Mary

@kilerkki

I read voraciously, write occasionally, and take a lot of photos of food and cats. Queer, married, she/her. 🇨🇦

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Mary@kilerkki· Jun 21

Got up early this morning, made a breakfast of crepes with fresh-picked strawberries and cream, then caught the ferry to the Toronto Islands for a blissful morning of trees, sun, lake, tiny little amusement park and farm, long walks, picnic, and quadricycle down the Rainbow Road 🏳️‍🌈

Two egg-yellow crepes folded in triangles over a filling of strawberries and cream (with a dollop of cream and berries on top). They are photographed on a blue and white plate held in front of a lovely mass of pink and white peonies

The Toronto skyline seen across the harbor, from the vantage point of the Island Ferry. The CN tower dominates the skyline and the sky is cloudless and deeply blue

A picnic table in the shade spread with two wax-paper wrapped sandwiches (herbed egg salad on sourdough), an open bag of Lay’s BBQ potato chips, a plastic container of ripe Ontario strawberries, and a water bottle (still half-frozen)

A view down the Rainbow Road on Toronto’s Centre Island leading to Hanlan Point. The road is painted in bold rainbow stripes all the way until it curves out of sight.

Mary@kilerkki· Jun 19

Strawberry picking for our 6th anniversary. So lucky to have found you, @meowbrey.bsky.social ❤️

A 3-liter basket of freshly picked strawberries resting on fresh clean straw, with rows of straw and strawberries stretching into the distance under a bright blue sky

Mary@kilerkki· Jun 16

This cat assisted neither with washing the dishes nor with putting them away, but has now decided the dish drying mat is The Place To Be

A handsome grey cat loafed on top of a grey and white patterned dishmat on a kitchen counter. The cat has a jaunty bowtie and a look of great innocence.

Mary@kilerkki· Jun 11

When we first fostered Paladin we kept him in the bathroom, and after being released he never once went in there alone. … However he DOES insist on accompanying me, either sitting outside the door to wait or coming right in and asking to be held. If shut out he sings sad songs of suffering. Why??

A grey cat sitting on his haunches at the entrance to his litterbox, his forepaws braced on the threshold, staring in like he’s contemplating his options

Mary@kilerkki· Jun 11

(To further complicate this metaphor, here’s the amazing bowl of biang biang noodles I ate while reading, about 5% of which ended up on my shirt. Also seasoned tea egg & spicy lamb skewer! And now I will go away with spices in my teeth to savor until I find floss. …Just like a book.)

A bowl of wide hand-pulled biang biang noodles, with a skewer of spice-sprinkled lamb meat held over the bowl

Mary@kilerkki· Jun 7

Braised pork noodles for dinner, with bok choy, chili oil, preserved mustard greens, and plenty of cilantro and green onions.

A white bowl on a white counter, filled with noodles, braised bok choy, shredded braised pork, cilantro, green onions, chopped preserved mustard greens, and chili oil

Mary@kilerkki· Jun 5

Pal is enjoying the garden this summer, too.

Grey cat loafer in the early morning sunlight between several planters on a concrete terrace.

Grey cat lying on his side on a green-striped outdoor rug. He is so tired but his paws are outstretched to touch a person’s fingertips

A gorgeous apricot-coloured rose in a crane-necked celadon vase, with a fuzzy grey cat photobombing in the background

Mary@kilerkki· Jun 5

Friday garden update: rose, marigolds, petunias, and salvia in full bloom, and the peonies and hibiscus are thinking about it. So happy with our decision to do more flowers this year. Looking forward to the stock, nasturtium, and alyssum later!

View along a balcony terrace with terra cotta pots and planters displaying various brightly coloured flowers

Close up of an apricot-coloured rose, “At Last”

Pink Sarah Bernhardt peony is just thinking about blossoming

A single bright pink peony blossom opening while behind it a tightly furled bud considers its options

Mary@kilerkki· May 31

KBBQ on our balcony. Pork belly, marinated beef, king oyster mushroom, asparagus, lettuce/kimchi/ssamjang for ssam wraps, and of course a hungry cat. (Though he’s been very well behaved for the most part!)

A view down a narrow terrace lined with blooming plants in containers. In the foreground is a Korean barbecue grill pan, then a wooden tray with a bowl of lettuce, kimchi, a plate of meats, a plate of mushrooms and asparagus, and a bottle of ssamjang.

A view of the grill setup, with mushrooms and asparagus currently cooking, and some grilled meats, kimchi, and asparagus in a bowl in the foreground. A glass of wine and a pair of scissors are on each side of the place setting

Close-up of the grill pan showing asparagus, pork belly, and mushrooms to soak up the oil

A person in a blue-striped shirt constructs a ssam wrap in one hand while a grey cat stands up with one paw on her thigh and reaches with the other towards her chopsticks

Mary@kilerkki· May 31

I am reading Laurent Binet’s PERSPECTIVE(S), which is an outrageously fun epistolary Renaissance Florentine murder mystery featuring my horrible awful no-good very bad boy Benvenuto Cellini, and what do we get but an Assassin’s Creed reference!!!

