eG Foodblog: CaliPoutine and Pookie - The City Mouse, The Country Mou

[purplewiz]

I dont know if you can read this sign, but it says " Blowout sale".  My two favorite words.

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Excellent choice in favorite words! My husband teases me that my two favorite brands are "on sale" and "clearance".

The lettuce wraps look just about perfect for a hot day!

Marcia.

[Pookie]

In an effort to generate the least amount of heat in our apratement we had crockpot pulled pork for dinner. It's incredibly easy - pork and bbq sauce in the crockpot for 8 hours, shred, eat.

We had it on buns with coleslaw.

Now I am going to bed. Hopefully tomorrow my camera will cooperate and I can post breakfast and lunch too.

Any requests of things you would like to see? The Market? My butcher?

If it's this hot tomorrow we are going out for dinner.

[CaliPoutine]

Wowzer, it sure was hot today. In fact, its still hot. It's 9:15pm and its still 83F. This weather reminds me of when I lived in Florida. Today was perfect for a beach picnic. As I said earlier, I made 5 salads. The shrimp noodle, cucumber onion, farro with chicken, broccoli salad and an orange, beet, watercress salad. They were all very good( if I do say so myself)

We got this basket as a wedding present. I think we've used it 3 times in 3 years.

This was easy. Just english cukes, red onion, pepper, vinegar and a little sour cream.

For this I blanched some broccoli and made a dressing with sourcream, mayo and splenda along with some white wine vinegar. I threw in some grapes and raisins and sunflower seeds. This is a cooking light recipe.

I should have taken a picture of each salad after I made them. The farro salad was good. I just used some Ken's light Italian dressing along with black beans(leftover from fajita night), corn and some jack cheese. Not quite southwestern and not quite Italian

For this salad I used canned beets, clementines, goat cheese, watercress and some of the vinaiagrette I made. I topped it with some spiced pecans( trader Joes)

The water was warm but refreshing. We're lucky in that we only live 12 miles from the Lake. We were at the beach for 3hrs and I think we only spent 30 minutes out of the water.

Even the birds need to eat.

[CaliPoutine]

We don't have any fancy ice cream shops here in the country, but we do have Dairy Queen. We took the boys there after the beach. Robin and I shared a raspberry cheesquake blizzard and the boys each got their own " doggie cone". They give dogs a small cone with just a little bit of ice cream.

Oliver is waiting not so patiently for his cone.

[Susan in FL]

Awwww.... We have a local independent ice cream place here that once a month, gives dogs free ice cream. I haven't taken Josie, my bassett hound granddog (of whom I have temporary custody) out to the free ice cream night yet, because she goes pretty much wild when she is around other living beings. She still is so much puppy, that she would go nuts about all those dogs and kids and I would totally lose control of her. But every time I take her to the vet, I take her there afterwards and buy her ice cream. They have a special that they make for dogs, a cup of vanilla with a milk bone dog biscuit stuck in it.

[MarketStEl]

I used to live in London, and my American boyfriend (now husband) was always astounded by the number of donut shops.

Someone should write an article about Canadian donut shop culture.  It's very odd.

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Way back when the World Wide Web was still way cool and not yet ubiquitous, I stumbled across a Web page that purported to translate any Web page into Canadian.

"Links" became "donut trails."

(And, of course, the translator added "eh" to the end of every sentence.)

So after the Ice Cream we stopped off at the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario - Lickbo to most folks) to pick up some drinks.

[...]

The LCBO and the Beer Store are the only places to buy booze here in Ontario (except for Winery direct stores) No booze in the grocery stores or corner stores.

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So:

--Does the LCBO also run the beer stores? (It sure looks like it does.)

--Do Ontarians complain about the prices they pay for beer, wine and spirits? (I suspect they don't. Most Canadian provinces are larger than most US states, and except for the national capital, there are no major Canadian metropolitan areas that straddle a provincial border. But do people in Windsor and Fort Erie travel to the US to buy booze, or are Ontario prices competitive?)

