Goal #97: Prepare a Moroccan breakfast

It has been a year since we explored Morocco on our honeymoon, and we had a craving for homemade "country bread" and "soft white cheese." Here is a picture of the breakfast we were fed every morning at our wonderful little Riad in Fes. I took the picture on the one day we received a brioche-type bread instead of the more traditional flat, round loaves. The small bowls contain: dates, olives, apricot jam, fig jam, honey, butter, sugar, and soft white cheese. We were given a pot of coffee and a jug of warm milk. The small mugs contain gorgeous freshly squeezed orange juice -- impossible to replicate here, because the oranges in Morocco were local and fresh and out-of-this-world good. The local olives were also incredible and incomparable to anything I've found over here.
I did, however, go the distance and bake some round loaves of Moroccan bread from scratch.

That's right. I bake my own bread...

And here is the finished product:

That's our homemade labneh (aka "soft white cheese") in the middle.

Our apartment's balcony doesn't have quite the same view as looking out over the Fes medina, but there was one token satellite dish for atmosphere. Favourite topping: soft white cheese and fig jam together. Or straight honey. Delicious!

Making Cheese

Further reading revealed that after making your own yogurt, it's a simple step to make your own cheese; a soft, fresh, middle-eastern variety called lebnah. With great excitement, I decided that this must be the soft, white cheese that we had eaten in Morocco on our honeymoon last year. Whenever locals described it, they called it "soft, white cheese." When I asked them specifically what kind of cheese it was, they said, "soft, white cheese." With additional prodding, they revealed it was made from cow's milk.

Soft, white cheese for sale in the medina.

It was really very simple to make. I dumped a jar of our homemade yogurt into a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Once a good amount of liquid had drained, I tied up the cheesecloth and rigged it up in the fridge.

Twenty-four hours later, more liquid had drained, and we were left with a savoury ball of what was undeniably soft, white cheese. (I read somewhere that I was supposed to add some salt. I forgot, and it was still yummy.)

Labneh! Aka, soft, white cheese.

Making Yogurt

Inspired by No Impact Man, I decided to try making my own yogurt.
Here's what I did.

Litre of milk into a pot.






Make it hot, but do it slowly. I used a meat thermometer to check, but you could probably just wait until small bubbles are pushing at the surface, and a bit of a skin is forming. I had a bit of a scalding issue on the bottom of the pan, but everything still went according to plan.

Let it cool down to between 100-115 degrees F. This part is boring. I used a people thermometer for this part, but was worried I had broken it since I kept impatiently sticking it in when the milk was still too hot and made it flash an error symbol. In the end, the milk cooled.






Then you mix in some bacterial cultures. I used some freeze-dried from the health food store, but you can also simply use some yogurt. So for my next batch, I'll use a few spoonfuls from this batch.
Put it in sterilized glass jars.






Incubate. I just put mine on the kitchen counter and wrapped it in a fleece sweater. (Made from recycled pop bottles, natch.) Let it sit overnight.








In the morning, I rose bright and early to discover that my yogurt worked! It tastes fresh and delicious, and is fabulous with some local honey stirred in.

One of the most interesting parts of this project was searching for the jars. I hit up a grocery store, to be told that they only stock them seasonally. I guess autumn is when people start preserving? Luckily, I asked just the right lady, who suggested I try the hardware store, since that's where she gets her jars. Then she inquired as to what I'd be making at this time of year. I told her I was doing my own yogurt. She was very supportive and enthusiastic about the idea, said she'd always wanted to do that, and wished me luck. Later at the hardware store, as I was purchasing my box of jars (apparently, you have to get a dozen at a time. If anyone wants a jar or two, let me know) the lady in line behind me said, "Oh, it's that time of year again!" (well, no, actually) and then she asked what I was making. When I told her yogurt, she, too, was thrilled at the thought. Then the cashier piped up about how she makes her own yogurt all the time, and how delicious it is. I feel as though I've uncovered a whole new segment of society. The Yogurtmakers. Welcome.

Goal #20: Buy a Bike

Check out my sweet ride! I love this baby.

1 thing down, 100 to go!

101 Things in 1001 Days

I am a big fan of To Do lists. They are the only way I ever get things done, and I love finding old lists under the piles on my desk and discovering that everything on them is done.
The idea behind the 101 list is to clearly define your goals, and give yourself enough time in which to accomplish them. Read more here.
The first, unwritten item on the list is "Manage to think of 101 things." This was not easy. I had to branch out quite a bit, including things that had, up until now, just tickled the edges of my thoughts. I've tried to stay away from too many purchase-oriented goals, so that this doesn't become a shopping list of stuff that I just want (then I'd have to retitle it "1001 things in 101 days"). Anything on this list that requires money will in itself represent the accomplishment of another kind of goal -- managing to save the cash in order to do it. I'm actually really looking forward to getting some of this stuff done!
I'll update my progress as I cross items off the list.

