Soup Sisters was organized in 2009 by Calgarian Sharon Hapton.  It’s nice when a great idea spreads like wildfire and Soup Sisters which now has 15 events each month in 9 cities across Canada was just the spark to set this soupapalooza blaze afire.  Sharon saw how much her occasional gift of soup meant to her friends going through a rough spot and thought about how much that might mean to people in even greater need.  She was right.  Each bowl is a sign of love, caring and encouragement to women and men (there’s also Broth Brothers which supports homeless youth in transition from street culture to mainstream) who haven’t always felt that.

I participated in a Broth Brothers event with my book club when they first started, contributed a super easy recipe and am thrilled to be coming back to Soup Sisters as a guest chef (apologies to my chef friends – I’m really just a really good home cook and food nerd extraordinaire).  But my relationship with soup goes much deeper then helping out a great cause.  To paraphrase Abe Lincoln; you are your habits.  Soup is a deeply ingrained habit in my life.

Every day of my childhood school years, I walked eight blocks to and from home for lunch and we almost always had soup and a sandwich.  Mom usually made a homemade chowder or vegetable soup but as often as not the soup might have been from a can bearing a familiar, now vintage, red and white label.  It didn’t matter.  It was warm, ready and nourishing.  You had to slow down to eat it.  It wasn’t fussy, but it was always good.

I’ve always loved making soup but a few years ago when I was looking for a culinary challenge to spur myself onward in the kitchen, I decided to start a “Soup of the Week” habit.  Every week for a year I would make a new soup.  My family and I enjoyed the habit so much, that I have just kept on going and the “Soup of the Week” heading has become a strong thread holding the fabric of my daily cooking journal together.

I am not a trained chef but I believe all good soup starts with mirepoix and good broth.  Mirepoix is a mix of vegetables, usually carrots, celery and onion, used to enhance the flavour of meats, sauces and soups.    Sometimes, I’ll leave the carrots or celery out and add bacon in.  Sometimes, I’ll substitute or only use leaks or shallots for the onions in this important base.  Whatever vegetables I use are sautéed till tender in good oil and/or butter so they can impart their flavours.  The trio of carrots, celery and onion are sometimes referred to as the three jewels of cooking.  They are always in my pantry.

Making my own broth is one of the most frugal things I do.  You only have to do it a few times to realize this for yourself.  I have included my version for Chicken Broth below.  I confess I don’t always make beef broth but instead, I’ll buy a good organic brand and have it on hand in the pantry.  Where we always cut the meat off a chicken carcass my family tends to gnaw the meat off prime rib bones and I don’t really feel it hygienic to use them for broth after such carnivorous enjoyment has been had with them.

With a good base and broth, each week’s soup is as varied as what I find in my fridge and pantry shelves.  It is never the same twice.  A bit of leftover beef becomes beef and barley.    My husband loves both my curried broccoli and my family recipe for seafood chowder.  My nieces who lived with us awhile loved my “January Soup” which satisfied and nourished them without adding undue calories to their glorious figures.  My in-laws love it when I take a ham bone and deliver a chunky pea soup to them a few days later.  My dear friend Noorbanu Nimji www.aspicytouch.com showed me how to make her chicken soup with turmeric and it’s become my cure for the common cold as she so sweetly advised it would.  My personal favourite was the double smoked oyster chowder I whipped up in an RV while we were touring Alaska in 2010.  Leftover corn on the cob and a big head of cauliflower became my son’s new favourite, corn and cauliflower chowder with lots of red pepper dice and herbs for colour.

