Return to Cuba

I don't really know what happened to February, but here we are in March and I'm vowing to be a better blogger this month.

Okay, actually I do know what happened to February. I was busy moving and getting settled, and then I snuck away for a week in Cuba. This time I was in Santa Clara, which is in the north of the country. The weather could have been better, but it was a nice week all the same.

Here are some photos from the trip.

We took a day trip to Santa Clara and Remedios, which was about 90 minutes from the coast and the resort area. The drive to and from the airport is interesting and we passed directly through some "real" cities in Cuba.

Here's the main square in Remedios. We saw lots of horse and mule transportation throughout the trip. Note the ribs on the horse. All the animals in Cuba tend to be insanely skinny.



Another shot of Remedios. I love the colour of this building, and the lone hand, just resting on the gate.


This is a store in Santa Clara. It was actually one of the better-stocked ones we encountered, but note the limited selection. Want a bucket? Hope you like orange.

While this sign doesn't have Raul's face or name, I did notice more Fidel and Raul signs this time around. The Cubans seem to be slowly inserting Raul's name into the iconography, if the limited state advertising is any indication, anyway.

Some school kids in Santa Clara. There was an international book festival going on and there were tons of people lined up at booths to buy and look at books. A nice sight to see, especially when contrasted with the fact that none of these kids were texting or listening to ear buds!

Here's a view from our resort, looking down to the beach from the main lobby. You can see the whitecaps on the beach rollling in, as it was fairly windy for most of the trip. Did I mention Sting stayed here? Yep...I know how to roll.

And some pelicans on the beach. We think they were looking for needle fish. They kept us pretty entertained.

There were lots of shells and coral and sponges washed up on the sand.

And how about those colours? Just beautiful! I miss it already.

All moved in brownies

Okay, so the title might not be totally accurate, but I am getting there. The move went remarkably well (even if it took longer than I had hoped), and I'm slowly, very slowly getting unpacked and organized. My parents came down for two weekends in a row to lend a hand, and were incredibly helpful in getting boxes unpacked, stair rails put up and furnace filters inserted. Thank you to you both!

I have to say that moving has been the most stressful thing I've ever done. I don't know how people do it all the time! But now that it's actually over, I'm enjoying all the space I have, and looking forward to decorating and putting my stamp on the place over the years. And did I mention my new best friend the dishwasher? Definitely my favourite appliance ever!

Speaking of which, I've been giving it a workout in the two plus weeks I've lived here. I haven't done a lot of cooking, but I'm slowly getting back into the routine. There's something really calming for me to get into the kitchen and get out familiar bowls or well-used pans and creating something. I find it soothing to stir a pan of something, anything really, over a hot stove, or to thoughtfully measure out ingredients for a cake. When I'm doing that, I'm not thinking about my impending mortgage payments, or how much the price of oil will rise this year, or how to avoid having veggie scraps freeze to the inside of my new green bin.

So in that vein, and given that I might have been a wee bit stressed out these past few weeks, I decided to combat the chaos with a little baking magic. I stumbled across this recipe and it appealed to both my love of chocolate and love of low-tech recipes that require few ingredients and little-to-no equipment. It's about as old school cooking as you can find these days.

The brownies start off by melting the butter, sugar and cocoa. I'm sure it would work equally well in a microwave, but I liked having to stand watch over the bowl as it heated up. The mixture does look a bit grainy during this step, but things improve.

Ta da! The mix smooths out after you add the eggs. All that's missing now are the nuts.

Here's how they looked coming out of the oven. They smelled even better, believe me!

And here's a finished bite. These are really chocolately, fudgey brownies, and they weren't terribly hard to make at all. The best part -- and arguably the most dangerous part -- is that you likely have all the ingredients handy in your kitchen right now. So what's your excuse for not whipping up a batch?

Best Cocoa Brownies

Makes 16 larger or 25 smaller brownies

1/2 c. plus two tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (9 7/8 ounces, 280 grams) sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 7/8 ounces, 82 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or a heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaky salt, as I used)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (66 grams, 2 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but don’t fret —- it smooths out once the eggs and flour are added.

