Welcome to February!

It's been a relatively quiet, icy cold, snowy kind of week here in western Newfoundland. We are in the middle of a polar vortex apparently! So, other than a 15 minute daily walk around the senior's community, I only ventured outside to get milk and visit the library.  

It's just a wee little library here, but of course, they can bring in titles from other libraries in the province. This week, I picked up a few DVD's: I liked Elvis; Uncharted was neah! But I really liked News of the World with Tom Hanks.

My daughter sent me a German advent tea selection which I've really, really enjoyed; they are not as acidic as some herbal teas I've had, and the flavor combos are wonderful. Sadly though, I took a big chip out of one of my favorite pottery mugs. (I cried .... but was grateful that it was my 50 cent purchase and not the $45 Xmas gift.) 

I ate some good food this week though: Tuesday was breakfast-for-dinner with the crispiest bacon, sweet, delicious molasses baked beans and multi-grain toast with lashings of butter, as the Brits say! Yum!

Also delicious was a new Chicken Pad Thai recipe I tried. It's hard to find some ingredients here in rural NL, but this recipe uses things almost everyone has at hand. It calls for 1/4 cup of ketchup in the sauce, and I found the taste of the ketchup really came through, so I think I'd use less next time. Also, I doubled the amount of peanut butter. It doesn't taste like a true pad thai; but it's a really good substitute and quick and easy. I'll definitely make it again. 

Yesterday, my sweet tooth got the better of me, so I tried these trail mix cookies. De-Lish-Shus! I followed the directions re  dropping tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets, but they must have BIG tablespoons. My cookies were smaller than their photo; but it also meant that I got 2 doz rather than 1 doz cookies. And that's okay with me. When I baked my second batch, I flattened them slightly, so I got a slightly different cookie, more crisp than chewy. But it was a good recipe.

(So good, that I've had to freeze the remaining for fear of inhaling them and ending up with a bigger tummy ache than I have today. Oops! Oink, oink!)

Happy February everyone! A belated "Rabbit, Rabbit"; and I hope you're staying warm where you are and that you're eating well!

Namaste!

Old Man Winter

Old man winter arrived on the west coast of Newfoundland last Friday with a messy drive home. I was quite happy to nestle inside  and simply admire how pretty it looked later that night.

Saturday morning brought a little sunshine with the snow. So, I ventured outside to visit the local 'Wonderful Fine' market. (Wonderful fine is an old timey Newfoundland saying denoting good health and spirits.) The Market only runs from August to December, so it's one of the highlights of my week. Delicious locally roasted and ground coffee; the ONLY good French macaroon around and lovely crafts and treats. 


One of the vendors, Natura Soap Company, had a 50% off special on their soap-of-the-month, and I'd pre-ordered "One of each, please!" I've enough to last me most of the year (unless one or two find their way into Xmas packages.) Occasionally buying natural products is one of the ways I pamper myself.



I spent a quiet Sunday trying (unsuccessfully) to avert a head cold. I always like to go outside for my morning coffee, no matter what the weather. I was prepared to bundle up and get some much needed fresh air and sunlight .... but when I saw the 10" of snow, I decided I'd just drink it in front of the TV. I snuggled under my fleece blankie and watched Netflix. But I did make myself a really nice dinner: Ginger Orange Glazed tofu (which was really delicious), Japanese rice (my favorite) and some sauteed peppers and mushrooms in soy. One must feed one's body well especially when sick.

November 11th brought intermittent rain and cleared some of the snow. But my head cold kept me from going uptown for the ceremonies. So, I bundled up and sat outside; I closed my eyes and spent some time in silence and gratitude for those who have served and who continue to serve in our military. 

We continue to enjoy sunshine and clearing today and tomorrow. So, with any luck, I won't have to don my snow pants this Saturday for coffee time! 

I hope your weekend is a good one.

Ow's it goin', Maid!

I had the most wonderful 45 min walk last weekend on the old railway trail behind my house: in my hiking sneakers, sun shining, up a busy thoroughfare, onto a side street and finally in the quiet of the trail. There was still snow in the middle of the trail in spots; and the melting reveals copious amounts of dog poop! But beautiful and refreshing all the same. The spring bulbs I'd planted in the fall came up in spite of the poor soil in which I'd planted them which was so exciting for me as I miss my Nova Scotia garden terribly. 


