Pam R

We call it the 'kitchen sink soup' - everything goes into the pot, but the kitchen sink. Anybody else?

Good morning. -40 C/F here when I woke up (I couldn't find a windchill value - currently -33 C (or -38 C according to the weather network). Apparently there is only a light breeze right now - but it's bitterly cold. For some reason it feels much colder than any other day this week . . . School buses have been cancelled around the region - though schools remain open. I was just reminiscing about 'snow days'. Anybody remember staying bundled up in the house instead of going to school - a pot of soup often played a part in those days. There was a funny headline in the Winnipeg Free Press this morning: A little break in big freeze 'Heat wave' of -23 to -19 forecast for Thursday, but it won't last - heh, funny. So, breakfast this morning - Ya Pear (Japanese pear to some) and some almonds. I have no idea what's for dinner - but I'm leaning away from a soup tonight... we'll be playing it by ear.

Dinner: a piece of chicken from Friday night, and a big bowl of split pea soup. When my family had a kosher deli, this was the most popular soup - and so easy to make. I kept it vegetarian - since I was out of chicken stock. Yes, homemade stock is the best thing to use. No, we shouldn't all stop making out own soups if we don't have the time to make stock. Just find something you like, and use it. 'Nuff said. The Split Pea Mise: The cooking: The soup bowl:

My meat supplier sells a kosher lamb sausage - so there is not pork fat in it. I'm assuming it contains lamb fat only. I'm not crazy about it, because I don't like the seasonings they add to it - but it's not overly lamby. I'd try it with the lamb fat.

No - I haven't gone blueberry picking in years. When I was a kid, my family had a cottage in Western Ontario (just north of Kenora, for those of you who know the area). We had an acre of land on the shores of a little lake, where the blueberries grew wild. Every once in a while we'd go to special 'spots' in the area that my parents had found for blueberry picking. We'd pick buckets and make fresh blueberry pies in graham wafer crust pies (because we had no oven for a 'real' crust) and pick through them all, wash them and freeze them to use throughout the year. Now I just buy them during the summer when they're a good price and wash and freeze them. Compared to the wild berries, they're only good, not great. But they're still great to have in the freezer to pull out in the middle of a winter day. I took a nap and feel a little refreshed - thanks! My mother has come down with a serious cold, and I'm concerned I've caught the same thing. Or else I'm just tired. . Sorry about the loonie reference! Years ago (I think the late 80's) the Canadian government did away with the dollar bill and introduced the loonie. It's a gold-coloured coin with the Queen (we are in the Commonwealth of course) on one side and a loon on the other. Hence, the loonie. (I just did a search, clicky). About 10 years ago, they did away with the $2 bill, and we now have the toonie, natch. So, to prevent us from stealing shopping carts, we must insert a loonie into the mechanism on the cart to release it from all of the other carts. Cuz that $1 is going to stop you from taking it . . .

Oh - I forgot to mention. Pea soup is still simmering. I turned it down too low, set the timer for 75 minutes and returned to find that it wasn't simmering at all . Will report back when it's cooked.

Steve - thanks for reminding me. When I left the house this morning it was -38 C / -36 F and -42 C / -43.6 F with the wind. Invigorating! We were all talking about the fact that the weather channel is telling us it'll be -15 C / 5 F by next weekend. Slushes all around! MargyB - Does your husband miss it? Apparently some people do when they leave. I just want to point out that though it is bitterly cold, we do have ways to deal with it. We wear lots of layers, big puffy jackets, scarves and tuques, plug the cars in and park in the sun at work (it's amazing how much the sun helps to keep the car a bit warmer), and of course, cook lots of warm, steamy soups! And we complain a lot. But it gives us all something to bond over. Anyhow... Started the morning with the bowl of kasha - and then off to the synagogue to help get the food ready for a funeral. When I got home I was hungry, so I followed the advice of a wise man and made some french toast with the remains of the challah I baked on Friday. A quick blueberry sauce made with blueberries I froze last summer, orange zest and juice and maple syrup. It was really tangy. Challah was dipped in a mix of eggs, half and half, salt, vanilla, a dash of cinnamon and a dash of allspice.

