my cupboard love |
When I planned my trip to Ottawa, it was from an epicurean point of view. I thought we would go and wander the stalls at the Byward Market and delight in the sights and smells of what the vendors there had to offer. I thought I would be returning home with tasty souvenirs from our couple of days in our nation's capital. I thought we would listen to live bands at a few of the many pubs and have a few cocktails. Now I'm not saying we didn't do any of those things Dear Reader....we did and it was wonderful. So many shops and restaurants to stroll through hand in hand. What I hadn't expected was how I felt when I stood at the foot of our War Memorial and when I visited Parliament Hill. It caught me off guard because I have been to many Remembrance Day services, many cenotaphs and have seen more than my share of kilties on parade. Maybe it was because I was in Ottawa. The first morning there, we headed to Parliament Hill to see the changing of the guard ceremony. We found a spot along the roped off front lawn and waited. Before we could see them, we heard them. The old guard was marching toward us and their retirement for the day. We could hear the bagpipes and drums in the distance, slowly getting louder and louder as they made their way to the front lawn of Parliament. It must be genetics that causes me to feel the swell in my chest when I hear pipes. It always makes my chest tight with pride and brings a tear to my eye. And these lads did not disappoint. They looked so smart, marching proudly and playing those beautiful pipes. And that's when this trip changed for me. I felt so proudly Canadian standing there watching this beautiful display of pageantry. Then we heard the new guard coming with their brass band. The new guard was inspected, the colours presented and then the key to the guard house was exchanged. With the old guard retired and the new guard in place, we headed over to the War Memorial, called "The Response". I spent quite a lot of time in Confederation Square gazing at this monument. It was built between 1926 and 1932 and unveiled in May 1939 by His Majesty King George VI. The tomb of The Unknown Soldier was dedicated in May 2000. We had dinner in the Byward Market at an Italian pizzeria and bar called "The Grand". I had the spaghetti polpette for dinner and it was so tasty. My husband had ordered a wood fired pizza, but he wanted the spaghetti when he saw it. It was a simple tomato sauce with parmesan that was so fragrant. I shared with him and he shared with me for twice the tasty experience. After dinner, we walked back to Parliament Hill. I wanted to take a few more pictures and I was hoping there would be less people there than there had been in the morning. We were in luck! We walked around the back side of the building and found beautiful grounds back there with statues of our past Prime Ministers and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We spent the evenings in a few different pubs that had live music.....my favourite thing! Next time we go to Ottawa we are going to take our friends Don and Brenda with us........while her and I shop in the market we can leave the guys here...... Time flew while we were there....There is still so much to be discovered there.....museums, restaurants, pubs, and the market. I can't wait to go again. We are already planning our next getaway in October......Montreal! Any recommendations for what to see and do there Dear Reader?
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Here I am as promised...two days in a row! The joy of vacation continues! This morning I was first up, had the coffee on and soda bread made and the cherry pound cake mixed and ready to go in the oven before anyone else stirred....those of us on holiday that is. My oldest was up at 4am for work. I was greeted with cheers when they realized there was warm soda bread and some homemade jam that we had bought at the farmer's market in Orangeville a few weeks back. I put the cake in the oven and sat down with my coffee and thoroughly enjoyed not being at work today. It wasn't long before the house started to smell lovely, the pound cake wafting through the air. I no sooner had it out the oven and the boys were pestering me to give them a slice. They have no patience! I held them off for nearly an hour but in the end they wore me down and I gave in. They are hard to resist! Cherry Pound Cake Adapted from Dinner Chez Moi by Laura Calder 1 1/2 cups butter, softened 2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 cup hot milk 2 tsp vanilla 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder pinch of salt 1 pound (450gm) candied cherries, halved Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 10 inch bundt pan or large loaf pan and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time. Gently heat milk and vanilla together. In separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the milk mixture and the flour mixture in three increments to the butter mixture, beating well between each addition. Gently stir in the cherries and pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for as long as your family will allow :) The cake was a hit. It had a beautiful crumb....and it had that lovely sweet crust that only pound cake has. A definite keeper recipe that I will be using at Christmas for sure. For lunch I made a tomato tart that I found on Joy the Baker's blog. I didn't have heirloom tomatoes so I used Kumatoes, those odd brown tomatoes that are fabulous. My tart isn't nearly as photogenic as Joy's however my tummy didn't care - it was really good. I suggest you click on the her link above for the recipe and make it today. It was simple to do and quite elegant. Fresh basil, thyme and goat cheese - a heavenly combination. Well I am off to pack for Ottawa. See you back here in a few days Dear Reader!
