Easter Holibags

April is the month of no return; the kids are at school for a total of approx. 7 days, the rest being dedicated to Easter holidays, bank holidays, the Royal Wedding and there may be an election in there too.   So how do you keep them entertained?   No, seriously, HOW.........?   Nah, only kidding, I have this down to a tee after years of practice.   It's a finely tuned balance of food, entertainment, jammie days and the occasional throwing money at the situation.

The secret is not to peak too early ain't that the truth....; so here's how it's going so far: Saturday after school ends, have great friends who throw a party or throw it yourself to celebrate the start of the holidays and who will supply you with a constant flow of gin and champagne, the kids a constant supply of sweeties, Easter egg hunts and dvds.   A bit of sunshine helps, if you can arrange it as an hour at the park for the kids, and only the kids, you'll be sitting sipping that gin and tonic helps tremendously.

The Sunday, arrange for some visitors...not too early, you've been drinking gin remember, but not too late either, you'll be in need of those bacon rolls and lemon cake to aid your recovery.   It just so happened it was Mothers Day...perfect; breakfast in bed, for me a toasted bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese and huge mugs of tea....then up to make the cake and then chill on the sofa with the Sunday papers until mum and sisters arrive.   See, we're all happy; the kids are happy to see their family, adrenalin pounds at the excitement of it all tiring them out and you get to sit still.  And eat.   Doing not much at all.   That's important.  

So they've had a busy weekend, it's time to take stock and chill for a few days but only if it's raining; if it's sunny, you must go out in Glasgow as we don't know when that rare ball in the sky might surface once more or at least, throw the kids out but in general, Monday is the day for jammies, dvds, cookies, food and games.

Tuesday was a wee bit similar, truth be told I spent the day cooking, see below, but it gets them ready for a nice long walk to the train station come Wednesday for a trip the the cinema .   By 7.30pm, they're home, fed and tired and mum can go meet her pals at the pub.   

 

That leads us nicely to today; the girls are having a pony day where they get to clean out, pony ride etc. and me and the lad get to have some laddie time:
"So, Fraser, what shall we do today?"
"Stay in, play the Wii"
"The sun is shining, son, lets go do something"
"I think that would be good, but for now, I really think you should have a coffee and a biscuit first and why don't you go on the computer for a wee while?   You deserve it"
"Well...ok....."

Hence my bloggy update.  

Now to the issue of food: this week, I cooked Martha's Beef Goulash, Moroccan Style Chicken with Couscous and my Original Chilli recipe; I've experimented over the past year with chilli, my favourite having sirloin steak in it as well as mince but you know how I like to get value for money and although it is indeed a tasty chilli, the sirloin and extra ingredients push up the cost enormously.   My original chilli costs less and is a good starting point where extra ingredients can be added.  

Helen's Original Chilli

 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced (I like the long, pointed peppers as sweeter) 
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 500g lean minced beef
• 1 beef stock cube
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• ½ tsp dried marjoram or mixed herbs containing marjoram
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 410g can red kidney beans 
• Square of dark chocolate
• Teaspoon cocoa powder
• Half cup coffee

1. Add oil to a large pan and add the onions and cook for 5 minutes on medium; stir occasionally.  Once the onions are soft, add the garlic, red pepper, chilli, paprika and cumin. Give it a stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Brown the mince. Turn the heat up, add the meat to the pan and brown; break up the mince with your wooden spoon.  Keep stirring and breaking up the mince until totally browned.
3. Mix the stock cube with 300ml/1⁄2 pint of hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince. Add the can of chopped tomatoes and the marjoram, sugar, cocoa powder, coffee, tomato puree and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Stir.
4. Bring to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on. Turn down the heat until it is simmering and leave for 1 hour. Stir every now and then.
5. Add the beans and chocolate.   Bring to the boil again, and gently simmer without the lid for another 15 minutes, adding a little water if you think it needs it. Taste and season well.   Have a wee bowlful because hey, you made it, you deserve it but then leave for at least an hour or overnight before serving for dinner as the flavours really get a chance to adhere.

* I serve mine with flatbread or rice, topped with a little grated cheese and natural yoghurt.
** Add chopped up chillies for an extra kick.

