Month: July 2020

Categories
Food & Drink

Curating A Charcuterie Board

From chair = meat and cuit = cooked; charcuterie is a branch of cookery that is dedicated to prepared meat products like bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galatines, ballotines, pȃtés and confit predominantly from but not limited to pork.

However, it is not simply about putting a bunch of deli meats, cheeses and fruits on a platter or board there is an art to it…you want to create contrast between the items in terms of texture and taste. Today we offer some helpful tips so you can properly curate your very on charcuterie board for summer entertaining.

Basic Meats…
1. Rillettes (similar to pȃté but much coarser in texture)
2. Mousse (finely blended meat and liver; very very smooth in texture)
3. Cured Ham (such as jamón ibérico, salami, prosciutto, etc)
4. Sausage (such as mortadella, chorizo, pepperoni, etc)

*Be careful when using smoked meats they can overpower all the other items; limit yourself to one smoked option for your guests! The same applies to cheeses and nuts!

Basic Boards…
When I get together with my best girlfriends, we create charcuterie boards for one another that reflect our tastes and highlight great local products as well as throwing in a few “fancy” or “exotic” items. Personally, I like to add wild game meat that I harvested myself. But, basically boards feature….

1. Pickles & Spreads
2. Cheese & Fruit
3. Vegetables & Citrus
4. Toast & Meat
*Our boards tend to be LOADED!!

Putting It All Together…
-Pair chewy with smooth
-Pair spicy with sweet
-Feature cold and warm
-Estimate about 2 oz of meat and accompaniments per guest

Tried & Tested Recipe…
Meat: Hungarian Salami, Prosciutto, Deer or Goose Pepperoni, Mortadella, Thinly Sliced Turkey, Freybe Herb Pȃté.
Cheese: Brie, Havarti, Gouda, Manchego and Mozzarella.
Antipasti: Black Olives, Garlic Stuffed Green Olives, Pepperoncini, Sundried Tomatoes and Gherkins. 
Spreads: Wholegrain or Dijion Mustard, Fig Jam
Fruit: Dried Apricots, Craisins, Blueberries, Apples, Fresh Grapes
Nuts: Almonds, Cashews or Pistachios
Carbs: Baguette (sliced), Melba Toast, Breadsticks (soft), Breton Crackers

For those looking to experience excellent charcuterie at a restaurant rather than making a board at home we suggest…
Charcut Roast House in Calgary
Sabor in Edmonton

Categories
Reflections & Lifestyle

Fly Fishing Essentials

Fishing can be a very expensive hobby; as a beginner, I don’t really want to be shelling out big money. The amount of gear I have compared to my husband’s is pretty minimal…but then again sometimes I ‘“shop” out of his stockpile. For me, fly fishing is more about getting outside and spending time with my husband while exploring the Forestry Trunk Road. I did my first float on the Bow River between McKinnon Flats and Jensen’s in Calgary last summer and my goodness; what a beautiful ride!

What equipment am I carrying in my waist pack??

Fly Rod & Reel
Fly Line
Leaders
Backing
Tippet
Waders
Wading Boots
Polarized Sunglasses
Buff
Wading Stick
Net
Fly Floatant
Strike Indicators
Fly Case with Assorted Flies
Forceps
Fish Nippers
-Bear Bell & Spray

There are TONS of other products and items available of course, but right now, I don’t need it. If you are just starting out and want to minimize costs you can forgo the waders and boots (I did my first year; however, spending the day being wet and cold in mountain streams wasn’t the greatest). 

Great places to gear up…
–The Fishin’ Hole
–Orvis

**But don’t discount the little fly shops in small towns and backcountry areas; they are hidden gems and also carry flies and other equipment that works best in that location!

Best Brands…
–Rio
–Reddington
–Fishpond

Categories
Food & Drink

All Hail Caesar!: Drink Tribute

You can bet that Canadians everywhere this week happily sipped on Caesars while celebrating Canada Day!

