how to spend time with people

There were a couple of messages on facebook inviting me to play some silly game. Normally, I ignore those requests, but in a moment of boredom, I checked it out. I already play scrabble with a couple of people (though I keep forgetting for days/weeks at a time).

I have been busy trying to beat my cousins' scores on Diamond Blitz. I managed to wriggle my way into second place! Now, I sit at the computer impatiently waiting for 'new life' so I can continue. This is why I never played things like tetris before. Sigh. The laundry is waiting for some new life as well.

In other news, I am now the 50th on most postcards sent from Canada. I suddenly felt a competitive urge come over me when I reached 49th on longest distance in Canada. I am ridiculously excited by this achievement.

And a friend and I went to out to dinner last night for Winterlicious. We chose a restaurant that is well known for being a mecca (for people known as stars) during the Toronto International Film Festival. Just to get ourselves inside and see what they would see.
This was desert.

apple crumble
and a cheese plate

pies and other things

As happy as I am to see the back of summer, with all the too-hot temperatures and insane amounts of humidity that drained all my energy and left me dripping at all hours, I will miss parts of summer. Like the farmer's markets. I know, there are a few year round markets, like the Hamilton Farmer's Market and the St Lawrence Market, but they are a different breed. More of a business than farmers out selling their produce.

Considering I live in a very urban area - or maybe because of that - there are a LOT of markets around here. I thought I might try to get to as many as possible this summer, but I failed miserably once I found a few favourite stalls and kept returning to the same markets each week. I never even made it to any of the local markets held all over Toronto.

From Wednesday through Sunday there is a market somewhere. There are morning markets and afternoon markets of all sizes held in vacant lots, parking lots, church lots, and in barns. 

Some towns close off the main street for a few blocks

The street markets tend to have a greater variety of things for sale - crafts and such as well as food. And of course there are the shops and restaurants on the street to also tempt you.

But by far, my favourite market is the one in Ancaster that is held on a church green surrounded by trees and flowering hedges. There is entertainment provided. A bunny for the kids to pet and hold. And free samples at many of the stalls.

I am fortunate to have the ways and means to take advantage of these markets. I have driven for up to half an hour to get to some, whereas I usually just shop at the nearest grocery store, or on my way home from work. And, I would never pay the prices these markets charge for food at a grocery store - but then you don't get the flavour at the grocery store. You don't get the produce picked that morning and bundled into a truck and transported a half hours drive or so. And you don't get the individual attention with explanations of the produce. Or the free tastings. Grocery stores aren't usually big on giving food away. They also like their produce to be perfect and uniform in size, which really doesn't affect the taste. 

Just look at the size of that broccoli! And you would not believe how heavy that $2 cauliflower was. 

Or how much soup it made.

I have fallen in love with the soups and pot pies from a certain catering company and am starting to stockpile to get me through the winter. If you are not first in line, you may be out of luck. Many times I have gotten there and they are sold out of the soup or pie you want. They can hardly keep up with making them and can also only bring so many in their van. Apparently someone came by within the first quarter hour and bought 20 of the chicken pies last week. Really. They are a catering company - could you not have contacted them and put in a special order so the rest of us could still have some?

goodness oozing out of this chunky chicken pot pie

Sometimes, you end up buying foods you never would have considered before. There is a salami stall that is the first one as you enter the far end of the market. I am not really into salami, I don't mind it say, on a pizza, but I don't particularly like it enough to buy a chunk. So I have always walked right past this stall. Last week, there was a lull in the crowd and the man standing behind the counter offered me a delicate, paper thin slice... and waited for my response. Quietly counting, 3, 4, 5... ahh. "I always tell people to wait between 5-8 seconds and suddenly the flavour bursts throughout your mouth". You end up saying something ridiculous, like "man, that is delicious", just in case they don't already know that. A couple other samples and I walked away with a small chunk of the most sublime tasting salami I have ever had. The trick, apparently, is to slice it very thinly to get the best flavour. There is probably only one or two good weeks left before it gets too cold for the vendors. 

