Roast Beef and Anniversaries

Tags

Anniversary, asparagus, Food, Montreal, Roast Beef, Summer

Yesterday Summer arrived all of a sudden as is the custom in Canada. It was warm and sunny and today it was hot and sunny, I had to turn on the A/C in the car, so that makes it official. I also took all the Summer bedsheets out and started to launder them to replace the flannel Winter sheets.

I also re-organized by Summer wardrobe and put away all the Winter clothes, I also made a box of clothing I no longer wear and it had been sitting in my closet for at least 5 years, that is a good test that you are no longer going to wear said items. It is all clean and very nice still but fashion has changed. Of my Summer clothes most of it is at least 12 years old, all in good repair and comfortable to wear. So I do not need to buy more, though I was tempted.

For those who may wonder, I did not send to Value Village the SPO Designer shirt, given to me all these many years ago when Dr Spo was a struggling shirt designer in Phoenix, before he became famous. I am told they are priceless, so I will have it lacquered and mounted.

Yesterday Will baked some wonderful blueberry, lemon breakfast bread with a fine glaze of lemon, absolutely delicious. I then cooked for dinner a roast beef, using my fool proof recipe which requires about 8 cloves of garlic inserted into the roast, a good coating of quality virgin olive oil. You place the roast fat side up and start it at 375F for 30 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 225F and cook for another 90 minutes no more. This recipe works for a 3.5 lbs roast perfectly and it will be medium rare. I served it with roast potatoes and broiled asparagus, because May is Asparagus Month, the only time of the year they are actually in Season.

I remember traveling to Germany and you would have everywhere on the menu, the white and the green Spargel with a nice glass of white wine, Gruner Veltliner.

Today is my hometowns Birthday 17 May 1642, Montreal is 379 years old. My family has been living there for 359 years, we have stories to tell.

It is also the 110 Anniversary of our Canadian National Park service, Parks Canada. We have a few national parks here on PEI to preserve our beautiful coastline.

Flag of the City of Montreal, designed by the first Mayor Jacques Viger.

Roast Beef recipe

Tags

cuisine, Food, PEI, Recipe, Roast Beef

We buy our meat directly from a Farm outside Charlottetown about 20 minutes from us. The quality is very high and the butcher Drake knows his stuff. It is far better than what we use to buy at the grocery store. This month we got a roast beef about 3.5 lbs and last month we also got a roast beef same size. I also got a Veal roast which is my favorite but here in PEI it is very difficult to get, simply not on offer, I am told.

So I am trying this recipe below on the link and it all seems to be going very well, we invited guests for dinner. This being a long weekend, Remembrance Day 11 November, tomorrow will be super quiet and the only ceremony is at the Cenotaph at 11 am.

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roast_beef

The Weather has turned cold around 5 C. which is 40 F. and very windy, a cold Atlantic wind around 40Km per hour, though bright sun shine.

 

Bright Sunny and Cold

Tags

Bees, Christmas pudding, Green Gay Bulls B&B, Homestead, Lucky Bee Homestead, Murray Harbour North, PEI, Roast Beef, Sir Andrew MacPhail, Vernon Bridge

In the last few days the weather has returned to normal for the Season, finally. Though I do enjoy the nice warmer than usual weather, it was a bit worrisome because it is so out of the usual.

Sunday was another crisp sunny day and we went to the Craft Fair at the Homestead of Sir Andrew MacPhail. I always enjoy going to the homestead in Orwell, the house is lovely dating from 1830 surrounded by a large wooded area. Driving up to the house through a narrow unpaved road bordered by poplars and other trees I am reminded of Leo Tolstoy’s Estate Yasnaya Polyana.

The house is beautiful in a peaceful setting and you feel that Sir Andrew and his family still live here. His daughter Dorothy lived at the house until 1962. The food is always good prepared in the small kitchen of the house, we had tea and lunch at the house on separate visits.

Sunday was a day to look at and buy some local crafts. In the long glassed-in veranda, the first vendors were a couple, Sabina and Michael Schonknecht formerly from Dresden in Saxony, they now live in Murray Harbour North and make jams, pickled fruits, breads and also sell chickens. They had for sale amongst other things, Dresdner Stollen which to me is one of the symbols of the Advent and Christmas Season.

There was also many other things to look at from natural pine bows and books and beautiful wool blankets made by MacAusland Wollen Mills in Bloomfield. Will bought a small water colour by Mel Giddings of Murray Harbour. We also bought a home made Christmas pudding by Jim Culbert, who uses his grandmother’s recipe. It is a big pudding, we had a sample taste it was very good. So we do not have to worry now that item is out of the way for Christmas. This year, as we rotate menus each year, will be Roast Beef, other years it has been Rack of Lamb or Roast Goose.

We had tea a biscuit and a cup of turkey vegetable soup made on the premises by the chef, it was very good, everything they serve comes from the farm of the homestead.

Our pudding maker Jim Culbert is also a furniture restored and upholsterer and he owns a B&B in Vernon Bridge, it is just off the main road and called Green Gay Bulls B&B not to be confused with Anne of Green Gables in Cavendish. Ken Gallant who is Jim’s partner told us a funny story of a Chinese family who arrived unannounced at their B&B one day wanting to visit the house. Jim and Ken were surprised and did not understand why they wanted to visit but were ever so eager to see it all. The house is very beautiful and full of wonderful furniture and accent pieces, all belonging to Jim’s family, the grounds around the house are also lovely. At the end of the visit their visitor thanked them and gave them some money for the visit. Jim and Ken still did not know what to make of it but suddenly one of the visitors made the reference to Anne and the penny dropped, they thought they were at the home of Anne Shirley. Jim did not have the heart to tell them otherwise, their english was a little faulty.

 

 

After the storm

Tags

Canada., Charlottetown, Crown of Lamb, Great George Street, PEI, Plum Pudding, Roast Beef, Roast Goose, Rooster, Vice Regal House, XMAS

Whenever we have a Winter storm on the Island everyone becomes aware of the need to stay indoors or go home early to avoid the worst. Mostly the high winds in the vicinity of 70-90 Km per hour. We had a storm with 15cm of snow yesterday, the wind was high and the schools and businesses closed early, the Ferry Service was suspended and the Confederation Sea Bridge had an advisory and restriction on motorized traffic.

Here is a picture taken of Great George Street with the Legislature Province House in the background, it looks so European and quiet.

Or this photo in front of the Official Residence of the Lieutenant Governor, Fanningbank.

The great expanse of water where the Hillsborough meets the North River and the entrance to the Straits of Northumberland.

I really like this one of a Rooster amid the snow in the countryside. These images are poetic at this time of the year.

We are getting ready for Xmas Eve with a small get together with friends here at the house and a quiet dinner on Xmas day at home, this year on the menu is Prime Rib of Roast Beef. Each year we rotate from Roast Goose to Crown of Lamb to Roast Beef. There will be Plum Pudding of course.