Here I am! Not lost, just delayed Dear Reader. Just busy living and working and now, very happily, on vacation for one glorious week! Yipee! I have been in slow motion all weekend doing my usual domestics etc. and enjoying the leisurely pace. Here it is Sunday night and I don't have my usual case of "sundayitis". A welcome change for this girl! Tomorrow I plan on getting up and making a cherry cake and a tomato tart. The puff pastry and butter are defrosting as we speak, (so to speak). I plan on sharing these with you tomorrow. How's that for relaxed? As well as baking tomorrow, I will be packing for a trip to our nation's capital! I know I will have lots to share with you later this week. We are staying near the Byward Market and a hop, skip and a jump from the Parliament buildings. I have read a lot about the market and can't wait to wander from vendor to vendor. We are thinking about going to the Royal Canadian Mint too. We have planned a proudly patriotic trip! It has been a mostly lazy Sunday at my house. We have all had our noses stuck in books while we lounged in the backyard or sprawled on the sofa. We are all readers at my house as the heap of books and magazines on the coffee table can attest to, not to mention the basket in the upstairs bathroom. My husband spent much of the day futzing (thank you Molly for such a great word!) about with spareribs. We created a recipe and tested it out on an enormous amount of ribs. The marinade base was stout combined with other ingredients. After marinating and slow cooking and basting for hours, we decided that they were good, and certainly had potential for greatness, but not quite blog worthy.....yet. So close. I have made extensive notes in my recipe journal and will be tweaking this recipe for another attempt. Stay tuned! I did have success with a recipe for coleslaw I created to accompany the ribs. It was creamy and tangy and crunchy and yummy. A perfect side dish for the saucy ribs. Cupboard Love Coleslaw 1 head of green cabbage, shredded 3 carrots, grated 3 stalks celery, diced 6 green onions, sliced thin 2 cups mayonnaise 1 cup sour cream 2 tbsp sugar 3 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp white wine vinegar 2 tbsp lemon juice salt and pepper to taste Shred cabbage in food processor or alternatively, slice cabbage into thin strips. Place grated cabbage into large bowl. Grate carrots in food processor or by hand using a box grater and add to shredded cabbage. Clean and dice celery and add to cabbage, carrot mixture. Finally, clean and slice green onions and add to bowl. Using your hands, toss coleslaw until well mixed. In separate bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, mustard, white wine vinegar and lemon juice. Whisk until well combined. Add dressing to shredded vegetables and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I think next time I am going to add diced apples. Dear Reader, if you add the apples, let me know how it was. We're in this together! I split the shredded vegetables into two bowls. I dressed half the salad and reserved the remaining dressing in a mason jar as this recipe makes quite a large amount. Dressing and vegetables will keep for a few days tightly
sealed in refrigerator to enjoy with another meal. So Dear Reader, tonight the PVR gets a rest. I can stay up and watch The Newsroom and True Blood ( a guilty pleasure) as my alarm will not be screeching me up and out of bed tomorrow. Hooray for holidays! See ya tomorrow! I spent alot of time playing board games with my Auntie Ann when I was a little girl. I remember every detail of her little apartment like it was yesterday....from the gingerbread house cookie jar on top of the fridge to the Pendelfin rabbit ornaments arranged on top of her console stereo. The gingerbread house now sits atop my fridge, a housewarming present when I moved into my first apartment. I cherish that old cookie jar and all memories it holds. The top shelf of her front hall closet was stacked with board games that she taught me to play. It was a treasure trove of fun that I couldn't wait to get into each time I would visit. Our relationship evolved as I grew...from adult and child to friends and confidantes. She has always been my rock, my safe harbour. All grown-up, I would visit on Sunday afternoons. Most visits we ended up on the patio, drinking tea and playing Scrabble. We have played games together my whole life. Once I had married and had children, we would all go to visit. During the winter months, my boys would shovel her driveway and then come in for hot chocolate and stories from her past. About ten years ago, she moved to Victoria, British Columbia to enjoy her retirement. I was heartbroken and excited for her at the same time. I can't imagine moving to the other end of the country at my age, let alone at 70 years old, like she did. She is 80 now, slowing down a bit. I miss her terribly. This past Sunday, my darling and I spent the afternoon in the backyard, reading the newspaper and playing Scrabble. I put together a plate of nibbles....cheese, crackers, tomatoes, ham, salami and yellow peppers. I made homemade ginger ale too. The ginger had the house smelling like Christmas in July. And cotton candy. A heady scent. It was a wonderfully lazy and laid back afternoon. But Scrabble just isn't the same without my Auntie. Homemade Ginger Ale
Adapted from Roots by Diane Morgan 1/2 cup fresh ginger, grated 1 cup light brown sugar 1 cup water ice cubes 4 cups club soda 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice 4 lime wedges In a small saucepan, combine the ginger, sugar and water and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes to ensure the sugar has completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and allow syrup mixture to steep for half an hour. Once steeped, strain mixture through fine sieve or cheesecloth into mason jar. Cover and chill. Syrup will keep for up to two weeks in fridge. When ready to serve, put 1/4 cup of the syrup, 1 cup club soda, 1 tbsp lime juice and 1 tsp lemon juice into glass over ice. Stir to combine. Garnish with lime wedge. |