Puro Coffee

We were recently invited to sample some Puro Fairtrade Coffee .  There are many products that we've been offered and find that time constraints just make it challenging to fulfill the commitment of giving fair consideration to writing the review.  I always want to be fair (I'm a Libra, can't help myself) and don't want to put words to the blog just because somebody sent me a free sample.  Coffee, however, is one of those "I just can't resist" things.

I like the fact that the coffee is Freetrade.  When you know that the product isn't part of a mass manufacture and hand created under the best conditions for the ecology and the workers who create it, it commands a certain amount of respect.  I get a little crazy when I hear about factory workers who work for less than fair wages and deplorable conditions to produce a product that makes a large corporation very rich.  When I see films such as this one, and I support a worldwide effort to improve our lives, I admit, I have a sense of social responsibility for more than just me.

 

The other thing that stood out for me about the company is that they're living the talk. 2 percent of global coffee sales go to World Land trust and in addition they also have company wide campaigns to allocate money to and organization called Trees 4 Schools.   Trees 4 Schools is teaching children to replenish our environment and to grow their own food .  This helps build a self confident society.  

Now that I'm a grandma (best job in the world) I'm far more focused on being part of preserving our world for our children and future generations to come.  We owe it to them.  Psychgrad reminds me that my generation didn't respect our environment enough so yes, we owe it to them.

So where to begin with my bag of goodies.  I received three different blends of coffee and a sample of hot chocolate.  I'm not big on really strong coffee but I do like coffee with solid flavour.

How's this for a descriptor - "Rich and lively medium blend with hints of fruit and hazelnut".  Sounded good to me.  Loved it.  The flavour met my expectations and then some.  The `then some` was the realization is that I really didn`t need a huge cup of coffee to feel satisfied.  The small cup that was sent with the sample pack was more than enough to satisfy my coffee fix.

The last criteria that's important to us as bloggers is that when we draw focus to a product, it's readily available and not just restricted to one province or state.  Puro coffee IS and it's organic.  What more can we ask for?  

A Taste of Yellow - A Tribute to Barbara Harris

I've always said that bloggers are great people sharing the love of food and wine.  I never get tired of browsing other blogs, learning about new foods and getting tips that I can incorporate into my own kitchen.  

4 years ago I met Barbara Harris from Brisbane, Australia.  We forged a very quick bond that went a step deeper than just food and wine.  Although I didn't have cancer, we both knew what it felt like to be sick; to spend endless hours in a hospital for one treatment or another; for missing our appetites but still wanting to continue to blog about something we both loved.   Barbara was a voice of encouragement for me during rougher times and I always appreciated her generosity, even in her darkest times.  I was lucky enough to be the recipient of a kidney transplant and slowly my health improved and I could return to my everyday life without having to be linked to a machine 3 times a week. 

Barbara started the event, Touch of Yellow, in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.   

One year, during the "Touch of Yellow", I decided to submit  but also included a bracelet that I made and named after her.  I actually sent it to her and I believe that for both of us it meant a great deal.  When Barbara found out that the World Transplant Games would be near her home, she reached out to me and invited me to stay with her family during the games.  I was floored - I mean - she really didn't know me and was ready to open her home to me.  

Unfortunately, Barbara lost her fight with cancer and here we are paying tribute to this exceptional lady who in her most unassuming way, managed to win the love and respect of fellow bloggers all over the world.  Barbara's blog  Winos and Foodies is still online and I would encourage you to browse and get a sense of how special she was.

Meta from  What's for Lunch Honey has run The Monthly Mingle for as long as I can remember and this month Jeanne of Cook Sister will be the sponsor of The Monthly Mingle - A Tribute to Barbara Harris.

I'm sitting and enjoying what I call a pimped up Mango Lassie.  I added a little rum to it, so here's to you dear Barbara.  Your suffering is over.  You will not be forgotten.  Thank you for your kindness and your friendship.

1/4 cup low fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup rum

1 cup chopped fresh mango (frozen works too)

Juice of 1/2 lime (or lemon)

1 can Sanpellegrino Aranciata

In a blender add all the ingredients (you can add ice cubes also if you like)

Blend until frothy; pour into glass and garnish as you like.  

You have until August 6th to submit your tribute to Barbara Harris.

Here are the rules:

1. Make or bake something yellow (sweet or savoury), or something using yellow ingredients. Let your imagination run wild: lemons, yellow peppers, yellow plums, yellow carrots, yellow squash - the possibilities are endless!

2. Post the dish together with any cancer stories or memories of Barbara on your blog between the 1 July and 6 August 20012. Older posts will not be accepted. Please also note that your post should be prepared exclusively for thre Monthly Mingle and should not be submitted to any other events.

3. Please link your post to this announcement and to Meeta's Monthly Mingle page. Use of the lovely logo Meeta designed is optional in your Monthly Mingle post.

