Food Foto: Steak Wrap BBQ
Tried something a bit different on the grill this evening I prepared a steak wrap using grilled veggies and teriyaki steak ( cheated with M&M’s steak ). After grilling up the steaks, red pepper, onion, mushrooms, and apple I sliced them up and layered on individual wraps. I had pre-cooked a bit of broccoli and included that as well. I lightly oiled the wrap with canola oil. Then placed the works on the grill to slightly brown the wraps. My wife says this one is a keeper. Have a salad on the side and the meal is complete.
Surreal Thursday: Lachrymose or Hard-Boiled ?
Another Surreal Thursday, you can choose to be Lachrymose or Hard-boiled.
Lachrymose eye
Like an onion , sheds layers
Of moist emotions.
Hardened shells float,
Emotions bubble, surface -
Recognition smiles.
Lachrymose : 1. given to tears or weeping – tearful
2. causing or tending to cause tears – mournful
Hard-boiled :
1. to cook an egg in its shell until both white & yolk solidify
2. ungiven to tears or sentiment – tough, unsentimental nature
3. a literary style, most commonly associated with crime fiction (especially detective stories), and distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sometimes sex . The central character in such a narrative is a hard-boiled detective, Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon.
Today has been a hectic day for a number of reasons. I had some upsetting news late in the day. When I am stressed, I either cook, bake, take photographs, manipulate photographs, scribble thoughts in a global stream or some combination of these activities.
I was planning today’s post, but the emotional charge modified the trajectory. I decided to see how many tags I could legitimately connect to this post.
Also, I noted that the BBQ season has started on the blogs, my BBq perogies post is getting hits again.
The poem is a linked haiku. Wanted to see if I could use the terms and tie it to the images. Did I mention how I handle stress ?
Chili in The Pot
Chili in the Pot -
Some like it Hot,
Some like Cool.
Add enough Spice,
Have it with Rice.
Use a Spoon,
Then fly to the Moon
In a Chili Hot Air Balloon.
The poetry may not be too hot, but neither was the chili.
What If Wednesday: My Wife is Wonder Woman
What if my wife was Wonder Woman ? Well, technically Wonder Woman would not get married. She would be too busy fighting the monsters and saving the world.
But, if she did, and if she married me, what would she be like ? She would handle impossible odds and raise children with learning challenges.
She would be an artist & teacher, who challenged herself and her students to excel, no matter what their skills or level.
She would walk the talk. Whatever art medium, technique, and project she would assign, she would make sure she had sufficient mastery to instruct, and demonstrate. Wherever possible, she would use those skills in front of her students to demonstrate how it was done.
Whether it was surreal or steampunk, she would try her hand and explore along with her students.
Her Art room would be full of resources and examples of possibilities. The imagination would flourish.
Somehow she would find time to share cooking duties with me. She could whip-up dinner like her art work, full of spontaneity and improvisation. For example, she might come up with a pasta & chicken casserole and some fresh guacamole.
Well so much for what if, …. oh yeah, she is Wonder Woman.
Recipe: Mix sautéed vegetables with cooked pasta. Add drained can of water chestnuts & peas. Cover with Alfredo sauce and gently stir.
Cut up and season pieces of chicken breast and grill or stir fry. Layer on top of pasta mixture. Cover with mixture of cheeses – for example cheddar and Havarti- Jalapeno.
Bake until golden brown on top, the pasta, not you.
Cuts It Interruptus
My wife was not happy with me. I know, we all have those days. Started out fine. We were together in the kitchen when she became exasperated. “What’s the matter ?”, I ask. “Look at that melon.” , she replies.
Somewhat confused my gaze wandered. “Over there on the counter.”
Still confused and unfocused. ” The knife. I can not cut it. It is stuck.” Oh, yeah.
“Well do something about it.”
So I did so immediately. Went over and took a photo with the cell phone. This did not satisfy her one bit. Put the phone away and sliced the melon in half. While my wife proceeded to cut up the rest of the melon, I helped with the rest of the dinner. It was just one of those days.
The Spanish River Inn -Again!