101 Things in 1001 Days

Stuff to Do
1. Put together wedding albums.
2. Put together honeymoon album.
3. Plant flowers in the boxes on our balcony.
4. Make a roof for my cubicle at work to cut down the overhead glare.
5. Re-organize and de-clutter basement storage locker.
6. Sell old camera-assisting gear on Craigslist/Kijiji/Mandy.
7. Replace all my old cassettes with CD versions of the same.
8. Take all my CDs out of their cases and reorganize them into book storage, also find somewhere that recycles jewel cases and/or get rid of them via Craigslist.
9. Put all my contacts into one, nice, organized address book.
10. Catalog all my books on LibraryThing
11. Complete magazine archiving project.
12. Complete “sentimental” sweatshirt project.
13. Finish reading Salman Rushdie’s “Midnight’s Children” (may have to start over).
14. Tidy and organize my desk and filing cabinet, getting rid of old, unnecessary stuff and establishing a system that will make it easy to keep it orderly in the future.
15. Refinish coffee table (or have it professionally refinished).
16. Replace all my toiletries with natural, earth-friendly alternatives.
17. Replace all my household cleaning products with natural, earth-friendly alternatives.

Stuff to Acquire
18. Replace my beta fish, and con the teenagers at Petsmart into selling me a googly-eyed fish.
19. Get some really good running shoes that are good for my feet.
20. Buy a bicycle.
21. Get a puppy.
22. Have my tattoo touched up.
23. Get another tattoo.
24. Buy a serger or sewing machine.
25. Get a snowboard (and bindings and boots).
26. Get plants for my cubicle.
27. Get lamps for our bedside tables.
28. Buy a really expensive, gorgeous pair of jeans.

Learning
29. Self-study Spanish (I’m thinking with that Rosetta Stone software).
30. Learn to knit.
31. Take a pottery class.
32. Take a silversmithing class.
33. Buy a guitar and a “learn to play” book.
34. Get my driver’s license.
35. Take a bicycle maintenance/repair course.
36. Take a belly dancing class.
37. Take a hip-hop dance class.
38. Take a cooking course with J---.

Travel
39. Visit Z--- in Red Deer.
40. Go on a weeklong backwoods camping trip.
41. Visit C and B in New York.
42. Visit C and C in San Diego.
43. Go on a hot, tropical vacation with J---.
44. Go on a road trip in the U.S.A.
45. Visit my friend M. in Virginia (If that’s where she still is).
46. Go on a trip with my parents.
47. Go to A’s wedding in Australia.
48. Go on a trip with just my sister.

Physical Challenges
49. Finish my 13-week Walk-to-Run program with the same diligence I began it.
50. Run the 10k race at the Zoo in October.
51. Do four sets of 25 proper military pushups in a row, without breaks.
52. Do three sets of 10 pull-ups.
53. Do a one-day fruit-only fast.
54. Do a one-day juice-only fast.
55. Eat a totally vegan diet for two weeks, just to check it out.
56. Do a Moksha yoga 30-day yoga challenge.
57. Do the WWF CN Tower stair climb.
58. Go back to Karate.
59. Join a hockey team.

Experiences
60. Go scuba diving.
61. Go berry picking at a farm north of the city.
62. Take the train to Niagara for the weekend, ride bicycles around the area and have a picnic.
63. Go to the Aberfoyle Antiques Market.
64. Have a picnic with friends on Centre Island.
65. Go away to a health resort or yoga retreat.
66. Watch the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.
67. Fire a gun.
68. Have a couples massage with J---.
69. See an opera at the new Four Seasons Center.
70. Go to a garage sale in a fancy neighbourhood.
71. Go to ten live concerts. (0/10)
72. Go see ten plays at smaller Toronto theaters. (0/10)
73. Go horseback riding.
74. Go to a maple-syrup farm in the winter.
75. Go for a walk along St. Clair Ave, west of Bathurst, to explore the shops and restaurants.
76. Drive around Forest Hill/Rosedale on the day when they put out large items for garbage collection to see if there’s any good stuff, and just to see what rich people throw out.

