Mom-Day at Home and Dinner Out in Neon Green Jeans, Pink Shoes and Embroidered Denim

Welcome back, Gentle Readers! A variety of circumstances conspired so that Mom and I were not able to go out for our Mom-Day Adventure, so instead I invited Mom over to have a home-cooked lunch and chill out with me and Vizzini for the afternoon.

A quick selfie. 

I set the Queen's Chair up in the dining room area with a side table so that Mom could talk to me and sip tea while I cooked. I made tortellini with Green Sauce* and mushrooms, grilled cheese sandwiches, and we enjoyed some fudge, strawberries and salted caramel Ghirardelli chocolates for dessert. 

*Bonus recipe at the end! 

I had an evening date with my long-time bestie Janet and briefly flirted with changing my outfit, but eh, didn't feel like it. 

Ahoy! It was sunny off and on, mixed with grey clouds. 

• Embroidered denim jacket - Paparazzi, thrifted, Vancouver; last worn here in February with the same tee for another Mom-Day
• T-shirt - Blondie, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in August to see Ice Cube in concert
• Jeans - Mac Jeans; last worn here in September with jungle pink for brunch
• Shoes - Tudor Fiske, Fluevog; purchased here for $199.00
• Fuzzy Flamingo coat (below) - Auckie Sanft, vintage 60s, vintage fair; last seen here in April

I'm wearing this semi-outerwear coat/jacket as my extra layer for warmth over the t-shirt. It's so cool, but has zero pockets. WTF, who makes jackets without pockets!? 

I built this outfit around the new pink Fluevogs, plus this pair of neon green "jeans" for one of my Substack readers, Sita. 

They have massive pockets! Look at that! 

Giant back pockets and huge pockets in front. I didn't even need to carry a purse! 

I also wanted to be comfortable for cooking - the green sauce takes a lot of chopping and sautéing. I still got chocolate on myself (thank goodness for Folex). I'll be sleeping in my Blondie tee! 

These jeans are the trendy "barrel" cut - honestly, they are still a little weird for me. 

I think we might be making fun of them in 10 years. 

However, I love the colour and the baggy legs - I cuffed them to emphasize the pink shoes. 

Isn't the jacket spectacular?

It's practically crusted with embroidery. It's a heavy garment!

I walked to town to meet up with Janet for dinner at Zambri's (our regular spot).

"Wait, you are going to feed me first, right?"

Yes, buddy, I would never forget you.

Another layer was needed. All this pink makes me feel solidarity for my sisters all over the world. 

It's a defiant colour! As Frank Turner says, "I will not sit down, and I won't shut up." And I certainly will be seen! 

Accoutrements: 

Skulls for my Hallowe'en soul. 

• Toque - thrifted
• Silk scarf - Alexander McQueen, consignment
• Leather gloves - consignment

The stuff: 

These shoes were lovely and comfy - no rubbing, nothing. I plan on wearing them until they fall apart. 

Minimal bling: 

I let all the colour in my outfit do the talking. 

• Belt - gift from Ruth
• Fang bangle - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Sidney
• Silver cuff - thrifted, Powell River
• Gold/amethyst ring - Francis Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's
• Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop, Florence, Italy
• Silver earrings - consignment

Mom got a new cell phone (she lost her little flip phone) with a touch screen for ease of texting, so we spent some time getting it set up after lunch, getting her used to entering numbers into her Contacts and using predictive text. She texted everyone to tell them...she won't be texting them, ha ha! But she was a trooper, and learned a lot! Well done, Mom! 

"Wait, I thought this was about me?"

He loves visiting Mom - she gives good scritches. 

Of course, lunch was interrupted by workers coming to fix our wonky deck doors, but we still had a lovely afternoon catching up and talking.

Love you, Mom! Thanks so much for coming over.

Vizzini was lurking around while I took pictures. 

"I'm the perfect accessory."

It's true - black and white goes with pretty much everything! 

And now, signing off for the Remembrance Day long weekend. My friends, do things that make you happy - look at art, wear bright colours, go out into nature for a walk, hug your love ones (human and furry) - and please do pop in on Monday for tales of adventure. 

And here's my Green Sauce Recipe - I don't have it written down; I just wing it. 

• Start with a tub of ricotta (I like the light version, and only buy it when it's on sale). 
• Buy a bunch of chard, and a bunch of kale, whatever's cheap and on sale. Wash it, strip out the main "vein" and chop roughly. Leave it wet.
• Chop 2 small onions and sauté them in some sort of vegetable oil in a large frying pan (I use a cast iron pan and sunflower oil). 
• Assemble all your sad greens, what's leftover or getting rubbery in the fridge: I used celery, green onion today, but I've also thrown in old lettuce, leftover boxed greens and spinach. Chop it all up.
• If you like garlic, add that. I do not, so I don't use it.
• Add the sad greens to your cooking onion/garlic. Add water if they start sticking to the pan, and cook 'em down until they are nice and soft and well browned. Add salt and pepper; just a few cranks of pepper, and wave the salt over the pan once or twice.
• Toss a few handfuls of your washed, chopped greens in the pan at a time and cook them down so they shrink. Keep adding greens until they are all in there. Add a splash of water if you need to - the steam helps it all cook down in to a big wet green mess. 
• Add more salt and pepper, and THIS IS IMPORTANT - NUTMEG. Shake lots of nutmeg in there - give the greens an even coating. Give it a stir - taste it. Add a few more shakes of nutmeg. Seriously, it's the key! The first time I made this, I was cautious about it, and it tasted too bland.
• Take the smelly pan off the heat and get your blender out. I like an immersion blender as it's easier to clean up than tabletop blenders, but you do you.
• Put a few scoops of the green mix into a deep bowl with a few scoops of the ricotta. Blend until lumpy (like a well-cooked tomato sauce), not fully liquid. We need some fibre in there still! 
• Repeat until you've blended all of the green stuff and the ricotta into a gross browny/green creamy mix. It doesn't look very good, but it sure tastes yummy! Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Portion about 2/3 of a cup into small tubs and freeze it. One tub is good for two people, and it makes 4-6 tubs. It keeps in the freezer for months; thaw in the sink overnight or in the fridge, your call.

How I use Green Sauce: 

It is fantastic with any kind of freshly cooked pasta  - mix well. Add chicken, prawns, sausage and roasted veggies and lightly stir. Top with parmesan cheese.

I'm also planning on lightly stirring tortellini and green sauce in shredded cheese with a layer on top and baking it for my Winesday Women! Shhhh, don't tell them! 

Cheers,

Sheila