That time of the year

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Not only is it time-lapse season, it's also baking season.

After this batch I decided to make a special, vegan version for Jeannette.  Hopefully the vegan version's as tasty and sought after as the original.

Apparently we are approaching that time of year again

For the past few days Jeannette has been slowly ramping up for the holiday season. One of primary ways that this ramp up has manifested itself is through gingerbread person themed ornament versions of people (fictional and real).

At first Jeannette started with pretty run-of-the-mill gingerbread men.

Then the neckwear started to change.

First there was a scarf.

Then a standard issue necktie...

...and a bow tie.

I am proud to say that a few of my suggestions were even accepted and gingerbreadized.

One of my earliest suggestions was 'construction worker.'

I then moved on to eighties classics when I suggested Richard Simmons.

Jeannette then decided to run with the popular persona theme and chose to do an Einstein, ...

...MJ (from the Beat It music video),...

...Freddie Mercury, ...

...Luke Skywalker,...

...and Han Solo and Princess Leia.

Oh, and because it was Jeannette making these there were also a few zombies.

And just to demonstrate that Jeannette's skills aren't anything special I decided to make one of my own, a school crossing guard.

Not to brag too much, but I totally nailed it. It's pretty clear that I have captured the essence of crossing guardness more than any other artist before me.

Then, to try to top my crossing guard, Jeannette moved to the 3D realm with this third rate wintery scene.

I mean really, can you get more hotel room art than this? Where's the passion and feeling that you see in my crossing guard? Where's the humanity?

Anyway, we're definitely in the ramp up phase. If we aren't careful we will soon be overrun with homemade seasonal crafts.

Christmas Recap

Christmas, at least for the most part, was pretty much as was expected.

After a night filled with mahjong and food at Jeannette's house on Christmas Eve, we awoke on Christmas morning to find filled stockings and plenty of gifts under the trees.

One of the items that I was pleased to find and immediately intrigued by was a small remote controlled helicopter. For years I have been taken with the idea of remote controlled flying vehicles, so it was nice to finally have one to play with. After charging the helicopter I was able to take it out for a test flight.



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Unfortunately through subsequent flight attempts I haven't been able to get the battery to hold enough of a charge to get the machine off the ground. This is all the more frustrating because I now know that the machine is actually capable of flight.

Much to my surprise, one of the items that was found adjacent to the stockings was a Nintendo Wii. Though I am not a big video game player and am generally skeptical of such endeavours, in the days since Christmas I have had plenty of fun playing with the basic games on this system. So far we haven't marred the experience of owning a Wii by having any of the type of mishap that are documented in the video below (though from time to time Kirsten does inexplicably opt not to wear the wrist strap).



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After our stocking-related acquisitions were adequately examined and breakfast consumed we moved on to a quick round of gift opening and scratch-ticket bingo playing. Eventually we realized that we could cut Neil and Rebecca in on the action even though they were in Halifax by using video chat technology.



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We were even able to have the play bingo with us by scanning and then emailing them a game card. While I don't know how much Neil and Rebecca enjoyed this, I can say that everyone on this end thought it was pretty good.

Much of the rest of the day was spent preparing for Christmas dinner and then consuming Christmas dinner. Along with another couple, we were joined for dinner by Jeannette and her family. As far as I could tell, a good time was had by all.

I imagine that there are a few more things I could mention, but unfortunately I am drawing a blank right now or have decided that they are too unimportant to be worth the effort of re-telling them. Hope everyone else had as enjoyable a Christmas.

The Shepherd on CBC

For years at Christmastime (likely Christmas Eve) I remember listening to CBC and again and again hearing the same story about a pilot running out of fuel and then being guided by a phantom plane to safety. Only a few years ago did I learn the name of this story (The Shepherd) and that it was being performed by long-time CBC personality Alan Maitland. Even without the basic details regarding the origins of this piece it became an important part of my Christmas celebrations.

Presumably I eventually learned these facts about the broadcast when I received a CD copy of the story (along with a few other Christmas classics as read by Alan Maitland) for Christmas a few years ago. Not surprisingly, I was really quite excited to get this CD so that I am able to listen to the story as frequently as I like, and not have to wait for the one a year broadcast on CBC.

For most of the years that I listened (and looked forward) to this story I assumed that almost everyone in Canada felt similarly. I guess I assumed that even if they were not fans of the story they would at least know what it was and know to respect it as an important part of Christmas.