Canada Edition Part 2-Toronto

Pauline and I were like wee children, whooping and laughing, we were that happy to see each other. We know each other from our school days and were close pals for many years until she ran away to Toronto with a tall, dark and handsome Canadian. We drove to her home in Richmond Hill and had a lovely supper of cold meats and olives. I got to meet her son, who I had not seen for many years and her little daughter Megan whom I had never met. What a wee cutie she is too. I have no idea what time I went to bed but it was in the wee hours of the morning, empty bottle of wine maybe even more beside us. There was so much to catch up on and such little time.

The next morning, we went shopping because a girl can never do enough shopping, right? and I treated myself... to 4 mini loaf tins! Even on holiday, I was thinking about what I could cook next. They were dinky little things and at only $12, a complete steal I've already made bread and lemon cake in them but that's for later. We stopped off at a Chinese supermarket at lunchtime and had sushi; it was a fraction of the price we'd pay in Glasgow and it was all freshly made. What to pick was a dilemma with so much choice but we eventually opted for miso soup, fried and steamed dumplings, california rolls and tempura. It was utterly delicious.

We were meeting up with a crazy crowd of Scottish lassies plus one Irish one later that evening at the Astoria, a well known Greek restaurant. Pauline's parents also moved over to Canada so her lovely mum came along too with some of her friends including, Jane, a Glaswegian who happened to be visiting at the same time. I'd forgotten how funny she is and the night was such a laugh. We all ordered Greek salad, souvlaki, everyone going for chicken except me, going for lamb. It was really nice and Pauline and I decided to finish off with a Greek coffee.

I rather enjoyed the unusual taste but stopped drinking halfway as there was a sediment at the bottom, the way it is supposed to be I presume. Pauline, being caught up in the general hilarity...we laughed throughout the entire meal...decided to just slug it back, not realising that I had put my cup down and found herself in a state of disbelief, horror and wonderment as to where this sand like sludge was going to end up, because it sure wasn't going to be her stomach!

As she tried to dispose spit out of it in as mannerly a fashion as possible, the rest of us laughed at the look on her face; she was completely beyond help as her own face started to crumple in amusement. Needless to say, we had to push several napkins towards her and a trip to the washrooms was required. We went back to Betty's house Pauline's mum where we were entertained by Jane and Ed, Pauline's dad. We also had the Scottish Obligatory Sing Song which was just great fun but no doubt annoyed the neighbours no end. Oops.

Before I left the next day and after a lovely breakfast of bagels and cream cheese, I showed Pauline how to make Paratha as she was having a curry night; I'm happy to say she was delighted with it and her family and friends were very happy at this edition to Pauline's culinary repertoire, which is already vast indeed.

I arrived back at Kate's on Tuesday afternoon, dropped of my luggage, grabbed a book and cooried away inside a local restaurant, Dr Generosity. I ordered Dr G's Eggs Benny; two poached eggs served atop grilled peamill bacon on a toasted English muffin and apparently, topped with zesty hollandaise sauce. This was served with fries. It was nice although the hollandaise was missing and the liberal use of cayenne pepper on the eggs was a bit much but I still enjoyed it and the coffee, managing to read a few chapters of my book before wandering back out into the sunshine.

I travelled into Bloor and Yonge area on the Wednesday and went to the Eaton centre. I thought I would pick up some gifts for the kids and see Coco Chanel, the movie but alas it was not on and I opted instead for some schmaltzy rubbish called PostGrad because the daughter from The Gilmore girls was in it.

Not only was it poor but the hotdog I bought had died a few years before, had been buried and then dug back up for my palate to baulk over. Luckily, the food improved dramatically as I was invited to Jill's that night for dinner. Lovely olives and delicious pasta with shrimp was served with tasty chilled wine and more than made up for the scabby bun and dead dog I'd had earlier. I also got to meet Jill's two beautiful children who kept me entertained until their bedtime.

I had brought a cake from Max's Market on Bloor Street West, a lovely place filled with every conceivable goody of my dreams; pink cakes and chocolate ones, olives and cured meats, curries and pies. I finally chose a strawberry chocolate concoction which tasted as good as it looked, especially since Jill served it with ice cream. Stuffed, we went to the late night movie to see Julie & Julia. I really enjoyed it and loved Meryl Streep's performance of Julia Child bon appétit very much. Of course, the food part of the movie was the best.

