One day last winter, a friend sent me a link about a recipe contest that she thought that I should enter as the prize was a ticket to a food bloggers conference in Washington DC entitled Eat, Write, Retreat.  Well, I was one of two winners of the contest and found myself booked into a gorgeous Washington Hotel with my roomie, a successful blogger in her own right, from Montreal.

This occurred last April and although the high from the time of being surrounded by some of the US’s most successful food bloggers has normalized, there were moments that changed my writing/blogging life and because I am my own brand, have changed my life.  Do you follow this train of thought?

A group of professionals were assembled (in cyber-space, I presume) to critique our blogs and I acted upon every suggestion that they provided and have been very happy with the results (especially with the quality of my photographs).  If you have been a long time follower of mine, perhaps you agree.  This face lift and the message from one of our guest speakers about focusing our passion into our blog, have inspired me afresh about my product and gave me the courage to approach some unexplored arenas.

In addition, soon after I arrived home, I was notified by Uptown Magazine that I had one Winnipeg’s Favourite Blog.  This was quite an honour as Winnipeg boosts a bevy of talented bloggers.  For me the thrill was that it was not just that I was a favourite “foodie” blogger but a favourite full-on blogger!

As a result of both circumstances, I am now a regular columnist for Winnipeg’s community newspapers.  This in itself has been a treat as I can see the appreciation from the small restauranteurs and their families when I return to visit them after a piece has been published.  Smiles, hugs and gratitude is my reward-let alone the additional exposure!

I also had the confidence to explore a brand new experience and have been taking on projects with national companies for food-styling work.  This has put me in touch with some talented chefs and familiar brands and although I had no idea what hard work food-styling was, it is also immensely satisfying.

Fast forward to today.  I am off to Toronto in the morning to attend another conference.  This one is entitled She’s Connected and I am attending on behalf of Canada Beef because since this whirl wind all began I have also become a Canadian Beef Ambassador!  By coincidence (?) that is also who sent me to Washington.  At this weekend’s conference I will be attending with the other Canadian Beef Ambassadors as well as gal pals from the Manitoba Canola Growers and Winnipeg friends like Marlo Broux who started Girl Talk Radio.

As well as learning specific skills to take my blog to another new level from speakers like the former editor of Cosmo and my Canadian hero Amanda Lang, I am looking forward to meeting new female friends who are recreating their lives in this exciting digital world.  And so Heather Travis, I can’t wait to meet you in person.  You may not have known this last spring, but you have changed my life!

Kath’s quote: “Life is so brief that we should not glance either too far backwards or forwards…therefore study how to fix our happiness in our glass and in our plate.”-Grimod de la Reynière

Love-that is all.

I do not live a spontaneous life, but there are occasions when spur of the moment decisions can be made and it is a wonderful feeling. This past Friday night I was invited to a “wet run” of the newly refurbished St. James Keg and although I knew that Sister #3 could accompany me, there were two more invites available and I did not want to let the opportunity go unredeemed.

So I invited along two young Moms who really needed a break and a treat (especially when it meant that their spouses managed bed time at home for the little ones).

We shared a couple of appetizers including this succulent Shrimp Cocktail.

The food was perfect with the teeny exception of the butter for the lobster tail which was not clarified.

The steaks and prime rib were tender and precisely cooked and the sides and additional courses gave me the opportunity to try a couple of things that I do not tend to gravitate to on The Keg’s extensive menu.

We ended our evening with 4 spoons and an Apple Crumble.

The service by petite Sam (female) was more than attentive and it would be an understatement to say that a good time was had by all.

Equally important to me and this particular circle of friends was that the token amount of money spent to be a part of the evening was being funneled through the Keg Spirit Foundation to the Rehabilitation Centre for Children.  Our family has directly benefited by their equipment loans and modifications of adapted devices.  Therefore, we were happy to top up the $5 per dinner with a generous donation.