I am too! I love the pear soup - served with toasted pecans, reduced balsamic and crumbled feta or goat cheese. But I woke up feeling not-so-great myself and decided to go for a basic split pea. Maybe pear tomorrow. Is it much warmer in Brandon?? That's too bad. There's always next year! I shop there occasionally, but I really don't get to Chinatown often. I don't really go downtown often I do like it. We got two of them when we had to do an omelet station for a brunch a few years ago, and I've since used them for cooking demos and on Breakfast TV (they have no kitchen setup at all - you have to bring your own stove to the TV station!). They don't give off any fumes at all. That sounds soooo good. Unfortunately I put the soup on before I logged on - I figured I wouldn't have the energy to cook once I had a chance to relax! But if I can get my hands on some spicy kosher sausage, I will keep this soup in mind. It's a loonie at Superstore, a quarter at Safeway. Superstore has loonie-shaped tokens that you can buy (for $1) that clip onto a key-chain. Everybody in the family has one - that way I don't have to remember to have a loonie with me. Works well. Sometimes you just have to make a big pot of kasha! I had a bowl for breakfast before leaving this morning. Good breakfast.

OK folks. I am heading to bed. I'm not sure what I'm doing tomorrow. I have a lovely bunch of swiss chard, all of the ingredients for a pea soup, a pear soup, a coconut milk/lemongrass/chicken soup, a garlic soup - and probably a few more soups. Any thoughts? Anybody have a soup that uses swiss chard? Goodnight! Sweet dreams and a warm night to you all!

Maggie! You do have a way with words. This is the joy of living in WinterPeg. We can be the coldest place in North America in the winter, and the hottest place in the summer. Alas, we're catering a funeral in the morning, so I will be up and about early. I'm just thankful that I don't have to stand in the cemetery where there's no protection from the wind.

Yet another shopping trip this afternoon. Like Susan, it was a pain going out to shop today. The parking lot was full, and it was freezing and slippery. I had to take my glove off so that I could get my loonie into the shopping cart - and it was painful! And I want to know why this grocery store doesn't have all the cashier lanes open on a Saturday afternoon. It's not as though it's EVER slow on a Saturday. What's the point of having all the lanes if they aren't going to be open?? I shopped here on Christmas Eve too - and they weren't all open. WHEN are they all open? Huh?? I digress. Back to the blog! Groceries: I never shop this often/much in one week for home. First thing I did was get my sesame sauce together. I based this loosely on a recipe Shaya sent me - it was wonderful. Now, I couldn't find my mortar and pestle - so I toasted the sesame seeds and then poured them into the food processor while still hot. The machine did almost nothing - then I added a little soy sauce and water, and the seeds started to break down. I'm not sure if the sauce should have been smoother or not - but everybody loved it, and there was enough left over, that some of it went home with my guests. Plans were to use it as a sauce for chicken later in the week. I may try this myself. The sauce included mirin, sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, toasted sesame seeds, vinegar (I used rice), and water. Consensus was that it needed a little more of a sesame kick (they're crazy - it had 300 g of sesames as the base!!) - so we added a little toasted sesame oil. Next up, chicken/mushroom wontons. Ground chicken, chopped crimini mushrooms, water chestnuts, green onions, soy sauce, mirin, toasted sesame oil, fresh ginger and garlic, egg white and store-bought wonton skins. My friends got here just as I was about to begin making these - so they took over the wonton forming. These were a hit. Table ready for dinner to start: Along with the wontons we had fried tofu, medium tofu, pea pods, baby bok choy and gai lan (Chinese broccoli). I meant to have some noodles as well, but forgot to get them. All OK though, we all had more than enough. On to the eating portion of the evening: Empty platters: Steamy, foggy windows: For dessert - fruit - lychee and fresh pineapple. Perfect.

We have lots and lots of it. Is it plugged in? ← Pam, I know you have lots of it from my last trip to Winnipeg for the Folk Fest! Is one particular ethnic cuisine/grocery store growing or changing? And, no the vehicle does not have a plug in, but, Diana's friend's mom realized that she could take them tonight and pick them up in the morning to avoid problems. Something we think about it here! Reminder to self. Install plug thing in vehicle (which I know how to do!). Off to get some more preps done for tomorrow! Oh, and Pam, do you grill when it is this cold? ← Sorry! I'm trying to get images uploaded. I'll try to get real answers about the ethnic markets/restaurants to you later (or tomorrow). Plugs in cars - is this not an American thing? I'm pretty sure my dorm parking lot in Minnesota had power . . . I do park in a garage these days, so I rarely have to plug in. But I don't think you can buy a car here that isn't ready to plug in - can you? Susan, I can't grill outside when it's this cold. I ... just ... can't. I'd say I'd grill to about -15 C. According to Environment Canada's Wind Chill - Minutes to Frostbite Chart I'd get frostbite in 3-5 minutes right now. I love to use the bbq - but I'd rather keep my ears. Umm. I just checked Environment Canada's weather report for current conditions. It's -48 C / -54 F right now. I think your poached chicken for pie counts. I think your chicken pot pie itself counts! It's perfect cold weather food.

