In lieu of the annual blog posts on Barbados that occur at this time every year, (there’s a global pandemic on, don’t you know) Widow Badass Industries brings you instead some views of the west coast of our local island paradise. Specifically: Ucluelet and Tofino. My daughter and I spent a couple of days there recently. And here’s what we saw and did.
Morning view of Tofino Inlet from Tofino Resort and Marina (highly recommend staying here).We headed to Ucluelet first. My first visit. Won’t be my last! We decided to experience the Lighthouse Trail.BC trees are like none I have ever seen in Canada. On the Lighthouse Trail.The views were incredible.Sea Foam – sign of a healthy ocean.Pardon my shadow.Rock formations and islands in the misty distance.Wild Ucluelet views.
On the way to Ucluelet, we passed a sign in Pacific Rim National Park that said “Rainforest Trail”. That was our next destination.
The Rainforest Trail did not disappoint.When not staring at the trees, the chevron pattern on this platform caught my eye.Tried to capture the sun rays in the woods.This giant is over 800 years old.
After the Rainforest Trail, we had worked up an appetite so it was off to our favourite Tofino eating establishment, to refuel before our next adventure.
Tacofino!A little pandemic humour.Every day is (Taco) Tuesday in Tofino, as far as I’m concerned.
After lunch, it was time to check out our favourite beach (Chesterman) and soak up the delicious sunshine we had been blessed with.
Pinch me. Is it really February…in Canada???It was lovely to just sit in the sun and watch the surfers (and parasailers and windsurfers) enjoying the beautiful day and high waves.Checking out the waves (and other surfers).There he goes!
It was so pleasant out, we stayed there all afternoon and waited on the sunset. It did not disappoint.
Nope, it certainly did not disappoint!Two surfers left; packing it in for the day.And finally, the last of this day’s glorious light.
It wasn’t Barbados, but it was pretty damn fine all the same.
Rock on,
The WB
P.S. I posted multiple videos of this adventure on Instagram. Why not head over there and check them out? (Sound on!)
Firstly, apologies Dear Blogge for abandoning you lately. See, I’ve kinda been hibernating a bit – going inward as it were – and then there was all that horrible business of last week happening to our neighbour to the south, and well…my muse took a much longer holiday as a result.
So, Christmas happened and please allow me an indulgence here as I post about a baking misadventure from way back then. I really did plan to post about this in a more timely fashion. However, THAT never happened. So I humbly offer this as my entry into the first virtual tea party of 2021.
Allow me another indulgence to give you some backstory. The very first trifle I ever attempted was for a Christmas staff party at my work, back in about 1983. I know – ballsy, right? I was full of youthful energy and conceit confidence then and thought: how hard can it be, really? Cake, pudding, whipped cream, fruit, booze. Throw it together in a dish. Done. I had been intrigued by a recipe in Canadian Living magazine for something called Black Forest Trifle, and decided that was what I was going to bring.
Back in those childless, early-married days, I thought nothing of spending a whole day in the kitchen whipping up any recipe that caught my fancy so the fact that these instructions had you make EVERYTHING from scratch didn’t faze me in the least.
I brought the trifle to the potluck and added it to the other offerings. I don’t remember much of that particular meal except that at the conclusion, the big boss/owner of that particular lab asked “Ummm…who brought the trifle?”
I froze. This guy…Dr. Whatsisname…was English as all get out. What was I thinking, bringing my first attempt at England’s national dessert (it is, isn’t it?) to this goddamn lunch affair?!?! Dr. Whatsisname (sorry, I really have forgotten his name) continued in his plummy accent…”I consider myself to be something of a connoisseur when it comes to trifle. Who made this one?” I gulped and hesitantly put up my hand.
“Oh?” he continued, appearing mildly surprised that “the baby” of the lab – his youngest employee – had pulled off this culinary feat.
“I have to tell you that this is the best trifle that I have ever tasted.”
WELL. I hadn’t seen THAT coming in the armageddon of embarrassment scenarios that had been flashing before my mind’s eye since he asked about the trifle. This proved the recipe was clearly a keeper and I painstakingly wrote it in my smallest handwriting onto not one but two recipe cards (I told you everything had to be made from scratch) and hung onto it for thirty-seven long years. And naturally, I never made it again (sigh).
