Bookmarkin my time away...

How could I forget you little blog. Lost in my growing list of links and favourite sites. You were right there, between pinterest and facebook. How awful of me.

Here are a few things that i've busy bookmarking!

In honour of Fat Tuesday (which is tomorrow): Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

To rebound : Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup
Such a perfect soup to enjoy in winter. Thick and rich, all thats needed is some crusty sourdough!!

And for valentines! Salted Caramel Brownies

smitten kitchen is a blog i've been following for some time now. I love her layout, photos and recipes. Its right up there on my fav's bar, on the other side of pinterst.

I've also just discovered that you can do simple photo shop online without having to install the program!  Photoshop express editor. talk about handy!

and Question:  have always wanted to make your own vegetable stock but then thought about it, felt like it was too much of a process to bother, so you went out and bought it? ya me too... but then I read this article and said "Thats not hard!!" Take a quick glance and maybe you too will be motivated to save your scraps! (and dollars)

Try something new...

I enjoy new things.
New clothes.
New restaurants.
New jobs.
New strange recipes!

I tried these out about 10 minutes ago: Dark Chocolate Avocado cookies...
I tweaked the recipe slightly - used a little less brown sugar, added chopped walnuts, reduced the amount of chocolate chips, added a pinch or two of salt..
They turned out quite tasty! I would definitely add more chocolate chips than I did (trying to be "good" isn't always yummy) - it's not an overly sweet or rich recipe due to the lack of butter, so they wouldn't hurt. They also don't TASTE like avocado. Its a quite mellow flavour and easy to play around with.

Dark Chocolate Avocado Cookies

Makes about 24 1 inch cookies. Adapted from Greatist

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed avocado - make sure it's ripe!

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or gluten free flour)
1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
 

3 - 4 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips (depending on how chocolaty you want em)

4 tbsp chopped walnuts

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

"Cream" the avocado and sugar together in a food processor or by hand in a large mixing bowl using a spoon and fork. Blend until well incorporated. Make sure there are no large clumps - avocado wont melt like butter!
Add the vanilla and cider vinegar to the avocado and stir to combine.
In a medium mixing bowl, bring your dry ingredients together: Flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder. Mix to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the avocado and stir until smooth and well incorporated.
Stir in the final ingredients - chocolate chips and walnuts were my choice but feel free to use white chocolate chunks for a double chocolate variety, or add flax seeds and different nuts.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon out a tablespoon sized scoop of dough. The cookies do not flatten out, so make sure to press them down if you want a more "cookie-like" cookie. I like them messy!
Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool before stuffing your face!

Enjoy!
K

It’s September!

And that means new.
I know I don’t go to school anymore but September always felt like the beginning of the year to me. New clothes, new writing materials, a new season with new friends. It’s still a fairly warm month but man, are those mornings brisk.
It makes me want to curl up and read or bake things with pumpkin and chai. Enjoy hot chocolate and get new cozy ponchos. Hibernation starts to set in, it’s all very strange. (And I never do end up doing those cozy things. I just think about them….)
So I decided to embrace it and just let summer go – I know it’ll be back eventually. If not, there’s always Spain. Or India. I hear it’s pretty hot over there.
In honour of accepting this “new year” I cooked up some fall-ish goodies last night. I treated someone to a night off in the kitchen and although it was a well intentioned and selfless act, I enjoyed myself immensely.
Try out Chef Michael Smiths totally yummy ratatouille here. It was the BEST veggie dish I’ve had in a while – and the fresh herbs make the difference. It tastes like France.
I also made this quinoa and we had BBQ salmon in this marinade.
A perfect summer-almost-fall menu!
Enjoy
K

Technorati Tags: ratatouille,quinoa,salmon,recipe,michael smith,september,fall,cooking

Another change...

