A Foodie Evening

For New Year's Eve, we again made a visit to swanky Caribou Hill but there was a twist. I cooked the meal. What a great evening we had. Here's the menu:

Butternut squash ravioli in a cider broth - Well I cheated a bit and used fresh pasta I bought rather than made. Unfortunately the pasta was a bit dry and it was difficult to seal but the filling and the broth were both fantastic.

Salad - This is a variation of a salad that my mother makes. It's spinach, tangerine segments (I used clementines), pine nuts and shredded fresh beet. The dressing is an equal mixture of raw honey and tangerine/clementine juice. Yummy!

Vinegar Glossed Chicken - This was the first time I made this but it certainly won't be my last. It was delicious and so incredibly easy - unbelievable! When you look at the ingredients you'll have doubts but once you make and taste it, you'll be a believer!

Potato Parsnip Puree - Love parsnips. I just mashed this together and it was lovely, not for those dieting though given the amount of cream and butter. Got rave reviews.

Asparagus with Lemon and Butter - I wanted a quick, easy side dish and chose this. It was quick and easy, unfortunately, I overlooked the asparagus. I should have steamed the asparagus - much prefer it that way and the colour tells you when it's done.

Eggnog Creme Brulee - I've made this before and it's a great hit. It's easy to make and you can make ahead - a perfect dinner party dessert. The brulee part was a bit lacking given that I didn't have a blow torch and had to rely on a broiler. It wasn't even so much as the broiler as the importance of getting the brown sugar spread evenly on top.

I get a lot of recipes from Epicurious - I love the site, it's easy to use, the reviews are helpful and you can set up your own recipe box which helps keep everything straight.

Of course, there was wine. All in all, a great way to start a new year. I'll post a picture once received.

I Won!

I ended 2009 on a high note. Or may be I started 2010 on a high note. Regardless, I won a Sony Reader courtesty of a CBC contest. Earlier this month I blogged about a novel that I felt worthy of defending in a Canada Reads contest. I decided to promote Percy Janes' House of Hate. And now I await my Sony Reader. I can't wait to try it out.

This Christmas season, I've done a lot of reading. It's caused me to be behind a bit with my book club (makes no sense I know) so now I'm stuck trying to catch up. More on my reading later. But for now, I'm enjoying a great meal with lovely people and boasting about my CBC win. Happy New Year!

The Most Environmentally-Friendly Tree in Clarenville?

Last year, I heard a radio program that discussed the pros and cons of artificial versus real Christmas trees. Which was more environmentally-friendly? Turns out that the environmentally-friendly one is the one that travels the least distance to get to your house. So I took seven steps from my backdoor and we cut our Christmas tree. We've done this for about four years now. We pick a tree on our land that needs to be cut, either because it's too close to the house or there's a stand of trees where one can be sacrificed for the growth of the others. Now, some people think our trees are pathetic, ugly even! I think they're all beautiful! Merry Christmas!

A Look Back

The Town's Facebook page (which I help to administer) is asking for people's views of the top events to happen in Clarenville during 2009. To help get the conversation started, administrator Paul suggested a number of events (not necessarily in any order):

- The Clarenville Caribou’s Win the Herder
- The Events Centre Opens
- Municipal Election 2009
- H1N1 hits
- The Dr. Albert O’Mahony Manor Opens
- The Olympic Torch Relay Comes to Town
- Clarenville Wins Tidy Towns
- Clarenville Days 2009
- Winter Carnival 2009
- The Absence of Targa
- The Tin Can Salute
- Shoal Harbour River Rubber Duck Race
- Municipal Assessments go up

You could add to that Arts Under the Stars, the visit of James Ehnes, the New Curtain Theatre productions, the activities of any of our volunteer groups, etc. Unfortunately, he's got getting much input! I guess people are too busy with Christmas stuff. I think for most people, the top events would be the Caribous win, the opening of the Events Centre (although not yet completed and the official opening has yet to occur), the opening of the Dr. Albert O'Mahoney Manor and the Olympic Torch Run.

Feeling rather kindly towards people looking for votes, I encourage you to vote for Kyle of St. John's, NL in the Habitat for Humanity Canada and Genworth Financial Canada contest regarding the meaning of home. This writing contest for grades 4, 5 and 6 will result in the lucky winner choosing the community of his/her choice where Genworth will donate $60,000 towards the building of a new Habitat home. And the winner also receives a laptop. Kyle is currently leading bu every vote counts! So vote for him - you can vote a maximum of 14 times.

Breakfast Awaits Courtesy of Ability Employment Corporation

On Tuesday, Dec. 22 drop down to the Clarenville Lion's Club between 7 am and 10 am for a pancake breakfast. For just $5 you can get your day off to a great start and contribute to the Ability Employment Corporation's programming for people with disabilities. I attended the last pancake breakfast and had a great time.

Celebrating One of Our Own: Adam Harnett

I've known Adam Harnett as a musician but didn't realize he was a painter until I took a look at his new blog. He does oil painting and can do landscapes, portraits of people/pets, still lifes, houses, etc. He also experiments in digital painting and digital sculpting. Check it out!