Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

Sunday, January 9, 2022

Maple syrup taffy

 Friday's adventure: maple syrup taffy

All it takes is some boiled syrup (to 235-245F) and snow. Check and check.

In one set of instructions I found online the writer mentioned that candy thermometers are notoriously inaccurate so she uses three simultaneously. Given what happened with our attempt, I'd say she was probably right. By the time the syrup hit the right temp the consistency was definitely off. Several recipes mentioned letting the syrup cool for up to 5 minutes before pouring but this was already hardening.  We did get a few crunchy, hard candy clumps before Terry tried to salvage what was  there by adding water and boiling down again. That gave us somewhat creamy, sweet snow. Definitely not what we were after.

So, we will try again.

And try again we did. That was Saturday's adventure. I took the boiling maple syrup off the burner when it was only about 225 degrees. That created the kind of thick, sticky, taffy consistency that could pull out a filling.

So I guess we need a third try, for that perfect Goldilocks of chewiness.


Thursday, December 30, 2021

Some small adventures

 Planning my new year goals and one is to get out of my rut. Try new things again. Lockdown has really gotten me out of the habit, even though one of my favorite things is totally COVID-OK - exploring new neighborhoods (Calgary is pretty low density so there are very few pockets where you have to be within 6 feet of someone on the sidewalk).

One thing I'd read about and wanted to try is making ice lanterns.  Basically you partly fill a container with water, then stick inside of it a smaller container to make the insert where a tea light will go, and set it outside to freeze.  I put one together, and then thought about coloring the second one. It turns out that food coloring will condense in the cold so it's a stronger pocket of green at the bottom surrounded by clear-ish water.  I've also seen examples where people put greenery and berries in the water before freezing. I have lots of ideas now.

 

The other thing is food. We have complained, well, more than we should have about the restaurant scene here.  Our trip to Vancouver inspired me to look for some of the things we ate there. Tonight it was hand pulled noodles.  We got the fried noodles that we knew the kids would like and a noodle soup for the adults. We got it spicy - the restaurant actually sells its chili oil, which I think Terry plans to buy next time. It was delicious and spicy. I kept coughing and my nose was running. Probably not the best scene in COVID times, oh well.  It bears repeating - it was delicious and spicy.  The kids tried sesame balls with sweet bean paste inside and liked it enough that we ordered a second round. The house tea was also exceptional. I have no idea what was in it - I think goji berries, peach flower, maybe chamomile, maybe chrysanthemum, I think some rose hips .... definitely honey but somehow the sweetness continued through several refillings with hot water.

Anyway, it has fueled my desire to do more exploring.

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Gratitude 21-24

 #21.  In a very generalistic, vague picture of reality, I'll explain that most of my days are spent trying to teach, coach and convince colleagues that disability rights is an important topic in foreign policy, and that physical and communications accessibility is worth the effort and possible inconvenience.  That often takes form as reviewing and editing speeches that senior diplomats will make to large crowds and to intimate gatherings.  I am grateful and even joyous every time I open a document to review and either the points I would have added are already in the original remarks, or that some other ally has already added them.  Over the last two years I have seen tangible progress and I am so grateful to be in this position, doing this work.

#22.  I am thankful that we were able to score the last, frozen, free range turkey from the butcher we frequent; local Thanksgiving was 6 weeks ago and Christmas turkeys aren't full size yet.

#23.  I am so grateful that Zoltan fits so well into his new school. He's thriving. And even more grateful he gets to stay.

#24. I am grateful to Terry for building me two bird feeders during the first COVID summer, one I can see from my desk and one in the back yard. It is such a delight to lift my eyes from the computer screen and watch the chickadees grab a bunch of seed and move through the pine tree bough, caching it (for the magpies later to steal. Circle of life.The feeder is too small for them to perch so that is also entertainment when they try.)

Monday, November 15, 2021

Gratitude 14-15

 #14. I am grateful for the garden.  As I blanch the last of this year's kale, I remember the well-loved line from Blueberries for Sal where the mother goes to pick blueberries "to have food for the winter."  I was surprised how tasty the tomatoes were, given that we picked most of them green the day before the first major frost was expected;  I am eagerly awaiting the finish of fermenting and bottling of the beer Terry made with hops from the community garden.

