A different perspective on life

Africa is a continent well-known for its struggle against HIV/AIDS, and at the forefront of that battle are the doctors, nurses, physical therapists and councillors throughout the rural communities who are working tirelessly to help stem the growing tide of the epidemic. Heidelberg resident Alice Price found herself on the frontlines of the battle last fall as she spent five months in the village of Mseleni in the Northern KwaZulu Natal region of South Africa, which has the highest prevalence of the disease among all South African provinces. Price was on an international placement to complete the final portion of her bachelor of nursing program at Ryerson University, and she spent most of her time in the rural villages observing how HIV/AIDS treatment made its way from the bureaucratic levels of government to the people on the ground.

She received a $6,500 grant from the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, and returned to Canada at the beginning of January.

“My project was focused on looking at the policies that the government makes around HIV/AIDS and how it is manifested and implemented at the rural hospital and given to the patients that have HIV/AIDS,” said Price.
She wanted to focus her research on the rural community instead of the cities of South Africa because they are more remote and more difficult to access.

The people living in rural areas have less access to hospital and medical treatment largely because of the difficulty in travelling across the countryside; due to the sand and rocks, four-wheel-drive vehicles are essential, and not everyone has access to one.

“It is harder for them to come into the hospital because they can’t just get into a car and go,” said Price. “They live in homesteads that consist of maybe four or five round buildings that are made of sticks or piles of stones or straw, with a thatched roof.”

From her observations, Price said that there are a number of challenges facing the healthcare providers who are trying to counteract the spread of HIV and AIDS.

One of the biggest challenges is the way that the health care system is setup. She said that there are two levels of healthcare in the country, a public system that most of the people have access to, and a private system that is solely for the white community or the upper-middle class black community.

That division means those in the public system have less access to healthcare compared to the private system. At the hospital she was working at, for example, there were modern machines such as x-rays and MRIs, but if the machine broke, it could take several days to be fixed.

“That wouldn’t happen at a private hospital,” she said.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing Africa, however, is changing the cultural norms ingrained in their society. Price said that because of the high level of patriarchy, women and children are marginalized compared to the men.

Likewise, cultural norms still take precedence over the pressing need to contain HIV and AIDS. For example, if a man loses his job in one village and travels to another looking for work, he may be away for several months at a time. During that time, he is expected to find a new sexual partner, which only helps spread the disease faster.

She also said that even though condoms are widely available, as well as educational material on how to properly use them, “in the heat of the moment, realistically they aren’t going to use them,” and until that behaviour is no longer tolerated, AIDS will continue to be a deadly reality.

Price said that in the region she was working in, approximately 50 per cent of the population has contracted HIV/AIDS, and women are much more likely to be tested than men because once a woman is pregnant testing for HIV is mandatory.

Price had lots of experience as a nurse before heading to Africa; she graduated in 1984 with her nursing diploma and worked as an oncology nurse and family nurse before starting her own foot-care business. She sold that business prior to enrolling in the nursing degree program at Ryerson in 2010.

Despite those years of experience, though, she thinks that her trip to Africa was one of the best learning opportunities of her life and that she can approach new situations without the cultural bias she might have carried before.

She also said that her time with the Zulu people of Africa – whose greetings can take up to three minutes to complete – taught her the importance of slowing down and taking time to really talk to someone.
“We’re in such a rushed society: you get on the treadmill and you just keep flying straight ahead,” she said. “But if you have an exchange with someone for three minutes, you’re going to actually really stop and look at them.”
Looking forward, Price has also enrolled in the masters of public health nursing program at the University of Waterloo, as well as the masters of nursing program at Ryerson.