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes, or possibly longer, depending on your oven. Let cool completely on a rack.

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

I crush your head!

Tonight I took a total trip down memory lane as I tuned into CBC to watch the new Kids in the Hall series (the post title is a dated reference to one of my favourite skits of theirs). I was a huge fan of the original KITH show, back when it aired in my highschool years. I used to watch it on a little black and white TV in my bedroom, and before you ask, no, I did not go to highschool in the 1950s. We were just a low technology household.

But back to the Kids.....I alternately loved, and was shocked, by their risque and cutting edge humour, especially when it aimed to draw an audience from a fuddy duddy network like the Ceeb. I can almost quote direct lines from characters like the Chicken Lady, Cabbage Head, Cathy and Kathie, lazy cops, the Head Crusher and of course, Buddy Cole. And who can forget about Monsieur Piedlourde -- arty and hilarious at the same time! I regularly sing "These Are the Daves I Know" and "Terriers", even when unprompted, and could probably hum the entire theme songs from beginning to end. Are you starting to get a picture of how much I crushed on this show?

So as I was watching tonight, I had a flashback of when I actually met one of the Kids here in Ottawa. I came to Ottawa in Grade 12, to be a part of a nerd conference called the Forum for Young Canadians. Picture a gathering of awkward teenagers from across Canada -- real student government types -- who got their kicks from participating in mock elections and getting a backstage tour of the Library of Parliament, and you get a sense of the kind of rowdy crowd we were. (And to any of my Forum Facebook pals who might be reading this, I don't mean you!)

Oh yeah, we also met lots of politicians, including Brian Mulroney, whom I remember to be very, very orange. And also, as it turned out, very corrupt. Perhaps being orange is a side effect of poisonous morals and a highly inflated ego? Hmmm.

Anyway, I came to Ottawa for Forum, and for some reason I can't recall now, I travelled by train to get here. This meant I also had to travel home by train when our wild week, spent debating Trudeau's National Energy Plan, finally wrapped up. It was during this train ride that I spied Mark McKinney, one of the Kids (aka Chicken Lady) ON. MY. TRAIN!!!!!!!

I think I actually first spotted him loitering around the station as we were boarding, and then I was thrilled to see him get on the same train, which was bound for Toronto. I made sure to nab a seat nearby, in spite of the fact that my Forum travelling buddy (who, weird coincidence, would later be a classmate of mine at Queen's in a first-year History course) wanted to sit elsewhere. But I digress.

I probably spent the first hour of the journey in nervous, star-struck silence, sweaty palms and all, debating whether or not to actually say something to Mr. McKinney (I couldn't call him by his first name -- it just seemed wrong). Eventually I worked up the courage to approach him and awkwardly interrupt his book reading. I can't remember our exchange word for word, but I do remember tellling him I was a big fan of the show, that I especially liked Chicken Lady, and that I was surprised to see a big CBC celebrity travelling by train. He actually laughed at me (swoon!) and told me I would likely be surprised at how little CBC celebrities made. He was incredibly polite and gracious, and thanked me profusely for being a fan and for watching the show. I think he even asked me why I was in Ottawa, and I'm not sure if I owned up to the nerd conference or not, but he mentioned that he visited the Capital frequently to see family. Eventually, my nerves got the better of me, so I let him get back to his book. He was nice enough to say goodbye to me when I got off the train in Cobourg, though.

He really made an impression, and our brief encounter was truly the highlight of that week in Ottawa. Suck it Mulroney!

Oh, and what did I think of the reincarnated Kids' show tonight? It was weird, somewhat forced, and slightly uneven. The Kids have aged, and are probably doing the show as much for personal reasons as any kind of creative outlet. If I'm honest, the Brits did the whole "creepy small town" show much better a few years ago, when it was called A League of Gentleman. I have to admit that I would have rather tuned in to see an older, wiser Mr. Cabbage Head, but those days are probably gone for good.