--What was Ontario's rationale for setting up a provincial monopoly on the sale of alcohol? I realize this is a somewhat rhetorical question, since in both Ontario's and Pennsylvania's case, the name of the state agency that runs the liquor stores contains within its name its main reason for being, namely to keep alcohol from being too freely available.

--Were LCBO stores once as unfriendly and depressing as Pennsylvania "State Stores" were?

[Kerry Beal]

I used to live in London, and my American boyfriend (now husband) was always astounded by the number of donut shops.

Someone should write an article about Canadian donut shop culture.  It's very odd.

←

Way back when the World Wide Web was still way cool and not yet ubiquitous, I stumbled across a Web page that purported to translate any Web page into Canadian.

"Links" became "donut trails."

(And, of course, the translator added "eh" to the end of every sentence.)

So after the Ice Cream we stopped off at the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario - Lickbo to most folks) to pick up some drinks.

[...]

The LCBO and the Beer Store are the only places to buy booze here in Ontario (except for Winery direct stores) No booze in the grocery stores or corner stores.

←

So:

--Does the LCBO also run the beer stores? (It sure looks like it does.)

--Do Ontarians complain about the prices they pay for beer, wine and spirits? (I suspect they don't. Most Canadian provinces are larger than most US states, and except for the national capital, there are no major Canadian metropolitan areas that straddle a provincial border. But do people in Windsor and Fort Erie travel to the US to buy booze, or are Ontario prices competitive?)

--What was Ontario's rationale for setting up a provincial monopoly on the sale of alcohol? I realize this is a somewhat rhetorical question, since in both Ontario's and Pennsylvania's case, the name of the state agency that runs the liquor stores contains within its name its main reason for being, namely to keep alcohol from being too freely available.

--Were LCBO stores once as unfriendly and depressing as Pennsylvania "State Stores" were?

←

Hope you don't mind if I jump in here to answer.

The LCBO and the Brewer's Retail (Beer Store) are separate, however the Brewer's retail supplies beer to the LCBO which they sell in their outlets. The LCBO tends to carry higher end beer and more imported beers than the Beer Store.

Doesn't everyone complain about the prices they pay for things? We certainly pay more in Ontario, and all of Canada for that matter for booze than you do in the US. I certainly bring back my limit every time I cross the border. The price particularly for spirits is much higher in Canada than the US. With their monopoly you don't get a whole lot of sales in the LCBO, except on discontinued items, even then you never get anything really inexpensively.

One nice thing however, because the LCBO is the only game in town, if someone gives you a bottle you don't want, or you have full bottles left after a party, you can take them back and exchange them. As long as they have the appropriate tax stickers on them, they know where you bought them.

I think it is fair to say, as you suggested, that the LCBO was set up to control alchohol consumption, and prevent it from being freely available. Every few years the discussion comes up about selling off the LCBO and going to a system more like the states, where liquor can be bought in grocery stores, etc, but it's a huge money maker for the province and they aren't about to give it up without a fight. They have made concessions, like being open more reasonable hours, to counteract the arguments that their monopoly is unreasonable.

Unfriendly and depressing? Oh yeah!!! When I was a teenager, you went into the store, looked at the empty bottles on the wall, figured out the number on the item, put it on a order form, handed it to the guy behind the counter and waited for them to bring out your bottle. It's taken me years to get over the feeling that I am somehow criminal if I want to buy a bottle. I recall how thrilling it was the first time I went into a self serve LCBO. The sheer number of bottles of Baby Duck and Ruby Rouge was amazing.

I remember as a child going to the states with my parent when dad wanted to buy nice bottles like Chateau d'Yquem and being amazed that stores had bottles out where you could see them, and you could go from store to store and 'shop' for liquor.

[Pam R]

Ontario isn't alone in their handling of alcohol. I think all provinces (except Alberta) have a version of the LCBO. Here it's the MLCC (Manitoba Liquor Control Commission). And I think it's pretty common for Canadians to stock up at the Duty Free on their way home. Since you can buy things in the US for less than you can at home, where they are made, why wouldn't you buy it across the border?