We have lots and lots of it. Is it plugged in?

Traditional Friday night dinner. After the dinner we had on Thursday, simple and homey seemed like the thing to do. You already saw the challah - every Shabbat dinner we had at my grandmother's started with chicken soup. Thawed from last weekend, chicken soup with kreplach: Roasted chicken. It was rubbed (under the skin and over) with a mixture of crushed garlic, salt, black pepper, 'hot paprika in oil', a little lemon juice and olive oil. S&P inside the cavity with a quartered lemon and some garlic cloves. Onto a bed of sliced onions, into a 425 oven for about 30 minutes covered, then 20-30 minutes uncovered (I'm less of a timer person, and more of a cook 'til done person). Next up was kasha (buckwheat). The first thing you do for the kasha is brown some onions in fat. Then boil some pasta - usually bowties or shells. Set aside. For the buckwheat itself, you need to mix it in a bowl with egg/s. Then into a hot pan, you toast the buckwheat until it's dry and the grains are separated. Into that goes hot chicken stock, salt and black pepper. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add the onions and pasta, mix together, taste, season, enjoy! I didn't make it to the store for fresh vegetables last night, so it was brussel sprouts from the freezer, which is not a bad thing. Dinner: By the way, my energy level was low yesterday, so I nibbled on a chocolate bar while I prepped dinner. This bar has popping candy in it - love it.

Good morning (afternoon...). It's -33 (-27 F) and -43 C (-45 F) with the windchill. I need to go to the grocery store - but I'm putting it off. Too cold. Thanks for the challah comments - I was very happy with it. And thanks for the recipe Shaya! I just had a toasted spelt bagel - and I think I'll grab a grapefruit (and eat it snowangel style) while I get the rest of the pictures from dinner last night sized and uploaded. Dinner pics coming up soon.

That's it for me tonight. Though I have a question before I go. Tomorrow some friends are coming over for hot pot. When I was in Vancouver a few years ago I went to an amazing hotpot restaurant that served a peanutty-sesame sauce. Now, I've tried to make it a few times in the past, and it's been good - but not as good as the restaurant version. Anybody have any ideas about this sauce? Or any ideas for other sauces? Thanks and goodnight!

Susan, the pho looks fantastic. I too am a fan of the garlic chili sauce. I'm not going to get all of dinner posted, but I thought I'd start it off before I head for bed. Since it is, in fact, a holiday tonight (and tomorrow), I decided that the family had to have a holiday dinner. So, I did it. I baked a challah. This is the first time I've baked a challah in years (how many, I don't remember - it's been too many!). I read through several recipes and then did my own thing. I don't have a stand mixer at home, so I through everything in the food processor. Oh my. Fresh, homemade Challah. I tried to do a 6-strand braid. I even had my computer on the kitchen counter so I could watch a video clip while I was doing it - and it started off well, but I lost it somewhere. It's very confusing. Nonetheless, the bread is wonderful (though a tad sweeter than I like). I'll have to do this again soon.

