May 2016

My apology for missing the deadline for this rambling last month. However, I was so sick with the cold / flu or whatever it was going around that I barely had enough energy to put one foot in front of another.

Memory has not escaped me, but I know for sure I’ve never had a cold, or such a cough ever in my life. Seems like everyone had it. Was talking to a friend of mine in Cape Breton and a friend of hers had a similar affliction that lasted nearly 10 weeks.

From what I understood, Sandy caught his around Christmas time, and in early April was just back from his second time to the doctor, his second prescription and still had a puffer from the first visit.

I missed a few days work and also paid my visit the emergency department.

Maurice just got back from the annual newspaper conference and we were honoured to receive the Award for the "Best Circulation Promotion" beating out 64 other community newspapers from throughout Atlantic Canada in the Newspapers Atlantic Better Newspaper Competition. In total approximately 20 awards were given out at the ceremony.

The other amazing thing is the "Chase the Ace in Sydney" will continue for at least one more event. Hard to imagine the event has been going for 47 weeks. On the next draw only five cards will be on the table. Jackpot was $2.4-Million. The consolation prize was $380,000. Not a bad payday in itself. Next draw will be on May 7^th.

The Chase the Ace was started in Kennetcook about five years ago. It is totally amazing how it has grown and become a novel way for community groups to raise a lot of money. Those groups who are able to start their own, and get a bit of luck that the ace is not drawn for a few weeks, most certainly captures the interest of a larger number of people.

Back to Sydney for a moment, just think of the money spent in that city on the weekend, as they anticipated population to swell by 30,000. Locally the Debert Legion is having a bit of a run with theirs. A while ago, Maurice spoke with Danny Martell, who said their jackpot us just under $4,000.00. Getting a prize up to that range, Debert will start to see more and more people dropping by for a few hours on Saturday afternoon. Let’s not forget how the Big Brothers / Big Sister 50/50 draw in Truro has grown. The number of plays has that pot approaching a pay-out of almost $9,000 each week.

Kale seems to becoming the rage this year. My son, Bradley has started using it. Maurice and I haven’t gotten to be frequent users, but because Maurice really likes Garlic, here’s a recipe which will soon become most often used. Not sure if it’s scientifically proven, but proponents say "Kale is supposed to have cancer-fighting properties".

4 cloves of Garlic, or appropriate amount of minced garlic.

Soak kale leaves in a large bowl of water until dirt and sand begin to fall to the bottom, about 2 minutes. Lift kale from the bowl without drying the leaves and immediately remove and discard stems. Chop the kale leaves into 1-inch pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir garlic until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add kale to the skillet and place a cover over the top.

Cook, stirring occasionally with tongs, until kale is bright green and slightly tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Occasionally, we get lucky. So far this winter, we have been extremely lucky in comparison to last winter. All along we feared snow storms and accumulation might rival last year, but so far we have escaped its rage. Sure we’ve had a couple of storms and students have had been able to enjoy a few storm days.

Now that we are into March, as bad as it might get, there’s only about six weeks left and the sun will be so strong any amount of snowfall won’t last long. Maurice always says during the nine years he commuted daily from Maitland to Halifax-Dartmouth he always dreaded the storms in April, because more often than not, each storm was wet packy snow making driving treacherous.

Other than work, I haven’t done much since last writing and no, we’ve not had a stormy Sunday, so Maurice has not made the Dark Fruitcake yet, but assures me he will with or without a storm. I did get some very long intense chuckles from the Facebook posting from the radio personality in Cape Breton inviting those to become Trump-Dodgers to move to Cape Breton.

Apparently, he created the posting with tongue-in-cheek as a joke, but just as the Republican GOP presidential candidate campaign is equally amazing, so is the following on his posting. I didn’t catch all of it, but an interviewee on CBC Radio stated the reaction has been so strong, they had to bring back their summer staff to handle all the inquiries.

It seems a large number of Americans are serious that if Donald J. Trump wins the presidency in November, they are out of there. It’s even been a boom to Cape Breton realtors, as they have had many serious inquiries about purchasing property. Some of those who apparently are well heeled, have inquired about starting businesses.

Will that tongue-in-cheek Facebook posting contribute to an increase in tourism? It certainly has spread the word through advertising that no amount of money could buy. If Trump-Dodgers come to Nova Scotia this summer in large numbers maybe it will be a boom for Colchester business if they people use the Truro area as a "pit-stop" as they race to get to Cape Breton Island.

With the high cost of vegetables this winter, I noticed that cabbage is not too bad, so it made me think about a Cabbage and Macaroni Salad recipe, which Hazel Hill sent me over a year ago. In fact a nice home-made salad is a nice break during the winter.

• Ingredients:
• 1 - 8 oz box of ring or small shell macaroni
• 3 cups grated or chopped cabbage
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped fine
• 1 red pepper, chopped, (Optional)
• Cook macaroni to desired tenderness. Drain and let stand few minutes cool. Add cooked macaroni to other ingredients and let stand, while preparing the dressing.

• 1 cup salad dressing
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• ½ cup sugar
• Mix these three ingredients together. Be sure to stir long enough to ensure all the sugar is absorbed into the fluid. This makes a very large salad. If you wish adjust recipe to make only half.