Until this Christmas.
First up, a few days before Christmas I made the almond macaroons to crumble onto the cake and jam layers.
Uh oh. This is not going well. At least they tasted good and they were going to be crumbled up anyways. Onwards…
Then I made the chocolate sponge cake.
No way to rescue this leathery pancake of a chocolate mess. Into the composting bin it went. Hmmm. I don’t remember any of this happening the first (and only other) time I made this recipe. Idon’t usually eat candy canes, but one of my neighbours had stuck one in the mini-stocking I hung on my apartment door, and it seemed like the thing to do as I pondered my next move.Besides, it was too early for day-drinking, even for me.
It was Christmas Eve and there was no more time for fucking around experimentation. I ran to the grocery store and got the supplies I needed to pull this thing off.
After my first 2 fails, there was no way I was going to attempt the custard from scratch. Wise decision. Note offending recipe in the upper left corner. The cake turned out wonderful – hallelujah! I spread it with cherry jam and had enough for 2 dishes. One got splashed with rum; the smaller one got only cherry juice. In case (gasp!) someone didn’t want to have the boozy dessert. Like my step-grandkids.Next I added the “crumbled macaroons”. A-hem. Moving on.Cherry layer added. My custard turned out perfect. Thank you Bird’s Custard Powder, for having my back! I put the trifles onto the balcony to keep them cool until the next day, when the rest of the assembly would happen. Next day…on Christmas afternoon: Bettie Page the Kitchen Aid (she so sex-ay!) whipped the cream for me. Good job, Betts!Whipped cream, chocolate shavings and almonds added. Seashell Jesus arose from my basement storage unit to oversee the final touches and approve of the finished product. If ever a dessert needed divine intervention, this was it. His expression and body language seems to say: Really, girl? How could you have fucked up this recipe? I swear I saw him raise an eyebrow at me.
Because of the pandemic, Christmas was going to be a bit of a drive-by visit rather than an actual one. In the late afternoon, I packed up the trifles and Christmas goodies and brought them over to my daughter’s place. They had my step-grandkids with them for the holidays (from the plague-land mainland, so the decision was made that it be best we stay apart unless we could meet outdoors, for the duration of their visit). I exchanged the trifles for containers full of 3 days’ worth of Christmas dinner deliciousness, and went back to my place. The trifles were very well received. Although no “best trifle ever” accolades were forthcoming. Those are still held by the fresh berry trifles I made last summer.
Does anything taste better than a Christmas dinner you didn’t have to cook yourself? I think not.
And there went another Christmas into the history books…and one for the history books! All things Covid-19 considered, it wasn’t that awful and certainly not the first Christmas I have spent alone.
There was only one thing left to be done, though.
In case I EVER get inspired to follow this recipe again. I am at a loss as to why it didn’t work this time. From “best trifle ever” to unholy mess…Burn baby, burn! Perhaps I left out some vital instructions when transcribing it all those many years ago??? I will never ever know…
Thank you for allowing all these indulgences…and for joining me in this month’s Virtual Tea Party – hosted by Del and Su.
My 2020 ornament. Slightly doctored by moi to make it more diverse than its original all-white format…including a 3-eyed alien. Because, why not?
Well, it wouldn’t be 2020 if I wasn’t having some tasty yet spectacular fails in the kitchen, now would it?
First up – my attempt to make a dupe for Claxton Fruit Cake. Gluten-free, no less. I kinda mashed together the best bits of 2 copycat recipes I found on Ye Olde Interwebs, and was generous with some Kraken.
One of two rather goopy, gooey, supersweet loaves.See what I mean? Tasty, though…
This no-bake fruitcake tastes very similar to what I remember of Claxton fruitcakes, but is very sticky and goopy, and super sweet. I blame the sweetened condensed milk. It was definitely NOT THE RUM I GENEROUSLY EMBELLISHED THE RECIPE WITH. Next year I will use less of the milk and keep the rum…maybe even add more rum. So there.
I tried to use up all the fruitcake mistake as best as I could. Created a trifle out of the damned thing and foisted it upon my “bubble”. It was well received.
Fruitcake trifle. Needs more rum.
Other fails from this month include repeated attempts to make rustic, gluten-free loaves of bread, with yeast. Otherwise known as “doorstops”. No picture can capture the true extent of the denseness of these bread fails. The black holes of baking.
