Tag Archives: Sorenne

Gratuitous (comfort) food porn shot of the day: tomato soup and grilled cheese

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Sorenne eating lunch with dad, 11:00 a.m., Dec. 27, 2009.

It’s not always a food porn extravaganza around the Hubbell household. Sure, last night’s dinner was marinated and oven-grilled tuna steaks, with asparagus and roasted sweet potato fries, but with the snow sticking around, and Sorenne’s nose draining like a running faucet, sometimes it’s best to stick with basics.

Tomato soup made with milk in my Dad cup — because I have a daughter who goes to McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario — along with a grilled cheese sandwich made with whole wheat bread, a drizzle of butter, lots of extra sharp cheddar, prepared in a frying pan, and served with a pickle and ketchup.
 

Sorenne’s first Hepatitis A vaccination

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Sorenne’s first birthday was fun but her 1-year doctor’s visit was not. She got 5 shots and a blood draw which left her in tears and a bit leery of nurses for future visits. All I could think about was how thankful I am that she is not a sick child and that this kind of torture is preventative and not curative treatment. I do not know how parents of sick children cope with watching their children suffer. Doug said, “Now imagine watching your child in the hospital with HUS.”

One of Sorenne’s jabs was for Hepatitis A. I got that shot and follow up in 2003-2004 because I was visiting risky countries like Iraq and Senegal. Sorenne will be immunized as a baby and we should never have to worry about at least that illness in the future. Now if only there were a vaccine for dangerous strains of E. coli, Salmonella, and other foodborne illnesses.

Champagne and cupcakes, Trailer Park Boys, and hand sanitizers in massage practices

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Holidays are all about tradition.

And nothing says tradition more than the Canadian TV show, Trailer Park Boys.

Amy and I have a polar bear that guards the compound during the long winter nights; we have champagne and cupcakes for birthday parties, and every Christmas Day, we gather round the hearth with whoever’s left in town, and watch the Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special.

Trailer Park Boys is a popular Canadian comedic mockumentary television series that ran from 2001 – 2007 and focused on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents — primarily Ricky, Julian and Bubbles (right) — living in a fictional trailer park located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

In the 2004 Christmas Special, Ricky interrupts the midnight mass to share the true meaning of the season:

“Sorry to interrupt, but I just had one of those brain-learning things pop into my head. …  What is Christmas? I just got out of jail, which was awesome, you know, they don’t have presents and lights and tress, we just get stoned and drunk, it’s the best time. And I get out here and I’m all stressed out. … That’s not what Christmas should be, you should be getting drunk and stoned with your friends and family, people that you love. … That’s Christmas. … Getting drunk and stoned with your families and the people that you love. And if you don’t smoke or drink, just spend time with your families. It’s awesome. Merry Christmas.

My mom and daughter Courtlynn spent the weekend in Manhattan (Kansas) for a little holiday cheer and to help celebrate Sorenne’s first birthday, and while we didn’t get drunk or stoned, we did just spend time with our family and friends.

My other favorite Christmas movie, Mystery, Alaska, features Russell Crowe as a hockey-playing sheriff in the town of Mystery, Alaska. The 1999 movie has nothing to do with Christmas but oozes a Jimmy Stewart kind of sentimentality as a fictional small-town hockey team plays a game against the New York Rangers.

One of the best segments is Canadian Mike Myers (party on, Garth) as play-by-play analyst Donnie Shulzhoffer, who asks during one of the breaks, “Anyone know where a guy can get a rub and a tug in this town?”

Which raises a question: should hand sanitizers be used in a massage parlor, or by massage therapists?

The Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies has concluded – maybe.

With the rising popularity of hand sanitizers, some therapists are opting to rub an alcohol-based gel between their hands in lieu of scrubbing with soap and water. While hand sanitizers have revolutionized how we practice infection control, it may not always be the best choice for massage therapists.

Bodyworkers’ hands function as their primary tools. Because their tools are reused on each and every client, keeping their hands free of pathogens is a prerequisite to being a responsible therapist. Bodyworkers must wash their hands:

· Before and after eating
· Before and after using the restroom
· Before and after each interaction with a client

At first thought, bodyworkers may think that hand sanitizers save them time during their requisite hand cleansing. However, further investigation shows that this assumption is not accurate. In addition, hand sanitizers may kill most types of bacteria and viruses but they are not sufficient for removing body fluids from the hands. Thus, the old-fashioned approach using water, soap and a towel remains the preferred way for massage therapists to achieve clean, hygienic hands.

