My Dog

Being home for Christmas means a lot of different things for me. It means getting a lot of good food, made by my mother, it means getting to see my sister, who lives all the way on the other side of Canada, and who I only get to see about once a year; it means hanging out with my dad and spending awkward afternoons and evenings with extended family members; but most of all, it means spending a lot of time with my dog.

When I was growing up, we had a dog named Molly. She was a great dog, super protective of me and my sister, but not the smartest. When she died, at thirteen years old, my dad was very firm that we would not be getting another dog any time soon. I was about half through high school at that point, and I was miserable that we wouldn’t have another dog. When I graduated, I had some friends over for a party. One friend said that she would not be able to come, because she had to watch her family’s new puppy. I told my mom, and she said that my friend should bring her puppy over. The puppy was a very lively Australian Shepherd, and within an hour of my friend bringing him over, my dad was lying on the floor in front of the fireplace, with the puppy fast asleep on his chest. After that, it was only a matter of time before my dad crumbled to pressure, and we got a dog. We started to look on the SPCA website, and immediately found a dog we liked. Her name was Jovie and she had been moved around from home to home, because she was simply too big for most families. We talked about it as a family, and we decided that a large dog was perfect for us. When we went back to look at her on the website, she was gone. I called the SPCA and the woman who answered the phone said that Jovie had found her “forever home.” I was confused at first. Was she saying that Jovie was dead? But no, forever home is just a term that people use to say that an animal has found a good family to take them in.

So, we went back to looking for the perfect dog. A few days later, on Kijiji, my mom found Jovie again! Once again, Jovie was being moved along, probably because she was too big. We immediately went to the house, in the west end of Ottawa, to meet Jovie, and hopefully take her home. The house she was living in when we went to meet her was tiny. Jovie was about the size of the tiny dining room at the front of the house where we met her. The family who had her said they needed to get rid of her, because their son was allergic. But Jovie would have been miserable in such a small home.

We took her home the next day. On the drive home, Jovie chewed through her leash and harness, probably because she was so nervous about coming to a new home once again. Inside the house, she sniffed her way through everything upstairs and downstairs, and tried to chew more things. She decided that the comfiest place to sleep was in the bathtub, and surprised my sister when she got up early the next morning to shower before work.

Jovie soon got used to living with us in the middle of nowhere. She is now older and lazier, but she still loves to play, and run around, and “help” my mother when she is cooking, mostly by sitting right beside her and glaring at the food in case something drops. She gets very happy when my sister or I come home for a visit, and very upset when we leave. Last time I was home, when I brought my duffel bag to the door, Jovie hid under the coffee table and would not let me pet her before I left. For the first few months, she wouldn’t bark, but now she barks at everything and anything that comes close to her home.  Jovie is not the smartest dog, but she does understand food and walks, and anything that she loves. She always gets very excited when my dad goes into the kitchen, because he always gives her snacks, and she knows when someone goes to the door, she might get to go outside too.

Getting to see Jovie is my favourite part of going home. I can talk to everyone else in the family on the phone, but I miss my dog when I am not at home. It’s nice to have that unconditional love and devotion. No matter how my life is going, Jovie is always happy to see me, and I am always happy to see her.

Christmas Cookies

One of my favourite things about the holiday season is the food. I love turkey and all the things that go with it. My mom is a great cook, and she goes all out for any holiday. We always have a huge turkey, baked potatoes, cranberries, various vegetable, squash, stuffing and many other things. And then for dessert, there are about a million different cookies. My favourite of my mom’s cookies is something call Richmond Maids of Honour, which are raspberry jam tarts, with an almond paste on top, which bakes into a sticky crust. Richmond Maids of Honour are very fiddly to make, which is why we only make them at Christmas. Another good recipe that we make at Christmas is called Moon Cookies. They are delicious and easy to make, which means that you can make them at any time of the year, if you’d like. The cookies are made with crushed almonds (or almond flour), rolled into half moon shapes, and dipped in chocolate. You can use the chocolate or not, but I find that it makes them all the more festive. Usually, we double the recipe, as we like to have lots of cookies for the whole winter, but the regular recipe makes about four dozen cookies. These cookies freeze really well. 