Being able to give back when you are so enjoying your evening, your life and your blessings, is such a pleasure.  The Keg makes it easy every year when they offer up a special menu that provides a built in contribution to their Keg Spirit Foundation.  A sneak peak at this years offerings include Herb Roasted Chicken, Prime Rib and Snow Crab, Sirloin with Jumbo Shrimp & Scallop and Baked Halibut.  I have to get back there soon…

Since 2001 the Keg Spirit Foundation has contributed more than $1 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters at both national and local levels.  Other national charities that have been supported include Free the Children (I will be  attending “We Day” again, later this month) and the Ladybug Foundation program, initiated by Winnipeg’s own Hannah Taylor.

I am looking forward to seeing what the final tally for the evening will be but in the mean time, the opportunity for a fun and relaxing night out with the girls-priceless.

Kath’s quote: “Time is an herb that cures all Diseases.”-Benjamin Franklin

Love-that is all.

I seem to continually draw attention to the fact that I am getting old.  This is not because I am ill or feeling old, but because there comes a time in your life when you think that you have perhaps learned everything that you are capable of learning.  Well, in my case I continually amaze(even) myself that, even though you might think that I have reached that stage, the opposite is true.  I bet I learn something new every waking hour of my day.

I have never baked a pumpkin.  In fact, I have never tasted pumpkin served as a vegetable until this summer.  This is in spite of the fact that Precious Ramotswe, my all time favourite character in the Botswana series written by Alexander McCall Smith, eats baked pumpkin just about every evening.  Well tonight I am baking a pumpkin and as I Googled pumpkin recipes, my own blog posts came up (life is strange).  Anyway, my extended family is eagerly waiting the time that the Frenchman will post his glazed pumpkin cookie recipe that he contributed to last weekend’s Thanksgiving dinner, but in the mean time, I thought that I might be able to stave them off with his Pumpkin Scone recipe that he has already shared with me.

Love -that is all.

On the very first night that the Keg ‘n Cleaver opened on Garry St., I was one of those full-length dressed hostesses to greet you at the end of the line (which was down the sidewalk).  The Keg was my start in the hospitality business, as well as so many other successful Winnipeggers.  My family has been entwined in its history ever since that first night.    The story goes on and on, but let me fast forward to last evening.

We were invited to the preview party at the newly refurbished St.  James Keg.  Before I got caught up seeing many beloved friends, I managed to take some photos of the sleek and still cozy new interior.

How has a restaurant like The Keg managed to keep reinventing itself in new and fresh ways, when most of its competition from back when it first opened in Winnipeg, is long gone? I have two thoughts on this:

1) They have always been true to their hero product-beef.  I know how stead-fast this loyalty has been because I was one of their “smart-alec” Marketing Directors that declared that their menu would have to evolve to less red meat and items like pastas if they were going to survive (boy was I wrong).

2) The Keg’s focus has always remained on people.  Young people have been given the best hospitality training and have been taught the value of very hard work and have been richly rewarded for their perseverance and talent.  Most members of Winnipeg’s Senior Management Team started in the dish pit and behind broiler bars.  They are a “family” and therefore treat their guests as if they were being welcomed into their home.

And in the case of the St. James Keg, home is an elegant and uncluttered space.

Gone in all the Winnipeg Kegs are the rough cedar walls, the brick a brack, the huge vases full of silk flowers and the celebrity renditions on the walls.

Fireplaces have been retained and comfy booths, but everything else has been packed away with those full length hostess dresses.

Angela Chapdelaine is the General Manager of the St. James Keg.  She runs a tight ship and you always know where you stand with her.  She is a part of a Keg Family Legacy in Winnipeg.  She lost her much-loved Dad this summer.  He would have been so very proud of what she has built and achieved.

But what of the evening’s food and drink?  Yes, we were greeted by trays of well-selected wine and those amazing Keg Caesars. The array of appetizers were delectable but I kept my appetite for the teriyaki steak skewers and the prime rib sliders.  Ahh, the beef.

Kath’s quote: “Beef is the soul of cooking.”-Marie-Antoine Carême

Love-that is all.

This post will be a real test for me because my beloved camera passed away in the middle of our meal and unfortunately I have been unable to revive the poor thing.  I know that a good food writer should be able to make your mouth water without photos so let’s see how I do in the last half of this post.

