Brad's hiking buddy Jedi finished the A.T. last month. Brad went over to Maine and hiked to the top of Mount Kathadin with him. After finishing the Trail, Jedi came to Canada and spent about 10 days with us. He's a very nice guy and it was great to finally meet him. All of our good friends got to meet him as well and he was generally a big hit! I pulled out all the stops in the food department (he's vegetarian as well). I made a carrot cake, a gingerbread cake, a chocolate chip-banana-sour cream cake, pad Thai, arribbiata pasta sauce, pesto, gorgonzola scalloped potatoes, a vegetable stew with coconut milk, and more! And we ate out several times as well! From here, Jedi went to Boston to visit his brother for a bit and then flew home to Alabama.
Brad and his sisters took their father to NYC during our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. They rented an apartment in midtown, which unfortunately was broken into while they were out the first night! Brad didn't lose anything, but one of his sisters lost a new laptop and another lost quite a lot of cash and her pastport. They decided to not let it ruin their trip and they otherwise had a terrific time. Brad and his dad and two of his sisters flew in and out of Bangor, Maine, so when they crossed the Canadian border in the car, they took a "don't ask, don't tell" approach with respect to the lost passport. His sister was able to get back into Canada using her driver's licence. Who knew that was possible? The border guard didn't even bat an eye. It's a good thing they hadn't flown from here, as she most certainly would have needed her passport for the airline.
Last weekend, with Paul and Ron, we went to the lovely little coastal town of St. Andrews for the Indulge Festival. It's a weekend packed full of great food and wine. Here's a link
Last night, the usual suspects gathered chez George and Barb to celebrate George's birthday. It was a good evening with lots of laughs and yummy food.
This morning, I made a very tasty soup, the recipe for which I give you below:
Curried Peanut and Tomato Soup (from Gourmet Magazine, February 06)
1 medium onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 & 3/4 cups vegetable brooth
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Cook onion, salt and pepper in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat., stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add curry powder and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and brooth and simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Add hot water and peanut butter and stir until smooth. Blend in batches in a blender and return to saucepan. Stir in chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Here's where not to stay on the A.T.! Brad an Jedi spent the night at this dive someplace in Pennsylvania. Water from the shower in the room above them leaked down into their tub! Yikes!
The summit of Kathadin! Congratulations Jedi!
