Savour Winnipeg

Registration for Winnipeg Spring Leisure Guide classes begins Monday, March 15, at 9:00am. There’s a veritable bounty of information for the culinary inclined.

Folded into Adult Leisure sections you’ll find the usual headings–Hands-On Cuisine and Cuisine Demo. But I found a couple of foodie items in the Around the Yard section–Making Maple Sugar for Fun or Profit and Growing Mushrooms at Home (not the psychotropic ones).

Also, don’t forget to check the Assiniboine Park Conservatory (APC) section. There’s a handful of classes offered in conjunction with Manitoba Liquor Marts and Red River College. (Why this has anything to do with APC I don’t know. I’m also baffled by their insistence on describing this stuff as Foody. It’s foodie. As in granola munching Hippie, not Hippy. Hah!)

Aaaaanyway…I’ve pulled the FOODIE events out and listed them in a handy-dandy chronological order on the Savour Winnipeg Calendar of Food Events.

To register for classes or for more information, call 311 or click here.

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Savour Winnipeg presents 14 Winnipeg pubs perfect for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day. Rivers and beers the world over will run green, and…well, I won’t even comment on the wardrobe choices.

And while our waterways are immune, Winnipeggers nevertheless become infected with Irish fever, swarming watering holes to hoist an emerald pint or two.

On more than one occasion I’ve found myself late to the party, stuck in line-ups while friends and family are on the inside. Doesn’t anybody work? I do…I can’t be camping out hours early like some boxing week bargain hunter with a drinking problem.

Although the festivities fall on a Wednesday this year, don’t count on that to mollify the masses. I’ve put together a list of locals sure to provide the perfect platform to unleash your inner leprechaun.

Read more…

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The Dietitians of Canada couldn’t have picked a better slogan for Nutrition Month (March)–Celebrate food…from field to table.

It strikes a chord, particularly now as the sun begins to shine strong enough to melt snow, teasing us with glimpses of the earth, turning thoughts to gardens and growth.

The 2010 Nutrition Month challenges Canadians to celebrate food – from where it’s grown and harvested to the delicious and healthy meals that end up on our tables.

While it’s a little early in the growing season to go to the source (at least around here), why not make March the month to make a tardy new new year’s resolution.

When thinking seeds, plan(t) to try something new. Until fresh produce is available, look on the label for products that have been grown locally, or closer to home. And vow to shop a farmers market for your produce this year.

Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives publishes a fantastic listing of local producers and farmers’ markets. I’ve pulled out a few local favourites here:

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Food, Learn, Shop

It’s hard to believe how many food related activities are going on in Winnipeg at any given moment. Although the growing season is still some time away, March is no exception. As an appetizer to the main, here’s a few highlights for the month ahead:

• The Demonstration Series continues at d.a. Neils Kitchenware every Saturday
• Learn how to make your own maple syrup with an afternoon at Fort Whyte including tree selection, tapping technique, boiling and bottling
• Agriculture in the City is a three-day event at the Forks that offers a chance to explore the vibrant and innovative world of agriculture
• A host of Winnipeg Leisure Guide events continue throughout the month
• Clean Cuisine at The Food Studio teaches participants to prepare delicious meals with non processed ingredients that promote good health and weight maintenance
• Wine education events at the Winehouse and MLCC
  

For a full list of foodie focused activities, see the Savour Winnipeg Events Calendar at www.SavourWinnipeg.com/calendar

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When it comes to treats for your sweet on Valentine’s Day, chocolate is passe.

I smell sex and…bacon?

I’m sure referencing Marcy Playground’s “Sex and Candy” song makes me a dinosaur, but the sex and candy centric theme for Feb 14 is also on its way to extinction.

According to a recent national survey, when asked to choose between bacon and sex, 43 per cent of Canadians would choose…bacon!

The survey revealed some noteworthy differences on the Prairies. Nearly one in four of respondents (23%) from Manitoba and Saskatchewan wondered if “my partner loves bacon more than me.”

Maple Leaf commissioned this Angus Reid For the Love of Bacon survey to mark the launch of their newest product innovation, Maple Leaf Reclosable Bacon.

“We wanted to probe how deeply rooted Canadians’ passion for bacon is – and the For the Love of Bacon survey sure opened our eyes!” explained Adam Grogan, VP Marketing, Maple Leaf Foods. “Our research also told us that Canadians’ number one frustration with typical bacon packaging is that it can’t be reclosed and that it’s too messy (52%).”

Ah ha ha. He said probe. Look, I don’t mean to diminish advances in container design, but where does this preposterous need for reclosable packaging come from? It seems to suggest leftover bacon. Pshaw! I don’t know about you, but the existence of this beast is every bit as unfathomable as the concept of a fat little man-baby fluttering about shooting lust inducing darts into lover’s hearts.

