Monday Night Supper Club: Getaway to Canmore

Dan    Monday Night Supper Club     #yycMNSC, Canmore, Communitea, cooking, food, friends

I love Calgary, I really do, but sometimes a quick trip to the mountains can clear your head and provide you with that feeling that is so rare to find in the hecticness that is downtown life: Relaxation.

Last month, Casel Marché and Cassis Bistro graciously hosted a Monday night potluck event for us last month, they also created a little contest to go along with the food. The group voted for their favourite dish of the evening and the creator of that dish would win a weekend stay in Canmore. Sweet! Sadly, I did not win, but luckily, the winner, Chelsea K., invited some of us to come enjoy the weekend in Canmore with her!

The trip was short, but sweet, with all of us leaving Friday night after work and coming back into the city on the Sunday.

Since so many of us are used to hectic night lives, we decided to keep things low key, just staying in, talking, occasionally frequently laughing and playing board games.

One of the board games in particular, Settlers of Catan, which Mitchell brought, was new to most of the group. I could tell they were skeptical, Mike especially, about the game and how nerdy it might be, but everyone was soon paired up, plotting and strategizing against each other. Yes, it soon became a board game blood bath between teams of nerds.

On Saturday morning we went for brunch at Chez Francois, which was not the tastiest breakfast food I’ve ever had, but provided us with some much needed greasy fried goodness.

Next, we headed over to Communitea, which is probably the cutest little cafe that I’ve seen in a long time (sorry Higher Ground, I still love you too!).

They had a staggering selection of teas, about eighty I believe, and a food menu that was gluten-free and vegan friendly. Hippies rejoice!

Jokes aside, it was a really adorable space and I will definitely be making a point of coming back here next time I’m in Canmore. And, yes, this picture below is of myself, wearing a tea cozy…and Lori’s glasses…in Communitea…and, no, I had not been drinking.

I know, right? Nice moustache…

Once we’d had our caffeine fix, we strolled the main street, popping in and out of shops with names like ‘Arty Farty‘ and ‘Gingerella‘, but as charming as these places were, nothing could compare to a run-in with Santa Claus and his motorcycle.

Apparently the reindeer were too hungover to make a public appearance this weekend, so Santa was out buzzing around town on a two-wheeler. He graciously posed for a picture with Lori, then went on his merry way.

After heading back to the condo, we took a quick dip in the hot tub, did some yoga (lesson courtesy of Jacinthe) and went to buy some groceries for supper.

Jacinthe and I prepared dinner in the kitchen, while Chelsea K., Sarah, Mike and Jacqueline built a gingerbread house for dessert. It was a kit with instructions, so I knew they’d be fine unsupervised.

I have been on a few mountain getaway weekends before and I know that though the kitchens are generally well equipped with tools, they lack spices, oils, etc…that help make a great meal. Unlike my regular city self, I planned ahead and packed up a bag full of miscellaneous spices, vinegars, etc…to aid us in creating a feast fit for Sasquatch.

For starters, we dished out some lemon and white wine risotto topped with garlic butter shrimp.

For the main course, we served a simple roasted chicken (seasoned with Charcut’s top secret Alley Burger spice mix! Yes!), confit rutabagas, rosemary roasted butternut squash, braised kale and zucchini. A very rustic, hearty mountain feast indeed.

Following dinner, and demolition of freshly built gingerbread house (dessert), we busted out the board games for another night in. That evening’s game of Settlers of Catan took closer to three hours to complete. I think by the time winner had conquered, we were all too mentally exhausted to do anything else and just went to bed.

Sunday came so quickly and it was time to pack up and head back to Calgary. Feeling relaxed and refreshed, we grabbed one more drink to go from Communitea and got onto the highway. Every single time I drive away from the mountains I also think to myself that I don’t come visit them nearly enough as I should. This year, that shall change!

For now, I’m refuelled and ready to face another busy week. Can’t wait for the holiday parties to start, how about you?

(Note: All photos, aside from Lori with Santa, are courtesy of Mitchell and Chelsea K. Thank you both for capturing some great moments throughout the weekend!)