And now I only have five pies left.

fishing

Jetlag has hit.
Full force.
Took awhile, didn't it?
In the meantime, besides the towel animal sculptures, there was also food sculptures.

I don't know why this fish was nestled in amongst the desserts.....

shopping can be fun

We have a new grocery store in town and it seems to be a terribly exciting event judging by the crowds I had to wade through when I went to visit it this afternoon.

The original store is located about 25 miles away and I talked to a few people who had been driving that far just to shop at this Eastern European gastronomic delight. They claim to have 624 different kinds of cheese. It is mostly Polish and I wished I had an app for my non-existent iphone to translate some of the product names. If there was a picture, I could get a good clue, but some of the deli meats and cheeses and I had no idea. Being a bit adventurous, if it was part of the opening week specials and looked interesting, I considered bying it. I did think about getting some homemade soup that looked full of ... something other than broth, until I noticed the small print on the other side of all the Poilsh. Tripe. Seriously? I almost threw it back in the shelf! Yech. Shudder. But, I did try one of those plum donuts,  Pączki,  that seem to be a Polish specialty. They were very good. And I have an interesting selection of fruit juices that we don't see normally in the usual grocery stores.


I pretended that I was visiting a foreign city as I navigated my way through the aisles looking as lost as about half the other shoppers. The other half seemed to be Polish and I was not above asking questions of anyone who seemed to be familiar with the system and what was on offer.

But, my oh my, I hope the crowds die down just a little in the next few weeks. I suppose in time, we will get used to what to look for and where things are.

In the meantime, far be it from me to let a good pun go to waste.

How many other cities can claim to have their own

Starsky and Hutch

where I succumb to the power of suggestion

The other day, Nora posted a picture on her blog. It was an innocuous photo, that had nothing to do with her post. She did mention to me that she had thought of me as she put it in her post after I wrote to her saying I now needed to go out and buy the product. The picture was of a litre carton of a Dutch custard called vla, nicely place in a lush green field. (I'd also like that green field, but apparently a snow storm is on its way). Vla comes in various flavours, like chocolate and banana, but by far the best flavour is vanilla.

I was introduced to vla when I lived in Holland many, many years ago. The family I was billeted with for for my first six months introduced me to many of the common Dutch foods, which had I been staying on my own (as I was for the rest of my time there) I would never had known about. Every night they had yogourt for dessert. every freaking night. This was back in the late 1970s and yoghourt was not as much of a staple food yet. It was also very different than any yogourt that we had in Canada. This was plain yogourt and not sweetened in any way and it had an entirely different consistency. We added our own sugar, which were large granules. Having been used to only refined sugar, these granules were a wonderfully tasty novelty and I added lots of them to my yoghourt. Then, one night a boat of this custard appeared on the table along with the bowl of yoghourt. Not being sure what the custom was, I watched as everyone spooned up the yoghourt into their plates (I seem to remember we used plates instead of bowls) and then poured a dollop of this custard on top. Then they gently swirled it all together. I followed suit. Yummy. Or to use the Dutch vernacular, lekker. Who would have ever thought of mixing custard and yoghourt together? The correct proportion of vla to yoghourt will yield a delectable flavour burst of tart and sweet.

It has become comfort food to me now, second only to warm rice pudding.

But Nora also asked, ever so innocently, in her email if, when I went to the Dutch Shop, I would also buy hagelslag, which are chocolate sprinkles. I hadn't planned on it. I have almost gotten myself sick of chocolate and Nutella over the Christmas season.
But then, I thought about how good that would be, on fresh, white bread with a thick layer of butter holding all the little sprinkles in place....






except I came home and realized I only had rye bread. and no plain yoghourt.

no worries.

I've been under the weather, I deserve comforting

thanks, Nora.

now I will just try to not think about how much I paid for this treat
(4.47 euros - go ahead, break my heart and tell me how much it really costs)




I tend not to look at too many of the items in this store since everything but the fresh foods is imported, it tends to be rather expensive. And pretty much everything of the other kitchen supplies you can now get here and not only in Europe. Except for this one thing I have been searching for in vain for years.

and there, on top of the deli counter, for some inexplicable reason was a jar full of these.

