Maple Taffy and Cheese

Maple taffy on snow instantly reminds me of school trips to the sugar bush, sweet sticky maple goodness wrapped on a stick was our reward for braving the cold days learning about maple syrup production. 

photo credit 

Since my childhood I had always thought that it could not get any better than maple taffy by itself. Those thoughts changed one night at a party in Toronto, it was there that I was offered Canadian cheese wrapped in maple taffy. The sound of it intrigued my curiosity and the salty sweet taste life changing and it left me wanting more. 

Use the recipe below to make your own maple taffy and pick your favourite cheese and serve it up to yourself or at a party. You will not regret it.

photo from foodnetwork.ca

What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

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Cream Soda

James William Black of Berwick, Nova Scotia was granted a U.S. patent on December 8, 1885, and a Canadian patent on July 5, 1886, for "ice-cream soda". Black's ice-cream soda, contained whipped egg whites, sugar, lime juice, lemons, citric acid, flavouring, and bicarbonate of soda, was a concentrated syrup that could be reconstituted into a bubbly or fizzy beverage by adding ordinary ice water.

Modern day Canadian cream soda is not really vanilla-flavored in the same way that American cream soda is; instead, it’s an intensely sweet, almost cotton-candy-type flavour. The most popular cream soda in Canada is produced by Crush and is mostly pink, except in Quebec and Newfoundland and Nova Scotia where it is sold clear. 


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A & W Canada

Known for it's Root Beer in a frosted mug, A & W Food Services Canada Inc. is a chain of fast-food restaurants. Its origins come from the U.S. back to when Roy W. Allen opened a walk-up root beer stand in Lodi, California, in 1919. Allen's employee Frank Wright partnered with him and founded the first A&W restaurant in Sacramento, California, in 1923. The company name was taken respectively from the initials of their last names — Allen and Wright. 

A&W Hamilton, Ontario

Yes, I do know that what I just explained was American history. This is where it comes back around. 

A&W Canada was part of the U.S. based A&W Restaurants chain, but was sold to Unilever in 1972, and then bought by its management in 1995.  A&W Canada gave the peace out to the U.S. Chain and no longer has any corporate connection to A&W operations outside of Canada. 

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Oka Cheese

Oka cheese is a surface-ripened, semi-soft cheese, it has the typical orange rind and expected pungency of the washed-rind style. It’s buttery and creamy with mellow, nutty notes. It's pretty good and it's Canadian.

Not many people realize that the original recipe was made by Trappist monks in a monastery. Here is a short breakdown of Oka's history.  On an afternoon in February 1893, Brother Alphonse Juin knocked on the door of the Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac (known as Oka Abbey) in Deux-Montagnes, Quebec. The monastery was struggling, unable to make ends meet, and Brother Alphonse had been sent from the Abbaye de Bellefontaine in France (the Oka monks hometown far, far, away) with a recipe for Port-du-Salut cheese that might help them. Brother Alphonse tweaked and adjusted the Port-du-Salut recipe, creating a unique Quebec cheese that was named after the village. The rhythm of cheese-making combined well with the monastic life – it allowed time in between work for prayer and the divine lectures. It was humble work that was a form of meditation and a pathway to God. Skills were passed from generation to generation.

In 1996 the Les Peres Trappists sold the rights of Oka cheese to Agropur. To this day the cheese is still made in Oka but is also made in the town of Holland in Manitoba, Canada.

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The Halifax Donair

Peter and John Kamoulakos tried to introduce Bluenosers to traditional Greek style gyro's during the late 1960s at their small restaruant in Bedford, N.S. The brothers soon found, however, that Nova Scotians weren’t very fond of lamb served with a yogurt sauce. They bailed on the lamb for beef and crafted the distinctive sweet sauce, creating something unique.

photo fromjomaspizza.ca

According to locals the best way to eat a donair is at night and outside. That's why when the bars start to close in downtown Halifax, a mass of people congregate at the intersection of Blowers and Grafton Streets, better known as Pizza Corner (A whole corner of pizza?!?). They seek slices of pizza, subs and, above all else, donairs.

A donair has heavily spiced ground beef that’s shaped into a large loaf and roasted on a spit, then shaved and seared on a range. The meat is tossed on a thin, Lebanese-style pita and topped with tomatoes and raw onions. The magic donair sauce is an addictively sweet blend of evaporated milk, vinegar, garlic powder and sugar. The sandwich is wrapped in tinfoil and eaten out of hand. Kind of. Let's just say its best held away as far from your body as possible

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Poutine

In a small town in rural Quebec in the 1950's a hero was made. With the simple act of adding cheese curds to their french fries and gravy, this mysterious person created an entire food group for future Canadians.