4. Please submit your entries before midnight (your time) of the 6 August 2012 by sending me an e-mail (emailcooksister AT gmail DOT com) containing the following:

• "Monthly Mingle entry" in the subject line
• Your name
• Your blog name and URL
• Your location (just the country or city is sufficient)
• The name of the dish
• The URL of the post in which the dish appears
• Please attach a photo of the dish (max 500 pix wide) to your e-mail 

  

Basil Lemon Drop Martini

My brother just returned from St. Maarten where one of our favourite restaurants is owned and operated by a family friend. Temptation Restaurant is all about fine dining and the most interesting of cocktails. Have a vacation planned to St. Maarten? You'll have to get to Temptation; it's worth the trip.

Paul Peterson bartender extraordinaire at Temptation gave us his recipe for this absolutely incredible Basil Lemon Drop Martini. As you've already heard, lemons are in surplus these days and this recipe just raises the bar up yet another notch. Paul has been the gold medal winner twice in the Taste of the Caribbean bartending competitions. When you try this martini, there will be absolutely no doubt in your mind that it was created by someone with a refined palette.





2 oz. Absolute Citron (we used regular Absolute)
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz basil syrup
1 oz pineapple juice

To make Basil Syrup:

We made a large quantity to have on hand because we knew we couldn't just have one.

4 cups sugar
4 cups water

Bring to a boil to make simple syrup, cool, refrigerate
Take a handful of fresh basil leaves, put them in a blender and just cover with simple syrup. Blend well.

To Make Martini:

The proportion above is for a single martini; just adjust the proportions.
In a shaker, put ice cubes, vodka, basil syrup and pineapple juice. Shake together and pour.





Visually, once you pour this martini and let it sit for a minute, you'll notice that your basil syrup will have some settling in the bottom of the glass. The martini is beautiful to look at and the finish is smooth with a hint of basil.



Paul - you rock!!! This martini is probably the best I've ever had. It's no wonder you're a two time award winner.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberries

Day 2 of lemon-mania. It's really surprising how quickly you can use up a pile of citrus when you put your mind to it. Two Peas and Their Pod had lemon ricotta pancakes posted and they looked fabulous. Not only were they fabulous, they were quick and easy to make. The only alteration I made to the recipe is a change of all-purpose flour to whole wheat flour.

I made a double recipe and had enough to feed 8 people. It's almost embarassing to admit that this is the first time I've made pancakes from scratch. I'll never go back to store bought again. Although I didn't make the blueberry sauce; just added blueberries to the actual pancakes we all loved them.

To make the blueberry sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water

1. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and stir in lemon juice and cornstarch mixture. Stir until the sauce thickens slightly. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

To make the pancakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon canola oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, egg, egg whites, lemon juice, lemon zest, and canola oil. Gently fold this mixture into the dry ingredients until flour disappears. Don't over mix. The batter will be thick.



3. Heat a griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Drop about 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot griddle or skillet. Cook the pancakes until browned on the underside and beginning to set, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side, about two minutes longer. Continue making pancakes until batter is gone. Serve warm with blueberry sauce or maple syrup or both.



And... to start the day we made a bowl full of lemon mint water with a splash of maple syrup.

Lemon Drop Martini

Time for Giz to run away from the cold of Toronto and spend some time in warmer climes. I do have to admit, though, that the winter this year has been extremely moderate so really not too much to complain about. As in past years, we have some fun with mixology while we're on vacation. The good news is that the Betty Ford Center is only minutes away. Last year's drink of choice was an Appletini . This year we checked the Food Network and found a Lemon Drop Martini. Tart and sweet, let me just put a caveat on this drink - go slow and savour. It has an incidious kick to it, but oh so yummy.


Ingredients

1 ½ ounces vodka
½ ounce triple sec (you could use Cointreau)
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
4 -5 ice cubes superfine sugar, for the martini glass rim lemon twists

Directions

Chill martini glasses in freezer for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.
Place Vodka, Triple Sec, lemon juice and sugar into a cocktail shaker with 4-5 ice cubes and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
Run the lemon twist around the edge of the chilled martini glass and dunk in a small amount of sugar for a coated rim.
Pour the strained martini into the chilled glasses and serve.

President's Choice Holiday 2011

I recently received the holiday package of samples from the Holiday Insider's Report . How beautiful is the container the PC products came in? Kudos to the marketing team that put together this campaign - it's brilliant!


It made me think about those timeless memories that we all have about the anticipation of holidays. Sit back and think about what those are for you. Do you remember your growing up years and the etched in stone traditions of the holidays? Do you have young children that you're creating new memories with? Wouldn't you love to just be able to put time in a bottle?



The rituals of the holidays include family, friends and equally as important is the food we enjoy and share. I don't know about you but for some reason, this year feels like it was a total blur and I can't figure out how it's getting to be Cbanukkah and Christmas again. Every year I make myself entirely crazy over prepping for the holidays. Not doing it this year. Well, at least I'm going to enlist some help. I'm thankful to be able to have a large variety of food products available at reasonable prices that are either ready to go or require minimal preparation.

