Crockpot

I tried the new slowcooker. We did a beef loin cut, with potatoes, carrots, leek, and parsnip, seasoned with just salt, pepper and cloves, and a bit of beef broth added, served with a side of couscous. Roughly based on the dish pot-au-feu, French for "pot of fire" and comparable to English beef stew. Inspiration came from the signature dish of my second host mother in Quebec during Canada World Youth. You might remember that I had a less-than-ideal relationship with my first Quebecois host family, but that I transitioned to another household before my French rotation was over.

My Malian counterpart referred to the Quebec "pot-au-feu" as "Canadian couscous" and the less intricate Malian recipe as "Malian couscous". One of my commenters made a very detailed explanation as to how those dishes might be more comparable than one might guess based on first impression.

Anyway, out of respect for my nostalgia, my mother insisted on using couscous and on calling the dish pot-au-feu. The attempt was successful. It was our first slow-cooked meal, so we were impatient and put it on high to lower the prep time to about six hours.

We've got a pork shoulder ready for tomorrow, and we're prepared to cook it on low for a full ten hours. This will be my life now. Delicious homemade meals done with minimal effort and fresh ingredients. It's funny how a microwave cooks things fast and is known for its convenience, and a crock pot cooks things slowly and is known for its convenience. Talk about two devices known for the same function with completely separate methods.

In other news, back at my place in Kitchener, I removed the carpet from my bedroom. The logic behind this was simply that tile is easier to clean than rug. My roommate first initiated concept by removing the carpet from his bedroom and then proposing we do so for the living room. For some reason, I thought this would take a certain amount of finesse, but he literally tore it out and revealed perfectly viable tiles beneath. So I grabbed a serrated knife and over the course of a few days, carved chunks out of the rug in my room, moving around heavy furniture such as my dresser and filing cabinet until I could get to everything.

I also got a new backpack. The last one I got was from a military surplus store. I wanted to get another one from the same place, but honestly, the shop owner scares me. I didn't want to arrive at his place with a destroyed version of his product, and honestly, I can never be without a backpack, so I opted for a more standard place at the mall. When that one is wrecked, I will go back to the military surplus store.

Duncan did the Pottermore test and got sorted into Gryffindor. So we are a household full of Gryffindores. I know not everyone makes it into that house, because I know two people outside the family who have done that test, and they are a Ravenclaw and a Slytherrin His Patronus was a sphinx cat, contrasting my adder snake and Mom's Newfoundland dog. His wand was similar to mine, but it was made with firwood and unyielding flexibility, making his key difference that he is much more rigid and focused on his goals, whereas I am more flexible and adaptable.