We've had a very long, cold winter. The Bay froze over ... then melted ... then refroze --- probably 3 times at least. So, an ice breaker went through a few weeks ago and crunched all the ice together and on top of each other until parts of it resembled Toblerone bars. Saturday and Easter Sunday were warm (for western NL) with 7 C (45 F); and on both days, I had a steady stream of fake icebergs that floated by my front window. It was lovely to sit outside in my lawn chair and watch them.  

Then yesterday, we had freezing rain, then rain, then snow: and today, it's -1 C (30 deg F), for Lard's sake! We don't put our winter clothing away until late May on this Island!  Oh well, it'll be spring again this weekend. 

My youngest daughter asked me to bake scones (one of my specialities) and a cake for her upcoming bridal shower. I haven't really baked for 3 years and haven't baked a plain cake for even longer. But on Good Friday past, I began. The 'crown' orange cake came out beautifully! But I discovered that I'm not very good at pound cakes; it was a bit 'dunch', another great Newfie word. However, it is very tasty! So, into the freezer with it so it can be used later for trifle. 

Dunch: n' dull, heavy: v 'to get stiff with long waiting; heavy, doughy.
   Stiff; cramped or numbed from sitting in one position; to be cramped in the legs, 
   arms, etc.   For example: " You wouldn't be able to stay keeled out on the settle 
   bench very long 'cause it would be quite 'ard and yer bum would go dunch!" 

My next two white layers looked good but were very thin because I didn't notice that my cake pans were 9" instead of 8". So, those got iced and eaten at Easter dinner. Yum!

FINALLY, I baked a simple yellow cake which worked out beautifully ..... so I made two to be cut into four. They're in the freezer waiting to be iced and decorated this Saturday. Wish me luck!

Here's hoping that your weekend is warm and your cakes rise beautifully!

The Crown in my Weekend

On Monday we had spring; all the snow had melted, the crocus buds were opening and I was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sneakers. Tuesday evening, it began to snow, and Wednesday morning, so much had accumulated that there was 6" of snow on my car. Today, the snow is gone again HURRAH! And Newfoundlanders might be able to actually speak the word "spring" out loud. Doesn't the sunshine cast it's golden glow over everything -- attitudes included.

Because Monday is St George's Day, an obscure NL holiday that most people don't get, I have a wonderful 4 day weekend. Part of that time will be spent baking a bridal shower cake for my daughter's party next weekend. (I'll freeze it.)  

I have this wonderful bunt pan which I hope to put on top of a slightly larger round cake ('cause every bride deserves a crown).



The bottom will be a traditional pound cake (with just a hint of lemon). And in my bunt pan, I think I'll bake my once-was-standard family birthday cake -- a delicious orange cake from The Harrowsmith Country Life Baking Book. I've owned that book since the early 90's; and it's one that's stained and dog earred from use. So many great recipes.

I'm not a cake decorator, but I can spot easy elegant finishes that can be pulled off without too much work. A nice buttercream icing, a few fresh flowers in the centre of the crown, and some torquoise icing dots (her wedding color). Hopefully, it will somewhat resemble this one from Pinterest.


Easter weekend for me will be quiet. I can't attend church because of my scent allergy (and we all know that church is FULL of deliberately "stinky" people!). But I'll worship on my own, relax and have a meal with my Dad.

I hope your weekend is a happy one. 

When it's okay to be a Lady Camel!

Last Sunday morning, I took part in a "Wild Edible Plants" hike with our local environmental group. They did a hike in the spring, but of course, there's a different 'crop' in the woods now. And with Fall fast approaching here in Newfoundland, we only have another month before things will begin to die off quickly. 

It was a beautiful morning and about a dozen people showed up. We began with a little show-and-tell lesson on the various wild plants that we can find anywhere in NL such as: 

    

Plantain:  The young leaves can be eaten raw, and the seeds can be dried and ground into meal or flour -- good to know for when the apocalypse comes [AND the only time I'd ever try this]. As well, you can chew the leaves and apply the spittle as a poultice that is good for burns or stings.

Also, apparently wherever you live and whatever pests, bugs and/or irritants you have around you, you will also find the remedy nearby in nature! There's a fine, hairy leaved thistle here in NL that burns and stings if you touch it; the pain can last all day and over the counter creams, etc do little to quell the pain. But growing next to this thistle is usually Plaintain; and this will immediately take away the burning and pain. Mother Nature provides all that we need!

