Baby Steps

Yes it's been a while since I've blogged about anything. Are you wondering, is Eric's life that dull and boring that he has nothing to blog about. On the contrary. I've been busy, not only at work but at home, with trips, and biking and more excitement than most people wish for in a year. But, I will confess that taking the pen in hand (or computer under my fingers) is much like dieting. It requires a bit of will power.

The fact that I have so much to talk about, has sometimes been the reason for not writing anything at all on this page. So I have decided to take some age old advice, and start blogging again, in baby steps. Not about biking, or the trip to Alberta, or my new job, or the 50 million I won in Lotto Max, but instead about Butter Tarts.

 My new job is not only new for me, but it's the first time that Famoso Inc. (which has been around for a few years) has it's own office. So we are trying to find our own identity as a group. Part of that is something else that is "age old", the Friday Beers. Yes we have Friday beers in the office, but we have added something cool, and that's each staff has to cook/make lunch for the entire office. There are 7 of us there now, so your turn only comes up once every couple of months. There has been BBQ Hamburgers, Pulled Pork Sandwhices, Curry Chicken on rice, and tomorrow is my day.

As part of my feast, I have fallen back on Canadian Living for their Maple Butter Tart recipe. OMG, they are so good. I, of course, love anything made from white bleached flour, sugar, and additional sugar (maple syrup, brown sugar, raisins, etc), but these are just amazing. I make the pastry dough from scratch. Again it's a Canadian Living recipe called Sour Cream Pastry, or something like that. If anyone wants the recipes, let me know and I'll post them.

The pastry is super easy to make, just follow the recipe exactly (right down to the ice cold water). I eat about as much raisins and walnuts that go into the tarts.

A few things in this picture are worthy of note. If you are ever going to have any success in the kitchen, be sure to have a great hand mixer (don't worry, they're cheap, even a good one), paper recipes (so you can jot down notes on it as you tweak your recipe), a great set of glass maxing bowls and of course, PAM.

Oh look at that bad boy go. And those raisins in the back are just itching to be cracked open.

oh, is that a bite out of one? I couldn't possibly serve that to a group of people.

Growing up on the Manitoulin, there was always the trip "off the Island" and that always lead you through Espanola and onto the Trans-Canada Highway. At the junction of Hwy 6 south and Hwy 17 (E & W) was a gas station/restaurant called Pacey's. It was nothing fancy at all, self serve gas, dirty bathrooms, cafeteria style food, but they had the best homemade butter tarts. Growing up, I think my dad had a bit of a sweet tooth for these butter tarts, and as I grew up, I followed in his foot steps, enjoying every oey gooey bite. My 2,000 km car trips from Minaki back to S Ontario each year, I would spend the entire trip visualising my old car pulling into Pacey's, gassing up for the final haul to to Manitowaning, and getting two butter tarts, savouring each bite after 7 long months.

Until of course the Tim Horton's/Wendy's was built right next door. I will always remember my first trip back after they were built, I saw them there on the left, all lit up, parking lots full, driving thru lined up till the traffic has gone all crazy. But it didn't even dawn on me that Pacey's would be closed. I pulled in, gassed up, went inside to pay, and looked to the empty dark place that was once a vibrant, exciting food stop on the Trans Canada Highway.

I turned to the gas station cashier and said, "What happened to the restaurant?"

To which he replied, "It lasted about 3 months after the Tim Horton's opened up and then it closed".

"But I just drove all the way from Kenora, and wanted a butter tart"

"You should of called first"