It seems that, once again, I was wrong - listening to this story just isn't as widespread a Christmas tradition as I had imagined. When I tried to throw on the CD a few nights ago when Kirsten and Jeannette were in the car not only were neither of them interested in listening to the story, neither of them had heard it before and neither of them could figure out why it had anything to do with Christmas. Both were incredibly underwhelmed by the whole thing. Though they didn't mean their reactions to be so, they were definitely disappointing to me.

Anyway, if you are one of those people that routinely listens to The Shepherd, as read by Alan Maitland, at Christmas I am pleased to be able to provide you a link to an online version of the recording (which can be downloaded by left-clicking or the equivalent).

Holiday Prep

The holidays are definitely starting to feel as though they are just around the corner and that I am wholly unprepared for their imminent arrival.

Though I did force myself to engage in some last minute online shopping today, and I also handed off my semester's marking to my supervising professor, I am still nowhere near ready for the upcoming Christmas. My biggest problem seems to be Christmas shopping, an area in which I am just not making much progress. Hopefully I will figure something out before too long.

On the preparation front I have also started stocking the fridge for the apartment's holiday celebrations. Hopefully not too much else will need acquired before the big day (though I am sure a few last minute purchases will be required despite my best attempts to prepare).

Facilitating holiday cheer

Here at Montifax we care about our readers (seeing as you are a select group with refined tastes). To try to help encourage your enjoyment of the holidays, or to help you get primed up for Christmastime celebrations we have uploaded the following video. Watching this should quickly put you in the right mood to tackle any holiday challenge, no matter how difficult or family-laden.



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A Few Quick Notes 379

-It seems that for the past few days it has been hovering around, or just above, zero celsius. One of the most noticeable results is that much of the snow that was on the ground when we arrived has now melted and been replaced with greenish grass. The unpleasant side of this is that it has been quite grey and overcast since we returned home. There has certainly not been a day that I would consider calling nice.

-My uncle flew in from Newark last night. Unfortunately, his flight was delayed by about three hours and one of his bags lost in transit. Sadly it seems that this is pretty standard for this airline on this flight. My father said that he recently read that this particular flight had a 0 out of 5 rating in terms of being on time.

The only good news is that given my Uncle's familiarity with the flight he was able to pack so that his carry-on bag had many of his essentials.

-It seems that Neil, Rebecca, and I will be going to a Christmas party/Housewarming at a childhood friend's new house. Other parties thrown by this friend and his wife have tended to be quite incredible. Unfortunately, I feel a little out of the partying mood, so I am looking forward to attending less than I should be.

-My sister and Uncle, with a little help from me, placed the Christmas tree in the Christmas tree stand. As of right now it is still undecorated. I presume that decorating won't happen until tomorrow afternoon, though it is possible that some could take place in the morning.

-I should probably get going. There are a few things I should attend to before I head out to the aforementioned party.

Christmas Baking: 2009

A few days ago my mother asked me if I might be interested in helping her do some of the Christmas baking this year. As I generally enjoy baking I agreed to assist with the process, which ended up happening today.

Though as of last night I knew that things would be taking place today, only this morning at about 10:30 did I learn that they would be starting at 10:30. I had assumed that we would have a civilized post-noon start, as I recall we have had in recent years.

Though I was rather abruptly awoken I quickly got down to work and started mixing some of the flour into the previously prepared buttermilk base. As it turns out, part way through the process we realized that we would not be able to fit all 11 batches (which is how many batches my mother decided to make) in a single mixing bowl, so we poured about half of the dough in another bowl.

At this stage, which was probably at about 11:00 AM, I thought that it might be fun to take a time-lapse video of the rest of the process. While not everything was captured, I think that this video very fairly represents the approximately 8 hours that we spent baking and decorating the bread.



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In case you are curious, part way through the process, while the bread was rising, I made a batch of rum balls. Near the end, once most of the baking had been completed, my father engaged in a little gift wrapping.

A Few Quick Notes 378

-We are in the midst of a period of rather nasty weather in St. John's. For the past few days things have been generally wet and overcast, with intermittent periods of snow, just to mix things up a little. Unfortunately, it does not look as though things are really going to get much better in the immediate future.

