A Life, Lived

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Travel Tuesdays - Woodland Cultural Centre

The Canadian government has implemented Sept. 30 as a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. 

In order to learn more about the Canadian residential school system I recently visited the Woodland Cultural Centre. The centre is located on the site of the Mohawk Institute (the residential school that was located near the 6 Nations Reservation) and is dedicated to reserve and promote Indigenous history, art, language and culture.

Our visit was particularly poignant this year after the discovery of thousands of unmarked graves on former residential school sites - the children who never made it home to their loved ones.

The Sage Beekeeper

It's been some time since I featured a cocktail on the blog. This is a good one to break that run.

There isn't a lot happening in this cocktail - honey, OJ, gin, and some sage.

Don't be fooled. The flavour is outstanding! So much that shaken up this cocktail a few times in the past few weeks.

The Sage Beekeeper

Honey
Ice
3 ounces gin
2 ounces orange juice
3 fresh sage leaves
Two 1-inch strips orange peel

Combine equal amounts of honey and water and stir until dissolved. 

In a shaker filled with ice, add the gin, orange juice, 1 ounce honey syrup and 1 sage leaf. Shake vigorously and pour into 2 up glasses. Garnish with each glass with1 sage leaf and 1 orange peel.

Concord Grape Focaccia

Grape focaccia, or Schiacciata All’uva, is a magnificent Tuscan tradition sometimes known as winemakers’ focaccia that’s homemade flatbread with a smattering of black grapes that’s roasted until it creates a wondrously jammy sweetness.

There are plenty of recipes out there for making it but none as easy as this one.

Traditionally, grape focaccia, or Schiacciata All’uva, takes its characteristic jamminess from native Tuscan wine grapes known as canaiolo, the small, dark grapes make up part of the blend of Chianti wine. It’s an Italian winemakers tradition. These days it’s usually made with the more common and fragrant concord grapes (uva fragola). Just be warned if you use grapes with seeds, the bread will be punctuated with bitter crunchiness.

While concord grapes have seeds theya re tiny and you wont notice them in the finished product. The combination of the grapes, sugar, and rosemary is delicious.

Enjoy!

Concord Grape Focaccia

1 lb pizza dough
⅔ lb Concord grapes (NOTE: I actually think this might be too much. I'll use less grapes next time I make this)
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 branches rosemary
2 teaspoon turbinado sugar

Spread/roll the pizza dough until it's about ½ inch thick then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise 10 minutes.

Drizzle the olive oil over top and massage it into the dough, tucking a little of the oil under the edges of the dough too.

Let the dough rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the oiled focaccia dough and scatter the grapes over top and then the leaves of rosemary (discard stems). Top with turbinado.

Bake for a good 30 minutes, until it is a nice golden brown color. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Travel Tuesdays - Bologna

Friends of ours are in Bologna right now (or were when I typed this).

Bologna is one of my favourite cities in Italy - the food, the art, the architecture, the culture . . . it is all so good.

I can't jet off to Bologna right now but I can relive it through my pics . . .

Combating Climate Change

Critical Thinking

This is why a strong public education system is so damn important.

Travel Tuesdays - Battle of Stoney Creek Memorial

The battle of Stoney Creek National Historic Site of Canada is a memorial park built on the site of a battlefield from the War of 1812. It is located at the edge of the Niagara escarpment on the east side of the town of Stoney Creek, Ontario. The site includes the Gage House, the Stoney Creek, Smith’s Knoll and the Stoney Creek Cemetery Monument, the Dunnington-Grubb and Stoney Creek Cemetery landscape; archaeological resources; and objects held in repositories and on the site. Official recognition refers to the Battlefield Park and Smiths Knoll cemetery which encompasses the Stoney Creek Memorial, the cemetery and Gage House.

The Battle of Stoney Creek, which occurred on 6 June 1813, was a critical turning point in the War of 1812. During this battle, American forces under Generals Windler and John Chandler were driven back by the British 8th and 49th Regiments led by Lieutenant Colonel John Harvey and Major Plenderleath. This battlefield marks the most advanced position achieved by American forces on the Niagara frontier.

The importance of Stoney Creek Battlefield was first acknowledged when the Women’s Wentworth County Historical Society opened a commemorative park on the battlefield site in 1899, and shortly thereafter acquired the adjacent Gage property, which was also associated with the battle. Between 1909 and 1913, the County of Wentworth Veteran’s Association erected a monument and in the 1920s, the firm of Dunnington and Grubb formally landscaped the park’s grounds. Management of the park was taken over by the Niagara Parks Commission in 1963 and today is run by the City of Hamilton.

Paul and I visited the site on Saturday.

YUP

Corn Chowder

Don’t we all crave this time of year? Not only do we get those relaxing days spent outside, backyard cookouts, and weekend hikes to soak up that summer sun but it also means getting some of the best food of the year while all the fresh produce is in season.

It’s that time of year where you’ll find fresh corn on the cob galore, especially if you’re near the plethora of local growers. If you’re like us you’re likely eating it multiple times throughout the week and looking for more ways to use it and this corn chowder is one of the best ways to put it to good use!

It has everything you’d want in a corn chowder and then some. Nothing fancy, just tasty homestyle comfort food at its best!

There are lots of recipes out there but I went with this one from Recipe Tin Eats figuring that the flavour profile would be the best - you use the bacon drippings to make the soup base and after cutting the kernels off, throw the corn cobs into the broth to infuse it with extra corn flavour! The potato is cooked until very soft, so the edges are starting to breakdown and this helps thicken the soup.

I was right. This was an amazing soup!

We like to serve corn chowder with some grated cheese on top in addition to the green onions and bacon in the recipe.

Enjoy!

Corn Chowder

4 cobs corn
1 tsp butter
250 g/8 oz bacon, chopped
30 g/2 tbsp butter (use 3 tbsp if bacon is lean)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small onion, diced (or half large onion) (yellow, brown or white)
5 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth, low sodium
3 cups milk (I used low fat but full fat will work too)
600 g/ 1.2 lb potatoes, cut into 1 cm / 2/5" cubes (about 2 large)
2 sprigs of thyme OR 1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup cream
3/4 cup scallions, green part finely sliced
Salt and finely ground pepper to taste

Cut the corn off the cob. This is how I do it: Place a small ramekin in a large bowl. Place corn on the ramekin then cut the corn off. See video. Keep naked cobs.

Place 1 tsp butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove onto a paper towel lined plate. Leave fat in pot.

Lower heat to medium high. Add 2 tbsp butter, once melted, add garlic and onion. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until onion is translucent.

Add flour and mix it in. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add broth, milk, potatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Break naked cobs into 2 or 3 and add into the liquid. Put the lid on and simmer for 25 minutes (adjust heat so it's simmering energetically but not bubbling like crazy or super gently).

Remove lid, remove corn cobs. Add corn and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked to your taste.

Stir through cream and 3/4 of the bacon and scallions. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with remaining bacon and scallions.