Adding Some Spice to Life

I have realized something about myself, and that is that I am a bit crazy. If I am not busy enough with having three kids, (one on the Autism spectrum), working for my husband, another part time job for the Chamber of Commerce and having my rental property business, not to mention a hyper German Shepard puppy in training, I have decided to add more to my plate. I am now an Epicure Consultant.

Last month I had not one but two booths at the Manitoulin Trade Fair and right across from me was a lady who was selling Epicure Selections.( Epicure is a Canadian Herb and Spice company if you weren't sure what it is). After speaking with her for awhile I found myself being signed up to be a consultant and to have my first tasting party in a month. Why do I do this to myself? As I mentioned in another post I need to be  busy and be around people. I saw this as an opportunity for myself to fulfill both those needs as well as make a profit. This should help with those long boring winters that I was whining about  in another post.

I know this may sound like I am trying to sell my new business but the reason I wanted to become an Epicure Consultant is because I am really impressed with the products. Part of my new life in the country is to overhaul the way I feed my family. In the city it was always too convenient to stop at a restaurant or get take out on my way home from work. I really didn't want to do this but my life was so hectic that I didn't always feel like I had the energy or the time to cook a wholesome healthy meal for my family every night. This is a change easier said than done. Tastes are hard to change.

After I started researching Epicures products I did the comparisons and realized that I still really wasn't making the best food choices for my family. I would make homemade meals but use certain ingredients that had additives, dyes, or crazy amounts of sodium. With having a child on the Autism spectrum, I have noticed that my son's body responded in a negative way if he consumed certain foods. I want to make better choices for him especially, along with the rest of us. I find it isn't always easy to know what exactly is in the food we eat. Food labels in Canada are so misleading. I wish our laws were stricter on what is and is not allowed in our food. I could rant on this, but I will spare you the ugly details.

I have gone ahead and started to clean out my cupboards. I do admit it is hard to throw food away, so I am telling myself that if I don't think this food is good enough for my family it isn't good enough for someone else's' family either. That way I feel less guilty about tossing it out in the trash. This cleaning out of food isn't just  for making room for Epicure's products. Everything that I can't read or understand on the label is having the same fate. If I can't pronounce a word I figure it isn't good for me so out it goes.

So after comparing a few products to Epicure I was sold. The fact that they are also gluten free, fair trade, and a Canadian woman lead company were bonuses to me. I want to feed my family real food and nothing else. So yes it sounds like I may be selling the product but it is really just part of my city to country plan of living the wholesome good life, and as for adding to my already crazy life I figure I am just adding some spice.

Cold Relief, Searching for the Best Hot Toddy Recipe

Hot Toddy

I have never actually made myself  a hot tottie, but after listening to a close friend of mine swear it helps, I thought I would try one. At this point I will try anything to find relief from this nasty cold.

The recipe I will try follows;

• 2 ounces whiskey
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 4 ounces tea
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice 
• 1 slice fresh lemon (optional)

Directions:

1. Place the whiskey in a large microwave safe mug.
2. Add the honey.
3. Pour the hot water into the mug over the spoon you used for the honey to get off the last little drops.
4.  Add the lemon juice and stir well.
5. Place the mug in the microwave for 1 minute or until it is piping hot, but not boiling.
6. Add the lemon slice and serve.

I would love to hear of any other tried and true cold remedy recipes as I could use all the help I can get.

Bottoms Up!



Tea Time

 Now that I find myself with some time on my hands I can actually bake. Well sort of. This is a no bake recipe. A favourite recipe that used to be found at every church and school bake sale. Enjoy!

 

 Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

1/2 cup Butter

2 cups Sugar

1/2 cup Milk

4 Tbsp Cocoa

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

3 1/2 cups Quick Cooking Oats

2 tsp. Vanilla

Add the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute. Stir in the next 3 ingredients and drop by the spoonful unto wax paper. Let cool to set.

My First Winter, Is it Over Yet?

Although it is technically spring I am waiting like everyone else for it to actually arrive.

My first winter was not exactly fantastic. I keep being reassured by other city transplants that it does get better. I sure hope this is true because I wasn't so sure if I was going to make it.

I would describe myself as a positive person. I have a glass half full world view. I am not willing to let myself get down, but I have to say this winter was a big challenge for me. I think collectively "northerners" are maybe lying to themselves?  They can't possibly really enjoy winter.... can they? I think it is a defense mechanism. They are in denial because being north for the winter actually sucks. Yup I said it, winter in northern Ontario bites the big one.

