I drag my husband to lots of restaurants where the food looks like it comes from a coffee table book, we leave $200 and an hour later he is getting out the peanut butter and crackers.  Last night I took him to 4 Play Sportsbar for dinner and he was in heaven.

His mouth dropped at the size of the 24 foot projection screen and he looked longingly at the 50 lazy-boys set up theatre-style.  I knew if we sat shoulder to shoulder I would lose him completely to the football game that was airing so we compromised with a high top table just at the edge of the seating area.    

We had a hard time deciding what to order as we were very tempted by the Blackened Basa Fish Tacos and the 3 Style Meatloaf but finally tucked into Rotisserie Chicken and their specialty burger.  I ate all of the white meat which was substantial and asked our lovely server Charmaine to wrap up the drum and thigh.  I also savoured every single hand cut french fry.  D let me taste his burger-a combo of ground beef and steak.  He too cleaned his plate of the hand cut sweet potato fries. 

Before dinner he enchantingly wandered around to check out the virtual golf and the arcade area.  He thought that it would be a perfect place to arrange a pre-wedding gentleman’s dinner-our only son is married so I’m not sure who’s.  The manager also opened up the private suite for him to check out.  By the time he sat back down, his eyes had that far-away look and I could tell that the wheels were turning about upcoming football games and tennis matches.

We watched the first period of the Junior Hockey tournament surrounded by many enthusiastic Canadian fans who by now had settled in for the evening.  A fun night and the best part-$54 including beer!   

Kath’s quote: “Beer: Take pure spring water. The finest grains. The richest ingredients. And then run them through a horse.”-unknown

PS-went back again for beef and chicken sliders and chicken nachos-sensational.  The BEST sport bar food in town!

Our Christmas schedule is hectic to say the least. Over the course of 72 hours we attended one turkey dinner, hosted another, celebrated the 75th birthday of D’s Mom, hosted a Christmas Eve soiree and attended a Christmas lunch for 30. So I’ll be frank, we took some turkey shortcuts for the Christmas dinner that we hosted.  That is, we threw it in the oven with a lid before we left for most of the day, pulled it out of the oven and served it-ta da!

In the mean time, a good friend of mine, shared her elaborate turkey recipe with me to hold onto for future Christmases and here it is:  

salt varieties in Nice market

Herbed Salt:

1/3 c plus 1 T coarse kosher salt

1 1/2 t dried rosemary

1 1/2 t dried rubbed sage

1 1/2 t dried thyme

1 t black peppercorns, crushed

3 small bay leaves, coarsely torn

1 t finely grated lemon peel

Turkey:

1 14- to 16-pound turkey (neck, heart, and gizzard reserved)

1 large onion, chopped

1 large celery stalk, chopped

1 whole lemon, chopped with peel

1 t dried rosemary

1 t dried rubbed sage

1 t dried thyme

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups (or more) turkey stock
 

Gravy:

3 1/2 c (about) turkey

2/3 c chopped shallots

1/2 c all purpose flour

1/2 c dry white wine

2 t Dijon mustard

2 t chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation

For herbed salt:
Rub first 6 ingredients in small bowl to crush herbs finely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; store at room temperature. Stir in peel before using.

For turkey:
Rinse turkey inside and out (do not pat dry). Pull any fat pads from main cavity and neck cavity of turkey; wrap, chill, and reserve fat for roasting. Place turkey in roasting bag; sprinkle inside and out with herbed salt. Close bag. Place on baking sheet; refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.

Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 325°F. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat very dry. Stir chopped onion and next 5 ingredients in small bowl. Divide onion mixture between main and neck cavities. Fold neck skin under and secure with skewer. Tuck wing tips under. Tie legs together loosely. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Spread butter all over turkey. Place reserved fat pads and reserved neck, heart, and gizzard in pan; pour in 2 cups Golden Turkey Stock.

Roast turkey 45 minutes. Baste with pan juices. Continue to roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F to 170°F, basting every 45 minutes, adding stock or water to pan if dry, and tenting loosely with foil if browning too quickly, 3 to 3 1/2 hours longer. Transfer turkey to platter; tent very loosely with foil and let rest 30 to 45 minutes. Reserve roasting pan with juices for gravy.

For gravy:
Remove turkey neck, heart, and gizzard from roasting pan. Pull meat off neck; chop neck meat, heart, and gizzard and reserve for gravy, if desired. Pour pan juices into 8-cup measuring cup. Spoon off fat from surface, reserving 1/2 cup fat. Add enough turkey stock to degreased pan juices to measure 5 1/2 cups total.

Place roasting pan over 2 burners on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup reserved fat and shallots; sauté 1 minute. Whisk in flour. Cook until roux is light brown, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in wine, stock mixture, mustard, and fresh rosemary. Bring to boil, whisking to blend. Boil until gravy coats spoon, about 3 minutes. Add neck, heart, and gizzard, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve turkey with gravy.

Thank you lovely Amanda.

