Donut Day

Any man rolling dough is a treasure in my eyes!

Treasure has a craving for donuts. Most normal people would just drive to their neighbourhood donut shop and buy some. Not Treasure. He decides that he will make some and invites me to help. I jump at the chance. Who ever heard of actually making your own donuts?! It's an experience I can't pass up.

In the final rising stage

Apparently doing things like making donuts is not an unusual idea for Treasure. His wife's family are farmers and from the sounds of it they are extremely hard working, very competent and self reliant, and they do things in a big way. Treasure's mother-in-law bakes a dozen pies, all different kinds, all at once. Every year they roast a whole pig, for dinner, just like that. Treasure's brother-in-law makes gallons of ice cream, just for the fun of it. Treasure made his own dining table from wood from his in-laws' old barn. So, to Treasure, making your own donuts is nothing out of the ordinary.

Frying

In case you were wondering, Treasure is not his real name. The 3 year old girl who lives next door calls him this. It's probably because 3 year olds have trouble pronouncing certain sounds. But maybe it's a proclamation of what she knows to be true, as little kids and really old people can do.  All the little girl knows is that one night she gave Treasure 11 raspberries that she picked herself and the next morning he gave her back a raspberry pie.

Glazing

In case Treasure sounds like the Perfect Man I want to be clear that he, as all men, has significant flaws. He is generally risk averse although today is surprising me with his risk taking. Making donuts for the first time knowing that they will end up on my blog is pretty risky. He also makes lunch for us. He skims the August issue of Food & Wine magazine and decides on Zucchini - Ricotta Fritters. He makes those for the first time, with me watching, and he doesn't even like vegetables! He does peel all the green off the zucchini to perhaps trick himself into believing he is not actually eating vegetables. But still...going outside his comfort zone.

Finished donuts

Treasure is also a bit of a control freak. But so am I. So although I understand and respect this quality I also wonder how we'll do in the kitchen together. Surprisingly, all goes pretty smoothly. Control freakishness is held in check by both of us. 

And one last, but significant, flaw is in the area of expression of feelings, which is a major criteria in my definition of the Perfect Man. The word "feelings" is like a swear word to Treasure. His own personal F-word.

Freaky beans

My faithful readers may be wondering how the Hubby feels about me making donuts with a man called Treasure. Now the expression of feelings IS a strength of the Hubby's. Usually the Hubby really likes Treasure but the donut making is a little hard for him to stomach. It must be the manly competitive thing. He puts on a brave face and a big fake smile. He's almost fooled me. Until I come home with all these gorgeous donuts, regale him with stories from the day, and then pull out a jar of pickled beans that Treasure made last summer with his friend. It's just too much for the Hubby. All he can mutter is "Freak!".









The recipe for the Donuts is Treasure's mother-in-law's. She knows it so well by heart that it's a little tricky getting the details necessary for neophyte donut makers like me and Treasure. Treasure has previously been involved only in the glazing stage of donut making. The ingredients are clear; it's the technique that requires some guesswork on our part. We decide that next time we will make our donut holes smaller and roll the dough out thicker.



In the end, it was relatively easy to make donuts although it took us all day. There are many steps. There's the mixing, the rising, the punching down, the rising again, the rolling, the cutting of shapes, the rising yet again, the frying, and the glazing. The last stage, the eating, is the easiest and fastest of them all.

I would highly recommend donut making for those of you with a lot of patience and a Treasure to work with.

Manspeak

During the 5th inning of the Jays game against the Yankees last night, the Hubby says the following to me:

"Good pitch to put the green light on. Pitcher walked the sacks full. Sacks are juiced. We need a 3 run jack."

Manspeaker

Who talks like this?! Not women. This is what I call Manspeak. Not to be confused with M.A.S. Male Answer Syndrome. The Hubby unfortunately has both afflictions. Ask him a question, ANY question,  and he will give you an answer. The only answer he doesn't give is "I don't know".

It's a mystery how one learns Manspeak. According to the Hubby, ALL men know it. Is it taught in some School of Manly Languages somewhere? Can you take the course online? Have you ever seen a Manspeak dictionary? No. Men just know it. Maybe they're born with it. Maybe it's attached to the Y chromosome. 



The previous night the Yankees pitcher got tonged on. Is this good? Is this bad? Only the Hubby and the rest of his sex know for sure.

