Week Eight - Snow Storm

Mother Nature is a bitch! I have been revelling in my early spring following our very unseasonably mild winter. My tomatoes are 4 inches high, I have started all my other seeds, we have been to the zoo, I have staked out my future patio and back yard garden spot. We took our snow tires off the van and sighed the oh so familiar Canadian sigh of "whew, winter is done and spring is here". Then mother nature reared her ugly head and dumped 25 cm of snow in eight short hours.

Fortunately I was on my second week of Spring Break (one of the benefits of being the only one in the house who has a year round school schedule). I kept my three little darlings home from school and we hunkered down. Well what do you do with three balls of plutonic energy when you are trapped inside all day? We tried cartoons, giant basement forts, Easter crafts, cake baking and a stuffed animal zoo...that was all by 11:30 am! I decided to let them loose outside to build a snowman and snowball fortress while I made blog dinner!

This weeks selection I wanted to squeak in before all the family Easter meals coming up this weekend. I chose the Swedish Style Fish Cakes, Roasted Baby Potatoes, Sprout Salad and Fresh Zingy Salsa from page 146 of Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes. This was a risky choice all because of our lovely honey moon a short 11 years ago. My scruffy hubby (who at the time was actually clean shaven and skinny) and I went on a delightful 10 day honeymoon to Mexico. Our trip included first class tickets! We received the luxury of glass dishes, cloth napkins and a meal that did not come in a plastic wrapped card board tray. We were on our way home from Mexico when we got to eat crab cakes. I don't want to blame the crab cakes because I think the real culprit was some type of Mexican Bubonic plague that Cory contracted from the several questionable establishments we ate at during the course of our trip. Never the less Cory was SICK! It was like a scene from the exorcist less the head spinning. The poor crab cakes took the blame. Since that day the mere mention of a seafood type patty makes Scruffy Hubby turn green (even under the beard). But rules are rules and I have to make every recipe.

The recipe was easy to make. Thanks to my handy food processor! In a speedy 35 minutes I had golden fish cakes and yummy veggies to complement everything. We set the table and I held my breath to see what every one thought. Well it was pretty much a clear consensus. The potatoes and sprout salad were just "OK" with myself and the boys giving them only a 2. I think microwaved potatoes are a little gnarly and that didn't help. The fish cakes were a hit though. Almost 12 years after his crab cake calamity Cory had no immediate sensory memory flash back and enjoyed every bite! Simon gave the fish a five and made me show him where I wrote down his 5 in my cook book. You may be wondering why Mary's results haven't been mentioned yet? Well after last weeks generous and surprising 5 I was quite hopeful for today. Unfortunately Mary lasted exactly 3.5 minutes before screaming that I hate her because I made something with avocados. She stormed away without eating a single bite. God bless us when that girl is 14! 40 minutes later she came down and said "mommy it all gets a one and I didn't even taste it"! Tous chez little food nazi!

I am hopeful that the next blog will take place with sunshine and my sister! Happy Easter everyone!

Trish

Max, Mary and Simon burning off some energy in 25 cm of Spring snow!

Sizzling fish cakes!

35 minutes later at $7.35 a person dinner was ready and the sun was shining!

Looks yummy!

Scruffy Hubby attempting to get over his fear of seafood patties!