Thursday was my last full day in Toronto and I was missing the children very much. I realised that 8 days was just too much time apart and that next time...yes, next time...it shall be no more than 5 days. I spent a great afternoon at the Boulevard club with Kate and Jill, a lovely place by the water with two swimming pools and tennis courts as well as other activities and restaurants. Whilst Kate worked out and Jill played tennis and swam, I partook of some energetic activity of my own; reading and drinking coffee on a deck chair, watching the boats and getting sunburnt. That part was not part of the plan but my milk bottle skin didn't know what to do with itself in the brilliant sunshine.

I got to spend a little more time with Kate's gorgeous children...wee Claire and I hit it off and spent any time we had together making play dough roses and then bashing their heads in plus Kate sneaked me one of her delicious nut-free chocolate brownies and I have to confess that I 'stole' another on Friday afternoon when picking up my bags...I hope you'll forgive me...and then got the train back out to Pauline's house. I never did get to Niagara on the Lake as I was having too much fun doing all the other fun things with my friends but we'll save that for the family trip in 2011.

Pauline and Dave had prepared a feast for me; I was so happy to see Dave's homemade bread, a dish of shiny black olives and some dipping oil with balsamic vinegar which Pauline had gotten for me, especially because she knew I liked it so much. She had also kept me a few portions of her homemade pakora which I wolfed down greedily. I was very kindly furnished with a spice mix which will allow me to make my own and I will give it a go on Saturday evening.

We then had spaghetti and meatballs and a lovely salad; it really tasted great and I asked what the special ingredient was: it was blue cheese! I use cheddar in my meatballs normally and am now switching to blue once you've had blue you can't look back. We had an apple strudel for dessert which I'd brought from a bakery on Bloor Street West and unfortunately, the spice had been forgotten. All things considered, it didn't matter after such a marvellous meal. Dave and Pauline prepared me one of their special Irish coffees and it was really the best I've ever tasted. The rest of the night was spent curled up on a chair outside by the wood fire, chatting about every topic under the sun. It was a lovely night and I was sad to go the next afternoon.

My last night in Toronto was spent at The Boulevard Club with Jill and her children, where she treated me to a lovely Chicken Caesar salad whilst she had pasta. She dropped me off at the airport and I was torn; happy at going back to my family and friends and sad to be leaving wonderful Canada and my friends there, knowing I probably wouldn't be back for a few years.

I had a delightful welcome home and was so happy to see the kids and Brian, even if I did sleep most of the weekend. I enjoyed my trip so much and it already seems like eons ago; it is lovely though to know I have friends so many miles away and that when we meet up, it's like we were never apart. Thank you girls. You're the best.

Canada Edition Part 1-Montreal

Packed and ready to leave, I waved the kids a sad goodbye as they headed off with dad for school. I checked for the essentials: money, passport, tickets and headed for the airport. The flight was uneventful, the way I like it, even if I was stuffed like a sandwich between two burly, talkative, cheeky, drinking chaps. I arrived on Canadian soil within 7 hours of departing Scotland.

I was met by Kate, Callum and Owen and they whisked me away when I say whisked, I mean after a tiny hunt for the car but I've not to mention that to their palatial home. I had the west wing to myself Kate, I know you call it the basement but it is pretty vast and with it's own front door, it's a wing and Matt, Kate's Scottish husband had helped her prepare a lovely meal of salmon, 'peaches and cream' corn on the cob... sweet and delicious...and a fresh, wonderful salad with the obligatory glass or three of wine. It was a great start to the holiday.

The next morning, we picked up Jill and headed for the airport to Montreal. A strong Starbucks coffee helped fuel us for the tiring trip when I say tiring, I mean not tiring at all but completely, diabolically easy and we were transported by air and then taxi to the Nelligan hotel.

We checked in early with no fuss and were shown to our suites. Yes, suites.

After jumping up and down on the bed unpacking we explored the neighbourhood, stopping off at a nearby restaurant for lunch: moules frite with a glass of chilled white and some dipping bread. We enjoyed it very much, fuelled as we were by excitement at another few days of decadent, leisurely eating and chilling out.

