Thanksgiving, eh!!!

We in Canada had our Thanksgiving on 12th of Oct, a month in advance from USA to match the harvest time in the northern latitudes. It was a very beautiful Fall day, everywhere outside as far as eyes could go, one could see the leaves changing colours to beautiful hues. I never cease to be amazed by this fascinating change that nature blesses us with every Fall.

So I decided to make Thanksgiving Dinner for my friend, SA and me, with all the works, but a healthier version. As we didn't want to spoil all the calories burnt and muscles gained at the gym by stuffing ourselves with supposedly un-healthy dinner from one night. We decided on the menu which was stuffed turkey breast, rye-bread stuffing with cranberries, green beans with caramelized onions and slivered almonds, cranberry sauce, small sweet potato, salad with home-made dressing and the most culpably desired, pumpkin pie.

Before that weekend it was decided boneless, skinless turkey breast will be brought and the day of cooking it will be butterflied. Basically which means to cut the turkey breast horizontally, stopping before it reaches the end, and then flipping open the two sides and then pounding it to get even thickness. This assists in stuffing the breast. So on our trip to the grocery store turkey breast was purchased, along with other raw materials to make the menu successful.

Getting a can of pure Pumpkin puree was a struggle. Store racks were empty two days before Thanksgiving. I decided to make my own puree. Got a small pie-pumpkin and consulted Fanny Farmer's Cookbook and steamed the pumpkin pieces and pureed in the blender to be used the next day.

Come Thanksgiving morning, before heading out to the gym and after a hearty breakfast of Steel-cut Oatmeal, I made the cranberry sauce with just two handfuls of fresh cranberries, orange zest and a nice big squeeze of half of the orange. Couple of teaspoons of brown sugar was added to cut the tartness. I also prepared the stuffing with Rye-bread, onion, celery, sage powder and dried cranberries. Dinner was scheduled for 6pm.

By the time we came back from the gym it was little past 6. So dinner was re-scheduled to 9pm. The post-workout protein shake was good enough as a meal to sustain us for the next, big one. So the cooking started. SA offered to make the mashed sweet-potato with garlic-herb butter and steamed green beans with caramelized onions and slivered almonds. I bought the turkey breast out and as soon as it was out of the package also realized that it was just one half of the breast, bone-in and with skin. At that moment, faster than lightening, menu-plan changed from stuffed turkey breast to plain and simple turkey breast roast. Removed the skin, made some gashes and sprinkled paprika, salt and olive oil and the turkey went into the oven. Towards the end some sliced onion and garlic were thrown in to cook for the last 10 min or so.

While the turkey was cooking, did some calculations and made the tart filling. Pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin-pie spice and the last bit of skim milk from the box went in and was mixed properly for later.

SA steamed the green beans, caramelized the onions, almonds were put in single layer in the oven to dry roast. All of these were mixed together once they were done. Sweet potato was boiled and while I went for my shower, SA mashed it along with some garlic-herb butter.

I mixed the mushroom gravy from the package and asked SA to stir it constantly till it thickens while I made a quick salad and dressing with fresh grated garlic, vinegar, olive oil and Dijon mustard. Table was laid out with all its finery.

Frozen tarts were arranged on the baking sheet, pumpkin pie filling was poured into each one of them, and it was placed in the oven; before we sat down to eat our meal. Aim was to have them ready to be devoured right after the main course.

Sparkling wine was poured out and we began our meal. Both very impressed with the outcome. SA made a comment which thrilled me a lot. He said that this was the best Thanksgiving dinner he has ever had.

We were really satiated with the meal and felt profoundly satisfied. The smell permeating from the oven and filling the tiny apartment beckoned us to clear the table and bring the tarts right out of the oven. And whoa! did I impress myself with the wonderful result?! Every bite made me feel like I am in heaven ~ couldn't believe a filling sans butter and cream and white sugar could result in such a terrific tiny pieces of delight.

We savoured every tiny bit of it. SA would go for more helping and literally scream, "I hate you for doing this to me," then would take a bite and break into a dance of delight and celebration, perhaps similar to what the natives and pilgrims must have done to celebrate their bountiful harvest many, many years ago.