I’ve started teaching my son to make soup.  We roasted some tomatoes, red peppers, garlic and onions on some parchment paper in the oven.  When they were nicely charred, we threw the whole works in the Vitamix blender, added a few squeezes of harissa, umami #5 paste, salt, pepper and a little cream and herbs and he was thrilled with his results.  He’s also mastered minestrone and with his grilled cheese repertoire is becoming quite proud of himself.  I love it that the next generation of soup happy people in my family is stepping up to the ladle.

fresh herbs for flavour

I’ve also had the opportunity to use my soup making skills in an even bigger way than Soup Sisters as every frigid Alberta February for the past 5 years I’ve volunteered to make 45 gallons of soup for 700 skiers and volunteers in the great outdoors at the Annual Foothills Nordic Ski Club’s Kananaskis Ski Marathon.  We keep things real simple in the tent kitchen we erect but we strive for maximum flavour and made from scratch at the same time.  The reward for our efforts is the hundreds of smiles and thanks we receive when the chilled racers from age 5 to 93 show up for their reviving bowl of soup post race.  I’ve seen the restorative power of soup firsthand on a large scale.

Soup means so much to me.  It’s become a major creative outlet for me and a chance to share, to give, to pass on skills, to promote health, to show community spirit and to connect to my roots in a warm and loving family upbringing.  Soup is one of the ways I savour my food and savour my life.

January Recovery Soup 

Notes to the cook

This is a good soup to make the first week of January when you have to get back on track after all the holiday feasting.  The daikon, a large white member of the radish family, has few calories (38 calories for 3 ounces) but as it has the consistency of potato it makes one feel full.  The soup itself has loads of flavour and when served piping hot as a snack throughout the day you’ll find it nourishing and warming in the depth of winter.

Ingredients

1 T                          organic canola oil

1T                           garlic, chopped

1T                           ginger, minced

1bunch                 green onions, chopped

1t                          Chili flakes

1 litre                     chicken stock

1 whole                 daikon, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 c                        Savoy cabbage, chopped

1 head                  broccoli, chopped

1 pkg                     brown mushrooms, chopped

½ c                      fresh cilantro, chopped

4 c                        bean sprouts

Squeeze              key lime juice

Method

1. Heat a large stockpot and add the oil, garlic and ginger.
2. Cook for about 15 – 30 seconds on medium heat until the garlic and ginger become fragrant.
3. Add the green onions and chili flakes and stir, cooking until they are soft.
4. Add the stock and all the daikon, cabbage, broccoli and mushrooms.
5. Cook for about 5 – 10 minutes or until these vegetables are hot and tender but not mushy.
6. Add Salt to taste.
7. Add in the cilantro.
8. Serve with about ¼ cup of bean sprouts and a wedge of lime for each bowl.

Karen’s Chicken Stock

Notes to the Cook

I am never without homemade chicken stock in my freezer.  My recipe produces about 16 cups for the cost of a few veggies and herbs.  I keep 2 Ziploc bags in my freezer.  One is for saving chicken carcass bones and the other is for vegetable bits left over from my chopping board.  I collect celery hearts, leeks, scallions, and onion skins.  When I have about 2 – 5 lbs of bones I am ready to make stock.

Ingredients

2- 5 lbs           chicken bones

enough          cold water to cover the bones(warm or hot water can seal the bones and lock the flavor inside them)

3 pieces         celery

3                      carrots, whole but peeled

2                      onions, halved and any extra onion skins you have collected (they add a nice brown color)

1                      apple, halved

12                    peppercorns

3                      bay leaves

6                      sprigs of parsley

6                      sprigs of thyme

Kosher salt    to taste

Method

1. Tie the peppercorns and herbs in a cheese cloth bag or place in a tea ball.
2. Place the herbs and all other ingredients in a large heavy-bottom pot and cover until there is 1 inch of cold water above the veggies and meat.
3. Bring the water to a slow boil and skim any gray scum as necessary.
4. Reduce and simmer for at least 2-4 hours (Avoid a rolling boil as it will cause cloudy stock).
5. Strain the broth through cheese cloth and discard any solids.
6. Return the broth to simmer for an additional 30 minutes if you desire a more intense flavor.
7. Add salt to taste.
8. Keep it in 1 – 2 cup containers in the freezer and thaw as you need them.

HEARTLAND CAFÉ’S CARROT CAKE WITH
CREAM CHEESE ICING

 Notes to the cook – This recipe comes from the owners of Heartland Ron and
Cecile Swartz and their daughter Bev Pell and has been in use in the café for
over twenty years.  Everyone loves it and
I feel very honoured that they shared it with me.