So, as predicted, on Thurday of this week, we returned again to The Spanish River Inn. This time it was an afternoon visit. Tasha’s respite worker had arrived and Liz & I were on a “real date“. We did bring down some of her artwork for display at the Inn, but with the pleasant weather and another delightful meal, it was a very relaxing experience.
As you can see, I did get some exterior shots of the establishment and what you would see looking across the street. Martine and Brent will quickly admit that there is still work to do on refurbishing the exterior and making further modifications to the interior. (See: From mini-putt to Ottawa and back ) The next phase will begin in the Spring ( based on today’s weather, it would appear that Spring is desperately trying to grow up into Summer fast ).
Once we had taken in the Lynx Table and some other pieces ( See: Art of the Drum ), we checked out the Special of the day.
We both went with the Special, the Ham Apple Sandwich. Wow, what a sandwich. Honestly we were not sure what to expect. You do not automatically think of Black Forest Ham, slices of apple, and black pepper-garlic aioli . I had only the vaguest recollection of what aioli was. What it was was heavenly. Even my son, who can be fussy, would have loved this.
The lady in charge that afternoon was “Smiling Sue” Beckerton. My wife requested the French Onion soup – she really enjoyed the soup at the last visit – and Sue graciously and efficiently made the necessary modifications to the order. I went with the side order of fries and I can understand why Tasha had gobbled them up on our previous visit. These were “Real fries with skins” with a wonderful seasoning.
Dining Room Spanish River Inn
Our leisurely meal allowed me the opportunity to take a few photos of the pub/bar area, where the piano and guitar were waiting for the musically inclined.
On The Rocks at The Spanish River Inn
We topped the lunch off with dessert. My wife had the Raspberry Strudel, while I tried the White Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake. If you must run into a mousse up here on a Northern Ontario highway, this is the only kind that will leave a smile on your face. The cake was light and it is an excellent chocolate fix for an afternoon.The Deep Dish Pecan is still my favourite, but I can not live that dangerously twice in one week; well I can, but I really shouldn’t, even on March Break.
Pitcher Perfect
There is one particular building I must comment on. It has puzzled & intrigued me for years. I have been wanting to photograph it for sometime now, but the opportunity had never arose before. It is in bad shape and abuts the railway. As mentioned in the earlier post, part of Spanish’s development was tied to the railway and the Inn occupies the same site as the original hotel.
Brent explained to me that the “ugliest building in town” was once a train station. After the original one burnt down in the 50′s the “contemporary block building ” was constructed on the same spot where the first building had been. The town is in process of making arangements with the rail-line to do something with the building. They will have to see if it is in any way salvageable, or if they will demolish it and build something in its place. In either case, being in such close proximity to the tracks means permission is required to do any work. This also means that these images may be some of the last before changes begin.
In closing, it was a great afternoon of food, local sight-seeing & photography. As a bonus, we just got news that one of Elizabeth’s pieces has been sold. Oh, as to my vehicle, it had no trouble handling the impact of the mousse – my belt was only mildly irked.
Reminder: Clicking images will in many cases show larger more detailed image.
Update: Martine sent me this photo of the station.
Spanish River Inn
We started off our March Break on Saturday with fine dining. It was a wonderful evening. The food, the setting , the company , and the musical entertainment were all excellent and very memorable. My wife is less satisfied with my cooking efforts now, sigh. I even made sour-dough banana pancakes Sunday morning, but she kept talking about the food from the night before. So we will have to return again …, and again, and again to The Spanish River Inn.
For those who are not that familiar with the area, the community of Spanish, Ontario, is located in an area that is known as the North Shore (above the North Channel of Lake Huron). As you drive west from the Sudbury District , along the Trans-Canada Highway, 17 and enter the Algoma District you will pass through Spanish, but don’t do it ! Stop at the Spanish River Inn & Restaurant. Better yet, stay a while and enjoy the food, hospitality, and area. (Town of Spanish Home page )
The Town of Spanish is situated at the mouth of the Spanish River where it empties into the North Channel of Lake Huron. This river and its ecologically rich delta have had a positive impact on the development of the community of Spanish. The river has played an important and continuous role in the local economy from the days of the fur trade, through the timbering era, fishing, and now contributes to the tourism industry.
