225 replies to this topic

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry your daughter is absolutely beautiful,is her name a take off of yous?  I'm so glad you are brave and confident enough to share her with us and everyone else in your life, it teaches people to be more tolerant when they meet others that are maybe a bit different. I have a daughter with Down Syndrome and we started signing with her when she was 6mo. old and it was one of the best ideas that anyone ever gave us for so many many reasons. My daughter Rachel was the 1st child with a disability ever to be (Included ) in our school district from pre kindergarden thru 8th grade. She is now in 10th grade in our local High School and swims for the Special Olympics and her mother and I are very proud of all she has done and continues to do. Now to keep this about food I must confess that she has a weight issue and is almost Willie Prater snydrome in some ways. She would live on nothing but Carbs and some protein if left to her own choices for meals. I think if she could have it her way she would have Mac & cheese for breakfast ,lunch & dinner with  mashed potatoes or scrambled eggs thrown in ever other meal for dessert. The most positive about her diet choices is that she loves any kind of seafood you'll give her especially shell fish which because of her other medical issues are not real great options. Anyway I think that this just might be on of the more interisting blogs I've yet to follow. Thank you. Bill.

I understand completely. I would live on nothing but carbs for long periods of time too if I didn't have other people to feed.

Kira's name was chosen from a book. A fair amount of negotiation took place (ie that name sucks - no way!) before we settled on Kira. A few names that kind of rhymed with it were also in the running for a while.

[Pan]

[...]So can I hear your amazing island experience that involves food?  I think this is a perfect place for it, being on an island and all.[...]

OK. My parents, brother and I visited Sumatra in 1976 and spent most of that two-week trip on Pulau Samosir in the Toba Batak land (pulau is Indonesian and Malay for "island"). While we were on a ferry going from Prapat on the "mainland" (in Sumatra but across Lake Toba from Samosir), some friendly Bataks told us that they would be having a second burial the next day and that we should join them as guests. The Batak people disinter the bones of ancestors about 60 years after they have died, rebury them permanently, and have a big celebration. There were two kinship groups represented, the wife-givers and wife-receivers, and one of the groups adopted us for the purposes of the ceremony. There was a lot of dancing and many people were dressed in colorful clothing. Pigs were roasted on spits over wood fires with an amazing mix of spices. The roast pig was so spicy and so uniquely delicious! That second burial has to be the best serendipitous adventure I ever had while traveling.

[Catriona]

Sounds amazing, Pan!

Kerry, without breaking patient confidentiality (!) (spot the lawyer in the room), can you give me an example of one of these amazing names? If you can spell it, that is... ;)

[Kerry Beal]

[...]So can I hear your amazing island experience that involves food?  I think this is a perfect place for it, being on an island and all.[...]

OK. My parents, brother and I visited Sumatra in 1976 and spent most of that two-week trip on Pulau Samosir in the Toba Batak land (pulau is Indonesian and Malay for "island"). While we were on a ferry going from Prapat on the "mainland" (in Sumatra but across Lake Toba from Samosir), some friendly Bataks told us that they would be having a second burial the next day and that we should join them as guests. The Batak people disinter the bones of ancestors about 60 years after they have died, rebury them permanently, and have a big celebration. There were two kinship groups represented, the wife-givers and wife-receivers, and one of the groups adopted us for the purposes of the ceremony. There was a lot of dancing and many people were dressed in colorful clothing. Pigs were roasted on spits over wood fires with an amazing mix of spices. The roast pig was so spicy and so uniquely delicious! That second burial has to be the best serendipitous adventure I ever had while traveling.

Great story! Thanks for the telling. It's amazing how good a well roasted whole pig can taste isn't it?

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry, without breaking patient confidentiality (!)  (spot the lawyer in the room), can you give me an example of one of these amazing names?  If you can spell it, that is... ;)

Ok, not sure about the legality here. I'm looking in the phone book now, so no patients were mentioned in the making of this post.

The town known as West Bay when I was young is now known as M' Chigeeng.

