When our eldest child was five years old we had an extended stay at the Children’s Hospital here in Winnipeg. It was there that we met a little girl that I am going to call Britney. She was in the room next to ours and the two girls loved to play Barbie’s together and Britney’s Mom and I would try to support each other the best we could. I remember the day that we were able to finally go home after our ordeal. December 8 will long be fixed in my memory. Our daughter “Beep” as she is called in this space went to a new school in January where she received all of her necessary therapies as a part of her school day. Before that occurred though, she was an outpatient at the hospital and whenever we were in the building we would go to visit Britney. Beep even got to attend a Christmas party with Britney that was put on by Cancer Care. You see Britney had leukemia. On the day of Christmas Eve, Beep wanted us to delivery Britney’s Christmas present but when we arrived on the ward, we were told that Britney wasn’t feeling up to visitors. We left her gift for her to open whenever she felt up to it. On Boxing Day, without ever having opened her gifts Britney passed away. We had gone to visit the ward that day too and all the nurses were so upset that they were visibly weeping and trying to take care of all of the other sick little ones.

Britney’s Mother was a single Mom from somewhere in the province. She spent every single waking hour at the hospital by Britney’s side. Once Britney had fallen asleep at night, she was encouraged to go take some time for herself, have a good rest and return the next day. This went on for months on end. Luckily for Britney, her Mom was able to stay in the city the entire time and be within walking distance of the hospital. Britney’s Mom spent her nights at Ronald McDonald House. She shared with me that she did not know what she would have done if it were not for the House. She wasn’t willing to spend any time away from Britney as she must have known that their days together were few.

These days Beep has grown up to be a beautiful, intelligent woman and is in the midst of obtaining her Masters Degree at the University of Manitoba. My time had freed up and I was a volunteer at the Children’s Hospital, sometimes on the very ward where Beep and Britney played with their Barbies. In addition to the House which is close by, there is a Ronald McDonald suite right in the hospital. Here families can do their laundry, get caught up on the world through provided computers, make phone calls, relax in front of the fire, bake cookies, watch movies and play with their other children (as often times, a whole family will attend a sick child to the hospital). I have often encouraged parents to take a break and head to the facility while I spent some time hugging their baby or playing on the floor with their toddler.

Recently though, with our own grandbaby and another on the way, I spend the hours that I might have been volunteering, babysitting the Wee One. She is an absolute joy and both D and I are excited every time we get to spend time with her. This weekend she had a sleep over with us and on Saturday evening, I let her open a Christmas gift that had been delivered from McDonalds. A box was filled with a number of treats but the best one was that they had made a donation to Ronald McDonald House in my name, so that a Mom like Britney’s can be close to their child at Christmas.

The Wee One hasn’t been to McDonalds very often and loved her happy meal with its little “Build a Bear” toy. In turn I was pleased with the sautéed onions, double cheese and pretzel bun of the Jolly Burger from their Holiday Warmer menu.

Here is the Wee One in the act of opening “Glamma’s” gift.

Poppa read us the card from a Ronald McDonald House Family and then the Wee One gave us her rendition. A healthy child is a blessing that we never, ever take for granted.

Kath’s quote: “None of Us is as Good as All of Us.”-Ray Kroc of McDonalds

Love, that is all.

Persons like me: haphazard, un-exacting, short attention span, make terrible bakers and I am a terrible baker! At Christmas, when it is time to bake festive cookies, I typically choose to prepare a slice or a candy or avoid the task all together and depend on the talents and gifts of my friends and family.

We were as busy as little elves in the bakery. Friend Getty, is moving so fast, she went out of focus!

So when an opportunity came along from my friends the Manitoba Canola Growers to learn from one of Manitoba’s best bakers, in the company of many of my foodie pals, I jumped at it. Chef MJ Feeke is an instructor at Red River College, runs a multi-faceted food business AND perhaps most importantly, is a Mom to a busy family.

Benjamin’s Gourmet Foods on Eveline St. in Selkirk, Manitoba was already decorated for Christmas.

We were in expert hands.

Baking alongside with us were Jen and Will Bergmann, a third generation farm couple who are also raising a family (three under the age of 3 1/2). They, along with so many farm families that I have had the pleasure to meet through Canola Connect, are the new generation of farmers: young, hip, attractive, passionate, educated, hard-working.

If you are watching your grocery budget, have a dairy sensitivity or allergy, the recipes that we used all contained canola margarine. Sister #3 (as she is known in this space) came along to add an extra dose of sweetness to my evening. We were in the same group of four and split up our dough forming duties.

Chocolate Chip Orange Shortbread was rolled out and then cut into triangles.

Chocolate Mint Crackle Cookies, were rolled (to the exact size of an eye-ball), thumb-pressed, baked, iced and sprinkled.

Red Velvet Rose Cookies were piped (hard work I heard), baked, piped with cream cheese icing and sprinkled with red sugar.

