Traced Elements

Author: blairkaplanvenables

Food and Feelings: Intentions for 2019

Oh hello, 2019! I’m not someone who’s all about the “new year, new me” mantra but I do like to use the new year as a time to remind myself about the things that I love. I also use this time to set achievable intentions. To be honest, I celebrate my actual new year on my birthday (August 8^th) and that is when I set bigger BHAG-ish goals. For 2019, I’ve set some intentions that will help inspire my happiness and that may require guidance from the community. I don’t have a very green thumb, I’m a creature of habit and I love being outside.

If you have any suggestions or tips on any of the below intentions, please comment below this post or email. #help

Intention one: Try something other than Pad Thai at Barn Nork

I’m a frequent diner at Barn Nork (and also a frequent eater of their take out). I always switch up the starters but I can’t seem to deviate from their delicious Pad Thai. HELP! My goal for 2019 is to provide my taste buds a new experience via the Barn Nork train.

Intention two: Always have local farm fresh eggs

My name is Blair and I’m an egg-aholic. I start off every single day with a delicious breakfast that 99.9% of the time includes eggs. Since moving to Pemberton in 2012, I discovered how delicious farm fresh eggs are. Sometimes they are easy to buy and sometimes I feel like Sherlock Holmes trying to hunt down someone who will sell me at least a dozen. Over the years I’ve collected a few different resources for farm fresh eggs and I’ve learned to buy two dozen at a time. When I can’t find the eggs I desire, I buy them from the store and they just don’t have the same taste (in my opinion). Why should I let my eggs dip below my taste bud’s standards? I shouldn’t and I won’t! So, 2019, bring on the farm freshies!

Intention three: Grow my own flowers (to cut)

I’ve always been a sucker for fresh cut flowers. They are pretty and smell divine. I realized that during 2018 I spent a lot of money on purchasing flowers. Because I enjoy flowers so much, and I have the space to grow them, why try growing them? My husband has a greener thumb than I do and he’s agreed to help me out with this intention. I’m looking to grow flowers that are cat-friendly AND that are low maintenance. What do you think I should grow?

One thing to note is that this past summer was the first summer (ever) that I managed to keep my lavender plant alive. GO ME!

Intention four: Pick my raspberries, every day

When I moved to town I shared with Shayne my love for raspberries and that I’ve always wanted my own raspberry bush. So, we planted a raspberry bush and we seemed to plant them in the right spot because they love to grow! Usually, halfway through the season, I seem to slip away from picking them daily and eventually forget about them. I usually have a moment where I remember (when I’m no where near Pemberton) and call a neighbour to send their kids to pick the berries. I have NO REASON to not pick the raspberries on a daily basis (unless I’m out of town, which, I guess, is a reason). I should also freeze them if I have too many. So, backyard bush, bring it on!

Because it’s now January 10, 2019, and I’ve shared my intentions publicly with you, please hold me accountable. Also, if you have any words of encouragement or advice, please send them my way. Cheers to an awesome 2019 full of new menu choices, fresh cut flowers, raspberries galore and eggies from my neighbours.

P.S. Want to drop me a line? My email is blair@blairkaplan.ca.

January 10, 2019
Food and Feelings: Fromage

Bonjour*. When you think of France what do you think of? What comes to mind is probably different for everyone. For me, one of the thoughts that surface is about cheap and delicious cheese. After returning from my rock-and-roll honeymoon, I’m left missing the delicious croissants, cheese, wine and various other delightful foods.

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE cheese so this trip was full of dreamy surprises. My favourite cheese experience was when Shayne and I went to Le Fer a Cheval in Chamonix, France. We were looking for the best fondue in town and this was recommended to us by a local. This restaurant is so popular that if you don’t have a reservation you most likely won’t get a table. So, we made a reservation and I then counted down the hours, minutes and seconds until fondue-ville.

Le Fer a Cheval

Stoked on life, we ordered the fondue with tomato sauce and potatoes. The cheese had tomato sauce in it and it came with bread and a huge basket of potatoes. I guess you can take the girl out of Pemberton but you can’t take Pemberton out of the girl. It was filling. It was delicious. It was everything that I had hoped for. After this experience, I felt inspired to create a life where fondue was present on a more regular basis.

Fondue in Chamonix

A few years ago, I celebrated Christmas with my in-laws in Kamloops. They decided to have a fondue dinner instead of a traditional Christmas dinner. This, my friends, was amazing. It’s was a very social experience and made dinner super-interactive. There was cheese fondue, oil, chocolate and many food options. However, there were no potatoes.

It’s impossible to scarf down dinner because you have to wait for your food to cook, bite by bite. We did this for a few years but took a break last year. This year we are bringing it back, Pemberton style (in Pemberton) and I’ve decided to call it a Very Merry Fonduemas. And yes, there will be potatoes.

Fondue round two, HERE I COME!

BONUS: Did you know that fondue originated in Switzerland? Praise the Swiss. Also, fondue recipes vary depending on the region that you are in. You can learn more about that HERE.

