What Is It? Revealed

A few weeks back during show and tell I posted a What Is It? photo and never got around to revealing it's true nature. Here we go...

I was uploading some photos from one of my back-up DVDs when I noticed this reflection on the back of it. It was so neat I just had to take a photo. So there you have it...

So some people were close to guessing my chalenge photo from a couple weeks back. It is a glass object of a marine theme, but not quite what you thought:

This a wine bottle that I think was my Aunt's. It's one of things that you could probably get rid of and not really miss it, but there's something about it that makes me hold on to it. I think it's a tangible connection to the ocean. No matter where I am, or where I go, I'll always be a west coast girl at heart.

Show and Tell: Olympic Spirit

I've had a couple opportunities to get out and experience the fun that is the Olympics. I wish I had tickets to an event but I do have front row tickets at my TV. Hoping to get out and get some more but here are few shots:

Saturday was a rainy day to see the least! Here's a really neat lantern display. They're all lit up at night.

A view of the crowds on the streets. The energy downtonw is amazing and festive.

Another view of the lanterns on a less rainy day.

And what Olympic Tour would be complete without a picture of the Olympic Cauldron.

Now pop over to Mel's and see what the rest of class is showing..

Show and Tell: A Guessing Game

I was going to do another food post but I'm going to save that for next week.

Here's the photo:

Now what is it? Throw in your guess and I reveal the answer next week...

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the class is showing HERE!

Show and Tell: Intuitive Cooking

If I've learned anything from writing this blog is that if I'm going to do a post on food it must have a recipe AND a photo. To do one but not the other is to invite threats of being strung up. Hey, I hear you, I'm listening. Honest!

So, I have more food po.rn .(Are you excited yet?)

Lately, I've been thinking about food and how I cook. In my very humble opinion, the reason most people don't cook is fear. They're scared of screwing up and looking foolish. Why the fear? After all, it's just food! It can't bite you back. Really...

I love cooking, that's no secret. I come from a family of cooks. My father and brother cook for a living and my Mom learned from her Mom, who was a great cook. If I couldn't hold my own in the kitchen, I jokingly tell people that I'd be disowned. I sometimes think it's not so much of a joke.

When I'm in the kitchen, I like to play. Mostly, I take very simple recipes and change them up. Throw in this, and then a little of that. Taste. Repeat. I stop when I feel like it's done.  I add ingredients without always knowing what will happen. So while, I enjoy trying new recipes as much as the next kitchen goddess, sometimes it's much more fun to simply toss out the cookbook and play.

Last week, we had salmon on the menu. We had a package of wild spring salmon in the freezer. I pulled out a couple of fillets to thaw. I also had bought a beautiful large eggplant; it's shiny dark purple skin inviting adventure.

But I had no idea what the hell to do with it.

So I turned to Google. And even though there were lots of recipes involving salmon and eggplant, I either didn't have the ingredients or it took too long. When you care for a baby, time is of the essence.

So I did what I usually do in this situation... I made it up as I went along.

So here is my lovely creation, complete with a name and a recipe. However, if you were hoping for a full ingrediant list and a full play by play, I shall have to disappoint you. Go ahead and try something new, play, be intuitive about your food. You know what you like. Use only my ingredients, use none of them, or even a mix with your own twist- I'll never know. Don't be afraid of making a mess of it, because even if you do, there's always another day to try again.

Lindsay's Italian Eggplant Baked Salmon

Chopped onion

Minced garlic

Chopped eggplant

Fire roasted peppers, chopped (I happened to have these in my pantry, but you could easily use fresh peppers and toss them in wiht the onion etc)

Black Olives

Canned plain tomatoe sauce (or you can even use fresh chopped tomatoes and cook them down a little)

Salt, pepper, oregano

Salmon Fillets

Fresh grated parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, cook the onion, garlic and eggplant. Add peppers, olives, tomatoe sauce and seasoning. Remove from heat. Place the salmon in a baking dish and cover with sauce. Generously sprinkle cheese over the top and toss in a hot oven. Cook until the slamon flakes easily (about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F).

