Category: Cooking

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A Fun Cooking Class in Canada

I had only taken a cooking class once before on Long Island at a Viking appliance showroom. They were hosting cooking classes using the showroom’s equipment in hopes that after the class you would order a $6,000 stove because you had just prepared something on one and were impressed. I wrote a funny article about it over 11 years ago which I invite you to read. (Note to readers: this article was written before my cellphone had a camera. Imagine that! So there are no photographs accompanying the story, just text. Use your imagination.)

The Good Earth Food and Wine Co.

This past Sunday’s afternoon cooking class was at one of my favorite wineries, The Good Earth Food and Wine Co. It’s in the town of Beamsville, near Lake Ontario, and in a part of Canada known as the “Niagara Peninsula.”

We had been there twice before, once for lunch and the second time for their harvest dinner. Andrew Thorne, the executive chef of the Good Earth Food and Wine Co., was the instructor that afternoon and I will admit the reason I even signed up for this class was to spend an afternoon with him and watch him cook. Andrew is not only an extremely talented chef but a joy to talk to.

Luckily, this class turned out to be vastly different from my experience 11 years ago on Long Island. This time around there would be no “hands-on” cooking from the guests. Instead, we were given a lovely menu of what Chef Andrew would be preparing that day as well as a list of ingredients he was using in each dish. Chef Andrew was joined in the cooking school “classroom” by winery owner Nicolette Novak. Together, the two of them made our class of 12 feel extremely welcome that day.

We sat on bar stools facing the kitchen area and for the next 2.5 hours watched as Chef Andrew prepared and cooked our four course lunch. Nicolette attended to the details of silverware and dirty plate removal as well as water and wine pouring all served up with some funny anecdotal food stories.

First Course – “Snow Stopper” Menu

Buffalo Shrimp

Now buffalo shrimp aren’t that difficult to make (think chicken wings with hot sauce) but these buffalo shrimp were given a new twist by plating them with a great combo of blended blue cheese and cream cheese. The shrimp, having been coated in a mixture of cornstarch and flour, were put in a deep fryer for a few minutes (three to be exact), then tossed with some hot sauce and butter.

Don’t they look delicious?

Now, I will admit that the dipping sauce looked a bit gray on the plate (because of the blue cheese) but it was absolutely finger-licking good and worked really well with this tasty shrimp starter.

The other great thing about this first course (and the subsequent other courses) was that each of the three savory courses was paired with wines from the winery. And since they are a very small winery (according to Nicolette they produce only around 3,000 cases a year), it’s wine that is both perfect on the palate and wallet-friendly.

Second Course – “Snow Stopper” Menu

New England Style Clam Chowder

I love heavy cream. It probably has to do with living in Munich for 10 years where 75% of nearly every German restaurant I frequented had a dish that included cream or mushrooms or both. There was A LOT of cream in this dish (and the following polenta dish, too) and it was really good.

First, Chef Andrew had par-cooked some Yukon gold potatoes to get a head start for our group. Into a big pan he put in about a pound and a half of thickly sliced chunks of bacon along with an onion, some celery stalks and a couple of cloves of garlic. He spent a good amount of time stirring this concoction then adding some flour and a generous pour of white wine (not icky cooking wine but wine from their winery!) until the mixture looked like this:

Only then did he add some cans of chopped baby clams with their liquid, tossed in the potatoes, added lots more cream and salt and pepper and let the whole thing simmer.

Thing I learned that afternoon: You can in fact make soup without using chicken or beef stock. And if you use canned clams instead of fresh ones, the food police will not show up with a warrant for your arrest!

A bit of red chili pepper was chopped and tossed on top of each serving at the end (along with some chives) which not only gave the dish a splash of color but really kicked up the heat level as well. Should I reveal that the 12 of us ate our bowls of soup in silence? Yes, it was that good.

Third Course – “Snow Stopper” Menu

Lamb Meatballs, Polenta & Rapini, Too

I adore lamb in any form. I’ve grown found of polenta but it has become an “acquired” taste. Most of the polenta I had over the years was either too thick and tasteless or fried and tasteless. One Christmas Eve I even jumped on the polenta bandwagon and made (drum roll please) polenta “stars.” When I look back at that dinner now I think I must have been out of my mind. First I had to make the polenta and then let it cool enough so I could cut out star-shaped polenta’s with a cookie cutter. Then I arranged the polenta “stars” around one of the seven fishes I was cooking for Christmas Eve dinner. If you know how difficult it is timing-wise to cook one fish, imagine cooking seven plus all the side dishes and then making polenta stars, too? After that one Christmas meal I decided polenta wasn’t going to appear on my table anytime soon.

Chef Andrew makes his polenta thick and creamy by whisking the cornmeal into a pot of cream with butter then adding some Parmesan cheese to boot. He paid a lot of attention to the polenta until it became a delicious concoction similar to grits but without any lumps. Here it is already plated.

Meanwhile as he was doing this, he was also checking on the lamb meatballs before putting them in the oven.

He also started to sauté the washed rapini (what we call broccoli rabe in the States). (And in the previous photograph you also see him grating some lemon zest on top of the rapini.)

Thing I learned that afternoon: Put the sauce on top of the meatballs that are in the oven after they have been baking a bit. No need to take the meatballs out of the oven and put them in the sauce that is simmering on the stove. This was such a no-brainer I even feel like an idiot writing about it but truthfully, I never thought of doing it that way.

Finally, the meatballs were done after touching one and “feeling it” he said. But when I questioned Chef Andrew about not “cheating” like I do and cutting a meatball in half, he actually did just that. And it was, of course, perfectly cooked.