Jill and Kate stopped off for a massage whilst I preferred to wander the local area drink more coffee, drool at the patisseries eat the patisseries and eventually sojourn to my room with a book and some music. We met up later on for complimentary wine and cheese within the hotel and some people watching and chattering. We dressed for dinner and wandered round the local area at our leisure, eventually settling on a lovely little French bistro, the name of which escapes me, which had a great atmosphere, dimmed lighting and the maître d’ in a pork pie hat and brogues.

The Bloody Mary style drink what was that called again? was perfection, the wine ok and the food good. The service was fun and we had a really enjoyable few hours eating, drinking and being merry. Kate was in the mood for steak and a handsome, sexy and well cooked side of beef was brought out on a wooden board...I think it was wooden, it was hard to see. But, restaurant, that was not an 16oz steak; methinks a misprint or a chef with the shakes.

I was particularly taken with the booth area, decked out in white leather padding and buttons lookin' gooood, Mr Cartel! aka Austin Powers. It practically had it's own spotlight, the only light in a room filled with darkness. Actual darkness, no metaphors here. We left happy.

We headed for the Rue St-Denis district the next day after a breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, jam, croissants and coffee and after walking and shopping for hours, we decided lunch was to be at a small restaurant called 'Tomato'.

We had a shared basil pizza, salad verte, tomato bocconcini and mixed olives washed down with a pitcher of sangria; good, tasty and served with a side of cheeky waitress who kicked me....I deserved it, don't worry; it made for an enjoyable lunch, even if she did think my accent was Spanish......

Being the kind of gal that needs to stop off for regular coffee breaks, I said adieu to Kate and Jill after a further few hours walking and told them they'd find me in a shabby looking cafe, possibly called Chocolate, just up the street. Imagine my surprise to discover a modern, gorgeous chocolate shop inside yes, I know that was the name but a scabby shop front, even if it was called 'Delectable Chocolate Treats Inside; Just You Wait' is still a scabby shop front; I ordered the best looking and ultimately tasting hazelnut chocolate slab, roasted coffee and was given a free rose flavoured chocolate bite.

Kate and Jill joined me for a coffee and some chocolate...how could they not...and we headed home after many hours, tired and contented.

Later that evening, we headed to a local, well known restaurant called 'Le Club Chasse et Pêche'. The reviews of the food were wonderful and we were really looking forward to it.

We arrived early after a wander round St-Paul, stopping to look in the galleries and shops still open.

We waited in the bar until our table was ready and settled in for what was to be a memorable meal.

The menu was sublime and we were torn over what to order as it all sounded so delicious but eventually I settled on seared scallops, fennel purée, lemon confit and Jill and Kate went for the mushroom tart. I'd have had all the appetisers if I could have gotten away with it.

The scallops were cooked by roasting one side in a pan therefore caramelising it and brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. The fennel and lemon confit was perfect alongside and I was as happy as the proverbial pig/clam/fly. The mushroom tart was a delicate little basket filled with aromatic mushrooms, tasty cheddar and arugula (rocket). I had a taste of course and it was sweet, savoury and utterly delicious.

For my main course, I opted for lamb, cooked two ways, served with a trio layer, the top of which was goats cheese. It was cooked to perfection and the goats cheese with it was a revelation; guess what I'm cooking at my next dinner party?

Kate had the Halibut in a tomato broth...fresh, fragrant and a feast for the eye as well as the palate. Jill had the restaurant's version of surf and turf: duck and lobster no less. It was incredible looking and tasted just as good....I had to have/steal some of course. We had our meal with a lovely bottle of Petit-Chablis and finished off with coffee.

The next day was our last day in Montreal and we took a taxi to Ste-Catherine. It was decided that I could not leave Montreal without tasting Poutine, a Quebec delicacy; it consists of chips (fries) smothered in gravy and topped with cheese curds.

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The Glaswegian version would be chips and curry sauce or gravy with grated cheddar cheese! We went to La Belle Province, which was recommended as the best cafe for this dish; it turns out it is listed on Wikipedia as one of the best places to have Poutine. It tasted exactly as you'd imagine eating fries, gravy and cheese would; comforting, fattening and tasty but impossible to finish.

We flew back to Toronto first class no less...thank you Kate and Matt....and I said a sad farewell to my gorgeous Canadian friends and was greeted at Toronto airport by my lovely Scottish one.