#15. Today I am grateful for telework - for having a job that enables it, for State for letting me do it. I spent my pandemic productive, safe in my own home, and with the added benefit of being able to throw a load of laundry in the machine during lunchtime. It is also lovely to greet the kids when they come home from school.

Saturday, November 13, 2021

Gratitude 10-13

 #10:  The kids. I am not at all the same person I was before they were born – mostly for the better. They challenge me and push my out of my comfort zone all the time and I am excited to meet the adults they become.  Relatedly, I am grateful that Alex has been mostly delightful for more than six months now; she was always precocious and maybe this is a sign her teenage angst came early?

#11:  Today I am grateful for the military men and women who have volunteered to serve and protect.
 
#12:  Buy Nothing groups. Your crap is my treasure; my crap is your treasure. Everyone is happy.
 
#13:  Today Terry finished up the 2 day sourdough bread I started yesterday (no accolades for me; sourdough has been his thing since the pandemic started and I have only begun to take over).  He also had started chicken stock from a few carcasses, some aromatic veggies, and water;  today it became chicken noodle soup.  I went to the farmers market to buy our fourth box of apples (slightly smaller than a bushel); it was turned into applesauce we snacked on this afternoon.  Zoltan made chocolate chip cookies.  I am so grateful for the interest and ability of my family to put together from-scratch delicious food.

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Gratitude 8-9

 #8: Today I am grateful for daylight savings time. I know that isn't popular, but I much prefer Alex biking to school in daylight than in full pitch darkness. Given that clear, dry streets in November is already an unusual gift, by the time it's black in the morning again she'll be bussing anyway.

#9: Grateful for my husband (again).  Today we were both in the office.  Tortilla soup that was meant to be my lunch launched itself across the lunchroom when I tried to remove it from the microwave. I'm talking the bowl flipped in the air and landed, on the ground, upside-down. I had soup on my glasses, my shoes, and all over my person in between. As well as the counter, the floor, the side of the fridge, etc. I looked like I had been vomited upon. Terry gave me his lunch. I assumed he'd treat himself to the yummy Korean restaurant at the ground floor of our building. Nope, he was so busy his lunch was a granola bar and an apple. Now THAT's a grand romantic gesture (one I would never make. The fight I would provoke while hungry would negate any gold stars I'd otherwise accrue).

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Not awesome :-(

What's not awesome? Returning home from vacation to find the freezer door wasn't properly shut and everything is (thankfully) cold ... but entirely defrosted. All the ice cream is a loss, and now we are dictating what the kids can eat for lunch each day to get the food eaten.  I made an emergency cobbler to use up some of the defrosted frozen berries, similarly we'll get a round of fruit leathers going tomorrow.  And a massive cook --> freeze session planned for tomorrow. Many  high quality meats will be grilled this week.  I am very grateful that we haven't lost a ton, and obviously that this is not the only food we have.

But, still, not awesome.


Thursday, July 22, 2021

Vancouver finale


Our last day in Vancouver, the kids had their afternoon hour-playing-in-the-pool-because-they-can't-hide-in-the-room-all-day-like-mushrooms and even tried to skim a bit off that.  When Terry came back from work, he and I had our plans set.  We borrowed a pair of bikes from the hotel and set off to circumnavigate Stanley Park. The hotel was right around the corner and the Park is a Vancouver highlight.  The hotel estimates that it takes about an hour to bike around (including the stops) and they were spot on.  First stop: the series of totem poles - I had no idea they are unique to the coastal Pacific Northwest, ranging from Washington up through British Columbia and a bit into Alaska. We watched a seaplane gain altitude.  We caught the statues of the "girl in  wetsuit" and Harry Jerome (Canada's fastest sprinter) and the replica ship's figurehead of a dragon.  The sun glinted off the sea, the mountains were hazy in the distance.  We appreciated the tenacity of a tree growing ontop a large boulder.  We passed Third Beach, then Second Beach (where I had dragged the kids all of three days previously).  We traveled leisurely, stopping often to enjoy the views.

