runty mouse

Souvenir of Newfoundland

2012-01-28T13:51:00.000-04:00

When preparing to leave Newfoundland several months ago, I thought about what I'd like to have for a souvenir. I had a few good ones:

My mummer ornament.

My extensive photo collection.

1. Lighthouse, 2. Urchin, 3. Near Port Aux Basques, 4. Cape Bonavista Lighthouse, 5. Dungeons Provincial Park, 6. Kilmory Resort, 7. St. John's fence 3, 8. Ferryland lighthouse, 9. Cliffs, 10. Rasta-sheep, 11. Megan and Laura at the Sea Stack, 12. Blue at the Spout, 13. Untitled, 14. ECTA sign, 15. Rocky seas, 16. Durrell

And of course, my degree.

I felt that I needed something else, something that, like the mummer, represented the traditions of Newfoundland. And then it came to me. There was a little yarn shop two blocks away. The owner designed her own patterns. Among them, there was a pattern for a traditional fisherman's sweater (but toddler-size and therefore do-able).

It's been a slow process, but the project is coming along. The pattern is one you have to focus on - not exactly mindless knitting. But it's a fun one! Check out this nubbliness:

And the cables (love a cable):

A close up of the back panel:

Progress so far:

By the way, in case you were wondering, there is no current intended recipient of this baby sweater. It's something I'll keep on hand, just in case I need it down the road...

Want to see more knitting projects? Check out this blanket and this blanket, this hat, this scarf, these mittens, oh, and these mittens too.

For the love of cranberry

2011-12-22T19:09:00.002-04:00

Cranberry sauce with turkey is the holiday equivalent of pineapple on pizza. You like it or you don't. One of the great dichotomies of life. Since I'm dedicating a whole post to cranberries, I think you can guess which side I favour.

[found here]

For years I thought canned cranberry sauce was a-mazing. Sweet, tangy, easy, there. That was before I was doing any of the cooking. A few years back I took to making the sauce from scratch - which is dead easy. Boil a cup of sugar and a cup of water, add a bag of cranberries and cook til the skins split.

Last year, I came across a more involved cranberry sauce recipe in Sweet Paul Magazine. I knew I had to try it!

"Sauce" is an understatement. This stuff is called Spiced Cranberry Apple Relish and is just as fancy as it sounds. But fun to make!

First, dice up the cranberries - I threw them in the food-processing attachment of my immersion blender and a few minutes later:

Citrus really makes this recipe zingy (zest and juice of oranges and lemons).

Grated fresh ginger adds the eponymous spice.

Bit of sugar tames things down a bit:

And the final product. Cranberry lovers rejoice!

Best enjoyed with turkey and all the trimmings. Happy holiday eating to all of you, cranberry lovers or not!

O, Christmas Tree

2011-12-22T17:44:00.000-04:00

This Christmas brings a few firsts. First Christmas living back on PEI (after all those years away), first Christmas in our own home, and more to the point of this post, first real Christmas tree!

We started the season with only nine Christmas ornaments. The nine ornaments worked well last year, when we had nothing to decorate but our philodendron. But, thanks to some gifts, some sales, and some last minute DIYing, I think we've been able to fill it out nicely.

[Santa from a French craft fair, from the world-traveling brother-in-law]

[Snowman, Atlantic style]

[From a couple of donkeys]

[Labrador souvenir]

[A gift from Mike's mom]

[DIY with feathers and empty Christmas balls]

[A mummer, souvenir of Newfoundland]

[More DIY - pine cone, a hook and some hot glue]

[A gift from my mom]

[Souvenir of Europe - handmade in the Czech Republic]

The trunk may be crooked and the ornaments few, but to me it's the most beautiful tree. The scent fills the house. It really brings on the Christmas spirit!

NYC... the food

2011-12-11T22:39:00.001-04:00

You may remember my recent visit to NYC from my last post. I had to make a separate post about my dining experiences there. Despite spending only three nights there, the trip was so packed full that one post couldn't do it all justice.

I will preface the post by saying that I don't have pics of all the great food we had. Meeting up with three girls you see only once a year leads to a lot of great conversation; food blogging was taking a bit of a back seat.

Our hotel was near Times Square. By the time we had all arrived from our various destinations we needed to head somewhere close by to eat. One of the girls mentioned Junior's. The original Junior's is located in Brooklyn and claims to be the home of the best New York cheesecake. I have to say, the cheesecake was pretty great as far as cheesecake goes! Unfortunately I don't have a pic, probably due to ~~the instantaneous feeding frenzy~~ my tiredness at the late hour.

(On an obscure note, the restaurant was founded by Harry Rosen. But not this Harry Rosen.)

I do have a pic of another great menu item - the brisket:

A combo of NYC traditions: beef brisket with au jus, served on potato pancakes with a side of applesauce! The beef was moist and tender (which is saying something for a cut of meat like brisket) and the "bun" was hot and crispy.

Next up is a spontaneous street-sweet: mini cupcakes! They were bite-sized and so tempting.

How tempting? Let's just say this was on our way to breakfast!

So hard to choose. #firstworldproblems

Probably the most famous NYC "restaurant" we visited was The Soup Man.

You may recall this place from Seinfeld. "No soup for you!". They actually sell t-shirts with that saying...

As you'd expect from the reputation, this guy is serious about his soup. Actually, he seems to be pretty serious about everything, particularly the right way to order the soup. The rules are printed on a large sign, and there are even handy marks on the sidewalk to help you out.

Now, for the soup. I had to have the lobster bisque. Fantastic.

You may have gathered from the pics (or remember from Seinfeld) that the "restaurant" is actually a lunch window on the street. You can't eat soup standing up, so we headed to a nearby park to enjoy it. The meal includes fresh bread, fruit, and a chocolate. Lovely lunch!

The last meal I have to share with you was more 'Euro' than 'Big Apple'. We had a decadent breakfast at the Le Pain Quotidien location in SoHo.

Check out this meal. A bread basket with four of their rustic/traditional breads, boiled egg, gruyere, organic apple juice, and cappuccino. Yum.

The number of places to eat in Manhattan is almost incomprehensible to a girl used to the selection in Atlantic Canadian cities. I recommend reading some online reviews ahead of your visit to have a short list of nearby restaurants. Otherwise it's hard to know where to start!

Any NYC restaurant favorites? Please share in the comment section!

NYC

2011-11-28T21:31:00.001-04:00

This fall I was lucky enough to make a trip I've always wanted to make. To celebrate our 30th birthdays this year, three of my girlfriends and I decided we'd visit New York City (that's 120 years of life experience, for anyone who's counting).

I had never really visited the US. Not for a proper trip. There were a couple of half-hearted day trips across the border to Maine, but those don't really count. So, it was time.

I have long been curious about NYC, given it's pervasive presence in pop culture. I also have a few favorite blogs based in and around New York including A Cup of Jo, An Apple A Day, and Darling Dexter. And who wouldn't want to hit the streets of Manhattan after watching a few episodes of Bill Cunningham - On The Street? With my wardrobe, I know he'd spot me right away and probably do a whole video on me...

Anyway, on to some highlights of the trip!

We stayed in a New York hotel that's been around forever, the New Yorker. It was very central, had great Art Deco styling and was quite clean. Four people to a room was pushing it, but doable.

Because it was so close, we happened to hit Times Square almost every day. Dundas Square in Toronto has nothing on this place. It was constantly packed with people, no matter the time of day.

Another iconic symbol of New York that we passed daily:

On the top of my list of things to do in NYC was Top of the Rock, a trip to the top of Rockefeller Centre to see the whole of Manhattan. The views were incredible! Especially the one with all the cute girls in it.

It was mid-November, so Rockefeller Plaza had the beginnings of its legendary Christmas display. Like the massive Christmas tree - with six storeys of staging required for its decoration!

The rink was open as well. There's something funny about a Zamboni in Manhattan.

After seeing how huge Central Park was, we had to go take a look. We must have spent a couple of hours there and only covered less than a quarter of it.

The show we decided to see was a comedy that had won numerous Tonys: Avenue Q. Sort of an existentialist/realist take on modern urban life. Performed by puppets. Here is a sample from the soundtrack.

The Museum of Modern Art was another spot I couldn't miss. Partially because of a special exhibit: Plywood.

...and it's role in mid-century design, of course. Not just plain old plywood, that would be weird.

For example:

Mmm, plywood.

Looking back at everything we did in the city, it's hard to believe we spent only three days there. Yet, there is so much I'd like to go back and do! So, the Big Apple is still on my list of "places to see".

Ok, I'm stopping this monster post right here. There is a bit more NYC to come (NYC: The Food). So stay tuned.

Lest we forget

2011-11-11T09:56:00.001-04:00

I wouldn't call myself a military buff. But I take Remembrance Day very seriously. WWI and WWII were atrocities. I think it is important to periodically revisit those horrible events. It gives us perspective - war is atrocious, both for soldiers and civilians, and we should attempt to avoid it at all costs.

With that said, I'm proud of the roles Canadians (and Newfoundlanders, back then) played in the wars. My grandfathers (pictured below) both served Canada, overseas or at home.

[Henry O'Brien]

[Leonard O'Connor]

To me, the world wars had clear morally "good" and "evil" sides (at least with respect to the Holocaust). Some of the armed conflicts ongoing today don't seem to be so clear cut. My wish for 11/11/11 is that those countries involved in armed conflict will work diplomatically where possible to find meaningful solutions. Ones that don't waste the lives of soldiers or civilians.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

2011-10-22T18:51:00.000-03:00

Also known as Black Forest Cherry Cake. A cake I've always enjoyed and admired. One I might never have tried to make on my own (seems like a high degree of difficulty, no?). Well, the stars aligned a few weeks ago and it became apparent that I needed to get on it.

You see, we had planned an Oktoberfest celebration (in honour of both the season and our recent adventures in Germany). It happened to be scheduled on the same date as the birthday of a dear friend of mine. It didn't take a master of deductive reasoning to identify Black Forest cake as the most appropriate gâteau d'anniversaire for the occasion.

It took a few grocery store trips to gather all the ingredients. I decided to short-cut with the chocolate cake part (thank you Duncan Hines), but wanted to create the cherry filling from scratch. Luckily a local grocery store had some imported sour cherries in juice. Add a bit of sugar and corn starch, stir for an eternity, and you get delicious cherry filling:

I know you know what comes next:

Oh yeah. Full-fat.

Add some icing sugar to get, well, icing:

(Not going to tell you how many spoonfuls I sampled to make sure it was "just right".)

Another special ingredient was Kirsch, a strong alcohol made from cherry distillate. Tastes nothing like cherries, more like whiskey. So I diluted it with a syrup made from the sour cherry juice and more sugar.

These are the cakes, left out overnight to cool and dry slightly. (See the husband's homemade soft pretzels in the background? Yum!) You may know that this cake has several layers, more than your average b-day cake. I thought cutting it would be a horrible mess, until I found a tip on the interwebs.

Ingenious!

Wrap the thread around the middle of the cake, pull, and voila! Two layers! I was sure I had discovered the world's best-kept secret, but a quick poll later on at the party assured me this was essentially bakers' common sense. Martha was probably born knowing this one.

Anyway, it was then time for assembly:

In this order: cake layer, baster-full of boozy-cherry-juice, dollop of whipped cream, cup of cherry filling.

...and so on, until a final layer of chocolate cake is on top. Then you let your inner Cake Boss out, and decorate the crap out of this towering calorie-fest.

Final product!

With the birthday boy:

(Now, just to keep it real, I need to show you the cake from another angle. Has a bit of a list to it. Next time I will try a bit harder to make the layers flush.)

For any of you viewers at home interested in tackling the Leaning Tower of Bavaria that you see above, here are two links to helpful online recipes. I used a hybrid of the two. Check out the comments below the recipe on the first link too - it's a gold mine down there.

One last thing. When Mike and I get into something, we get waaaay into it. So trust me, Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte tastes best when you are wearing traditional Bavarian lederhosen.

The last of summer

2011-10-01T20:52:00.001-03:00

Last weekend was just beautiful on Prince Edward Island. Although it was late September, Sunday was like a summer's day.

We headed to Cavendish Beach. A first for me, despite being an Islander for almost thirty years. It was worth the wait, especially since at this time of year the beach was nearly deserted.

There were some great photo opportunities. It was a majestic sight as dozens of Canada geese departed the nearby pond for points south.

The sand was soft as powder. Shadows were starting to fall and the sand had a lovely cooling effect on hot feet. I took this shot with a desktop background in mind. Feel free to download it from my Flickr account if you like it (just click through).

Can you tell we're enjoying being back on PEI?

Soft as a rock

2011-09-14T21:32:00.001-03:00

During a rare slow period this past winter, I recklessly decided to start a new hobby. In retrospect, I needed a new hobby like an Eskimo needs a Frigidaire (as George Jones would put it). But the curse of the crafty is that when you see a new craft, you think, "I can do that!".

Needle felting, that's what I'm getting to. If you are reading my blog, I'm assuming you have seen some felted projects around the blogosphere, Etsy, Supermarket and the like. Anyway, I loved the aesthetic of felted pieces and had heard over and over again that needle felting was "easy" (with the small footnote that even experienced needle felters occasionally spill their own blood).

For those of you still in the dark, needle felting is a way of turning raw, unspun wool (a.k.a. roving) into felt. Have you ever washed a wool sweater and had it come out of the washing machine looking like it might fit a neonate? Well, that's wet felting. The water, heat, and agitation of the washing machine denature and tangle the strands of wool into a thick, tough (shrunken) mat of felt. With needle felting, the wool stays dry. A very sharp (remember the blood I mentioned above), specialized needle with tiny divots in it is used to poke at the wool and mechanically tangle the fibres.

So, given my (short-lived) free time and the low start-up cost of needle felting, I gave it a try.

Stones like these were my inspiration. Stones are a great starter project - there is no right shape to aim for. A little wiggle room is ideal for your first project.

So I found some lovely grey and ivory roving (at this little shop during my trip to Ottawa) and gave it my best poke. Well, my best million pokes. And came up with something like this:

Not too bad, I think!

For now, they decorate a large glass vase/candleholder on my table.

I have a few more items in the works, mainly consisting of decorations for our inaugural Christmas tree (for which we have a current total of nine ornaments). I would love to do a Christmas post on a few of them. Guess I better get felting!

Brugge

2011-08-25T22:35:00.000-03:00

Continuing on with the story of our European adventure... after discovering Düsseldorf and eating our way through Chimay, the husband and I made our way to Brugge, Belgium.

Maybe the prettiest city ever. Legend has it that Brugge was spared the drab-ification of the Industrial Revolution thanks to the thriving lace-making industry in the area. Or that's what I was told when I first traveled there in 2003. On this trip I learned that the city's history is not so simplistic. Brugge at one point was supposedly the commercial centre of the world, has a history of attracting great European artists, and was once actually a port city (silt deposits now place it a-ways inland). These days it seems to have a reputation in Europe for being a big tourist trap. But, like all good cliches, Brugge's reputation is rooted in truth - it's a great spot to visit!

