Epi - Tucci

My turn to host and the theme was Stanley Tucci Italian. I was reading What I Ate in One Year for inspiration, following him on Facebook, watching  Tuscany Trek and taking lessons on making Capanata from Tucci and his mom. Fan girl.

We made a trip to St. Lawrence Market for some of the ingredients the day before, and while there we picked up some fruit, cheeses, salumi & fresh pasta. That night Laura, Peter, Rob and I went over to Kaarina's and Mike's to watch Tucci's Big Night and enjoyed a simple meal of olives, prosciutto and focaccia, fresh fusilli with red sauce, and a cheese course of creamy gorgonzola with grapes. A suitable preludio! 

Our own Big Night came the next evening, and what a menu!

MENU

aperativo

pairing: Tucci Negroni  

Kaarina - olives marinated with garlic and lemon

Diane - salumi (salami, prosciutto, bresaola)

antipasto

pairing: Emilia Lambrusco

Laura, Ligurian Focaccia

Diane, Sicilian Eggplant Caponata

primo piatto

pairing: Il Poggio, Del Sannio DOP

Kaarina - Spaghetti alla Nerano from the Amalfi coast

secondo

pairing: Fontanafredda, Gavi DOC OR Chianti Classico

Diane - Milanese Cotoletto 

contorno (served alongside secondo)

Kaarina - greens with olive oil and vinegar

Formaggio e Frutta

pairing: any wine as above

Taleggio DOP, Gorgonzola Dolce DOP (Mauri), Moliterno al Tartufo, Perlagrigrigia Truffle

figs (fresh, dried, and jam) & fresh pear

dolce

Laura - Cannoli

digestivo

We had a selection of several amaro on the table. 

Favourites were the Aranciu, Siciliano, and Pugliaese; we generally agreed that the Cynar & Fernet-Branca tasted best when mixed in specialty cocktails (like the Toronto or Cynar Negroni)

Laura had originally made Delizia Limon for the dolce, but we were having none of that! We'd had to postpone our get-together due to some sniffles. The dolce was fairly complicated to re-do, and "just not worth the effort." As a result Laura would be making some cannoli pastry from scratch. Also as a result, Kaarina's olives had been marinated for well over two weeks, and my caponata had been prepared and frozen. The day of the Epi meal we prepped ahead by making the cannoli filling, roasting the zucchini, and seasoning the meat. 

I called 5 different butchers to find the right cut of bone-in milk-fed veal, and it was only when I spoke to the Italian butcher at McEwans that I managed to find the right cut (Grazie Franco!). When it came to frying the Milanese Cotoletto, Laura gave me a hand as I didn't want to over or undercook the meat - the signal is not only the right browning, but a gentle press with the thumb as you would with steak (this is still beef, after all).

Take-aways from this meal: I was a bit surprised there was no garlic in the food we prepared that night. Not the salad, the pasta, or the cotoletto. It's a common misconception that Italians always cook with garlic. According to Kaarina, they tend to be critical of French cooks for using too much!

The scratch cannoli pastry took the dolce to the next level, and grating with fresh chocolate and pistachios enhanced it even more.

I would definitely make the capanata, focaccia, pasta and cotoletto again! Olives are delicious when marinated for two weeks. I could have gotten away with just one or two cheeses, but couldn't resist increasing the formaggio options.

Ciao Bella! 

Hola Mexico!

We are planning an escape from our cold, dark winter with a visit to Mexico.

Our early itinerary looks something like this

• Mexico City, 5N
• Michoacán, 2N nights and a trip to  the El Rosario monarch butterfly sanctuary
• Los Mochis, 1N Jardín Botánico Benjamín F. Johnston
• Chepe Express, 7N   Train departing from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, and through the Copper Canyon up to Creel, Chihuahua, a Magical Town (Pueblo Mágico) in the heart of the Sierra Tarahumara
• Puerto Villarta/Yolapa, 8N

The Chepe Express train travels through more than 350 km of spectacular scenery. When I heard about it years ago, the trip went directly on my bucket list. Now we/re booked, and the 7 day itinerary looks fantastic, with stays at historic hotels along the way.

The butterfly sanctuary is another bucket list trip. I've wanted to go ever since I heard descriptions of how millions gather in the mountains of Michoacan, resting from their marathon trip south and mating for the coming generations who will be returning north. We're staying two nights, so if the weather doesn't cooperate the first morning we'll have another chance next. The accommodations we booked are just two kilometers away, but still located in the Biosphere. 

We'll finish up soaking up some sun in Jalisco, likely a combination stay at Puerto Villarta /Yelapa /Banderas Bay.

Now to brush up on some very basic Mexican phrases and start exploring details!

November Full Moon - 2025

It was a Supermoon, and was full November 5th; fullest at 8:19 a.m.  Chill in the air.

The full moon was bright and high in the city sky as we were coming home that night from Koerner Hall. The evening was filled with acoustic strings and beautiful harmonies. I'm With Her and Ye Vagabonds took the stage.

