Pasty white Canadian farm boy comfort food

Saturday night I hosted house guests plus a couple of more friends for dinner. Well, let me back up a second. Pardon me if my brain seems addled, I'm a bit dehydrated from watering the bathroom floor with my eyes. If only it were covered with plants!

My friends Ryan and Cole from Florida and Maggie crashed here during Alt Summit.

Ryan is great friends with photographer Jason Hudson who also happens to be a fantastic cook. So we called him to tell let him know he'd be cooking dinner for six adults. I was like, listen. I don't know you, but think fast, hon. If I write about this you will be judged, and considering what's been said about me in the last week the Internet will hear about what you cooked and if they don't like it they will accuse you of botoxing your entire face.

THE CONNECTION IS SO OBVIOUS. Once I write about it YOUR FACE IS FAIR GAME.

Ryan and I picked him up from his hotel and hit a grocery store to pick up ingredients. Problem is Ryan had his own ideas about what a good meal on a snowy Saturday night might look like, and Jason? Jason has his own ideas about everything. Including the idea that Ryan is always wrong.

The menu we showed up to shop for changed four times before they both agreed on pork roast, and as we were checking out Jason pulled me aside and asked if people ever recognize me around town. I said sometimes, usually after I've worked out and am looking like a herding dog who has rolled around in the snow, yes. And now that the local news has covered Recent Happenings, how scandalous is it that I'm grocery shopping with two strange men?

As a favor he snapped three times, waved his arm dramatically and pretended to faint. "Well, then," he said. "Let me really gay it up for you."

(Jason is gay so he is allowed to to gay it up. Don't be mean to him. Also, he doesn't botox anything. Except maybe his enemies.)

(I can see the headline now: DOOCE MISSES DATING GAY MEN, RECENT HAPPENINGS EXPLAINED)

You guys would never believe the meal he put together. It was like a Thanksgiving feast just whipped out of thin air: pork roast with rosemary, a green bean salad, mashed potatoes, and apple chutney. A FEW THINGS: Ryan and Cole threw together a signature salad that trumps any salad I've ever eaten, so I have to give them credit for that part of the meal. I don't want them to read this, see that I didn't mention the salad, and then FedEx me the severed finger of one of my close relatives.

Also, I pitched in with the mashed potatoes, and when Jason glanced over and saw what I was doing he broke out into glorious song: "Salt salt, butter butter, salt salt, butter butter, salt salt, butter butter, salt salt, butter butter, AMERICAAAAAAAAA!" Because he's Canadian and they are more civilized. I was like, I bet your nightly news starts with, "BREAKING: Local woman is rude to her neighbor."

ALSO: Apple chutney? Who just whips up apple chutney? I mean, other than Gwyneth?

I may have referred to it as apple chutley all night but only because I want to live next door to a Chutley who shovels the snow in his bathrobe and slippers while holding an unlit cigar in his mouth.

A much needed good time, and I'm so lucky to know all these people. It feels really good to take photos again.

Daily 42 comments


  • SurprisingWoman said:

    Holy cats! Never thought I would be first on Dooce. Figures it isn't my best literary endeavor but I'm first so who cares.

    I hope your friends made time for Sundance while they were in town, if they like film. I volunteer but I don't like going to movies so I always give away my volunteer vouchers. I'm odd but I support what I believe in the ways I can.

  • slappyintheface said:

    I am so glad that you had a great time ... you needed a great time. Good people are good to have around .... now I just need to find me some.

  • laura.elaine said:

    love it all. and ryan didn't even mention you in HIS post! i wish you could have seen my bulging eyes when i spotted him here. love all the photos, and glad you had such a fabulous time.

  • papernapkin said:

    You're just going to leave us hanging with no salad recipe?! Apparently you're not aware of the vegetable deficit in my life!

  • mybottlesup said:

    oh, this made me happy. i was hoping you would have a good weekend with good company. your photos are beautiful and warm. glad you are shooting again. (not heroin).

  • Meauxzie said:

    That picture of you is gorgeous. Not bad for a woman who is leaving a trail of a 1,000 (x 1000) tears on her bathroom floor!

  • Janice said:

    Sooooo glad you had a good weekend with friends.

    Did the freshly cut hair go into the chutley or the salad?

  • Mama Kat said:

    I'm suddenly overcome with the desire to invite gay men over and make out with fruit. I'm certain that was the take away here.

  • MelissaJ said:

    i'm so glad you had friends to hang with this weekend...i hope they appreciated the bathroom floors cleaned with tears. HA

    even though the pain shows, you are doing it!

    YEA HEATHER!

  • cassidy.stockton said:

    Yay! I'm so glad you got some good food, good company and good laughter in your belly this weekend!! Cheers to good friends, eh? (that's for your Canadian BFF)

  • Kristin in KS said:

    There are no friends quite like gay male friends. I wouldn't give mine up for anything in the world! Whenever I meet a gay man in our small-ish town for the first time, my husband marvels that I hadn't met him before!

  • Willie1955 said:

    I don't usually leave comments on blogs I read. I guess I'm kind of a stalker. I've been reading you since before you had Leta. My heart hurts for you. I wish the best for you and your family. And if you could give Chuck a french kiss for me, I'll owe you.

    Phyllis

  • moblyana said:

    Oh such happy photos! Glad you are surrounding yourself with love and light :-) Oh, and Mormon tv can screw itself and then be ex-communicated (or whatever they do to those who masturbate).

  • PunkinP said:

    Well you had darned good company with Ryan and Cole and darned if I'm envious of Jason getting his hair cut by Cole. Ahh...if only...

    I want a new gay BFF. I miss mine. Glad you had a great time!

  • Gerberdaisy said:

    Oh GOB, this made me snort in a very un-lady-like fashion: ""Well, then," he said. "Let me really gay it up for you."

    Also, the pics are amazing!

    And Phyllis, I'll second that!

  • KathyRo said:

    Botox in your lip? Ha ha ha -- pul-eeze.
    Everybody knows Botox is for your ass.

    Glad to see you enjoying yourself! If only for a little while...the bathroom floor thanks you too.

  • tallnoe said:

    I love the fact that one of your awesome fun night scenes is of a friend getting a haircut... that makes me giggle. :D

    Glad you enjoyed yourself. Food is one of the few reasons I'm SUPAH excited about going back to the USA.

  • inward facing girl said:

    I was lucky enough to be part of Jason's photography design camp session. He is hilarious and I wish I could have him around all the time. Maybe someone will create a cloning shrink gun and I could have a pocket Jason. That would be awesome.

  • honeydunce said:

    perhaps a random comment but Heather--your hair looks absolutely lovely in that picture. I know that the in-between growing out process of hair can be awkward, but you do it so damn well!

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