Glorious Poutine
By Yuri Long from Arlington, VA, USA - road_trip-9349.jpg, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19029778

While several have laid claim to being the creator, the one thing we can all agree on is it was an excellent idea. Just make sure they use gravy hot enough to melt your cheese curds or you will experience the real Canadian struggle.


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The Montreal Bagel

The Montreal bagel, is a extraordinary variety of handmade and wood-fired baked bagel. In contrast to the New York-style bagel, the Montreal bagel is smaller, thinner, sweeter and denser, with a larger hole, and is always baked in a wood-fired oven. It contains malt, egg, and no salt and is boiled in honey-sweetened water before being baked. There are two predominant varieties: poppy seed, or sesame seed. In some Montreal establishments like St.Viateur Bagel Shop and Fairmount Bagel, bagels are still produced by hand and baked in full view of the patrons hungry onlooking eyes. 

By Photo by M. Rehemtulla - http://www.flickr.com/photos/quoimedia/5219448319/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12732073

Like the similarly shaped New York bagel, it was brought to North America by Jewish immigrants from Poland and other Eastern European countries; the differences in texture and taste reflect the style of the particular area in Poland in which the immigrant bakers learned their trade.

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Kraft Dinner

No Canadian Childhood is complete without the delicious bright orange cheese sauce of KD also known as Kraft Dinner. When it comes to the consumption of boxed mac and cheese, Canadians eat a whopping 55 per cent more of it a year than Americans do. Out of the 7 million boxes sold weekly around the world, Canadians purchase 1.7 million of them!

What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

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BeaverTails

Photo from Wikipedia

I will take ''Delicious fried Canadian treats'' for $800 Alex. That's right fellow Canadians, ''What is a BeaverTail'' was once an answer on the TV game show Jeopardy. They are a pretty big deal in Canada.

The BeaverTails pastry is fried dough individually hand stretched to resemble a beaver’s tail, topped with a choice of sweet condiments and confections, such as whipped cream, banana slices, crumbled oreos, cinnamon sugar, and chocolate hazelnut.

BeaverTails pastries began when Grant and Pam Hooker decided to turn their family recipe for fried dough into a family business. They sold their first pastries at the KillaloeCraft and Community Fair in Killaloe, Ontario in 1978. Two years later, the Hookers opened up the first BeaverTails stand in the Byward Market in Ottawa. By early 2017 it had 119 franchise and license locations in five countries: Canada, the United States, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, and Japan.

Fun Fact: In 2009, President Obama made a stop by the pastry shop and picked up an ObamaTail, a flavour that was made in honour of his first official trip to Canada.

What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

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Montreal Smoked Meat

Photo from Serious Eats

While it's true origins are as hazy as the hot smoke that brings this kosher brisket to completion, Montreal Smoked Meat (or just smoked meat if you are in Montreal) has been popular in Montreal delis since the 19th Century.

Served with mustard on a couple of slices of rye bread and you can take a Quebec field trip for your mouth from wherever you find yourself.

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All Dressed Chips

In 2015 the USA became the First country besides Canada to offer up the delicious taste blend that is, All Dressed. Combining the flavours of the 4 pillars of Canadian potato chips world, Barbarcue,  Sour Cream and Onion, Ketchup, and Salt and Vinegar, All Dressed has been a Canadian favourite chip flavour for decades.


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Canada Dry Ginger Ale

The champagne of Ginger Ales was Created by Canadian pharmacist and chemist John J. McLaughlin in 1904. Labelled "Dry" to alert shoppers it was not nearly as sweet as other Ginger Ales in the market, it quickly caught on and soared in popularity. 

It didn't take long for the soft drink to grow its popularity to the United States and today Canday Dry is available worldwide. Its logo, a map of Canada enclosed in a shield, with a crown above it, has soldiered on for over 100 years across the globe as a product we Canadians can be proud of.


 What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

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Ketchup Chips

Giving Canadians red finger tips and weird smelling breath since the 1970s , Ketchup Chips is the classic combination of adding ketchup-flavoured seasoning to potato chips. Every chip was dusted with tomato powder, garlic, onion and spices, infusing smoky, salty and sweet flavours. Since then, millions of chip bags have been ripped open and chowed down by Canadians, who have a hankering for the tart and crunchy addictive ketchup like flavour.

Although it is a true Canadian snack, the origins of ketchup chips are entangled in mystery, with no one putting their hand up to take the credit. The easiest way to tell the story is like this, it’s believed that this red-powdered snack was first formulated by Hostess Potato Chips in the early 1970s, and retailed exclusively to the Canadian market. Canadians loved the flavour and it has been on the shelves ever since.