According to legend, the Spanish name was derived around the year 1750. As one of the many theories goes, Ojibway warriors penetrated the South-West to Spanish-occupied territories, and on their return to the North Channel, they brought back with them at least one person who spoke Spanish. Marrying into the community, possibly a local chief/community leader, they raised a large family. Whatever the truth is, French explorers and traders discovered that the native families in the area had Spanish words, names and phrases as part of their vocabulary, hence the French referring to the Spanish River and the community of Espanola.
Early settlement of the area gained momentum in the latter part of the 1800′s with the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in February 1884, between Lake Nipissing and Algoma, now known as Algoma Mills. According to an article in the Ontario Gazetteer, by 1903–1904, the Spanish River Station (the railway designation for Spanish) had a population of approximately 200 with two timber companies operating in the vicinity: Huron Lumber Co. and Spanish River Co. W. H. Graham operated a general store, William Coget ran the hotel and the local blacksmith as well as the Postmaster was Gustavo Hamilton.
The Spanish River Inn Retaurant & Motel stands on the location of the original hotel. The ghosts of the past may walk this modern establishment, but that is because of the hospitality, wonderful foods, and lively entertainment that is provided here.
Wooden Quilt Hanging at Spanish River Inn
As I said in the opening we started our March Break with a delightful evening. It wouldn’t be us without a small glitch in the plans. Our respite worker got the times a bit mixed up and her cell-phone had a hissy-fit, more like a no hiss/dial/reception fit. So we had to convince our daughter that we couldn’t wait and she was going on an outing with mom & dad instead. What can I say, it was a full moon week – see last Thursday’s post .
We passed friends & teaching colleagues on their way out, as we entered. They had huge smiles on their faces. They commented on the banner sign my wife had made that was hanging up inside. (The banner was for a special gathering of in celebration and reconciliation of Native Residential School students that was occurring this weekend).
Inside we were greeted by the owners, Marine Fabris and her husband Brent St. Denis. You could feel the warm and inviting atmosphere that was established for all visitors to their establishment. My wife presented them with a paddle that she painted in honour of our visit that it could be added to the work that was already hanging on the walls of the dining room. What you see first on the walls are enlarged photographs of Spanish in the early years of development.
The dining area is open and spacious. Previous owners of the motel tended to emphasize the fishing tours and trucking trade. The atmosphere at that time reflected this male gathering place. Now it is warmly lit and no longer feels like a dark smokey man’s den. If you weren’t assured that this was a whole different world, you just had to look at the special of the evening.
My wife chose the special, my daughter had the chicken tenders and home cut fries, and I had the steak. Like my wife’s meal, it came with asparagus and a warm potato & cabbage slaw. The medium rare steak was perfect and was complimented by the peppery slaw and vegetable side.
Martine’s son, David Hillis, is the chef. I know you are thinking, well this is a small community clinging to the highway, so the chef is just a cook, au contraire. David Hillis is a , a 23 year old graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa . He has taken extra studies in pastry making and as part of his training had the opportunity to prepare food for the Governor General, the current Prime Minister of Canada (I don’t hold that against him), and dignitaries.
Spanish River Inn Raspberry Strudel
The challenge that David faces is taking all his skills and adapting to his range of clientele . With retires on fixed incomes, to tourists, fishermen, and truckers, it is an intriguing challenge. His goal is casual fine dining. Fortunately, David’s background includes a maternal grandmother who was famous for her huge Friday night family meals. Her family dishes of rustic French cooking prepared him well. He understands both the fine dining and the family kitchen tradition on which it is based.
David is also an accomplished musician and singer ( Hint: CBC/Food Channel there is a tv show waiting to happen here). His other goal is develop a cultural hub of food, visual arts & entertainment. This brings us to the musical portion of the evening. See: Chef wants restaurant to grow into cultural hotspot
The featured performer for the evening was Rusty McCarthy. He is a blues/folk/jazz guitarist who has performed with Mary-margaret O’hara and Allannah Myles .