This must be the best kitchen utensil since the spoon - a flessenlikker, literally a bottle licker.






And on the link I added for the wikipedia explanation of vla I discovered that this implement was actually designed to get all that liquidy goodness out of the tall glass bottles it originally came in. Unfortunately, vla now comes in cartons which still makes getting all of it out difficult. Apparently it is almost unknown outside the Netherlands. I can't wait until I need it to scrape the sides of the Nutella jar.

Sunday Stamps

Cozido Completo means 'full cooked' and seems to be a Brazilian stew that is an intensive process and involves many, many ingredients...
here is one recipe I found. Every one I looked up was different, but it gives you an idea.




Quindim  is a popular Brazilian baked dessert, made chiefly from sugar, egg yolks and ground coconut. It is a custard often made in a ring mould and usually presented as an upturned cup with a glistening surface and intensely yellow colour. (wikipedia)

If you are not so hungry, but merely a little peckish, you could go with this cheese plate and glass of wine....

Stillleben mit Käse und Kirschen by Georg Flegel (1566-1638)

I really like this one of the braided bread in the shape of a heart from Slovenia, 

not least for their cool play on words 

(though in English) of  I FEEL SLOVENIA

If you are still hungry for more, see what other foods have been immortalized on stamps at Viridian's stamp blog

food fun?

Today is the day The Ex opens. The Canadian National Exhibition. A Toronto tradition since 1879. I haven't been going that long, but people around here seem to have long, fond memories of The Ex of old.  There have been many changes and evolutions at this venerable old fairground. The Ex itself is a little underwhelming and I am not a midway fan, but the one unifying memory seems to be the food. Specifically, The Food Building.  The Food Building was the place to go to get all those free samples. Back in the day, the stalls used to be geared towards manufacturers who would provide freebies or cheap samples of their new wares (some of them even cooked!) to entice you to later buy their product at your local supermarket. We would leave there a lot less hungry and arms laden with bags and bags of food and coupons and recipes. The last time I was there it had evolved into a glorified food court of fast food chains, many of which could be found at any mall. Where's the excitement in that?

Of course there is also the carnival food that is new and, erm, exciting. Though every year it seems to become more and more bizarre. And unhealthy. Truly unhealthy. Last year it was fried butter, this year it is the Krispy Kreme donut cheeseburger, coming in at a whopping 1500 calories. Also on offer are such things as deep fried cola, deep fried mac and cheese, deep fried kool ade, deep fried cheese curds, deep fried pop tarts. Noticing a trend here?

And to think I thought Tiny Tom Donuts were a wonderful novelty. And candy floss. All could only be gotten only at The Ex.

Then, today, in Shoppers Drug Mart I found this

Is nothing sacred anymore?

Where's the excitement in that?

walking downtown, part two

Continuing with our downtown neighbourhood walk... Jazz wanted to see some of my favourite hangouts.

We could start with my gym, my place of fitness. yes, it is a favourite. really.

It is small, but that is precisely what I like about it. And it is next door to this pub with its very nice wrap around patio. Well, the patio itself is average, but it is on a quiet side street so there is not much traffic whizzing past. And there is a nice view over to the domes of the Ukrainian church. For some reason, it pleases me to watch the light on these domes and crosses. I was inside the pub once and found it not very pleasant, so it is only during patio season that I give them my custom. Plus, the server has been there since forever and when I went back after a long winter away during my second year of living here, she remembered me and my order, so ever since, I could truly say "the usual, please". I really like that.
Though, I do have to be careful where I sit now that I am going to the gym (because, shhhh, they can see me!) 

We have an independent bookstore that is wonderful for knowing just what you are looking for. 




They also host authors and monthly book signings and readings, mostly for free or maybe a small price of $10.

There is also the library for those books that I don't want to actually buy, but still want to read...