Pearly Everlasting:  This pretty little plant always reminded me of wild chamomile but when compared, I can easily see the difference. The young leaves and plant of Pearly Everlasting can be cooked and eaten.           

Clover: This is a pretty versatile plant. The flowers themselves are very tasty; you can pull out the 'fronds' of the flower and add them to your salads. Any part of the above ground plant can be eaten raw. And the creeping roots and stems can be cooked. However, one site I check out says not to eat in the Fall as it contains more alkaloids and can cause bloating. (At my age, I'm well familiar with that problem!)

And this is Newfoundland's "Crackerberry" plant, otherwise known as a Bunchberry. It's rather tasteless and kind of spongy but harmless; we used to eat them all the time as children. I was pleased to find out that the berries contain a lot of pectin and can be dried, ground and added to jams and jellies to help them gel. The berries can also be lightly chewed and pressed over a burn as a poultice.

We discussed a few other plants and bushes. But for most of us, the real jewels of the day were the wild mushrooms.

This is a Coral Mushroom. White to soft yellow in color, these are pretty, frilly little things and are extremely fragile. So, it was suggested that they be added to a dish once the dish was cooked and just before serving.

And these are Chanterelles. (My Ex loved them but they didn't grow where we lived in NS so I never got to try them.) These are quite small and dainty looking, but Chanterelles can be much bigger. There are lots of recipes online for this much sought-after wild mushroom. 

After the workshop, a few of us walked along the river trail until we met up with the Yogi Trail, about a 2 km hike. It was a warm, sunny day and a good opportunity for us to search for more edible plants. 

I really enjoyed myself. But although I don't think I know enough to ever eat wild mushrooms, I loved the information about the healing properties of these plants. 

You can bet that from now on, I'll be chewing and spitting as needed in my own back yard! 

Happy weekend everyone. 

The Bountiful Season

It's becoming that time of the year: the time of great bounty. I picked raspberries last weekend (and only ate about half a dozen while I picked ---- a huge improvement on other years). 

AND while at the farm, I picked up a big bag of cucumbers for only $10:  enough for 2 batches of bread and butter pickles.

The Ontario peaches have arrived and are particularly sweet and tasty. But so far, I've been too busy gorging myself on them to bottle any. Soon!

I begin my 'staycation' tomorrow and am more excited than is proper at my age. (Soooo lacking in decorum!) Let's see what the next week or so will bring.

I hope your life is bountiful where you are.

TTFN!

She said Yes to the Dress!

I had a wonderful time last weekend in St John's. Coming from NS where the finer things in life were readily available to me and moving to CB where it's meat 'n' potatoes and the necessities of life, the trip was an enormous tonic to my foodie soul. Sharing it with family was icing on my cake.

We 2 mums were with our two 20-something daughters, so we did our best to keep up, fueled by a big breakfast and a big supper with  coffee and water in between; but it was so exciting and fun that no felt hungry until we stopped each day. We did breakfast at Chez Cora and Rocket (where I also bought a delicious loaf of whole grain sourdough bread to bring home). We ate at Swiss Chalet one night and had an epic evening at Jack Astors another night: St John's is known for it's colorful row houses (left picture), and I was so tickled when I visited the ladies room to see that they'd paid homage to this with the toilet stall doors that I had to snap a picture to share (right picture).












We'd start each day with bridal salon appointments and end up in the malls mid-afternoon. I even managed to fit in a few hours at my beloved Value Village where I scored some treasures. I got to eat Laura Secord ice cream (pistacho/almond and double chocolate together!); and I got myself a Starbucks. I loved the ice cream. But surprisingly, I found that I could have done without the Starbucks and chocolate buttercream cake from Rocket; my months of eating healthy is helping me get over my sugar monkey. Hurray! (And don't worry, there are lots of other fattening, unhealthy foods that I'm still addicted to!) 

But OH! THE BRIDE! She tried on so many dresses; and each salon had a front runner. But #3 salon - Kathy Evans -  was the winner, with a gorgeous beachy, sparkly gown that came in under budget and, as my mum would say, "fit her like a smack in the mouth". Yes ...... I cried and so did her mum-in-law! I'll share some of the runner-up gowns here, but the winning dress is a secret!