Serve with whatever you like for sides. We had slices of whole grain baguette to soak up all the lovely sauce. Salad is nice too.

Food is only good for you if you enjoy it.

Now pop over to Mel's and see what the rest of the class is cooking. AND just a reminder to those participating in my Photo Challenge that the post goes up on FRIDAY.

Show and Tell: Restoration of a Memory

So... two things on the plate this week.

Firstly, I'm going to shamelessly promote my new weekly photo challenge. You can read about it HERE.

As for the other half...

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most adept when it comes to Photoshop (or in the case of my computer, Corel PaintShop Pro), but I have learned a few things. I have this really lovely photo of my mom's parents on their wedding day. The original is distorted and oddly coloured. I was playing around one day and turned this:

into this:

Not too shabby, eh? Now hop over to Mel's and see what everyone else brought to Show and Tell this week...

Show and Tell: A Call for Help

Today's post is neither a show or a tell but rather an ask.

I don't have to show you pictures of the horrible disaster in Haiti. Turn on ANY newscast and you can see it for yourself.

My heart breaks for everyone there and also for those in the world with family there. As a mother, my heart can barely stand the thought of all the children who have died, are buried under rubble, or are homeless. Conditions in this poor country were difficult enough, but now, NOW, I can hardly imagine.

Today my husband and I have done the only thing we can do: make a donation in hopes that in the grand sceme of thing, such a miniscule act will join with other small things and just possible make a tangible difference.

If you want to join in and help there are several ways. Here are but a few:

In Canada:

Doctors Without Borders

Canadian Red Cross

UNICEF Canada

In the United States:

American Red Cross [you can donate $10.00 via text (charged to your phone bill) by texting 'Haiti' to 90990]

I know there are probably more but it's a start. Tonight I think about all that I have and am holding my baby girl even tighter than usual.

Don't forget to drop by Mel's to see what else is on people's minds...

Show and Tell: Photographic Reflection

First of all, I'm very happy with the new digs. I'd love a place for a daily photo but am thinking the sidebars are too small and the place beneath the header too large. What do you think?

Ideas?

Anyway, Show and Tell.

In the frightening shadows of depression, I've found lovely glimmers of light. I've promised myself to hold on to them by delving into projects. One of the most important projects, aside from losing weight and getting healthy, is to keep up with my photography.

So with that in mind, I'm going to be doing a Photo of the Day. As mentioned above, I'm going to try and post them if I find a format that fits. I may just put them as a single post, I don't know just yet.

But here is a photo for you to consider:










Please stop by Mel's to see what the rest of the class is sharing...

Show and Tell: A Place to Begin

*Baby mentioned



If there's one thing I've learned in my life so far, it's that when you hit the bottom, you have only one way to go but up. Depression is a fickle thing. Just when you think you've got a handle on it, it can throw you for a loop. But it can be dealt with. I think I'm starting to figure out how to deal with it this time. As someone reminded me yesterday, women who have experienced IF/Loss are more at risk for PPD. Given that I was high risk to begin with, it figures...

When I was in the depths of my fibro, I searched out ways to express what I was feeling and thinking. Words couldn't do it for me. I turned to my painting. Brushes and painting knives became my lips and tongue, forming the things I held inside.

Photography does the same. In one image carefully shot, I can sum up myself in the one moment.

It's been some time since I joined S&T. I was pregnant and stressed and tired. Now I have a 2 month old daughter and am not much better, in fact worse. But I figured I need to throw myself into things in order to find myself again.

So here we are. This week I'd like to show you a photo I took Sept 2008, after my second (and devastating) miscarriage. I was in Toronto, running a work charity event and working on a project. In my evenings free, I took the subway downtown and explored, camera in hand.


I love this photo, there's something about this man, hands in his pocket, head bent down, just walking his path, that resonated with me deeply. It still does...