I tried to get a good shot of the main street, but it didn't work, so here is one block with a Belgian chocolate shop truffles! and a fun consignment shop with a mixture of vintage and new. The Rude Native is a good restaurant with 'global fusion' food. they had a banana lime chicken curry that was to die for, but they don't make that anymore so I stopped going.There is also another dress shop that I realize has moved from across the street. It is a strange phenomenon here that many shops move around from one location to another... rents must be rather steep I am imagining, but it is encouraging that owners want to stay in the area.

Then there is Village Square, a place that was apparently the place to shop in the 1980s. By the time I moved here it had lost its caché. Most of the shops are empty and anyone who has moved in usually moves out again within a year. 

I haven't found out much about it, but it is apparently owned by a curmudgeonly old man who is using it as a tax writeoff. It is such a shame as it is really rather quaint with its old buildings and cobbled streets. 

I'm not sure if some buildings are original and others were built to blend in or if this really was a village square. I see there is a new restaurant that has opened this month - Persian - which looks very interesting. I've never had Persian food before.

For coffee, my new favourite is this place 

that is actually a bike rental establishment with a bistro attached. 

The food is exquisite. All home made when you order and if heating is required, an oven is used - not a microwave. They have the best quinoa salad I have ever tasted, even when it is toasted in a panini.

Just in case you are getting glassy eyed and bored, this is probably a good place for another rest...

eating habits

I have always been amazed at people who would take a big bite of some food (or gulp of drink) only to discover it was something way too hot/spicy/distasteful etc. Perhaps it is because I was a picky eater as a child, but I have never not taken a small sample of the food, or not surreptitiously sniffed at it before putting anything in my mouth. That's not to say I haven't been caught off guard by an aftertaste, or chunk of too hot potato, or a burning from a chili, but at least I have never staggered around helplessly feeling as if I was dying. My mother once, when sushi was still a very new experience, covered her piece of whatever it was with a generous slather of wasabi. She was warned by my brother, but it was too late ("oh, I like horseradish") ... we all watched in horror as her face turned seven shades of red and the tears streamed. It may have been the only time I ever saw her drink beer.

You have all seen that piece about how to give a cat a pill. Abby was due for the second of her 1/4 appetite stimulant pill on Sunday night. A teeny, tiny, itty, bitty pill was already quartered with the first quarter given to her by the vet before she was fully awake from the sedation. We all knew it would be tough, but with her absolute love of yoghourt, I thought this minuscule thing could be crushed and stirred into the yoghourt. I put the crushed pill quarter into the bottom half of the container and gave it a little stir. Nope. Not interested. She just walked away. I thought maybe there was too much fruit left, so last night we tried again. I even gave up the whole 125g snack sized French Vanilla Activia yoghourt for the cause. Nothing doing. She came running and looked at it and walked around the container. She sniffed it. She very hesitantly put her tongue close to it and took a tentative tiny lap. And spent several seconds trying to get it off her tongue. She pawed and moved the container around the floor and walked around it again... I took a spoonful and put it in a saucer, hoping she would think it was something new... not a chance. I even tried tasting it myself, wondering what kind of reaction I would have (but then, I am a little weightier than a cat, any cat. household cat, that is). Everything tasted as I would have expected it should. I tried spooning it into her. I tried spreading it on her face for her to lick off. She hadn't eaten anything all day, so I was getting a little worried. She knew it was yoghourt. She knew she liked it, but no way was she going to dive in and lap it up.

Today, I gave her a my finished yoghourt bowl, without any pill fragments... all gone in seconds.

pb&?

There was a a discussion around the table the other night that got a bit heated. Everyone had an opinion and in the end no one seemed to be persuaded to the other side. At least no one was left with hurt feelings or a bad taste in their mouth.

Who knew there were so many wrong ways to eat peanut butter?

At the most basic level was the brand - around these parts, Kraft vs Skippy vs a store brand. Then there was the natural vs the processed. And let's not forget smooth vs crunchy. But, really, just because it says 'butter' in the name, does not make it a replacement for butter. Butter enhances the flavour of the peanut butter.