I ran to the wall; a leap from that height could be fatal, even to me. But God rewards the brave: at the foot of the wall was a cart loaded with hay, left there by some groom. It all happened in a flash: the decision, then the execution. I climbed onto the parapet, arms outspread like Christ on the cross, I closed my eyes and I dived. During my fall I heard the cry of an eagle. My landing was as soft as on a feather bed, and in a second I was up on my feet again, completely unscathed.
Now I just had to grab the painting, hide it in the hay, then single-handedly drag the cart away.

Mary@kilerkki· May 27

This morning’s third try at tamagoyaki, with Pal in the background licking the empty plate

A close up photo of a tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled egg omelette) showing a surface slightly more browned than desirable, but an inside gorgeously soft and cohesive

A finger and thumb hold up a slice of tamagoyaki closer to the camera, while in the background a grey cat assiduously licks the empty plate

Mary@kilerkki· May 24

Pork ribs on sale this week, AND it’s a very cold wet weekend, so perfect for long slow oven roasted ribs. Served with salad and deviled eggs. Pal is INFURIATED I didn’t share.

Two half-racks of ribs in a roasting pan, crusted with spices and glistening with dark red glaze

A small brown plate holding two roasted pork ribs, mixed salad, and two deviled eggs sprinkled with paprika

A grey cat with his ears very flat stands on his hind legs, one paw grabbing the wrist of the person who sits before him, the other paw outstretched to brace himself on a nearby table. He looks irate. In another moment he will lick the grease off my hand as that’s all hems getting.

Mary@kilerkki· May 22

A tiny crinkle of pink tongue left out after a luxurious grooming session

A dark grey cat with an even darker nose and just the smallest bubblegum pink ruffle of tongue sticking out below

Mary@kilerkki· May 18

@meowbrey.bsky.social got me a new pizza/baking steel and first results are promising! 6 minutes at 500F yields a crunchy bottom and a nicely controlled char. Topped with mozzarella, thick-sliced pepperoni, & wine-braised mushrooms; finished with Pecorino Romano & a drizzle of hot honey.

A round homemade pizza on a wooden cutting board. The pizza has puffy, leopard-spotted edges and is topped with pepperoni, dark braised mushrooms, and fine curls of freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
L

Mary@kilerkki· May 17

Lunch today (Xinjiang-style cumin beef, tomato egg, & bok choy) became dinner today (fresh Taiwanese noodles stir-fried with cumin beef), not pictured because we spent most of the day planting the terrace garden. Some seeds, some seedlings, some more established—our green summer haven is growing.

A table set with large bowls of Xinjiang-style cumin beef with onion, bell pepper, and cilantro; tomato stir fried with egg; bok choy stir fried with garlic. A glass of water, a bowl of sliced raw bell pepper, and a large bowl with a single scoop of white rice complete the table

A large white bowl with white rice, Xinjiang-style cumin beef, tomato egg, & bok choy

A small rose plant in a terra cotta pot, already blooming with tiny red roses

A gerbera daisy plant with two large blooms, white-petalled with delicate pink centers. A new bloom is shyly hiding beneath the leaves

Mary@kilerkki· May 16

First burger of the year for the May long weekend, plus a sweater I didn’t buy at Simon’s today.

A toasted brioche bun with a cheeseburger almost hidden beneath onion, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Golden tater tots fill the side of the plate.

A grey sweatshirt with three appealing little raccoons, one perched in a trash can, one holding a half-eaten fruit and looking up beseechingly. Above them the word “TORONTO” is embroidered in a red arc

Mary@kilerkki· Apr 25

Toronto is the place to learn it! (Deeply caramelized pastry crust around a gooey sweet filling kind of like a pecan pie without the pecans. Classic Ontario treat.)

A Ba Noi butter tart, a small individual pastry with a sea-salt flecked deeply caramelized filling

Mary@kilerkki· Apr 21

Made avocado toast this morning, topped with a fried egg. Seasoned with Penzey’s Outrage, a few drops lime juice, some black pepper & crunchy black Icelandic volcanic salt gifted by a friend. Photo by @meowbrey.bsky.social & Paladin. (Who was NOT invited to breakfast but showed up anyway).

An attempt to photograph a plate of avocado toast (toasted sourdough, sliced avocado, fried egg) is photobombed by a ravenous grey cat standing on his hind legs and reaching out with both front paws like a bear. His eyes are boba pearls of hunger.

Mary@kilerkki· Apr 21

Our local Chinese grocery sells 3 chicken carcasses for $3. Roasted carcasses then added bones from a Costco rotisserie chicken, some celery & onion trimmings, half a carrot, peppercorns & rosemary: simmered 5 hours. Strain & reduce, simmer 1 hour more. 3.75 quarts heavenly gelatin-rich stock.

