Autumnal Geekquinox 2026: "Best of" #2

 

Once again--Geekquinox. Autumnal. Best of, the second time around.

Two absent, stricken by illness and injury. We who remained--carrying on valiantly. To eat what they could not; to drink what their lips would not touch. To share conversations later, and bring juicy leftovers. 

To begin: cocktails, virgin and wanton. Recipes tried and tested true. 

The tally for teetotallers.

I partnered with Scott to absorb the Silken Verdure. Sweet. Cold. Chilling in its crisp ambience. Delicious and smooth. A clear, perfect, see-through cube of ice. 

The appetizer. Atomic buffalo turds. Crudely named. Finely assembled. Fresh off the BBQ--sausage, sauce, and cheese wrapped in a jalapeno pepper. Hot stuff for a hot day and a cool crowd. 

Consumed on the back deck on an unseasonably hot September 19. In the distance, a sinister reflection. An Alpha male at the forefront. 

Perfectly pleasing. Snappy, sweet, scintillating. The pear and pomegranate salad. Presented perfectly, gobbled with gusto. 

And what next? A short rest. Use hit dice to regain hit points. Prepare for the next assault on the taste buds. 

The chef's court. Ruler of his culinary domain. 

An audience for the queen. Of beasts and men. And women. 

One of the wanton cocktails, clutched firmly in Mike's fickle fingers. 

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha--

--hamacha shots. A sudden, surprising shock of savoury sensation, twice over. 

Back in time by an hour. The main course. Beef Wellington. Named for the general? The city? It matters not; all wellington and good. Better than good: scrumpsational. 

Unseen: key lime pie. Dessert. Tart. 

Bringing home the bacon. The beef. The pastry. The mushrooms and fois gras. A tender moment. 

Gratitude? Boundless. It was a very good day...to dine. 

Natufian Rhapsody

15,000 years ago
Hungry Natufians
Mashed grain and water to make dough
For family and friends
Set fire to stone and made it glow
Cooked that dough until those stones
Turned red
Served it up sans cutlery
And called the meal flatbread

Cereal Mixing

Today, we had cereal for breakfast. For Sylvia, Weetabix; for me, Cheerios. 

"Have you ever mixed cereals?" Sylvia asked. 

I recoiled. I'd never imagined such a thing. 

"Mixed cereals? Like, two different kinds of cereal in the same bowl?" 

"Yeah," she said. "It's the cereal power move." 

I said "Blech," or words to that effect. 

Before today, I've never heard of people mixing breakfast cereal together. Do other folks out there actually do this? If so, what cereals do you mix? 

I suppose combining, say, Special K with Corn Flakes wouldn't be so bad. 

The Chili Verde of Choice

One of the many highlights of Gaming and Guinness is Pete's homemade chili verde. It is incredibly savoury and scrumptious, especially when served in a sourdough bread bowl. I'm so glad I was there tonight for this! 
 

Vernal Geekquinox 2026: Dem Bones, Dem Tasty Bones

The great thing about bones, in a culinary sense, is their ability to act as handles for meat. This year's first Geekquinox, held yesterday afternoon, was built on very sold bones: Pete and Ellen's peerless hosting and cooking skills, and friendships that now stretch back decades. Zounds! 

The lamb lollipops were so delicious that I forgot to take a photo before they'd all been scarfed down--thanks to Stephen for this photo! Moist, juicy, tender--I don't have lamb often, but wow, these were scrumptious. They certainly put a SHEEPISH GRIN on my face! 

The next course consisted of braised lamb shanks served on a bed of rice. The sauce...oh, the sauce...the meat and the rice were excellent, too, of a quality far better than, I dare say, most restaurants. 

Here's our dapper chef in his skeleton-themed shirt, alongside a couple of the cocktail recipes. I'm not a drinker, but apparently at least one of them was "face-numbing." 

Ellen took this shot of us, which means she's not in it! Still a fun photo that captures the feeling of the day. 

We took a break between courses to marvel at Pete and Ellen's just-completed library. It's utterly gorgeous, and really makes me want to do something similar in my (much smaller) space. 

Unfortunately, family matters called us away early, so we missed the steak and the duck. But we did share a piece of this amazing homemade dinosaur dig cake. Needless to say, we dug it, bones and all. 

For better photos and a more comprehensive writeup, including the dishes we missed, see Steve's story of the event! 

Presentation Matters

Sylvia felt a bit weak and sore in the wake of our COVID-19 booster shots yesterday, and all she wanted for supper was some saltines and guacamole. So I served it up in high style, dinner in bed for my little princess. 
 

