Roasted Cauliflower Risotto

Who knew that posting recipes at dinner time would cause so many people to ask for recipes? :)

Here is the recipe for the Roasted Cauliflower Risotto from Canadian Living - the Vegetarian Collection.

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower (about 2lb/1kg)
• 3 (or more) cloves of garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 onion (or 1 large shallot)
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (as son #1 was eating it, I substituted broth)
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for "garnish" (if desired)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim cauliflower and cut into florets.  Toss together with garlic, 2 tbsp of oil and 1/4 tsp of the salt.  Roast on baking sheet (with parchment paper on top) in oven until golden and tender, about 35 minutes.  Mash garlic with a fork.
2. While the cauliflower/garlic are in the oven, bring broth and water to boil; reduce heat to low and keep warm.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the remaining oil (1 tbsp) over medium-high heat; fry onion and remaining salt, stirring occasionally, until softened but not coloured, about 3 minutes.
4. Add rice, stirring to coat and toast grains.  Add wine; cook, stirring, until almost no liquid remains, about 1 minute.
5. Add broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time and stirring after each addition until most of the liquid is absorbed before adding more, 18-20 minutes total.  The rice should be loose, creamy but not mushy, and still slightly firm.
6. Stir in cauliflower, garlic, cheese and parsley.   Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese (if desired).

Testing Twitter feed

OC Transpo Strike: Online Petition and Feedback to the Industrial Relations Board

With the threat of a winter storm tomorrow and traffic being horrific, it may be time to do our part to end the OC Transpo strike that has been on for the past 28 days. I received the petition from a friend and found the information regarding the feedback to the industrial relations board after hearing a news article on the cbc.

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There is a petition for transit being declared an "essential service" (and ordering the workers back to work). Here's the link if you are interested - it's simple and takes 30 seconds:
http://www.petitiononline.com/transpo/petition.html

NOTE - there is a typo in the petition as written though, so to correct it, when you are typing in your name and address for your signature, you can simply cut and paste the following note in the Comment field (or write your own explanation): * With a correction to the third last word in the fourth sentence of the petition changing the "and" to "an".

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If you can find a reason that the strike provides an immediate and serious danger to the safety or health of the public, please read the following and email/fax/write to the Industrial Relations Board.

http://www.cirb-ccri.gc.ca/octranspo_eng.asp


Notice To The Public

In the matter of the Canada Labour Code (Part I - Industrial Relations) and a referral by the Minister of Labour to the Canada Industrial Relations Board pursuant to section 87.4(7) involving the City of Ottawa (OC Transpo) and the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 279.
The Minister of Labour, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, has requested that the Canada Industrial Relations Board determine the action, if any, that is required in order for the employer, the union and the employees in the bargaining unit to comply with section 87.4(1) during a work stoppage.

Section 87.4(1) of the Canada Labour Code provides that: "During a strike or lockout not prohibited by this Part, the employer, the trade union and the employees in the bargaining unit must continue the supply of services, operation of facilities or production of goods to the extent necessary to prevent an immediate and serious danger to the safety or health of the public."
Keeping this criterion in mind, members of the public have an opportunity to provide a written explanation as to why they think this obligation is or is not being met during the current work stoppage involving the City of Ottawa (OC Transpo) and the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 279.

Submissions must provide specific details in support of the statements being made and must be limited to the issue raised in this notice. They must also include the name and contact information of the person making the submission. Please note that all submissions received will be transmitted to the employer and the trade union for their review and comment.

Submissions may be sent to the Canada Industrial Relations Board as follows:
by email at octranspo-atu@cirb-ccri.gc.ca
by fax at 613-941-4461
by regular mail or by hand at the following address:
Canada Industrial Relations Board, Regional Director
C.D. Howe Building, 4th Floor West, 240 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0X8

Please note that all written submissions must be received at the Canada Industrial Relations Board no later than 5:00 p.m. on January 9, 2009.

Ginette Brazeau
Executive Director and Senior Registrar

Bonk

Connor being silly before bed...

Expanding the family tree

Things have been quite hectic for the Seaborn family this summer. Even though only one of us was playing competitive ultimate, the summer just flew by. It's hard to remember how we spent Connor's first summer.

We took an early vacation to coincide with Geofford's regionals tournament in Waterloo and we spent the week at Cawaja beach on Georgian Bay. It was quite the relaxing week and it was nice to have doting grandparents caring for Connor. Geofford and I were able to spend a day together at Wonderland with Damian and Michelle. We started the day on Behemouth, which made me nauseous for the rest of the day, but it was worth it ;) Connor loved his week at the beach and he is definitely a water baby. Although the water was a little chilly, he still had a fabulous time splashing in the water and sitting in his floaty raft. This was my first trip to Cawaja for the beach and I can't wait to do it again next summer.

The rest of July was a little bit of a blur for me as I was organizing things for Mixed Up, which took up most of my free time. Fortunately Geofford was still off with Connor so he could take care of dinner and house things.

August was also a blur with practically every weekend spent at UPI for ultimate tournaments and playoffs. Geofford also went to Calgary for just under a week for Nationals. Although the team did not finish as strong as last year, Geofford had a great time and was happy not to have to drive back to Ottawa to spend the weekend at the hospital like he did last year :)

Connor celebrated his first birthday party with a small party with friends and family. He decided to stand unassisted for the first time that day to the delight of everyone. He still prefers to move around by crawling as it is faster than cruising so he hasn't taken his first steps yet. We are expecting it anyday now.

With Connor's first birthday also comes the end of Geofford's parental leave. He took an extra week off of vacation to go to Calgary, but Connor and I couldn't attend because we were doing the transition from being at home to spending time at daycare. Connor's transition was amazing, it took at lot less time than anticipated and he seems to love his daycare and daycare provider Lynne. Although, it is nice when I go to pick him up and he is still happy to see me.

I guess the biggest news for the Seaborn family is that this summer we found out that Connor will be a big brother sometime in February-March 2009. The official due date is March 2nd, but due to the closeness in ages and the fact that I had a c-section first time around, the obstetrician doesn't want to take any chances, so the second Seaborn baby will have to be a planned c-section. I am a little disappointed, but I hear that planned c-sections are easier than emergency c-sections and hope my recovery will be easier especially since Connor will be 18-months :)

Here are a the first few pictures of new Baby Seaborn.

Hopefully I will publish updates more often now.