Eye of round an ideal choice for Beef Dip

Going to cooking school in Calgary was an amazing experience. Discovering what is ‘local’ in another city is really interesting – no maple syrup or summer sausage to be found! And there are definitely some things that you can count on to be on every menu in town. One of those great Albertan treasures was the Beef Dip Sandwich. My roommate would make this for dinner at least twice a month, featuring, of course, some great local beef.
So I was inspired the other day while deciding what to do with the better half of an eye of round beef roast that was roasted the day before.  The beef is from Taylor Family Farms of Owen Sound, fed on a diet of non-GMO hay and barley – all the makings for really tasty beef.

Eye of round cut, which is a really lean cut of beef that, if over-cooked, can be extremely dry. We rubbed it simply with salt, pepper and a little oil and roasted it plain. The next day the leftover roast was easy to slice thin, heat up, and serve with the appropriate ‘Beef Dip’ staples. The following recipe is based on roasting the beef solely for the purpose of beef dip.
Rub roast well all over with a generous amount of salt, pepper and oil;
Place in roasting pan and roast at 425°F for 20 minutes; reduce oven heat to 375°F and continue to roast for a further 40 minutes. This will produce a roast between medium-rare and medium.  Do not turn oven off;
Remove from roasting pan and let rest on carving board, covered, for about 15 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute themselves throughout the roast;
Meanwhile, sauté onions and mushrooms in a little oil in a saucepot. Add beef stock and simmer until reduced slightly;
Slice rolls in half, but not all the way through. Spread lightly with butter and sprinkle a little cheese in each roll; toast in oven for about 5 minutes;
Slice beef thinly: use a sharp knife and make long, even strokes back and forth;
Pile beef into rolls; serve each roll with a ladle of the mushroom-onion beef jus in a small bowl for each person.

Classic Beef Dip (enough for 4-6 sandwiches)

• 2 lb eye of round beef roast
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper,
• Canola oil, as needed
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 3 cups beef stock (low, no salt or homemade)
• 6 crusty rolls
• butter, as needed
• 1/2-lb mozzarella cheese, grated

Flying High!

Every day Sydney Townsend can be found running around the gym at the Revolution Gymnastic Club in Waterloo. Instead of walking from one side of the gym to the other, she does a front roll, cartwheel, a couple of skips and a jump. The 12-year-old is training to become one of the best gymnasts in the province. Last weekend Sydney competed as a Novice National at the Elite Canada Screening competition held in Oshawa where she finished with a gold medal for her floor routine, a silver medal on uneven bars, a bronze medal on balance beam and claimed the silver medal in the all-around in a category of 14 gymnasts from across Ontario.

As a result of her accomplishment last weekend, Sydney has now qualified to compete at Elite Canada in February in Mississauga where she will compete against the top athletes in her category from across Canada.
This was no fluke for the Grade 7 student at Conestogo Public School, as she finished fifth all-around at the Ontario championships in the Novice National category in 2010-2011. That finish earned her a spot on Team Ontario, representing the province at the Canadian championships.

Her teammate Stephanie Merkle finished second over all in the senior program, while Julia Moreau finished first all around in the provincial level nine, the last level of provincials before heading to nationals.
Since the age of three Sydney has been tumbling and jumping, starting in a recreational classes in Mississauga. At six was asked to join their pre-competitive programs. “I had too much energy when I was younger. I really like getting all my built-up energy out, and gymnastics help do that on a daily basis,” said Sydney.

Since moving to Conestogo with her family last year Sydney attends the Waterloo club and is coached by Aaron and Angela Brokenshire and Berrie Onishenko. She trains Monday to Friday, five hours a day and works out every other Sunday to keep in shape for the program demands.

Sydney’s mother Marcie picks her daughter up from school at 1 p.m. every day so she can start her training at 2 p.m. “The school has been really supportive. In the GTA they have a high performance programs in schools which is structured so that all the kids are finished their classes at lunch time but they don’t have that here so we spoke to the principal at Conestogo Public School and they have tailored her classes so that she is only missing gym class in the afternoon,” said Marcie.