A Caesar is generally composed of vodka, tomato juice, clam broth, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. It is served over ice in a glass rimmed with celery salt. Traditionally, it is garnished with a stalk of celery a lime wedge. Don’t confuse this tasty concoction with a Bloody Mary (common in the US); what really sets this Canadian refreshment apart is the clam broth.

The Caesar was invented in Calgary, Alberta in 1969 by restaurateur Walter Chell to celebrate the opening of a new restaurant. It has become incredibly popular; so much so that over 350 million Caesars are consumed every year!  Let’s raise a glass to summertime in Canada!

Classic Recipe
1 oz Vodka
1 dash of Hot Sauce
1 dash of Worcestershire Sauce
8 oz Clamato Juice
1 Tbsp Celery Salt
Celery Stick
Lime Wedge

-Wet the rim of a cocktail glass with the lime wedge; set aside for garnish.
-Place celery salt in a small dish, and press the rim of the glass into the salt to coat.
-Add ice to the glass. Pour vodka, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce over the ice.
-Top with tomato-clam juice.
*Garnish with lime wedge and celery stick (and straw).
ENJOY!

*To add a little flare, personally I love adding pickled asparagus or a homemade extreme green bean! 

By far the BEST Caesar that I have EVER had was at White Spot. Nat’s Caesar is a signature drink that you MUST ORDER! The garnishes are plentiful (slice of pickle and green olives) and the addition of horseradish and their secret spices take the drink up a notch. In a close second is the Caesar from Cactus Club; complete with their own special Caesar spices including chilli flakes and garnish: borettane onion, bocconcini, vermouth olive and peruvian pepper (at one point it came with a pepperoni stick). How can you not order multiple rounds?!?!?

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

Categories
Travel

Happy Canada Day: My Canadian Compendium

The Social 20 curriculum in Alberta is all about nationalism and the role it plays in the world; students wrestle with this question: “What does it mean to be Canadian?” While this is a loaded question with a plethora of answers; there is a variation of this question which is MUCH easier to respond to… “What do you love about Canada?” Since it is our country’s birthday today, I figured I’d share a ‘few’ of my favourite things about this great nation from West to East!

In general…
1. Rights & Freedoms 2. Landscape: Our Great Geographic Variation  3. Safety 4. Kraft Dinner 5. Our signature drink, The Caesar 6. O Canada 7. Hockey 8. Canadianisms & Humor  9. The Maple Leaf 10. Bilingualism 11. The Canadian culinary scene that has exploded!

British Columbia…
12. Sturgeon fishing in the Fraser River 13. Haida Gwaii 14. Vineyards of the Okanagan 15.Walking the Seawall in Stanley Park 16. Barkerville & the Cariboo Road 17. The Empress Hotel in Victoria 18. Whistler-Blackcomb 19. Great Bear Rainforest 20. Hiking the West Coast Trail & Grouse Grind 21. Sailing in the Pacific Ocean

Alberta…
22. Calgary Stampede 23. National Parks: Banff, Jasper, Waterton, Elk Island & Wood Buffalo 24. Edmonton Ice Castles 25. Royal Tyrrell Museum 26. Views from the Calgary Tower 27. Pioneer & Fur Trade Experiences: Dunvegan, Fort Edmonton, Stephansson House, Ukrainian Cultural Centre, Victoria Settlement, etc 28. Quirky Tourist Attractions like the Gopher Hole Museum, Curbside Museum, World’s Largest (perogy, sausage, pysanka egg, beaver, etc) and seemingly random art installations. 29. Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump 30. WinSport/ Olympic Park 31. Fly Fishing (Forestry Trunk Road & Bow River)

Saskatchewan…
32. Sunsets in Saskatchewan (after all it is the “land of the living skies”) 33. Tunnels of Moose Jaw 34. The last two Fuddruckers are located in Regina & Saskatoon 35. RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina 36. Little Lake Manitou 37. Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park 38. Mosaic Stadium  39. Lake Diefenbaker  40. University of Saskatchewan’s stunning campus