Kath’s quote: “How to thaw a frozen turkey: Blow in it’s ear.”-Johnny Carson

and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

Without further adieu:

7) Mandatory Sunday dinner with the kids. Even when we are up at the cottage for the weekend, we get back into town early enough to have them over for dinner.  In the summer we enjoy cocktail time in our big backyard while D has something roasting on the rotisserie and then assemble around the table on the deck. 

Chocolate croissants in the expired bread rack at Superstore.  if you have to get out of your cozy bed to get some groceries before your workday begins, I highly recommend this motivator.

9) A supper network set up for Mom’s with newborns by other Moms of newborns.  Imagine not even thinking about what to take out of the freezer for a couple of weeks. 

10) Home cooked foodie gifts: a good friend gave me a gift bag filled with a bottle of their homemade wine which we are serving over Christmas, a red pepper jelly which we have already put out for guests and plan to again and a loaf of banana bread which will be a our Christmas morning treat as we open gifts.

11) We’ve rediscovered Crepes.  The Garden Creperie used to be one of our favourite restaurants.  My choice was always the Crepe St. Jacques in those days.  I hear Kawaii Crepes in the village is absolutely wonderful and very affordable.

12) Breaking Bread with family at Christmas.  My Mom, three brothers, two sisters, three sister-in-laws, one brother-in-law, six nephews (and  their children and significant others), four nieces (and their SOs) all live in Winnipeg.  Two of D’s three brothers are home as well as two of his three sisters.    Along with D’s Mom and husband there are 13 nieces and nephews-7 are here to celebrate with us.

13) sorry I can’t stop….  the joy of giving and serving: fetching a beer, hanging up a coat, fixing a traditional recipe, sweeping a walk, cooking up a fancy breakfast for no special reason, tucking a surprize in a pocket, you take it from here.

I hope that you are surrounded with all of your favourite things this Christmas.  Perhaps you don’t have a list…then take a minute to create one.  It does the heart good to reflect on the blessings in our lives at Christmas.

Kath’s quote: “It is not good for all our wishes to be filled; through sickness we recognize the value of health; through evil, the value of good; through hunger, the value of food; through exertion, the value of rest.”-Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Peace on earth and godwill to all people.

I am “traditionally” built as coined by one of my favourite authors about his fictional character- Precious Ramotswe.  I have found myself a bit too busy these last couple of weeks for my Zumba class and my Stretch and Strengthen class is done until after Christmas.  I was approaching holiday eating with guilt and hesitation when Sister #3 sent me this yesterday:

” This woman is 51.  She is a TV health guruadvocating a holistic approach to nutrition and ill health, promoting exercise, a pescetarian diet high in organic fruits and vegetables. She recommends detox diets, colonic irrigation and supplements, also making statements that yeast is harmful, that the colour of food is nutritionally significant, and about the utility of lingual and fecal examination.

This woman is 50.  She is a TV cook, who eats nothing but meat, butter and desserts, washed down with lots of wine.  So forget eating more celery.  This Christmas, it’s food and red wine all the way.”

PS I had a chocolate croissant for breakfast….. 

Kath’s quote:  “You may feel that you have eaten too much…But this pastry is like feathers – it is like snow. It is in fact good for you, a digestive!”-M.F.K. Fisher

love indulgently

Ellen has her “12 Days of Give-Aways” and Oprah has her “Favourite Things” so I am reflecting on my year with my “12 Favourite Foodie Things” list:

1) the new kettle chip that I found at Shopper’s Drug Mart.  The label is “Simply Food” and they have a couple of flavours but I always get the basic.  You can actually taste the potato and they are not over salted.  The best thing is that almost every chip is folded into a half or even better-a quarter.  When my husband and I are sharing-he eats the flat ones and I get the rest!

2) the poutine at Le Gouter at Albert Beach.  Amazing fries even when “naked” and then topped with exactly the right amount of cheese and gravy.  Only thing that could make them better-real cheese curds like the ones served at The Peasant in the Exchange.

3) anything that I’ve tasted at Segovia!  Finally got to try it for my birthday in the spring and just a couple of times since.  My New Year’s resolution is to dine at Segovia at least once a month in 2011.

4) the Southern Fried Chicken at the Redhead in New York City.  I didn’t even order it but tasted it from Sister #3’s plate. We determined that it was marinated first in buttermilk but haven’t figured out the rest.   I am so blessed to have sisters and friends who are willing to take culinary adventures with me. 

5) Speaking of firsts…my first of what I know will be many visits to the  Mango Cafe on Isla Mujeres.  I’m happy to say that I’ll get that chance in just two months….ah Isla.

6) the tiny cookies that my Son’s new Mom- in- law made for their wedding.  I’ve asked her numerous times for the recipe but perhaps she knows that I will be sharing with you and so has yet to do so.

Stay tuned for the second half…..

Kath’s quote: “I have long believed that good food, good eating is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime ‘associates,’ food, for me, has always been an adventure.”-Anthony Bourdain

love-exciting and new