Over a year has come and gone since the opening of Unburger and D had still not had a chance to visit there.  But the fabulous little place was “top of mind” since Uptown’s- Best of Winnipeg list had come out and indicated that it was voted “best new restaurant” on the vibrant Winnipeg scene.  (Food Musings was declared “best Winnipeg blog”-quite an honour).  A casual dinner with a business friend from out of town became the right occasion and D finally ventured in.

D just had to have the Drunken Aussie, tempted by the taste combination of beets, double smoked bacon and Bothwell cheese.

But look more closely for the real taste sensation-an omega three, perfectly cooked,  sunny side up egg, perched on top.  This makes for glorious, rich and goey eating.

Our American friend loved her Chicken Burger (but I was holding the table by the window and was not in ear shot to hear which one she ordered).

I was well pleased with my choice of a Bella Burger- a portabella mushroom burger with a special treat of balsamic onions.

At Unburger even the sides are good or shall I say the sides are especially good.  I was really hoping that D or our friend would have ordered either of the potato fries but was not disappointed by the “Edamommy” in curry salt and was over the moon for the 8 Grain Energy Salad that D and I both chose.  It was chock full of 2 kids of quinoa and roasted almonds-yummers!

Kyle came over to say hi but quickly had to get back to expediting the hot orders from the busy kitchen to his hungry guests.  It sure is wonderful to see young talent like the Unburger guys obviously doing so well.  The food and the restaurant itself is fresh and clean and simply adorned.

The evening was gorgeous and so we had a walk through the village and ended the evening with a glass of wine at the new/old Basil’ s patio-a perfect summer evening in Winnipeg.

Kaths quote: “Love and eggs are best when they are fresh.” –Russian proverb

With the arrival of the May Long weekend, our routine of heading out to our little cottage as often as possible, is in full swing.  There aren’t many weekends as busy as May Long (Sister #2 prepared omelets for 17 people), but we do often feed a gang and so I am always on the look out for oven recipes that can be served to many.

When it was my turn on the brunch roster, I prepared these apple bran muffins and blue berry scones.

J1 grilled the sausages on the barbeque for me-such a good boy.

And I put together these Baked Eggs.  These photos aren’t terribly artsy as I was focused on getting hot food in front of the masses.

drizzle of canola oil

1 doz ripe tomatoes

1 doz eggs

grated parmesan to your liking

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Prepare a shallow baking dish by drizzling canola oil into the bottom.  Choose the dish size, so that the tomatoes will stand upright without falling onto their side.  Remove stem and scoop out tomato (set aside inside flesh for another use i.e. salsa).  Place tomatoes with the open top up, into pan.  Crack eggs one by one into tomato cup.  Sprinkle with parmesan.  The easiest way to reduce fat in a dish like this is by sparingly adding the cheese.  On this morning, I had slices of spicy havarti available and so I used it for a heartier version.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes until eggs are cooked to your liking.

Two of the hungry gang.

Kath’s quote: “Hunger is the best pickle.”-Benjamin Franklin

I do not even remember how long ago it was, that I met my friend Bill (but my hair was a completely different colour then).  For decades we have been part of a close knit media community in this city.  Perhaps it is only my perception of this business, but for me it is like a game of golf.  You cheer on greatness and everyone strives to do their best and there never appears to be any losers even when some fall to the bottom of the leader board.  Everyone conducts themselves in a polite and courteous manner and there are very few displays of bad temper.  I love this business and it is because of people like Bill Hanson that it is such a pleasure to be a part of the media scene in Winnipeg.

Some businesses play lip-service to the term “partnerships” but the company that Bill headed up for so many years, lived the philosophy like no other.  We often went to them with our hair-brained media ideas and they listened politely, and then low and behold, they would find a way to make it happen!  In the end, our clients benefited, we certainly did and so did Bill’s station because we went back to them time after time, to plan our clients’ television campaigns together, in this mutually beneficial manner.

Bill always picked up his phone for me and gave me advice about the industry in general and I would do the same for him (from a buyers’ perspective) on the few occasions when it was required.  Bill had a quiet, “behind- the- scenes style”, never taking the spotlight for himself but always shining it on his team.

And speaking of golf-the station golf days were the highlight of June every year, for the many years before belt- tightening had to occur for most media companies.  There was frivolity on the course, a great steak dinner at the clubhouse and the prizes…I came home with a TV one year that took up almost all of my van space!  Bill would make the rounds at the end of a long day and thank us all for coming.  

Things had been tough for Bill over the last year but it was apparent that he had kicked the cancer that had meant surgery and treatments and time away for his beloved gang at the station.  And then he decided to go on an extra vigorous bike ride…

I am sad about many things surrounding Bill’s passing but most of all that he did not get to hold and smile into the face of his newly born grandchild.   He would have made an magnificent Grandpa, just as he was an extraordinary management leader and a good and true friend.

One image that is bringing me comfort at this time, is Bill’s enormous smile and long-armed wave, as he said good-bye to us at the end of our golf days.  Bill you were much loved and will be truly mourned and greatly missed.

According to Wikpedia,  Letterman’s Top Ten List  was created as a way of mocking the lists which appeared in People magazine.  My list is not a mockery…

10.  Buying local means supporting the cattle industry right here in Manitoba-I come from a long line of agrologists and grew up wandering around the livestock section of the Royal Winter Fair in Brandon with my Dad.

9.  We are a busy, busy family and as long as I remember to take a couple of cuts out of the freezer in the morning, beef is quick and easy to prepare.

8.  We love The Keg Steakhouse and Bar.  D and I met there many years ago and we go back on a regular basis to catch up with old friends and sink our teeth into a baseball sirloin or their melt in your mouth prime rib.

