Back and Forth... by Barbara (Ruth)

Back and forth, back and forth. Like the tarnished brass pendulum in an old clock, a metronome tapping out the rhythm for a piano student, or a magician's watch swinging from his gloved hand as he hypnotizes you.

The phrase "back and forth" brings to mind something monotonous and repetitive. Our Canadian readers may have heard the Longo's grocery store radio commercial in which a monotone female voice says, "you get up you wake up the kids you get dressed you wake up the kids again you have breakfast you drive the kids to school you go to work..." And it goes on, until the woman goes to Longos and buys Italian cheese that reminds her of that vacation twenty years ago where she met Octavio! And then it goes back to the monotonous drone of her day, back and forth between work and home.

I guess we all have a bit of the "back and forth" syndrome in our lives. I know I do. But there is one "back and forth" that I complete a dozen or more times each year, and it is neither sleep-inducing nor monotonous, although it could be.

I'm referring to my trek from Toronto to our family cottage in Muskoka. Now if you're not a cottager (or an equivalent - a weekend camper or a hiker, perhaps) you probably think people like me are completely nuts. Spending hours in traffic each weekend, burning through gas, seeing the same boring scenery fly (or crawl) by, just to turn around a few days later and reverse the process - well, that is clearly not everyone's cup of tea.

This kind of traffic isn't really ANYONE'S cup of tea.

But don't mind the trek. For a few reasons. First, I know that this is waiting for me at the other end. The dock is the most peaceful place in my world, and I instantly feel the tensions of the week seep away. The water is calming, the sunsets are glorious, and the frogs and the loons sing me to sleep. I sleep VERY well at the cottage.

And anyway, I kind of like the back and forth of it. You can make it all about the traffic, or obsessively timing yourself to see if you can beat your record (2:18). Or you can set yourself little milestones along the way, and note the quirky little sights that make cottage country so loveable.

No road trip is complete without a passenger, and this is usually mine. She's pretty good about it too, and a "must have" at any woodland cottage prone to mice.

My route can be very boring if I'm in a hurry - straight up the 400 pretty much all the way. Not a whole lot to see except the amazing Muskoka granite in shades of pink and grey. My Mum and I used to marvel at how the engineers cut through it to build the highways - it was only a couple of years ago that the 400 completed its two-lane construction all the way to Parry Sound.

I much prefer the route that veers off of the 400 at Barrie, taking you along Highway 11 through Orillia, Gravenhurst and Bracebridge and into my little village of Rosseau. There is always something new to see, and as I thought about this post today, I took a few extra pics from the car (pardon the quality). Someday I'm going to write about yet another route home - the things you see if you're paying attention!

Anyway, here's a taste of my back and forth route to heaven on earth.

Dad always said "the Severn bridge is where we enter the North". It's not, of course.
It's  "central" Ontario, or as we call it, "the near north."

In 1963 Weber's hamburger joint opened along Highway 11 inArdtrea, Ontario. Soon it became a mecca for cottagers both to and from the cottage, creating serious traffic issues as people crossed 4 lanes of traffic for a burger and fries. In 1981 the government fixed that by installing a barrier down the centre of the highway. In 1982 they added a chain link fence to stop people from climbing over the barrier. 

In 1983, Webers bought this bridge that had been a pedestrian walkway
to the CN Tower in Toronto. Now customers could get across the highway
safely. Genius.
 

This rock formation awaits me as I round "my corner" in Bent River. It's a hairpin turn that leads me to my first glimpse of Lake Rosseau, and means I'm only about 15 minutes from my destination.

The view from the bottom of the rock formation.

The first view of the village of Rosseau.

c. 1874. One of my favourite places. Ever. The screen door slams, the wooden floors squeak,
and there's an ice cream stand that serves ENORMOUS scoops.

The gravel road leading into my lake.

The driveway leading into our cottage.

Home.

Sugar Sugar... by Barbara (Ruth)

Ever had a sugar craving?