What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

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Maple Dipped Donuts

Post by Stephanie Fry

Mmm…maple…yum!!! Anything maple is definitely iconically Canadian thanks to our nation’s flag and our beautiful maple trees; the source of this sweet, sweet nectar. Though I’m pretty sure that donuts were not invented in Canada; thanks to Tim Horton's they sure do seem like a popularly known Canadian treat. Drizzle some of that sweet maple flavoured icing onto a soft, fluffy donut and muah! You have a delicious perfectly Canadian, portable dessert; the maple dipped donut which is one of my favourites. 

These two cuties (Russell, left and Wesley, right) sure do enjoy their maple dipped donuts from Zehrs Markets, Alliston. If you are wondering why the donut they are eating doesn’t look like a maple dipped donut, they chose the sprinkled version; now who doesn’t like sprinkles!


What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

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Exploring Ontario’s West Coast: Goderich, Ontario

People tend to want to see all that the wide world has to offer. In doing so, however, they can forget about seeing their own country; the surrounding cities, towns and landscapes that make up their own backyard. I live in Ontario, a huge province in Canada that has many different offerings including massive cities, small towns, rugged tundra, vast forests, the Canadian Shield, watersheds and much, much more. I always like to take a bit of time whenever I can to explore all that Ontario has to offer. Each summer, one of my favourite places to visit with a carload of great friends is Goderich, located on Ontario's west coast.

View of the harbour

Located about three hours from Toronto (four hours if there is traffic, which there always seems to be), Goderich is a quaint little town with a lot of history, a booming salt mining industry and a whole lot of beauty. In fact, it was deemed to be one of Canada’s prettiest towns by Queen Elizabeth II which led to the creation of their motto: Canada’s Prettiest Town.

Upon arrival you are greeted into the community with an octagon town square oozing with small town charm.  The courthouse sits proudly in its centre surrounded by local businesses and shops. We recall it looking similar to the 1950’s version of Hill Valley, the town featured in the Back to the Future movies. If you are a fan of architecture and house design, then Goderich will be worth your drive. Every street has incredibly beautiful homes; some of the more prominent ones still featuring original horse rails and ties in front of the properties. There are also a variety of parkettes that feature stories and monuments hearkening back to the town's former life.

Goderich Lighthouse built in 1847

On our last visit, our home for the weekend was located minutes from one of the town's best attractions, the three beaches. Main Beach, St. Christopher’s Beach and Rotary Cove Beach are all in walking distance of each other, but all offer a slightly different experience. Main beach is the closest to the harbour activity, so it is a great spot to chill and watch massive ships load up with salt, tug boats roaming around the waters; or simply catch the waves crashing in. St. Christopher’s beach is definitely the family spot. Playgrounds, pavilions, BBQ pits and more make this area more suitable for families or larger groups. There are also rock piers to sit on and soak up the views. Rotary Cove is the furthest of the three beaches but offers a quieter beach experience; better for smaller groups or couples.

The almighty beach! Just one of the few reasons to visit Goderich

You can explore the town by foot to get some hidden views of Lake Huron and come across some gems like the Goderich Lighthouse. Built in 1847 this lighthouse is not of a typical build. It is short and squared off, but because it is situated on a bluff it does its job just fine. Located by the lighthouse are steps that lead down the bluff to St. Christopher’s beach. Goderich lore says you can watch the sun set twice here; once down at the beach and again after climbing up the stairs to the top of the bluff. I didn’t get to test this claim out, but would gladly go back and try.

Hard to believe this is Ontario! A view of Lake Huron from a park in Goderich

Beauty aside, what is a place without food and drink? The town has your typical fare of McDonalds, Subway, etc., but we have found a few gems along the way. The Park House restaurant is located at the top of the road leading to the beach. Here you will find a killer patio with great views. They serve normal pub fare menu, but also offer fish from the lake.

John in front of one of the beautiful old style homes you can find in Goderich

Preserving history by converting an old rail station into a restaurant is exactly what the Beach Street Station Restaurant did. While offering up a more high-end menu than the other restaurants, it still manages to stay on a budget friendly price point. It also happens to be a focal point of St. Christopher’s Beach and offers great views of the lake.

Situated in the heart of the town square is a little shop called Cravings. Its name is exactly on par with what they offer, the treats you crave. Be sure to stop by and try out one of their 43 ice cream flavours or some homemade treats.

Goderich is just one of many places along Ontario’s west coast that are worthy of a visit, but with its small town charm; beautiful homes and parks; quiet and friendly atmosphere and top notch beaches, you may just want to make it your first.