We spent hours on end traipsing over the cobblestoned streets in the historic (UNESCO-historic) city centre. The streets circle around the Markt and run parallel with the many canals of the city (hence the alias "Venice of the North"). We found tiny cafes, funny little homes, and some hole-in-the-~~wall-~~ground beer cafes.

Our lodgings were lovely to look at, though a bit damp in person (I guess that was to be expected in the bargain lodgings of "Venice of the North").

The food was excellent. For an example, see our moules-et-frites, below. On a few occasions we hit up the grocery stores for picnic fare and lunched near the windmills on the perimeter of the city. Simple and romantic - fitting for our honeymoon. We also ate delicious Belgian waffles but they didn't come close to lasting long enough to be photographed. Luckily, they're safely stored away in my food memory.

I can't not mention the beer. Belgium has so many beer styles, some only to be found in that country. There's not really beer there - except the odd import - that would really be recognizable as beer to the Canadian mass market. Many Belgian styles are sweet and/or have a high alcohol content, but really the styles run the gamut. To generalize, it's the kind of beer you savour and relish. You won't see a Belgian chugging. You don't buy a 2-4 in Brugge. In short, Belgian beer is an art form. When's the last time you went to a Canadian pub, asked for the house beer and got this:

Served on it's own tray, in it's own glass, on a doily, with a side of specially selected local cheese. Belgian beer. That's what I'm talking about.

To me, Brugge is a wonderfully rich city and well worth a visit. I've been there twice and I'd love to go again.

The next European stop will be in the Czech Republic. So stay tuned...

Garden fresh

2011-08-21T13:14:00.000-03:00

Hello again! It's about time I got back to the blog. It's been a busy summer with a new house and a new job, so despite having lots of things to blog about I haven't found enough time to actually post!

Back in June, when we moved in to the house, I quickly took advantage of my very first yard (yeah!), and planted veggies straight away. At the time I said I would be content if I even had a 10% yield, seeing as it was my first year planting anything.

Sure enough, I didn't get a super yield. Below is a picture (taken last week) of the 'garden' where I planted yellow beans, carrots, and cucumbers.

[underwhelming]

Yep. Underwhelming. Because NOTHING grew! I noticed when I tilled the garden that there were numerous creepy-crawlies making a home in the dirt. Cut-worms must have been included in the melange because, aside from a few short-lived bean sprouts, my crop yield was nil. Mildly disappointing.

But now onto the success story of my garden: the cherry tomatoes! I decided to plant potted tomatoes because I've heard good things about container gardening - you know exactly what type of soil you're giving the plants, you can move the containers to get the optimal light, and really, you can put them wherever in/on your yard or deck you please. I found my plants at VanKampen's Greenhouses here in Charlottetown.

[just after planting]

I planted three cherry tomato plants per container (in retrospect I would have planted two - you'll see why). One container was a mix of potting soil + PEI compost and the other had potting soil + a Miracle-Gro potting soil. I was going to experiment to see which plants did better, but of course mixed up the containers before labeling them (all my years experimenting in labs obviously have gone to waste!).

[crazy plants]

In the end, the soil-experiment mix-up was moot. All plants took off like crazy. At last count, about three weeks ago, there were over 100 tomatoes on the vines - I'm guessing that number has doubled by now! If you look closely in the pic above, you can see the green wire frames I'm using to support the vines - compare to the first picture to see how massive the plants actually are!

[pretty tomatoes]

[enough for dinner!]

The best part is that the tomatoes are actually starting to ripen in useful quantities. For about two weeks we simply ate them as they ripened one-by-one, but this weekend we had enough to use in our marinated-summer-veggie-and-tofu-kabobs. We typically go through a container of cherry tomatoes every week or two, so this garden success story will actually help our grocery bill.

Another success in the garden was the pea patch:

[before and after]

We're starting to see a bit of a yield - looking forward to the first harvest.

[so fresh]

Lastly, let me show you our inherited grape vines. I can claim no part in helping them grow, they just came along with our house. They seem to be doing wonderfully this season, though. I might try some grape jelly in the fall if they become plump enough. They are definitely still sour at this point.

[grape vines on the pergola]

[lotsa grapes!]

Thanks for checking back into the blog despite the summer dormancy. Hope to have more posts for you soon!

Chimay... the food

2011-07-11T20:08:00.005-03:00

I promised in my first post about Chimay that I'd be back with more about the food we discovered there. Well, promise fulfilled.

If I recall correctly, the first food we had on arrival at the Auberge de Poteaupré was - dun da na na - the cheese. Not only was it the first food we tried, but the first food we smelled. On walking in the front door, the aroma of cheese rind was in the air. Kinda fousty, but in a pleasant way. Unless you don't like cheese. In that case, you probably shouldn't read this post. Anyway, I began salivating immediately.

After freshening up, we sauntered down to the restaurant. First item of business: selecting one of the Chimay Trappist beers. I chose Chimay Red, a somewhat dark beer that was fruity, spicy, and served in a beautiful goblet.

While selecting a beer from the Auberge menu, I happily noted that each beer was paired with a cheese, also made by the Trappist monks across the road to my right. Across the field to my left was a herd of dairy cows. I knew this was going to be good cheese!

Our group was up for trying ALL the cheeses. Luckily, samples were on the menu.

[clockwise from top left: cheese board, Grand Cru, A la Biere, Vieux Chimay, Grand Classique, Le Poteaupré]

I'm not going to pretend that I can critique the cheese and beer pairing. My palate is not that refined! They all went well together, in my opinion. The cheese was delicious. It ranged from creamy and smooth (Classique and A la Biere) to mild and firm (Vieux Chimay) and finally (my favorites) to smoky and rich (Le Poteaupré and Grand Cru). If there is a specialty cheese shop near you, I'd have a look for any of these cheeses the next time you're in.

When the cheese had vanished from the board, leaving nothing but a pile of toothpick-flags, we moved on to selecting our mains. I couldn't resist the pan-fried local trout:

The trout was simple and fresh with a crispy skin and a perfectly-cooked, flaky-but-moist interior. It reminded me of going fishing with ski poles with my dad when we were kids. We'd take the fish home, flour, and pan-fry them. Except we would usually behead the fish before cooking it...

Mike went for heavier fare. Homemade meatballs. All smothered in cheese. Meatballs big enough to plant a flag in:

Oh, that cheese sauce... (I'm obviously drooling right now). I dipped a few frites in it, not gonna lie. Imagine a saltier, smokier, creamier Hollandaise sauce and you'd be close. It also had bacon in it. Yeah, it did.

Do you see why the food needed it's own post? And this was just one evening! We had an equally fabulous dinner the next night. I'm telling you, this Auberge is the place to go in Belgium.

Until next time!

Tzatziki

2011-06-29T17:30:00.000-03:00

Hopefully at least some readers are experiencing hot summer weather right now! Thought I'd share the (easy) recipe for a cool, tasty, summer dip: tzatziki sauce! This is a traditionally Greek dipping sauce that uses thick yogurt, cucumber, lemon and garlic and is ultimately refreshing.

From the ingredient list, you could probably intuitively throw this recipe together. But there are a few tricks to it, namely controlling the water content of the dip, so I'll give you a few instructions. My method was cobbled together from several online recipes (which all gave similar advice).

You should start making the dip maybe five or six hours ahead of when you plan to serve it. I found the leftovers kept well refrigerated for 24 hours, so you could probably prepare it that far in advance. It will just need a good stir before serving.

The first step is to find a good, thick plain yogurt (500 mL). I prefer at least 2% milk fat in mine, more if I can find it. (What makes non-fat yogurt so creamy? It freaks me out.) Greek-style is preferable as it is the thickest type of yogurt, but I could only find Balkan-style and it still worked well. So, as I mentioned, you need to get rid of any excess moisture in the yogurt. This can be accomplished using a large bowl and a strainer lined with cheesecloth. This is my set up:

Let it stand in the fridge for a few hours. You'll be surprised at how much water drains out! Or maybe you won't, because I'm going to show you:

While the yogurt is straining, you can work on the cucumber. I've read that cucumbers are 95% water. I can't verify that, but they certainly are juicy! I love cucumbers. And in making this dip, I discovered I really love grating them. Warning: prepare to get splashed!

I used the large side of a plain old box grater and grated one English cucumber, skin and all (for the colour and the nutrients). To get rid of the excess water, just use a bit of basic science: sprinkle the grated cuke with salt (a teaspoon or two), which will osmotically draw water out of its cells. Give the process time to work by leaving the mixture in the fridge for an hour or so. Next, to get rid of the moisture, drain the liquid out of the mixture, then pat it down well with some paper towels or a clean dish towel. The cucumber shreds should look pretty limp and relatively dry.

[just-salted cuke]

From here on out, the recipe is pretty basic. Mix the thickened yogurt with the dry cucumber, then add a clove (or more to taste) of crushed garlic and the juice of 1/2 lemon, plus some zest. Stir well. Chill for a few hours before serving.

[clockwise from top: whole-wheat pita bread, tzatziki, tabouleh, hummous, kibbeh]

I like tzatziki served as a dip for vegetables or whole-wheat pita bread. On this particular occasion, though, I was hosting a Middle Eastern-style dinner, so the tzatziki was also a dressing for kibbeh, a sort of lamb meatloaf made with bulgar wheat and pinenuts and spiced with allspice and cinnamon. I was trying to emulate the kibbeh at my favorite Lebanese restaurant. Now that's a recipe I'd like to share with you (now that I know it will turn out well!).

Hope you find an opportunity to prepare this great dip!

Chimay

2011-06-22T14:55:00.000-03:00

Stop #2 on our European adventure was perhaps the most anticipated. Because it was our goal to sample the fine foods and beer in this part of the world, Chimay was a prime destination. Not only do the monks here create the famous Trappist beer of the same name, but they also craft an extensive line of cheeses.

The most fun part of this leg of the trip was that we spent it in the company of good friends. Friends of ours from university days had since moved to the Netherlands (and recently had a little baby girl). Along with Aaron (who we met up with in Düsseldorf), we made a nice little party of six (or maybe five-and-a-half!).

We fit (snugly!) into a European rent-a-car. Which was essential, since Chimay is a bit off-the-beaten-track.

So, just for the part of me that loves accuracy, let me explain what I mean by "Chimay". I'm using the name a bit loosely to describe the area we visited. Chimay is a small village in Wallonia, the southern region of Belgium. About 10 km away, out in the countryside, you can find the Abbey of Notre Dame de Scourmont. The Abbey is home to the Trappist monks who brew and cheese-make (the profits of their enterprise go to running the monastery and helping the poor). Their product brand is also Chimay. We did spend a few hours in the town of Chimay (photos to follow), but we stayed at the Auberge de Poteaupré, the inn loosely associated with the monastery and just a short walk from the grounds.

Whew. Hope that explains it for you. Now for the pictures!

[Auberge de Poteaupré]

[walk through the woods]

[grounds of the Abbey]

[inside the Abbey church]

[ancient church in Chimay (town)]

[Chimay]

I think it's quite evident from the pictures, but the area was beautiful. Quiet, pastoral and green. The weather was perfect - temperatures in the mid-twenties, sunshine, and not a cloud in the sky. The Inn was in fabulous shape with crisp linens on the bed and friendly service in the restaurant. The monastery was utterly peaceful and beautifully kept by the monks. The town was just ancient - stone buildings and cobblestone streets in need of repair - but charming none-the-less. Language-wise, we got along fine (Mike was a French immersion kid, and quite a few locals spoke basic English). Chimay and the surrounding area made for a great long weekend and would be the perfect spot to go if you wanted to get away from it all.

Apparently, writing about the locale alone makes a full post! I think I'll give you a breather. You can read all about the food (including cheese!) in my next entry.

The Village Feast

2011-06-20T23:52:00.000-03:00

It is that time of year again... the Village Feast is almost upon us. The 4th annual!

Never heard of it? Allow me to elaborate.

The Village Feast is a community-based fundraiser. The Village Feast is a gourmet meal. The Village Feast is a culinary event of epic proportions. The Village Feast feeds and clothes Canadians. The Village Feast facilitates the well-being of Kenyan children. The Village Feast promotes locavorism.

Can you see why I love the Village Feast?

[so many volunteers]

[local. fresh.]

[gourmet]

If this piques your interest at all, I highly encourage you to visit the Village Feast website. It is happening on Sunday, July 3rd in Souris, PEI. There are still tickets left if you are in the area and would like to attend. It's not everyday that you can attend a gourmet meal for 1000 people, sample the goodness that PEI agriculture and aquaculture has to offer, and support Kenyan school children and local families alike.

I wouldn't miss it for the world!

Düsseldorf

2011-06-14T09:28:00.000-03:00

Düsseldorf was our first real stop on our European holiday. But it took a little while to actually get there.

St. John's to Toronto was about a three hour flight. Five hour stopover in Toronto. Nine hour flight (overnight - and now I know why they call it a red-eye) to Munich. Shuttle to the hoptbanhof (main train station) was forty-five minutes. Then we caught the train to Düsseldorf. Everything was going smoothly until the train ground to a halt about a half-hour outside of Munich. We learned that someone had unfortunately (and intentionally) met their demise on the tracks ahead of us! This understandably caused a major disruption in train schedules for the day. So we spent a few more hours than anticipated riding the rails.

But, finally, after 30 hours of travel, we arrived in Düsseldorf (red eyes and all). And despite the distance we had travelled, a familiar face from home was there to greet us!

Our good friend Aaron was in this part of Germany for a work trip, and added on a few days of vacation when he found out our schedules would coincide.

It was such a treat to have a tour guide (Aaron had had time to get his bearings in the city already) at this point, because we were slightly bleary, yet determined to get the most out of our first ~~day~~ evening in Europe. So after a quick freshening up, we hit the streets.

I hadn't really researched the city before arrival - we considered it more of a stop-over/meeting place than an official destination on our itinerary. For some reason, I had an image of Düsseldorf as a gritty, industrial town. Not the case!

The city was just beautiful. Gorgeous. And it didn't hurt that it was 20+ degrees outside (any of my Atlantic Canadian readers know what a treat that was in early May!). It had a modern feel with a whimsical undercurrent evidenced by numerous statues, monuments, and interesting building features:

As I mentioned in my intro post, our motivation to travel to this part of the world was to sample the food and the beer. I'm about to get to the food. But the very reason we chose Düsseldorf as a meeting point was its unique beer style. The Altbier, or "old beer" (old in style, not in chronological age!) of Düsseldorf isn't found anywhere else, and is actually the grounds for a rivalry with neighbouring Köln. I won't give too much of a description here since my husband will be featuring the beer of our trip on his blog. Suffice it to say, if you are a beer connoisseur, the Altbier alone made it worth the trip.

But on to the food! We ate at one of the Altbier breweries (Frankenheim) and the entire menu looked tempting!