Here’s what the final dish looked like: Lamb meatballs simmered in a chunky tomato sauce and plated on top of some delicious polenta with a side of rapini. A generous grating of some Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of demi-glace over the whole dish brought it together.

Finally, in between all this cooking what is Chef Andrew doing? He is making dessert!

Fourth Course – “Snow Stopper” Menu

Chocolate Ganache Tart with Italian Meringue & Cranberry Orange Preserve

Because we were a crowd, he did have to make the ganache ahead of time because they needed to cool. He did, however, show us at the beginning of the class how he had made them and then proceeded to make some cranberry and orange preserves to serve with the tarts.

And then Chef Andrew made the meringue. This meant sugar and water went into a pot on the stove, egg whites needed to be whipped and somewhere in between these ingredients a great deal more heavy cream was added.

Notice how he really is a happy camper? He’s smiling as he’s baking! As my readers know although I can bake, I detest it and by now I would probably be screaming at the mixer. (Even though this mixer is much nicer than the one I have in my kitchen.)

Thing I learned that afternoon: A blow torch and a candy thermometer are things I should have in my kitchen. The candy thermometer will help you measure the temperature of what you’re cooking. And the blow torch will help you extract the delicate chocolate ganache tarts from their steel cells as well as “burn” the finishing touches on the meringue.

Footnote here: since I don’t like making dessert, I will use not having a blow torch as the perfect excuse for not making any dessert that requires one. I will buy a candy thermometer though.

Finally, the tarts were plated but not before a pastry bag for piping was found and perfect little dollops of meringue stood at attention on the luscious chocolate base.

Then when all was said and done, oops, the cranberry orange sauce was forgotten but carefully added on the side of each dish at the last minute. There was a lot more silence from my cooking classmates as we all dug into our absolutely delicious chocolate desserts!

More things I learned that afternoon: Cooking classes are more fun if you are actually not doing the cooking but watching someone cook for you. It’s like being at home but knowing you don’t have to do any of the dishes or have someone ask you to help them – whether it be chopping some parsley or stirring a pot on the stove.

It’s good to have a group of people you can talk to in the class but also more important, for me at least, is that no one was a picky eater. (I hate picky eaters.) The group size (12) was perfect and it was cool to be the only two Americans in the room surrounded by some pretty fun Canadians. (I went out on a limb with that one so I hope the group I was with shares my sentiment.)

Finally, Chef Andrew and Nicolette made Lynn and I feel very welcome and the food and wine were spot-on. Thank you both for being so nice!

P.S. While the menu was labeled as a “snow stopper,” we hit a “mini blizzard” in the Syracuse area on the way home. Luckily we had purchased some bottles of their Big Fork Red before the class. This was a welcome treat when we finally did pull into the driveway about five hours later. (We had to first shovel a bit in order to actually pull the car into the driveway.) And yes, if you don’t hit a blizzard and the line isn’t too long at the border, it really is only a four hour drive.

Wines poured that day: 2018 Betty’s Blend, 2016 Chardonnay, 2016 Big Fork Red.

Contact: goodearthfoodandwine.com if you want to know more about any of their cooking classes, bistro menus and winery hours.

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A First Time Visit to Prince Edward Island

Although we had traveled to Nova Scotia nearly 30 years ago, we had never visited Prince Edward Island. On the itinerary for last summers road trip adventures, it seemed like a logical place to visit since it would save us airfare. And now that we live permanently in upstate New York, it really is easier to travel places that used to take 8+ hours to get to. Particularly when one has to get off the “Isle of Long” first. (Shout out to Larry The Duck on SiriusXM’s First Wave station for getting me through the morning commute and his endearing giggle when he invariably describes Long Island that way.)

My initial impression of PEI was wow! That’s a really really long bridge you have to take to even get to the island. Case in point: The bridge, known as the Confederation Bridge, is the longest bridge in the world crossing ice-covered water. I’m not sure what exactly that means since there was no ice the day we crossed but that’s what a Google search revealed. It’s also really expensive. CA$47.75 to cross a bridge? Granted, it’s only a one-way toll (you pay on the way back) but still!

So once we got off the bridge, we stopped the car and walked around a tourist-filled rest area and then decided to grab a couple of lobster rolls for lunch.

On To Charlottetown

I was a bit disappointed with Charlottetown I have to say. A) It was a lot smaller than I expected and B) There wasn’t really a lot to do there. Yes, we could have gone to see “Anne of Green Gables: The Musical” (just kidding!) since it has been playing annually in Charlottetown since 1965! But since I was already dragging Lynn to see the author’s house the next day, I decided to spare him anything else related to “Anne.” Besides we were already being bombarded by Anne of Green Gables souvenirs and even “‘Anne” chocolates everywhere we looked.

Thing is, I never read Anne of Green Gables growing up. I actually went to my local library this summer before we set out on this adventure, and truth be told, I liked the book and the character. (And knowing how I was as a young teenager girl, I probably would have tossed the book in the garbage because back then I liked reading books by D.H. Lawrence.)

I’m really glad I read the book this past summer since so much of Prince Edward Island is wrapped up in the many stories that author Lucy Montgomery wrote. She managed way back then to create characters that one can emphasize with and the near fairy tale setting of her books on the island only adds to their appeal.

So our first morning in PEI we went to visit the very modest family house where she was born and where she eventually married, too.

Followed by a further drive down the road to see a “heritage place” museum that showcased many of her books and the inspiration for writing them.

Driving between these two places, we would catch glimpses of the water and marvel at the beauty of the countryside. I also didn’t know there were so many farms on Prince Edward Island. Or that their primary crop was potatoes. And why was the soil so incredibly red?

