Making Memories in Manitoulin – at it again!

[MelissaH]

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Halvah with pistachios and dark chocolate under construction. A small batch with the remains of the bottle of tahini.

How fine was that crystal structure of the halvah? (Did we ever get an answer to that question, which came up at the 2013 candy workshop?)

[Kerry Beal]

Was not really too crystalline yet today - and will be gone before it develops I suspect.

[Kerry Beal]

Roast chicken with kimchi smashed potatoes.

Edited August 2, 2013 by Kerry Beal (log)

[heidih]

Kerry - at what point was the kimchi added?

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry - at what point was the kimchi added?

Anna added it just after the squishing of the potatoes - then back in the oven to warm it through.

[rotuts]

very good idea. Ill steal borrow it

[Kerry Beal]

Roughing it tonight as the bar is packed away into boxes and tucked into our locking closet.

So this morning I poured the fixings for a couple of Brothers' Perryman into a mason jar that no longer smells like pickles.

Add ice and shake when the time comes.

[Kerry Beal]

The herb garden has moved down to the neighbours below for safe keeping until October. The little BGE is vacuumed out and tucked away. Today I found the containers of flour that were missing when I arrived. Never looked in that closet!

[Katie Meadow]

Anna and Kerry, I always enjoy your posts from Manitoulin, which I had to locate on a map. I get that you both do shifts at a local hospital while staying on the island. Do you always stay at the same place? Is it rented or does one of you own it? I can't believe you both manage so much cooking while working what I assume are full shifts. If you are on call in the evenings your cocktail hour doesn't seem to be a problem! How did this relationship w/the island start?

[Kerry Beal]

Katie - I am the only one of us working while we are here. Anna is retired. I have been coming up here for about 13 years and stay at a rental condo owned by one of the docs. I have outfitted the kitchen to my liking over the years and have now got a locked closet in which to keep my stuff. I had to stay somewhere else once when another locum and her husband were staying in 'my' condo. It was hard!

When I'm on call the cocktail hour isn't a problem for Anna!

I have worked at an ER in southern Ontario on and off for over 20 years - I'm not on the roster so I can find myself without shifts at times (but it also means I can pick and choose my shifts). I found myself without work once for a month - realized the mortgage needed to be paid and started looking into the Rural Family Medicine locum program. I had spent summers up here on the boat since my teens and my husband and I used to come up here every fall for a week or so - so it seemed logical to call them up and see if they wanted me for that month. I've been coming ever since. It's my paid vacation.

[Kerry Beal]

This is my closet - remember Mr Creosote in Monty Python's 'The Meaning of Life' - "just a wafer thin mint". Well it was 'just a little plastic milk bag holder' placed on the very top. We were sitting, relaxing after getting most of the place organized - when the very large crash happened.

The bottle of fiori di sicilia that smashed has made the place smell quite nice - likely will for months. It's all over the plastic bottles that are back in the bin so I suspect all our spices and modernist chemicals will smell like it too.

[Anna N]

Dinner last night was leftovers of chicken with smashed potatoes and kimchi and this bowl of delicious roasted green beans:

[Kerry Beal]

A very early start this morning. We managed to make the ferry in time for our reservation.

For lunch we stopped in Owen Sound and grabbed a bite from the french fry truck. Perhaps not the best choice!

Poutine.

Cheeseburger.

Onion rings.

The poor little fig tree spent the trip in the back with the rug rat. It had a few leaves left on it by the time it arrived home - good thing the leaves are non toxic. Gave it a good water when it arrived. Will get hubby to plant it tomorrow in a nice sunny spot and hope it recovers from the abuse.

[Beth Wilson]

Thanks for posting Kerry. I can't wait to see posts of your Eggfest next!

[rotuts]

many thanks

[Anna N]

It was great fun. And I came home to this gorgeous back splash (a belated and surprising birthday gift from my daughter and son-in-law:

And these adorable 6 week old fosters:

[Kerry Beal]

While Anna was fortunate enough to get a backsplash and kittens - I at least came back to herbs that were still alive - and pretty much thriving which is nice. There have been years when they weren't watered - but hubby has developed an interest in gardening in the last few years so he seems to be aware that my plants need water too.

My random herbs - pleased to see the Thai basil doing well - brought back a bit of lemon basil to add to the mix. Not sure why there is a block missing - perhaps it was required elsewhere.

Mojito mint thriving.

Chives overtaking the place as always.

And a fair amount of progress on the ramp out the back so we can easily get the rug rat outside to eat. Looking forward to getting that pile of gravel off the patio part (so I can open the doors to the cabinet that holds all my BBQ stuff), setting up a table and getting the BGE back where it belongs.

[Chocolot]

Thanks Kerry and Anna. I have enjoyed your adventures.

[Shelby]

I love following along for this journey each time!

(adorable kittens, Anna)

[Meredith380]

Anna, where Theodore? too cute!

[Tri2Cook]

Another fun chapter in Kerry and Anna's Excellent Adventures. Thanks for taking us with you!

[ElsieD]

Thanks for sharing the last five weeks with us. I enjoyed it immensely.

[curls]

So glad you two went to Manitoulin again and shared your experiences with us; your trips look like so much fun!

[FauxPas]

I always love reading these adventures! It's partly the food - the cooking and the experimentation you do - and also the quirky location. But more than anything, I love the sense of camaraderie and fun that you folks have!

[Beth Wilson]

It just doesn't seem like summer until you two post your adventures :-)