A Life, Lived

Happy Birthday Paul!

It's a big day here - someone turns 43.

Paul was born in 1975. Here in Canada there was a bunch of stuff happening .. .

Canada started to introduce the metric system throughout the year (and after 38 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 largest free-standing structure 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 over fishing. Of course this did nothing to stop the over fishing and the fish stock collapsed 25 years later.

Ontario schools 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. Marie sinks. 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 embarrassing. Mind you, it is immensely superior to Justin Beiber having been born.. .

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 to 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.

Travel Plans - BC

In a couple of weeks Paul and I will be jetting to Edmonton where I'll be in a meeting for much of the week and he'll be wandering the capital city of Alberta. In the 13th we have a short flight to Kelowna. The next 9 days will be spent wandering the Okanagan.

We had a taste of the region (pun intended) when I was there for a work function a few years ago but it was off-season and many of the wineries were closed or had reduced hours. We managed to get in enough tasting to know we wanted to go back.

Most of our time will be spent outside of Penticton at the south end of the lake.

We have a house rented in the Naramata Bench region. I am looking forward to drinking my morning coffee at this table while wine country wakes up . . .

The house is walking distance from a number of wineries, restaurants, and hiking trails.

We will visit wineries, visit some farm-to-table restaurants, do some hiking, shop, and relax. . . a perfect way to enjoy wine country.

The only mystery will be how many cases of wine we bring back with us. :-)

Travel Tuesdays - the Okanagan

We'll be heading to BC in a couple of weeks. I was doing planning over the weekend. Guess where this week's edition of Travel Tuesdays is heading?

 

Italian Garlic Sausage & Potato Kebabs with Veggies

Look at me - cooking again.

I actually followed a recipe for the gill!

This is simply a delicious meal on a stick. I have seen the idea of using sausages in kabobs and I thought it was ingenious. How superbly simple! Adding potatoes with the sausages is a touch Germanic but I was convinced it would be Delicious.

The potatoes are tossed in a garlicky olive oil mixture seasoned with Italian seasoning, then pre-cooked in the microwave so they were mostly done before putting them on the grill. This is necessary mostly because the other kebab ingredients cook so quickly.

 A perfect meal on a stick!

Italian Garlic Sausage & Potato Kebabs with Veggies

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 - 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
2 medium red potatoes
2 small zucchini
1 yellow or red bell pepper, cut into chunks
4 sausages, cut into chunks
Other veggie options: chunks of red onion, cherry or grape tomatoes, mushrooms

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, seasoning and garlic and let sit for at least 15 - 30 minutes for the garlic to infuse into the oil. Fire up the grill.

Chop the potatoes into 8 pieces each and toss them in half the garlic oil. Put them in a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle with Red Robin seasoning (or your favorite seasoning) and fresh ground pepper. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave again for 2 minutes. Test the potatoes with a fork--if they are not starting to get tender, microwave a little longer.

Next, toss the zucchini and bell pepper with the rest of the garlicky oil.

Thread the sausages, potatoes, zucchini and bell pepper onto metal skewers (or wooden ones that have been pre-soaked). Set the kabobs on the grill and let them cook, turning a few times (with a protective glove on your hand) to make sure all the sides get fully cooked. Remove from the grill and serve while hot.

Asparagus and Mushroom Carbonara

I know that based upon the last few months of posts you'd be left thinking that I had shut the kitchen down. The reality is that when the weather gets warm and the grill comes out I am not following recipes - for dinner we are most likely to have salad, some grilled meat, and grilled veggies. Nothing too adventurous but it works when you are busy and hot.

Let's get one thing perfectly clear before you read on - this is nor a low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie dish. If that is what you want then you should move on . . . no judgement just that this dish is not for you. Do NOT think of trying to make this dish low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie - it is impossible and you will be sad with the results. Do not use turkey 'bacon'. The food gods will smite you. No this is not an every day dish, but if you are going to indulge, then indulge!

It is asparagus season here in Ontario (actually, the tail end of it) and we had a few bunches in the refrigerator to eat. I also had a bag of shiitake mushrooms from the CSA. I googled recipes for asparagus and mushroom pasta and this one came up - it had no mushrooms but I added them in. It is a Jamie Oliver recipe for carbonara and it is pretty close to a 'real' carbonara but it strays from the purist version with the addition of cream and asparagus and I strayed even more by adding mushrooms. The food crime aside, it was delicious, quick, and a perfect summer meal.