Don't forget to stop by Mel's place and see what the rest of the class is showing...

Show and Tell: My B-Day Gift

So, in anticipation of my b-day on Friday, I got my b-day gift early. Last week actually. I had seen it when I was visiting my Mom the weekend before and HAD to have it. But I had to wait for money to come in.

It's my hubby's gift to me... that I bought myself. lol. I thanked him for it. He laughed. It worked for him, he didn't have to guess and he was glad I got something I wanted and needed.

I've been needing a new wallet for awhile as mine is bulky and falling apart. I wanted something easy to organize and well, was pretty. I like colour. It's buttery soft leather. Here's what I got:

Here's to things that are practical AND stylish!!!

Now pop over to Mel's and see what others are flaunting...

Show and Tell: An Amazing Dance

I'm a So You Think You Can Dance fan. Both the Americana nd Canadian shows. I think what they do is really special. I love to dance myself and am i awe of these dancers all the time.

Towards the end of the last American season, there was a breathtaking dance about breast cancer. It left me in tears. My friend, J, recently finished treatment for breast cancer. This is for her and so many others who have battled cancer. Those who won, those who lost.

Clheck it out HERE!

Take a couple minutes to watch and then pop over to Mel's for more inspiration.

Show and Tell: Ice Creamy Goodness

On a hot summer's day, there is nothing better than digging your spoon into lovely vanilla ice cream coated in rich velvety chocolate sauce.

It's been awhile since I posted any food po.rn. So here we go. Soak it up...

I'd share but I'm going to be selfish. You'll have to raid your own freezer. Now where's my spoon?...

Don't forget to drop by Mel's and see what everyone else is scooping up.

Show and Tell: The Marks We Bear

**Pregnancy mentioned**

We all carry them. Marks. Some are visible, etched into our skin, indelible creations of imperfection showing us as the unique beings we all are.

Some are hidden. Carved into our souls, shown only when we grant ourselves or others access.

As I progress week by week, these marks amaze me. All of them. And it doesn't hurt that dh doesn't mind them and always tells me I'm beautiful. And one might think he was just saying it to score husband points but the look in his eyes when he says it tells me differently. I love this man more than I can describe!

The marks each tell a story. I have ones I was born with, like my famous abstract birthmark and received by accident like the "tattoo" I have- a graphite mark from a sharp pencil that went deep and permanently marked my hand.

And then there are the ones I've gained, earned even.

My marks are varied. I have scars form old acne, and current acne, which drive me crazy but that I've come to realize, I'll likely never get rid of. Pregnancy, has added it's own set of marks. I have what I lovingly call my "Harry Potter" marks. Almost lightning strike shaped stretch marks that cover my lower abdomen. I also have the "mask of pregnancy" which results in a brown patch on my forehead which is easily covered up by makeup.

On a whim on the two days off I had last week (I'm currently on vacation), I went out in public without makeup! Gasp! I rarely do this. It was freeing.

I think pregnancy has taught me to be less conscious of the marks I carry. Including the ones deeply hidden. Losing two pregnancies has left their own undefinable marks. But they are there with me always.

No matter what you go through in life, there are marks. IF, pregnancy loss, loss in general, all have their unique marks. But so do the happier things- love, friendship, joy. The marks are different but no less important.

As my Mom mentioned about my stretch marks, they are "badges of honour". I'm learning to wear them, all of them, with pride.

And to prove I'm serious, I'm doing something I never would have considered before. Here is a sample "badge of honour". No hiding here.

What marks do you have, either hidden or visible, that you have learned to accept, even embrace? Let me know and then stop by Mel's to see what the rest of the class is showing off...

Show and Tell: Many Happy Returns

Today is the birthday of this country I call home. Yay Canada!! (cue fireworks)

I have to say quite lovingly, that as a whole, we Canadians have a good sense of humour... about oursleves. I mean, we would need to in order to endure another term with our Prime Minister, who sometimes resembles Mr. Rogers on a not so nice day in the neighbourhood. For every positive forward thinking action he's taken, Harper has about 5 idiotic negative ones to cancel it out.

