and after much procrastination, the very LAST post is now finished...
We miss C and her family (her husband FJ, LO their daughter and her parents) and the laid back lifestyle on Manitoulin Island. We miss the long drives we took in their van on the country roads as well as seeing zig zag cedar split rail fences like this...
their bountiful garden...
and the camaraderie and memories we shared during our 2nd visit with C and her family and of course, during our epic road trip across Ontario to Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec and back to the island.
Our very last evening was a home cooked meal spent with the family and a live-in college student.
She recently did a post on her Rustic Kitchen...
That last "supper" that we had was going to be a traditional Canadian dish, Tourtiere (or what we call a "meat pie"). Below, some fresh garlic from their garden...
as well as ground beef from their cattle farm...
Saute one diced onion with several cloves of garlic in olive oil...
Add 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef and brown.
Next, add in 1/2 cup of water, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp sage, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1/8 tsp ground cloves.
While this was happening, I was recruited to make the double crust pies by scratch using this flour:
I don't remember what I put into it or what I did, but I made enough for two double crust pies. I was hoping I wouldn't screw this up because I really don't like working with dough, but I did it for C! I did it for Johnny!!! (That's an "Outsiders" reference for you young 'uns)
Once the filling is cooked, add it to the prepared pie crust...
then cover it. I remember C fluted the crust for one of the pies.
Vents were also cut into the tops of the tortieres.
I don't remember which crust edges I did, but the nicer looking one was C's.
I think I tried copying her crimping style, then just gave up, haha.
Outside we could see the cows in the early evening (it didn't get dark until after 10 pm the summer we were there)...
Supper was enjoyed with fresh greens, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers and her father's freshly caught rainbow trout fish fry!
This was the best fried fish we've ever had!
We loved the batter on this as well and have not had anything since that could even compare to it!
As C's father said, "The rainbow trout is the cousin of the salmon!"! An avid fisherman, he caught the fish himself at one of the island's numerous lakes. Just a reminder, Manitoulin Island is the largest island in the largest freshwater lake in North America (It's in Lake Huron).
The pies were put in the oven at 425F. They were baked 20 minutes with foil covering the top and then 20 minutes without foil.
I think they came out pretty good...
I can still remember how good this smelled when C cut into it...
This was so delicious along with the fried fish and salad.
Everyone enjoyed their food! I was happy that I made a successful flaky and tender pie crust even though I don't remember what I did to make it that way, ha ha!
Dessert for the adults was a beer float, something they hadn't tried before. The ice cream is from a local creamery...
The girls (LO and TC) just had the ice cream of course. We adults tried the ice cream with Young's Double Chocolate Stout (bought at Foodland's LCBO, a liquor store within the grocery).
The bacon soda was bought on a whim at Boo Bah Lou Candy store earlier that day. For the record, it tasted HORRIBLE!!! It was one of the worst flavors I've ever tried and even Bert felt the same way. Ugh!
Here goes...
Mmmm, a nice frothy head on those floats...It was fun drinking the floats with their cool metal straws!
Again, our view of the cows from their kitchen window (over 700 acres)...
At one point, TC (who was 11 at the time) and LO (who was 3 1/2) wandered out into the backyard. TC was not yet 5' tall; she may have been about 4' 9" or something. She had just finished 6th grade at the time of our visit.
The day before I went crazy shopping for food gifts at the North Bay Walmart (post linked at the end under Day 9). I bought so much that I ended up getting an extra suitcase that I had to half pack with clothes and with candies and snacks.
I even had some butter tarts in there along with Coffee Crisp candy bars (which I can now buy locally at Big Ben's Market in National City), and ketchup flavored chips (hidden under all that stuff)...
Before I officially sign off on our Canada 2012 posts, here are the links to our trip in order:
Day 1:
Highlights
Zet's
Day 2:
Weber's
Tim Hortons (near Weber's)
Inukshuk
Ice Cream at the Magnetawan Gas Bar and Store
Cortina's
Day 3:
Poke - Manitoulin Style (inspired by Kirk!)
