college

In University, when we partied too hard, there were no children to tend to in the morning. Nobody depended on us for food and basic sustenance. Nobody needed their bums wiped and diapers changed. All we needed to do was to make it to the medicine cabinet for some Vitamin I and go back to bed. And our bodies were much more resilient than they are today and could endure far more revelry than they can now. At least, mine could. But not anymore.

We were very silly last Saturday night. We attended the yearly Winter Beer Taste up at our local neighbourhood center. It's quite a big deal, with more than 30 Pacific Northwest breweries showcasing their  best seasonal ales. It takes place in the charming old wooden building that is the original Phinney Neighborhood Center, which was built in 1901 and served as an elementary school well into the nineteen-eighties. The old, blue building is warm and welcoming, complete with high ceilings, creaky floors, original woodwork and a massive central staircase that has a patina from more than one hundred years of big and little feet treading on it.

We were very silly last Saturday night. We drank lots of beer. Lots of deep, dark, sometimes malty, sometimes hoppy, sometimes chocolaty, mostly delicious winter ales, stouts and porters. Some of them were bourbon barrel aged. Some of them were infused with coffee. Some of them were fresh hopped. More than half of them had an alcohol content of over 9%. How many beers did I drink? I'm not quite sure. The entrance included a 6oz tasting glass and 10 tickets, which you are supposed to give to the brewer in exchange for a beer. I still had 10 tickets in my pocket on Sunday morning as the result of a silly game we play and according to which the person who ends up with the most tickets at the end the evening wins (we still haven't figured out a prize).

You would think that 60oz of beer -roughly two and a half imperial pints- is not that much. But here's the thing. The building is packed with people. Hundreds of very happy, very drunk people. It's hot. You've got three hours (two and half in our case because we got there a little late) and so many delicious brews to choose from. So, maybe you drink a little more and a little faster than you should. And maybe you are on a roll, and you forget that you are no longer college-aged, and you stop by a pub on your walk home, and play some pool, and have some more beer, and act a little silly with your honey and your friends. 

Sunday morning felt like college all over again. My head hurt. There were people sleeping in my living room. Only, these people were not college-aged. These people, our friends, were in our living room as the result of a planned "sleepover". These were responsible parents whose children were sound asleep upstairs with my children. Responsible parents who went back to college for an evening. The little ones had an amazing time with our babysitter and went to bed well fed, entertained and happy, as planned. They woke up early to a "breakfast party" (my daughter's words) and got to sing, dance, run around, and eat bacon and eggs with the grownups, who quietly sipped on their coffee, sucked on their bacon and winced at every loud noise. 

Once the "party" was over, I napped with my son and woke up feeling human again. I slowly got ready for a potluck lupper with my wonderful bookclub ladies and even managed to make a soup. I went to bed at 8:30 after kissing my sleeping babies, feeling grateful for all that I have, and thankful for the fact that my college days are over (until the next Winter Beer Taste Breakfast Party Sleepover).

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After a weekend of excess and with the Holidays looming over my waistline, it is time to cleanse for a bit. This, to me, means staying clear of sugar and saturated fats - other than fish and lowfat milk in my coffee -and consuming reasonable amounts of alcohol (notice that I did not completely take alcohol out?).  And what better time to cleanse than during autumn, when the veggies taste so darn good.

Balsamic, Lemon and Garlic Vinaigrette
Enough for a salad of about 6 to 8 people.

This is one of my every day vinaigrettes and I love it. It is wonderful on everything, including roasted veggies and beets as well as mixed into a salad of brassica greens, or spinach, or radicchio or arugula. I recommend not mincing the garlic, but rather smashing it or roughly chopping it, so that it does not go into your salad or vegetables. If you prepare it half an hour or an hour ahead of time, the flavour of the garlic should have sufficiently infused into the vinaigrette. It's a little bit of this, so feel free to play around with the flavours.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
One to two cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed or coarsely chopped
Juice of half a lemon
About half a cup of good quality olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

I'm a big fan of sticking everything into a container and shaking the hell out of it until it's blended. However, if you're fancy, combine everything but the olive oil, and then proceed to slowly whisk the oil in until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Add a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of black pepper, to taste.  It keeps for two or three days in the refrigerator, but I suggest removing the pieces of garlic beforehand.