than my fair share of this bird, so I am pretty well-versed in chicken recipes.

If any of these chicken recipes sound particularly tasty, email me and I can send you a recipe:

• Chicken Roulade with arugula and goat cheese
• Garlic Chicken Fajitas
• Buffalo Chicken Sandwhich
• Mushroom and Balsamic Stuffed Chicken Breast
• Chicken Skewers
• Boiled Lemon Chicken
• Roasted Chicken with Mango Sauce
• Lemon-Dill Baked Chicken
• Chicken Alfredo
• Honey Mustard Chicken Strips
• Chicken and Tomatoed with Rosemary
• Sweet Tropical Chicken
• Coconut Crusted Chicken
• Bbq Marinated Chicken
• Chicken and Strawberry Salad
• Chicken and Dumplings
• Chicken Monte Cristo
• Chicken and Pickled Asparagus

Seriously there are endless flavours and combinations.
Below are some of my favourite herbs and spices that I like to keep on hand:
▪︎garlic
▪︎chives
▪︎basil
▪︎cumin
▪︎marjoram
▪︎coriander
▪︎oregano
▪︎dill
▪︎lemon pepper
▪︎roasted garlic and red pepper
▪︎dried onion mix
▪︎paprika
▪︎parsley
▪︎alder smoked sea salt
▪︎Holy Smokes sea salt from the Salt Cellar (they have a large selection of infused salts and peppers that are delightful)
▪︎herbs de Provençe
▪︎mint
▪︎sage

And if you want extra special flavour for proteins, salads, or just to dip bread in, I HIGHLY recommend finding infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars.
Here are my favourite flavours:
▪︎Blood Orange Olive Oil
▪︎Hot Pepper Olive Oil
▪︎Garlic Olive Oil
▪︎Garlic Coconut Oil
▪︎Pineapple White Balsamic
▪︎Comice Pear White Balsamic
▪︎Key Lime White Balsamic

If your body can handle physical herbs and spices, then go to town! It is so easy to make a relatively bland meal really exciting with just an array of balanced spices. There are even special combinations of spices that have ZERO salt in them. Epicure sells some called Sansels that pack a good punch of flavour without the salt AND all of their products are entirely gluten-free. (No I do not sell Epicure). If your body can't seem to handle the physical spices (they can sometimes get caught and wedged into the ulcerations of inflammatory bowel disease), then try some of the infused olive oils.
It sounds like a luxury, but it is an easy way to infuse a TON of flavour into a meal without compromising intestinal health. Evoolution carries some fantastic flavours and they are made locally! Bonus!

A 'bland' diet does not have to taste bland. Sure, it may look super boring on paper to be eating chicken 5 times a week, but you can fool everyone by making it incredibly flavourful.
Happy eating!

Final Goal

In my latest 'Ask Me Anything' post, I had shared my most recent blog about deciding not to have children.
In that post it was clear that our family is complete and that our lives are full.
This question was then posed:

"What is your final goal in your life?"

This is a bit of a difficult question to answer.

Most importantly, I hope I have decades of life before I have only one, final goal.

It is not like I have this list of goals for my life that I am working towards. I have always had pages and pages-worth of small little goals in various areas of my life. You know, there are goals about the house, there are goals for places to see and things to do. I try to focus on the little to intermediate goals, because little progressions lead to bigger goals.

But if you want me to tell you about my BIG life goals, I will try to answer as best I can.

1. I want to always focus on the relationships that I have. Those are one of THE most vital parts of living a happy life (for me specifically). Family comes first. I want to be able to see my brother and his family more often, I want to be able to see my parents and my friends more often, and I plan to start writing old-school letters to friends I cannot see on a regular basis.

2. I would love to become a published author - to have a book deal. To have a book of some sort on the shelves of every major book retailer in Canada.

3. I would love to do something extraordinary with my singing. I know that there is only so much that I can physically do, so I have had to work on this in a very different way, but the goal is still there. I would love to release another cd at some point, perform background vocals for someone exceptional, and I want to sing on a stage again. Not just any stage, but a stage with a huge crowd. The anthem at CFL or NHL games. A background vocalist for a concert. Hell, the LEAD vocalist at a stadium with tens of thousands of fans. It may be far-fetched, but it continues to be a goal.