It turns out there’s a lot of iron in this soil and although it looked like “sand” similar to what we had seen in the deep red stones of Sedona, Arizona, this soil was lush and fertile. I stopped more than once to pull over to try and capture the deep color of the earth but the camera just didn’t do it justice.

We continued to drive a bit around the island when suddenly I saw a sign for “Malpeque.” Could it be the same Malpeque that was famous for its oysters? We journeyed on to find out.

Even though it was not even noon, we decided to have an early “snack” of some just-harvested Malpeque oysters, “from the source,” so to speak at the Malpeque Oyster Barn. Now that I’ve had the “real thing,” it’s very difficult to order fresh oysters anywhere else and expect them to be even passable.

Fresh and only slightly briny, they needed just a simple squeeze of lemon as shown here although the Migonette sauce and fresh horseradish were a nice touch, too.

Afterwards we walked around the dock area and looked at all the oyster/lobster traps so artfully displayed.

And then we went to find a lighthouse nearly an hour and a half away on the other side of the island.

Point Prim Lighthouse

When we drove down a sandy beach road looking for the Point Prim Lighthouse, we didn’t expect to find a long line of cars parked on the side of the road. We realized the real reason people were there was to eat at the Point Prim Chowder House.

Even though we didn’t have a reservation, they found a table outside for us. I have to say the view was delicious! The food was decent. And the mosquitoes! Boy, they loved my ankles that day!

So back to the view.

With these pretty white curtains (that they tried to tie back since they had a tendency to billow in the wind), I felt I was in a fancy Caribbean resort rather than PEI.

We had a bowl of chowder and two lobster rolls but genuinely had a hard time thinking who was enjoying their “feast” more – Lynn and I or the mosquitoes nibbling on us.

We ate quickly and then made our way over to the lighthouse where (drum roll) we were one of only two visitors.

After lunch, we decided a visit to the beach (and being able to dig our toes into that incredible red sand) would be just the thing to do.

We had packed bathing suits and borrowed some towels from the hotel (but boy do I hate changing in a toilet stall!) and then indulged in a beautiful afternoon at Brackley Beach.

They have dunes! They have crystal clear water! They have soft red sand! Really, it was very relaxing.

Dinner both nights in Charlottetown was pretty uninspiring but I have to assume that’s because the town was filled with tourists looking for a cheap hamburger and a beer. We did have some fantastic chowder at Brickhouse Kitchen and Bar. Loaded with fresh seafood (at least four different kinds from what I could tell) plus potatoes and cream, it was really good! I went back to check their website, pulled up their menu and this chowder is actually a winner! Named the 2018 PEI Potato and Shellfish Chowder Champion, this one dish has lobster, haddock, scallops, mussels, smoked bacon and PEI potatoes.

Don’t you just want to dive into that dish? I do!

PEI Potatoes and Charlottetown’s Farmer’s Market

Speaking of PEI potatoes, well here we go. Okay, so as I mentioned before, I was trespassing on farmland trying to take pictures of the soil and the abundance of potato plants when I thought well, I have to buy some. Luckily, we were in town for the weekend and Saturday mornings is where all the action is at the Charlottetown’s Farmers’ market. Unfortunately, we had already eaten a (mediocre) breakfast at the hotel, but we walked around the stalls and marveled at all the goodness that was being displayed.

Potatoes right from the earth!

Lettuce and scallions and squash, too!

Wait, are those just-picked Shiitakes?

And lots of different varieties of fresh baked bread?

Are you hungry yet? Because I am!

Needless to say, only three things would bring me back to PEI. The oysters, the farmer’s market and the beach!

Oh yeah, on the way home, guess what I bought?

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

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Campobello Island – But First A Stop In Saint Andrews, New Brunswick

Visiting Campobello Island to see Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s summer “cottage” (it has 34 rooms!) had been on my do-list for a while. I love visiting old houses and am fascinated by stories of how people lived during the 1930’s and 1940’s. This probably has something to do with growing up in Munich and being constantly surrounded by reminders of World War II. But first we needed a place to stay.

So, after we had visited PEI, we drove to Saint Andrews (also referred to as Saint Andrews By-The-Sea) which is a very romantic sounding name for this town in an area called the Maritime Provinces of Canada.

We were to stay one night at Rossmount Inn, a hotel I had read about that had travelers raving about the on-site restaurant. But first we decided to pay a visit to Kingsbrae Gardens. If you are interested in garden design and flowers and plants like I am, this is a must-see stop. Set on over 25+ acres in a residential area of Saint Andrews, they not only have lovely flower gardens but an interesting sculpture garden and miniature exotic pet farm, too.

To give you an idea of how much they love gardens (and gardening!) this was the first thing I saw walking onto their beautiful estate.

We walked around the gardens admiring all the flowers and the neatly trimmed hedges.

Plus they even made rows and rows of daylilies and assorted other wildflowers look civilized.

And then we saw the peacock! I mean, I had seen a peacock spread its feathers before but this bird decided it was going to give us a little fashion show. Look how it spread its feathers and strutted a bit so we could see both the front and back of this gorgeous bird – a member of the pheasant family I believe.

I actually thought the back of this beautiful beast was even more interesting than the front.

After more sculpture (see the food theme prevalent here with an apple core and an avocado), we went to the hotel.

A Night at the Rossmount

Chef Chris Aerni and his lovely wife Graziella are probably one of the nicest couples we’ve encountered on our many travels here and abroad. They are totally hands on with this lovely retreat they have created and love to talk to their guests not only about food but places they, too, have visited. (I’m now very curious about Hobart, Tasmania, because of my conversation with them that night.)

This is a shot of their hotel and the lovely pool area. Unfortunately, it was too late in the day for us to hang out by the pool, but this hotel is definitely on my “return for a visit list” so we’ll have to check it out the next time we go.

