food

girl cutting apples
Brenna

Last night, I had the time of my life cooking with two wonderful women.

Living across the country from my family is not always easy. It has been exciting and challenging and difficult, although I would not trade it for anything in the world. I have learned some hard lessons and things about myself: one of those things being the absolute necessity of female friendships.

I have a lot to thank the women in my family for.

They taught me how to bake, the importance of patience, and the value of knowing your own strength. They taught me to trust myself, how to be there for others, and all the best swear words (thanks Margret 😉). Not all the lessons I learned from them were spoken, most often they were from a look or a smile, and I think the majority of them were learned toiling over food. I’ve said before that I love how cooking brings people together and while that is certainly true of eating, it’s true of all the time put into the food as well.

I love the silent camaraderie of working on a project alongside someone. And I love this even more when the project involves food.

It has been a long time since I have had a traditional Thanksgiving feast! Being a few provinces away from my family leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to family holidays. My first year in Ottawa my mom (and aunt, and cousins, much to my surprise) made the journey out to see me! It was a wonderful surprise and memorable weekend with my family. I’ve been lucky enough to be embraced by my beau’s family for the past four Thanksgivings, so all in all I have nothing to complain about. However, I can’t help but miss home this time of year.

This year, my roommate and I are hosting a belated Thanksgiving for our friends, or “Friendsgiving”.

I think the event will be a blast, and I am so excited for the food! It is rare we all get a chance to take a break from our busy schedules to visit and feast. And if it is half as fun as the prep work it will be a guaranteed blast.

I think the fellowship of cooking is heightened when preparing for an event, as a task that might usually be boring can become a work of art. After all, you are no longer just making something for yourself. Regular tasks become festive, and the anticipation is palpable. I am so glad I got to work alongside two friends who have become much more like family. (Real talk though, Hannah uses Tenderflake in her pie crust, so I think my family might just adopt her).

Here I would like to extend my most sincere thank you to two wonderful friends.

I won’t lie, I was very daunted at the thought of co-hosting a Thanksgiving celebration. My Mom, and aunts, and grandma produce the most amazing of Thanksgiving feasts. I couldn’t help but wonder how it would be possible to pull off a feat like this without them. But with the help of you two, I think we did it! Also because Meaghan is my soul sister when it comes to love of all things pumpkin ( PUMPKIN GNOCCHI HERE WE COME!).

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I loved getting flour all over the kitchen, and organizing spray painted gourds on the table. I enjoyed the peeling, and chopping, and rolling, and boiling, and mixing and cleaning that we powered through last night. But most of all, I love you guys. Thank you for reminding me how powerful the quiet bond of cooking is. You reminded me the importance of having women in your life that you can dance around the kitchen and sing Fleetwood Mac with. You make my heart happy, and I am thankful.

 

 

 

 

 

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Twyla

Each year, the second Monday of October, we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. A counterpart celebration to a Thursday in late November for our neighours South of the 49th parallel. A time for gratitude and family, and to switch to colder weather clothing. Our seasons are more pronounced here in the prairie provinces. Especially Summer and Winter. Some years it feels as though we glaze past Spring and Fall in far too big a hurry. Our days are already noticeably shorter! Beautiful autumnal foliage abounds, brought on by dropping temperatures and a few brief dalliances with snow. Warm toned leaves holding on for dear life as brisk winds sweep over our landscapes.

Yes, it’s sweater season. Add a toque. A scarf. Maybe even wool socks. Boots.

But we don’t mind, us hearty Canucks are happy for anything above -40°C! Our thankfulness and appreciation worn on our shirtsleeves this time of year, as we celebrated our Thanksgiving this last weekend.

This is a time for family, reflection, appreciation and great food.

When we gather for a family meal, it is a feast! Generations of stuffing and gravy making skills have culminated in our kin. We produce fantastic fares for the holidays. Tips and tricks passed on through the lineage, create pleasing experiences for the eye, palate and stomach. While we tend to stick to the tried and true, every once in a while a new recipe joins the fold.

I could go on and on about my pride in family and family gatherings. I love them so dearly. But today I’m stuck on one aspect of the get-together: dessert!

Talk about blessings, I was born into a long line of very gifted women in the kitchen.

Pies are the Thanksgiving dessert of choice in our clan. All sorts of fruit pies, made from scratch, with love. My earliest pie memories; Grandma Nellie made the best apple pies. For many years, Mom took on the endeavour. She claims that she never cared for making pies. But obviously enough to make them great. Her lemon meringue pie cannot be beat!

I believe I was about 12 years old when I learned to bake pies. I quickly garnered it’s much more involved than muffins, breads or cakes; there is an art to it. And for some reason, just like my Mom, to this day, I’ve never baked just one. If I’m committing to bake a pie, a minimum of 6 are created. I laugh to myself, while skimming a magazine or Pinterest, when I encounter a recipe for a single piecrust, I immediately dismiss it. If the first ingredient listed doesn’t ask for 4 or more cups of flour, this recipe is not for me. It simply seems disrespectful to the craft!

