MAY: HOPE AND CURRY
Food Mood: Go Get ‘Em Girl, you can do this
Reno Ridiculouso: Not yet ridiculous, although still kinda big really.
This is a story about a reno gone wrong and the food that sustained us. I hope that you’ll join us in reliving our year long adventure, in food, family and renovation chaos. Welcome!
In the beginning, it was all about termites, or at least the possibility of them. Six years ago we bought our east Toronto home knowing that it had formerly had termites and that this was contained. However, the area still had termites and we had a back entry that had below grade wood, a serious no no in termite land. I remember that I sat at the farm style kitchen table while our very enthusiastic (and ridiculously good looking) realtor and my husband toured the basement. I had heard from the termite guy that it had had termites and been treated and that there was no sign of any current infestations. I was in despair.
We had been searching for a new home for six months and time was running out. Our first house had not yet sold, but it’s Toronto it would sell any day. It wasn’t that we didn’t like our first house, but it had problems. The new house (house 2) had problems too but they were of a different, more cosmetic, less structural variety. I prefer my house problems non -structural, personally.
But, here we were. Termites and below grade wood. I was in tears. I asked the termite guy what he would do. He was of the super reliable, mustachioed, grey haired late fifties variety. Ma’am, if I had the money I would buy this house now. Five bedrooms at this price! I’ve bought four houses with termites and never regretted it. But you gotta take that back entry off or in ten years the termites will come. Ok then.
So I was in New York when the day come up for final offers. Standing by the Hudson with one of my friends who was there singing in an opera at Brooklyn Academy of Music, I made a major life decision in seconds. Drop the offer by 40k and see what they say. I told my husband. That’s what I thought too. Done. And it was. Just like that. I signed via fax from our hotel and we were the proud owners of a five bedroom in east Toronto. With past termite damage, a lot of cat pee smelling old carpet and waaaay too many walls. But, as we discovered later, well loved and with a story of family and community that would guide the way for us in the years to come. Thus began a six year renovation journey.
We took possession with a plan for a two month reno to remove all the old carpet, refinish or replace flooring and open one wall between the living room and kitchen to create a more open plan. This reno, it went fine. The hubby and my dad took on most of it and all went well.
Reno number two was the removal of all the lathe and plaster. In actual fact it was intended to be some of the lathe and plaster, but, hey, that stuff really peels when you get going and before you know it, it was the whole damned thing. Good news, we saw every wall in the house and now knew, that yes, in fact the back wall and entry of the house were a bit dodgy with termite damage, but the rest was solid. Which led us three years later to reno number three, hereinafter known as RENO RIDICULOUSO!!!
So, there ya go, you’ve been warned. This is not a story of sunshine and rainbows. It’s a “show you all my warts so we can all laugh” kinda tale.It's also (buyer beware) not entirely true. Truth is subjective. And I've stretched it in the name of sanity. So... yeah. Join the journey but don't take me too seriously, that would be a serious mistake.
Every week to ten days or so I will recount the story of our year of renovations, told a year later. It’s a story of how I fed my family(usually), kept my cool (mostly) and remained married (for now) at the end. It’s a story of recipes and wreckage. Welcome, I hope that you enjoy our journey more than we did. 😊
Turkish Eggplant and Lamb (or the kind of meal that I made when I had a kitchen)
1 large eggplant
6 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 cups plain greek yogourt (high fat, go for the fat, you'll love it! Just don't do it often. I don't want to be responsible for your ill health friends)
1 tsp salt
1 lb ground lamb
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp dried chili flakes
handful of chopped coriander
Cut eggplant in half, drizzle with 3 tbsp olive oile and bake facedown for 30 minutes in 400 degree F oven
Scoop out eggplant flesh and chop when cooled enough that you can take it (Can you handle this!?)
Fry over medium heat with garlic and remaining olive oil, 3 to 5 minutes
Stir in yogourt and salt and remove from heat
Fry the lamb in the butter in another pan (ah, the moment when I had multiple pans), drain the fats off and stir in dried child flakes, salt and pepper
Add the lamb to the eggplant, pop some coriander on top and you're there!
Reno Ridiculouso: Not yet ridiculous, although still kinda big really.