I think my favourite tune of the night was Ye Vegabonds' 'Blue is the Eye,' 

There is also a Ye Vagabonds song that mentions the moon repeatedly in its lyrics is "When We Were Trees" The lyrics include the lines:"And the moon will wax and wane. It will soon come around again". In this world of Spotify and YouTube, I can find it on neither as of yet, but I can listen in my mind's ear:

When We Were Trees

[Verse 1]

When we were trees in another life

Our roots touching, our branches entwined

We were dancing in the breeze

And the sun shone on our leaves

[Verse 2]

When we had wings tunneling through clouds

Our hearts will full, and our voices were loud

We were balanced on the air

And we sailed without a care

[Verse 3]

The ground was green, and the sun was young

I was the Earth, you were the falling rain

We will soon be passing on

We will soon return again

[Verse 4]

I will be the charge, and you will be the wire

The bold red rose and the shining briar

And the moon will wax and wane

It will soon come around again

Portfolio Diet

I have been resisting taking statins for several years, preferring to lower my numbers with lifestyle changes. After a summer with lots of barbecued meat, restaurant meals and very little moderate cardio activity, my results were up again.

There was recently a great article Cholesterol risk for female retirees is far lower than for men, but lifestyle changes still make a difference in the Globe and Mail taking a hard look at statistics for women with high cholesterol and the 10 year risk of heart attack, stroke, angina if they chose to do nothing, take a statin, or manage through diet and exercise. Hard evidence that changing your lifetsyle is more effective in reducing cholesterol related risks than relying soly on statins. (I've copied the full aricle below)

So I brought in a bottle of Metamucil, prepared to counter any suggestion of statins by proposing fibre therapy instead. I was also going to ask my doctor for advice about the Mediterranean or Dash diet, but she countered with something far more interesting. The Portfolio Diet - The Portfolio Diet was developed by Dr. David Jenkins, a professor at the University of Toronto. His research led to the creation of this therapeutic diet in the early 2000s, which combines four main cholesterol-lowering foods: nuts, plant-based proteins, soluble fiber, and sterols.

St. Michael's Hospital, U of T and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society worked together to create a fantastic infographic. It illustrates that by including healthy food choices, you can reduce 'bad' cholesterol by as much as 30%.  My diet is probably more than halfway there, but could be tweaked. Its not about one big change, it's not all or nothing. You start by introducing one component to your diet and then work from there.

Hamilton Health Services has developed a deeper dive, along with menu choices. I'm excited to start exploring and learning more so have ordered the 30 day guide. 


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Cholesterol risk for female retirees is far lower than for men, but lifestyle changes still make a difference

FREDERICK VETTESE
SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAILPUBLISHED AUGUST 19, 2025

Our previous chart showed the risk for men with elevated cholesterol levels. This week we are looking at the implications for retirement-age women.

As before, I show the risk over a 10-year period if no steps are taken to improve cholesterol levels (i.e., “do nothing”) and, once again, I have relied on the widely accepted Framingham Risk Score.

I then look at how the risk drops if someone adopts both a regular exercise routine and a Mediterranean diet – or makes no changes other than taking a low dose of statins. This was prompted by the many readers who were skeptical about the efficacy of statins or the willingness of Canadians to change their exercise and diet routines.

Besides age, your risk level depends on how healthy you are and what steps you are prepared to take to improve your health. The women in the chart below have somewhat elevated cholesterol (total of 6.6 mmol/L), slightly elevated blood pressure (systolic of 130) and are non-smokers with no history of diabetes. (Readers who want to access their own risk can enter their personal numbers into this tool: decisionaid.ca/cvd.)

Unsurprisingly, the higher the starting age, the greater the 10-year risk, although I would have expected the risk to rise more steeply with age than it does. It was also not a surprise that the risk levels for women are significantly lower than for men – barely half. (This can be seen by comparing this chart with the previous chart.)

The bigger insight is that changing your lifestyle is more effective in reducing cholesterol-related risks than relying solely on statins. While women could reduce the risk further by both taking statins and making lifestyle changes, the additional gain is rather marginal.

I can see how these results might discourage some people from taking statins, but the better course is to consult with a doctor before coming to that conclusion.

Frederick Vettese is a former chief actuary of Morneau Shepell and the author of the PERC retirement calculator (perc-pro.ca)

Fall Pleasures

Tangles of nasturtium running wild. They are one of my favourite plants, with their round green lily pad leaves and the bright blossoms. One of the most persistent blooms of the season. I've been popping them into the ice cube trays with sprigs of lemon verbena. They do make a refreshing treat splashed with water! And a lovely cocktail. As of today we've not yet had a frost, so there are several more for the picking.

Nasturtiums & ice cubes!

I really do love fall in my garden. The hydrangea putting on its show. The smell of the daphne. Milkweed and aster in bloom. The Elizabeth roses trying to get in one last bud while the hips ripen on long stems. 

Purple cone flowers going to seed

Jack in the Pulpit fruiting

Tiger eye sumac!

Tiger eye sumac!

Interesting seed pods of butterfly milkweed

Dahlia nestled in the thyme with nasturtium leaves. Definitely not native to this ecozone ;-)

Bonsai cherry flowering

Always something new to notice.

 
This year it was how much the cedars were browning and seeding. At first I thought it was some kind of fungus or bug, but it seems to be natural die-off. It must have been a tough year for them.

I thought I would be working like crazy transplanting this fall, but I only moved a few things here and there. The Itoh Peony hasn't bloomed since I planted it May 2024, so I moved it a few feet over so it gets a bit more sun.  I may have transplanted a bit too prematurely, but it actually budded shortly after I moved it. Hoping it forgives me.

All that is really left is planting the bulbs and putting in some edging.