Food – Page 14 – Just An East Coast Girl

~Heritage Day 2016~

Nova Scotia Heritage Day 2016

Perhaps no one shaped Nova Scotian politics, literature or freedom of the press more than Joseph Howe, youngest son of John Howe. He expressed his love for the province in all he did, from the push for responsible government to his Halifax inspired poetry, such as the Ode to the Town Clock (1836).

As publisher of The Novascotian, a spirited and popular newspaper with commentaries on the day’s events, Howe loyally promoted notable Nova Scotian literature, including the first of Judge Thomas Chandler Haliburton’s Sam Slick series.

Joseph Howe is perhaps best known for his rousing speeches. In particular, the 1835 defence of free speech for the press. Howe had been accused of libel for comments found in The Novascotian towards the magistrates. He was called before the court, and as no lawyer would defend him, Howe represented himself. He spoke to the court for two days, and after a short deliberation, was acquitted of all charges. The event is commemorated on a statue of Howe located next to Nova Scotia Province House. At the base is a bronze plaque showing the newspaper publisher addressing the court.

Howe eventually became a member of the Legislature in 1836, then Premier from 1860-1863, and then finally, a federal cabinet minister. He was appointed Lieutenant Governor for a short time before his death in 1873 and now lies buried beneath a slab of Nova Scotian granite in Camp Hill Cemetery.

Joseph Howe is this year’s Heritage Day Honouree…

It’s fun to celebrate our beautiful province on Heritage Day. And what better way then with some traditional local food. Last year we enjoyed homemade Beavertails and Lobster. This year I went for something a little different … Sauerkraut and mashed potatoes! This is a Lunenburg county meal and my family loves it. And for dessert…Apple Pie with Ice Cream. ( February is Apple Month in Nova Scotia) Delish!

And of course, I was sportin’ my comfy Nova Scotia tartan and enjoying my coffee from my NS mug. lol Happy Heritage Day!

A PERFECT day for Pancakes

Cozy inside…it’s a BLIZZARD out there!

Yesterday these were the headlines for Nova Scotia…schools were cancelled, flights cancelled and delayed, Facebook was a buzz with people posting questions and comments as to whether the storm had started. It was windy, very windy all morning as we waited… Screen Shot 2016-02-08 at 9.21.18 AM Screen Shot 2016-02-08 at 9.31.44 AM

and waited… and at about 1:30pm yesterday it started. Snow and wind and yes siree, a good old fashioned East Coast Maritime Blizzard. It snowed and blowed all night!!

So today, again, there’s no school and we are cozy inside ( after shovelling) Well, I didn’t shovel this one. David had to work early so he was up at 3am snow blowing and a little guy came knocking on our door this morning wanting to shovel the driveway so James hired him! And then James went out and helped him and they did the back deck instead. We paid him ( gotta encourage them when they’re young) and then James finished the driveway with the snow blower.

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So now, we are cozy inside eating pancakes with maple syrup because it’s Tuesday and it’s Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Tuesday! Yum!

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The sun is shining and everything is melting…ENJOY your storm day!

新年快乐 🎉🎉🎉🎉🐒

It’s the YEAR of THE MONKEY!

As the sun rises…Today January 8th is the first day of Chinese Lunar New Year!