Twitter in attendance:

@dansgoodside
@chelscore
@JacquelineTyler
@frecklesandash
@mikesbloggity
@designertweets
@jacinthekoddo
@msjorda

Ok, I just have to sneak these two shots in. If you can guess which ladies these are, you win a fantastic prize pack. (prize pack still TBD)

Coconut Lime Parsnip Bisque with Cilantro Drizzle

Dan    Recipes, Soups, Vegan     Asian-inspired, autumn, coconut, parsnips, recipes, root vegetables, soups, vegan, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

Soup:

2 yellow onions (chopped)

3 cloves garlic

2 TSP white sugar

1/4 cup pineapple juice

5 parsnips (peeled, 1″ chopped, approximately 3 cups)

1 13.5oz can coconut milk

1 lemon grass stalk (segmented)

1 3″ ginger root (halved)

2 cups chicken stock (or veggie to keep vegan)

1 TBSP white wine vinegar

1 lime (zest and juice)

salt and pepper

olive oil

Drizzle:

1 bunch cilantro (loosely chopped)

1 lemon (zest and juice)

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

As far as root vegetables go, parsnips are overlooked, underused and, let’s not beat around the bush here, forgotten. Well…similar Occupy Calgary protesters, I decided to let parsnips occupy my kitchen this week. However, instead of pitching tents, making signs and refusing to leave Olympic Plaza, err….my house…They decided to jump into a soup pot! Now, that was an easy fix!

Jokes aside, this soup puts parsnips in the much-deserved limelight. Next time you’re at the grocery store, I want you to look carrots in the eye and say: ‘Sorry carrots, I’m with parsnips now.’ Love hurts.

Place the chopped onions and garlic into a medium-sized pot. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle in the sugar, stir and let cook on medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Now, pour in the pineapple juice and let the mixture continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about another 5 minutes. Toss in (recklessly) the parsnips, stir and let cook for (you guessed it!) another five minutes.

Next, add the chicken stock, coconut milk, lemon grass, ginger, vinegar and lime to the pot. Reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 25 minutes. Be sure to leave the lemon grass and ginger in large chunks, as you will need to pull them out prior to pureeing the soup!

In the simmering interim, we can quickly make the ‘drizzle’ (doesn’t that sound so fancy?). Place ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. This is more for looks and also a bit of tang for the soup, but add some salt and pepper to taste, just to round things out. Pour the vibrant green liquid into a small bowl and set aside for now.

Once the soup has simmered for the appropriate length of time, remove the chunks of ginger and the lemon grass stalks. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it has a velvety smooth texture. Barring the immersion blender, pour the soup into a blender or food processor to get the job done. Return the smooth soup to the pot, have a taste, salt and pepper it as needed, then let it sit on low heat until you’re ready to serve.

When it’s time to dish it out, ladle out the soup and top with some of the cilantro drizzle. I feel as though some simple seared scalloped would go well with this soup, so maybe give that a whirl if you’re feeling ambitious.

Serves 4-5

Total cook time…45 min

Butternut Squash Breakfast Hash with Poached Eggs

Dan    Mains, Recipes     bacon, breakfast, butternut squash, curry, recipes

What you’ll need…

6 strips bacon

1 small red onion (diced)

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP brown sugar

2 cups butternut squash (peeled, 1/2″ cubed)

1 cup celery root (peeled, 1/2″ cubed)

1 TSP chili powder

1 TSP yellow curry powder

1 TSP cumin

1/2 TSP cayenne pepper

1/4 cup maple syrup

8 eggs (soft poached and waiting to be eaten)

salt and pepper

Not exactly the healthiest thing you could eat for breakfast, but everyone loves some bacon grease on the weekends, right? It looks kind of sexy too…just saying. Continuing on my quest of not just using squash for soups, I decided to try and cook it up in a breakfast hash. Maple and squash is a pretty traditional flavour pairing, so I tried to spice it up a bit with, well, some other spices. Definitely hits the spot on a weekend morning when you’re feeling a tad tired from last night’s escapades.

