Thursday's Child: Breakfast on the Farm, Nicaragua

One of the disadvantages of travelling with me is that I sometimes have a strange idea of what's fun.  Case in point:  getting up early in the morning while on holidays to make our own breakfast!

I wasn't sure if I'd get everyone up by the 7 am call time, but we all made it out of our rooms with a respectable degree of enthusiasm.  There were about a dozen intrepid souls that left the tranquility of the lodge to prepare and enjoy breakfast on the farm.  We climbed into the back of a dusty pickup truck onto a series of benches, and took a very bumpy ride to the small farm owned by our lodge.  It was time to get to work.

We started by milking the cow.  We took turns, producing an amazingly small quantity of milk. (Yes, even this farm girl, who didn't grow up on a dairy farm, had to work at at.)  

Next we moved to collecting eggs.  That was a bit daunting, as the hens were reluctant to let these foreigners forage for their own breakfast.  But forage we did, and we came out with our eyes intact, as well as (mostly) our toes.

After taking our turns in the kitchen at making and frying tortillas, we sat at picnic tables in the next room and were served a gorgeous breakfast of eggs, tortillas, and rice and beans.  This was the hardest I worked for any meal on the trip, but it was hands-down my favourite!

Recipes inspired by Musicals: Cats

I know Cats the musical has gone out of style.  But whatever you think about basing a musical on people dressed as cats, you could do worse than using the charming poetry of T. S. Eliot.  My sister and I saw Cats when it first came to Toronto in 1985 in the beautifully refurbished Elgin Theatre.  All these years later, I’m amazed by how many snippets of songs I remember:

 “And when you hear a dining room smash

Or up from the pantry there comes a loud crash

Or down from the library comes a loud ping

From a vase that was commonly said to be Ming,

The family will say, ‘Now which was which cat?

It was Mungojerrie AND Rumpleteazer’

And there’s nothing at all to be done about that.”

or

“Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity

He’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity

You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in a square

But when the crime’s discovered, Macavity’s not there!”

But the cat that inspired this week’s post is the oldest – Gus the Theatre Cat:

“Gus is the cat by the theatre door

His name, as I ought to have told you before

Is really Asparagus, but that’s such a fuss

To pronounce, that we usually call him just Gus.”

(Also from memory.  It’s no wonder I can’t remember why I went upstairs, if I’m using all this brain space for Cats lyrics.)

I was looking for a simple and seasonal recipe to round out dinner recently, and this asparagus salad was perfect in all regards.  It’s incredibly easy and the flavours are so simple that the fresh asparagus shines through.  In fact, this salad is so good, it might replace some of those lyrics you’ve been storing in your brain for 28 years.

Asparagus Salad with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

(adapted from epicurious.com)

2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp good-quality balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp chopped fresh marjoram or 1 tsp dried

1 tsp minced garlic

2 pounds asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 3-inch pieces

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Mix balsamic vinegar, oil, mustard, marjoram and garlic.

Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.  Add asparagus and bell pepper to dressing and toss to blend.  Sprinkle with pecans and serve.

Thursday's Child: Vivero Ecologico La Gallina, Nicaragua

We visited Vivero Ecologico La Gallina when we travelled to Nicaragua over the Christmas holidays.  This ecological nursery is located near the Masaya volcano, which is just south of Managua in one of the most fertile areas of the country.  We loved visiting this rural district for its beautiful scenery, local artisans, and impressive nursery.

Although the nursery is open to tourists, it primarily sells plants, plant products and accessories to Nicaraguans.  (As tourists, we weren't actually permitted to take plants out of the country.)  Farmers, townspeople and businesses all buy their decorative plants here.

The nursery specializes in native Nicaraguan plants, but carries some imports and a large number of grafted plants.  We loved the fresh scents of coriander and cinnamon, and were impressed by the jasmines, heliotropes, cacti and foliage of many kinds that covered several acres.

Recipes inspired by Musicals - Damn Yankees

Andrew’s favorite musical is one we saw in New York City in 1994, on a trip with our dear friends Garth and Colleen Jay.  As soon as Andrew heard Damn Yankees was playing on Broadway, we knew we’d get tickets. It had an amazing cast, starring Bebe Neuwirth as Lola and Victor Garber as Mr. Applegate, with fun musical numbers that include “You Gotta Have Heart” and “Two Lost Souls”.

In the show, Joe Boyd roots for the Washington Senators who always lose to the New York Yankees. He says he’d sell his soul “for one long ball hitter”, and Mr. Applegate (aka the devil) appears, to grant him that wish.  Joe Boyd turns into the young phenom Joe Hardy, who is poised to take the Senators to the World Series.  Is he successful?   That wasn’t even the biggest question posed in the musical, as Joe tries to break his contract so he can win back his soul and return to his beloved wife Meg.

Despite optimistic pre-season predictions, our hometown Blue Jays are once again trailing those Yankees in the standings.  However, I won’t be making any rash promises to Mr. Applegate or any other salesman in return for one long ball hitter.

This Yankee pot roast was a winner.  It swung for the fences and was a real home run with my family.  Best of all, I’ve included the recipe below, so you won’t have to sell your soul to make it.

Yankee Pot Roast

(adapted from From Away)

1/3 pound thick-cut bacon, diced

1 3/4 pound beef chuck roast

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp (about 2 branches) fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

3/4 cup water

14 ounces diced tomatoes (with juice)

3 medium potatoes, cut in cubes

3 carrots, cut in 1-inch pieces

3 stalks celery, cut in 1-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large saucepan, brown bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon begins to crisp.  Transfer bacon to drain on paper towels.

Pat beef dry, season with salt and pepper, and add to saucepan.  Increase heat to medium-high and turn to brown meat on all sides.  Transfer to a roasting pan.

Reduce heat to medium, add 2 Tbsp butter to pan, and add onion.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions turn translucent (about 6 minutes).

Add garlic and rosemary, and cook about 2 minutes.  Add wine, water and bay leaves, and cook about 1 minute, while scraping brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Add tomatoes and mix to combine.  Pour over beef in the roasting pan.  Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until beef is almost tender, about 3 hours.

Remove from oven and remove bay leaves.  Add bacon, potatoes, carrots and celery around the roast.  Cook until vegetables are tender, about an hour more.  Remove beef from pot and let sit 15 minutes, then slice against the grain.

Thursday's Child: Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco

My mother, my youngest daughter and I recently visited San Francisco in celebration of my mom’s eightieth birthday.  Before we went, I asked everyone to list what they most wanted to see.  At the top of my daughter’s list was Golden Gate Park.  Of course she wanted to visit the amazing California Academy of Sciences (which is located in the park) but she also mentioned the Japanese Tea Garden.  I’m so grateful that she did, because visiting this beautiful garden definitely enhanced our trip.

The Japanese Tea Garden was built in the late nineteenth century for the California Midwinter Expo.  After the fair was over, a local Japanese-American gardener, Makoto Hagiwara, entered into an agreement to maintain and upgrade it.  As part of that agreement, he brought in goldfish, cherry trees and other native plants from Japan.

The garden does have a sad history.  In 1942, Hagiwara and his family were sent to an internment camp like so many other Japanese-Americans and Canadians.  Experiencing the garden's tranquility made me realize how difficult it must have been for them to leave this lovely place.

The cherry trees were in bloom when we visited, and the pagodas, the dramatic Arch Bridge and the zen garden all contributed to the serenity that make the Japanese Tea Garden a true respite in the city.