Taste of Calgary 2009

Vegetable Empanadas
JC Latin Taste Inc (Gluten Free)
403-667-4745


Alberta BBQ Beef on a Bun
Fourth and 4th
4th Ave and 4th Street SW
403-233-8500

As if my family and I have not had enough time on the road lately we decided that in our quest for good food we should attend the Taste of Calgary. The three hour round trip from Banff proved to be worth it. The weather held out with clouds and chilly wind at lunch time and some nice warm sunshine by dinner. There was no charge to attend the festival and $2 parking all day in the lot so we were able to enjoy both lunch and dinner there and we were able to run errands in between. If you have never attend this sort of smorgasbord the way it works is that you purchase tickets and then spend them at each booth. The tickets were .75 a piece. We bought 40 tickets for $30 at both lunch and dinner. And we also brought along "Uncle" Casey, since we are always happy to have third "parent" around who can lend another set of eyes, shoulders for carrying, and additional fun to the mix. I believe that Casey bought 25 tickets at each "meal". In the end we visited 16 restaurants' out of 30 and sampled 23 delicious items. Each item ranged in "price" from 3 - 6 tickets or $2.25 - $4.50. There was also live music in the beer garden which offered drinks from 17 bars. My husband did go in for a quick brew and said there was a "lively party in there". This area was fenced off from view so it was still a great atmosphere for families and party animals alike. There was even a small marketplace that showcased everything from handmade wares to imported treasures from India and Latin America. All in all it was well worth the trip to be able to sample so many foods from all over the world in one place in one day. There was something for everyone including my 3 year old and my vegetarian self. And I even bumped into a friend whom I have not seen since she moved from Banff to Calgary! Alana McGregor, used to work for Park Radio in Banff and she once interviewed me about my commitment to use recycled materials in my art work. You can read more about that in this post. She now works for Country 105 in Calgary. It was great to see her! And I must admit to being a bit envious after she told us there was enough food to feed an army in her booth. When you have the power to talk on-air about the restaurants at the Taste of Calgary the world is your oyster. Lucky girl! Now let's get to more food...


BBQ Beef Rib
Ric's Grill
1436 - 8th Street SW
403-269-7427




Curry Chick Peas and Potatoes
Ginger Beer
Jamaican Patties in Beef, Chicken, and Vegetable
Carribean Choice
2235 Centre St NW
403-230-1880


Banana Split Mini Melts Ice Cream
403-537-1045


Pad Thai
Ruan Thai
1324 - 11 Ave SW
403-262-7066


Korokke - Curry Mashed Potatoes - MY Favorite thing at the festival
Shibuya Izakaya
449 16th Ave NE
403-807-8881




Salt and Pepper Ribs
Wild Rose Bison Burger
Brewsters Brewing Company (5 locations in Calgary)


Rare Milk Chocolate Cheesecake
Chicago Chophouse
664 - 8th Ave SW
403-265-3000


Graham Cracker Crusted Calamari - MY Second favorite item, although my friend, Alana, said their Three Layered Bruschetta is amazing.
La Vita Bella
401 - 12th Ave SE
403-264-6046


Adorable Kitty, a tribute to my friend, Serena :)


Belgo Signature Smoked Brisket with Pineapple Mustard
501 - 8th Ave SW
403-265-6555


"Uncle" Casey, playing the third parent


Roast Lamb on Pita with Tsatziki
Also had the Spanakopita
Pegasus
1101 - 14th Street SW
403-229-1231


Apple Strudel
Australian Canadian Society and Club


Sweet Chili Chicken Wings
Sura Korean
2320 4th Street NW
403-569-1454

Fruit and Honey Sweetened Strawberry Freezer Jam = YUMMY!

Three weeks ago I spent a lot of time getting ready for our family trip to Winnipeg's Victoria Beach. Someday I will write a post on how to get ready for a family road trip (something I get better at all the time) but this post is about how I was foraging through the fridge, deciding what to take in the car and what needed to be eaten or frozen, and what I need to save from being pitched in the garbage. Last week they had a sale on strawberries at our local shop (no pick your own farms near here) and I got 4 pounds for about $8. It has been ages since I even thought about canning anything, although I used to do some of that when I lived in Maine and had a large vegetable garden. However, I mentioned the amazing strawberry jam my friend's mom made in this post. It got me thinking about making freezer jam, which is easier than true jam. It also tastes really fresh, since you don't cook the berries. My daughter could live on jam and bread so I currently buy Crofter's organic jams. It appealed to me to make some jam for her that didn't have a ton of sugar. Thanks to some research I was able to find an alternative to sugar laden jam.


I found this well written and researched post on a blog called Sarah's Musings. It also includes this helpful link that answers many canning questions. The recipe she used for her jam is fruit and honey sweetened. In order to make a jam without sugar we both used a "no sugar" pectin. This method requires the fruit juice to be cooked with the pectin but the strawberries are not cooked. In the end, it took me less than two hours from start to finish, to make 8 half pints of jam.

