Back to Baking

Posted on February 9, 2024 by Mama Cormier

…after a six week hiatus I’m back at Montgomery’s Inn

The break from baking after Christmas was nice but I’m happy to be back at the Inn with my baking friends. On Tuesday we filled the industrial mixer with four different doughs and left them to proof overnight in the fridge. The next day the wood burning oven was fired up. We had a new shipment of wood delivered to the inn that week but unfortunately it was a bit wet and getting the oven to temperature was a bit of a challenge but in the end we managed. Two more batches of sour dough bread were prepped that morning and then we kneaded and shaped six different breads for the oven.

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Our lead baker, Dale made a wonderful tourtière for our lunch and I made a big green salad.

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After lunch we removed the first batch of bread from the oven and then loaded the second batch. We bake about 30 to 40 loaves at a time.

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Once all the breads are baked we turn it over to our sales staff to sell the bread at the Farmers’ Market that same day. All the profits go to fund community projects at the Inn.

Trios From the Veg Box

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Mama Cormier

….every Thursday we get a delivery of less than perfect fruits and vegetables

We are big fans of supporting the Ugly Veg movement. All the produce that we have delivered is very good quality but might be oversized, very small or slightly misshaped. Often these less than perfect bits of food end up in landfill. How sad is that!

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If you have any trios to share for Thursday Trios. I’d love to see them. Just copy my link and paste it into your post. I’ll get a pingback and will be sure to check it out and leave a comment. Have fun.

More Than Just Baking Bread

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…one of the reasons why I find it so hard to lose weight

As many of you know I volunteer at one of the historical museums in Toronto and bake bread which is then sold at the Farmers’ Market. All the proceeds go to the Inn to support their programming.

Every Tuesday I make the 15 minute drive to Montgomery’s Inn, where I prepare the dough for four to six different varieties of bread. I also feed the sour dough starter for the bread that we make the next day and the following week. The dough is stored overnight in the refrigerator. There are usually 2 or 3 of us that do the initial prep work.

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The next day on Wednesday there are anywhere from four to six of us that prepare the sour dough bread, get the fire in the oven ready and shape the breads that we made the day before and that morning. We’re also in charge of clean-up and Jim is particularly good at it and likes doing it.

When the first loaves are in the oven we sit down as a group and have a lunch that is prepared by our lead baker and I’ve become the salad maker. Every week the meals seem to get more elaborate and in the past three weeks, Dale, has also added desserts which he usually prepares at home. Dessert is served after the second batch of bread is in the oven and we sit down and enjoy Dale’s sweet delights with a cup of tea.

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48-A7-CCD5-220-B-4-D99-8-E4-D-568-DDF515-D92 — *These scones were baked in the wood fired oven. They may look a little dark but they were delicious.*

All in all we have a great time together and look forward every week to meeting up again.

Hallowe’en Update

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…just too much going on

I had every intention to report on our Hallowe’en experience last week but every time I turned around there was something else going on that took me away from the computer.

This year’s Hallowe’en was exceptional. I don’t really know why….it was a cold night and everything around here was last minute. Last minute decorations, last minute pumpkin carving and last minute decision to dress up. Maybe it was exceptional for me because I wasn’t here last year to open our door to the little ones (first time in 45 years).

On the day I quickly put out the few decorations that I had and I cleaned out the pumpkin. Normally I can’t be bothered to do anything with the seeds because no one eats them but this year I looked up a recipe and added a few more spices than I normally do. They were delicious and my husband and I and anyone who has come to visit has been slowly emptying the bowl of spicy goodness.

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When Kevin returned from his dentist appointment he quickly carved out a Jack o lantern design and I put the candy and chips in bowls. Then I went upstairs to put together my costume. Nothing very original but I found a witch’s hat from the dollar store that I liked. I pulled out a black dress, black long sleeve shirt and a black shawl. The fun part was putting on the make-up. I was going for a more glamorous witch this year.

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As it was getting dark I place candles inside the pumpkin and Kevin found some spooky music that he attached to speakers to broadcast from the porch. I was all set. Now it was time to wait for the first trick or treaters. Here was the first customer:

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All in all it was a great night and we had a record turnout…80 kids. That may not seem like a lot to some of you but we’ve had fewer than 20 in some years.

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Macro Monday – October 16, 2023

Posted on October 16, 2023 by Mama Cormier

….more close-ups from the east coast

A Fun Day at the Green Pig

Posted on October 15, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…it is much more than a corn maze

Last year in September, The Green Pig Country Market in Salisbury, NB, burned down. Earlier this year the owners started to rebuild and when we arrived last week they had a great selection of pumpkins and a variety of squash.

After Winnie’s special birthday breakfast we drove to The Green Pig. I thought we were just going to a corn maze but it turned out to be much more. Apart from the market and the corn maze they had a great play area for kids of all ages.

A fun Day was had by all the rain held off till we got back into the car.

Day 7 – A Day of Rest

Posted on October 15, 2023 by Mama Cormier

….after 6 days of driving we decided to take it easy and explore Moncton and shop for birthday presents

We also decided to forgo the hotel breakfast and drove to a bakery that Gaelan introduced me to on my first visit to Moncton. At Copain we ordered coffee and some of the best croissants we’ve ever had.

Then we drove to Michael’s and bought two frames for art that we had gifted to Gaelan and Winnie and some art supplies for Winnie’s birthday.

After shopping I dropped Kevin back at the hotel and I went to Gaelan’s house to do some laundry. When Winnie came home from school we drove to Bulk Barn and picked up some candy and a piñata for her birthday.

That evening Kevin and I had a date night and went into downtown Moncton for a great meal. We went to the Tide and Boar where we shared a plate or Smokey wings. They were so delicious and so big that I had second thoughts about what I wanted for my main course. Our waitress suggested that we share the plate of seafood pasta, a T&B salad and the dessert. It was perfect.

The restaurant is actually a brew pub and the dessert we had was a deconstructed ‘beeramisu’. The topping was made with a reduced stout. Surprisingly delicious!

Happy Birthday Winnie

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…my sweet little girl is 8 today

Our trip to the east coast has fallen on three days of celebration, Thanksgiving, Winnie’s birthday and her father’s birthday.

We started today with a special breakfast at Steve’s Diner in Riverview.

After breakfast we drove to The Green Pig to walk through the corn maze.

Later in the day we continued the birthday celebration with breaking a piñata, a sushi dinner (Winnie’s favourite food), opening presents and birthday cupcakes.

Wordless Wednesday – August 30, 2023

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Mama Cormier

…it’s that time of year again

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Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Fresh

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Mama Cormier

… thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/06/10/weekly-prompts-weekend-challenge-fresh/

There’s nothing like bread fresh out of the oven. Every week, on Wednesdays, I head over to Montgomery’s Inn where I help bake the bread for the Farmers’ Market. The bread is prepped the day before, except the sourdough, and hand kneaded and shaped before it goes into the wood fired oven.