[racheld]

What a perfect day at the beach!! And the heat didn't seem to deter all you young folks from having a marvelous time. That salad plate was outstanding---great combinations and flavours and colours.

I'm really enjoying all these adventures in Canada; we've been up only three times, twice to the Falls and once a dash across the border to Windsor when we were in Detroit at a conference. We spent the night in London on our way from the Falls across to catch the ferry across to Sandusky?, thence home, and spent a leisurely two days meandering the beautiful highways and small towns.

We were almost midnight getting into London, but we had a guaranteed reservation. We arrived at the same time as the cutest bride and groom, still in their wedding regalia, he in a tux jacket and red kilt. We went up to our room and opened the door, much to the consternation of the sleepy couple already occupying it. The boys and I waited wearily in the hall, slumped against each other and the luggage, and Chris came back with the key to a second room---occupied as well. The poor desk clerk was just frantic by then, and told us there was not another room to be had. Then he offered us the "office" half of a suite in which another couple had taken the bedroom, but declined the adjoining rooms.

So they set us up with four rollaways, and we slept amidst the faxes and computers and conference tables, with a neat kitchen and espresso machine. Next morning, they cleaned the bedroom as soon as the people checked out, and opened the entire suite to us, with a BIG basket of lovely toiletries. After our showers we went down to breakfast and were waved away from the desk when we tried to pay. It made a good travel story, as well as being right nice of them. And so we remember London fondly.

[CaliPoutine]

Ontario isn't alone in their handling of alcohol.  I think all provinces (except Alberta) have a version of the LCBO.  Here it's the MLCC (Manitoba Liquor Control Commission).  And I think it's pretty common for Canadians to stock up at the Duty Free on their way home.  Since you can buy things in the US for less than you can at home, where they are made, why wouldn't you buy it across the border?

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But don't forget the limits. I cross the border frequently( for day trips) and you're not allowed to bring liquor back to Canada if you've only been gone for the day. Of course, my car has never been searched on a day trip. Honestly, though I wouldnt risk it and I never have. If you declare it, the duties are very high( more than you would spend buying a bottle in Ontario) so its not worth it. If you don't declare it and get caught, they could confiscate your vehicle.

I don't drink liquor so it doesnt really affect me. That said, everytime I go to the states for 2 days or longer( such as this upcoming trip to AA), I will bring back something. I usually go to Trader Joe's and get the so called " cooking wines". Maderia, vermouth, sherry, port, marsala. The prices are so much better.

Occasionally I'll stop at duty free. On one such trip, I wanted a bottle of Grey Goose for making penne alla vodka and some homeade vanilla extract. The bottle was $32.00 and it came with a free headcover( for golf). We put the headcover up on ebay and it sold for $39.00 . Needless to say, we were thrilled and amazed.

In the past I've bought Frangelico, kahlua, and bailey's for baking. I would like to get Framboise and amaretto so maybe on this trip a stop at duty free is in order. ( I could buy them at any store in Michigan, but the prices are better( no tax) at duty free)

[tammylc]

I was visiting my parents a couple of weeks ago in Ontario. They summer in an RV park outside Ailsa Craig, which is between Sarnia and London. We went the grocery store to pick up dinner ingredients and I was really surprised to see beer and wine (maybe spirits too?) available for sale in a special section of the grocery store. Apparently the LCBO allows alcohol sales in grocery stores in really small towns - Exeter isn't quite "country" enough to qualify, I guess.

[CaliPoutine]

Another busy day ahead.

Our dinner guests cancelled for tonight. But I have the ribs rubbed and they need to be cooked, so I'm just going along with the original plan. Robin will have plenty of leftovers as I'm leaving for AA tomorrow.