Still, I'm sure some things are the same as they were back in my highschool days. Keep your eyes open on a VIA train for a Kid in the Hall next to you very soon.

Weekend cooking bonanza!

I was a very busy bee in the kitchen this weekend. You'd think I didn't have anything to do to prepare to move house in under two weeks. Yikes! But actually, I worked my kitchen time around cleaning out my closets and organizing papers etc. How have I managed to accumulate so much stuff in my life? Ugh. So far I've made two trips to Value Village (to their Diabetes Association drop off box anyway) with six massive garbage bags full of clothes, shoes and purses, and have empited my shredder twice working through the myriad of paper on my desk. The poor thing is in danger of overheating, so now I'm resorting to fill up grocery bags with shreddables and taking them into work, where a nice man will come and shred my six-year-old pay stubs for me (I don't know why I kept them either).

Anyhoo, back to the food. Yesterday I cooked a chicken to make broth, and managed to get two big soup recipes from it. I plan to freeze a bunch of it, based on the thinking that I'll be quite busy in the next little while, and it will be good to have some meals at the ready.

One of the soups I made was this sausage, lentil and kale concoction. It's from the latest Everyday Food and I'll definitely be making it again. (The other soup was plain ol' chicken noodle.)

Stat off by browning the sausage meat. I used some pork/garlic ones from Aubreys.

Then stiir in the celery and onion to soften.

Next go the stock and lentils. Cook until everthing's cooked.

Meanwhile, chop and de-stalk the kale. Healthy or what?

And here's the finished bowl. Yum, yum!

Sausage and Kale Soup (from Everyday Food)

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 celery stalks (with leafy tops), thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced medium
1/2 cup dried lentils
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or homemade)
1 bunch (about 1/2 pound) kale, preferably Tuscan, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

1.In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add celery and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add lentils, broth, and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook until lentils and vegetables are tender, 25 minutes.

2.Add kale and season with salt. Return soup to a rapid simmer, cover, and cook until kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Remove soup from heat, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

A sweet start.....

....to the new year. These molasses cookies will satisfy a sweet tooth, but there's also a hint of spice that's quite nice as well. They're the kind of cookies that remind me of bakery treats -- crispy on the outside, and chewy and flavourful inside. Plus, they've solved the mystery for me of how to get that crackled, almost broken top on a cookie. I think it's the rolling in sugar before baking that does it, but don't quote me (I'm the daughter of a biology teacher after all, not chemistry!).

I amped up the ginger quotient when I made these by throwing in a handful of chopped, candied ginger. A nice addition, if I do say so myself. Are you listening, Martha?

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies (recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cookie Book)
Makes about 36

Ingredients:
-2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
-1 large egg
-1/4 cup molasses

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar; set aside. (*note: I found I needed less than 1/4 cup)

2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms. Put dough in the fridge and chill it for at least an hour.

3. Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.

4. Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges of cookies are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes (cookies can be baked two sheets at a time, but they will not crackle uniformly). Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.

These go well with a latte, regular cup of coffee, or even a cold glass of milk. Happy dunking!

Snack time!

Ah holidays. One of the best things about being off work is just how relaxed and lazy your daily schedule can be. There's lots of time with that second cup of coffee and the paper in the morning, and oodles of the afternoon for a nap. Plus, you get to savour some rituals that might normally get ignored -- like snack time!

This is what I enjoyed yesterday. It's pretty simple really: a piece of toast using good bread (in my case, the raisin chai from True Loaf), a good smear of Greek yoghurt, topped off with some salty pistachios and a drizzle of yummy honey. Okay, I admit I stole the idea from the latest issue of Martha's Everyday Food, but it doesn't mean it's still not great!

Fix yourself a snack this afternoon. You won't be sorry you did.

Happy new year!

Happy first day of 2010! Last year I travelled to five different countries, took three wine courses, taught one English class and ate too much good food to count.

Next year promises to be full of change because I bought a house. It's mine in 15 days!

Happy new year!