Moving on.
One of my successes was rum balls (requested by my daughter). Except I couldn’t get the chocolate hail to stick to the balls as I was rolling them in the hail. But you know what solved that problem? MORE KRAKEN. Hehehe!
TA DA! Holly generously provided by the bush growing beside my balcony.
And then there was my attempt to make gluten-free boterkoek (Dutch butter cake). I just subbed GF flour for regular – the rest of the recipe stayed the same.
At least it didn’t fall apart like my almond cake.A little drier than if made with wheat flour, but still very tasty. And at least it stuck together.
And then there was an old standby (and much needed by this point): Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur. AKA Bailey’s. My only change to this recipe was to use an espresso shot instead of instant coffee. Because I has the technology!
Goes well with boterkoek.
I’m done baking for now. Until just before Christmas, when I promised to make a black forest trifle for the day itself. A recipe I haven’t attempted since I was newly married (the FIRST time) and didn’t know any better had the time and energy to create it entirely from scratch. Even the custard.
Pray for me.
Thank you for joining me in this month’s Virtual Tea Party – hosted by Del and Su.
Finished cake in silicone pan. Recipe called for a springform pan, which I don’t have (yet!).
I’ve long wanted to make to make a lemon and almond flour cake like this. When a friend posted a link to a recipe for just such a delight on her Facebook page, I was all over it like white on rice. The recipe is called Nonna’s Limoncello and Ricotta Almond Cake, and is gluten-free. I drew up a shopping list on my To-Do app, and I was off to the races!
My first hurdle was not being able to source a spring-form pan at the Superstore. I was so convinced I’d be able to find one there – I even had it in my mind that I had seen said pan there – yet there were none to be found. So I had to come up with a work-around and decided I would use my recently purchased silicone cake pan, instead. Which worked perfectly well, even though it was a bit of a process getting the cake transferred from the pan to a pretty plate.
So far, so good!
I excitedly put the kettle on. I poured myself a delicious cup of English Breakfast, and remembered to take another photo before digging into my Instagram-worthy beauty of a cake.
Setting a delicious scene
And then, this happened.
Eeeek!
I know exactly what I did wrong (well, I’m pretty sure I know) so that my cake would not hold together. It was thoroughly baked. I even added an extra 10 minutes of baking time (because my oven be that way) and when I took it from the oven it was already starting to pull away from the edges of the pan.
What I did was this: add extra liquid to the batter in the form of lemon juice. The recipe called for limoncello and lemon zest only. But I had read some of the comments – where at least one person remarked that it wasn’t lemony enough – and I was going to make damned sure this cake was lemoned up for the gods! So not only did I zest that lemon…I extracted its juice and threw it in the mixing bowl along with everything else.
Next version of this cake will still have the additional lemon juice added in – you can count on that. But I may omit the limoncello. Or add a bit of gluten-free flour, to balance the additional liquid.
There is definitely going to be another version of this cake. It will probably become a go-to recipe as it ticks all the boxes for a delicious dessert IMHO, and especially because it reminds me of my favourite Dutch almond filling for baked goods.
Thank you for joining me in this month’s Virtual Tea Party – hosted by Del and Su. It turned out to be a most delicious fail, and a fun one at that.
Apricot Oatmeal muffins with Earl Grey tea. Last cup with my good china, as it has since been packed up for my move to Vancouver Island.
I’m joining Su and Del, in participating in this month’s virtual tea party. My first attempt at this party is an oldie but goodie – Apricot Oatmeal muffins, from my much beloved recipe book: Muffin Mania, by Cathy Prange and Joan Pauli (who I believe are sisters, and were – are still? – local to my area. Don’t quote me.) I haven’t made this recipe in years. The last time I made it I could easily source apricot baby food (required ingredient) but I can’t seem to find it any more in my local grocery stores. Only mixtures of fruits these days, it seems…
So what’s a gal to do? I had to get creative and figure out how to make a puree from dried apricots. Behold:
Cooking the dried apricots to make the puree. In water, with a little added honey and sugar, and orange zest. Fresh out of my beloved Nutribullet blender: finished apricot puree! Worked like a charm in the recipe, and the leftovers were delicious stirred into plain yogurt or oatmeal.