I’ve made my fair share of pies over the years.

For family meals, special events, and just because. I take great joy in the process and the end products. As a young girl, Brenna took to these pastries!  A natural, if not a little messy, in the kitchen. After a few years of refining her skills, I think she was  about 14 when she made them the first time for the family Thanksgiving meal. They were amazing! Pies quickly became her specialty. She soon tweaked and reinvented and expanded her repertoire. We gladly sampled her fares.

This year, while Brenna remains clear across the country. Her cousin Kenny stepped up to the task!  True to teenager form, she even experimented with a new found piecrust recipe! Dangerous territory.  The results were tantalizing. Sitting there that evening, slicing through the flaky layers on my way through a gorgeous slice of peach pie. I knew exactly what I was most thankful for. Each beautiful bakers’ rendition of a classic recipe. Pie. Good old fashioned, home made pie, created and eaten with love. Pie. Tradition.

 

 

 

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quesadillas on a plate
Brenna

You know how sometimes you have those go-to recipes under your belt? Something that’s likely quick, awfully satisfying, and ignites the warm and fuzzy on the inside? A dish that makes you feel nostalgic and content. It is exactly what you need after a long day, or a rough night? Well for me, that recipe is for quesadillas.

And not just any quesadilla’s, I’m talking about the quesadilla’s that they used to serve at The Three Amigos Cafe.

quesadillas ready to be cooked

 

Now, I know you’re thinking to yourself (or at least Pop is as he reads this over) “Jeez Brenna, what are you doing? This is a farming blog!” Yeah, I know, I know, but bear with me. I like food. I like making food, and eating food (I mean, who doesn’t?), and talking about food, and taking pictures of food, and pretty soon I’ll be blogging about food (more on that another time).

 

One of my favourite things about food is how it brings people together.

Making muffins, and cooking up dinners were always a great way I could contribute to the work on the farm. When I was too small to operate a tractor or chase the cows, I was at least able to toss together a batch of something delicious. I loved seeing my family gathered around the table (or sitting on the grass, or in the back of a pick-up, or in the cab of a tractor) enjoying something I had made them.  A favourite memory I cherish is of my parents enjoying a mid-summer supper, long ago.  The night Jess and I created a restaurant experience for Mom and Pop serving up quesadillas,  piping hot.

cheese, salsa and flour tortillas

Quesadillas are easy to make, like SUPER easy.

You can make them with so many different ingredients, they cook up in a snap, they aren’t toooooo unhealthy, and my goodness they are satisfying. When I was about 8 years old I found a recipe for them in a kid-friendly cookbook, and they became just the handiest snack around.

I quickly got Jess hooked on them, and we made them after school whenever Mom had the ingredients on hand. One summer evening when Mom and Pop were out in the field working away, and Jess and I on kitchen duty, we knew just what to make. In the spirit of Mary Poppins, my favourite thing to do when it comes came to chores is was to turn the upcoming project into a game…and that summer night The Three Amigos Restaurant was born.

As he was always better at drawing than me, and because I was the oldest and thought it better for me to deal with the oven, Jess oversaw the menus…

menu card

handmade menu for quesadilla supper

 

We knew that Mom and Pop had been working hard all day, so we decided to really roll out the red carpet for them, with a variety of different drinks, an appetizer, and two (gasp!) different types of quesadillas up for order.

It seems silly thinking back on this now, but this memory of a small contribution to farming is one of my dearest. I love summer on the farm; how the hard work brings people together, and the evenings spent around the table with everyone after toiling in the hot sun.

For this reason, these quesadillas are my go to. Sometimes I put eggs or veggies (woohoo I’m so healthy), but most of the time I do them Three Amigos Style, just like what Mom and Pop got when they came in for food that summer night. It wasn’t the fanciest meal, but it was made with the utmost love and best intentions.

Here’s the recipe below if you’d like to give it a try, let me know how it turns out!

quesadillas

 

Three Amigos Cafe Quesadillas

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (for 4 quesadillas):

  • 1 1/3 cup salsa (your spice preference, I’m a fan of spicy, but you do you)
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 4 flour tortilla shells
  • additional toppings to your hearts’ content. Refried beans are a Three Amigos favourite, but you can also add cooked veggies, chicken, beef, or a scrambled egg.

 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (not mandatory, but it makes clean up easier!).
  2. Place tortillas on cookie sheet, and place 1/3 cup of salsa on each tortilla, spreading it so it covers half of it.
  3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheddar, and any additional toppings, on top of the salsa, and fold the tortillas in half.
  4. Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes on each side.
  5. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then slice into 3 or 4 triangles (a pizza cutter works best).
  6. Enjoy! (They are AMAZING dipped in sour cream or guacamole).
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