But this isn't a politcal tirade.

It's a birthday celebration.

I said we have a great sense of humour and it's never more apparent than when we are making fun of ourselves. For true Canadian amusement, you don't have to look much farther than the comedic folk music of The Arrogant Worms. Who? Wha? Yes, The Arrogant Worms are a proud symbol of what it means to be Canadian. I can't seem to get the embedding code to work, so they are only links. Have a listen...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvoiyb5OTgg

If that doesn't make you laugh, maybe this one (actually by The Three Dead Trolls) will:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRwiH18QwpU

Come on, you laughed, didn't you? Admit it. :)

Okay, one more, you know you can handle it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boenbohMSa8

One quick funny story to wrap up this ever lenthening post up. Last Saturday R and I were messing around on Google maps, looking at places on the satellite view. At one point I saw Nantucket and kept going down the coast. Eventually, scrolling down we reached DC and Virginia. It occurred to me, Richmond is where the Pent.agon, isn't it? We were zoomed in quite close so I imagined we'd probably see it. But we couldn't. Now I will admit that while I know quite bit about the States, I can be ignorant of some facts. Since I didn't see it in the area (and really had no idea where it was), I was about to type the word Pent.agon into the search bar. I typed the P and then paused, thinking "maybe this isn't a good idea. Maybe they track these sort of searches". I said this to R who started laughing and joking about being put on some sort of watch list for our Goo.gle search. We'll be wanted. I can see the headlines now, "Canadian Couple held for suspicous Goog.le Search!"

I don't know about you, but somehow I don't imagine someone typing in C.S.I.S into Goo.gle illiciting a similar reaction.

Oh, and if the Canadian humour above offended you. I'm sorry. I'm only Canadian and I do love you all! Don't hate me. Now go over to Mel's for some more flag waving.

Show and Tell: In Search of Happiness

This week's S&T is about my need to slow down, stop stressing over things I can't control and focus on what's important.

I love The Fray. It just has to be said. They have amazing melodies and stunning lyrics. But this song takes the cake. Go ahead and have a listen and if you need them, the lyrics follow.

You may want to keep a tissue handy...

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Happiness- The Fray

Happiness is just outside my window
Would it crash blowing 80-miles an hour?
Or is happiness a little more like knocking
On your door, and you just let it in?

Happiness feels a lot like sorrow
Let it be, you can’t make it come or go
But you are gone- not for good but for now
Gone for now feels a lot like gone for good

Happiness is a firecracker sitting on my headboard
Happiness was never mine to hold
Careful child, light the fuse and get away
‘Cause happiness throws a shower of sparks

Happiness damn near destroys you
Breaks your faith to pieces on the floor
So you tell yourself, that’s probably enough for now
Happiness has a violent roar

Happiness is like the old man told me
Look for it, but you’ll never find it all
But let it go, live your life and leave it
Then one day, wake up and she’ll be home

Home, home, home
_____________________________

This songs grips my heart each and every time I listen to it. Almost every single line speaks to me. I really think you could apply this song to any situation in your life.

Breath. Absorb it. It's that good.

Don't forget to stop by Mel's and check out rest of the class is showing...

Show and Tell: Reading Back

I have professed it before, I am a horrible journal keeper. Ironic considering I keep a prolific blog, no? But blogs are interactive. You communicate and people respond. Give and take. I like that more than writing randomly in a book to no one.

That being said, I have been compelled to write on occasion. Usually the days where my brain can't possible contain what I'm thinking and I need to get it out or go insane.

So the other night, I was reading through the pages of this beautiful journal my husband gave me. It's black leather. It was a Christmas gift in 2005. The funny thing is I had the same idea and got him a red leather one. ;)

I want to share with you an entry I wrote.

Reading through the few I wrote over a couple of years made me cry. Not sure if it's the hormones or the re-living of moments that were hard enough to bear at the time.