HONEY AND FRUIT JUICE SWEETENED STRAWBERRY JAM
What you will need:
8 half pint jam jars
8 rings
8 lids
8 cups of strawberries
1 3/4 cup 100% juice
3/4 cup honey
1 package of "No Sugar Needed" fruit pectin


Your first step should be to get a cute and adorable buddy to keep you company while you make jam. I was supposed to have my three year old helping me, but she decided to go and play with her neighbor friend after we cut up all the berries. But Raggedy Andy stuck around to help me in her absence.


- Wash and sanitize your jars before making the jam. I used half pint jars. I boiled them for ten minutes in a stock pot but you can also use the sanitizing cycle in your dishwasher. Place your lids in simmering water at this time. Do not boil them or they will lose their sealing properties.
- Wash, hull, and cut up about 8 cups of strawberries. Crush them down for a couple of minutes using a potato masher. You should have about 4 cups of crushed berries.
- Put 1 3/4 cups 100% juice into a sauce pan. I used apple and a bit of kiwi strawberry, which is what I had one hand. Add one package of "No Sugar Needed" fruit pectin. Heat to a boil, stirring frequently. Once at a boil, boil for one minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and add fruit, stirring constantly for one minute, before adding honey. Stir to combine.


- Ladle into prepared jars. Make sure that you use freezer-safe glass jars and leave 1/2-inch space on the top to allow for expansion.


- Place lid on immediately and press around the edges with your fingers. Place ring on and tighten until fingertip tight.


Allow to cool and refrigerate overnight, then store to the freezer for up to eighteen months. Once defrosted and opened, use within three weeks and keep it refrigerated.

In the end, my jam was a bit loose. I will try this recipe again, both with berries and with other fruits. We really don't mind it being more like "sauce". It is still good on peanut butter toast and is excellent on ice cream. Jam makes a great gift for friends and loved ones, who will be sure to return your jars and ask for more. Enjoy! And if this post helps to make jam, please let me know. I welcome your comments and would love to know how you may have tweeked this recipe. Special thanks to Sarah of Sarah's Musings for her inspiration!

My Summer Vacation - Victoria Beach, Manitoba - Part One

Victoria Beach August 2009 Holgaroid Image by Tiffany Teske

The above image was shot a few days ago, as my family left the cottage we were staying in at Victoria Beach, Manitoba, on Lake Winnipeg. It is a unique and idyllic place where you must park in a lot and then walk or bike to your cottage. The only vehicles allowed past the gate are Victoria Beach taxis. It makes it a safe place for kids to run wild and experience that necessary freedom of childhood. And it makes everyone more physically fit. I was able to shoot several images of this rare place, both digitally, and with my favorite analog camera, my Holga, and will post them in coming days.

Back from THE ROAD

I can't believe it has been three weeks since my last post. Time flies... and I can't way that I was at all bummed to not have internet access while I was away. As much as I love technology, I enjoyed our low tech holidays. I even shot a lot of our trip images using analog cameras, not digital. In coming posts I will share the highlights (and some low ones, ie motel in small town Saskatchewan) of our super road trip. The cast of characters includes me, my super driver hubby, Andre, and our two little girls, ages 3 and 2 months...

My Little Angel

My daughter has a flair for drama. She loves to play dress up and is starting to really take off when it comes to frolicking in the land of make believe. Her imagination is rich, thanks to all the books we have read and all the creative experiences she is able to take part in. My heart smiles at many of the things she says and does while in her own world. Kids are absolute sponges. It keeps me on my toes and best behavior, which is good. I could not resist grabbing my Spectra to snap this Polaroid of her, as a fairy, ready to fly off on her next adventure.

Etsy Baby Shower - Part 3 - Sew Classic

Pink and Brown Kimono from Sew Classic on Etsy
Image by Tiffany Teske

I can't believe that my little babe is already 8 weeks old! To celebrate this fact I brought out a very sweet gift from her closet and had a little photo shoot. This adorable kimono was one of four gifts I received from the Etsy Baby Shower this spring. You can read about two of the other gifts here and here. Kennis Wong of Sew Classic made this gorgeous and versatile robe and sent it all the way from Australia, the same week she had given birth to HER OWN LITTLE BABY! That makes this gift all the more special; it was made by another mother who went to great lengths to send it to my baby. We absolutely adore it and Emmanuelle will be wearing it often. It will then be kept for future children, both my own and of others close to me, then put away for my daughter to cherish. Thank you, Kennis, and to all the other Estians who were generous enough to make us handmade items that we can hold onto and love well into the future. I am still blown away that none of these kind and talented souls even knew us before the shower!


Image by Sew Classic

If you interested in purchasing a kimono from Sew Classic you can find out more details here.