Thus refreshed, we dined our last night on Terry's "must do" food event, hand pulled noodles.  (Mine had been the sushi)  The server was definitely skeptical of our choices and tried to steer us towards the house specialties.  We ignored her.  Zoltan took our advice and was not the Barry.  We ordered too much and ate too much and thoroughly appreciated the meal.  We stopped by a 24 hour bakery to choose baked goods for the morning's breakfast, as we weren't sure about the time we needed to get ready, finish packing etc and get to the airport.

We should not have worried. In typical fashion, we were ready to go early.  With a sad "adieu" we promised to return, having only barely scratched the surface of Vancouver's excellence.



Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Vancouver Part II


On Wednesday the day started the same. Because I knew in advance the kids weren't doing much in the afternoon, I didn't mind when a call went over my stated end-of-workday.  And the call of course led to more work.  Another call was scheduled for a time that happened to coincide with pool time, so I took the call outside.  All in all it was an almost-full-day at work.

After work we met Terry at a highly-touted Vancouver adventure: Fly Over Canada.  The advertising for it is very alarmist about motion sickness. Given that I only learned a couple of years ago that the sick feeling I get on roller coasters is actually motion sickness, it made me nervous. Oh goodness, it's a lot of over-hype!  The experience is a lot of fun - you swoop along beautiful vistas all over the Canadian landscape as though you are riding a drone.  You're strapped into seats like a gentle roller coaster, because it does move a bit with the direction of swooping. There's water sprays when you pass snow and a few scent sprays.  All in all, totally worthwhile and a fun way to spend half an hour.

We finished the night at a Vietnamese restaurant.  We recommended to the kids the lemongrass chicken/pork/beef with rice.  Zoltan opted for a dish that turned out to be beef in a broth with carrots and radish. Needless to say, he did not enjoy the dish and it was delicious and Terry and I ended up eating most of it.  There's a TV show we're watching as a family and in a relatively recent episode a kid in the TV family goes against parental wisdom and orders a meal that is ridiculous for the venue, is expectedly not-delicious, and earns him derision from the family.  So now Zoltan has been warned to "Not be a Barry" in future ordering decisions.

We couldn't get a reservation for dinner at the highly recommended sushi restaurant we wanted to try so we settled on lunch.  That was Thursday.  We discovered when we arrived that, as I had been playing around with different days and times, and with tables for two or four, that I had made a reservation for two.  They had no tables for four available.  Um .......  Well, the kids had maps in their phones, didn't want fish anyway, and still had a fridge of meats and cheeses at the hotel.  We sent them back and stayed ourselves to enjoy the meal.  And everyone was happy.  On my way back to the hotel I checked out a pastry place and brought back treats for everyone - so even more happiness.

In the evening we headed toward Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.  This time we took the SeaBus (not at all the same thing as the AquaBus) and were able to catch some lovely views of Vancouver from the viewing platform.  Terry and I ate fish and chips that rivaled the ridiculously delicious chips place in Haydon Bridge while the kids ate burgers from the vendor next door.  We took a walk to spur our appetites, then got Earnest Ice Cream.  It had been recommended and I had no idea they had such a variety of vegan flavors. Even better, the vegan flavors were DELICIOUS (this is absolutely not always the case).  We ate the ice cream on a bench outside, where we could see a produce vendor that looked like it was starting to pack up. As we were out of fruit, we ran over and thusly brought home a second stash of goods.  Sadly they were not quite as good as the first - Four Season Farms at Granville Market for the win.

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Vancouver Part I


[Disclaimer: Anything you think of to do in Vancouver, we probably didn't do it.  Terry was working, I was working, we didn't have a car, and many things were still closed. All reasons for a return trip!]

The border between B.C and Alberta opened just days before Terry's TDY (temporary work trip) to Vancouver. Having never been before, the kids and I tagged along.

We flew out on July 5, which was not a holiday in Canada so we were able to do some sightseeing. Being who we are, after dropping off our bags at the hotel we hopped an AquaBus to Granville Island where we ate our own weight and brought some home. In Alberta we're always pining over British Columbia fruit, so a visit to the produce vendor was in order. We followed the crowds walking around with bright yellow Lee's Donuts boxes and decided to splurge on a dozen.Oh. My. I had no idea donuts could be like that. We sincerely regretted buying so few and discussed going back.  We also got recommendations of other vendors to visit and decided that in addition to berries, we would stuff our mini-hotel-fridge with sliced meats and cheeses. They also make lovely lunches for the three of us spending our mornings in the hotel room* - Lynne working, kids frying their brains on TV shows and video games. 