Sydney’s favorite discipline is the uneven bars and she completed her first competitive Tkatchev last weekend. A Tkatchev is performed on the high bar or uneven bars, and can be done in the straddle, pike, or layout position. In a Tkatchev, the gymnast swings up like a back giant and releases the bar in an arched position. She flies over it with her back to it, then sits up and catches the bar again.

“I was a little surprised by my results at the competition because I did not start the day off very well. I fell twice during the vault competition,” said Sydney, noting that was unexpected as she finished second in vault in Canada last year.

“Even though I fell I knew I was not out of the competition. It was not the first time I made a mistake and I am very good at brushing it off and carrying on with the competition.” Sydney’s coaches were very pleased with their young athlete’s performance at the competition, as they had added new skills to her program and whole new floor routine.

“We were not surprised that she was capable of having a result like that but with never having been to a competition with her before you are never sure what you are going to get, as everyone competes a little differently. We were pleasantly impressed that she was a gamer and is competitive,” said coach Aaron Brokenshire. “There is always a chance that they will fall but she rose up to the occasion.  She really is a fun kid and knows how to handle herself very well for her age.”

Sydney has her eye on the 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil: she’ll be 16 years old and eligible to compete for Canada.

“She has the potential to be an Olympic athlete. She has the talent and the ability to get there and her aptitude is high enough to get her to go as far as she wants,” said Brokenshire.

Keep the temperature just right for fried fish

Sometimes you just have a craving for something that tastes familiar, which might have been your first introduction to a type of food. For many people, fried fish is one such introduction to seafood. A staple on many restaurant menus, you can’t go wrong with an order of fish and chips. Unless, of course, it’s soggy, greasy and not fresh.  Here are some tips on frying fish to ensure that if you are going to go through the slightly messy trouble of making deep-fried fish, it’s gonna be great.  First, get yourself some nice, fresh fish. Second: ensure that your fresh canola oil is at the right temperature: If your oil is too hot, then the fish will brown too quickly and not get cooked evenly on the inside. If the oil is too cold, then it will absorb the oil and become soggy.

Finally, try to eat as soon as possible, and don’t allow your pieces to touch together once removed from the fryer or they will steam and become soggy.

Make batter: in a bowl blend together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and paprika;
Whisk in beer to get a thick, pancake-like consistency;

Cut fish into approximately 4-oz portions (about the size of two thumbs); pat dry;

Fill a wide pot with about 3 inches of canola oil, and set over medium-high heat (or set your deep-fryer to 350°F).  Bring oil up to 350°F: you can test this using a deep-fry thermometer, or, if a cube of bread fried in the oil turns golden brown in about 15 seconds;

To batter fish: dip fish into batter, using tongs or your fingers, immersing the fish. Lift fish out of batter, letting excess batter drip off;

To fry fish, dip one end of the fish into the hot oil, and sway it back and forth, slowly immersing the whole piece in the oil. Gently let go of the piece of fish so that the fish is now floating in the hot oil. Continue with 2-4 pieces, careful not to overcrowd the pot;

Fry on one side until golden, and then flip over and continue to cook on the other side until deep golden in colour. Once fish is done, remove and place on paper-towel-lined baking sheets or on a cooling rack; sprinkle lightly with salt.

 

Beer Battered Fish

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 beer, any kind
• 1-1/4 lb cod, haddock or halibut
• Canola oil, for deep frying
• Lemon wedges, for serving

The monthly hen party

When her family moved to Glen Allan 18 years ago, Coral Loxton made a decision to be more social and to live life passionately by giving back to her community. That’s why she formed a “meet up” group for women aged 40 and older: The Hens of the Glen. The group now entertains 24 members of all different backgrounds and professions who meet on a monthly basis to enjoy coffee, lunch, or just talk about life.

“I moved to the Glen in 1994 and there were two churches there and about 50 houses, and apart from a quilting group which met once a month and a mother-and-tots meeting there was really nothing for local women to do or get together,” said Loxton. “I wanted to meet people; three other women I had met through the moms-and-tots group, who were grandmothers like me, decided to meet one day for lunch and it started from there.”
During the monthly meeting the women pass along the loonie purse for donations that are collected and given to a charity every two or three months.