*I speak very little French but do know a few words. Just ask Shayne (pictured below) because he was witness to me trying to communicate in French while in France (which, I’m sure, was a painful experience for him).

December 10, 2018
Food and Feelings: Caesar Trail

There’s a scene from the movie Now and Then where all of the girls are joyfully riding their bikes around their town. Often when I’m riding my bike with my friends, around Pemberton, I pretend I’m in that movie. Perhaps it’s because what I’m doing is a simple yet heart-fulfilling activity? Perhaps when I’m on my bike it feels like all of life’s complications melt away? Perhaps I just really love that movie and wish I was in it?

I’m not sure what it is but I love being on my bike and riding the “mellow” trails and routes around town.

Being from Winnipeg, where the biggest hill I had growing up was a bridge, inclines and declines can be intimidating to me. So, I’ve established that there are certain trails in town that I’m comfortable with.

One of those trails is called “Caesar Trail.”

Upon moving to Pemberton in 2012 I was introduced to the activity of riding my bike along the dike to the golf course zone. It’s quite magical and beautiful to ride my bike on the dike and to be able to choose where to go next once the dike ends. I found myself more often than not riding that trail and ending up at one of the golf courses for a Caesar.

Yum….Caesars.

The fact that the route/trail didn’t have that exciting of a name, in my opinion, I started to call it the “Cesar Trail.” Maybe this is a name that will catch on? Maybe this is the name that only me and my friends will use?

All that matters is that at the end of the beautiful and chill adventure is a Caesar.

It’s my favorite trail to ride in the whole Sea to Sky Corridor and I recommend you try it out (especially if the sun is shining).

Cheers to Tara and Kalmia for being my partners-in-caesar and to Shayne for taking pictures of us!

May 16, 2018
Food and Feelings: Spring Rolls

In July of 2012, I moved to Pemberton. I followed my heart from Vancouver to the magical town of Pemberton where my then-boyfriend (now-husband) lived. I fell in love with the town. How could you not? The only problem that I had when I moved to town was that I had no friends. I did meet a few people through Shayne but I quickly developed three new friendships: Amy, Pauline, and May.

I love Chinese food. One of the first places that Shayne took me in Pemberton was to Centennial Café and I had such a great experience. I also fell in love with the Centennial experience and the ladies there got to know me and my “regular order.”

Whenever I would go in to get takeout I felt immediately welcomed with open arms. Because I like to eat my feelings, when I was feeling sad I would order Chinese food. I mostly did this because I knew that when I went to pick it up I would be greeted with smiles and compliments from my three new friends.

A lot of us had our favourite things to order and I was a huge fan of the deep fried spicy tofu, ginger beef on chow main and spring rolls. In my opinion, those spring rolls were to die for. Sometimes I would go there just for an order of spring rolls. They were so good that there was a 100% chance that I would burn my mouth when eating them because I didn’t have the patience to let them cool down upon arriving at my table.

After being a regular for a few years I graduated to being greeted with a hug. It’s like I was ordering spring rolls with a side of hugs and I loved it.

I’m bummed out that they closed down. Aren’t you? I get it. It was time to retire/move on. The owners worked really hard and deserve to retire and I’m excited for them.

I went for two last meals there (the last-last one was for three spring rolls). After moving here, I would always joke that I had five friends in town and Amy, May and Pauline were three of them. Those ladies, those memories, and those spring rolls will always be a part of my Pemberton story.

April 10, 2018
Food and Feelings: Jerk

My name is Blair Kaplan Venables and some people may say that I have an insatiable hunger for life. I would say that I have an insatiable hunger for food.

I love to eat.

I eat when I’m happy. I eat when I’m sad. I eat when I’m stressed out. I eat when I’m nervous. I eat to celebrate. I eat to mourn. I eat three meals a day plus a few snacks.

My feelings directly impact what I eat and crave (and normally the craving is cheese-centric).

I’m also someone who isn’t “in love” with cooking or baking. Every so often I’ll get into cooking but I like things that are easy to make, fast to make and yummy.

I know what you are thinking and YES, we own a slow cooker but I don’t even use that. I have a few recipes that I’ve mastered and they are on a constant rotation.

Over the past few years, I made a few lifestyle changes to help positively impact my life. So, I’ve looked for ways to make healthy food taste better. Chicken, in my opinion, is one of those foods that needs a little extra help.

One of my most favourite discoveries is The Metropolitan Chef’s Jerk Rub, which is made in Port Alberni, B.C and I tell everyone about it. I’ve even got my mother hooked on it. It’s super easy to use and makes chicken (especially free-range chicken) taste scrumptious.

You see, my love for jerk chicken stemmed from a trip with my friends to Negril, Jamaica. It wasn’t until this trip that I truly fell in love with jerk chicken. However, I’m slightly domestically challenged and I could never make it taste as good…until I discovered this magical rub.

Most recently, I’ve personally hand-delivered two packages of it to my mom in Winnipeg. This, my friends, is a jerk rub that’s gone national.

So, want in on this game-changing jerk rub? You can buy it at Mile One Eating House.

March 9, 2018