Automatic

Every time we go on a car trip to 'Big Box Land,' I pack a snack.

This is an impetus that was trained into me by my father who never leaves the house without a bag of apples, bananas, peanuts, crackers, cookies, and cheese (plus, a big bottle of water). One of the best food memories I have, in fact, is of a sandwich that Dad made for me in our second-hand Jetta, which was parked outside a strip of outlet stores in Freeport, Maine, where my mother and brother were shopping. My Dad hated (still hates) shopping, and I, the most babyish member of the family, was feeling tired that day. It must have been during an era when you could leave your kids in the car for short periods of time. I remember having a nap in the afternoon sun in the backseat of the car, and when I woke up, Dad was back from his quick jaunt to a grocery store, where he had picked up cups of yogurt, a packet of deli-shaved turkey breast, and a bag of soft dinner rolls. He ripped a hole in one of the rolls and stuffed it full of turkey meat before handing it to me. Best sandwich of my life.

Here are shots of a recent car picnic with Adam. Leftover Pad Thai from Pho Mi Bog Ga in South Keys and a warm potato and mushroom perojki (a filled sweet bun) from Perogies, located only a block from IKEA (you'll no longer need the $1 breakfast to help you power through the store!).

Down By the Bay

First outdoor picnic of the year! Adam has been wanting to go down to the river for a month, and, last weekend, it was finally dry enough to sit outside and listen to the geese coming home.

Our picnic was made up of the amazing food haul we got at Shiraz on Friday afternoon. We got some of their pressed yogurt (a huge treat and well-worth trying if you have the chance), a container of mild baba ghanoushe, and some cinnamon-dusted walnuts, plus a beautiful jug of French walnut oil, some soft dates, guava juice, and a glass jar of sour cherries. The next day, I sliced some cucumbers and sweet red pepper, and packed up an Iranian picnic worthy of ringing in the new season.


And...like all my best dates with Adam, this was one of those really satisfying afternoons that happens when we're least expecting it.

I Had a Dream I Was a Vigilant Sidekick

Apple Grumble

Last night, Adam set me an alarm for 6 am, as I was slated to do an early morning airport run for Sarah and Jeremiah (who are flying to my old stomping grounds in Whistler!). When I awoke, it was cold in our place and drizzly outside. A bit gray, I admit, but what perfect weather to bake something sweet for breakfast. I decided to make an apple crumble to use the last four New Brunswick Cortlands that have been languishing in the back of my fridge. Wanting to make the crumble as a breakfast food, instead of a dessert, I cut way down on the sugar (and used raw sugar instead of brown), added only a few dobs of butter, mixed raisins in with the apples, and sprinkled sliced almonds over the crust. The result was a much drier and far less sweet version of my mum's crumble with a toasted almond-oat topping that reminds me of granola.

So...I gave it the hybrid name of grumble.

Topped with some of the 2% yogurt Jeremiah gave me in the bag of hand-me-down perishable groceries he gave me at the airport (this is a Soucie sibling tradition designed to prevent food spoilage/waste while one of us is out of town), the grumble was a rich-tasting, but healthful breakfast...for me, that is. Adam's still asleep.