First, I made the beans. These are just dressed up canned beans, but the recipe is outstanding. I saw this recipe years ago on Martha Stewart. One of her guests prepared it. The original recipe uses some special bbq from Alabama, I just use some sauce that I made. You can find the recipe here. I've stopped buying prepared BBQ sauce because of the high fructose corn syrup. The latest batch I made was a Wolfgang Puck recipe. I saw it in Marlene's last blog and thought it looked good.

Beans, chopped onion, chopped pepper( I used an orange pepper I had in the freezer), mustard, worsterchire, bbq sauce, brown sugar and some ketchup(my addition).

I baked these idaho spuds and stuffed them with the reserved potato, cooked chopped broccoli, butter, white cheddar and some sour cream. I sprinkled them with some smoked paprika.

I still have a carrot cake to bake and triple chocolate cookies ( for Ann Arbor trip)

Now I'm off to clean out my car before it gets too brutality hot. It's already 79F at 8:26am.

Edited August 2, 2006 by CaliPoutine (log)

[Pam R]

But don't forget the limits.  I cross the border frequently( for day trips) and you're not allowed to bring liquor back to Canada if you've only been gone for the day.  Of course, my car has never been searched on a day trip.  Honestly, though I wouldnt risk it and I never have.  If you declare it, the duties are very high( more than you would spend buying a bottle in Ontario) so its not worth it.  If you don't declare it and get caught, they could confiscate your vehicle. 

There are also limits on eggs, dairy, poultry and I'm sure more. I went down for the day once and spent over $4 per liter for whipping cream, and then had to pay about the same for each litre in duty. For most other grocery items there is no duty. I always exceed my limits, but since it's usually grocery items I rarely pay duty.

Always declare.

How long will you be in AA for? Think of all the stuff you can bring home!

[Kouign Aman]

The BlackFly bottles remind me of Corning lab bottles, especially since the contents are the color of tissue culture media. I want a set of those BlackFly bottles, tho I havent the foggiest what I would do with them.

CaliPoutine, that is one terrific looking picnic basket.

[CaliPoutine]

But don't forget the limits.  I cross the border frequently( for day trips) and you're not allowed to bring liquor back to Canada if you've only been gone for the day.  Of course, my car has never been searched on a day trip.  Honestly, though I wouldnt risk it and I never have.  If you declare it, the duties are very high( more than you would spend buying a bottle in Ontario) so its not worth it.   If you don't declare it and get caught, they could confiscate your vehicle. 

There are also limits on eggs, dairy, poultry and I'm sure more. I went down for the day once and spent over $4 per liter for whipping cream, and then had to pay about the same for each litre in duty. For most other grocery items there is no duty. I always exceed my limits, but since it's usually grocery items I rarely pay duty.

Always declare.

How long will you be in AA for? Think of all the stuff you can bring home!

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I've never once paid a duty in groceries. Maybe they know your car. They ask me what I have, I say " groceries" and thats the end of it.

I'll be there until Sunday morning. I can spend 200US on items other than food. I plan on hitting Trader Joe's and Whole Foods along with Bed, Bath and Beyond, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, etc, etc.

[CaliPoutine]

Brunch today. I won't be eating lunch.

Egg beaters mixed with chopped up corn tortillas. Exeter does NOT carry Corn Tortillas. I buy them in MI and freeze them. I just found some in Grand Bend ( the town where the beach is), but they are 1.99 for 10. I pay 1.00 for 30 in MI.

I must get off this computer and start the carrot cake. I've been emailing back and forth with my friend Lisa. She lives in an even smaller town than Exeter and she'll be coming with me to Ann Arbor. She'll be my sous chef on Saturday. She is very excited.

I actually can't wait until Tomorrow. As much as I love to cook, I need a break!!

Edited to add the link to the Heartland Gathering. So you can follow along there while I'm in Michigan and Christine is holding down the fort.

Edited August 2, 2006 by CaliPoutine (log)

[tammylc]

Edited to add the link to the Heartland Gathering.  So you can follow along there while I'm in Michigan and Christine is holding down the fort.