Happy Birthday, Sorenne, and thanks to everyone who came by for champagne and cupcakes.

Gratuitous food porn shot of the day – Steamfresh corn on the cob

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Sorenne eating lunch with dad, 11:00 a.m., Nov. 18, 2009.

Kids love corn on the cob. Me too. Bit it’s difficult to find in mid-November. In Manhattan (Kansas). SO I tried out the Steamfresh frozen corn on the cob. Microwave and serve. Yummy. Expensive, but a cob of corn gives me 15 minutes to put stuff away and clean up. Better than the sucker (her first) she had after making a deposit at the bank.
 

Gratuitous food porn shot of the day – oven baked salmon, squash soup, garlic bread, strawberries and melon

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Farmed salmon fillets with oil, lime, garlic, rosemary and white wine, baked in a 400F oven. Roasted butternut squash soup with apple, cinnamon, nutmeg potato and carrot, pureed, and using a homemade chicken stock (the stock makes the soup). Cheap whole wheat buns I picked up at Dillion’s at 7 a.m. after dropping Chapman off at the airport, topped with roasted garlic in butter, rosemary and some shredded Italian cheese (the bread, not the Chapman).

She’s also eating whole strawberries and chunks of melon. Her six teeth are helping with that.

Gratuitous food porn shot of the day – rib eye steak and all the fixins

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Sorenne eating dinner with mom and dad, 6:00 p.m., Oct. 25, 2009.

Should have taken the picture last night with seafood surprise (in Manhattan Kansas?) and grandma here, but tonight will have to do:

Grilled rib eye steak with rosemary and garlic, grilled sweet potato fries, grilled Portobello mushrooms and red pepper, garlic-lime butter on home-made whole-wheat baguette, and sugar snap peas.

Say it loud, say it proud, blow dryers suck

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Daughter Courtlynn – the 14-year-old – arrived from Canada last night for a last-minute weekend bonding session with Sorenne. And Amy. And me?

While waiting for Courtlynn’s plane to arrive in Kansas City – it’s not her plane, it’s Air Canada’s plane, but she was on it – we killed some time at the Zona Rosa outdoor mall near the airport. We found the restroom with the diaper-changing facilities and saw the biggest, eco-BS hand drying sign I’ve ever seen.

The friction from rubbing with paper towel is far more effective at reducing microbial populations than dispersing the bugs everywhere with a blow dryer that doesn’t really dry hands. The County health inspectors may want to check this out.
 

Gratuitous food porn shot of the day – Canadian Thanksgiving edition

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Sorenne eating dinner with mom, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 10, 2009.

The second Monday in October is Canadian Thanksgiving. In the U.S., it’s the fourth Thursday in November.

Why the difference?

Thanksgiving is a celebration of the harvest, and the harvest happens a lot earlier in cold Canada. But the annual gathering felt particularly Canadian last night, with plants being brought inside as the first frost hung in the air – ridiculously early for Manhattan, Kansas – and Don Cherry of Hockey Night in Canada on the tube as the Kansas State 66-14 football loss was too embarrassing to watch.

It especially felt like Canada because the Toronto Maple Leafs sucked – like they have for the past 42 years.

On the menu: turkey breast (overheard? Doug, how do you get it so moist? use a meat thermometer), stuffing (more vegetables than bread and used up all the sage before the frost), acorn squash stuffed with pecans, apple, lime juice and brown sugar (got the most raves); rosemary garlic mashed potatoes (thanks for the prep help, Jen) fat-free gravy via my coolio decanter, fruit salad (thanks Peter and Yasmin) and chocolate mousse (thanks, Jen).

Gratuitous food porn shot of the day – scrambled eggs with veggies and toast

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Sorenne eating breakfast with dad, Oct. 9, 2009, 7:00 a.m.

Saute fresh rosemary, garlic, red pepper and garden-fresh tomato (the nighttime temperatures are cooler, but not quite freezing yet, when what’s left of the herbs and tomatoes will move inside). Add scrambled eggs, salt and pepper, cooking the salmonella out of the eggs. Serve with whole grain toast.

That’s toast. I like … toast.