I settled on a traditional German pickled herring dish (very similar flavour to the Solomon Gundy of Atlantic Canada), with bacon-potatoes. The herring was served chilled in a sour cream sauce and topped with a boiled egg and black olive. The potatoes were served warm alongside. It was a lovely dish. Considering the similar flavour, if I were preparing this at home I might forego the cream component, but it was great as a treat.

Mike, relishing his first night in Germany, decided to go with a large helping of sausages (four, to be exact) with a side of sauerkraut and horseradish whipped potatoes. As is tradition in our little family of two, we routinely sample the other person's meal so I can tell you that this dish was super flavourful and everything you'd expect from a plateful of German sausage.

The meals hit the spot and set the bar high for the rest of our trip. Which I will tell you a little more about, next time!

European Adventure

2011-06-12T17:43:00.000-03:00

Hello! Anybody out there? It's been a long - gasp! - six weeks since my last post! I mentioned last time that I was going on a bit of an adventure. Well, that I did. My husband and I went on a two-week tour of Europe (a honeymoon of sorts - two years after the wedding!). We explored the cities and countryside and sampled the best beer and food in the land. And now I'm here to share it with you.

(If you did the math and can't figure out why a two-week trip caused a six-week blog hiatus, I also had a few other things on the go such as graduating, moving, buying our first house and preparing for a new job. No big deal. )

There are lots of posts to come from the trip, but I'd like to start with a brief overview.

We travelled to Wallonia (in Belgium):

Bohemia (Czech Republic):

And Bavaria (Germany):

We sampled fine food:

and fine beverages:

We spent a lot of time in train stations:

And on trains:

And through the whole trip, we kept a journal (the old fashioned way - pen and paper)...

...so we'd remember all the things we wanted to blog about once back home! There's lots more to come...

Pho

2011-05-03T11:09:00.000-03:00

I quite enjoy Vietnamese cuisine, or at least the modest amount I've tried over the years. My last post, on fresh spring rolls, was also Vietnamese-inspired (along with our friend James, we had a Vietnamese-themed dinner party a few weeks ago). Their cooking tends to utilize very flavourful elements, but in my opinion is slightly less histrionic than, for example, Thai food. Don't get me wrong, I love the Thai food. But sometimes it seems a bit richer than what I'm craving.

Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup.

The recipe we used was from America's Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated cookbook. We made a beef version.

[delicious beef]

Since the recipe is from a cookbook, I hesitate to post it here. The general theme of the recipe is as follows. Create very flavourful broth. Place thinly sliced raw beef in bowl. Place rice noodles and sprouts in bowl. Add hot broth to bowl, cooking the beef. Garnish with fresh herbs to taste. Enjoy.

[Pho ingredients ready for assembly: bean sprouts, cooked rice noodles, green onions, soy/fish sauce combo, sliced jalapenos, cilantro, basil, beef]

There are numerous excellent-looking recipes for this soup online, including at Epicurious, Canadian Living, and the Food Network. While these recipes seem to require making your own beef stock from marrow bones or oxtails, we used vegetable broth cubes instead and had a great result. I would recommend trying to find the star anise if possible - it adds a really characteristic flavour to the soup.

[second-day soup - in daylight!]

Now, just FYI, I'm taking off on a big adventure for the next few weeks!! I can't promise I'll be able to post during that time. However, I do anticipate that you'll enjoy the posts, whenever they arrive.

Until next time - prost!

Fresh spring rolls

2011-04-27T10:30:00.000-03:00

Despite the flurries we've been getting every few days (and the fact that I am afraid to take the studded tires off my car) it IS technically Spring! And what better food for Spring than fresh, Vietnamese-inspired spring rolls.

We all know that crispy, deep-fried spring rolls are amazing (as demonstrated recently by a good blogger friend). Sort of like eggrolls but more bite sized. But have you tried fresh spring rolls? They are served cold and present the refreshing flavours of-mint, cilantro, and cucumber. The cucumber, rice vermicelli and grated carrot provide addictive texture. And, you know, they are not that hard to make!

A good online recipe is found here. Let me take you through it.

To make 12 - 15 rolls, you will need:

1 pkg rice paper wrappers (there will be some left over)
1 pkg rice vermicelli, prepared as per package instructions
1 cucumber, seeded and sliced into matchsticks
2-3 carrots, shredded
1/2 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

For the marinade:

1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp fermented fish sauce
2 1/2 tbsp lime juice

Combine the marinade ingredients. Give 2 tbsp to the noodles, 1 tbsp to the carrots+peanuts (mix them together), and 1 tbsp to the cucumber matchsticks. For anyone who crinkles their nose at the works "fermented fish", just let me say that fish sauce is the magical ingredient that adds that je ne sais quoi to so many delicious asian recipes. So give it a shot! It's like an extra flavourful soy sauce.

Now you're ready for the assembly! I recommend having a fabulous assistant or two. There is an illustrated montage at the bottom of these instructions.

1. Prepare your work area: one station should have a pie plate or shallow pan containing 1-2 inches of lukewarm water for soaking the rice paper, the other should have a clean, damp tea towel to blot the paper and do the assembly.
2. Soak the rice paper in a few inches of lukewarm water for about 1 minute, or until the paper loses its stiffness and becomes slightly sticky.
3. Blot the rice paper dry by laying it on the damp towel, folding the towel edges over the paper and lightly pressing to remove excess water.
4. Add the fillings: 4-5 pieces of cuke, a spoonful of carrot+peanut mixture, a sprinkle of fresh herbs, and a glob of noodes (you will get a feeling for the appropriate amount of noodles as you make a few rolls).
5. Now when it comes to positioning the fillings on the rice paper, I didn't think I could describe it properly so here is my feeble attempt at illustrating it for you:

6. Now that all of your delicious, juicy fillings are in place, you can wrap that sucker up. If you make sandwich wraps at home, it's the same basic principle. Fold up the bottom flap so it covers or partially covers the filling, then fold over the left side, then the right side, then roll it up to seal it. The starch in the wet rice paper provides a nice stickiness that will keep the roll together.

Montage:

[soaking rice paper - rice paper ready to blot - adding filling - cooked vermicelli - making bottom flap - folding left side - folding right side - rolling it up - complete]

[mmmmm...]

One last note: peanut satay sauce makes an excellent dip for these rolls (and you know I love dip). For peanut satay sauce you can go fancy or simple. Ours was more of the simple variety and paired beautifully with the rolls.

Red lentil pâté

2011-04-24T09:14:00.000-03:00

With the summer barbecue and entertaining season around the corner, I thought I'd share this recipe for a delicious savoury dip/spread. The texture is quite similar to hummous; the taste is much more complex. It can be served on a cracker, with pita-toasts, with nachos or spread on baguette slices. It takes a little more effort than, say, hummous but I think, in this case, the extra effort is proportional to the extra flavour! And isn't cooking for yourself all about putting in extra effort for a delicious result?

The first step is to cook up your lentils. We always have red lentils on hand since they are the base of one of our favorite recipes. You may also recognize them from such places as my blog header.

Bring the lentils and some water (1:4 ratio) to a boil. (I used about 3/4 cup of dry lentils for this batch because it's what we had, but the recipe calls for 1 cup. Both amounts are reasonable.) Add a bay leaf. Skim off any foam from the surface and discard. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about a half hour. Drain in a fine-mesh strainer when finished.

There's lots to do while the lentils boil. First, let's take care of the spices...

...with this guy. One of Mike's birthday gifts, it's brought our cooking to a whole new level.

[1/2 tsp caraway seeds]

[1/2 tsp cumin seeds]

[1 tsp coarse sea salt]

[grind what needs grinding]

Other spices for this recipe include:

[1 tsp coriander]

[1/8 tsp cayenne pepper]

Overall, I would advise you to be quite liberal with the spices, and make a scant measurement of the salt (or you could outright reduce it to a 1/2 tsp).

Once your spices are taken care of, head back to the stove.

[1/3 to 1/2 cup of pine nuts]

The recipe next calls for the pine nuts to be sautéed along with a finely diced small onion for 5-7 minutes, in 3 tbsp olive oil. What I think would work better, in terms of getting the pine nuts to brown and give off more flavour, would be to dry toast them in a dry frying pan for a few minutes without any onion or oil, just until they all start to brown. For those of you who haven't tried it, dry toasting raw nuts is a surefire way to increase their flavour.

After sautéing your onion and pine nuts in olive oil for 5-7 minutes, add your salt and spices to the pan along with 3 pressed or chopped cloves of garlic and a generous tablespoon of tomato paste. (Please note: it's the tomato paste that gives the pâté it's colour. Boiled red lentils are not red at all. You'll see. They're not even orange. We were out of tomato paste but I knew it was a non-negotiable ingredient, so we cracked open a can of tomato sauce and reduced it for a few minutes in a saucepan.) Cook for another 5 minutes.

[sautéing, pre-tomato paste]

You next add a ~~shot glass~~ two tablespoons worth of lemon juice to deglaze your pan. I think it's obvious that you should use freshly-squeezed lemon juice if at all possible, but I was making this with what I had on hand (and I came so close) so I caved and went for the bottled lemon juice.

[lemon shot]

You are almost done! Grab your handy immersion blender food-processor attachment (or other preferred purée tool) and blend the warm, drained lentils with the warm pine-nut-and-spice combo. The pâté can be served warm or cold. I've had it both ways and they're both delicious. If it's feasible to serve it warm, go for it. If you are bringing it along to a party or potluck, it might be more practical to chill it first.

[puréeing]

And there you have it. A dip with a lovely texture and complex flavour. Trust me, it's worth the extra effort!

[ready to eat]

Natuashish

2011-04-18T21:53:00.001-03:00

So... a month after I left the place, I'm deciding to give you all a glimpse into an interesting little corner of Newfoundland and Labrador: the Labrador coastal community of Natuashish. This is an Innu community that I visited for a week as part of my month-long work/school rotation in Labrador (more Lab posts here and here).

Natuashish is unlike any place I've ever been in Canada. For those of you who haven't heard of the place... does the name Davis Inlet ring a bell? Natuashish is the "new" community to which the people of Davis Inlet relocated after social and environmental issues reached a breaking point in the late 1990s. For more background on Davis Inlet and the relocation, see this article from 2005 (obviously out-of-date with regards to current conditions in Natuashish, but a reasonable history of the community)

[town map with assigned land plots]

The Labrador coast is stunning. It can be reached only by boat and by air. During the winter months, small, fixed-wing aircraft is the way to go. The airport at Natuashish is so tiny that it is actually unmanned - the pilots control the landing strip lights remotely. When the strip lights go up, you know the next flight arrives in five minutes.

[Air Labrador plane]

[coastal Labrador - view from the air]

[the dock - out of commission for the winter]

As you can imagine, all larger items have to be delivered to the community by boat. So do commodities like fuel oil and gasoline. If you want a new vehicle, you had better get it taken care of before October.

[snow drift]

On a few days, I had to wade to work through hip-deep snow drifts. I found it hard to believe that this winter was relatively snow-free by Natuashish standards. Typically, winter transportation is solely by snowmobile because of the massive amounts of snowfall on the coast. This year, cars and trucks were still fully operational throughout the winter. It's probably a sign of climate change, but I was secretly glad to drive around in a vehicle with four doors. Why? Partly because of the utter cold, partly because of the packs of 10-15 dogs (!) that roamed the town.

[Innu band office]

[healing lodge]

[sweat lodge]

[clinic]

Spending only a week in the community does not put me in any position to critique the social, environmental and health issues of the place. So I won't. But it has to be said that this community has a lot of challenges facing it: addictions, safety issues, chronic disease, cultural change. It's a beautiful place and good people live there. I really don't know what else to say... I really just wish the best for the people of Natuashish in addressing and overcoming some of these issues from within.

[beauty]

More quinoa

2011-04-05T23:46:00.000-03:00

Wow. Last new post was on March 19th. Sorry about that! As you may recall from either knowing me or from this post, there are a few big changes going on in my life right now (in a good way!). So I've been mildly distracted.

Despite my overflowing proverbial plate, a girl's gotta eat. So here is a tasty item to put on an actual plate: warm tomato-basil quinoa.

This recipe was given to me by my "aunt" at my wedding shower. The shower was kitchen-themed - very appropriate! - and each guest was to bring their favorite recipe. I now have all of those recipes in a binder and refer to it often. Genius idea - thank you, Sara and Michaela.

Quinoa is lovely with Asian-style dressings or served cold, as this previous quinoa post demonstrates. But you may not realize just how savoury and delicious it can get with the right ingredients.

Like basil:

garlic:

(Yes, the freeze-dried stuff. This little bottle came in very handy during my month in the wilds of Labrador. It tastes just like the real thing.)

mushrooms:

and tomatoes:

Now do what you know you want to do and fry up that garlic in some butter:

Obviously, the next step is to add the mushrooms (garlic-butter-fried mushrooms is my new number one crave):

Meanwhile, your quinoa has been bubbling away in vegetable broth (1 part quinoa to 2 parts broth). The quinoa brand you buy will have cooking instructions on the package. When it's time to remove the quinoa from the heat, toss in the sauteed mushrooms and fresh, diced tomatoes, like so:

Now, cover and let stand for about 5 minutes. To finish the dish, you need to add a generous handful of fresh basil, lots of fresh-ground black pepper (use some elbow grease) and a good solid 1/2 cup of freshly-grated parmesan cheese. Or a full cup if your hand 'slips' while grating it. Mix it all up, and then settle down with a big plate of your newest comfort food.

It's there for a good time, not a long time:

Well, I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I do. It's a staple in the wedding-shower binder. Thank you Aunt Clair, for the great addition!

Adventures in meat eating

2011-03-19T17:22:00.000-03:00

I'm fresh back from a week-long stay on the northern Labrador coast. (A full post on the trip is yet to come.) While I had a lot of memorable experiences there, the tastiest experiences involved wild game, and lots of it. I had no idea when I arrived in Natuashish, with my cooler of sandwich fixin's and instant coffee, that I would be setting out on such a culinary adventure.

[caribou stew]

This caribou stew supper warmed us up after our first full day on the coast. Our generous co-workers made sure we were very well fed. Check out the ingredients: fall-apart, tender caribou; carrots; turnip; cabbage; and a delicious biscuit topping - part dumpling, part crust.

I unfortunately have no photos of the Jigg's dinner we had on the second night. Four years in Newfoundland and it took a trip to northern Labrador to try a Jigg's dinner! Ours consisted of potato, cabbage, carrot, turnip, bread pudding, and salt beef. It is similar to what Prince Edward Islanders would call a boiled dinner... except for the salt beef. After stewing the beef a few times and pouring off the water in between, it is boiled along with all of the above ingredients. At this point the beef is approximately 100 times saltier than beef jerky. Wow. Lip-puckering. Yet somehow addictive.

