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A picture tour of some of the highlights and favourite memories of the summer of 2010:
A favourite way to spend a summer night in our newly landscaped backyard! We just didn't do this often enough!
Link:
* Wright Landscaping
Hot dogs taste best cooked over an open fire and eaten outdoors - slathered in condiments!
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted something (anything!) on my blog.
I’ve got excuses! Lots of them.
* I’ve been busy with my work blog – Everything Eggs.
* I had to develop recipes to teach a couple of Afternoon Tea classes – one at Thyme to Cook in Guelph and the other at Household China and Gifts in Waterloo.
Triangle- shaped herb-crusted egg salad sandwiches pair perfectly with a cup of tea!
* I’ve been doing some recipe development and food writing for Roomplanners‘ e-zine.
I’m a food magazine junkie, always on the lookout for the latest issues of my favourites, or the arrival of brand new publications.
A quick perusal of the magazine shelves at a Kitchener grocery store tonight rewarded me with a newbie – The County Grapevine. This newcomer focuses on the food, wine, art and culture of Prince Edward County (PEC) in southern Ontario.
It seems I’m a little late getting to the party on this one; the issue I picked up is for Fall/Winter 2009/2010 (it’s a biannual publication). The magazine has been around for a while. How did I miss it??
So where exactly is Prince Edward County? PEC is an island at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. It is surrounded on the north and east by the Bay of Quinte, and is west of the St. Lawrence River. Its mild climate (by Canadian standards, that is!) has made it home to numerous vineyards and wineries.
What initially attracted me to The County Grapevine as I leafed through it in the store was the article Steeped in Tradition by tea expert Melody Wren. As a tea lover always looking for new places to enjoy a good cuppa’, I was interested to read her review of tea rooms in PEC.
Since bringing the magazine home, I’ve read and enjoyed a couple light-hearted pieces – “I was a teenage waitress” by comedian Deborah Kimmett and “Table Manners: The Lost Art of Dinner Parties” by sommelier Natalie MacLean.
I also noticed that food stylist and blogger Ruth Gangbar was credited for food styling in the magazine.
Tomorrow I’ll have to take some time to savour the food and wine articles!
The County Grapevine is available free in Prince Edward County and surrounding areas and can be purchased at Chapters, Indigo, Metro, and stores within the Loblaws chain.
The cupcake craze has been in full swing for a few years but I still did a double take when I saw a mobile cupcake shop on a New York City street recently.
I didn’t stop to check out the confections at the Cupcake Stop as I’d just come from a day of classes at the French Culinary Institute and couldn’t possibly have eaten another bite. And besides, it was cool, windy and raining, although that didn’t seem to deter others from choosing from an assortment of cupcake flavours. (View the full menu of cupcake flavours online).
The Cupcake Stop has been roaming the streets of the Big Apple since June of this year. You can find out where the truck will be by checking the CupcakeStop web site and Twitter.
If you’re a cupcake lover and plan to visit NYC, check out this list of where to get cupcakes in New York City from the Carroll County Times.
Or you can hop across the river into New Jersey and visit Carlo’s Bakery (of TLC’s Cake Boss fame) for cupcakes, as we did on a trip to NYC this summer.
Cupcakes from Carlo's Bakery in New Jersey
Fashions for chocolate lovers? Oh yeah!
Okay, I’m not sure I’d wear an outfit made out of chocolate, but the chocolate fashions created for the Salon du Chocolat (Chocolate Show) and modelled in Paris on Oct. 13 are pretty amazing.
On second thought, if you were wearing one of these, you’d always be able to satisfy your chocolate cravings!
Chances are you eat or drink while driving. Everybody does.
But is what you’re consuming on the list of the “10 most dangerous foods to eat while driving“? Chances are it is.
Here’s the list courtesy of insure.com*:
- Coffee
- Hot soup
- Tacos
- Chili Dogs
- Hamburgers
- Barbecued food
- Fried chicken
- Jelly donuts
- Soft drinks
- Chocolate
(I’m definitely guilty of #1, #5, #9, lots of #10, and a very occasional #8.)
In some cases, it’s not just the act of eating or drinking that’s the issue. It’s the resulting sticky fingers and the drips and spills on the steering wheel or your clothes post pig-out that cause the problem!
Of course food and drink are just some of the distractions (how about talking to others in the car, using a cell phone, changing the radio station or CD, programming the GPS, etc.) that when combined with the sudden need to swerve, slow down, or negotiate a curve in the road, can cause accidents.
I commute 75 km to work each day on a busy highway. I’ve seen drivers do many dumb things while at the wheel: eat cereal (with a spoon…from a bowl!), apply make-up, shave, read a paperback, text, write in a notebook…..
