the week that was and is - october 7th, 2009

It's official. All my vegetables are out of the ground and/or dead. Just like that, after months of work it's all over. It seems like just the other day I was planting my seeds. The good - carrots, lettuce, red peppers. The bad - radishes, beets, red onions, red peppers. I've discovered there really is a trick to good spacing. My beets, carrots, and radishes started their lives too close and I never knew when to stop the thinning. So unfortunately, combined with our crappy growing season this year, many vegetables didn't make it. Oh well. To next year! I can't wait. I think I may actually start planning my areas and ordering seeds.

• Bakery, bakery, bakery. From Chowhound to the Edmonton Journal, fellow blogger's have seemingly dropped what they were doing and headed over to the new Dutchess Bake Shop. Of all people, I gotta spread the love to Only Here for the Food and The Brulee Blog. I suppose I'll have to make my way over before I fall out of the local loop ;)

• Speaking of bakeries, if you are looking for gluten free products our neighbours to the south have a great resource, the GF Patisserire. Offering a pretty big selection of items, H.Peter from The Celiac Husband, does make mention of Ben's Meats, here in Edmonton offering a selection of products.

• Liane Faulder made mention that Stawnichy's is celebrating 50 years in the sausage business. Our family has a soft spot for the sausage; we used to buy it buy the case. I don't think I've tried any other offerings in the product line though.

• As a fan of good haggis, I loved seeing Haggis-in-a-can over at are you gonna eat that. All in the name of high quality blogging! Now if only I could track down the hamburger in a can.

• A lot of talk lately about Gourmet magazine coming to a close. As someone who wasn't a subscriber or regular buyer, it doesn't affect me too deeply. I can, however, respect and acknowledge the loss of such a giant icon. Media is changing so much these days..what happens next.

• Speaking of icons, it looks like the King is doing some renovations. "I'd call it more contemporary, edgy, futuristic," Chairman and CEO John Chidsey said. "It feels so much more like an upscale restaurant."

• 'For several years, a small group of poultry enthusiasts has been pushing to save an authentic Canadian chicken from extinction. The Chantecler chicken, a bird once believed to be extinct, remains alive, but only around 2,000 of them are thought to be in existence and the majority of them are in Quebec'. Good on them!!

• So what is the worst Halloween candy you've ever eaten? While it wasn't for Halloween, I can safely say that a my brother and I were the recipients of hard durian candies about 10 years ago, and I can still remember the taste. Awful!!
  

• Is anyone attempting their first Thanksgiving? Are you venturing out..maybe cooking a turducken? And family recipes you care to share? I would love to hear about anything!

• I picked some buffalo earlier in the week for tacos and used a homemade taco seasoning I found online. They turned out delicious, but the hardest part was trying to make my corn tortillas at the same time. I need more arms/hands.
  

• Besides the smell of fresh bread, I love the snap, crackle, and pop from a cooling loaf. I covered this loaf with cornmeal and was amazing to see the corn meal popping off like popcorn as the bread cracked. I wish I had a mini video to show you.

To another week! Enjoy.