cottage pics

Ah! Our trip to the cottage this year was probably the most amazing one we've ever had. Great weather and so much fun.

 

Webers is our tradition. We'll hit it either going up or coming back down - or some years both ways. It really breaks up the trip.

 

Owen decided he was really into fries with ketchup.

Once up, Owen was a little sand & water guy. We knew he was into both, but to spend a week doing nothing but hangout beach side, this was what I think Owen's perfect vacation must be.

 

Every year all the kids get measured on the cottage growth chart. Owen's already taller than I was at two and a half.

We always spend tons of time at parks while up north. We visited at least one a day and a total of 4 in North Bay.

This is at Champlain Park.

Owen always ran right over to the frog bouncer.

Kiwanis Park.

 

As you can tell from Owen's windblown hair, Thursday was really breezy. Which was a good thing because that was the day that registered 50 degrees in Southern Ontario. 

It was so gusty we decided to fly our kite at Sunset Point. We weren't the only ones with the same idea. There were many windsurfers catching waves at the park.

At sunset they were windsurfing right in front of the cottage along our bay. This was a rare thrill. 

 

I didn't capture it, but some surfers launched at least 30 feet in the air.

Owen's at an age right now where he's completely obsessed with ducks. At Zooz we couldn't tear him away from just one animal - the duck taking a bath. 

 

Can you imagine what it was like for Owen when he had a chance to feed the ducks? They came only inches from him.

Speaking of baths, here's Owen in his little tub where he was washed down every night. He could spend an hour just playing with his squirty toys in this tiny little tub.

There is a very cool train by the waterfront. Owen is now old enough to enjoy the rides.

 "Choo-Choo" Owen claps as the train pulls in.

 He got to ring the bell and blow the whistle.

There is also an adorable carousel with hand crafted animals all inspired by the local wildlife. Owen wanted to ride the 'lion' which was a cougar.

 

Bye bye ducks. Bye bye chipmunks.

cottage treats

Every year at the cottage we get hooked onto something special we wouldn't otherwise indulge. Last year it was fresh fruit cobblers. I can remember previous years snacking on Twizzlers, Rollos, Cherries and Peanuts until my stomach ached.

This year I decided to pull my popsicle molds and hand blender out of storage and pack them for up north. That way Owen would be able to have a healthy cottage treat. There seems to be a renewed interest in ice pops right now and I think it's because of this book Paleteas. But whatever the reason, popsicles are a great way to stay hydrated and cool in a cottage without air conditioning (and I must mention, we are not enduring what everyone in Southern Ontario is dealing with. We are luckily enjoying 29 degree sunny days with a cool breeze blowing into the cottage off the lake.)

I started out making Mango / Pineapple Yogurt Pops. This was a delicious combination.

Then my favourite are these Strawberry / Wild Blueberry Yogurt Pops. The fresh strawberries were picked up at L'Amis Farm Stand and picked from Leisure Farm's berry patch in Sturegon Falls. Of course, the wild blueberry portion of the pop was from our pickings the other day. With all these popsicles I used blitzed fruit with yogurt and layered between fruit blends. You truly don't need anything more!

I don't think anything beats cottage S'mores. We grew up at cottages with campfire S'mores but recently the city's by-laws limit campfires, so that really isn't an option for us anymore. 

Too bad because these Jet-Puffed Marshmallow's are now available in a rectangular, wider and flatter size. Why didn't they think of this sooner?

Well, second best to the real thing is this cottage week discovery I made on sale at Metro. Ritz S'Mores! These are graham crackers shaped like mini Ritz in sandwiches of mashmallow creme and chocolate. Other than their shape there really isn't anything Ritz about them. These are truly addictive beach side snacking!

cottage week in B's

This week is our week at the family cottage. I don't know if I'm reading too many Dr. Seuss books these days, but at the cottage we have 5 of my favourite B's all right outside the doorstep.
A Beach – yes our very own private sandy (to Owen's delight) beach overlooking the lake.

A Boat – no power/muscle/macho boat. A charming tin can that's been around since my dad was a young boy.

A Barbecue – the quintessential flavour of cottage dinners.

More on these grilled vegetable tostadas later.

And, in my eyes, one of the most priceless culinary luxuries - wild Blueberry bushes. Two steps from the cottage door, between the cottage and the beach is an expanse of wild blueberry bushes!

I've mentioned before about wild blueberries, and they are truly one of Ontario's most prized treasures. You can't go to the local garden centre and buy yourself a 'wild' blueberry bush. And, you might be able to transplant a bush, but whether it grows or not – well, that takes years and mother nature to determine. My grandmother told me last year that they started out with a small little bush, but the patch has now overgrown the property to the sandy beach.

Nuno showing Owen how to pick blueberries.

Great beach snack on their own.

We went out in the bush and picked even more. We picked a total of about a quart basket full which go for $15 - $30.

And one last precious B - my Baby. Having Owen up with us and enjoying every minute together is definitely the MOST priceless of all.

canadian-bacon strata and fudgy brownies

For the past three years I've blogged about our weekends cottaging in Grand Bend with my in-laws. It's always a blast! We love to have the opportunity to get away and spend quality chunks of time with the family. I was expecting Owen last year and this year he was our newest inductee into the get-away. He was wonderful up there sleeping and napping well. Probably from all the work it takes to entertain people. Even though the weather wasn't great, we still managed some beach time. Owen had fun splashing in the water until repeated fistfuls of sand in his mouth spoiled the good time.