First, and perhaps foremost, without the creamy smoothness of the butter, there is a good chance the peanut butter will be sticking to the roof of your mouth for hours. If you are making a peanut butter sandwich, you need to put something on the other slice of bread. And if you are adding another condiment, then the butter acts as a barrier so that it doesn't soak into the bread and make a soggy sandwich.

An unscientific study says that honey is the peanut butter sandwich adornment of choice for Canadians over the American preference for jam or jelly. Personally, I like banana. Or, if I am feeling particularly decadent, Nutella. Peanut butter and bacon makes a nice sandwich, too. Interestingly, my brother and I came to this discovery independent of each other and were the only ones at the table discussion who had thought to try the combination.

So, where do you weigh in on this?

Monday AMuse

balloons floating over mountains of ice cream

a salami highway

more balloons floating above a garden of delights

Yes, you may have noticed, I like food art!

Carl Warner

hallowe'en candy

In the news tonight was a segment about how some people are handing out healthy snacks for 'Hallowe'en candy'. Indeed, some people aren't even handing out candy, but have stocked up on stickers and little toys instead. As someone who used to be diasppointed with those little boxes of raisins (no matter how good they actually were, they were not candy or chocolate), I say piffle. One of the highlights of this Hallowe'en Season - I was actually wished a Happy Hallowe'en twice today - are those wonderful packages of little chocolate bars. Except that those mini Mars Bars are so mini now that I end up eating six times a many as I would have normally to get my fix.

A friend of mine was all flustered over her kids' costumes - one is going out as a ladybug, another as a gingerbread man. She could have bought the suits, but decided she could make them just as easily. Well, sorry, nothing is just as easy as buying a ready made suit. Anyway, I'm sure they will be cute. Her eldest son is going as a Mad Man, specifically, Don Draper. I don't think he actually knows who Don Draper is, except that his parents keep referencing him and he gets to wear his grey ring bearer's suit from a summer wedding he was a part of. It may be his last chance to wear it, so he has been granted his wish. He has a dark blue pillow case for his loot bag and she has written Crown Royal on it in elegant gold script.

We got to talking about the costumes of our childhood (mine in the 60s, hers in the early 80s). And the tears when the wonderful costume had to be covered up with a winter coat or rain jacket against the cold and damp.

Gone are the days of putting an old bedsheet over yourself and calling yourself a ghost. Or wearing your dad's old shirt and becoming a hobo. It turns out she does not remember those decorated plastic poncho like thingies that we wore, along with the plastic masks that made your face sweat.

Really, those ready made costumes have come a long way, baby.

I remember going as Zorro, at least once, but I believe I just had a mask and a towel wrapped over my shoulders and a silver foil covered umbrella to brandish about as a sword. Maybe I might have had something similar to this Lone Ranger costume, but I doubt it. Surely I had nothing this cheesy?
And just in case the hair wasn't enough (and yes, I did have Farrah Fawcett Hair) this dreadful depiction has a photo AND a name to let the candy giver know exactly who you were.

I don't get any trick or treaters at my door, but I do have a bowlful of candy. I even found one of those candy necklaces that were so much fun to wear to school and slowly destroy by eating piece by piece. But I won't be dressed up. Then again, will my penguin decorated flannel pajamas count? I understand it will be close to freezing on Sunday night. Hot chocolate and mini Mars bars. Yum.

