I have not posted a recipe to share in a very long time.  The truth is that I have not been home to prepare a meal in a very long time.  I have been to four fund-raising events involving food in the past four days.  I have another one tomorrow…..  Do you see how Manitobans love to celebrate life with food?  

You likely know that I am a lover of comfort food and especially carbs-being the bearer of affectionate nicknames such as “Potato-loving Polak” and “The Carb Queen”.  I find it interesting that the culinary world is recently embracing my obsessions with “souped up” poutine dishes and macaroni and cheese offerings. 

I still contend that my “Gourmet Mac and Cheese” listed under recipes is the best I’ve found, but for a delicious variation-you might want to try this:

4 c elbow macaroni (I used ziti)

3 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped (I used a purple onion for colour)

1 red pepper (I used yellow), cut into strips

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 small bag of spinach, chopped (I used frozen) 

salt to taste

3 T flour

3 c milk

pepper to taste

1/8 t nutmeg

2 c grated dill Havarti (I used mozzarella and garnished with 1 t oregano)

1 c crumbled feta

Kalamata olives, pitted and halved, quantity to taste

1/2 c bread crumbs

Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.  While pasta is cooking soften veggies in 1 T of the olive oil in a skillet.  Add fresh or defrosted spinach after 5 mins.  Heat until spinach has wilted and then set aside in a bowl.  Wipe skillet clean and return to stove over med. heat.  Swirl in 2 T olive oil.  When hot, whisk in the flour.  Continue to whisk while adding the s & p and nutmeg.  Continue until flour is a light golden colour.  Slowly add the milk while continuing to stir and bring to a low boil.  When it has slightly thickened add the grated Havarti and then feta.  The feta will get melty but stay in chunks.  Combine all prepared ingredients in a casserole dish and top with bread crumbs.  Bring back up to temperature in the oven and then add 5 mins. under the broiler until the crumbs are brown.

I ran out of time for the last stage and so I added the veggies to the sauce and then tossed with the pasta.  I crumbled a little more feta and sprinkled the 1 t of oregano on top (instead of the bread crumbs) to serve.  Deelish!

Kath’s quote: “What I love about cooking is that after a hard day, there is something comforting about the fact that if you melt butter and add flour and then hot stock, it will get thick! It’s a sure thing! It’s a sure thing in a world where nothing is sure; it has a mathematical certainty in a world where those of us who long for some kind of certainty are forced to settle for crossword puzzles.”-Nora Ephron

The Keg Steakhouse & Bar (or Keg ‘n Cleaver as it was known in those days) originated in Vancouver in 1971.  When they opened their first Winnipeg location on Garry St. I was one of the hostess that stood out on the sidewalk to get the names from the people at the back of the line as it stretched down the sidewalk.  Those were crazy days for me, university classes during the day and long evenings trying to balance a tray full of Silver Clouds while maneuvering in a skirt that touched the ground.  If you’ve seen the beautiful ladies at a Keg lately, you’ll see that the skirt length has definitely changed!

Me & my girls-off to celebrate B’s grad at The Keg

I loved my job-the training was excellent, the clientel were great and with the money that I made in tips I was able to move into my own apartment and travel Europe to boot! 

The current Winnipeg Keg owner with D and Bro-in-Law

But best of all was that the Keg management and staff were like family-figuritively and literally!  In those days the Keg was owned and operated by George Tidball (who brought McDonald’s to Canada).  He was a man who believed that if a person was a great Keg employee, their sister or brother would likely make a great one too!   If you were a Chapdelaine, a Grisim, a Kapilik, a Resch or a Furlan you were likely working at the Keg.  Over the years my Mother-in-law, my husband’s two sisters and three brothers all worked there.  One sister-in-law met her husband at the Southside location.  My own two sisters and two of my brother-in-law’s brothers were on staff as well….well you get the picture.  It was a ripple effect and the friends that I made over my long career at The Keg are still my very best friends today.

