Back Again!

I have been remiss in keeping this blog current - have you missed me? I will say that this year has been one of the most challenging of my life, if not THE most. Having enjoyed good health throughout my life, I found myself plunged headlong into the medical world both with my own cancer and with a family member's newly diagnosed chronic illness. I have been cooking, however! Unfortunately, I have not been taking many photos. Most of what I have been cooking you probably wouldn't be inclined to repeat since I have been cooking to gain weight and I find that is not something that most people actually attempt to do. I am happy to say that having gained 8 or 9 pounds, I can now return to my 'normal' eating habits!

Fortunately (I suppose), the weather here in Regina, SK has been unseasonably cool so I have been able to easily cook meals that pack on the pounds. I don't know about you, but I find that I eat a lot lighter in the warmer months and tend to naturally lose weight then. In the past few weeks we have had temps that went down to freezing so I was able to try my hand at Schweinshaxe (traditional German ham hocks), Kartoffelkloesse (traditional German potato dumplings, referred to previously as 'gut bombs'), German rye bread (weighing in at about 2 pounds per slice), enchiladas, demi-glace, oatmeal raisin cookies, a huge fresh easter ham, roasted quail and on our one warm day - slow roasted * BBQed pork spare ribs! It is truly amazing that I am not 20 pounds heavier!

I will say that I have found one more gem here on the desolate prairies - a *real* butcher! Butcher Boy Meats on Park Street is a true find. I went in just before Easter, seeking a fresh ham so I could do an authentic Southern Easter dinner. All I had been able to find around town was the salt-cured pre-cooked hams - yuck. Butcher Boy has certified butchers and do all the butchering on site. Walking into the shop I was greeted with the smell of roasting meat, the tantalizing smoker and the sound of power saws cutting through bone. The owner cut me a ham while I waited and then smoked it overnight for me in their on-site smoker! How cool is that? They get all of their meat locally and can tell you exactly what farm it came from and when the animal was slaughtered. They do their own smoking and curing of meats, make salamis, sausages, corned beef and yes, even head cheese (I left that in the case, thank you very much). They also stock such exotics as local lamb, ostrich, bison, duck, goose, quail and rabbit. Woohoo - Karen found a new playground! What is even better is that not only is the meat fresh and local - it's less expensive than the pre-cut shrink wrapped chemical laden products one can buy at the chain markets!

I am still a big fan of Pacific fresh Fish, who sent me an email last week to let me know that fresh sea beans were coming into the store. Of course I stopped by to pick some up and found that June is apparently fresh salmon month. I also picked up half a fillet and am currently making gravlax - I will post that, along with pictures next. So thanks for coming back even though I have been absent for so long. I promise to add new recipes, photos and general cooking hijinks on a more regular basis again!