-Last night, with my friend Greg, I made my triumphant return to George Street. We started things off at Trapper John's, where Greg's younger brother playing. Before things got started we were standing at the bar when I noticed that our high school chemistry teacher was standing just a few feet away (she didn't look as though she was in the mood to talk to former students) We then made our way over to The Martini Bar, an establishment that is typically too upscale for me, to see a friend who was doing the band's sound. Eventually, or once things began to wrap up at The Martini Bar, we made our way back to Trapper John's to catch the end of the band's show. Just before the band finished up Greg realized that we were just feet away from another former teacher of ours from junior high. Though we hadn't seen this guy in almost 15 years he immediately remembered both how he knew us and also our names. I was quite impressed.

Probably at about 3:00 we decided to head out. While I was fine with walking, some others in our party were interested in taking a cab, so we decided to take a cab. Not surprisingly, trying to get a cab as all of the bars cleared out did not turn out to be a particularly easy task. The process was complicated by us going to multiple strange locations. Fortunately we were able to eventually get a cab and make our way home.

While nothing particularly spectacular happened, I had a great time (though I don't know how many more similar nights I will be able to handle this trip).

-This afternoon Kirsten, Neil, Rebecca, and I all went to a former co-worker's house for brunch. We had traditional dishes like bacon and sausage, but also a great grits dish. The afternoon was really quite fun. I think Kirsten really liked playing with their small dog.

-Later this afternoon, maybe it might even be safe to say that it was early evening, Neil, Rebecca and I decided to try to do some Christmas shopping at da Mall. Unfortunately, not only was the place maggoty, but none of us really found anything that we were interested in buying. In general, though this is not meant to reflect negatively on my companions, it was a pretty unpleasant trip.

-Yesterday evening, after putting in quite a few hours, I was finally able to finish my exam grading. Already I feel more relaxed and able to enjoy things. I am particularly looking forward to tomorrow as I will be able to sleep in without guilt and then spend the better part of the day resting, relaxing, and reading (at least that is my plan).

Old Time Pork Cake for Christmas

About a year ago, I mentioned to Cheryl that I had a recipe for an “Old Time Pork Cake for Christmas.” After some examination of the recipe we decided that we should try to make a batch of the cake. Unfortunately, neither of us knew where to obtain either ground salt pork or candied citrus peel in Montreal.

After several weeks or months Cheryl located a butcher’s shop on St. Laurent that sold salt pork, though in a pre-ground state. Apparently the butcher’s shop was unwilling to grind the meat, as it would likely damage the grinder. So as we solved one problem we encountered another. It was only some number of months later that my mother offered to loan me her meat grinder (which I will now have to transport back to St. John’s on Monday).

The citrus peel also proved to be a problem. The problem of the citrus peel was compounded as I misinterpreted what the needed ingredient actually was. Instead of dry candied citrus peel, we were actually just looking for the more readily available wet stuff.
While I knew where to find such things in St. John’s, I didn’t have quite as much luck in Montreal. It seems that many baking or related products that one can almost take for granted in St. John’s just don’t exist in the same way in Montreal, citrus peel and salt meat being two examples. Finally this fall I was able to locate a store that sold citrus peel, both the lemon and orange varieties.

Once the ingredients, and the means of preparing them properly, were scouted, the remaining problem seemed to be time. As this isn’t any old cake, but a pork cake, the recipe recommends a three-hour baking time rather than the more standard one-hour.

As term was winding down, I was to soon return the meat grinder it seemed a little more urgent to find an agreeable time. Eventually we arranged to do it after our exam yesterday.

We started the process by visiting the stores on St. Laurent that we had previously scouted for the rare products and acquiring the desired ingredients.

In the butcher shop I asked the woman behind the counter for a cup of salt pork. She didn’t quite seem to know what I want and kept repeating ‘bacon,’ which really wasn’t what I was looking for. Eventually an older butcher came over, clearly having overheard the confusion, and with a wink, said that he would take care of us shortly.

Upon finishing with a customer he slipped into the cold room at the end of the store and vanished for a few minutes. Eventually he re-emerged holding a spike, with which he had skewered a long piece of salt pork. He asked us if this is what we were looking for and I indicated that it was. He draped the meat across a cutting area and placed his knife a few inches in and asked us if that was how much we were looking for. I suggested that we wanted a little more, maybe about another quarter inch.