The group has given to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, breast cancer research, service dogs in Elmira, the Woolwich and Drayton food banks, local women’s shelters, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), and Doctors Without Borders throughout the years.

This past Christmas the hens held a silent auction of items donated from the group and managed to raise $200 for the MCC.

Even though the group call themselves the Hens of the Glen they are not all from the Glen now: there are quite a few ladies from Elmira and one or two from Kitchener. Over the years the group has lost a few members, including two of its founders, Aileen Roden and Minerva Martin, who passed away due to illness.

“They were great ladies and really helped to get this group off the ground.”

Members of the group range in age from 42 to 94 and we have no common denominator apart from the fact that they are women.

“We talk about everything, especially men – those of us that are lucky enough to still have our husbands with us, we talk about them. I think because we do not have a lot in common or don’t belong to the same church it allows us to talk about anything and everything, except politics or religion,” said Loxton. “We will discuss the fate of the world, or things happening here in Elmira like why we don’t have a Canadian Tire in town, even what our grandchildren or great grandchildren are up to, it can be anything. They are a great group of women.”

The group prefers to be known as the hens, a name that came from one of the members who joked that the women were all just a bunch of old hens – the name stuck.

The women meet at restaurants across the region, including At the Crossroads (their favourite meeting place) as well as Anna Mae’s restaurant in Millbank and the Swiss Chalet in Waterloo. It can be difficult when there are 24 members showing up at a small restaurant because the group can easily take over the establishment, said Loxton.

To pick the meeting spot the group uses a birthday system: whoever has a birthday on the month they are meeting chooses the restaurant to meet at.

‘We are very democratic,” she laughed.

“It is very informal but we feel we are doing a little to help out charities and we are having some good times while we do that. We have built a nice community of women – a community does not have to be about houses.”

A variation on the popular spaghetti dinner

This dish is meant to inspire the everyday dinner table. Instead of spaghetti and meatballs, which everybody loves, we’ve take some ingredients from our pantry and market to put together a quick supper. We’ve got so many great local butchers in the area making their own sausage. A quick trip to the market and we found sausage, leeks and mushrooms at this time of year. It’s not the time for a summery-fresh tomato sauce, but one that is rather rich in flavour – we get that by using fresh thyme. San Marzano tomatoes come from Italy and are given the government guarantee stamp of approval.  They are some of the best canned tomatoes to use when our local summer tomatoes are not available.  A bit pricier for one can, but worth it for flavour.

Parmiggiano reggiano is good quality parmesan cheese. Romano or asiago are great cheese to use as well.

By drizzling the whole dish with extra virgin olive oil after it is cooked, you get the flavour and aroma of the olive oil, plus the pasta dish as a whole becomes moister.  Slice sausage into rounds;
In a large skillet, heat a little canola oil over medium-high heat;
When pan is nice and hot, add sausage and brown well on both sides;
Remove sausage and set aside; remove excess fat from pan, but leave a good coating on the bottom of the pan;
Add all the mushrooms along with about 3-4 tablespoons of water. Cook, over medium heat, undisturbed for about 6-7 minutes, or until water is evaporated;
Stir in leeks and garlic and cook a few minutes;
Crush tomatoes lightly with your hand  and then add to pan; return sausage to pan and simmer for about 10 minutes;
Meanwhile cook pasta until al dente (still has a bit of a bite to it);
Once pasta is cooked, strain and toss immediately with sauce (do not rinse – rinsing pasta removes all of the starch and doesn’t allow the sauce to stick to it);
Serve immediately with parmesan cheese to sprinkle at the table, and extra virgin olive oil to drizzle atop the pasta.