 

Asparagus and Mushroom Carbonara

2 fresh egg yolks, at room temperature
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
180 grams pasta
200 grams streaky bacon / pancetta, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
100 grams thin, baby asparagus, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish (optional)

boil a large pot of water. Season the water with salt - ½ tablespoon of salt per 1 litre of water. While waiting for the water to boil, grab a large frying pan (large enough to accommodate all the pasta, bacon and asparagus) and set it over medium heat.

Combine the egg yolks, cream and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Whisk to combine with a fork and stir in the butter - the heat from the pasta will melt the butter later.

When the water has come to a boil, add in the pasta and cook until al dente, per package's instructions.

Immediately after adding the pasta, add the chopped bacon into the frying pan - no oil is needed as the bacon will render lots of fats during cooking. Fry over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until browned and almost crispy.

When the bacon is starting to crisp, add in the asparagus (if you're using thick asparagus, add them in slightly earlier as they'll take a longer time to cook) and the mushrooms. Stir-fry until the vegetables are tender. Season with freshly ground black pepper - do not add salt as the bacon and Parmesan cheese are very salty to begin with.

Once the pasta is al dente - remember, the pasta will continue to cook for a while after removing them from the heat - reserve ½ cup of cooking water and drain the pasta. Dump them immediately (do not rinse them with cold water!) into the bacon-asparagus mixture and toss to coat the pasta with the the bacon fats (very, very sinful I know!)

The most important step now: turn off the heat. Drizzle in the egg yolk mixture and toss / stir the pasta continuously until the pasta is coated with lots of creamy yumminess. If it's too thick, add in the pasta water - tablespoon by tablespoon, until it reaches the consistency you desired. Don't return the pan to the heat as it would cook the eggs.

Serve immediately (cold carbonara is yucky).

Travel Tuesdays - Niagara

Some more shots from our wine adventure in Niagara last Sunday . . .

Westcott Winery

Last weekend Paul and I had friends from California visiting. We decided to take them on a tour of some Niagara wineries. Our first stop was a newish winery 9well, new to us for sure) called Westcott. I had heard about them, and in fact drank a bottle of their wine purchased at the LCBO, but had never visited. People I follow on Instagram rave about the wines so I thought I'd pay a visit.

Westcott Vineyards and Winery is a very small, artisanal Niagara winery focused on producing exquisite chardonnay and pinot noir wines from their estate grown grapes. The owners believe that a great wine begins in the vineyard and they take great pains to make wines that they feel good about.

Upon arrival we met one of the owners . . .

Carolyn Hurst and her husband Grant Westcott bought the property in 2006 as a new chapter in their lives; a simple transition to retirement life in the country. HA I'm not sure what their previous lives as IT professionals were like but I suspect nothing compared to the backbreaking (and soul crushing) work of a winery.

The night before we arrived was their national rosé day party and they had been up late and I suspect were dragging their heels . . .to say nothing of cloudy brains . . . on a Sunday morning.

There were hints of their pink celebration all around.

I had booked a private tour thinking that it would be a great way for our Californian friends to gain a greater understanding of the Niagara wine industry. I had no idea that our tour guides would be the owners themselves!

Carolyn took us through the winery and showed us their sparkling wine production where they are riddling the bottles by hand. The bottles we saw had been on the lees for 50 months. I can't wait to try a bottle when it is released!

We went upstairs to a private room where Carolyn, and later Grant, talked to us about their wine making philosophy, their wines, and anything else we were interested in and we were interested in a LOT).

It was an amazing start to our wine tour.

In fact, I liked the wines so much that the first thing I did when I arrived in the office on Monday morning was to go online and join the wine club. :-)

 

Strange Times

I didn't think it was possible. Trump declares trade war on Canada because he views us as a national security risk.

Trump turns his back on the G7 and pivots towards autocrats.

I know my American friends are very worried about the future of their country. I wish more Americans were . . .

Travel Tuesday's - Venice

Four years ago we were in Venice. It was the last leg of my 50th birthday trip in Italy.

We went for dinner at a restaurant off of San Marco Square. When we finished dinner a full moon was shining over the lagoon.

SIGH

So much for good choices . . .