In a Pickle?

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Deborah

Garlic Dills.
Bread and Butter Pickles.
Sweet Gherkins.
Pickled Beets
Pickled Onions
Pickled Radishes
The list goes on..

Who doesn’t love a good pickle?

I have added dill pickles to my canning repertoire this year. This being my first attempt at making dills , I am hopeful they will come out exactly like I envisioned them. A crisp, garlicky dill pickle to grace my hamburger or to compliment my grilled cheese. We shall find out in a few weeks after the required sitting time.

I had emailed my internet gal pal out west for her pickle recipe, but she was … Read more...

Next Week’s Menu…

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Deborah

Will be a surprise for all involved. This weekend, our daughter and her husband (oh, and don’t forget the ‘grand-kitty’) will be coming up to the Homestead for 9 days. They love coming up for vacation and they actually haven’t been up since last August, so I know they are pretty darn excited. We are excited too, but I think I am WAY more excited than they are as son-in-law is the chef of their household which means….

I DON’T HAVE TO COOK EVERY NIGHT!

I get a holiday within a holiday!

Did I tell you I was excited?

They … Read more...

Of Ducks and Salmon….

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Deborah

Diary of Homestead Vacation continued….(see prior post here)

Salmon…. the Ocean’s gift to a healthy heart, diet and lifestyle.

I love salmon. I could eat it every day of the week. I broil it, BBQ it, bake it, steam it and have been known to skewer it. There isn’t a more versatile fish than the humble salmon. You can Cajun it. Blacken it. Smoke it. Salt Cure it. Can it. Make a salad out of it….or eat it Tartare fashion.

This fish of Omega-3 fatty acid fame has a long standing history with humans. Native peoples on both … Read more...

Chapter 2 of the Homestead Vacation

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Deborah

Diary of a Homestead Vacation continued…. (see previous post here)

…..BLUEBERRY picking!

Last year’s wild blueberry season was a total bust. I don’t think I even picked one full cup of the tasty, little blue pearls. It was such a hot, dry early Spring that then stretched into Summer and the teeny flowers of the blueberry bushes never had a chance of being pollinated. The poor plants just shriveled up and keeled over.

This year has been vastly different. We have had pretty much perfect growing conditions and I suspect we are in for a bumper crop. My … Read more...

Diary of a Homestead Vacation

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Deborah

With technical issues beyond my control no matter how much I stomped my feet in a temper tantrum, I conceded defeat to the telephone line Gods and drank a two-four of beer to drown my sorrows. Maybe not the entire two-four, but 6 is pretty close isn’t it? How about we went on vacation instead, definitely more plausible a scenario…and I can neither confirm nor deny the consumption of beer.

With nothing to do in cyber space, hubby and I dashed off to the Homestead for some well deserved R&R before his 3 week shutdown commenced mid-July. This being one … Read more...

Summer 2013 GangUp Results

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Deborah

I have issues. BIG issues. Like announcing a GangUp Challenge at the start of summer when everyone and their brother, mother, father, uncle and cousin-twice-removed goes on vacation and doesn’t have time or isn’t here to participate.

DUH.

Mental Note To Self; Do Not Hold GangUp Challenges in the Summer.

Many thanks to my sweet son-in-law who was eagerly awaiting this next challenge and had oodles of time to devote to it. Lucky him! He has way too much fun with these challenges and obviously needs to get out more.

I split mine over a 2 week period, lord knows … Read more...

Next Weeks Menu

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Deborah

WooHoo!

It is time for another Long Weekend in Canada!
This coming Monday marks our Country’s 146th Birthday.

Pretty much half the population of Southern Ontario will jam the 3 major highways heading north on Friday afternoon, all desperate to escape the city and relax in their quiet, lakeside settings with plenty of food, fun and frivolity (and beer too).

We are no different, except we will be leaving at the crack of dawn Friday to avoid the ‘Indianapolis 400’….better known as Highway 400 heading north from Toronto to Barrie. The worst stretch of highway for traffic in the summertime … Read more...

Guess What Time It Is?

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Deborah

It is GangUp Challenge Time!

It has been far too long since we have done one of our cooking competitions. Almost 6 months to be exact, (view last posted GangUp here) and I have been asked by a few folks in the last little while wondering WHEN the next one was going to be.

Well, wait no further. The time has come to flex your culinary muscles and come up with a unique dish from the list of ingredients below.

The rules are the same, and for any newbies to the Challenge out there, here is how it works:… Read more...

Next Weeks Menu

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Deborah

WooHoo!

Do You Know What Day it is TODAY?

Today is the FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!

I am so excited. Maybe the nice weather is finally here to stay for oh…say the next 3 months. My garden depends on it, my pool depends on it…and I depend on it. I savour the short respite from Old Man Winter, who is getting awfully cranky in his old age (like me lately – oh wait, that’s the menopause).

Next weeks menu below highlights a Surf & Turf Week at The Homestead. Deliciousness all around it will … Read more...