Cooking With Love for a New Arrival - My Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

On Friday, my children were absolute angels while I cooked up a storm for close to 5 hours. Aside from nursing, we spent our time measuring, mixing, baking, and cooking. A good friend of ours had her second child on Tuesday and the thing that I appreciated the most 2 months ago when my second child was born (sheesh, two months has FLOWN by!) was when people took the time to make us food. Cooking for someone is really a gift, not only because it is nourishing to their tummies at a time when they have better things to do than cook, but also because you think of the people the whole time you are cooking for them, so you are putting good energy and love into the food. I want to teach these things to my girls and the best way is to be an example by doing them and to have them join me.


The Menu
In five hours we were able to make:
Our own pancake breakfast
Energy Bars (Gluten Free)
Chicken Salad with Broccoli, Red Peppers, and Parmesan Dressing
Hummus and Carrots (the recipe is here)
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

The Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp is my own recipe that I developed from the advice of a friend and from some recipes I have read. It is delicious and I doubled it so we could have some, too.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
by Tiffany Teske

2 C rhubarb
2 C strawberries
2/3 C sugar
1/2 t lemon juice
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t cinnamon

Topping
1 C unbleached flour
1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C quick cook oatmeal
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted

Combine berries with sugar, lemon juice, and spices. Put mixture in a greased 8x12 inch baking dish. Mix dry topping ingredients together and drizzle melted butter over it, mixing well with a fork or your hand. Sprinkle topping over the berries. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, it is done when it is bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.


Our new little friend, whom I am holding here, is named Fox Royal. She is adorable!


I am fascinated by the tiny ears and fingernails on newborns. When my first daughter was born I could not get over how round her little ears were. They were like perfect little coins. And I really wanted to make a photograph of my second daughter's pinkie fingernail on my pinkie fingernail, but now she has grown so much. So, I did it with Fox and her Mama.


Fox was born at 7 pounds, the same as my little one, but look at my little one, now! So much changes in two months. Here are the proud older siblings with our babes.


It was a privilege to be able to see our newest little friend at only three days old. I am glad we were invited into their home to celebrate a bit with them. And what would a celebration be on a hot summer day without a watermelon? :)

I love to cook when it is fun and relaxed, which is what it was on this day. A good memory for us, both in the making and in the delivering.

Bamboo Pendants for Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine

So much to post, always so little time...

I made this pendants back in April for a charm swap that was hosted by Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine. Participants could make up to five charms and then receive the same number that they made back from other participants.



I wanted my pendants to be unique from what other people made so each one showcases one of my Polaroid transfer images on a bamboo tile. These are the same pendants that I sell in my Etsy shop but I added some beads and fiber elements.




I was quite happy with them and hope the people who received them felt the same. I put each pendant in a organza gift bag along with some loose beads in the same color palette and a business card (which was asked for by the magazine for ID purposes). I packaged them up in a box which I covered with sheets of the color copies I use when I make the pendants. The September/October issue will showcase a bunch of the charms and I am hoping that mine may have caught their eye.



I have no idea if most people made five of the same charms or if they made individual ones like I did. I will blog about the ones I received in a separate post, as I would like to make something out of them soon... I would also like to write a tutorial on making bamboo pendants at some point, which I will post for free here, but will also sell in my Etsy shop.

Mary Catherine - Shots Submission

Pardon the pun, but I always seem to get "shot down" by Shots Magazine. Here is the lastest image or collage of images that were not selected for the latest issue. I will keep on trying. It is such an excellent magazine. Check it out if you have not. Better yet, subscribe. These amazing small mags are disappearing one by one, we can't let that happen!!

Goodbye, Michael Jackson...

I am not really all that into celebrity culture. In fact, I would not be a celeb (well, maybe an ART or Craft celeb) if you paid me a million dollars. If I see one common thread that runs through MOST, not all, celebrity, it is that there is never enough money, fame, drugs, whatever. And no one is really happy, especially not in love. Of course, I only know what I see on magazine covers, which are not reliable sources, so maybe they really are all happy... Sadly, I am not too sure about Michael Jackson's level of happiness. And the only reason I am writing a blog post dedication to him, is that he truly was my first heart throb. Yes, before I loved River Phoenix, Axl Rose, Prince, or Johnny Depp, I loved Michael Jackson. I had this poster of him on the wall in my room and I (no kidding) kissed it before I went to bed at night. I wanted to be Brooke Shields. I watched Thriller so many times (not an easy feat back then, I had to rent it from the movie store and later had to tape it on the VCR, and replay it! MTV started in late 1981 but we didn't have cable...) that I still can see it playing in my head when I listen to that song. Thriller was genius, and I still love Vincent Price... anyway, MJ was a BIG part of my young life. I was just contacted on Facebook the other day by a friend from 5th grade who was getting in touch because of his death. She remembered how much he meant to us both back then. I must admit that by junior high I no longer had a thing for Michael. From time to time I would like one of his new songs. And I always thought of him fondly. I was shocked to read on my inlaws computer during a recent visit that he had died. I was uploading our trip photos and just happened to open a window that announced it. I was shocked, and saddened. Thanks for the memories, MJ... RIP.