Ex-summer

Every summer, in my childhood days, there was a jar that sat on the kitchen window sill waiting to be filled with nickels. These would be necessary for spending money at "the Ex".
It has been years since I went to the Ex, the CNE, or to use its full name, The Canadian National Exhibition. I'm thinking the games and rides cost much more than 5 cents nowadays. But, back then, I would anxiously watch the change my mother got for her shopping, and search for those all important nickels that would be added to my 'Ex' bank jar.
The Ex was a big deal. It still is even though it has changed some. People used to camp outside the Princes' Gates to be the first in. They were given free entrance and gifts and much media attention. There were the rides and games of chance. The Alpine Way with cable cars that soared over the grounds so you didn't have to walk all the way back. The Bulova Watch Tower that soared tall over the buildings so you could keep track of time - and even go up to see the view over the lake (it seemed tall at the time). The fashion shows - I loved those models who stood frozen for hours no matter how many times you tried to distract them with your funny faces and comments. We'd have to plan our visit to include the free taping of Elwood Glover's Luncheon Date (a television interview show). There were the buildings that showcased all the newest gadgets and designs of the 1960s and 1970s, with ballots to be filled out at most booths. I would fill out every single ballot I came across. Even the ones for a full set Encylcopedia Britannica. One year, I actually won! It was a little confusing, since I didn't keep track of what I was filling out, and in the end, it turned out you had to be 16, so the brand new 1970 Singer sewing machine (whew, not the encyclopedias!) went to my mother. The best, of course, was the Food Building with its free samples. And those Tiny Tom donuts that you could watch being made and covered with sugar and cinnamon, then eat fresh and hot out of a little bag before getting back in line for more. The free samples are long gone. As is the Alpine Way, Elwood Glover, Luncheon Date, the mannekin models, and new car shows.
But the rides and games of chance are still there. And the Tiny Tom donuts. And new this year, some
horridconcoction of deep fried butter - melon ball-sized scoops of butter, coated in funnel cake batter and drizzled with your choice of toppings. Apparently this comes out of Texas. Gee, thanks, but no thanks.

But the opening of the Ex is bittersweet, for it is also a marker for the 'end of summer'. It always ends on Labour Day weekend and the next day it is back to school. It is a slippery slope to autumn and Thanksgiving. Last night, when the temperature dipped down to a respectable and comfortable 18C, one of the guys I work with, after filling his car with his newspapers, pulled on a warm sweatshirt over his long sleeved t-shirt. "Hey, what can I say" he laughed, when he saw my face, "I'm from Jamaica. It's cold!"

Today, the Ex opened for its 132nd year. It is the end of summer.

dreams

There are some bloggers who seem to have all kinds of interesting things happen to them, or for them, to write about. My life is not that exciting. I must make my own fun posts. Sometimes I have to journey far away and put myself in peril just to find something interesting to write about.
Just so you don't think I fell off the face of the earth (though it has felt like I fell off this past week) I ventured all the way into Toronto to get some ice cream and photograph it for you.
Though this is actually pomegranate sherbet - not that you can tell underneath all the whipped cream and fruit. There is even a home made waffle piece for scooping.

There is always a line up outside this place. I know, because I used to live just up the street. They are open until late (1am) and many summer evenings the line could be snaking around the corner. People will wait an hour to get inside. And once inside, the choices seem almost endless. As does the kitschy decoration. There are so many toys and tiles and pictures and Dutch stuff that they are hanging from the ceiling and on every inch of wall space. It certainly gives you something to look at while you are eating, or waiting to be served.

And these colourful milk pails provide some fun much needed extra seating.

Really, I did this just for you.

food fun

Whenever I travel, I like to eat the local food. Even if it is just to another city, I see no point in eating at a chain restaurant that I could easily have eaten at in my home town. And I try to order something that I would never make for myself. Mind you, the list of things I can't be bothered to make for myself keeps growing. It's not so much the noodles or fish, but the special ingredients that go into the sauce that I may never forget to use use again. I once travelled with a friend who was alternately impressed and horrified that I would order off a menu with little idea of what I was getting. Well, I'm not that adventurous; I knew enough Spanish to recognize that the dish was rice, it was just the other ingredients I wasn't familiar with. I can't remember what she ate, but do remember her trying to get translations from the waiter who in the end, I think, just made it up to get her to finally order something, anything. I also discovered that local customs sometimes meant szechuan food in one country was not necessarily the same as szechuan food in another country.

I remember the exciting days when "ethnic" restaurants finally appeared in Toronto in the 70s. And we finally got past the idea that 'spaghetti' was ethnic. Our family would eagerly choose a restaurant just for the experience of finding out how Greek or Mexican, Indonesian or Central American food tasted. Sushi became a favourite for some of us. My love of eating out and trying new foods must have been a pleasant surprise for my mother who suffered through my picky eater stage as a young child!