Dinner that night was exceptional. A multi-course tasting menu featured fresh Malpeque oysters (I will talk more about these beauties in an upcoming Prince Edward Island story) paired with a scallop ceviche.

Mushroom soup and bib lettuce and beets from the garden topped with edible daylilies (who knew you could eat those).

Followed by a roasted quail and potato salad. And then old school surf and turf kicked up a notch with succulent butter-poached lobster with garden fresh veggies and a killer Bearnaise sauce. The dollops of green pesto that were added to this dish just brought the whole thing together. It was tasty and absolutely brilliant!

And then there was dessert. Pea semi-freddo? You betcha. And it was delicious – sweet and savory all in the same bite. But then since it was my birthday (really, the actual day not the day before or after), I asked if they could bring me out something chocolate. And that’s exactly what they did. (I know it was so unlike me to order a second dessert, but I split the chocolate mousse with Lynn.)

On To Campobello Island

We started off the morning (after a lovely breakfast at the Rossmount) by listening to “Siri” tell us how we should “drive” to Campobello Island. Usually I at least take a glimpse at an old road map to make sure she’s heading us in the correct direction, but this time I didn’t. That’s why about an hour later we ended up somewhere along the coast near Passamaquoddy Bay (yes, that is exactly how you spell it). We were in the town of L’Etete and saw signs for a ferry that we thought was going to Campobello. Since there was no reason not to trust “Siri,” we drove the car onto the ferry. Who knew the ferry was free, too? (Thank you Canada!)

When the ferry docked, we realized we were on another island, “Deer Island” to be precise. There’s got to be a bridge, I thought that would get us over to Campobello, right? There is a bridge, but not where we were! We also discovered that we needed to take another ferry and had just missed the one that would eventually take us over to Campobello. See there it is pulling away!

So we joined a growing line of cars and waited for the next boat. Since we were basically stuck on Deer Island, it’s not like we could turn around and go back. Nearly an hour and a half later (not the hour intervals as shown below), we drove the car onto ferry #2 and finally ended up where we wanted to be. And this time we had to pay about $27.00 for the crossing.

The Roosevelts

Once we finally got to Campobello we managed to finagle our way onto a tour of the house that had just started. I was impressed with the home and simple furnishings and the great lengths the Roosevelts took to spend summers there! (If it took us that long to get there from our morning start which was a mere 117 kilometers away, imagine what it was like for them to get to their summer home from New York or even Washington in the 1920’s via train and automobile!)

And since I love to cook and eat (as you all know), I particularly focused in on the kitchen. The stove Eleanor’s staff would cook meals on was still in the house. This is a thing of beauty. And looking at it, it actually has more burners and “counter space” than my current stove.

I also loved the bullhorn that was out on display. Apparently, Eleanor used it to call the children in for meals when they were out and about.

And with a view like this from the house, who wouldn’t want to be outdoors every single second of the day?

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

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A Trip To Maine and New Brunswick, Canada (And Random Thoughts About Breakfast, Too)

It was nearly 29 years ago when we first traveled from Long Island to Maine and New Brunswick with our then 1-year-old son strapped in a car seat in the smallest car I think Chevrolet ever made (the Sprint). It was actually so small (I’m pretty tall and Lynn is too) that we even nicknamed the Sprint “Sprint Junior” just to make fun of its tiny size.

This time we started out from upstate New York (already saving us probably at least 3 hours) avoiding that awful stretch of I-95 going through Connecticut. Our first stop was in Essex, MA, for amazing lobster rolls at an old school joint called Essex Seafood. I mean look at this handwritten menu tacked onto the wall!

The lobster was sweet, minimally dressed and the side order of onion rings were pretty decent, too. I’d also like to personally thank many of my Instagram foodies who shared that find with me!

Overnight in Portland, Maine

We hadn’t been to Portland in at least 20 years and frankly, we didn’t remember a single thing. We walked around near the harbor area but weren’t that impressed.

There were a couple of restaurants and bars and the usual coffee places but there seemed to be an overwhelming number of tourist places all selling the same trinkets. Actually anything that had a lobster on it seemed to be a guaranteed sale. Lobster key rings? Check. Lobster potholders? Double check.

Dinner that night was at Fore Street – a restaurant that didn’t disappoint in its open kitchen concept as well as the incredible wood-burning smell of everything they were cooking.

The menu was very creative. Squid with eggplant and green beans followed by grilled foie gras on a slice of homemade zucchini bread! Who does that?

Second course up: Fresh blue fin tuna with peppers and grilled corn. A tasty dish but a small portion I thought for the price tag. (Yes, look at it, it was about 2 .5 bites!)

Finally, Lynn and I split a fresh berry cobbler topped with a biscuit-like dough (not my favorite but more on biscuits later) and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Doesn’t that look absolutely delicious though?

On the way out, stopping to say “thanks” to the chefs working the line in the open kitchen, I was told by a not-so-friendly wait staffer that I was “not allowed” to be there or to talk to them! What? Cooking is a thankless job but I made sure the chefs working that night heard me compliment them on their exceptional talent. And at least I got a smile out of a few of them.

Before we left Portland the next morning, we stopped to see the lighthouse. Apparently, we had missed it the first time and the weather was absolutely perfect to get a great photograph!

On To Saint John, New Brunswick

We stopped for lunch outside of Bangor, Maine, and started with a seafood “chowdah” brimming with haddock, clams, shrimp and lobster. I moved on to eat a lobster BLT with avocado and Lynn held out for a traditional lobster roll. It was pretty darn good.

