A Life, Lived

Happy Birthday Paul

Someone is having another birthday today - I'll give you a hint . . . there are 36 candles on his cake.

We won't be celebrating this one at home - we'll be heading to Algonquin Park for a weekend at Bartlett Lodge. I am looking forward to the gourmet meals, sitting by the lake listening to the loons, some hiking, and some canoeing. It's been a long time since I got to hang out in the wild (no, the GO train, while it may seem wild at times, does not count).

As is tradition, let's look back and see what was happening in Canada in the year Paul was born:

Canada started to introduce the metric system throughout the year (and after 36 years of the metric system I still don't naturally 'think' metric)

Pierre Trudeau was Prime Minister

Television cameras are allowed to film in Parliament (Canadians, horrified by the undignified behaviour of their elected politicians started to tune out of the political process) 

The beaver becomes an official symbol of Canada (causing Canada to become the butt of jokes worldwide)

The CN Tower was built, the largeststructure in the world until 2008. After it was constructed people realized that it was rather phallic in shape. Opps

The Soviet Atlantic fishing fleet is banned from entering Canadian ports due to overfishing. Of course this did nothing to stop the overfishing and the fish stock collapsed 25 years later.

Ontarioschools begin to teach exclusively using the metric system. A young student named Jerry DeQuetteville got lost in math and never caught up.

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, based in Sault Ste. Mariesinks. had it not been for Gordon Lightfoot writing a song no one would ever remember the name of the ship.

The wearing of seatbelts is made mandatory in Ontario. dirt bags protested the government intruding on their god given right to die young and stupidly if they want to.

The famous children's story Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang  was written by Mordecai Richler.

Anne Murray and Oscar Peterson each win a Grammy Award.

Joni Mitchell - releases The Hissing of Summer Lawns. A bunch of other mediocre music that no one has heard of since was released as well.

Saturday Night Live, produced by Canadian Lorne  and also featuring Canadians Paul Shaffer and Dan Aykroyd, premieres in the United States. this proves that it is possible for Canadians to be successful in the entertainment industry - if they leave Canada.

Michael Bublé, singer was born. How embarassing.

A list of people no one even remembers won the Governor general award. Well, I bet their family might remember but that is it.

In the middle of the oil crisis oil jumped to $ 13 a barrel and gas prices rose ro 44 cents per gallon. people protested and gas panics ensued.

Believe it or not, "streaking" is the latest fad to seize North America. It involves running through a crowded room stark naked and at full speed. The object is to get in and get out as soon as possible, hence the name "streaking." mind you, once your inadequacies have been exposed to the world it doesn't really matter how quickly you run away, people have memories. Thank goodness we didn't have social media back then - can you imagine?

It is such a popular fad that Ray Stevens turns The Streak into a number one hit. A streaker even dashes across the stage at the Academy Awards.

The golden age of 60s music is over, and disco is still several years away. This is known as the music the world forget - deservedly so.

Something called the Arpanet has been set up by the American military to maintain communications in the event of a Soviet nuclear strike. Eventually, it will be opened to the public and re-named the Internet.

When You Think That You have Heard it All . . .

or how to fail as a parent.

WOW. I am beyond speechless at this story:

Woman accused of using child as a weapon on TTC streetcar

Police are looking for a woman accused of beating a fellow TTC passenger, using a child as a weapon.

Police said the woman boarded the streetcar last Friday around 5 p.m. with the child in a stroller and got into an altercation with another passenger. The woman picked up the child and started hitting the other passenger with the child, police said.

When other passengers intervened, the woman pulled one of them by the hair, police said.

The incident occurred after the woman boarded the streetcar at Dundas St. E. and Parliament St. Police received the call when the streetcar was near Broadview.

The woman got off the streetcar with the child before police arrived.

A Day in Wine Country

Paul's sister and her family are in town for a couple of weeks. On sunday we took Paul's brother-in-law to Niagara to explore the area and the wines. Ian had never been wine tasting before so we were happy to show him some of our favourites - Paul spent a lot of time thinking about which wineries to go to . . . some small, some large, each with its own characteristics.

We started in Niagara-on-the-Lake at the Niagara College Winery. There the pourer provided Ian with a great tutorial about wines, how to taste properly, and the region.

 
 
From there we went to Coyote's Run, one of the newer wineries in the region, is located just outside the town of St. David's. It is a bit off the beaten path, but it is well worth seeking this one out as they are receiving critical acclaim for their small-batch, hand-crafted wines. The reason why this winery made the list was because it has two distinct soils running through their vineyards - it's a great spot to examine the impact that soil has on the finished wine.

