Tag Archives: food

Commentary, food, nature, Photography, Wine

A Good Bottle

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A recent communique from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction states that “no amount of alcohol” consumption is healthy and rather is linked to cancer. However, having taken the time to find and read their report, I have to say that their research is limited and the results conflicting, so my opinion is that this warning is a bit over the top.

An Okanagan vineyard.

There is no doubt that alcohol can and does cause many, many problems, but I find this announcement, based as it is on small sample sizes, is sort of temperance-sounding and reminds me of the announcements years ago about barbecued food (among lots of other things) causing cancer.

Almost anything, if taken too far, can be a health risk. I like a good glass of wine, pairing it with meals and adding it to my cooking. Rightly or wrongly, my very French father (my parents had wine with dinner almost every evening) insisted that we children have a tiny glass (shot glass size) of wine with dinner; I was raised with wine (especially red) as a natural and delicious accompaniment to food.

As a result, I was never much interested in the teenage drunks that many of my friends indulged in; I found that whole idea silly and boring. So I think my father had the right idea. Alcohol wasn’t a mystery and it never became a problem.

A good bottle of Okanagan red.

I’m not going to change my consumption. I live in wine country and love finding great bottles for our cellar. Planning good food and picking the right complimentary wine to go with it is fun and adds to my enjoyment of the meal.

What do you think?

food, musings, Photography, Wine

When the Weather Outside Is Frightful …

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… there’s lots of stuff inside that’s delightful!

Hot chocolate, maybe with some liqueur?
Warm croissants?
Some Okanagan Sangiovese, rich and luscious?

Whatever makes you feel cosy and comforted, now is the time to indulge! Here’s Michael Bublé singing that famous song: https://youtu.be/Mk6ZzzWWJ1A

Happy Tuesday.

food, nature, Photography

Saturday Market

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Penticton has a thriving farmers’ market that operates in the downtown every Saturday from mid-April until the end of October.

One of the flower stalls.

M and I try do our weekly fruit and vegetable shopping there.

The market has an average of 8000 shoppers every Saturday.

We go early to avoid the crowds and we bring along our list and the shopping bags. Since all the produce is seasonal, we have to be ready to make adjustments.

Part of today’s haul!

Today we found beefsteak tomatoes, white peaches (on the lower left in the photo – the best peaches ever!), patty pan squash (in the bags), and honeycrisp apples. We also found mushrooms, basil, yellow beans, plums, and of course, sunflowers!

Autumn is the season of deliciousness!

food, Photography, Wine

Mushroom Pasta Recipe

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This recipe is in metric, but I’ve done some imperial conversions that I hope work out. It’s really easy and you can play around with the amounts (more mushrooms!) to your taste. If you would like, you can also add chicken. I don’t always have mascarpone on hand so it’s sometimes left out, and if you’re watching calories, that will help, but the result will be less creamy. I compensate by adding a bit more of the pasta cooking water to make a light sauce. Also, if you’re watching your salt intake, you will need to leave it out of the pasta cooking water.

Ingredients:

– 450 grams (2 cups) pasta, whatever kind you like. I like spaghettini best.

– 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

-2 chopped shallots

– 1 clove minced garlic

-450 g (2 cups) sliced fresh mushrooms, any kind you like or a mixture. In a pinch I’ve used dried ones, but you will need to increase slightly the amount of stock and wine.

-120 ml (half a cup) white wine (the same kind you’re going to have with the pasta)

-120 ml (half a cup) vegetable stock (you can also use chicken stock)

-200 ml (1 cup) mascarpone

-Parmesan

-parsley

– a few red pepper flakes if you would like a little heat

Directions:

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil and add the pasta; cook for about 10 mins. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the oil and the shallots and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use a pan large enough to avoid crowding the mushrooms (this step is really important so that they don’t become soggy). Add the red pepper flakes (optional). Cook for about 6-7 mins. Turn the heat up and add the wine; cook until it has completely evaporated and the pan is de-glazed. Then add the stock until it reduces to a sauce-like consistency.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the mascarpone cheese. Stir until it becomes creamy. Drain the pasta, reserving about 200 ml (1 cup) of the pasta water, and transfer to a serving bowl. Add the mushroom mixture and the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste if desired. Toss well to coat the pasta, adding the reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the chopped parsley and lots of parmesan. Serve immediately and enjoy with a glass of wine.

Kayak2016 and Vanessence, I hope this recipe turns out well for you. Cheers!

food, musings, Photography

Italian, Please

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Although my cultural background is very strongly French-Canadian, I love to cook and eat Italian. A big favourite is mushroom pasta.

I find it incredibly comforting and delicious, and together with a glass of wine, one of my most treasured meals.

At some point in the future, (no more Covid!) I hope to spend some time in an Italian cooking school really digging in, in more ways than one!

Happy Monday.

nature, Photography

Blueberries

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I love blueberries, or as they are also known in French, bleuets. The early French and English explorers invented these words for their languages as they had never before encountered the intensely blue berries. Of course, they were already an ancient staple in the diets of many indigenous peoples.

Blueberries are native to North America and they prefer the cooler climes. Most bleuets purchased in the stores are cultivated, but wild ones are frequently available as well.

They are yummy just on their own or in a pie, pudding or cake. The best part? These sweet little flavour bombs are packed with nutrients which research suggests may protect against heart disease, cancer, cognitive decline, and diabetes.

Pretty great that this terrific treat is also good for you!

Commentary, musings, Photography, Wine

Hungry? Thirsty?

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Recently I was going through my photos and found that quite a lot of them are pictures of foods or drinks. I enjoy eating, either at home or in a restaurant and my M is quite a good cook. We are also wine collectors, and we have a decent cellar.

But I didn’t quite realise that I’ve been harbouring a large number of food and drink photos in my archive. Here is a small sample:

A beer flight from a brewery in the Okanagan city of Penticton (where my southern home is).

Some homemade Halloween eyes from last week. These were a lot of work to make!

Hors d’oeuvre from my M. Or, snack time in the d’Arty-Cross household. 😉

Okanagan wine. This was a lovely bottle for a lovely meal.

A picnic. Also lovely, particularly because it was January!

Butter tarts. A Canadian favourite. M made these.

For someone who likes to take landscape and nature photos, there are an awful lot of consumables pictures hanging around in my  storage.

And this also explains why my pants can get tight and then I have to lay off for a while. I used to be able to eat what I wanted, but turning 40 changed all that. As I age though, I’m tempted to think, yeah, but I’m getting older, I can cheat some. I’ve earned it, right? I don’t care about a gorgeous (well, I was never gorgeous, but you know) corpse. When I shuffle off this mortal coil, my body should be done, spent, finished, toast, well past the sell-by date, expired, smoked … Really, who’s going to care when I’m taking the big dirt nap? 

Having said all that though, I am circumspect up to a point. I do watch my weight and I make a point of exercising because I have to pass medicals every six months. My one virtue is that I’ve never been a junk food person.

What do you think?

Do you like a good meal? Do you worry about your age and the extra baggage? Do you care what you look like, especially if you’re “getting up there” ?

But one final photo. Okanagan peaches. Yum. 🙂

Commentary, musings, nature, Photography

Salt River

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The Salt River runs through the town of Fort Smith, NWT.

All is very green right now because recently, there has been a lot of rain.

The Salt River is not salty, but is named for the nearby salt plains. The plains can be found in Wood Buffalo National Park and are very attractive to the many types of animals who like to lick the salt that has worked its way up from deep inside the earth.

During the fur trading days, the salt was collected for seasoning. It could still be used for this purpose today.

Happy Independence Day to our American friends and greetings from the non-salty Salt River. 🙂