I don't know if I've mentioned in the past how much of a food-a-thon this weekend always ends up to be. You see, most of my in-laws are equally passionate about food as I am. We each take care of a meal up there and it's always a great array of well thought out delicious meals. I wish I could go on and on about what we enjoyed, but it would be a little too lengthy for an entry, so I'll cover what we contributed relative to Everyday Food.

Ever since I saw the recipe for the Canadian-Bacon Strata, Grand Bend weekend came to mind. It fits the criteria for a group breakfast. Because the photo isn't telling, I'll explain. It is shingled english muffins and smoked bacon covered with an egg custard.

I have to note that there is a very odd conundrum with Canadian Bacon - you can't find it in Canada. Well, I'm sure it's available somewhere here, but not 3 hours before you leave for vacation. I called every butcher and supermarket being very specific about my request. I'd always have the person on the other line saying, "Yep, we have it!" To which I'd reply, "You're not referring to peameal bacon, right?" Then there would be an agreement that they are in fact referring to peameal bacon. Then I'd attempt to explain what I was looking for and, of course, they didn't have anything like that. So peameal it was. I was a little disappointed about the whole thing because if I'd anticipated this situation it would have been no problem to have grabbed some Canadian Bacon in the US. But luckily it was fantastic with peameal bacon. I thought the cornmeal would somehow not work well with this recipe, but many english muffins have cornmeal anyways, so it was a non-issue. The best thing about this particular recipe was that it's best made the night before. It worked out so well because Nuno and I also made Jam Filled French Toast. Since making it back in March, we have remade it a total of 4 times now, making this the top hit of the Everyday Food book. We never stray from the original recipe, although we have a plan to someday coat the french toast in crushed Corn Flakes or Cap'n Crunch and deep fry it.

I guess before we arrived in Grand Bend there was a conversation about what will Erin bake this year. I think I brought Anna Olson's S'mores Bars the two previous years. They are so decadent! I wanted to bake something, but was a bit limited because of the oven. I then came upon Fudgy Brownies which bakes at 350 (the highest temperature my oven will reach). I had all the ingredients in my pantry, so this recipe is nice for an anytime treat.

This one was a blessing because if I'd made these alone I might have eaten the whole pan! They are very dense and chocolatey. Not too sweet and super-moist. I added walnuts to balance. As a kid nothing made me more angry than when my grandma added nuts to brownies. I always felt like you were ruining a good thing by adding nuts to - oh, any sweet. But I feel differently now because the contrast in texture is nice. I must also note that, opposite to myself as a child, I don't like frosting on brownies.

So I'm a little bummed out that this is our last cottage trip of 2010. But in reflection, I'm so excited that Owen will have the opportunity to grow up summer cottaging. They are some of my favourite childhood memories and continue to be some of my favourite times.

family cottage north bay 2010

Blogging about my life through food is a way of keeping most other parts of my life personal. I like it that way. But of the people who skim over my blog, most are family. Many of whom want to know what Owen's first cottage experience was like and, come to think of it, I'd like to have this archived as well.

We always stop at Webers on the way up and weren't sure if it could happen this year. Life with a baby is scheduled, but you certainly can't force timing.

Luckily we got to Webers right in time for lunch.

"What? We're at Webers and all I get is mashed avocado!?"

This is the 5th generation of our family to cottage here.

We have a height chart set up where everyone is recorded year after year.

Owen and I were the same age coming up to the cottage (8 months), looks like he's got a few inches on me.

Here is our beach set-up. We need plenty of shade and I'd say we're covered!

This pool is ingenious. Although the photo doesn't show, it has a hose attachment and it sprinkles water up front from the bottom of the blowfish's mouth.

As we discovered at the Fallsview Waterpark, Owen loves to splash and touch sprinkling water.

He thinks pools are his personal water fountain.

While up here he cut 3 teeth simultaneously and for the first time fussed about it. He also learned to bum-scootch.

This also happens in his highchair which doesn't have a crotch strap.

We like to visit parks up here and Owen's fond of swings. When he swings forward he will pretend he's running. Totally a new mom here with the shopping cart cover over the swing.

Here is his evening walk to Champlain Park. It's just about his bed time and he's quite pensive as the sun sets.

This swing is at Kiwanis Park. It's part of our daily walk up Kate Pace Way starting at the Pier and turning back at Lee Park. Early in the week we noticed a midway was setting up at Lee Park.

This is Sunset Point swinging at sunrise. "Swing, to reach the end!"

By the pier are two merry-go-rounds and a kiddie train. It's the absolute cutest! I even heard a whooping and hollering from him. Between the swings and train, I figure I'll finally have a roller coaster partner in a few years.

To prime him for rides, I brought him out to Summer in the Park.

We spent time at the midway but didn't ride any rides, just took it all in. He loved it and was so stimulated!

Having Owen with us up here really adds a whole new dimension of fun. No more late nights partying at Wylders anymore.

Plenty of smiles and cuddles!

Soundtrack: Teenage Fanclub - Shadows, The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme, Surfer Blood - Astrocoast
Reading: A Homemade Life - Molly Wizenberg & Nuno's Script
Snacking: Roasted & Salted Edamame, Snapea Crisps, Homemade Chex Mix