The next night was entitled "wild game night". Check out the menu:

[barbecue caribou roast]

The caribou was insanely tender (as it was in the stew). My dinner companions insisted that Labrador caribou is a much less "gamey" than Newfoundland caribou. I had previously tried a caribou steak medallion in St. John's, and I remember it being very tough. The Labradorian caribou was literally fork-tender and very lean. Delicious as well. For me, the taste fell somewhere between beef and lamb.

[Szechuan-style rabbit]

The rabbit was also wild and snared in the area. The meat was originally bottled, but for our meal it was simmered in a spicy sauce and served hot. It, too, was amazingly tender and lean. The taste was actually pine-y.

[stuffed and roasted spruce partridge]

The partridge was really something different. It was lovingly prepared with a bread/rice/Italian-sausage stuffing and a nice salty rub. The meat: shockingly dark! The breast meat of the partridge was darker than beef. So imagine how dark the dark meat was! The meat had the same pine-y taste as the rabbit, but concentrated. The rich flavour reminded me of taking a hike deep in the woods after a recent rainfall - like earth and evergreen needles. The lean meat theme continued here.

I couldn't thank my co-workers enough for their hospitality and culinary chops! This past week is certainly going to have a prominent place in my food memory.

Now, please share with me - what is the most unique meat you've ever tried, and where? What did it taste like?

Labrador

2011-03-10T23:22:00.000-04:00

Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador to be exact. I'm up here working for a month. Labrador puts the "L" in NL. I've lived in Newfoundland for over three years, and it's taken me this long to make it up to "the Big Land" as they like to call it.

[Labrador flag found here]

There is a lot to be learned in a place like this. For you, dear blog readers, I would like to share one learning experience in particular: ice fishing.

The day started bright and early (well, at least bright). The temperature was about -23 degrees Celsius... or something a bit lower when you added in the driving wind that found us about halfway through the day. In retrospect, I was slightly chilly in my outfit, although it included three layers on bottom and five on top. But it was the kinda day where you're having too much fun to really dwell on something so simple as a cool breeze. And the sun was shining, glinting off the fresh snow. A great day.

The first order of business were the snowmobiles. This is me (really, it is me under there) trying one on for size:

Our group of five took three of these machines for a 20 minute ride: through the streets of HV-GB, over the hill and through the woods and finally onto Lake Melville, a massive (3069 square km) brackish body of water that is covered in a sturdy sheet of ice this time of year.

[courtesy Google Maps]

How sturdy? Well, we had to drill two to three feet into it to make our fishing holes. So it was pretty sturdy. How do you drill a hole in ice that thick, you say? You use an auger, a very large hand operated drilling tool.

Did I drill my own ice-fishing hole? No I did not. But I did drill part of it, so that counts. This is what the drilling process looks like:

Once the hole is made, it's time to fish. You don't want to waste any time at minus 23 degrees.

This is the tackle. We baited our hooks with smelt.

This is me fishing:

And this is me about 30 seconds after I caught my first rock cod!

FYI: I think 'rock cod' is sort of a loose term - different people have told me that that is not the actual name of this type of fish. He did look like a cod though, with all the fins. He was too small, so we did a catch and release. Yes, sadly, this foodie did not get to cook the fish. But I am a little bit happy that he is still swimming around Lake Melville under the ice.

No more fish were to be caught that day, so we decided to walk to a shelter on the shore.

Walking:

My roomies in the awesome shelter:

We had a lovely day on the ice. I'm hoping to get back out again before I leave.

PEI Bound

2011-03-07T22:19:00.000-04:00

Home, I'm comin' home! Found out today I'll be starting work on Prince Edward Island in July... and I could not be happier!!

This song was originally written by my sister. I hope she won't mind that I channelled my enthusiasm about moving to PEI into writing a few new lines.

P-r-i-n-c-e
E-d-w-a-r-d
I-s-l-a-n-d
P.E.I get ready for me!

The water's blue and the soil is red
There's lots of places to lay your head
We are famous for a girl named Anne
And we (used to) have a pop-can ban

We've got Lennie Gallant and Stompin' Tom

Two Hours Traffic and Tim Chaisson

You'll tap your toes at the ceilidh hall

At Baba's Lounge you'll be having a ball

There are oysters laying in their oyster bed
And big crowds swimming at Basin Head
There's lots of lobster and lots of tuna
Lots of Keith's and lots of Schooner

P-r-i-n-c-e

E-d-w-a-r-d

I-s-l-a-n-d

P.E.I get ready for me!

[sung to the tune of This Old Man]

The Nation's Capital

2011-03-03T21:12:00.001-04:00

Thanks to a miraculous five week break from school, I was recently able to take a little trip up to Ontario. Maybe not the most intuitive winter destination... but I guess I'm unconventional like that. Remember where I was last February? And, as I write this, I'm as far north as I've ever been (but that's another post).

Ontario was my destination because it's where some of my favorite people live. I didn't get to see all of my friends and family in Ontario, but I did see quite a few! I made my first (and long overdue!) trip to London, breezed through Toronto and finally ended up in Ottawa. My camera didn't really get any exercise until I got to Ottawa so that's where this post is focused.

February in Ottawa = Winterlude! Celebrating all that is subzero. Sadly, the day after this pic was taken, the temperature freakishly rose to about ten degrees and twenty-four hours later this grand sculpture was dribbling down Preston St.

Preston St.! In Little Italy! Just a stone's throw from my sister's gorgeous loft. What a great place to live. Pasta? Check. Pizza? Check. Amazing deli sandwiches? Check. Random cache of great imported Belgian beer? Check.

[me and sis, bundled]

[cousin and c-i-l joined us too!]

Luckily, after the great thaw, the temperature again plummeted to a respectable Ottawa-in-February level. That meant the Rideau Canal was open for business - i.e. skating!

And of course, Beavertails!

Man, that was a delicious bite. I hadn't had a Beavertail in years. As you can see, I went with classic cinnamon-and-sugar.

I had a wonderful time in Ottawa (thanks Sara!). The National Arts Centre, the Rideau, ~~strolling~~ running-like-hell-to-avoid-hypothermia through the Market, and lots of good family and friend time. And needle-felting. And shopping. And homemade gluten-free poutine. And Belgian beer.

And a lot of Italian food.

Michael's blanket

2011-02-22T11:45:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a year for babies amongst our friends! Shortly after finishing Gretta's blanket, I picked the needles up and started right into another blanket for another great pair of friends. The little bundle of joy, Michael, was born on the last day of January to some pretty happy parents!

And I got to visit him just last week! Such a happy little sweetie. I think he'll look great wrapped up in this little basketweave blanket. Knitters can find my pattern modifications at the bottom of this post.

I made the tag with supplies from my craft box:

Isn't the stamp great? I thought a giraffe was suitable for a little baby boy. It came from a stamp set I got a few years ago. The images are woodcuts taken from an old edition of Webster's Dictionary.

And the gift wouldn't be complete without a handmade card:

I tried to emulate the "basketweave" pattern of the blanket on the card by weaving strips of cardstock together:

Now, on to the knitting details!

Find my Ravelry project here
I wanted to make this blanket suitable for a car seat/carrier, so it measures 30" x 31.5"
According to my initial swatch and desired size, I loosely cast on 144 st
Needle: 29" 4mm circular
I went for a seed st border (k1, p1 and repeat for one row, then knit the purls and purl the knits for subsequent rows) of 14 rows deep
For the 15th row (the first row of basketweave squares) I began a 12 st side border in seed st, then k10, p10 and repeat until 12 st from the edge (seed st last 12 st)
[In retrospect I would have cast on 140 and made the side borders 10 st wide instead of 12]
Each basketweave square is 14 rows x 10 st
After 14 rows, simply switch knit sections to purl and vice versa
When 2" from desired length, revert back to seed st for 14 rows and loosely bind off
Yarn is Lion Brand Cotton Ease - machine washable and dryable! Essential for a little babe.

And that's all I have to say about that. Michael, I hope the blanket keeps you toasty this winter and I just can't wait to see you next time!

More of my knitting posts can be found here.

Stew and biscuits

2011-02-18T12:26:00.000-04:00

A hearty meal for a chilly Upper Canada winter's eve. That's right, I'm up in Ottawa visiting my sister! We had a hankering for a traditional winter meal and decided beef stew would be it.

Let's start with the biscuits. In my opinion, if you're going to have stew you need to have some type of bread product to dip into it. My usual olive oil biscuit recipe was home in a drawer, so a quick google of the interwebs led me to this recipe from a lovely food blog.

Olive Oil-Parmesan Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
coarsely ground black pepper to taste
1 cup milk
5 tbsp good quality olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan (or other delicious firm cheese, e.g. cheddar)

[mmm, parmesan]

[Tidyowl's pretty vintage bowl]

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a standard baking sheet. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper until homogeneous. Add in wet ingredients (milk, oil, cheese) and stir until dough is just combined with an even consistency throughout. Using a potato/ice-cream scooper or 1/4 cup measure, dole out ~12 biscuit mounds onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom.

Now, on to the stew! Beef stew is a pretty easy recipe to tackle yourself. It seems like everyone has their own particular version, but the basic method is probably the same. My version is as follows:

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs stew beef, cubed
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
1-2 tbsp canola oil
2 medium onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 medium white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 large carrots, peeled, halved and thickly sliced
4 celery stalks, halved and thickly sliced
1 can whole tomatoes, quartered (reserve juice)
4-6 cups beef bouillon (or more depending on desired volume/juiciness)
3 bay leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt, to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil in your soup/stew pot over medium-high heat. Dredge beef cubes in flour +/- black pepper if desired. Add beef to pot. Cook, turning occasionally until edges are browned and partially crispy. Transfer beef to a plate. (While going through the next steps, you can further cut up the beef into bite sized portions if required.) Add onions and garlic plus a splash of water or bouillon to deglaze the pot. Heat until onions are translucent. Add in tomatoes + desired amount of juice (I used about half of the leftover juice). Add beef bouillon. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Add potato, carrot, bay leaves, black pepper and beef to the pot. Return to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover and reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 min. Add celery. Simmer, covered, on low heat, for 10 min. Taste for saltiness and season if necessary (I find that the bouillon provides enough salt). If you find the vegetables too firm at this point, you can simmer for a longer amount of time. To thicken the liquid (if you so desire), slowly add two tbsp of flour into 3-4 tbsp of water, making a slurry. Ensure there are no lumps or clumps in the slurry, then add to the stew liquid. Simmer uncovered for several minutes. The stew is now ready to eat, although the taste will become richer and the beef more tender with further reheating.

As an afterthought, mushrooms wouldn't go astray in this stew either. Do you have any tips for stew/biscuit making or any secret ingredients? Leave a note in the comments. (I love it when you guys leave comments!)

Whoopie!

2011-02-08T15:37:00.001-04:00

Whoopie pies to be exact! Our day-before-the-Superbowl Superbowl food party needed something over-the-top for dessert. I wanted to do something with an American theme. I have been seeing whoopie pies all around the blogosphere. As proof that they are a true American treat, I hereby link to a recent story covering Maine's quest to make the whoopie pie their state dessert!

Also, this will officially be the the last post in which I state that I am not a baker. Because for Christmas Mike and I were lucky enough to receive both a hand mixer and a stand mixer. There is nothing I can't bake now, baby.

So, the whoopie pie. If you remember Jos. Louis, it's basically like that but without the chocolate(ish) coating. Two chocolate cookie-cakes with a creamy vanilla filling in between. A.k.a. a hamburger of happiness.

I found my particular recipe on Epicurious. It didn't involve shortening or lard so that was a plus in my book. If I'm picking my poison with respect to solid fats, I'll pick butter any day.

Cake ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg

Filling ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 cups marshmallow cream such as Fluff
1 teaspoon vanilla

Here are the instructions from Epicurious, with my mods added in. For the original recipe, see the link (above).

Cake instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.

Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 13 - 15 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.

Filling instructions:

Beat together butter, confectioners sugar, marshmallow, and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. (BTW - this stuff is beyond amazing. Stiff texture, nice vanilla flavour. Bet it would be great with real vanilla from the Caribbean).

Pie assembly:

Spread a rounded tablespoon (or several tablespoons) filling on flat sides of half of cakes and top with remaining cakes.

The recipe says that the cakes can be made three days in advance and stored between sheets of wax paper, unrefrigerated in an airtight container. We kept a few fully assembled cakes overnight (to eat at the actual Superbowl) and they kept quite well. They seemed more moist on the second day - maybe the cakes absorbed some creaminess from the filling. They also say that the filling can be made four hours ahead and kept covered at room temperature. I assembled the cakes a few hours before serving and kept them covered at room temperature and they did keep very well.

This recipe makes eight hamburger-size whoopie pies. Next time, I think I'll try making mini-versions that are closer to biscuit-size. And there will be a next time.

Guacamole

2011-02-03T17:46:00.000-04:00

Guacamole is something I didn't know existed until my early 20s. Sad, I know. Well, maybe I had heard of it by then, but I had never tried it. Anyway, I now know and love it. Most of you probably already have your own favorite way to whip up this delicious dip but for those of you who have not ventured to try it, here's a little tutorial.

The academics tell me that the original guacamole was no more than avocados and salt. I prefer a few more ingredients (and I think these are pretty common ones in your everyday North American guac).

Ingredients:

3 ripe avocados, mashed
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
juice of 1 lime
handful of fresh cilantro
a few good dashes of Sriracha sauce
salt, to taste

When I first started making my own guacamole, someone showed me how to prepare the avocado:

1. Remove knobbly stem thing (upper right corner)

2. Slice lengthwise with a sharp knife, circling around the hard pit in the centre. It's hard to capture this one on camera. Basically, hold avocado in one hand, make a lengthwise cut until your knife hits the pit, then rotate avocado until you've made a lengthwise cut through the entire flesh.

3. Keeping knife inserted as in Step 2, rotate slightly until avocado separates into two halves.

4. To easily remove pit, hold avocado carefully in one hand and with the other, carefully tap the long side of the knife so it sticks in the pit. Gently rotate the knife handle in the plane of the avocado's surface and the pit will twist right out (if it is ripe!). Tapping the pit with a spoon on the knifed-side will release it from the knife. It's a slippery little thing, always gets away on me.

5. Spoon out flesh from each half, discarding any bruised areas. Be sure to scrape out all the outer layer of dark green flesh - I think it makes for a more attractive dip!

[Tip for avoiding bruised flesh: purchase firm avocados before they are ripe and let them sit on the counter until they are ready. Let their softness tell you when they're ready to eat! Buying soft avocados has backfired on me more than once.]

So now onto the guacamole-making!

Scoop avocado into a large bowl. Sorry this picture is a little weird, I think my camera did something automatic.

Add the juice of one lime. Like apples, avocado flesh tends to turn brown when exposed to oxygen. Unlike apple slices, mashed avocado cannot be dipped in 7-up to prevent this. So you need a healthy dose of the acids in lime juice to keep your guac green. The acid isn't the only reason for the lime - it adds great flavour as well.

Mash it up.