7.  Ground Beef is so economical.  I buy the value packs and then subdivide it into chubs for the freezer.  The less lean grades are less expensive and we have a healthy (and frugal) manner to prepare it.  I saute up garlic, onions etc, in a separate pan from the ground beef.  Once the beef is finished cooking, I place it is a colander and rinse it with a spray of very hot water.  The fat is washed away and then I tossed it with the veggies that have been cooked up separately.

6.  Since there is a diabetes risk in my family, I am trying to consumer more protein and less sugars and carbohydrates.  Beef is a perfect protein source.

5.  I am just slightly anemic and beef is a fabulous way to boost up my iron-I even feel less tired after I eat it.

4. We honour so many special occasions with beef.  From the Superbowl to

the Academy Awards.

I got to celebrate  Mother’s Day with two families this year.  On Saturday, D invited the kids over to hang with me in our yard that was full of blossoming trees.  The next day, I was served up another Mother’s Day dinner at the cottage.  This one was lovingly prepared for my sister and I by her husband: smashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, mushrooms and steak-oh my!

3.  Steak & Toppers-Last year for my birthday D prepared medium rare New York steaks and then one topping of a balsamic tomato salsa and chevre and another of grilled shrimp in a hollandaise sauce.  My birthday is coming up soon-what beef dish will he make me this time?

2.  Teriyaki Beef Kabobs-they were requested by Daughter #3 for her birthday supper this weekend.  D is going to make the sauce from scratch this evening and marinate them for 24 hours before skewering them with veggies for the grill.

And the number 1 reason why I love Canada Beef (drum roll please):  I was the recipient of their scholarship to attend Eat Write Retreat in Washington, DC earlier this month.  I learned so much from the presenters and other participants and can’t wait to return next year!  A life changing experience for me…

Kath’s quote: “Beef is the soul of cooking.”-Marie-Antoine Carême

This post is inspired by something that has recently occurred and another that is about to occur. This past weekend I attended “Eat Write Retreat 2012” where I met so many amazing women.  Yesterday I read the post of a fellow blogger that really stirred me  One Simple Step That is Changing my Life.  In the writing exercise that she is referring to, I was given the single word focus of JOY.  Her post reminded me about a lesson that I learned long ago, but have not focused upon lately, and that is “an attitude of gratitude”.  I am about to adopt a new routine where I awake each morning to perform an inventory of what brings me joy in my life and be grateful for these blessings.

Tonight I am attending my first meeting of the Women Business Owners of Manitoba, where I happen to be the dinner speaker.  I do not think that the timing of this is by accident.  Often I bemoan the conclusion of the career that I loved so much and that prompted me (kicking and screaming) into becoming an entrepreneur.  But this morning, I am so grateful and not because I am making wads of cash (because that is certainly not the case) but for these reasons:

The first relates to the above, when you are self employed you never really know where your next assignment will come from and during this roller coaster ride, it is hard not to feel defeated and sorry for yourself.  In these “desert” times of money coming in, I focus my energies on reducing the money going out-by cooking from scratch, creating hand-made gifts, decorating with refurbished materials, shopping second hand with a little revamping on my sewing machine and cleaning and re-organizing.  It is amazing how new and fresh my house feels when the dust bunnies are chased away.

Reason number two is that I am still considered an expert in my former field so that I get just enough projects to keep me connected to my many friends in the media industry.

Another reason is sharing my love of the things that I know how to do well in teaching, training and instructing.  This is new to me and I am loving it!  I had always wanted to be a Home Ec. teacher and now, many years later,  I am (in a mixed up way) fulfilling that dream.  This too is becoming a revenue source that proves to come in handy.

This next reason, is a surprize to me –I get to write every day.  My imagination wakes up even before my body does, with ideas of how I will approach my next assignment or blog post.  Before I fall asleep I say to myself, “in the morning, I am immediately going to get out for my walk”, and then I find myself inexplicably drawn to the computer to record my thoughts before they slip away (one of the challenges of being a menopausal writer).

AND I get to write about what I love.  Food and the preparation of it for my extended family and friends brings me- JOY.  Sure I produce flops, think my kitchen is too small and hate that I often seem to get stuck emptying the dishwasher, but I love the intimate bond that food creates.

Another reason is that I have become a traveller.  My instructing and my own learning have taken me to places that I have never been before, in addition to having the time and resources to regularly visit our precious Isla Mujeres in Mexico and cities in the US and Europe on our bucket list.

I have so much freedom.  I can work from my backyard gazebo or our little cottage at the lake, I can take my morning walk along the river(accompanied by my cell phone), I can volunteer each week as a baby hugger,  I can visit my aging Mom, I can babysit the kids of friends, I can teach my daughter-in-law how to plant her first perennial garden, I can drive my youngest to university for a crucial exam, I can dog-sit our grand-dog when my eldest becomes extra busy, I can meet my sister for lunch and friends for coffee, I can garden on my lunch break, I can tidy the house while I am awaiting for an email, I can be available for family emergencies and best of all, I can pamper and take care of my husband (who fills in the financial gaps by working very, very hard).

A huge reason is that I am my own boss.  I concentrate on the projects that I enjoy.  I can work in one of my many turquoise house coats and woolly socks if I choose and have a luxurious bath (instead of a quick morning shower) in the middle of a rainy day.

I could go on and on (and I will do so privately, every morning) but I think that you get my drift.

I have not truly thanked my friend and former employer for presenting me with this freedom when we had that tearful “pink slip” conversation a couple of years ago or another friend who suggest that I start blogging.  In spite of my initial resistance, I can truly say I am happy to be a Woman Business Owner in Manitoba!

Kath’s quote: “The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite.”-A. J. Liebling