Category Archives: Food

A Wonderful Memory Turned Sour This Week

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….disturbing news leaves a bad taste in our mouths

Last week my husband and I took a wonderful trip to Prince Edward County. One of the things that my husband wanted to do was experience the pizza at one of the more famous wineries in the area. On the first day we discovered that the pizza oven was not prepped for baking and we would have to come back the next day. No problem. We would return the next day. In the meantime we sampled some of their excellent wines.

The next day we were so busy that we didn’t make it back and instead had pizza at another winery. It was okay but we’d had better elsewhere. At the end of that day we were talking to one of the locals and they highly recommended the pizza from the winery that we originally wanted to try.

On the day we were leaving my husband decided that we should go back to the first winery before we headed back to Toronto and have lunch there. We weren’t disappointed and enjoyed some of the best pizza we’ve ever eaten. The staff was very friendly and the atmosphere was very welcoming and comforting. We had no idea that there was anything wrong.

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A couple of days ago we heard on the news that the owner of the winery has been accused of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. He admitted that many of  the accusations were true but says some weren’t. I feel sad about the situation, not for the owner, but for the victims and the all the wonderful staff and employees at the winery and restaurant. You know that their jobs will be affected by the news. People will stay away and Quebec and the LCBO are withdrawing his wines from their shelves and will not reorder.

Thank you to the staff for giving us a wonderful dining experience. If you are directly affected by the unwanted behaviour of your boss we thank you for your bravery for speaking up and hope that the healing has begun.

Carol and Kevin Cormier

Baking Bread – Using New and Old Methods

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….two weeks ago I started volunteering at Montgomery’s Inn

Twice a week I go to Montgomery’s Inn to bake bread. On Tuesday we prepare the dough using an industrial mixer, proof the dough and then store it in the large commercial refrigerators. On the following day we prepare the sourdough bread with a sourdough starter and then shape the dough we made the day before.IMG_2354
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Each week we make about six different bread doughs plus two sourdough breads. So far I’ve helped prepare rustic white, whole wheat, light rye, Frankconia, thyme and garlic, rosemary and garlic, oatmeal bread, red wine and walnut bread and date and walnut bread.

We shape the dough into rounds or loaves and some of the sourdough goes into loaf pans. Some have different toppings and each bread has it’s own signature cut on top.
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I’ve also helped start the fire in the large outdoor brick oven that can hold up to 50 loaves of bread. Once the oven gets up to about 530 degrees the coals are swept out and then it is quickly swept with a wet mop. In about 25 to 30 minutes delicious hot bread comes out of the oven and is quickly transported to the Farmers’ Market at the Inn.IMG_2358
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Each day about 3 to 4 of us work on making the dough and baking the bread. I’m quickly learning the ropes and am thoroughly enjoying the experience. Presently I am the only woman in the group but my fellow bakers are making me feel right at home and allowing me to experience every aspect of this bread making process.

Share Your World – April 23, 2018

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…..thanks to Cee for coming up with great questions each and every week for Share Your World

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?

My answer is pretty close to Cee’s . I love cheese and dark chocolate and then a nice red wine to go with it.
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List at least five movies or books that cheer you up.

The Wizard of Oz, Forrest Gump, Life of Pi, Up, Bridget Jone’s Diary, Mama Mia

If you were a mouse in your house in the evening, what would you see your family doing? 

After dinner a mouse (me) would see us sitting in the living room watching TV. After a couple of hours my husband would go to his meditation room and meditate and do yoga and then get ready for bed. I, on the other hand, would sit in front of my computer and read some emails , read a book and/or work at my art table and produce some art. This seems to be the time when I’m most productive and often stay up till 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?  Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination. 

Last week I saw my father off to the airport. He flew to Germany to visit his brother. When he called on the weekend I was so happy for him because I could tell that he was having a wonderful time.IMG_0257 On Thursday I drove to Hamilton to spend the day with my daughter and granddaughter. We did a little shopping but mostly we played in the playroom. On Friday I printed Snoopy designs onto the front of six t-shirts that the family wore to our family lunch on Saturday.