* Note: Because of Marriott status, our regular room was upgraded in a larger room with an actual desk - critical feature for the one working half days from the hotel room.

The heat was nearly unbearable even with the help of gelato (around 75F ... we are so ruined for living anywhere else in the world), so after our shopping we were wilting and ready to hang at the hotel for a bit.  With the relaxation of COVID restrictions, the need to book certain times for the outdoor pool ended the day we checked in so kids and I headed off to the pool to cool off.

After a bit of Googling, we settled for dinner on a yakitori place not too far from the hotel.  It's been more than 20 years since Terry lived in Japan, so with our assuredly altered palates we deemed it not only delicious (it was) but authentic (it definitely seemed so). 

The next morning breakfast at the hotel consisted of eggs Benedict, bacon for Terry and smoked salmon for me.  And the eggs had the darkest most orange yolks I have ever seen, and we've been buying our eggs straight from a farm.  Thus fortified, Terry headed out to the Consulate and I to my desk.

Not gonna lie, working off a small laptop with sticky keys and no mouse is not as productive as working off my home setup.

I had grand plans for the afternoons but the kids defeated me.  I did make them accompany me across Stanley Island to Second Beach - one of Vancouver's many inner city beaches and recommended as one of the nicer.  They boycotted the water, opting instead to read under a tree just beyond the sandy area. I gave up and we headed back, although we did take the long way and linger a while by Lost Lagoon ("look, we found it!"). All future afternoons were spent by the kids inside reading or outside by the pool.  

We finished the day with a delicious dinner at Joe Fortes and began my streak of eating fish daily while in Vancouver. Mmmmmmmm.

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Cake for dinner

 One of the birthday coupons the kids got last year was dessert for dinner.  Zoltan used his on something relatively mundane. Alex, on the other hand, came up with this gem.

She and Zoltan each made cakes.  

 She made the chocolate and graham cracker cakes. Zoltan made a plain white cake.  He made chocolate chiffon frosting. She made marshmallow frosting. It consumed 2 containers of Fluff and still the "marshmallow" flavor got lost in "frosting" flavor. Next time it needs less butter and powdered sugar.

She stacked and frosted the layers.  She decorated the top and sides (Zoltan helped made some of the design decisions).

This thing is both amazing and terrifying. Our slices were about 1/16 each and it was too much. I was impressed how it all came together.  The graham cracker cake is the same recipe our chef friend had used when making Alex's birthday cake 3 years ago in Frankfurt and I doubted that Alex could pull off something as moist and flavorful. I was wrong.


* Note: Terry had nothing to do with these photos

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Being Jewish in Calgary

 There is not a large, thriving Jewish population in Calgary. That became abundantly clear last year during the frustrating Hunt for Hanukkah Candles, where when I finally found some (thank you Michaels) I went ahead about bought enough for all three years. Last year I also made my own matzah, having given up on even searching for it.

This year i decided to do better research. After all, there are three different synagogues in the city, AND a JCC - although they are all within about three miles of each other in a part of the city far, far from mine.  The research turned up solid gold: there is one Safeway grocery store, down in the neighborhood of other Jewishy things, that not only carries Matzah but actually has a Kosher food section!  

caveat: Terry did not take this picture and does not sanction its presence on the blog

Our pilgrimage took place this weekend. Upon entering the store we were met with this Wall O' Matzah,  and it only got better, with matzah meal for the matzah ball soup, or soup kits, or pre-made balls in broth in glass jars. Three kinds of horseradish.  Gefilte fish. They even had a full range of Passover candy.

Monday, December 28, 2020

Saskatoons

 I made a saskatoon pie yesterday with berries we'd picked and frozen over the summer. We'd tried them fresh - tasted a few in the field - and made jam right after the picking. It was all OK but not worth the heat and the schlep to the berry field. Now I understand the hype. Pie is the saskatoon's forte, its area of excellence. Now we need to plan next year's picking and focus all our efforts on pies, just pies.