Two of these three were Cocktail ladies with me in the 70’s

Ten years ago when The Keg Steakhouse and Bar celebrated their 30th Anniversary they established the Keg Spirit Foundation supporting many persons and initiatives that are close to my heart.  Big Brother & Sisters alone have received over a $1 million.  In all, $5 Million dollars have been rewarded to over 300 charities across North America.  Now, ten years later, they are celebrating the milestone of their 40th anniversary with a Million Dollar Give-away available in 40 grants of $25,000 each and the public decides who will recieve the gifts.  All the details regarding grant applications and the voting and awarding process is on line at kegsteakhouse.com.

“It takes a village to raise a child” (I know this from first hand experience), and sometimes the charity and support from a business that “pays it forward”, is also necessary.  The Keg Spirit Foundation is one of the many reasons why I am proud that I am Keg alumnae. 

Kath’s quote:  “To see the butcher slap the steak before he laid it on the block, and give his knife a sharpening, was to forget breakfast instantly. It was agreeable too – it really was – to see him cut it off so smooth and juicy. There was nothing savage in the act, although the knife was large and keen; it was a piece of art, high art; there was delicacy of touch, clearness of tone, skilful handling of the subject, fine shading. It was the triumph of mind over matter; quite.”-Charles Dickens

Keggers if you happen to read this-drop me a line.  I miss you.

When we gather on Isla Mujeres it is a process.  Itineraries vary accounding to shcedules back home and flight costs/bookings.  This creates two distinct pleasures for me: the anticipation that someone I love will soon be on the Island that I love and going to meet the ferry.  At one time the ferry only meant one thing: that I had to leave, but now with my new routine there is joy as well.  Unfortunately, on the day that Sister #2 arrived on Isla (with my beloved bro and sis-in law and Brother #3) I missed the boat.  That is to say, they had arrived earlier than expected and were already settling in while I waited on the dock.

But because there are so many of us and it is a small island, word got around efficiently that we were meeting at  Como-no’s that evening for dinner. I have walked by Como-no’s patio tables many times and to be frank was never lured in by the modernistic furniture and hookah pipes but the interior was so cozy and comfortable that we felt as if we had been invited into someone’s great room.

We did not notice at first, how long it took for our dinners to arrive because we were content to visit and get caught up with news of Isla and news of home delivered to and from the newly arrived.  So too, the Frozen Mojitoes and perfectly shaken Margaratias were liquifying the passage of time.  We also knew that Lee and his wife were expecting their first baby and thought-tonight may be the night!

Well anything worth doing (or eating) is worth waiting for and oh my goodness, the food was divine!  Most of the table (at my end at least) ordered the special of fresh Grouper and Shrimp.

Sister #2 chose the Mediteranean Platter and I surprized even myself and ordered the Chicken Schnitzel.  It doesn’t really matter what we order, as we all taste from everybody else’s plates anyway.  After all-we are  family (or honouree family).

Both the Schnitzel and the Grouper were so delcicous that many in the group came back to sample them again later during our stay.  The Schnitzel was huge enough to share, but by this time I was very hungry and managed to put away every bite.  My love of thin meats, lightly breaded and sauteed comes from my little Polish Grandma Felicia who made fried chicken like no one else on earth! 

Lee the owner, surprized us with a complementary dessert to sample.  It was a chocolate sausage which we cut it into a half dozen slices and the chocolate and nuts were so rich and dense that it was enough to satisfy the need for something sweet to conclude a lovely meal.

Lee and his wife are from Israel.  V who was my room-mate for that stage of the vacation and I, and our husbands, have all travelled to Israel on seperate occaissions and felt instantly connected to this talented, hospitable (handsome!) and soft-spoken man.  We were eagar for news of his babies’ safe arrival and I understand that Yahi (a healthy girl ) was born to them days after I returned home to Canada.  Maxel Tov Lee and Chen!