Next up was Henry of Pelham. This is Paul's favourite winery, although we don't visit it as much as we should. When we arrived the tasting room was empty - this has never happened before! The staff allowed us to taste a wide variety of wines - some of which I wouldn't have normally tasted. We were lucky to taste the reserve Baco Noir which was just named the best in Canada (Baco Noir is also Paul's favourite red wine). As a treat the woman tending the tasting bar had us taste their famous pink sparkling wine - Cuvee Catherine - and then she poured in their cabernet franc ice wine. YUM

 

From there we headed to Sue-Ann Staff winery - our recent discovery. We were lucky to have the woman who was pouring the wine (Sue-Ann was off) give us a tour of the old farmhouse - what an incredible treat that was. . . beautiful architecture and antiques.

All of this was prior to lunch! We were hungry so we headed over the Flat Rock Cellars where there is a food truck on the weekend that we have wanted to try for some time. in the spring we had enjoyed a cooking class  that was taught by the couple who own and operate the food truck. The food was so amazing that we were excited to try their food at the winery.

We ordered the lunch special - Korean BBQ pork banh mi on fresh Ravine Vineyard baguette, Korean BBQ chicken wings, and home brewed sparkling strawberry ginger ale. Once you order you head back down to where picnic tables are set up on the green roof to await your feast. We were surprised and pleased to havestaff from the winery come around to take orders for wine - paula nd I both enjoyed a glass of the white blend - twisted - perfect for the blend of flavours in our lunch.

 
 
Amazing food, great wine, wonderful company, and gorgeous views - who could ask for anything more?

 
We made a short detour to the Upper Canada Cheese Company where we picked up some cheese that Deanna had wanted. Iwas surprised to find that they were selling a new cheese called 'Cottage Gold' - it was amazing so of course a piece of that was purchased and placed in the cooler to bring home with us.

The last winery of the day was Peninsula Ridge. This is a lovely winery which has only been in operation for less than 15years. Located on Niagara's Beamsville Bench, is unique for several reasons, not the least of which is its rapid rise to prominence. With their first vintage, they immediately won accolades, especially for their Reserve Chardonnay. Winemaker Jean-Pierre Colas honed his skills in Burgundy and he brings a definite old-world savvy to the Peninsula Ridge cellars.

It was a full day! The SUV was full of wine as well. You can't ask for more than that!

Grilled Salmon with Orzo Salad

Yesterday was a full day for us, yes it was. It involved 5 wineries, lots of wine tasting, a cheese factory, a food truck, and lots of discussion about what we were tasting, the merits of one vintage or varietal versus another and so on. Needles to say by the time we arrived home we were wiped. Thank goodness it was Paul's turn to cook.

He had selected a recipe from the cookbook that our wonderful friend Sandi gave us for Christmas:  Bottega Favoritaby Frank Stitt. We've made a few recipes from his book and we love them - a great Italian take on seasonal, locally sourced foods. I’m still waiting for someone to invite me to Birmingham where we can visit Frank's restaurant in person!!

Anyway, the recipe Paul selected was Salmon with Orzo Salad. It's an ideal recipe - few ingredients; bold, fresh flavours; quick and easy to prepare; and very healthy.  Paul followed the recipe as printed with one exception - we brushed the salmon with olive oil and grilled it rather than pan searing it. The result was every bit as wonderful as we had hoped - sure this would eb a quick and delicious weeknight dinner but the presentation and flavour is impressive enough that your guests would be thrilled to see it on the table at a dinner party.

Salmon with Orzo Salad

1½ cups orzo
About 1 tablespoon olive oil
Four 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets, any pin bones removed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup corn kernels (from about 3 ears of corn)
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 shallot or ¼ red onion, minced
¼ cup pitted Kalamata or Nicoise olives, coarsely chopped
¼ cup basil leaves, torn into little pieces or cut into chiffonade, plus 4 small sprigs for garnish
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons L’Estornell Spanish garnacha vinegar or other good-quality red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Grated lemon zest for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat, then add just enough olive oil to barely coat the bottom of the pan. Season the salmon with sea salt and pepper, place in the hot skillet, and cook until the fish is lightly golden on the first side and the edges are beginning to turn opaque, about 4 minutes. Turn the salmon and transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking, about 4 minutes for medium-rare, or about 6 minutes for medium. Transfer the fillets to a rack and keep warm.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, 5 – 7 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with a splash of oil.

Stir the corn, tomatoes, shallot or onion, olives, torn basil, and salt and pepper to taste into the orzo. Add the vinegar, drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil, and toss to coat. Taste for seasonings and adjust to your liking.

Place a large spoonful of the orzo on each serving plate and top with a salmon fillet. Garnish each plate with a little lemon zest, if desired, and a sprig of basil.

Serves 4

Fruit Pizza

Ever have a recipe that you make to great acclaim and then for some reason don`t make again?