The occasion was a special one as  J1 had requested that the four of us dine together at Rudy’s Eat and Drink AS his birthday gift.  I was surprized as we took our seats, that the restaurant was not busier.  Perhaps the fall-out from this “Jetless” time is more significant than I predicted.  This allowed us to choose a cozy booth where we settled in for pre-dinner cocktails.  J2 chose a “Dark and Stormy” which I thought was in keeping with the old school atmosphere of the place.  J1, who is currently studying to become a brew-master, went to the bar to survey the beer taps and fridges directly before making his selection.

First course were some munchies to stimulate the appetite.  The handsome server was smart enough to place the hand cut potato chips down in front of J2 and I.  We both consider ourselves kettle chip aficionados.  The plate was heaped with perfectly cooked centre cut chips and when I say “perfectly”, I mean quite well cooked by most standards.  The extra cooking time means that the gorgeous brown colour of the sugars  were revealed and the chips were especially sweet and nutty. The glistening salt that had been dusted over them meant that the expertly balanced sweet and salty taste that I crave, was achieved.

The only dish that I had tasted on a previous visit was the tuna tar-tare and this order was consistent in its presentation.  The tuna itself was fresh, cold and silky and was enhanced by the crunchy cucumber discs that it was presented upon.  Garden-fresh tomato bruschetta rounded out the choices.

At about this time, the parade of entrees bean to arrive.  First up was my gnocchi which I  have to say I was under impressed with.  I put this down to my own ignorance.  Why would I order a regional Italian dish in a retro chop bistro like this?

The rest of the entrees were exceptional though (and here’s where my creativity will have to commence).  D chose a centre cut pork chop that he provided tastes of.  The cut was beautifully trimmed and arrived just pink which is how our family enjoys our chops.  The loin (and the steaks that J1 and J2 ordered) were presented a top of a generous potato croquette which received as many accolades as the entrees themselves.  Crowning the chop was a crunchy apple crumble which I cannot wait to duplicate at home.  Just a simple adornment made an already delicious treat, that much better.

J2 had selected a beef filet that came wrapped in bacon for extra moistness and flavour.  Perhaps this had done the trick, but I suspect that the filet could have stood on its own as it was “butter-knife” tender and provided a succulence which J2 “oohed” and “ahed” over (literally).  J1 demonstrated how typical he was of our family-the special that evening seemed too good to be true and so he had to test the offering.  For $20 a sirloin was topped with sweet chili shrimp and was paired with a glass of Sapporo beer.  I could tell that J1 was enjoying every bite as he took small cuts of the steak to make the taste last.

We were all too full to consider dessert but decided to go for a night cap at the Garry St. Keg where J1 has recently worked and D and I first met.  What a gift it is to have adult children who want to spend time with you.  D and I know that we are blessed.

Kath’s quote:  “Then there is the beefsteak. They have it in Europe, but they don’t know how to cook it. Neither will they cut it right. It comes on the table in a small, round, pewter platter. It lies in the center of this platter, in a bordering bed of grease-soaked potatoes; it is the size, shape, and thickness of a man’s hand with the thumb and fingers cut off. It is a little overdone, is rather dry, it tastes pretty insipidly, it rouses no enthusiasm. Imagine a poor exile contemplating that inert thing, and imagine an angel suddenly sweeping down out of a better land and setting before him a mighty porter-house steak an inch and a half thick, hot and sputtering from the griddle; dusted with fragrant pepper; enriched with little melting bits of butter of the most unimpeachable freshness and genuineness; the precious juices of the meat trickling out and joining the gravy, archipelagoed with mushrooms; a township or two of tender, yellowish fat gracing an outlying district of this ample county of beefsteak; the long white bone which divides the sirloin from the tenderloin still in its place; and imagine that the angel also adds a great cup of American home-made coffee, with the cream a-froth on top, some real butter, firm and yellow and fresh, some smoking hot biscuits, a plate of hot buckwheat cakes, with transparent syrup, could words describe the gratitude of this exile?” –Mark Twain

Love-that is all.