We had never been to Saint John and stayed at a hotel on the rather ugly waterfront. (This apparently is turning out to be a theme on this road trip.) Here, however, at least someone had attempted to create some “artwork” along the way. I particularly liked the random fish sculptures that were scattered around the downtown area.

We walked into a park, King’s Square, and found what appeared to be a Victorian-era band stand. Although when I looked at it, it kind of reminded me of a squat version of the Chinese Tower (Chinesischer Turm) in Munich’s Englischer Garten.

I have to segue just a bit. I really wanted to find a picture of Munich’s Chinese Tower and post it here but I realized that all the pictures I probably took of it were WAY BEFORE THE CLOUD! What? And yeah, I could drag out an old CD, pop it into my laptop and then spend hours looking for that one photograph. Or, I could just walk downstairs and find the one photo album I needed and just take a picture of the darn thing.

So here it is: My own photograph of the Chinesischer Turm in Munich, Germany, shot in the winter of 1979. Pretty cool right? And if you just look at the top two “towers,” you may see the same resemblance I did. And yeah, it took me a mere 3 minutes to walk down the stairs, find the photo album, flip open the page, shoot the picture, walk back upstairs and upload the shot.

Dinner At East Coast Bistro

When I tell you we had some of the best mussels EVER for dinner that night at East Coast Bistro, I’m not exaggerating. First of all, these mussels were from the Bay of Fundy which is the closest body of water to the town of Saint John and hence the restaurant. Spiced up with an intensely flavored coconut hot sauce with leeks on top, I’m still tasting (and dreaming) about this dish today. Second course I had was a fresh halibut with asparagus, pickled onions and arugula on top.

Yummy! Finally, since I had mentioned it was my birthday week – look what they brought out for me! Lovely homemade vanilla ice cream with a lemon tart topped with meringue. Also, I got to meet Chef Kim Steele and crew which was a nice treat.

Breakfast? What Breakfast?

One of my pet peeves of traveling these days is not being able to find a decent breakfast in the morning without A) driving out of our way and B) paying way too much money. I’m also not a fan of hotel buffets (unless it’s a really decent hotel). Or standing in line to scoop lukewarm scrambled eggs out of a chafing dish and then stand in another line to toast store-bought muffins.

I also like my breakfasts to be pretty simple. Eggs are a must but I don’t particularly like sausage for breakfast. But I’m okay with bacon but only one slice! And yes, I, too, fell for the avocado on toast thing. But then I stopped eating bread at breakfast for a while and I wasn’t crazy about just eating a “naked” avocado.

Hash browns or any kind of potato actually are also a definite no-no. You’re probably thinking, wow, it seems she doesn’t even like breakfast at all! But I do, I do, it just needs to be really simple and preferably served with a little bit of fresh fruit. (But only certain fruit.) Okay, I know I’m more than a little particular about my breakfasts.

I also won’t go into how I would prefer a croissant over a biscuit any day because my Dad, Larry, is one of my best blog readers and after he reads this he will probably be sending me hourly recipes for biscuits! (Love you Dad!) If you haven’t checked out any of his books, he is a funny writer and his books make great gifts, too. Side note: he LOVES biscuits and pie!

I also won’t go into my love/hate relationship with bagels. Well, okay, if you insist. I only like plain ones (and prefer mini bagels over full-sized ones) and also only buy bagels from certain stores. Recently Lynn and I decided pizza for breakfast would be a good idea but then wimped out at the last minute and got Italian pastries and cappuccino’s instead. (This photograph was from a recent trip to Montreal.)

Consequently, the next morning in our search for a bite to eat – a coffee, a donut, a bagel, a something, we walked around downtown Saint John and came up with zilch. We ended up back at the hotel, walked into the dining room and looked at a room filled with people who were drinking coffee. My breakfast “radar” went up. I realized no one had a plate in front of them which meant they had been waiting for their breakfasts a really, really long time.

I decided to be brave, ordered a simple omelette with toast and coffee and then we proceeded to wait. We got lucky. Apparently, the chefs working the line that morning cook everything at once since everyone’s food came out at the same time. So even though we were the last ones in that morning, our food came out as well. Timing is everything.

Since I didn’t take a picture of the omelette or my lousy coffee, I will leave you with some photos of some truly great breakfasts! (Regardless of my rantings above, I really do love breakfast!)

The best omelette you will ever eat. Courtesy of Les Deux Magots in Paris.

The best scones you will ever eat. Courtesy of The Langham Hotel in London. (Note: we did NOT stay there because it was outrageously expensive but went once for Easter brunch.)

The best farmer’s market to enjoy some pastries (and breakfast). Courtesy of the Byward Market in Ottawa.

I mean, even riding the Eurostar between London and Paris we had a decent croissant!

Finally, my new commuting life allows me not only to photograph my sucky”breakfast” at my desk but also share it with my husband, Lynn and my readers. If you’re wondering what it is – here’s more than a clue: Pepperidge Farm white bread, a slice of Munster cheese (or if I’m feeling really adventurous Havarti), a smear of butter laced with olive oil and either green or red grapes. Followed by weak office coffee. Awesome, right?

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

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A Trip to Bethlehem

Note to readers: This is a trip we did late last spring while we were still living on Long Island and before we moved permanently up to the Mohawk Valley.

Since Lynn and I lived on Long Island for nearly 30 years (we moved from Greenpoint, Brooklyn, when our son Nicholas was a year old), we have successfully navigated many roads and bridges to get to where we want to go. Usually the Whitestone and the Tappan Zee* bridges when driving north and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge followed by the NJ Turnpike when going south. I am proud to say that we have never, ever, had to take the George Washington Bridge anywhere and luckily for this trip to Bethlehem, we managed not to be on that dreaded bridge as well.