Here's an entry form Oct.23, 2007, 1 month and 1 day after I got married. I was still dealing with my fibromyalgia but it was getting better...

I'm 24 years old but I often feel like I have the body of an 84 or 94 year old. Quite the difference and yet, here I am, more than a year since my life was turned upside down.

A coworker (now retired) often told me, "It's the best years of your life kid, enjoy them!" On one hand, I agree with wise, slim and youthful retiree, but on the other hand, I hope she's wrong. I have so much to be grateful for, but... but, I want more.

More happiness, more joy, even more tears. I want each year of my life to get better and better, to live up to the bumper sticker picked out years ago by a friend from an English class that says "Destined to be an old woman with no regrets". On the sticker is a woman at the beach wearing a one piece suit and a floppy wide-brimmed hat, waving in a care-free "Mary Tyler Moore" moment.

I want to be her. The woman who lived and lived well. Who sucked up every horrible terrible moment, set them beside all the laughter and smiles and love, and declared her adventure of a life, equal and balanced. I want to be the one who at the end of her days, casually waves it all away like a dream and sends her spirit, her soul out into the energy of the Universe to be mixed, melded and dispersed with everyone else. To be everything and nothing all at the same time.

She is my idol, my dream. Not just a fanciful inspiration, but something to be sure of. One thing I can count on.

-------------------------------

So that was my entry. A month later I would have a moment where I was SURE I was pregnant, only to find out I wasn't. We hadn't been trying at all. I really wasn't on our radar yet. But in that moment, everything changed. The desire to be a mother hit me so hard I could barely breath for the intensity of it. After a discussion with R, we agreed that when I was off my meds and in remission, we could try for a baby. I left school (which is a whole story unto itself) and went back to my job full-time (I had gone part-time to go back to school). In March 2008, I went off my meds and got the medical okay to try to concieve.

In the next 12 months I would be pregnant twice. A mother never.

Today is a different day. I will be a mother. And that woman standing on the beach, will also be me. I'm determined.

Now stop on by Mels' and see what the rest of the class is reflecting on...

Show and Tell: An Artist's Inspiration

Well, thanks to Kristin, I have a topic for show and tell. She commented on the post before this one (Crazy Eights Meme) where I list list under things I'm looking forward to doing:

6. Unwrapping my blank canvas and getting messy with my paint.

She asked if I paint in watercolour or oil. Actually, it's neither. I'm an acrylic addict. I love that it dries fairly quickly. It gives you the ability to build layer upon layer, mixing and playing as you go along. And then there are mediums. The sheer number of different mediums you can mix into the paint is insane. And with them you can create the most amazing effects. I have so many things I want to try my little apartment is not big enough to hold the canvasses I will need.

A couple of years ago I finally settled into a style and method of painting that speaks to me. It's a physical process and a little messy. I often just drop paint right onto the canvas and go at it with pallet knives.

Before I show you a couple of samples of my art, I should explain how these particular pieces came into being.

The first is a dark piece. I painted it in the middle of a fibro flare-up. And it was a bad one. The depression, anxiety and panic attacks I had while in flare were awful. Going off meds and into remission not only allowed us to start trying for a baby, but it also gave me my life back. Seriously.

This first one is from when I was in flare. When I said they were dark periods in my life, I wasn't kidding. But oddly, I really like this one. It says so much and I keep finding new things in it every time I really look at it.

Then there is this next painting. I did this after I came out of a flare. It was a few months before our wedding and I was feeling truly happy. I've dubbed this one Joy. It's actually quite large and hangs on our living room wall.

So there you have it, my first true foray into soulful painting. Now go over to our class Gallery and see what everyone else is showing...

Show and Tell: Balancing the Past and the Future

I wasn't going to do this as a Show and Tell post but somehow I convinced myself it just might be welcome. With the conflict that has erupted in the ALI community recently, it seems like you have to tread very very carefully, even on your own blog. I don't want to hurt anyone's feeling by talking about my pregnancy, and I certainly don't want to diminish the pain and sorrow others have felt or are feeling right now. But please don't run away just because I lucked out for once and have a viable pregnancy...