Monday, November 2, 2020

The garden just keeps on giving

 We've brought the herbs indoors and dug up every last vine and plant that had produced, or promised yet failed to produce, food. A few weeks ago we had a tentative dusting, then an earnest full week of snow that killed anything still living. I brought in every tomato that had even a blush of red. Today the very last one adorned my salad - we are now in grape-tomatoes-from-the-store-til-next-summer season. And all that snow melted during a week of above-freezing temps, which was sort of annoying but also made for a more comfortable Halloween.

We have been alerted we got off the wait list for the other community garden where we had requested a plot so we will have two plots next year - in opposite directions from the house - although the new one is also on the way to the source of all rhubarb, so there may be even more muffins and jam next year.

Speaking of which, last week I took a hearty portion of the rhubarb we'd frozen and made a pie. I used some of the pectin we'd recently made (from apple peels and cores) in an effort to keep down the wateriness. It was significantly better than the last pie, but still waterier than I'd hoped. And surprisingly a bit too tart. And then it got moldy in 3 days so we tossed most of it. We now have just enough rhubarb in the freezer for another batch of muffins, which will wait for deeper into the winter.

And the highlight of garden delights: beer brewed with some of the garden's fresh hops. It has a bit of the taste of a sour, and is absolutely my favorite of all the beers Terry has ever brewed that I can remember. I may have to hoard it and hide it. Luckily for me he just bottled a batch of something else he may like more, and has a third batch on deck that I won't like.  Because he never brought a ladder to the garden, many (most?) hops growing tall went unharvested - an error we will not make next year. 

We still need to check out our second garden plot, figure the size and which direction is toward the sun. Then we get to enjoy a gardener's favorite winter activity - planning for next year!

Monday, October 12, 2020

Adventures in baking

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, a much preferable holiday to celebrate than Columbus Day, although the coincidence of the dates is food for thought. 

We were invited to an outdoor, socially distanced Thanksgiving dinner.  The kids have been really rocking their baking game, so we set them to be in charge of our contribution, dessert. They decided to bake it today, rather than on any of the other three days that have passed since they last attended school (they do go to school on Fridays, sometimes!)

They were preheating the oven and came to me to see if I could figure out why it wasn't warming up. I tried a few things, then called in the actual engineer-type in the family. He also could not discover the reason, but we did confirm there was nothing that was easily troubleshooted (troubleshot?) We had a couple of options and had to decide how to proceed. The broiler would turn on, so whatever the problem was, it was at the bottom of the oven. We didn't want to disturb our landlord on Thanksgiving, and no repair person would be working today anyway.

One option was to ask a friend to use her oven. I would be driving her to the dinner, so figured if there's any risk of COVID or transference we'd already be taking risks with her. We decided to hold that for last resort.

What we did do, and didn't seem to go too badly, was to use the broiler to our advantage. We'd turn the broiler on to heat the oven and placed the oven thermometer where it was easily visible (note: the extra chore Zoltan did a month or so ago to clean the oven door was definitely paying off!) We put the cookies in and stationed one family member to keep an eye on the cookies/the oven thermometer, turning the broiler off/on or opening the oven door as the temperature wavered more than 10 F degrees in either direction. A few cookies got a bit browner on the top than ideal, but nothing burned and they all tasted as good as ever.

Creative problem solving for the win!

Monday, August 31, 2020

Summer Vacation Part 2: Lake Louise

The day was absolutely not over yet! Due to our several stops, we managed to get to the hotel just a bit over check-in time, which meant we could go straight to our room. The hotel is old and kind of dumpy, but the room was BIG and the hotel was basically right on Lake Louise (we did feel a bit smug as we drove right into the hotel parking lot while others on the same road were turned back due to the full public parking lot).  The Fairmont hotel next door has a couple of somewhat more casual dining options, so we put on nicer clothes and wandered over in the blazing (80 degree) sun. Things feel a lot hotter here, I am going to blame altitude.