*Disclaimer here: I, as do many “real” (and older) New Yorkers, call most of the buildings (and bridges) by their “original” names. For example, it’s not the MetLife building but the Pan Am Building. And, it’s not the RFK Bridge but the Triboro Bridge. And please do not make me say the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge – it’s the Tappan Zee!

Name issues out of the way, after leaving Long Island two and a half hours later we wound up in the town of Bethlehem, a town we had actually never visited.

Time For Lunch – Social Still

Set in an industrial area near the famous Bethlehem SteelStacks, this fun distillery located in an old bank building makes a great burger! While I was eager to try some of what they were distilling that day (vodka, gin, whiskey), I was driving so settled for a beer.

A quick segue here. I’m not a fan of craft beers. Having lived in Munich for 10 years and being allowed legally to drink at the age of 16(!), I’m a snob of what good beer should taste like. That said, I will try craft beers that are Pilsner or lager-like but stay far away from anything that has “floral” or “fruit” overtones. I also like the fact that many craft beers these days list their percentage of alcohol.

From our bar seats at Social Still we had a nice view of the old bank vault where they seemed to store what they had brewed in barrels. I think this shot of the old bank vault door is really cool, too.

Bethlehem SteelStacks

After lunch, a quick drive down the block landed us in the middle of Bethlehem SteelStacks. I’m impressed they chose to retain the space, making some of it into a concert venue, but also giving us the ability to walk around outside of what’s left of the old steel factory. We read about all the people (mostly men) who worked there – often generation after generation. I learned a lot. Particularly that in the early 1900’s the factory actively recruited for workers abroad (wow, things have certainly changed since then) by placing ads in many German, Irish and Hungarian newspapers.

I also liked the fact we could get up really close to all the old furnaces and machines that used to make steel as we walked along the Hoover-Mason Trestle. (The walkway reminded me a bit of the High Line in NYC without all the tourists. )

My maternal grandfather worked for Standard Oil in Whiting, Indiana, most of his life and I took a moment to think of him and all the other men who worked in not-so-good conditions to make a living.

After the SteelStacks, we went into the town of Bethlehem proper, walking around and visiting the “Colonial Industrial Quarter” and also speaking to a costumed guide working at the blacksmith shop. He was a retired steel worker who spent his days talking to a few school groups, the odd tourist (namely us) and anyone else who wanted to learn about colonial PA.

Dinner at Bolete

One of the main reasons we were in Bethlehem was to have dinner at Bolete. On my “bucket list” for many years, this trip was the perfect opportunity to pay them a visit. Chef Lee Chizmar and crew didn’t disappoint. On the menu that night for starters: asparagus salad with a soft runny duck egg and braised beef dumplings. Seconds: soft shell crab with some greens (and more asparagus). For dessert? We split a carrot cake parfait!

And if you are wondering what the word “Bolete” means…here’s a clue:

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

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Lunch, Dinner and Waterfalls, Too (Back to Canada)

We did a spur of the moment trip earlier this summer to the Niagara-on-the-Lake area with trips to Hamilton and St. Catherine thrown in. We had been to the area a few times before but now there are even more places to eat (and drink) so we like to go back as frequently as possible. The fact that many of the Niagara escarpment wineries remind me a little bit of the California wineries we used to visit in the early 1990’s also helps. I also love to drive around the area to see not only what the farmers are growing but what dishes the chefs are creating with all this bounty before them.

We made it over the border crossing in about 40 minutes (yeah!) and found ourselves at the amazing winery/restaurant of Two Sisters Vineyard. The problem with eating “across the border” is that it is difficult to make a lunch reservation because you never know how long the wait will be to get across! Luckily, even though the restaurant was packed, they managed to find a table for us.

We didn’t waste any time when ordering. Glasses of wine. A wood-burning stove that spit out pizzas (ours was covered with arugula and prosciutto) followed by a pasta Bolognese dish even though it was hotter than hell that day. For those who missed my last story mentioning the “Beef Strogonoff” that Lynn consumed (again on a really hot day), well, all I can say is “Bon Appetit!”

Dare I mention they brought us out the largest bowl of grated cheese I’ve ever seen? I mean it was the size of a casserole dish! Look, our server is even showing off by holding it in one hand! (Actually I asked her to hold it that way so I could take the photograph.)

After lunch we drove around the area and to kill some time before our next meal, we went to a winery, Tawse, in Vineland, Ontario, we had missed the last time around. But first, we drove down a street called Cherry Avenue. What did we find on Cherry Avenue? You betcha!

To say I was excited about seeing cherries for the first time in person, in all their cherry goodness, is beyond words.

Dinner at Quatrefoil

This had been on my list of restaurants to go to for quite some time. Housed in a lovely house in the town of Dundas, Ontario, on Thursday nights they do a 3 course prix fixe “Farmer’s Supper.” So it being Thursday, that’s what we had. For starters, I had the white asparagus vinaigrette. Now this may not seem like a special dish, after all it’s just asparagus, right? But since I grew up in Munich, we waited anxiously every year for the asparagus season to start (usually the end of April/beginning of May). White asparagus was always preferred to the green kind and once the asparagus came out it was sold in farmer’s markets and was a featured dish in nearly every restaurant. To say it was a big deal is an understatement. Now, however, when I see white asparagus in the market, it just doesn’t taste the way I remember. This asparagus with a perfect vinaigrette absolutely hit the spot though.

Next up a perfectly cooked moist piece of salmon. Now, I realize I shouldn’t be that excited about salmon, right? Trust me this was exquisite. Do I dare mention that Lynn had beef (a steak) again? And no, I’m not posting a picture of his steak. Absolutely not.