A random name picked out of the phone book, so I have no idea of it's meaning is Bebamikwae. Others are Kitchikake or Mahgagahbow or Maiangowi.

I used to be able to go out into the waiting room and make a pretty good try at pronunciations, these days I'm in the weeds.

[Kerry Beal]

Kira's Birthday Party

Excuse the paucity of good photos of the cake and everything. Somehow with a number of young children running around, filled with sugar, the photography suffers.



My very favorite hot dog buns and something I can't get where I live in southern Ontario. I should just start making my own.

_

Malou, making Kira a traditional filipine birthday dish, fried noodles.

_

The finished product. They were yummy. Also yummy, filipine spring rolls.

_

Production line for chocolate treats. Dipped oreos, maple creams, pretzels and red liqorice. Gummy bark with gummy pigs and worms. I also made some almond bark.

_

The table set with all the treats.




A bowl of gummy treats, pigs, worms and gummy fruits.



Mushroom pate with fresh Ace Bakery Baguette. Not seen is the olive and lentil dip and the bathenjane with toasted greek pita pieces.



The birthday girl, just before the first guests arrive, having just fallen of the chair onto the carpet, screamed until she was taken out for a 10 minute stroll.

_

Just after putting on the burgers the propane ran out (of course). So we still have bits of raw burger clinging to the grill.




Burgers transplanted to the stovetop. No picture shown of the sheer quantity of grease that produced on the walls, stove and counters.

_

Nicki, a guest, gives Kira a lovely little stuffed lynx. Very soft, a big hit with Kira.



Pictures of the candle blowing were a blowout. So before and after only. Kira ate half the piece and loved it.

_

As the sun sinks slowly in the west, goody bags were produced, and we discoved the tensile strength of gummy worms in our attempts to divide the bark.

I hope you have enjoyed the birthday, I'll post a couple of other pictures separately because I accidently deleted them and I've learned my lesson about trying to bring in more in the middle of posting.

Thanks for all the suggestions about microsoft word, unfortunately on a Mac I haven't got it, but I'll fool around with Pages over the next while and see if I can produce a word file.

[Anna N]

It all looks amazing? Does Malou make her own wrappers for the spring rolls?

[Shaya]

What a nice birthday party for your gorgeous little girl.

Kerry, your energy and your giving spirit seem endless. Thanks for sharing this week with us. It is truly like taking a virtual vacation.

[Kerry Beal]

It all looks amazing?  Does Malou make her own wrappers for the spring rolls?

No, we bought these ones in Sudbury in July when we were here and left them in the freezer. We didi fear for them when the power was off for 5 days, but they were fine.

[Kerry Beal]

What a nice birthday party for your gorgeous little girl. 

Kerry, your energy and your giving spirit seem endless.  Thanks for sharing this week with us. It is truly like taking a virtual vacation.

I sure didn't feel like I had any energy left last night after the post disappeared into the ether. But I'm back again this morning. I am whining a bit today however. I seem to have developed a bit of arthritis in a couple of joints of the middle finger of my right hand and I'm totally screwed trying to get the lids off things.

I know, I know, I should see a doctor, but they are all quacks you know! Instead I'll wander into physio this morning and see if someone can do a little accupuncture or ultrasound and make it feel better. What's the line - physician heal thyself?

[Kerry Beal]

In my Manitoulin musings I forget to ask my question: When did you know you loved patisserie et confiserie? Was your Mum a splendid baker, or your grandmother? Who were your mentors?

Sorry Maggie, missed this question last night. My mother was an amazing woman. She was good at everything she turned her hand to. I learned a ton about baking and cooking from her. She was not afraid to try anything. I still have her hand written cookbooks and the millions of clippings from various sources that she had collected. You know the old story about realizing you have more clippings than you can ever try before you die, that is when she decided to pass them on to me.

Also my granny. Now my granny was made up to two women actually, granny and Minnie, the Cowichan Indian woman who lived with her after her husbands death. From granny I learned a lot of buns and breads, lemonade concentrate, pull taffy, other candy and from Minnie I learned to make smoked salmon (Indian Candy variety), how to gut and bone a salmon, how not to gut a dog fish, and how to catch those fish.

