Camera Shy

On our recent trip to Cape Breton, two of my friends came over to spend the afternoon.  They also brought supper for us.  The three of us had so much fun.  We took Maggie down to the beach for a long walk.

Maggie on the beach.

Pretty rocks and snail shells on the beach.

Friends on the beach.

 

Back to the house through the woods from the beach.

When we were back at the house, I asked David (Christene's son) to take a picture of the three of us.  One of us--Christene---seems to be camera shy.  She did everything she could to avoid having her picture taken.  Here is the result: 

Say "cheese" Christene.

Note the beautiful hat.  Michealette found this at Dollarama for three bucks.  Sold out though.

Then we had dinner---a wonderful seafood casserole and Michealette's blueberry scones.  Michealette also brought a beautiful flower arrangement for the table.

Michealette's scones.

Pretty flowers by Michealette.

Thanks girlfriends, so much fun!!!!!

Our Maggie Loves Marble Mountain

Maggie playing in the meadow at Marble Mountain.

We flew to Nova Scotia this year, and we couldn't leave Maggie behind.  She loves it in Marble Mountain where she can romp in the fields and run along the beach.  She is small enough to just fit under the seat in front of us, and she's a pretty good traveler.  She whined very little on this trip. 

She enjoyed standing on haystacks one Sunday when we were over at St. George's Channel for a brunch.  This event is sponsored by the men in the village of St. George's and they do all the cooking.  There was a field that had been recently mowed and several of the bales were still there, so she was on one surveying the field for some little unsuspecting mammal.

Maggie on haystack looking for some small mammal to chase.

Although she doesn't seem to like to swim in the water, she does wade near the shore when she wants to cool off from running along the beach.

Maggie cooling off down on our beach.

When she's all tired out from a romp outside, she loves to sleep at Dan's feet on the sunroom sofa. 

Maggie having a nap with Dan.

Yes, Marble Mountain is a favorite place for Maggie. (and for us.)

The Best Seafood Chowder Ever

Seafood Chowder

It's not hyperbole for me to say that the other day I had the best seafood chowder I've ever had, even better than Dan's and his is hard to beat. Not only that but we discovered a wonderful new (to us) restaurant over in Whycocomagh, Cape Breton. Actually I learned that Charlene's Bayside Restaurant and Cafe has been there five years, and we are just now discovering it. Hey, better late than never.

Last Friday Dan and I took his cousin Mary over to Bayside for lunch.  We had been told that they are known for their seafood chowder, and now we are believers.

We had passed by this place many times during the last five years and never really noticed it.  The exterior is rather nondescript, but inside it's sunny and inviting.


The staff is friendly and one can see baking preparations going on in the kitchen.  Our friendly waiter is featured below as well as Michelle, Charlene's sister, who was using the biggest batter paddle I ever saw to whip up some baked goods.

Their desserts are well-known as well.  I rarely pass up a chance to have strawberry-rhubarb pie (see below), but Dan chose the butterscotch and I was able to have a taste of it after all.

We may have missed this place in the past five years, but we will be sure to make it a regular place to eat in the future when we are in Cape Breton.

Glazed Carrots with a Taste of Cinnamon

We like carrots at our house---raw, in soups, in salads, in cakes or simply boiled or roasted.  The other night I wanted to have cooked carrots as a side dish, but with a slightly different twist.  I found this recipe by Elise in Simply Recipes. These would be great at Thanksgiving as suggested by Elise.  But we liked them as a different side dish for our non-holiday meal.

Maple Orange Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

• 1 pound carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds

One pound of carrots.

Peel carrots.

Cut into rounds.

        2 Tbsp unsalted butter
        1/2 teaspoon salt ( I omitted the salt.)
        1/4 cup maple syrup
        1/3 cup orange juice
        1/2 teaspoon orange zest
        Pinch cinnamon

Method

1 In a large, wide sauté pan, heat the butter on medium heat until melted. Add the carrots and toss to coat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the maple syrup. Cook for a minute more, then add the orange juice. Cover the pan and cook for 3 more minutes.

Toss carrots to coat in butter.

Add maple syrup.

 

Add orange juice.

2 Uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium high. Stir the carrots occasionally, and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat.
3 Sprinkle cinnamon over the carrots, and stir in the orange zest.

Add cinnamon and orange zest.

Ready to serve.

This made for a delicious side dish.  I cooked the carrots a little longer so that the carrots were caramelized.