3 quart-size deli containers, 1 pint-size container, and 1 one-cup container, all full of a rich golden-brown chicken stock glistening with fat and gelatin

Mary@kilerkki· Apr 10

Eventually we tromped back home a weary crew, but not too weary for our friends to whip up a fantastic homemade Bún bò Huế for dinner. (Six hours of braising time over the past couple of days… we are very lucky in our friends.)

A white bowl of Vietnamese beef & pork noodle soup in a gorgeous red broth. The bowl is filled with chunks of braised beef, meatballs, pork & fish sausage, fresh herbs, and red onion all served over white rice noodles.

Mary@kilerkki· Apr 10

We walked 15 km yesterday, but took enough breaks to be only mildly footsore— poké & pastries for lunch, then a welcome rest while our friends caught up with some work. Then off we plunged again through UBC campus to the rose garden & then down rainforest steps to a gloriously empty rocky beach.

View overlooking UBC rose garden to the sea inlet and then the mountains of North Vancouver rising beyond. At the bottom of the photo frame is a brass plaque in bas relief identifying the mountain peaks.

View down a wooden step staircase curving down a ravine through a Pacific Northwest forest of fir, cedar, and fern

View of the wooden step staircase descending through a lushly forested ravine

A rocky, empty beach with the tide lapping the shore. Beyond the inlet low mountains rise. The sky is blue and the sun lowers just out of frame to the left

Mary@kilerkki· Apr 9

We came a little too late for the most glorious pink cherries, but the white ones are still enthralling.

Enormous white cherry tree on a green field against a blue sky

White-blossomed branches against a blue sky

A cherry blossom that almost fills a person’s palm

Mary@kilerkki· Apr 9

Rhododendrons come in TREES

Two enormous rhododendrons bushes, one pink and one white, with another pink one faintly visible in the background. They are each climbing towards 3 meters high. And these are not the big ones.

Closeup of white rhododendron flowers with faintly pink hearts and black-tipped stamen

A huge punk rhododendron bush against a blue sky, with a “morioka weeping” in the background

I TOLD YOU THEY CAME IN TREES. two enormous rhododendrons TREES with a very small person between them

Mary@kilerkki· Apr 9

I warned you there would be magnolia

Shockingly pink saucer magnolia against a blue sky

This magnolia tree is so, so big. And so, so pink

Cannot adequately capture how very big and very pink this tree is

Pink magnolia tree seen from a distance. In the foreground is a small pond with a stone Japanese lantern. Pink blossoms carpet the ground. The magnolia is almost as tall as the towering evergreens behind it

Mary@kilerkki· Apr 9

Visiting friends in Vancouver this weekend and started the day with a walk to (and through) the UBC Botanical Garden, which has an old-growth rainforest studded with Asian magnolia and rhododendron among the red cedar and Douglas fir—and a 23-meter high treewalk below the canopy.

Old evergreen trees in a temperate rainforest tower above ferns. An aluminum mesh bridge is supended between the trees almost 20 meters above the forest floor.

A view looking down from the lookout tower at the aluminum bridge crossing between tree-hung platforms

A view arching up the treehung bridge through the canopy of an old forest, with the sun rising behind the trees

View looking down at the suspended bridge through the forest canopy

Mary@kilerkki· Apr 6

Forgot to photograph the first meal cooked in our newly renovated condo, so here’s the second: udon noodles with braised minced pork & mushroom, bok choy with garlic, and cucumber.

Two bowls on a white counter filled with udon noodles with braised minced pork & mushroom, bok choy with garlic, and cucumber.

Mary@kilerkki· Mar 25

The Third Flowers of Spring, after snowdrops and crocus: hellebore, also called winter rose or Lenten rose. Spotted huge clusters today all over University of Toronto campus and spent a delightful 10 minutes roaming the Hart House grounds & trying to remember their name. (Fun fact: SUPER toxic!)

Yellow-hearted, white-petalled hellebore flowers growing in green-leafed clusters amid fallen brown leaves

Mary@kilerkki· Mar 20

Leftovers lunchtime: meigancai flakey bing quesadilla, stuffed with leftover braised pulled pork, Red Leicester cheese, and chili crisp. (The cat desperately wanted to eat this. I don’t blame him. My sad photography can in no way encompass its deliciousness.)

Two pan-fried Chinese flatbreads, which look much more burnt than they really are because they’re filled with blackened dried meigancai vegetables; they are folded over an invisible mixture of melted orange cheese and savoury pulled pork. A mini cucumber completes the meal.

Mary@kilerkki· Mar 19

Proof:

Slender small snowdrop flowers pushing their way up through the snow

Mary@kilerkki· Mar 18

Paladin wants you to know: You’ve Got This. Stay hydrated!