Seed your tomatoes and dice up the firm outer part into small cubes. Mix into avocado.

Here is where you can add the handful of cilantro (or more if you are a cilantro lover!). No pictures - ours was several days old and still tasty but no longer photogenic.

Add in your desired amount of Sriracha and salt. Mix well.

If you have willpower, let chill for a few hours in a covered container. When you're ready to eat it (I'm not going to judge if you didn't let it chill), serve in an attractive bowl with nacho chips for dipping. Alternatively (my plan) - taco night!

Another Mexican-inspired appetizer for you here.

Channa Masala

2011-01-30T13:03:00.000-04:00

Back in my university days (the first time around), when I was just learning how to cook, I tried making channa masala a few times. Channa masala is an Indian dish (sort of a chickpea curry) and is very hearty and delicious when done properly. I couldn't get it right. My version always just tasted like canned tomatoes. I was lamenting this fact at work several months ago (over a late-night Indian take-out order including a delicious channa masala) and my (awesome) supervisor offered to share her mother's recipe. Needless to say, I took her up on it!

[front to back: grated frozen ginger, garam masala + black pepper + tomato paste, cumin seeds]

[chopped onion]

[tomato paste]

[chickpeas]

[tamarind paste]

Regarding the tamarind paste: the last time we went hunting for some, we could only find a package of whole tamarind (not fresh pods - this stuff was almost the texture of dried figs). In order to make a paste, I pureed the whole tamarind (about 6 oz) with a healthy splash of apple cider vinegar (maybe 1/4 cup) and a few tablespoons of sugar. It came out with a lovely texture and nice tangy flavour.

Anyway, on to the recipe:

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp garam masala
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice or tamarind paste
1 tsp tomato paste
1-2 medium onions, chopped
19 oz can of chickpeas
3 tbsp reserved chickpea liquid
1/2 cup warm water
~2 inches fresh/frozen ginger, grated or finely chopped
salt to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over high heat. Add cumin seeds and heat until darkened. Add onions. Reduce heat to medium. Fry until softened (5-6 minutes). Turn heat to low. Add ginger, garam masala, and pepper. Stir well. Add tomato paste. Stir again. Add drained and rinsed chickpeas (remember to reserve 3 tbsp of liquid!). Add chickpea liquid and 1/2 cup warm water. Let heat for ~10 minutes, stirring gently (trying not to break up the chickpeas). Add tamarind paste or lemon juice to the dish and stir. Serve hot over basmati rice, or with naan bread. Makes ~ 4 portions.

Note: the heat in this dish comes from the ginger (and to a lesser extent the black pepper). So you can modify those amounts to get your desired spiciness. As is, I would consider it a fairly mild dish.

[ready to eat]

[close up]

I'm telling you, it is one satisfying dish. And healthy. And vegetarian. And vegan for that matter.

Got a favorite Indian food recipe? Please share!

Turkey noodle soup

2011-01-25T18:38:00.000-04:00

Good for what ails you! And tastier than chicken soup.

Turkey may not be the most traditional January food, but it is at our house: my husband gets a free turkey at Christmas from his boss. Of course, we are on PEI at Christmas time, so the work-turkey chills out in the freezer until we get back. As the food memories of Christmas fade away, we decide we are in the mood for turkey once again, and we end up with this:

Now, our St. John's family only consists of the two of us. The turkey was an 18 pounder. Despite having four guests over for dinner, there was a fair bit of fowl left. So, what to do with all the leftover goodness of the turkey? My husband was convinced none of it would go to waste. He decided to make a stock from the bones.

The next logical thing to do with the turkey stock was soup (getting more to the point of this post!). We didn't record exact measurements, but between Mike and I, here is the recipe:

Turkey noodle soup

3.5 litres homemade turkey stock (fat skimmed off)
3 cups roast turkey, chopped
1 turnip/rutabaga, cubed (1.5 cm)
4 large carrots, cubed (1.5 cm)
4-5 ribs of celery, halved lengthwise, then diced
2 medium onions, diced
1 pkg No-Yolks fine egg noodles (makes a very noodly soup)
Fresh sage and thyme, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

Instructions: Begin heating stock in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. In a frying pan, soften onions in a small amount of canola oil or butter (about 5 minutes). Add to stock along with fresh pepper and salt to taste. Bring stock to a simmer. Once simmering, add root vegetables (turnip, carrot). Cover, and continue to simmer until root vegetables begin to soften, about 15 minutes. Add celery, cover, and simmer another 5 minutes. Add turkey, thyme, sage, and further salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat slightly to bring to a very gentle boil, add noodles and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Enjoy with your favorite bread or biscuits. Makes ~ 10 portions.

This is definitely a soup that eats like a meal! We had the leftovers all week and the last bowl was as good as the first. Mike had the idea to store the soup in Mason jars (500 mL) which made for good meal-sized portions. We noticed that when cold, the noodles seemed to absorb most of the liquid in the soup, but when re-heated, the soup became soupy again. I should mention, we love noodles. If you are not a huge fan, maybe just add 1/2 pkg. Or substitute with potatoes (cook along with the other root vegetables) or rice (I'm not a rice-in-soup girl - I'm sure there are lots of tips on the web).

More soup posts here and here and here and here. Also check out my new Food Index for better recipe browsing on the blog.

The turntable

2011-01-22T11:43:00.001-04:00

Our home has lately been filled with the warm snap crackle pop of records on the turntable. What a great Christmas gift. I've always wanted a record player. Well, one that was new enough that it wasn't a fire hazard (I owned a little portable player briefly in the late 1990s but its 1960s wiring just scared me).

I raided my parents' album stash years ago. When the new turntable arrived, we also raided my in-laws' collection. Add some more vinyl from Fred's, and here is the best-of-the-best of our collection:

[mosaic maker via Big Huge Labs, for those interested]

Wedding Retrospective: The guest book(lets)

2011-01-15T18:43:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been ages since the wedding... but I realized there were still a few projects I hadn't yet blogged. Also, we are right in the thick of wedding-planning season for any Spring brides out there! It was two full years ago that I was pulling this project together.

[finished booklets]

Initially, these booklets were going to be labeled as table numbers. I had seen a great tutorial for making the booklets on the DIY Wedding section of the amazing Once Wed, and instantly loved the idea. As time went by and the decor/venue plans evolved, I decided the booklets might be too small to serve as a table marker. Instead, I decided a booklet at every guest table would take the place of a single guest book at the front of the hall.

Why a whole bunch of little booklets instead of one normal guest book? I liked the idea of people being able to take the time to write a thought or a story or a bit of advice for us instead of just writing a short greeting and signing their names. Mike and I have a lot of creative/hilarious/thoughtful friends and family members in our lives and I wanted to capture more from them than simply "Congratulations and Best Wishes".

[moleskine booklets]

My favorite - totally favorite - part of the project was choosing the paper. (I have a thing for paper). Our colours (as you may know from previous posts on the wedding) were pink and brown and cream. Most of the paper was found at DeSerres in Halifax with a few special (i.e. velvet-texture pink damask) sheets from Michaels in St. John's.

[paper]

I found a paper cutter came in handy for this craft (and for several crafts thereafter). I simply cut strips of the paper to cover the Moleskines with about an inch of extra paper left to affix (using double-sided acid-free tape) onto the inside front and back covers of the books.

[supplies]

Another cute feature of the booklets was the ribbon page-marker. I found a thin, satin finish ribbon, cut the end on the bias and a few inches longer than the spine of the booklet, then taped one end of the ribbon to the outside spine of the booklet before covering it with paper.

[page-marker and inside cover]

[page markers in finished booklets]

Now, Mike and I have a little shoebox containing the booklets. They are filled with notes, funny stories, hilarious kids drawings, a limerick, a list of potential baby names, tear-jerking memories, hilarious grown-up drawings, and some really lovely poems. In retrospect, this might have been the best DIY project of the whole wedding! Re-reading them over the past few days has reminded me how amazing our wedding guests were and how lucky we were to have so many friends and family members join us!

And now, loyal readers, I will give you a peek into our guest book(lets):

This last drawing by Mike's little cousin was accompanied by the charming caption, "You are now royalty". So sweet!

Kitchen favorites

2011-01-10T17:24:00.001-04:00

After watching some teaser clips of this new web series out of PEI, I was really inspired to share some of my favorite kitchen tools and accessories. This list is by no means exhaustive, as I highly value most items in my kitchen.

Our kitchen cart. In a tiny kitchen with next to no counter space, we really needed a functional work space. We cook. A lot. You may have noticed. We found this little cart at Walmart of all places. It's great. Towel rack, spice rack, dishcloth-hanging-bar, four drawers, three shelves, granite and wood surface.

My apron! I've posted on this before, but it is one of my favorite (and beautiful) things in the kitchen. Very useful, especially if you want to get supper going and you're still in work clothes. Aprons are making a big comeback, you know.

The trivet. This was made by my scientist boss back in my lab days. He's quite handy, as you can see. It's been through the wars though - a few scorch marks on the corks, some deeply embedded crumbs, and a few splatters of my husband's most recent blueberry adventure.

Upside-down glass rack. This rack is one of two that came along with the house we are renting. I need one of these in my next place. Not only does it free up cupboard space, it lets you display your glasses and you don't have to wash the dust out before use. Here is the story behind a few of these glasses.

Next - my microplane grater. Have you ever tried to zest a lemon or lime with that really abrasive side of a box grater? You know, the side that's impossible to clean? After doing that about a dozen times, I realized I needed a microplane grater. It has many uses - citrus zest, ginger, chocolate...

Oooh, this is exciting - a twofer! First, let me begin with the knives. These Grohmann knives are the first "real" set of knives we've owned (and maybe the last!). They are handmade in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. We received one as a generous wedding gift and used some cash gifts to finish the set. I love them. The bread knife is so sharp, Mike and I fight over who gets to slice the latest loaf. Unfortunately, several dishcloths have been butchered as we've gotten used to having real knives around.

Secondly, take a look at that knife block. Another genius item from Lee Valley. This is one of those word-of-mouth items that we heard about from friends... now several other family members and friends own one! There are no pre-sized slots in this knife block - each knife just fits in amongst the polypropylene rods. You can have a unique knife collection and grow it and not have to swap out your knife block each time.

Now this little item initially seemed frivolous, but I have come to treasure it! When you are prepping garlic, do you ever get frustrated trying to peel that last layer of skin off the clove? I did. I also ended up getting garlic bits under my fingernails. Not anymore! Pop a clove in this silicone roller and off comes the skin, NBD.

Well my friends, that's going to be all for today. I still have lots of favorite kitchen things, though, so there may be a follow up post.

Now, please do me a favor and share with me YOUR favorite kitchen items in the comment section! Links welcome!

Corn chowder

2011-01-08T15:15:00.002-04:00

After a few weeks of utter over-indulgence, I thought I should simplify my meals a bit. Soup seemed reasonable. But then I realized I didn't really want to go (pardon the pun) cold turkey from my delicious rich holiday meals. Chowder was a good compromise. It still offers a hint of richness with cream and bacon, but they are diluted with enough broth and vegetables that you don't go into a guilt coma immediately after ingesting it.

[Ingredients, clockwise from right: shredded pepper Jack cheese; diced onions, celery and red bell pepper; Tabasco; S&P; corn pureed into heavy cream; diced potatoes; bacon; corn. Missing: green chiles (they were still in the can at this point), chicken broth, tomatoes]

The more I cook, the more I learn to value preparation. It is so much easier if you have all the ingredients ready to go. Otherwise, I find I end up over-cooking certain parts of the meal - I'm trying to chop up and seed those three tomatoes required while my meat cooks - not browns - cooks in the pan. So recently I've been a stickler for preparing (peeling, chopping, dicing, mincing, pureeing, etc) before I even turn on a burner.

[delish!]

This is another recipe from my soup cookbook, The New Book of Soups. Since I copied the recipe exactly, for copyright reasons I won't post it here. You can see the ingredients above, and you know there are tons of corn chowder recipes online. I highly recommend the book, however! Beautiful photographs and lots of general tips on how to approach different types of soups.

See more of my soup posts here and here and here.

Gretta's blanket

2011-01-02T18:03:00.000-04:00

When we found out our close friends were expecting a baby, I knew an epic knitting project would be required. Attempting my first baby blanket seemed appropriate. This was a project many months in the making. Thanks to the healthy arrival of beautiful little Gretta (I met her yesterday and I'm totally in love), it is finally time to unveil on runty mouse!

I spent a lot of time on Ravelry, searching for the perfect pattern. We didn't know if the bun-in-the-oven would be a boy or a girl, so I was looking for something gender-neutral - but nonetheless awesome - for this little kid. I thought about the Log Cabin Blanket as well as the Moderne Baby Blanket - longtime faves from Mason Dixon Knitting. But it was a pattern I had never seen before that really caught my eye: Pickets by Jennifer Crawford (find it on Ravelry or KnitPicks).

A full rainbow! All the way across the baby!

It was a pleasure to knit. I LOVE garter stitch. So soothing. So uniform. I chose a very practical acrylic yarn that would be fully machine washable, making the blanket actually useful to our friends. The colours available were perfect. *A full rainbow*. My personal favorites are the bright blue, the yellow, and the purple. Here are some photos of the blanket in-progress:

Even after finally finishing the blanket, I still felt crafty. So I made this little card as well:

Finally, some modification notes and tips for interested knitters:

You'll notice I dropped one of the "points" of each "picket" so that only one end of the blanket had "points". I knew that my "increasing end" would not be symmetrical with my "decreasing end", so I just cast off the full width of the "picket". I think it looks more like a picket fence this way, or maybe a set of crayons?
Regarding gauge, I knit 24 stitches across at the maximum width, and knit about 149 rows per panel (after the "point" was completed).
All through the project, I was dreading the final seaming of all ten pickets. However, I was directed to a knitty tutorial by a fellow Raveler which turned out to be so easy and effective, I actually looked forward to seaming! In retrospect, I would have left a "tail" at the end of each picket that would equal the entire length of the picket (plus about six inches) - it could then be used as the seaming yarn.
Link to my project page on Ravelry

Caramel apple dip

2010-12-31T20:04:00.000-04:00

Oh, I'm so happy to be sharing this little recipe with you! It's easy, and so delicious! Crowd-pleaser, for sure.

I found the recipe here on a fellow Islander's blog, although I did modify it. The recipe is simple: 1 pkg caramel sauce (find in the produce section - it's used straight-up for dipping apple slices), 1 pkg softened light cream cheese, crushed skor bar pieces (some mixed in the dip, some on top for garnish). The original recipe also calls for 1/2 cup brown sugar but I think the dip is sweet enough with the caramel and skor bits.

The part of this dip that got the biggest response was definitely the tray of apple slices. I used a combo of Granny Smith and Red Delicious. I arranged them in alternating colours and it made quite a visual impression!

My dad has over thirty years of experience as a grocery man, so he had a great tip for keeping the apple slices from oxidizing (i.e. turning brown). Dip them in 7-up. Good ol' 7-up.