This is a story about a reno gone wrong and the food that sustained us. I hope that you’ll join us in reliving our year long adventure, in food, family and renovation chaos. Welcome!
In the beginning, it was all about termites, or at least the possibility of them. Six years ago we bought our east Toronto home knowing that it had formerly had termites and that this was contained. However, the area still had termites and we had a back entry that had below grade wood, a serious no no in termite land. I remember that I sat at the farm style kitchen table while our very enthusiastic (and ridiculously good looking) realtor and my husband toured the basement. I had heard from the termite guy that it had had termites and been treated and that there was no sign of any current infestations. I was in despair.
We had been searching for a new home for six months and time was running out. Our first house had not yet sold, but it’s Toronto it would sell any day. It wasn’t that we didn’t like our first house, but it had problems. The new house (house 2) had problems too but they were of a different, more cosmetic, less structural variety. I prefer my house problems non -structural, personally.
But, here we were. Termites and below grade wood. I was in tears. I asked the termite guy what he would do. He was of the super reliable, mustachioed, grey haired late fifties variety. Ma’am, if I had the money I would buy this house now. Five bedrooms at this price! I’ve bought four houses with termites and never regretted it. But you gotta take that back entry off or in ten years the termites will come. Ok then.
So I was in New York when the day come up for final offers. Standing by the Hudson with one of my friends who was there singing in an opera at Brooklyn Academy of Music, I made a major life decision in seconds. Drop the offer by 40k and see what they say. I told my husband. That’s what I thought too. Done. And it was. Just like that. I signed via fax from our hotel and we were the proud owners of a five bedroom in east Toronto. With past termite damage, a lot of cat pee smelling old carpet and waaaay too many walls. But, as we discovered later, well loved and with a story of family and community that would guide the way for us in the years to come. Thus began a six year renovation journey.
We took possession with a plan for a two month reno to remove all the old carpet, refinish or replace flooring and open one wall between the living room and kitchen to create a more open plan. This reno, it went fine. The hubby and my dad took on most of it and all went well.
Reno number two was the removal of all the lathe and plaster. In actual fact it was intended to be some of the lathe and plaster, but, hey, that stuff really peels when you get going and before you know it, it was the whole damned thing. Good news, we saw every wall in the house and now knew, that yes, in fact the back wall and entry of the house were a bit dodgy with termite damage, but the rest was solid. Which led us three years later to reno number three, hereinafter known as RENO RIDICULOUSO!!!
So, there ya go, you’ve been warned. This is not a story of sunshine and rainbows. It’s a “show you all my warts so we can all laugh” kinda tale.It's also (buyer beware) not entirely true. Truth is subjective. And I've stretched it in the name of sanity. So... yeah. Join the journey but don't take me too seriously, that would be a serious mistake.
Every week to ten days or so I will recount the story of our year of renovations, told a year later. It’s a story of how I fed my family(usually), kept my cool (mostly) and remained married (for now) at the end. It’s a story of recipes and wreckage. Welcome, I hope that you enjoy our journey more than we did. 😊
Turkish Eggplant and Lamb (or the kind of meal that I made when I had a kitchen)
1 large eggplant
6 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 cups plain greek yogourt (high fat, go for the fat, you'll love it! Just don't do it often. I don't want to be responsible for your ill health friends)
1 tsp salt
1 lb ground lamb
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp dried chili flakes
handful of chopped coriander
Cut eggplant in half, drizzle with 3 tbsp olive oile and bake facedown for 30 minutes in 400 degree F oven
Scoop out eggplant flesh and chop when cooled enough that you can take it (Can you handle this!?)
Fry over medium heat with garlic and remaining olive oil, 3 to 5 minutes
Stir in yogourt and salt and remove from heat
Fry the lamb in the butter in another pan (ah, the moment when I had multiple pans), drain the fats off and stir in dried child flakes, salt and pepper
Add the lamb to the eggplant, pop some coriander on top and you're there!
Great job honey! The first time I read the recipe my brain substituted "avocado " for "eggplant" and I just couldn't visualize how the whole roasted with yoghurt thing was going to taste....second time I read it- EUREKA,! - eggplant ! Much better! Xo
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