Reaching Out

It’s that time of year again, when my thoughts turn to the design of our annual holiday card. We send out approximately 75 cards each year—to family, friends, neighbours and clients. Most of the cards are printed, a few are emailed. Whatever the delivery method, the design must be indicative of the past year’s mood, developments and inspirations.

Some of my recent designs…

If you’d like me to design a holiday card for your family or business, please contact me at {joanne at indetail dot ca}, with subject “Holiday Card Request”. All designs are 4 x 6", provided to you as a .jpg file—ready to print at your favourite photo outlet or on your own printer.

Relieved

I’ve been too stressed to write. Jake has had some pretty swollen lymph glands in his neck the last few days, without any other symptoms. As I’m sure most Moms do in this day and age, I searched the web high and low for any indication of what might have caused the inflammation.

Web reports indicated two possibilities: infection somewhere in the proximity of the affected glands (ears or throat), or {dum-da-dum-dum…} Lymphoma. Gawd.

I traced back a few weeks to see if I could make any connection to illness:

• October 23rd, he came home from daycare with a fever. It lasted almost 4 days.
• October 28, he received his first-ever flu shot, and later developed a mild rash on his jawline which was cleared up within the hour.
• He has had the mildest of snotty noses, but that’s it.
• Last week he wasn’t eating much. I noticed the swelling Thursday evening, and by Friday he was eating great, and happy as a pig in dirt.

Doc suspects it was a combination those events, but the fact the swelling has come down a lot is a good thing. Phew.

I’m a wreck when something isn’t right with my kids. I can’t stand those mystery fevers—when their temperature soars, but there is no sign of illness anywhere—no ear infections, no sore throats, no coughs or drippy noses. Inevitably though, something does show up after the fever breaks, but it typically begs the question “I had to keep you home for three days of fever for THIS? Oh, come ON!”

And the internet doesn’t help. I should completely shut down my connection to the web when my kids are sick. There is rarely good news to be found when you’re plugging in symptoms. I have noticed Yahoo! Answers is particularly bad for this, and have stopped viewing any search results that direct me there. Some people are completely ridiculous in their responses. And mean! I don’t understand that at all. If I ever feel so compelled to pose a question to the online universe, I would expect compassion, not judgment or criticism. Geez.

Well, I have a bunch of things to set my mind to today, now that it is free from worry—for the moment. Enjoy your day—make it a wonderful one!

The New Caesar

One of our favourite graphic design clients, Nancy, had me over for lunch one day, many years ago. Nancy is an incredible lady—appreciative of the finer things in life, especially food. She prepared and served a phenomenal cheddar soufflé—which, by the way, is so frikkin easy you’ll want to make it your Friday night favourite—and this Caesar salad.

Never have I tasted such a “clean” Caesar—no mayonnaise or heavy cream to clog the arteries…no way! This is going to become your go-to recipe for buffets and brunches, parties and pot lucks. Don’t be intimidated by the eggs, bacon or croutons—you can do as little or as much of this as you like. It’s the dressing that makes this Caesar salad so delectable.

1 clove garlic, crushed (or a dollop of the jar stuff from the grocery store)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp mustard
1/8 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
3/8 cup olive oil
1 tbsp anchovy paste, or 2-4 anchovies, finely chopped
(anchovy paste comes in a boxed tube, usually in the section where you get
pickles and mustards)

Romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces

2 hard boiled eggs
4 strips bacon
French bread, torn or cut into croutons
Fresh grated parmesan cheese (tastes way better than the stuff in a can)

— Fry bacon until just crisp. Remove from pan. Do NOT drain fat.
— Toss croutons into bacon fat, and fry on low until croutons are crispy and
tossed in fat, about 20 minutes (Your house is going to smell amazing!)
— Mix dressing ingredients (I put all in a sealable cup or container and
just shake it)
— Slice eggs and toss with crumbled bacon, croutons and lettuce.
— Add dressing just before serving.

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, and would like to experience Nancy’s entire meal, try this fabulous recipe for Easy Cheese Soufflé, from Canadian Living Magazine—best fool-proof recipes ever.

Beef Stroganoff

Meh. I didn’t love it… wasn’t the flavour I was hoping for. More like a beef stew, with roasted onions. Don’t get me wrong—I love onions, but for some reason beef stew has never been a favourite of mine, and tonight’s Stroganoff simply reminded me too much of stew.

Nonetheless, here’s the recipe for those of you eager to try something quick and easy, and perfect for an Autumn supper.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Put in crock pot:
2-3 pounds stew meat
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 onion, sliced

Mix in a bowl and pour over meat:
¼ tsp. garlic salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1½ cups beef broth
1 tablespoon ketchup

Cook in crock pot on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. When cooked make a simple roux by whisking 1/3 cup flour with enough apple juice (about 5-6 tablespoons) to make a thick but still pourable flour mixture. Whisk the roux into the crock pot and add 4 ounces sliced mushrooms. Cook on high for 15-30 minutes. Then stir in ½ cup sour cream. Serve over broad egg noodles.

I have lots of nice easy recipes. Stay tuned…

On my mind…

Well! It’s been a bit of a while since my last Joe Girl post. I’ve been spending most of my days with Miss Marley. She is coming along nicely, especially with me. Still apprehensive with Andrew, but is becoming more and more intrigued with the boys. Time will bring positive improvements, I’m sure.

Thought I’d give you a rundown of what’s on my mind this morning, as I am lacking in substantial material, but wanted to give you something to chew on.

November 4, 2008. The day the world changed. Despite being Canadian, and having no impact whatsoever on yesterday’s election in the USA, I found myself uncharacteristically invested in the campaign for the last several months. Yesterday it all came to an end—or rather a new beginning—as we watched Barack Obama, the first African-American President-Elect, inspire the world with his promise for change. If I could have voted once, or a hundred million times for this man, I would have in a heartbeat. My congratulations go out to the United States of America for making the right choice.

Frizz. Gawd, this hair. It’s getting long, and that’s great. But as I type, my hair is freshly shampooed and conditioned and has been let to air dry. Can you say puff ball? Until my pregnancy with Jake, my hair has always been poker straight. Since his birth, these locks have developed a mild wave which in turn lends itself nicely to the frizzies. If I run my flat iron through it, or my Conair curling air brush thingy, my hair becomes more bearable, but as is often heard from busy Moms, “Who has time for that?”

Crock Pot. Today I hauled out the slow cooker and am preparing, for only the second time ever, one of the first meals I cooked for my parents—Beef Stroganoff. I think I was about 11 years old the first—and last—time I prepared it. Not sure where I found the recipe, maybe from my 4H cooking group, or one of my children’s cook books, but the taste stuck with me all these years and for some reason I have been craving it. If it turn out, I’ll post the recipe later.

Mac. Finally, I have ordered a new computer. It has been TEN long, grueling years since my last new Mac. Thanks to a fantastic contract I earned this past summer, and repeat contracts from the same client, I have splurged {somewhat} and purchased a sexy, sleek iMac. Should arrive tomorrow. Yeehaw!

Ellen. It’s 10:25am now, which means I am 25 minutes late to catch the start of Ellen. Gawd, she is funny. Gotta go… See ya!

Evidence: Happy Marley

Andrew hasn’t, for the most part, believed me when I’ve told him Marley loves to play and romp. He is usually in the basement watching TV late at night when Marley decides it’s happy time, or is in bed during our early morning adventures. Try as I might to ensure Andrew is witness to her antics, it has yet to happen. She is just too shy.

So yesterday, before the snow came, Marley and I played. And I was a clever dog-mama this time—I had my video camera!