An up-shot of using the pop was that at the end of the process, you had a delicious little apple-lemon-lime beverage to sip! (Mike came up with that).

Here is a final shot of the dip before it was taken to the annual family party and devoured.

Something quick to make for a New Years Eve party, maybe?

Holiday playlist

2010-12-27T22:45:00.001-04:00

I've been collecting a list of favorite not-necessarily-traditional holiday tunes over the past several years. I was first inspired by a former lab-mate who made an amazing mix CD (that was before everyone had an iPod and an iPod dock) that I "borrowed".

So, in no particular order, allow me to provide you with my current Christmas/holiday playlist. YouTube or other links are provided. Some songs are traditional Christmas carols, some are less-than-traditional, some are just wintery songs that I like to listen to at this time of year.

Song For A Winter's Night - Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot's songs take me back to my earliest memories of childhood. This Christmas, I received Gord's Gold on vinyl... along with a photo of a new turntable set up in my living room back in St. John's! Guess I'll be listening to this song all winter long.

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl
Oh how I love this song. Maybe my favorite of the season. See my previous blog post regarding the Jenn Grant and In Flight Safety version of the same.

At Last, I'm Ready For Christmas - Stan Rogers (link to a cover version)
Oh Stan. He sings the truth. This song captures the reality of Christmas for young families. Another Stan favorite of mine is First Christmas... but it always jerks tears so I have left it off my official playlist. Especially since this WAS my first Christmas away from home.

I Believe In Santa Claus - Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
Dolly and Kenny are a staple at my house over the holidays.

Christmas Must Be Tonight - The Band
Shockingly, I just discovered this song this year. Very catchy.

O Holy Night - Weezer
I'm surprised that Weezer's whole Christmas album is religious, with the exception of We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Anyway, I think it's a fun update from the usual version I hear at church every year.

White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
This is one of the non-Christmas songs... but I love it. Just love these guys. When My Morning Jacket zigged with Evil Urges, these guys zagged in.

Christmas In Killarney - The Irish Rovers
I think I sang this in my grade four Christmas concert.

Merry Christmas Everyone - Séan McCann (song download link)
This is a new release out this year from a Great Big Sea member going out on his own. I downloaded it because it was free, and it grew on me.

Christmastime - The Smashing Pumpkins
This is one of the songs from my lab-mate I mentioned earlier. Definitely a new classic.

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon & Yoko Ono
Self-explanatory.

Seven Joys Of Mary - Great Big Sea
Wow. Traditional, but not classic Christmas. This song really gets my foot tapping.

I Saw Three Ships - Sting
Short and sweet. Sting's sound really goes well with this traditional song.

Snoopy's Christmas - The Royal Guardsmen
I have always loved this one.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan
BNL is one of the few bands whose Christmas albums/specials I just adore.

Wintertime Love - The Doors
SO not a Christmas song. This is maybe my favorite Doors album (Waiting for the Sun). If you like the Doors at all, I would check it out.

Come And I Will Sing You (The Twelve Apostles) - Great Big Sea
Another traditional song from GBS. I know it's not a Christmas song, but it somehow feels right at this time of year. Maybe it's because I first heard this album over a Christmas break; maybe because it's church-y and this time of year church-y songs are kosher.

Little Drummer Boy - Bob Dylan
Most new Bob Dylan songs freak me out a little. His holiday album is no exception. This video is quite entertaining though... nothing like the Must Be Santa video.

Happy listening!

Christmas dinner

2010-12-27T15:39:00.000-04:00

Mmm... one of the best parts of Christmas. Mike and I had two amazing turkey dinners on Christmas day. The following photos are from the second turkey dinner, the one that actually induced the food coma.

[classic turkey]

[clockwise from top: coleslaw, chow, turkey and cranberry sauce, carrots and broccoli, gravy on potatoes. centre: maple bacon stuffing]

[plum pudding]

Plum pudding is a staple of Christmas dinner in our house. It may be the best dessert I've ever had. Of course the fact that you only eat it once a year makes it all that much more delicious. I love it so much, in fact, that two years ago I rolled away from the table to write the following poem:

Ode to Plum Pudding

You are sweet.
You are delicious.
You appear but once a year.

Juicy are your raisins.
Your sauce gives me hallucinations.
Butter, cream and sugar
Are so much more
Than the sum of their parts.

My blood sugar soars.
My food memory roars.
Oh plum pudding,
My heart belongs to you.

Scotch cookies

2010-12-19T20:56:00.001-04:00

So, apparently, Scotch cookies are a Prince Edward Island thing. When you Google "scotch cookies", the first three links that come up are from PEI. Some Islanders also know them as scotch cakes.

I will let you in on a secret. They aren't really just a PEI thing... the rest of the world knows and loves these cookies as shortbread.

Regardless, they are a tradition in my family's home over the holidays. We recently whipped up a batch.

The recipe has been handed down and has morphed over the years, depending on how tight money was at the time. The current recipe is similar to the hand-written one above, with a few changes:

Scotch Cookies

1 cup butter
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
icing to decorate, if desired

Cream butter, yolks, and vanilla together in a bowl. Add icing sugar and combine. Add flour and salt and mix. Form dough into ball. Roll out thin - about 7 mm or desired thickness. Cut with cookie cutter. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until bottom edges of cookies are golden brown (about 15 minutes). Once cooled, decorate with icing. Cookies freeze well if layered between sheets of wax paper. Depending on your cookie cutter, you might get about three dozen cookies out of this recipe.

My mom's mom's baking spoon has been handed down to us and that's the one our scotch cookies are made with every Christmas.

Continuing on with tradition, this cookie cutter has also been around for an eon. It is made from an old pizza sauce can, back when the cans were super tiny! I don't know what would come in a can that size now.

Again, here is the finished product. Melt-in-your-mouth Christmas cookies!

Eggrolls

2010-12-13T19:33:00.000-04:00

Eggrolls! Homemade eggrolls! The best kind of eggrolls! And I would know - I'm on PEI, the place where eggrolls are everyone's favorite Saturday night snack (along with the rest of Special Plate C). Some say the Canton Cafe is the best Chinese food here, some prefer China Garden, some love Blossoms, but my favorite Chinese food are the eggrolls that come from Souris West.

My parents make these every year. This year, they waited for me to arrive home-from-away before the annual event. I always heard about these eggroll-making nights but was never witness to one. Until now.

So, up until now, I was under the impression that the delicious crumbly filling, the one with the perfect balance between meat and vegetable and just the right amount of saltiness, was my father's own creation. After my inclusion in the ritual, however, I came to realize that the filling is made using the recipe on the eggroll-wrapper box. Wong Wing. No matter, the stuff is still just as delicious! This year, Dad added a few diced shrimp to the pork recipe. I also realized it would be super easy to make an all-veggie version of the eggrolls.

The eggroll wrappers come in packages of approximately 50. They come apart easily. The "glue" that sticks the wrapper together in all the appropriate places is egg white. Get it? Eggroll! Take a little silicone or nylon brush (the kind you might use for BBQ sauce), dip it in the egg white, and paint three borders of the square wrapper. The borders should be about an inch thick. You then add a dollop of filling (not too much, not too little - you'll get the hang of it). Make sure to not get any filling on the outside edges of the egg white border. The moisture of the filling prevents a good seal and then you get a lot of snap, crackle and pop during the (spoiler!) deep frying phase.

Directions for wrapping the eggrolls: first fold the non-egged edge in towards the middle of the wrapper, over part of the filling (this is one of your long edges), then pinch one end of that folded-over piece, to hold it in place. Fold over the other long edge, overlapping the first edge by about 1 cm, and press down lightly to seal. Now press each end tightly to seal. You can also use a fork to really crimp the edges down (as shown above).

Your wrapped products should look like this.

Now they are ready for the oil (we used canola). I prefer not to really provide instructions on how to heat the oil. I just have to say *do it safely*. You may have a deep fryer, or you may have a pot like we do. *Do not leave the pot unattended at any point*. Read a few deep frying tutorials on line, or ask an experienced deep fryer for tips. I am not an experienced deep fryer. I am a little scared of hot oil, not gonna lie.

Here they are, frying away to a sizzling, golden brown. Prior to frying, make sure all of the edges of the rolls are still sealed - as I mentioned above, if the filling comes in contact with the hot oil, you will have some noise and some spatter. As far as cooking time, you have to play around and get the feel for it. After a few minutes, one side will be brown enough. You then flip it, and fry the other side until done. Use a metal slotted spoon to remove the rolls from the oil, and place onto paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Now, after all the scariness of the hot oil, we are rewarded with some amaaaazingly delicious eggrolls!

As delicious as they look. We made 100. Wonder how long they'll last over the holidays?

Shepherd's Pie

2010-12-10T09:36:00.000-04:00

Just had to share this delicious recipe with you guys. Mike is the go-to Shepherd's Pie guy around here and this is his latest trial.

So, maybe comfort foods are not always the most photogenic. But believe me when I say this dish was ultimately savoury and delicious. The meat is seasoned with thyme, cloves, black pepper and garlic, not to mention a healthy splash of red wine. Rather than a veggie layer, celery and carrot are cooked in with the meat. The skin-on potato layer (just the way I like it!) has a pinch of nutmeg.

To summarize Mike's alterations to the recipe:

Substituted milk for the half-and-half called for
The amount of wine was not specified so we used 1/2 cup
We had no fresh oregano or thyme around so went with dried thyme
The original recipe uses Yukon gold potatoes, we like reds

Since we had to open a bottle of wine to flavour the dish, we obviously couldn't let it go to waste!

This is a homemade shiraz, getting better with age. I think Mike should start up a home brewing blog... any other votes in favour?

Goblets

2010-12-07T09:23:00.000-04:00

After a lazy Sunday afternoon of watching old episodes of Mad Men and playing long-overdue catch-up with some design blogs on my Reader, I developed a hankering for some retro decor items. Considering my current financial state, I skipped the mall and headed to Value Village instead.

And I scored! In the "home decor" section my eye was immediately drawn to this set* of smoked glass drinking goblets. Can't you just picture Betty Draper drinking just a little too much wine out of one of these?

[*not actually a set, but three out of four ain't bad for $3]

They looked strangely familiar until I realized I had seen almost identical glasses that day on Apartment Therapy, in a post about using goblets during the festive season to up your dinner-table fanciness.

[for sale here]

Other suggestions at AptTx included these amber thumb-print goblets:

[for sale here]

Much like the pair below that Mike and I received as a wedding gift from my uncle. These belonged to my late grandparents. We only use them on special occasions, befitting their unique history.

I agree with the original goblet post - they do dress up a table. They are distinguished, and a bit regal. Not for every day... to be saved for special occasions. I hope to have many a happy toast with these vintage glasses.

Bonavista

2010-12-02T11:57:00.000-04:00

During a November weekend away (you may remember the Swift Current post), we took a long-ish detour and decided to visit this little town. Our visit was short, but we did make it to Cape Bonavista to see the gorgeous lighthouse.

Canadians know Bonavista as that easterly place made famous in the Canadian version of "This Land Is Your Land".

But Newfoundlanders know it's a real place. They may know it as a legendary landing spot of John Cabot (or Giovanni Caboto - he was Italian).

They may know it as yet another ruggedly beautiful coastal area in a province that is abundantly blessed with such places (like here, and here, and here, and here).

We can certainly vouch for its beauty. It was worth the drive.

Advent calendars

2010-11-29T17:21:00.000-04:00

As it is almost December 1st, and I've been seeing so many advent calendars around the blogosphere lately, I decided I would provide you all with a little collection of my faves. Some are very suitable for DIY.

The first is from Miss Gioia via oh, hello friend (who happens to have an excellent round-up of advent calendars). I am in love with this one - it uses an increasing amount of buttons to indicate the number of each pocket. Love, love, love.

The next is actually a DIY project and comes from Paige Russell via Poppytalk. I think the stark white mixed with rainbow bright colours would be perfect in a modern home or apartment, don't you?

Here is a fun little pyramid calendar from Country Living. I found it courtesy of craft lovely. If you are like me and love candlelight, and prefer a matchstick to a lighter, you may just have a few matchboxes lying around. Alternatively, you could purchase a multipack of matchboxes and store the matches in a large jar while the boxes are re-purposed.

This final calendar is a beautiful print-it-yourself project by Jen Hill (found via the ever-addictive Design*Sponge and their round-up of calendars in general). It comes free with purchase from her shop or you can get the .pdf for $5 on her site.

If this post inspires you to make up your own advent calendar, I need to see pictures, so let me know!

Winter is here!

2010-11-23T14:32:00.000-04:00

So, technically, Winter isn't here until December 21st, but today was the first real snowfall here in St. John's. So I'm christening Winter today.

Today was also the first day I had to break out a hat. My personal favorite hat.

It was knit long before this blog started. Super quick and fun. Love the spiral pattern of the top decreases!

And the big wooden button, of course.

If you know me on Ravelry, the project has been posted there for awhile.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but could the best part of winter be the knitted accessories?

Swift Current

2010-11-14T10:52:00.000-04:00

Ever heard of Swift Current, Newfoundland? It is the home of Kilmory Resort. We first heard about it at a silent auction fundraiser for Haiti last winter. They were offering for auction a two night stay in their finest chalet - and we took home the prize.

[our cabin]

The husband and I finally redeemed our certificate last weekend. And what a prize it was. This is a little resort area tucked in the woods directly beside a quiet river in rural Newfoundland. The cabin itself was well equipped with everything we needed, as well as a jacuzzi and fireplace! To top it off, the weather was unseasonably warm and sunny.

This trip was so peaceful. No internet. No cell reception. Just the two of us, a beautiful river view, the guitars (and the new mandolin).

[cabin view]

[the mandolin]

We also fit in a few hikes. The first, at Garden Cove, was fun and quirky. Someone had taken it upon themselves to decorate the trail with some folk art. A few samples:

[some kind of Elk's Lodge meeting place?]

[now I get it...]

[closest we came to cell reception all weekend]

The other hike was at the former Piper's Hole Provincial Park. For reasons unknown to us, this park had been shut down for apparently several years. The trails remained, and before we got too scared of bears, we did a bit of walking and got a few photographs.

[old bridge circa 1939]

[the river]

[fall foliage]

What a peaceful weekend - a real getaway. Rural Newfoundland never ceases to impress me, and Swift Current was no exception.

New mittens

2010-11-07T19:57:00.000-04:00

It has been quite a while since I knit my last pair of mittens - way too long in fact! So I was due for a new pair:

A trip to Toronto last month brought me into a fancy yarn store... so tempting that I couldn't leave without some amazingly soft alpaca yarn. A pair of garter-stitch mittens in the store caught my eye and the ladies included the pattern in the purchase: the Greyden Mitts (link to pattern page on Ravelry).

The photoshoot was at Kilmory Resort, Swift Current, NL (post on that trip still to come!).

For more of my knitting posts, click here.