I should confess I’m not completely innocent when it comes to multi-tasking while driving. I have mixed a salad, wrapped a gift, and made notes for a presentation while behind the wheel. Not at the same time, mind you. And while stopped at lights, not while driving. Still, rather foolish things to be doing while I should be concentrating on driving, for the sake of myself and everyone else on the road!
(*Here’s the complete article including some safety tips while driving.)
Most mornings my breakfast consists of a piece of whole wheat toast slathered with peanut butter, or yogurt and Dorset cereal, or a microwave poached egg and toast.
On weekends, the breakfast bar often gets raised a notch. The skillet comes out, and soon the heady aroma of crisply cooked bacon and fried eggs (sunny side up is my fave!) fills the house. Aaaahhhh! The breakfast of champions!
You can never go wrong with bacon and eggs, but when it’s a special morning or you’re preparing breakfast for guests, it’s fun to serve up something a little different.
While in New York City recently, I attended a Four Star Breakfast cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education. The four-hour class was taught by Chef Chad Pagano. Besides me, there were 13 other breakfast lovers looking to learn some new recipes for the most important meal of the day.
Following afternoon tea at Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon in New York City last week, Loreen and I decided to try to find Strand book store (its inventory includes new, used, out of print and rare books, and you can get some really good deals).
As we passed through Union Square heading down Broadway Avenue, Loreen suddenly uttered those magic words I love to hear – “I’m pretty sure there’s a chocolate shop around here somewhere.”
Sure enough, within a few blocks we had stumbled upon Max Brenner’s Chocolate by the Bald Man.
We were not in the least bit hungry considering what we’d just eaten at Lady Mendl’s, but as a serious chocoholic, I was compelled to go in and check the place out. Loreen loves chocolate too; she didn’t need any convincing to make this stop.
Stepping into the store was like entering chocolate heaven. These pictures might help to explain but you really have to experience the place in person to get the full effect.
I had read many positive reviews about Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon in New York City, so this past weekend on a recent trip to NYC, I decided to check it out with my sister Loreen who lives on Long Island.
We’d made reservations for the 5 p.m. seating on Friday afternoon. Weekdays there is also a 3 p.m. seating, while on Saturday and Sunday the options are 12, 2:30 and 5 p.m. Reservations are recommended (Ph: 212-533-4466). I made reservations online a few days before coming to NYC. If you do this, you’ll need to call the tea house the day before your visit to confirm.
The tea room is located in The Inn at Irving Place (56 Irving Place, between E 17th and 18th Streets in the Gramercy Park area). It’s easy to miss as there is only a small sign on the exterior of the building.
Lady Mendl's Tea Salon in The Inn at Irving Place
Once we found the location and made the climb up the steep steps to the front door, we were greeted inside and shown to our table in the front room. (I’m not sure if there is an alternate entrance to the tea room for those who have difficulty with steps.)
The interior of Lady Mendl's
I’ve had tea at the White House a couple times in the last few weeks.
Before you start thinking I must be politically well connected, no, I wasn’t in Washington sipping tea and exchanging pleasantries with Barack and Michelle at that White House. I was in Waterdown, Ontario at this White House.
Tea at the White House in Waterdown, Ontario
Both times I visited Tea at the White House, I sat in the front room which surprisingly, given the size of the room, is able to seat 14 people. There’s not a lot of space between the tables, but considering the number of guests that came and went on both my visits, the tea room is a popular place and needs as much seating as can be squeezed in. (I’d recommend making reservations if you plan to visit, especially at lunch time.)
The menu can be viewed online. When we visited on Easter Sunday, I had the High Tea.
High Tea (for two) at the White House
I’m not sure why it’s called High Tea as it’s actually an afternoon tea complete with sandwiches, scones, Devon double cream and preserves, loads of fruit, and sweets. Murray and I enjoyed it as an early supper, but if we’d visited in the early afternoon, we’d probably have shared a single order.
The scones are really good – very tender and with sugared tops. You can purchase scones to take home. I was tempted but managed to refrain, opting instead to purchase some loose tea – Darjeeling Margaret’s Hope Estate Black Tea and Gingia Assam Black Tea – in tin containers. (If you bring the containers back for a refill, you can purchase the next batch of tea at a discounted price.)
On my second visit a week later, I chose the soup of the day (a tortellini and vegetable soup) followed by the Devonshire Cream Tea – two scrumptious scones with Devon double cream and preserves. (Love those scones!)
I’d like to try the Gloucestershire Sandwich & Cheese Platter on my next visit. One such order had just been delivered to a table we squeezed past on our way out and the assortment of sandwiches, cheeses, crackers and fruit looked very inviting.
Tea at the White House is also a retail shop and offers loose tea, tea accessories, books about tea, and even tea-based beauty products for sale.
You can read reviews for Tea at the White House at Restaurantica.
Tea at the White House
279 Dundas St. E.
Waterdown, ON (on Hwy 5, north of Hamilton and on top of the escarpment)
L0R 2H0
Ph: (905) 690-9987