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Toronto Christmas Market - 2015 Update

December is finally here, which means Toronto is in full swing with Christmas. Shops have their decorations up and carols playing. People are running around trying to find the perfect gift with winter themed coffee cups in their hands. Office and work party season is in full gear and there is a general niceness towards everyone that only exists this time of year.

The main road/vendor section of the Christmas Market

One major draw for the Toronto scene this time of year is the Christmas Market in the beautiful Distillery District. The Distillery District is a historical site that is rich with Victorian industrial buildings, just steps away from the Downtown Core. The 47 buildings that make up the Distillery District were once owned by Gooderham and Worts (formerly the largest distillery company in Canada) and were deemed to be a historical site in 1976. Cityscape Holdings purchased the site in 2001 and imagined it to be a place where a blend of artisans and entrepreneurs could have a space to showcase their creativity. In 2003, the Distillery District was opened to the public and since then has been an area famous for its cobblestone streets, clothing and craft shops, creative businesses, Mill Street Brewery and of course the Christmas Market.

The huge tree in the Christmas Market

The Toronto Christmas Market pulls from historic European traditions and offers the people of Toronto and surrounding areas a romantic celebration of everything Christmas. There are local vendors who occupy quaint huts and sell their artisan crafts, clothing and food. There is a large "Wintergarten" where everyone can meet and socialize outside with cups of cheer by one of many fire pits. While this Christmas tradition has been modernized and is essentially another business to gain money, you can't help but get wrapped up in the feeling of the cheerful people, old buildings, twinkling lights and Christmas decor. The Christmas Market is intended to romanticize the feeling of Christmas, and it does just that. Visit here and you will fall in love with Christmas again!

The market runs from November 20th through December 20th. To combat overcrowding the market is now $5 per person on Saturday and Sunday and free Tuesday through Friday. More information can be found at the Toronto Christmas Market website. Below are some pictures from my visit earlier this week!

Are you Naughty or Nice? Find out in the Wintergarten!

Alternate view of the beautiful tree

The girls getting cozy with one of  many statues to pose with at the Christmas Market

Get a view of the entire Christmas Market on the Ferris Wheel!

Indulge in some spirits and brews! Sleeman Dark Chocolate Lager readily available for all those of age.

Vendors huts after hours.

Me crushing a Vanilla Porter from Mill Street Brewery and a massive turkey leg (totally worth the $13 price tag)!

The main street after hours. 

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Real Man Recipes - Thanksgiving Dinner Part 1: Turkey

Real Man Recipes - Thanksgiving Dinner Part 1: Turkey

It’s that time of year again when turkey’s everywhere (well mostly just in Canada) start running for their lives. I’m talking, of course, about Thanksgiving. And the crew here at Real Man Travels has got you rookies covered with some easy recipes to make sure you can knock the big dinner out of the park.

Thanksgiving in Canada is just like in the USA, just earlier, and without NFL games.

Turkey

A lot of people go to great lengths to try and take their turkey to the next level. News flash! Turkey is pretty damn good just the way it is. Here is a great, basic recipe to make your bird sing.

Go to the grocery store and buy a frozen turkey when they start going on sale. Make sure it’s a Grade A turkey, but don’t shy away from the utility turkey label. This usually just means it’s missing a wing or a leg or something superficial. Thaw the turkey out. Keep in mind that this might take a number of days. Thawing in the fridge is safest. Now, most turkeys come with the neck and giblets, which are usually stuffed up inside the abdominal cavity. I’m not a huge fan of the giblets, but hold on to the neck (queue the Christmas Vacation ‘Save the neck for me for Clark’ quotes). Throw the turkey into a roasting pan and put the neck in the pan beside it. Roughly chop 2-3 medium size onions and put those in the pan too. Pour some chicken broth into the pan (I make mine with chicken Bovril) so that there’s about an inch or so in the bottom of the pan. Now take a healthy dose of room temperature butter and start massaging your bird. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover that bad boy with foil (or a lid if your roaster is big enough).

"You want to put what, where???"

Preheat the oven to 350 and pop him in for 15 minutes a pound. I like to crank up the oven to 400 and uncover for the last hour or so to get that nice golden colour on top; plus the crispy skin is most definitely where it’s at. Get yourself a meat thermometer and double check the internal temperature before taking it out. Poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.

When your bird is done, pull him out and let him rest a good 20-30 minutes before carving. For the love of all that is awesome, don’t get rid of your pan drippings. That’s where the sweet, sweet gravy lives. Check back later this week for the gravy recipe.

enjoy, and then nap,

Now I know what you’re thinking; where’s the stuffing? I don’t stuff my turkey because I make what we call ‘stuffing balls’. And you’ll have to check back later this week for that one, too.