What I want is for everyone to step back and remember a moment of pure joy. A moment where they felt that everything was alright in the universe. That brief second of peace.

When you find that moment, doesn't it amaze you how hard it is to hold on to? How bittersweet it can be for those of us in the ALI community since joy often is coupled by sadness of some sort. Maybe it's that someone in our Community beat the odds by getting pregnant but then lost it. Or someone has discovered that they have other battles (like cancer etc) to fight as well as IF or RPL. Maybe it's that they have come to the conclusion that they cannot have children of their own and make the very difficult decision to live child-free. Or maybe they have left the community or are taking a break because of misunderstandings and they need space now to deal with it.

I don't know about anyone else, but it breaks my heart to see this last one happen. I'm not going to get into details or debates and I'm certainly not opening myself up to being fodder for someone else's misunderstandings. I have felt the hurt of a random comment, whether it was intentional or not, so I understand how things could spiral.

What I would like everyone to ask themselves is, if we step back from the situation for a moment, is it actually how we think it is? When we step back from anything and allow ourselves a moment of perspective, we often realize how easy it it is to misread things, even our own lives and memories.

And this is how we come to my Show and Tell for the week. It's a late post and I don't know how many people will read it, but I felt the need to talk it out.

This weekend is a hard one for me. It was the May Long weekend (in Canada) last year when I had finally realized that I was in fact pregnant (despite a neg hpt probably taken too soon) and losing my first baby. We were up visiting my husband's family because it was his Grandfather's 80th b-day and the family was throwing him a surprise party. I had been spotting for 10 days straight after having a "normal" period. Something wasn't right. I knew this instinctively. In fact, I had myself convinced that I was pregnant after probably a couple days after conception. I felt ill and off. I have since learned that my fibromyalgia makes me so in tune with my body I often don't need a hpt to know I'm pregnant. But the test was negative, so I brushed off my instincts.

So we went up to see his family and participate in the festivities. Meanwhile the cloud of doom hovered over my head. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was miscarrying. But I couldn't do anything to confirm it until after we returned and I went to see my Dr.

The party was great. Family from all over Western Canada came and I got to meet a whole set of the family who hadn't been able to come to our wedding. It was a great day. But it had it's bittersweet moments. Like when one of his cousins announced that she was 12 weeks pregnant.

Smack! Just what I needed at that moment.

But when I look back, yes I remember that weekend as the prelude to the day when the cramps and bleeding started, but I also remember it as a beginning. It was the first moment when I realized just how much I wanted and was ready to be a mother. To start our family. Such moments are so defining, it's hard to describe. But they change you.

One year and three pregnancies later, I have come full-circle. I lost my first two babies. They weren't just two pregnancies, but life-altering presences that will forever define who I am. Just as this little one wiggling inside me does. Do I forget the pain of losing Alex and Kenneth? Certainly not. And those who brush away a loss as "just something that happens" are denying themselves an incredible opportunity to grow and evolve as a person.

Does it hurt like h*ll? You bet. I have experienced many losses in my life but the loss of my babies cuts deeper than even I know. Please don't ever think that having a so far successful pregnancy now changes that or makes me forget what it is like.

But there is joy. There is always joy. If we just step back to see it. Everyone is capable of finding their joy, even if it lasts only a brief moment.

Sometimes that moment is just the spark we need.

I truly believe that the beauty of our Community is our ability to be there and support each other, through the good AND bad. There have been times when, rationally or not, I've felt that my voice now that I'm pregnant isn't as welcome in the Community. I think maybe it's not that it's not welcome but that it's been fear on my part. Fear to feel happy and joyful about what's happening in my life. That others couldn't go there with me. Some may not, but those who have stayed on the sidelines, cheering me on, constantly remind me of the beauty of shared human experiences.

We are never alone.