Before anyone gets their knickers in a knot for me saying that, just think about it. Is it really enjoyable to be electrically shocked several times a day because the inside air of your home is so dry? Shock therapy used to be used for mental patients. Just saying. I had to buy a humidifier just so I could touch my kids again. I would also say it wasn't particularly enjoyable to be so cold that you get back spasms or TMJ from shivering. And as far as ice goes, it has its time and place like in a drink, but covering every driving and walking surface is not okay.  My knees are not happy with me from falling so many times this winter season. The list goes on and on. Bottom line winter is okay for a couple weeks, say around Christmas to be festive, but after that it could end as far as I'm concerned.

The other issue for me is how quiet it is. Yes I knew the island population dropped after the ferry season, but for a girl who used to get paid to talk, the fact that it is so dead quiet nearly killed me. I love people. I find people interesting. That is one of the reasons I have a degree in anthropology. I am not ashamed to admit though, that I had a few pity parties where I ate chocolate, and drank hot chocolate, then ate some more chocolate because I had a hard time dealing with the absence of people around me.

The other problem is the lack of activities. The only activities seemed to involve hockey and I am so not a hockey mom. Where my son used to play there was a bar/restaurant overlooking the arenas. I would sit with my nose in a book and glass of wine in my hand. My husband would yell at me to look up at critical points in the game, but really I couldn't care less about who won or loss. 

I know many Haw-eaters do not enjoy how busy the island gets for the tourist season, but I am actually looking forward to it. You can take the girl out of the city, but not the city out of the girl. I love being busy and having commotion around me, Being a "cit-idiot" is not insulting to me and yes I have heard people use the term in a negative way. I gladly accept that term because to me it means that I am adaptable. I came here by choice and am going to embrace that challenge. I think there has to be a happy medium between both worlds, and I am determined to find it. In the meantime I wait with bated breath for the first robin to announce the arrival of spring and the end of my winter exile.

Christmas Thoughts

The ground is covered in Manitoulin's first snowfall and the kids are outside making a snow fort, snow angels, and a very small snowman. With the white stuff covering everything my thoughts have turned to Christmas. It is now just one month away.

I started to make a mental list of all the things that I have to get done. Gifts to buy, recipes to get ingredients for,  baking, wrapping, writing Chritmas cards, and so on. Then I stopped myself and started thinking of what is really important to me.  I don't want to get sucked into the rush of the season. With living on Manitoulin that should be an easier task seeing there are no malls to feel the "joy of the season in".

Yes I love food, gift giving, carols, and everything else associated with Christmas, but what I love most is just having the time to spend with my family. When I was little my family was much larger. Everyone would always gather at my grandparents house on Gibson Avenue. The house was full of the smell of turkey, the noise of family, (Ukrainians seem to all talk at once) and the joy of the season. Whatever family squabbles were going on were forgotten for the holiday.

This time of my life at my grandparents house has long been gone and I have started my own traditions with my own family. Christmas is now always at my parents home. We will make the trip down to Burlington. The sights, and sounds are the same to when I was a child, but some loved ones are no longer with us.

I was thinking how quickly things can change. My grandparents lived a long and full life before their time had come. They were lucky to have that. We were lucky to have them so long. My parents are in their seventies and still seem young to me, but they both are having serious health concerns. My brother who is not much older than me has also had a major health scare. They have all been diagnosed at different times with cancer. My brother is a survivor, my mom just finished her radiation treatment for breast cancer, and now my dad has been diagnosed with cancer. My mom's prognosis is good while my dad's is not. I don't really want to think of the time when they are not here.

I am so thankful to have my family all together. As a child I never thought that things would change. I always assumed that Christmas would be the same every year. That was until my tenth Christmas. My grandpa had died then of cancer. My grandpa was my favourite person in the  world. So I learnt about loss early, and how quickly things can change. Family is precious. People will come and go throughout your life, but family will always be most important.

For this Christmas I am going to remember this, and hold them all dear. I am still going to enjoy the baking, gift giving, food, and everything else. With three children how can I not, but  I am also going to keep what is most important a focus as well. Christmas is such a joyful time of year. We have all lost loved ones, but I for one am going to keep those I still have close and cherish this holiday season together.

What's for Dinner?