I don't mean the usual, mild, "gee I feel like a cookie" kind of craving. I don't even mean the more urgent "I have to have a chocolate bar RIGHT NOW" kind of craving.

No, I mean the knock-down, full-out "I need sugar, and lots of it, RIGHT NOW" kind of craving.

I have some kind of genetic abnormality that has resulted in a truly awful sweet tooth. I don't know ANYONE that has this problem to the same degree. I am a bear when my blood sugar gets low, and usually a piece of fruit or a sandwich will suffice, but sometimes, when I'm particularly tired or cranky, the sweet tooth must be satisfied. It's kind of like the vampires on True Blood. Sometimes the fake blood drink will do, but other times... a vamp's got to do, what a vamp's got to do!

For me, my craving can be solved by any of the following:

My niece calls this my "chocolate
syrup soup".

A large amount of ice cream, preferably with chunks of sugary crap in it, smothered in Hershey's chocolate sauce (not a driddle of sauce, but several large glugs of it), and topped with nuts and chocolate chips.

A bag of M&Ms. The big 1/2 pound bag. Plain or peanut.

An unreasonable number of Reese's peanut butter cups. (Like 6 or 8. And not the teeny Hallowe'en sizes.)

Enough sour gummies to make the inside of my mouth raw.

Oh heaven!

Cookie dough. You know, the Pillsbury kind that comes in a tube. I eat it with a spoon and it is truly wonderful. I've actually never made it through an entire tube, but half is definitely doable. (Incidentally, this is also good for late night chats with a BFF, especially when accompanied by tea.)

Don't judge. At least not yet. You haven't heard the worst!

When I'm on a health kick (like I am now), there is nothing unhealthy in my house. I don't have any of those craving-satisfying foods. Anywhere! (Believe me, I've looked, just to be sure.) But you know I've become creative over the years.

Corn syrup. It isn't just for baking anymore.

I have been known to eat homemade jam from the jar, drink maple syrup from the bottle (only the real stuff), make apple crisp topping (oatmeal, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon) and eat it, have a few spoonfuls of corn syrup (don't be shocked - it's basically liquid gummie bears), and root around in the brown sugar jar looking for lumps. I also used to make extra icing when baking, and leave the leftover in the freezer - it is EXCELLENT frozen. 

Thank goodness this doesn't happen too often, or I would weigh 500 pounds. But this week was long, and today was tiring - I succumbed (GW) at work and had 4 sugar cubes (cane sugar... soooo good...), and am trying REALLY hard not to have anything tonight. I was hoping that writing it down would take away my urge, but it didn't work. My mouth is actually watering right now, thinking about ice cream and cookie dough. And there is corn syrup in my cupboard, and a new bag of brown sugar too. But I'm not going to do it. 

I. Can. Be. Strong. (Mostly.)

Suburban Foraging...by (Angela) Jean

We have been taking advantage of the longer days around here and going for family walks after supper.

There is a great park just about 10 minutes away. It has a large pond with geese and ducks, a wooden bridge and smooth paths for walking and bike riding. They have done a lovely job of landscaping with native grasses, wildflowers and indigenous trees. It is filled with gold finches, red-winged blackbirds, cardinals and even the occasional heron. In the winter, the pond freezes over and becomes the local hockey rink.

 The rascals love running across the wooden bridge... 

and along the pathways...

but the best part of park visits in early summer is....JUNEBERRY PICKING !

We often elicit stares as we pick and eat the wild berries in the park. People have even stopped to tell me that they're poisonous, but we just chuckle and say we haven't died yet. I've been eating these berries since I was a kid. They taste similar to blueberries but have a slightly mellower flavour, and in my opinion, they even taste better than blueberries. The kids love picking the berries and can spot a Juneberry bush  from quite a distance.

They will stand there, picking and eating until we drag them away.

On this particular evening the berry fun didn't end there. On our way home we stopped at the house on the corner of our street; the one with the giant mulberry tree. And guess what? It was also heavily laden with fruit.