One of the first things I remember trying on my own was crepes Suzette, sounded so classy in the cookbook. Says something about my parents that they would let a 7 or 8 year old kid flambe booze in the kitchen by herself. The only fires I ever started as a child were outside, so I guess it wasn't too dangerous.

[Kerry Beal]

My breakfast this morning, what my mom would call cheese toast. Basically just old cheddar melted on bread or baguette. The crispy bits that hit the cookie sheet are the best part. And yeah, I am going to put ketsup on it (sacrilege I know). Accompanied of course by about a gallon and a half of orange pekoe.


Now a couple of left over photo's from last night's party.




A very poor picture of the inside of the cake. It was delicious as always. This is what I call 'Gary's chocolate cake', a recipe I put together in my attempts to get that mix cake texture.


This is just a close up to show the tensile strength of gummy worms.



And finally a little something from Malou to illustrate a point. In the filipines, for a birthday centrepiece you take a bunch of weiners on skewers with marshmallows like this and stick them in a pineapple. We didn't have a pineapple or enough weiners to do it properly. However enough wine makes it seem possible.

[Kim Shook]

Kerry, wonderful blog. My armchair traveling is going very well!

Any chance on you sharing your cake and icing recipe with us? I have been having chocolate cake issues lately .

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry, wonderful blog.  My armchair traveling is going very well! 

Any chance on you sharing your cake and icing recipe with us?  I have been having chocolate cake issues lately  .

Sure, I'll try to get it posted later tonight.

[monavano]

What a nice birthday party for your gorgeous little girl. 

Kerry, your energy and your giving spirit seem endless.  Thanks for sharing this week with us. It is truly like taking a virtual vacation.

I sure didn't feel like I had any energy left last night after the post disappeared into the ether. But I'm back again this morning. I am whining a bit today however. I seem to have developed a bit of arthritis in a couple of joints of the middle finger of my right hand and I'm totally screwed trying to get the lids off things.

I know, I know, I should see a doctor, but they are all quacks you know! Instead I'll wander into physio this morning and see if someone can do a little accupuncture or ultrasound and make it feel better. What's the line - physician heal thyself?

Thank you so much for blogging. I also feel like I'm escaping when reading and seeing the pictures. What a beautiful place!
And reading about your poor arthritic finger, the physio in me(physical therapist here in the states) wants you to get an oxo can opener and a paraffin dip stat!
Looking forward to the rest of the week.

[Kerry Beal]

Thank you so much for blogging. I also feel like I'm escaping when reading and seeing the pictures. What a beautiful place!
And reading about your poor arthritic finger, the physio in me(physical therapist here in the states) wants you to get an oxo can opener and a paraffin dip stat!
Looking forward to the rest of the week.

I was thinking about that paraffin dip myself today, I could almost smell the oil of wintergreen. I think they have a paraffin bath in the physio dept here.

I hope it doesn't last long enough to need the oxo can opener cause I love my old swingaway.

[racheld]

As the sun sinks slowly in the west, we discoved the tensile strength of gummy worms in our attempts to divide the bark. 

This is just priceless!!! Mom, Doctor, Chef---it encompasses all your hats at once. Very concise, very Mom-at-the-end-of-a-party, VERY funny.

Lovely party.

[Abra]

I prescribe glucosamine and chondroitin for your finger. You probably already take it, though.

I'm morbidly curious about the marshmallow/wiener combo. You toast them together so the marshmallow goops all over the hot dog? Then eat the hot dog all sweet and gooey? Say it isn't so!

If you could teach us to make salmon candy so it has the real taste and texture I'd be eternally in your debt!

[nakji]

Greetings from Hanoi!