My homemade apricot “baby food” worked wonderfully, and now my freezer is stocked with these delicious beauties. These muffins taste more like dessert than anything else. Perfect for Tea Time!
Much beloved muffin cookbook with (most of) the finished product.
The Muffin Mania cookbook came out in the 1980s and was an immediate success, selling out and going into reprint after reprint. My copy is the 7th printing, from 1982. I just did a cursory search on the Interwebs and it doesn’t appear to be in print any longer.
Yes, this cookbook and the recipes within have seen a lot of use and better days! I made sure to rate this recipe as “the best!” so I’d remember which one was my favourite. Handy, now that I am in my dotage. 😉
What is your favourite tea time treat recipe? Is it an oldie yet a goodie, as well? Feel free to join in the tea time festivities, as we enjoy a cuppa and a treat, alone yet together!
Imposing entrance to The Rooms – a large complex consisting of 4 floors of all things Newfoundland: artifacts and art that speak of the land, the people, and their lives here. Definitely worth a visit. Plan at least 1/2 a day here. And plan to eat at the Cafe. Get the cod tongues!
I wanted to try cod tongues while in Newfoundland but Joanne wasn’t having any of that. We were at The Rooms in St. John’s (mere steps from our apartment), and sitting down to eat at the excellent cafe there when I spied them on the menu. I didn’t want to eat a whole order by myself as I had my heart set on the Fisherman’s Bake (which sounded filling) so I asked Joanne if she wanted to share. She said no.
Then I thought maybe if our server described them to us Joanne would change her mind. This is the exchange that followed:
Me to server: I’d like to know more about the cod tongues appetizer. What are cod tongues like?
Server: Well, they’re not tongues, exactly. They are glands.
Joanne: OK, this is not helping.
Me to server: You are really NOT helping.
Me to server while Joanne placed her order: And can you throw a cod tongue on top, you know, for decoration?
What I imagined our server was thinking: Spare me these CFAs*!
Needless to say, Joanne did not get a cod tongue on top of her chowder. Also: I didn’t get any either.
And guess what I found out today while putting together this post? Cod tongues are neither tongues nor glands. They are muscles – like steak. Or pork chops. And a delicacy that tastes like scallops!
Next trip to the Rock it’s gonna be cod tongues at every meal, Joanne. 😉
For more stories about our trip, please visit Joanne’s blog here, here and here or mine here and here.
Rock on,
The WB
*CFA or Come From Away – a term used to describe those not born in Newfoundland. Also: a hella fine musical production and true story about the hospitality and humanity shown by the town of Gander when many planes were grounded with passengers stranded there by the events of September 11, 2001.
Warning: Do not read this post if hungry (or thirsty). Believe me, it was tough to write on an empty stomach and without any delicious beer in the house. But no one can say I don’t suffer for my art… 😉
If you think Newfoundland cuisine consists only of deep-fried everything washed down with Screech, you are in for a big surprise. Joanne and I ate like queens and drank like fishes princesses during our recent week on the Rock. You can read my earlier post about this trip here.
One of our early meals (and favourites) was brunch at the Mallard Cottage. This highly recommended restaurant is in the old-time fishing village in St. John’s known as Quidi Vidi. You’ll be seeing a lot of this name in this post as it also hosts a damn fine brewery.