Lemon Poppy Seed Slices were cut, baked and drizzled with lemon icing. They were the easiest and in my humble opinion, the tastiest of the cookies.

These festive wreaths were assembled from a myriad of mini holly leaf wafers and finished with a red bow.

The heart shaped Brown Sugar Cut Outs are seen below. Somehow I missed photographing the Spicy Logs. Maybe it was because we made zillions of cookies that evening.

I thought that these were the prettiest: White Chocolate Raspberry thumb cookies. They reminded me of the almond thimble cookies with raspberry jam that my little Polish Grandma used to make.

In the end, isn’t that what Christmas baking is all about? Sharing a treat, spreading love and good cheer, making memories and reminiscing about Christmases gone by. I hope that your Christmas preparations and the season ahead will be filled with peace, comfort, joy and….cookies!

Kath’s quote: “When I buy cookies, I eat just four and throw the rest away. But first I spray them with Raid so I won’t dig them out of the garbage later. Be careful, though, because that Raid really doesn’t taste that bad.”-Janette Barber

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

For breakfast the last morning of the conference we were in for a treat of St. Viateur bagels, lox, capers, onions and cream cheese. Presented by Half Your Plate, I accompanied mine with a delicious fruit smoothie.

The surprise treats of Cacao Barry chocolates were provided at our morning break. Chocolate always gets me going. These were exquisitely crafted.

Another Montreal icon provided our lunch. Schwartz’s brought in a mini deli for our pleasure and we noshed on cole slaw, pickles, just sliced Montreal smoked meat and potato chips.

The mini tastes of sugar pie were a lovely touch. Around this table I connected with Maria of She Loves Biscotti.

And then before you knew it, the conference was over but since I was not departing for a couple of days, I still had more eating to do. Montrealer Evelyne was available to be our tour guide again and Joann, Michelle of The Tiffin Box and I hopped the metro for Marche Jean Talon where we tasted fine local wines, ciders and vermouths and took photos of the colourful produce  which was displayed so beautifully.

That evening Marlene, Joann and I pressed Montrealer Kimberlie to suggest her favourite local spot for dinner. Bouillon Bilk was an amazing way to crown the weekend with its sleek decor, personable staff and exquisite food. I am told that only locals frequent the place and this maybe because it is located in the most inconspicuous spot. After much indecision and deliberation, I chose carpaccio beef as my appetizer and a second starter of tortellini as my entree. Both provided perfection with each bite. These women were so generous in sharing their life stories and friendships were cemented. My photos could never do justice to the beauty of our plates.

We walked back to the Westin through Chinatown and detoured to the bar before all going up to perch on my roomie’s bed for additional chatter. We clearly were not ready for the weekend to end. In fact, before I clicked off the light that evening, I registered for the 2016 conference edition in Toronto where Food Bloggers Canada was born. And for me time in Montreal did not end. The next morning, before the Ontario entourage left for the train station, Charmian and I had one last treat together: Portuguese Custard Tarts that she had acquired on the walking food tour of Old Montreal and had stashed in our room fridge.

Moving from the Westin to nearby Zero 1 Hotel, I was smack in the middle of Chinatown. Hearing from other bloggers that Pho Bang New York was the place try, I ordered a shrimp pho to go. I slowly dished it out in my hotel room, not wanting the fragrant broth, crunchy veggies and silky noodles to disappear too quickly.

Soon after, Kimberlie, who had become more and more of a dear friend by the minute, arrived to the lobby for one last rendezvous. We each sipped a drink at Brasserie T and ordered a Parmesan Fondue to be considerate of the sleek little restaurant and its lovely staff and to tie us over until dinner.

Parmesan Fondue was the very first Quebec dish I sampled on the first night on my honeymoon, thirty-one years prior. Good food has the power to produce a life long memory.

We made our way by Metro to the illuminated lantern display at the Botanical Gardens before sharing an “old school” dinner of shrimp noodles, watercress and sizzling beef in Chinatown at Le Maison VIP before we finally said good-bye with embraces and commitments to keep in close touch.

And still my Montreal indulgences continued with my last chocolate croissant at the hotel and an order of poutine at the airport.

FBC 2015 in Montreal, where new friends were made over tables laden with food.

Kath’s quote: “Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ― Ruth Reichl

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

Our table mates for dinner on Friday evening were pre-determined for us, a FBC custom that I particularly love. I had the pleasure of sitting with Heather Travis of Heather in Heels who I met when she chose me to be a Beef Ambassador for Canada Beef a number of years prior. It was lovely to get caught up. I also came to know Kimberlie better, however she was across the table and so our conversation was limited.

I missed our traditional Thanksgiving Turkey dinner a couple of weeks prior as we had been en route to Milan from NYC. So I was pleased to know that Turkey Farmers of Canada was the host and that Tasty Turkey was the theme of the evening. Turkey in some form was incorporated into every course offering including a turkey confit-rillette salad, turkey paupiette and turkey sausage wonton (my personal fav)

and a turkey skin brittle which garnished our brioche bread pudding. I heard a number of my fellow bloggers comment that the dessert was a miss and that the chefs at the Westin should not have made this attempt. I personally thought that it was very inventive.

