I loved every page of this autobiography: the story of a multi-generational family and how food connected them inexplicably.

…I’m pieces of my parents, siblings, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Like so many of them, I love to cook-enough to drive me to another country. I earned endless lessons in generosity from Grandma Inez and Grandpa Charles. I inherited the thin steel that ran through Della Stark and the salesman, her scoundrel husband, James. I’m the daughter of a marine, a cop, and a man who would rather go without than go back on his word. I’m my mother’s daughter , who was tough enough to kill chickens, yet kind enough to tel me that a church thrift shop was a posh department store so that I wouldn’t feel ashamed of wearing secondhand clothes.

Burnt toast makes you sing good. Be thankful; no matter how little you’ve got, someone’s always worse off than you. You cant give anything away, it always comes back. They handed down these simple life lessons to me as surely as they did their recipes.

I’m a mutt. But as they say with dogs, mixed breeds prove the most resilient. The people in my past helped make me tough, passionate, and endlessly optimistic. That’s what I want to talk about even if it happens that my grandfather wasn’t Irish after all. But a distant grandmother was from County Kerry. So I’m still Irish, at least a wee bit.

All of this, ignited by a short obituary and cheap posters in a farmhouse bedroom, let this Midwest girl to don kitchen whites as I embarked on a love affair in the most romantic city in the world.

But that’s another story.

from the Epilogue, page 247.

Kath’s quote: “I don’t have to tell you I love you. I fed you pancakes.” -Kathleen Flinn

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

Kenora has a special place in my heart. Since the year I was born, Lake of the Woods has been our family’s mandatory vacation destination with the use of a generous friend’s cabin 20 minutes from the heart of Kenora. I have to admit the only culinary experience that I have ever enjoyed in town is ‘Ye Old Chip Truck’. Those perfectly cooked fries drenched in malt vinegar and salt were always a highlight of the summer.

Last week we were honored to take part in Kenora’s culinary event – ‘Winter Bites’. Nine local restaurants participated offering lunch and/or dinner menu items for a set price of $10 (lunch) or $25 (dinner) for the month of February.

Our first stop was Nourish Cafe, Shop and Yoga Studio. The atmosphere was quaint and the food – fresh. We chose the cranberry pecan chicken salad sandwich on dark russian rye bread. It reminded us of summer treat that we could eat down by the beach and the flavors complimented each other perfectly. The yoga studio upstairs seemed to be well used as we witnessed patrons entering and exiting their classes while we enjoyed our meal in the sunshine.

Our second morning in town we decided to have our breakfast at our hotel – Lakeside Inn & Conference Centre. Our stay at the Inn was an absolute pleasure. The staff was friendly and helpful, but the lake view from our room was spectacular, especially during sunset. We both ordered the breakfast sandwich as we knew we had a lot of eating left to do in the day and didn’t want to stuff ourselves prematurely. The use of a biscuit instead of a bun or english muffin took the sandwich a cut above the rest. It was simple and delicious – the perfect choice.

Next up was Uptown Restaurant. This place is an old favorite that has recently reopened. These were probably the most picturesque meals we enjoyed on our trip, but the flavors did not disappoint either. The perogies were creamy and perfectly balanced with a crunchy bacon garnish. The pancake platter was topped with scratch-made strawberry sauce, bananas, chocolate chips, whip cream and maple syrup. It was a guilty pleasure in which we were happy to indulge. A must-stop for breakfast in Kenora.

Kath’s quote: “Grandpa used to like gravy on everything, including his pancakes. If love could be eaten, I’ll bet he’d prefer it with gravy on top. And I’d have to agree. Love would taste better with gravy.” ― Jarod Kintz

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

Sister #3 and I had a date to go out for a sisters Valentine’s weekend dinner. In the mean time, Boo and the Frenchman were staying at our place and she had to work an overnight shift and would be away at supper time. The Frenchman needed cheering up, so we invited him to join us for dinner. We arrived early because I wanted to get home in time for a 7 pm Jets game. Since it was the Louis Riel holiday the St. James location was very busy with families celebrating the gift of an extra long weekend.

New to the Keg’s menu was a crispy shrimp appetizer that we ordered to share. Typically “crispy” means battered and deep fried but these were lightly seasoned and perfectly cooked.  They provided a nice nibble while we perused the menu.  Winter Grill is an annual Keg feature that highlights some unique beef cuts and recipes that deliver hearty and satisfying dinners.

The Frenchman chose from this menu and was delighted when his Kansas City Strip was set in front of him. He obliged me with a taste and it was the most flavourful steak I have tasted in a very long time.  Not only was the meat itself beautifully marbled and thereby packed with meaty juices but the seasonings were bang on. He enjoyed the 18 oz. cut with a big ole baked potato with the “works”, that is Keg jargon for butter, sour cream, bacon bits and chives. A Keg potato is one of the many Keg cravings that I often have. I can’t count how many I’ve eaten over the years and they have never changed. But why fix what ain’t broken?