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That's our planning thread. Once the festivities get underway, we'll be starting an event reporting thread, so people don't have to page through a million pages of logistics to get to the good stuff. So look for that in the Heartland forum if you want to follow along!

[MarketStEl]

So:[...]

--What was Ontario's rationale for setting up a provincial monopoly on the sale of alcohol?  I realize this is a somewhat rhetorical question, since in both Ontario's and Pennsylvania's case, the name of the state agency that runs the liquor stores contains within its name its main reason for being, namely to keep alcohol from being too freely available.

--Were LCBO stores once as unfriendly and depressing as Pennsylvania "State Stores" were?

←

I think it is fair to say, as you suggested, that the LCBO was set up to control alchohol consumption, and prevent it from being freely available. Every few years the discussion comes up about selling off the LCBO and going to a system more like the states, where liquor can be bought in grocery stores, etc, but it's a huge money maker for the province and they aren't about to give it up without a fight. They have made concessions, like being open more reasonable hours, to counteract the arguments that their monopoly is unreasonable.

Unfriendly and depressing? Oh yeah!!! When I was a teenager, you went into the store, looked at the empty bottles on the wall, figured out the number on the item, put it on a order form, handed it to the guy behind the counter and waited for them to bring out your bottle. It's taken me years to get over the feeling that I am somehow criminal if I want to buy a bottle. I recall how thrilling it was the first time I went into a self serve LCBO. The sheer number of bottles of Baby Duck and Ruby Rouge was amazing.

I remember as a child going to the states with my parent when dad wanted to buy nice bottles like Chateau d'Yquem and being amazed that stores had bottles out where you could see them, and you could go from store to store and 'shop' for liquor.

←

My God, the LCBO and the PLCB (Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board) are spawn of the same demon seed!

I wrote the following in my foodblog post describing the evolution of Pennsylvania's State Store system:

I wish I could convey in pictures just how Soviet the experience of buying liquor in Pennsylvania used to be.

Though they were being slowly phased out when I arrived here in 1983, the old State Stores were thoroughly gloomy, depressing affairs with a counter at the front and everything else behind it. You walked into the store, flipped through a book if you didn't know what you wanted or needed to look up a price, then told the guy at the counter what you wanted and he would go get it for you.

By the late 1980s, these stores had gone the way of the dodo bird in Philadelphia, replaced with self-service stores that at least left the patrons with a modicum of self-respect as they made their purchases. The superstores and Warehouse Outlets opened by the PLCB under Newman are to these early self-service stores what the self-service stores were to the places with the counters.

I assume that "Baby Duck" and "Ruby Rouge" are analogous to "Wild Irish Rose" and "Mad Dog" (MD 20/20 from Mogen David) here in the States?

(Wild Irish Rose and MD 20/20 are "fortified wines"--cheap wine with extra alcohol added. The only reason you drink this stuff is to get drunk as quickly as possible.)

[racheld]

Egg beaters mixed with chopped up corn tortillas. 

What a terrific breakfast!!! Beans and rice and the eggs---we'll have to try that. Masa Brei, anyone?

[CaliPoutine]

So the carrot cake is finished. I just have to make the frosting. I'm going to freeze the unfrosted cake and frost it when I get home on Sunday. The recipe is called Blue Ribbon Carrot Cake. Its originally from the Portland Junior League. There is a buttermilk glaze as well as a cream cheese icing, but I usually skip that part.

Here is the recipe. In my own words, of course.