I loved the cheese course! Entertainment that evening was a variety of short food films, curated by Devour the Food Film Fest.  Some films were non-sensical, others I very much enjoyed. I really appreciated the Jackson-Triggs Reserve Merlot that was served to accompany the meal.

The next morning Burnbrae Farms and Gourmet Garden put on a scrumptious breakfast. I chose such a decadent omelet: ham, mushrooms, smoked cheddar and a truffle brown butter sauce!

These pecan croissants were delicious too.

Key note speaker Ricardo delighted the audience by sharing his tumultuous journey and making us cookies!

Dairy farmers of Canada put on our lunch of cream of tomato soup and a variety of grilled sandwiches. I selected a half crocque monsieur and another half of tuna melt.

Canadian Lentils hosted Saturday’s entertainment and dinner. A number of cirque troupe artists from Cirque Eloize performed for us intermittently throughout the evening. I am impressed over and over by the skills of Montreal-trained cirque performers.

Our appetizer of smoked and fresh trout tartar was accompanied by a apple, lentil sprout and fennel salad as well as a red lentil hummus and lemon crème fraiche and was inventive and delicious. I thought that the brown lentil blini was chalky and less successful.

The lentil strudel curry on braised beef cheek was immensely satisfying and the inclusion of spinach, cashews and a lemongrass coconut sauce was a lovely offset of the richness. I avoided the lentil chocolate cake as I was concerned that the chocolate might keep me awake that evening. I loved the Australian Wolf Blass “The Entertainer” wine that accompanied our feast.

Running out of space for these musings, so see Monday for part three.

Kath’s quote: “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.-James Beard

Live Simply, laugh often, love deeply.

I am proud and grateful to be a part of Food Bloggers Canada as a Regional Ambassador representing Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In 2013 I attended their first conference and last year I was unable to do so as it was my youngest daughter’s wedding day. I was very fortunate with the dates this year. I had just returned from Tuscany and New York two days prior and after enjoying a couple of lovely days at home, I repacked and jetted off again. I added a couple of days prior and post-conference for a variety of reasons and as I write this, it is the Tuesday morning after the conference and my 5th day in Montreal.

I speculate that there will be other conference recaps written that will detail the wisdom disseminated by the presenters. I intend to write about, what I always write about, the people I met and how we bonded over food.

Arriving on Thursday afternoon with fellow Manitoban Ashley Fehr, The Recipe Rebel, we checked in and headed up the street to Old Montreal to have a nibble to tide us over until the evening.

A silky bowl of carrot soup and a thirst-quenching local Griffon Blond at Le Bistro Du Magasin did the trick as we got to know each other a wee bit. We had previously me but only briefly in the middle of a Manitoba cabbage patch. Le Bistro is a cozy spot attached to a fabulous gift shop.

That evening Montreal blogger Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz organised a group dinner at BEVO Bar + Pizzeria, within walking distance of the hotel. Even on the walk over, friendships were being forged. Kimberlie aka The Finer Cookie sat kitty corner from me and as soon as we made eye contact, I knew that we would become fast friends and so we did. Also present were my roomie Charmian Christie, The Messy Baker, Marlene Cornell, of Urban Cottage Life and Joann Blondin of Joann Blondin. Little did I know that evening that these fine ladies and I would become new friends.

An overflowing plate of charcuterie and marinated vegetables not only sustained me that evening but also provided my Monday lunch. BEVO was very accommodating of our large group and I understood that their fennel, orange, pecan salad was a huge hit.

The next morning I found my way to Maison Charles Faure, a patisserie that I discovered when I visited Montreal in July of this year. A really tough decision was made between the almond croissants and the chocolate one that I ordered. When my fork penetrated the crispy/ flaky exterior the air swooshed out and deflated the pastry like a flat tire. The internal texture was soft and chewy. As I sat with my cafe latte in the beautiful sleek white shop, I watched the neighbours as they nipped in for their croissants to go.

Thanks to Marsha Knapp of You Gotta Eat This for the her copy of the photo and permission to post it.

I attended Andrew Scrivani’s photography workshop to learn to explore the capitalization of natural light and about how props can assist you in the telling of you tale.

Of course we all took photos of the working lunch of wraps that was served.

That evening we assembled for a networking cocktail party with a variety of sponsors displaying their products. Eggs, molasses, mushrooms and lentils put out delicious fare including a devilled egg with the twist of crispy bacon, marinated beef skewers, falafel, romesco & Havarti bites, beetroot & lentil bruschetta and mushroom crostinis. I could have just eaten these fabulous treats for supper.

Running out of space for these musings, so see tomorrow for part two.

Kath’s quote: “What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.”-C.S. Lewis

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.