Ingredients

1   Cup           Canola Oil

1   Cup           Brown Sugar – packed

3                      Eggs

2   Cups         All Purpose Flour

1    tsp           Baking Powder

½   tsp            Baking Soda

½   tsp            Salt

1    tsp           Cinnamon

½   tsp            Nutmeg

½   tsp            Ginger

1½ Cups        Grated Carrot

1    Can          Crushed Pineapple – drained but not dry (14 oz can)

•  Preheat oven to 325ºF. 
• Cream the oil and brown sugar
  together with an electric mixer until well combined and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, to sugar
  mixture.  Scrape down the sides and make
  sure it is creamy and blended well.
• Combine the flour, baking powder,
  soda, salt, and spices together in a separate bowl and blend well with a fork.
• Pour the dry mixture into the whipped
  egg/sugar mixture and blend slowly until combined but do not over mix.
• Fold in grated carrot and drained
  crushed pineapple. 
• Spray the sides of an 8 inch
  springform pan or a square pan with cooking spray and bake at 325ºF for 80
  minutes.  Test with a toothpick first before
  removing from oven – it should come out clean when the cake is done.  This cake must spring back in the center or
  it will fall.  Adding 5 or 10 minutes
  more doesn’t hurt this recipe. 

CREAM CHEESE ICING

 8   oz              Cream Cheese

½  Cup           Butter – salted or unsalted and room temperature

3   Cups         Icing Sugar

2    tsp           Vanilla Extract

•  Cream the cheese and butter together
  until smooth and lump free. 
• Add icing sugar and vanilla
  extract.  Blend well spread on top of a
  completely cooled carrot cake. 
•  Top cake with pecan pieces if
  desired.

Ingrid’s Blueberry Squares
Notes to the cook
I have substituted other berries and even peaches and this still turns out well.
Ingredients
2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
½ cup sugar
Enough berries to cover the crust in a single layer (about 2 cups)
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp flour
2 eggs (beaten)
2 T melted butter
1 cup coconut
Method
Mix the first 4 ingredients and spread evenly in 13 by 9” pan, pressing down to form a crust.
Cover the crust with the blueberries or fruit of your choice.
Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the berries and crust.
Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Karen’s Bronco Bucking Coleslaw – It Kicks Pork Butt
2 heads green cabbage, roughly chopped
3 heads red cabbage, roughly chopped
1 bag carrots, diced in food processor
2 red peppers, julienned
2 bunches green onions, sliced on diagonal
2 red onions, chopped and soaked in white vinegar
2 English cucumbers, julienned
1 bunch of cilantro chopped
1 jar Hellman’s mayo
1 cup Thai Kitchen sweet chili sauce
1 – 2 jalapenos
some of the vinegar after the red onions were drained
S&P
Method
Do all your chopping and put everything in a huge bowl
Drain the red onions and save theClick to view slideshow. vinegar juice
Place the 2 jalapenos, jar of Hellman’s, chili sauce and about 1/4 c of the vinegar in a food processor and process until smooth adding more vinegar as necessary to achieve the consistency of dressing.
Fold into the vegetables.

Joanne Vanden Broek’s Pulled Pork
Notes to the cook – makes a lot but freezes well
12 lbs pork shoulder or butt
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c paprika
3 Tbsp black pepper
3 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp cayenne
Method
Mix the dry ingredients and rub over pork. Place in Slow cooker for 8 hours. Let sit for 15 minutes and either shred with a fork or slice thinly.

Which way to the farm?

Tootling according to Webster’s dictionary refers to the practice of “proceeding in a leisurely way”. City Palate magazine has sponsored “Foodie Tootles” to local farms around Calgary for 13 years. I used to help my friend Dee Hobsbawn-Smith run these and last year when she moved to Saskatchewan I took on the task of keeping the Tootle torch burning. It is one of the most rewarding things I do.