6th Avenue Heartache

2010-11-04T18:00:00.000-03:00

To add to my list of favorite songs to hear and sing... remember this one, from the Wallflowers? Jakob Dylan (Bob's progeny) is the singer, with help from Adam Duritz of Counting Crows.

While released as a pop/rock song (and played on top 40 radio), this is actually a folk song. According to my definition anyway. I consider a good folk song to be one that first of all tells a story, and second of all makes some kind of comment on society, be it political or sociological or whatever.

To me, this song not only tells a story but paints a vivid mental picture of the urban homeless. I turned to Flickr to help me share the internal images that this song gives me. Thanks to the Flickr members who agreed to share their work.

[by Gnownad]

[by ONEant]

[by Jacobite Boy]

6th Avenue Heartache - The Wallflowers

Sirens ring, shots ring out

A stranger cries, screams out loud

I had my world strapped against my back

I held my hands, never knew how to act

And the same black line that was drawn on you

Was drawn on me

And now it's drawn me in

6th Avenue heartache

Below me was a homeless man

Singin' songs I knew completely

On the steps alone, his guitar in hand

For fifty years, he stood where he stands

Now walkin' home on those streets

The river winds move my feet

Subway steam, like silhouettes in dreams

They stood by me, just like moonbeams

Look out the window, down upon that street

And gone like a midnight was that man

But I see his six strings laid against that wall

And all his things, they all look so small

I got my fingers crossed on a shooting star

Just like me, just moved on

Heart on your sleeve

2010-11-02T21:31:00.000-03:00

Has anyone else noticed the trend in decorative anatomy?

I'm used to seeing anatomical images at work, though usually on a poster or textbook. It's another thing entirely to see these images as jewelry. I love the juxtaposition when these things adorn the outside of a neck, a wrist, a finger.

[spine and pelvis necklace by Lillian Crowe via Supermarket]

[pelvis necklace by Missy Industry on Supermarket]

Now, some people just can't stomach these types of images.

[stomach pendant by TillyBloom via Etsy]

They aren't for the faint-of-heart.

[heart ring by Melanie Favreau on Supermarket]

So, if you see one of these items on a friend, just take a deep breath...

[lung necklace by Missy Industry on Etsy]

Any squeamishness is just in your mind.

[brain necklace by Moon Raven Designs on Etsy]

Try to see these beautiful pieces as I do: art, not ick!

For more quasi-medical decoration, see my previous posts here and here.

Island Fall

2010-10-26T10:32:00.001-03:00

You remember my anticipatory post about my trip to Prince Edward Island? Well, I just departed after a full four weeks there, and I loved every minute.

The work I was doing required two hours of commuting each day. It was quite possibly the loveliest commute on earth. I was driving from Souris to Charlottetown somewhere between six and eight in the morning. This typically involved a sunrise in my rearview mirror. I saw lots of critters either waking up or heading to bed at this time: a couple of eagles, a pheasant (Or partridge? Whichever one looks more like a football with two hand-held fans attached while flying), foxes, and the majestic great blue heron.

I'm not a crazy person so I didn't try to take pictures of these fleeting creatures while driving. I did, however, pull over on occasion to try and capture the lovely scenery:

[After seeing this I had the "Double Rainbow" song stuck in my head for days]

[near St. Peter's]

[hay field, Primrose]

As if the commute didn't bring enough driving, I also spent some time touring around in my area. This is the prettiest wooded area, known as The Glen.

Deep in The Glen you can find The Big Tree. It's an old beech tree that is shockingly larger than any other tree around. It's a tree of legend in these parts - really makes you wonder how it survived all these years.

No tour of Eastern PEI is complete without a visit to the beloved Basin. Basin Head Beach is the place to be in summer, and even a visit on a gloomy fall day evokes memories of long high-school summer beach days.

Definitely got my PEI fix! If only I can arrange to come back for good...

Pumpkin-coconut soup

2010-10-20T18:31:00.000-03:00

Our hefty pumpkin provided more than enough puree for two batches of pumpkin muffins. With so much left over, I decided to create a creamy pumpkin soup. This recipe is off-the-cuff and it turned out alright. A hearty fall soup with an Asian flair.

Pumpkin-coconut soup

Ingredients:

2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
3 cups pumpkin puree
1 can light coconut milk
1 small onion, finely diced
2 inches fresh grated ginger-root
3 tsp ground cumin (or to taste)
1 tsp ground cardamom (or to taste)
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves (if you love cilantro as much as I do)
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, plus more to garnish
1/2 tsp coarse salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp olive oil

In a 4-litre pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and ginger and saute until softened, about 5 min. Add cumin and cardamom and stir for about 1 min. Add broth and water. Next, stir in pumpkin puree. Heat through. Slowly stir in coconut milk. Season to taste with salt. Once heated through and flavoured to your satisfaction, add cilantro and shredded coconut. Serve garnished with additional cilantro leaves or coconut.

If you are not a cilantro fan, I would perhaps try a lemon-grass and red chile version. Hot sauce wouldn't go astray in this soup, either. Perhaps Sriracha?

Pumpkin puree

2010-10-17T14:04:00.001-03:00

Prince Edward Island is strewn with pumpkins right now. In fact, I can see a healthy pumpkin patch from the front window. Last week, one of those pumpkins was hand-delivered by the farmer himself. So we set right to making some pumpkin puree.

Step 1: If you've ever carved a pumpkin, you know what to do.

Step 2: Remove seeds.

Step 3: Cut pumpkin up into small pieces. Arrange in a smiley face if you are a joker like my dad.

Step 4: Cook. You can basically do this the same way you cook squash. We chose to steam the cubes by covering a bowl with plastic wrap and microwaving for about nine minutes. Later we did a batch by roasting in the oven for almost an hour.

Step 5: Scoop flesh out and discard skin.

Step 6: Puree. You could use an immersion blender or food processor, whatever tickles your fancy.

Step 7. Drain. Notice how juicy the above puree is? We researched a bit and found the suggestion to strain the excess juice from several hours to overnight. We set up a little device with some cheesecloth in a colander and refrigerated overnight.

Step 8. Put to good use! Martha didn't let me down when I went looking for a recipe for pumpkin muffins. It is a nice recipe - find it here. I substituted pecans for walnuts since I love the pecans and one of my pet peeves is eating a walnut that's gone off - so bitter! Between the puree and the yogurt (and the oil!) these muffins are nice and moist. I also like the inclusion of some whole-wheat flour for that extra bit of fibre. Thanks to my mom for creating a lovely little display for the finished product.

More pumpkin recipes to come!

St. John's streets

2010-10-05T19:42:00.000-03:00

Taken on a walk in mid-September, here are some photos of the more creative property boundaries in St. John's.

[Aquaduct]

[Classic wrought-iron]

[Beautiful Newfoundland stone]

All of these photos were taken at properties along or just off of Waterford Bridge Road, St. John's. A beautiful walk with some lovely homes.

Island Bound

2010-09-18T23:51:00.000-03:00

Only seven sleeps til I'm back on my Island. I missed it this summer - I made it home for a mere four days in early July.

One thing that strikes me when I arrive home in summer is the fragrant air. Heavy, sweet clover. The hot dirt. Salt air. Strawberry blossoms and sand.

The fall sights and smells will be different, of course. Turning leaves, and the sharp piney smell of decomposition in "the woods". Baking. Stewing preserves in warm kitchens. I'll take few beach walks and watch those big fall hurricane waves roll in.

One more week til my feet are back where they should be, on Island soil.

Homemade pizza

2010-09-09T18:45:00.001-03:00

To many Canadians, the words "homemade pizza" conjure up this image:

What a treat it was when we were kids! Kraft Pizza had a taste all its own. The inexplicably orange sauce, the 'herbs' (dehydrated beyond the point of recognition), the huge packet of granulated parmesan. I was lucky, and had parents who would add more nutrition to the top, like ground beef, green pepper, onions, and mozzarella (and sometimes bacon!). I know of some people who only used the kit contents! I shuddered when I found that out...

Anyway, the point of this post is not just to reminisce... it is to remind everyone that homemade pizza does not have to come in a box or a packet, and you can really make it into anything you want it to be. When we have homemade pizza in this house, it is always different than the last version.

May I present Pizza 7.0 (we've probably made half-a-dozen versions in the last year or so):

Toppings:

thinly sliced cocktail tomatoes (or other small tomato)
red onions, thinly sliced and browned in a dry pan
goat cheese, crumbled
capocollo slices (I wanted prosciutto, but in Newfoundland grocery stores, it's like the Stones said: you can't always get what you want)
coarsely cracked black pepper
oregano-infused olive oil (as the sauce)

Crust:

Today I did what I usually do with my busy schedule and picked up a pre-baked flatbread from the grocery store. There are some nice ones out there. I chose PC Blue Menu. It was marginally healthier than the other brand. When we have time, Mike makes a nice pizza crust (he is in charge of all items involving yeast).

Variations:

...are endless. Some other good combinations are:

Sundried and fresh tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, feta, and toasted almonds
Chorizo and mozza or Monterey jack with peppers and onions
Turkey pepperoni, tomato or pesto sauce, parmesan and peppers

Don't be afraid to create your own combo... and then tell me about it!

Eggplant season

2010-08-31T19:08:00.002-03:00

I made my first trip to the grocery store in what seemed like a very long time today. One of the things on my list was eggplant. Somewhat like the rhubarb situation back in June, I have been seeing eggplant everywhere on the blogs these days.

As I moseyed up to the produce counter, I was greeted by this friendly fellow:

He kinda reminds me of this guy:

[Tintin - photo found here]

At first I was going to name him - some early candidates included Andy the Aubergine, or maybe Eddie the Eggplant, but then I thought it would be too difficult to eat him down the road. Which I plan on doing. I just don't know which recipe will be his final resting place.

Baked eggplant? [via Slash/food]

Eggplant marinara? [via Heart of Light]

Or harissa baked eggplant? [via Fig and Cherry]

It's going to be a tough choice!

Footnote: a glimpse of our supper tonight:

[Farfalle in Lemon Cream Sauce]

It's not getting it's own post since I lifted the recipe completely from the lovely blog s i x o n e s e v e n. Worth a try - it was a simple and delicious recipe!

Mountains of the West

2010-08-30T21:45:00.001-03:00

In late September
I drove across the Prairies
The mountains behind me
And the ocean beyond

This country's a coal mine
And I'm a canary
Turn out the headlights
And the radio on

All the lyrical details of Joel Plaskett's Light of the Moon don't match up with those of our summer roadtrip: it was actually early August, we were driving in the other direction, and we did keep the headlights turned on at all times, Mom. But the song has always evoked a feeling in me, a longing for that quintessential Canadian Road Trip, and it plays in my head when I think of our drive from Calgary to Revelstoke, to Kamloops, to Vancouver, to Sechelt, to Secret Cove and back again. Me and my man and endless sing-a-long songs on the radio.

[quintessential Canadiana]

Granville Island

2010-08-22T14:30:00.000-03:00

During our Vancouver sojourn, we packed in a lot of fun experiences. One of the most memorable would have to be our visit to Granville Island. Granville Island is located in False Creek, adjacent to Yaletown, where we were staying.

[courtesy Google Maps]

With a home-brewing husband, it's hard to turn down a brewery tour whilst on vacation. Especially when that brewery touts themselves as the oldest microbrewery in all of Canada. The Granville Island Brewing Co. boasted at least seven brews during our visit. The tour was detailed, informative, and included an actual taste-test of the various malted grains used in their brewing process.

My absolute fave, hands down, was the Brockton India Pale Ale. Unlike some I am familiar with, this I.P.A. is true to its hoppy history. The hops aroma, flavour, and bitterness were all present. This is a trend I've seen in the past few years, with Garrison, Propeller, Sam Adams (and many more small breweries) earnestly using that fourth ingredient that the larger breweries seem hesitant to take on.

[under the Granville St. Bridge with the husband]

Next stop on the Island was the Public Market. A veritable feast for the eyes, nose, and palate of someone who spends the better part of the year on a less-than-fertile island on the opposite coast.

Check out some of this produce! Stall after stall was filled with fruits, veggies, and herbs to the hearts content. I would have bought some to take back to Newfoundland with me, but after another week of travel it would be in the same category as our usual grocery store produce.

There was a large deli selection as well. Ranging from the usual:

To the exotic:

Yes, you are reading the sign correctly - it says camel.

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post, reader. If you are lucky enough find yourself in Vancouver, I highly recommend a tour of Granville Island. I know I'll be going back some day!

Blogiversary!

2010-08-18T06:53:00.004-03:00

[by Grundlepuck on Flickr]

Today is a big day... my one-year blogiversary! A year ago today I was post-wedding, on a month-long stay-cation with nothing to more to do than indulge my favorite hobbies and interests... and lo and behold, Runty Mouse was born.

I had been in the contemplation stage of starting a blog for awhile at that point. I was largely inspired by my sister's blog, Tidyowl, which she had incepted in June of 2009. Once started, there was no going back - I was a blogger!

One blog I read often is named IS*LY. This stands for "I still love you", referring to the author's continuing passion for all things crafty and hands-on in her life, despite a recent increase in family responsibilities and a priority shift away from her previous interests.

Wow, did that blog name strike a chord with me. Part of the reason I started my blog last summer was to maintain a reminder of what I still loved, despite an approaching year of increased responsibility and demand on my time. I highly value the simple things in life, such as spending time with family, enjoying nature, music, and of course, food. Runty Mouse has been a constant impetus to enjoy those simple things, make them a priority, still love them - despite my busier-than-ever schedule.

I hope you've all enjoyed the year. My blog doesn't have the largest following but it certainly has a loyal one! I have loved reading your comments and getting your real-life feedback as well. Here's to another year with you!

Bunting

2010-08-15T17:27:00.001-03:00

Two weeks went by very quickly! Perhaps because they were filled with so many fun and interesting locations, family, and friends.

I got back to my Reader today and caught up on innumerable unread posts. Between those posts and the amazing vacation, I feel like I have a million blogging ideas swimming around in my head!

The first one is inevitable. Bunting. Inspired by my beautiful cousin who is celebrating her one-week-iversary today.

Isn't it lovely? Her wedding tent (above) and reception site were draped with it. She and her mother (an uber-talented seamstress) found gorgeous fabric and her mom sewed it up into the flags, to the tune of 500 ~~metres~~ feet!

The bunting set the tone of the wedding as a colourful and festive affair (more photos of the wedding still to come!) It also served as a theme, of sorts, that ran throughout the wedding decor.

Here you can see the bunting theme on the wedding programs. This same pattern was included on the invitations.

And this, my friends, is the seating chart that won rave reviews! See how the guests' names are listed on each little bunting flag? Brilliant.