Return to Foodland
Mum's Restaurant & Bakery
Return to Lillian's
Return to the Manitoulin Chocolate Works
Sights in Kagawong
Kurbside to go
Father's Day Dinner at Royal Michael's Bay Restaurant
Day 4:
In Search of Butter Tarts
Dewy's Redneck Grill
Time to Hit the Road
Day 5:
Ottawa - Part 1
More of Ottawa
Beaver Tails and ice cream
Giant Spiders, Embassy Row and T & T
Day 6:
Quebec City
La Belle Province
Levis, QC, Quebec
Glacerie a l'Europeene/Les Chocolat Favoris
More of Levis, plus the Levis Armoury
Ferry Ride from Levis to Quebec City
Le Cochon Dingue
Old Quebec at Night
Day 7:
Levis - Breakfast at Chez Cora
Parc des Chutes de las Chaudieres, Levis, QC
Tim Hortons and Snacks from Metro Plus
Aloft Hotel
Party Food in Canada
Old Montreal at Night
Cafe Terrase Chez Catherine
Day 8:
Breakfast buffet at Aloft, Montreal
Walking around in Montreal
Schwartz's Deli - Charcuterie Hebraique
Au Pain Dore
juliette & chocolate
Old Montreal during the day
Refreshments and snacks of the maple kind
Notre-Dame Basilique, Montreal
Pie and Ice Cream
Takeout from Vietnamese Kitchen, Ottawa
Day 9:
Canada Day 9 - Back to Ottawa: Kettleman's Bagels
The Road back to Manitoulin - Tim Hortons at Deep River
Canadian Tire
Return to Mattawa - Another Drive By
Shopping at North Bay Walmart
President's Choice
On the way back to the Island
Day 10:
Corned Beef Torta and return to Mum's Bakery
Return to the Manitoulin Chocolate Works and Boo Bah Lou Candy
Lake Huron Fish & Chips
Pickers of Prov
A Handcrafted ring and return to Providence Bay
and of course this post!
C's Tourtiere Recipe
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 clove (or more) garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cloves, ground
double crust pie
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F
Saute the onion and cloves in a few tbsp of olive oil
Brown the ground beef
Add the water and spices
Make the pie crust according to directions or if you're lazy like me, use Trader Joe's pie crust!
Add the filling to the pie crust and place the 2nd crust on top. Vent the top crust.
Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, covered with foil. Bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.
So many fun memories and meeting really nice people along the way, thanks to C. We were glad to have had such a memorable trip!
6 comments:
oh what a nice last meal before you left!
Hi Kirbie - Yes, it was so nice to have a homecooked meal with fresh fish and vegetables as well as a traditional French Canadian dish too.
Yay, you finally finished all your Canadian posts! How epic! Now at least I don't feel bad about not finishing all of my Florida posts yet, haha. The final meal you had there looks yummy!
Dude, Finally, eh!!! I think what was most daunting to me was putting in all those links.
The last meal there was pretty good. I can't believe she made me do the crust - of all the things I'm afraid of doing, haha!
OH. MY. GOSH.
Nostalgia!
Love your Canadian posts! This one was the best. It summed up your trip to perfection! We really miss you guys too! Let's catch up soon. Oh, are there any items you'd like me to send you? :) I have been looking for ketchup flavoured Pringles for you every time I go to the grocery stores, but can't find them anymore!!! Need any more Coffee Crisp? LOL!
Hi Christine - Thanks so much! I'm glad you got a chance to read this one. It took me so long to finally finish up the posts (nearly 2 years ago). I think part of it was not wanting to end it, if that makes sense. I will call you this weekend. If you find any Ketchup chips, by all means, heh heh. No worries on the Coffee Crisp because I found a place in National City that sells them!!! Wut? Ha ha! Any requests from you? Filipino or Mexican or Japanese stuff?
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