I love visiting farms and farm folks and their families to see what they do and if their niche in the world will be a good place to bring 44 city folk. I start in fall, making visits and forming relationships. I look for geographic clusters of farms so that we can visit two or three in a day’s outing. They have to have a great product, raise their animals or crops in a humane and healthy fashion and be open to the idea of speaking about it and sometimes pitching in to help feed all those city folk.

We eat well on Tootles because we create meals using the products from the farms we visit. Once I have confirmed the farms we’ll visit, I begin to plan a dream menu and the logistics of how we can pull it off while being on the move for the day. Lunch is usually a portable ploughman’s style picnic which is quick to set up and clean up but for dinner we like to show off a little. I get so inspired by the raw ingredients and I have a great team of my associate Tilly Sanchez and chef Matthew Altizer of The Cookbook Co. Cooks to work with.

Our Spring Tootle took us to Champion and Nobleford, Alberta. We visited Ewe-nique Lamb farms and the Vande Bruinhorst family, Noble Duck Farms and the Van Deuveren family and Noble Meadows Goat farm and the Van Driesten family. Because spring in Alberta is known for its changeable weather (just listen to Ian Tyson’s song “springtime in Alberta” sometime) we booked the Champion Community Hall for lunch and dinner when we would usually eat on the farms themselves. This proved to be a God send and we stayed dry and warm when all was muddy and wet around us by dinnertime. Amen!

What follows are some photos, the menu and some of the recipes. I hope you enjoy them. The next Tootle is August 20th, 2011 when we will visit Aspen Crossing in Mossleigh, Broek Pork’s pastured Berkshire pigs and Broxburn Vegetables and Cafe in Lethbridge. Tickets are $120.00 per person at 403-265-6066. Hope to see you on the bus.

Grilled Leg of Lamb (adapted from Jacques Pepin’s Today’s Gourmet)
Ingredients
1 c mint leaves
1 jalapeno
1 piece of ginger, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled
½ c apricot jam
¼ c soy sauce
¼ c water
4 -5 lb boneless Butterflied leg of lamb
Method
1 Place the mint leaves, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, jam and water in the bowl of a mini-chopper and process until liquefied.
2 Transfer to a plastic bag. Place the lamb in the bag, seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3 Remove the lamb, (reserve the marinade) pat it dry and place on a very hot grill for about 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a roasting pan, pour the reserved marinade around it, and place it in a 200ºF oven for at least 15 minutes.
4 Slice and serve with some of the juices.

Apricot and Almond Wild Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
2T butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2c chicken stock
½ c orange juice
1 ½ c brown rice
½ c wild rice
1 orange zest
¾ c dried apricots, diced
¼ t cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
¾ c slivered almonds
Sprigs fresh parsley
Method
1. Heat the butter in a heavy pot
2. Sauté the onion until tender
3. Pour in the stock and juice and bring to a boil,
4. Stir in both of the rice and return to a boil and simmer for 45 – 50 minutes.
5. Stir in the apricot, zest, cinnamon and cloves about 20 minutes before it is done.
6. Toast the almonds and add them at the end
7. Garnish with parsley, serve on a platter.

Curried Sweet Potato Lentils
(Adapted from my friend Dee Hobsbawn-Smith’s Skinny Feasts book because Dee’s lentils are a Tootle tradition and everyone loves them)
Ingredients
1 T canola oil
2T ginger root, pureed
6 cloves garlic, minced
1T ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
1 T garam masala
1t fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
1 t turmeric
¼ t Cayenne
1t mustard seed
1T curry powder
1T Hungarian paprika
1each leek, carrot, celery, medium yam and onion diced
1c lentils
2c water
1 apple, diced
¼ c raisons
¼ c honey
1 lemon, juice and zest
Salt and hot chilli flakes to taste

Method
1 Heat the oil in the pan and sauté the ginger and garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2 Add the spices and stir until fragrant.
3 Add the vegetables and cook until tender
4 Add the lentils, water, apple and raisons.
5 Simmer stirring frequently until tender (do not add any salt or the lentils won’t cook properly)
6 Adjust the flavours with the honey, lemon, salt or chili flakes.
7 Enjoy.