This recipe falls into that category for me. I first made this some 20 years ago - for a BBQ we held when my sister was moving to Nova Scotia. I remember that it was easy to make (I was in an apartment at the time and had a refrigerator the size of a closet), it tasted great, and everyone loved it. Yet I never headed into the kitchen again to make it . . .

Until yesterday.

Paul`s sister and her family arrived from Manitoba for a two week visit. They`re camping at a campground about 15 minutes from our house. Since they arrived late in the afternoon wouldn`t have a ton of time to worry about dinner we invited them over for an impromptu meal.

I was googling around for a recipe for a dessert using strawberries and this popped up. I remembered how good it was when I made it 2 years and decided to give it a go.

Of course I made the general changes that I am wont to make - instead of making one large pizza (because I didn`t have a pan big enough) I made two small ones in cake pans. I had lots of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries handing around so I decided to make a fruit pizza instead of a strawberry pizza. I added some vanilla extract to the filling. I left out the almond extract in the crust - my nephew has a nut allergy . . . I don`t know if there is any real nut produce in almond extract but I wasn`t taking any chances. Finally, instead of using the glaze recipe (2 cups of sugar seemed a bit much to me - diabetic mom would have been in a coma right there at the table) I had a commercial glaze by Dr Oetker which had only  2 T of sugar and was clear instead of red (figured that I wouldn`t want a red glaze all over the blueberries and blackberries).

Oh my. I have become the bolgger I hate - I made a recipe, changed everything therefore NOT making the recipe at all.

Oh well. This was amazing! Think sugar cooking crust, cheesecake filling, fresh fruits. MMMM I doubt I`ll go 20 years before making this recipe again. Heck, I may even follow the recipe.

 

Strawberry Pizza

6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups crushed strawberries

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

On a floured surface, roll dough into a 13-in. circle. Transfer to an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan. Build up edges slightly.

Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread over crust. Arrange sliced strawberries on top.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and crushed berries until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly. Spoon over strawberries. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Photo Hunt - Cards

This week's Photo Hunt theme is 'cards'. I had a ton of shots to select from but finally decided upon this one.

WOW - this was hard. In fact, likely the hardest photo hunt I've done in the three years that I have been participating in the hunt!

Finally I remember that when we entertain for a special occasion or holiday we always place cards by our guests table setting . . .

 

This was from Easter dinner (in case the fowers, bunnies, easter egg cookies, and easter eggs don't give it away. LOL)

White Bean and Garlic Scapes Dip

For the past couple of years food bloggers have been blathering on about garlic scapes during the late spring. Until last week I had never seen them but when I was at the market there they were - 5 bunches for $ 5. of course the food craziness hit me and I bought 5 bunches. I had no idea if I liked them or had a clue what I was going to do with them but dammit, I had to have them.

Garlic scapes are the green, Medusa-haired offspring of garlic plants. I’m not sure how much you all know about garlic but it’s planted in the fall. There are two main kinds, softneck and hardneck garlic. Hardneck garlic usually shoot up flower stalks in late spring. These stalks are also known as garlic scapes. They are generally cut off so that the garlic bulbs will get plumper & fatter. Imagine the punch of garlic mixed with a little whiff of freshly mown green grass. 

The season for garlic scapes is short so high-tail it to your local farmer’s market before you miss it.

With a milder garlic flavor and a satisfying crunch, garlic scapes are delicious cut up for salads or stir-fries. Another suggestion is to puree them into a soup with green garlic, potato and thyme (search nytimes.com for“Double Garlic Soup” for the recipe).

This recipe is one I found online - also from the NY Times. This dip is super easy to make, and it's delicious! Some folks online have complained about the strong-garlic taste - I figure that they must have been using mutant scapes because I didn't find this to be excessively garlicky at all.

 White Bean and Garlic Scapes Dip

1/3 cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling.

In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to a rough purée.

With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if desired.

Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more salt.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

Vietnamese Pork Tenderloin Salad with Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette

With the hot weather and humidity continuing Paul and I continue to explore the world of dinner salads. I tell you, I have come a long way from the guy who used to demand a hunk of protein the size of half the plate, potatoes, veg, and perhaps a tiny salad on the side. Of course the fact that my gut threatened to explode helped to 'edge' me along to a healthier diet.

Crisp green lettuce leaves, crunchy peanuts, carrots, and freshly sliced cucumber are the hallmarks of a great Vietnamese salad. This easy, satisfying version from the fine folks at Weber is topped with plenty of grilled marinated pork tenderloin topped with a delicious peanut dressing. The dressing can be made as spicy of as mild as you wish (yes, we cranked up the heat level considerably).

The pork doesn't require a long marinade so the salad can be on the table in less than an hour - making this  a perfect weeknight dinner. The recipe feeds four, we had plenty of pork left over which I sent to work with Paul as a Thai Pork Tenderloin sandwich the next day.