Mama to all

Today, August 19^th, 2009, was Dionne's Granma' funeral. On last Thursday she left us around 12:30 to be in the heavenly abode, her duties on earth fruitfully fulfilled.

Dionne is my very first friend that I made in Canada ~ a friend in true sense. I came across lots of people here before I met her, but she became my friend, educated me about the culture and practices of the Canadian ways; showed me around Toronto - different ethnic pockets in City, craft stores, knitting stores, lace shops, eating joints, introduced me to Japanese cuisine even though she is Jamaican herself; offered to look for rental place with me etc. etc. etc. It was through Dionne that I met my room-mate of five years in September 2000 and with whom my bond is so strong till date. This is just a blurb on my connection with Mrs. Harrison, whose funeral I attended today.

This was my first funeral that I have ever attended. Dionne sent a message on Facebook informing her Granma' passing away on Thursday and later about the service. I felt her pain and loss.

Yesterday, I went for the viewing, very nervous as to how I would be able to face my friend's tragedy. I put up a brave front and told myself I will take it as it will come. I have learnt in my experiences in life that nothing can prepare anybody for any situation; we have to take challenges as it comes to us. Dionne met us at the entrance of the room. We hugged each other very tightly, drawing strength from each other, teary eyed. We proceeded towards where her Granma lay in a state of complete peace. It seemed like she was sleeping. I looked at her and said a silent prayer for her soul to rest in peace, internally choking and gulping.

I have met Mrs. Harrison twice and spoken to her few times when I would call for Dionne. She had a fear going into lifts. When she came to our place which was on 11^th floor I was given strict instructions to accompany her to the ground-floor. When I would speak to her on the phone I would ask her when is she making jerk chicken, rice and peas and curried goat for me. I would ask her to get me mangoes from Jamaica. She would always ask how I was doing and how my room-mate was doing. We enjoyed these careless banters.

Few things touched my heart deeply and left me fighting back tears in the ceremony. In the beginning, all her sons were summoned to pay their final respects to her. One by one all of them kissed her and touched her one last time to bid farewell to their dear mother and the casket was closed. They turned around to join the rest of us, their sorrow and loss rolling down their eyes in the form of tears. Two of her grand-daughters' speeches made many a hand reach for tissue paper to wipe their tears and many a sniffles went around the hall, including me. For these girls she took the role of their mother as they had lost their own at a very young age.

Mr. Harrison, her husband and companion for 65 years, was putting up a brave front. Nobody could fathom what he must be going through, his loss so great. Yesterday, when he was told he will miss her, he replied saying he will not miss her, he already missed her.

She was so full of warmth and kindness. People remembered her ever smiling face. Somebody made a comment saying if there is one person who deserves to go to heaven it is her.

After the service we all followed the hearse to the burial site and she was lowered 6 feet below, laid to her final resting place.

From dust we came, to dust we shall go!!!

May you rest in everlasting peace, Mrs. Harrison!!!!

Butter & Vanilla - a match made in heaven

mmmmmmm... nothing can beat the heavenly smell of butter and vanilla that was wafting from the oven and spreading in every nook and cranny of my tiny apartment while I was baking Butter Tarts for the pot-luck. I discovered the exciting world of these tarts when I first moved to Canada in '99. My passion for baking and cooking led me to a bakery and I tasted one of the most amazing baked goods - Butter Tarts. I became an instant fan, no second thoughts in that. One can find these small tastes-of-heaven everywhere - from all sized bakeries to convenience stores to any office parties and pot-lucks to BBQ get-togethers. And I can say with all conviction that good things do come in small packages...3 to 4 bites of small packages.

There are many, many Butter Tart aficionados out there. At least for sure in Canada, recently I discovered that these tiny pieces of mouth watering bundles are truly Canadian. According to the information - Butter Tarts were a staple of pioneer Canadian cooking. It is considered one of the few recipes of genuine Canadian origin. The earliest known recipe is from Northern Ontario and dates back to 1915.