Penne with Local Sausage, Leek and Crispy Mushroom and San Marzano Tomato Sauce

• 1 lb, or about 4 sausages
• Canola oil, as needed
• 1 lb, or about 3 cups mushrooms, sliced
• Water, as needed
• 2 leeks, light green and white parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, stem removed and chopped
• 1 can San Marzano tomatoes, or other good quality canned tomatoes
• 500g package of penne pasta
• Extra virgin olive oil and parmiggiano reggiano, to serve

Pedal power

Every night, Tracey Crewe can be found in her basement training on her road bike for the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer event to be held this summer. Crewe is riding in the event to remember her mother and raise money to “continue the desperately needed research that will one day stop cancer from taking our loved ones.”
The two-day ride from Toronto to Niagara raises funds for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.

Crewe’s mother, Elizabeth Marsh, succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 59. Marsh was the type of person who always strived to take care of herself: she ate healthy, exercised frequently and paid close attention to her health. In November of 2000 she went for her annual mammogram and was told that she was fine but that her right breast seemed dense. Six weeks later, just before Christmas, Marsh suddenly began to feel pain in her right breast, starting a long and demanding journey that ended in her passing in September 2003.

“Surgeons performed a biopsy on the breast and found cancer. By the time they operated the tumor was eight centimeters,” said Crewe.

Marsh had a full mastectomy on her right side and started a regiment of chemotherapy. Numerous trips to the doctor revealed the cancer had metastasized to her liver and her bones. Marsh started monthly treatments for the newly discovered cancer, however in March 2003 she discovered a lump on her leg that turned out to be skin cancer, which in turn had spread to her spinal fluid.

“It was 22 months from the time she first felt something until she passed away,” said Crewe. “My mother always joked and told us she just wanted to get to 60 so she could collect her Canadian Pension Plan; she had a great sense of humour.”

Crewe was there every step of the way, taking her mother to every cancer treatment and appointment. She said she feels  very fortunate to have been able to do that.
When she turned 40 last summer, Crewe pledged that she would get back to being healthy and fit and began working out, taking part in Woolwich’s Try a Tri event last June and joined the Waterloo County Wanderers, a local cycling club.

“I have always wanted to do something, but I have asthma and other health issues – I began to think ‘what can I do to get healthier and make a difference?’ Over the last couple of years I have done a lot to get my health back to the way I wanted it and just recently I decided that I was going to participate in the ride for my mom and for myself.”
Last summer her husband’s father passed away with a blood cancer, and she decided to raise funds to help research all cancers as more and more people around the world suffer or know someone suffering with the disease.

She signed up for the Ride for Cancer in September.

“I find it so peaceful to just get on my bike and hit the road. Just me and bike going at my own pace, it helps me clear my mind.”
Crewe now clocks close to 40 kilometres a day and works out at a local gym five days a week to improve her cardio and her leg and upper-body strength.
The event will start in Toronto on June 9, stopping in Hamilton for the night before the riders continue on to Niagara Falls and the finish line. Riders will be expected to travel 100 kilometres each day.

Crewe will not be cycling alone, as her friend and teammate Lisa Stockie will be  alongside her, riding in the event in memory of her grandmother who passed away of stomach cancer just before Christmas.

Crewe is holding local fundraisers to help with the minimum of $2,500 entry fee. So far she has raised $900 towards her goal.

On Jan. 21 she will be holding an all-day scrap-a-thon in the basement of the New Apostolic Church starting at 10 a.m. The cost is $20 person with all proceeds going towards the fundraiser. A light lunch will be offered at the event.

“I had a thought that everyone has taken Christmas photos but they just end up on the computer, so why not have a day where everyone can come and spread out their photos and work with others to help create a nice page in their photo album,” she said. “A lot of people find it hard to find the space and the time to organize their photos and this gives them a chance to do it without the kids yapping in their ear.”

Cher Wylie, a consultant from Creative Memories, a scrapbooking supply company, will be on hand and will offer a selection of tools to use as well as supplies available for purchase with 15 per cent of sales going to Crewe’s fundraising efforts.