Work and Money
77. Pay off my MasterCard debt in full, and then only use the card for travel.
78. Contribute full available amount to my RRSP for 2007.
79. Contribute full available amount to my RRSP for 2008.
80. Figure out how to transfer the funds in my IATSE group plan into my personal account—shut account once this is done.
81. Have a piece published on the Facts & Arguments page of the Globe and Mail.
82. Have a poem published anywhere.
83. Make a really strong Personal Development Plan at work, and actively work to distinguish myself and advance my career within the company.
84. Get a raise or a new position with a higher salary.
85. Take another course with the Editor’s Association of Canada.
86. Write a romance novel.
87. Write a business plan for one of my various “genius” ideas.

Random
88. Get a consultation regarding laser eye surgery.
89. Get laser hair removal on bikini line.
90. Have my cousins over for dinner.
91. Leave IATSE. (will they ever let me out?)
92. Watch no television for three months.
93. Pierce my bellybutton.
94. Not wash my hair for a week to see if that thing about your hair cleaning itself is true.
95. Draw in my sketchbook every single day for one month.
96. Invent a “healthy” version of Nutella.
97. Prepare a breakfast like the ones we ate in Morocco, homemade bread included.
98. Set up a vermicomposter in my apartment.
99. Write a thank-you letter to my old pediatrician (I still miss him!).
100. Find a charity that I can volunteer for, and commit to a minimum of 48 hours of volunteer work.
101. Make a new friend.

END DATE: Thursday, January 28th 2010.

In Memoriam

J---'s grandmother passed away this weekend. A sad affair for the whole family, myself included, since I thought she was a pretty nifty old lady. I packed up my funeral dress and hopped on the train for Montreal.

Considering I'm not yet thirty years old, I feel that I have been to too many funerals. Eight. Only two of which were for elderly persons who died of "natural" causes. Experience notwithstanding, I am bad at funerals. I never know what to say. I am mute in the face of others' grief. My own grief is always silent. I even have a hard time with "I'm so sorry." It seems inadequate. Am I apologizing on behalf of the universe for the loss of their loved one? I hope someday to become the kind of woman my mother manages to be in times such as these: making tea and getting sandwiches for the bereaved, running interference, saying all the right things, and generally exuding an air of compassion and calm.

On the day of the service, we made our way to the "family room" at the funeral parlour. I made the mistake of sitting in an armchair right next to the open door. Within moments of sitting, a pair of little old Jewish ladies tottered in and descened upon me, clutching my hands and telling me earnestly in French just how very sorry they were. My French is okay; I understand most of what's going on. At least, in France I do. Montreal is its own beast, and I certainly didn't have the capacity to tell these ladies that whomever they might be looking for in order to bestow their condolences, it certainly wasn't me. I also didn't want to send away what might be two of J---'s grandma's bingo buddies. So for a few, long, horrifying seconds, I was the focus of all their regretful attention. Luckily, my sister-in-law swept in with a "You've got the room wrong!" and saved me. Phew. The only thing worse than not having anything to say to those truly mourning is not having anything to say to those who seem genuinely upset but you have no idea who they are.

Since I had no forum in which to share my favourite story about J---'s bubbie over the weekend, I will share it here.

It was my first Rosh Hashannah with J---'s family, and the first time that I was meeting my then-boyfriend's extended family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmothers, the full deal. I'd picked a pretty, not-too-showy-or-sexy dress, been on my best behaviour all night (not drinking too much wine with dinner, not obviously bingeing on the honey cake afterwards), and I thought I was doing fairly well in terms of making a good impression. After the meal, the men all disappeared somewhere -- I think to play chess -- and I was left alone with the ladies. All right, I thought, some girl-bonding time, this is where I can really score some points. The bubbie turns to me. Now, Bubbie immigrated from Hungary, and so has a delightful old-world accent. She asks a few questions about my trip into town (the train was late), where we're staying (at J---'s parents' place), small-talk stuff. I struggle a bit with the accent, but I'm doing okay. Then, she comes out with:
"So, has J--- tried to sleep with you yet?"
My smile freezes in place. Inside my head, I am screaming. Whaaaaaaaa???
The silence of me not answering stretches out. I am certain that the other women at the table (his mom, his sister, his aunts) have overheard and are waiting for my answer. There is no answering this question.
She presses on:
"You know, Jack, the little dog, he jumps up on the bed there."
I heave a sigh of relief. Jack! His parents' little dog! Who does indeed try to jump on the bed to sleep with you!
"Oh yes," I say, "he has." And I laugh.

But I maintain, to this day, that that is NOT what she said the first time. She had a great sense of humour (sometimes obscured by her accent and nonconventional use of English, so you weren't sure if she was really making a joke), and I think she was a little bit naughty. I think she did it to see me sweat.

I'm sending lots of love into the universe in her memory.