 We celebrated that evening with pizza at our Air B'n'B and a bonding evening of hilarious board games as we raised a glass or 2 to a beautiful bride-to-be and a successful shopping trip. 

I loved this vacation weekend with it's over-indulgence, late nights and exhausting day-long trekking. But ohhhhhhhhh! How good to be back to regular meals and sleeping in my own bed. 

This weekend promises to be a sunny one here on the west coast of NL. And the weather man says there will be a turn for the better weather-wise next week with spring being here and summer on it's way! 

Fingers crossed!

Happy Pie Day!

I love a good slice of pie (or 2 ... or 3 even). My Mom made the most wonderful pie crust:  crisp and flakey, not too "fatty" -- a perfect crust! "It's easy," she'd say to me.  But I could never replicate it.

When I was an at-home Mum in Nova Scotia in the late 80's (the apple capital of the world), we'd buy huge 20 lb bags of apples in the fall for under $10. I would bake pie after pie after pie and gift some to friends; but I'd always have at least half a dozen in the freezer. I've gotten out of the habit and my pie crust isn't as good as it used to be, so I don't bake many pies now a days.

But I still love a good pie; and it hardly matters what flavor (although I will choose cherry a la mode if it's available). My ex's mother used to make the most wonderful squash pie (substitute for pumpkin) -- spicy, deep and rich. And I'm always on the look out for the best coconut cream. 

Not my pie but mine is similar
and tastes just as good!

Today's lunch is pie! Yesterday I decided to add some cornbread to the top of my chili and VOILA! Instant (cheater) tamale pie, a favorite savory pie in our household! 

And oh, couldn't you just swoon at the sight and taste of a good meat-filled hand pie. The Farmer's Market in Lunenburg NS sold the most wonderful hand-pies. The perfect lunch huh:  so convenient and comforting and delicious!


I don't know about your area, but I haven't heard of anyone giving out free pie today. Darn!!! But I hope that you do get to eat pie today in whatever form you enjoy.

The Corner Brook Winter Carnival 2018

Tonight is the start of our 47th annual winter carnival and a first for me. Monday is a day off in Newfoundland as well -- a "floater" that seems to be Family Day throughout most of Canada. I received a schedule of events in my mailbox the other day and thought I'd have a look through to see if there is anything I really want to attend. 

Tonight there's a Torch Light Parade with the Mayor from City Hall to Margaret Bowater Park with fireworks, music and snacks provided. I thought I'd get my weekly hike in that way. 

A lot of events are things that take place at most any winter carnival. But Newfoundland does have a few events that you won't find anywhere else. Rugged Edge Snowmobile Group  is planning a ride to the Shiver Shack where they'll have a "mug up" -- a meal of tea and bread and molasses or jam -- as well as live traditional NL music. 

Mug Up

Top of Marble Mtn

[Similar to the mug up is a "boil up" (pronounced 'bile up'); this meal is usually more substantial (tea, bread, baloney, beans, bacon, eggs, etc) cooked on an outdoor open fire anywhere in NL. And I mean ANYWHERE - the woods, a beach or even a stop at a gravel pit along the side of the road.

Some good "scoff", my son!

     
And I couldn't help but smile at some of the many, many luncheons and dinners taking place next week featuring names that you'd probably never hear of anywhere else but NL:

• Fish and Brewis 
• Jiggs Dinner
• Moose Dinner
• Seal Flipper Dinner*

*For those of you who perhaps feel that the seal industry is cruel and unnecessary, I'd implore you to really look at the seal industry in northern Canada as it happens today and not just take the word of those against the seal hunt. Newfoundlanders are not only very proud of their heritage and traditions, but we also work very hard to keep those traditions alive. We hunt humanely and utilize every part of the animal. The cost of living here is one of the highest in Canada, and jobs and industry are few; hunting and recreational fishing are part of how people here feed their family. It truly is a way of life here. 

I haven't made up my mind how much of carnival I'll partake of. But the Fish and Brewis Dinner as well as the Jiggs Dinner are both calling my name. 

Jiggs Dinner 

Fish and Brewis w/ Scrunchins'

The Carnival Committee certainly don't have to worry about snow: we've plenty of that! But some sunshine sure would be nice, Lord!

Enjoy your weekend.