Well, my venture out west didn't exactly go as planned.
It was awful. One of the WORST working experiences to date. I figured I would come home with some really great knowledge and inspiration about running a business and smart horsemanship.
I didn't.
I did learn however that integrity, honesty and safety should be top priorities! Otherwise, your pooched. Up shit creek.
So I guess I can take that with me!
Anyways. Now I'm back home!
I had a fantastic drive back - with some amazing company. Got to see some orca whales and go to the Calgary stampede! Not quite a "vacation", but an unforgettable excursion for sure.
And I've decided to change direction. I'm heading into the culinary world! More specifically, baking. I love it. All aspects of it! I just want to know all about it and learn to perfect it. I got my resumes out asap and luckily landed a job in Toronto at an awesome little bakery. So now I can be in the kitchen quite regularly! I'd like to do some experimenting as well and try out vegan baking. There's a huge market out there for it and I feel like its not being satisfied!
While travelling through Manitoba, we came across a great little burger joint called Boon! Canadas first all vegan burger cafe. We decided to try it out and I was really impressed. The food was to die for! Its a hard switch to vegan (or vegetarian for that matter!) but I love dabbling in different types if cuisine!

Check out their website @ http://www.boonburger.ca/

And if your interested like me, give these cookies a try.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Totally on my bake list today.

Enjoy!
x
K

**UPDATE: Made those cookies and hot damn! Totally delicious.

Lend a helping hand…

It’s been pretty slow here on the ranch. The guests are few, the food is too much and the amount of rain is just ridiculous.

Its been raining since May. MAY!!

It’s becoming very depressing. Pancakes were the highlight of my day today…

ugh

But, we did have one ray of sunshine! Her name was Alwyn, and she was a spunky short blond from New Zealand! She was great – really honest, super funny and pretty smart around the horses. I really enjoyed having her here – she’s just started a tour of Canada so I got to travel and live vicariously through her. She told me about the different tours she plans on taking and all the sights she wants to see. She told me I could come ride with her in New Zealand and tempted me with tales of cheap horses. And, she dropped a great nugget of information! She told me about an organization called Helpx. It’s much like Couchsurfing, but instead of doing nothing for your room and board, the guest lends a helping hand to their host! It’s usually farms, ranches, winerys or B&B’s that are offering, but sometimes you find families who need help around the house or young couples who are just starting up their business. The best part is that it's world wide! Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Europe! It’s a great way to learn, meet new people and travel on a tight budget. There’s a small fee for signing up, but it’s a 2 year membership and has great reviews online.

So in all this gloom, there's a little beam of light! People helping people.

Ahhh, joy in the small things.

Check it out here:  HelpX

K

The flora and fauna

Just a few of the creatures and plants in the neighbourhood...

Gopher - incredibly annoying and multiply quickly!

Mule Deer - They frequently visit our property. We also see them out on the trails and in the horse pastures.

all warm and... onion-ey

Finally! My day off...
I had been planning this since my last day off.
I was pumped! Excited to relax, watch movies and buy some new cowboy boots!
Unfortunately, days off don't usually go the way you would like. That's just the way it is.
Turns out that instead of getting myself a brand new spankin pair of cowboy boots! I got to get myself some new transmission belts.

yaaaay

I needed a pick me up so I made this for dinner. It did the trick. (With some help from Matt Damon and his sweetness - "We bought a zoo" is a pretty great mood lifter) Thanks Joy and Matt.

French Onion Soup Sandwiches

A day in the life...

So I'm still slowly settling in. It's taking a while to get all sorted and adjust to a totally different lifestyle. I miss not being able to do things like cook and make a phone call. The air is much drier. The mornings are much earlier! And aside from days off, I rarely leave the property. But the staff are all really nice (3 are from Ontario!), the views are stunning and on my days off I can explore BC.

