Well, today Harley decided to show me that he understands loopholes in his commands already. He isn’t supposed to be on the stairs. When I was in the kitchen this morning, he proceeded to perch himself on one of the carpeted stairs, and stare at me. He has mastered a very cute version of complete defiance…
So, being the ever diligent dog owner who seeks to be consistent with his training, I commanded him to get on the floor. This was his response…
<sigh>
Yesterday evening we were treated to an awesome dinner at the home of friends of ours. Phil and Kristina are awesome people, and both are very good cooks. They own a good sized lot (with an amazing view), which is beautifully gardened with both ornamentals, and an impressive selection of produce that makes its way into some amazing dishes.
Phil is very well versed with his Bradley Smoker, as well as the very nice grill on their deck. Over the last while, we have traded some ‘care packages’ back and forth, and I am quick to say that we have gotten the better end of the deal thus far – but I will make it up, rest assured!
Dinner was with another couple and 3 of their kids, and the mix of people was really fun and the evening was all around a great time. The food was amazing – Phil had done a batch of pulled pork in the smoker, and he nailed it. I have had a lot of pulled pork in my travels down south, and this rivaled anything I have had in its clean simplicity, flavour, texture – it was perfect. You just can’t beat 16 hours of ‘low and slow’ for perfect shreds of pork goodness. Paired with a really nice homemade sauce and some slaw on grilled toasted buns, they were 10 outta 10.
Kris had done a batch of slow cooker baked beans, and they were an equal match to the pulled pork. Thick sauce and tender beans with a great toothiness, sweet and spicy, with a really full rounded flavour. I could eat that by the bucket load, but I think that Kathy would probably have to object eventually as a matter of survival. Phil and Kris love their food really spicy, and for the crowd she backed the spice off from her normal level of heat, and it was perfect for us. They had that really nice zingy heat that complimented the other flavours without taking over the world. Again, 10 outta 10!
There was a couple of types of grilled chicken, one with a nice lemon herb marinade, flavourful but suitable (mild) for the younger folks, and then an adult version with a seasoning rub they make that is based in a variety of hot peppers and herbs. It had a gorgeous heat that brought a ton of flavour to the party, and an attitude that kicked your taste buds in the ass to make sure they were paying attention. Paired with bit of fresh pineapple grilled up to balance the heat – Very, very nice…
There was a phenomenal potato salad, and then what by all accounts was a very good green salad with a couple of different homemade vinaigrettes. Unfortunately my plate seemed to keep running out of room before I got to the green salad. What can I say – if something’s gotta give, it will be green. After all greens are really meant to be my foods food.
Great food, great wine and awesome company – we will remember last night for a long time, and we really look forward to reciprocating for them as our busy schedules allow. Thanks guys, and we look forward to doing it again soon!
Yesterday we made a quick trip up to my mom’s place, a couple hours from here for a visit. Mom has had a couple of poodles for quite a few years, and a few months ago poor Christopher reached the end of his run. His littermate Jonathan is also entering into the homestretch, so my sister decided that it would be good for Mom to have a new companion, a decision that I think awesome.
So upon arrival at Mom’s, we were surprised to find her new little buddy, Max. Now, ‘little buddy’ really doesn’t quite cover it. He is a 9 week old Chihuahua puppy, so he is tiny. Harley, who is tiny compared to his sister Eve, towered over Max. Max actually walked under Harley with little difficulty. He is cute as can be, and has an attitude that is just great. He chased Harley around, and just basically indulged himself in all the behaviours that puppies do. It was funny to see Harley on the receiving end of what he dishes out to Eve all the time.
Harley had a pretty good sense of humour about it, even though he was feeling less than stellar due to the trip. So far he is still like a fine bottle of wine – he doesn’t travel very well. He will get better with travel as he gets older and more used to it, but in the mean time we have to deal with a pukey puppy. Due to Jonathan’s advancing years and frailty, Eve spent the day at the doggy spa instead of making the trip. We were just too worried that in her exuberance, Eve would damage poor old Jonathan. She will get a chance to meet Max before too long, and I will make sure to have a video camera handy for that one!
We welcome Max to the family, and thanks to Heather and Ed for setting up Mom with her new little friend!
You may note a change in the menu structure of the Recipe tab. I ran into an issue with the drop down menu dropping down to where it was not visible. I have changed to what you see here now, and I think that it will probably work better anyway.
I may in the future sub category the recipes in each of the sections, but as it stands there really isn’t much of a need until I get some more content typed up and posted.
S
Well, today started with a start… about 5:30 I woke up with my brain deciding now was a good time to remember that I hadn’t closed the garage doors last night. Of course, once I was fully awake, I determined that my undeniably better half had closed them.
So I took up my position on the couch, and clicked on the idiot box. as happens all so (too) often, I ended up on the Food Network (Canada). Coffee in hand, I was soon engrossed watching Eat. St.
Eat St. is a ‘on location’ based food show, with a crew traveling from city to city showcasing the Food Truck culture. I am always so impressed with the creativity and dedication of these folks who turn out so many amazing dishes from such small kitchens.
