A Hot Summer, a Fresh Start, and Green Curry Paste


I haven't posted in a while. When I started this blog, I thought I'd be doing five posts a week—but life gets busy, and I'm learning to embrace imperfection. Better to keep posting some than not at all.

So, what have I been up to...

First off, I secured a new job that starts in about a month. I'm both excited for the opportunity and extremely nervous. In the meantime, I’m still working at my current job until August 29, as per the terms of the voluntary exit. This means I’ll go from my last day on a Friday to my first day at the new job the following Tuesday (after Labour Day long weekend). Anyone who’s been laid off or had to find a new job knows how daunting starting fresh can feel—especially when the change was driven more by necessity than choice. That said, I’m cautiously optimistic. This new opportunity, while unexpected, might turn out to be a great fit.

Otherwise, I've been trying to use up my vacation days before they disappear. I took a mini road trip to Charlevoix, Quebec—a foodie’s dream destination. The food was incredible, and I got to practice my very beginner-level French. I visited cheese factories and saffron farms, ate halibut and poutines, and soaked up some sea air. That part of the St. Lawrence feels like the ocean again—whales and all—though we didn’t spot any this time.

We’ve also been sailing a “new to us” small catamaran. I think I mentioned in a previous post that we used to sail an Ericson 27 off the coast of B.C.—an old 1970s boat. We’ve missed sailing terribly, so we picked up a 12-foot catamaran that’s better suited for Ontario’s shallower lakes. We started sailing it this past week, and it’s been so fun to be wind-powered again, even if the boat is tiny by comparison. I miss cruising and sleeping on our old boat, but I really missed the feeling of sailing itself—and this little cat is giving us that same sensation.

Having some time off work has also given me space to cook and catch up on my cooking class assignments. I finished the preserving and fermenting module and am now taking Asian Vegetarian. It's been fun—and humbling—to see how much effort goes into making fresh, healthy, and delicious food. This week’s project was Thai curry. I’ve always used store-bought curry paste, so I was surprised at how doable it was to make from scratch. You can even freeze it—so I thought I’d share.

Homemade Green Curry Paste

To make green curry paste, you start by toasting cumin, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns. Grind those up and toss them into a food processor. Then add onion, garlic, shallots, ginger (or galangal if you have it), lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves (center veins removed), coriander (roots and all), and green finger peppers and/or Thai chilis. The lemongrass intimidated me, but in class we learned to peel off the outer layer and trim the fibrous ends. Since I don’t love super spicy food, I went light on the chilis and used a mix of green finger chilis and part of a red thai chili. Blend it all up and slowly add vegetable oil until it becomes a paste. Season with salt at the end. That’s it! Fresher, more flavorful, and customizable. I used half and froze the rest for next time.

I've got a few more days off before I return for a final month at my current job. I’m planning to enjoy summer as much as I can, recharge, and get ready to start the new chapter.

Photo: Thai Green Curry Paste. Taken by me.

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