Kath’s quote: “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.”-Julia Child

Our family were recently the happy recipients of a dinner for six that was awarded as a silent auction prize at a fund-raising event called The Bean Gallery.  The dinner was served at the beautifully appointed Flatlanders Inn.  If you are thinking that this is a quaint little Winnipeg hotel that you’ve missed hearing about, you would be incorrect.  The Flatlanders Inn is located on Main St. near  Higgins Ave. right in the heart of Winnipeg’s troubled core area.  A better explanation of what the Inn is all about is quoted in the handbook on their website:

“Flatlanders Inn is a diverse community of people that is especially welcoming to people who are at risk of homelessness.  We invite neighbourhood folk, wanderers, seekers, foreigners and those needing a positive and supportive living environment to join Flatlanders Inn so that they can get their feet back under them.  All together, we’re creating an atmosphere that is a positive living space for shelter, healing and growth.  It is a safe place to work through life’s difficulties together (lots of tears) and celebrate life’s successes (lots of laughter) and everything in between.

The boyfriend of Daughter #2 (aka as the Frenchman) is a resident of this intentional community as an intern who lives and works side by side with the Flatlander guests.  He was one of our two waiters the night of our dinner.  This was our menu:

Appetizer: Dill hummus served with fresh naan bread & vegetables

Main Course: Oven roasted turkey with homemade stuffing, accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole & corn.

Dessert: Pumpkin cheesecake, served with a choice of London Fogs, Vanilla Lattes, Caffe Americano or Espresso.

The menu was a lovely reminder of the harvest on the first day of spring.  The special tastes for me was the London Fog, the Pumpkin cheesecake and the Sweet Potato casserole.  I requested the recipe for the latter but have yet to receive it.  I’ll post it when I do.

When the hosts came around to see how we enjoyed our evening, D commented that his only complaint was that one of the waiters kept flirting with his daughter!

Kath’s quote:  “Hospitality consists in a little fire, a little food, and an immense quiet.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Practice radical hospitality.

We were delighted to receive an invitation for a sneak peak to this new edition to the Exchange scene at 177 Lombard Ave.

Almost immediately, we were greeted by Franca who introduced herself as Broklynn’s Mom.  My brain processed: “Oh so not “Brooklyn” as in NYC but  “Brook Lynn”.”  Being a lover of babies and family, I was impressed even before I even had a sip of a specialty cocktail or a taste of a canape by a business named after a 3 year old child.  Enormous black and white close ups of the photogenic little girl are the few accouterments of the understated decor. 

Franca also indicated that Chef Darryl was incorporating many of the family’s authentic Italian pasta and sauce recipes onto the menu. While we chatted and waited for the the sampling trays to circulate, I sipped on a glass of Zero Negro who’s taste I remember from our time in Sicily and D a Basil Sky-a martini made with a swill of Sky Vodka surrounding a pinched sprig of basil.  The lip of the glass had been edged with lemon and salt-so clever.  By the end of the evening we changed things up with a Peach Bellini.  I was totally uncouth as I dug the peach slice out of the bottom of the glass to enjoy.

A shard of grana padano topped the carpaccio 

We spotted the pasta dough being tossed in front of the Italian wood-burning pizza oven.  Somehow authentic pizza dough has the ability to be light as air and yet substantial enough to hold a bevy of toppings.  The Margerita proved to be our favourite. 

Brocoli, pork belly on saffron polenta

Chef Darryl Crumb’s reputation proceeds itself, having competed for Canada’s Top Chef.  His spins on the family’s classic Italian recipes were our favourites of the evening.

Beef Ravioli with a Red Wine Reduction

Pièce de résistance-Pesto Gnocchi

We often order gnocchi when we dine as we haven’t mastered the knack for these pillowy clouds of potato at home.  When tossed in a light cream sauce and then a drizzle of pesto-the dish was in our minds, the star of the evening.

That was of course until we saw Brooklynn herself arrive to meet the guests. 

When we attend the theatre or an event at the Concert Hall, we often look for a spot in the area for a light bite to start the evening.  We like to park once and walk from a bistro to the venue (as parking is at a premium in the area).  We also enjoy a performance much better, if we haven’t been weighted down by our dinner.  This will make Brooklynn’s an obvious choice in the future and we predict much success. 

Thank you for your hospitality.

Kath’s quote: “Often, admiring a chef and getting to know him is like loving goose liver and then meeting the goose.”-George Lang