All of this preamble is a set up to introduce you to a list of World Cup Recipes I found at iAfrica. There is a common national dish for each of the more than 30 teams participating in the first round. They range from the expected pavovla from Australia, cheese fondue (Switzerland), paella (Spain) to the weirdly named "bare bottoms in the grass" from the Netherlands and "toad-in-the-hole" from England.
I had fun reading through the recipes and some of them looked interesting enough to try... (note to the Americans, the recipes are all in metric).

Some of the 'quirky foods from South Africa', however might curb some of my enthusiasm for local cuisine...
Mopane worms: Protein-packed caterpillars eaten dried or fried until crunchy. Often served in a tomato sauce
Walkie talkies: Cooked chicken feet and heads. The feet are also known as "runaways".
Smilies: Sheep heads par-cooked and roasted with the heat exposing the sheep's teeth into a grin or smile. Usually found at taxi ranks and downtown city markets
Ulusu: A stew of animal stomachs
Umqombothi: Traditional grain-brewed beer. Milky in appearance with a yeasty, sour taste

then again, I would definitely try these, along with some Rooibos: indigenous "red bush" tea, a popular caffeine-free beverage...
Bobotie: Spiced, fruity minced meat baked with egg custard on top. A Cape Malay dish believed to have roots in the East Indies slaves brought by Dutch colonists
Melktert: "Milk tart" sprinkled with cinnamon. Also popular is malva pudding - a spongy cake-like dessert
Vetkoek/ Amagwinya: Balls of deep fried bread dough. Served plain as street food but also can have sweet or savoury fillings


oh, wait. I see the trend........

change is hard to swallow

We were having a bit of a catch up, a friend and I, over lunch the other day. It had been a long time. The emails, birthday and christmas cards and occasional phone call allowed us to keep in touch in a superficial way, this time we got down to the nitty gritty of our life changes. And it's not always pretty. My friend described how she can change into a "shrew" at the drop of a hat, or a glance. Her temper can flare up like a light switch, without a dimmer. One of my greatest fears was that my moodiness, depressive periods and irritability would only increase. And would I notice? Instead, I find they have decreased. I am much less irritable and way more placid than I believe I've ever been. Perhaps too calm. Maybe the depression hasn't vanished...

What I have found, is a new understanding of why women of a certain age suddenly have short hair. Who knew your head could sweat so much? And at so many inopportune moments?

I can no longer drink wine without getting a hot flash. So far, caffeine is okay, though I notice I don't crave coffee nearly as much as I used to. Chocolate, of any kind - even a chocolate chip cookie - can give me a headache. It has been about 15 years since I used to get migraines from chocolate, red wine and cheese. This isn't nearly as bad, but it is there, a dull ache and stuffy head.

And whenever I eat spicy foods I discover I get the hiccups. That is new. It doesn't even have to be very spicy, the mildest mango curry, or a hint of chipotle, and the hiccuping starts. Or the indigestion. That one isn't so new.

After lunch we went to the market, where I bought some wonderful bread (basil and parsley sourdough) and some peameal bacon. Because that's what you do when you go to the market.

Now, I've always been more of a "sour" type of person than a "sweet" type. Cut a lemon in half and I will suck the juice out of it like an orange. Yum! Put an eclair in front of me, and I'll eat it out of politeness, but I would never actually ask for anything so rich and sweet. My cravings generally run towards the salt over sugar.

I knocked on my neighbour's door the next night and offered her the rest of the bacon and the luscious sourdough bread that was topped with boulders of rock salt.

Seems I have now developed an oversensitivity to salt. I noticed it with the ready made dinners, and certainly on frozen pizzas, so I stopped buying them, assuming that there was just too much sodium. But I hadn't realized just how sensitive I had become. I could not taste anything of the bacon sandwich except salt.

No more Indian food with a beer to wash it down with (no, really, I haven't had too much to drink). No more side orders of french fries topped with lots of salt and vinegar. And that expensive bag of Mayan Hot Chocolate - the one with chilies - from Soma? Well, I can't give up everything. Mmm, what a warm up potion after a long walk outside.