Rose Edgar’s Spiced Rhubarb Punch
Ingredients
6 c rhubarb, chopped
4 whole cloves
6c water
1 c sugar
Method
1. Boil the rhubarb, cloves and water until the rhubarb is soft.
2. Strain the liquid
3. Add the sugar to taste

Rhubarb Cake (Little Red Deer Dorcas Women’s Institute “Tested Recipes” – an Alberta Classic)
Ingredients for bottom
2 c flour
¼ t salt
1t baking powder
½ c soft butter
Egg
Ingredients for Top
4 c rhubarb, cubed
½ c flour
2c sugar
2 eggs
½ c butter
Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon
Method
1. Crumble the topping ingredients together and add the egg in last with a fork.
2. Save ¼ of this mixture for the crumb topping.
3. Press the remainder into a 9X13” pan
4. Mix the remaining ingredients
5. Put on top of pressed crumbs and cover with remaining crumbs
6. Sprinkle with some sugar and cinnamon
7. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes.

Tilly’s “Warren Buffet” (it’s that rich!) Flourless Chocolate Cake (adapted from Gourmet magazine, November, 1997)
Ingredients
4 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
½ c unsalted butter
¾ c sugar
3 eggs
½ c unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for sprinkling

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and butter an 8-inch round baking pan. Line the bottom with a round of buttered wax paper.
2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put it into a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water.
3. Melt the chocolate with the butter, stirring, until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture.
4. Add the eggs and whisk well.
5. Sift the 1/2 cup cocoa powder over the chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.
7. Dust the cake with additional cocoa powder. (Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an airtight container, 1 week.)

Demystifying Multisport
A middle-aged rookie demystifies and delivers the goods on the price of finishing a triathlon.
By Karen Anderson

Hitting Fitness Rock Bottom
Last year I hit my all-time fitness rock bottom. I had just had a long overdue surgery on my feet and started 2008 having been off them for six weeks.

I had gained twenty pounds over the previous two years when I switched from a long-standing career as a nurse to food tour operator/travel writer. Now I barely had the energy to stand and cook our New Year’s dinner. I decided it was time to make fitness a priority in my life again and that rock bottom was as good as any place to start. I had been warned to break my feet in gently, and so it was off to the pool.

Sink or Swim
The second week of January, 2008, I joined the “Powerfit Aquatics” swim club run out of the Talisman Centre in Calgary, Alberta, by professional coach Amanda Johnson ($15/session X 31 sessions over five months = $465.00). I hadn’t swum in years. For the first few weeks I couldn’t finish 25 metres without gasping for air and fighting the irrational sense that I was drowning. I was a little intimidated when one of the first people I met in the club asked me what I was training for. I said I was just trying to get fit and be gentle on my feet. It dawned on me that this question must be some sort of etiquette, so I asked in turn, and her answer shocked me: “I’m getting ready for the World Triathlon competition in Vancouver.” I began to look at my fellow swimmers differently. What were they really capable of?

February arrived and after just three weeks of twice weekly workouts, Coach Amanda said, “You just swam two kilometres.” I was amazed. My world-champion-level friend said, “If you can swim that far, you should do a tri!” She didn’t buy my I-can’t-run-because-of-my-feet excuse. She said she knew lots of people that power walk in triathlons, and she was sure I could do that. She began to tell me about upcoming mini-triathlons. I was amazed by her “you-can-do-it” attitude. Did she not see my limitations, my age, my weight?

The tiny seed of an idea began to germinate. Perhaps this triathlon thing could kick start my middle-aged metabolism. Perhaps I would try this run/walk idea. Maybe I would just pick up a “how-to” triathlon book.

“How-to” Tri
I found “Triathlon for Women” by Sally Edwards (Velo Press, 2002). The first chord that struck me was the philosophy that triathletes are athletes in training. Edwards stresses that training is different than exercising. Exercise is “bodily or mental exertion … usually for the purpose of getting or staying in shape.” Training is “to make proficient by instruction and practice (with) … a great goal in mind….” Edwards coached that choosing a greater goal gives a sense of purpose and great motivation to train even when you don’t feel like it.

