A second helping

Photo courtesy of my ridiculously-talented brother.

I started to think about writing this announcement this past Mother's Day; it seemed a suitable occasion to attempt to collect my thoughts and to begin to find the words to properly convey how very lucky I feel in life, especially in regards to becoming a mother for a second time.

Even though I have tried to maintain the focus of this site to be food and recipes, I have been nothing short of humbled by the excited and supportive responses I have received whenever my personal life has been made mention. The encouragement, kindness and advice has been an unexpected bonus to my writing, and I am wholly grateful to all of you who continue to visit.

Seven spoons has been, as I have said, inextricably tied to many important milestones in my life, and the life I share with Sean and Benjamin. It has brought me what will surely be lifelong friendships and expanded my culinary and professional horizons. Most of surprisingly of all though, it has brought me a new sense of perspective and purpose.

When these words are published, it will mean our perspective has shifted again. Our threesome has become four and I will be beginning to see that Ben, though forever and always our baby, is no longer the baby; he is now a full-fledged big brother.

I am sure that this new journey will bring many more adventures, lessons and memorable meals. I do hope that you all will join me in exploring this new territory and enjoy the stories to come. As the next little while will be a tad hectic on our end, I will be shifting the content of the site from original recipes to feature more book reviews as well as resurrecting my "Taste to Go" columns, spotlighting products and purveyors of which I am particularly fond. As soon as time (and a newborn) permits me, please look out for this new content. Finally, I will be featuring more of the photographic talents of my big brother Anik and his equally-gifted wife Rene; they both have skills that far surpass mine and I am thrilled to have them contribute to the site.

Until then, we once again thank all of you. We have to thank our family for always being there with the standing offer of babysitting and for being a source of constant strength. To our friends, thank you for being such wonderful Aunties and Uncles to Benjamin, confidants to us and a wealth of boundless enthusiasm.

And finally I would like to take a moment to thank my dear Sean, our bundle of boy Benjamin, and this latest addition to the family for being everything to me.

[William was born on June 11th at 12:22PM EST, and is a handsome fellow.]

See you all soon.

Akin to an aubergine

I was out with my lovely Mum the other day and we came across these little violet darlings, all tucked in a box at the back of the market. Though not on our list of things to buy, neither of us could resist their charming size; so they were bundled up to be brought home.

Yes, we were smitten by fruit.

Beyond their diminutive stature, I think I was most taken with their weeble-ish physique. Their little tops and gently bulging belly struck a chord with me, and my own recently expanding equator.

Though I am sure some some of my southern spread can be attributed to holiday excess, I do have a far more pleasing reason for the plumpness - and my unexplained absence towards the end of last year.

My dear Sean and I are ecstatic to say that our Benjamin is going to be a big brother.

Some astute readers may have noticed that my aforementioned absence spanned three months, or one trimester. I had not meant to take time off, but morning sickness struck at all hours of the day and with unexpected ferocity. When I could eat I was restricted to a few, rather dull, foods in small quantities. Oatmeal and banana. Toast with a bit of cheddar if I was lucky. Rice with lentils. Not really the stuff riveting food writing is made of.

I must take a moment to express my deep gratitude, once again, to our wonderful family and friends. They came with meals in hand to make sure that my boys were fed and with cozy sweaters to make sure I kept warm. Thank you for all your support and enthusiasm, we are so terribly lucky.

And so, while our last pregnancy was never highlighted here, I hope that you all will welcome a mention or two over the coming months. I am happy to say I am feeling much better and I have resumed my role in the kitchen. I am unhappy to say I am missing soft cheeses terribly and that it is frustrating to see the lack of interesting non-alcoholic beverages at restaurants.

Soon Ben will be two (my goodness!) and in a few months he won't be the littlest anymore. Big changes around these parts, but each and every one will be met with the same silly grin we have been wearing ever since we heard the news.

Thank you all for your patience with me and for still being here!

At this moment, one year ago ...

... our lives completely changed. And for that, we could not be more thankful. Happy Birthday, bundle of boy.

An introduction is in order

[Please note that the following post has been put up by me, Tara's brother, and that any errors herein are entirely my fault, I am too happy to be particularly accurate right now]

After nine months, three seasons and countless conversations, I do believe that it is time to drop some of the formality. And truly, the veil of anonymity I’ve been affording my friends and family has been gossamer at best.

First and foremost, let me present my dear S, otherwise known as my dear Sean. With whom, if you’re reading this, I have just welcomed our first child.

It seems the forces of the universe thought it would be an amusing coincidence that just as I was conceiving the idea for seven spoons, that it would be the opportune time for us to start our family as well. So as this endeavour has grown, so has my belly.

The decision to keep this impending arrival a secret has been a difficult one. Please forgive the secrecy, but as I was attempting to establish some sort of identity through cooking, I was also attempting to find some sense of self as an expectant mother.

With no possible way of hiding our news any longer, I can finally come clean over some of the lapses in updating - as Morning Sickness made its appearance around our household morning and night, or cravings had me eating steak weekly and avoiding chicken like the plague, or when my quest for blue cheese took me away from the computer.

I’ll be sure to fill you all in on the entertaining details in the coming months, along with our forays into cultivating this whole new palate at our table.

My gratitude goes out to all of you visited seven spoons, and those who have written. The comments, suggestions and friendships have been so much more than I could have hoped for. It is truly overwhelming.

I cannot express my gratitude to our parents, families and friends; how lucky we are to have such unconditional love in our lives.

I’ll talk to you all soon and until then, take care.

[Benjamin Thomas was born on January 16th at 2:28 a.m. EST, weighs 6 lbs 3 oz and is absolutely adorable. I'm sure Tara will have more details ASAP.]