Love me tender…

Before neglected partners go wrapping themselves in bacon (and I saw some less than appetizing pictures on Google when researching this article) try it on a juicy steak. Cash in on Keystone Processors Valentine’s Day special. They’ve marked tenderloins down to a “honey of a deal” at only $95 per 10lb box (that’s only $9.50/lb!).

The sale only lasts till February 14.

If the way to a man’s heart truly is through his stomach, this is a great way to say I love you.

Hiccup-burp you too, honey!

Shop bacon, beef, keystone processors, maple leaf, survey, tenderloin, valentines day, winnipeg

School, sports team, church, community org? Keystone Processors has a new way to Beef Up Your Fundraising.

A farmer-owned company with a modern beef processing plant in Winnipeg, Keystone works with local producers to deliver Manitoba produced, high quality, hormone-free beef. The products are available at numerous outlets throughout Winnipeg, and also online.

Through their online store, they’ve created an easy-to-use automated system that earns your organization money every time you and your members buy beef. There’s no commitment whatsoever and set up is a breeze…simply send  an email to info@KeystoneProcessors.com to create your organization’s membership.

Then tell your friends, family, colleagues and volunteers to identify themselves as your members when they register at the KeystoneProcessors.com online store. Every time they shop, you’ll receive Beef Up Bucks equal to 15% of each purchase. Since Keystone only sells beef by the box, those purchases can add up quickly, especially if friends and family bundle orders.

Now that’s an easy way to moo some good for the community.

Click here for more information on Keystone Processors’ Beef Up Your Fundraising initiative.

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Knife sharpening demo at d.a. Niels proves deadly dull.

When I learned kitchen supply outfitter d.a. Niels was hosting a series of live demonstrations at their 485 Berry Street store February through March I couldn’t wait to get down there.

My eagerness was only bolstered by Destination Winnipeg’s extensive, almost exhausting, 3-part account of Bistro 7 1/4 Chef Alex Svenne’s recent performance.

d.a. Niels’ non-existent website (c’mon guys…at least have an info page…I can help you with that if you like) told me nothing. Thankfully the DW bloggers had posted a pic of the event flyer.

“Join us and these exciting Culinary Guests for our Saturday Demos. Drop by between 11:00 and 3:00 to learn new techniques, get fabulous ideas and sample great food.”

The next session, I learned, was a Knife Sharpening Demo with J.A. Henckels. Screech! I LOVE my Henckels knives. For the price point they can’t be beat. I couldn’t wait to learn about caring for them and keeping them at their sharpest.

Read more…

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Well the credit card bills are rolling in and many of us are hunkering down for that post Christmas cash crunch. All too often that means I’m not dining out quite as much. The industry has long recognized this new year lull and it was a stroke of genius when food, fasion and style magazine Ciao! created DineAbout Winnipeg.

Kicking off today and lasting until February 11, DineAbout is a don’t miss opportunity to sample food from some of the best establishments in the city at even better prices.

More than 30 restaurants are participating this year, offering prix fixe menus at $25 or $35.

For more information or to view the menus for participating restaurants, visit the Ciao! Magazine website.

Read more…

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I was delighted to see a good friend of mine, Barret Miller, featured in this weekend’s Winnipeg Free Press.  A fellow foodie and nature lover, Barret has spent the last couple years working as a special programs interpreter at FortWhyte Alive, an absolutely amazing environmental education centre right here in city limits. (It’s also home to the Buffalo Stone Cafe, voted Best Restaurant of the Year by Ciao Magazine).

Barret and I have many rewarding conversations about beer, recipes and the great outdoors. A fount of enthusiastically related information (sometimes unbidden bless him) he’s the guy who hooked me up on the mushroom picking education afternoon with the Manitoba Naturalists Society.

Winnipeg Free Press reporter Alison Mayes wrote a fantastic feature for the Detour section. You can read the article here, but the FREEP also shot an awesome series of videos with Barret foraging for wild edibles and turning them into some bush tea. Check it out:

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Although it was a stocking stuffer, my Microplane was one of the standout gifts of last Christmas.

A Microplane is exactly that. It uses the principles of a woodworking plane, only miniaturized and specialized for kitchen duty.

All the TV chefs seem to insist upon them. Therefore, I had to have one too. Hey, I’m completely in touch with my impulsiveness, especially when it comes to food gadgets (I’ll tell you about the impetus to buy an iPhone in a later post). Perhaps I’d been sucked in by endorsement hungry superstar chefs.  But there had to be more to this than empty hype. And there was!

Read more…

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