I spent the $26.95 for the book and decided it was time to make a commitment. I got on the Internet and signed up for the “Try This Triathlon” held each year at the University of Calgary. The race was scheduled for June 1 with a 500-metre swim, 16-kilometre bike, and three-kilometre run. It cost $84.00.

My friend Donna McElligott called just as I completed the transaction. Despite her busy life as a journalist for the CBC radio she has qualified for the Boston Marathon and completed many triathlons. I said, “You’ll never believe what I just did.” She said, “Well, of course you can do it, and if you want, I’ll do it with you.” There was no way I was going to turn down her offer. She began to gently ask questions that gave me the guidance of what to do next. Subtle things like, “Do you have runners?”

All the Right Stuff
I hadn’t owned sneakers in a decade, but I remembered another friend, Cathy, who had a husband named Gord, who had something to do with running shoes. I found Gord’s Running Store and wandered in at opening one morning. After describing my goal and fitness level I soon found myself surrounded by six pairs of high-tech runners. The term sneakers did not apply.

I decided on a pair of Brooks for $120.00. I also picked up a new running bra from the sale bin for the bargain basement price of $20.00, and that is when I began to realize that if I was really going to do this I would probably need special equipment in that department too. Biking and running in your bathing suit might be fine for the slim and sinewy athlete but for a buxom double D special artillery would be needed.

I put that thought on hold and began to drag myself out for run/walks around a four-kilometre loop in my neighbourhood. God bless the inventor of the iPOD, as it drowned out the sound of my lungs ripping oxygen from the environment. I started aiming for one run/walk a week, two one-hour-long swims, a 45-minute bike ride, and a little yoga throughout to help keep injuries at bay.

I was soon running my four-kilometre loop. Well, run might be an overstatement, but it was a steady jog, and it was certainly more than I ever thought I could do. I felt strong in the pool, and the bike riding on my second-hand old road bike was actually very enjoyable. I had just a few weeks left before the date my guru Donna had set for our “brick work” and “transitions practice” day—whatever that was. I hoped there really weren’t bricks involved and realized if I were going to do all three activities in one day it was time to face the burning bra issue.

Support Systems
On a cold and snowy morning post-pool workout I pulled into Tri-It, a Calgary store specializing in triathlete gear. I didn’t even look around. I just went straight to the man behind the counter and said I was doing my first triathlon and needed a bra—help! The man was Brian Del Castilho, the owner, and he put me at ease by assuring me that bras are like any other piece of sporting equipment: they need careful fitting and must suit the tasks at hand. In this case I would need something that could get wet, dry quickly, and hold the double dynamos in place during the run. He actually had choices for me.

I loved the CW-X Conditioning Wear Xtra Support Bra, and though it was easy to get into and held me firm, getting out of it was another story, and poor Brian was only mildly embarrassed when I had to ask him to undo me in the back. He was totally professional, again reminding me that it was a piece of sporting equipment. The bra was $79.99 and I bought a pair of Zoot tri shorts for another $79.99 and left the store feeling much lighter.

It must have been all the gut-sucking-in Lycra because in reality I hadn’t lost a single pound in the three months I had been exercising, even though my clothes fit better. I hadn’t changed my eating habits and thought it was time to look at that.

Lightening Up
I don’t believe in dieting, but I knew I needed to be portion savvy, choose nutrient-dense foods, eat more vegetables and drink way more water. I decided that I needed to transition from my indulgent habit of eating whatever, whenever to being accountable by keeping a food journal for the last five weeks before my event.

That lasted three days. I did find myself five pounds down the day before the race, though, and I think it was making better choices, planning more meals, eating lots more fish and greens, snacking on fruits and veggies, never leaving home without a water bottle, and satisfying cravings as they occurred with a little of the best of whatever the craving involved.