Even though you will have salad left over add the dressing to all the vegetable ingredients. This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator.

I guess the luck of the Irish was with us this weekend, as the major storm now named Snowzilla dumped two and three feet of snow on the eastern US seaboard. All week long the meteorologists were saying we would be spared, but when the storm blew into New York with 26.8 inches of snow, the second highest snowfall since 1895, I was sure we would be walloped. Luckily, when I wore up on Sunday morning, the sun was shining and not a bit of snow.

Instead of spending much time over a hot stove, I decided to re-organize one of the cupboards. When I finished I realized we had almost all the ingredients to make Dark Fruit Cake. Yes, I know we are just finishing up the remainder of what Maurice and I bought in the few days prior to Christmas.

Earlier in the fall, Maurice mentioned he was going to make some dark fruitcake, so I got most of the supplies. He got busy, then ended up in the hospital for a week at the end of November.

If the storm had arrived this weekend, his plan was to spend the stormy day doing fruitcake. All I needed to do was to get him some cheesecloth for him to wrap it in. Here’s his cherished recipe from the Five Roses Cookbook.

• 3 cups sultana raisins
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1 cup chopped figs
• ½ cup chopped candied fruit
• ½ cup glazed cherries, cut in halves
• ½ cup citron peel
• ¼ cup lemon peel
• ¼ cup orange peel
• 1/3 cup cognac, brandy, rum or fruit juice
• 1 cup sliced blanched almonds
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 6 eggs
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 ¼ cups flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp allspice (Jamacian pepper)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp mace

Preheat oven. Combine fruits, add cognac and mix well. Cover and let soak overnight. Line a tube pan with heavy brown paper; grease well. (Maurice prefers loaf pans, prepared the same way). Add almonds and nuts to fruit mixture and mix well; sprinkle with ¼ cup flour and mix well. Cream shortening and gradually add brown sugar beating between additions. Add eggs one at at time, beating well after each. Add molasses, mix well. Combine flour, salt, soda and spices together. Gradually blend dry ingredients. Fold in fruit and nut mixture. Fill prepared pan.

Place a shallow pan of hot water on bottom rack of oven. Place cake pan(s) in centre of oven. Bake in slow oven (275 degrees) for 1 ½ hours. Remove pan of water and bake about 1 ½ hours longer or until toothpick inserted into centre of the cake come out clean. (Loaf pans may take less time so check regularly after second 45 minutes). Cool on wire rack before removing from pan(s).

STORING: If cake is to be used within a few weeks, do not remove brown paper. Wrap in two thicknesses of aluminum foil. If cakes are to ripen longer, remove brown paper and wrap cakes in cognac (or whatever flavour used) soaked two or three thicknesses of cheesecloth. Place cake in a tight container. Moisten cloth from time to time. To ripen cakes for a few weeks only, store in a cool dry place. If cakes are to ripen longer, store in a very cool place. (Ideal storage container is a metal cookie tin). If you wish you can wrap cakes in two thicknesses of aluminum foil and placed in chest freezer for up to 12 months. Thaw cakes in aluminum foil wrapper.

January 2016

WOW. What a warm winterless fall, other than a couple of snow flurry days, we have been able to enjoy. Looking ahead a few days before and after Christmas, the weather experts are suggesting the thermometer will get up to 13 degrees on Christmas Eve.

Even though the children and skiing enthusiasts will not agree with me, now that we have gone this long without any major snow accumulation, I hope it continues this way. With so many people travelling to spend Christmas and Boxing Day with family, we certainly don’t want to have poor driving conditions. Much better to have a green Christmas than a number of people facing danger and maybe even stranded along the highway over the holidays.

If we recall our memory we faced a similar situation last year. Does that lead us to conclude a weather pattern similar to 2015 will follow us into the New Year? Last year winter didn’t start until the end of January and then it didn’t stop. Seemed like it snowed every day for six weeks. If it wasn’t snowing we were trying to dig ourselves out.

Speaking of a green Christmas, the province’s Christmas tree industry certainly are in the green. The low value of the Canadian dollar has certainly increased exports, especially to USA. It looks like 2015 could be a banner year.

While thumbing through my cook books, I came across a number of recipes, which Hazel Hill had sent to me some time ago. Thinking ahead to the cold winter months, and a desire to include as much fiber in the diet as possible, I chose her great recipe for Refrigerator Bran Muffins. They are favourites of Maurice’s because just a few can be made at one time and you can have warm muffins, whenever you want.

• 3 cups Quaker All Bran
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 eggs slightly beaten
• ½ cup molasses
• 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
• ½ cup salad oil
• 1 cup raisins, dates, currents or prunes
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 ½ cups flour, unsifted, (may use 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour and 1 scant cup enriched white flour).

Pour boiling water over bran in large bowl, stir to moisten evenly. Allow to cool. Add eggs, molasses, buttermilk, salad oil & salad oil. Blend well. Stir together: baking soda, salt, baking powder, sugar & flour, then stir into bran mixture. Store in a tightly covered container in refrigerator for up to five weeks. When desired spoon batter into greased muffin cups and bake at 425 for 20 minutes.