So many delicious looking new and tested ideas for entertaining. When I'm going through new products to review I generally like to take everything out, check each item individually firstly for how appealing it is to me and would be to my family and secondly (and equally important) I check the ingredients. While I was doing that I came upon one item that it been the only product I'd received, I would have had a smiling girl for the whole day. For those who don't know me, I have a wierd and wonderful connection to all things peanut butter. I'm wierd and the peanut butter is wonderful.


Peanut butter pretzels with white candy topping - oh my gawd!!!! In my opinion, this is a treat that should be available to everyone during the holidays and beyond. I know it will be in my home.
The second thing that immediately caught my attention was a bottle of Memories of Morocco.
I like to buy chicken when it's on sale. I marinate and freeze it in zip lock bags and defrost it in the fridge with the marinade day before. Memories of Morocco is an ideal marinade for this. The combination of sweet and spicy with the fragrance of Moroccan spices is hypnotic. I shared the bottle with a neighbour who is from the Middle East and her evaluation was the same as mine. Her comment to me was "why bother making it at home; this is terrific". That's the whole message with the new PC products; if you've got a product that's not hard on the wallet and fills a need while saving you your precious time I can't find an argument to not buy it. See how easy it is to put together a great meal in minutes.

I'm happy to share some of the newer branded PC products with you;
Do you enjoy a dark roast cup of coffee?

or a decandent Dulche de Leche decaf

or try something you might never have even thought of ...

Looking for some quick and easy appetizer ideas? How about Blue Cheese with Walnut Canapes?




Timeless melba toast that works with so many toppings:

with Goat Cheese and Cranberry (my personal favourite)

or just plain Goat Cheese

While you're busy in the kitchen and wrapping gifts, don't forget to keep yummies on hand for the kids;

Give yourself some munchie treats while you're at it.

You're not going to stop creating old family favourites but instead of slaving over so many different varieties, give yourself a break with some of these ageless treats AND get the kids to chip in - isn't this what memories are made of?







Who says you can't add chocolate chips :)

Now if I could find an elf that would wrap everything for me, life would be complete. There are the gifts for the concierge, the mailman, newspaper boy/girl, friends down the hall, teachers and hairdressers to name just a few. Who wouldn't enjoy some of these'




(I love that the biscotti has a COR that makes it kosher/dairy. A fabulous Hanukkah gift.








I can see this post is getting very long but I still have much to share. Stay tuned for further posts on making memories with President's Choice.

Organic Meadow

I was thrilled to have been contacted to be part of a blogger group to tour

Birchwind Holsteins - The Vice Family Farm . We were met by the incredibly hospitable Debbie and Ron Vice.

The visit was arranged to give exposure to organic farming in Ontario. I had no preconceived ideas of what to expect and found that what I learned is so important for my family and also to share with others so that we all make conscious choices about what we're eating and drinking. The Vice Farm is part of a local cooperative called Organic Meadow . As a Co-operative, Organic Meadow provides a unique opportunity for organic farmers to collectively store, process and market organically-grown products including organic milk, organic dairy products, organic eggs and organic grains. Their goal is to unite small family farms under one brand, letting them share in the benefits of their marketing efforts. Organic Meadow is committed to ensuring fair, consistent financial returns to its farmers while maintaining quality at every stage, from soil to table.

We've all heard of and many use organic products but do we always know exactly what it means to be organic. Here's what I learned about becoming and maintaining an organic farm:

What makes organic milk certified organic?

1. The land farmed using conventional methods must go through a three-year transitional period during which time and from then after, no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or fungicides can be used, in order to clear the land of synthetic elements and restore it to its natural fertility.

2. Dairy cows must be fed feed produced under organic practices for 12 months before organic certification.

3. Livestock cannot be fed or treated with breeding and growth hormones.

4. Livestock must be provided with ample sized accommodations and with plenty of room to socialize.

5. Manure must be properly composted and used as a natural fertilizer.

6. Sustainable crop rotation must be practiced using crops that enrich the soil's fertility.

7. Detailed records must be kept. After the transition period has been completed, the farm is inspected by a third party certification agency as well as every year thereafter to ensure organic practices are maintained.

8. Certification doesn't end at the farm. Milk transporters and processors must be certified organic as well.

We met several of the cows and in particular, this one ready to calf anytime:

and next door is the nursery...

and where the calves hang out...

Ron spoke to the process of milking, processing and shipping of organic milk...

Time for lunch ...

Have you tried these President's Choice organic crackers? They're incredible with cheese; try them!!!

We went on the most incredible hayride to see a visually stunning landscape and learn about the nutrients added to organic fields. I admit I had no idea how cost intensive maintaining organic fields really is.

and back in time to see the cows going out to pasture.

Many of the farms in Ontario welcome visitors and trust me, your kids will love it and you'll be in awe of the dedication of our farmers to bring organics to our tables. I certainly have a new found respect for our farmers. They work long, hard hours and deserve our support!

Links:

Organic Week October 15-22, 2011

Dairy Farmers of Canada

Dairy Farmers of Ontario

Canadian Organic Growers

David Suzuki Foundation

Vice Family Farm