Well we had promised my daughter Tasha music. Where there is music and Tasha there is also dancing. After dancing with her mom, she dragged Brent out on the floor and eventually got to dance with the chef.
So what else can I say. We topped the meal off with fabulous desserts My wife had the raspberry strudel and I had the Deep Dish Pecan Pie. You know, I can remember when David and my son were taking swimming lessons at the Elliot Lake Community Pool. In fact, I can remember being a newly minted green teacher with a study period that had a grade 12 student named Martine.
I think I’ll just stop now and leave you with the smiling face of our waitress, Tara Muncaster. Martine says Tara is gold and would like to clone five more of her. What do you expect, but a golden employee at a gold standard restaurant ?
Note: You can see larger sharper images if you click the photos. You can find the Auberge Spanish River Inn on facebook. If you come to visit be ready to dance.
Food Foto: Chicken Bundles
Summer means barbecue, enjoy it while you can – especially in the more northern parts of Ontario. I received more BBQ books for father’s day. Oh so many recipes, where to start ….? One of the books was Steven Racichlen’s Planet Barbecue . I made a variation on Serbian Chicken Bundles (Pileci Paketici) . I used chicken breasts instead of the thighs. The results were very good.
When my wife and son came back from London On., they told me about a recipe the relatives were making. I combined the recipe idea with the chicken bundle recipe and added a couple of twists of my own. The London recipe’s key concept was melting Havarti-jalapeno on grilled chicken. I placed the Havarti-jalapeno slices in the chicken breast bundles. I seasoned them with my Dry as Bone Devil Dust. To finish them off I brushed them with a smoked peach chipolte sauce. Cranked up the heat, now we eat ! Enjoy the day !
Aboriginal Feast Day at ELSS
Elliot Lake Secondary School had an Aboriginal Feast Day. it was organized and run by the students and staff advisers of our Aboriginal Alliance. Involving the staff, student body and the local First Nation community, it was a great success. Held in the school courtyard last Friday, the presentation include a drumming circle, dancers, presentation ceremonies and glorious native food.
The drummers included students, staff advisers, and elders of the Serpent River Community. The dancers included students and elders and young dancers from Serpent River.
As to the food, it was prepared by the students and staff advisers, with the assistance of the community elders. The menu you ask, well here it is.
It took a lot of time and effort to prepare all the food. These are Indian Tacos and scones.
Here is my plate served up with all the trimmings. I also had some Moose stew.
A fantastic meal and a wonderful sharing of culture. Education doesn’t just take place in the classroom and the students have as much to offer and inform as do the teachers. This type of sharing and learning can only happen in caring, inclusive educational community that extends beyond the walls of the physical institution. There is so much to be gained by all elements of society when this model of teaching and learning is embraced by staff, students . and the larger community.
BBq Perogies
Neither my mother or Baba barbeque grilled their perogies, then again they made their perogies from scratch. I looked at a few directions online for grilling perogies, after I did my own version. Most talk about aluminum foil packs. They also say to prepare from a frozen state. I prefer the direct route after boiling the perogies. I boil them up first because the dough has a better consistency when they are then grilled. I find it is the same if you fry up the store-bought variety, just the same as the home-made ones. Raw or semi-raw dough does not fry or grill up correctly. Mom was right !
Once they are boiled up put them in a bowl and mix in some oil (light olive or canola). Add some of your choice of bbq seasoning and mix up perogies. Heat up the grill to medium-high and place on the grill. I use a grill topper and that avoids the issue of lost perogies. While the perogies swell up and turn golden brown prepare some sausages. You will need to turn the perogies over once or twice during grilling.
Food Foto #1
This past Sunday I grilled pork chops with an Indonesian cinnamon rub. I thought I might try a bit of “food fotography” .
I use my mother’s old roasting pan cover when using the kitchen grill.I can direct smoke towards the exhaust and get results closer to an outdoor bbq grill. The chops can cook at a lower temperature and not dry out.
This post is for our friend Cynthia. She hasn’t been able to join us for something from the grill since she moved to London On.. Enjoy!
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