2 c All purpose flour

2 ts Soda

1/2 ts Salt

2 ts Ground cinnamon

3 Eggs; well beaten

3/4 c Vegetable oil

3/4 c Buttermilk

2 c Sugar

2 ts Vanilla extract

1 cn Crushed pineapple; drained,

- 8-oz can

2 c Grated carrots

1 cn Flaked coconut; 3 1/2-oz can

1 c Walnuts; chopped

BUTTERMILK GLAZE

1 c Sugar

1/2 ts Soda

1/2 c Buttermilk

1/2 c Butter

1 tb Light corn syrup

1 ts Vanilla extract

ORANGE-CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1/2 c Butter; softened

8 oz Cream cheese; softened

1 ts Vanilla extract

2 c Powdered sugar; sifted

1 ts Grated orange rind

1 ts orange juice

Combine flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside. Combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, sugar, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture, pineapple, carrots, coconut, and chopped walnuts. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350~ for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately spread Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers. Cool in pans 15 minutes; remove from pans, and let cool completely. Spread Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Store cake in refrigerator. Buttermilk Glaze. Combine sugar, soda, buttermilk, butter, and corn syrup in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; cook 4 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Yield. About 1 1/2 cups. Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting. Combine butter and cream cheese, beating until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, powdered sugar, rind, and juice; beat until fluffy.

Here are a few of the "bargains" I got yesterday. The coconut was 1.99 and the pecans were 5.99( I got the last one). Both packages are 1Kg, which is 2.2lbs. No- Name is the generic store brand product here in Ontario( and maybe other parts of Canada?)

Edited August 2, 2006 by CaliPoutine (log)

[Pam R]

Here are a few of the "bargains" I got yesterday.  The coconut was 1.99 and the pecans were 5.99( I got the last one).    Both packages are 1Kg, which is 2.2lbs.  No- Name is the generic store brand product here in Ontario( and maybe other parts of Canada?)

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Geez... that exact bag of pecans goes for about $17.95 here! That is a damn good bargain.

Carrot cake looks great.

Baby Duck is a fizzy, pink, inexpensive wine that a lot of Canadians grew up on. There's actually a funny CBC archive clip about it (funny to me that is): clicky - haven't seen or had any in years.

[CaliPoutine]

Triple Chocolate Cookies.

I'm taking these to the Heartland Gathering. The original recipe and story suggests making these larger and using them for ice cream sandwiches. I made them a lot smaller so that everyone can have at least one. I can't wait to try these with Zingerman's Gelato.

Hopefully, they wont get confiscated at the border.

[mizducky]

Egg beaters mixed with chopped up corn tortillas. 

What a terrific breakfast!!! Beans and rice and the eggs---we'll have to try that. Masa Brei, anyone?

←

Or sort of a variation on chilaquiles (some are just bits of tortilla and sauce, but some include scrambled eggs as well).

[CaliPoutine]

Egg beaters mixed with chopped up corn tortillas.  

What a terrific breakfast!!! Beans and rice and the eggs---we'll have to try that. Masa Brei, anyone?

←

Or sort of a variation on chilaquiles (some are just bits of tortilla and sauce, but some include scrambled eggs as well).

←

I've been making these for years then I forgot all about them and it just came to me a couple a weeks ago. I remember I got the recipe from the first Greens cookbook. I used to love going there whenever Id visit my friend in San Fran.

Edited August 2, 2006 by CaliPoutine (log)

[CaliPoutine]

We had an early dinner tonight as I'm going to Aquafit and Robin has a meeting.

The corn is local peaches and cream. Huron County is a huge producer of corn, both cattle and sweet corn. I braved the heat and ran up the street and found someone selling some in their front yard. When I get back from MI, I'll buy some to cut the kernels off so I can freeze for winter.

This is a molten chocolate cake. Another Epicurious recipe. They called it a mint-chocolate pudding cake, but I left out the mint extract. I garnished with some chocolate mint that I'm growing in a pot.

When I first met Robin, her family and ( most people I've met here) would eat their dessert as soon as the dinner plates were cleared. In my family, we would always wait an hour or so after dinner. We started calling that " The Canadian Way" or "The American Way" for dessert. So now my niece will say " are we having dessert the Canadian or the American way".

Tonight was the Canadian way because we both have to leave and I dont want to eat anything after aquafit. Last time I was in Port Huron, I brought back some Hagen Daz Vanilla bean and Mayan Chocolate ice cream. It was on sale for $2.50, It cost $6.99 a pint here( ridiculous)