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Notes from a bemused canuck

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Month: August 2013

Commute from hell

Posted on August 27, 2013 By admin

I took Bean to school by myself this morning. We get to the metro station to see a tsunami of people coming out of the station – apparently the metro was down from our station (the terminus) all the way to Bessieres, which is 3 stations away from the train station. That’s more than a third of the line down. They got a replacement bus going, but we were packed like sardines, 6 deep across the width of the bus. I have to give mad props to the Bean, he was a really good boy but it threw our schedule to hell. In the end, we made it on time (with a few minutes to spare) but it was rough.

I’m really worried about my bean. He walked into school with a look of pure incomprehension on his face. It’s all so new, and it’s all in French. I really worry that the language barrier will make what should be a really exciting experience into something that he doesn’t like. My head tells me that he’s resilient enough to cope. I mean, he’s handled nursery without a problem, and he’s been really good with the whole move, so this is just one more thing that he’ll get used to. As long as mummy and daddy tell him that everything is ok, he’ll just go with the flow and do his own thing. My heart breaks though, when I see him walking into school with a tentative wave and a look around to make sure I’m still there.

He’s having a “full” day of school today. He’s going to have lunch in Morges. The “problem” is that it’s not actually at the school. The kids that are signed into school lunches get picked up and go somewhere else where all the schools send the kids to lunch. He knows what’s going to happen, and his teacher is going to make sure that he gets picked up. Again though, it’s a language thing. I worry. I’m sure it’ll all be fine, and that other kids in similar situations have gone through the process without issue, but he’s my bean, and I love him to bits, and I worry.

[Child, if you ever end up reading this when you’re older and stalking my old blog archives, you give me grey hairs but I love you to bits.]

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Google autocomplete questions

Posted on August 26, 2013August 26, 2013 By admin

questions

Google autocomplete results have always been a font of joy; nowhere else is humanity’s curiosity and stupidity celebrated in such equal measure. But when you really start to comb through what it has to offer—as xkcd does today—it goes from amusing to disturbing and back again way quicker than you’d think.

Why are Americans afraid of dragons?
Why are wrestlers always wet?
Why do testicles move?
Why is there kicking in my stomach?

Yay, Google :)

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Heading to school

Posted on August 26, 2013 By admin

image

It’s Beans first day at school today. Took us about an hour to get to Morges,  but that’s going to be a lot shorter once we actually live there.  The school is diddy, but that might not be a bad thing.  He already has his coat peg and his seat,  and the teacher seems like a nice lady (who speaks a bit of the Anglais). For all his bounciness at going to school,  he was a bit subdued once things started. I’m still a bit worried about he language barrier, but all the parties are aware of it,  and there will be support.  Also,  my coworkers daughter is in the same class and speaks English so he won’t be completely in the dark :-)

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Bean on the bus

Posted on August 26, 2013 By admin

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He was pointing at the board saying. “number 4, number 5, number 6, number bus…”

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Look closely

Posted on August 22, 2013 By admin

peppers

This picture is of a mirrored bell pepper. Get your filthy minds out of the gutter :) The original photographer, Stu Sporn, once got kicked off of Facebook because this picture was deemed to break the TOS :)

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Keep calm, eh

Posted on August 22, 2013January 20, 2014 By admin

eat-poutnie

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[Recipe] chocolate espresso semifreddo

Posted on August 21, 2013 By admin

A semifreddo is basically any sort of chilled or partially frozen dessert. It’s similar to cheesecake, but instead of baking it, you cook everything first and then freeze it. This is a wonderful dessert, especially perfect for coffee lovers. It has a nice smooth texture and is not overly sweet.

semifreddo

This dessert consists of an espresso custard base mixed with chocolate which is mixed with mascarpone and cream. This mixture is then in turn folded together with stiffly beaten egg whites and poured atop a chocolate cookie crumb crust. Then it just needs to set up in the freezer for a few hours before serving.

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 3/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing the pan

For the filling:
4 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar, divided
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. dark rum
3 oz. espresso (can be substituted with Kahlua)
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine
16 oz. mascarpone cheese
2 oz. heavy cream

Directions:
To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly brush the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with melted butter. Combine the chocolate cookie crumbs and 3 tablespoons of melted butter in a small bowl, and mix with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened. Transfer the crumbs to the springform pan and use the flat bottom of a ramekin or drinking glass to press them into an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, line the edges of the pan with strips of parchment paper.

Over a double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Lift the whisk out of the bowl as you go to incorporate air into the mixture. Continue whisking until the mixture is pale yellow and thick, and ribbons. (This takes awhile but you will get there.) Add the vanilla, rum, and espresso. Cook over the simmering water until the liquid coats the back of a spoon and the mixture is thick and foamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Stir until melted, and continue stirring until the mixture has cooled.

In a separate bowl, combine the mascarpone and heavy cream. Stir together until soft and smooth, taking care not to overstir.

Combine the egg whites and the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar in the stainless steel bowl of a stand mixer. Gently whisk together over a simmering water bath until the mixture reaches 145 degrees F. Remove from the water bath and attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Reduce the speed to medium and mix until the bowl is cool to the touch (cooler than your hand).

Fold the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate mixture until there are no streaks left. Fold in 1/4 of the meringue into the chocolate-mascarpone mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining meringue in three parts, taking care not to overmix and deflate the egg whites. Spread the mixture over the crust in the parchment-lined pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 4 hours.

When ready to serve, loosen and remove the sides of the pan. Remove the parchment paper strips. Garnish as desired. Serve cold and cut slices with a warm, dry knife.

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Beer tasting

Posted on August 20, 2013 By admin

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Blonde, white, amber and special (agave-citron)

As a side note, the special beer is NICE!

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What’s my motivation?

Posted on August 20, 2013 By admin

193509.strip.print

193510.strip.print

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When I grow up, I want to be like Wally

Posted on August 20, 2013 By admin

191215.strip.print

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