Bennett

Swirl it in after it's cooked. I am always a little generous with it but only because I am a huge PB fan. If Poutine makes it she will add a little Splendia to sweeten it. I've never tried the brown sugar combination but ummmmmmm I can see that's going to happen. *smile*

OK, I think I might have missed it. I'd love to hear why. ← Robin do you care to comment? ← No real rhyme or reason for me. I didn't feel any pressure but I suppose in some ways my subconscious said you're a team now and I jumped on the Poutine No Red Meat Wagon. lol For the first year or so plenty of folk were stunned by the fact that we didn't eat red meat, many an awkward moment with the beef eaters in this area. It was like people were at a loss as to what to prepare and serve if we were invited to dinner. Weird. We were at a wedding this past summer where they only served prime rib. Needless to say we loaded up on salad. I feel horrible for the Canadian beef farmers though, and believe me there are plenty in our area. My cousin told me how bad she felt when she went to buy beef for her freezer from the same farmer she has bought from for years. The price on his meat was less than half of what he charged her the year before. Sad.

Oatmeal for dinner? Well then you better try my next tip. I love to put a spoonful of peanut butter in my oat meal for protein sake. *smile*

For the most part yes although honestly I find some of it bland. My big kick is seeing how nostalgic she gets, the warm comforting feeling and the evident glow. Like when we are travelling and we stop at a deli and she has to sample the black and white. I swear her eyes gleam. For me.... it's her home made matzah ball soup and latkes, my eyes they focus. lol Where's the utensils? *smile*

Congratulations on becoming a non-smoker! Does food taste any different to you now? Has quitting smoking changed your eating habits? ← Thanks Alex...it's been quite a battle but I am confident in myself this quit. Never again!!! Oh sure the food tastes different, full of flavour, and with Poutine keeping me fed I say bring it on. So that speaks to my eating habits....bring it on and on and on and on. You know they say you are to expect to gain 10 to 20 pounds when you quit, at least I'm doing so with some damn good food. *smile*

Isn't it funny how the mind works? I've come to realize that this ole brain of mine has the ability to absolutely ignore or disregard information that would obviously be in my best interest. Having been a smoker for 24 years and recently quitting for good (it's been 6 weeks) provides an excellent example of what I am referring to. I knew all of the health risks associated with smoking but still did it. The same sort of disregard happens when it comes to food, or probably better stated as food habits. Take breakfast for example, “Most important meal of the day” oh ya, uh huh, nodding in agreement but do I make the effort? Nope. I can sit and reflect and know that my mother always ensured that us kids had breakfast before we left for school in the morning, but I don't know why that routine didn't remain with me. I mean after all I had some pretty strong convictions about exactly what I would eat for my breakfast during my childhood years. I can easily recite the top three choices; my beloved Shredded Wheat. Boil water in the kettle, pour a small amount over the two wheat parcels in my cereal bowl, drain the the water once it had adequately moistened both parcels, and quickly add brown sugar to the top of each so that it melts and goes creamy and smooth. Never would milk touch the bowl, Mother would make sure I had a glass of milk on the side though. Brown sugar was definitely a theme. Choice number two involved Cheerios. This time milk was added to the bowl. A bowl full of Cheerios, milk and top the creation off with a few mit fulls of brown sugar. As I sit and type I can vividly see the brown sugar sitting on the bottom of the bowl. That was always my favourite part. Once I ploughed my way through the Cheerios, the remaining milk would cover any of the sugar that had sunk to the bottom. As I tipped and sipped my way through spoon by spoon, or probably more accurately slurp by slurp, I was always thrilled that the last spoon full was pure sugar. I'd use my spoon to scrape that brown sugary goodness away from the bottom of the bowl before dropping it in the sink on my way out the door. We walked to school, we lived that close. Now my third breakfast choice broke the mold. I turned to the toaster. Two slices, never ever burnt. If that happened the birds in the backyard received something beyond the seeds in the feeder. I like my toast just slightly golden. Immediately after popping from the toaster I would slather it with the first layer of precious peanut butter. To this day I adore PB, it's just not for breakfast anymore. *smile * The second layer was honey. Again timing was important, the honey needed to be added while the toast was still warm ensuring that a slight melt would occur thus bringing the two flavours together. Creamy goodness. This particular breakfast brought concern from mother. I don't ever recall her worrying about the cereal selections I made or the addition of the brown sugar to them, but when it came to my two pieces of toast with two layers of goodness she felt the need to comment on calories. Now I don't do breakfast. Well not for the most part. During the work week, I have my two mugs of coffee, shower and head to the office. Weekends are different. Because Poutine is up and wanting to cook I never turn down her offer. After all the woman has introduced me to steel cut oats, bagels and loxs, cream cheese and eggs, and all those healthy breakfast meats (turkey bacon, chicken sausage). I've hung on to a couple of things, the PB gets added to any oatmeal, and I still perfer my toast to be golden brown, and yes the birds still get the burnt pieces.

Oh to have a passion. *smile * When my wife asked me what I was passionate about, I was a bit perplexed. I wasn't so sure that I could identify anything in my life that I really felt passionate about. Sad really, now mind you, I love a lot of things. Golf, curling, working out at the gym, antiques, some gardening, and the list goes on, but I wouldn't necessarily consider myself passionate about any of it. It's something I admire about her though, my oh my does she have a passion. She's a total foodie, and I reap all the benefits. Before Poutine(my nickname for Randi) came into my life, my palate and my life's food menu were pretty boring, pretty basic, and pathetically convenient. She has introduced me to things that I probably would never have crossed paths with, polenta, bulgar, matza ball soup to name a few. I laugh when I go into work and brag about the gourmet meal that I had the night before, I describe it and then define it.lol I'm from the country, not necessarily a farm, but I have lived my life in small town Ontario. I pass through one stop light on my way to the office and one can find a field of cows on either end of town. I have enjoyed introducing Randi to this way of life. It was a hoot watching her walking up the lane way with a pail of feed for the horses at the farm where we took our niece for a riding lesson. Or the excitement she exudes when we stop at a road side stand that has the honour system. Help yourself to any of the fresh produce, melon, corn, herbs, etc and drop your payment in the container. “You'd never see that this California” is a familiar phrase. I buzz during the spring, summer, and fall with the opportunity for exploration and discovery with her. During the winter, different story. I haven't quite figured out a way to ease her into snow squalls, blizzards, road closures, and trying to find a path to get the wiener dogs out through the snow for a pee. I am looking forward to this blog. I suspect it will provide that same sort of buzz for me. I see it as an opportunity to show a few more foodies, and folk from around the globe the experiences in small town Ontario. And I hope you all like deviled eggs, it's a staple in this area. Any BBQ I have ever taken my wife to, guaranteed there will be deviled eggs on the table. She was amazed by that. Me, I am accustomed to it.