For many of China’s lunar holidays, people of northern China like to eat jiaozi (Chinese dumplings). Why are jiaozi so popular? Why do people always choose to eat jiaozi during the holidays?
Writer and lecturer of studies of Chinese ancient civilization, Wang Fengchen, explains that the earliest jiaozi were eaten in the Three Kingdoms Period when there were wonton in the shape of a crescent moon. Moving on to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, people ate jiaozi, back then called wonton, together with noodle soup. Only in the Tang Dynasty did people start to eat jiaozi without the soup. During the Song Dynasty, the name “jiaozi” began to evolve.
Apart from their rich history, jiaozi have been popular for many other reasons. Wang thinks jiaozi are the favorite food for the northern Chinese. I have to agree!! He says, They’re not only delicious, but also very simple to make. Different places have their different ways of making and eating jiaozi. For example, in some of the southern cities in China, jiaozi are made in the shape of ear of wheat, while people from the north tend to make jiaozi like crescent moons. People from some places like to eat jiaozi together with noodles, implying a wish for great fortune. Based on the auspicious shape of jiaozi, it usually has implications for wealth or a good harvest, which is why people like to eat jiaozi for luck and especially at New Year.
At the beginning of the hottest part of the summer, the beginning of autumn, the beginning of winter, the winter solstice, as well as the lunar New Year eve, people will eat jiaozi, rewarding past successes and hoping for good fortune in the following days. Chinese people have the tradition of being thrifty in managing a household, and as jiaozi are a delicious delicacy, people like to save them for important occasions. After being passed down for a thousand years, eating jiaozi has become an important part of Chinese culture.

And eating jiaozi on the 1st Day of the New Year is tradition. Guess what’s for dinner tonight?

Jiaozi!!!

and meatball soup and noodles!!!! Lots of favourites!!

新年快乐…快乐猴年 🐒

It’s Super Bowl Time 🏈

It’s that time of year…Super Bowl Sunday!

superbowl-www.bestseatsfast.com_ The Denver Broncos meet The Carolina Panthers.

Lady Gaga sang the National Anthem!

Got my jersey on ( ok so sadly Cowboys aren’t playing, but it’s all I got lol) ✓

Got some eats ✓

Let’s Go Broncos!!! 🏈

Great commercials ✓ Love the commercials.

My 2016 favourite…The Honda truck with the Goats

An AWESOME half time show ✓ Cold Play…Bruno Mars…and Beyonce

And the winner of Super Bowl 50 is…The Denver Broncos!!!! 24-10

It’s sure been a busy day! Goodnight all.

My HEART is in China today ❤

Some days I miss China more than others and today is one of them. So even though it is Super Bowl Sunday here in Canada and I am anticipating watching the game later (and will make some fun treats for that. It will be a two post day) it was all about Chinese New Year’s Eve.

This is the biggest holiday in China and the New Year’s Eve Family Reunion meal, CCTV New Year’s Eve Gala and Fireworks is “the thing to do” on this evening, which is actually morning and noon time here. So we did. I watched the Gala LIVE, and made some of our favourites including jiaozi, we lit sparklers before our meal ( fireworks is tradition ) and enjoyed our favourites. James even got a red envelope ( hong bao) because he is “young” and also because it is his year… The year of the Monkey. I also chatted and called a few of my Chinese friends and family. I’m so thankful for technology and excellent internet for live streaming.

Oh how I miss China…新年快乐！

January 9 ~ A Photo A Day ~

January 9

Merry Christmas From Nova Scotia ~ East Coast Style!

Nothing says East Coast and Christmas more than a great feed of lobster. After all, it’s Lobster season here along the East Coast and it’s time to enjoy our annual Christmas time tradition of Lobster ( a little extra seafood too)

Yes B’y

Christmas shopping is so much fun! Yes B’y she sure is!! lol I especially love finding different and unique gifts. An trip to some of Halifax’s Malls and shops and there are all kinds of interesting possibilities.

We stopped in to one very interesting shop to browse…who doesn’t love chocolate? And this here shop is Newfoundland Chocolate.

It started as little more than a hobby for Christina and Brent, both graduate students at Memorial University of Newfoundland and is now a famous Artisian Crafted Chocolate Company.

A bit of “Their story” From the Newfoundland Chocolate company’s website...Boxes weren’t just boxes of chocolates; they proudly displayed iconic scenes of the company’s namesake on the covers and instead of just descriptions of the chocolates inside the box, there were maps of Newfoundland and Labrador. For example, a chocolate wouldn’t just be a chocolate with blueberries, it would be a chocolate featuring incredible Newfoundland blueberries and would be named after, where else, but the blueberry capital of Newfoundland – Brigus.