I've been here for about 3 weeks now though and have become used to my daily routine.
An average day looks something like this:
6:27am - Rise and shine! It's very early but I've had about 7 - 8 hrs of sleep.
6:45am - Roll out of bed.
7:am - Meet Steve (the other wrangler) downstairs. He's all bright and cheery because he's been up since 6 and has already had 2 cups of coffee.
7:01am - Yawn at Steve.
7:05am - 7:40am - Go out, hop on the ATV and drive around the property - the horses have been grazing on pasture all night and need to come in to the main field. Once they're in, we check them all and make sure there are no injuries or missing shoes. This is the best part of my morning. I walk around for 20 mins patting ponies and talking to them in my baby voice.
8am - Breakfast!! Bacon and eggs every day! I pass however, and opt for cereal and fresh fruit. Maybe some yogurt if I'm feeling crazy. (Except Sundays - those are a free day! Bacon, eggs, toast, cereal, juice, fruit...cookies...whatever)
8:30am - Head down to the barn with Steve and start the real work - filling water troughs, grooming and tacking horses, feeding the kitties, driving the tractor, picking rocks, chatting to guests, scooping up poop...
10am - 12pm - Ride! We do a 2 hr morning ride (if all goes well and we get out on time) on the neighbouring crown land and check out the views. Since it's still early, we usually see deer and grouse, maybe some woodpeckers. Listen to the owls and gophers. And soon the bears will be out - we saw the first sign of them on Monday. Fresh bear droppings right in the middle of our trail! Today I was warned by a local that he saw a cub run into the woods 1/2 km up the road. Not what my client wanted to hear...
12:30pm - Lunch! Salad, soup, sandwiches, flatbreads or anything else Tammy (the Chef) whips up. She's a pretty amazing cook so its usually pretty great.
1:30pm - Get the horses watered and ready to go
2 pm - 4pm - Ride again! We head out on a different trail and see what we can find. Yesterday I picked up a little birds nest! And last week we saw a deer skeleton - we went back yesterday to pick up its head and antlers (I know! Super cool)
4:30 pm - Untack, groom and set the horses free. They all get sent back to graze and rest for the evening.
5pm - 7pm - Free time! If its been a hot or busy day, the staff all sit down and have a drink together and chat. If it's a little later, we usually head up to our apartments and shower before supper. It's at 7 sharp!
7pm - All the guests and staff sit down to a 3 course dinner! The table is massive (seats 18) and it takes about 5-10 mins for all the bowls, buns and butter to get passed around. It's usually a fun affair and we all tell stories and jokes about the day. Tracey (the owner) is usually asked a million questions about the Ranch and her horses.
8:30pm - Dinner is over. I'm stuffed after desert and way too tired to go for that walk I said I would go for. Sometimes I'll hop in the car to go for a drive and make a phone call (we have no cell service) or just head to my room for some well needed R&R. After a full day of chatting to people and working outdoors, I'm pooped. I'll usually read or go online until bedtime. Once and a while, if there are no guests staying over, the staff will sit down and watch a movie together. We have to do it early though, otherwise we'll never make it through!
10:30pm. Lights out.

Picture this…

 Here they are - Photos from my journey!

Monday! Just passing Toronto. Horrible rain till Sudbury.

Super cool washrooms at the truck stop. I also took a nap in the parking lot.

The sun decided to come out eventually.

Tuesday! Breakfast in Sault Ste Marie. Yes, I brought my own cereal!

That’s what it’s all about…

So we have this cd down at the barn that gets played pretty regularly. Mostly because, it’s the ONLY cd down there. I must admit that after listening to it about 28 times, its grown on me. I cant start my horsey day without it.

Brooks and Dunn - That's What It's All About

enjoy  =)

FYI

Due to the nature of my current position, I feel like the need to make sure I’m covered in terms of health insurance!
I did a little research and found that “a person can travel temporarily outside of Ontario and within Canada and continue to receive OHIP coverage (with some restrictions)." Apparently, as long I am physically present in Ontario for 153 days, I’m good! “Typically this coverage (while out-of-province but within Canada) is for physician and hospital services only”
If a private health facility service is required however, I will have to cover the costs myself or rely on travel insurance. Otherwise, for physician and public hospital services, you need only to find out whether they bill Ontario directly and if they do participate in a “reciprocal hospital billing agreement”
Interesting!
So for anyone interested in travelling within Canada for a little while, I suggest you read this:
Studying, Working or Travelling to Another Province or Territory Within Canada

And then, I suggest you read THIS:

Why bother with travel insurance if you're a Canadian travelling within Canada?

Trading in wheels for legs

Time to give the Hyundai a break! I can't believe it made it all the way across the country. In 6 days!
Aside from a speeding ticket, getting stuck in the sand and being horribly lost on my last day, it was a good trip! Not one I would make again any time soon, or alone for that matter, but definately a scenic drive. And I was so happy to be able to squeeze in some visits with friends and family!