The day of the race came and so did my period. Oh, the joys of being peri-menopausal. Surprises abound. More highly technical equipment needed: a super tampon and a few pain relievers, and off I went to pick up Donna.

From Nerves to Nirvanna
We got all our gear in a rack. We had our participant numbers, so when we got in line to get our race chips the volunteers wrote the number on both arms and legs in permanent marker. I had sudden flashes of prison camp movies, felt a nervous pang in my tummy, and ran off to the port-a-potty. Guardian angel Donna held my place in line, and we were soon getting our chips, which turned out to be small discs worn around the left ankle with a Velcro band and not the small salty potatoes I had envisioned.

Feeling a bit like Martha Stewart on probation we stripped down to our swimwear and entered the pool building to await our “wave.” The water was too warm, the pool was very crowded, and passing people was best done at the end of a lap, but, hey, all that training meant that I actually could pass people.

I was so happy the swim was over I was actually giddy as we switched to our bikes. Donna saw me taking time to towel off and said, “Triathletes air dry!” The biking was delightful: a gorgeous spring morning, rolling hills, cute policemen guarding the streets, volunteers and families cheering us on. I loved it.

It went by too fast, and it was time to run. Mercifully it was only three kilometres, and after working out the bike-leg wobbles I began to see the end in sight. Donna was easily chatting at my side (the woman makes it look easy), and before I knew it we were crossing the finish line and—bonus of all bonuses!—the free ten-minute massage tables were empty.

I had done it. I had spent $875.93 but like the commercial says, the feeling of being a “finisher” was priceless. Once Donna was sure I had loved it she said, “Great! Let’s do Arbour Lake in two weeks.” And do you know what? I did. This year we’re doing a sprint distance in Vulcan together, and next year I want to do the Olympic length. I now have the greatest benefit that doing a triathlon gives a person: I believe that I can.

My son is an angel. I knew it the second I laid eyes on him. His energy was bold and pure and it was not something perceived but understood. He suffered while he was here and knowing he would he came anyway. He is just that kind of soul; brave and loving; thinking only of the gift he could give his father and me.

He left after only a short time but he is always here and he serves as a powerful reminder each day to stop and think about the way he would have us live. He wants us to treat each other gently, to be our best and not waste time. He wants us to dream and to realize those dreams. He wants us to be outside in nature and to feel humble everyday as we realize the splendour that surrounds us.

Since he left there are days I have ached for him. I expect there will be more too. My loneliness for him used to be vast and dismal like a thick gray fog. It could not be helped for I am only human and the ache of a mother’s arms for her dead child fills the depths of the universe. And what has the universe done in response to this mother’s sadness welling up and piercing so deeply?

Well every once in a while, it sends a chickadee to the birdfeeder outside my window. The friendly song of the buff-coated and black-capped caller reminds me of the sweetness of my innocent son and I am thankful to the little bird for bringing that feeling to me. Snow falls and the earth wears a coat of white which sparkles in the moonlight and the sunlight and I am reminded that light is healing and my son has sent me this blanket of white to comfort me and wake my heart from the dark spell it had fallen into. I am surrounded by his love. A flock of geese fly into the sunset and their honking makes me look up to the sky and catch my breath with excitement because I realize that my son has crossed over the imaginary line that is this human existence and he is now apart of all that is beauty on this earth.

A vision came to me one day. I was walking a tight rope high above the city. I was not afraid but instead rather playful, dipping and dancing back and forth. And when all this playing led me to fall I simply smiled and floated through the sky as my own angel wings sprouted and I drifted to safety with a look of deep contentment on my face. And then I looked up at the sun and saw its rays turn into tiny crystals of light and the tiny crystals turned into angels the size of dust. The bits of angel dust landed on my face and each and every one of them was the tenderest kiss. I know love and I feel safe at all times.

I don’t feel nearly so sad when I think of these things my son has shown me. I don’t mind the pain anymore because I know such beauty now and I am enjoying what I have. Right now I am not fretting. I believe I will be shown my way and I will be loved and taken care of. And for all the gifts I receive perhaps I will be able to help others find comfort.