He cut the meat, slipped it into a plastic bag and handed us back to the woman that had originally tried to serve us. She weighed the meat and gave us the price, $1.89. After paying I took my purchase and felt the meat, which was much softer than I had imagined.

We then went north and found the vegetarian bulk store that I had previously visited in my search for citrus peel. We quickly located the peel and scooped up as much as we thought we likely needed and went to the cash register and paid.

Unfortunately, upon arriving at Cheryl’s apartment we checked the recipe, which neither of us had examined in months, and learned that we had only purchased half as much peel as needed, and didn’t have the raisins or currants that we needed. We were also missing allspice.

A second trip was then made to the vegetarian store. We quickly re-found the peel and scooped the desired quantity. The allspice was also quickly located and an appropriate amount scooped into a bag. Unfortunately, it took us a while to find the currants, mainly because of a lack of familiarity with French vocabulary relating to dried fruit products. In the end we were able to acquire the desired products.

As we were checking out for the second time in less than an hour the cashier, who had also served us the first time, asked, in a friendly way, what it was that we were making. After a moment of collective hesitation, I stated that we were making a pork cake. At first the woman didn’t quite seem to understand what it was that we were making. Eventually we were able to express that it was basically a cake with pork, and raisins, currants, and citrus peel.

Shortly after returning I set to grinding the meat. The grinder was attached to the slat of a bench and a bowl placed beneath the outlet. Quickly at first, and them more slowly, the ground pork started to be extruded from the nozzle. Gradually more of the pork was added to the hopper until it was full and the turning of the crank seemed to be doing nothing. Somehow a break through was reached and the pork once again began to move quickly through the grinder.

Once ground, the pork was mixed with a cup of hot coffee and set outside to cool. It was about at this point that it was realized that even after two shopping trips we still did not have all of the required ingredients. We were missing two-thirds of a cup of molasses. Hugh kindly volunteered to pick some up at the local grocery store.

After the pork and coffee mixture had cooled the traditional cake ingredients, such as the spices, leavening agent, sugar, eggs, molasses, and flour were added. Simultaneously, the fruit, the raisins, currants, and peel, were coated in flour. Eventually the two mixtures were combined, both of which were of similar volumes.

The resulting dough was then added poured into a pan on top of three layers of parchment paper and placed in the oven. After a period of cleaning we basically just had to wait until the cake had finished baking, which we expected to be in about three hours.
Fortunately, the cake was fully baked after only about a two hours. The delicacy was then lifted from the pan and allowed to cool on the parchment paper.

Soon after the baking process was complete we decided to test our product and see if it had been worth the effort, or if it was even edible. Much to my surprise, the cake was very tasty and quite passable, particularly considering that it is a basically a fruit cake.

As it was a rather large cake, and of a somewhat strange composition, Cheryl insisted that I take some with me. So now, Nithum and I, just like most households in North America have a hunk of uneaten seasonal cake sitting somewhere, waiting to be served in case company drops in unexpectedly.

Fortunately, this situation will only last for a few days as it is my intention to the transport the hunk of cake to Newfoundland with me when I head out on Monday. Hopefully it will taste as good in a few days as it did yesterday.

A Few Quick Notes 43

-In the past 24 hours the temperature has really risen in St. John’s. Yesterday at about this time it was almost -10, and now it is just about 0. The forecast is predicting that it will hover at about this or a slightly lower temperature for the next few days.

In Montreal they are in the midst of a freezing rain warning. Such events have a history of causing serious problems in the areas. Earlier this year freezing rain brought down all kinds of trees and branches, knocking out people’s power for days.

-Yesterday I went skating for the first time in a few years. It was a strange feeling to be back on skates after a multi-year absence. The up side was that I learned that my skates needed to be sharpened, the downside was that I did not figure this out until I was on the ice.

My current plan is to take my skates back to Montreal so that I can go skating in the various ice rinks that are built around the city, particularly the one that is located in the Old Port of Montreal. This rink in particular is impressive when it is all open, skaters have access to a huge ice surface.

-Today is New Years Eve.

-I finally got around to getting some contact info for a few friends of mine. The nice thing was that in one instance I was actually able to talk to my friend rather than just getting his phone number.

-Sorry about the slow down in posting over the Christmas season. This should be rectified upon my return to Montreal. It is likely that Neil will still post less than his fair share once he returns to Halifax.