Crewe will also be selling Elmira Poultry products to raise funds with $5 from each item sold being donated to her goal. The deadline she has set for that fundraiser is Feb. 6, with the products being delivered on Feb. 24

To register for the event or place an order for some Elmira Poultry, contact Crewe by email at traceycrewe@sympatico.ca or to donate to the ride go to www.conquercancer.ca and enter Tracey Crewe’s name.

Olive oil gives you options in the kitchen

How and what we cook with often begins with where we live and what lessons have been passed down to us from generations previous. Now, however, we also have to contend with global influences from around the world, whether they be good or bad.

Growing up, our mothers never used things like olive oil, sea salt and other Mediterranean products that we see in recipes so often today.

We have, like most people, embraced the use of global products, but with that comes some confusion.  Olive oil, for instance. When and where should you use it? In Canada we have so many choices for fats, everything from lard to canola oil to butter to different types of oil. Here’s where we use olive oil, and when we say olive oil, we mean extra virgin.
Olive oil has more flavour and character than other cooking oils.  So therefore we use it when that matters, and adds to our recipes. It is often added at the beginning, and at the end. A final drizzle of olive oil on any dish (soup, pasta, roast chicken) adds flavour, shine, mouth-feel and some good-for-you unsaturated heart healthy fat.

Sauté the onion with the oil and 2 tbsp of the butter over medium-high heat until golden;

Add celery and carrot and cook for 2-3 minutes;

Add the pancetta and sauté for one minute;

Add the tomatoes, lower the heat and cook slowly for 25 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally;

Add the lentils, stir to coat, add the broth and salt and pepper;

Cover, and cook at a steady simmer or until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes, but this can vary from lentil to lentil;

Let the soup out with more broth or water if it becomes too thick;

When the lentils are cooked, correct the seasoning, then, off of the heat, swirl in the remaining butter and the grated cheese. Serve with more cheese and olive oil.

Lentil Soup

• 1/2 a yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, finely chopped
• 1/3-cup diced pancetta
• 1 cup canned Italian tomatoes, with their juice
• 1/2 lb of green or brown lentils, washed and drained
• 4 cups homemade broth (chicken or beef)
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, about 8 twists
• 3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
• More olive oil, for drizzling.

 

Be it resolved …

More reflective on their political roles than on resolutions of their own, township councillors nonetheless have a few targets heading into 2012. Woolwich Mayor Todd Cowan does not normally make New Year’s resolutions because he finds himself constantly looking to change things and move forward as soon as he can and he does not wait for January to do so. When it comes to the township he hopes to continue on the task of fiscal responsibility and looks forward to the number of developments in the area including the new housing development in Breslau and revitalizing the downtown of Elmira.

“Across the township we want to continue with our whole mantra of better communication, and I am looking forward to the new community guide that we are developing for this spring.”

Coun. Bonnie Bryant of Woolwich’s Ward 3 has given up on personal New Year’s resolutions, saying she never really keeps them. As a councillor, however, she hopes to develop and organize a heritage committee.

“I would like to see us preserve the heritage in our beautiful township before it is lost.”

Ward 1’s Coun. Allan Poffenroth plans to lose some weight in the new year, complaining he enjoyed too many treats over the holiday season. Poffenroth has some lofty goals for the township, including a zero per cent tax increase for residents of Woolwich, but he admits that it may be hard to pull it off this year.
“We are anxious to keep spending down somewhat, and I hope that we don’t need to increase the taxes this year. If we must have an increase, I hope it does not go above two per cent.”

Mayor Ross Kelterborn of Wellesley is trying to stay healthy and admits it is harder to do so at his age but he continues to walk three kilometres every day.

For the township, Kelterborn hopes to replenish some the reserves that were tapped during the spate of infrastructure projects funded by federal and provincial stimulus spending. He admits it will be hard to restore the reserves to their 2009 levels but that is his prime objective for this year and the rest of his term as mayor. He also hopes to keep tax rates low over the next year.