Don't forget to drop by and see what the rest of the class is rambling on about...

Show and Tell: Spring Greetings

While I didn't get the wonderful layers of blooming I was hoping for, my garden does have something to show for itself.

The tulips are all that bloomed in two containers of layered bulbs, except for one crocus that died weeks ago. I have crocus stems but no blooms. :( But the three that have bloomed so far are really lovely.

The pansies however, are a story of defiance and resiliance. After being crushed by a foot and a half of snow and frozen and thawed several times by our uncharacteristic cold and snowy winter here on the west coast, they have come back to life. They remind me that if you hold on long enough, you can thrive and even shine. My hubby commented that he'll think twice about calling someone a "pansy". ;)

Stop by Mel's to see what else is blooming in class...

Show and Tell: New Hair

Note: Pregnancy Mentioned (Briefly)

So to celebrate my entry into the "supposedly" glorious second trimester, I decided I really needed to do something to me feel better. The nausea is still around but definitely not as bad. It comes and goes. However, I still need the diclectin. Not planning to try and wean off it again anytime soon.

So, Saturday I went to see my favourite hair stylist, K. She is proabably the best stylist I've ever been to in my life. Srriously! She actually understands and knows how to deal with my fine but thick hair. I trust her to do whatever. In fact I've been known to give her free reign since she understands that it always has to be appropriate for working in a Corporate Office.

I told her I wanted to go red like I have before. We always do demi-permanent dye, so we're not chemically dyeing my hair. It's like a super conditoner with colour! But you can't go light with demi-perm. It actually mixes with your own colour, so adding red to my brown hair creates a rich auburn. So awesome!

Here is the result of mixing two reds: mahogany and copper into my own hair. Also note the fantastic cut she did. I'm growing it out a little and it really needed some style cut into it.

There's nothing better like fantastic new hair to make you feel sexy and beautiful...

Oh, and to those of you who are disappointed because I didn't post a Cooking for the Soul post, I promise, when I have a weekend with some time to do some creative cooking, I will indulge people's need for some "food po.rn".

And be sure to pop over to Mel's to see what the rest of the class is showing...

Show and Tell: Cooking for the Soul: Brunch Edition

So, one of my favourite brunch dishes is Eggs Benedict. Hollandaise, poached eggs, English muffins. I mean, really, how can you go wrong? Last weekend, I had an amazing version at a restaurant, so I wanted to try and do my own version. In a cooking magazine I get, there was a recipe for Hollandaise, so I also decided to try my hand at making it from scratch. It was a so-so effort. It's a little finicky because you have to heat is slowly so it the eggs don't curdle. Mine curdled a little bit and tasted okay but I think it needed more salt to bring out it's flavour. Although I love the stuff from a package, I think I'll give the homemade stuff another try before going back to the other.

So, here you go, Lindsay's Eggs Benedict. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture.

(Serves 2)
Hollandaise sauce
1 ripe avocado, halved, pit removed and mashed in a bowl
1/4 cup chopped red onion
juice from 1/2 lemon
goat cheese (enough to crumble on four English muffin halves)
2 English muffins, split in half
4 eggs, poached to desired doneness
Salt and pepper

1. Add the red onion to the avocado along with the lemon juice.
2. Toast English muffins.
3. Spread a generous amount of the avocado mixture on the English muffin.
4. Crumble goat cheese over the avocado mixture.
5. Position poached eggs on top. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
6. Spoon Hollandaise on top of the eggs.

Voila! Brunch! I served them with sliced strawberries. You could do endless variations, such as:

-adding a layer of fresh basil leaves between the avocado and goat cheese.
-adding a layer of crab and/ or shrimp
-use ricotta cheese instead of goat cheese
-use Bearnaise instead of Hollandaise (same as Hollandaise but with shallots, tarragon and white wine vinegar)

Really, you could do anything. Go wild!

If I make this again soon, I'll take a picture. Promise!

Now, pop over to Mel's and see what the rest of the class is cookin' up!