The lunch on Saturday was a lovely casual affair and because the weather was so nice we went for a long walk to the park down the street and followed the Heritage Trail. The trail meanders through the park and past numerous marinas. We ended up at a cute little playground where Winnie wandered around and tried out the various pieces of playground equipment.2_BC9_E883_A711_4989_992_B_1_BB6_EC3_ECBB1
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WPC – Favourite Place

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……do you have a favourite place?

Thanks to WordPress for this week’s photo challenge, favourite place.

It’s so hard to choose just one place but if I must I think my favourite place to hang out would be at my cottage on Georgian Bay.

A Special St. Paddy’s Day Treat

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….not your usual treat when you think of St. Patrick’s Day

In the coffee shop that we stopped into today they had run out of their specialty doughnuts but they had one green St. Patrick’s Day croissant left. Not only was it somewhat green but it was also filled with raspberry jam and Bailey’s Irish liquor. Since there was only one left we had to pair it up with a French chocolate almond croissant. Both were very yummy but the green croissant was extra special.

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Month of Squares – March 5, 2018

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….circle within a square

Today my husband, daughter and I treated ourselves to coffee after visiting a friend in the hospital. We stopped at a cafe new to me but just around the corner from where my daughter and her wife live. I ordered a cappuccino. It was perfect; strong espresso and the perfect amount of foam and finished off with a perfect tulip motif. Spring is surely just around the corner.

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Thanks Becky for hosting #MarchSquare. If you want to see more go to The Life of B.

365 Days of Art – The Bad With the Good

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…..days 36 and 37

Not everything that I make do I necessarily like. This is a journey of learning and practising skills in art. I started with watercolour still life and then landscapes when I started painting at 50. I’ve dabbled in so many different art genres that I haven’t mastered one. I’m going back to basics. Here are two studies of apples and bananas. I need to keep practising.

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Share Your World – January 29, 2018

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….thanks to Cee for posting more interesting questions on Share Your World

If you had an unlimited shopping spree at only one store, which one would you choose? Why?

I would choose a store where I could buy a variety of items, like clothing, household items, accessories, toys, and make-up. Even though I’d have unlimited amounts of money (I’m assuming that’s what an unlimited shopping spree means) I still think of Marshall’s first. Maybe I should be adventurous and say Nordstrom’s.

What is the worst thing you ate recently?

I tend to avoid foods that I don’t like and there aren’t too many of those. I would have to choose something that was badly prepared or didn’t meet my expectations. The only thing I can think of is the oatmeal my father made and he wanted me to try it because he had some left over. Is it possible for something to be too salty and too sweet at the same time? Well it was and I politely declined to eat the rest. My Dad doesn’t read this blog so I’m not too worried that he’ll be offended.

Name five things you like watching…

  1. Watching my granddaughter playing
  2. A game of professional soccer, rugby or lacrosse
  3. The Olympic Games, summer and winter
  4. Live theatre
  5. On TV – Coronation Street, The View, Young Sheldon, Survivor, The Crown and most British detective stories

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?  Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination. 

This week I managed two visits to Hamilton to visit my daughter and granddaughter and my oldest daughter came over with her Frenchie, Olive on Sunday. Time with my family always makes me smile.

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Photo credit goes to my daughter-in-law who took this photo back in November.

On Sunday Olive and Frances had a great time playing together and we were able to go for a nice long walk.

I’m also happy that I finally got my art studio in working order last week. I put together the last piece of furniture and started filling up the drawers. Even though I’ve been doing art almost every day since the beginning of the month, I can now do it in a neater and more organized space. fullsizeoutput_6c5b

In conclusion I need to thank my husband for taking me on one of his business trips this week. It was only up to Collingwood but I had an opportunity to take some photographs of the town and together we enjoyed a wonderful meal before heading home. We had such a nice time that we’re thinking of doing this once a week or at least twice a month. Any suggestions where we should go next? No more than two hours from Toronto, please.

Cheers!