The Annual Holiday Overeating Coma

Actually taken a few days before the holidays, but the sentiment holds. I don't remember Gemini being involved in this image, but there's the watermark in the corner . . . must have used it to add the Zs. 
 

Pete and Ellen's Big Fat Greekquinox

 Yesterday Pete and Ellen once again hosted a spectacular multi-course meal, this time themed after Greece, where they spent their late honeymoon earlier this year. The choice may have been on-the-nose for the couple, but speaking only for myself, the menu ranks among my favourites. Check out the Pete-designed menu above and the photos below to see if you agree. 

We began with savoury vegetarian spanakopita--light, flaky, golden brown pastry stuffed with spinach, cheeses, and spices, topped with Pete's homemade tzatziki sauce. (Everything was home-made; forgive the redundant adjective.) Actually, we topped pretty much everything on the menu with tzatziki. "Keep eating this stuff, I have two more litres in the fridge!" Pete entreated us. We were happy to oblige. 

Lemonade with mint leaves and a lemon slice--incredibly tasty, tangy, and refreshing. Even the coasters and napkins were inspired by Grecian art. 

I attempted to look Greek by borrowing a gold necklace from Sylvia and unbuttoning my shirt to expose my hairy chest. Rather risqué for me, but I wanted to support the theme. Sylvia pulled it off more easily, having a wider range of choices. 

The strips of chicken souvlaki and the tangy Greek rice were superb--rich in flavour, perfectly textured, a delight for the palate. 

Jeff, Steve, Audrey, Pete, Ellen, and Mike enjoying the first course. 

Pete's apron was on point. 

A Greek salad worthy of the gods with onion, feta, tomatoes, and a dressing I assume was oil and vinegar. 

Greek potatoes cooked and seasoned to perfection. 

Slow roasted lamb with au jus. I eat lamb very unfrequently, but I'm grateful Pete served this up--so moist, so juicy. 

While attempting to get a shot of Pete framed between the black cupboards, he leaned left just as Stephen was taking a photo of the food. I call this the EyePhone effect. 

The shot I intended to take. 

Galaktabourekos, a honey-sweet pastry custard named for the Milky Way--truly a dessert from and for the stars. 

And here's a lovely shot (courtesy of Steve) of this year's hosts and guests. Thank you all so much again for yet another unforgettable evening of feasting and fellowship! 

A Present from Mom

Mom was in the habit of giving Sean and me cash for expenses incurred while helping her. We protested, but she was persistent. 

Some of that cash was left over since her passing, so while Sean and I were in Leduc to settle some affairs of her estate this morning, we stopped at Habaneros and shared a meal and this delicious deep fried ice cream. Mom enjoyed this place and we'd eaten there together a few times before, so we think she would have approved. 
 

The Banal Miracle

 

Vernal Geekquinox 2025: Old Fashioned Feast and Friendship

 

On Saturday night, Ellen and Pete once again put on a spectacular multi-course meal for a bunch of us to celebrate the coming of spring and the bonds of friendship that have lasted for so many years. Pete designed the menu above and the menu we ate, and every bite was a delight. 

In keeping with the loose 1950 North Americana theme, we began by snacking on devilled eggs and Cheez Whiz-filled celery sticks. What a throwback to childhood! 

Then, Pete delivered a heaping plate of rumaki--bacon wrapped around water chestnuts and chicken livers, marinated in some sort of delicious sauce. Despite finding liver traumatizing, the tiny bits of chicken liver in this dish did nothing to detract from the savory delight of what was a new experience for me. Sylvia went to town on these, and I can't blame her! 

Somehow we still had room for the main course. The juicy beef melted like butter in my mouth, and the cheese-covered broccoli--well--it was no ordinary cheese-covered broccoli. I don't know how Pete made the cheese sauce, but it certainly wasn't simply by melting some random cheese and pouring it on. I skipped the turnips--I've always found them bitter vegetables indeed--but I enjoyed the creamy mashed potatoes, cloudlike in their perfection. (Not pictured, but it's a bowl of mashed potatoes, what do you want?)

The main course also included--HOORAY--Yorkshire pudding, a Woods family favourite. Light, fluffy perfection. 

Poor Pete and Ellen run themselves ragged preparing these meals while also circulating with the guests. We love them for it! 

I love that Geekquinox brings together the guys and gals of our friends group. The women did a great job of bringing some 50s fashion to the festivities. 

Sylvia and I couldn't stay for the shrimp cocktail, French onion soup, or dessert, but even so we were there for about eight hours of lovely conversation and reconnections. In these rough times, such moments are genuine treasures.