“The economic situation in the Region of Waterloo is as good as it gets, but there have been some hardships and I believe we are going to have to learn to do more with less.”

Wellesley’s Ward 3 Coun. Jim Olender hopes to stay healthy and fit in the coming year. When it comes to the township he hopes to keep moving forward with improvements while at the same time staying fiscally responsible to ratepayers. He’s also looking forward to finally getting underway with township’s new strategic plan.

“I would like to see the completion on a multi-sports pad in Wellesley. We have been trying the get that rolling for some time now and it would be great to see in completed by the end of 2012.”

For colleague Herb Neher in Ward 2, a new year brings a renewed sense of duty to the township. He hopes the public is more informed about where the township and council are heading, and he wants to ensure residents get the most out of their tax dollars, making the most of the services offered.

“We are developing some very specific short and long-term strategies for the township that I would like to see accomplished this year. I would like to see the township perform more like a business with goals to reach year after year,” he said.

Plain & simple, good combo for comfort food

At The Culinary Studio we always try to look at ingredients in their most basic form, keeping their integrity by not manipulating them too much so that they lose their original purpose. Bread and garlic, condiments such as capers and vinegar, and even simple ingredients like pure, unsalted butter can be used really simply, without compromising flavour.

In the cold winter months I think that we crave simple, warm dishes. I know I could eat potato soup at least twice a week. The following cooking tips (which they are, rather than exact recipes) work with some of your favourite comfort food recipes to make them feel new again.

Garlic Toast/Croutons

• Half a baguette or other good quality bread, sliced into 3/4-inch slices
• Olive oil, as needed
• Butter, as needed
• 1 good large clove of garlic, peeled and one end sliced off
• Pinch of salt (optional)

A simple side dish or topping, remember that a crusty piece of garlic toast can go well with a soup, stew, chili, or a pot roast.  The toast can be broken up into croutons to give a nice textural contrast to a creamy pasta dish, baked beans, or even tossed in warm to a romaine lettuce salad.

Place bread on a baking sheet; drizzle liberally with olive oil and spread lightly with butter. Yes, the oil/butter combo may sound extreme, but it’s good;
Toast in a 400°F oven until just golden brown, about 7-10 minutes;
As soon as it comes out of the oven, rub with cut side of the garlic clove; sprinkle lightly with salt, if desired, and serve.

Crispy Capers

• 2 tbsp capers, patted dry
• 2 (approx.) tbsp canola oil

Capers are the little green buds of the Caperberry bush. They are harvested, dried and then pickled in brine with vinegar or packed in salt. They have a tart, salty flavour, similar to olives. Less of a snack on their own, they are fabulous in pastas, or as a garnish to a monotonous soup such as potato or squash. By frying them lightly they become a little milder, and pleasantly crispy

In a small frying pan, heat oil;
Carefully add capers (they will splatter a bit);
Fry for a couple minutes until they open up slightly and start to brown;
Drain on paper towels.

Basic Breading Procedure
Try using a fresh, fluffy breadcrumb the next time you want to turn your pork tenderloin, chicken breast or fish into something really special. Soft breadcrumbs become so crispy and flavourful when fried. Here’s just a refresher on basic breading procedure. Enough for about 4 chicken breasts.

In a food processor or a blender, blend about half a loaf of a sourdough bread. Pulse, leaving some larger crumbs. To these crumbs, a couple tablespoons of freshly chopped thyme is really nice;
Breading procedure: in one bowl have about 1 cup flour. In second bowl, 2-3 eggs, beaten well. And in the third bowl, the crumbs. Season each bowl lightly with salt;

Season your product with salt and pepper and then bread, keeping 1 hand ‘dry’ and one hand ‘wet.’ First in the flour, lift out and into the eggs. Lift out with wet hand, and into the crumbs. Lift out with dry hand and onto a baking sheet until ready to fry in medium-hot fat.