Love, gentle love, angels are about love. They love better than anyone because they are made of love and being made of love gives them the energy to heal. Think about how love makes you feel. Don’t you wish you felt that way all the time? Maybe you can. What would happen if you did? You would smile a lot. The small things probably wouldn’t bother you very much. People would just want to be around you. You’d have your priorities straight.

Would it be hard to feel love all the time? Where would you even start? I think you would have to start by loving yourself. First self-acceptance, then trust, then commitment, then you can love yourself and be aware of every dream and hope and thought you have inside. Don’t be afraid because the deeper you look the more love you will find. How could this life be about anything else?

Go to light. Be love. Feel safe. Dream. These things are natural to angels. It is their way of being. I think we can all be angels if we know how to live fully. I think we could all live an angel’s life. We’ve maybe just forgotten and need to practice but I assure you that with practice it is possible to let the power of angels into your life.

Isn’t my son incredible? He taught me all these angel things.

From www.succulent-paris.com

Notes to the cook

This is a medieval recipe recovered by a food historian friend of my friends Aurélie Mahoudeau and Marion Willard who run Succulent Paris food tours.  It is easy to make and lovely with potato wedges fried in duck fat.  Guinea fowl is to the French Sunday dinner what chicken is to ours.  You’ll see why.  Where can you get Guinea Fowl in Calgary? Go to Greens, Eggs and Ham at the Kingsland Farmer’s Market or at www.greenseggsandham.com

Ingredients

1       guinea fowl, cut into pieces

3 T    olive oil

¼ c    ground hazelnuts

1 slice bread, crumbled

1clove  garlic, minced

¼ c    fresh parsley, chopped

1 T     honey

½ c    port or sweet aperitif wine

Pinch  cinnamon

1 c     almond powder

1c      water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or Cocotte.
2. Add the meat and sauté until it is golden brown on all sides, about 40 minutes.
3. Make a “picada” by mixing the hazelnuts, and garlic and cooking them in a non stick skillet for about four minutes.  Remove from heat and add the bread crumbs, chopped parsley, cinnamon, honey and port wine.
4. Mix the almond powder and water and then strain it through a pointed sieve to filter the almond milk and then add that milk to the picada ingredients.
5. Simmer the picada for 6 minutes in a separate pan.
6. When the guinea fowl is ready, coat it with the sauce and serve.

I am a joyful person and strive for balance and happiness in each day I am blessed to be on Earth.  I have been in the fortunate position to follow my passions all my life.  I was a nurse for over twenty years and I loved it.  When I had my family I wanted greater flexibility and now own and operate Calgary Food Tours in Calgary, AB, Canada.  I love food and love showing people where to find the best Calgary has to offer.  I also travel a lot and write about that for papers, magazines and websites in Canada and Europe.

I am starting this blog because, while I love food, I also think there are many paths to joy and I want to write about what I think they are.   Let’s start with the power of a smile.

Today, I woke up grouchy.  I have been burning the midnight oil a bit lately with the demands of meeting deadlines and setting up my touring schedule for 2011.  As a Mom, my “work” work sometimes waits until all the other chores are done and people are tucked into beds.  I always say that if someone is grouchy it is because they are either tired or hungry. What is true for fussy babies is true for the rest of us too.  I’ll admit, I was a little grouchy with my 11-year-old this morning and then I snapped out of it!

I was driving him to his first ever music exam.  He was likely a little nervous and trying not to show it and the last thing he needed was a grouchy Mom.  I remembered that if you smile, it is impossible to think bad thoughts.  I shared this with him and he tried it.  “It’s true!” he said and I encouraged him to just smile the whole way through his exam.  I smiled the rest of the drive and I am smiling now.  It’s really good exercise for you face.

Anyway, one of my goals in life is to die with a face full of laugh lines and not frumpy old frown marks.  So, no matter how bad your day, even if you have to force yourself, put a smile on your face and things will always improve.  Try it and you’ll see and in my case, I am going to bed early tonight.  A good night’s sleep won’t hurt either.

All the best,

Karen