Are you familiar with the expression “Well it must not take much to make you happy” usually said with a sneer and a sarcastic tone?  How could receiving happiness from the little things in life, possibly be a bad thing?  Today  I have chosen to be alone. I got a few urgencies taken care of this morning in the city and arrived at our little cottage about noon. 

This is how I have spent the time since I got here: I immediately took my Granddog for a walk down to the beach to see how high the water level was and to see what damage that it has done over the winter.  I returned to the cottage and had a lovely lunch of delicious leftovers.  I then ventured out again, this time with a spade and a bucket to dig up marsh marigolds from a flat/wet stretch by the beach.  

The plan for the rest of the day is to write and mark papers from my perch on the wicker love-seat  on the deck.  I may make a cup of David’s tea that was a recent gift from Daughter #1 and tonight if the weather is not too wild I will head down for sunset with a lovely glass of Merlot -a gift from daughter #2.  As an extra special treat, I will have an end piece of Jeanne’s banana cake.   You see, today is my birthday. 

So why would I choose to be all alone on my birthday?  Well, for one I had a wonderful day of celebrations yesterday and for two, I love being alone.  It is one of the things on my list of simple things that make me happy.  It goes together with eating only when I am hungry and eating exactly what I want.  Because I am alone I could have cracked pepper sunflower seeds and an iced coffee for breakfast today. 

I am getting older but not too old that I couldn’t stand and dance for two hours at the U2 concert last night.  Not too old that I can’t take a spin on my turquoise Road King bicycle that I brought from the city with me today.  Not too old that I can’t hear and identify the individual sounds of the birds that live in the forest around the cottage.  Not too old that I can’t smell and savour the rich scent of the lush underbrush and wild flowers that are abundant because of this wet spring.  Not too old that I can’t get on line and enjoy all the best wishes of my Facebook friends.  Not too old and pre-occupied with aches and pains instead of the well-being of good health and vitality that I enjoy.

I have a puppy dog curled up and snoozing beside me; I have work that I love that can be accomplished from any location; I have a family and a circle of friends whom I adore; I have a good book waiting for me when my work is done; it is the little things.  I am content-happy birthday to me.

Kath’s quote: “Cooks are in some ways very much like actors; they must be fit and strong, since acting and cooking are two of the most exacting professions. They must be blessed – or cursed, whichever way you care to look at it – with what is called the artistic temperament, which means that if they are to act or cook at all well, it cannot be for duds or dummies.”
Andre Simon

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.

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

So I’ve been hammering away at my computer every morning of this past year in my turquoise housecoat doing this blogging thing and with the New Year, it is time to take a fresh look at things.  Could I please get your help? 

In case you’re too polite to post your opinions in the comment section of the blog itself-here is my email address for your honest thoughts: kgrisim@gmail.com

Feel free to answer as many or as few questions as you wish:

1) the template that I’m using was intended to feel like a personal journal, is this appropriate or should I go to a fresh design? what design elements would suit the content?

2) I use a combination of my own photos and a photo service that I subscribe to-does this mixture of styles look inconsistent? is this an issue? should I use all of my own or all of a service?

3) I include many anecdotes from my personal life-thoughts, reflections, circumstances…..this makes for an interesting read or you don’t really give a poop?

4) I don’t consider myself a restaurant critic but more of a food appreciator and my restaurant reviews reflect this.  Is this helpful or do you want to know about all of my negative observations as well?

5) If you are from Winnipeg-how do you feel when I write about our travel destinations?  Are the details of a dining experience boring if it is a place that you will never get to travel to?

6) If you have come to the blog through trip advisor for info about Isla Mujeres, is the stuff about Winnipeg and Manitoba lake country tedious for you?

7) Are you able to navigate the site easily i.e. if you are looking for a specific topic or recipe?  What “Pages” or Categories would be useful to you?  i.e. should I further categorize recipes into breakfast, lunches, etc.

9) Is my heart sign off hooky and overly sentimental?

10) Are “Kath’s quote’s” interesting/funny/ironic or dumb?

11)  Are my entries too long or too short?

12)  I blog every workday, is this too often or not often enough?

13)  I currently have a single advertiser but have been approached to include more.  Do you mind blog advertising?

14) Do you find too many spelling mistakes, sentence structure errors and spacing issues?  Do you actually notice or care or does it drive you absolutely crazy?

15) What other suggestions do you have for me?

Kath’s quote: “Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes.”-Frieda Norris

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.