I arrived late Saturday night and was able to take a nice day of rest yesterday- I set up my room, met the staff and spent the afternoon grooming the herd. The weather was fantastic and everyone was so welcoming, I couldn't have asked for a better start to the season!
Today we had the vet in to check on some of the horses and it was a horribly rainy cold day. As it turns out, im not actually IN Kamloops (where its a warmer desert type area). Im a little farther North in Heffley Creek (Sun Peaks is right next door) Were in the mountains. And its very cold. Today I was told to check out the peaks - where I was sure to find snow! Horrible. I hope it warms up soon, cause the clothes I brought are deffinately not suitable for this climate.

I was going to post a video, but unfortunately it wont load! And photos are taking forever so Ill have to figure that out too.  (its strange looking at them because I know I took them and I know I was there, but I have some trouble remembering driving through parts of it. I must have been very tired and overwhelmed...)

Just a lil thank you…

to all my friends and family who are supporting me on my new adventure.
I really appreciate all the visits, phone calls and messages. I don’t know what I’d do without you!

I left this morning a little later than I had initially planned but arrived safe and sound in Sault Ste Marie this evening. It was a rainy/snowy/windy drive to Sudbury, but luckily around 6pm the sun decided to come out and I made it to the Sault in sunshine!

I got here just in time to have a quick dinner and find a creepy motel. I’m trying not to think about what's crawling on the floors…

I was surprised to find gas is FAR more expensive up here than in Mississauga and Toronto. I was warned that it would go up but I was shocked by how much. I gassed up before I left at $1.30 – it jumped up to $1.40 in Sudbury and is currently a whopping $1.45 here in Sault Ste Marie.
GROSS. Thank god for gas cards…

All in all, a lovely trip so far! I’m hoping the weather holds up and I don’t see any snow. It’s quite lovely up here in Northern Ontario – this is actually the farthest North I’ve ever been! Tomorrow I plan to be up bright and early so I can hit the road for Thunder Bay.

just a lil homebaked goodness…..

I felt like I needed to do something other than pack. So I baked….
They aren’t the best scones i’ve had, but they aren’t bad. Top em with clotted cream and jam – reminds me of an English morning. Pair with tea, and its the best get away.
Cheers!
Blueberry Scones - Martha Stewart

Featuring…

I just stumbled upon this while checking out the Tod Mountain Ranch facebook page.
Super cool!

Top 50 Ranches - Tod Mountain Ranch

Headin’ West

I did it! I bit the bullet and landed a job out west. I’m moving to BC!  Well, temporarily.





I started looking for a job in the new year and was just recently offered a seasonal position working on a riding resort in British Columbia, North of Kamloops. I CANT WAIT! I’ll be leaving in just 2 short weeks and staying on the resort for the duration of my contract – from May to November.

I can’t believe I finally get to go and do what I’ve always wanted! It’ll be hard to leave family and friends again, especially since it feels like I just returned home. But at least I’m in the same country this time! Turns out its much bigger than it looks though…

The drive from Toronto to Kamloops is 4283 km. That’s… like… really far! If I drive 9 hrs a day, at 100 km an hr… that’s…

9hrs x 100km = 900 km

then

4283km / 900km day = 4.75 days…

that’s 5 days of driving!!  At 100 km an Hr!  NO STOPS!

But I’m actually looking forward to it and I plan on taking my time. I’ll stop to visit friends and family, see some stunning landscapes and tourist attractions. I’ve wanted to drive across Canada for a few years now, so I’m glad I get the opportunity to go now and enjoy the ride! I had envisioned it differently (like in an RV with a bunch of friends, camping and picnicking in strange parking lots and parks), but I’m sure I’ll still enjoy myself.

I plan on leaving the 23rd and should arrive at the ranch sometime on the 28th.

I hope my car makes it.

I’ve been doing my research lately and have tried to get some tips and pointers on where to stop to
stay and rest but can’t find anything online! Why is there not a blog dedicated to the great Trans
Can?! Cause I’d really appreciate it right about now…
I have a bunch of tourist books and maps from CAA, but they only help so much. And the Trans Canada website is good but I want some real peoples opinions and photos… I guess I’ll just do it myself.