The menu board and sweets table at the Mallard Cottage, Quidi VidiI started off with a High Tea Cocktail. Gin made out of icebergs, people! Oh yes.Joanne and I split the fish cakes and the Chef’s Plates (a series of dishes the chef dreamed up). We were seated at a communal table, which was the most fun as we got to chat with locals as well as fellow travellers. I would say yes to a communal table any time!Of course, we had to try some cod and chips one night for supper! Ches’s was only mere steps from our AirBnB apartment in St. John’s. And what goes better with fish and chips than Quidi Vidi beer? “Mmmmm…beer” – H. Simpson After our boat trip and hiking Witless Bay, we were starving. We stopped at the Irish Loop Coffee House just minutes before closing. They graciously fed us anyways. Such a cool little place, completely furnished with retro-style dinette sets. Joanne had the sweet potato pancakes and I inhaled the brie and bacon croissant. Sorry, no pictures were taken of our mains due to hands being occupied shoving the food in our pieholes. But I did snap the following:Is there anything better than a cold Quidi Vidi after a hike? It’s becoming a thing with us.I did manage to regain my blogger’s wits enough to snap a photo of the most amazing lemon bread pudding that Joanne and I shared for dessert, though.Just so you know, not every drink on this trip was alcoholic….LOL! After a jaunt up to Signal Hill – where we froze in the bitter wind – lo and behold a Newfoundland Chocolate Company Cafe conveniently located partway down the Hill…oh those canny Newfoundlanders and their delicious hot chocolate! Note Joanne’s restrained pose while I took the picture. Atta girl! One evening we were invited to dine at my brother-in-law’s sister’s house where we were introduced to this bad boy. Newfoundland Distillery is a business started by a niece of this lovely couple and we would just happen to be driving right by on our way to Harbour Grace the next day, to visit with BIL’s other sister. Kismet, I tell ya!Yeah, we parked in the next door church’s parking lot. Well, it was empty-ish and we didn’t stay long. Just purchased some delicious seaweed gin and went merrily on our way. After touring Harbour Grace, we took another of BIL’s sisters out to dinner at The Stone Jug, in nearby Carbonear. Which has a rich history involving a princess and a pirate. The green, white and pink flag (see also NFLD Chocolate Cafe, above) is the flag of the former Republic of Newfoundland. Newfoundland became a province of Canada only in 1949. Quite an amazing interior.
We inhaled enjoyed delicious Quidi Vidi iceberg beer with our equally delicious burgers. Beer made out of icebergs, people! Oh, yes!
Even our last meal (at the St. John’s airport, in the YellowBelly Brewery Pub) was delicious. Here are Joanne’s steamed mussels (with curry sauce).And here is my scrumptious cod burger with side salad, liberally doused with candied nuts. Not pictured – our yummy YellowBelly beers. I don’t know why.
Oh my, this was a tough post to write – but now I’m ready to wipe the drool off my chin find something to eat (and drink) in Chez Badass. Hope you enjoyed our culinary adventures in Newfoundland!
July started off with a bang. Canada Day (July 1) is also my daughter’s (Mizz J) birthday. I made a fabulous trifle, using local berries and sherry, and of course plenty of local, growth-hormone free, high quality dairy.
Uh-oh, here comes a rant:
Fuck you Trump. I support Canadian Dairy and Canadian Dairy supports me, literally. It’s my day job, to work for a company that supports this industry, which I love. So yeah, fuck you, Trump. As a dairy insider, I can tell you your milk is not up to Canadian quality standards. Most of it would not be allowed in this country even if the borders were wide open. And you can thank the Canadian supply management system for making sure Canadians get the highest quality milk for their money. Rant over. (Aren’t you relieved?)
Strawberry Trifle. It was delicious. Note to self: next time don’t be afraid to add more sherry. Yes, that’s real whipped cream on top, people. Thank goddess for my Kitchen Aid mixer. The berries are spectacular this year.
I got out for a Beach Day this month. To my usual haunt: Bayfield.
I usually park at the Marina but this year I went to Pioneer Park instead and took the stairs down to the Lake Huron shore.
There was plenty of beauty to see at home, as well.
Day Lilies in bloom down at the Mill Pond.
I usually can’t get even this close to these wary birds. But this one was intent on fishing so wasn’t focusing on me in the kayak so much.
Could be the same heron. Dunno. There are quite a few of them on the Mill Pond.
There are a few swans as well, peacefully cohabiting with the herons, ducks, geese, and egrets on the Mill Pond.
I love capturing the reflections on the Mill Pond throughout the day, and especially the approaching evening.
The end of another beautiful July day on the Mill Pond. Taken from the village dock. Which shall forever more be known as The Sex Dock. I was trying to show it off to a visitor and we happened upon a couple banging away under a blanket…ON THE DOCK…IN EARLY EVENING AKA BROAD DAYLIGHT. Needless to say, we turned around immediately and left visiting the dock for another day. #VillageLife
A lovely weekend breakfast including the bountiful berries of July. The berries are spectacular this year, did I mention that? Banana oatmeal pancakes, Greek Yogurt, black caps, raspberries, maple syrup and back bacon. Nespresso latte macchiato – forget which flavour but probably Roma.
