Monday, November 22, 2010


For a while longer until Lauren and Rebecca’s father changes to a new shift in December we will be getting the two girls on Mondays after school. It is fun. Because the girls now go to different schools (since Rebecca graduated from the 7th to 8th grade) I pick up Lauren and then drive to Oak and 41st where we park and wait for Rebecca to get off the trolley. We usually have a 20 minute wait. One day Lauren asked about every switch in the Malibu and I was hard pressed to explain every one. She definitely has a keener interest in how things work than her older sister. A couple of Mondays ago we tried something new. Since Lauren goes to French Immersion she is a bit spotty with her English reading. So she read me a book in the car. We enjoyed that.


When possible I like to have Lauren for a sleepover. She really enjoys our breakfast in bed the next morning. No matter where Lauren goes she moves toys from the big box, in what used to be our eldest daughter’s room, and they follow her. It is now both girls’ playing room. Of late Rebecca has not been in it- since her favourite toy is Rosemary’s laptop.

Part of the fun of Mondays is that the girls’mother shows up for dinner. Last night we had gnocchi with my special tomato sauce that includes barbecued ground meat, cream and wine. Even the most mundane of pasta will taste better if one uses genuine Reggiano. This is something we do.



For dessert I tried something new. Rosemary sliced some apples and I fried them in butter until they caramelized. I then poured three ounces of calvados ( I bought my first bottle ever of Calvados yesterday Monday!) I lit it and when the flames disappeared I removed the apples and mixed in a cup of whipping cream and three table spoons of berry sugar (slightly more refined than normal white sugar). I then poured the thickened liquid into the apples.

Even Lauren had second helpings. But for me the apples weren’t sweet enough so next time I will try canned or fresh peaches.

Lauren tricked me yesterday. In a basket she made sushi with coloured paper. She offered some to me but I declined telling her I really did not like sushi. She returned a bit later and offered me some pizza. I wolfed it down. Once I had done that she said, “Papi, I tricked you. That was sushi not pizza.” I gagged and almost threw up!