Last year, the kids and I knocked on the homeowner's door to ask if we could pick his berries. He looked at us like we were nuts and said he didn't think they were edible, but we could go ahead if we wanted to. I came back with some containers and we picked for an hour. He didn't complain when I knocked again and left a bowl of berries for him.

I suggest you take a look around your neighbourhood and see what's growing. You never know, you could save some money on groceries.

Sizzle....by (Angela) Jean

Pancakes are a kind of a big deal at our house. Over the last year or so, Shawn has mastered the art of the flapjack, and although his pancakes were perfect, we all ate in shifts because he could only make 3 at a time. So, this year, for Father's Day, Daddy got a fancy, family-size, electric griddle.

He loved it. And this Sunday, we plugged it in and took it for a spin.

Mimi helped to mix the batter.

Look at that! We tripled our output. How's that for process improvement?

Perfection.

 

 

 

 

Topped off with real maple syrup.

The Pancake King has tested several pancake recipes, but always comes back to Martha's. 

Best Buttermilk Pancakes, from the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle

Directions

1. Heat griddle to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.
   
2. Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.
   
3. Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
   
4. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.
   

The only substitutions we've ever made to this recipe are when we have a hankering for pancakes but no buttermilk on hand. I have mixed a few tablespoons of sour cream into regular milk with good success. Shawn has substituted yogurt for the buttermilk, also with good success. The yogurt pancakes turn out a bit spongier than buttermilk pancakes, but still delicious.

Shawn had so much fun with the griddle that he didn't want to put it away. We made it a double-griddle day with tuna melts for lunch. 

No special recipe here, just tuna, green onions, mayo, black pepper and cheddar cheese. We served it with red peppers and fresh baby arugula salad from the garden-our first harvest of the year.

Stay tuned for more griddle recipes. I have a feeling things are about to get sizzle-y around here.

A Campaign for Cromulent Words... by Barbara (Ruth)

A while ago I posted about "Good Words", and I got quite a response! There really is a dearth (GW) of good words in today's general spoken and/or written word, and I was pleased to learn there are a number of fellow "wordies" out there.

But how many of you like Cromulent Words?

Oh, you don't know what a cromulent word is? Ahhh... Now we are separating the wheat from the chaffe.

First uttered on the Simpsons episode "Lisa the Iconoclast" in 1996, cromulent is a made up word that describes made up words as real words. Sound confusing? It is. It's the circular reasoning that makes it so brilliant. Cromulence usually refers to words that sound like they should be words, but aren't.

For example, the state motto of Springfield, the city in which the Simpsons live, is "a noble spirit embiggens the smallest man." What a great use of cromulence! So great, that at work my friend Chris and I dared each other to use embiggen in a sentence in a meeting. And we did it. And no one noticed!

Some of you might think that cromulence would apply to words that some people use incorrectly and that just aren't words at all. Words like orientated, anticdotal, dethaw (oh that one really irks me), and even beers (look it up).

No, cromulent words are completely and totally made up. Here are a few examples:

• Chestal. "I have a cold, mostly in the chestal area."
• Wonderance. "The place was imbued with wonderance and youth."
• Interconnectitude. "This project is so complex we need to be sure to consider all the points of interconnectitude."
• Mononeurosymbiosis. "I was just thinking the same thing. Yet another example of our mononeurosymbiosis!"

Have you got any examples of cromulence in your lexicon (GW)? If so, let me know and I'll postify it!

BBQ Chicken-Uttar Pradesh Style...by (Angela) Jean

When you come to our house for dinner you can never really know what to expect.

Shawn and I both love to cook, and since he is currently the at-home parent, he does most of the weekday cooking. In my admittedly biased opinion, he is a most-excellent house-husband, and most nights when I get home, an amazing dinner is waiting for me. Last night was no exception.

