This is the first full day that the lovely Alicia is spending as the newest member of our clan. She married our nephew (Little A) in a private ceremony in Canmore yesterday and is today spending time with her new husband.

Our family feels particularly connected to this union as it was J1 who introduced the two. J1 and Alicia became great pals when they worked together at the St. James Keg. Their first blind date, neither showed up but somehow those jitters got under control for a second rendezvous. The rest, as they say, is history.

The guys in the family got together last weekend for a gentlemen’s (I use the term loosely) event out at Lester Beach. So the way was made clear for the ladies to assemble too and welcome Alicia into our family.

Alicia got some help opening presents by the Wee One and her cousin Serena.

We did so with warm wishes, presents (many of them cooking related) and food…glorious food!

Kath’s quote: “Love is a partnership of two unique people who bring out the very best in each other, and who know that even though they are wonderful as individuals, they are even better together.”- Barbara Cage

Love never fails.

 

Saddlery on Market (114 Market Ave. to be precise) is located on the main floor of the Great West Saddlery Warehouse building, erected in 1898. A little bit of Winnipeg Trivia: the saddlery company became the world’s largest manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer of harnesses and saddles. The restobar has been inspired by Winnipeg’s past and serves homey, comfort food.

I was excited to meet up with an old friend. Her arrival was delayed as she could not find a parking spot in the area, either in a lot or on the street. This must be a real challenge for the restaurant.

Anticipating my winter vacation, I chose from the salad section of the menu. The Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad was a hearty serving of red onion, candied pecans and roasted shallot vinaigrette. Once all the good stuff vanished from the top of the salad, I tried very hard to finish my vegetables by consuming all of the spinach leaves on the plate. Perhaps I was distracted by the hand-cut French fries that arrived with my companion’s burger. Being a good friend, she gave my permission to enjoy some of them off of her plate. They were the highlight of the visit.

The house burger which was her selection was a half pound of ground chuck topped with lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, pancetta, caramelized onions and premise-made barbeque sauce. She remarked that the pretzel bun was delicious but not sturdy enough to offset all of those fixings. The burger was tasty and juicing but eating it without making an enormous mess, took a lot of skill.

The space has supported a number of restaurant concepts in the past but I do not recall one that let the beautiful brick walls speak for themselves. Perched at a window with a view to the Exchange District, I anticipated that the restaurant would get busier over the lunch hour with so many persons who work in the area.

The Saddlery has an all day menu available. They are open weekdays from 11 am (Saturdays at 4 pm). Until 10 pm Mon-Wed and Late Thursday-Saturday and are closed Sundays. Wheelchair access is through the space at 112 Market Ave.

Watch for Food Musings every second Wednesday in your copy of The Headliner, The Herald, The Lance, The Metro, The Sou’wester and The Times.

Kath’s quote: “my salad days, When I was green in judgement, cold in blood.”-William Shakespeare

Love never fails.

 

 

 

 

 

Three out seven family members turn 30 this year but the Frenchman was the first. Last night’s celebration was particularly noteworthy though. The Frenchman brought a new tradition to us when he first joined our family. For a birthday celebration everyone has an opportunity to express why they love the person we are celebrating. The Wee One decided the order of sharing starting with her Poppa and saving Auntie Boo for last. While her Mom was sharing, the Wee One (three years old) knew that she was next and you could see her wheels turning as to what she was going to say: “I love him because he is so nice and her loves me and he always plays with me.”

Food traditions were also recognized. D typically finds a good deal on back ribs and prepares them with a lengthy slow roasting procedure which is detailed here: My Man’s Ribs.

The Frenchman (and the entire family) also love chicken wings and so I made a batch from a well-loved recipe and served them as an appetizer:

A couple of hints:

• In order to ease back richness and expense, I cut the parmesan in half and add a cup of breadcrumbs. Since the only crumbs I could find were already seasoned, I did not add the parsley flakes or salt and pepper.

 

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• I am working very hard to lose 10% of my body weight for medical reasons and so I did not partake in the wings or ribs. Instead, I tossed a chicken breast in olive oil and then the parmesan mixture and had this with a pear, walnut & feta salad.

I was perfectly content while the rest of the family indulged in the above and also in poutine. The latter was made with real turkey gravy and Bothwell cheese curds. Even the youngest member of the family (one year) loved the wings and ribs!

Kath’s quote: “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”- JRR Tolkien

Love never fails.

 

 

I get almost the same pleasure out of planning and then recollecting our yearly sojourns to Isla Mujeres as I do actually being on the Island. We started researching where we would all stay in 2017 back in 2016 when we were still on the island. As you likely know, we have specific needs  for our gang as we are travelling with a three year old, one year old and we require wheelchair accessibility for Daughter #1.

The lovely owner of the Xbulu-Ha Hotel has assured us that he will modify his front entrance so that #1 can zip in and out and she desires. #1 and her attendant will have a main floor room complete with an accessible shower. J & J and the girls will have a 2 room suite where a play pen can be set up for Jo Jo and the Wee One will have a futon. If the kids need closer contact with J & J their bed has a pull out trundle to accommodate the kids. We will likely designate our room for coffee, light breakfast and lunch fixings and cervesas.

In addition the hotel has a cozy guest lounge where the front desk is located equipped with microwave, toaster, blender, kitchen  sink, table and chairs. They provide free wi fi, beach towels and back pack beach chairs too!

We have also booked our shuttle service through AGI. I have utilized the services of AGI since I first started travelling to the island in 2005. Since then they have continued with each year to expand their offerings and now have many more offerings including VIP DTD (door to door) Service:

• Meet & greet at the CUN airport,
• Transportation to the ferry dock on our A/C Mercedes Benz Sprinters
• R/T boarding passes for the ferry to Isla Mujeres
• Assistance in Isla Mujeres by our AGI Tours staff
• R/T transportation to your hotel/villa/house in Isla Mujeres on local A/C taxis
• For the return leg we will pick you up at the villa and bring you all the way to the airport using the same logistics than on your arrival
• For groups of 10 or more we can afford to bring you all the way to Isla on the car ferry (given the situation that your flight matches with the ferry itinerary, of course).

AGI’s vehicles are always spotlessly clean and air conditioned. Their drivers are polite and courteous. I highly recommend them.

Counting the sleeps!

Kath’s quote: “The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” – G.K. Chesterton

Love never fails.

 

 

 

In our efforts to trim down and shape up before a spring vacation in Mexico, D and I have virtually given up bread (except when it is as stellar as the hot/crispy loaf that we had at The Keg last night). I have been on the look out for a low fat, low sugar bran muffin which I think that I have just about perfected. Then recently D inquired about whether I had ever come across a healthy cornmeal muffin. I love a challenge and found another great recipe.

In muffin recipes I completely cut out sugar by using a sugar substitute. Even though I don’t particularly enjoy a white sugar substitute, I am very inclined towards Sugar Twin’s Brown Sugar one. Both recipes call for a scant amount of sweetness anyway.

Since I already had my tray of baking ingredients on the counter and the kitchen machine bowls were dirty, I thought that it would be efficient to make a second batch of muffins; this time the cornmeal ones. My recipe template only allows me to add one recipe per blog post, so I will have to do so separately.

Kath’s quote: “Give me liberty or a bran muffin!”- Colin Mochrie

Love never fails.