I bear a massive grudge right now against the Fairmont, because when I called to see about reservations the automated line said they only took walk-ins for those who weren't hotel guests. But at every possible entrance to the Fairmont grounds, there was a sign saying only hotel guests were permitted. By the time we got back to our hotel we were very hot, very hungry, and very grumpy. At check-in we had been told the hotel restaurant was booked but we could try walking in. The server who waited on us was very surprised when we told her that. There was no problem with the seating. The dinner was surprisingly delicious.

Feeling much better, we decided to see if Moraine Lake was less hectic in the evening. It was around 8pm or so, still an hour before sunset, when we headed out.  It was an awful attractive nuisance, all those fun-to-climb looking rocks and all the signs saying please don't climb on the rocks because of the fragile plant ecosystems living on and among them. We hung out for a bit, hoping for sunset colors that never materialized. By the time we got back to the hotel it was way past the kids' bedtime, but Terry was feeling fired up and after the kids got to bed he went outside for his first taste of nighttime photography. 

We had planned some hiking for the next morning but hadn't decided what. I really wanted to try the Lake Agnes or Plains of Six Glaciers tea house hikes, but after our Emerald Lake experience we realized we did not want to venture towards touristy places in high season. We instead chose a short hike that roughly paralleled the lake to a beautiful viewpoint. It was a nice little walk in the woods. But it was the return trip that really sparked the joy. Rather than return down the trail we took up, we made it a loop by taking a different path down to the lakeshore. On the way down we hit a rockpile the kids could climb on - which was the highlight. Although Alex wants to be very clear that she did not enjoy any minute of the hike. 

After a return to the hotel and packing up, it was time to head home.

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Summer vacation part 2: B.C. - Kelowna

That's British Columbia. See, the week before our vacation Terry was supposed to TDY to Vancouver. This of course means we were all supposed to be in Vancouver for a week. Then we planned to spend a week meandering around B.C. on our way home. Vancouver is allegedly 11 or so driving hours away.

Before it was even officially canned (only a few weeks ago, because of course) we decided to revamp. So on Monday we hauled ourselves to Kelowna, the beach-y area in Okanagan that was also about as far as we were comfortable driving in one day. Funny story, we stopped at this random rest area for lunch and it turns out to be right where the very last spike of the Canadian railroad was laid and there's a whole  monument. It was cool. We would not have made a special stop for it, but stumbling on things like this are what make epic road trips so epic.

We got to Kelowna right in time to check in, then went to check out the town. At the City Park we let the kids play in the water up to their knees, as we hadn't brought bathing suits or towels. And we were heading straight to dinner afterward. After dinner we tried Moo Lix, the ice creamery recommended by the waitress at the restaurant where we had dinner. My lavender honey ice cream was unique and really tasty, but the homemade waffle cone was too thick and bland.

First stop next day was the kangaroo farm. Folks at work had recommended that and we thought it looked cool but were totally unprepared for how much we would actually enjoy it. In one pen were animals that did not like to be touched, and another pen had the animals that could be pet.  We also got to watch the antics of the parrots, parakeets and cockatoos and learned that if Zoltan were reincarnated as an animal he'd choose to be a macaw. There was a capybara and her baby that we were not allowed to pet, with a farm employee hanging around to make sure nobody got too close. She was holding a joey who looked to  be too big for the pouch anymore, but apparently wasn't, so we all got to get close to other cuteness. She said she was giving the mom a break.

We promised the kids we could spend the afternoon at the beach. There is a playground right by the shoreline at Boyce-Gyro Beach and a zipline that drops you into the water. We were shocked that the kids never tried the zipline, but they said the line was always too long so I guess they do take after their parents a bit. There were also rentals of various watercraft, and Terry and the kids each got on a solo kayak. The kids loved that part, which was good as we had booked a kayak trip on our next stop.

In Alberta, we all know the best produce comes from B.C. and especially Okanagan county. So the next morning we got up and went to the farmers market for local fruit. They also had linden honey, which we had eaten tons of in Russia but always creamed, and this was liquid, and I was fascinated. It is indeed very delicious. Then it was time for the kids to play at the hotel pool. Pool time could have been longer, but we got the call that we were able to get a reservation at the Red Fox Club, restaurant to the Indigenous World Winery. Lunch was sublime, the view was lovely (outdoor seating always prime in the COVID era) and we left feeling very stuffed and happy. We (well, I, because Terry was driving and doesn't really care much for wine anyway) ended up trying only one winery - Rollingdale. It is super small, and the gentleman who handled the tasting was super knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. I don't know what they do to their wined but it was the most unique experience I have ever had, and I bought wines made from grapes I've never liked before. I absolutely want to go back again.