My contact with these pastries went beyond the realm of mere purchase and consumption when I finally got a chance to actually get my hands dirty and make them. The opportunity presented in the form of an event rightly named "Ethnic Pot-Luck". My friend and I were raking our brains thinking what he can contribute to the pot-luck that could be truly Canadian. I made an offer and said I will make the Butter Tarts on his behalf. This way I get to try something I always wanted to make and then have the pleasure of sharing it with others and getting feedback too. On the other hand I can make a whole batch just for myself and eat them over a period of a couple of weeks but I spare my heart and my body all this torture that my tongue gets the pleasure from. I can make that sacrifice and resort to these indulgences once in a while.

So here I was, on Monday afternoon, making Butter Tarts. I didn't go to the effort of "making from scratch". I used frozen tart shells, after all the show-stealer is the filling. Filling consisted of Butter, but of'course, brown sugar, corn syrup, egg, salt and last but not least, Vanilla. After doing all the prep work and placing the entire tray of these pastries in the 400^o oven I was rewarded with the most amazing aroma dominated by butter and vanilla. I was transported instantly to food heaven.

Here are some visual treats for everybody:

So here is the baking tray with 12 glorious tarts all set to go into a 400^o F oven.

They were in the oven, happily cooking away for 20 to 25 min. Emanating such wonderful aroma, Butter and Vanilla dominating the scene.

And here they are, the lovely bundles of delight right out of the oven, the filling still bubbling. These were good tasting Butter Tarts which received really good feedback.

So much about Butter and Vanilla and Butter Tarts ~ Feels always so nice to bake. The whole process is like a stress relieving therapy. Try it, you will know what I mean!!!

Needless to say that of'course there was another dish to represent my heritage. The entry that I made was Tandoori Chicken which was accepted with much delight by several people. I made sure the heat didn't go too high in the spice scale. Here is a picture of the outcome:

The joy of baking and cooking!!!

The Joy of Food and Movie

So like I said in my last blog, I saw Julie & Julia today, on its opening weekend. What a wonderful movie. Meryl Streep - a brilliant actress, a league of her own, did full justice to the real life character of Julia Child. My due respect to both these great women who are great achievers in their respective field and excelled in what they did/do.


I was made aware of this movie couple of months back when I had my back turned towards TV while I was doing something in my kitchen and heard the familiar voice of Julia Child. Being a foodie myself, I turned around to check, what was it all about? ...one of the iconoclastic chefs... maybe her TV show is coming back on one of the channels?! - and the thought was delightful. I was so impressed to see Meryl Streep enacting as Julia Child and doing such an extra-ordinary job - no surprise over there.


Right away I googled Julie & Julia and came across that the movie was based on two true stories of two women in real life. Julie Powell's very creative idea to formulate a challenging personal project to make an ordinary mundane life interesting - to prepare every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' (for "servantless Americans"). All this Julie did whilst blogging and bringing her experiences to her readers and followers: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment.


So about the movie, it is really scrumptious. The visual presentation of some of the food, the apartment in Queens, NYC, scenes from Paris and the local markets in France in the fifties was a delicious treat. The scene of making of Bruchetta - french bread swimming in butter and then laden with tomatoes and seasonings by Julie, and being devoured by her husband - and equally so, when he smears his face with her chocolate cake - was something only a true foodie can understand. After trying her hand in a few things - when asked by her husband what she likes to do the best - Julia's way of finding her niche in cooking is, as she simply put it, "Eat". This is inspirational considering what a great success she has been in real life.


One amazing thing that I found was both these women had such incredible men as their husbands - Paul and Eric. Both these men are so supportive of their wives' pursuits, being so sensitive to their needs and contributing to their success. Getting involved in their projects whole heartedly, loving them no matter what, sharing every precious moment and detail. Such strong anchors in their lives. I wish one day to meet somebody like them myself. And like Paul says to Julia, "You are my butter to my bread" I hope one day I can say that to somebody...sigh!!!