Anyways, just thought I’d post the news! I’ll be updating pretty regularly now. So check in once and a while! I plan on keeping you all up to date with photos from the ranch and stories about my days on and off duty. I hope to get some time off so I can explore the West!
I have a bit of a “To Do/Wish List”

• Calgary Stampede - July 6 – 15  It’s their 100th year!
• See the Northern Lights
• Go whale watching
• Explore the Canadian Rockies

and RIDE RIDE RIDE!!

maybe ill come home with a horse and trailer and BRAND NEW DODGE RAM!! wouldn’t that be great…

yummy in my tummy

I have been feeling pretty lethargic and slow the past few days and not too sure why – maybe the weather? maybe I'm just being lazy…
Either way, my mood called for something warm and toasty. I took it upon myself to bake these delicious biscuits courtesy of Joy the Baker. She’s my default recipe guru and so far, she’s never done me wrong!
Enjoy!
Caramelized Mushroom and Onion Biscuits

Where did winter go…

Well, we’re well into the new year now. It’s almost March! The kids are home for reading week and there is no snow to speak of here in the city.
I noticed the days were getting longer last week. And I’m finally able to rise on my own before 10am.

I think its safe to say, it’s almost spring. Its so exciting!

After a busy weekend, I found myself in the kitchen today whipping up a quick lunch and healthy snack after my yoga class.

Mmm yummy Pizza Toasts on my home made sundried tomato bread. It was my second attempt at home made bread and it turned out stellar!!

Homemade granola with almonds, sunflower seeds and walnuts. Maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar. Great with cereal and on yogurt.

Tonight I’ll make some home made chicken fingers and coat them in crunchy bran flakes!! Tasty and healthy…

I found this website the other day and found it quite helpful; "The Most Common Cooking Mistakes"

Cheers!

One of a kind...

I can't believe it's December already!
I feel like just a few weeks ago I was flying back into Ontario. And now it's time to start planning for the holidays! Time for shopping. Tree decorating. Wrapping, baking, and visiting. It's always a bit of an ordeal. There is always more than one house to visit. There is always a forgotten gift at home, or a lost receipt. There are never enough photos taken and there is always WAY too much food consumed. It never turns out to be as relaxing as I'd like, but I always enjoy myself more than I had imagined.
The only thing left for me to do is shop. I gotta get out there! There are only 19 days left!
The problem is though, there isn't enough pressure. It doesn't feel like the holidays. There isn't an inch of snow. Not a single flake! I can actually hear the birds outside chirping. Is it spring? Maybe I'm just confused and its actually Easter. I donno. But the weather better make up it's mind otherwise Christmas is getting postponed.

I did manage to get to the One of a Kind show in Toronto last week though! What a trip. I assumed it would take about 3-4 hours to browse through all the vendors. MAX. That's plenty of time to wander. Pick stuff up, chat to local artists, have a snack or 2.
Holy crap. Was I ever wrong! I've never been more exhausted from shopping. The weight of my purse alone made me want to cry. After 6 hours of wandering around, my mind constantly in alert curious-shopper mode. There was just so much stuff! Funny calendars, fuzzy hats, tasty jams and dips, photography, jewelry, furniture, clothing... the list honestly goes on and on.
People are just so darn crafty.

Direct Energy Centre

mmm mondays

I have the day off today!
I decided to spend it doing my favourite things. Have some treasured relaxing moments. Enjoy the peace and quiet of en empty house. Just me and my Duckie, a cuppa and my trackys. Allllll day!

ya right

Unfortunately, reality hit around 11 am and I remembered that there were important things to do. Cheques to deposit, bills to pay, groceries to buy.
But only good things can come from the grocery store I realised. Like creme fraiche and bacon. mmm
It sounds like a great recipe! One that Joy has thankfully brought to my attention. Now I can't wait to get all that crap outta the way! After a long day of errands, I can head home and make this yummy yummy Creme Fraiche Quiche! Followed by a tasty tea, a swim and a great sleep, I'll be all refreshed for a new day.

x
k