The Hubby gives me little quizzes throughout the game. If someone strikes out (or gets a "K" in Manspeak) on his first at bat, sac flies on his second, and doubles on his third, what is his ratio of hits to at bats? (The answer is: One for two with a sac fly)


The little kid sitting next to me and his little friend next to him are vigorously shaking their bottles of pop. Sweetie, when you open that bottle please point it THAT way toward your dad who's too busy trying to figure out what a "jack" is to properly supervise you and your drinking habits. (Note to the Pop-Shaker's Dad: it means tater, long ball, round tripper, home run)








We are entertained by not one but by 2 streakers at 2 different times. Racing across the outfield with Rogers Centre security staff and police in hot pursuit. The crowd is cheering. One streaker's shoes fall off halfway across the field. Hello...did you think ahead about what are you going to do when you reach the other side? All that stands between you and freedom is a 20ft high wall! Can you guess if the streakers are men or women? I bet 100% of you get the answer right! (The answer, obviously, is: MEN)




The little kid sitting next to me and his little friend next to him are now throwing popcorn in the air and trying to catch it in their mouths. Little kids are VERY uncoordinated in this way. I end up with half his box of popcorn in my lap. Sweetie, maybe you should switch places with your dad so HE can sit next to me and I can help him figure out what "tonged on" means so that he's then free to pay proper attention to you and your eating habits. Where's your mom anyway? I need someone to talk to that I can understand.

Stay At Home Tourist

Comfortable walking shoes and a camera. I'm ready to be a tourist for the day. In my own city. Doing something different. I've been feeling in a bit of a rut. Today this is going to change!

First stop is brunch at By the Way Cafe in the Annex. Don, our favourite server, has reserved us a spot on the patio. Okay...so we've been here (several hundred times) before...but not in a long time...and NEVER as a tourist. Two different sets of people we know stop by our table to say hello. Not quite the anonymity I had anticipated. I feel a little silly about taking out my camera. But I do anyway. A life lived on the edge.

By the Way's Eggs Charlottine

I always order the same thing - Eggs Charlottine. And I do again today. But it's so good! A take on Eggs Benedict but with smoked salmon and spinach instead of the peameal bacon.

We stroll east along Bloor Street. I'm stuffed. Brunch should last me until dinner. Fortunately this isn't necessary. Greg's Ice Cream is just down the way. Okay so I've been here before...but not for years. I get Ginger - that's pretty un-routine! The Hubby gets Coffee Toffee. Both excellent. The Beamer wrinkles his nose and won't open his mouth. Is he ours?!









 
Although we've passed the Bata Shoe Museum numerous times we've never gone inside. Today is the day. Finally something I've never done before. Four floors of shoes! The Native North American moccasins are beautiful with intricate beading. There is a worn pair of work boots that are actually clay sculptures. Shoes as art.

Me and the Beamer outside the ROM Crystal

Next we pass the ROM. I have long admired the "Crystal"addition designed by the architect Daniel Libeskind. It bursts from the old original stone building. Makes a statement. I've always wanted to go inside. But don't. Wouldn't  want to push it.

Imagine the Daughter waving us inside!

Further east we come to "Mink Mile" or Yorkville. I've been along here MANY times. The plan is to visit the Daughter who has a summer job at Roots but at the last minute she gives up her shift.  We go anyway and pretend she's there. A plan is a plan.

Kitchenware stores are one of my weaknesses

We go into Williams-Sonoma. Big mistake. We go in to buy tea towels. We come out with omelette pans, spatulas, oven mitts, can opener. It could have been worse. They are marketing kings. We are helpless pawns. The Hubby contemplates a mango slicer! I fondle napkins that you can make into origami animals!







 
The Hubby has long feigned indifference at my Perfect Man poll but I think secretly he is perturbed that he is not one (even though he IS the Perfect Hubby). HE is the one who suggests we get the omelette pans. A Perfect Man point is within his grasp...THEN he reminds me that just because we have the pans that I should not expect him to be making me omelettes...AND the point slips on by...! Oh Hubby!

The calamari on the left is definitely NOT for the Daughter!

My usual - Pasta with Lamb, Arugula, Black Olives, and Feta

To cap off our day of Tourist, we pick up the Daughter and go out for dinner. Tourists would definitely NOT cook at home! We go to our favourite pasta restaurant - Queen's Pasta. Yes we've been here thousands of times before. It's really hard to do new and exciting things all day!









I know you'll be surprised (NOT!) that I always order the same thing at this restaurant.  I've passed this trait onto the Daughter. Tonight she states that she's going to have something different. She has started her own blog where she has committed to doing something new everyday. Tonight after much consideration she settles on Penne Carbonara. It's what she always orders. To satisfy her quest to do something she's never done before she takes a microscopic nibble of a crab cake.

 Another life lived on the edge. She must be ours!!