One small revelation that came towards the end was that Julia Child herself did not approve of Julie's cook-every-recipe-in-one-year project. Julie's conclusion was that the use of four-letter F word was probably what got Child's disapproval. I felt sad with Julie but was glad that this did not stop her from seeing the project to a successful end - she finally accomplishes to de-bone a duck under the guidance of Julia Child. And goes to Smithsonian museum to pay homage to the woman who was her inspiration for this project by visiting "Julia Child's Kitchen" display and leaving her a block of butter under her picture.


All the actors did extraordinary justice to each character. The story of these two women both in Paris and New York was wonderful and appropriate to the two different centuries, countries and cultures. Overall an excellent movie for all to see this summer. The striking part of this movie was that the story was reality; it was representative of the lives of people with whom one can identify.


I am all inspired to do some cooking myself - for a pot-luck on Monday I will be making Butter Tarts, mmmmmm involves butter, and Tandoori Chicken. And I am already blogging ;)


Bon Appétit!!!

Summer of '09

My quest to search for information on new era fad of Blogging has brought me here to this page and guess what...I am blogging!!!


hhmmm...so what should I be blogging about. Oh here is an idea, how about summer of '09 in Toronto to get my feet wet in this area. In our great city, which I simply love, we were hit by lots of un-summerish things this wonderful year of recession and unemployment, just to name a few. As soon as the summer was turning our corner, to be precise on June 22nd, we were hit by the City strike which lasted for 36 days - it brought down city-run day cares, island ferry, parks and swimming pools and above all garbage pickups to a feet-grinding halt.


It left working parents scrambling to make alternative arrangements and the most populous city in the country smelling like...uh, garbage, instead of lovely smells of BBQing meats and corn wafting in our summer skies. It seemed like Toronto was raised above ground level, turned upside down and then shaken till all pieces of garbage fell out and just lay strewn all over the place. Picture this by visualizing if a garbage-bin goes through this act. Sorry, I leave it to your imagination as I don't want to post a picture of my beautiful city littered with litter and spoil the image for all and sundry.


Everybody took a breath of relief when an agreement was reached and the workers finally went back to work. Must say that even after it was called off the breath that we all took of relief was stopped mid-way due to the worse stench that permeated our neighbourhood for 3-4 days after the garbage was removed from the vicinity. Phew...suffice to say everybody is thankful we are all finally breathing clear, unadulterated air.


And I have to do this, being a Canadian I have to complain about the weather. 'Coz if I don't there is no full enjoyment out of the weather system every season. We are never satisfied about this one aspect in life where no human on this planet has any control. And we always forget that our very own past acts have resulted in some unusual conditions and as bad Karma would lead to it we are all paying the price in this very life - you know the affects of Global Warming and all. So this summer doesn't feel like summer at all. It seems like a mix of monsoon-early winter conditions. And then there are few spurts of really humid days where the weatherman takes a wicked delight in saying that due to humidex it feels like 41 degrees Celsius.


Despite all these oddities summer has been a good, enjoyable one and I must say it will remain in our mind, so it was a successful one. I traveled to two wonderful cities in North America - one being New Orleans and the other our very own country capital Ottawa. Wonderful people and beautiful cities. New Orleans culture, music, cuisine, architecture, street-car, people, oak-trees and all were so unique. Loved every moment of being there. Ottawa was beautiful even though we were barraged with incessant rain - Rideau Canal, By-ward market, Parliament Hill, trip to Carp to a farmhouse, picking fiddleheads, eating Beaver Tail and Obama cookies were some experiences of their own.


Still enjoying the summer which will come to an end in a month's time. Having great, wonderful time with friends, dinners, going for walk-trails, world-festivals, movies and being invited to BBQs, weddings, bachelorette party, baby shower, cottaging, picnic, working out and eating clean and healthy - between all this, life is good.


I am looking forward to the new movie Julie & Julia this weekend, being a foodie I already know I will love it. Guess what, for that movie it all started with blogging. Bringing my very first blog-post to an end by wishing readers all the best and enjoy the rest of the summer, wherever you are. Cheers!!!