 

·        2 1/3 cups sifted flour

·        ¼ teaspoon salt

·        1 cup butter, softened

·        2/3 cup sugar

·        1 egg yolk

·        1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·        1 cup almond flour (or finely chopped almonds)

Chocolate Dip

·        1 pkg (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

·        3 tablespoons butter

·        1 tablespoon hot water

1      Sift flour with salt; set aside

2      In large bowl, with wooden spoon or electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until light and fluffy

3      Gradually stir in flour mixture and almonds, mixing until well blended

4      Preheat oven to 350 F

5      With hands, make two inch pieces of dough into rolls, and shape into moon shapes

6      Place cookies 1 inch apart, on parchment paper-covered baking sheet

7      Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned; remove cookies to rack and cool

8      In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate and butter; add hot water (to thin out the chocolate and butter mixture)

9      Dip the ends of each moon cookies into the chocolate

1    Sprinkle with more almonds if desired

Body Positive Messages

Like many women my age, I find it difficult to reconcile the idea that I should be a cool, confident “Girl Boss,” with the reality, which is much more complicated. Some days, I look in the mirror, and I love the way I look. I feel confident and beautiful, and very much in charge of my life. Other days, I have a hard time even picking out clothes that I don’t feel horrible in. I think that while we may worry that we are alone in feeling this way, many people, both women and men, feel the same.

However, in this world of technology, and social media, it is easier and easier to put how we feel on a public forum, and to let others know that they are not alone. I still find it difficult to talk about my feelings, and the many insecurities that I have, but others are very vocal about it. Reading the social media posts of individuals who are not afraid to write about their struggles have helped me to come to terms with how I feel, and attempt to change the judgements that I hold against my body and my life.

               I have a few favourite bloggers, and social media influencers that I look up to, but my two favourite are Callie Thorpe, and Megan Jayne Crabbe (also known as bodyposipanda).

               Callie Thorpe is a beauty blogger based in London. She is a plus sized model, and writes about make up, clothing, food, and travel. I love to read her blog, because she writes about how anyone deserves to enjoy clothing, food, travel, and life in general, no matter what their size is. I also really enjoy living through her travels, gorgeous apartment, and her beautiful hair. She also stands up to bullies and trolls on the internet, and posts videos of how she feels when she gets threatening messages, because she is a plus-sized woman who dares to be happy and successful in public. Callie’s accounts are fun to follow, because even though she has a fabulous life, she also posts videos of her cooking with her husband, and dancing to her favourite songs. Moat of the things she posts are relatable even if you're not British, a model, or plus-sized. She is one of those people who you feel like you really know, even though you don’t.

Megan Jayne Crabbe is a body positive blogger and social media personality. She advocates for love and respect for anyone, of any gender, size, and ability. Megan also talks about her own struggles with eating disorders, which I think is very important in letting others know that they are not alone in their own struggles. She is also very supportive of other women in their quest for body positivity. She posts images and blog posts from other women, mostly friends of hers, and encourages her followers to check out their Instagram pages and blogs. Megan also writes loving posts about her family, her friends, her boyfriend, her dogs, and lots of fun dancing videos. I am always struck by how happy she looks in all of her videos, which is something I aspire to be. Megan Crabbe has also written a book, called Body Positive Power, which I haven't read yet, but I am very excited to get. 

               These successful, compassionate, beautiful women inspire me to try and be better to myself. To love myself, despite any weight gained, or how I think I should look. We are all deserving of love, happiness, and respect, no matter our size, or disabilities, visible or not. It is important to open our minds to more than just what society tells us is okay. It is important to give respect and love to those who might not get very much, because of how they look, how they dress, or who they love.

               I do not pretend to be an expert, but I have learned a few things from the women listed above, as well as many others. I have learned that you can’t wait to live your life – it’s happening now, so seize it. Your body is the one that gets up every morning and goes through your day, no matter how difficult or annoying – give it the love and respect it deserves. And finally, you can never be too busy to allow yourself time to be you, whether that is dancing, playing music, reading, meditating, or whatever else you do to relax and enjoy your wonderful life. 