Since my cousin started talking about her bunting, months ago, I have been drawn to it in all shapes and forms. It can be used in many a festive situation, but I think it is particularly lovely at a wedding. Please enjoy these select images from my favorite wedding blogs:

[via Once Wed]

[via 100 Layer Cake]

[via Once Wed]

[via Once Wed]

[via Project Wedding]

The Bearded Wonder

2010-07-29T20:13:00.000-03:00

I dedicate this post to my handsome, talented, interesting, loving, intelligent, bearded husband. Happy first anniversary this weekend! You make my life better. I love you and I'm looking forward to many more years spent with you.

[from dudeandchick on Etsy]

[from MaroDesigns on Etsy]

[from Chop Shop via Supermarket]

[from beardhead]

[my faves... above three from Laura George via Supermarket]

Trinity Bight

2010-07-27T21:17:00.003-03:00

Almost a month ago, now, my sister came to visit. We packed in a very full weekend. The following post is only a day's worth of our fun, but it's a long one, so settle in!

We had been planning for a long time to take a jaunt out around Trinity Bay, on the Eastern coast of Newfoundland, approximately three hours from St. John's. There are a bunch of little villages in the area, including Port Rexton, Trinity East, and New Bonaventure - the whole lot is known as Trinity Bight.

Why this particular corner of the province? Well, you see, there are two fascinating books we've both read by a lady called Bernice Morgan: Random Passage and Waiting for Time. These stories were eventually made into a TV mini-series also called Random Passage. I have never seen the series, but was captivated by the books and the story they told. My sister had seen the series and was equally captivated. When we learned that the actual film set of the mini-series was located a mere three-hour drive from St. John's, we knew we had to visit.

You really should check out Random Passage (at least the book) if you have an interest in Newfoundland culture. It is a fictional story of how an outport was settled in the mid 1800s and is just enchanting. Here are some shots of the set, a look into Newfoundland's rich past:

Once our plans were made, I had several friends suggest a hike in the same area. The Skerwink Trail is a part of the larger Discovery Trail. In contrast to the Spout, the Skerwink Trail is a relatively easy 5.3 kilometre hike. Like the Spout, it features stunning views and sea stacks. We had a gorgeous afternoon for our hike. Most of the hike consisted of soft forest floor paths. We found the trail very well groomed, with boardwalks and staircases in strategic (read: muddy) places.

We managed to fit all of this into just one day. I have a feeling there was a lot left to see in the area. A weekend trip there may just be in order!

Edit: for more photos, see my Trinity set on Flickr

Ferryland

2010-07-22T18:51:00.002-03:00

So the blog has been slightly neglected this month; ironically, I have had more free time in July than any time so far this year. Perhaps the lack of posting is because of all that free time - I've been filling it up with fun little visits and outings! I'm quite behind, so let's get started:

Ferryland is a little village on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland. Friends of ours have been raving about Ferryland's lighthouse picnics for years now. A few weekends ago, we finally made plans to go check it out for ourselves.

The village of Ferryland is south of St. John's. It took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to drive out there.

[maplandia]

Once arrived in Ferryland, you realize that the lighthouse is located on the tip of a little... well, in PEI we'd call it a spit but since it's made of solid rock, not sand, I guess it's more of a mini-peninsula. From the parking area, you walk out onto the peninsula, which is traffic-free. This takes another fifteen minutes if you are at a strolling pace. I mention all these times because we were quite late the day we decided to picnic. We had made reservations (very important!) but overshot by an hour (eep).

It is at this point I would like to discuss the service at the Ferryland lighthouse. As some of you may know, my pet peeve in this world is the dearth of customer service personnel who actually give a crap about their job. At the Ferryland lighthouse, I was instantly struck by the quality professional service. Despite an obviously busy afternoon, the counter staffperson was calm and collected. She kindly accepted our profuse apology for our lateness (apparently lots of stunned city folk like us misjudge their transit time), took our order, answered our questions, and did it all with a smile and a welcoming attitude.

But as impressed as I was with the service... my favorite part was the food! (You know me).

O. M. G. So there were several selections available, but I had heard in advance about the "ham and cheese" and had already made up my mind about what to order. "Ham and cheese" is a sandwich that can range from a satisfying lunch to a Sketchy McNasty vending machine disaster. The Ferryland picnic sandwich fell on the extremely awesome end of that spectrum.

Oven-roasted fruit-chutney glazed ham, sliced thin, but not too thin. The cheese? Brie. Green apple slices brighten the flavour. The bread: hearty, homemade, thick-sliced, buttered oatmeal with (methinks) a touch of molasses. And that was just the sandwich!! Orzo and bell pepper side salad with fresh mint, topped with fresh-grated Parmesan. Fresh-squeezed lemonade in a Mason jar. Wide dessert selection - but mine was a no-brainer: gingerbread with brown-sugar sauce. The meal runs you about $20 and is worth every buck.

Did I mention that the picnic is served to you after you've nestled in on the cliff overlooking the ocean on a lovely tartan picnic blanket (provided)? Oh yeah, a server comes out to you with a picnic basket/horn o' plenty filled with the above-mentioned feast.

Did I mention there's not a bad view from the Ferryland lighthouse?

And did I mention that we had front-row tickets to the frolicking-whale show? Whales spouted and breached all afternoon. Wish I had a better zoom so you guys could enjoy it like we did:

All-in-all, the Ferryland lighthouse picnic is an outing not to be missed while on the East coast of Newfoundland.

Canadiana

2010-06-30T22:55:00.001-03:00

It's Canada Day... off... tomorrow! So go the words of an infectious new song by Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle.

In honour of the most fun - or at least patriotic - stat holiday, I have gathered a selection of Canadiana for your perusal. Canada has many national icons, and Canada Day is the perfect day to go corny and cliche with some of these symbols of the True North.

Let's start real classic... the beaver, and an homage to Bob and Doug MacKenzie (or any two random hosers you like!):

[both from Touch The Dutch on Etsy]

Now, if those jewelry items weren't loud enough to express your patriotism, and you find Canadian summers a little cool, try on this baby on July 1st:

[Cowichan sweater found here]

If you would rather not wear your Canadian culture, and would prefer to belt it out loud, try singing along to a few of these Canadiana anthems:

In order: curling anthem "Tournament of Hearts" by Winnipeg's The Weakerthans, cult classic "Bobcaygeon" by Canadian institution The Tragically Hip, and the ultimate Canada Day sing-a-long, "True Patriot Love" by my personal fave, the Joel Plaskett Emergency.

So whether you're in Bonavista or Vancouver Island (let's make that St. John's or Vancouver - close enough!), from Sable Island to Ottawa and all the spots around and in-between:

Happy Canada Day!!

Treats!

2010-06-29T18:39:00.000-03:00

June has been a great month. Two visits from family and very recently, some nice weather. On top of that, I've recently received some lovely treats! Allow me to share:

The first one is a gift from my sister, Tidyowl. I have mentioned before what a great gift-giver she is and the tradition continues! She is well aware of my 'kitchen habit'. On a recent trip to Edmonton, she visited Anthropologie and selected the cutest apron ever (see below). She came for a visit just this past weekend and I was thrilled to receive it as a hostess gift!

Check out the quality and details below:

applique

sweet li'l pocket

The next treats weren't exactly a present... well, they were the kind of present you get for yourself. I have been admiring ohhellofriend's blog and Etsy shop for ages now and finally decided to indulge. When the package arrived yesterday, I felt like it was a present - it was wrapped with so much care and attention to detail! Just had to share:

outside

inside

The items I chose were floral hair pins and a floral ring in an antiqued style.

hair pins

ring

Not only were the items I ordered amazing, there were some fun little extras. A bonus gift for blog readers, and sweet little stickers in the style of ohhellofriend.

It was like Christmas in June!

More posts soon...

Rhubarb-almond delight

2010-06-18T17:49:00.000-03:00

...is my name for the delectable dessert that is the Strawberry-Rhubarb Frangipane Galette. This recipe was featured on The Dog's Breakfast, a lovely food blog. I subsequently mentioned in my Rhubarb post.

Why the name update? Mainly because my mother-in-law and I spent the majority of the week fretting over the pronunciation of the thing. Until we found the Merriam-Webster pronunciation audio clips, that is!

Frangipane

Galette

So it turns out that frangipane is simply a French word for an almond-flavoured custard, and galette is a 'flat round pastry topped with fruit'.

As I've previously mentioned, I don't bake much except for the odd batch of cookies. But my mother-in-law loves to bake, and is talented at it, at that! So when she came to visit for a week after reading my rhubarb post, some baking was added to the agenda.

My major contribution was dicing up the fruit:

We spent the better part of an afternoon looking for almond-paste, first at Auntie Crae's (closed), Belbin's (only carry it at Christmas), and finally at Stockwood's (the one place in town where you can buy fondant icing, a lotto ticket, and a case of beer at 2 a.m.)

Almond paste (along with a lot of butter!) was the main ingredient in the frangipane:

Ok, who am I kidding, this isn't a picture of frangipane, it's a picture of the awesome vintage Pyrex bowl given to me by my sister, the best gift-giver ever. This is the frangipane:

Yes, I somehow own a rolling pin...

M-I-L trimming the dough:

Filling the pastry:

And now, the 'before':

And 'after':

It was delicious! As the original blog post says, the smell is just heavenly. If you still happen to have access to some in-season rhubarb, I definitely recommend!

Words to live by

2010-06-13T22:14:00.000-03:00

My fridge magnet:

The Spout

2010-06-12T11:57:00.004-03:00

A week ago today, myself and an intrepid group of classmates and friends went on a 'little hike' on the East Coast Trail.

This particular segment took us from the Goulds to Bay Bulls, via a beautiful, rocky, steep and occasionally treacherous path.

This section is called the Spout Path due to a unique feature - a "wave driven geyser". This feature can be found about 10 km into the 23 km hike.

Yep, 23 km. Not the best choice, probably, for my first hike of the year, but like I said, we were intrepid. We ploughed through, pausing occasionally to hydrate, take pictures, gasp for air, or take some over-the-counter analgesics for the pain (ok, that last one was just me). Anyway, a week out and I am fully recovered and SO looking forward to my next hike, perhaps this one.

Here are a few more shots from the day (the rest can be found on my Flickr). And yes, it's more beautiful in person. Newfoundland is a place you really need to come and see at one point in your life. Bring your hiking boots, some acetaminophen, a very warm sweater and an intrepid spirit and get out there on the trails - you'll be glad you did!

[sea stack]

[me and the coast]

[springtime run-off]

[groomed section of the trail]

Rhubarb

2010-06-03T21:21:00.001-03:00

As I mentioned in a recent Tweet, I think the universe is conspiring to foist its in-season rhubarb upon me. If not the universe, then certainly the blogosphere. Ladies and gentlemen of the audience, allow me to present:

Exhibit A. Have never heard of 'frangipane' before... but here it is: Strawberry-Rhubarb Frangipane Galette from The Dog's Breakfast

Exhibit B. The mini-version of above! Rustic Rhubarb Tarts from Smitten Kitchen.

Exhibit C. This one might be my favorite. Rhubarb Crunch Coffee Cake from Kitchen Simplicity.

Exhibit D. From a favorite blog - this cake looks so refined: Lemon Buttermilk Rhubarb Bundt Cake from Craft Lovely.

Exhibit E. Item 1. From the New York Times Dining and Wine section - flashback to 1989 - Rhubarb Strawberry Mousse.

And Item 2. The modern-day retort: Honey-and-Ricotta Mousse with Strawberry-Rhubarb Broth. Mm-Mmmm. (Again, credit to the Times.)

I could probably continue on to Exhibit Z but I'll wrap it up here. As most of you know, I'm not much of a baker, so I might not get to any of these recipes. But if any of you want to give them a whirl, I hereby offer my services as official taste-tester. Just sayin'.

Cilantro

2010-05-30T16:25:00.001-03:00

Why is it that every time I go to purchase cilantro, it seems to be labeled coriander? This has bothered me for some time. Why do I even call it cilantro if it is so ubiquitously labeled otherwise? Ah, the questions of life.

As I usually do when I have such a profound conundrum, I googled it. And what I found surprised me. Well, the answer to my initial question didn't surprise me - that was actually what I had suspected all along. The whole plant itself is called coriander, the leaves of the plant are cilantro, and the seeds of the plant are called coriander as well (coriander seed to be correct). It's both a herb and a spice. Loves it.

[found here]

So now onto the surprise. Apparently there are only two kinds of people in this world: those who like cilantro and those who detest it to the very core of its herb-and-spice being. This dichotomy is big news - it has made it to the NY Times, NPR and the Wall Street Journal.

Now the detesters don't seem to be merely 'picky eaters'. The detesters apparently count among themselves such culinary icons as Julia Child (evidence here, about 2/3 of the way down) and maybe-not-so-iconic-but-reality-TV-famous-chef Fabio Viviani (evidence here).

Word on the street is that some people just cannot taste the fabulousness that is cilantro - instead they taste soap! Urggh. Or some other unpleasant flavour. Might have something to do with those people's ancestry, genetics, tastebuds or sniffer. I'm not citing any research here - this is just a synopsis of what I've read on the web. My heart aches for you, cilantro-haters. At least you don't know what you're missing.

I am 100% on the LOVE side of the fence. The more, the better. If you put cilantro in an omelette, I might just eat it. See a few of my favorite cilantro-containing recipes here and here and here.

Other interesting pages I found on my surf:

Cilantro Martini!! Definitely going to try this.
ihatecilantro.com - a whole online community of detesters!
Cilantro Pesto recipes galore - this one looks delicious
Handy tips on how to freeze your leftover cilantro

Now, quick unscientific poll: tell me in the comments which side of the fence you sit on.

Return to the kitchen

2010-05-25T19:46:00.004-03:00

That's right, I'm back. It's been a long hiatus. But I'm back just in time for the Summer eating season (who am I kidding, I eat an equally excessive amount in all the seasons).

This recipe from the New York Times nutrition section got bookmarked awhile ago. (Did someone send me the link? If so, thanks!) I like a bit o' quinoa** now and then, and I'm always looking for a way to do it differently. And of course, I can't get enough of Asian-flavoured dishes.

So here it is:

Quinoa Salad With Lime Ginger Dressing and Shrimp

A few modifications: less onion; sesame seeds instead of sesame oil; panfried a bag of small shrimp instead of throwing some large shrimp on the barbie.

**I just now realized I didn't blog about quinoa (pronounced keen-wa... well, at least that's how I pronounce it) before... I have two or three recipes now. It's a very nutritious ancient grain. Tons of protein. Nice and juicy. It's kind of like a more hydrated cous-cous but not as heavy. You should read up on it.

Summertime dreaming

2010-05-16T21:35:00.001-03:00

It's a Spring tradition for me: studying, and daydreaming of Summer vacation.

Summers long ago:

And not so long ago:

Summer day-trips:

Summer tunes:

Summer food:

Summer bevvies:

Summer randomness:

This Summer I am lucky enough to be traveling out West, driving through the Rockies, participating in what will be an amazing wedding, and seeing lots of family and friends I don't get to see often enough! (Can you see why I'm daydreaming?)