One of Shawn's favourite cookbooks is Mangoes and Curry Leaves, by Jeffery Alford and Naomi Duguid, a husband and wife team of writers, travelers, photographers and cooks. This is not an ordinary cookbook, but rather a tour of the great subcontinent: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The reader is taken along on a journey and introduced to "the kaleidoscopic experience of life in these countries: hundreds of millions of people, myriad languages, mountain kingdoms and searing tropics, and a breathtaking array of cooking styles and foods". It is filled with over 200 stunning photographs of the people, places and food of these lands and contains more than 200 traditional recipes-everything from Nepali grilled chicken to Pakistani lamb pulao to simmered Kashmiri paneer. Alongside the mouthwatering photographs are over 40 essays documenting the lifestyles, history and people of this diverse region.  Even if you don't cook, this book is a treasure for the photographs alone.

So, back to dinner. Our dear, dear friend Julie was coming for a visit, so Shawn busted out his trusty book and decided to try the Yoghurt Marinated Chicken Kebabs, a recipe from Uttar Pradesh. The authors tell us that Uttar Pradesh is "a heartland state of northern India, just south of Nepal...it is famous for the holy city of Varanasi, and the Taj Mahal, in Agra.

It was extremely tasty, and not a morsel was left at the end of dinner. The kids loved it too. Along with the chicken, Shawn also threw some asparagus on the grill. They were tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. Simple and fresh.

Here's the chicken recipe. If you're looking for something different to add to your BBQ repertoire, I suggest you give it a try.

Yogurt Marinated Chicken Kebabs

• 1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (we used thighs, but I think you could use legs if you wanted to)
• 1tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup finely chopped garlic chives, regular chives or scallions
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper, or 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (we used extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 or 2 limes or lemons cut into wedges

 Rinse off chicken, cut into chunks (we just left the thighs as is for easier grilling) and place in a wide shallow bowl.
Mix marinade in a small bowl, whisking the garlic, greens, salt, pepper and oil into the yogurt. Pour over chicken and stir. Cover and set aside to marinate for 1-2 hours.
The recipe goes on with instructions for putting the chicken on skewers, but I'm pretty sure you can figure that out. We just grilled the thighs as is.

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out.

P.S. Here's Julie playing with the rascals. They adore her as much as we do.

Flora Abunda....by (Angela) Jean

I wrote a post a few weeks ago lamenting about the fact that this spring was significantly delayed. I am happy to report that eventually the flora did return to my little garden and I have the photos to prove it.

At long last the tulips and lilacs bloomed.

 

 

May 22

May 29

The buckthorn bush bloomed.

 My Clematis, that looked like this on May 7th,

now looks like this. Although it has climbed halfway up the lattice, it still has only one bloom.

June 18

I tried something new this year and attempted to grow Morning Glory from seed. This is what they looked like on May 7th.

This is what they look like now.

June 17

I haven't spotted any signs of blooms yet, and since I threw away the seed packet I have no idea what colour they will be. These are growing so quickly that I can see a noticeable difference each morning when I check on the garden before I leave for work.

I planted geraniums in my hanging baskets again this year. I just love them. Some years I have stuck with a uniform colour scheme for all the baskets (I have 7) but this year I decided to mix it up. Amelia and I went to the nursery together and she and I picked all the prettiest colours.

I added some white to each basket and I am pleased with the result. It gives a highlight effect which draws the eye from across the yard.
My Dad always tells me that I need to add Ivy Geraniums to my baskets so I decided to do just that this year.

I'm still not completely convinced I love them, but they are growing on me.
I bought this perennial purple salvia at the end of the season last year. It had finished blooming and was 80% off at the nursery so I couldn't pass it up. I have a soft spot for things on clearance at the nursery, especially if they look sad and unloved. I usually end up taking them home and finding a spot somewhere.

June 14

And I know I swore up and down last year that I would NOT have petunias in my garden this year, but this basket was a Mother's Day gift so what's a girl to do?

 And last but not least, my pretty, pretty peonies.

June 17

June 17

I am surrounded by flowers. All is right with the world.