I'm another transplanted Canadian living in Hanoi. Today is the first day I've been able to read this thread - internet connections being what they are here. The medical service here is as dicey as always. My husband was hit by a truck the other week, (he's fine now) but rather than taking our chances at the French hospital or taking out a personal loan to go to the SOS clinic, I just sat at home cleaning the gravel out of his abrasions with a boiled pin and alcohol pads. Beats the toothbrush they used on me when I was in South Korea! Liberal applications of Fiducin and much shouting later, he's fine. But a real emergency? :shudders:

Are there any foods you miss from Vietnam? Any Hanoi recommendations for me? Your blueberry muffins made me snuffle a little bit for home. I miss blueberries a lot, coming from Nova Scotia. Blueberry muffins used to be one of my life's great pleasures.

Your daughter is beautiful. I was actually at the SOS clinic last week (on my employer's dime for a visa medical check) and the only clients there were me and six other baby girls who were being adopted. We all were in line for TB checks! Some of the little babies looked like they hadn't had easy lives of it until then - some of them had traces of what looked like bed sores all over their bodies. And there they were dressed in the most beautiful outfits that had obviously been lovingly packed by hopeful parents in the UK, or Italy, or Germany...

[annanstee]

Hi Kerry,
Tell us about Cafe in the Woods!
My husband is from S. Ontario, and we keep meaning to visit Mantoulin. You have given extra motivation. Looks beautiful.

Cafe in the Woods are a series of small, intimate concerts held at the cross country ski clubhouse during the late fall and winter. Artists and bands come and play to a group of about 40 people. European style desserts and coffee are served. The audience is often heavily weighted with musicians and they frequently end up jamming with the band at the end of the evening. It is a great night out, and the price is right.

Where in S. Ontario is your husband from?

We will have to try to attend one of those next time we are back.
My husband is from London/St. Thomas.
I love the area.

[Kerry Beal]

I prescribe glucosamine and chondroitin for your finger.  You probably already take it, though.

I'm morbidly curious about the marshmallow/wiener combo.  You toast them together so the marshmallow goops all over the hot dog?  Then eat the hot dog all sweet and gooey?  Say it isn't so!

If you could teach us to make salmon candy so it has the real taste and texture I'd be eternally in your debt!

Actually other than a bit of celebrex I haven't been taking anything cause the finger just started to bother me.

Had a great visit with the physio, he asked me what I had been doing to aggravate it, I couldn't think of a thing, until after I left. Then I remembered the pull taffy. I made it several times in order to get all the photos I needed for the confectionary course, I recall that the tips of my fingers were burning for a few days after, but when I think back, that's when my hands started to hurt.

The weiners and marshmallows don't get toasted, it's a decoration only. Funny I asked her the same thing.

Now Indian candy is brined and smoked salmon. If you go over to the charcuterie thread I believe someone is doing that variation. Basically you brine your fillets overnight, the brine is made with brown sugar and molasses if I recall. Let it sit for several hours to form a pellicle, then hot smoke for several hours. I always used hickory to smoke, but alder for fish might be even better.

[Kerry Beal]

Greetings from Hanoi!

I'm another transplanted Canadian living in Hanoi. Today is the first day I've been able to read this thread - internet connections being what they are here. The medical service here is as dicey as always. My husband was hit by a truck the other week, (he's fine now) but rather than taking our chances at the French hospital or taking out a personal loan to go to the SOS clinic, I just sat at home cleaning the gravel out of his abrasions with a boiled pin and alcohol pads. Beats the toothbrush they used on me when I was in South Korea! Liberal applications of Fiducin and much shouting later, he's fine. But a real emergency? :shudders:

Are there any foods you miss from Vietnam? Any Hanoi recommendations for me? Your blueberry muffins made me snuffle a little bit for home. I miss blueberries a lot, coming from Nova Scotia. Blueberry muffins used to be one of my life's great pleasures.

Your daughter is beautiful. I was actually at the SOS clinic last week (on my employer's dime    for a visa medical check) and the only clients there were me and six other baby girls who were being adopted. We all were in line for TB checks! Some of the little babies looked like they hadn't had easy lives of it until then - some of them had traces of what looked like bed sores all over their bodies. And there they were dressed in the most beautiful outfits that had obviously been lovingly packed by hopeful parents in the UK, or Italy, or Germany...