Fun and Delicious Recipes

Cooking can be a lot of work. It can be difficult to figure out what to make, especially if you live alone, or if you work long days. Since moving out and going through university, I have struggled with eating well, and not spending all my money on take out. Now I have my own kitchen, I am starting to cook more for myself. It is always good to have a few recipes that are easy, tasty, and relatively fast to make. 

I mostly use recipes that I grew up with, or recipes that I find online. It's easy enough to adapt any recipe to suit your needs, especially if it's something that you've made a couple of times before. 

So, here are a few of my favourite recipes. I have made each a number of times, and they each make large portions, which are excellent if you're too busy to worry about cooking every day. 

  

Recipes

Spaghetti Sauce (This can be used for lasagne, spaghetti, or whatever pasta you have handy, and it freezes really well) 

4 T. (tablespoons) olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 box mushrooms, sliced

2 6 oz. cans or 1 13 oz. can tomato paste

1 13 oz. can tomato sauce and 1 can water

2 t. (teaspoons) chili powder

1/2 t. curry powder

2 lbs. ground beef

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. chopped carrots

Salt, pepper

1 t. cayenne

1-2 T. basil

1-2 t. dried oregano

(All the spices are to taste. I like my spaghetti to be spicy, but you can use as much or as little spice as you want. Its always helpful to taste while you’re cooking!)

Heat oil in large pot and brown beef. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrots, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Add tomato paste, sauce and water, and spices. Cook over low heat for minimum 1 hour. Serve over cooked spaghetti and sprinkle with grated cheese.

The spaghetti can take a long time to make, but it makes a lot, so I think it's worth it if you have the time. If you don't have much time, this next recipe is fast, easy and really good. When I make it, there is usually enough for another full meal. 

Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl

Rice (prepared however you like it)

Chicken (cooked and cut up)

1 Red bell pepper

1 Green bell pepper

1-2 small onions

1 T olive oil

1 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin

1 t salt

1/2 t black pepper

If you’re using pre-cooked chicken, make the rice first, as it will take longer than making the rest (I usually use Uncle Ben’s Basmati Rice, but you can use any kind you’d like). While it is cooking, cut up the peppers and onions however you’d like. I usually cut the peppers into small pieces, and the onion into larger chunks.

In a large, non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Toss in the peppers and onions, then add the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook until the peppers and onions have softened. Add the chicken, and toss until everything is heated through.

Once the rice is fully cooked, put it in a bowl, and top with the chicken mixture. I like to mix it up, until the rice is also coated with the spices. It’s warming, delicious, and clean up is easy as well. 

If you're sick of eating chicken all the time, shrimp is a good alternative. It cooks up fast, and it is one of my favourite kinds of seafood. 

Shrimp and Tomato with Noodles (This one is nice and easy, and another one of my favourites from when I was a kid... I always make it with egg noodles, but again, you can use whatever pasta you like best)

Olive oil

Mushrooms, sliced

1/2 lb. shrimp (you can use canned shrimp as well)

Salt, pepper

cayenne

3-4 c. hot, cooked noodles

1 onion, chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

dill weed

basil

grated Parmesan cheese

In hot oil in a frying pan, fry onions, garlic and mushrooms until onions are tender. Add diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and spices to taste. Bring to boil. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink and hot. Serve over hot noodles. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. 

Freezer Meatballs (This recipe is great because you can make a large batch of meatballs, and then use them for anything and everything. I especially like having them around to add to pasta with plain sauce)

3 beaten eggs

3/4 c. milk

2 c. bread crumbs

2 onions, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 t. salt

1/4 t. each pepper and cayenne

3 lbs. ground beef

Combine eggs and milk; stir in bread crumbs, onion, garlic and spices. Add ground beef; mix well. Shape into 1" meatballs. Bake meatballs in large shallow baking pan in 375 F oven for 30 minutes. Makes about 36 meatballs. Eat immediately, or freeze for later: remove from pan and cool. Arrange cooled meatballs in a single layer on baking sheet do the edge do not touch. Freeze until firm and package in meal-sized portions. 

After I discovered a few recipes that I like to make and eat, cooking became fun and easy. I love being able to eat something that I made myself, and when I get to share with family and friends, it's even more worth it to see how much they also enjoy my food. Cooking is a joy, one that should be shared with as many people as possible.