My husband is an inveterate shopper. Far more than I am. So if there's an hint of a reason for him to go out gadding about the various and many types of shopping experiences in our close geographic vicinity, he is quick to offer his services. We're expecting our youngest child (who is now half a century of age) to visit with us for a week. From visiting us he will fly off to Yellowknife to attend a conference there. It's debatable how much more frigid and snow-packed he will find the North West Territories after visiting us here in Ottawa. For we've been groaning under the frigid chill of a rather unusual series of cold snaps. The most recent of which has given us day-time highs of -18-degrees C.

With the wind chill factored in it's just about as miserable as can be imagined. Anticipating our son's visit with us the thought occurred that he's more likely to eat free-range organic chicken, if we had it on offer; he's very fastidious about what he consumes. He is lean to underweight, abstemious to an alarming degree. A nutritionist he recently consulted recommend that he incorporate a little more animal protein in his diet for optimum health; formerly he had eschewed all animal products for decades and it seems as though that diet deficit may have impaired his general health.

Off he went, my husband, to see what a nearby specialty shop had on offer, and he brought back minced chicken and chicken breasts as well, both organic, free-range. They've been set aside and frozen until in a week or more they will be called upon to service our dinner plates. His acute sense of curiosity about everything never subsides to the extent that he will confine himself to a singular purchase. He also brought home other items, including several pounds of minced pork and minced veal.

Natural ingredients for a French-Canadian tourtiere.  So that was my focus for today. What could be more suitable on a miserable, overcast, snowy, extremely icy day than a hot meat pie? Needless to say there was far too much for just one pie, so I ended up baking four pies. Preparing the double crusts for four pies isn't my idea of fun, but it's manageable. Three of the pies have been frozen for quick meals on other busy days.

And the last will be warmed up for presentation at our dinner table this evening. Along with white asparagus which we'll be trying for the first time. And a pear-plum compote that I thought would be a fairly good foil for the otherwise-nutrient-heavy meal. To make the pies a little more nutritious I did add a few large carrots and several potatoes that had been grated into the meat filling as it cooked.

It will all be history by this evening....