I worked at the other clinic in Hanoi, can't recall the name right now, but it is owned by a wonderful Israeli fellow named Rafi. I did a whole lot of physicals on adoptive kids while I was there.

Actually the fancy clothes are often provided by the parents who are giving up the child. Kira came equiped with a rather fancy little outfit. I noticed a lot of kids have rashes, but they are generally very well cared for before adoption so bed sores would be very unusual.

I miss all the food in Vietnam. I never ate better, but I still lost about 10 lbs because it's so much lower fat than here. Every morning for breakfast I ate pho, my husband ate baguette. We found that every restaurant we went to had just the most amazing fresh food.

I wouldn't want to have a real emergency in Hanoi either. You see the number of people limping around with limbs that were obviously broken and not cared for properly. Apparently there is a hospital there where you can get amazing emergency experience due to the number of serious injuries that come in all the time. Kind of like Detroit Receiving Hospital.

If you get a chance would you describe for eG how the traffic flows in Hanoi. I was laughing constantly at the possibility of gridlock.

[joey madison]

This is my first day reading the thread, but I'm so excited to see something coming from Manatoulin Island! I spent many summers there and on the Bruce.. So many fond memories of hunting for fossils, cliff diving, and great backpacking trips.

It's been a few years since I've been back to that area. Has tourism continued to pick up? It's great to hear that farmers' markets and community gardens have taken root.

[Country]

  I always used hickory to smoke, but alder for fish might be even better.

Great blog! I'm really enjoying it. Thanks!

Alder is better for salmon. Cherry and apple are good for other fish depending on what they are.

Edit: Also, try a brine with maple syrup.

Edited by Country, 20 September 2006 - 02:50 PM.

[Kerry Beal]

This is my first day reading the thread, but I'm so excited to see something coming from Manatoulin Island!  I spent many summers there and on the Bruce.. So many fond memories of hunting for fossils, cliff diving, and great backpacking trips.

It's been a few years since I've been back to that area.  Has tourism continued to pick up?  It's great to hear that farmers' markets and community gardens have taken root.

Tourism is alive and well in Manitoulin and is the summer lifeblood of the island. But unlike other tourist areas you don't feel that the locals are just tolerating you. They are just as interested in finding out about you as you are about them.

[Kerry Beal]

Today lunch was Indian Taco's. These are fry bread with taco fixings and man are they good.






This was a fund raiser in aid of a young man who had a bad motor vehicle accident a few weeks ago and suffered a head injury and a cervical spine fracture.

Apparently he regained conciousness and was acting appropriately, but unfortunately was having some trouble breathing and had to be intubated to breath and therefore sedated. So the final outcome of his injuries is up in the air.

[Pam R]

Today lunch was Indian Taco's.  These are fry bread with taco fixings and man are they good. 

I haven't seen something like that since I was in univeristy. But in northern Minnesota and North Dakota they're not Indian Taco's - they're Oofda Taco's. I had no idea they were in Ontario too. (They were good!)

[snowangel]

Pam, it's Uff-da, and it's a Norwegian term. But, Kerry, that lunch looks absolutely wonderful!

Did Kira like her party? And, when she fell out of her chair and screamed, was she hurt or mad?

[Pam R]

Pam, it's Uff-da, and it's a Norwegian term.  But, Kerry, that lunch looks absolutely wonderful!

It's both! (do a search on oofda taco) - I had one at the Norsk Hostfest. Whichever way, they're good!

Kerry - did they have Beaver-tails too?

[Kerry Beal]

Did Kira like her party?  And, when she fell out of her chair and screamed, was she hurt or mad?

She really seemed to enjoy the party. She loves having other kids around. I don't think she was hurt at all, just accustomed to having someone prevent her from falling all the time. She was just plain pissed I think.

Pam, it's Uff-da, and it's a Norwegian term.  But, Kerry, that lunch looks absolutely wonderful!

It's both! (do a search on oofda taco) - I had one at the Norsk Hostfest. Whichever way, they're good!

Kerry - did they have Beaver-tails too?

No beavertails today, but I did snap a photo of the beavertail concession in Tobermory on the way up.