A few days prior, I had seen on Instagram that the chef de cuisine of Quatrefoil, James Bourdeau, had “acquired” lots of different fresh berries from a local farm. “Where were the berries?” I asked our server. He wasn’t sure but he would find out. Imagine my surprise (and laughter) when a plate of berries was brought out for me to try.

And then Chef Bourdeau came out to talk to us! How cool is that? Thank you Chef!

Dessert included a deconstructed chocolate cake and mousse combo with fresh mint leaves and a lovely rhubarb creme brulee (not shown here since the shot came out blurry – probably from all the excitement.) I mean fresh picked berries and white asparagus in the same meal? I thought the food was amazing, the plating stellar and the service was outstanding.

Craving Indian…Still Craving Indian

Lunch that day was a choice of Thai or Indian in St. Catherines. We chose the Indian since 1. We love Indian. 2. We can’t find decent Indian near us. 3. We hadn’t had naan or curry in a long time.

It’s always disappointing to crave ethnic food and then not have them deliver what you’re craving. While the chicken tikka masala was okay, the naan and poori breads were just not as light and fluffy as they could have been. We sucked it up and decided Thai might have been a better choice that afternoon.

Creekside Estate Winery for Dinner

We had been to Creekside Estate Winery the year before and liked their varietals very much. They pour a strong Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah, too. A chef I had been following on Instagram, Ross Midgley, was cooking that summer on the deck at this winery so of course we wanted to visit.

Friday nights at the Creekside they have a limited menu but live music. Dare I mention it was really hot that Friday night – so hot we were sweltering and of course there wasn’t even a gust of wind in sight. We sat and drank lots of cold white wine to cool off. And then ordered some pretty outstanding food.

We started with a plate of oysters! Yeah, I love oysters! Then moved on to the Mediterranean platter (grilled halloumi, pita, olives and red peppers). Look at those cute little French jam jars – one filled with hummus and the other with Greek yogurt. And finally, the lobster roll was pretty decent, too. Thank you Chef!

We also got a chance to talk to Chef Midgley which was a special treat since he only had one other person helping him in the minimalist deck “kitchen” (fridge/work counter/grill) that evening.

Waterfalls, Waterfalls

Before we left to drive home, we decided to visit a couple of waterfalls in the area. Now since we have a waterfall in our backyard (albeit one you have to hike to), we shouldn’t have been as excited about seeing these. But they were pretty and we basically had the place to ourselves. I’ll leave you with two photographs…

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

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FLX Weekend

While we are technically only 2.5-3 hours away from the Finger Lakes area of upstate New York, sometimes it just seems too long to drive there and back in the same day. There are just so many interesting wineries to visit and good places to eat that it’s a shame to drive there only to have to turn around a few hours later to come back home. The challenge, therefore, is to find a cheap place to stay and use the leftover funds to spend on wine tastings and food.

That said, we started out a few weeks ago by driving to Seneca Lake and stopping for lunch at Ryan Williams Tasting Barn. The view was gorgeous, the menu was decent but the wine was kind of shall we say – boring? And this after tasting 4 different varietals!

We forged ahead. After lunch we had made arrangements to do a tasting at Forge Cellars (no pun intended!). I was initially kind of wary of having to not only make a reservation for a wine tasting (and pay in advance too) but I sucked it up to being “green” to the perhaps new and improved tasting process. Forge Cellars is slightly off the well-traveled “wine route” on Seneca Lake and they apparently like to keep themselves hidden as well since their building was modest with a simple sign on their door. That afternoon we sat down with 12 other people to try a variety of wines – mostly dry Rieslings. It was a fun experience and our tasting “educator” Julia was young and knowledgeable. I also liked the accompanying literature that described the wines we were tasting and the ability to take our own “tasting notes.”

After the tasting we drove to Watkins Glen and walked out onto the pier. It was a pretty day, there were lots of people milling about and lots of boats on the lake.

Bathroom Shower Curtain of the Year?

I’m not even sure how to describe what awaited us in the bathroom at the Microtel in Geneva we checked into that afternoon other than it was definitely the weirdest shower curtain “arrangement” I had ever seen. Right? Has anyone ever seen housekeeping do anything this creative?

Dinner at Kindred Fare

The real reason we even considered staying at the Microtel was that it was right next door to the restaurant we had a reservation at that night with seating at the chef’s counter. A lot of people I know don’t want to see how their food is prepared or what exactly the crew working the line is doing. I’m not one of those people. I LOVE to see how the chefs are making and plating the dishes.

Case in point: Look at Chef Max Spittler (he’s the one on the left) adding some liquid to one of 8 pans on the stove at the same time! Can you do that? (I can’t.)

Dinner that night was a decent duck pate with some pistachios, their version of fried calamari (loved the roasted red peppers and spicy chick peas with red onions that came with it.) And finally, beautifully sauteed scallops that were unfortunately just a tad too salty. (Note to ALL chefs: Please watch the salt!) Plus a decadent side dish of homemade gnocchi (perfectly cooked I might add) in a light cream sauce with Swiss chard.

Sonnenberg Gardens

The next morning before we headed towards Jamestown, we stopped to see Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion in Canandaigua, New York. Luckily we had a wonderful docent who was more than happy to share all the family history (and gossip) with us about the house and the owners. We spent time looking at the house, but mostly enjoyed walking through the gardens.

This last little guy reminds me of fountains in Italy. Is that water spitting out of the mouth of whatever animal he is riding?

Imagine my dismay therefore when we took a look at the now-crumbling pool with little to no hope that it will ever be renovated. (The entire property is a New York State park.)