Manitoba…
41. Polar bears in Churchill 42. The French Quarter 43. Experiencing Metis History and Culture  44. The Forks 45. The Spirit Way 46. Buffalo Point Resort 47. Little Limestone Lake 48. Festivals like Gimli’s Icelandic Festival & Festival du Voyageur 49. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet 50. Canadian Museum of Human Rights

Ontario…
51. Niagara Falls 52. Parliament Hill 53. Algonquin Provincial Park 54. Distillery District 55. Great Spirit Circle Trail 56. Thousand Islands 57. Casa Loma 58. Ice Skating on Rideau Canal 59. Stratford Festival 60. Toronto International Film Festival

Quebec…
61. Underground City of Montreal 62. Old Quebec  63. Parc National de la Jacques- Cartier 64. Montmorency Falls 65. Quebec Winter Carnival 66. Gespeg Mi’gmaq Interpretive Centre 67. Plains of Abraham 68. Mont Tremblant 69. Sugar Shacks 70. Biosphere Museum of Montreal

New Brunswick...
71. Village Historique Acadien 72. It is the ONLY officially bilingual province in the country 73. Boasts year-round glamping 74. Metepenagiag Heritage Park 75. Indulgent spas 76. The Bay of Fundy 77. Historic Fredericton 78. Camp Enrage 79. St.Andrews-by-the-Sea 80. Sugarloaf Mountain

Nova Scotia…
81. Lobster 82. Bird Islands to see the Puffins 83. Mahone Bay 84. Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse 85. Lunenburg 86. Eskasoni Cultural Journey 87. Cabot Trail 88. Incredible breweries 89. Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 90. Bluenose II

Prince Edward Island…
91. Clam digging 92. Golfing at Crowbush Cove 93. Beautiful Charlottetown 94. Legacy of Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery & Avonlea Village 95. Drives along the coast 96. Confederation Bridge 97. The music scene & pub life 98. Rock crab fishing 99. Seal watching 100. Biking the Confederation Trail

Newfoundland & Labrador…
101. Experience the oldest English founded city in North America: St. John’s 102. Whale watching  103. Getting “Screeched” 104. L’Anse Aux Meadows 105. Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve 106. Torngats Mountain 107. Cod fishing 108. Iceberg viewing 109. Gros-Morne National Park 110. Fisherman Museum & Memorial Garden

Yukon…
111. Yukon Wildlife Preserve 112. Dawson City 113. Sign Post Forest 114. Watching the Northern Lights 115. Bonanza Creek 116. Jack London Museum 117. Donjek Glacier 118. Takhini Hot Springs 119. Caribou hunting  120. Emerald Lake

Northwest Territories…
121. Great Slave Lake 122. Inuvik 123. Experiencing Dene art and culture 124. Old Fort Providence 125. Ice Roads 126. Canoeing in the Keele River 127. Northwest Passage 128. Canol Trail 129. Yellowknife 130. Dempster Highway

Nunavut…
131. Wildlife of Ellesmere Island 132. Beauty of Pond Inlet 133. The reclamation of Inuit control over their lives, culture and governance 134. Dogsledding experiences 135. Glaciers of Sirmilik National Park 136. Inuit arts and cultural experiences/festivals 137. Belcher Island Walruses 138. Ability to camp at the “Top of the World” 139. Remote and tranquil Repulse Bay 140. Baffin Island

In general…
141. Publicly funded health care 142. Democracy 143. Multitude of natural resources 144. Our “funny money” 145. Peacekeeping participation 146. We are “Hollywood North” 147. We are the second largest country in the world (sq km) 148. Heroes like Terry Fox, The Famous Five, Chris Hadfield, Tekahionwake (AND SO MANY MORE) 149. Being a land of opportunity 150. High level of quality of life 151. Solitude 152. Multiculturalism 153. Canada Day Celebrations