We have a fledgling food truck scene here in our home town, with all the creativity and skill of the food trucks anywhere, just in very limited numbers. Cat and Joes Pig Rig, Eats Amore, Bellringer are a few of the trucks. Last year we were very fortunate to have a stand right across from my office, and we were able to partake with ‘some’ regularity. This year the stand spaces are there, but due to some governance issues with the City, the truck operators all made other arrangements and bailed on the City spaces. (note to the City – we aren’t happy)
My favorite is Cat and Joe’s Pig Rig (nothing against the rest, but being a devout Meatatarian…). True southern Q, and everything including the smoking done right in the truck. Cat and Joe are a great couple, and they work very hard putting out great food. And just because, hey – a food truck isn’t work enough already, they are in the process of opening a brick and mortar restaurant as well.
I encourage everyone who hasn’t already done so, seek out a food truck in your home town. Explore the amazingly creative and delicious offerings that these hard working folks have to offer!
Happy Food Truck Hunting!
So tonight over dinner, the Chief Food Taster said to me casually “you need a logo”. I responded with “yes, but I need a stenographer as well”.
Fast forward 4 hours, and I now have a new logo. I did a bit of searching on the good old internet, and eventually decided to go with GraphicSprings, and overall I am fairly happy with the site and result.
I also have a stenographer! Kathy has offered to take on the decidedly unenviable task of trying to read my handwriting (if you can call it that) and type it into the computer. Her first discovery is that the recipes in my notebook more often than not are simply ingredients lists – from there I generally just wing it. However, part of putting these recipes out for others to read, is that I guess is am going to actually have to offer an explanation of WHAT you do with the list of ingredients.
The process of writing up these recipes is going to take a while, but it is nice to have help with that while I keep climbing the steep learning curve getting the site to a form that I am happy with.
Well, with that brief note, it is back to the programming…
I awoke this morning a bit before the sun crested up over Strawberry Hills. Flipped on the tv and waited for the sun to join me to start the new day.
When the sun peaked over the mountain, the light that cascaded into the living room was an a beautiful warm golden glow. A surreal warm golden glow…
It has arrived – currently there are a frighteningly large number of forest fires burning in British Columbia, as there are in many of the western provinces and states. The smoke from those fires is now spreading across the province, and is so thick that it is filtering the sun. Vancouver got hit with the smoke yesterday, today it has made it here.
The smoke is heavy enough to cause respiratory difficulties for those who have underlying issues, and is just not conducive to outside activities. Hopefully the prevailing winds will shift to blow the smoke away before too long, but so strong as to fan the flames.
As I look at the smoke from the safety of my home, my thoughts go to the young men and women on the ground, and the flight crews who are working thru this smoke to protect homes and businesses from these major wildfires. May you all get home to your loved ones safe and sound, thank you for your service to all of us.
Pulled pork is one of my favorite meats. In the summer, I do my pulled pork in my Bradley smoker. But living in the north much of the year smoking outside is just not a realistic option. That is when I turn to my slow cooker.
The inspiration for this recipe comes in part from Ree Drummond’s Spicy Pop Pulled Pork. I went in my own direction for the recipe from the get go, but her recipe sounds really good as well.
It is a bit of work, but I really like the result. Having pulled pork in the middle of winter is definitely a great way to remember the days of summer.
Enjoy!
Cornbread is one of those dishes that varies greatly from region to region of the United States. Canada tends to go along with the northern versions, as of course they are our neighbours.
In the south, cornbread tends to be more cornmeal and less flour, for a dryer texture and more corn flavoured taste.
In the north, cornbread tends to be less cornmeal and more flour, for a cakier texture and less pronounced corn taste.
In my kitchen, I have found that I like a balance of the two. I developed a cornbread recipe, and have been using it for a few years now. One morning I had some buttermilk left over, and an overabundance of cornmeal. I decided that I wanted to see how well the cornbread muffin mixture would convert over to pancake recipe. After a couple of adjustments, I have a recipe that I am quite happy with. It is a bit more northern, but still has a good cornbread taste and texture. I did sweeten it up, but used brown sugar and honey so that there was not just sweetness from the ingredients, but a flavour as well.
There is a fair amount of butter in this recipe, but it contributes to the tenderness of the pancake. It also makes butter at the table unnecessary, and when leftovers are toasted they can easily be eaten out of hand with no added butter.
These are a nice brunch pancake, and if you have some pulled pork kicking around, serve them in a stack with pulled pork in between and Jack Daniels/Maple syrup poured over the top for a super nice sweet and savoury breakfast. They also pair very well with my Maple Butter, or so says my chief taste tester.
Aniko Birtch was a very special lady in my life. Aniko was my best friend, my partner and my love. She was also an amazing mother, and an awesome cook.
Aniko and I enjoyed cooking together, and this was a recipe that we came up with one afternoon collaborating in the kitchen. It was something we created for her Grandmother, something easy to portion out and freeze for her have on hand.
Almost as quickly as Aniko came into my life, she was gone. She was diagnosed with cancer, and after 11 short months of cramming as much life into every day that we could, she slipped away from us.
I cherish my memories of this very special lady, and this dish will always take me back to my time with her.
Hi Everyone – we are doing our best to get into all sorts of ‘stuff’ that you may find amusing. Stay tuned for stories from the kennel!
Well, it is starting to come together. The format of the site is getting there, and then I will start the process of building up the content. I have a few recipes that are ready for typing, and over the course of time I will do some better quality photography to go along with them.
I have found the tutorial videos offered by Lynda.com to be super helpful. Morten Rand-Hendriksen has put together a really well organized set of tutorials to guide you thru the learning process. I highly recommend this resource for those looking to learn WordPress.
Stay tuned, more to come!