I think about what a fun time guests must have had swimming in this pool so many years ago on this lovely estate. There seemed to be many things that needed fixing both inside and outside but we walked around and looked at the “ruins” and simply enjoyed the history and architecture of the place.

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.

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Adjusting

It’s been nearly seven weeks (but who’s counting!) since we moved permanently to the Red House. It has taken some time to get used to the fact that now, for the first time, we have no “home” to go back to on Long Island. That means we no longer lose half a Sunday (inevitably a beautiful Sunday afternoon) to get to Long Island so one, or both of us, could go to work Monday morning. Yeah!

I will still be working on Long Island and this week was the start of my Monday morning commute (much better than Sunday afternoons!) I will be staying with my parents (Thanks Mom and Dad!) 1-2 nights a week. Since I’ve been doing this “commute” nearly every weekend for 9 years, it’s actually pretty easy. Now it’s just different days of the week!

In the meantime, we are still hanging pictures (we have a lot of pictures). We even have frames that don’t have pictures!

Plus we’ve already started moving pictures around that we hung up a few years ago and decided we wanted something else in their place.

Although I do like the top drawing by my Uncle John, I prefer the drawing our daughter Rachel made of the Eiffel Tower juxtaposed with Edvard Munch’s The Scream. In her rendition, the “screamer” is in miniature form and floating on a cloud. (She was very young when she did that picture, so rule out any extracurricular party drugs, please.)

Closets? What Closets?

Trying to find room for everything (mostly clothes) in a house that has ONE walk-in closet downstairs (for coats originally but now housing all of Lynn’s hammers and drills and screwdrivers and nails, etc., etc.) is nearly impossible. There is also a small closet in the master bathroom but eventually it will be made into a linen closet.

That means, we have clothes stuck on rolling racks that are more suited for fashion shows. Meaning they should only be holding a couple of designer outfits and not the shirts and pants and dresses and coats we’ve hung on them.

We already broke one such rack when it crumbled from the weight of too many sweaters and jeans. Just look at it!

Garden Update

In the midst of all the unpacking and arranging and rearranging, I’ve tried to tend to the garden and am happy to report that for the first time in many years, I have zucchini! They are still little but I have hope they won’t be eaten by birds or insects or a bunny if he or she manages to get inside the fence.

We also have peas growing quite well, broad beans that are doing okay, and tomatoes that are coming along quite nicely.

Then there’s the lettuce. When our son Nicholas came up to visit, he thinks the lettuce we grow is the best he’s ever had. Glad he likes it and the simple salads I make too!

And look at all the flowers.! We have day lily’s in a brilliant orange, and Stella D’Oro ones in a gorgeous yellow. I really love flowers and those growing in the garden right now not only add a welcome splash of color against all the green fields but they just bring the garden to life.

I’ve also put up what Lynn refers to as the “cemetery fence” and since he has a sense of humor, he will start humming an appropriate cemetery “dirge,” usually something along the lines of Elton John’s “Funeral for a Friend.”

This is due to the fact that the last three summers I planted roses, the deer have taken it upon themselves to eat them – thorns at all. I was tired of spending the money (rose bushes are expensive!) and taking the time to plant them, only to have the deer “help themselves” so to speak.

As you can see, the deer love to wander not only on the back 4+ acres, but in the front lot, too close to the street for their own good which makes me very nervous for them and the drivers! We have a lot of big trucks (think milk!) and RV’s and campers that roll up and down the steep street especially since there are a lot of farms further north and a very desirable campground about 15 minutes from us.

A New Neighbor

In the meantime, we’ve finally learned the name of an elderly neighbor (Helen) who I would always wave to coming up from Long Island because she was usually sitting on her porch (at least in the summer). Helen told us she had been a dressmaker in the day when there were not one (!) but at least four dress shops in town. (Now we have zero.) She also said she had lived in her current home for about 20 years since she had taken care of her mother-in-law. She is now by herself but even in the winter I see her with a little shovel pushing the snow off the sidewalk onto the street.

“Do you know how old I am,” she asked us as we were walking into town to partake in the town’s annual cheese festival.” I hesitated thinking she was probably in her 90’s but before I could answer she blurted out, “I’m 89!” Followed by “do you want to see the inside of my house?”

We did not but assured her it was kind of her to invite us in. In the meantime, she pointed out the three garages she had (at least one of which she rented out) and the fact that no one could “do” stucco anymore. “See those cracks on the side of my house?” she asked. “That was from the earthquake.” I looked at Lynn but didn’t say a word.

As it turns out, he later told me that there was in fact an earthquake in upstate New York, sometime in the early 1980’s. He says he remembers “feeling it,” when he was living in Rome, New York. I had already moved from Syracuse and was working in New York City, where the only rumbling I was experiencing was from the subway.

Little Falls Cheese Festival

Although this has been an ongoing event for the last five years, it was only our third time attending the festival. The city shuts down a good chunk of Main Street so vendors can set up booths selling anything and everything cheese-related plus other items, too.

Luckily, the weather cooperated so the turnout was nice. We bought some cheese (how couldn’t we?) and visited with people we knew from nearby farmer’s markets.

This year’s winners included (once again) great goat cheese from Jones Family Farm.

As well as a new guy out of Troy, New York, (R&G Cheese Makers) making some pretty amazing mozzarella. (Little to no salt plus lots of flavors = a very good product.)

And last but not least a goat cheese from Cochran Farm 1790 that is appropriately called “Mohawk Mist” which was pretty darn good.

Best of all, after all this cheese and meeting new neighbors, it’s lovely to be able to walk along the pathway by the Eric Canal (yes, that Erie Canal). It’s very peaceful by the water and being able to spend time outdoors on a beautiful sunny day is a gift.

Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.