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Savouring the Brewers Plate 2015

For someone who is still learning to love beer, I have to say I am having an exemplary education. I was lucky enough to attend Brewers Plate on behalf of the team here.

I have been to quite a few of the food events Toronto has to offer, and while I have always left them full and happy, I have to say that Brewers Plate was my favourite.

The concept was simple: 20 rock star chefs, 20 rock star brewers, one great event. The 2015 Brewers Plate benefited the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation. Each of the brewers and chefs had a sign explaining their connection to the greenbelt, and many highlighted Greenbelt grown or foraged ingredients. Everyone was encouraged to wear a concert t-shirt. I own an original Bruce Springsteen 1984 Born in the USA tour t-shirt. So yah, I was pretty excited by that theme. 

Held in the atrium of Corus Key, breweries and chefs were elbow to elbow. The space is really neat (green wall, twisty slide) and the big sliding doors were thrown open highlighting the water-front view of Lake Ontario. For the caliber of the food (lobster tails, ribs, duck, pasta served from a wheel of parmigiana) the line-ups were pretty much non-existent. Though the place was buzzing, we had no problem sidling up at a table and striking up a conversation - the crowd was friendly and fun.

Food Highlights:

• The fanciest hot dog ever: Brie nacho cheese-style sauce, pickled ramps and mustard seeds (from Globe Bistro)
• Maple syrup-wrapped cheese (aka, my favourite thing wrapped around my second favourite thing)
• Smoked duck breast with dark chocolate and blueberry compote
• Smoked ribs and mustard-y potato salad (with FIDDLEHEADS).

My companion for the evening was Amanda, who was the perfect date in that she’s equally passionate about beer AND the environment. She did the beer tastings as I was the DD. Here is her report:

The Beer Report: 

• Fav beer of the night: McKinnon's Hefeweizen - great banana nose, clean and crisp taste, not too heavy like some wheat beers can get.
• Honourable mention: Black Oak team up with ChocoSol to create this iced chocolate beer float thing that shouldn't work, but totally did.
• Fav drink of the night: Georgian Bay Gin, because  as much as I love delicious craft beer, I love gin and tonics 1000 times more (and I really LOVE craft beer). Plus, gin and tonic garnished with a  lobster skewer? Yeah, I'm middle-classed enough to be impressed by that.

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Girl's Getaway to Niagara

A Post By Terrina



You know, sometimes it's nice to mix a little business and pleasure, and I did just that. Perfectly paired with some girlfriends, this sweet visit included four of the twenty-five wineries located around Niagara-on-the-Lake. Mix it up with a 40th birthday celebration for my best friend Dee and some great weather, and we had the recipe for a great girl's getaway to Niagara.  

Jackson Triggs

Peller Estates

Inniskillin

4 Sista's at Two Sisters

The wineries we chose to visit were Jackson Triggs, Two Sisters, Peller Estates and Inniskillin. Out of the four wineries that we visited, one stood out with its huge driveway leading up to the front entrance. The outside of the Two Sisters Vineyards featured lovely gardens and it got better as you went inside. The main foyer gave us the feeling of being in Italy, especially the main hall's breathtaking chandeliers (chandeliers are kind of my thing).

It may have been the wine, but I am pretty sure it was the warm welcome, the wonderful story of the Two Sisters and it's history (herstory) that made it our favorite stop of the day. Our host, Larissa, was as welcoming as could be. She told us the tale of  the Two Sisters, Angela and Melissa, and the special meaning behind their company logo.

The two sisters logo was created by a local tattoo artist Jen at Lucky Sister

The seven grapes between the two female heads represent the sisters seven children, each of the sisters have two daughters to carry on the Two Sisters tradition for generations to follow. It truly was a great story.

We enjoyed the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc paired with charred asparagus and aged percorino cheese.  Larissa then took us into the cellar for a quaint tour.

After we had tasted at three of the wineries  we found our way to Inniskillin. By then, the birthday girl may have had a little to much, as you can see:

But... you only turn 40 once!

After sampling the wine and paired food and enjoying the perfect weather, we all headed to our nearby hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn; a lovely place where the manger, Bob Dick, took great care of us. Bob was able to hook us up with a Mercedes limo van from Entourage Limo to drive us to our dinner at the Keg at Fallsview where we were lucky enough to catch the firework show (highly recommended that you try to plan your meal to correspond with the fireworks, if you can).  After dinner we hit the casino and then danced the night away at Dragon Fly Nightclub

Planned a successful girl's getaway? We would love to hear about it!

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