TicTac

Chapmans and Breyers are both pretty awful IMO....Kawartha Dairy is well above both, though their supermarket tubs do not compare to what you get at the dairy (I believe they pump air into the retail versions - dairy is far creamier). Though the other day we found the BEST ice cream in Canada - in Kitchener of all places, a little spot called 'Four All Ice Cream' makes seasonal flavours (with a core lineup) with locally sourced high fat dairy. They had this roasted strawberry and rubarb 'ice' that was so creamy and unreal. Though the standout for me was the Maple Creme Brulee ice cream, sweetened solely with CDN Maple Syrup. Unreal stuff! Oh, and the waffle cone....also best I have had! To top it off, everything is Gluten Free - so my son with Celiac was akin to a pig in a mound of fresh shit!

Blasphemous! But then again, you eat durian ice cream with a shovel, no less!

Not a huge pasta fan but this one hit hard… carbonara base, sautéed local corn, orange garden tomato seen below, pancetta and some fish pepper.

@JoNorvelleWalker Make your flavoured concoction, and add a bit of booze - put in the freezer, before it freezes completely, take a fork and break it all up, do this a few times as it starts to harden. It should be close to what you are looking for.....perhaps!?

Slightly off topic, I recently dumped my Zoji as the bowl was starting to get a few scratches and for some reason, they insist on using non-stick coatings in their bowls and one cannot get one without. I found a brand called Buffalo with very high ratings which has a high quality stainless steel bowl. Makes rice just as good as the Zoji, in less time. Food for thought!

On behalf of the environment - thank you…

Makes sense. Especially with your history of trips and viruses - the desire to be able to ENJOY the entire time in a healthy state would be a priority of mine as well. You mentioned a lot of awesome pineapple and dragon fruit - was there other (any unique) tropical fruits on offer? The Mangosteen looked great...I know we both share a fondness for those white nuggets!

Amazing shots as usual, looks like you guys had a fantastic time. Thanks for sharing. Curious, if you do not mind my asking - the N95's....did you wear those everywhere, or just certain places that were more crowded? Increased local COVID outbreaks or just being cautious as you were closer to the 'source'? Also you should have told them....their 'mille feuille' looks more like 'trois feuille' 😛

Thanks - 'borrowed' from my MIL's BBQ - she got cast iron and stainless steel grates...did not even bother with the cast iron. Time moves far slower at the cottage, my guess is it has something to do with that.....and the jugs of sangria!

Some meals from the cottage… delicious local’ish winery. Highly recommended!

My ‘other’ garden. Needs very little weeding or watering!

Sorry to have missed this. I enjoyed a number of interactions with John over the years. May his memory warm the hearts of those he loved and be a blessing forevermore.

Downloading or Offloading, more like it

I have no idea what that is, I had a few bean burritos from Taco Hell perhaps 30 years ago, but I learned my lesson (the white porcelain throne teaches you much!) quickly. If I were to guess, we create a similar experience at home - often taking a crunchy taco shell (guilty pleasure!) filling it with whatever taco night ingredients, then wrapping it in a home made tortilla - usually with a layer of crema / guac in between. Great textural contrast!

They are not only gorgeous to look at, but absolutely delicious, just the right balance of heat and flavor. The other issue one runs into when you let them get fully ripe is rot. And (not in Ken's case) bugs, of course.