The bars would feature those iconic jellybean houses that dot the streets of St. John’s with their colour and character. The pan rolled beads of chocolate would be Newfoundland Chocolate Beach Pebbles and when it came time to name the Easter Bunnies, well they just had to be Joey, Danny and Clyde after some of Newfoundland’s most famous or infamous Premiers. And, when terms of endearment were chosen for the valentine’s day bars, they wouldn’t say, ‘be mine’, they’d say ‘Me Duckie’ and ‘Some Sweet’.

Everything about the Newfoundland Chocolate Company would be a celebration of not only delicious artisan crafted chocolate but of the culture, beauty and charm of Newfoundland. Brent and Christina’s vision was to bring Newfoundland and Labrador to the world by making the best, most delicious, most artistically crafted and beautiful chocolates around.

Such a cool store! So if you haven’t found the perfect gift or stocking stuffer for someone…maybe treat them to some nice chocolate…Yum, it’s delicious and FUN even for a Saturday mid morning treat this time of year!

Yes B’y!!

The Reindeer Cam

Oh how I wish there was such a thing when my kids were growing up!

I was browsing the internet and came across this site. So cool. You can watch Santa looking after his reindeer getting ready for the big night. It’s less than a week a way…

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It’s Friday and I made a new munchie snack for watching Christmas movies and specials this weekend.

It’s called Reindeer Chow.

1 WEEK til CHRISTMAS! Have a great weekend.

Oh my darling…

Oh my darling, Oh my darling Clementine ♫♫♫

Here’s a Thursday Throwback! I remember singing this song on the tire swing growing up as a kid.

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Yesterday I picked up a bag of clementines at the market ( I eat so many of them this time of year) and they made me smile and think of this!

Darling Clementines

So I HAD to do some research…does clementine oranges have something to do with the song? I didn’t think so

This is what Wikipedia had to say

While at first the song seems to be a sad ballad sung by a bereaved lover about the loss of his darling, the daughter of a miner in the 1849 California Gold Rush, as the verses continue it becomes obvious that the song is in fact a tongue-in-cheek parody of a sad ballad. For example, in the second verse we learn that Clementine’s feet are so big that she has to wear boxes instead of shoes (presumably because size 9 shoes are not available); hardly a detail that would be mentioned in a serious romantic ballad. Her “tragic demise” is caused by a splinter in her toe that causes her to fall and drown – clearly a ridiculous accident, but told in a deadpan style. Finally, at the end of the song, the lover forgets his lost love after one kiss from Clementine’s “little sister”.

Gerald Brenan attributes the melody to originally being an old Spanish Ballad in his book South from Granada. It was made popular by Mexican miners during the Gold Rush. It is unclear when, where and by whom the song was first recorded in English for others to hear but the first version to reach the Billboard charts was that by Bing Crosby in 1941 when it briefly touched the No. 20 spot.

And I also found some other interesting facts!

An instrumental version was used in the movie Back to the Future Part III.
The song plays during the opening credits for the John Ford movie My Darling Clementine, with Henry Fonda. It also runs as a background score all through the movie.
It is used as background music in another John Ford film, The Grapes of Wrath, also starring Henry Fonda.
A North Korean musical movie from 1972, The Flower Girl, used the song’s melody as its main theme.
Scooby Doo whistled the tune in the episode featuring the Miner 49’er.
A birthday version with Chinese lyrics is featured in the 2001 movie Quitting.
The melody is used in “Xin Nian Hao Ya”, a Chinese New Year song. Ahh…yes…the Chinese New Year song, I knew it sounded familiar!!!

So it’s kinda funny…nothing to do at all with clementine’s.

And in case you don’t remember the song. Check this out while you’re enjoying some clementines today.

Happy Thursday!