Ravens' View

Best secret family tourtiere recipe

OK - no longer a secret, but wanted to share this good recipe for tourtiere - a French Canadian meat pie. It's often served after Midnight Mass, or at New Years. Possibly with Moose Milk. There are certainly a lot of recipes to be found online, many of them the best and/or secret. Try this one, we've used it several times at different events. I've listed the general ingredients, plus the specific quantities we used last time we made it. Pardon the mix of metric and imperial measurements, I grew up with both. Do feel free to adjust and experiment with the numbers. Taste often while cooking - make sure the sous chef has many clean spoons at the ready. 

Turkey day done

That's it, Thanksgiving done - at least here in Canada. We have it early enough to get in one last long weekend before the snow flies. Or at least until it stays on the ground. Apparently our Parliament  proclaimed it in January of 1957 as

A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed … to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.

Before then it was November 6th, but still presumably with most of the credit to a supernatural - or maybe supranatural -  being. Last weekend my thanks focused on Loblaws, Visa, and The Beer Store. Oh, and Al Gore for the Internet.

I had my son and daughter-in-law and my grandson over for a different turkey this year. No, not a 32lb 4-legged one - I didn't have the crowd of 14 my brother did. This year I tried a prestuffed bird, injected with butter palm oil. No thawing and cleaning, no mixing up of stuffing mix, no decorative stitching needed to hold the bird together. Turkey just goes in frozen, bit of foil on top, cook at 325F all day, baste occasionally. It was very juicy and tender, and the stuffing was fine. I also did some garlic/cheddar mashed potatoes the day before, and some acorn squash nuked whole then halved and finished in the oven with butter and maple syrup. Gravy base was made ahead of time too, just finished it up with brown goo from the pan.

I also discovered my grandson was quick to appreciate that pumpkin pie and whipped cream don't need to be together - whipped cream is more fun when it whooshes from the aerosol can right into your mouth. Was a bit of a rush for him, I can hardly wait until grandma(s) see it. Glad to be able to pass on a tradition.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I've had some ups and downs lately, but that's probably the norm for most of us, what's important is to look for the balance in life. Are you a pessimist or an optimist, do you see the glass half full, or half empty, or do you just wonder if there's another cold beer left in the fridge?

Went downtown for Canada Day with a friend, we wanted to grab a beer and people watch in the market, and ended up at Stella Osteria. I was wondering what the heck an osteria was, this site says:

In Italy, restaurants are identified either as a ristorante, trattoria or osteria. Today, the names don’t carry the hierarchal meanings they once did, but back in the day they acted as a classification system. If the restaurant was called a ristorante, for example, you could expect a formal dining experience—a wine list, white table cloths and, of course, a price tag to match. A trattoria was more casual, but it did serve full, hearty meals. And an osteria was the least formal of the three—it was more of a gathering place that served wine and maybe some basic food.

What actually happens is that many places use the osteria label to imply rustic fare, therefore hearty and good, but then charge ristorante prices. Stella has done this, complete with the white table cloths and an extensive wine list. I've snacked there, and it was nice, but never had a full meal. So I won't pan them yet.

I was going to pan the $7/pint prices for a plastic glass of draft, but the cheaper prices at the Heart &Crown just up Clarence meant a long line waiting to get in there. We, on the other hand, got to sit on the patio in front and watch all the peculiar people go by. Almost like Halloween, in that it a chance for people to dress up and act a little on the wild side (after all, this is Ottawa). Tank tops, shorts that show some butt, and outlandish shoes were common - on men and women.

We then walked over to the Quebec side - with a detour to a depanneur for munchies and refreshments - then joined the party at a friends boat at the Hull Marina. It's just across the river from the fireworks launch site, so is an excellent vantage point. All good, no bad to think of. Even got a ride home, thus saving a crowded bus ride.

More McFats

Just in case that McDonalds tray is feeling a little light, you will soon be able to add a fancy coffee to it- whipped up by a barista. This is a trial in Rochester (USA) but is expected to expand further in 2009. The article also warns of price increases, due to a predicted shortages of beans. Supposedly prices at the producer level are not high enough, so there hasn't been much expansion. If you're interested, here's some more info on trading the coffee market.

First day of spring

It wasn't the heat of Central America, but today was still nice out.  4 C.  Headed downtown and initially made it as far as my neighbour's, two houses down. He and some friends were standing around the driveway, socializing, with a dozen beers chilling in the snowbank. Because, this is Spring in Ottawa. So we discussed - the driveway. And when and how it should be re-done. With plus 30 in the summer and minus 40 in the winter, they don't last long around here.

Eventually did make it to the bus and downwtown - the market area was swarming with people in jackets and vests - enjoying Spring.

The only outdoor cafe I could find open was at the Hardrock Cafe - note the waitress in shorts, standing on the snow.

Update - Mar 22 - relaxed at the Fox and Feather. Their rooftop patio was just opening.