4. If I am ever able to travel, I would love to see the East Coast, to go to a Seahawks Game IN Seattle, I would LOVE to go back to Europe. I would love to go to Cedar Point and ride every single rollercoaster. I would love to go back to Disneyland, to spend a weekend in Jackpot, Nevada, to see the Galapagos Islands, to go on another cruise, to do a cross-country train trip in Canada, to learn how to surf in Hawaii, to have a romantic getaway in Tahiti, and to visit our ancestral castle in Scotland. These are more wishes than goals... but I am hoping that the East Coast and the Seahawks game are achievable in the future. I plan on experiencing some virtual reality activities to get a glimpse of some of these places and some activities I have always wanted to do but couldn't due to health reasons. (Like scuba diving, hang gliding, etc...)

5. I want to learn. I want to continually cultivate my curious mind and learn all the time.

6. I want to improve my art skills and continue improving them. I would love to be able to make a statement through art and literary works.

7. I am working on my cooking skills all the time. I would love to take little courses in the culinary arts - but if I cannot take classes then I am focusing on trying new recipes on a semi-regular basis. (I just learned how to make chicken roulade AND French macarons, which I need to continue working on). I also watch a lot of cooking shows and then try to make similar recipes.

8. I want to continue kayaking, camping, and practicing yoga. I want to go swimming more often (which is really difficult with a chlorine allergy and living where the lakes are too cold to swim in for 10 months of the year). My goal is to simply increase the amount of time I spend in these activities.

9. I want my husband to travel. This is a big goal. There are many places he has always wanted to travel, so I would really love for him to go even though I would not be able to join him.

10. I would love to be able to help out my family as much as they help me. My health is a burden. There is no getting around this fact. As stubborn as I am and as independent as I can be, suffering with health conditions is a burden on time, finances, goals, and oh so many aspects of life. I would love to be able to return the amount of time and energy my family has spent on me.

But my most important goal, the epitome of life, my purpose, my daily and lifelong goal:

I never want to take love for granted. I want to enjoy every moment, see the bright side of nearly every crummy situation, and remain grateful for everything in my life. Maintaining this grateful feeling and this love is the most important goal I will ever have.

I hope this answer has been satisfactory. :)
Thank you so much for participating in the 'ask me anything' posts. These questions have all been illuminating.
Bring on more questions - especially the difficult ones. The difficult questions offer the most amount of soul-searching.

So Many Paths

I think we all dream a little bit of how different things might be if we had made certain decisions over others.

I don't feel any regret over the paths I have taken. I have made mistakes, like anyone else, but it is not as though I regret pursuing music, education, or any of the other passions I have jumped right into.
I do wonder, though, how different my life may have gone if I had chosen a different path from the very beginning.

What if I had chosen to dive into dance instead of taking that part in Sound of Music when I was 8 years old?

What if I had decided to quit basketball instead of quitting piano once I achieved a grade 6 level of Royal Conservatory?

What if I had taken a year off of school before starting University to audition for more musicals, or taking more dance classes?

What if I had chosen to try out for UBC volleyball like I had wanted to rather than staying in my hometown more for medical reasons and to dive into education?

Where would I be?
How far could I have really gone with dancing? How far could I have gone if I had put ALL of my energy into volleyball? Or piano? Or if I had decided to go to culinary school instead?

I would love to experience all of those different versions of my life - not because of regret but because of curiosity.
I love my life. I would not change anything. I simply wonder, sometimes, what might have happened if I cultivated one talent 100% - and tried various pathways.

P.s. this is coming from watching This Is Us. I really miss dancing. I miss dancing. I miss volleyball. I wish I could have done schooling and training and reached mastery in everything all at once.

Salmon

Every illness seems to have its own set of dietary restrictions or requirements. Luckily for me, having Macular Degeneration means that I should be eating salmon on a regular basis.
I happen to completely love salmon.

Several months ago, Rj and I decided to buy a package of sushi-grade salmon so that I could experiment with recipes and sauces and different types of cooking. I have had it baked, lightly seared, barely cooked, totally cooked, with lots of different rubs and flavours.
Today I had the second last piece from that box.
I baked it, barely, and had it with a blood-orange passion fruit butter sauce.
My goodness it was delicious.

There is nothing better than being *required* to eat foods that you love because of an illness... especially when so many illnesses seem to have far more restrictions than options.

Good food.

The sauce was super simple:
Butter
Blood-Orange infused olive oil
Passion Fruit syrup
Lemon juice & zest
Salt & Pepper
Parsley

Brought to simmering on the stove.
That's it.