 
Vietnamese Pork Tenderloin Salad with Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette

1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsalted, chunky peanut butter
3 T rice vinegar
3 T finely chopped cilantro
2 t soy sauce
1 t hot chili-garlic sauce such as Sriracha (we used 1 T of Srirach!)
2 pork tenderloins, each 3/4 - 1 lb, trimmed of excess fat and silverskin, cut crosswise into medallions about 1 1/2 inches thick 
1 head green lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 English cucumber, very thinly sliced

In a medium bowl whisk the first 6 ingredients together (oil through Sriracha). Set aside 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette for basting the pork and 1/3 cup for serving. Brush the medallions all over with the remaining vinaigrette and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 - 20 minutes before grilling.

Prepare grill for direct cooking over medium heat.

Grill the medallions over medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the outsides are evenly seared and the centers barely pink (4-6 minutes), turning and brushing with the vinaigrette once. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 - 5 minutes.

Evenly divide the salad ingredients and the pork medallions amongst four plates. drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the top. Serve with any remaining vinaigrette and sliced scallions, if desired (we added some more cilantro since anyone knows you can't have enough of it!)

What Makes You Fat . . .

Yesterday I reported on a truly important study - the trojan where would you like to have the sex study' - no coubt the Nobel Committee will create a new award for this research. Today I turn my sights to more weighty matters (pun intented) and a study that examined the factors that made folks gain weight over a 20 year period.

What we eat and how much of it we consume has far more impact than exercise and most other habits do on long-term weight gain, according to the study by Harvard University scientists. It's the most comprehensive look yet at the effect of individual foods and lifestyle choices like sleep time and quitting smoking.

The results are in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

See - I bet the trojan condom study was not found there!

The new study finds food choices are key. The message: Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts. Cut back on potatoes, red meat, sweets and soda.

Doctors analyzed changes in diet and lifestyle habits of 120,877 people from three long-running medical studies. All were health professionals and not obese at the start. Their weight was measured every four years for up to two decades, and they detailed their diet on questionnaires.

On average, participants gained nearly 17 pounds over the 20-year period.

For each four-year period, food choices contributed nearly 4 pounds. Exercise, for those who did it, cut less than 2 pounds.

Potato chips were the biggest dietary offender. Each daily serving containing 1 ounce (about 15 chips and 160 calories) led to a 1.69-pound uptick over four years. That's compared to sweets and desserts, which added 0.41 pound.

Soda added a pound over four years. Eating more fruits and vegetables and other unprocessed foods led to less weight gain, probably because they are fiber-rich and make people feel fuller.

For each four-year period, these factors had these effects on weight:

 An alcoholic drink a day, 0.41-pound increase.

 Watching an hour of TV a day, 0.31-pound increase.

Recently quitting smoking, 5-pound increase.

People who slept more or less than six to eight hours a night gained more weight.

By my calculations if one were to ditch potato chips, stop watching TV, keep smoking, and exercise they would likely gain no weight at all. Mind you, they'd likely be dead of lung cancer but at least they'd be thin.

SIGH

Survey Says

It seems as if every day there is a new survey out telling us all sorts of things that we don't need to know about. Natch . . . don't care about perhaps is the better turn of phrase here.

Take this survey in the Wheels section of the paper (don't ask me why I was reading the wheels section . . . the comics went missing. Enough said).

When it comes to the most exciting places to have sex, a new survey reveals that steaming up the car windows proved to be the most exhilarating.

According to a U.S survey produced by Trojan condoms (a true bastion of scientific intergrity meethinks!), 48 per cent of the adults polled said the car was the most exciting place they’ve done the deed. (hence the location of this 'article' in the wheels section of the paper . . . but no comics!)

Other places that ranked high included:

• Someone else’s bed (33 per cent)

• The woods (27 per cent) (bugs and bears. A legtah combination.)

• The beach or sea (23 per cent) (sand? Do they know how gritty sand is?)

• A hot tub (22 per cent) (# 1 way to catch an unfortunate disease)

The mile-high club, meanwhile, remained a high hope for many. Thirty-three per cent of men said a plane was the one place they’d like to have sex but haven’t yet tried (you can't even wedge in those tiny bathrooms to use the john - how the heck do you have sex there? ARGH). For women, it was the beach or sea (26 per cent).

For the survey, 3,000 adults were polled online across two studies by consulting firm StategyOne on behalf of Trojan.

One has to wonder a titch here . . . you're sitting at home eating supper, the news is on, your family is milling about, the phone rings and when you pick it up the voice at the other end asks you about your sexual fantasies. Who would answer this? Likely some pimply-faced teen who does what all pimply-faced teens do and dreams about how wonderful sex might be.

Surly to goodness no adult - especially one for whom reality has arrived - would participate in a sex survey!