Marie Cookpad

   Many years ago when I was raising my family, I used to watch a television show on the PBS channel called Harrowsmith Country Life. I loved it. It was a lovely mix of all the things I embraced . . .  country life, bird watching, care of nature, gardening, wholesome food and cookery. I used to watch it and wish that I could live that type of life.  Out in the countryside, with my own big garden, living sustainably off the earth, close to nature, and all that. Mind you, when I was a really young women, still at school, I wanted to live in a commune, like a hippy. I think I had a romanticised notion of it all in my head that was a far distance from the reality.   What did I know about the world and life, not a lot really.  Just what I read or saw on the television.  Back in the 1990's I picked up this book at a second hand/cheap book shop in Meaford, Ontario.  Based on the column in the Harrowsmith magazine entitled Pantry, it is filled with lots of lovely, healthy, mother-earth typ

I confess when I was younger I was not all that fond of chicken salad sandwiches. I am not sure why.  It is something which I have taken to mostly in my older life.  There wasn't anything really per se that I didn't like about them, I guess I just always preferred sliced chicken to chicken salad.  To be honest, I hadn't really tried it . . . I just always thought that I wouldn't like them, and so I was hesitant to try.  When I worked at the Manor though, I used to make Chicken Salad for my boss now and then, and in the process I was required to taste it, and I then learned that actually, Chicken Salad was kinda tasty!   You can make a chicken salad either to eat on its own on a lettuce leaf, or to be placed between two sliced of bread very easily.  Chicken breast meat is so benign flavourwise and adapts itself well to many textures and flavours.    I think for me the reason I avoided chicken salad for so long, it was a texture thing.  I was never really fond of the feel

  Did you every have one of those days?    By that I mean a day where everything you touch turns to doodoo.  You spend all day working really hard, but at the end of it you got nothing to show for it.  Days where you float from one disaster right on into another.  Yep, having one of those horrible rotten days where everything I touch turns to dust.   First I had in mind to make some cheesy potato waffles using mashed potato flakes. I could picture them in my mind. Oh but they were going to be beautiful . . .  crisp and golden . . .  and I was going to serve them with bacon curls, roasted tomatoes and some fried eggs . . .    First I couldn't get the batter the right consistency for the waffle maker, and the cheese kept getting stuck in the holes.  Then I burnt the bacon. At that point I gave up on them and the batter got washed down the toilet. (Don't judge me.)   I cleaned up the waffle iron and then I thought . . . hmmm . . .  lemon and poppyseed waffles with a black currant

  One of Todd's favourite desserts has to be Custard Pie or Tarts.  When I am grocery shopping, I will oftimes pick him up a couple of custard tarts to enjoy.  He loved them.  They are tall and thick and well coated with nutmeg.  I can't say I am overly fond, although I could not give you a reason why.  I like custard, and I like nutmeg, I am just not that fond of Custard tarts  . . .  its a texture thing I think  . . . they are pretty solid  . . .  I like my custard a bit creamier.   I do like this Magic Pie however  . . .  it is basically  a lazy man's custard pie, except that it has a lot more going for it.  One . . . its very easy to make . . .    Two  . . .  it's not just plain custard, it is filled with lots of coconut and almonds  . . .  and I love both of those  . . .    It uses things like flour, sugar, dessicated coconut, flaked almonds,eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter, which you simply whisk together and pour into a buttered dish.  If you can measure thi