Start by cooking the strips of bacon in a large pan on medium-high heat until they’re nice and crispy. Remove from pan and place on some paper towel to absorb any excess grease. Once the bacon has cooled slightly, chop into small pieces and set aside. Next, add the red onion, butter and brown sugar to the pan and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, place the next six ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and toss to combine. Add the squash mixture to the onions, stir to combine and let it continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Finally, return the chopped bacon to the pan and stir in the maple syrup. a healthy dose of black ground pepper, some salt, then you’re good to go!

For serving, place a generous scoop of hash on a plate, top with a couple poached eggs and a final drizzle of maple syrup.

As for poaching the eggs, don’t be afraid. It’s easier than it seems. There are approximately 12000 YouTube videos on how to do it successfully. You can do it, I believe in you. If you want to skip the poaching, fried eggs on top are just as tasty, but make sure to keep that yolk runny!

Serves 4

Total cook time…25 min

Five Dollar Risotto (more affectionately called ‘Sweet Tomato And Lemon Risotto’) For A Cause!

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes     calgary, charity, recipes, risotto, simple, uend.org, vegetarian

2 yellow onions (finely chopped)

1 cup cream

2 cups water

2 TBSP tomato paste

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 cup arborio rice (uncooked)

1 lemon (zest and juice)

2 TSP dried dill

1 pinch cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

My CORE Holiday Wish List…

Dan    Ask Dan    

Let’s face it, Halloween is so last week. I love costumes (i.e. dressing up as a Spice Girl) as much as the next guy, but come the beginning of November I’m solely focused on my Christmas wish list…and perhaps my moustache too, but I digress…

If you have to buy a present for the ‘foodie’ in your life, don’t just settle for a steak and potatoes kind of a gift. Pardon the pun, but think outside of the box a little bit. I know cookbooks aren’t generally part of my aforementioned ‘outside of the box’ category, but these two picks I found at Indigo are anything but standard issue.. 

Odd Bits: How To Cook The Rest Of The Animal by Jennifer McLagan will transform any leftover brains, hooves, or eyeballs you may have hands into surprisingly delicious dishes. True lovers of all things culinary definitely have a sense of adventure!

The second book to is Domenica Marchetti’s The Glorious Pasta of Italy. Flip through the pages (Warning: food porn quality photos. NSFW)  and there will be types of pasta that you’ve probably never heard of before. All the more reason to try them out!

Since you know a true foodie loves to host dinner parties, it’s impossible to go wrong with this Scrabble: Cooking edition board game. I found it in the seasonal Calendar Club Shop while searching for a Buffy The Vampire Slayer calendar. They don’t make those anymore apparently, but at least I got excited about the culinary-centric game!

Definitely boasting some of the best pizza in the downtown core, a gift card to Double Zero would definitely win the heart of any foodie. If you’re thinking of buying me this one, be sure to find me a date too. Hey! A guy’s got to try, right?

Sticking with the dining out present inspiration, nothing says ‘Let’s go for some charcuterie and cocktails at Charcut’ quite like a sharp Michael Kors sweater. Actually, just any nice article of clothing found in Harry Rosen would be welcomed under a foodie’s tree. I mean, we spend all our money on food, right?

No foodie’s life is complete without a camera. More specifically, an SLR. You should probably buy a witty food blog domain name to go with it. Everyone’s a critic, er, food blogger these days, and this Nikon D3100 on sale at Black’s Photogrsphy is a great one to get started with.

Ok Santa, let’s do this.

If YOU would like to get a kick start on your Christmas shopping, The CORE is giving away a $100 CORE gift card! All you have to do is tweet a link to this blog post to your followers. Be sure to tag @COREshopping in your tweet with the #TwasTheNight hashtag to be entered in the draw to win!

One final plug…The CORE is throwing a massive holiday shopping benefit called ‘T’was The Night’ on November 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. that will feature late night shopping and a performance by rad Canadian musician Chantal Kreviazuk! The tickets are just $15 and all of the proceeds to go to the BeCause Initiative of the United Way and the National Music Centre Project, two great Calgary charities. You can buy your tickets at www.coreshopping.ca to join  me there!