Our hotel was across the street from a German deli/butcher that got great reviews. Knowing that we'd need to have some meals on the go and not wanting them all to come from A&W, we had brought some sandwich fixings, Terry's homemade sourdough bread, and a cooler on our trip. We decided this was a great opportunity to restock. And it was.

Next day was pretty much get up, pack up, and head to the next stop.


Friday, August 7, 2020

Failures in Sourdough

More accurately, "failure" as it has only been one attempt. We decided to play around with dehydrating the starter just in case we go away for more than a week and are unable to get the thing fed when it gets hungry. The drying was super easy! Just smear a bunch of the discard on a piece of parchment paper and leave it out until it's all dried. Calgary being what it is, that took about a day. Just kidding. But it wasn't long.

The next step of course is trying to re-hydrate it. This is where things got a bit rocky. Mostly because we didn't follow instructions and didn't actually measure/weigh anything. We were just adding water and flour all willy-nilly. It started out looking like it might work, and eventually became clear we had sludge.

Back to the drawing board!

Monday, June 15, 2020

Rhubarb

Terry's favorite pie is rhubarb. Not rhubarb and strawberry - that's too sweet. His second favorite is apple and that is what he normally gets, because we haven't lived in places where rhubarb is particularly available. There's a family legend of very young me, and a friend, "helping" a neighbor with weeding and pulling up their entire crop. Perhaps that is the root of my earlier aversion?

In any case, when a neighbor on my local Buy Nothing Facebook page asked for help in reducing her enormous rhubarb crop,I was more than happy to start my education about what to do with this bitter fruit.

First up, of course, was the pie.It doesn't look that bad, but what you can't see is the ocean of liquid. We've been having issues with the oven and I am pretty sure it is not to temp (oven thermometer on order as there are none to be found locally. Probably has something to do with all the baking the rest of the world is just now discovering.) It didn't taste bad, once we had drained out a ridiculous volume, but it was not delicious.

Next up was rhababarkuchen from the German baking book our au pair had given me. In true German form, it was a little closer to bread than cake - only the tiniest bit sweet - but much better than the pie. The dough gave the moisture somewhere to go.

Then, the woman who had the glut of rhubarb mentioned again that she was still pretty chock-full and don't forget you can get up to three harvests from one plant. So back I go. A bunch got frozen for future experimentation, and a pound went into apple-rhubarb sauce. Yum.

Friday, May 8, 2020

Garden!!!

We were lucky enough to get a spot in one of the two community gardens we applied to. Then, after we got that notification Terry found a few spots in the back yard where he thought we could grow a thing or two (it is so shady back there we wrote it off at first).  On Canada's version of Craigslist - called Kijiji - there are often pallets available in peoples' yards for free. It is an entirely contactless experience, if also sometimes a disappointing experience when someone else grabbed the best wood just before you get there. Terry picked up a few and made this awesome planter, which will eventually be mounted into the fence! We're planning a row of lettuce, a row of various herbs, and a row of spinach because one of the children will actually eat spinach (as opposed to chard or kale) ... as long as we refer to it as lettuce. The sacrifices we make for our children's health.

The community garden had a socially distanced tour Saturday morning and Terry went, as this is definitely more his thing than mine and we had a hunch there would be some good tips shared and local gardening in general and the mechanics of this community garden in particular. He came home as close to elated as his stoic self ever is.

After dinner the whole family went down to be introduced to our garden bed - they are all raised beds and each is named for a flower, ours is Aster. Terry and I measured and planned and planted the few cold-weather direct-sow seeds we had - radishes, beets, snow peas, and lettuces. The kids played in the adjacent field, creating some kind of disk golf game that involved their fleeces as "home bases" and Alex's shoes as markers of where the disk last landed.

Look at Terry's super fancy "saddlebag" system for his bike!  He designed it himself, and the buckets handily hold garden tools, seeds, and as necessary - dirt.