Big Sky

The prairies are known as the Big Sky Country. In a boreal forest area the closest we can come to experiencing this is on the water. Whether you are in a boat on a lake, the ocean or whether you are lucky enough to do an ice hike, this is our Big Sky.
Our everyday lives are bounded by the trees around us. They feed us, shelter us, warm us and ultimately give a boundary to our lives. Our view of the world around us is limited by the trees that form our horizons.


  To head out onto the ice is to forge off on an adventure that is foreign to our experiences. We are used to being swaddled in trees, having a sense of surrounding security.  Going out into the great wide open is in a sense a challenge to nature. It is our way of saying here we are, see us, we can't hide. It is a way of saying that we will meet any challenge head on, not head into the trees to hide. It is a rare feeling of freedom and exhilaration to see for miles and be seen for miles, to feel as though you are the center of your own universe. To be able to say that you are the only living thing in sight, and that sight line is long.
  Heading out on the ice is a way to see nature as few before us have seen it, you may be in an area frequented by people in other seasons, but few  have ventured where your footsteps are taking you now. You get to see a familiar area from a completely different perspective. Islands in a lake become oases in a snowy desert. Thick brush is covered by snow and is passable to venture ashore to see these islands. We can see where other wildlife has left its mark in the past.
 
 
 


Gone are the sounds of cars and motorboats, only the crunching of the snow underfoot and the boom of the ice keep you company. 
Occasionally you hear a faint sigh of contentment and realize it is yours. The faint hiss of a fresh breeze slicing through the leafless trees is the soundtrack to your day on the lake. The only sign that you are not alone are the tracks left by animals who are also using the ice as a shortcut to better feeding.




  This sense of contentment can mask hidden dangers. There might be a predator lurking just inside the trees watching you. The snow that has painted the land with a uniform blanket of white might hide a thin patch in the ice waiting to trap the unwary traveller. This sense of possible danger adds to the sense of adventure, but should never be ignored. You are a long way from any help, you are like a pioneer surviving on your wits and experience.



As we move across the ice, the perspective is ever changing and every step brings a fresh viewpoint, it is never boring because it never repeats itself.It is this constantly changing scenery that makes us feel so lucky to head out onto the ice and view a piece of nature as few others get to experience it.

 It is our Big Sky day.

A Dental Win-Win

This week we had a truly wonderful trip to the dentist, it was a bit out of the ordinary and one of the best all time dental visits that we have ever had.
  One of the things that I worried about when I decided to try my hand at an early retirement was the loss of our medical coverage. Dental coverage has gotten so expensive that it was one of our great fears that we would not be able to maintain our dental health. Add to this the fact that we are now hitting the age when most problems are likely to occur it was quite a leap to head out without a safety net.
  Not long after I retired, one of my fears became reality, I had a root canal that failed. My last dentist had given up her practice and I was in the middle of a dental emergency with no dentist. What to do. I called a couple of offices to see about an emergency appointment and was told that I could not be seen without first having an examination, which starts at $75.00 and goes up if there are x-rays needed. All of this to to confirm that the tooth that I knew was damaged was in fact damaged. I left the office that day $125.00 lighter and had an appointment for 2 weeks in the future to look at the tooth. Two painful weeks later and another $400.00 I had my tooth fixed. Luckily the specialist that they booked me with was the one who did the original work and I got it done for half price under warranty. I also had the bad news that I needed multiple crowns and should be booked for a more extensive checkup. I thought how are we going to be able to do this. Fast forward to January of this year.
   At the first part of January we decided to take a leap of faith and call Dalhousie Medical School and try and get an appointment in the Dental Clinic. The wait time was no longer than a regular dental office and we were scheduled in for the middle of February.
   It was a bit unnerving to head into the city with no idea of what to expect, but our fears were soon put to rest. We were in line with a group of other people in for the first time. We registered for our appointment, paid our examination fee of $55.00 each, were given directions to the clinic and went to the next desk. Once we arrived at the clinic, we were given a folder of standard forms and medical questionnaires to fill out. Once these forms were filled out we were assigned to our student. There are about 45 Third-Year Dental Students enrolled at Dalhousie and each one had a patient to examine.
   We were given a very professional dental exam, asked all the pertinent questions and then it was off to X-ray. The student lined me up in the chair and proceeded to take all the necessary x-rays of my mouth, the professors popping in to observe and comment. Then it was back to exam room where the x-rays were viewed and the more in depth oral exam took place, much as in any conventional office. After the student finished the exam, a faculty professor came in and double checked the exam and made comments to the student. My student had not missed a thing.
  After the exam and x-rays, it was time to get the plan for future dental work. Remember all those crowns that I was going to need, turns out that was not really the case. It turns out that I could have them if I want them, but my fillings are fine and strong for now. I will probably need to get them done at some point as they will deteriorate over time, but that time is not now. And the good news is that the cost to have them done at the school will be about 40% of the cost of having them done at a conventional office.
  Our next step will be for the school to assign us to a Fourth -Year student and a Hygienist to take care of any work going forward.  Our cleaning that we have scheduled will by about $100.00 as compared to the estimate I was given of $260.00 at the conventional office. Once you multiply that by 2 for the number of people in the family, it really paid for our gas to drive in.
   I am really pleased that we had a very professional experience at the school and also that the costs are going to be much less than we hoped. We came away from our experience with nothing but good feelings and impressions and it is a great added bonus to know that we also helped someone to get the practical experience that will help them later in life.
  This was definitely a win-win situation if ever I have seen one.

