Quebec - Poutine

This is going to be a yummy post. We’re gonna make poutine for our Friday night game night snack.

Poutine originated in Quebec in the 1950’s. A traditional poutine consists of medium thick French fries, fresh bite sized room temperature, curds, and brown thin gravy (usually a combination of chicken and beef).

There are so many poutine variations nowadays . Some people will add chives and bacon bits, pulled pork, sausage, chicken, and in some places, even caviar and truffles are put on top. 

We are going to make the classic poutine for you tonight and one with a little twist.

We’re keeping things simple and we have some straight cut frozen French fries that we are going to crisp up in the oven so that the outsides are nice and crunchy, but the inside will still be soft inside.

Next, we have some beef gravy that we are warming up and getting all of the lumps out of. For a quick poutine just defrost some leftover gravy like we are doing. You can also make your gravy from scratch; take a look at the links at the bottom of the page that we found with some poutine how tos.

Make sure to take your curds out of the fridge so that they can get to room temperature. Apparently room temperature is the ideal temperature to be adding your curds to your poutine. The warmth of the gravy and fries will soften them without melting them completely or leaving them too hard.

Layer your fries first on the plate/bowl, then add the curds, and then pour on the gravy. That’s a classic poutine.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/03/ultimate-perfect-poutine-fries-cheese-curds-gravy-recipe.html

https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/authentic-canadian-poutine-recipe/

Nova Scotia Lighthouse Card

I can’t believe that we only have a few more weeks of summer and province posts left. Summer flew by. We are focusing on Nova Scotia today and one of its most famous landmarks, Peggy’s Point Lighthouse in Peggy’s Cove. Nova Scotia is also known for its large arts scene so we are going to make a card in honour of that for this week’s post which features lighthouses!

Peggy’s Point Lighthouse:

Even though there are over 160 lighthouses in Nova Scotia, Peggy’s Point Lighthouse is one of the most recognized and photographed lighthouses of them all and in the world. It is your classic red and white lighthouse in a hexagonal shape. It is still an operational lighthouse, operated by the Coast Guard. It marks the entrance point of St. Margaret’s Bay on the eastern side. It even had a post office in it until 2009! How cool is that? You could’ve bought a postcard and wrote it in the lighthouse and sent it right away. 

The original lighthouse was built in 1868 and was made of wood and had a beacon on the roof. The current one was built in 1914 and is made of concrete and became automated in 1958. It’s had several different light colours. It started off red, then went white, then green, and now it’s red again. It’s said that the name comes from St. Margaret’s Bay because Peggy is the nickname for Margaret, but there are a couple of other stories from how the name came about. 

Card Tutorial:

We’ve made this lighthouse card as a Birthday card in past, but you can make it an any occasion card. In the past we added a cute little heart on the lighthouse, but you can keep it plain depending on who you are giving it to. 

We like to keep with the sea theme and make the card blue. We’ve chosen a primary blue card, sized at 6 ¾ x 4 ¾ inches. 

Then we cut light blue and white layers.

We cut a red and white lighthouse from Nicole’s Silhouette, but you can find a template online or use a stencil. 

I stamped and embossed the words in blue ink with clear embossing powder and heated that.

Then we glue on the larger blue layer and then the white layer on top of that and then place the lighthouse on top of that layer. After, we glued on the stamped layer.

Finally to finish off the card, we glued a thicker red strip of red ribbon near the layers and a thinner red strip of ribbon next to that near the edge of the card. 

 And now you have a lighthouse card!

Alberta - Beef

This week we are heading to Alberta. One of the first things that pop into my mind when I think of Alberta is the beef! Sometimes beef can be tricky to cook. Knowing how long to cook it and what cut is the best for what you’re making can be a bit overwhelming, so we’re putting together a beef guide for you when you make your next beef dinner. Take a look at the chart below for more specific cook times.

Roast – You’d think that there would be just a few cuts of roast, but that is not the case. There are many different cuts that you can choose from.

-          Standing Rib Roast/Prime Rib – This has to be my most favourite meal ever. I love prime rib and gravy and mashed potatoes. You can get a standing rib roast with anywhere from 2-7 ribs. It’s recommended to start cooking it at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for the first 15 minutes and then cook at 325 degrees accordingly for the rest of the time. Prime Rib is often eaten Medium Rare so depending on how heavy your roast is, you might have it in the oven anywhere from 1 ¼ hours – 3 ½ hours.  

-          Rib Roast without Bone - These ones usually range in weight from 4-8 pounds and can take anywhere from 1 ¼ hours – 2 ¼ hours. Again you will cook this at 350 degrees.

-          Rib Eye Roast – A small one ranges from 4-6 pounds and a larger one from 6-8 pounds. They can also be cooked at 350 degrees for around 2 hours or less.

-          Eye Round Roast – This one is a bit tinier about 2-3 pounds. It’s best to cook it at 325 degrees 1 ¾ hours. If you like your meat more well done then cook it longer.

-          Round Tip Roast - This cut has a longer cook time at a lower temperature. Cook it at 325 degrees for 1 ¾ - 4 ½ hours.

-          If you want a quick cooking roast, try sirloin tips, rump, rolled rib, whole tenderloin, or half tenderloin. They can go in ovens of about 300-325 degrees or in an oven of 425 for a short amount of time (anywhere from 30-60 minutes).

Steak – It’s an easy weeknight treat or it can be made into a fancy weekend meal. You can break steak down into two categories when cooking, pan fried or pan broiled.

-          When you fry your steak look for one that is 1/2 – 1 inch thick and cook for about 10 minutes.