Before I fill you in on tonight's Shabbat family dinner, I need to catch up on dinner last night. For the third year (my second), two chefs from the Dan hotels in Israel came to Winnipeg to prepare a Tu Bi'Shvat dinner with the chefs at the Fairmont hotel here. A minor holiday, it's considered the 'New Year' of the trees. It's a custom to plant trees and eat the fruit of trees that grow in Israel (this year the dinner was low on fruit . . .). It's also a good excuse to get together for a good meal. The menu had a nice Israeli theme, with some not-so-Israeli items. The chefs of the evening were Oved Alfia from the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv and Ariel Porat, from the Dan Accadia. The MC for the evening was well-known Canadian cookbook author / cooking school owner/ food writer Bonnie Stern, who provided colour commentary on the meal. The evening started off with frozen pomegranate bellinis and pomegranate martinis. A Bellini for me: An assortment of hors d'oeuvres were being passed around - herbed falafel with a beet tehina, beef kabobs on cinnamon sticks, arctic char and cous cous and my favorite, an apple and cinnamon/sugar cigar. It sounds sweet, but it wasn't - it was really interesting. It's also the only one that I got a picture of (sorry, I was shmoozing): We eventually found our seats - lots of glasses and cutlery (silverware) ready to go: And huge baskets of great bread with excellent olive oil were served immediately. Olive bread and olive oil: Turns out the bread basket went with the first course as well. Grilled eggplant (nice and smokey) served with sesame tachina and lentil salad: The next course mixed up a Manitoba fish with an Israeli preparation. Pickerel kebab with a Pilppeltzhoma sauce (pepper), pickled lemons and micro greens - the Moroccan Israeli at my table was very happy with this Moroccan influenced dish. So was I - it was really good. Next the soup course. It's described on the menu as "Green Fine Herbs Soup, Egg Bread 'Ravioli'". I loved this. The soup was thick - I'd say a potato base, with mixed herbs, but basil came through clearly for me. The Ravioli was really two paper thin pieces of bread (challah?) with a 'poached' yolk inside. The yolk oozed out and mixed with the soup, making it incredibly rich. The next course, though tasty, seemed a little out of place for me. The menu description "Spring Chicken Skewer, Israeli Pita & Salsa". It was supposed to be a play on shwarma. And then a sorbet. I really liked it, but I heard from a few people today that they did not. "Arava" Tomato Sherbert with Jerusalem Zaatar: Doesn't take much to impress me. I like getting my own slab of ice. Next up was the beef course. At this point, I'm full. And then they bring out a huge plate of "Shortribs and Beef Cheek Red Chard Casserole, Chickpea Puree". I wouldn't have called it a casserole. It was fall-of-the-bones tender and delicious. I loved every part of this dish - I just wish that it had come earlier because I couldn't do justice to it. I will be working on getting the recipe on this one. (not a great image - sorry!) Finally, dessert. After the last, rich course, the dessert was lovely. "Vanilla Pod Syrup Poached Pears, "Almond Milk" Ice Cream, Candied Lemons. I would like to dive into a vat of the almond milk ice cream. I have already requested the recipe, and the organizer's wife is going to get it for me. This was light, refreshing and delicious. (But a bad picture.) Wines were served throughout - I can't really comment on them. I have an alcohol allergy, and already pushed it with the Bellini, so I only had a sip of each.

Crocs are ugly as all get out. But I love 'em. At work I wear green ones that have no holes on top, but holes around the sides. Today has become much more hectic than I anticipated. I got a huge shipment in from one of my suppliers that I'm trying to deal with; as of this morning we're catering a funeral on Sunday, so we're scrambling to get stuff put together to take over to the synagogue before the Sabbath starts (early up here in the North). Greek salad is being eaten right now for lunch as I work on some pricing issues. I'll post much more later.

If this were a cold weather contest, I'd win again! -28 C (-18 F) and -40 C/F with the wind. Do you know how cold that is?? My fingers are frozen - I have to get my article edited (it's 100 words too long with no introduction ) and do some work here. As soon as I get a chance I'll get those pictures posted from last night. Breakfast - same as yesterday plus a tall glass of water and a tall glass of iced green tea.

There was. But I just got home and I'm not going to start fighting with my camera tonight! Tomorrow, I will post. Now, I will sleep. Goodnight!

BTW - mom wants me to point out that she's sure some of the women working in the Paddle Wheel today worked in the Paddle Wheel 40 years ago. I want to point out that the same can be said for a lot of the customers.

Butter. It needs to be butter.

Some of it really was horrid! I was going to take a picture of the remains... but they didn't look so hot. Dinner tonight should (hopefully) more than make up for lunch. There is nothing better than a Hudson's Bay Blanket. I haven't been in the basement in years. I don't remember every having a malt - but I'll have to make a note of it for the next time I'm there. Generally, if I go to the Bay I go to the new one at Polo Park (replaced Eatons) - so I don't get there often. Eaton's Grill Room was classier. We were talking about that during lunch. The Paddle Wheel was where my grandmother went for lunch during the week (she worked in the Boyd building about a block away). When she met her friends for lunch, it was always the Grill Room. I miss Eaton's too.

Lunch today, was not something to write home about. I was downtown with my mother today for a meeting, and we parked in the parking structure attached to the The Hudson Bay Companystore. The Bay has a long history in Canada - and in my family. My grandmother used to lunch at the Bay's top floor restaurant, the Paddlewheel at least twice a week when she worked downtown (40-50 years ago). My mother has fond memories of going for lunch with her mother there (though, going to Eaton's Grill Room was better). So that was her choice for lunch today. It's very much a cafeteria, and I'm sure it was wonderful at some point. It's all about the atmosphere - very weird actually. Once you've gone through the food lines and paid, as you step into the dining room you face a paddlewheel in action. (damn cellphone camera. it doesn't show you the action the way my regular camera would) Apparently, the thing to do back in the day was toss a penny in the water and make a wish. No pennies today. Lunch was a traditional roast beef, (terrible) mashed potatoes, a huge Yorkshire pudding and (terrible) vegetables. There really is beef under the gravy. And that's what they give you when you ask for them to go light on the gravy! The beef and yorkie were good. I was freezing, and hungry, and I enjoyed some of it.