The phone number for the Dental Clinic at Dalhousie Medical School is 1-902-494-2101.

Adding a little heat to your love life.

  Sometimes we are looking to add a little heat or a little spice to our love lives. If that is what you are searching for, look in your kitchen. That is where the stove and the spice rack are located. If your idea of a romantic evening is a trip to the local restaurant, I wish you well. If you want to try a special meal that will bring you closer together, try cooking it together. It is a really nice bonding experience and might learn a new skill. A meal cooked together with love will taste so much better than any meal cooked by a faceless chef in an anonymous restaurant kitchen.
  For Valentines day we decided to head to the kitchen to prepare a really tasty gourmet supper that is not terribly difficult, but will taste amazing.

Pepper Lime Fettuccine

Lobster Alfredo

Grana Padano Asparagus

Molten Lava Cake

If this seems like a meal that you would love to see on your menu keep reading. The recipes are coming. We start with the dessert as it needs a bit of prep time to cool between stages.

Molten Lava Cake

Center

2 oz or 2 squares Dark chocolate

¼ cup heavy cream

Cake

4 oz or 4 squares Dark chocolate

8 Tbsp butter

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup flour

To make the centers, melt chocolate and cream in a double boiler or microwave on medium power. Whisk gently to blend. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Roll into 6 balls and refrigerate until needed.

To make the cake, heat oven to 400F. Coat six 4oz ramekins with butter or spray with no-stick spray. Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler of microwave on medium. With a blender, whisk eggs, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla on high speed for about 5 minutes or until thick and light. Fold melted chocolate and flour into egg mixture until just combined.  Spoon batter into ramekins and add a chocolate ball to the center of each one.

Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until cake is firm, this keeps any potential spills contained. Remove from the oven and let rest on the counter for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the ramekins and invert onto a plate. Top with whipped cream or a spoon of ice cream and serve.

We used stainless steel prep bowls to cook the cakes and they turned out fine.

Next we have the sauce, which can be reheated to add to the pasta. It keeps really well and reheats well for leftovers and can also be frozen to have later.

 

Lobster Alfredo

1 medium onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1/3 cup butter

1 can or 12 oz lobster meat well drained

¼ cup white wine

1cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Grana Padano or other hard parmesan style cheese.

Pinch of nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Chop onion and mince garlic and sauté in butter over medium heat until tender. Add lobster and continue to sauté until the sauce takes on a nice orange color from the lobster. Add white wine and cook until liquid is evaporated. Pour in cream and heat until sauce starts to thicken slightly. Add cheese and stir over heat until cheese melts. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.  Pour over plated pasta.  This makes a fairly thin sauce which helps to keep it from being too rich. If you want a thicker sauce, cook it longer before adding the cheese or you could add some flour to the sauté stage to make a roux which will help thicken the sauce.