I have never seen so much camouflage in my life. It is everywhere I look. It is deer season and the hunters are flocking to the island. Every store has a display of camouflage items for sale along with other hunting needs.  I feel like a deer caught in headlights when I look at one of these displays. I have no idea what some of the items are used for let alone what they are called.  I have decided to avoid these displays.

Even the kids hunt. My oldest child who is 12 came home the other day to tell me the teacher had asked the class how many people hunt and have shot something and everyone put up their hand except three, my son being one of them and the other two were girls. I don't think this would have had the same result in my kid's old school. Maybe three would say they have, but the rest would never have shot a gun.

I do have to say that there is a benefit to knowing someone who hunts.  The other week a  man pulled up along side of me on the road and asked if I wanted any deer meat.  That was an awkward moment. I can definitely say that is something that would never happen in the city.  It turns out the man was my neighbours' son-in-law and once I noticed my neighbour sitting in the truck then I said yes. As a result I have quite the assortment of deer meat in my freezer, and they have a few loaves of freshly baked bread. Not a bad trade.

My next question was what do I do with it?  I pulled out my historical cooking book from my Dundurn Castle days and found some historic recipes, one that I had used during a cooking workshop. I seemed to remember that recipe not doing too well so I thought I should check out the Ojibwe Cultural Centre in M'Chigeeng and see if they have any cookbooks for sale. Turns out they did, so I bought one and planned on making a recipe from that book for dinner last night.

Dinner was in progress and as I was setting the table for my family I contemplated if I should tell them what I had made or see if they even noticed a difference. Not an easy decision considering I have a child with Aspergers (high functioning autism),and therefore isn't keen on having new experiences, especially when considering his food. I ended up going with the mystery and quietly served dinner and watched. I don't know why I was worried.  Everyone ate, said it was good, and then left the table. I still haven't told them it was deer and I don't think I will.

I only ask now what shall I make? It turns out you can use deer as a substitute for any other meat in a recipe. Shall it be spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, meatloaf, or hamburgers tonight?

First Impressions

As my blog name implies I am new to country. My husband and I made the decision to relocate our family from the GTA (greater Toronto area) to the country. Manitoulin to be exact. In our opinion we believe that a rural setting has more to offer simply because it has less to offer. We wanted to slow things down as much as possible. At least as slow as it can get with having three children in tow.

Some of our friends and family think that we are crazy to leave everything behind and move to a place that doesn't have a Starbucks, 24 hr grocery, or even  small mall. This is exactly the reason among others why we chose Manitoulin to relocate to.

It has been three months since the move and I am discovering that it was the best decision we made and that there is also a lot that I have to learn and to adjust to.

My first impression was OMG there are so many bugs! My vacuum has become my best friend for ridding my home of unwanted six legged creatures. Shad flies are something new to me. Down south I had never experienced this occurrence of shad flies everywhere that you can see. They stick to every possible surface. Use your imagination.
There are also four legged creatures that have made their presence known to me. Within the first week am mouse made a midnight appearance in my family room. My two lazy house cats had no clue what to make of the tiny visitor. Eventually Cookie finally got up and chased the mouse back to whatever hole it had crawled out from. Pest control is now on my speed dial just in case.  The next week maybe the same or a close relative of this mouse found his way into the exhaust system of my van. $250 later my van is smelling much better. Lesson learned, no more food in the van.

My next impression was how dark it is. In  the city the environment is so artificial. We don't really experience the night. Manitoulin is designated a dark sky community which means it is really dark. My first time driving at night was an experience and do I need to mention how many deer live on this island? For every person there are three deer. I kept seeing glowing eyes by the side of the road. At least they weren't on the road.

On a positive note another first impression is the beauty of it all.  My family has visited the island in the past and have always know how special this place is.  Whenever it was time to leave we tried to hold on to the Manitoulin feeling as long as we could. That was a hard task considering we were living in crazy land (the suburbs). I am in awe of this island. It is an extremely beautiful place and I am so fortunate to call this place home. When all is still I can hear and feel the island. The "spirit Island" I get it. I do however know that everything is not going to be perfect. I don't have the rose coloured glasses to view life through. My three months here have been successful in removing any notion I may have had of country living being ideal.  I know it isn't. The grass is not greener on the other side. It will be what we make of it.

This blog is going to be used to document my experiences with this new chapter in my life. So far it has been an adventure and it is just beginning.