The spud was also calling the name of Sister #3 who ordered hers with a side of prime rib. Although the Keg roasts their prime rib to medium rare, it was early in the evening so she asked our server to deliver the rarest cut that the broiler chefs could manage. She too promised me a bite but was so enraptured with her hearty meal that she must of forgotten her pledge.

I am just kidding as I could have easily reminded her, had I the urge, but I was too content with the grilled sirloin salad that I ordered. Beautiful slices of medium rare steak were perched upon a salad of my favourites of mixed greens, bocconcini cheese, pine nuts and an herb vinaigrette.

We all enjoyed our ice-cold Moosehead drafts amidst the bustle of the evening. A cozy fire made the room glow and we were hard-pressed to set back out into the cold and snow.

Kath’s quote: “The only time to eat diet food is while you are waiting for the steak to cook.”-Julia Child

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

I first fell in love with the colour turquoise years ago when I entered a water cave called the Blue Grotto off of the Amalfi coast in Italy.  A subsequent trip to Cozumel with Sister #3 cinched the deal. I was smitten and started incorporating azure in my jewelry, wardrobe and eventually in my home.

In our bedrom, turquoise is combined with lime green and mauve. That might sound kind of “out there” but I think that it works. On my side of the bed are photos of my first journey to Isla Mujeres with my sisters in 2005 and D’s first trip a year or so later. Above our bed is also an original print that I bought while visiting the Frenchman’s family home in Peterborough.

By D’s bedside is a photo of the Wee One’s first visit to Isla. Black and white photos of Italy and Paris also adorn the walls. A coral heart found on the beach outside our little apartment on Isla has a prominent perch.

This hutch in the dining room was my first big commitment to the colour. It houses china, glassware and crockery but of particular delight are the bowls that I purchased for each of us from my favourite dressmaker’s shop on Isla Mujeres.

I love organic pieces like shells, rocks and coral that I accumulate as I beach comb wherever I travel. If there’s a beach-I’m on it!

This window box is full of shells collected on Isla.

In the vase above are a bouquet of the internal spiral of bleached conch shells.  I think that they resemble cala lilies. The photo montage are of the gorgeous coloured buildings found on Isla.

On another wall of the dining room is a collection of photos from Sicily, the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, the French Riviera and Paris.

Turquoise has even crept into the grey and yellow colour scheme in the kitchen.

This pretty little bowl was also purchased on Isla.

Turquoise with red, brown and black in our family room.

And so it is in my cozy little home, dreaming of a turquoise sea.

Kath’s quote: “She would be half a planet away, floating in a turquoise sea, dancing by moonlight to flamenco guitar.”  -Janet Fitch

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

I do not say this to boast: D and I are really good cooks. I say this to explain why it is not very often in our house that D will go on and on about how tasty a recipe was. But such was the case, the first time I prepared a dinner from a new cookbook on my shelf “Tasting the Seasons”. I was looking for a one-bowl dish that we could enjoy in the living room whilst watching the Jets game. This dish was so easy to assemble with items that I already had on my pantry shelves and in my freezer.

The dish was entitled “Greek-Style Shrimp” and had caught my eye because we had just had a lovely visit with Boo and The Frenchman to hear about their upcoming honeymoon to Greece. As we spoke about all the things that they would see and taste, I had a yearning for olives, lemon and oregano. In this recipe, I had to switch out the shrimp for rockfish as that is what I had defrosted for our dinner.

The results were so delectable. Not only did D scoop up two helpings but he could not speak of anything else. This is even more unusual in the middle of a thrilling Jets game, where we are typically either in concentrated silence or yelling at the screen to go after the puck! The casserole was a layered dish starting with spinach, then tomatoes, garbonzo beans and brown & wild rice. Cooked shrimp was called for next but I layered the uncooked rockfish that I had tossed in olive oil and lemon zest and then placed it right on top of the other layers. More tomatoes and crumbled feta went over the fish and then it was covered and baked. The “icing on the cake” was a mixture of Greek yoghurt, oregano, red pepper flakes and pitted & diced Kalamata olives. Wow-deep pungent tastes enhanced by the spritely lemon zest and fish!

I guess that we could have ordered a pizza but in keeping with author Kerry Dunnington’s philosophy we were content to taste the seasons:

…we are reducing our fast-food indulgences (and their wasteful packaging) in favour of home-cooked meals, served with eco-friendly, china, glass and flatware. …the meals you cook at home are more likely to be nutritious and satisfying-as well as far less taxing on your budget and the environment-than store-bought, carry out, drive-thru or prepared food.

By the end of the evening D was delighted by another circumstances-the Jets beat Detroit in a shoot out! He had burned all the calories of our delicious one-bowl dinner by jumping up and down in front of the TV during the game’s exciting conclusion.

Kath’s quote: “It is probable that the lemon is the most valuable of all fruit for preserving health.” –Maud Grieve

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.