Meanwhile, I am entertained with these commercials as companies scramble to make their foods sodium reduced and healthier. You can now order these little 'sidekicks', Salty and Pep (if you live in Canada), presumably in case you want to add, say 10% more salt from the 25% reduced.

check out these links for cuteness overload

Salty from Knorr

Salty mask

feeling peckish?

Why don't we go for a little walk. Perhaps find a bite to eat. If you are visiting me, chances are we will head out for a meal because, well, you'll want something more than toast, won't you? And it is so nice to eat out - the selection of different foods all prepared for you by someone else, served to you by a friendly waiter. And all the prep and clean up done behind the scenes. Then you saunter home to a tidy kitchen with no mess or smells to deal with, for a comfortable visit with a glass of wine....

The hardest part is choosing where to eat.

I live mere blocks away from the downtown shopping area.
We could walk along the Lakeshore and stop at any one of these eateries

or we could wander along some of the side streets to find these options

or venture up the main street for about 4 blocks for these delicious attractions

Whichever way we go
it will take only about 15-20 minutes to pass them all.

My treat.

best ever butter tart

Butter tarts are (that bit of dessert on the plate in the post below that is not fruit or yogurt or cheese or eggs) the most decadent of Canada's National Treasures. The act of eating one is almost a patriotic duty. As is the annual search for the best butter tart recipes and the inevitable arguments that follow. There are many subtle variations of this beloved dessert but by far the most contentious difference, beyond the amount of gooeiness, is the addition of raisins or pecans or walnuts. Sort of the same argument that exists with banana bread. I personally do not bake, butter tarts or any other desserts - preferring to buy mine and not having to deal with the ensuing cleanup. That may seem lazy to some, but I will happily drive to Dee's Bakery which makes "butter tarts to die for". Check out her website and see for yourself. You can place an order and people from as far away as Australia and England apparently do! Because these are only in Canada. Pity.

Or you could try this recipe I stole from the ever respected Marion Kane.

from CBC website
Q Food Sleuth Marion Kane tracks down one of Canada's most popular desserts and offers this recipe for the best ever butter tart.
Adapted from The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook (Random House), this produces the best homemade butter tart I've tried: flaky, melt-in-the mouth pastry with a gooey but not too runny filling. And they're a cinch to make. - Marion Kane

Use proper baking method for dry ingredients: measuring scoops or spoons and a knife to slice off the top, not a measuring cup. You can make dough in a food processor instead of by hand. I found a 28-oz/796-mL can works perfectly for cutting it into rounds. Add raisins or coarsely chopped pecans, if desired. (Violet has tasted butter tarts with dried cranberries instead of raisins, interesting added flavour)

1½ cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt¼ cup cold butter, cubed
¼ cup cold lard or vegetable shortening, cubed
I large egg yolk
I tsp white vinegar
¼ cup ice-cold water

Filling:
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup maple (or golden corn) syrup
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp softened butter
Pinch of salt
¼ to ½ cup raisins
Preheat oven to 375F.

For dough, combine flour and salt in large bowl. Using old-fashioned wire pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter and lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Using fork, stir in egg yolk, lemon and water until dough holds together. Wrap; refrigerate at least 1 hour.

If using raisins, plump them up by covering with boiling water while preparing the rest of the filling.

For filling, vigorously whisk together all ingredients except raisins in medium bowl until combined. (This can be done in food processor.)

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface until fairly but not too thin. Using 4" round cookie cutter or empty 28-oz can, cut into 12 rounds to fit 3" cups of muffin tin. Divide raisins between each pastry shell; spoon on filling.

Bake in oven 15 to 18 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Cool in pan about 2 minutes. Run knife or small metal spatula around edge of each tart; transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 12 butter tarts.

Eat with care ... and remember it is always better to share!

market day

a foray to the market brought home a plateful* of goodies (and more)

what do you think I ate first for breakfast..................?

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*not meant to be consumed at one sitting