And finally, I haven’t mentioned this on the blog yet I don’t think, but I did purchase a new car. On May 25th I picked up a new plug-in hybrid vehicle, a Prius Prime. Forever to be known as Edward the Third, for being my third white Prius that sparkles in the sunlight. I got a full tank of gas with the car. Today, July 25th, I decided it was time to put more gas in since I am anticipating some long drives coming up over the next few days. I still had a little less than a quarter of the original tank left. Behold my dashboard, prior to today’s fill-up:
That’s right – 3043 km driven and I still have a bit of gas left. Today was my first ever fill-up of the car I picked up on May 25!
I’m very pleased with my new car. The range of electric driving for me is around 56 km. I was told the car had a range of 40 km, however the car learns how you drive trains you how to drive more efficiently and rewards you with more range. It takes into account the amount of energy you save with regenerative braking and also coasting and using the engine brake to slow down. So I’ve “earned” a range of 56 km by giving up my lead foot. 😉
Which means during the week I drive solely on electric power on any given day. I only seem to dip into gas power on weekends, when I take longer drives for Beach Days and such.
Uh-oh, I’m feeling ranty again…
I was planning on trading in Edward II later on this year, but decided to take advantage of the government incentive to buy a plug-in hybrid. And I’m glad I did when I did because the provincial government has changed hands and now this rebate has been terminated.
Ironically, the party now in power campaigned that they are for the little guy, yet they take away a rebate that could actually benefit the common person. They’ve told their base that electric cars are only for the elite and cost $$$$. Which is blatantly untrue. Clearly they are taking a page from the Trump playbook and the sheeple believe their gaslighting, as I’ve seen on Twitter.
Follow the money, people. Follow the money, to learn the truth.
It’s been 2 months of daily driving and all I’ve spent on gas is $32. Only just today. Just sayin’…
Having a favourite beer or cooler to bring to a summer barbecue or other social gathering is practically de riguer around here. I don’t much like coolers though, because I find them too sweet. Then, last summer, I discovered a cooler-type drink that is perfect for me. No sugar, but plenty of fizz and refreshing in flavour. I tried my first SoCIAL Lite, and I was hooked.
THE drink of last summer
And so were many others apparently, because it was hard to find in stock at the liquor store. So, what’s poor badass widow to do? Well, I improvised.
Let’s call this Anti-SoCIAL Lite, shall we?
Not as convenient to take somewhere, but more than adequate for having people in, or enjoying alone on the patio (of course) with a good book. Hopefully this year, it will be easier to find the premixed version in stock, to take along when visiting. (Are you reading this, SoCIAL Lite?)
What is your favourite summer drink?
Rock on,
The WB
Can you guess my theme for this year’s A-Z Challenge? All of my A-Z posts this month will be tied into my theme, which is represented by the title of a song that was popular when I was a child. Can you figure it out as the days (and posts) go by? Leave your guesses (one per day only, please) in the comments. At the end of the challenge, I will reveal the theme. Have fun!
So delicious. Especially with goat cheese. Summer, 2014. Pre-renovation kitchen, in all its 1980’s wall-papered glory.
Last night I scrolled through about 5,000 photos trying to find this one of when I last canned some jam. How in the heck has 4 years passed since then? I could have sworn it was only 2 summers ago.
I’ve made peach jam a few times over the decades but not often, because frankly it can be a little unexciting. Unless you doctor it up with a bunch of spices or add apricots or perform some other kitchen sleight-of-hand, it can be bland, in my opinion. If you go to all the trouble to make your own jam, it should knock your socks off, I figure.
And then I came across a recipe using spiced rum (I forget why or how) and I was intrigued.
Anyways, I made this peach jam with spiced rum, and it was amazeballs. And it only lasted about 5 seconds in the house. And I should have made more, and I should have made more every summer since.
Do you preserve the bounty of summer in any way? Any favourite jam or canning recipes you’d like to share?
Rock on,
The WB
Can you guess my theme for this year’s A-Z Challenge? All of my A-Z posts this month will be tied into my theme, which is represented by the title of a song that was popular when I was a child. Can you figure it out as the days (and posts) go by? Leave your guesses (one per day only, please) in the comments. At the end of the challenge, I will reveal the theme. Have fun!