-          For pan broiled steaks a thickness of 2 inches or less is ideal. Some popular steaks to broil in a pan are rib eye, cube, porterhouse, chuck, tenderloin, sirloin, and flank. Cook times differ greatly. Some people like their steaks red and juicy and some on the more well done side.

Of course these aren’t the only cuts and ways to cook your beef. Hamburgers and meatloaf made from ground beef is always another easy option. You can cook your beef patties on the grill or in the pan for about 8-12 minutes. A good meatloaf is usually cooked at an oven of 350-375 degrees for about an hour.And ribs are another popular option to throw on the BBQ. 

If you’re adventurous you can try cooking a filet mignon. They are quite expensive but give it a try for a treat. Heat your pan to medium heat and sear the steak for about 5 minutes (this is the type of cut that you want to be juicy and red and not over done) and then let it stand for about 5 minutes before eating.

A trick my dad taught me when cooking a steak is the finger test. Open the palm of your hand. Relax the hand. Take the index finger of your other hand and push on the fleshy area between the thumb and the base of the palm. This is what raw meat feels like. Press the tip of your pinky and your thumb together. Again feel the fleshy area below the thumb. This is what well done meat feels like when you press on it. Do the same thing but with your next finger until you get to your index finger; these are what medium cooked, rare, and over cooked feels like. 

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--906/beef-cooking-times.asp

Nunavut - Wildlife

The next couple of weeks we are focusing on the two remaining territories, Nunavut and the Yukon. We’ve been baking and trying out recipes for the past few weeks so we thought we’d take a look at some of the many things you can see and do around these territories. 

Nunavut has so much wildlife to see and experience. Whether you’re admiring the birds from afar or sea life up close in a kayak or canoe, you’re sure to see some exciting creatures on your trip to Nunavut.

Birdwatching:

·         Nunavut is home to many Arctic bird species that you won’t run into in the warmer climates in which most of us live in.

·         Some of the largest nesting colonies reside here.

·         There are 100 migratory species that you can see in Nunavut; it is thought that birds migrate here because their eggs are more likely to survive predators.

·         Birds that are most common in the region are: owls, eagles, hawks, falcons, ravens, ptarmigan, finches, larks, sparrows, pipits, auks, cranes, gulls, puffins, sandpipers, ducks, geese, loons, and swans.

·         The best time to bird watch is May until August.

·         Three birds, the Snowy Owl, Raven, and Ptarmigan remain here all year long

·         Many types of birds fly long distances so that they can breed in Nunavut; most birds return to their same nests each year.

·         Nunavut has many bird sanctuaries as well that you can visit to see the birds. Take a look at some tourism websites before you go to look for some good sanctuaries to visit.

Dogsledding:

·         Husky dogs are one of the oldest dogs in North America and have been residents of Nunavut for at least 4000 years. The Inuit call them Qimmiit.

·         In the past they were the best transportation available and most preferred as they would pull the sleds and keep you company at the same time.

·         They helped to hunt caribous and seals.

·         They hunt seals by sniffing out their breathing holes in the wintertime and hunt for caribou by sniffing out their tracks.

·         They can warn people by barking when a polar bear is near and then they can chase the bears away protecting their owners/people.

·         Warm heavy coats keep them protected from the cold and snow storms.

·         The lead dog can always find home even in the worst weather conditions.

·         Even though snowmobiles are now more popular than dogsleds, they still are available for tourists to experience and for hunting transportation.

·         You can look for dogsled tours as you plan your trip. Full day excursions as well as shorter rides are available. A springtime tour is recommended as you will be able to see marine life as the ice breaks up along the route. Keep in mind that these dogs are not playful pet dogs but hardworking powerful animals that tend to be a bit more aggressive than your average puppies.

Beluga Whales: 

·         Boat tours will take you to see the playful “canary of the sea.”

·         It makes many high pitched squeals, squawks, squeaks, clucks, and whistles.

·         The reside in sub-arctic and arctic waters

·         They are seen in pods at the mouths of rivers usually.

Walrus:

·         Usually relaxed, but they can sometimes be quite irritable.

·         It’s best to see them relaxing in the sunshine on ice floes from a boat tour.

·         They have large flippers along with large ivory tusks and whiskers.

·         Tusks are just elongated canine teeth that they use to poke holes in the ice with to pull themselves up and out of the water.

·         A male can reach up to 4,400 pounds and can be 13 feet in length.

·         They like to eat bivalve mollusks.

·         Even though they look lazy and large, they will dive hundreds of meters down to get clams, their favourite food. They can eat up to 4000 in one feeding.

Polar Bears:

·         This is another creature that you’ll want to see from afar. Tourism websites suggest that you go along with an outfitter or experienced guide and to view these animals from very far away with specialized binoculars or telephoto camera lenses.

·         They are the world’s largest carnivorous species on land.

·         Are more powerful than the Kodiak bear.

·         They can swim quite well in the cold cold water so that they can hunt seals.

Narwhal:

·         A very cool and unique whale because the males have a large tusk that looks like a unicorn horn.

·         The tusk is an incisor tooth which comes out of their upper jaw and no one really know why they have it.

·         They live in Arctic waters year round, so no migrating for them. They stay put.

·         They eat squid and flatfish primarily.

·         The best time to view these awesome creatures is in the summer when they move closer to the shore.

·         You can spot them in pods of four to 20 whales.

Muskox:

·         They are known for their shaggy thick fur and long curved horns. They sort of look like a modern day wholly mammoth.

·         Muskox are a mix of sheep, goats, and oxen.

·         There about 60,000 living in Nunavut and can be spotted in herds of 10-20.

·         If you’re interested in seeing these animals look for a guide that knows their migration patterns and they can help spot them.