 The pasta will come next.

Pepper Lime Fettuccine

2 cups all purpose flour

½ tsp salt

2 large eggs

¼ cup water

1 tsp olive oil

Crushed pepper

Zest of 1 lime

Mix flour and salt and make a well in the mixture. Add eggs, oil and water and mix thoroughly.  Knead dough well until smooth and elastic.  Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest about ½ hour.

Divide dough into 4 parts and roll out thin on well floured surface, or run it through a pasta maker at increasingly thinner settings.  Once the dough is rolled out thinly, either cut in desired strips with a knife or pass through the fettuccine cutter on the pasta maker.  Boil the pasta in a large pot of seasoned water, cooking until the pasta floats to the top. Drain and cover with sauce.

For the asparagus, just snap off the woody ends of a pound of asparagus and place in a greased baking dish one layer deep.  Drizzle with olive oil and dot with a little butter. Season with salt and pepper then top with grated Grana Padano or other hard parmesan style cheese. Bake in the oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes. Remove and place on plate beside pasta.

This was a fantastic meal, one we truly enjoyed more than any restaurant meal we could have had that day. It was fun to cook together and made the whole afternoon of preparation part of the celebration of the special day. 

Try cooking together and yo may find the ingredients in the kitchen to add a little heat and spice to your love life.

And don't forget the pets when you make a meal for that special someone.

The best laid plans......

  Today was another snow day in Nova Scotia, one in a  long list of snow days that we have had this winter. As a day not fit for much else, we decided that it would be a good day to get caught up on some baking. And since we were having a Curried Vegetable Stew for supper, it seemed like the perfect day to make another batch on Naan Bread. Naan Bread is one of our favorite fast breads to make, it takes about an hour and a half from start to finish. As an added bonus it helps to heat the kitchen on a cold blustery day.
  Naan is a leavened flat bread that is kept moist by using yogurt in the dough and a thin coat of butter to protect it after it is finished tanning in the oven.

Naan Bread

2 tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/2 -3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 large egg

In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar and water, stir to dissolve and let sit a few minutes until frothy on top then stir in oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.

In a medium sized bowl place 1 cup flour and salt. Add in wet ingredients and stir until until well combined. Add more flour 1/2 cup at a time until you can no longer stir it; about 1- 1 1/2 cups later. 

Turn the ball of dough out onto a well floured counter top and knead for about 3 minutes adding flour as necessary to keep the sough from sticking. The dough should be smooth and soft, but not sticky.( we used the stand mixer for this and it turned out great)

Loosely cover the dough and let rise until double in size(about 45 min). Turn the dough out onto a floured counter top and cut into 8 equal pieces and for into balls.

We used a pizza stone to cook the bread, it needs to be heated to 500F for approximately 15 min. Or you can use a heavy bottomed skillet. 
Roll the ball of dough into a circle approx. 15cm(6 in) in diameter and place on the cooking surface. 









Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is covered in small bubbles. We prick any really large ones so that they deflate. Flip the dough and cook until golden brown. 








Serve plain or brushed with butter( my vote) and topped with herbs if you like. Brushing with butter as soon as they come out of the oven keeps the bread soft, and tastes good too.

As so often happens, there is an unexpected bump in the road. As we placed the second batch of bread on the stone and closed the door, there was a bang from the oven.The stone had split. We have had this stone for many years and it has given us many batches of wonderful bread and pizzas, but it had finally had enough and quit in the middle of the job. Now what do we do, the stone is at 500F and pulling it out and putting it on the counter is not an option. We took a deep breath and decided to finish the batch of Naan on the broken stone, not something I would really recommend, but in the face of a small disaster we do what we have to.



Naan is a wonderfully versatile bread, we use it as a side dish for our curried stew, we freeze them and pull them out of the freezer to make panini and use them in wraps. They have so many uses that we constantly find that we are needing to bake another batch and have taken to making a double batch to save time. It is a good thing that we have a spare stone, since I don't think this batch will last very long. We tried one today brushed with butter and sprinkled with Cinnamon sugar, it was remarkably close to a Beaver Tail. Mmmmm.

We hope that you enjoy the recipe.We sure do.